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charliehoennam · 1 year

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SFW Alphabet - Detective David Loki

This is kinda long, but i love him your honor s/o for the list template

SHARING IS CARING, SO PLEASE REBLOG

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

- It would take a lot to get to that point since he’s mostly been a loner/outcast;

- There’s definitely a facet of him that craves affection since he’s been shown it so little growing up. He didn’t have much of it, so it’s rare and usually psychologically related to basic human needs like

- Making the most minimal noise when he has to get up earlier than you and you’re still asleep. Having been deprived of it in his tough childhood, he knows how sweet sleep can be and wants you to relish in it even though he can’t;

- Giving food is his love language

- He’ll surprise you by bringing home your favorite sweet from your favorite bakery if he knows you had a bad day

- He’ll be nonchalant about it too (even though you know for a fact he went out of his way to get it because it’s on the other side of town)

- “I was picking up some lab results and figured I’d stop by. It was on the way back”

- No, it was not, but that’s ok because you know he’s as lowkey like his name

- He’s not big on PDA, he’s just not wired that way

- Not because he hates it, more like because he’s insecure of it

- He didn’t have great examples of it growing up. His dad was abusive in the few years he lived with his family before he was sent to Huntington’s Boys Home after his teacher called CPS when he showed up at school with cigarette burns

- He’s naturally alert because of his job. It’s a sixth sense he’s developed overtime, so he’ll hold your hand when you’re crossing the street and brings you to the side where cars aren’t approaching from in case of accidents, keep you on the inside part of the sidewalk further from the road, maybe a hand around your waist or on the small of your back or on your thigh in the car

- it’s minimal but present in public (unless he’s jealous of someone)

- He’s very affectionate with you though in private

- He likes the closeness, even if it’s just sitting on the couch, going through his files or paperwork while you do your nails or something

B = Best friend (what would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

- He’s not the most sociable person, so I wouldn’t expect him to show up to every party or get-together

- He meets up for a beer/coffee to keep in touch from time to time

- He’s a good friend, great to talk to and very understanding although his tick will sorta give him away when you’re oversharing

- He won’t admit it, he’ll let you go on because he knows you need it and he’s okay with that because you’re not just anyone

- He doesn’t have many friends after all

- He’s just not the best at giving advices so he feels uncomfortable knowing that he’s not much help

- You probably go way back because making new friends gets harder as you get older and he’s not very social

- You met at a pizza place where you worked at together back in high school

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? how would they cuddle)

- He fucking loves them

- Will not admit it because he’s lived without them for a long time, but that’s also why he fucking loves them

- He hates how vulnerable they make him feel but enjoys that he can finally feel that

- He never had many chances to let himself be vulnerable

- He’s the protector and not usually the protected so it feels nice to let his guard down but it does scare him a bit

- Being the big spoon indulges his natural masculine instinct, but if you hold him (either being the big spoon for him or letting him rest his head on your chest with your arms around you) he will cry inside

- That will most likely happen when he’s had long days working on troubling cases

- They take a mental toll on him, especially child-related cases

- Also, I personally believe he’s got a couple mommy issues

- She left his dad when he was young

- As an adult, he can understand why she left but there’s definitely a longing for warmth (emotionally) that he forced himself to bury deep down

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Cleanliness

- His cleaning is on point

- He doesn’t have OCD, but he’s a bit of a neat freak

- He’s not anal about where the toothpaste is left, just as long as its’ cap is on if that makes sense?

- He doesn’t like leaving things to do later unless he absolute has to (thank you, traumatic childhood)

- He likes to do the dishes right after dinner

- His job doesn’t allow him a lot of time to clean his home, so he hires someone to clean like once every two weeks

- It’s a lot easier but he maintains the cleanliness quite well

- He’s really good at ironing in emergencies too

- He irons his uniforms for work but he hates it (and he hates wearing them so he’ll only wear them if he really has to)

- He barely has time and mental sanity to sleep, let alone iron clothes

- If he has to wear them for work, it’s hello dry-cleaning

- The neat freakiness doubles at work

- He does not like others rearranging his stuff, using his mug

- “Hey, man. Sorry to sound like a dick, but that’s my mug. Y/N got me that ‘detective of the year’ mug for my birthday and it’s kinda special”

-He won’t be explosive if someone borrows a pen without asking, but don’t touch the man’s files. this is critical. He just likes to know where his shit is

- his time in the boy's home definitely disciplined him to always have his bed made, keep his things neat and minimal

- he probably has like one nice cologne, one deodorant and his usual hair gel on the sink of his bathroom

- he doesn’t have much and he’s okay with that

- having too many options seemed a little extra to him, but as you gift him with bath sets and shaving kits, he starts to warm up to the “ treat yo self” idea a lil bit (he’s learning and it’s a process. he’s getting there ok)

Cooking

- He’s not the best at cooking

-He barely had food in his fridge when you’d met and he lived on take out

- He didn’t really care much about taste or nutrition, only that it made his stomach stop growling and eliminated the headache creeping in because that was the only time he actually remembered to eat

- Has the weirdest combinations of sandwiches like mayo with peanut butter and cheddar

- After he met you, he genuinely started giving it more effort

- Don’t expect anything fancy

- His dishes are comfort and casual, but overall tasty

- Pasta dishes are his best because they’re quick and easy to make

- He secretly wants to learn how to make homemade pasta but he gets overwhelmed just reading the recipes and happily settles for storebought

- He did try once to impress you on valentine’s day

-It was very romantic, you had wine and cooked together but the pasta was terrible so you happily resorted to pizza.

Does he want to settle down?

- uhm the idea scared him to death

- It reminds him of his own upbringing and he despised his dad

- He doesn’t want to become him but he also wants a chance to have a real family

- It’s an internal conflict

- If he does have a child, it’s certainly not planned

- He’s always envied other kids who had that traditional white Christmas and thanksgiving family dinners, so he does get excited about getting to have that

- He’s been so used to being on his own, it’s been his comfort zone and he didn’t mind it until the baby surprised everyone

- Scared shitless and contemplates disappearing, but he doesn’t wanna be a deadbeat like his dad

- Warms up to the idea that he has the opportunity to be different and everything his dad wasn’t

- Gets secretly excited about creating traditions

- He doesn’t hate the holidays as much as before and gets into the spirit a little

- Buys a garland for his door near Christmas, a couple fake pumpkins on Halloween for the porch

- The mini Christmas tree you put up and decorated together on your first Christmas together is a huge step up already

- After meeting you, he’s slowly warming up to the idea of settling down because he finally feels safe

- proud pushover dad

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

- His job means everything to him

- Being able to protect means being able to provide what he didn’t have as a child, so it’s very personal

- He hasn’t had many serious relationships; most were just flings with no strings attached to make things easy

- The first time you broke up was after a fight on his absence and priorities

- He can be very impatient when frustrated

- He brought it up first and very heatedly suggested to just end things to make easier on both of you

- But he felt your absence more than he expected to and regretted his words every time he’d come home and not find you there

- It made him realize that he was in deep shit and loved you more than he thought, so he came running back to you with flowers and the shyest but the sincerest apology

- “I know I fucked up. What I said was stupid. I was stupid. It was in the heat of the moment and I’m sorry. It’s no excuse, but I need you to know that for the longest time, it’s been just me and that was what I knew. But I need you. I need you back. And it’s fine if you don’t want to, I can accept that. I just need you to know that I’m willing to change. I just need you to understand that this is new to me, having someone... I am trying. It might not happen overnight, but I-I’ll get there”

- His eyes were blinking hard the whole time and he couldn’t barely look at you due to the guilt

- Homeboy was hurting but he’s a rock, or at least he feels he needs to pretend to be

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

- He has spent years running from it

- Flings were much easier because no attachment = no hurt

- You started off a fling, it was super casual just meeting for beers or coffee and always ending in sex

- There was a pull that kept leading him to your place after his shifts and it just kept going

- Being with you soon became the easiest and nicest part of his day

- It scared him so he distanced himself a bit

- It confused the fuck outta you so you confronted him about it since you’d felt like you’d done something wrong

- “You’re everything that’s right and I don’t know what to do. I never had someone so good and I’m scared you’ll realize you deserve better”

- It hurt to know that he didn’t think he was good enough for you, but you respected his timing and kept things casual until he was ready to take it to the next level and he couldn’t be more grateful to have some as patient and comprehensive as you

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

- I wouldn’t say he’s gentle, but he’s definitely a little soft-spoken and more attentive around you

- He does not want to disrespect you in the slightest

- He loved his mom more than anything

- He saw her suffer in his father’s hands and he never wants to make his partner fear him

- The first time you kissed, he asked for your permission. The first time he took your top off, he asked for permission.

- After you became more familiar, he didn’t ask for it verbally

- It would be in the form of him gently tugging on your top or pants or staring at your lips

- He definitely has game and was a huge flirt tho

- In arguments or stressful situations, he can be hot-headed due to his temper

- He’s not violent and you’ve never felt unsafe around him

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

- Physical affection is not his main love language

- The first would be quality time, the second is acts of service. Physical affection would probably be third

- He doesn’t hate hugs, he just doesn’t allow himself to be constantly emotionally vulnerable and won’t accept them from just anyone (only you)

- But when he’s had a long day or is working a disturbing case, he will seek you out and hug you in silence for a long moment

- He loves it when you notice he’s not ok and wrap your arms around him, cradling his head against your chest or your stomach

- A couple of very painful cases that he will carry with him for the rest of his life have broken him down to the point where just your warm hug made him cry

- It was silent for the rest of the night but you did not leave him

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

- Ohhhhhh you thought he’d never say it

- You’d said it before well into your relationship and said it was okay if he didn’t say it back

- You just wanted him to know that he was loved

- It took him forever to build the courage because he was so afraid getting comfortable and then not having you around anymore after that, so in his head, your absence wouldn’t hurt as much if he hadn’t said it

- His emotional guard was sky-high up

- He’d overheard you unintentionally on the phone talking to a close friend about it and how scared you were for maybe jumping the gun or scaring him off

- He hated that it made you self-conscious because he did love you

- Weeks after hearing your conversation, he crawled into bed after a long day unsure if you were asleep and he just whispered it, followed with a peck on the back of your head

- You wanted to squeal with happiness, but he was so subtle about it and you didn’t want to overwhelm him

- You smiled softly as you turned your head to look back at him and kissed him tenderly before snuggling up to rest

- Mad sex ensued the following morning

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

- It’s funny because he’s mature enough to understand that you are attractive and that means people will obviously look, but he will not, for the love of all that is sacred, admit that he’s jealous

- Expect snarky remarks

- “Maybe you should ask your new pal at work, I’m sure he’d know”

- If this person is nearby like the time the cashier at the local grocery store kept checking you out, he will scare stare them down – tick blinking in effect – and get instinctively defensive

- “Are you alright? Do you have a problem?”

- If it’s a co-worker, he will make the effort of picking you up some days of the weeks to make his presence known, even if he has to drop you off at home and go back to the station

- He will have his badge and gun exposed on his hip as he purposely waits for you outside the car

- It’s purely strategically to intimidate

- But if someone disrespects you, he will get physical (police brutality warning)

- Might arrest them for harassment

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?) (WARNING: gets a lil hot here)

- Really depends on the moment

- If you’re going at it, he will kiss you hungrily and it’s why he loves missionary

- They’re not sloppy kisses, he’s really good at it and enjoys the feeling of his lips molding against yours

- If he’s working his pace up, they will be on your neck or shoulder

- Aside from that, they’re usually just small pecks

-Always before he leaves

- If you’re asleep in bed, it’s on your head

- Getting dressed for work? Making breakfast? Walking to your car? There’s always a goodbye peck

- He will not leave without it and he will assume you’re mad at him about something if you leave him hanging

- He looooooves to be kissed on the forehead

- He's almost never been kissed there but they make him feel so safe, loved and appreciated and he tears up a little bit

- Rubs his eyes to hide it

- Chest kisses and back kisses are very appreciated too, especially if you’re cuddling

- He will melt like cotton candy in water

L = Little ones (How are they around children?

- He is adequately awkward around them lmao

- It’s not that he doesn’t like kids, he has not been around them enough to know how to act

- He gets self-conscious

- Treats them like they’re mini-adults when his co-workers bring their kids to work

- “Tough day, huh, kid? How about another round of Nesquik?”

- Teaches them how to identify a real or fake badge for future safety purposes

- Babies are his nightmare, but he learns how to deal with them quick when you teach him and that little human has him wrapped around their tiny fingers upon first sight

- Will absolutely teach his children how to use and shoot a gun

- He’ll be damned if his kids aren’t taught how to defend themselves

- “Ballet? No, let’s get her into Judo or Muay Thai”

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

- They are rare unfortunately

- Sometimes, he’s coming home in the morning when you’re getting ready for work

- It’s kinda good because you can at least have breakfast together before you leave and he crashes for sleep

- If his phone rings before he’s up, you already know he’s gotta go so you’ll get up to put on some coffee for him as he gets ready

- You wish he could have more opportunities to sleep in

- You appreciate every second of the morning when you do get to be together

- He’ll make jokes as he shaves and you brush your teeth

- His bathroom is not big enough for two people at the same time, but you both kinda like the lack of space

- He is not shy

- Will absolutely use the toilet even if you’re in the shower and does not mind if you do the same, although he will tease you for it

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

- They’re not much different from the mornings

- Sometimes, he’s leaving for work as you’re coming home

- But more often than not, he’s home at night and sometimes he’s late

- His favorite days are when he comes home early, in time for dinner or in time to actually help make dinner

- He kinda likes cooking now but doesn’t get too adventurous to avoid wasting food

- If you’re home together, it’s a pretty cozy night

- Watch some TV together, cuddle on the couch and talk about your days

- it's the simple small things that mean the most

Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

- This man makes peeling onions with a spoon look easy

- Layers upon layers upon layers

- He’s not used to opening up about anything

- He started slowly when he first realized how important you were to him

- Didn’t talk about his family until during your wedding planning inn the engagement phase and it still caused a fight

- You pressed him to do so and he got angry because he doesn’t like talking about his asshole of a father or his mom walking out

- It’s too emotional and he didn’t really work that shit out in him yet, just kinda put it in a locked box on a shelf and left it in the back of his mind

- It’s a lot to unpack and he hadn’t spoken about it in decades

- He didn't just cry that night, he sobbed

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

- Are you serious? The man has resting bitch face syndrome

- His frown is his standard

- He kinda reminded you of the old man from Up

- He has patience, but nothing lasts forever and he’s only a man

- Before he met you, he didn’t have much of it

- After he met you, he’s learned to have a little more

- Just the fact that he acknowledges that he had so little of it is already a major step up

- He tries, ok?

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

- EVERY. SINGLE. DETAIL

- His memory is the fucking best

- Dates, habits, preferences

- It kinda gets on your nerves sometimes because he’ll also remember that you ate the last piece of his favorite cheesecake and tried to hide it

- Or that you already watched the new episode of the series you’re watching together on Netflix

- He’s not a child about it, but he likes to wait and see how long it’d take you to confess it just for fun, dropping hints here and there

- But you always get flowers sent to you on your birthday and on special holidays and everyone at work envies you for it

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

- Oh he has quite a few

- But it’s probably the first getaway trip you had

- He’d finished the paperwork and bureaucratic process of court dates the Dover-Birch case and you suggested taking a weekend off to spend at a lakeside inn in the country

- The drive there was his favorite moment as you sang along to your favorite songs

- Despite mocking you for knowing all the words to “I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys, he joined in and surprised you by knowing all the words too

- You were so excited about it and the whole experience made his heart melt

- It was a really nice bonding moment that he’d never really had

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

- He knows you can take care of yourself, so he’s not obsessive about it. He’s just seen a lot of shit from his cases, so he does worry

- Asks you to call him when you get home just to make sure you’re safe and worries when you don’t

- He knows you well so he can easily pick up on when you’re uncomfortable

- Won’t make a huge scene, but he will remove you from the situation if you can’t like if you’re at a dinner party and someone’s annoying you but you don't wanna be impolite (yes, he keeps his eyes on you just to make sure you're safe)

- If it’s a physical situation, like you’re at a gas station and someone angrily or drunkenly starts squaring up at you, he stays calm but immediately goes into cop mode to handle the situation and puts himself in the middle to shield you

- “Call the station and ask for a patrol car. Stay in the car with the keys no matter what. Do not get out, and drive away if you have to.”

- His instinct is to be a first responder, so he’ll handle it accordingly with procedure

- Since he’s usually doing the protecting, there aren’t many opportunities for him to be protected

- What he does admire though is how you protectively reach out over him if you’re driving and have to slam on the brakes unexpectedly to hold him back

- Or when you speak up for him like that one time his dish came with a hair in it at a restaurant

- He’d eaten worse as a kid, so he would’ve just taken it out and eaten the food

- But you didn’t let him and said it was unacceptable and politely asked the waiter for another

- He loves that you don’t let people take advantage of him

- He also loves it when girls notice his badge and flirt with him

- Like him, you know that he’s attractive and you trust him

- He doesn’t let it go on and makes it obvious that he’s not interested, but he likes knowing that you want him for yourself

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

- Previous to your relationship, he didn’t try at all

- But now, he feels guilty that he can’t be home all the time and can’t make it to special events

- So he does his best to make for it

- If he couldn’t celebrate Valentine’s day with you, he’ll take you out to a nice place when he’s free

- He never forgets your anniversaries, but his job is demanding and you gotta understand that to be with him

- He’ll get you gifts and have flowers sent to make you know that he didn’t forget

- As soon as he gets the chance to be with you, he’ll make it up

- As for everyday tasks, he tries his best

- If you drink coffee, he’ll leave the pot on to keep it warm for you

- He’ll make dinner beforehand if he has night shifts and leave you a plate wrapped in cellophane to keep it fresh for you to heat up when you get home

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

- Everyone’s got theirs and David is no different

- His number one bad habit undereating or just not taking care of himself when stressed. That involves not getting enough food and rest

- It just makes him even more stressed and naturally more prone to anger, which means his patience wears thin and it sometimes leads to arguments

- He brings his work home and will get very upset if you touch or go through his files because he doesn’t want you to see the shit he has to see

- Procrastination because it usually will be left up to you to see to whether it’s mundane house chores or errands (he tries so hard to hold up his end though)

- Listening to respond because his mind is on his case and sometimes, he doesn’t realize it. It’s automatic and can be frustrating when you realize he’s not listening, but he does his best to control it and immediately snap out of it.

- Doesn’t happen too often, just when he’s got a lot on his mind

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

- He thought he was kinda vain with his tattoos and hair style

- Everyone at the station calls him Pretty boy and he is lowkey proud of it

- Keeps his hair trimmed and goes to the barber at least three times a month

- He knows he’s a hairy fellow and likes to look well-kept although he kinda wants to grow out his beard

- is worried the captain will tell him to shave it

- As for clothes, he’s pretty average and likes to lounge in his white tanks and sweatpants

- He’s not gonna wear a suit unless he absolutely has to (he draws the line at the tie)

- But he doesn’t walk around like a mess either

- He’s happy if he doesn’t look homeless lol

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

- he fucking loves sweets, they’re his kryptonite

- he almost never had sweets or desserts growing up, so if you bake this man a cake for his birthday, he will cry in the shower

- he’s not a fitness freak, but he goes work out a lil bit like 3 times a week just to stay sane and in shape

- eats the leftovers of your dish if you can't finish it (it's either because he doesn't like wasting food or because his eating habits are wack)

- he's a stubborn little shit sometimes

- loves conspiracy theories

- strongly believes that Princess Diana's death was no accident and adores her

- believes in aliens and don't even get him started on the chemtrails theory

- history channel and animal planet are his favorite channels

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

- I don’t think incomplete is the correct word to put it, but your absence would definitely hurt him

- He’d try his best to avoid thinking about it

- Would probably sleep at the station to avoid going home to an empty house

- He would bury himself in work, no doubt about that

- Swears off relationships for the next 10 years

- It would take a lot to fill your shoes so he’d rather just not try

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

- He would not like high-maintenance or snobby people

- He grew up running around barefoot, so he’s happy to have shoes that fit. Being with someone who can’t wear shoes that are slightly dirty is just not possible to him

- Racist people are not welcomed at all. PERIOD. He wishes he could lock them up solely for that

- Disrespectful people who are rude to service people. HUGE turn-off for him

- Not understanding or accepting his job and the disadvantages that come along with it

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

- Sleep? What is sleep? lol

- If he’s sleeping alone, he hugs his pillow

- If it’s with you, he hugs you

- He’s a light sleeper but he falls asleep so fucking fast like in record time

- He’d got very cold feet and he’s self-conscious about them because he’s been teased about them before by an ex, so he’ll sleep with socks on in the winter

- He snores

- Not enough to shake the house, but he does snore a bit and will deny it until he dies even if you record him

- “Nah, that’s not- that’s edited! You edited it in and I don’t snore. Period. Case closed.”

#detective david loki #david loki alphabet #david loki #david loki x reader #david loki x you #david loki x y/n #david loki prisoners #jake gyllenhaal #prisoners 2013

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sonicasura · 1 month

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Hybrid Skully

I decided to delve into some hybrid ideas with Skully. The species swap Kafkas in question will be MAG, Agunimon and Grandracmon specifically. No Ghost this time but maybe after I do two more Species Swap with our himbo.

Skully will be half kaiju in nature for obviously reasons. Also whether this is related to Single Dad Kafka or not remains unspecified. Now let's get started.

Vampire Prince(GranDracmon)

Skully is the result of a capture attempt by the 3rd Division on Kafka. Due to his now kaiju nature, it's easier for the Defense Force to harm him with their weapons than just be restricted to Light Cannons. A small chunk of his right wing gets cut off by Hoshina and it's only sheer luck that the piece got caught on his tail.

Kafka didn't notice the newest addition until he felt something rummage in his tail fur. You can bet the man wasn't suspecting a cat sized hybrid that looks eeriely similar to him. Think if Skully was a pudgy reptile type centaur, had little bat wings on his upper back, a three pointed star crest horn on his forehead and two dragon heads coming from his lower beast back than thighs. Yugioh's Tyrant Neptune is the best way I can explain his body type.

Skully is especially feisty when it comes to his innate instinct to acquire human blood. The kaiju side of the hybrid would want extra protection from the natural weakness that Grandracmon have than just a human form. Kafka had to teach the whelp about not harming humans(unless in self defense) and only feed on kaiju.

No better way to cause a massive stir amongst the Defense Force than the current King of the Monsters having a child. Especially one who has a tendency to wander around. Reno and Kikoru often end up finding Skully so they are very quick to return him to Kafka in some way.

If the piece hadn't latch onto Kafka's tail then the little one would've been born halfway during transport to the Science Department. Soshiro would retrieved the piece as a chunk of the Vampire King will provide useful info for a future capture mission and habitation cell. No one foresaw the transformation that wing chunk under went inside the container.

Or the newborn to only listen to Soshiro. There were definitely discussions about what to do since they rather not garner the Vampire King's wrath. Soshiro is completely responsible for Skully in this situation as the whelp happens to be quite skittish without his 'Mama' or 'Papa' present.

For those wondering, he did offer the hybrid his blood at some point. Skully gotten sick and had difficulty keeping kaiju blood down so Soshiro offer some of his to see if it could help. (It did.) This is how they discover why the whelp was frantic about feeding on human blood as he no longer wanted the stuff afterwards. A survival tactic to blend in with the population.

Kafka has a habit of popping up to see Skully too. Sometimes it's in private since the whelp is stealthy enough to slip in and off base. Other times Kafka intervenes if a situation looks dire or Skully leads Soshiro to him.

Harmony (MAG)

Skully is created from a chunk of Kafka's arm. How this injury happens depends on the route in question. Due to being part MAG, Skully is bigger than his other iterations as he stands around 3 ft in size. He looks mostly the same but has small horns, dark mahogany carapace/tail, and an extra pair of arms. Luckily Skully retains a gentle nature.

In the Monster Sweepers route, Kafka loses part of his arm during a work accident. They were working on a porcupine kaiju with shootable serrated quills. Someone had triggered a pressure point which resulted in a quill firing and Kafka taking the blow for his coworker.

The torn off chunk end up in a trashcan so no one knew Skully had formed inside. Well until the whelp waddle over to munch on a chunk of kaiju meat. Kafka definitely didn't know how to react at first. Luckily Skully became one of the best and worst things for his aggression.

The good being how fast the whelp calms him but also provides company whenever nobody can visit. Bad side is that Kafka is more eager to tear apart anyone dumb enough to threaten Skully. Animals and sometimes humans have a much better chance at fleeing his wrath than kaiju.

The Defense Force wants to capture Kafka in the general AU as they learn he's an illegal human experiment. His mutation already made them more desperate in their attempts but now caution is seriously advised with Skully around. They HAVE to gently convince him to come to them as any capture attempt could risk a potential massacre.

Skully usually hangs on Kafka's back like a koala whenever he is on the move. Either him or somebody else as the whelp remains surprisingly light despite their size. (Think the weight of an average house cat for comparison.)

In Placation route, Skully is accidentally created during a round of testing. The Science Department needed some samples to understand how much the larval kaiju had alter his biology. Although this time they took a sizeable chunk of flesh than blood for better results.

Okonogi is the person who later discovers a newly formed Skully rummaging in the trash and calls Mina over immediately. (The Science Department were later restricted to blood samples or very dead flesh after this incident.) Skully is always monitored by someone if he isn't with Kafka.

Mina rather not have some ballsy fool try to snatch him as she's already batting the higher ups with a stick. Luckily Kafka is a nice deterrent for the latter since everyone knows how nasty parental kaiju can get. She won't hesitate to join him as Skully got her wrapped around his finger.

Fireworks (Agunimon)

The little hybrid was created from a chunk of Kafka's mane and tail. You can thank a particularly nasty mantis kaiju for the unconventional haircut/tail strim much to our himbo's annoyance. Kafka ends up collecting the mess in a trash bag before the Defense Force showed up.

He's around halfway home when the thing begins to moves on it's own. Kafka absolutely wasn't expecting the little fluffy whelp inside. This Skully's body is covered in a thick layer of poofy golden fur with thin quill like spines poking between the cracks of his mahogany shell and two small striped horns in front of his horn nubs. (He would've looked like a puffball with a pudgy armor plated tail it wasn't for the carapace shell. The fur smooths out evenly with age.)

Kafka is grateful that he fireproofed his house as Skully definitely has pyrokinesis here. The whelp tends to sneeze sparks at best and small flames at worst. Our himbo gotten a little fireproof scarf for Skully to wear so to avoid any accidental fires. He also gave his coworkers a heads up.

Kafka is relieved that the battle lust of his curse didn't pass on. (Although the hopes that any inhuman traits being inherited by potential children is now dashed.) He is cautious about Skully being near the cursed armor as he rather not test his luck any further.

The Defense Force have only become more riled up since the whelp has a tendency to follow Kafka into battle. It made attempts at capture more risky as the 'Fire Lord' isn't any kaiju they want to piss off. They haven't even found his nest yet and rather not have a lost kaiju whelp roaming about.

If Kafka didn't gather up those torn pieces then Skully would've been born in the Science Department. The Defense Force will take any part of the Fire Lord for analysis even if it was a few hairs. Okonogi definitely gotten a scare when she went to check on the latest material only to find a whelp in the container instead.

It took a bit longer to cobble up a fireproof scarf for Skully as no one was prepared for a fire sneezing infant to be on base. Soshiro had to keep his officers from trying to get payback against the whelp. (Little Skully had accidentally set multiple people's hair or clothes on fire via sneezing.)

The whelp acts like a sort of radar when it involves their 'Mama'. Skully will get quite excited if he's nearby and has often waddled away to greet Kafka. The 3rd Division are currently changing tactics when it comes to the Fire Lord in this situation.

A blood sample from Skully had revealed unidentifiable human DNA in the mix. The chance that No.8 is part human or has a human mate changes everything the Defense Force knows. An answer they are most likely to get if their target remains alive.

Well, that's what I think anyway.

@discoknack @drmarune @ashblock @driokrine

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stories-me · 1 year

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Potential Character for Mrs. Kelsey and Tumblr 8/24/2023:

Groot, Guardian of the Galaxy – He Is Groot:

Spoiler alert! Watch out and take care!

Background:

It’s unknown how Groot came to join Rocket Raccoon, but likely it began somewhere after Rocket escaped from the High Evolutionary. At the time, Rocket was grappling with survivor’s guilt, and was afraid that if he befriended Groot, Groot would be killed and it would be Rocket’s fault. Unfortunately, Groot refused to go away, no matter how many times Rocket ordered him to. Ultimately, Groot convinced Rocket to let him stay on for “one job”. After that, that “one job” turned into “one more job”, and “one more job” after that, until Rocket ultimately made Groot his partner or sidekick (besides, Rocket was kind of small, and Groot was big, so he could use the muscle). Also, Rocket (being a brainy sort) quickly figured out how to interpret the only phrase Groot ever said: “I am Groot”.

Rocket and Groot ultimately went on to (alongside Peter “Star Lord” Quill, Drax the Destroyer, and Gamora) found the Guardians of the Galaxy. During their first adventure together, Groot willingly sacrificed himself to protect his friends. Fortunately, Groot was reborn from a small clipping of himself.

A lot happened after that.

Personality:

Groot is usually very gentle and warm, displaying kindness towards innocent life. However, he can also be merciless and brutal towards his enemies, especially if they threaten his friends. He once extended his arm and put it into a row into numerous Kree before they got to him, Drax, and Quill.

As a baby, Groot can misinterpret the simplest requests, which was exhibited when he was having trouble bringing Yondu's prototype fin and pressing the “death button” on the bomb used to kill Ego.

He is loyal to Rocket and the other Guardians, and was even willing to die to protect them, as shown in the Battle of Xandar, when he willingly sacrificed himself to save his friends. Before his sacrifice, he told Rocket that they had to save their friends when Star-Lord and Gamora were being held by Yondu and the Ravagers.

As an adolescent, Groot displayed the typical behavior of a human teenager, such as being rude, making a mess of his own space and getting obsessed with playing video games. Unlike his father, he hardly smiled and seemed to be unaware of his surroundings most of the time. He frequently snapped at his Guardian companions when he got told off (as most teenagers do), resulting in them, notably Rocket and Peter murmuring about how they miss the old Groot and how annoying the new Groot is. Nevertheless, Groot’s loyalty to his companions remains as strong as ever and he staunchly stands by them during fights, fully retaining his old courage and headstrong nature. He even went as far as to resist the pain of the newly heated pieces of Stormbreaker (Thor's axe) and sacrificed his arm to create the axe without hesitation. He also seemed to look up to Rocket, referring to him as “Dad” in his native tongue as he faded away due to the Blip.

How he is like me:

We both want to protect our friends and are quite strong.

How he is NOT like me:

He’s more even-tempered. I can TRY to be more even-tempered with calming strategies and the like. Also, I can try to practice being even-tempered.

Kelsey Notes:

Groot is always quiet, especially in battle but this does not stop him from knowing when he needs to take action.

This is important for you because in a moment of frustration, you have the instinct to speak out and if a problem isn’t solved quick enough, it might lead you to make verbal threats.

Not only do people need time to help you solve a problem, they need to be able to talk you through the process that helped them to solve the problem. This way, it is more likely you will know how to handle this problem in the future.

It’s important to remember Groot’s patience. When we are working to control our own behavior, being patient is a critical aspect to prevent us from lashing out at others.

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one-piece-dumpster-fire · 4 years

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Hello! Could i please have some good good pregnancy and parenting headcanons with a fem!s/o for Law, Eustass, and Zoro please? Thank you so much and have an awesome day!

Oof pregnancy and parenting headcanon make me so soft, thank you very much for this sweet request🥺! I focussed a bit more on the pregnancy part rather than the parenting tho since I've written something similiar for Kid and Law already😅 Hope what I came up with suits you, and sorry for the long wait!

How they deal with a pregnant gf and having a baby headcanon

Trafalgar Law

because of his medical knowledge and observant nature, Law actually noticed the first signs of your pregnancy even before you did

so when you finally realize that you're pregnant and go to confront him with your discovery, he's anything but surprised

"Law, I need to tell you something. I'm-"

"Pregnant? Yeah, I thought so."

he looks pretty unbothered and composed, almost as if this isn't anything new to him, but on the inside he is completely tense and filled with anxiety. A baby just doesn't fit into your pirate lives. At all. However he doesn't want to show his true feelings and possibly cause you to panic. You already got enough on your plate with all the new physical and hormonal changes you're about to go through

personally Law didn't plan on having kids, ever, but what's done is done. To make sure that this is really what you want he'd still offer you the option of an abortion, but when you decline and tell him that you want to keep the child, he accepts your decision

"Alright (Y/N), brace yourself then. A few major changes are upon us..."

everything from the beginning of your pregnancy to the date of birth is planned out by him. Law doesn't want anything to go wrong and refuses to take risks. That means you'll spend most of your time either stuck by his side or in the proximity of another member of the Heart Pirates

Bepo, Penguin and Shachi are super excited for the kid and to be uncles. They all come up with their own ideas on what they'll do with the baby once it's born, and their enthusiasm sort of puts Law at ease. This means he and you at least won't have to deal with everything by yourselves

when you actually go into labour, Law's composed facade drops for a moment and he reveals just how stressed he's been up until now

in order to properly assist you and be there for you while you're giving birth, he forces himself to imagine that this is just an ordinary operation. It's not his girlfriend having his baby, he's not about to be a father in a few minutes-

all the stress and anxiety instantly falls off of him when he first holds the new life you two created.

the first time Law looks down at his baby he's absolutely mesmerized. Sure it's still bloody and screeching its lungs out, but despite all odds it's looking completely healthy and is actually,,,, really adorable? Holy shit, how did he manage to make something so pure-looking-

after cleaning the baby and introducing it to its mother, he brings the little human over to Bepo and lets it rest in the bear's soft fur instead of wrapping it up in a blanket. Not only should that be far more comfortable for the tiny thing, but it's also the first bonding experience with uncle Bepo. And while the baby is sleeping, Law walks over to check in on you and tells you how great you did

as far as being a dad goes, Law belongs to the supportive but distant type. Whenever he's got the chance he'll try to spend time with his kid, but there are often other, more important things he has to take care of

however he's still a proud parent and lowkey hopes that the child will take an interest in his work when it gets older. It shouldn't come as a surprise that one of the first things your kid will be taught by Papa Law is how to dissect a frog

Eustass Kid

his immediate thought when you let him know that you're pregnant is "how can I make this unhappen"

look at him, Kid is not ready to be a dad. Especially when it comes to his level of maturity he's basically still a child himself-

no one on the Victoria Punk is prepared for the big news. Their captain made a baby. There will be a kid running around the ship. Oh shit, everyone better start learning to limit their use of profanities already-

initially Kid acts pretty grumpy throughout your pregnancy. He didn't want this, but it's still happening. And he can't do anything against it. He's almost acting like a pregnant woman himself-

can not and will not handle your cravings/mood swings. Whenever you start acting up he just gets completely irritated and quickly peaces out when he can't come up with a way to deal with you

but what started out as regret turns into excitement when he thinks about how awesome his kid would be. With him as dad and you as mom it's only natural that the result will be amazing

and thus he starts to be a bit more open-minded towards the whole situation. Heck, he even gets lowkey excited and starts building a few baby cribs and closets for the child!

unfortunately tho Kid is anything but compassionate during your pregnancy, and it gets especially bad when you start showing. His immature nature shines through and he makes quite a few indecent comments on how you look a balloon,,,

for some reason he also tends to be more horny than usual. Hey, you already got a bun in the oven, so there isn't anything else you need to worry about, right?

in contrast to how he treated you during your pregnancy, he's actually very supporting and motivating during birth

lmao but that's mostly because he's eagerly waiting between your legs for the kid to plop out and right into his arm like a Christmas present

it's almost like a lottery to him and he's super excited what the brat will look like

however nothing could have prepared Kid for the moment when he gets to hold the baby for the first time. The young man basically beams with pride and grins from one ear to the other while the baby cries like an alarm clock

Kid's first time holding the newborn in a nutshell:

"Hehe, it looks like we got a girl here, ey (Y/N)?"

"Kid... that's the baby's ass. You're holding it the wrong way around."

he definitely comes up with ridiculous names for the child, such as: "Eustass Explosion", "Eustass Chainsaw" and his personal favorite- "Eustass the Destroyer"

putting his excitement aside, the young pirate captain definitely has to grow into the role of a father. At first he almost treats the kid like some sort of new toy or pet

you'll never catch him changing even a single diaper. Most of the time Kid tells Killer to man up, cover the holes in his mask, and take care of it by himself if he really wants to be considered 'the best uncle'

despite his rowdy behaviour he is aware that the child is 'fragile' and usually makes sure to keep it away from any dangerous stuff, meaning that the workshop is off-limits for the little one. Kid also never uses his metal arm when he's playing with or holding the baby; instead he build a more authentic prosthetic that'll allow him to hold the child more properly

Roronoa Zoro

his eye almost pops out of its socket when you tell him

holy shit! Zoro of course knew that sex makes babies, but what are the odds of this happening to you?! Besides he always considered himself to be too controlled and restrained for that to work?! Damn?!?!

despite the initial shock he wants to do his best to help you through the pregnancy. After all he basically caused this-

however Zoro can't even find the way to the grocery store to get some diapers

someone send him help. And by help, I mean Chopper

the reindeer himself doesn't know too much about pregnancies, but he's more than happy to collect some first-hand experience and teaches Zoro all about how to be a dad and what's going on with your body

whenever you're near he keeps his swords sheathed and tucked away from you. Once your stomach starts popping he's wary that if he comes too close to you with a sharp thing you might burst or something

at night he keeps watch like a guard dog, his overprotectiveness shines through and he often refuses to go to sleep before you

you probably go into labour while he's out getting lost or fighting some marines, but once Zoro gets the news he almost drops his sword and hurries back to be with you

but he arrives almost an hour later because he got so excited that he forgot the way back to the Sunny

Zoro really wants to help you and Chopper deliver the baby. He's constantly repeating what the reindeer doc says to you and at some point, when your pain reaches its peak, he even suggets reaching down and pulling the baby out of you with his own two hands lol

but once the first cries fill the rooms, he freezes up. It's done. Those nine months of worry, mood swings, suffering and cravings are finally over. A wave of relief washes over him as he smirks down at you, quietly saying how proud he is

however Zoro strongly refuses to hold his baby at first. He's genuinely scared he might drop it or accidentally crush it.

you and Chopper basically have to yell at him to get him out of his trance and convince the new father to take a look at his child

"Zoro, I did not go through hours of pain just so you can say no to holding our baby. For crying out loud, take your child!"

the second you put the baby into his arms Zoro's protective dad instincts kick in and now he refuses to let the child go again lmao

he's mustering the little one's face like some abstract oil painting, unable to tear his gaze from it and proudly recognizing all the similarities between the baby and its parents

luckily Zoro got some natural dad skills under his belt, and you both share the responsibilities evenly

he's never opposed to changing diapers or feeding the baby, even if the first annoys him sometimes. He also keeps the baby around himself 24/7- during workouts he puts it onto his back, when he wanders around the little one sits on his shoulders, and when he takes a nap on the desk the baby lies on his chest

all of the other Strawhats are more than welcome to take care of the baby from time to time and bond with the newest family crewmember to their heart's content. Well, that goes for everyone except Sanji. You better not let Zoro catch him handling the baby or a fight will break out-

#one piece #trafalgar law #eustass kid #roronoa zoro #law x reader #kid x reader #zoro x reader #one piece x reader #op headcanon #one piece headcanon #one piece imagine

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masterthespianduchovny · 3 years

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I’m going to be honest before I get to the Sam/Rebecca subplot: if they drop plots threads indicating that this continue into the next season and uplift this pairing, I’m out.

This storyline is gross and I can see why some people quit the show when the revealed happened.

When I say I’m repulsed by age gap relationships of this nature, this isn’t a shipping thing or a race thing. This is a moral and ethical thing. Because it’s not just an age gap, it’s also that Rebecca is Sam’s boss. I legitimately don’t see how people can overlook this and ship how “cute” this is. I’m not judging anyone, it just genuinely doesn’t make sense to me.

And for people who think I’m a hypocrite, Ted/Rebecca is not the same. Sam and Rebecca is like a principal dating a student. If you want to age Sam up, because people love to accuse others of infantilizing Sam, it’s like the president of a college dating a student. In both cases, there would be backlash, and have been, to these types of relationships.

Which would make Ted’s position that of a teacher/professor or someone higher. In most cases, there aren’t objections, however, both parties have to be transparent about their relationship and careful about how and if that influences their professional relationship with each other and others.

Last week, I mentioned a friend of mine who was 18 and dated someone who was 28. Both are white for reference. When I found out their ages and respective positions, I became concerned and doubly concerned.

Oh, they had chemistry and he made her so happy, but he was also controlling as fuck and emotionally abusive. During the duration of their relationship, he became her boss and would monitor her interactions via cameras in the back office. She was stressed out as fuck and would go to the bathroom to cry. You know, where cameras weren’t and where he couldn’t enter.

And it was a secret relationship because he could get in trouble. I didn’t say anything because she was with her boyfriend before she knew me. Me telling someone could’ve gotten him in trouble or fired, but that wouldn’t have ended the relationship. It would’ve made her end our friendship and cling closer to him. Instead, after I quit for other reasons, I sporadically checked on her to see how she was doing and give her advice and resources.

As far as the actual episode itself goes, I struggled to enjoy it due to the Sam/Rebecca situation. It should’ve ended at dinner at most.

The only emotional beat that landed, imo, was Jamie and Roy’s hug. I do think Ted’s confession was strong, but the flow was kinda weird for me. By itself it works.

Two things working for me that wasn’t at the forefront of the episode was 1. How Ted’s problem is fucking over the team. 2. That Nate is in over his head.

Even if AFC Richmond had lost with Ted being in his A game, it wouldn’t have been that made and the team would’ve been more competitive. They were sloppy and making baffling errors. Their head was not in the game and it showed. Man City wasn’t that good, Richmond was just that ill prepared.

And who led training?

Nate.

Nate has great instincts, but he isn’t ready to lead a team and he still has a lot of work to do before growing into coaching a team as head coach.

But let me stress, this falls completely on Ted and even Beard to an extent. Yes, Ted is having emotional issues, however, many people rely on him and he wasn’t there. I don’t mean literally because teams should be able to function without their head coach for stretches of time. He hasn’t been there mentally and emotionally for most of the season. Because AFC Richmond’s competition isn’t as premier as Man City, it’s easier to appear more dominant that you are, esp if you’re coach isn’t on his A game. However, when you’re up against actual Goliath’s in the league, you’ll get your ass handed to you like Richmond did.

As I mentioned earlier, if they do go through with supporting and uplifting Sam/Rebecca, my time with this fandom ends with the season 2 finale.

But if we take Ted’s dark forest into consideration, there is another way this could play out. Actually many.

The one I can see happening that can get her somewhat redeemed, because some will never get over this happening in the first place, is her hitting rock bottom via her relationship with Sam. Something will happen or make her have unflattering thoughts about herself and her actions that will drive her into a tailspin.

And I’m unsure if it’ll be just a personal crisis or if it’ll also be a professional crisis.

Some may disagree with me, but I do want this affair to come to light. Because if it doesn’t, it sets up this fucked up precedent that Rebecca can do fucked up shit and get away with it in private.

Rebecca fucked over her club, uprooted a man’s life in bad faith, and almost ruined several people’s careers due to her bullshit in the first season. The fact that she didn’t have to answer for any of this is a God damn mercy on Ted’s part even though she didn’t ask for it.

Now for her to date/fuck a player because “she just has to know.” Because she doesn’t want to let something pass her by?

Yeah…no.

Rebecca’s fear of loneliness is leading her to make very bad decisions and I fear what this means for Sam’s career and relationships if this breaks. There were people who allegedly care for Sam, yet cheered for this relationship to happen. What do you think happens with his locker room relationships? I’ve already explained in another post that either this sours those relationships OR they want favors from him because he’s dating/fucking the boss.

He’ll get crucified in the media. He may even have trouble getting employed. Why? Because that’s how racism works.

“But, masterthespianduchovny, if Sam may receive hate and racist acts committed against him, why do you want the affair exposed?”

Because this shit show of a relationship isn’t about just Sam. It’s about Rebecca’s fear of loneliness leading her to make bad decisions that effects everyone not just her and Sam. It’s the fact that a white woman isn’t thinking about how her actions could have major consequences for a young black man.

Rebecca is so obsessed with not being lonely and being loved that 1. She never sought help or productive ways to deal with the fall out and humiliation of her marriage. 2. She dated a man because he was “fine” and not because she was actually invested in him and the relationship 3. She’s getting involved with a player on her team without thinking of any of the consequences. 4. She’s not considering the other players, the coaches, or anyone else she’s responsible for.

Oh, and considering we got that call from Sam’s dad…his relationship with his father will most likely suffer as a result. AND now that Dubai Air thing looks suspect, esp because she was talking to him around that time unknowingly.

Oop! And isn’t she getting her relationship with Nora back on track? Even though Nora and Sam can’t legally date and I’m not saying every decision should be swayed by a teenage girl, however, Rebecca is literally sabotaging every relationship just because she’s afraid of being alone (I agree with another poster who said we really didn’t need to explore this storyline, but alas…)

Although Ted forgave Rebecca for her scheming in season one, I honestly don’t think he’d be so forgiving for this. It’s his job to protect players and look out for their well being and how can he one his boss is involved with one of his players, which again, affects others players. This relationship has major consequences for other people who are not in it.

Also, Sam…for someone who people love to say is mature enough to date an older woman, not once did even be consider the ramifications of getting involved with the boss.

Not once.

And that looks bad because a mature person his age would be mindful of such a thing. This isn’t considered or, at least, isn’t said onscreen. Sam os either thinking with his dick, his heart, or both, but he isn’t thinking with his head. Because there is no way you’re thinking with your head and don’t stop to say, “hey, this thing could jeopardize my relationship with my teammates and the other people I work with. Maybe I should think some more of this before pursuing a relationship with my boss.” Sam was all in from the moment he decided he wanted to have dinner with Rebecca. There was no thinking on his end.

But Sam’s super mature, right?

Another poster mentioned that there might be a screaming match between Rebecca and ted and I’m so here for that. No, I don’t think this argument will be romantic. They’ll have legitimate gripes with each other, but yeah…this is an argument that needs to happen. Which will most likely be before Rebecca gets help.

That’s all assuming this happens. Like I said, they could have Sam and Rebecca being a power couple (🤮), or handle this some other way. But if this is going to be framed as a good thing, others can enjoy it, but the show will have one less viewer from me.

#ted lasso #Rebecca welton #sam obisanya #ted lasso spoilers

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gaemkyuu · 4 years

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Mommy, Can We Keep Him? (Charlie Gillespie x Original Character

Warnings: mention of teenage pregnancy A/N: I was inspired to write a character like Lilo from Lilo and Stitch and thought of what if Charlie had a daughter like that? Then I thought about Dad! Charlie.... Here is my inspired writing piece! Let me know if you want a follow up wedding piece! Disclaimer: This is a FICITONAL writing piece! In no way do I claim characters in this piece act this way in real life.

Masterlist *now taking requests ;)

Mommy, Can We Keep Him? (Charlie Gillespie x Original Character)

Riley King started working for Netflix when she was 18 and impressed everyone at the head office with her hard work and dedication. With her motivation and work ethic, she managed to climb her way to be part of the executive management team all at the ripe age of 21. People often asked Riley how she climbed the ladder so quickly, or what was the secret to her success. No one ever guessed that her motivation came from a little girl who looked exactly like her.

Emerson Gianna King was born on August 31st of 2014 when Riley was 16 years old. She had quite the wild nature to herself, always sneaking out and illegally partying with her friends. It was only a matter of time that she would be blinded by love and give her virginity to a boy she swore would get married. He was 17 at the time and she was head over heels for him. One drink too many and a poor judgement call resulted in Riley’s teenage pregnancy.

Her one true love broke up with her a week after they had had sex, stating that his dad had had gotten a job at a law firm in Miami and that a long distance relationship wouldn’t work. She didn’t know that she was pregnant at the time, but when she did, she tried to reach out to him. His family thought it was stupid attempt at getting back together and claimed that the baby wasn’t his. They were ready to launch a full lawsuit in order to protect their family’s reputation, something that Riley and her single mom couldn’t afford to do. So they dropped it, signing legal papers that they would never contact them again and that their son wasn’t responsible for paying any child support.

This heartbreak and her daughter made Riley clean up her act and graduate high school a year ahead of her friends. She quickly started working for various companies, taking night classes at the local college campus in hopes to get her foot in the door for a bigger company and work her way up. Which is exactly what she did and how she ended up working for Netflix. That’s how she met Kenny Ortega, who introduced her to the actors of Julie and the Phantoms. She mostly worked with Netflix, but she was assigned to be there every day of boot camp to watch and monitor the development of the TV show, making projections about how their viewers would receive the new show. She didn’t anticipate to be a part of the small family that was created behind the scene with the cast and crew, and she certainly didn’t anticipate falling for one of the lead actors Charlie Gillespie.

They had been dating for three months before Riley told him about Emmerson. She had expected that he call off the entire relationship, understanding that not everyone wanted to be with someone who had a baby at sixteen. They were 22 at the time and Riley explained that she was looking to be in a serious relationship for her daughter’s sake. While Charlie couldn’t promise that this relationship would go in the direction they both wanted, he did promise that he would do his best to be there for her. He didn’t know that winning over the little girl’s heart would prove to be difficult.

Emerson wasn’t like all the other kids. For one thing, she was very mature for her age. She was potty trained at two years old and started to learn how to read basic books at the age of 4. She developed her speech quickly and often looked to use specific words that kids her age rarely heard or understand. She was a perceptive little girl and sometimes she was a little too smart and observant for her own good. This made it difficult for her to make friends at daycare because everyone thought she was weird. Riley would often catch her talking to Lilo whenever she put Lilo and Stitch on for her to watch. She would tell Lilo about the frustrating girls at her daycare and how they too “need to be punished”.

So it was no surprise to her that when Emerson first met Charlie, she would be grilling him. Charlie had expected her to be a cute little girl that likes to play with dolls. Instead, he was met with a perceptive toddler that made him question his own intelligence at times. She was very standoffish when she met him, afraid that this man was going to hurt her mommy, but over time Emerson began to open up and trust Charlie. One night, when they were six months into dating, they had to cancel their dinner plans as Riley’s babysitter came down with a flu and no one else could babysit. Therefore, their dinner plans were changed to ordering pizza and having a movie night with Emerson. Riley groaned partly through the beginning of Lilo and Stitch when her work called, excusing herself as it was an important phone call.

This left Emerson and Charlie alone for the first time.

“Charlie, who’s Elvis Presley?” Charlie’s eyes grew big like teacup saucers.

“Your mom hasn’t shown you who Elvis Presley is?! How many times have you watched this movie?!” Emerson shrugged, not taking her eyes off the screen, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth and chewing.

“Do you want the real answer?” he was caught off guard at the frankness in her tone, starting to wonder just how many times she had watched the film. He shrugged it off and paused the movie, pulling his phone out and opening Youtube to educate the child on the legend, Elvis Presley.

When Riley returned to the living room, she was shocked to see Emerson sitting in Charlie’s lap, holding the phone, staring intently at the screen and listening to the music that played out of the speaker. She had never seen her daughter so focused before. She looked at Charlie who was equally focused on the screen of the phone as well, and she smiled to herself enjoying the view. Out of defense, Riley quickly shrugged off the creeping thought that this could be her family. After all, her and Charlie had only been dating for 6 months.

“How have you not shown her who Elvis Presley is?” he exclaimed, noticing her presence. Emerson looked at her with questioning eyes as well, feeling slightly betrayed that her mother withheld such precious information away from her.

“I’m not really a big music person! I kinda just listen to songs I like rather than musicians” she shrugged sheepishly.

“Mommy, Charlie said there’s a documentary on Netflix about Elvis Presley. Can we watch that instead of Lilo and Stitch?” Riley’s jaw dropped at the fact that her daughter was more interested in watching something other than her favorite comfort Disney movie. She silently nodded and changed the settings on the TV, starting the Elvis Presley documentary. This was the first time her daughter ever really opened up to someone and found something in common.

Emerson absolutely loved the documentary and would go on for weeks listening to Elvis Presley nonstop. After Riley waved goodbye to Charlie and closed the door, Emerson sat patiently on the entryway bench for her mother.

“Mommy, can we keep him?”

“Yeah, Emmy. I think we can”

***

It soon became a regular thing to have Charlie stay the night at Riley’s house. He woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, but on his way back to the bedroom he heard soft whimpers and sniffles coming from Emerson’s bedroom. He stood outside her door, debating if he should go get Riley or if he should go in himself. He knew Riley was exhausted having had a full day of work and meetings, so he opted to let her sleep and peek into Emerson’s room. He thought that if it was out of his control, he could always go and get her. The sight of the little girl broke his heart.

Emerson was fast asleep, but she was trembling and clutching onto her stuffed bunny for dear life. She whimpered and tears fell from her closed eyes. Charlie quietly moved to her side and sat on her bed, softly rubbing her back, whispering her name to break her out of her nightmare. It worked, but when she woke up, she jumped into Charlie’s arms and softly cried. He was surprised at first, but quickly snapped out of it hugging the girl and rubbing her back.

“It’s okay Emmy... It was just a bad dream... It wasn’t real... you’re okay... you’re safe” the little girl started to calm down as Charlie soothed her and rocked her side to side a bit.

“They took me away from mommy...” she whimpered and nid her face in Charlie’s neck. He felt the collar of his shirt dampen as she cried, but he picked her up and moved to the armchair she had in her room. He sat down and held her tightly in his arms.

“No one is ever going to take you away from mommy, okay? I won’t let that happen” he didn’t know where these words were coming from or where he got the confidence to say them, but in that moment he knew that he would do whatever he could for Emerson.

“Promise?”

“I promise.” he whispered, kissing her head and rubbing her back. She settled comfortably in his chest and took deep breaths. Charlie instinctively started to hum a song softly as he rubbed her back, until her breathing steadied and soft snores came from the small figure. Charlie smiled to himself that he was able to handle the situation alone, but he realized he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to put her back in bed, or if he had to hold her for the rest of the night. Not wanting to wake her up, he carefully reached for the knitted quilt beside the armchair and draped it over them. Guess he was sleeping in the armchair that night. His neck would hate him in the morning.

Riley woke up early that morning when she rolled over to cuddle the missing Charlie. She bolted up and threw on her housecoat to search for him, but stopped when she noticed Emerson’s door cracked open. The sight inside the bedroom brought tears to her eyes and she covered her mouth to avoid making any sound that would wake them. There was Charlie sleeping in the armchair holding a sleeping Emerson in his arms. They were both fast asleep and quietly snoring.

For the first time, in their nine months of dating, Riley let herself see the possibility of Charlie being the man who could be Emerson’s dad.

***

Charlie fiddled with his collar nervously, holding flowers in the other hand. He took a deep breath and shook off his nerves before pressing on the door bell. He waited patiently and anxiously outside, only to be greeted by his beautiful girlfriend, Riley. She smiled brightly at him and he stood there blown away by her beauty. They were both dressed up semi-formally tonight as Charlie insisted on taking Riley out for a fancy dinner to recreate a cheesy romcom movie date for their anniversary. Their usual dates consisted of hiking or lounging at the beach, so Charlie figured it would be nice to dress up for once, especially since Riley rarely dressed fancy.

“Hey! Come on in, I’m just finishing up debriefing the babysitter” Charlie kissed her cheek quickly and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him as she rushed back to the kitchen. Charlie waited by the front door patiently for her to finish up.

“Where are you taking mommy tonight, Charlie?” he jumped at the voice from behind, turning around to see Emerson sitting on the entryway bench. She looked up at the man who waited for her mom, bunny beside her in one hand and her blanket in the other. Charlie smiled at her presence and squatted down to her level, petting her bunny on the head.

“I’m taking mommy on a fancy dinner. You off to bed?” she nodded and opened her arms, to which Charlie gladly received her hug, only, he didn’t expect her to awkwardly latch herself on to him. Thinking quickly, he adjusted himself and picked her up. She was short and thin, so it was no problem carrying her. Her small stature always made her mother worry that she wasn’t getting enough nutrients. “I guess I couldn’t let you sleep without some snuggles could I?” she nodded as she laid her head on his chest, something her and Charlie had in common was that their love language was physical touch.

“It’s nice to see mommy in something other than jeans or sweats. I like your bowtie too” Emerson fiddled with said bow tie as Charlie gently rocked her. He was always so surprised at how observant she was and how she was able to clearly articulate her thoughts for being six years old. She was very bright and quick to understand situations, which made it hard for her to make friends at daycare. Another thing that Riley worried about often.

“You want me to tuck you in Emmy?” she shook her head against his chest and wiggled, signifying that she was okay with being put down. Charlie obeyed her wish and set her down on the floor, sitting on the entryway bench like she once did. “You’re looking a little sleepy squirt” he chuckled, clearing the hair from her face.

“Mommy said the babysitter and I get to watch a movie of my choice before bed time since it’s Friday. I wanted to watch Big Daddy but mommy said the babysitter might question her parenting choices” he let out a big laugh and Emerson giggled back.

“Having fun you two?” Riley appeared in the entryway with the babysitter. Riley crouched down and opened her arms wide to hug Emerson. The little girl jumped into her mom’s arms, nearly knocking her to the floor. “Love you Emmy. Please listen to the babysitter and go to bed on time” Riley knew she wouldn’t put up a fuss, but she figured she would remind her anyways.

“Love you mommy” she smiled as she kissed her mom’s cheek and walked to Charlie. “Love you Charlie” she tiptoed so that she could reach the man’s cheek, who also gave her a big hug. “Don’t be out too late!” she called skipping into the living room, the babysitter following after. The couple stood in the entryway thinking about Emerson’s last remarks before disappearing.

“Ready to go, my love?” Charlie cleared his throat, opening the door and gesturing for Riley to go first. She playfully rolled her eyes and they stepped out of the house towards the vehicle. Emerson waved at them from the front window, and they waved back, until she couldn’t see them any more.

***

“Remind me again what time you fly in?” Riley wiped some of the water that splashed on her face as she washed the dishes. Like all mothers, she was multitasking. Cleaning the house for Emerson’s birthday and trying to figure out her schedule considering Charlie was flying in from Canada. Emerson sat at the kitchen table quietly coloring while her mother was on the phone.

“Don’t worry about picking me up. You already have so much to do! I’ll just get an uber to your place” Riley toweled off her hands and took Charlie off speaker phone, holding the phone to her ear. Despite dating for a year and a half, they hadn’t officially moved in together. Charlie still had his place with all of his things, but half of his stuff was at Riley’s. “Plus I don’t want Emmy catching on to my surprise for her.”

“Right. Okay, well I’ll keep the door unlocked, since we’re home all day. I gotta go though, I still have to call the bakery to set up a pick up time for her cake and cupcakes” the couple said their quick ‘I love yous’ while Emerson shouted hers from the kitchen. Riley took a moment to herself and sighed against the wall in the corridor. Between everything at work and Emerson’s birthday, she had quite a lot on her plate but she was relieved that Charlie was able to come home a little earlier to help her out. She straightened her spine and returned to the kitchen, kissing her daughter’s head. “Emmy, mommy has to jump on to a zoom meeting in the office, are you okay to color for 30 more minutes?”

“Mommy, when can I go on a date with Charlie?” her mother froze mid movement around the kitchen, the question catching her off guard. “I know we go on dates together, but you always look like you have way more fun when it’s just you and Charlie. I wanna have fun with Charlie too” she smiled at her daughter and sat down beside her.

“Well, why not ask Charlie on a date? You can make him a little card before he gets in tonight and while I do my meeting.” her eyes lit up at the suggestion and she quickly got to work, making her mother smile. Riley got up and headed to her office, not wanting to disturb the project her daughter had started.

Riley’s meeting lasted an hour, much to her displeasure, but it was a productive one. It worked out for Emerson as she had made an elaborate card to give Charlie when he came home that night. Riley helped her daughter take a bath and ordered Sugarfish for dinner, both of them anticipating the arrival of their favorite guy. As soon as Emerson heard the door creak open, she bolted for the entryway and jumped into Charlie’s awaiting arms. He peppered her face with kisses and tickled her until Riley came along, who he kissed deeply and earned a “yuck!” from Emerson. Their dinner arrived soon after Charlie’s arrival and they all sat around the dinner table, Emerson lost in Charlie’s stories of his hometown.

“Emmy, don’t you have something for Charlie?” she perked up remembering and clumsily got out of her chair, putting her chopsticks down to run to the office. She grabbed her card for Charlie and skipped back to the dining room, placing the card beside his bento box.

“Oh? What’s this Emmy? Can I open it?” she nodded her head enthusiastically and sat back in her place at the table. Charlie’s smile wavered as he read the card, feeling slightly emotional. On the front was a picture of the three of them and inside the card read:

Dear Charlie,

Will u go on a date with me?

Love, Emmy

Hearts, flowers and smiley faces decorated the inside of the card, but the text was written in big bold letters. He could tell a lot of effort went into making the card judging by all the neatly placed stickers and carefully drawn pictures and patterns. It still amazed him that for a six year old, turning seven, that she could write so neatly.

“Mommy helped me with some of the spelling, but I mostly did it myself” she smiled, anticipating his response. “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful Emmy. I would love to go on a date with you” she clapped her hands and bounced in her seat, her reaction causing everyone at the table to smile and laugh. They continued to eat their dinner while planning things that they could do together, as Riley sat there watching and admiring the relationship that was unfolding before her eyes. How did she get so fortunate to find a man like Charlie?

***

Charlie ended up taking Emerson to Disneyland and even though Riley accompanied them, Charlie and her went on all the rides together. Riley took pictures and held onto their things as the two enjoyed themselves around the theme park. Charlie knew it would be a good thing to have Riley around because she was the voice of reason when Emerson and Charlie thought of having their third Dole Whip of the day. The two of them laughed and had the time of their lives. When supper time came, Riley planned to meet a client over super at downtown Disney, planning on meeting her boyfriend and daughter later on in the evening. This left the two of them to have dinner with Goofy at Goofy’s Kitchen.

As they enjoyed each other’s company and visits from Goofy, Charlie helped Emerson pick out her dinner and order it. Charlie could honestly say this was the most fun that he had had in a long time, but he should’ve known that with Emerson’s intelligence, there was more to this date than just having fun.

“Charlie, when are you going to ask mommy to marry you?” Charlie choked on his water, not expecting the question from the curious little girl. “Mommy said I wasn’t allowed to ask you because it was rude”

“Not rude at all Emmy, but why are you asking me that?” he was genuinely curious, thinking that maybe Riley had been venting to her subconsciously again, or that Emerson overheard a conversation with one of her friends.

“I heard Aunty Savannah teasing her the other day over the phone and mommy got really red in the face. I think you should ask her, I know she’d say yes” Charlie’s eyes grew wide as Emerson nonchalantly recounted the conversation her mother had the other day. Emerson continued to color in the coloring book Charlie bought her earlier.

“Do you want me to ask mommy to marry me?” Emerson nodded her head as soon as the question came out of his mouth. “How come?” the question was meant to be playful, but Emerson’s reply was serious.

“Because I want to be able to call you daddy.”

Charlie felt a lump in his throat.

“I’ve never had a daddy. It’s always been mommy and me. If you marry mommy, then you can be my daddy.” she paused to take a sip of her juice. “I think you’d make a great daddy”.

Charlie wiped away a tear that threatened to fall from his eyes and cleared his throat, feeling emotional. He took a sip from his water and took a deep breath. “You think so, Emmy?”

She nodded her head, continuing to color in her book. “Plus Justina at daycare said that in order for me to have a little brother or a little sister, you have to have a daddy AND a mommy.” Charlie chuckled at the little girl, and got up to kiss her on the head, hugging her too.

“Got any ideas on how I should ask Mommy to marry me?” Emerson forgot about her coloring in that moment as her eyes sparkled with excitement over Charlie’s question.

“Well...I have a couple ideas...”

#charlie gillespie #charlie gillespie x reader #charlie gillespie fanfiction #charlie gillespie imagines #imagine #fanfiction

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nikakistos · 4 years

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Mikasa will kill Eren

With the series ending in only three chapters at the time of writing this meta/prediction post, i want to share my thoughts about how the battle between the Alliance and Eren will conclude. More specifically, i will analyze all the reasons that make me believe that Mikasa will kill Eren and put an end to this battle.

Mikasa’s character arc

The first important reason that made me reach to that conclusion is non other than Mikasa’s phenomenal and, in my opinion, underrated character arc. So, let’s get to know Mikasa.

Mikasa starts the story as a sheltered kid. She lives in the mountains, far away from any other kids, with her mom and dad being her only company. Her mom and dad were her entire world. She was a naive, innocent little girl who used to overlook the cruel nature of the world, focusing entirely on it’s beauty. She was content living like that with the people she loved the most, without having any grandiose dreams of her own.

And then, reality ensues. Three human traffickers kill her family and try to sell her as a sex slave. Mikasa, being only a child and alone was about to surrender. Without her family she didn’t have a place in the world. She didn’t know how to live without them.

Until Eren comes to save her. Out of the blue he kills the first two of the traffickers and unties her. However, the third one appears and disarms Eren. Before blacking out, the young boy tells Mikasa the words that later became her mantra “Fight! If you don’t win, you die. If you win, you live. If you can’t fight, you can’t win!”

That is the moment that Mikasa’s survival instincts awaken her Ackerman powers. The moment that she accepts that this world is kill or be killed and realizes it’s true nature. And the moment she learns the truth of the world she finds the strngth to kill her assailant. Mikasa kills so that she won’t be killed. And the moment her enemy falls, the old Mikasa dies.

Broken and homeless, Mikasa asks Dr.Yeager what she should do now that she had no one. How could she live on her own? She never learned how to do that. Mikasa, from the very beginning of her life, is a codependent person. She thinks that she can’t go on alone. And at this moment of sadness comes Eren and wraps a muffler around her neck to protect her from the cold. Both from the physical cold, but also from the cold, hard world that took her happiness away. He offers her a home. Their home.

From that moment onwards Eren became Mikasa’s world. He replaced her parents as her new family, alongside with his mom and dad. Mikasa, realizing that Eren was no more than a troublesome kid with a knack for getting into troubles, decides to be by his side forever and protect him. Partly out of gratitude for saving her and giving her a home, parly because it was his mom’s wish, partly because she is in love with him, but also in order to protect herself and her own peace of mind Mikasa latches onto Eren. And she makes the same mistake as before. She starts viewing Eren as a wholly good person. She keeps the image of the scarf and forgets the violence that came before. She projects onto Eren all of the beauty in the world.

After Carla’s death, Mikasa’s overprotective attitude only worsens. She resolves to follow Eren at all times and be there for him, without considering his feelings. She actually had a habit of misinterpreting his sentiments about her clingy nature quite often. Whoever threatens her life with Eren becomes an enemy. So, Mikasa, who never got over her trauma, thinks that Eren is the most important part of the world and that without him she can’t go own. To that end she joins the military, when in reality she never cared about humanity’s struggle against the titans. Mikasa was fine living an uneventful life with Eren and Armin.

However, those sentiments are not fit for a soldier. As a person who dedicated her heart for humanity’s survival, her first priority being Eren becomes a hindrance. A soldier should always put his feelings second. Fulfilling the mission should always be first. While Mikasa proves herself to be extremely effective in the Battle of Trost initially, with her stoic and direct nature saving hundreds of lives, when news of Eren’s death reach her she breaks down completely. She convinces the rest of the cadets to fight, while not being prepared to do her duty. She gives up and she is ready to die, until Eren’s memory and her desire to not forget him help her pull through and fight for her life. This marks the first instance of Mikasa’s growing maturity. She finds a reason to keep moving forward even without her family.

Mikasa is a survivor. Keep carrying on and living even after the deaths of her beloved people has always been a part of her. And this is not something that comes directly from Eren, but from her own self and love of life. Her Ackerman powers only activated due to her own survival instincts. Not from Eren’s orders. While she hasn’t realized it yet, Mikasa takes pride in being alive. In a world where only the strong survive, she feels proud of counting herself amongst them.

Of course, the revelation of Eren being alive makes Mikasa regress. She continues with her overprotective behavior and with her reckless, emotional behavior. Her desire to exact vengeance on Annie causes her to jeopardize the mission to retrieve Eren and sideline Levi. Mikasa was hurt by Annie, becaue Annie exposed her again. She showed her that she is not entirely capable of protecting Eren. She also showed her once more that fighting impulsively and allowing feelings to interfere when in a mission puts her life at risk. The first time, she was saved by Eren. The second, by Levi. So, Mikasa resolves to do better next time. She resolves to become a better soldier. Her sense of responsibility over Levi’s injury pains her and she tries to make up for it. She scolds Eren for not fighting her, despite her having killed numerous Survey Corps members. Her effots pay off and this eventually leads to Annie getting captured.

Unfortunately, Mikasa’s feelings have continued to resurface in critical moments. And those feelings did not concern Eren entirely. Despite Mikasa claiming that she only cares about a small amount of lives, specifically Armin and Eren, perhaps she hadn’t realize that she cares for far more people than she initially believed. Even after promising Levi to not make any more blunders, the only reason that Reiner and Bertholt escaped from her was the bonds she had created with them. She saw them as her comradres. She later tries to make up for her failure by trying to make the rest of her comrades see Reiner and Bertholt as enemies of humanity and prevent them from hesitating like she did and putting a tough front against Ymir, but again, the damage had already been done.

Mikasa had grown to care for more people than Eren and Armin. Mikasa during the Battle of Trost threatened Dimo Reeves who was delaying the evacuation process, because he was getting more of her comrades killed. She saved innocents and civilians. She was angry at the Female Titan for killing so many of her comrades. She created strong bonds within the 104th unit. She even showed consideration for Levi, even though she disliked him for beating up Eren. More importantly, as the series progress, Mikasa starts caring more about the world in general. The little girl who only cared about herself and her family members has now become a soldier who fights for the entire world. She even develops a sense of belonging to Paradis, viewing it as her homeland, when she wasn’t even willing to fight for the island 4 years ago. Her cold exterior starts to crumble and she opens up. She protects a child who killed one of her best friends, a stark contrast to the earlier version of Mikasa who nearly ruined a mission by trying to have her vengeance against Annie. The Mikasa who simply cared for her small world and had no ambitions of exploring the outside world easily embraces the volunteers from Marley and becomes optimistic about their intergration to Paradis. The exact opposite of Eren.

This gradual “defrosting” of Mikasa and her repeated failures, along with the realization of the inferiority feelings she was causing him to have, force Mikasa to alter her treatment of Eren. While she was constantly nagging and smothering him, she starts to become more supportive of him, encouraging him and helping him believe in himself, just like she did with Armin. Not only that, this enables her to become a better soldier as well. While the Mikasa of the first few chapters was willing to disobey orders if that meant being close to Eren, she starts trusting the leadership of Levi, whom she resented, and entrusts Eren to Armin in the Battle of Shiganshina. She understands that she has a role to play as a soldier and that Eren can take care of himself either alone or with the help of other people, without her being near. This results in a huge victory in Shiganshina.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that she has changed completely. Mikasa still refused to obey Levi’s orders and attacked him when he tried to revive Erwin instead of Armin, Despite all, her feelings for the people who are closer to her, Eren and Armin are still too strong sometimes and overpower her better judgement. However, it was at this point exactly, that Mikasa received her second warning. She has to keep moving forward with the knowledge that all the people she knows will eventually die. And she did. Mikasa did give up in the end during the Serumbowl. She has matured.

Unfortunately, Mikasa’s love for Eren is still hindering her. Even now, after all that, Mikasa’s sole dream is living with him forever. She is in love with him, even though he has commited horrible crimes that go against her values. Her introverted, shy nature plus her fear of losing him do not allow her to express her true feelings, but she does have them.

And here comes Mikasa’s greatest flaw. Despite all of her development, she still thinks that without Eren she is lost. She has no goal left. She never learned how to live as an individual and as an independent person. That’s why she believes his lies so easily. She doesn’t recognize her sense of self without him. She still ties her identity to Eren. She has all of the foundations for living as a complete and healthy human being, but her inability to separate herself from Eren is destroying her and clouding her judgement. That’s why she asks Armin what to do in chapter 125, that’s why she tries to stop Pieck from killing Eren in chapter 135, that’s why she says she won’t kill him. And most importantly for her, that’s why she couldn’t admit that she is in love with him in chapter 123. Mikasa simply cannot handle rejection from Eren. She can’t think of a future for her without him by her side. She almost reconsiles herself to loving him from afar.

It is very evident and telling from her reaction to Louise and her first talk to Annie that Mikasa is actually ashamed for prioritizing Eren over anything else and simply following his footsteps. In reality, Mikasa doesn’t want that. She wants to be her own person. She wants to be Eren’s equal, not his follower. That’s why she doesn’t wear the scarf anymore.

Well all these need to and will change. Mikasa has to put her feelings aside one more time and act as a soldier and finish off the threat to humanity. She needs to stop tying so much of herself to Eren and realize for good that she can live without him, despite wanting to be by his side forever. And in order to do all that, she has to stop lying to herself for good. She has to admit her feelings, her true feelings not solely to her, but to him as well. And judging by her own regrets, she will.

Mikasa’s character arc has her going from a happy, naive little girl, to a broken, gloomy, stoic person who only cares about a couple of people to a proper soldier who cares and fights for the entire world, friends and foes included. She opens up, makes friendships, develops a more pacifistic worldview compared to her survival mindset of old. But most importantly, she will become a normal, functioning human being.

Nature of the conflict

Moving on from Mikasa’s characters arc, i believe that the nature of the conflict of the series in and of itself points out towars Mikasa killing Eren. The first and primary conflict in the series is the fight between Humans and Titans. The world has expanded since the first chapter. The series has become more complex. And yet, in the final battle we see some people fighting to protect humanity from the hordes of titans that want to trample the remaining human race outside the walls of Paradis.

In this exact setting we have the Survey Corps, the group of people that from day one fights for humanity’s survival and liberation from the terror of the titans fughting against the biggest symbol of oppression and enslavement in the entire series. The Wall Titans.

The Scouts dreamt of an idealized world when fighting against the titans. And still, even after this world was revealed to be quiet different than they imagined, more disappointing, they still don’t give up. Because they understand that the world is a cruel place, but it also very beautiful. The person who best represents this theme in the series is none other than Mikasa Ackerman. And she is fighting for the Scouting Legion against the person who showed her both sides of the world in the same day. That person has renounced all the beauty in this world and focused only on the ugly side. And he fights for the Titans.

In a series about humans fighting against titans, Mikasa is a character associated with human strength.

While Mikasa (and the Survey Corps in general) is associated with human strength, Eren on the other hand has been constantly referred to as a monster. A devil. Something inhuman. Now of course, technically speaking Mikasa is also part titan and Eren is also part human, however this symbolism still exists.

Judging by the narrative and the themes of the series, an Eren victory is downright impossible. It just doesn’t fit for the titans to defeat humanity. The story has put so much emphasis on the creation of a better world, free of curses and hate. Eren, being the physical manifestation of both can’t win. He has to die. And in such a story, is there a better way to topple the biggest titan of all time, using the trademark weapon of humanity? That it the ODMG.

Foreshadowing

In this part, i will let the pictures do the talking. It is evident from all of them and from my previous analysis of Mikasa’s arc that a full blown conflict between her and Eren is bound to happen. And Mikasa killing Eren has been referenced way too many times for that to be a coincidence.

Every single time in this latest arc that Eren being killed is mentioned, Mikasa is at the forefront. Isayama focuses on her too much in these scenes. Considering the fact that now that Gabi has realized what the true nature of the titans is, the fact that they have wrapped the explosives around Eren’s neck, Armin going Colossal being foreshadowed over a billion times, Eren seems to be in huge danger. Killing the Source of the Titans would likely kill Eren, seeing as how he is nothing but a head without a body. And it doesn’t look like he can regenerate. Stopping the Colossals might only be possible by killing the centipede that is tied to Eren’s survival. And for all the reasons i have mentioned, i believe that Mikasa will be the one to kill it.

#snk #aot #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #mikasa #mikasa ackerman #eren #eren yeager #eremika #snk meta #aot meta #attack on titan final season #attack on titan season 4 #character analysis #character development #snk spoilers #attack on titan manga #attack on titan predictions #shingeki no kyojin analysis

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julyarchives · 3 years

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Don’t You Hear Me Howling? || (M) || 08

Finding out you are a female Alpha sparkled some rivalry inside your pack, and resulted in you losing your best friend and your life turning upsidedown, so leaving for college was the fresh start you needed. Years later, you are about to finish your degree and suddenly this past comes back to mess with your head.

→ Pairing: Yeo One x Female Reader | Kino x Female Reader

→ Genre: A/B/O AU; Omegaverse; College AU.

→ Words: 3.8K

→ Contains: mentions of alcohol; wolf shifting; some Alpha-Alpha tension; Y/N making out with a special guest 👀; smut; Jealousy

→ A/n: Thus was supposed to be posted yesterday, but we sort of got lost in the calendar, so here it is now (oops?) we hope it isn't too lame and you guys like it! Also, as mentioned in the warning, there is a special appearance heheh.

→ Index: 01 • 02 • 03 • 04 • 05 • 06 • 07 • 08

As much fun and easygoing as things were for you, you felt glad for the holidays break. You got out of the cab and breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of the reservation forest that boarded the neighborhood.

Every year your pack has their own ritual to celebrate your ancestors during the holiday, and you were actually looking forward to participating this year, after missing it since you started college, for many personal reasons - and one of them included a very difficult talk with your parents. Also, so much has happened this semester that being in the small city allowed you to breathe some fresh air and organize your thoughts.

Your parent’s received you immediately as you went through the front door, with big hugs and wide smiles.

“It’s so good to have you home” your mom patted your head, her small frame making her reach high to do so.

“Let me take your stuff to your room” Your dad grabbed your luggage and turned around to take them upstairs

“Oh, it’s fine, I can take them” You tried to stop him, but he pretended he didn’t listen. But you knew he loved feeling like the man of the house. You redirected yourself to your mom “I think I could use a shower and a nap, the trip was too long.”

“Of course, honey, I’ll call you for lunch.”

You crossed paths with your dad in the doorway, who offered a small smile. He wasn’t very fond of small talk, so that was usual of him. You closed the door behind you and sat on the edge of the twin bed centered on the room. You looked around and took in the scent of your old home, which immediately brought back so many memories.

Before you left for college, you and Changgu were on bad terms, so there weren't pictures of you together anymore, but you could still see the tape marks on where they used to be glued on your old vanity mirror. You also remembered perfectly which drawer you have tucked them away, the one that you were currently staring at, contemplating taking a look at them. In the end, you just shook the idea off of you and followed what you’ve told your mom.

The day was rather quiet and peaceful, the big event being held in the night, and the talk you were dreading could wait after the celebrations. Your parents had visited you in college a couple of times, and you have visited them too, but it was rare, never for the holidays, so they prepared a special family lunch and you couldn’t deny that you had a good time being around them.

All the pack had gathered in a big clearing at night to celebrate, and the bonfire already burned high. You could feel all the attention shifting to you as you arrived, your dominant scent overpowering everyone else's, and you held yourself high.

The day you left the city you promised yourself to never get close to this pack again. They’ve ignored you and diminished you as an Alpha, and you knew this place wasn’t for you. They were all surprised to see you back, they could barely hide it, but every time you made eye contact with someone, they quickly turned away avoiding you.

You didn’t hide, not ashamed of you or your choices, but it was rather uncomfortable, the tension almost palpable in the air. You quickly grabbed your phone and texted Wooseok.

“ Please tell me you headed back town for the holidays”

To which he quickly replied

“I actually came to a friend’s house, I’m not there, sorry :(“

You sighed. The cold weather wasn’t so bad, the cool breeze was blowing softly and the fire kept the place warm if you got close enough. Your parents stopped along the way to say hi to their friends, but you followed closer to the bonfire, where your eyes quickly met the current Alpha.

For a moment you had forgotten he was Changgu’s father, but seeing him immediately brought the information back to you. They looked alike so much, the same eyes full of expression and sharp jawline. He was staring at you, not so happily, and nodded when you looked at him. Your expression could be sour, you weren’t sure how much you were holding back, but you respectfully nodded back.

He sustained the stare a couple more seconds, so did you, but soon he was calling everyone’s attention. Everyone gathered close and his wife stood by his side. That’s when you saw Changgu, getting close to his father with a stoic expression on his face.

You shoved your hands in the pocket of your jacket and offered a half-smile when he noticed you. At first, he seemed confused but returned the gesture

“Brothers and sisters” The senior Alpha called “tonight we celebrate the ones who have left us. Our ancestors passed us their wisdom,” He spoke firmly and slowly, looking around at everyone. “Their strength lives in us, and so we honor them with our nature.”

There was a long speech about union and tradition that to you it sounded too much like hypocrisy since the traditions would include you, supposedly the next Alpha of the pack, to be standing there as a successor. You did not bother, because you expected nothing else.

The leader of the pack was the first to turn. His skin shredded, giving space for the long dark brown and silver fur to grow as a howl echoed loudly, bringing out everyone’s instinct, but especially your Alpha ones, and soon you had shifted.

This was one of the reasons you wanted to come. Being in university has you taking suppressants daily, so letting yourself run free was like getting rid of tight clothes that restricted your movements. You howled loudly to follow the collective chant, an ode to the departed ones, a hymn for the pack, the freedom of instinct.

The pack’s Alpha ran in the front, leading everyone with his big frame. Changgu followed him, and it’s been so many years since you’ve seen his wolf form that you felt surprised. He was bulky and big, his posture very imponent, and you stopped to admire it for a second.

The run was freeing. The wind hiding your wolf nozzle, pushing your fur back, your paws hitting the dirt. You needed that, and just letting yourself act on your instincts was the best thing you could grant yourself at that moment.

Reaching the highest point of the forest, the collective howling restarted. You stopped right next to Changgu, whose wolf eyes watched you intently, and in wordless communication, you howled together, allowing the instinct to speak for yourselves.

…

After the traditional pack run, a feast was hosted by the Alpha, usually in his house, which was big enough to fit everyone comfortably in the large backyard.

Everyone happily celebrated what was the closest to a wolf Christmas, with an abundance of food for everyone. You sat with your parents at the assigned table, attending the event quietly, holding yourself back just enough to not drag any more attention than you were already getting. Mr. Yeo, the Alpha, customarily greeted every individual, and when he approached you and your family, you stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for having us" your father shook his hands

"It's my pleasure," Mr. Yeo politely answered, "I didn't expect your daughter to come."

He talked about you like you weren't there, and you were pretty sure that was purposefully meant to challenge your position.

"I came to pay respects to the tradition, sir" you opened a forced smile. A damn good one. "Can't let that behind me."

His eyes snapped in your direction with intensity, letting the impassive expression on his face falter for a second.

"Of course" he smoldered, masking it with a smile probably just as fake as yours.

To him, you represented a threat to his family's legacy, so it wasn't a big secret that he isn't very fond of you.

"I hope you enjoy the party," he said to you and your parents altogether, but redirected the last sentence at you "if there's anything you need, just tell me and I can provide."

"Of course, thank you so much" your mom answered gladly. She followed her leader with passion and always tried to be in good graces with him, so she's always been strict in the sense of community tradition and formalities.

"No need to thank me, ma'am" he smirked "that's just an Alpha job"

The provocation was like a punch in the gut. Ever since you were revealed an Alpha, Mr. Yeo tried to do everything in his power to deprive you of your given rights inside the pack. He raised Changgu to take his place and hated your guts for ruining his plans. He was a man of power and didn't appreciate when someone threatened that position.

"Y/N…" your mom called you with a warning tone to her voice.

You didn't notice how you were instinctively growling, low enough for only people close to the table to hear, but your Alpha emotion was strong enough to cause some heads to turn in your direction.

Mr. Yeo, of course, smiled in victory from a distance, happy to make you look bad in front of the community.

"You really don't care that he does everything to undermine me, do you?" You said to both of your parents.

"Honey, he's the Alpha." Your mom said calmly "everything he does is to protect you. Is the best for everyone."

"You do know I'm an Alpha too, right?" You scoffed, rolling your eyes.

They both stayed quiet. You looked at your dad, hoping he would say something in your favor, but he just complies with your mom's orderly silence.

"Yeah, thanks," you said, standing up and leaving.

Growing up you used to love being with your pack these kinds of celebrations were your favorite time of the year. But now everything changed and suddenly you felt so misplaced that you felt like you didn't know anyone anymore. You knew all your neighbors, and their kids who went to school with you, but now they were almost complete strangers to you.

You grabbed a bottle of beer and looked around for the only familiar face you could find there. Changgu was not running Alpha errands with his dad, so when you found him he was surrounded by a group of girls, apparently younger than you, swooning at every charming smile of his, and you could just see how much he adored all the attention. You chuckled at his fuckboy attitude and the poor deluded girls who had a crush on him, hoping to get the son of the Alpha in love with them.

"Y/n?" You heard your name being called, taking you always from your thoughts.

The boy who called you was tall and slim, a long-ish hair half up in a ponytail and he looked happy to see you.

"Hey…?" You said with uncertainty, trying to figure out why he looked so familiar, but you just couldn't remember his name

"Hyunjin" he chuckled "I don't know if you remember me, but we went to school together."

"Right, Hyunjin, of course, I remember!" It finally clicked to you. Hyunjin was an omega, a few years younger than you but you two used to share some clubs in high school, but he didn't look so… hot. "You look so different, sorry it took me a while to recognize you."

"Yeah," he laughed shyly, scratching the back of his head. "I haven't seen you since you left for college. You look great"

His flirtatious half-smirk was very obvious and you actually thought he looked quite cute.

"You look great yourself" you bit your bottom lip, looking him up and down "But yeah, I kind of focused on graduating rather than coming here."

"I'm glad you're here now." He fully smirked this time "wanna go somewhere quieter? I'd love to catch up with you"

You felt hesitant at first, and you looked back to find Changgu again, and this time one of the girls was grabbing his arm, running his hand all over it. You wanted company for the party, and since Changgu was busy flirting, why shouldn't you do the same?

"Of course, let's do it." You took one last sip of your beer and linked arms with him.

He guided you around the house to the front porch, where you rested your elbows and watched the quiet street. Hyunjin had his back against it, looking at you.

You two actually did some catching up, and even exchanged numbers. You found out Hyunjin also went away for college, but he always came back for the holidays and breaks, and stuff like that, but nothing you were really paying attention to.

"You know, I have to confess something." He said, straightening his posture "I sort of had a crush on you, back in the days"

"Really?" You laughed softly, amused at the sudden confession. "Why didn't you say something, then?"

"Ah," he clicked his tongue. "Everyone knew you only had eyes for Changgu."

You rolled your eyes involuntarily.

"C'mon, everyone knew that, and Changgu didn't let anyone get close to you"

You were actually surprised to hear that since this wasn't something he ever told you but explained why you weren't popular with boys in high school.

"Well," you stood up and stopped directly in front of him "I don't see Changgu anywhere now, do you?"

Hyunjin grabbed your waist, pulling you closer to him, and your hands held the collar of his jacket.

"I guess I should shoot my shot, then" he licked his lips, alternating looks between your eyes and lips.

"What are you waiting for, big boy?" You challenged him.

He reached forward, kissing you rather urgently. His plumpy lips felt soft against yours, and he was a really good kisser. He pulled you against him, and you intertwined your fingers on the loose hair behind his neck. He gasped when you tugged on it, and you grinned into the kiss for getting a good reaction out of him. His hands sneaked down your waist, boldly squeezing your ass as the kiss got more intense, and he earned a shy hum of satisfaction out of you.

The noise of someone clearing their throat interrupted you two, making both of your heads snap in its direction, but neither of you really letting go of each other.

"Y/N" Changgu called you rather sternly, with a matching frown on his face. "I need you to help me deal with some stuff"

You sighed.

"Looks like some things didn't change, did they?" Hyunjin whispered just for you to hear,

"I'm not done with you yet." You whispered back, nibbling his earlobe.

"Now." Changgu interrupted again.

You pecked Hyunjin's lips before detangling from him, only then noticing that his hands were still in your ass.

"Text me, ok?" You said to him loudly as you followed Changgu inside the house.

He walked large steps and didn't bother looking behind to see if you were following.

"You couldn't have picked a worse moment to need me to deal with some bullshit, could you?" You whined, but he still paid no attention to you "all night, I was there doing absolutely nothing, and when I finally started to have some fun you decided I was important enough to attend whatever this is."

You babbled but still, he didn't respond, and you just kept following him around corridors in the big house, finally entering a dark room

"What is so important anyway that you had to call me so urgently-"

Changgu interrupted you when he pushed you against the door, making it slam loudly, his lips crashing against yours with a certain vigor.

At first, your eyes widened in surprise, and you pushed him back to look at him, but his hold on you didn't loosen up.

"What the fuck, Changgu?"

"Just," he stopped to think, breath already heavy in anticipation "shut up"

He resumed kissing you, and this time you rolled with it because, you couldn't deny, kissing him was something you ever saw yourself getting tired of. He pressed his whole body against yours, grinding on you making you gasp every time his thigh in between your legs rubbed against your clothed core.

"Fuck, Changgu" you said when he attacked your neck.

You pull the hair on his nape, making him look at you

"Is that what this is about?" You asked, forcing yourself to think straight "you can't bear the thought of me fucking someone else?"

Rather than answering, Changgu just growled, making you laugh ironically

"So you can flirt with all those pretty girls out there," you raised your eyebrows, "but I can not hook up with people? As if, Changgu"

You weren't as mad as much as you were enjoying taunting him for being so desperate to have you his.

"Just shut up, for fucks sake" he rolled his eyes and picked you, only to throw you on the bed behind him.

You finally recognized Changgu's old bedroom, with the light that came from the window above it. It was different, with no more posters taped to the wall or the action figures he liked to collect. It was a simple room with minimal decoration now.

"Gonna break another bed, wolfie?" You teased "I don't think daddy would be very happy to know you're fooling around with the Alpha"

He growled loudly, hooking his hands around your legs and pulling you closer to him, your bottom hitting his knees, which were pressed against the mattress. He leaned down and viciously kissed you, nibbling and ducking your bottom lip.

"You know, you're way hotter when your mouth is shut" he panted in between kisses.

Having turned into wolves mere hours ago had all your instincts right under the skin. The dominance, the connection between you and your Beta, the lust. Everything was on edge and you guessed that's why Changgu was so desperate.

He unbuttoned your jeans and pulled them down with your underwear in one swift motion while you took off your shirt, revealing your bare breasts underneath it. Changgu licked his lips and chuckled cockly when he ran a finger down your slit, showing you how wet you already were.

He took his shirt off, but didn't bother with his pants, and leaned back down to lick a long stripe of your juices, brushing softly on your clit on the way.

You moaned weakly.

"I'll show you why you're better here than with the what's-his-name out there." He said in a low husky voice.

He kept his hand around your legs and captured your sensitive nub in between his lips, making you buck your hips and grab his hair in response.

His back muscles were on display for you and it was hot to watch it contract and relax as he moved in between your legs.

"You're so eager for me, aren't you?" You teased him again and he hummed, sending vibrations down your core. "Do your worst, let me see if you're worth my time"

He leaned back up and you hated the loss of contact, but he quickly spun you around and pulled your hips up exposing your ass to him, and a harsh slap sting on your skin, accompanied by his deep growling that he didn't seem to have control over, and you yelped at the burning pain.

You heard him fumbling with his belt and soon he was entering you with no warning, making you bury your head in the pillow to muffle a loud moan. He didn't give you any time to adjust as he pounded into you fast, showing his desperation. He angled his hips just right to hit the perfect spot inside you to make you scream.

For a second you were afraid someone would hear you, but the backyard was not that close to the bedroom, and you tried to suppress your noises the best you could. Changgu seemed to be out of control with the way he hissed and moaned, your name falling out of his lips here and there.

A sloppy rushed fuck was not on your plans tonight but, fuck, it felt good. Changgu was getting sloppier by the minute and you just knew he wouldn't last long. You reached in between your legs and circled around your glistening clit, realizing you were in no better state than he was.

The closer you felt to your high, the more you squeezed your walls around Changgu's member, and the louder he moaned.

"Are you trying to get us caught?" You managed to say "such a loud wolf."

He didn't respond, too focused on fucking you, but he didn't get quieter.

You fastened your movements and had again your head buried in the pillow, moaning freely as you reached your orgasm, your whole body vibrating in pleasure. Changgu started thrusting faster, gripping your hips harder and pulling you against him to meet his thrust, and soon enough you felt his seed dripping down your thighs, strangled noises caught in his throat as he rode his high.

You relaxed your body when he pulled out of you, laying down with your stomach against the mattress, crossing your arms under your head for support. Changgu threw himself by your side, facing the ceiling and panting, looking fucked out already.

"Jealous wolf, aren't we?" You tapped his chest, provoking him

"Shut up" he chuckled

"How many girls did you fuck in this bedroom anyway? You were quite popular with the ladies back in high school. I bet they all died to be in Yeo Changgu's bedroom" you mocked a dreamy-girly voice.

"Do you really want to talk about who I fucked in high school?" He chuckled.

"Well, someone had to get laid, right? Since I couldn't because someone told boys to stay away from me." You smirked at his embarrassed expression

"Hyunjin is such a snitch, he was never good enough for you" he rolled his eyes and looked away.

"And who is? You?" You scoffed

"I didn't hear you complaining when you were screaming against the pillow just now"

You slapped his chest and he laughed loudly

"Jerk" you mumbled.

"Guess you can go back to your pretty boy out there", he said in a teasing voice, "if you're still interested, that is".

"So cocky, aren't you?", he laughed at your mocking expression.

"Maybe. But we still have festivities to attend".

"Unfortunately".

You got dressed in comfortable silence and after a few minutes, you were good to go. Changgu stood by the door and smiled at you before opening it and waving for you to walk by him. As you walked out, a satisfied smile took over your face and you only hoped people wouldn't notice the smell of sex on you too much. You and Changgu parted ways and for a second you let the whole tension of your body relax during the holiday. Just for a while.

#ksmutclub #smut #changgu x reader #omegaverse #changgu smut #pentagon changgu #pentagon imagines #pentagon imagine #kpop pentagon #pentagon #pentagon smut #kpop scenario #kpop scenarios #kpop writing #kpop smut #kpop story #kpop fanfic #kpop

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justheretobreakthings · 3 years

Text

Whumpmas in July: Day 9

@whumpmasinjuly

“Look at me.”

Read on AO3 My house, my rules, my ko-fi

Even through his paladin armor, the fire was far too hot. Shiro could swear he could feel the flames of the burning walls licking against his skin as he raced by them, and was certain he would be covered in blisters by the time he got back to the castle. His helmet – especially the crackling in his ear reminding him that the comm hadn’t been working since they’d entered Viuter’s atmosphere and would be no help to him now – was irritating him, making him feel trapped and claustrophobic and plastering his sweaty hair against his skull and preventing him from wiping his bangs out of his eyes. Still, it was protection, enough protection to keep him upright and moving, and even though smoke clouded his line of sight, the visor of his helmet kept it out of his eyes, and the oxygen actuator mostly kept him from breathing in the ash.

Which meant Keith’s armor was giving him that same protection. Which meant he was fine. Wherever he was.

Keith shouldn’t have been in the building in the first place. He’d been blocks away when the explosion had occurred, the paladins all having separated to confer with different members of the Viuteran council. It had made sense, getting more done in less time and everyone getting to stick to their specialties, and it had resulted in Keith being all the way in the infantry armory building at the time of the blast. Shiro, though, had been right near the explosion, in the next building over where he and Allura were meeting with a group of military strategists. As he’d been wearing armor and Allura hadn’t, it was only natural that Shiro was the one to take the initiative of running into the building and taking charge of evacuating as many Viuterans as he could.

Sure, it would have been better if the comms had been working and the paladins could all coordinate together, but that wasn’t really any more than a flickering and quickly dismissed thought in Shiro’s mind. He would focus on rescue now, find his teammates when he was done.

It took longer than he would have liked to reach the point when he could look for them, but it came eventually. Once the building was deeply engulfed in flames and there was too much risk of it collapsing in on itself for it to be safe for Shiro to go back in and keep up the rescue efforts. He handed off an unconscious Viuteran to an emergency worker and looked around to find himself in the midst of a dizzying scene. Sirens were wailing, soldiers and civilians alike were running amok, some trying to escape, some trying to help contain the spreading fire. And all of it cast in an eerie red, the thick smoke in the sky blocking out all light except for that of the fire.

Pidge was the paladin he spotted, her green armor sticking out boldly against all the red and gray, and her face flooded with relief when spotted him approaching. “Oh thank fuck!” she cried, rushing to meet him. “When Allura said you were in there I – I didn’t know if – God, kept hoping the comms would magically start working and I could make sure you were – ”

“Is Allura okay?” Shiro hated to interrupt, but now that he’d found one of his teammates, he was more than eager to find the rest, make sure everyone was okay.

“Right, right, follow me,” Pidge said, and she hurried to lead the way, winding through the chaos. “Allura’s this way, they’ve got first aid stuff going so that was the first place I looked, to see who was hurt. Lance and Coran – they left ages ago. Before this bomb, apparently a different one went off on the other side of the city. Like, one minute difference. My guess is they were planned to go off at the same time, but they weren’t coordinated quite right. Anyway, they went to get Blue and they were heading that way, so I don’t know when they’re gonna be – ”

“Shiro! Shiro, you’re okay!” A voice cut across Pidge’s rapid speech as they approached what appeared to be a makeshift triage center in the square, and Shiro turned to see Hunk clambering in their direction as fast as the armful of medical supplies he was carrying would allow. Behind him, Allura looked up from where she had been bent over an injured Viuteran, her glowing hands pressed against his leg. Relief washed over her face, and she started in their direction too the moment she had finished.

Shiro nodded in acknowledgment to Hunk. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“You sure?” Hunk asked. “You’re not hurt at all? Your armor’s looking kinda beat up, you might be hurt and not even realize it because of adrenaline! Do you feel dizzy at all? Do you need water? Do you need to sit down?”

“Hunk, I’m fine, really,” Shiro reassured him, turning his attention to Allura as she joined them. “How’s everything holding up here?”

“As well as we can hope for,” Allura said. “Everyone’s been too busy trying to get people to safety to investigate, so I don’t know where the bombs were, who may have been behind it, what the intent was – I take Keith was able to reach you? Where is he now?”

Shiro frowned. “What?”

“I thought – surely by now he would’ve – ”

“Allura,” Shiro said, voice tight. “What do you mean? Where’s Keith?”

“He was here, but he – I told him where you’d gone, and he took off, didn’t even let me finish the sentence. I thought he was going to help you with the evacuation.”

Keith had gone after him. Shiro had gone into the heart of the fire, and Keith had followed him in, and he hadn’t even realized. It hadn’t even occurred to him until Allura mentioned his name that he hadn’t yet seen Keith anywhere, but now…

Shit.

“I’m going after him,” he said, turning on his heel.

“What?” Pidge said. “Hang on, you think he’s still looking for you in there?”

“I know he is.”

“Wait, Shiro,” Allura said, “It’s certainly not safe! Surely Keith would have had the sense to get out of there by this point, we ought to – ”

“No.” Shiro shook his head. “No, he’s – I gotta get him. I’ll meet you all here when I’ve found him.”

One of them called his name again, as he took off running, but he ignored it. All his focus was on moving forward, his feet pounding the ground as he raced faster than he could ever remember having moved in his life, back toward the flames.

In any other circumstances, Shiro would agree that, yes, Keith had the sense to get out. He could be rash and stubborn and even foolish at times, but Shiro at least liked to think that Keith had been getting better about knowing when it was better to retreat than to dive headlong into danger. His failed battle with Zarkon, at least, had knocked that lesson into his head.

But he knew Keith, and more importantly, he knew Keith’s past. As little as Keith liked to open up about his life, he had at least let Shiro in on a bit about his dad. And how he’d lost him. Shiro had seen the look in Keith’s face whenever his dad had come up, the emptiness and desolation when he’d explained how that fire had taken him.

And he had seen the desperation and determination in his little brother’s eyes whenever Keith made it clear that he couldn’t go through a loss like that again. Whenever he insisted that he’d never have to take on the role of team leader because Shiro wasn’t going anywhere. He’d heard about Keith’s expulsion from the Garrison, the explosive lengths he went to in order to get Shiro out to his shack.

When it came to family – when it came to Shiro – all logic and reason was out the window.

And now Keith might very well meet his end because of it.

Making his way through the burning building required him to shut out all of his natural instincts pointing him to safety, screaming at him to get out of there before he wound up seriously hurt, or worse. He had to turn on the shade of his visor to keep the brightness of the flames from blinding him, and even then it was hard to be certain where he was going. Halls were blocked by burning debris, pieces of the building falling around him and some coming dangerously close to taking him out with them. Shiro jetpacked through a singed hole in the ceiling when the hall behind him folded in on itself, blocking his route to the main entrance, and every step on the second floor was accompanied by creaks and crackles that had him bracing himself to fall right through at any second.

Still, he kept going. Pushing through the heat and the sparks and the roar of the flames, yelling Keith’s name over the noise and through the billowing smoke. None of that was important. All that mattered was finding Keith.

He had to find Keith. Had to find him. Had to find him. Had to –

A crack sounded above him, and around the corner and along the hall, flaming shards of ceiling toppled down, and that’s when he spotted it: the distinct blue light that accompanied a shield activating from a paladin’s armor.

Keith. Ducked under his shield, fire and rubble tumbling around him, the red and white of his suit gray with ash. Alive, and moving, and okay.

He was okay.

Shiro dived into the wreck, knocking falling debris aside with his sword hand and, voice breaking in sheer release, shouting out, “Keith!”

Keith’s head shot up at the sound of his name, and although for a brief moment he stumbled from the battering against his shield, there was no mistaking the way his exhausted eyes widened the moment he spotted Shiro across the hall, as if he were seeing a ghost, only for his face to light up in stunned relief.

He may have shouted something in reply that was drowned out by the fire raging around them, or he may have sprung up from his crouch without a word. Either way, Shiro got no warning before Keith was practically flying across the hall to tackle him in a hug.

Shiro stumbled back, startled. It wasn’t as though hugging was completely out of Keith’s character – once he knew and trusted the person giving them, he practically reveled in them – but he was never the one to initiate the embrace. A means of preemptively shielding himself from being turned away, perhaps; a fear that the gesture may be misinterpreted, may be mistaken as something romantic or even sexual; maybe simply a matter of making sure he never set off any discomfort related to touch that Keith was often prone to himself. Shiro had never known for certain which was the case, but it all made Keith a distinctly non-touchy person. Even when they had first been reunited after Shiro’s disastrous return from Kerberos, Keith hadn’t hugged him with this much fervor.

It all spoke to just how terrified Keith had been, how desperately he’d been searching for Shiro. The embrace was a grounding one. He was pressing himself so firmly against Shiro, gripping his brother so tightly. As though reassuring himself that Shiro was really there. Like if he dared to let go, Shiro would vanish back into the smoke and flame.

“Hey,” Shiro said, trying to keep his voice soothing despite needing to practically shout to ensure he could be heard, arm wrapping around Keith’s trembling back. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m here.”

“I thought – ” Keith choked out through his helmet’s speaker. “Allura said – she said you – you’d gone into – into – ”

“I know. I know.”

“You went into the fire. Shiro, you went into the fire, I thought you – I was going to lose you, I had to find you, I couldn’t – I couldn’t just let – ”

“It’s all right, Keith, I promise. I’m okay.”

“You could’ve died! You almost died, you almost burned up and never said goodbye, I thought you were dead, I – ”

“Hey. Keith. Look at me.” Keith kept his face buried in Shiro’s chest, so he pulled back to hold him by the shoulders. “Look at me, okay? I’m right here, see? I’m not dying on you yet. Swear it.”

“Y-yeah. I see you.” His voice shook, and this close up, Shiro could see the redness of his face, the way his eyes seemed to be struggling to stay focused. As hot-blooded as Keith ran, even he was susceptible to fire like this. “Sorry. Sorry, I’m – I was just…”

“Scared?” Shiro finished for him, and Keith nodded weakly. “That’s okay. I get it. And hey, you found me. You found me, I’m here, and we’re okay. And now – ” A crackling sounded from above, and Shiro yanked Keith aside without a second thought, throwing up a shield as a beam collapsed right where the latter had been standing, showering the two of them in sparks. “Now we gotta get outta here, okay? We gotta run.”

“Yeah.” Keith took a trembling breath and straightened as Shiro let his shield fizzle away. “Got it, let’s go. Just – ” Shiro looked down to see Keith’s gloved hand wrapping around the gauntlet of Shiro’s armor. “No splitting up. Please.”

Shiro smiled. “Deal. We won’t let each other out of our sights. Come on.”

He activated his sword hand, and beside him, Keith did the same with his shield. Ready to race back through the flames, side by side.

#whumpmasinjuly #vldgen #shiro #keith #vld fic #my writing #fic: through the fire and flames

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vagrantblvrd · 4 years

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Another modern day au? But this time with more ridiculousness.

The one where Grogu is the sole witness to a Nefarious Crime who can identify the Nefarious Crime-doer and is placed in protective custody for his safety.~

But then Nefarious Crime-doer puts the word out they want Grogu dealt with, resulting in their right-hand man, someone named Gideon to oversee things on that front. But, because Nefarious Crime-doer doesn’t want things traced back to them, the job of ~deaing with Grogu gets outsourced.

Which is how Din, bounty hunter and generally speaking Very Tired Man, finds himself accepting a job that turns out to be more than he reckoned for, what with finding a tiny child at the end of it and all.

One who was in the care of federal agents who were gunned down by someoe else claiming to have been hire by the same mn, the one who Din had been told to refer to as “The Client” and apparently set a price on the kid’s head too tempting for anyone not squeamish about killing a kid to pass by.

He wasn’t told it was a kid, wasn’t told others had orders to kill the kid, none of this is what he signed up for and th sight of the dead federal agents, the cold look in the man in front of him tells him he’s already past the point of no return.

(Finish the job or let the man do his, and he’s still fucked because the damn federal agents.)

Din realizing he’s not a heartless bastard as he saves Grogu from someone who is a heartless bastard and takes Grogu and has to go on the run to keep him safe becuase he just killed a man and dear God, what did he just do???

(But then little Grogu and the sight of the other man about to shoot him, and there was really no other choice.)

Adventures! Shenanigans! Din and Grogu dodging people out to kill both of them as he realizes just how much trouble he’s gotten himself into!

But also, Kuil, Karga, Cara and all the others he meets along the way who become allies and friends he knows won’t sell him out.

And, you know. U.S. Marshals and other feds and whatnot looking for the kid and whoever killed the agents assignd to protect him and it’s just.

A lot to deal with okay? A lot.

Meanwhile, Luke is one of the U.S. Marshals tasked with finding Grogu and whoever took him.

There’s this whole thing where he’s the youngest on his team and the son of a legendary agent, he gets his fair of good-natured grief from his co-workers.

But this thing with Grogu is big, big news and a tskforce is put together and the good-natured grief he gets from the people who know him, have worked with him for years suddenly isn’t.

Nothing new there, Anakin Skywalker is a point of contention in the agency due to The Incident that happened shortly before Luke and Leia were born.

Corrupt politician and a powerplay, corrupt federal agents across several agencies and a conspiray theory that still affects those agecies to this day.

Also, the thing where Anakin left the U.S. Marsha service once things were over (with typical Skywalker Dramatics, Obi-Wan had told him laushing at Anakin’s long-suffering groan) and joined the private sector.

Didn’t actually mean to start a mini-exodus when he did, but, well. Charismatic and such, and he and Obi-Wan are fo-founders of a personal protection business that does quite well for itself thanks to its first client being a well-known a respeted politician and such.

(Luke loved hearing that part of the story as a kid, knowing everything his dad did back then had been for love of his mom.)

Luke could have, should have, gone to work for his dad and Obi-Wan, but there was a recruiter. Someone who talked up working for the U.S. Marshals and they need someone like him, and other things.

Anakin is like *sigh* because that’s pretty much how they got him too, you know? But you can bet he keeps an eye on things with Luke in case it turns out he and the others didn’t manage to rip out all the corruption on their way out.)

Luke’s got all that to deal with, a federal agency that’s still finding it’s feet all this time afterwards and...fellow federal agents who look at him and see a problem agent just like his father. (Don’t know the full story, think his dad should be in jail and all that and apples falling from trees, and anyway, he’s lucky to have his team and superiors who know better and it’s not that often he runs into problem like this.)

Anyway, Luke and this taskforce looking for Din, thinking he’s a heartless bastard looking to cash in with the kid - Grogu, according to the - but Luke is like.

He’s That Guy, the one who looks at the crime scene, reads everything they have on Din and goes, “Something doesn’t add up,” because of course he is.

His team’s used to that, learned to trust his instincts on things like that so instead of looking at Din like he’s just another common criminal, violent thug, they look the whole situation from a different perspective, that he’s trying to protect Grogu rather than cash in on him. (His death.)

But because of Luke’s history with the agency the rest of taskforce isn’t inclined to believe that, think Luke’s...who even knows, bubt they’re dismisive of his theories and aren’t subtle about it and there’s a new nesion between the teams on the taskforce.

As Din gets caught up in situation after situation and witness accounts and so on paint Din in a good light - more of the taskforce leans towards Luke and his team’s view on Din not being a bad guy here? But there are still holdouts, bitter about the hand Anakin had in the resturcturing of the agency, old friends and mentors exposed as corrupt and wasting away in jail and personal grudges and so on.

And then!

Luke checking on a lead, going to talk to one of Din’s new associates in little town in the desert, a former soldier and a guy who runs a bounty hunting business and happens to be in the right place at the right tie to actually see Din.

Grogu’s with him, seems happy enough, not scared of Din, and Din is watching the kid like a hawk.

Right up until a group of guys show up and the shooting starts and it’s Luke’s day off, but he’sworking on the whole work/life balance thing, but is also trying to stay alive.

Also, hey, hi, M. Djarin, fancy meeting you here, as they end up taking cover behind the same overturned table, Cara and Greef grabbing Grogu and getting him the hell out of the line of fire, and anyway, anyway, what a lovely day, wouldn’t you say?

The thing where they have to flee together and Luke gets a little bit shot - nothing fatal, really, just you know.

Fashionably injured in which Din has to haul him to safety and some dingy motel somewhere and medical supplies from a gast station or pharmacy and Luke watching Din as he patches him up so he doesn’t bleed to death.

Calloused hands with old scars on his knuckles tuching him ~gently, with the kind of care that seems at odds with his checkered patch, and the man is all nerves because his situation gets worse every damn day he’s on the run with Grogu.

And now, okay, now he’s got a federal agent’s life in his hands, someone who probably thinks he’s the bad guy here, might put a bullet in him to keep from going to jail and it’s.

A lot, alright? The same it’s been since he took the damn job, set eyes on Grogu and ruined everything he’s worked for his whole damn life.

But Luke, okay. Luke is just wathcing him, relieved his instincts were right about Din because he had no reason, no reason, to help Luke out. Save his life, drag him to safety and the whatnot. No reason to risk being identified when he went out for medical supplies to tend to Luke’s injury, and yet he did.

The whole thing where Din’s just waiting for Luke’s people to bust in, haul him off to jail, but it never happens.

Not even when he falls asleep because he hasn’t gotten nearly enough of it the last few weeks , gives Luke the chance to call for backup, lock Din away.

None of that happens, although there is a moment the next day where Luke tries to talk Din into coming with Luke, trusting him to clear his name and take care of Grogu where he almost, almost thinks Luke means what he says -

But then the baddies find them again and it’s a whirlwind car chase that ends with a shootout and Din sneaking away when the cops show up and Luke has to explain that hey, no, he’s on their side and please don’t shoot him, he’s been shot enough for the time being, thanks.

More shenanigans in which Din and Grogu elude baddies and Luke (and his team, a few from the task force who are one their side) try to catch up to them only to be too late every time.

And then!

There’s a thing where the baddies get their hands on Grogu and Din has no choice but to call Luke for help, doesn’t care what happens to him so long as Grogu’s safe and it’s just.

A lot of Drama and Angst and this whole convoluted plan to draw the baddies out using Din as bait or whatever because he’s a loose end they can’t afford and it’s all very exciting and dramatic.

(Also, Luke making sure he or someone he trusts is with Din the whole time he’s with them preparing to get Grogu back, keeps him from running by just being there, someone he trusts.)

Exciting action climax in which there is shooting - so much shooting - and Daring Feats and also an Evil Monologue or two, who knows.

Din gets fashionably shot as well, makes a shiity joke about him and Luke matching now with the whole being shot thing what is wrong with him and is reunited with Grogu thinking it’s the last time he’ll see him and all.

Because Witness Relocation for Grogu and jail for Din and just, you know how it is.

But there’s Luke watching Din and Grogu, nd he’s thinking, you know?

Luke with connections he only clls on when things are Dire and never for himself, and anyway, anyway.

There’s a thing where Grogu goes into Witness Relocation until the trial and Nefarious Crime-doer goes to jail for a long, long time . Din doesn’t get tossed into a cell, although he does spend a lot of time talking to federal agents of all kinds before they let him go home.

And Luke, okay, Luke is Plotting.

Meanwhile, Din goes about his life best he can after the upheaval and chaos of the last few months.

All these little reminders of Grogu in his life in the form of a toy or shirt or somehing left behind, forgotten until he stumbles accross them and it’s all very Angsty for bit.

But then there’s a job offer, this personal protectoon company and it doesn’t click in Din’s mind until he’s waiting for the interview that wait, wait.

Skywalker isn’t exactly a common name, and Boba mentioned something about this Anakin Skywalker who almost burned the U.S. Marshal service down over twenty years ago about a conspiracy and whatot.

(Boba meddles in Din’s life even though he’d deny it to his dying day, and he got the whole miserable story about Din’s adventures in keeping Grogu alive and that one federal agent who didn’t think Din was a heartless monster.)

Anyway.

Din gets called in for his interview - didn’t want to take it, but he needs a job and bounty hunting had already lost its shine before he met Grogu, and anyway. Boba insisted.

So he walks into Skywalker’s office, not sure what to expect, but it sure as hell isn’t Luke, and defintiely isn’t Luke and Grogu with an older man who must be Anakin smiling at the two of them as they ply some kind of game and Din really needs to sit down before he does something embarrasing as faint.

Which, you know. Perfect time for Luke to explain that with Nefarious Crime-doer in jail and his criminal organization torn up by the roots, there’s no reason Grogu has to stay in Witness Relocation.

That, circumtances being what they are, he’s up for adoption and would Din happen to know anyone interested?

(Luke has been busy, the last few months, okay. Very busy calling in favors and whatnot and it’s all worth it to see the look on Din’s face, gap-toothed smile on Grogu’s.)

Also, though.

Anakin has heard all about Din from Luke, and he has been looking for more people since business has been good, and Din is just.

Overwhelmed, because too much good happening all at once.

Luke and Anakin share this look because wow, yes, they know the feeling. Luke takes Din and Grogu out for lunch, go to a quiet, out of the way place to let the poor guy think over his options because he really hasn’t had the luxury to do so for a while now.

Grogu is delighted, because he missed the hell out of Din, and Luke’s been pretty great too, and after a while Din stops worrying and pays attention to that, to Grogu.

Sweet kid, really, and Din already knows he’d do anything for him. Adopting him would be the smallest of it.

As the job...he’ll have to think about it a little longer, uncomfortable with the thought Luke got it for him rather than him earning it, and when he eventually mentions that in another meeting with Anking a week or so later, Anakins is just.

“Well, alright then,” and lets Din prove why he deserves the job.

Anakin knows he does already, okay, from what Luke told him about the whole Situation when he was on he run with Grogu and saving Luke’s life and the praise Luke’s team and others have had for Din. But this is about Din needing to know he does, and he’s more than willing to give that to him.

And then!

Once things have settled down in Din’s life, once he’s got his kid and a good job and some semblance of stability for both of them, Luke is kind of just.

There.

Around Din’s work because of Anakin, and the business’ firt client is Luke’s mother, and also Grogu being all :(((((((( becuase he misses Luke, and Din hates it when Grogu’s :(((((((((, so.

Luke is around, and it’s a little awkward at first, takes Din a while to realize that okay, wow, yes, Luke is actually flrting with him and not just being his usual friendly self.

(Cara and the others just shake their head at him when he has that realization because seriously, okay, seriously.)

Anyway, anywy, awkward flirting and dates and a goodnight kiss where Din is like oh, no, because this relationship of theirs is serious and he does’t know how to do this, be a normal human being in a functioning relationship, okay.

(And yes, part of him knew it was serious before then, it hadn’t sunk in yet, and anyway, yes.)

Uncharted territory and all, but Luke is smiling at him and according to several reliable sources (Leia and Han among others) is a human disaster in his own right, so maybe they can figure things out together, you know?

Might be nice.

(It is, though, absolutely the nicest.)

#star wars nonsense #dinluke #i have a deep and abiding love for the most ridiculous overdone tropes #i'm sure you fine people have noticed that by now #but also sorry about me friends #:D???#technically not a fic #vagrant fic #¯\_(ツ)_/¯#long post

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madsthewordclown · 4 years

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Fire Lily | Pt. 14

Warnings: violence

a/n: I am so sorry this chapter took so long, but it’s here now! I am so grateful to all of you for being patient with me. I feel like I wrote this chapter line by line, quite literally. Enjoy!

Masterlist

The few weeks they had before the invasion flew by much quicker than Y/N could have anticipated. Her days were spent sparring with Sokka, and, with the occasional time to herself, attempting to throw fireballs at the walls of various caves they had called home. The hook swords felt so natural in her hands now, and Katara quickly extinguished any accidental fires. She wasn’t quite the fighter that everyone else was, but she could hold her own. She would be ready for the invasion.

Y/N supposed she didn’t have much choice, enjoying the quick, tight embrace from Hakoda as they met on the beach. Y/N glanced up at the sky. It was so clear—it didn’t seem fitting. Y/N’s stomach churned. They’d be okay. They had to be.

Sokka was talking—or, attempting to talk about—the plan. Y/N tried to pay attention, but all she could hear was humming. She couldn’t drag her eyes away from her foot that was tapping on the sand. She and Sokka had gone over the plan together a million times, but he couldn’t seem to speak in a full sentence. She couldn’t remember much herself, other than that the eclipse only lasted 8 minutes.

Aang had eight minutes to defeat the Fire Lord, after one hundred years of war. Eight minutes where the Fire Nation would be most vulnerable. Y/N tried to push another intrusive thought to the back of her mind; she’d be most vulnerable, too.

Y/N sensed Sokka’s dejected presence at her side as Hakoda took over, and she wanted to comfort her friend, but the words wouldn’t come. Y/N scanned the rows of fighters instead. Mostly blue-clad Water Tribe men, the swamp benders with far too little clothing for Y/N’s comfort. Some Earthbenders, including a boy with a rather unfortunate mustache.

“We will have control of the Fire Nation capital, and this war will be over!” Hakoda cried, raising a fist in the air. The crowd cheered, but the world seemed to sway under Y/N’s feet. A bird crowed, not a care in the world.

The group dispersed to prepare, and Y/N found herself sitting and observing the others as she sharpened her blades. Katara filled her waterskins, and Toph was back in her Earth Kingdom style armor. Y/N realized she was the only one left wearing red.

Y/N focused on sharpening the blades of her swords and adjusting the fasteners of her belt. After this, the war would be over. She could find her brother. She could return home, although she wasn’t sure what she would do once she got there. Y/N stood and slid her swords into place. She wished Jet were there to see it.

“What are you doing, Y/N?” Sokka approached, Katara at his side. His face was covered in Water Tribe warrior paint, the traditional armor making his look so much older. The sight stung.

“Don’t worry, I’m ready to go,” Y/N replied hastily, tightening her ponytail. There were just a few stragglers left on the beach.

“What about your armor?” Katara asked, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“This is all I have,” Y/N shrugged, tugging at the hem of her deep red shirt. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“You seriously thought we’d let you go without armor?” Sokka’s eyes widened in shock. “Come on.”

---

“We asked Dad to make some armor for you before we split up,” Sokka explained. “I would’ve made it myself, but I figured I wouldn’t have the materials, and I was busy working on Appa’s armor…”

Y/N’s eyes stung as she looked at the deep blue leather armor in Sokka’s hands. The crescent moon emblem on the chest was replaced with a simple embroidery of the Earth Kingdom symbol in plain brown thread. Y/N gingerly reached out to touch it, the white fur lining soft in her fingers.

“Are you sure?” It was Water Tribe armor. Maybe it was made purely out of necessity, but this was their culture, their family… but the Earth Kingdom symbol was there. For her.

“We made it for you, dummy,” Katara laughed. “I added the embroidery last minute, I hope you don’t mind.”

“You know we think of you as part of our family. Not just us, but Toph and Aang, too.” Sokka gently pressed the garment into Y/N’s hands. “The Earth Kingdom symbol was Katara’s touch. We know you’re fighting for your family, too. Back home.”

“Thank you,” Y/N didn’t know what else to say, pulling the siblings into a tight hug.

“Well, I’ve got to go meet with Dad. I’ll see you guys soon, okay?” Sokka pulled away, giving you and Katara one last quick squeeze before the walking out of the belly of the ship where he had led you earlier.

“Here, let me help you,” Katara offered as Y/N pulled the armor over her head. It was so much lighter than the Fire Nation armor… Y/N turned, letting Katara do the work of tying the armor in place.

“Thanks.”

Katara finished securing the armor and sidestepped to look at Y/N’s face. “You ready?”

Y/N reached a hand up and ran a hand through her ponytail. “Actually, could you help me with one more thing?”

Katara was good with braids. Y/N’s eyes fluttered shut as Katara’s fingers ran through her hair, twisting it into a simple braid. It was like being home. Y/N could almost imagine her mother leaning over her shoulder, talking about the lilies she had planted in the garden that spring.

“The panda lilies are doing so well this year, aren’t they, darling?”

“All done,” Katara secured Y/N’s braid and laid it over her shoulder.

“Thanks, Katara.”

“If we’re going to save the world, we might as well look good doing it,” Katara joked lightly.

Y/N took a shaky breath.

“We’re going to make it, Y/N,” Katara reassured solemnly. “I know it.”

---

The beach felt less steady than the submarines. Even when she couldn’t see what was happening above her, and even with the lurching and tilting under fire was better than this. Between Katara and the swamp benders, they had a huge advantage on the water. Y/N hated how the walls rose up around the beach. She knew they wouldn’t, but it felt like they could fall on them at any moment.

Y/N kept her eyes on the battlements as she pushed forward with the other behind the Earthbenders’ protection. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for yet. But as they pressed forward, instinct overtook anxiety. Y/N wondered if this was what battle always felt like to the others. Almost like a dance.

Y/N tailed Haru as he diverged forward and left, throwing a large boulder at a Fire Nation tank, hitting it squarely. The metal let out a horrible screech, the tank being forced to a stop. Y/N rushed forward, lifting herself up over the top of the vehicle just as the Fire Nation soldier began to climb out of the top of the tank.

Y/N brought her hook swords down in a quick rhythm, sending the soldier falling onto the steel. The man recovered quickly, hopping up to stand and raising his fists. Y/N anticipated the flame, ducking as the man shot a burst of fire over her head. Y/N swung a hook around the man’s leg, sending him to the ground again.

“Haru!” Y/N shouted. Haru seemed to get the message, a chunk flying from the boulder, forming a band of stone binding the man to the tank. Y/N hopped down onto the sand, running by Haru’s side back to the nearest Earthbending tank.

Enemy fire continued to rain down from the battlements stationed on the walls on either side of the beach. Y/N grabbed Haru’s arm, dragging him down to the dirt as one got a direct hit on the vehicle carrying their boulders, sending bits of rock flying over their heads.

“I want the tanks in a wedge formation!” Sokka commands, “Warriors and benders in the middle. We’re taking that tower and heading for the Royal Palace.” Sokka points to the battlements perched on the wall. The warriors close in behind the tanks, Y/N joining them.

Sokka was built to be a leader, and it was easy to see. He had come up with this whole plan himself, and they were making ground. And while he had struggled in his speech to their small army earlier, he could take command in the field. He’d proven that.

Y/N watched Haru disappear somewhere in front of her to help propel the tanks along. The pace was dreadful—it was slow, leaving them all feeling a bit too vulnerable, but fast enough to where it was difficult to analyze what might be coming your way. Y/N could hear the screech of a Fire Nation tank somewhere forward and to the left. The men on either side of her pressed further in.

Y/N wanted to cry when she felt her feet hit solid ground. They were out of the sand, finally. Y/N could feel fire, and she wasn’t sure whether it was the fire running through her own veins or a result of the enemy fire that was no doubt being rained down on the tanks. She could see small streaks of flame peeking out over their heads from time to time, reaching over the tops of the tanks they were using for cover. But there didn’t seem to be much damage, so they pressed forward.

“Cover the back!” Bato shouted. Y/N couldn’t see where the voice was coming from but turned around. They were started to scale the incline up to the palace and wouldn’t want to chance someone from the beach possibly being on their tail.

“Let us handle it, sweet pea,” a voice to Y/N’s left said. A tall Water Tribe warrior stood next to her; his face obscured by his wolf helmet. Y/N’s blood boiled.

“I think I can handle it just fine,” she replied coolly, already stepping forward as she noticed the small band of soldiers advancing up the hill after them.

Y/N picked up her pace to a run, swords clashing with the metal armor of the soldier in a matter of moments. The soldier raised his arms, fire spewing from his fists. Y/N sidestepped, feeling the heat barely miss her side.

Y/N brought the sharp pommel of her right blade down, the soldier catching her wrist in his hold. Y/N lifted her leg, delivering the highest kick she could manage to the soldier’s gut. He stumbled back, pushing her away and sending her falling to the dirt.

Y/N fell to her back, the impact knocking the breath out of her. The soldier was recovering more quickly, already raising his arms. Y/N thought back to that night in the alley, the silver flashing in the night, as the world suddenly seemed impossibly bright.

Y/N dropped her swords and split the soldier’s fire with a flame of her own, using the soldier’s shock to spring to her feet. The soldier’s face plate had fallen to the ground in their struggle, Y/N’s heart twisting when she saw his face. He wasn’t much older than her. Y/N thought of Jain, of Bihun. Of Sokka, Katara, Toph, Aang. This boy shouldn’t be fighting.

“Traitor,” the young soldier seethed, his face contorted with rage. Y/N quickly retrieved her hook swords from the ground, shoving them into her belt. Y/N felt her own anger bubble. She was never, would never, be one of them.

Y/N let the rage release through her hands in a ball of flame, watching the boy retreat as more Water Tribe warriors descended in their direction.

Y/N jogged to catch up with the tanks that was continuing their steady climb up the hillside as she saw Appa’s large shadow descend. Y/N felt the relief flood her as her friends came into view. Hakoda was obviously injured, but alive. They were all alive. And they were winning.

“Y/N!” Katara rushed forward, pulling the other girl into a tight hug.

“Everything’s going smoothly, and the eclipse hasn’t even kicked in yet,” Sokka was saying. Katara pulled out of Y/N’s grasp, looking off into the distance.

“Let’s hope our luck holds out,” Katara muttered. Y/N could see the worry in Katara’s eyes, following her line of sight.

“Is that Aang?”

---

Y/N wandered away absentmindedly as Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Hakoda discussed their next move. She couldn’t help but to feel disheartened, but as she looked out over the beach battlefield, the pride in her chest swelled. They were winning. Y/N ran a thumb over the handle of a hook sword at her waist.

“He’d be really happy,” a voice to her left said. Y/N turned to see Pipsqueak, looking at her with an unreadable expression. “Those are his, right?”

“Yes,” Y/N answered, a little breathlessly. Her eyes stung a bit. She’d forgotten that Pipsqueak and the Duke had been Freedom Fighters, too. Before. Y/N met Pipsqueak’s eyes. “I just wish he were here to see it. It was his fight, too.”

Pipsqueak thought for a moment. “He’s here. With the Duke and me. And you.” Pipsqueak looked to the swords at Y/N’s hip again. “And a piece of him is here, on the battlefield.”

Y/N listened to the light breeze pass by, and for a moment, she thought she could sense it, too.

“Y/N!” Sokka called, breaking her from her reverie.

“Thank you,” Y/N said hastily, giving Pipsqueak’s arm a quick squeeze before going to meet the others.

Toph gave Y/N a swift punch in the arm to greet her. “Ready to go kick some Fire Lord butt?”

Y/N wanted to say no. “Yeah, of course.” Wait. “Where?”

“There are tunnels underneath the palace,” Sokka explained. “We’ve decided to keep going. We’ll finish what we started.” Sokka’s gaze turned from determined to compassionate. “If you’re okay with it.”

Y/N nodded.

“I want you to come along with in case we run into any firebenders before or after the eclipse,” Aang added. “Even if you aren’t a master bender, we could still use the extra help.”

“You’re a good fighter, Y/N,” Sokka agreed.

Y/N did feel like she’d proven herself, at least a little bit. And she wouldn’t be completely helpless without her bending during the eclipse—it wasn’t her main fighting tactic, anyway, and how many of the benders holed up underground could say the same?

Katara would stay back—Y/N got the sense that Katara wasn’t overly happy to let all four of them out of her sight—but Hakoda needed the help. Y/N promised Katara that she’d look after the others.

Y/N, Sokka, Aang, and Toph landed Appa further up at the mouth of the large volcano that Caldera rested on.

“Do you feel anything down there?” Aang questioned as Toph knelt to the ground.

“Yep. There are natural tunnels criss-crossing through the inside of the volcano,” Toph confirmed.

“Is there a structure anywhere?”

“There’s something big, dense, and metal in the middle of the volcano.”

“Sounds like a bunker to me,” Sokka stated. Toph sent dust flying as the pulled the earth away, leaving a gaping hole in the ground.

“There’ll be magma channels through there,” Y/N pointed out. It was a volcano, after all.

“Well,” Sokka gulped, looking down into the dark, “what’s the worst that could happen?”

---

As it turned out, the worst that could happen was nearly being dunked into a pool of magma. Aang had barely managed to get the four of them across the pit on his glider. Y/N never wanted to leave solid ground again.

“Couldn’t you bend some of this heat away?” Sokka asked, wiping his forehead with the back of his arm.

“Don’t you think I’d already be doing that if I could?” Y/N quipped. Honestly, she wasn’t entirely sure if that was something firebenders could do at all. She’d only ever met two, and…

Y/N’s stomach sunk further with each step closer to the bunker. What if she saw him? Y/N had blocked Zuko from her mind for so long—and she didn’t really think she’d be here, under the palace, giving chase to the Fire Lord. Y/N prayed that she wouldn’t have to face Zuko. She wasn’t sure if she could.

“Hey, Captain,” Toph said. It took Y/N a moment to realize the earthbender was talking to her.

“What?”

“You don’t need to be so nervous. Your heartbeat is so fast it’s giving me a headache.”

“Sorry,” Y/N murmured quickly. She hadn’t noticed, before, but now she was hyperaware of the pounding in her chest.

When they finally reached the metal door of the bunker, Toph pried it open with little effort.

“I am so glad we added you to the group!” Sokka exclaimed, gesticulating wildly as they climbed into the bunker. Y/N groaned—even more passageways, albeit a bit nicer than the dead magma channels. Toph pointed to the left, and they set off.

“Why does every capital city have to have underground tunnels?” Y/N wondered aloud. It was like Lake Laogai and the Earth Kingdom palace all over again. The memory of her pounding head was in the back of her mind, when Zuko had practically shoved her away down the dim passageway.

“I love it,” Toph pronounced proudly. “Finally get to be the eyes of the group,” she joked, directing them around another turn.

A Fire Nation soldier stood in the hallway. His eyes widened upon seeing them. “The Fire Lord is that way, down the hall, to the left, and up the stairs,” the man rambled fearfully. “You can’t miss it.”

“Thanks!” Aang replied joyfully. Y/N held back a giggle at the Avatar’s never-failing friendliness.

Sokka pulled out his timer from his pocket. “Thirty seconds until the eclipse.”

“Do you think it’ll feel different?” Y/N wondered aloud again. Y/N didn’t like to talk about it, but she could feel fire. Brimming, underneath the surface. All the time. Would it be gone?

No one responded—Y/N supposed they wouldn’t have an answer, and it wasn’t exactly the most pressing question in the world. And as the large doors to the Fire Lord’s chamber appeared in front of them, Y/N felt the question fade to the background, feeling a hum in her ears.

“I’m ready,” Aang said with determination. “I’m ready to face the Fire Lord.”

The doors flew open with a burst of air, sending up a small flurry of dust. Y/N squinted, expecting fire, before remembering that the eclipse would have started by now. She still felt fire under her skin.

“So, you are alive after all.” Y/N recognized that voice. Azula sat on the throne, smirking sharply. “I had a hunch that you’d survived. But no matter. I’ve known about the invasion for months.”

“Where is he?” Aang demanded. “Where is the Fire Lord?”

“Aw, I’m not good enough for you?” Azula pouted, rising from the throne haughtily. “You’re hurting my feelings.” Azula’s golden eyes scanned the four of them, finally landing on Y/N.

“Oh, you picked up a little stray?” Azula raised an eyebrow, looking Y/N up and down. “I figured she was taken care of in Ba Sing Se.”

“Stop,” Y/N spoke, willing her voice to sound commanding.

“You’re powerless right now, so you’re in no position to refuse,” Sokka agreed, his expression steely.

“I can tell if you lie,” Toph threatened. Azula looked up for a moment, thinking.

“I am a four hundred feet tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings.”

Toph’s smug expression faltered. “You’re good,” Toph said, moving her arms, sending a cage of earth around Azula. “But you should consider telling the truth anyway.”

Almost as soon as the stone had solidified around the Fire Nation princess, it crumbled away, Azula brushing off the dust from her clothing casually. “When I came home from Ba Sing Se, I brought a souvenir.”

The shadows of two Dai Li agents dropped from the ceiling, landing gracefully on the stone floor to flank Azula.

Y/N stuck to Sokka’s side. Azula was at a disadvantage without her bending, but so were they. Earthbenders held all the cards in an underground battle. Y/N and Sokka ran after Azula as Toph and Aang held back the Dai Li.

After a few moments, Aang flew by them in a whirl, attempting to catch Azula as Toph secured cuffs of earth around the girl’s feet. Sokka slowed, realization dawning on his face.

“Aang, stop! She’s just wasting our time.”

“Are we just supposed to leave her?” Aang called back. Azula had stopped running, looking at them with yet another amused smirk.

Sokka was right. They were wasting valuable eclipse time chasing the princess, and it was clear she wasn’t about to talk.

“We have to go and find the Fire Lord ourselves.”

Aang nodded in agreement as they turned to walk away. Y/N didn’t like turning her back on the Fire Nation princess, but a quick attempt at lighting a flame in her hand reassured her that they would be safe.

“It’s a trap. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Azula’s voiced called coolly.

“Ignore!” Sokka shouted back, raising a hand to emphasize his point. A beat passed.

“You’re Sokka, right?” Azula asked casually. Y/N noticed Sokka’s steps slow ever so slightly. “My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time.” Sokka stopped dead in his tracks, glaring back at the princess.

“Sokka, let’s go,” Y/N whispered, giving Sokka’s sleeve a light tug. Azula continued.

“She was convinced you were going to come rescue her. Of course,” Azula sighed, “you never came, and she gave up on you.”

“Sokka,” Y/N muttered in warning and concern, watching her friend’s eyes well up with tears.

Sokka sprinted back towards Azula, pinning the girl to the stone wall. Y/N looked at Aang, who looked completely helpless to the situation. “Go!” Y/N shouted, before running over to Sokka.

“Where. Is. Suki?” Sokka demanded, pressing harder on Azula’s shoulders. Y/N slowed as she approached, keeping her right hand poised on the handle of her hook sword.

“Where is she?!?” Sokka repeated, rage evident in his voice. Y/N had never seen him like this. It was difficult to keep a level head.

“Sokka, we have to go,” Y/N said shakily, “she won’t talk.”

“Where are you keeping her?” Sokka asked again, his voice shaking with anger and hurt. Azula didn’t address him, turning to Y/N.

“I’m sorry you survived, Y/N,” Azula drawled, “having to find out the truth about your little boyfriend like that. Although I don’t know why he’d associate himself with a commoner to begin with. Good thing his girlfriend hasn’t found out about you.”

“Sokka, let’s go,” Y/N insisted, finally grabbing Sokka by the shoulders and wrenching him away. Y/N didn’t let go as they started to walk down the hall, feeling her own body shaking as much as his.

“Oh,” Azula’s voice said again, “guess the firebending’s back on.”

Y/N and Sokka whipped around as Azula send a flash of blue flame their way, propelling herself out of her restraints. Azula sent another wide blast of fire their direction. Y/N instinctively pulled Sokka behind her, using her own flame to block the strike.

Azula’s eyes widened. “Oh, Zuzu didn’t tell me you were a traitor, too…” Azula glanced down for a moment. Y/N’s adrenaline surged. “Dad is all the way at the end of the hall and then down a secret stairway on the left. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to see you now.” With that, Azula turned and ran down the hall.

“I used up all our time.” Sokka hung his head in shame.

“It’s not your fault. Azula had everything planned out,” Y/N reassured. Azula had just outsmarted them. Again. “Come on,” Y/N started jogging down the hall. “We need to find Aang and Toph.”

---

“I can still face him!” Aang insisted when Y/N and Sokka reconvened with Aang and Toph.

“We need to leave, now,” Y/N argued.

“We thought we had surprise on our side, and we didn’t,” Toph agreed. “It just wasn’t our day.”

“We’ll get another chance,” Sokka insisted. They had to.

“We need to get back up to the surface and help the others,” Y/N pressed. She wanted out of this tunnel before they ran into yet another member of the royal family. Y/N felt claustrophobic, the tunnel walls seeming more like a trap by the minute.

“Okay,” Aang agreed sullenly. “I guess you guys are right.”

Toph wasted no time in leading them out of the tunnels, luckily through a different route than where they had come. Y/N enjoyed seeing the sky again, but she could smell the smoke in the air. That wasn’t good.

War balloons cast dark shadows over the ground as they flew Appa back to the other troops. They were so far up the hillside now—the beach was so far away.

“We have to get back to the beach!” Sokka shouted as soon as they were in range to be heard. “Azula knew we were coming, we have to go!”

Appa landed with a grunt, and Y/N slid down from the saddle, feeling a bit more sting than normal as her feet hit the ground.

“I can try to slow them down,” Aang said, opening his glider before quickly taking off into the air. Momo flew off after him as Katara climbed up onto Appa’s saddle.

“Appa and I can help, too,” Katara said with a steely resolve. “Yip yip!”

“Let’s get back to the subs!” Sokka commanded. Y/N took off with the rest of the group into a sprint down the hillside.

Y/N heard the crashing of airships behind them, but soon enough their shadows could be seen on the ground in front of her. Sokka was shouting something about cover, and Y/N hit the ground hard as Toph bent the earth to form a shield around the three of them.

Dust and little pieces of rock fell on Y/N’s head as the stone shook from an impact. Suddenly, the pain in Y/N’s leg felt sharper. Stinging.

Toph pulled the stone away when the bombs finally stopped falling. The war balloons had already flown past them.

“They’re heading toward the beach…” Aang trailed off. “They’re going to destroy the submarines!”

“How are we all going to escape?” Sokka hung his head.

“We’re not.” Hakoda looked out as the bombs dropped down into the water. “You kids have to leave. You’ll escape on Appa together.”

“We’re not leaving you behind.” Katara stepped forward.

“You’re our only chance in the long run.” Hakoda’s eyes were sad. “You and Sokka have to escape with Aang. It’s the only way to keep hope alive.”

“The youngest will go with you,” Bato agreed. “The adults will surrender. We’ll be prisoners, but everyone will survive.”

Y/N wanted to protest, but they were right. The submarines were long gone, and the war balloons would be coming back their direction.

The goodbyes were tearful, and Y/N envied the pride in Hakoda’s eyes as he hugged Katara and Sokka. Sokka climbed up onto Appa last. Hakoda met Y/N’s eyes, raising his hand to give a salute.

Y/N returned it with a sad smile as Aang thanked them all. “I’m gonna make this up to you,” Aang promised. Appa lifted into the air with quite some effort from the extra weight. Y/N kept her eyes on the remaining soldiers until they disappeared over the next hill.

Masterlist

taglist: @kaylove12, @akariblue, @wolfiemichele, @aquatickanye, @sunflowerr-mami, @nadiblue. @la3divine, @sarsky, @aangsupremacy, @good-ones-are-taken

#atla #atla fanfic #the day of black sun #zuko x reader #eventual zuko x reader #zuko x y/n #gaang x reader #avatar: tla

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gyllenhaalstories · 4 years

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READER X LEO GYLLENHAAL HEADCANONS.

notes: hear me out... this was necessary. extra: listen to you’ve got a friend in me from the toy story soundtrack and cry all your childhood feels away. @gyll-yee-haw and i are the founders of the leo fanclub and you’re all a part of it because we all know the greatest gyllenhaal is actually leo!

Maybe you did not have a pet growing up, maybe you did. You still felt intimidated meeting with Jake’s dog. It was a big deal. It felt official. It was like meeting your partner’s children, it can be a deal breaker. If he’s as sensitive and goofy as his dad, you knew deep down you did not have much to be scared of.

Jake invited you to his place for dinner and when he opened the door for you to come in, you were greeted by happy barks. Jake took the time to tell you what to do so nobody would be nervous and to also keep an eye on Leo to make sure he stayed calm.

Two seconds later, you were down on your knees giving Leo belly rubs while talking in a high pitched voice only dolphins could understand.

It was hard to tell who was happier about this encounter: Jake who kept laughing and smiling or Leo who wagged his tail all dinner long.

Leo laid down by your feet, at the dining table. He would peak his head from under the table cloth to ask for a piece of food that you would give, despite Jake telling you he fed him earlier. Leo followed you everywhere, waiting on the other side of the bathroom door or whimpering when you had to leave.

It was love at first sight. Jake picked up on his dog’s reaction, the way the two of you just clicked and became inseparable. He was jealous, because his own dog preferred you to him, but he could understand why. You were so perfect, Leo was just a smart boy with good taste (like his dad).

And you spoiled him so much, even from the beginning. You bought Leo so many treats and toys that he had a hard time finding space to sleep in his bed with all the objects around him. His favourite was a stuffed unicorn that squeaked. He always brought it to you when you came over, as if to remind you he really appreciated his gift.

Except for jackets during winter, Jake hated to buy clothes for Leo. He found them ridiculous. When you came back to his place with tons of bandanas, boots and other ridiculous accessories from the pet store, the Gyllenhaals were perplexed. Leo gave quite a fashion show. Jake could barely recall his favorite moment, because he stared at you the entire time. You were so good with Leo, it was instinctive. You two were meant to be.

Leo would have a different bandana for each day. And he rocked them during his walks around the block! Sometimes you would match the leash or the colour of the ball. Anything just to increase his natural cuteness.

Jake was never worried about letting you babysit Leo while he was out of town for a movie or an event. He knew you would fill him in with tons of photos. He would most likely come back to the two of you all cuddled on the bed, fallen asleep after watching The Lady and The Tramp.

Leo is very well trained, he’s quick minded and smart. He’s also a service dog and he is the best therapist in the whole world. You can spend hours telling him about your sorrow and your anxieties, he will sit right next to you put his paw in your hand. He will let you dry your tears in the fluffy fur of his neck. He would learn to recognize the signs of your anxieties and panic. He would either try and lay on you to ground you, distract you by acting goofy or go find Jake to warn him something is going wrong.

Puppuccinos were mandatory! Your local café or Starbucks would be waiting for you around the same hour every day with some whipped cream for Leo and your favorite drink. If Leo did not get his sweet treat, he would just sit on the ground and refuse to move until you said the magical words.

You’d film tons of cute videos of Leo. And you started an Instagram page just for him. You did not do it for fame or attention, you just needed a place to upload all of the photos you had of your favourite animal. Each picture you snapped was cuter than the previous one. Jake would leave funny comments and fans would melt at how adorable you guys were.

You would teach him some silly tricks and show them to Jake, congratulating the dog with some “mommy and daddy are proud of you”. The three of you were absolute family goals!

Puppy eyes. You were both the masters of puppy eyes. Whenever you wanted to go out, to take Leo on a walk to a different park or if you wanted to do something special, you would team up against Jake and convince him to do practically anything.

At some point, you took photos for the holidays and sent the cards to your relatives. The Gyllenhaals would all wear some ugly sweaters, all smiling and hugging.

If you wanted kids, Leo would be the first to know. Maybe because dogs have a super power or because he sat with you on the bathroom floor as you waited for the pregnancy test results. Forget your typical gender reveal parties and popping balloons or cutting cake of a certain colour. You would host a party during which a relative, most probably Maggie, would hide with the dog and give him a collar and a bandana either blue or pink and let him run to you to share the surprise.

He would make the best big brother ever! Very sensitive, gentle and protective. He would help the baby sleep and stay safe.

If you did not want kids, you would definitely adopt a second dog. Either a rescue or the same breed as Leo, because you loved their temper and their intelligence with all of your heart. Your dogs would be your babies and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this.

At the end of the day, as much as you loved Jake, you knew deep down your true soulmate was Leo.

#jake gyllenhaal #jake gyllenhaal imagine #jake gyllenhaal fluff #jake gyllenhaal x reader #jake gyllenhaal x you

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kisilinramblings · 4 years

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I saw many people tweeted that Chloe is not deserved the threatment she received in the show (i.e being her miraculous taken from her, being bashed, etc), she helps lb selflessly only for lb to take her only way to redeem herself, to show she can be better person and the only reason why she's treated badly is because Thomas hate her, that's why he refused to give her a redemption arc and instead keep calling her a villain. What do you think of it? And what do you think of Chloe as a character?

I’ll come off clean right away. I too believed in Chloé. I too hoped for her to get better and gave her a chance. Was I disappointed by the turn she took? Yes. Just like Ladybug and Chat Noir too were disappointed I’m sure. Was I surprised by this development though? No.

It all comes down to 3 things that lead Chloé’s development to this result.

Chloé’s traits and motivations.

What the Bee Miraculous represented to Chloé

Chloé’s trust toward Ladybug

Let’s go back to the beginning of Chloé’s development. Despair Bear. Chloé is forced to make an effort and be nicer otherwise she will lose Adrien’s friendship.

Chloé : How can [Adrien] do this to me, Jean-Michel?

She doesn’t understand why she has this ultimatum. She isn’t reflecting on her actions. She just want Adrien to be her friend again. With the help of her butler though, Chloé works her way through. It’s a bumpy road and she obviously doesn’t like doing this. At. All. She always questions the point of this nice action or that other one, but she forces herself only not to lose Adrien’s friendship which obviously means a lot to her, but she finds this whole experience is annoying.

During the Akuma attack though, she does rescue Ladybug from being Catalysmed by a Chat Noir controlled by Despair Bear, but what does Chloé say immediately after she has realized she had been actually helpful for once?

LB : Thanks, Chloé Chloé : Hey! I was really nice just then! Did you see? No?

She boasts about her actions, wanting people to notice her. The whole audience doing the Anime Fall™ illustrates that boasting about being nice defeat the initial purpose. Doing nice actions should be because it is the right and natural thing to do, not to expect glory and reward afterward, even if Chloé instinctively wanted to protect someone she deeply idolizes.

After helping Ladybug out to defeat Despair Bear, Chloé realizes there are some benefits to being nice, yes, but what does Chloé do after showing she is capable of making an effort and secured back Adrien’s friendship? She sighs of relief, a burden lift out of her shoulders, and reverts back to her usual self.

Now I know people will say “It’s just to maintain the statu quo”. But when you look back at this episode after Miracle Queen or even after Miraculer, you realize Despair Bear had a lesson in it that concerns people like Chloé. That is they can make an effort to be nicer and can sometimes be helpful but if they don’t want to become a better person, to be kinder to others, then they won’t change.

Over S2, we see Chloé under a new light. She isn’t just a spoiled rich bully. She is human too. When she is hurt, she hurts back. Marinette -- and by extension the viewers -- learns to see that side of Chloé and empathizes with her. But while it explains it, her snobbish, mean and entitled attitude still isn’t acceptable. Not when living in society.

But Chloé does make some some progress through S2. Small. But still, progress. Like during Zombizou, where Chloé admits for the first time her actions has hurt people.

Or the end of Queen Wasp where Chloé finally accepts to give back the Bee Miraculous she had found to Ladybug, admitting she had been irresponsible with how to use that power.

Or during Malediktator, when Chloé opens up to Ladybug, telling her the truth and how useless she feels.

That was a start. Chloé showed us she was capable of doing that when renouncing or not expecting to have a Miraculous. However, after Queen Bee is officially recognized as one of Ladybug’s allies, something else happened.

After actually saving Paris during Malediktaor, Chloé got a party celebrating Queen Bee, celebrating her.

Marinette was trying to do some positive reinforcement to encourage Chloé.

Marinette : Well, she did save Paris, so... maybe she just may be able to save herself too, am I right? [...] If she feels like she can be useful, I’m sure she’ll change her attitude.

“[Chloé] just may be able to save herself”

It isn’t Ladybug’s responsibility to change Chloé so she could become a better person, but Chloé’s. Ladybug can help her a bit, by showing support and guiding her, but it is ultimately Chloé who has to work on herself in order to save herself AKA to begin redeeming herself if she wants to. Like how Chloé desired to save her dad and fix her mistake. However, Chloé’s secret identity being publicly known has jeopardized that process.

Look at the ending of Malediktator. Chloé has a party but instead of taking pics with her and the crowd, or with people she cherishes or is thankful about, what do we get?

A selfie of her with her with no one else around her posted on her social media, showing us her self-centred image.

This behaviour repeats itself during Heroes Day as well. Everyone has prepared a nice action for the day and what was Chloé’s? Accepting to sign autographs since now she is a superhero.

And at the end of the finale, yes, she is included in the group picnic, but how is she staged on the set?

She sits on a lounge chair, not directly touching the ground where everybody else is sitting. She refuses to eat home-made meals, preferring fancy sushis. And finally, she has her butler break apart her chopsticks for her, without even politely asking him by looking him in the eyes.

What does this scene tells the audience compare to the scene where Chloé is dismantling her Bee “Lair” without any help at the end of Malediktator, telling her butler she’ll do it because she has to do this herself. (Translation : I have to fix that error of mine myself”).

As S2 concluded, since Queen Bee is now officially one’s of Ladybug superhero teammates and that everyone knows QB is Chloé, she feels above everyone else, refusing to sit at the same level as them. She still doesn’t care about others’ feelings. She expects people to serve her. Even her “benevolent” action of signing autographs for Heroes Day revolved more around herself than acutally helping others.

This is where Chloé’s character stands. This is what she values. Herself. Her needs. She feels morally superior. She has ascended to greater heights. She acts entitled because Ladybug has trusted her with a Miraculous once or twice. And it is this attitude Chloé never tries to fix and that has lead her to her descent.

The people who are mad about Chloé’s development throughout S3 often misinterpret the real reason why Chloé constantly wanted to be Queen Bee to begin with. What the Bee Miraculous truly represented to her.

Chloé didn’t want to be a superhero because she wanted to help people nor was it because she felt bad about how awful she had been to everyone in general and wanted to make amends. Chloé didn’t need a Miraculous for that. She could have accomplished that progress simply as a civilian if she had wanted to.

It wasn’t because Chloé still had something to prove to her mother either. That was settled at the end of Queen Wasp. Her mother had acknowledged her and was staying in Paris, with her. Audrey finally gave the recognition Chloé longed for. (Though I admit “you are exceptionally mean like your mother” is a shitty reason, but hey! At least Chloé got her mother’s attention and love now, so little yeah...?) And in Malediktator, we see Audrey taking Chloé’s side, agreeing they should leave for New York together.

As for wanting to be loved by others, Chloé has already the affection and attention from other people such as her butler, Sabrina, Ms Bustier, and even her father who overly spoils her, satisfying every of Chloé’s desires. They were there for her even before she got her hand on a Miraculous. And it wasn’t because Chloé wanted the power to protect the people she cared about either nor was it her symbol for a second chance.

No, Chloé only cared about herself and the reason why she wanted to be Queen Bee everytime she could is because, to her, having a Miraculous means you are part of the elites.

Miraculous Holders are chosen ones. Litterally! There are only a few select of them. They get to be famous, glorified, celebrated (Heroes Day). They get movies made about them (Animaestro). They get to be on the news, interviewed. To have their image show everywhere. To have fans. To be adulated, respected, listened to. They are exceptional. Superior.

And this isn’t new with Chloé. Ever since S1, fame and status has always been a motivator for her to do things. To be exceptional. Not just to be seen by her mother (though it started it like that), but for everyone to see it.

In fact, when there is an Akuma attack, is Chloé helping others around her or is she abandoning everyone and heading straight to light her bee signal while buzzing with excitement? Does she stay steady just in case Ladybug needs her or is she expecting Ladybug to ask for QB’s help every time? Is Chloé resilient about QB not being needed all the time or frustrated to sit on the bench? What does Chloé do to fix this? Does she give herself a purpose as a civilian or does she cling even more to Ladybug to bring her the Bee Miraculous?

Basically when Chloé is offering her help, in reality, she just want to be a superhero for the glory of it rather than actually caring for or helping people around her.

When Chloé asks for “her” Miraculous and constantly clinging for Ladybug to give it to her, it means she only sees value when she is Queen Bee. And when Queen Bee wants to be reliable to Ladybug or fears to disappoint her idol, ultimately, Chloé wants to not screw her chances to be Queen Bee again.

Thus, yes, Queen Bee does her part when battling Akumas, but does Chloé actually grow as a person after Malediktator events? Did Chloé work on herself? Does she continue reflecting on her actions? Does Chloé even sometimes try to help her classmates with their normal problems or is she resting on her laurels? How does she treat others in general? Did Chloé truly become kinder or humbler or did she instead got the big head and still is rude to them? Does she views herself as a normal person or as a superior being? If you are unsure about any of the answers, just rewatch Startrain.

Chloé just stops improving because she took her Miraculous for granted. She is an hero recognized by Paris and therefore deserve the hero treatment and doesn’t need to continue to work on herself.

Sure, Chloé isn’t provoking as much akumatization as in S1 and S2, but she didn’t become better either by receiving a Miraculous. In fact, she is even more condescending. She is Queen Bee, she is a superhero thus she is better than you, peasants!

Chloé : In this world, there are those who work and those who shine. Forever there would be this division between us, Dupain-Cheng.

And this mentality contributed to Chloé’s sense of entitlement to the Bee Miraculous, calling it hers and expecting to have it back as if it was her rightful right. Except Miraculouses belong to no one as illustrated by the Turtle Miraculous who gets shared between Master Fu and Nino. And initially, LB wanted to hand over the Bee Miraculous to Alya because LB needed help and Alya had already been trusted with another Miraculous before.

Anyway, during Heroes Day, it was part of Scarlet Moth’s plan to use the Bourgeois against Queen Bee. To destabilize her and it worked. And if he could do it once, he could attempt something again.

And this is what motivated Ladybug to be careful and ideally not give back a Miraculous to anyone who’s secret identity is known by Hawkmoth. And for the record, yes, Chloé is the first one truly affected by that rule, but she isn’t the only one through S3.

This decision is made by LB with CN’s approval because they wanted to protect Chloé and her loved ones from HM. And unbestknown to them, their doubts were found as Chloé was being watched over by HM and Mayura.

So it wasn’t because Queen Bee was doing a poor job, nor because Chloé's attitude was getting worse. This was done to protect her. Except they couldn’t protect Chloé from herself.

Yes, Ladybug did a mistake which is to not inform Chloé of this decision earlier. As a result, in Miraculer, Chloé felt ignored. Rena Rouge and Carapace were often called to help while Chloé was standing there waiting next to her bee signal.

But even if LB had told Chloé sooner, chances are the result would have been mostly the same. Because Chloé has an inaptitude to let go of things she desires.

After learning the truth, Chloé was clearly not satisfied by this decision. And while Chloé cooperates and hands back the Bee Miraculous, she is in denial.

Chloé : I understand, but I’m sure you will need me again, Ladybug. I know that I will be Queen Bee again someday. I’ll always be Queen Bee.

What allowed Chloé to not be akumatized during Miraculer was precisely because she still had faith in Ladybug then, despite being mad at her. She is still convinced LB would come ask for Queen Bee’s help again. But after that revelation, once Ladybug has left, Chloé tears apart the picture she had hold on to the entire episode.

By S3 finale, we see Chloé never accepted the reality of ever be Queen Bee again. And since the finale theme revolved about loss, well, it was time for her to be confronted to it.

We all agree that Hawkmoth exploited the situation during Heart Hunter. He planned the Akumatization of André and Audrey Bourgeois. Nathalie was on place to sabotage of the Bee Signal. And finally, they planned to find the Guardian to get the Miracle Box and offer the Bee Miraculous to have Chloé on their side.

Everything was there to manipulate Chloé, play with her emotions in order to turn her against Ladybug. But keep in mind that during that scene where HM is meeting Chloé, everything he says rings true to Chloé because this is what she internally feels. What he did was only amplifying the feelings Chloé already has since Miraculer and even a bit before that.

Chloé felt ignored, rejected, not allowed to be a superhero, to be a Queen. When Chloé answers Ladybug has done nothing for her, we know it’s not true. Ladybug gave her a second chance. We also know Ladybug is avoiding to give Chloé a Miraculous because she is trying to protect her and her loved ones from HM. Chloé knows that since the end of Miraculers events, however when her loved ones are indeed in danger during Heart Hunter, Chloé expected this would be THE occasion to be Queen Bee again and prove Ladybug wrong by helping Ladybug save her parents.

Now, Ladybug has been distracted and didn’t think of things clearly and yes, there is a chance that on other circumstances she might have picked the Bee Miraculous to give it to Chloé, but there is also the fact Chloé kept repeating the same mistake.

We have seen through S3 Chloé is constantly building her expectations up, only to set herself for disappointement. And instead of realizing that about herself, especially after Miraculer, she continues doing that and gets angry and put the blame on others. The only one making Chloé wait is Chloé herself. All the other temporary Holders have other things to occupy themselves and they do what they can as civilians, not expecting LB to come and give them a Miraculous.

But Chloé’s entitlement to the Bee Miraculous clouds her judgment there and now, HM is there is offering Chloé something Ladybug has denied to give her again.

So, Chloé prefered being Queen Bee over doing the right thing. She had the chance to double cross HM, but she didn’t because of how hurt and furious she was at Ladybug. And even after being deakumatized, that angers and feeling of betrayal persist.

And this is where Chloé’s action matters the most here. Chloé not only tries to be reakumatized by choice again, she blantantly explains she isn’t on Ladybug’s side anymore, doesn’t care if HM who terrorizes Paris is the ennemy, that she will keep the Miracle Box for herself. Chloé also rudly orders the Kwamis around without knowing how it works. She even tries to run away with the new Miracle Box and finally, when everything is falling appart and doesn’t go her own way, Chloé throws at tantrum at Ladybug, insulting her and the other temporary Holders and affirm she will leave with the Bee Miraculous to New York.

Even HM who laughs at this at first, commenting he doesn’t need to do anything, that Chloé is one of the bad guys, eventually is disappointed before leaving her behind.

Ladybug? She tries to reason with Chloé, giving her another chance to fix her mistake like at the end of Queen Wasp. When Chloé is putting all the remaining Miraculous of the Box on her, LB asks to stop because she knows how dangerous it is to combine their powers and still doesn’t want Chloé to get hurt. It’s only after Chloé tries to run off with the new Miracle Box that Ladybug stops her. And when Chloé is done talking, LB has no choice to stop this and take back herself the Bee Miraculous from her, even apologizing for doing this.

Ladybug has been very patient. She knows Chloé. She knows she is hurt and is hurting other because that’s how she copes, but Ladybug cannot let Chloé keep that Miraculous. Heck, she even feel sorry for Chloé when she finally leaves.

Is that truly the face someone who is satisfied with this result? This wasn’t what Ladybug had hoped for Chloé either.

If, through S3, it was no one’s fault for the Bee Miraculous to not be given to Chloé, her being destituted of the Bee Miraculous at the end of S3 was the consequences of Chloé’s own actions and her refusal to change. And all of this could have been prevented if Chloé didn’t become entitled to the Bee Miraculous, if Chloé had found another purpose AS A CIVILIAN rather than to depend on the prestige of her Queen Bee persona

This isn’t the end though. It only means Chloé has more work to do about herself. And that giving Chloé a Miraculous isn’t the solution to improve her.

#Anonymous #miraculous ladybug #chloé bourgeois #ml analysis #sorry it took so long anon #here you are #I hope you enjoy!

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popculturebuffet · 4 years

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The Three Caballeros Ride Again Review!: And Ladies (Ride of the Three Caballeros)

Saludos Amigos! I’m back with yet another comics review! And we’re back on The Ride of the Three Cablleros! Thanks again to WeirdKev27 for commissioning this retrospective. It’s going to get pricey and I greatly appreciate it. PREVIOUSLY ON RIDE OF THE THREE CABLLEROS

In short.. a bunch of short segments of varying quality, a very thirsty Donald hitting on ladies, the first appearance of Panchito and some very good music. A fun time was had by all. Along with a LOT OF drugs by the Disney Animators. The film wasn’t a huge success, but out of the 6 package films, it was a fan faviorite alongside the Mr. Toad and Ichabod movie, and thus was rereleased quite a bit, as well as being one of the first of this era to end up on VHS due to it’s cult popularity. As for Panchito and Jose they’d get plenty of success overseas, with both getting solo series in their respective home countries, Jose himself having just resumed having comics again this year, and being rightfully massive characters. But despite being a hit with fans across the world.. in the US... they were pretty much shoved in the Disney Vault for a few decades. Jose would show up on the Wonderful World of Disney, in it’s various forms, three times after the Three Caballeros while Panchito just vanished aside from reuses of the Three Caballeros footage. Their careers in the US just sorta vanished for a few decades. But as suddenly as they vanished, our boys returned triumphantly. Naturally being the most used out of the duo, Jose would show up for the first time in decades during Mickey Mouseworks, a show full of new late 90′s produced Mickey Mouse shorts, all but two of which would end up being recycled for the much more popular and well loved House of Mouse, which would feature the triumphant return of the Cabs to animation after so long away. We’ll get to that next time, as just a year before the Cabs had already reunited in the pages of Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories in one of Don Rosa’s best loved tales. The Ride of The Three Caballeros was something Don Rosa had wanted to do since he got the job writing Duck Comics in the first place. As he explained in the back of the complete library edition named after this tale, Uncle Keno isn’t the biggest fan of the Donald Theatrical shorts. Having experienced the Carl Barks comics first, and having built his career around them later, he just wasn’t a fan of the goofier, angrier, less nuanced theatrical short Donald, often feeling like he was an entirely different character from the one he loved. And.. honestly he’s not wrong. Both were built for entirely different kinds of comedy: While both did slapstick, Slapstick, along with standard comedy shenanigans, was the main weapon in Shorts Donald’s comedic arsenal. Barksian Donald, while not immune to slapstick, was more like a well built sitcom character: Multi layered, sympathetic when he needs to be, but still having tons of faults to be exploited for laughs and to play off other characters. As a result while I like Donald in the shorts I do prefer Barks version of him, and the shorts Barks did are usually the best of both worlds, combining Donald’s everyman schtick with his slapstick schtick. Of course later cartoons would pick one or the other or combine both, but I do get his point and at the time he wrote this story the only cartoon show starring Donald was.. Quack Pack.. which I can only imagine his reaction to seeing that train wreck.

But as you can probably guess there was one exception and it was The Three Caballeros. Don genuinely enjoys the beautiful music and the wonderful chemistry the three have. So after a trip to Mexico gave him the perfect setting and the fire in his belly to finally do it, he finally wrote the story. And since they weren’t Barksian characters and hadn’t had any other apperances in decade, Don also took a dive into their comics. Since Jose was more of a fancifial freeloader in his comics, Don decided to ignore this characterization and go with his own based on the film: A latin playboy and lounge singer. And i’m okay with him doing that, as unlike say with Marvel and DC when they destroy a character, Disney characters are both more fluid continuity wise and his is still rooted in a version of the character, and he’s fully accepting and apologetic that some fans hate him for this. Also for some damn reason they redesigned Jose at some point in his Brazil to look like this:

This is far from the dumbest comic book costume change i’ve seen, but it’s certainly one of the most lame, as his original outfit is dapper, stylish and fits the Brazilian version of him well. And it’s not like you CAN’T update the classic Disney characters with modern appearances. Quack Pack, which has somehow come up twice in this review, did so great with Donald and Daisy, giving them new clothes and a haircut in Daisy’s case but both still look great. Same with Goofy for Goof Troop who just wore a dad sweater and bow tie, which puts him in the small but significant club of “Bow Tie Wearing Characters who have defined my life” with Opus the Penguin and the 11th Doctor. You can update a classic character’s’s appearance without coming off like...

Which given Jose’s outfit there is horrifyingly similar, says something. Anyways, Rosa had more use for Panchito’s stories, which had him as a cowboy protecting small towns with the help of his trusty steed Senor Martinez. Rosa loved both aspects and thus used them here, with Martinez getting a makeover to fit Rosa’s style better. Rosa is also the one to popularize Panchito’s last name, having found it on a scrap of research, not realizing the character’s last name was not at all widespread and thus giving him a canon one that has stuck to this day, and sighing in relief when he finally got conformation from another fan this name was indeed something Disney had used after loosing his research scrap. So with the two boys characters set, a plot set up and a whole sequence planned we’ll talk about on the way “The Three Caballeros Ride Again!” was born. How good is it? Well join me under the cut and i’ll tell you.

We open in Mexico, specifically near the Barranca Del Cobre, aka The “Copper Canyon” of the Sierra Madre, a natural land formation simlar to the Grand Canyon that Don Rosa saw during his trip and thought would make a great setting. While larger than the Grand Canyon, Rosa figures in his notes it simply isn’t as popular because it’s more isolated than the Grand Canyon and that, combined with it having trees inside distracting from it’s rugged beauty, makes it much harder to build a tourist industry around. The four are headed to El Divisadero, because this comic is determined to kill me with it’s difficult to spell names apparently, where Huey, Dewey or Louie spouts off for no particular reason about the currently being built Chihuahua El Pacifico Railway. Seriously the boys might as well be the security guard from Wayne’s World in this comic, their role for most of their brief page time is just to set up stuff for later. I mean i’m fine with setting up your setting but there are better ways than just spouting off tons of exposition apropos of nothing.

Donald has driven the boys here for a Woodchuck Jamboree. I did actually look into Jamborees, as before this it only had ever come up in one of my favorite movies of all time, Moonrise Kingdom, and mentioned occasionally in the Ducktales Reboot. Jamboree was first used for a worldwide scouting Jamboree but has gone on to mean a huge gathering of scouts, with the Boy Scouts of America having one every four years, so odds are it’s just a big yearly or quarter yearly thing for the woodchucks. Still it would be nice to see a big gathering like this in the series, especially since several of our cast are involved in them, including the possible power trio of Huey, Violet and Boyd, and Della and Launchpad could easily be slotted into the plot as seen in this season’s premiere.. as could Dewey and Louie if they really want to since according to Frank their members.. they just aren’t nearly as invested as their brother, and thus don’t do Woodchuck stuff unless he drags them into it, as seen with “Day of the Only Child” in the series itself. It does make sense: Dewey doesn’t have the survival instinct or patience for camping, and Louie hates effort, the out doors, and doing things for anything but profit. Scouting is all of that. So the boys have driven all this way for the Mexican Jamboree, as they’ve been carefully raising their tarantula Tara, and the Tarantula Breeding Badge is only given out in Mexico, which is plausible: Different branches of a worldwide organization would have different awards and what not in different countries. And Tarantula’s are also native to mexico so that makes sense.. and I want you to apricate that I’m afraid of spiders, not cartoony ones, for instance, this is adorable.

Galvantula4Life. But real life ones or realistic looking ones? Yeah no fuck that. So I had to go to the Wikipedia entry and see several horrifying looking sizeable spiders for this one tiny fact. Your welcome. Tara ends up on Donald’s face with the boys assuming Donald is sad to see her go instead of you know FUCKING TERRIFIED A GIANT SPIDER IS ON HIS FACE. This gag does not work.. but probably because as I said i’m afraid of spiders and this is my nightmare, you little sociopaths.

The boys however worry about what Donald will do for the weekend as they prepare to board the bus to the Jamboree... why it’s meeting in an out of the way town like this I have no idea, but i’d guess plot convince. They realize he has no friends, which Donald shrugs off, and they REALLY shouldn’t say to his face, but ruminate on it once he leaves to do whatever after vaguely talking about friends he had in the past.

I like this scene even though it annoys me a bit: Ilike it because it does set up how Donald really DOSEN’T have any friends in the comics. It’s part of WHY Rosa was drawn to the Cabs: Their one of the few equal relationships donald’s ever had, people who treat him as a partner, in both sense probably, a friend, a true amigo. As the boys point out Scrooge is a monster to him in the comics, paying him 30 cents an hour which I actually put into an inflation calculator to get an accurate read on how little that was by 2020 standards.. and it’s 3 dollars an hour. Hence why I call him a monster, why that bit hasn’t aged well, and why Rosa REALLY, REALLY should’ve retired it. It dosen’t help reading that knowing Disney largely treated Rosa the same way is cringe inducing at best, if not for any fault of his own. It being cringe inducing for an employer horribly mistreating and underpaying his employees though is his fault, he’s a grown ass man, even in the 90′s this had to be a problem, be better.

And yes i’m being hard on Don Rosa but just like with the comics thing, I simply expect better from the man given just how much respect I have for the guy. His art is gorgeous, his research is immaculate, his knowledge of old films is wonderful and his love for them so infectious i’m tempted to seek the ones he’s mentioned in notes out. He’s a truly wonderful guy and one of my faviorite comic writers.. but I have to treat him fairly like I do ANY of my idols. Just to prove that, I love Grant Morrison, especially his run on New X-Men, but a lot of it hasn’t aged well including some of the language and the entire subplot with Emma manipulating Scott into having an affair when he wasn’t in the best mental place and she knew that and was acting as his therapist, and treating that as a regular affair REALLY doesn’t play well nor should it have. I love Al Ewing, with all my heart and soul, but his run on Ultimates, while having some great worldbuilding and a spectacular cast, ultimately wasn’t very good after the first arc. Not terrible but not good. John Aliison, of Scary Go Round and Giant Days fame, while impressive has had plenty of stories I just didn’t like for various reasons and will probably get into some day and some parts of his stories haven’t aged well. It’s the hard but necessary part of being a critic: You have to be objective and see all the parts of a creator’s creation, not just the ones you like and call them out when they screw up. To me being a fan isn’t about just blindly loving something, it’s about knowing WHY you love it and being willing to call out faults while still thoroughly enjoying the work. There’s a fine line between being blindly loyal to someone, which has created Zach Snyder's awful cult of personality that I hate so much, and being an overly critical shithead and I hope I’m straddling that line.

Back on the scene after that filibuster they point out Gladstone, who himself is a monster to me for how he doesn’t lift a finger to help his nephews or cousin, and constnatly flaunts his luck to Donald, and is a bit more than teasing especially since he tried to, you know, steal your house once boys. That’s canon.. that’s a barks story so it’s canon here. You.. You remember that right? He tried to steal your house. And we will be getting to that one next month, just you wait. Finally the Daisy part that annoys me slightly. The boys being sexist.. was sadly the style at the time this story is set, the 1950′s, and thus plays better for me than it does in Ducktales, as their just little boys and don’t know better. Them assuming Girlfriends aren’t like having friends, while accurate though does bother me a bit, but only because the way this story treats Donald’s relationship is PRETTTTTYYYY bad and this sets that up. But we’ll get to that. Thankfully this foreshadowing of terrors to come is quickly forgotten as we get a GENUINELY great two panels of Donald lamenting his lack of friends. It just works really well, selling his loneliness and how isolated he truly feels without any, which while I have friends I can relate to as I only really hang out with on regularly.

This is what I was talking about. While I will point out Rosa’s flaws.. their truly outweighed but his artistic mastery. In just three panels he really has a truly emotional and heartrending scene, and just that one close up among them is all we need to get the true depths of Donald’s loneliness. I can be hard on the guy, but it’s because he’s one of the best there is, best there was, and best there ever will be and thus I hold him to a high standard. But with that we transition to...

Or rather first his boss at the hotel, whose pissed his headliner has skipped out on him again to woo a lady, and while he plans to fire the guy, only isn’t throttling him because he figures one of his “Senorita’s” boyfriends will do that for him. And while I do like Jose as a playboy i’m not really fond of him trying to have sex with someone in a relationship, as it puts both him and the person he’s having an affair with in a really bad light. It does fit the character, I just don’t have to like it. As for this particular Senorita, it turns out her boyfriend is a notorious Bandito and is thankfully out of town. So yes, Jose is essentially acting out Come A Little Bit Closer by Jay and the Americans.

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Naturally just like the song, said Bad Man returns, Alfonso “Gold Hat” Bedoya, a machete wielding baddie who while understandably pissed about another man making time with his girlfriend, is less understandably about to murder Jose. Though unlike the song, Alfonso’s Lady, rather than help Jose, encourages her boyfriend to murder him and clearly has a fetish for cheating on her boyfriend with various men and watching as he kills him which.. Jesus. This is why while I don’t LIKE the idea of Jose hitting on women in a relationship it does work here, as he’s still not nearly as bad as either of these two, so it evens out. Jose escapes with his umbrella but crashes.. right into the back of Donald’s car. Rosa, Alfonso’s lady, encourages him to murder both of them for funsies, and being a brutal thug, Alfonso obliges and shoots at the car. And since, to quote the duck himself, Donald doesn’t like being killed “Even a little”, he books it out of there.

Alfonso doesn’t peruse them though. He’s on the trail of a treasure hunter who has a map to the lost town of Tayopa, which contains untold silver, but before he can do that he has important buisness to get to.

I fucking love that gag and that Rosa snuck more adult gags in there knowing plenty of Duck Fans, such as myself, are grown men, women and others who can handle this sort of thing, while still slippnig it past the kids.

Donald, once the fear’s worn off a bit, starts to wonder WHY he’s running when he’s not the one who pissed off the guy, and ignores Jose’s good point about the fact Alfonso really dosen’t seem like a guy who sees nuance.. until Donald sees a wanted poster for Alphonoso and keeps driving. He eventually gets far enough away to feel safe.. and confront the guy who got him into this mess.

Now kiss. While sadly, they do not, we do get a lovely warm reunion between old pals. Rosa keeps their past vauge as, correctly, he pointed out in his authors notes that the Cabs movie really had no plot, accurate, so instead just vaguely alluded to Donald having known the two in his pre-daisy and boys past and likely had similar adventures to the movie, but adapted more for Rosa’s barksian universe. Jose explains he often finds himself cash poor and thus hits the road to drum up some money, and Mexico is a great place for that as it has plenty of tourist money.

Though as Jose talks about their past we get the most uncomfortable running gag of the story.

While Donald’s paranoia here is played for laughs.. it just.. isn’t all that funny that Donald’s relationship with Daisy in the Rosa canon is apparently sooooo deeply unhealthy that just HEARING about him having a romantic past before him, as Rosa confirmed this was pre-daisy in his notes, causes Donald to panic and worry she actually somehow heard this. It just isn’t funny.. it speaks of MASSIVE relationship issues and some form of domestic abuse on Rosa!Daisy’s part. It’s stuff like this why there’s only a handful of Donsy relationships I like: Her treating him like shit is reduced to a punchline, instead of being used for character growth. It’s also why I’m deeply dreading covering “Legend of the Three Cablleros” at the end of this retrospective. I just don’t like when Disney media treats Daisy expecting too much of Donald or being hyper jealous of him as hilarious and while I take this more as the story not ageing well rather than barks fault, as since then Domestic Abuse against Males has become a more widely known and talked about issue, it still doesn’t’t make it plesant. It just makes this not entirely his fault. Just like it’s not Stan Lee’s fault this panel is both deeply hilarious and uses a now kinda racist term.

I named an entire youtube channel after that.. we all have our regrets. I also bring it up since currently Harry’s become terrifying villain Kindred... and thus the current big bad of an entire Spider-Man run and the being hopefully bringing one more day into the light and hopefully leading to it’s undoing.. once had a goofy mustache he genuinely referred to a “Fu Manchu Face Fuzz” that for all we know he regrew under the mask.

Donald fondly remembers the old days of being a badass adventuring team and decides, screw it, let’s go show that Gold Hatted Paloka whose boss.. but being Donald ends up driving them into The Copper Canyon instead. Our heroes end up lost in the canyon and , fitting for Donald get shot at. I can only imagine his thoughts right now.

Their mysterious attacker threatens them.. before revealing himself to be Panchito, whose glad to see his friends having mistook them for Alfonso. Turns out HE’S the mysterious treasure hunter Alfonoso was after, to no one’s surprise. We get another deeply unfunny “Daisy’s only a thousand miles away gag” as the boys reminisce and get introduced to Panchito’s horse, Senior Martniez. He also tells the boy about his map.. but how he’s hit a snag as the lost town where the silver, from a silver mine.. is now buried under pounds of volcanic rock, a volcano having erupted. This is artistic license as Don Rosa admits there aren’t any known volcano’s in Mexico, but that they also still haven’t found that missing town, so this was his explanation. All is not lost as Donald’s globetrotting with Scrooge meant he knows his history.. and thus spots an old mission which, at the time, were used by preists as cover for secret mines. Donald naturally bungles his way in and we get the much better running gag of the Cabs thinking Donald did something amazing when he really just wondered into slapstick. They end up down the shaft, with Jose deciding Donald can’t do all the work, and finding a secret entrance under a sanctum sanctorum.. a religious thing I have no idea what it ii s but is clearly where Dr. Strange got the name. Regardless they find some old kegs filled with pure silver. As Panchito puts it:

And he did ideed. In a nice moment that shows off his character, Panchito has no hesitation for sharing the wealth: He wouldn’t of got this far without his friends, and he wont get the Silver cashed in without their help. He also fires off his guns in celebration.. forgetting their in a cave, a gag I genuinely like.

After some off screen loading and hoisting, the boys are slowly on their way out of the canyon, with Donald’s Car and Senor Martinez pulling the cart with the silver together. With some downtime the three talk about what they’ll spend the money on.

About what you’d expect. A big beautiful music venue

For Jose, and a nice ranch to retire at for Panchito. Both despite being wondering souls would love a simple place to call home, in their own personal styles. While they are BIG goals, their also likeable and understandable ones: Jose just wants to stop having to do all these tours and carouse and party and perform at home. Be his own boss, and live his own dreams instead of working for whoever will put up for him. Panchito just wants to retire from being a wondering hero to a peaceful life of farming, an honest reward he well earned. And Donald?

This is easily one of my faviorite moment’s of Rosa’s, one that really cuts to comic donald’s character: Sure he can be lazy, a trickster, hot tempered, and overconfident.. it’s why we love him.. but at the end of the day he genuinely loves those boys and their his first prority and I can see why the reboot took that trait and made it his defining one. They may annoy and frustrate them and he may pull a switch on them, 50′s after all.. but he loves his boys and knows they’ll do great one day and despite his spendthrift ways when given big money.. their all he can think about. Sure Donald probably has his own personal dreams, but instead of going big and retiring he’d probably just take only a small sliver of that money to open a humble hot dog stand or something, so he could have something of his own to provide them, while still giving most of the money to their college. Scrooge is who we all want to be.. Donald is who we are at our core: Flawed people who just want to do our best. It’s why I love the guy so much. The boys rest in the small town of El Divisadero, which like the town we started in is a real place, though both are much smaller, even as of 2000 when Rosa made his visit, so he had to embelish slightly. THey stop at a local watering hole only to find Alphonso. While Jose is naturally worried, Gold Hat has moved on to Panchito and wants to know why he’s here. However Donald thinking quickly says he’s part of their nightclub act, and we get a rousing version of the three cablleros, which when reading this I synched up to the song. I won’t put it here, as it’s too big for tumblr and it really works more as a whole, but needless to say, it’s the highlight of the comic. While Rosa did have doubts about putting a musical number in a comic, and it’s often trickey, he makes it work with the energy, vibrance and number of gags, that compensate for the music not being there. There’s tons of great gags, from Donald getting thrown out window, to the stone faced crowd who only cheers when Alphonso ends the number by whacking the three with one of their own guitars. Alphonso quickly realizes what’s goin on, finds the silver, and then hyjacks the train. The boys take off after him in the car, as Donald triumphantly states “The Three Cablleros Ride Again!”. The three head after Alphonzo, who finds them when trying to release the other cars to increase speed, and then shoots at them. It seems hopeless... until donald gets launched into the air, into a cactus then back into Alphonzo knocking his guns out in a great bit of slapstick. The Conductor, likely not knowing about the others or not carring, detaches the cars though, so our heroes and villian are now sent rocketing through the world’s most dangerous railway. Which, as you’d probably already figured out, is very real and what inspirited rosa to use this setting and thus indeed wind through dangerous mountainsides and over thin cliffs like a real life Donkey Kong Country level. Eduardo still has his machete though and easily beats Jose’s umbrella, but some more Donald slapstick and him apologizing to daisy about the senioritis as he wishes her goodbye seriously GET SOME COUPLE’S COUNSELING IF THAT EXISTS IN THE 50′S. It puls his sombrero down over his head, and with jose’s umbrella top landing on it, carries him off where he ends up in a lazy asshole sheirff’s jail for a gag. The boys however continue going back.. and the railway is unfinished at this time in history and while they save the silver, their fucked. But Donald has a plan, running to the back of the cars to get his car, and while it has trouble starting, Panchito throws some chilie’s in the tank to get it moving again. The boys find the silver.. but when one barrel spills they find out it’s not actual liquid silver.. but quicksilver, which was used for silver refinment. So while i’ts shiny, and toxic so of course Jose sticks his hand in before knowing what it is, it’s worthless. Probably. The boys.. all have a nice laugh over it. I love this moment. Sure the boys lost their dreams.. but like Scrooge, the three belivie theirs always another rainbow. What matters is the journey they had and the reunion that restored their friendship. Donald also muses the boys are smart enough to get their own scholarships anyway, so it’s no big loss.. but he does have to get back to Disvadero as the jamboree ends tonight and Jose agrees as he now needs a job again. The owner balks, understandably since Jose missed a performance to get laid and then disappeared overnight.. but the Hotel Owner is visiting so as long as he can provide a big act he’s good, and while Jose is worried as he already gave them his best, the boys naturally pitch in to be the cablleros once more. After all

So we close on Huey, Dewey and Louie returning, still worrying about donald, when they find him on stage. We then end on a truly heartwarming and great last few panels.

Final Thoughts: What else can I say? This story is beautifully drawn, as usual for Rosa, well paced, fun and really fleshes the Cabs out from the movie. It has a warm, fun adventurous tone and it’s nice to see Donald in the lead since Rosa usually did Scrooge stories and thus Donald was the justifiably surly sidekick instead of the main man> here he’s in the spotlight and gets to show just what he’s made of, while still being the hilarious mess we all know and love. The story honors the original film well, while forging it’s own path and is beautifully built into history. My only real complaints are the nephews being annoying, Alphonso’s somewhat overwrought accent, and of course the daisy gags.. but it’s all HEAVILY outweighed by one of Rosa’s finest hours and easy enough to ignore. Check this out if you can. It’s a classic for a reason.

If you liked this review, you can commission your own by messaging me on here or at my discord technicolormuk#655 for five dollars a comic story or animation episode. Whenever the ride resumes next, we’ll coming on down to the house of mouse to see the boys return to the screen. In the meantime keep an eye on this space for regular Ducktales reviews every Monday, including once this run ends as I intend to start playing catchup, loud house reviews whenever, my tom retrospective that’s returning soon, and my retrospective on the Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, with chapter 2 of that also coming soon. Until then, there’s always another rainbow.

#the three caballeros #jose carioca #panchito pistoles #donald duck #don rosa #ride of the three caballeros #the three caballeros ride again #huey duck #dewey duck #louie duck #daisy duck #mexico #comics #reviews #elmo keep

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padawanlost · 4 years

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“Attachment is not compassion.” What does that mean? Attachment are undoubtedly normal but I don’t get this quote

“Attachment is not compassion” Title card – TCW 02x08

Well, attachment and compassion are two different thing. The fact you’re attached to something or someone doesn’t necessarily mean you have compassion. Attachment can come from a selfish place too. That’s what Ahsoka needs to figure out by the end of the episode. Did she save Barriss out of selfish attachment (*she* didn’t want to lose a friend) or out of compassion (sympathy for Barriss and what she was facing)? Because, by choosing to save Barriss, it could’ve backfired costing thousands of lives.

On a deeper level we have to ask ourselves if it’s possible to experience real compassion without any kind of attachment. Filoni believes that the Order’s approach to compassion failed them and the galax.. you have to ask what’s compassion without action? Is it really compassion if it doesn’t translate into action? The Jedi, by becoming so focused on the greater good, failed to notice how dispassionate they had become at a personal level. They tried hard to save the galaxy but did very little to save people as individuals. We this see on multiple occasions:

Obi-wan’s initial reaction of Qui-Gon’s helping Anakin and Jar Jar;

He moved out of his seat to kneel close to Qui-Gon. “Master,” he said, unable to help himself, “why do you keep dragging these pathetic life-forms along with us when they are of so little use?” Qui-Gon Jinn smiled faintly. “He seems that way now perhaps, but you must look deeper, Obi-Wan.” [Terry Brooks. The Phantom Menace]

The Council’s reaction to Anakin:

Like Anakin, I was well past infancy when I began my training at the Jedi Temple. There was much concern about whether I was too old to learn the ways of the Force, that my Cerean childhood might cloud my judgments, but … I am not certain of how to express myself. My mind tells me I should feel empathy for Anakin, but my instinct tells me something else. [Ki-Adi-Mundi in Ryder’s Windham’s Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force]

What disturbs me most of all is Anakin Skywalker himself. It is not in my nature to make assumptions about anyone based on appearance, and yet I find it almost alarming that the boy looks so entirely unremarkable. If I didn’t know better, I would have dismissed him as a harmless raga-muffin. [Ki-Adi-Mundi in Ryder’s Windham’s Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force]

Their usual reaction to slavery:

The pirate spoke in a hushed tone. "I am Condi, from the planet Zoraster. I am not a pirate. I am a slave. As are my companions. Stolen from our home worlds by Krayn. Under penalty of death, we have been assigned guard duty aboard the ship." Condi looked at him eagerly. "Thank the moons and stars, we have rescue in our grasp at last." Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber. The naked desperation on Condi's face unnerved him. It was mirrored in the faces of his companions. All of them had obviously suffered great deprivations. "I am sorry," he said. "I have not come on a rescue mission." [Jude Watson. Path to Truth]

Can you help him? He did not know how that was possible. “I don’t know,” he told her, keeping his voice gentle, but firm. “I didn’t come here to free slaves.” [Terry Brooks. The Phantom Menace]

And, our most recent example, the Martez sisters.

A couple of years ago, there was a prison break on the surface of Coruscant, where you live, some gangster named Ziro. Then came the Jedi. We watched, like so many others, as they chased Ziro and his gang down the portal, leaping from speeder to speeder as they went. Finally, some red-eyed alien protecting Ziro blasted the engine of an ascending cargo transport. The ship went spiraling out of control. The Jedi went into action, tried to gain control of the ship. There was a populated landing platform right in the path of the ship, but the Jedi steered it clear of that, right into the portal wall. And on the other side of that wall was our home. Mom and Dad saw it coming. They got Rafa and I out. But they weren't so lucky. The Jedi didn't even capture Ziro. The "distraction" of the ship helped him get away. Afterward, the Jedi came back, and one of them came over to me. I'll never forget it. She was beautiful, dark robes contrasting against her light green skin. Penetrating eyes. She looked at me, and you know what she said? She said, "I had to make a choice, but not to worry, the Force will be with you." That's it. Then she was off. And Trace and I were left without parents, without a home, just left there to find our way in their system.” TCW 07x07

Is any this compassion?

The point here is whether or not compassion means anything if you don’t act on it. You can say you love everything and everyone but if that love is not put into action is it really love?. What Ahsoka did was not the Jedi way but it’s clear she did the right thing by saving Barriss.

He looked over at Yoda. “Master Yoda, you and I have been close since I was a boy. An infant. Yet if ending this war one week sooner—one day sooner—were to require that I sacrifice your life, you know I would.” “As you should,” Yoda said. “As I would yours, young Obi-Wan. As any Jedi would any other, in the cause of peace.” “Any Jedi,” Obi-Wan said, “except Anakin.” Yoda and Mace exchanged glances, both thoughtfully grim. Obi-Wan guessed they were remembering the times Anakin had violated orders—the times he had put at risk entire operations, the lives of thousands, the control of whole planetary systems—to save a friend. [Matthew Stover. Revenge of the Sith]

Ahsoka, like Anakin, doesn’t take things that far. Her compassion is translated into actions. and that’s a result of Anakin’s training. Her desire to get involved and help individuals with their personal problems is a trait she got from Anakin, not from the Jedi.

“Not that Luminara is indifferent, but that Luminara is detached. It’s not that she doesn’t care, but she’s not attached to her emotionally. And at the end of the day, one of the questions that I guess I pose is, is that really a good thing? Is Anakin’s way of being so compassionate wrong? Because on a certain level, you have to accept that the Jedi lose the Clone War. So there is something that they’re doing that’s wrong.” Dave Filoni

“I’ve always felt that one of Anakin’s downfalls, like it’s never that Anakin was innately going to be evil, but the people around him, the Jedi, in their lack of compassion, in being so selfless that they almost forgot to care.”— Dave Filoni

“So as far back as Anakin, there is a seed of an idea of love and compassion, which admittedly in Attack of the Clones, the Jedi say they’re lacking because they’ve become arrogant and very sure of themselves. As Ahsoka gets older, her first big challenge comes when she’s abducted by Trandoshans and put an island [to be hunted for sport]. Anakin is put in a position where he can’t help her, and he obsesses over trying to find her, and there’s nothing he can do. But she survives anyway, and at the end of that she says, “I was only able to do this because of your teachings. Because the other Padawans I was with, boy, they were completely messed up. They were cracking.” So again we see this comparison of where Ahsoka is at because of Anakin, and where these other Padawans, which represent the other Jedi, are at.” Dave Filoni

In the end, the message is attachment is not compassion but neither is detachment. Both extremes are wrong. Complete detachment and obsessive attachment are wrong. Ahsoka’s balanced approach to compassion is the best way.

#ask #anon #sw meta #tcw meta #dave filoni #jedi order #jedi culture #jedi politics #txt

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