#in spite of being told from the point of view of a non-human they are steeped in the concept of humanism

[andromeda3116]

in network effect... it's probably going to be a small moment... but when they're trying to escape the hostile planet with art's crew...

and thiago goes back for seth

like.

these are total strangers. they barely even know art. they know nothing of its crew. they got dragged here entirely against their will. they have absolutely no emotional connection to these people whatsoever, except that they are also people, and they need help, and one of them has fallen behind.

and so thiago goes back to save someone he a) has never met before, b) probably doesn't even know the name of, c) has absolutely no emotional connection to, and d) was basically conscripted into coming into horrible danger to find, when he e) had every reason and excuse not to.

he could have kept running. he was leading the others to safety, he could have leaned on that excuse. he had nothing to gain from going back, and quite possibly very much to lose.

but he went back.

because humans, at our best, are the ones who go back for each other. even when it's objectively stupid. even when there's nothing in it for us.

not everyone will do it, but enough will. enough to be a defining trait of our species: we're the brilliant idiots who run into danger to save the wounded and bring each other out to safety. even if we don't know them. just because they can't get out on their own.

that's why it's such a Big Thing in stories when a character doesn't go back -- because this is ingrained into our dna. we have come this far because we build communities. because we build upon one another. because we go back for our wounded even when it's dangerous and we could have gotten out safely and we don't even know them. that's why it's a marker of an evil person or a horribly fraught ethical situation in stories. because that is not who we are. we are not the ones who leave someone behind.

i just. i love what these books say about the nature of personhood and intelligence and love, but i also love what they say about humanity. we're not all bad. we're not our worst impulses. we are the ones who care about a sentient robot because if it can think, it's not a thing, and it deserves to be treated like a person, even if it doesn't want to be a human.

we are the ones who care. that's what makes us human.

[w3r3wolfboyfri3nd]

i loved the post you just made (https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/w3r3wolfboyfri3nd/689643279880470528?source=share)as a changeling (endel time babey) it’s incredibly hurtful to me when people say humans are evil, as my main function is to mimic humans, and i really genuinely appreciate when alterhumans who may not identify with/as humans make posts like this

a very antihuman therian once told me ‘yeah but you aren’t human so it doesn’t matter’ to defend their position after i spoke up, which is .. like.. buddy.. you completely missed my points lol .. i’m basically fae-hierarchy assigned humankind LOL you’re insulting my fam. I don’t think a lot of alterhumans stop to think that they could be hurting fellow alterhumans tbh

I'm so glad that post was uplifting for you, anon, and you raise a good point!

Misathropy also harms non-humans and alterhumans.

Not all of us are fully separated from humanity. Some of us still partially ID as human, have humans as a central or important aspect of our identities, or resemble humans.

I myself have been questioning being a tiefling, and I can't help but be hurt when other nonhumans talk shit about how humans look gross, how human hands and feet are ugly compared to our pawed counterparts, how humans look like "shaved monkeys" and how their muzzle-less faces are unsettling. As a tiefling, I look identical to a human, save my horns and tail. Those "human" traits are my traits as well.

Also, some non/alterhumans are more comfortable admitting to the fact that they reside in human bodies. Not all of us hate these bodies. Some of us are trying to love them, either in favor of or in spite of our identities.

You don't just hurt humans in your misanthropy, you hurt nonhumans as well.

[kinglyisms]

Eric & Elisabeth

Full name: Elisabeth Eleanor Kingston Nicknamed: Lisa

Elisabeth was mortal, human, and born to a Noble family in a neighboring Kingdom near Abarith in the late 1830’s. Eric had been drifting around for quite a while at this point, not quite sure where he was meant to be or where he was going in life. He spent a while working as a consultant for the King of Abarith, which led him to attending the party where he met Elisabeth, attending herself alongside her father and mother. Elisabeth was young, in her early twenties, a picture perfect example of a young nobles daughter and heir to an estate. Unwavering beauty and elegance, Eric found himself drawn to her.

Eric, giving off the appearance of being entirely human himself, and a perfect gentleman, was easily engaged in conversation by the Viscount Kingston. They exchanged pleasantries, tea and snacks, over the table while Elisabeth watched him. Enraptured by the unusual aura Eric gave off, the tall and mysterious persona, she kept a close eye on him the entire conversation. Unable to interrupt her father or the chatter at the table, they waited until the Viscount was lured away by someone else before finally getting to speak.

Names exchanged, written addresses traded, Eric left the gathering with a feeling of purpose and the start of happiness that he hadn’t quite ever been accustomed to. A feeling he hadn’t been able to put a name to at the time.

Over the course of several months Eric and Elisabeth readily exchanged letters. Eric learned she loved the arts, music, rose flavored tea and poetry. Eric told her about his love of books, chess, and building things. Eric had a drive for knowledge and understanding the world around him that seemed to captivate Elisabeth’s attention, his own feelings drawn toward that from a desire to understand what exactly he was. Though he’d yet to divulge that part to her, not wanting to shake the steady bond they had been growing over letters.

The next time Eric saw Elisabeth in person, they’d been invited to a ball at the King’s Castle in Abarith. Eric hadn’t expected Elisabeth to be there, given the unsteady alliance their two Kingdom’s had with each other. Eric knew, not only from speaking to the Viscount but from the stories in Elisabeth’s letters, that the Viscount and most of the other Kingdom didn’t view non-human people very well. The Viscount himself had expressed his loathing of such creatures to Eric’s own face. However, they had come, and Eric wanted to greedily soak up every chance he could get with Elisabeth.

While the Viscount and the Countess was busy mingling, Eric stole Elisabeth away and danced with her in the Ballroom. He swept her around, pulled her in close, and held her tightly for hours. That night, just the two of them dancing to the gentle sway of the music, will always be to Eric one of the best nights of his long life.

The letters after the party turned much more romantic, flirting and teasing. They met up for a few dates, picnics and tea parties that he could steal her away from her family for. Eric was thoroughly captivated and entranced by her and Elisabeth was steadily falling for everything that Eric was. By the end of their year-long courtship Eric finally told her what he was, though the definition was far from easily to explain, and Elisabeth simply told him; you’re not as scary as you pretend to be. Words he’ll carry with him for the rest of his life.

After much deliberation, and another year of dating, Eric grew the nerve to ask Elisabeth’s father for her hand in marriage. Unaware of what Eric was, the man approved it, and they planned a wedding for the spring of the following year. A wedding of flowers and love with hope blooming in both of their hearts.

A decade they were married.

Love and dedication filling both of them.

A year in a house crafted for a future, for a life that could be held.

Someone told the Viscount one day what Eric was. A hateful and spiteful man with not a single bit of passion and understanding for anyone that wasn’t human. Eric remembers Elisabeth telling him her father wanted her to stop by and see him. He remembers her telling him that day to pick her up around dinner time. He remembers her telling him that she’d wanted to talk about their future, about where it was going, about maybe expanding their little family. Eric remembers the love in her eyes, the softness of her skin, the kiss to his cheek before she was gone and the door to visit her family. Family that was supposed to love, protect and care.

He’d spent that day reading and working on some paperwork the King’s had asked for his opinion on. He’d watched the clock, eager for when he’d get to pick Elisabeth up. When it got close enough he’d finally left, not caring if he arrived early to pick his wife up or not. She’d asked him to come get her and he was more than eager to do that. Eric arrived at the Kingston estate around late afternoon, had knocked on the doors, and the butler let him in. He’d asked for Elisabeth and was directed to the lounge where she was meant to be. Eric knocked and announced himself before he stepped inside, finding not only Elisabeth but her father too, shoving a stake into his own daughter's chest.

Eric, panicked and horrified, moved across the room in a flash and snapped the man’s neck without a second of thought before pulling the stake from Elisabeth’s chest. Inches from her heart she lived but the wound was already bleeding impossibly quick, drenching herself and the chair she was in beneath her. Eric pulled her from the chair and into his lap as he crouched on the ground, attempting to apply pressure to the wound as tears rolled down his face.

Elisabeth wasn’t long for the world, incoherent in whatever she was saying and rapidly losing blood. Eric didn’t have many options, regardless of what he’d do he’d lose her anyway. So desperately he attempted the easily solution; biting and changing her, giving her immortality, keeping her at his side.

He hadn’t thought it might not work.

It wasn’t long after he heart stopped, his blood filling her mouth, that she seemed to react to whatever he’d done. Screaming and writhing in his lap, her eyes bleeding and pain wrecking her body. Eric realized the horror of what he’d done, his blood too much for anyone to handle let alone a mortal. To many creatures inside of him, to many things attempting to be transferred to her. Unable to take the screaming anymore, Eric held his wife to him and pierced her heart with his own hand, killing it and ending her suffering.

Elisabeth was buried in a tomb near where the Manor stands in Abairth’s desert. Eric built the Manor from the wood of a nemeton tree, his magic infused with it, away from everyone else. His heart broken, the pain unbearable each day, he carved his heart from his chest and buried it beneath the cellar of the Manor, ending his own suffering as he did Elisabeth’s. He has her locket she always wore, a painted picture of both of them inside of it from their wedding day.

The Kingdom that once existed, Elisabeth’s home, was slaughtered and burned to the ground in a single night the day she died. People will tell you they don’t know who did it, but that the screams of the townsfolk could be heard all the way to Abarith as the sky and river ran red that day.

[formenis]

Lesson

Anon asked: “ Can you do a scenario where L hasn't sleep in a while and it got to the point where even the Task Force is worried about him so Watari calls L's secret S/O and she comes barging into HQ and starts yelling at L that he is getting sleep or she is drugging him so he will sleep and L just follows behind her like a love-sick puppy“

A/N: please everyone, let’s give L so much love! Our best detective needs some rest sometimes.

And consider English is not my first language so I’m sorry about all the mistakes you’ll find. I’m trying to improve.

pairing: L x fem!reader

warning: nope

requested: yes

Y/A = your alias

Once Watari said: «L has no internal clockwork or any concept of time. After 102 hours of staying awake, he slept for almost 17 hours» and for him it was not enough.

If you think it's strange, well you don't know L. He goes to the toilette by himself with open doors and slightly changed sitting position. Since he likes clearness, he bathes frequently. But he never washes himself; he just sits in Watari's special "human washer" which includes drying functions.

L is rather picky with regards to clothing, there are always ten or so identical sets of clothes prepared for him. But he cannot put them on by himself…no, rather, he never feels like doing it (Watari has to say something like "banzai" to tell L to lift his arms). Most of the time, he is in his room, sitting motionlessly in that position.

But Y/N L/N knows it very well. She is L's girlfriend for a long time and she is used to L's particular (and almost non-existent) routine. That's her patience and kind personality that caught L's attention. It all started when Y/N went at the Wammy's House for a job interview. They were searching for a new teacher and Y/N satisfied all the prerequisites. During her probationary period all children fell in love with their new teacher, so patient and gentle even with the most spiteful kid.

When Roger Ruvie, the Wammy's House manager when Watari was not there, sent his observations about this new candidate, L agreed in hiring her. And when he met her in person he was hypnotised by her. The children were right, she was special: Y/N became the mother, the sister, the aunt and the friend those children didn’t have. This captured the attention and the interest of the greatest detective in the world.

It didn’t take long for both Y/N and L to fall for each other: the young teacher was attracted by his intellect and by his gaze, so deep and mysterious; on the other hand, L was mesmerized by her personality and by her smirk she had whenever she was right about something. But the thing that convinced L that Y/N was the right one for him was when she beat him at chess.

«Checkmate»  

At first, L didn’t pay attention to what she said but when he observed the chessboard he couldn’t hide his surprise. «Miss L/N…you won»  

«That's what I said»

But back to the present. Y/N was at the Wammy's House checking the homework of her little students when Roger entered her classroom.

«Miss L/N, there's a call for you»

«Ah yes, thank you Roger» Y/N answers at the phone placed on her desk. «Hello?»

«Miss L/N, it's Watari» the old and warm voice of Quillsh Wammy (as known as Watari) echoed through the receiver.

«Good afternoon Watari, I was correcting some homework. Do you need something?»

«It's about L»

.

.

.

Since the beginning of the Kira case, L moved to Japan. He changed hotel every week until Watari finished the new HQ and for the task-force was compulsory not to use any electronic devices when they were with him. This meant L couldn’t call his beloved Y/N that often and he started to miss her.

In order to solve as fast as he could the Kira case, he dived in the work for entire days and nights. Sugar cubes and coffee were his meals and he almost refused to sleep. He focused his mind and all his being to the case.

At first, the task-force wasn’t that concerned since they realised L had particular habits. But week after week, month after month, the situation got worse. His eyebags became darker and heavier, his skin became more white than his shirt and in general he looked really sickly.

«Uhm Ryuzaki? Did you sleep last night?» Soichiro Yagami asked him, there was worry on his face.

«When the Kira case will be solved I'll sleep» L replied rather tiredly despite his monotone voice didn’t express it. But Watari, who was with them serving ice-cream to everyone, noticed it immediately. He couldn’t bear such sight, he had to do something so he made a decision: if nobody could convince L to rest, then Miss Y/N L/N will.

.

.

.

«That's why I need you here, Miss L/N»

«He didn’t sleep for how much, Watari?! Are you serious?»

«Unfortunately yes. He dedicated every part of his being to the case. And by "every part" I mean literally every part of him»

«I can't believe it. I'm coming there, Watari»

«Very well, Miss L/N»

♰ TIME SKIP ♰

When Y/N arrives in Japan she was truly amazes by that country, so full of life, lights and culture. She can't believe it's the same country where Kira is killing. However, at the moment she can only think about L. She is so worried about him and about his well-being: he can be so odious and stubborn about his work that he would gladly renounce to his health if it meant to solve a case.

Y/N is boiling from rage, L went too far. If he falls ill how can he solve the case? Despite the anger she feels, she is excited too: it's been months since she saw or heard L. She misses him so much…but at the same time she wants to scold him.

«He is more hard-headed than the children at the Wammy's!» Y/N mutters at Watari, who is driving the car. With an excuse, he left the HQ to go at the airport to pick Y/N up and now they were coming back.

«Yes, I know.  It's the reason I called you…you are the only one who can convince Ryuzaki»

During the way towards the HQ, Watari informs her about the Kira case, the task-force and all L's suspects. At the same time Y/N warns him about all the new prodigies at the orphanage. The old man smiles kindly when he sees, through rear-view mirror, how Y/N's eyes shine when she started to talk about her students.

After an hour, the two of them arrives at this famous HQ: twenty-three floors aboveground and two floors belowground; Watari said there is a helipad on the roof of the building but the structure is designed so that the helipad and the two helicopters on it cannot be seen by those looking at the building from the exterior.

«Miss L/N, please use the back stairs. I deactivated the cameras so you can reach the monitoring room without being watched by Ryuzaki»

«Alright Watari, thanks»

Y/N did as instruct by him and takes the back stairs in order to reach the elevator. In her mind, Y/N is preparing the discourse to do at L: it doesn't matter if his colleagues are with him, he has to come to terms with her and starting to have a regular and healthy routine.

In the monitoring room nobody has any idea that the greatest detective's girlfriend is there in the same building as them. Actually they don’t know that L has a girlfriend either. So when the task-force see a young woman spread open the main door of the monitoring room they are quite shocked.

«Who is she?» Matsuda looked up from the papers in his hands. Shortly after that, all the other men looked up as well.

«L!»

That voice distracted L from his dossiers and through the reflection on his laptop he recognises Y/N. His lips become a thin line, a sudden rush of thoughts and emotions hits L at the same time. Why is she there? Something bad happened at the Wammy's House? Is it because he cuts ties with everyone during the investigations? Confusion, concern, worry, alarm…fear yet happiness, because he can see her after long time. L is overwhelmed.

«Everyone, please meet Miss Y/A, Ryuzaki's significant other» Watari introduces her at the task-force and each member gasped in shock.

«L! Watari told me you refused to eat properly, to sleep properly…to live properly!»

Ryuzaki spins his swivel chair towards her so Y/N has the chance to look better at him: hollow face, paler skin colour, dark and heavy eyebags. «Y/A, please, I'm not one of your student»

L is somehow relieved that Y/N was there because of him and not because something terrible happened to her or to the children at the orphanage. So he half-sighs in relief when she started to complain about is health.

«Well, you seem like one in this moment! I cannot bear seeing you like this, you know how much important health is for everyone. The lack of sleep or an unregulated diet will affect your mind and your efficiency will decrease! And how can you catch Kira if you're tired?»

Ah, how much L misses those cute "telling-offs". It is clearly Y/N's professional deformation: she worries about people and strangers as much as she does with the children at the Wammy's. So when she finishes her discourse, L couldn’t hide a wide smile.

«I guess you're right, Y/A» L pretended to be sorry but the truth is that he loves seeing that part of Y/N's personality.

«Of course I am! Now let's start from the sleeping part!» she walks closer to him and grabs the wrist. Then she drags him out of the monitoring room leading towards the bedroom. In L's eyes, admiration and love can be seen while Y/N continues with her discourse about a new healthy routine he has to start.

Right before entering the bedroom L stops and hugs Y/N from behind, his arms are around her chest now. «Y/N…you have no idea how much I missed you»

She smiles, removing her teacher mask for a moment, and looks at him. «I missed you too, cutie pie»

L rubs slightly his cheeks against hers in a cute act of affection. Having her in his arm is such a relief for him, L can sense a strong wave of tiredness on his shoulders. «Will you rest with me?»

«Of course~» Y/N caresses his dark hair, something she really misses doing. «I'll stay with you from now on»

[imalwaysintune]

Barbershop Au

This is purely for my own indulgence, as I thought of this idea and couldn’t get it out of my head. I woke up at 5:30 am this morning in a cold sweat and intensely wanted to write about these four funky little men in a barbershop group. No I don’t know why.

Also, I got my new laptop today (yay!) and this is the first thing I’m writing on it, so it’s basically officially cursed now. I also blame @ggracee for fueling this fire.

Enjoy! Stuff under cut!

------------------------------------

In the Archives:

Martin had been quietly working on his notes when he suddenly felt the air behind him grow colder. His stomach dropped and he turned his chair around, just as he saw the air shift and Peter fade into view. It was terrifying the first time he’d seen it, had seen the way the space shifted and how it looked like the universe was going to collapse into a black hole.

But it hadn’t, and Martin had gotten used to Peter’s comings and goings. Peter himself, on the other hand, was another story. He was cold and heartless, and he had ripped Martin from all his friends and would chastise him every time he even so much as look at another member of the archival staff.

Martin sighed as he leaned his head on his hand, and waited expectantly for Peter to start talking. It was just better this way.

“Hey, Martin. I see you’re busy here doing... things. Um, you know, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor,” Peter seemed almost nervous, to Martin’s surprise. He didn’t normally look Martin in the eye out of habit, but this seemed intentional. 

“As if I have a choice?” Martin sounds bitter, probably more bitter than he meant. He had just been having a rough day, rougher than usual. He wanted nothing more than to talk to Jon, but Peter made that virtually impossible.

“Oh come on Martin, I deserve more credit than that,” Peter looked at Martin directly then, and he looked nervous. It would’ve taken Martin aback if he cared enough. He just rolled his eyes and made a lazy gesture with his hand that roughly meant “go on”.

It wasn’t until that moment that he realized Peter’s hands were held behind his back, and he appeared to be holding something. When he brought his hands forward, they were holding something that looked like a piece of clothing. It was covered with red and white pinstripes, and Martin just stared at with mild surprise.

“So, I know we aren’t really friends. At least, you don’t consider me a friend. But there was no one else we could ask. We lost out last tenor to the Hunt and Elias doesn’t want to switch just to spite me now that I forced him to sing lead, so... you’re basically our only hope,” Peter was almost stumbling over his words, and in that moment he seemed more human to Martin than he had ever seen the man.

“Okay,” Martin said, remembering how much fun the show choir had been when he was in high school. That felt like so long ago now.

“Okay? Just.. okay? Like that? No fighting? You don’t even want me to beg?” The nerves that had fueled Peter just a second ago were replaced with bewilderment. 

“I mean, you can if you want. But, I have nothing better to do, and frankly, the prospect of seeing Elias in that ridiculous suit you’re holding is just too good to pass up,” Martin said as he sat upright in his chair. He grabbed the suit from Peter’s hands and left the room, going to one of the many bathrooms that were littered around the institute. 

He didn’t know what he expected of the suit, but he was pleasantly surprised when he felt the fabric grow and shrink to fit Martin’s form. He absentmindedly wondered what kinda freaky fear magic was used to make the suit fit so well as he examined himself in the mirror.

For how ridiculous he thought the fabric design had looked before, he quite liked how it flattered him. It made his ginger hair pop, and his body looked good. He’d never worn a suit that was properly tailored to him, so it was a nice change.

He walked out of the bathroom and back into the room where he knew Peter would be waiting. His eyes lit up as they landed on Martin, standing up from where he had sat down and walking over to the shorter man. 

He beamed like a proud dad as he pulled out two more items from seemingly nowhere. He held out an iconic boater hat in one hand, and a bright red and white cane that matched the pattern of the suit. 

Martin had the urge to laugh, something he hadn’t felt in awhile, so he let the laughter flow as he grabbed the items from Peter. It almost felt surreal, but it would seem that the being who took away all of Martin’s happiness would also be the one to provide it

Skip forward a few weeks to Elias’s office:

Martin stood outside of Elias’ office, debating whether or not he should follow through with his plan. However, as he figured Elias would already know he was there, he opened the door anyways.

Elias’ was staring up at him from the huge desk in the middle of the room, and Martin swallowed hard.

“Can I help you, Martin?” Elias drawled, looking up at Martin expectantly. 

Martin crossed the room towards Elias, holding a stack of papers that looked like they were dangerously close to spilling everywhere. When he got to the desk, he dropped all the papers on the desk and started rifling through them, looking for a specific paper.

When he finally found it, he picked it up and walked around the desk, coming to settle next to Elias. He placed the paper down and pointed to a specific area on the page.

“I was trying to practice my part of ‘Coney Island Baby’, but I can’t get this one phrase here on page 7. I was wondering if you would work with me on it so that I have something to compare my part against and maybe it can help me-” Martin was abruptly cut off by the dreaded feeling he got when Peter was about to show up.

Sure enough, the space in front of them started to shift and soon Peter was just... there. Martin mentally chastised himself for being so careless. Of course Peter wouldn’t want him talking to anyone outside the time he allowed, even if it was to get help.

“Now, Martin, you surely know why I’m here. I have to say I’m majorly disappointed in you,” Peter didn’t sound disappointed. He sounded like he always did. His inflection rarely changed but it didn’t stop the words from stinging. 

“Look, I’m sorry Peter, but I was just asking for Elias’ help on a part. If you don’t let me ask him for help when you’re not around, how am I supposed to get better?” Martin regretted challenging Peter as soon as the last word left his house.

Peter didn’t look angry. Far from it in fact. He looked like he’d been struck by genius. Martin’s stomach dropped when Peter finally revealed his brilliant idea.

“Here’s an idea. You can sit in the Lonely until all your sheet music is memorized! You need to learn to be part independent, Martin. You’re in the big leagues now.

Before he knew it, Martin felt the air around him grow thick as him and his papers were thrust into the dimension. Right before he lost complete contact though, he managed to thrust out “Can I at least have a pitch-pipe-” before disappearing into the Lonely.

It was Elias who broke the silence, sighing heavily. “You know, Peter, just because I offered you Martin to use for your secret little experiment doesn’t you can take him away from his work. He was doing important filing-” And suddenly with another ‘whoosh’ of Peter’s hand, Elias was destined to join Martin in the Lonely.

He could almost imagine the fit Elias was having, but he told himself that it was all for the best. This was the most productive they were going to be until Simon showed up.

Ah Simon Fairchild, the wild-child of the group. He was unpredictable, rarely showed up rehearsals and yet always seemed to know the sheet music intimately. It was as frustrating as it was liberating, to know that at least someone was serious about the group. 

Oh well. At least this fun little experiment will test if his boys are up to the test.

A non-disclosed theater:

A few weeks after the “Lonely” incident, Peter, Elias, and Martin all gathered at the theater Peter had rented out for their rehearsals. Martin thought it was a bit much, but Peter thought the huge auditorium was perfect. Martin couldn’t even fathom how much something like this cost.

Suddenly, Martin had the familiar sinking feeling in his stomach. He looked over towards Peter, who was smiling giddily. 

To Elias’ left, a being popped into view. He was wearing a dark green suede suit, brown and tan saddle shoes, and a wide brimmed hat that outlined his face like a halo.

Martin had never seen this person before, but Peter was looking at the figure in elation, walking over to him and enveloping the figure in a hug. 

When Martin looked towards Elias for any sort of assistance, he sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Martin, this is Simon Fairchild. He’s our Baritone. Even though he rarely shows up to rehearsal, I have to admit, he’s a borderline musical prodigy,” Elias explained to Martin. 

Peter and Simon seemed to be in deep conversation, and Martin strained his ears to hear what they were saying.

“-but it seems entirely unfair that you would send them into the Lonely without me. I could’ve helped them! They could’ve been out in half the time. Plus, I’ve never actually been inside The Lonely so it truly would’ve been quite an enlightening experience-” At this, Martin couldn’t stand to listen to Simon again. Talkative, that one.

He turned towards Elias and opened the sheet music for the latest song Peter had assigned to them and got to work. If Simon and Peter wanted to goof off, that was on them. At least he and Elias would be productive.

“One, two, a one two three four-” Martin began, and him and Elias erupted into wonky two part harmony. It wasn’t the most beautiful thing, but it was the most alive Martin had felt in months. 

- THE END!

-----------------------------------------------------------

This one is so cursed I’m sorry-

I just really wanted to write about these stupid cursed men if they joined force and made a barbershop group. I don’t have everything I wanted to write about in here, so maybe there will be a part 2 if it seems like y’all want it. Don’t be afraid to hit up my ask box and my ao3!

Words: 1708

[shadowtongued]

long headcanon about the duality of love and the mahjarrat condition pertaining to it from his point of view. if you read all this babble i swear to god, i love you, i hope you have a good day. cw: sex addiction, child neglect, unhealthy coping, unrequited pains. reason for writing: hi i want to die bc of angst.

i think we all know even without playing medieval xp grind lore game, runescape, that sliske is old. very old. he tells us in endgame there's not much he hasn’t done with his life over thousands of years, even traveling to other planets and realms to just see what was out there and how far he could get. i’ve always projected his age as somewhere between more than 8,000 or even more than 10,000. we’re never given a timeline to how long the children of mah have lived. sliske has done a lot with his time; he’s killed a god, had quite a few elder relics in his grasp, SPOKEN to a elder god and managed not to die, mastered shadow magicks, has an excellent grasp on the shadow realm. he’s good with biology, chemistry, has a fair understanding of soul magic which is kind of a rare brand of knowledge, he’s tricked probably thousands into bad contracts to become wights in his army, understands the psychology and bad morals of people. he was a playwright, a high ranking officer, a spymaster. dude is just a determined polymath. you know what he hasn’t done? love. he’s never got to play with love.

mahjarrat are explained as having emotions, but dulled ones. they feel rage and pride apparently better than others. kharshai said after years of really believing he was a human, that when he came back to his true form he states “i  feel raw power coursing through my veins. i don't feel pain like i used to, and i'm sure my intellect has increased. but somehow there is something missing. a capacity for emotion that i can't quite put my finger on.” they aren’t equipped for the same range of positive emotions as others are. they feel it, but they don’t understand it fully, it has been said by developers. this whole bit is sadly funny considering in canon, sliske catches feelings. he doesn’t realize he’s attracted to the player character. it’s stated many times, in his journals, in dialogue, etc. he believes their fates are tangled no matter what. and the saddest bit is he probably doesn’t understand these feelings and it confuses him to the point of anger.  “ love! a mahjarrat in love? ... i almost wish that were true. it would certainly make the universe a more interesting place. ” “ so perhaps i have loved you. but that doesn’t mean i have to like you.”  sliske’s main goal started off as to take the players immortal, unable to be crushed by the divine, soul and give it to himself so he could live forever, as mahjarrats do not have afterlives, once they die they are done, evaporated into energy. but in endgame we learn something from him hidden in masks that refutes that;

“I love you for more than your soul.”

you STUPID fucker, you’re in love.

the remainder of this is a lot of NON-CANON, personal headcanon interpretation that pretty much only works on this blog. as a rough summary: sliske’s ol’ mum was not fond of her kids, half-brother wahisietel or sliske since she did not see them as powerful as herself and was disappointed that's what her legacy came out to. a short, beefy, average at magic son, she had another go and was still disappointed with this spidery, scrawny, gifted but absolutely annoying stick underweight child. his father, saw him once or twice in his life and that was it. dyeosuthua wanted nothing more than to make them disappear and try again until she got offspring she didn’t want to throw into a lava pit in secrecy, infanticide was against tribal law due to population issues. sliske’s mother’s neglect was so severe, ( by the absolute boundless joys of rp development and mutual heacanons ♥ ) that wahi and nabor had an attempt at raising him and keeping him from freezing to death. why is all this jargon important? because while all mahjarrats are raised by tough love, sliske’s attention deprivation from his mother was so severe, he grew up and still has a slew of reactive attachment, psychological, and social issues he still carries as an adult. several times she threatened to kill him and almost made good on it more than twice. when wahisietel had proven he was a survivor of the first ritual of rejuvenation, sliske became dyeosuthua’s  main target for abuse despite his gift for magic at a young age. nothing he did could impress her enough. and it left him constantly seeking approval and validation to an insecure mind.

the more he grew, the more confident he became mainly out of spite and to get attention. he’s loud, charming, makes you the only person in the room when he talks to you. he has an innate silver-tongued ability that persuades people to do just about anything. it was a front for his insecurities that he kept very very closed up. in the second age/senntisten capital, sliske had a pretty severe sex addiction as it was one of the few ways he felt validated and was able to get affection in a way he could digest. people with reactive attachment disorders often have sex addictions to fill the space of acceptance without having to commit.. easy, feel good intimacy without having to open up and let someone learn about your vulnerabilities and commit. it was pretty severe, considering mahjarrats find any kind of breeding or intimacies outside their ‘superior species’ as downright foul. sliske had always been the black sheep of the tribe and with his status as praefectus praetorio; head of secret police, really nothing put a damper on him trying to fill the void for affection he had. there wasn’t a species or individual he wouldn’t bed. he would easily take up propositions even for people who just wanted to fuck a mahjarrat because it was ‘exotic’ or because of his status as an officer, he now looks back on this and it bruises his insecurities even more that he allowed himself to do that. not out of pride for his species. but himself, being just a thing to be had because of rarity. azzanadra and his brother, wahisietel found out about it and while disgusted, partially understood what he was doing to negatively self soothe. at one point sliske and azzanadra, the champion of their god and head of the church, as well of one of the strongest living of their kin, had a lasting tryst for a few years and for awhile it made sliske feel very much self important in a way and alleviated his need to be needed so badly, this did not end well when sliske grew tired of their empire and wanted freedom. once childhood best friends and lovers had become absolute enemies once sliske became too unstable and azzanadra became too zealous. 

sliske gave up his sexcapades for a long time, thousands of years, his libido dropped when he became interested in other projects and self healing when he was hit with the idea that he hasd essentially allowed himself to be an exotic fling and still burned over becoming his god, zaros, scapegoat after all he had done for him. love was a weird concept to him and still is. despite being adamant love doesn’t exist for his kind, and his belief that he is flawed, unstable, and embraced the idea of ‘you want a monster? fine! i’ll be the monster!’. he expects no pity, not be forgiven to things he has done and even in game when you sycophantically try to cozy to him, he straight up calls out your text choice was awful considering some of the shitty things he might have done to you. to sliske, all attention to him is attention, whether you’re praising or insulting him. he’s on your mind, he exists, that’s all he wants.

backstory aside the real part of this headcanon is that sliske actually wants love. it’s the only thing aside from an immortal soul he hasn’t had. sliske actually has an attraction to humans because they are empathetic, curious, passionate, and determined. he has an easier time assimilating and being around them since he has ALWAYS had a better sense of humor, socializing, and happiness than his kin. he feels emotions a lot stronger than his fellow mahjarrats. it allows him to talk to and connect to humans and humanlike species better. others of his kind have told him there’s “something wrong” with him for that. he’s actually a romantic, even if he’s just mimicking romance stories, movies, and actions from others. he thinks the idea of settling with one person and loving them is both mortifying and interesting. opening yourself up to someone and giving them the hammer to smash your cherry-red painted porcelain heart and seeing if they do, to him might be the ultimate form of trust and biggest gamble of russian roulette. the stakes are so heavy he’s high on the idea. but it’s also horrifying. mahjarrat are prolific for not opening up, not allowing others in, vulnerability out in the open is a death sentence. they live in a kratocracy/meritocracy where they kill off the weakest link. it’s not pretty. being soft is a useless, unnecessary, weak gene to them. it dampers survival. 

but yet sliske keeps reading romance novels, writing his own confused poetry, and getting into unrequited one sided loves but practicing a backstabbing betrayal when one gets too close. i have to hurt them before they hurt me, betray and cut them down before they can do it to me. i think he wants to be loved. i think he kinda wants to be taught to love, for the emotions and the sake of knowledge. ( brb james newton howard’s ‘true love’s kiss’ from maleficent just came on spotify and i think i’m going to die bc i did not ask for background music thanks!!! ) he wouldn’t be the best at it, maybe a little too possessive with you, codependent, but very nurturing and fun loving. will sepnd a whole week spooning you.. people who hurt you past, present, and future may end up dead in mysterious ways or turned into a wight for you to beat the shit out of. but he’d try. he’s still got a broken child sitting behind his third rib. i think he would snarl the first few times someone genuinely got close to him, it would terrify him, being known on such a skinned, raw level. having gentle touches that are real and not a come hither to the bedroom. being known for something other than the confident, ego he has is death. he could be taught to be gentle for a crumb of consistent attention. might even cut down the murders and god killing down by 15%. love is not going to fix him, it’s not going to forgive the actual shitty things he’s done. it should never do that. but it will turn the lights on in a dark house.

love could really break him. i think so. i’d type more but this has gone on too long and i feel sad-happies. 

[soracities]

just outta curiosity, why do you sort your quotes by where they come from? albanian lit, mexican lit, etc. is it just to be able to find stuff easier? bc your compilation posts like show that Everyone Can Think The Same No Matter Where or When They Are From, yeah? so it seems idk contradictory to organize via country origin I guess. i dont know. just an observation, no ill will !

There’s no ill will at all, darling, don’t worry! 

It definitely does help to find them more easily but for me it’s also important to highlight literature from different countries. I completely agree with you, everyone does think the same, and to me it emphasizes that very point–but there’s also the fact that, in reality,  the worldview of a western or an anglophone and non-anglophone writer are absolutely not given the same weight. One of them can write about anything and it’s a commentary on the human condition on behalf of Everyone–whereas the other, one way or another, ends up becoming a spokesperson for their particular culture and our own view of that particular culture and we embrace or reject it based on how accurately it feeds into what we think we already know. Two teenagers in the trenches in 1918 and two teenagers in Baghdad in 2008 will have faced the same unthinkable horrors, even if in vastly different ways. But only one of these will be told again and again as a story about all of us, no matter when or where it happened; the other will always be a story about them, as though horror is not horror the world over, as if grief is not grief the world over. Two teenagers in Baghdad will always be two teenagers in Baghdad before ever being allowed to be two teenagers who could just as easily have been you or me, regardless of where their story happens. 

That mindset, whether we know it or not, repeats itself over and over. We make assumptions about a place or culture and then assume that those assumptions make up the single story that defines that place or culture, and those definitions end up being partly based on thinking that the things that happen there are nothing like what happens here, even in the most trivial things, when it is absolutely not true. My reading was always very spotty and haphazard when I was younger but when I look back now I see that of the little I did read then, most was in translation or set in countries I knew next to nothing about. I wasn’t really making a conscious effort to seek out these books; they just caught my eye and interests at the time, but it’s carried on even into this blog and the kind of stories I value which are stories that link us together by moving through as many places as possible. My reading habits now are more conscious of this, because it’s so important; it’s reading diversely that shows you that everyone does share similar values and hopes and desires and that they are also so much more than a single story; but our similarities are also, crucially, tinged by differences in culture and mindset and history that enrich them and make our understanding, no matter how limited it will always be, a lot more nuanced and whole.

This became a bit longer than I expected so I apologise for the ramble, and there are other more complex things that come into play, of course, but I think to me, collapsing differences in order to show a shared humanity is completely counter-intuitive. We’re the same with our differences, not in spite of them. Even when you and I may be nothing alike, our differences are an essential part of the whole, and if we assume that we must ignore them or gloss past it to see each other as equals, then we are not actually seeing each other as equals, if that makes sense. You are not more human to me because I ignore your race or your religion or where you come from. You are human to me, because you are human. It should not–cannot–be dependent on how alike you are to me. Looking past these things–as in, actively making a point of ignoring them–is the same as rejecting them, and that, to me, is a very, very slippery slope.

[moonlightstars16]

Chapter 10 ~ Lost From Within

Announcement: Since we are halfway to twenty chapters, I am going to take a break from posting for a couple of weeks(possibly after chapter 11 next week..maybe). I need time to catch up and write out the rest of the story. My focus has mainly been on other writing projects and one-shot requests. So this fanfic needs some much needed love. I want to thank you all for those who love and support this story. I enjoy reading the comments and seeing what each and every one of you have to say. Don't worry I'm not giving up on this story. I just need a break so I don't burn out and leave it incomplete.

I also want to quickly add that twenty chapters is the goal. Doesn't mean I'll stop there however...well hopefully.

Love yall lots! Enjoy!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The courtyard was full of lined path bushes, trees and many flowers. Insects were crawling, flying and helping the nature surrounding them. Connie at first wondered how this was possible, then Peridot had explained that Steven had ordered a few gems to retrieve things like this back on earth. She and many other gems like herself were ordered to replicate earth's nature. It wasn't too difficult to manage. Though was mainly an excuse to annoy the Diamonds out of spite. However glancing up at Steven, for the part of his face she could see, something in her gut told her he liked it more than he let on.

Her gaze moved from his face to their entwined hands. Through the leather gloves she still felt the warmth between them. It made her blush a little as she looked away. Suddenly she felt him stop, following suit as her eyes followed where Steven was looking.

"Here we are." Connie gasped at the sight before her. The view of the pavilion was beautiful. Circular and well hidden yet also stood out amongst the Garden. A small river with a bridge laid beside it. What laid underneath the roof was a array of foods and a table setting. Along with candelabras everywhere.

"It's beautiful..." Feeling her hand being pulled forward she quickly followed him over the bridge and under the pavilion. He gestured for her to sit as he did the same. The scent of all the gourmet stuff before them truly was intoxicating. "I don't understand."

"Well then that makes two of us." Steven spoke having opened what appeared to be a wine bottle and poured them both a glass. So much so that the sound pulled Connie out of her thoughts from his comment.

"Oh I don't-"

"There is no alcohol in this, I assure you." Once finished he set the wine bottle down before gracefully picking up his glass. Smirking a tad before gesturing her to do the same. After a moment Connie picked her's up, trying to imitate how others back on earth held a glass of wine. It felt weird for her to do so but since there was no alcohol, she supposed there wasn't any harm. After they clinked their glasses, she brought hers upon her lips. Allowing the smooth, cool and tasteful drink in her mouth and down her throat.

"Thank you." Steven had taken another sip before leaning back a tad in his chair. Watching as she set her's down gently on the table. The glow of the candlelight and fireflies illuminated her beauty. Still he had to focus on why he brought her here in the first place. For the next few moments they sat in silence. The sounds of silverware tapping their plates and crickets echoed in the background. He almost hardly ate a thing, watching her the entire time. Wondering why ti was her that caused him the most confusion recently. After awhile, as he wiped his hands with the cloth napkin and she dabbed her lips with er own, he spoke up. Finally getting to the point of there little get together.

"You have many questions for me." Her gaze met his immediately at his statement, reassuring that what he said was correct.

"I thought I wasn't allowed to ask any questions." Her tone full of subtle sarcasm.

"Perhaps that was so, however it would appear things have changed." He swirled the glass slightly, watching as drops of the red liquid stuck to the inside; as if bleeding upwards. "I have told you of...him." The expressions on her face turned from a cloud of confusion, to clear and transparent realization of what he was implying.

"Yes... I'm assuming he looks like you." He chuckled slightly before setting the glass down.

"In a way yes, however you have seen him before..." Connie tilted her head as her brows furrowed in confusion. When it suddenly struck her. Images of Steven turning pinkish red flashed through her mind. Her eyes widened as she pieced it together.

"That was him, wasn't it...."

"Ah, you finally made the connection, well somewhat actually."

"What do you mean somewhat?"

"The physical image of him is what you saw. But he hardly has any emotion without me." He folding his hands together on the table. Connie looked down at her own hands contemplating all he gave so far.

"Then what he spoke to me... the emotion came from you, the human half of you." His smirk faded as her narrowed his eyes slightly, using his power to not let the blush he was feeling show. Still Connie realized she was spot on with her assumption, as she watched him falter a bit.

"He learned it from me..." Was all Steven spoke before regaining his composure. Connie nodded as her curiosity grew from the burning question lingering in her mind since she first heard that voice.

"I see... but I suppose, if I may be so bold as to inquire, my only question is this." She took in a deep breath before answering. "Why can I hear him? I'm no creature of magic."

"While that is true, I think you know more than you're letting on." His statement made her froze in place.

"What? I don't know anything!" His eyes began to glow as if she was prey. It was becoming more and more uncomfortable as she stood up, her chair falling with a loud thump behind her. He had followed her actions, though a tad more eloquently.

"Oh but I believe you do..." The tone in his voice low and almost sensual. As he approached her, she took a step back, continuing the pattern until her back reached a pavilion column. Steven pressed his hand beside her head, his other holding her chin and cheeks between his fingers and palm.

"Maybe not on the surface... the answer is hidden." the tone and implication in his voice made her tremble slightly.

"Y-you can't do this!" Her voice was shaking as well.  "I-I don't know anything!"

"Oh have you forgotten? I OWN you...well I will shortly. Unless you want innocent lives to be destroyed. Now, let's find out." Without warning he pressed his lips against her own, not caring if the mask scraped against her skin this time. Her hands pushed against his chest, but was was useless as he pressed his hands on her back as he kept her in his arms. The kiss much more rough than before.

'STOP!'

It was the voice again, only this time it made Connie take action. Something inside of him didn't want this, but she couldn't focus to much on that now. With a free hand she slapped his bare cheek so hard he pulled back and groaned, taking in a sharp breath. The sound echoing between them as he held a hand to his face. Their breathing was hard and deep as she began to step away from him.

"You are a horrible man! I don't belong to you!" She shouted before running away from the scene. Wanting to get as far away as possible, wiping away the sensation from her lips though failing at the same time. Steven watched as she fled from him. Eyes wide as the sting on his cheek began to fade.

'You drove her away, this is your fault'

'I thought if we... I never meant....' His thoughts were incomplete sentences but it didn't matter. Couldn't turn back time or change what he had done. And for the first time in years, he felt weak. Mixed into the overwhelming feelings of guilt.

'Intentions or not, you hurt her.'

With that he shouted so loudly it was almost inhuman. Lifting the table up and flipping it to the side. Pushing the candelabras down, the force so quick it blew out the flames before it could destroy the pavilion. Walking out he began to destroy all in site. A few gems were unfortunately caught in his raged poofed within a matter of seconds. Their gems falling upon the grass. Some were accidentally cracked from impact whilst falling on the concrete path.

The glow he was emitting was a lot more brighter than usual. Spikes from hand tore down everything that stood in his way. Upon seeing the human zoo he paused before slowly walking up towards the door.

'Do you want to loose her?'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over the next couple of days, Connie avoided Steven like the plaque. Keeping busy as she practiced her sword-training with Pearl, the Library organizing and writing down her notes for when she got back to earth. Thoughts swirled around and around her mind as she hardly slept, barely ate and just kept on distracting herself from any intrusive thoughts.

It was obvious to everyone else that something had happened between them. Especially since Steven had disappeared for a few days. Connie couldn't help but feel inward joy knowing that. Although that was little energy spent since she had almost non at all. Her eyes barely kept open, scrapes covered her body and muscles aching. Pearl was in charge so she couldn't train like before. But that didn't stop her from training on her own.

The next day, she had finished her extensive training, drank loads of water and began to help with the work about the library. While standing on a high ladder step, rearranging some books, she yawned and began to lean backwards. At first it was just a tad , then more and more. Until suddenly she was falling backwards.

Letting out a slight scream as her feet swept out from under her with the wind. Then all at once she felt still. No wind brushing fast against her ears, stayng perfectly still in mid air. Of course she knew it wasn't her levitating. Lapis was right there, thankfully, just in time before anything serious happened. Bringing her down to a chair, the others gathered around.

"Okay Connie, you need to rest and get some sleep!" Lapis stated a bit to loudly. It was obvious she quite literally fell into an intervention of sorts. Karma really does catch up with a person.

"I don't have any-"

"You can cut the excuses Connie." Bismuth spoke firmly, crossing her arms. "We know something has been bothering you and are apparently doing a lot to avoid it."

"I mean it's not like it's serious" Connie lied with a small smile. "I might have overdone it a tad, big deal."

"A tad, hm?" Bismuth repeated slowly. Obviously they were not convinced. "Peridot, please give me your diagnosis on our friend here." Her tone softened a bit on that word.

"Affirmative!" Peridot got closer to her face making Connie leaning away slightly into the chair back. "Dark circles, eyes strained." Moving back she circled around her. "Muscles are showing signs of aching, Got a tad more thinner, and not in a good way, hair is a bit messed up..."

"What does my hair got to do-"

"...and from what I gather" Peridot continued ignoring Connie's question. "I would diagnosis this as, avoiding whatever is making her stressed out."

"Okay I get it!" She stood up only to have both Lapis and Bismuth pull her back down.

"Connie, whatever is bothering you, we can help. We are worried about you too." Lapis spoke while kneeling down on the floor beside her. Connie looked at her hands, unable to focus her gaze nor stop from continuously shaking. She couldn't deny her rest any longer. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, images from the night she last saw Steven, and the feeling of being used came flooding back instantly. Tears threatened to pour out as she bit her lip and sighed out any emotions she felt right then.  Instead she smiled faintly with a sort of defeated look.

"You all are right, I have been pushing myself more than usual. I guess it's because I'm facing the reality that I will be loosing my own home planet soon." It was strange and beyond bizarre. Of course she was upset over that. Feeling the prejudice of not belonging in his highness' court? Or here amongst gem kind period. Unfortunately she was used to that.

She already knew what was to happen. But did she accept it truly? Or did she just learn to deal with it and pushed away all her emotions on the matter? At the moment she couldn't face those questions. Right now all that clouded her mind was the person that she tried to distance herself from. When it came to Steven, everything was a blur. Her heart was pounding every time she was near him, and he has kept his promise to her so far.

However he was using her. Blaming her for the voice, or other half, surfacing from within himself as if it's her fault. Like she was responsible. Not to mention all the times he held her close without hardly any consent. Still she couldn't deny either that she grew sort of fond of it. In a strange, messed up and (in her mind) sick sense. So before her thoughts could spiral out of control, Connie shook her head and breathed in deeply.

"I think I need to sleep, I'll see you around!" With that she quickly ran out of the room. Needing to get away and be alone. Alone with her thoughts for the first time in weeks.

"Wait! Connie! We can help you!" They all cried out to her, in vain. Already out of earshot.

That night she tossed and turned in her sleep. Images of them together flashed in her mind. When he held her during the first session, carried her away in his arms, the pavilion picnic, the kiss... Everything swirled around and around in her mind. ...

Then she saw him turning towards her. Eyes glowing pink as he advanced in her direction. Connie instantly backed up until she hit the wall. Or what she thought was the wall. Turning around slowly she gasped and took a step back. It was his other half, all pink with pitch black eyes. Screaming she tried to run, but the human half pulled her back in his arms. Blood covered his hands.

"Where are you going? You can't run away from me." She struggled to push him off or pull herself away. But nothing seemed to work. Then the gem half gripped her chin and both her cheeks with one hand. Pulling her closer.

"He's right you know" Both held her down against them as her eyes darted back and forth between them. They laughed and laughed as the human half moved in closer. Lips almost touching hers. The gem half caressing her waist and middle. Almost like they were chaining her to them both. With no key.

"You belong to us" They laughed maniacally so while out of her peripheral vision, the earth exploded into a million pieces...along with multiple human corpses and blood. Reaching out to a familiar body that was her father, tears pouring down her face, she froze.

There on her own hands was drops of blood. Her father's blood.

"NO!!!" She shouted jolting herself up from her nap. For the second time since she arrived. Holding her chest while trying to control her breathing. But it didn't last long, flashes of dead corpses and the blood on her hands etched in her mind, as she covered her mouth. Racing towards the bathroom and leaned over the toilet. All the bile that rose from her stomach to her throat, she couldn't keep down any longer.

After hacking up everything in the span of five minutes, which shocked her since she hardly ate previously. Perhaps this was another side affect to that. Leaning against he wall she took another couple of minutes before reaching out and turning on the water in the tub. Washing her face from before and allowing the warm waters to ease any aches she had. Slowly allowing the tub to fill before putting her entire head under. Trying to let the water wash away any worries she had. But to no avail. Still it was soothing and helped to at least ease the tension.

It had only been an hour but she wasn't going back to sleep again. Once fully calmed from her dream, face and hair cleaned and dried up from before, she got up towards the balcony to get some fresh air. Putting her hair in a long braid and using her fingers to detangle while doing so. Still feeling a bit sore from before, but was okay for now.

Tying the end of her braid she pushed the door open and breathed in the cool she felt. Placing her hands upon the railing and leaning forward. Taking a few minutes to think of nothing and just breath. Moments later she faintly heard what sounded like fighting in the courtyard. Looking down below she saw Amethyst and Jasper going at it like one would poof the other.

Amethyst used her whip to wrap around a stone pillar. With a large tug she pulled the pillar out from the foundation. Causing it to crumble on top of Jasper. However she dodged it before any debris could hit her. Punching a few stone out with her bare fists as she laughed at the sight before her. Then she rolled herself into a sort of 'sonic-the-hedgehog' move and raced towards Amethyst.

She dodged the attack and landed right on the opposite end of the pathway. Using her whip she flung it towards Jasper. However in a haze of spinning orange and flowing hair, what happened next shocked them both to the core. Instead of wrapping around Jasper, it only got her arm. She smirked and laughed while pulling her arm back which in turn pulled Amethyst closer since she held the other end of the whip.

Before Amethyst could retaliate, Jasper punched her to the ground below. Watching as she slid deep in the grass, making fresh dirt appear beneath her. Hitting her head and upper body against another pillar. Groaning she tried getting up but Jasper kicked her down.

Again...again....again...

Continuously until Amethyst could barely see. Then she felt her throat being encased and tightened in a large hand. Jasper held her in the air and laughed at the sight before her. Watching as Amethyst waved her arms around and tried to break free and fight back. But it was useless since Jasper did have the upper hand when it came to brutal strength.

"I can't believe you, a prime kinder-garden gem would come out so pathetic. And yet are still willing to fight, even though you are the most useless gem in the entire universe! I mean look at you! A prime kindergarden gem loosing to the strongest Beta gem! Well not so surprising know me. However this doesn't change who you are. A runt, a pathetic weakling, a failure!"

"Let her go Jasper! If you're the strongest gem here, why don't you prove it and fight me!" Both gems turned to see Connie, sword in hand. Though not nearly full on energy, she had just enough to scale down the strong vines from the balcony to the garden and ready for a fight. What she was was brutal. Cruel didn't even begin to describe what she felt form what she saw. Jasper let go of Amethyst and walked towards her new opponent.

"Looks like we have a foolish challenger here." She growled a bit annoyed that she interrupted her fight. "I'll give you one chance to walk away before I pulverize you for good!" Connie didn't say a word. Only adjusted her stance to show she wasn't going to back down. Especially not after all she saw.

Everything begins with your stance. Keep it wide, body lowered and as your moving forward balance is the key.

Words from Pearl served her well as she was able to dodge Jasper's first attack. Blocking it well as she ducked and swung her sword against her arm. For gems they didn't get hurt the same way humans do of course. But Jasper was less in pain and more annoyed that Connie got him so easily.

Right foot, Left foot, now go even faster

Raising her fist and flung it towards her middle as quick as she could. However Connie had a smaller frame and was a lot more limber. So she dodged and rolled under Jasper's legs. Turning while standing up from the other side and kicking her backside. Causing Jasper to stumble forward from both moments of the kick and her fist.

On the battlefield when everything is chaos and you have nothing but the way you feel, your strategy and a sword.

After that it was a constant motion of dodging attack after attack. Connie used her sword to block her fists and kept advancing backwards. Carefully looking around to see where she can gain the advantage here. Spotting a tree with a very special looking branch, she smiled and began to use her footwork to make them go in that direction. Then at the precise moment, she ducked and rolled backward. Jasper hitting the tree branch and watching as the tree itself fell down.

Deep down you know, you weren't built for fighting, but that doesn't mean you're not prepared to try.

Connie took a few more steps back away from Jasper. Just enough distance to paused before going at it again. Her back hit a wall suddenly and with one glance she instantly recognized it. The wall that separated the courtyard from the human zoo. It was strong and durable through the most horrific of fights, but this wasn't a good time to test it when Jasper was beyond furious with her. Speaking of which Jasper came almost flying at her, another blow to give her. Jumping up at the last second she landed on top of the wall. Jasper followed her as they adjusted for the small foot space beneath them.

Hitting her in the head she watched as she stumbled back. Laughing as her helmet reformed and cracked her knuckles. Pushing her off the wall forcefully, Connie used her sword to scrape the wall and slow her speed. Then kicking herself off she landed back on the grass. Watching as Jasper jumped towards her and in the last second, flung her sword towards her body. Hoping to poof her and end the fight. Connie had already begun to feel the fatigue inside her. But she wasn't giving up. With a cloud of dust from her landing, in that moment everything was silent.

Until Connie gasped in shock

There was Jasper, still standing as she laughed louder and louder. Taunting her with every passing second as she pulled out the sword. Breaking it in half with her knee and letting it almost disintegrate right before her eyes. Connie's eyes were wide in fear. Knowing full well that without the sword she wasn't going to win this fight. Jasper smirked and finally stopped laughing so hard.

"Well, newbie, I didn't think you had this in you. I must admit you are a tough fighter, for a human."

"Is that you forfeiting the fight?" Connie asked sarcastically, brows furrowed and fists ready to fight.

"No"

With that Jasper punched her back so hard, she hit a tree. Thankfully not enough to have any spinal damage or broken bones. However just enough to knock her out of her senses. Shaking she put both her hands on the ground and tried getting up. Failing to do so as she fell and moaned in pain. Eyes closed she heard Jasper's footsteps getting closer. The ground shaking beneath her slightly from the heavy footsteps she took. Bracing herself for the impact that was too come.

"I win this fight, newbie."

[lil-purplebird]

What is a King to His Men? (one-shot)

Fandom: Godzilla (Legendary)

Rating: T

Genre: General/Friendship

Words: 8,438

Summary: Man is a fickle creature. But so are the gods. Godzilla-centic, mild Mothzilla.

Can also be read here.

"Lushalmat ibri."

That was the last sentence uttered to the King by the sole-surviving worshiper, who was a ruler among his people, before his passing. The generations beneath him, already wavering in their belief due to their upbringing during peace, promptly feared him, even forgetting his work he did for them. Being feared wasn't much different from being revered, but they chased him away with weapons that, although non-life-threatening, were irritating and disrespectful. He was their king, their god, and they denied him for their own personal interests.

He wanted to give them a piece of his mind and wipe them out for their insolence, but his comrades wouldn't have it, Mosura and Anguirus especially. They still saw some good in them and pointed out other humans across the world who might still see him for who he is and what he represents. There wasn't just the one temple solely dedicated to him, there were multiple, and most of them worshiped multiple Titans.

So Gojira gave the human race another chance, brushing off the one clan as a fluke. Just because he was more close to them didn't mean he wasn't well-known elsewhere. They'll all come to, eventually.

But the Titans were steadily falling into hibernation thanks to the change in the earth's climate, and the increase in human intelligence and will meant they wanted gods to be more human or to disappear entirely. Some weakened enough that even humans were beginning to cause them harm and drove them from their homes, their temples. As puny as the creatures were, they were ferocious. No Titan feared Man, but no Titan liked what had become of them.

Gojira was the only one with enough strength to rebel and bring havoc and fear to the coastal civilizations. Anguirus and Mosura were not pleased with his actions, and that rift in their opinions caused them to butt heads than ever before. The other Titans flip-flopped and would ally or go against Gojira depending on the year, or even their mood. It happened enough that it wasn't long before he felt everyone, even his own kind, was against him.

"You've gone mad!" they cried as they attempted to hold him back from land. The ocean, being his domain, was a difficult terrain for many Titans to go head-on with the King.

Gojira's rage was nearing its apex, and had brought down nearly all but a few to their knees. His bloodlust had yet to be quenched, all it would take was to stomp some humans flat, yet the spiked quadruped and delicate moth were who stood in his way. His equals hadn't yet gone through the rejection he had, only in due time would their people also turn their hearts away from them. Although they were close friends, they had unusual human qualities that made them his worst foes in his view.

Anguirus was worn down and bleeding profusely, but his eyes still shone in determination. One of Mosura's wings had a large tear in it to ground her and she was missing a limb, yet she stood tall on his armored back. Their stances told him they were fighting to the death for their livelihoods, to prove themselves worthy of their godlike statuses. Not that the other Titans didn't fight valiantly, but even as an army they were no match for the King. The two were true fools to think they stood a chance, and merely resorted to words than their strength to strike back.

"The False King fed you lies in your final battle!" Anguirus said, teeth bared at the thought of the three-headed demon. "How could you believe them?"

"I didn't until the people turned their backs on me as prophesied!" he snarled, his plates pulsing in time to his heartbeat. "I didn't want to believe they were right all along about the human race until then!"

"There have always been a few detractors," Mosura reminded him. Her body trembled in sadness and anger, overtaking her pain. "Humans are quick to forget and stray."

Gojira huffed hard enough for a spray of atomic particles to pass through his nose and even his gills. "And you are allowing this to go on?"

"A great ruler leads with patience and loving guidance," she continued. "They are living beings with desires like you and I. Ultimately, we cannot decide their fate."

"To hell with that!" he snapped, his tail slapping the water's surface hard enough to trigger tidal waves that washed away some of the bodies. "They are disrupting the natural order's balance! This cannot be allowed to continue!"

"That is the earth's will," the horned dinosaur asserted, positioning himself to charge. "They need to prove themselves worthy to be rulers themselves. We are teaching them to take our place for when we're gone."

He had been accused of letting power get to his head, but he couldn't deny he liked the gratification he had over a large crowd of humans submitting themselves to him. He was their protector, and he had no qualms with it as long as it meant showing off his strength. Taking the time out to get to their level as somewhat-equals didn't appeal to him, though he had allowed some human leaders to converse with him in song and dance, or just to talk. They were... interesting creatures of lower abilities, although they were quickly growing.

Being small, it was only natural for them to multiply and progress as a species. Much like the Titans, his kind reproduced much slower, yet as few in numbers as they were, they were fierce predators. Born leaders, he was predestined to take up his sire's torch and continue the legacy. And he thought he was doing a swell job as their king.

"...Traitors, the lot of you."

The eavesdropping surviving Titans flinched at Gojira's low growl, and Mosura's antennae perked in shock. Anguirus' solemn expression didn't falter as he watched the King's spines light up, silently cursing the three-headed dragon for poisoning his friend in their final attempt to posthumously claim victory. He closed his eyes with a deep breath, accepting his fate as he charged forward. The moth's forelegs dug into his neck in a futile effort to brace herself for impact, and he couldn't help smiling a little at her gift of rebirth. As long as she lives on, Gojira, his old friend, would always have a chance at redemption.

Blind with fury to notice the multiple witnesses, the King burned down his life and scattered the ashes.

*~*~*

The world managed to keep turning as if to spite Gojira. Humans continued to advance as a race, scattering throughout the globe and refurbishing the face of the earth as they saw fit. As their civilizations prospered, their weapons improved, but they were still nothing more than a nuisance to the Titans.

However, the earth made it clear she was tired of the in-fighting, and punished both sides. She'd give the humans a hard time, even wiping out some clans, and they still persevered. The old-guard Titans that were left felt the change get to them, and either went into hibernation away from prying eyes or perished for being unable to adapt. Gojira was a fighter, for although he was the last to succumb to sleep, his will made sure it was temporary. Dreams of his past were violent enough that he'd stir himself awake every few centuries or so to patrol what became of his world and continue his mission.

Humans, being such fickle creatures, changed so rapidly that the King was no longer a king to them, but a monster to be destroyed or chased off. They had forgotten what made him akin to a god, and developed bigger, stronger weapons to be used against him after being used against each other. Gojira's hate boiled over, and he, too, forgot why the earth begat humans to begin with. Their activities, however, were slowly waking the other Titans from their slumbers, but many still avoided the humans, or found isolated clans who still remembered the gods of old.

Mosura had chosen to remain on her island after her rebirth, grieving for the loss of Anguirus and being scared for Gojira's future. She wouldn't see him for many centuries and went through the cycle many more times, but in her sleep, she had heard whispers from the earth herself about his antics. Her fear would gradually turn to fury that he incited the war, but she was not willing to expose her people's existence to the outside world. It took a frequent number of explorers disturbing the peace to force her to reveal herself to the world that had forgotten her, and the reunion with Gojira was nothing more than a nightmare.

She almost couldn't recognize him, he had aged and was scarred so much from his grudge and forcing himself to fight off hibernation. Her heart went out to him, but old wounds reopened, and Gojira lashed out at her for interfering. She tried for years to get through to him without success. They fought numerous battles each to exhaustion, and sometimes she would perish. Humans who hadn't known of her started seeing her as their savior for saving lives, and at the very least, her presence would slow down his rampages. Progress, she thought.

A night after a rough battle that had decimated a mountain range, Mosura couldn't sleep and had recovered enough to go out for a flight to calm her nerves. When she left her territory, there came a sudden prompt to track him down, and she searched the area where he had retreated to find shelter. She was successful in coming across him in a deep canyon licking his wounds, and he went on the defense upon spotting her.

"Didn't you take the hint? Your damn naiveté will be the death of you," he snarled in warning.

The wind dissipated upon her landing in the river. His face scrunched as he looked her over, hating that her beauty and grace hadn't changed in eons while his appearance did. He had lost track of the number of times she had reincarnated from mortal wounds or old age, a unique trait for a Titan, but rarely did she ever look different. Titans for the most part never experience death until Nature herself declares it, yet her cycle meant she was close to being a human while still remaining a goddess. Her open secret was her egg, but she was either lucky, or her enemies were too stupid or stupidly honorable to go after her weakness to kill her for good. For him, it was the latter, but more because he provoked her wrath enough times to not tempt making her even more scorned and potentially kill him for stepping foot on her island. And losing his life to her didn't sound appealing in the slightest.

However, he never would admit it out loud that ever since he started brawling with Mosura, he found her to be a surprisingly formidable opponent. She held her own rather well against the False King, but he measured power better when he was receiving blows than by observation. Her fragile physique led to creative combos to take him down while still remaining on the defensive side, and it wasn't just because of her advantage of flight.

She overlooked his lack of manners to study the damage she had dealt to him, now that she got a better look. She hated the act of shedding blood, but she was secretly proud of her work for giving him new scars. "You're unable to kill another Titan," she softly said.

He recoiled at her statement, but kept his composure. "Who said it would be I to deal the final blow?"

"You need to move on while you still can."

"But if it wasn't for the damn humans rejecting us—!"

"That didn't mean you had to turn your back on them," she sternly interrupted, wings fluttering irritably. "Anguirus didn't want you to take the path of no return."

Gojira rose to his feet with a deadly glare, eyes pulsing with blue light. "How dare you say his name to me," he hissed. His dorsal plates flickered in warning, a hum steadily growing. "Don't you dare drag his memory into this."

Mosura didn't back down, though her antennae began making short, sharp twitches from the waves of radiation rolling off of him. "You've changed ever since imprisoning the False King," she continued, her voice remaining firm but gentle. "Everyone could see it that you haven't been quite the same, and that's why humans feared you so."

"They no longer remember that day."

"Which is why your ridiculous war has to stop. This is an innocent generation that has had nothing to do with that battle."

Gojira harshly laughed, puffs of atomic fumes expelling from his mouth. "You have been stuck on your island for too long, Mosura! Humans have always been bloodthirsty, they hate each other just as much as they hate us!"

"So how does that make you any different from them that you must persecute them?"

"Are you accusing me of being as hateful as those parasites?!" The surge increased, small blue flames licking his teeth as his lips curled over his gums.

"Your hatred will be your destruction, the both of you!" Mosura declared, puffing out her thorax and stomping the ground with her forelegs. "You cannot die by your own hand, so you're trying to invoke Nature's wrath against her wishes by going after your people!"

The lights climbed up his back, and with a deep inhale, Gojira released his atomic breath, yet the moth remained rooted as it arched directly over to blast a crater into the canyon's walls, the heat singeing the tips of her hairs and antennae. Seismic waves made her, the water, and the trees sway as the cliffs collapsed, but her azure eyes remained locked onto his leer. The beam fizzled out with a huff, his nostrils flaring.

"That is your only warning, Mosura," he growled, steam rising past his fangs. "Your head is next."

Through the dust cover, bioluminescence raced through her wings as it flickered between blue and red. Usually a calm Titan, she struggled to get her emotions under wraps after watching the hurt cross her old friend's face. With a hitch in her breath, she stepped forward for the mountainous reptile. Annoyed by her persistence, adrenaline pumped through Gojira's veins and his temples throbbed hard enough for him to scrunch his eyes shut. Heat started to replenish itself again for his recharge, teeth gritting so hard he thought he heard a molar crack.

Mosura always knew how to get under his scales, her silver tongue being her most powerful weapon, and it was what had typically kept them all in line, even her king. With her adopted title as Queen, it was something he used to get teased about much to his chagrin, though just about every Titan had their tails verbally handed to them by her. Yet he was known to have a short temper compared to even the hot-headed Rodan, and so to help him get his act together, that's what she took the most advantage of to make up for her cutesy, non-intimidating appearance. He recalled Anguirus always liked that about her on top of her undying love for the human race, which was why they got along so well, and it balanced out their friendship as a trio.

He had almost forgotten his death by his own hands hit her just as hard. She just must've coped differently.

Gojira almost stumbled over his feet flinching from a pair of legs wrapping around his waist, her furry head buried into his abdomen. Dropping the charge, he peered at the glowing wings, taking in the snaking paths of light and texture of the colorful patterns. He noticed the edges were tattered from their brawl earlier, which he thought her healing abilities would've mended by now.

Snorting, he hung his head to stare down at the moth. He still wanted her to leave, whether by herself or by him blasting her over the horizon, but he could feel himself calming down and his power waning. Her drooping antennae and some fur were thin enough to skim between his smooth scales, which left a prickle with each gentle stroke from his breathing. The warmth was a little alien to him, he hadn't experienced touch (that weren't claws and teeth) in many centuries.

"Come back with me to the island, my King," she whispered like the breeze. His insides flipped at her utterance of his title more than her strange request. "My people still know of you through my songs."

Mosura's signature sincereness cooled him down, though he made an easy attempt to get around it. "They're just going to run screaming when they see me. They all do."

"Not while I'm around, they won't. It will be just like old times."

A slight smirk quirked on his mouth as his eyes glazed over in reminiscence. "I've become infamous as a threat. Your island will become a war zone, but I will not be the one to start it."

She went quiet, but didn't pull away. Her wings slowly rose and fell, small patches of shimmering dust sprinkling the ground and the water's surface.

"You're not ignorant of the human condition, Mosura," he then pointed out, "so don't even think about endangering your island to that curse. Besides, I have made my mark on this earth, and I will be sticking with it to my deathbed. And settling down on a small island with my size will just sink it into the ocean given my growth spurts. Wouldn't be the first time."

The dark, self-depreciating humor lightened the mood a little thanks to her stifling a giggle. Mosura lifted her forehead from his body, but took a few moments to regain her composure before meeting his gaze. "Then I'll stay."

He blinked, not liking where she was going with her proposal. "Forsaking your people is not your forte like it is mine."

She shook her head. "I'm not. Even though they've been discovered by outsiders, there's no harm to them. But they're slowly changing."

Gojira frowned. He hadn't heard about its geography in ages, but he was so sure her island was quite far away from any main continents. Humans traveled over water quite often, but its distance and isolation made it virtually impossible for worldly influences to touchdown on its shores. "How so?"

Her demeanor wilted as her grip loosened. "I'll soon be unable to live in harmony with my people."

The vagueness didn't strike a chord in him since all Titans for the most part were no longer in harmony with humans. "So what was with the invitation?"

She flustered a bit and pulled away to tap her hooked limbs together. "If your presence were to slow it down, perhaps it can still accommodate for the both of us..."

He snorted. "Naïve as always. I already refused, you can't change my mind."

"It still won't change my mind about your loneliness."

"I am not lonely, don't change the subject."

Mosura's eyes flickered gray with emotion for a split second. "Ever since you isolated yourself from us, the earth has wept in your stead. She's just as upset with the humans for forgetting us as you are, but she's been really upset with you."

Because the moth was the most in-tune with the life-force of the earth, she was deemed by the Titans as a mouthpiece for the spirit of Gaia. Gojira used to sense Nature in a similar fashion, but he had lost that ability ever since he rampaged. He was always at her mercy, yet Mosura's words were the opposite of what he expected. "Then why hasn't Nature offed me, yet?" he grumbled, not really meaning for it to be ominous.

"Because you haven't wiped out the human race."

He shot her a look of disbelief. "Seriously?"

"You've been trying her patience with this death wish of yours, anyway."

The accusation was too close for comfort. He thought he had bottled up his disposition and desires ages ago so he wouldn't dwell on them. He tried to brush it off to poke some more holes in her offer, "So is that why you're trying to get me to live with you? Nature sent you to give me a talk?"

Mosura's wings flushed pink for a second, which was an unusual sight. "Maybe?"

Rolling his eyes to the heavens, Gojira shook his head. "That is not going to happen, so drop it."

"I'm still serious about staying with you, though," she muttered a little too hastily, her mandibles clicking.

"Why, to keep me in line?"

She sighed and made eye-contact, suddenly shuddering to fluff up her fur and fan some dust in the air. "I want to help you reverse what the False King did to you. They were hoping to use you to do the work for them in their absence, so they said those horrible, nasty lies to you. We were trying to help... but I fear we were too late."

Mosura's eyes started pooling over, which astonished Gojira. Titans never cried, least not around each other if they did. Even the females, who were a bit more sentimental and nurturing, never shed a tear. But as he thought about it and her words about the earth, the changes may have done some irreversible damage that was worth mourning over, and so perhaps she learned to cry over time. And if so, that was why Anguirus' memory affected her so much—a better alternative than laying waste to civilizations to numb the pain.

"I'm just tried of you fighting the humans for something they haven't even done," she hiccuped, rubbing her cheek with a leg. "Please, let go of this stupid grudge. Leave them alone, and let them work things out. If they get out of hand, then you can give them a scare, or something. But you're disrupting them, and they're letting their fears and anger get to them. They're hurting the earth just so they could try to hurt you."

Gojira shouldn't have been so surprised that she knew all of that when they hadn't seen each other in centuries. As her voice faded, her works sank in, making him wonder—no, realize that everyone had to have been aware of his actions. They had to have known who it was stirring them from their slumbers, had to have followed every sound of his footsteps and explosions.

No wonder Nature was pissed off at him. Literally the entire planet could hear him.

Silence hung in the air long enough for Mosura to timidly, yet bluntly ask, "What did they tell you so many years ago?"

It took him a moment to comprehend that by "they", she was referring to them, the One Who is Many. Their searing three pairs of eyes were permanently burned into his skull, evilly grinning at his anger and anguish. Even before his vendetta against the human race, the three-headed demon was the most hated being he ever had the displeasure of meeting. Putting an end to their tyranny was the happiest day (well, night) of his life, he had never slept like that before or since.

But their venomous words seeped into his dreams and thoughts before he knew it. Mosura and Anguirus may have been there, but somehow the False King's presence didn't leave much of an effect on them. They went out of their way to try to slaughter his comrades, and there was great damage that nearly crippled his friend and put the goddess back into her cycle. However, none of them mentioned anything about nightmares, and they didn't hide secrets from each other back then.

Recalling how they cackled in his ear during the battle, Gojira flexed his claws in discomfort. The moth watched patiently as he finally was able to string together what he was willing to say, "They claimed I was protecting monsters who would be the death of us. They said humans would come to outsmart us, think of us as nothing more than dumb animals, and then destroy the world. I didn't believe them at first because the worshiping was stronger than ever at that point."

Mosura frowned deeply, her wings giving away her unhappiness with how the demon played him. "But... we should celebrate their intelligence—"

"Until they build a weapon to kill us," he suddenly snapped. "Maybe you're right about the earth being angry with me. This has to be her way of getting back at me for my actions."

She shook her head and hopped onto the canyon's walls to be at eye-level with him. "Gojira, did you forget that you weren't the only one whose people disowned them? They were all sad with the change, but instead of being vengeful, they respected their people's wishes. Anguirus was right when he said we're just guardians showing them the way to prosperity."

His gaze averted at the mention of their old friend, which was the stinging reaction she expected. She raised her eyes to the stars above, humming a little as she reviewed the memory archives of distrusting humans. "Perhaps... when they stopped looking up to us for protection, it meant they were ready to live on their own. Like when offspring leave the nest."

Gojira glanced back over with a stern look. She stared back in wonder until a thought pricked her mind: Says the Titan who coddles her people.

Mosura bristled in embarrassment, surprise, and displeasure, the fur puffing up on her face the most. "My people are a good people! They can take care of themselves!"

He growled out a chuckle. "Was just making sure our connection still works."

"Oh, you!" She jabbed his temple repeatedly with a foreleg in a playful manner, unable to help a smile.

The tapping was close to driving him mad, so he stepped back out of her reach and opened his mouth to speak—but words failed him. She curiously tilted her head, which he wish she'd stop looking at him like that. Mentally checking over his vitals, he was calmer than earlier, except his chest felt too heavy for some odd reason. He shifted his weight to see if he needed to stretch, but nothing helped.

"Are you alright, my King?" Mosura asked worriedly, and he somehow didn't like being called by his title at that moment.

With a snort, Gojira started lumbering off for the canyon's exit. "I need to be alone," he said starkly, sweeping aside the mess he had made.

"Where to?" she inquired, hopping into the air to soar above him.

He swatted her away as gently as possible. "Someplace private, so don't follow. Give me a week or so to sleep on it; I'll have your answer then."

She let him go without another word, but stayed behind on the cliffs to watch him enter the ocean and dive into its depths. He swam leisurely even when entering a tunnel deep down in a trench, following its winding path through instinct. In some turns, he could sense a passing presence of unseen Titans, either traveling or in their nearby dens, but ignored them just as quickly. He didn't need more confrontations in his state of mind.

The spike in radiation was his cue that he was nearing his destination. He passed by intricate statues and pillars when he exited the tunnels, barely stealing a glance at the carved murals as he squeezed through an opening. He slowed when he neared a bleached skeleton resting by his lair's entrance, gazing directly into its empty eye sockets. It could've just been his imagination, but every time he'd return, Gojira was certain he could hear him say, clear as day:

"Welcome back, brother."

Anguirus would only drop the formalities whenever they were alone, since it was such a lifelong habit that he could never bring himself to see him as anything more than a blood brother. If Mosura had ever caught wind of it, she probably would've thought it was a beautiful bond. And since the King had long given up on beating it into his head, he had to silently agree with that sentiment. (But he'd still swear her into secrecy, and she might counter that it was obvious and everyone knew about it. Damn, he knew her way too well.)

He had lost track of the number of years that had passed, but that day still haunted him. The aftermath didn't hit him until days later when enough of his rage had depleted and he wondered what was taking Anguirus so long to recover. The Titans were about to cremate the body when he came across them surrounding the pit, and they attempted to chase him off thinking he was coming back for seconds. In his grief, he caused more destruction before he was able to take Anguirus with him to his abandoned temple where the radiation could preserve him for a bit longer or maybe revive him—or so he thought.

His body decomposed so cleanly while under the sea even though no normal lifeforms could survive in close proximity. Flesh had to have been boiled away as the heat from the radiation rivaled the magma pools and hydrothermal vents. It was quiet and peaceful down in these depths, the risk of damage was limited only to the occasional seaquakes and himself if he wasn't careful. It wasn't that he didn't trust the earth to care for his ashes or the remains if buried, he didn't feel he could atone if anyone else handled the burial, and in a place that had potential of being disturbed by human activity. The Titans had meant well, they all respected him and were scared of what he was going to do.

With a slow sigh in the form of air bubbles, he pondered to himself, trying to figure out what Anguirus would say if he could talk again. What exactly did you and Mosura see in those humans? What did you see throughout your travels and your reign? Did you ever worry about them chasing you out? Would you have allowed it, or fought back like I did?

Those were the few out of many questions he had that stuck out to him, knowing now his people have long since forgotten him. Whether they knew what happened to him or not, or if they grieved or craved for his presence again, it was no different from what happened with his people after the young generations took over. Perhaps instead of haughtiness, they forgot out of surrender or necessity. They just gave up waiting for his return, thought he didn't have need for them anymore or just abandoned them to the mercies of the world. If that was the case, they would've been more angry or frightened at the King's visit instead of just studying him. Perhaps his showing up concerned them, and that's why the clan split afterwards.

After enough silence between him and the skeleton passed, Gojira entered his chamber for a nap. The lava falls made for soothing white noise, and sometimes the radiation hissed, which reminded him of how voices and footsteps used to echo through the halls. It kept him sane during his long slumbers, and it was an excellent way to remind him he was still drawing breath.

GOJIRA! Answer me!

He jerked where he lay at Mosura's chirp in his head, perturbed at her interruption, and he heard a sigh of relief. Why're you in my head? How are you in my head?

She was just as baffled as he, which he was ashamed to realize he must've made her think he had forgotten about their connection. Um... we're able to communicate? Anyway, I thought I heard you were in distress, but I couldn't reach you. Or, maybe the proper word is I couldn't find you.

Which was the point, he thought the reception couldn't penetrate through all that mantle. Apparently that explained why she screamed to be able to be heard wherever she was at. What makes you think that?

He preferred the silence that followed so he could get to sleep, but he could sense her working out her next sentence. Well... you were talking to Anguirus.

Gojira deeply frowned as he reviewed over his thoughts. Was he really that loud? Are you saying that makes me crazy? he directed at her.

She fumbled on her words; he could just see her shaking her head and waving her forelegs about. No, I get that. But it sounded like you were... actually talking to him.

He decided to be straightforward about it. I'm at his grave site.

Oh. It was such a quiet sound, it was a wonder it reached him so deep.

Do not bother to ask for directions, it is very deep underwater.

A pause. It was a pleasant pause, and he took that time to flip over to get comfortable again.

So that's what happened to your temple?

He sneered to himself—he thought he was being vague about his whereabouts. Perhaps the earth snitched to her or something. It happened when I was away. The entire city just fell into the ocean with the coast.

I'm sorry.

Whatever, it's been years, and it's still intact. I just had to dig myself a tunnel to get to it.

Oh, that's fascinating, but wonderful.

"Can you leave me in peace now?" he growled out loud, getting a headache.

Mosura's giggle pealed like bells in his head, and then the connection broke.

He leered at a corner of the temple for a while before he would sleep it off, wondering how much she had heard and why she even cared so much. It wasn't as if his dreams were hurting him, they were nothing but past memories that had already landed a blow.

In the midst of such a memory, while the False King droned on for the hundredth time about the evils of Man, he happened to look down at the spectators foolish enough to stay in the area. They were in awe at the sight of a war between gods, yet there was hope and determination present on their faces. Although powerless in strength against them, they had other ways that would bring aid to their ally.

For Man was more cunning than both Nature and Chaos had even planned.

*~*~*

The morning sun and breeze tickled her wings as Mosura scanned the ocean waves, watching as a pod of whales congregated near the horizon. They had been doing that since sunrise, it was odd behavior being close to land, suggesting something was on its way over. She used that as a visual cue to get herself ready, not wanting to make it look like she was waiting around. A sly smirk in her eyes, she flitted over to munch on the greenery (except when she checked for nests), trying to keep herself looking "distracted" while peeking past her wings every few minutes.

The whales suddenly scattered with surprised clicks and howls, and she nearly choked on a trunk at the sound of water breaking over a certain someone's back. She still smiled to herself while cleaning off the leaves and bark from her fur, her antennae fluttering as a shadow fell over her. Crooning in thought, she leaned her head back to meet Gojira in the eye.

The King and Queen stared each other down with little movement. He was not all that happy to see her, but he was looking better, and he even felt a little better. She briefly cocked her head to the side, and nodded to silently as if to say, "Go on?"

Working his jaw, he picked at his blood-coated teeth with a claw and turned away. Standing on all fours, Mosura curled her forelegs close in worry, unable to feel his thoughts running through her head. He didn't walk too far from the cliffside when he let out a rumbling sigh, his tail swaying above the waves. "If I'm to see your point," he started, cricking his neck, "I'll have to observe them from afar."

She nodded, stretching her wings. "That's right. That's the safest way for them to not see you as a threat."

He snorted when he looked back at her. "This isn't just about the humans' safety. It's also for my sanity to not get them worked up and strike."

Mosura soared on the wind to reach his shoulder. "You'll see they're not so bad. They never were."

"If they keep multiplying like that, they will be," he grunted, storming back into the open sea. "Soon you won't be able to see the ground they're walking on."

"Gojira," she whispered in a warning tone.

"And must you say my name out in the open?" he rebuked with a huff.

She leaned against his neck with a thoughtful croon. "Only if you'll let me keep you company more. Like old times."

Gojira bared his teeth for a moment, unsure if that was a good idea.

Like she knew his thoughts, she added still in a sing-song tone, "A king's going to need a healthy way to redirect his frustrations to avoid declaring war on his people out of boredom."

He raised a brow, unsure if he understood what she meant. "What're you implying? You're not threatening your king, are you?"

She trilled, shaking her body. "Call me your queen, and I'll respect your title."

Gojira snapped at her, but not in a serious manner when his snout bumped her side. She leaped off with a giggle and continued to hover around his head humming one of her little tunes. He shook his head, then had a thought that Anguirus, if he were still with them, would've thought it was about time they started acting like they were king and queen.

Watching his moth companion twirl around in circles, for a moment there, it felt like old times.

*~*~*

They kept their word: Gojira stayed his distance from the humans when out on his hunts. Mosura continued to watch the skies, but she was noted by her people for hovering around his cluster of spines when she was visited. Time was hardly a blip on their radars, but to stave off boredom when they were not in the same area, they'd communicate across distances their reports or thoughts, or just to see how the other was doing. The humans were rarely brought up, even though the King knew she always had them on her mind.

After some months pass by, he'd retreat to his sunken temple for sleep that'd last years. The ocean floor was not always a quiet place, however. There were occasions an underwater quake or eruption would disturb him prematurely, and he'd groggily make his way to the surface where Mosura would appear with a gleeful "Happy new year, sleepyhead!" Such a statement irked him a few times, feeling as if she was teasing him for his long absences, but she would tell him stories of the earth's accomplishments to catch him up while he patrolled. The planet was always busy, always changing, and Mosura was the historian.

During one of his naps, she went through her cycle, and showed off her wings to direct his gaze to the change in her appearance: the eye spots turned gold with a highlight. As she explained, it was her personal reminder of their promise for renewing their companionship. Gojira, not wanting to feel one-upped, clawed on his shoulder where she loved to perch three sets of four grooves to leave a permanent mark. After the shock of his self-maiming wore off, she laughed, yet adored the thought since it looked a lot like her people's symbol. It was a pain for him since he had to will his regeneration to not heal it, but it was worth it to see her freak out. Not so whenever a Titan would appear whether they were together or not, for they would take one look at their markings and then gambled losing their tongues when they smiled and teased, "Took the coronation long enough."

He had a suspicious feeling Mosura had spread the news about it.

The day eventually came when she told him her people were scattering, the last of the ancient clans to do so, but they did not vanish completely. Their history was important enough for families to pass it down to each generation, even if they no longer worshiped her. The twin priestesses, by genetics or by will, always had twins to prove their lineage, and maintained their psychic link to their goddess. She remained close-by to her birth island, but she was becoming more of a vagabond as the years went on, and she had to find a new place to lay her egg. All he knew about the new nest was it was someplace he was prohibited from entering.

So she got the better end of the deal out of all the Titans, Gojira had thought, and it was for the best. Their absence from the world meant the existence of Titans became nothing more than myth or nearly forgotten in worst cases, and although humans have risen to the top of the food chain, the earth had remained calm, and balance seemed to be in order. He'd still slink around in the ocean's trenches and look in on them, but he was getting bored and slept more often. He snorted to himself once upon thinking jokingly that the way to kill a god was by boredom, but by also stripping away every power they had, thereby effectively erasing them from existence. Perhaps that was the humans' plan from the start, but they'd deny it if approached about it, of course.

"Boredom" was his personal explanation for why Mosura was steadily extending her rebirth each time she passed on, for mostly it was from natural causes than from battle, which were scarce. He didn't like the thought of her dying from old age, but he never heard of Titans falling ill or of anything mortal like that. She'd return to her egg, but he wouldn't know how long she'd be in hibernation for. The last time the cycle took place, one of her last words she had said to him was "We'll be needed when Nature's balance is skewed", but the "when" part was never specified.

He never saw himself as a patient Titan, but if sleep made time move faster, he could handle boredom. His radiated den remained as the last sanctuary in the ever-changing world, and that's where he remained undisturbed when he wasn't out hunting. It was a bit of a lonely existence, but Anguirus' skeleton, all that remained of his memory, kept him from going mad in his solitude.

Then suddenly, mankind learned how nuclear fission and radiation worked, thousands of years after they forgot why it was they weren't meant to be in charge of harnessing its power.

The bombs had left some scarring from contact, but the radiation gave Gojira a boost of power he hadn't seen before in thousands, maybe millions of years. The surge meant they returned to fearing him, but curiously, some humans tailed him for observation purposes instead. He could just imagine Mosura thinking it was amusing.

It also stirred some old Titans out of hiding—the real nasty ones, too—and in the current earth's state, it meant disaster. He had to shake off sleep and work out some kinks to go after them, and he hadn't wanted to admit he was out of practice. He ached everywhere, felt too slow for his liking, and he used up much of his energy to defeat them each time, but at least balance was being restored. And the humans, who were as irritating and impulsive as ever, for a moment had remembered their King.

But so did the monster sealed in ice.

Gojira couldn't return to his slumber after he went after the parasitic Titans because Nature bugged him about it. Yes, balance was returning, but it was never to be thanks to the land-destructive incident where humans got involved. He had an unshakable feeling there was more to come, and he started to sense them coming into contact with human activity. He thought they were dead and forgotten, but humans are nosy troublemakers, and the False King rose again.

They hadn't aged a day from the looks of it, and as old as he was, he couldn't slack off on his defense or else the world was going to die thanks to the humans making a mess. Again. His years of indifference beginning to heat up with anger was what cost him the fight, although he would've won had the humans not intervened with a brand new weapon.

What was it, exactly? A bomb that sucked and dissolved oxygen in water with the power of a nuclear fission?

...Well, he had to give them props for creativity. Even gods couldn't breathe without oxygen.

While he had managed to drag himself into his den, Gojira wondered if his time had finally come. The False King had usurped and started wrecking havoc on the world, and his body was practically deprived of oxygen. Even if he could recover, there would be nothing left for him to salvage. Taking in the architecture, the reptilian Titan replayed ancient memories of a crowd waiting outside of the temple with offerings, and prayers of gratitude and guidance in a language no human alive knows how to speak. Mosura's song echoed in the room as the throng smiled and sang along. He found himself crooning to the tune as well, the King and Queen having themselves a duet that promised a lifetime of loyalty and devotion to their followers and each other.

It's funny how he never appreciated those times before now...

So real was his memory that a light touch to his snout manifested itself, and he slowly opened his eyes while his ears still echoed.

A human had made his way inside the den, a solemn, reverent look in his dark eyes. Gojira didn't know his name, didn't know of his life outside of the temple up in the surface, and yet there was a connection between the two. Some form of understanding that he swore was lost to time. And when the human spoke, it wasn't of the old tongue, but it was still universal, and it carried with it rejuvenating strength:

"Saraba, tomo yo."

*~*~*

Gojira's figure popped with aches when he stretched out from his curled state. His mouth felt dry, his stomach empty, and he wondered how long he was asleep for. A shame, too, he was just thinking back to the best part when he burned that yellow bastard to a crisp.

A couple of light jabs poked the back of his neck, and he snorted in amusement. He didn't mean to disrupt Mosura's sleep, but she had to insist on laying on top of him. Her reason for it was that it would be easier for her to get up and avoid being squished when he was not the one known for tossing and turning. Getting tangled up in his plates apparently was appealing to her.

"My King, you're awake again," she mumbled, which was very uncharacteristic of her, but she had exhausted herself laying her egg, thereby postponing their reunion. "Need something?"

He smirked to himself. "A back rub."

Another jab. "Your back popped back into place last month."

"Okay, then just the shoulders this time."

He felt her rolling over, and for a moment he thought she was going to do it. Then she drowsily leaned her head in sight before flopping back down. "Was it another nightmare, my King?"

A low rumble in his throat, Gojira just shook his head and lay back down. "I just got to thinking, is all."

"Hm?"

The faces of humans he had brief interactions with flashed through his mental eye, noticing something they had in common. They were in awe that he even so much as gave them the time of day, but they were sympathetic to his fight. Although he had of yet to see signs of gratitude with them, compared to days of old where they just were tired of looking at him, they were like younglings looking up to their guardian.

Noticing her antennae drooping in her need for sleep, Gojira mused out loud, "Humans and Titans are polar opposites, yet both have a balancing act that keeps this world from spinning out of control."

Mosura's head lightly bumped against his cheekbone. "Like how Nature intended?"

Carefully so as to not poke out an eye or knock her off, he turned to face her, making sure she noticed his gaze before saying, "Were we in the wrong to hide away when we did?"

Her wings feebly lifted like a shrug, biting back a yawn. "Maybe we were asleep a little too long. But... they needed their space—oh. A shooting star."

Gojira lifted his eyes to the night sky, scanning the twinkling pinpoints of light for the fallen star, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Too slow," she whispered, chuckling under her breath.

Dirt blew yards away when he dropped his head back to the ground. "I still think they were in the wrong to chase us off," he muttered, although he didn't sound like he really meant it.

"And they survived just fine. Don't worry about it." She nibbled his skin in a comforting manner. "Relax, my King. You need your beauty sleep, for once."

He briefly rolled his eyes, but was more than happy to take her up on that offer.

[josephjohnblogs]

“During bad circumstances, which is the human inheritance, you must decide not to be reduced. You have your humanity, and you must not allow anything to reduce that. We are obliged to know we are global citizens. Disasters remind us we are world citizens, whether we like it or not.” —Maya Angelou now did you find a hope ? Do you know the definition of hope? What is hope for you? And what does mean to you?

meaning of expectation can contrast contingent upon the individual doing the talking. At the point when individuals talk about expectation in an otherworldly setting, it may mean accepting beneficial things will occur with confidence in a higher force. They may coordinate their expectations outward in petition. For other people, it may mean continually looking on the brilliant side and considering difficulties to be openings. At the end of the day, continually "seeking after the best. According to " Merriam-Webster's definition makes "trust" appear near "wish": "to value a craving with expectation: to need something to occur or be valid." Whatever the subtleties, trust when all is said in done methods a longing for things to improve, and to need that better circumstance without question.

And why is it important to have hope as individual? Because hope is the only way for us people to unite as one , we need hope for humanity, and it's essential because To have hope for humanity is to need an result that creates your life way better in a few way. It not as it were can offer assistance make a intense show circumstance more tolerable but moreover can inevitably

improve our lives since envisioning an improved future propels you to require the steps to form it happen. Whether we think approximately it or not, trust may be a portion of everyone’s life. Everybody trusts for something. It’s an inborn portion of being a human being. Trust makes a difference us characterize what we need in our prospects and is portion of the self-narrative around our lives we all have running interior our minds.

If there's a hope, there should be humanity, a humankind that simply define as quality of being a human, Humankind can be characterized as nature of being human; the impossible to miss nature of man, by which he is recognized from different creatures. Being human doesn't imply that an individual has humankind. In the event that you need to comprehend the nature of humankind in an individual observe what he accomplishes for individuals who give noticing back consequently to the kindness they have advertised.

what is humanity by the way, Humanity means, whenever and wherever possible, caring for and helping others. Humanity means helping people when they need the most support, and humanity means ignoring our selfish interests when others need our support. Humanity implies that unconditional love is extended to any living person on earth.

Humanity is an individual attribute which is provided to one by nature and by which one is differentiated from other beings. Being human does not mean that humanity is possessed by a person. In a person, the standard of humanity takes note of what he does for people who give back notes in return for the favor they gave. Mother Teresa brilliantly depicted extra-ordinary compassion in a human being as she created a magnificent example of humanity around the globe and particularly in india, humanity for them means caring for and helping others whenever wherever possible.

Humanity means helping anyone when they need the most encouragement, and humanity means eliminating your selfish interests when others need your care. Humanity means extending to any and every human being on Earth love and devotion.

The tale of a king will show a perfect instance of humanity. A king with a kind heart once saw a battle pigeon and an eagle. He had the ability to interact with birds and beasts. The pigeon requested that the king rescue him from the eagle. The king told the eagle that, in consideration for saving the pigeon, he would have been prepared to pay any price. The eagle asks the king to give him flesh equal to the weight of the pigeon's flesh.

Agreeing with both the condition of the Eagle, The king begins to chop his own flesh, equal to the pigeon's flesh. He still finds the pigeon heavier, after donating a little bit of his flesh. He finally surrenders all of himself to the Eagle besides his meal. That is the moment when both the Eagle and the pigeon transformed into angels who appeared on the planet to measure the degree of the king's humanity. Now, for his deed of humanity, the king is remunerated with the most invaluable rewards and heaven after life.

And indeed , One of the most extraordinary instances of extra-standard humankind in an individual has been depicted flawlessly by Mother Teresa. Mankind implies thinking about and helping other people at whatever point and at every possible opportunity. Mankind implies helping other people now and again when they need that help the most, humankind implies overlooking your narrow minded interests on occasion when others need your assistance.

Individuals who consistently bunk that they don't have adequate offices accessible in spite of having everything can never offer compassionate types of assistance since, supposing that one has the mentality of not acting naturally adequate, in what capacity can the person in question help another person. One is constantly associated with their great deeds and it is fundamental to comprehend that there is no preferred deed over offering types of assistance for philanthropic causes.

Just individuals can comprehend the significance of mankind and it is humankind because of knowledge which really gives the center substance to human presence. You won't need a heavy ledger to contribute towards philanthropic exercises. You don't need to hefty bank account to contribute towards humanitarian activities. Paying your domestic help fairly is also humanity. Loving your neighborhood are also humanity, caring your family and friends can define as humanity, Helping one another are showing the essence humanity. Everyone of us know's what is humanity, the only thing is some people don't absorb the quintessence of humanity,

George Orwell 1944 1950 says that the

Even you are a normal individual who living with normal life, you can show humanity to the society you where belong, because humanity doesn't define your Richness, position, color, religion, and culture, because everyone of us in this world can show the essence of humanity, and thats the lacking part of us being a human today, at some point we forgot to be human, we forgot the essence of this world.

And that's why some people don't know how to act human sometimes, they can't see the hope, the hope of humanity, they are hopeless At times they feel hopless in view of something that transpires they commit an error, need to manage a major dissatisfaction, lose a person or thing we care about, or need to manage circumstances that are truly upsetting or overpowering. Different occasions, they feel miserable and don't have a clue why. It could be discouragement, absence of rest, physical ailment or some other factor that is influencing the manner in which they feel.

It affects more than one person when hope is damaged. It is impossible to replace them when true hope is rejected. It can be difficult to find inspiration again when a person has lost hope. All these claims hold true. How we shape each other's hopes is the most significant effect we have on each other. Hope breeds hope. We connect with our world more when hope remains. We commit more of ourselves, like anyone else around us, to what we do. Our innovation and our problem-solving require hope.

My point of this article in generality is that when a person has a hope she or he can capable act what is humanity , on the ground that hope and humanity are connected, because of hope people can show love humankind, love, respect, now how to care and socialize to other human, helping other people, hope is the one of the best element of an individual. Now in the view of something "Hope for Humanity " in if we deeper down the intimation hope for humanity are actually big discussions if we broader, because the insight of this article is to define and implicate the the essence of hope and humanity.

In this infinite, everlasting and ever-changing universe, the essence of humanity is to work for the independence of the will based on true awareness of the world and of itself, a subjectivity and conceptual unity of the opposites of the objectivity of blind nature and as part of nature itself. This essence is an acquired capacity that encourages man to change the conditions of his physical , mental and social human experience effective manner on the basic principle with

productive knowledge and understanding as well as of himself. In such a way as to gradually diminish but never fully eliminate the inconsistency among both subjective human persons and objective nature, between humanity and the environment.

This seems to be inherently a bad thing a complex of "being" and "knowing" historical processes; mediated by dialectical chance and necessity and taking place in a celestial body something which temporarily harbors life where life's subjectivity can evolve through discrete evolutionary leaps from blind non-living matter to the highest developed power demand. Namely the thinking of brain of man.

Now, how can we show humanity to people? Did we do already show? The first thing we can do is to Help encourage your humanity to shine ,Being human involves understanding that human beings are, well, "human," and flawed or fallible at times. It's also about trying to understand wrongdoing, and being immune to criticism, even if it's not what you want to hear or do. Despite the intense desire to explain away or defend, if their associates start by speaking directly, without judgment, organizations could really produce often more linked and long-time citizens,

Equally important, society is about expressing viewpoints, views and discoveries freely. It means not being afraid to understand and accept weakness and disappointment, and it's about accepting mistakes and recognizing wrongdoings. It's not the types of mistakes you make; it's about how you manage those mistakes as an ordinary person, and the organization as a whole. Next is be Genuine empathy model From a practical point of view, this implies first considering the perspective of the customer-"what "they express and" why "it is important to them . regardless of his concern and how vehemently he expresses it. And, no matter how often or what he buys. It's all about listening to each and every customer, understanding his emotions, and communicating good intentions.

To express true empathy, it is important to remember that everyone always you come into contact with is a doorman. You can asko Show Gratitude because Gratitude is a powerful way to show people that they will be valued by you, and it's often ignored.

Hope for humanity can Express empathy and humility All people, no matter how much they invest or how long they've known you, want to be treated with respect. In each and every interaction, they expect respect . from the very first to the last. Truly loving your people implies displaying compassion, understanding and humility.In order to compare to others, humility is about being self-aware and non-judging. And that's what we need to cultivate as individuals, for i concluded my perception i truly believe what NicteDeana.com that "Let's not lose hope in humanity, instead live help others ".

[gunpan48]

3m Safety And Security Reading Glasses

Signs And Symptoms Of Vision Issues

#toc background: #f9f9f9;border: 1px solid #aaa;display: table;margin-bottom: 1em;padding: 1em;width: 350px; .toctitle font-weight: 700;text-align: center;

Content

What Triggers Ocular Pain?

Searching For A Reduced Vision Aid To Eliminate Vision Loss? Take The Irisvision Test.

Common Eye Disorders.

What Is Glue For Glasses Frames.

Nose Pads Keep Glasses Comfortable.

What Causes Ocular Pain?

Forty I made use of a fluid called acetone, secure the break and melt the brake with an eye dropper I dealt with numerous pair, and now I wear wire frames.The declines of acetone thaws the break comparable to weilding. Try several of the quick setting JB Weld, The rapid type held some plastic that the old standby JB counldn't. I glued it from the within to permit the adhesive to permeate into the crack as well as fill the space up, worked flawlessly.

Glass adhesives are commonly solvent-free, UV and weather-resistant as well as have an extremely high resistance to mechanical stress. If you intend to use the silicone adhesive on a terrarium or fish tank, you need to make certain it appropriates. Sanitary silicone, in particular, commonly has an antifungal impact of preventing mold growth in the washroom. This is obviously a wonderful benefit when used in moist spaces, yet fungicides are damaging to animals and also water organisms.

After I was particular the glue was gone from the delicate white of my eyes, I extremely gingerly blinked. I was overjoyed when my eye resumed without sticking itself closed, and also discharge a deep sigh of alleviation. I would certainly managed to adhesive the light bulb owner back with each other, and additionally glue the tube to my fingers.

Looking For A Reduced Vision Help To Fight Vision Loss? Take The Irisvision Trial.

As the name implies, the Devcon 2-Ton epoxy is made for very sturdy use. It has great impact toughness, is non-shrinking, as well as keeps good clarity once it dries out. Other than being water resistant, it was also formulated to stand up to solvents, fuel, oil, mineral spirits, and anti-freeze.

Nevertheless, this is not your perfect epoxy if you remain in a hurry. The Devcon 2-Ton Epoxy has an exceptionally lengthy setting time of 20 mins, with complete treating just expected after about 12 hours. The E6000 was specifically formulated with craft-making in mind. In spite of its stamina, it preserves a good action of versatility when dry. It is clear and also is easily paintable, so it should not detract from the aesthetics of your crafts.

Art Bell once glued his lips virtually together obtaining the cap off with his teeth throughout a break. When he came back on after the break a humorous event occurred live to us radio audiences in the millions. Being a significant fan of Ghost Peppers, I've gotten powder or oil in my eyes more than a couple of times. Yet not so chilli pepper, which as soon as resulted in a blind rescue trip to medical facility as well as an eye spot for a number of weeks. I take place to keep my superglue in the shower room purposefully-- appropriate next to the plasters so that I can spot a cut from an airplane or a razor operating in the store.

What does OD mean after a doctors name?

An optometrist receives a doctor of optometry (OD) degree after completing four years of optometry school, preceded by three years or more years of college.

Robert's walking cane maintained falling over when he had to use his hands. Adding magnets made it easy for him to complete his everyday tasks without needing to fret about fetching his cane regularly. The numbers and also dials on cleaning makers, microwaves, ovens as well as various other appliances can be little as well as difficult to read. Throughout the years our neighborhood has actually made use of Sugru to make points extra visible and also also included tactile pens to assist individuals with damaged vision. It worked initially for initial two goes, after that the thin needle appicator came undone and also it had to be utilized as regular adhesive i.e. an opening as well as pressed glue out appeared in bigger blobs.

It's a pity that the secretary did not have some nail gloss cleaner handy. The non-irritant kind (n-Butyl cyanoacrylate) which is also authorized for usage on human beings, is rather pricey.

If adhesive continues to be after using warm soapy water, it will certainly usually de-bond within a number of days due to basic damage and also the all-natural oils in the skin. " Want to make fish pot, we have ten mm glass. Got good info with actions, thank you." " I am planning on crafting with glass marbles & half rounds & required information on just how to go about it. Thanks to all writers for producing a page that has been read 571,551 times. wikiHow is a "wiki," comparable to Wikipedia, which means that most of our short articles are co-written by several writers.

Repairing fragile valuables or cherished accessories can lead to additional damages as well as frustration if you do not have the right tools. Because of its numerous resistance to wetness, reduced temperature, and also different chemicals, the Loctite Professional adhesive makes sure resilient bonding with keep the optimum effectiveness. Exactly how old are the glasses you might be able to obtain them replaced if they aren't also old. I suggest utilizing a toothpick to use the combined epoxy to the glasses.

Once the components are adhered, leave them uninterrupted for a minimum of 10 mins. Repairing glass can be complicated, however it does not need to be. A couple of easy preventive actions can make the distinction. The most effective way to attain enduring results is to plan in advance.

I've utilized a small old drill little bit, and also tight galvanized cord. A drill little bit can repair the earpiece, as well as the cord can be formed around contours in the glass holding areas.

The epoxy retains its strength in severe hot and cold as well as can be utilized for acrylic, steel, glass, concrete, and ceramic. Eliminate any extra fragments or glass fragments obstructing a perfect seal. If you do discover spaces in between glass items, select a gap-filling adhesive such as Loctite Go2 Gel.

Common Eye Disorders.

Top-Specs embeds in the presence of wetness, so this can additionally make it most likely the eyelids become adhered to the eyeball too. I then proceeded to delicately wipe away solidified adhesive from my reduced eyelid as well as eyelashes.

What Is Glue For Glasses Frames.

I'm a jewelry maker and it doesn't stay with my pearls or crystals - as anticipated - as I use it for glueing knots on stretch string. I've stated, yes, permanently value, as it had not been also pricey for needle application adhesive - yet if only it worked effectively - maybe I had a dud one. I make my own sterling silver wire wrapped Sea Glass as well as Gemstones. This glue is amazingly solid and dries out clear which is excellent.

The worst little bit was what got under my eylid the unpleasant effect was quiet undesirable, took a trip to the doctor to have it cleaned out, fortunately no permenant damages. This certain little girl has offered me numerous terrific tales like securing the "Care construction zone" sign by running over it with her auto. She came home with the best front panel of her cars and truck in the trunk. Since then I've used hardware-store grade CA many lot of times to knit up little cuts, and also it's remarkable. Maintains them with each other for 3-4 days and afterwards just peels/ dismiss.

Once all was tranquil, I determined to begin my research study into just how negative that can have been. This implied a briny eye rinse was offered, and also I purged my eye repetitively without blinking.

What kind of glue do I use when covering bottles with thread? I've tried wood adhesive, however it's not offering me what I want.

The lines of type get smaller as you relocate down the chart.

Your near vision additionally might be checked, using a card with letters similar to the far-off eye graph.

During a refraction analysis, your doctor asks you to check out a masklike gadget that contains wheels with various lenses having different toughness to aid determine which combination provides you the sharpest vision.

Your doctor asks you to determine different letters of the alphabet printed on a chart or a screen placed some distance away.

Most individuals will not experience unfavorable results from a short program of unnecessary anti-biotics, Stein states, however there are threats.

Start with a clean, dry surface area that is free of oil, wax, paint, or any kind of sort of soapy deposit. Any excess material, even fingerprints, may stop a solid bond. Taking care of smooth surfaces and sharp edges can be irritating. Gluing that damaged rear-view mirror or cracked wineglass back with each other can be harder than it first seems.

What is eye doctor called?

An ophthalmologist — Eye M.D. — is a medical or osteopathic doctor who specializes in eye and vision care. Ophthalmologists differ from optometrists and opticians in their levels of training and in what they can diagnose and treat.

After that some years after, I saw just how a mom used the very same adhesive in the temple of his very own youngster that obtained a bleeding scrape. Instantly the kid quit blood loss and afterwards some ice was applied to avoid swelling, however later the child was allright runing everywhere again. some days later I reached see the kid once again and he hadn't got even a tiny mark of the swelling. This mom told me the exact same, the adhesive will certainly left the body in a number of days.

To produce this article, 20 individuals, some confidential, functioned to edit as well as boost it gradually. Operate in a well-ventilated area if you are making use of an adhesive that creates hazardous fumes. Some silicone adhesives come in a cyndrical tube with a plunger at one end as well as a nozzle at the various other.

We kept it wet to quit it from setting but however that did not function. It at some point came off with a combination of cutting his eyelashes, using a hot flannel compress and also selecting away at the glue. That was a really undesirable minute, however I was lucky and also just ended up with a cornea abscess and no vision loss.

These can be put into a "silicone weapon" for higher control over application. If you want to include mod-podge rather, that will certainly make it clear as well as shiny. Make use of some of the truly little bottles of industrial-strength glue. Be extremely cautious not to jump on your fingers in the process.

What are the different types of eye doctors?

Eye Doctors - Eye Doctors: Optometrists and Ophthalmologists There are two main types of eye doctors: ophthalmologists and optometrists. Confused about which is which and who does what? Here's a look at how they're different.

Nose Pads Keep Glasses Comfortable.

Complying with that, I'll share some basic tips for when you locate on your own in a sticky scenario. # 7 Take the glass out of the frame and make use of the glass cleaner and the towel to brighten up your mosaic. # 6 As soon as all your tiles have actually been carefully glued in position make certain to leave the mosaic over night to make sure that your adhesive can entirely cure. # 5 Once you more than happy with exactly how your mosaic looks not stuck down, you are ready to begin sticking points into place. You might require to take off a few pieces at once to make sure that as you push the floor tile into location the displaced glue does not half stick an additional floor tile down.

I don't really maintain eye drops accessible, to make sure that confusion is unlikely, but I might certainly see another person encountering that complication. I could begin buying the bright orange containers of superglue simply to be on the risk-free side ... I was residing in an unpleasant shared level where somebody leaving superglue in the bathroom wasn't that out of the ordinary.

The lengthy slim applicator tube is additionally great for getting the adhesive right into little limited areas. I would thoroughly suggest this for any type of fragile glueing. You'll see an approximated delivery date - opens in a new home window or tab based on the vendor's send off time and also delivery service. Delivery times may differ, especially throughout peak periods as well as will certainly depend upon when your settlement removes - opens in a brand-new window or tab. Rinse your fingers immediately with a lot of cozy soapy water and do not draw on the skin that has been glued.

Spray with a sealer to guarantee resilience and also water resistance. As soon as the very first layer has actually dried out, adding a small amount of adhesive to a location will certainly make it wet as well as tacky, preventing your designs from slipping.Wait an additional 5-10 minutes for this to take effect. For large level pieces of glass, repair them in position with a glass clamp or an additional clamp specialized for holding delicate things. Ensure the busted surfaces are straightened and hold in place for a minimum of one min. You will certainly utilize the wire to reinforce the location on both sides of the break.

Take care using any adhesive for seals revealed to extreme temperatures (over 180 ° F/82 ° C). E6000 Craft Adhesive can survive at any kind of temperature because of its commercial toughness top quality, which can provide you a maximum bonding efficiency. Cyanoacrylate "Super Glue" is the functional adhesive offered by Glue Masters.

If you desire, you can put a tablet computer or print out of a picture below to assist you draw out your lines. The dry eliminate pen can be easily abraded if you make any type of errors. When dealing with sharp-edged glass, there is, certainly, a danger of injury. Protect your fingers from sharp sides by masking them with a layer of clinical tape. In this way, you can maintain your haptic capacities without revealing your skin to unsafe fragments.

no matter what item you utilize, put covering up tape on your lens to shield it from any adhesive mishaps. These are a bit harder to make use of but they do give the best bond. Obtain the mixing taste buds and the little spatula as well as continue to blend equivalent parts of the tubes. It placed my mind secure when my child's eye crash obtained glued with each other. He was having a head wound glued up by an Emergency situation Doctor and some glue glided down into his eye.

How can I restore my eyesight to 20 20?

Keep reading to learn other ways you can improve your vision. 1. Get enough key vitamins and minerals. 2. Top-Specs forget the carotenoids. 3. Stay fit. 4. Manage chronic conditions. 5. Wear protective eyewear. 6. That includes sunglasses. 7. Follow the 20-20-20 rule. 8. Quit smoking. More items•

This can be performed with tidy water or a proper clinical solution, such as saline made use of by call lens users. Using anything to liquify the adhesive is an outright no-no. This will just offer to boost the possibility of gluing your eyes closed as the eyelids collaborated.

Hackaday presently appears like a pack of cigarettes in an international nation. You recognize, the ones that plaster images of malignant body organs and rotting faces on tobacco items to encourage individuals to quit.

This was quite standard procedure, so I wasn't specifically worried. However, as my figures drew devoid of television, the nozzle flipped a fat bead of glue straight in the direction of my face, touchdown in the corner of my eye.

From the outside with or without the light on you can not see the fracture anymore as well as it has held for about 4 months to date. Great for sticking little glass products; not so reliable on larger breaks. Moisten the glue tarnish with cozy water, after that carefully rub toothpaste over the discolor with a fabric.

I obtained the top of my ear cut while obtaining a haircut (blood all over!) and also went to the ER and they glued it back along with medical-grade CA. They could not have sewed anything so fine, and also it worked perfectly. One of the initial functions for CA adhesive was to close gunshot wounds during the Vietnam Battle. My doctor superglued my fingertip together after I inadvertently touched a running bandsaw.

[tonotbelionized]

The Mentality of Adam Taurus

Note: Before I start on this post, I would just like to say this point. This is not a post that excuses or tries to downplay Adam’s behaviour and abuse of Blake, as well as his actions against the people around him. I simply wanted to write what was going on in his mind and delve deeper into this psychology with help of someone who actually has a degree in it!

Adam Taurus is most certainly a hated character in the FNDM and the show, and for good reason. He’s manipulative, violent, and abusive terrorist and wishes genocide and subjugation on innocent people. His actions have severe effects not only on his main victim, Blake, but Yang Xiao Long, the cutting off her arm by him leaving her with PTSD and exhaustion from her trauma.

But how exactly did he end up to be this person? 

It’s very much the argument of not only nature vs nurture but also how underlying mental issues can impact on someone through the years. We’ll see through Adam’s history and see how the events of the past have had an affect not only on Adam, but the cycle of abuse in relation to his character.

Adam’s Childhood in the SDC

Adam’s childhood has never been shown or explored in canon material, so much so that we don’t know at what age he was branded, escaped or even joined the White Fang, but we at least have some idea from what we’ve seen in RWBY and in other materials. 

From his theme song; Lionized, and what Blake had given about the treatment of the Faunus under the SDC, we can safely assume that Adam’s childhood in the dust mines was not that of a normal childhood. His own parents were never mentioned, whether they were there at all or dead is unknown, but that would leave Adam in a very poor situation; no positive role models and people to teach him important lessons. 

A child needs positive role models in their life because it’s through the people around them that the child learns not only how to act when around other people, but also how to behave in society as a whole. If that role model is not a positive influence, or even there at all, then the child is left either learning that toxic behaviours are okay or having to learn lessons themselves. This just increases the risk of the child learning the wrong lessons, but also has them landing hard when they failure without the adult there to cushion the consequences of the child messing up.

In the working environment of the SDC, Adam was probably raised in an environment that is extremely damaging to a child. His primary source of socialization, a role that is given to parents and siblings in a family dynamic, is not there in Adam’s case because all the workers are on the same level with the superiors of the company above them in a position of power that is canonically abused. This would leave Adam alone with no one around him to teach him like a parent would, and so he has had to stumble around while growing up in a home where someone would be abused severely if they did something wrong.

This culminates in his branding. The reasons behind his branding are unknown, but he has said that people have hurt him before, in all different ways, so it’s likely that this branding was done specifically to hurt Adam. This is an incredibly painful lesson for a minor to learn, and because of this isolation that Adam suffered from previously is never resolved, he would have had to deal with this traumatic experience alone. Eventually, it was just buried and never properly dealt with in a healthy way to allow Adam to move on from it.

This isolation stemmed from his childhood explains his behaviour later on in life. Adam had no one to rely on, he had no concrete role models to learn from or to be taught important lessons as he grew up, and this meant that when he eventually found someone that he loved, Blake, he treated the relationship in a toxic and abusive way. 

First Years in the White Fang

Adam had been in the White Fang for longer enough that he saw Ghira in charge, before he stepped down five years before the start of the series. Most of his years during this time is shown in his character short just before Volume 6′s release,and it’s where we’ll be looking at most for this part of the topic.

It’s unknown how old Adam was when he joined the White Fang, but he had already been branded by the time he did so. All throughout the short, we are shown how he changes over the years with his mental state and past trauma affecting him, as well as the events that happen to him. With the White Fang, Adam is finally in a group where he’s on equal ground with everyone except Ghira and Sienna, who are both in a position of power over the rest of White Fang members.

His sense of identity had been brought down from his time in the SDC as a worker, especially with his dehumanization because of his Faunus heritage, and it’s a problem in the White Fang that continues. He isn’t now seen as his own person, but rather a part of an overall group, and both Sienna and Ghira actually don’t seem to care enough to change this fact. In fact, both their behaviour would likely confused Adam even more just because of how contradictory they are.

This isn’t to say that they are at fault for Adam becoming a monster. His actions are his own, but I found it interesting on the effect it would have on him with how both leaders treated him. All of Ghira’s shown interactions with Adam have been negative reinforcement, and it comes at a time where we see that Adam actually isn’t as violent as he would be later on in his life. He handled all the humans attacking the Faunus group in an effective non-life threatening way, the only life he takes comes when he had no other choice, and he would believe that it’s the only way he can protect Ghira.

So when Ghira chastises him for doing so, Adam’s body language shows that he’s actually ashamed of what he did. His head is hung low, his shoulders are down and he doesn’t look up at Ghira. I noticed while watching that Ghira doesn’t actually explain why Adam’s actions were wrong in a way that Adam would take in, he’s more angry and scolding rather than calmly explaining. Going off what we said about Adam not having someone in his early life teaching him right from wrong and explaining why he couldn’t do certain things, it shows just why Adam doesn’t seem to take the advice to heart after that. 

I’m not saying that it’s Ghira’s responsibility to teach Adam because of his age and the fact that he isn’t Ghira’s son, but I am saying that this behaviour does have an effect on Adam nonetheless. If Ghira doesn’t explain something in a constructive way, how is Adam supposed to learn a lesson that he’s never been taught?

All of a sudden, Sienna’s positive reinforcement completely contradicts what Ghira is saying. All of a sudden what Adam did was right rather than wrong, and he is clearly surprised that people who previously did nothing when Ghira told him off were cheering what Adam did. He would definitely stick to any positive interaction he can get, and that’s why he goes to Sienna over Ghira. Both of these would no doubt confuse him even more because they both validate and invalidate his actions at the same time, and without the emotional maturity that he should have at that age,

I’d also like to add that his mask also adds to the dehumanization Adam feels, and it’s telling that he continues to wear it even when he’s in the White Fang, a place he’s supposedly among allies and fellow Faunus. Him pushing other Faunus to wear them could be Adam pushing his own dehumanization onto others, as well as the obvious implication that he’s ashamed of his scar. 

Egotistical and Egocentric

There are plenty of characters that I would call egotistical, most of all Jacques, but I do have to explain the differences in which egotistical and egocentric are used and how it applies to Adam.

Egotistical is a person who is excessively conceited or obsessed with themselves. It’s basically someone who thinks of themselves in high regard.

Egocentric is a person who thinks more of themselves in terms of their problems, showing an inability to take into other peoples’ accounts. 

Because of this, egotistical is more self-importance while egocentric is more isolationist, and I would use the term egocentric to describe Adam as opposed to egotistical. His whole problem is what Blake told Sun in Volume 5, that Adam had been so hurt in the past that he can no longer see past that trauma and would instead hurt the world in the exact same way. He’s grown spiteful and believes that his problems are the only ones that matter, and that everyone else who’ve suffered are weak and pathetic.

Adding onto that, the term egocentric is also applied to the period in a child’s life, usually between the ages of 2 - 7, where they have a very black and white view of the world in which they’re the only one that matters. Reading into Adam’s behaviour and words later in his life, and I can pretty safely say that he’s never been raised out of that part of his life because of his situation. This stage going into the White Fang where he’s now being praised for his actions doesn’t push Adam to grow out of it, and we’re now left with a man who reacts violently when people challenge those same decisions.

If we start looking at his actions with these points in mind, then it makes his character and mindset much more interesting.

Foil to Yang & Their Relationship to Blake

Adam serves as a foil to multiple people in RWBY; Sun Wukong, Ilia Amitola, and Yang Xiao Long. Because of the other two either not having a deep enough backstory form to compare, or being a less major character story wise, I will be focusing solely on the foil between Adam and Yang. 

Yang was very much raised in a normal household with Summer Rose and Taiyang, but even then it wasn’t completely happy after Summer’s disappearance and Taiyang’s depression. Despite this rough part of her life, Yang was still raised with a deeply mature outlook on life despite her seemingly carefree nature, she is deeply empathetic and is even the voice of reason during her time in Beacon. She understood that Ruby needed other people to bring her out of her shell, and was willing to given Blake a chance to explain after her revelation over being a Faunus. It’s clearly obvious that Taiyang, and Summer in her early years, had managed to raise Yang past that stage that Adam has been stuck in.

On the other hand, Adam didn’t have that same security in a family and was raised in a strictly abusive environment. This would have the effect on him not only knowing what healthy relationships looked like and believe that what was done to him is the right thing to do, but also meaning that Adam lacked that same maturity and empathy that Yang herself possesses. He’s unable to comprehend people who don’t think the same way that he does, and because of that he simply believes that their wrong in thinking that way.

It’s most apparent in his interaction with Blake during the fall of Beacon:

Blake: I never wanted this! I wanted equality! I wanted peace! Adam: What you wanted was impossible!

He can’t understand why Blake would want equality or peace with the humans, because that’s not what he wanted. In his mind, because her beliefs contradicted his own, that meant that Blake was wrong in thinking so and that what she wanted could never be achieved.

This difference in their raising continues on to how they both handle their similar fears; the fact that they don’t want to be left alone, and how this fear had then affected their relationship with Blake. Adam and Blake’s relationship was not only incredibly toxic and damaging for Blake, but only served as something that Adam could use to chain the one person he cared about to himself. His idea of love is emotional manipulation and gaslighting, and when the person of his affections acts out, he quickly shuts it down with shouting or physical violence, because that’s what’s been done to him when he did the same thing, and he had never learnt that behaving this way is not healthy.

That fear of being alone is in direct connection to the fact that when Adam had been severely traumatised, he was left to deal with the consequences alone. The thought that Blake would leave him in that situation would push him to do whatever he could to keep her with him, and when she ultimately left him, he couldn’t handle that isolation again and instead turned it to anger because he thought it was Blake’s fault for leaving, that it was her fault for not behaving or loving him enough. It’s very similar to Yang’s idea that everyone ultimately leaves them in the end, but it’s how they deal with this fear is what sets them apart so much.

Unlike Yang, Adam never got over this fear.

Yang herself had been shaped so much by people leaving her behind that she has severe abandonment issues, that like Adam she took Blake leaving her negatively because of this past trauma. However, unlike Adam’s reasonings being that it’s all Blake’s fault for leaving, Yang was only angry at Blake because she wasn’t told why she left, just like she never knew why her biological mother left either. Yang never thought that she had the right for Blake to stay, whereas Adam did.

Even with her abandonment issues, Yang is clearly miles better mentally than Adam even after her dismemberment and developing PTSD. She has never took out her frustrations on anyone around her, rather internalizing the problems and going on to help others, and even when she snaps at Weiss and Ruby in Volume 5, she’s clearly remorseful and goes to remove herself from the situation. 

Adam does not know how to deal with fear, frustration or anger in a healthy way like Yang does, and because of this he instead takes it out on people in the way that it had been taken out on him, because that’s all he knows. He shows in knowledge in when he’s overstepped a boundary, and when he does, Adam shows no remorse in his actions. Even when he rarely apologizes for his behaviour, such as in his short, he does so in a way that the attention is brought back to him and his own problems in that egocentric manner. 

I find it interesting in how they handle their decline in mental health. Whereas Adam keeps going down in this downward spiral, ultimately ending up in this place of isolation just like he was in the beginning, Yang ultimately pushed herself to recover and surrounded herself with her friends and family. She ends up in a better place with companionship to offset Adam’s isolation, and it’s this distinction that separates their relationship to Blake.

Adam’s relationship with her is now completely destroyed, and it ends with Blake finally killing Adam in self defense. Yang’s relationship with her is restored, and they both can start to recover after the trauma they both have suffered.

The Cycle of Abuse 

Adam’s not the only character to portray this subject in RWBY, especially when Salem was given an entire episode where we saw what she went through and why she developed into this villain, but he was the first abuser to appear in the show with his debut in the Black Trailer. 

Ultimately, he embodies the very real idea that a person who had been abused and hurt in the past is at risk of becoming that same abuser to another victim later on down the road. His branding and childhood in the SDC wasn’t an excuse for him to become the monster he did, but they did explain why his mind state had decayed to the point that we saw in the show. 

I know that some people actually don’t really like his writing, and I will admit that at first I particularly didn’t, but after going through this post, I feel that at least his actions aren’t completely random or one-dimensional now. To me at least, they make sense given what he’s been through, and I believe that this is what makes him at least a competent villain in the writing sense even if some of his writing still doesn’t appeal to me. 

That’s all I really have to say about this character. I likely have missed something in my jumbled notes, but honestly this is the basic jist of what I wanted to get across. Please, don’t take any of this as myself saying that everyone except Adam is responsible for his behaviour, because ultimately it was Adam’s decision to do all the things he did. I’m only offering explanations, never excuses.

Either way, thanks for reading this!

[aurltas]

here, then, begins the mending

tags: Jasmine/Lief (Deltora Quest), lots of good ol communication and reassurance hahaha, Love Confessions, Hurt/Comfort, but trust me less hurt more comfort !!, ugh i love them THE OG OTP!!!!, Fluff 

summary: Perhaps some things are better done than said; others, in turn, are better said than done. Together, they learn to speak through both. 

IT’S HERE!! the fic i spent 2 years working on!! ..............and then it only turned out to be around 5k l m a o

in other words, jaslief FINALLY talks it out! aka the jaslief confession i’ve been dying for my entire life, enjoy my screaming! AKA aka several thousand words of Them Being R e a l Awkward because you BET they gonna drag this thing on as long as possible..... buckle up! it’s essentially a 5k mini slow burn bc They Communicate!! A Lot!! Albeit Very Awkwardly!! you’re all so welcome

(also available here on ao3 if that butters ur eggroll more)

The gardens are a temporary escape from the stifling regalities of the palace, and that is precisely what makes Lief worry.

He did keep his promise: so many wings and spires of the Del palace had been left in horrific neglect over the years of the Shadow Lord’s tyranny, and now they are reborn from the soil as a dazzling array of flora and fauna. It is a breath of the neighboring woods into the city, a long-overdue nod towards the Forests that stand so silent in their shared territory. If he is to be honest, Lief himself is quite proud of it.

But —

Jasmine should be here, he thinks anxiously as he gently pushes the garden gate open. She would.

Carefully, Lief shuts the gate behind himself before turning to the dew-green garden: itself huge, yet tiny. A vast beginning, plants only starting to push their way up towards the skies; an orderly chaos of buds and shoots. Truly the spirit of the newly revived land.

The one exception is the tiny neat grove of gnarled underground-grown trees. Gifts from the Raladin, these twisted lovely things are Lief’s personal favorites — testaments to the darkness they have all endured, yet striving for the sunlight still, and thriving in spite of it all. A mirror in more ways than one. The grove suggests escape more than any other area in the garden, tucked away at the farthest edge from the palace with breathtaking views of the Del and the Forests alike. And the trees themselves — Lief found it so easy to stroll beneath their writhing, steady branches whenever he needed an escape from the mundanities of rulership, because they understood him, wordlessly and without question, in a way no human could.

Well, save for...

Lief pauses beneath the grove’s edge and looks up, squinting against the brightness of the late afternoon sun.

“Jasmine?” he calls out.

“I am here,” comes her faint answer, from somewhere above. As he had expected. Leaves rustle from that same direction, as though to emphasize her words; it is more than likely that Filli, or Kree, or both, are among the leaves as well.

Lief smiles despite himself.

He cranes his neck, straining to catch a glimpse of a shadow perched among the greenery. The moment he does, Lief walks over to the chosen tree and presses his palm to the roiling bark, smiling again at the memories it brings: the steadiness of his companions beside him, the openness of the roads and skies. A chapter in the past, painted for once in shades of green-dappled gold.

Lief reaches up with that hand and begins scaling the tree slowly.

“So hindered by a common tree, King Lief?” Jasmine laughs, closer now. He finally reaches her perch and grins wryly in reply, settling himself between her spot on the branch and the trunk, relishing the free swing of his legs. “I merely value my life, O most revered master of tree-climbing,” he says, grinning, drawing his cloak closer against a wind previously unfelt from the ground. The sky seems to glow from here, he notices distantly. “Are you to tell me that I should throw my hard-earned breath away? After all those long, perilous journeys — through dangers so much worse than those offered by a mere garden tree?”

Jasmine laughs again and hits his arm, not lightly. “No, what I am telling you, O most revered king of our land, is that even after all my remarkably thorough instruction in the art of tree climbing you are still about as skilled as the Wennbar at it!”

Though he laughs just as heartily as Jasmine does at this, the quip makes him remember: that the Forests are Jasmine’s home first and foremost, have been and always will be.

(And the palace decidedly is not.)

The smile slips from his face, and he also remembers: there was a reason he had come, and sought out Jasmine.

And again I am hoping against hope, Lief thinks wearily. As ever.

“Lief?” Jasmine asks, caution treading her voice. He meets her eyes, and instantly his heart aches to see the unmasked concern there. “Is there something on your mind?”

How well we see through each other, he thinks, half bitterness, half warmth. How well we understand one another.

“There is,” Lief says quietly. He looks back towards the palace towers. “And it is something... that I must speak to you about, and you alone.”

Jasmine is watching him closely, and the weight of her anxious scrutiny is enough to make him want to escape the gardens and retreat into the tower he is so fixated upon. He tries to breathe, to calm his traitor heart.

She waits. Then, “Well?”

“I wanted to ask you about the Forests. And this garden, and the palace,” Lief says in a rush, desperately avoiding her gaze. “Is this— Is this enough? Is life in the palace enough for you, Jasmine? Tell me the truth. Please.”

He almost says, Is life in this prison, somehow enough? If it is with me?

“Enough?” she repeats, bewildered. “‘Enough,’ Lief? What do you mean by that?”

“Compared to the Forests,” he says faintly, and for the first time fear enters his voice in a clamoring haze. “Is this, being in the palace and the garden and surrounded by the trivialities of royal affairs... Is this place, Del— Does this life give you enough freedom? As the Forests clearly do?”

Jasmine stares at him, wide-eyed. Lief stares back, and silence seeps into the space between them as fear’s claws strangle at his throat.

“Lief,” Jasmine sighs at last, closing her eyes briefly, “Lief. You think too much, I think.”

“That is not an answer, Jasmine,” he whispers.

“It is not,” she agrees. “It is not, but it should tell you what you need to hear.”

Lief tears his eyes away from the towers — those prisons that could, could one day be prisons no longer — and meets Jasmine’s gaze.

“And what is it that you think I need to hear?”

(He does not dare breathe: he fears it might make him miss her answer.)

“That I will stay,” Jasmine replies, a rueful smile flickering across her face. “That I will not leave the Forests and leave you here — here, alone. ...That is what you were thinking, am I right?”

At Jasmine’s amused expression, Lief smiles bashfully and inclines his head in her direction. “You are. But...” He falls silent, eyes straying towards the palace turrets once more.

Jasmine senses his hesitation and sighs, but not impatiently. “But what, Lief?”

“But you never told me why.”

At this she smiles again, broader this time, and looks from Lief to the palace at which he gazes. “Is it wrong— No, is it intrusive of me to ask?” Lief says cautiously, the frost of the question treading through his very heartbeat.

He hears Jasmine breathe in. Then:

“By all rights, yes.”

Lief’s breath shudders to a halt.

“But.”

He remembers to breathe: he does.

“But. I also think... we need to overcome this fear too.”

Lief blinks, risking a glance at Jasmine’s face; its forced blankness holds no answers. “Fear?”

“I think we have circled around this question far too long,” she says. She does not move when Lief turns his head away completely from the palace to face her.

“Question?” he repeats numbly.

“This is exactly what I mean,” Jasmine says, smiling again. “No wonder Doom laughs at me so often.”

“Jasmine,” Lief pleads, mentally setting aside a few questions for the Resistance leader. “Tell me, what question have we circled around?”

At this Jasmine’s expression falls once more, and finally she faces him. “One thing first,” she says.

“What can it possibly be?” Lief asks, exasperated.

“Swear you will not tell anyone what I say next,” Jasmine says. “Not Barda, not Sharn, no one.”

Lief stares at her, lost for words. “Why would I...?”

“Marilen has been driving me mad with this, and she insisted,” Jasmine mutters instead, a complete non-answer. She looks down briefly, taking a breath before meeting Lief’s eyes once more. “And I thought it would be an — interesting endeavor, but quite frankly —”

“Jasmine, please!”

“Very well very well, you seem to be asking for it anyway,” Jasmine snaps good-humoredly, but her voice wavers.

“Lief.” She glances away, back. Away, again; feigning indifference as ever. But —

“...What exactly are we?”

For a moment Lief thinks the words are conjured by the wind that rises suddenly, carried from some other, unrelated conversation to the madness of theirs. For a moment he stills and mulls over the words, his mind a storm. For a moment he wonders what answer Jasmine wants to hear, and what answer he wants to give.

(And for a moment he trembles at the answer he longs to be true.)

“Is this what Marilen torments you with?” he finally says, faintly. Jasmine gives him a pointed look, but color rises to her face. “Either way,” she says stubbornly, “it is the answer to the question you keep asking me. Why I want to stay.”

Lief stares blankly at her, the words completely flying over his head. “You are saying — you want to stay because... because of what ‘we’ are? But — we are...”

And there he cuts himself off, because he does not know.

“Lief,” Jasmine repeats. She reaches out and grasps his wrist firmly. “You of all people should know that I am... not exactly well versed in the mess of — well, feelings, and... and understanding that of others, and between people, and. Well.” She breathes in, the air shuddering through her in a different breed of cold.

(He is overwhelmed, suddenly, by the urge to throw his cloak over the two of them and press close to banish these wintry demons in her heart in a way that would leave no room for doubt, all his own fear be damned; but he resists, he resists, because Lief of Del is a coward.)

“I have my reasons for wanting to remain, and I know this. But I want to know why you even want me to stay, when I am — when I am nothing but a lost wild girl who is closer to the trees and the birds more than other humans, and has no place at all in a palace of royalty and nobility and I... want to know if the reason you want me to stay is the same reason I want to stay, and if I do somehow — if I will even be worth the space I take and the air I breathe staying here, where I do not belong and where I am worth little more than nothing!”

Something cracks and splinters inside Lief: everything shattering, and scattering, and ready to be blown away at a moment’s gale. Something is broken; something is utterly, utterly wrong.

(Something is in desperate need of mending.)

Her words, like the weighty pestilence that they are, seem to hang hazily in the air. But now that they have been delivered from her body, Jasmine is left limp and shivering in the rising evening wind. Her head hangs now, facing the roots of the twisted garden tree, and something about the way her eyes are lowered is all so terribly wrong to Lief.

Belatedly, she loosens her grip on his wrist and starts to withdraw her hand. Lief catches it; she looks up, and her eyes, her eyes — Lief’s heart cries out at the wrongness of it all.

“Jasmine,” he breathes, and at her name she closes her eyes and lets out a choked breath that sounds closer to a muffled sob. He pulls the hand he holds closer to him, wrapping it with both his own. “Jasmine, Jasmine, Jasmine, please — look at me, please, listen to me,” Lief whispers. He watches, anxious and intent, as her eyes open and turn upwards to the darkening skies, rapidly blinking away what Lief knows are tears (and how it pains him to see her drowning so) before shakily meeting his gaze.

(Here, then, begins the mending.)

Lief glances down at their hands and gives in.

Cautiously, he drags himself closer to Jasmine and releases her hand to undo his cloak, adjusting it so that it wraps around both of them. Lief sighs, deeply, a slow and steeling thing: then he takes up her hand again and squeezes it softly, his eyes caught on the press of his own fingers against hers.

(And he hesitates. How to mend something he’d been so sure would never crack?)

Carefully, he looks up to meet Jasmine’s wavering gaze.

“Jasmine,” he says quietly, “Are you sure you are in your right mind?”

That old incredulous expression of outrage Lief is so familiar with flares up again, as scathing and dismissive as always — and he smiles. This is Jasmine.

“Excuse me?” she demands.

“You seem to have forgotten,” Lief adds, “that I... told you, not too long ago, when we were in the Shadowlands, that — that I, too, will marry for love. And that I think my queen is a worthy one for Deltora, as well.”

Jasmine stares at him, wordless. Lief forces his gaze away from the way pink has spread over her cheeks, a mirror to her lips, now slightly parted; he breathes in, willing the chill of the air to fill him with determination to finally overcome this shaking fear that so shackles his heart.

“And so I... well, I asked you. If you were willing. And you seemed to say yes, and so — that is why I want you to stay, Jasmine. At my side. Because you, well...”

(The sun is approaching the horizon, and the palace burns gold.)

Lief realizes he is clutching Jasmine’s hand, tight, and he loosens his grip hastily; but to his immense relief, and even greater surprise, Jasmine mimics his earlier action and squeezes his hand.

Lief looks back at her, his turn to be rendered wordless. At his stunned expression, the corner of Jasmine’s mouth lifts ever so slightly —  a tiny small thing, but she is smiling.

(His chest aches. He wonders, half-distantly, how warm, how soft it would feel it against his own —)

He cuts that thought short. No; now is for Jasmine.

“Jasmine. You are... worth so much more than what you said, earlier,” he starts quietly. “There is no one in this entire land that I would rather have traveled with, and defeated the Shadow Lord with, and learned the ways of the Forests with, than you. Because we never would have made it beyond the very beginning without you, or lived to this day without you, and, and— Jasmine, it doesn’t matter whether or not you are of royal blood, or — or unfamiliar with the ways of people, because you can always learn, because you are the reason we still stand today, and stand here. It is you, and...”

Lief breathes in, breathes out. The cold of the air, the touch of the diamond against his skin: these he tries to bring to the forefront of his mind, rather than the burning he feels on his face and the familiar callouses he can feel on Jasmine’s fingers and the overwhelming urge he has to press them to his mouth. He fears, and fears, and hopes. 

Jasmine watches, fixed, silent.

Waiting.

“You are... irreplaceable, Jasmine. To Deltora, and — and to my heart. And so that was why I asked you to stay, and, ah, as for what we are, well...” Lief smiles slightly, bright and careful, the heat in his cheeks heightening impossibly further. “I hope that we are — more than mere companions who went on a quest and survived, and more than friends who seek each other’s company day after day. And so... I think —”

Jasmine starts laughing.

Lief can only stare as she almost tips into him, watches in embarrassed horror as she doubles over, the hand still held in his loosening for the moment. It is only thanks to years of experience that she remains on the branch, and not below it.

“Lief,” she finally wheezes, “look at you! No, no no no, look at us. No wonder we are the joke of all the palace servants, and Marilen never stops her pestering, and Ranesh gives me those looks, and — and Doom my own father for Adin’s sake keeps asking if we are still sane, ahhh —” She finally controls her laughter enough to sit up and inhale deeply, an attempt to return to normal breathing. 

Half bemused, half relieved, Lief readjusts the cloak for the sake of having something to do. He does not know if he can trust himself to speak words that make sense.

Eventually, Jasmine calms herself and sighs, long and deep. She looks Lief in the eyes, and the mirth lingering there paints the green a gentler cousin of their usual fiery sharpness. “Lief, you words are— I mean, what you said then...”

And here she bites her lip, struggling, worrying over her words: fearing, as ever, that she would say the wrong thing, or sound as such. Lief sees, and the wrongness pummels him again. He tightens his hold on her hand, wills her to summon that strength he knows she holds — to mend herself, to accept his lended strength.

Jasmine breathes in; accepts. And she smiles.

It softens Lief’s eyes.

“Your words — they mean a great deal to me,” she murmurs at last. “But Lief, it is me you are speaking to. Me. I have —” She shakes her head, her voice gaining strength. “I have seen you in every form you may take, for better or for worse. Do you think I will mock you or, or insult you or hurt you for something you want to say from your heart?”

Her smile widens before she schools it into solemn fondness and says:

“Tell me what you keep dancing around, Lief!”

Lief stares at her in astonishment, and amazement and wonder, marveling at the miracle of this incredible soul he so admires, and treasures, and —

She deserves to know.

“I ask you to stay,” Lief says delicately, firmly, his heart trembling at the possibility of it all, hoping, hoping, “I ask you to stay, because I am terrified of losing you. And that is because — because —” he breathes in: cold, steeling — “because I love you.”

He glances away — hoping, fearing, hoping — and glances back.

(He remembers to breathe.)

Jasmine is watching him carefully, through eyes wide and shining with something as namelessly bright as the surging wild joy that flares to Lief’s chest. Slowly a smile creeps across her face and helplessly he mirrors it, laughing, soft and embarrassed. Dimly he realizes he is clutching her fingers more tightly than ever; abashedly he loosens it, and it startles a choked laugh out of him when Jasmine’s immediate response is to pull it back to her and tug, using the leverage to press close. She laughs too, briefly dipping her face into his shoulder to hide her face before lifting it again to watch him.

(He hopes, he hopes —)

“I am afraid,” Jasmine murmurs, still smiling, “that I am not as... good, or — articulate, with words than — than with, well...” Her voice trails off and she lifts a shoulder in a halfhearted shrug, a trace of that old mock carelessness that, to Lief, speaks volumes more to her own nervousness than anything else.

But the smile stays on her face. “I take it you trust me?”

“With my life,” Lief replies instantly, and grins like a fool when she rolls her eyes despite the flush that rises in her cheeks.

Carefully she lifts their joined hands to rest by her sternum, over her heart; that smile still lingers on her features, now hesitant, and her eyes cast downwards to their hands. At the sight an ache begins in Lief’s chest, deep and whirling, seeping through his limbs like rain. He watches, and feels, and aches, and is silent. He feels content to watch the world turn. He feels as though this is as close to bliss as he will ever get. 

He feels the tripping pulse of Jasmine’s heart through his palm, the rise and fall of her uneven breaths, the hesitant softness in her eyes as soon as they lift to meet his.

Jasmine’s eyes flit down to their hands and back up to him. Wordlessly she leans their foreheads together, and Lief watches in his own trembling silence as her eyes flutter shut and her breaths mingle with his. He follows her and closes his eyes too, just breathing, feeling and feeling and feeling, her heartbeat still galloping beneath his hand, a rhythm to match his own.

(Lief hopes: this is on the path to mending the broken.)

“I will — stay,” Jasmine whispers haltingly, and Lief can feel her shaking everywhere. “And your words. What you said earlier. I just... I never thought I would be. Enough. For anything, for the kingdom, for — well.” She huffs, disbelieving still, after all this time. “For you.”

“I will say it,” Lief replies quietly, “as many times as you need to hear it, to believe it.” Lief opens his eyes and lifts his other hand up to tuck that wild hair back behind her ear against the wind, searches her face. She is too close; he can make nothing out, so he says, “Tell me again? ...Will you stay?”

Jasmine lets out a tiny understated laugh, leans closer. He can feel the petal touch of her exhales against his mouth; there is nothing in the world but the two of them. “I will stay, Lief. As long as you... For as long as you want.”

Her voice falls so, so warm on Lief’s lips.

“Jasmine,” he says, and it comes out far more strained than he intends, but he doesn’t care to be embarrassed, not now, not with her, not when this is more important than anything. He pulls back a breath to tilt his head ever so slightly, a silent question, hovering. “Jasmine, can I— Is this —” Is this also what you want?

“Wait, Lief,” she says suddenly, and he stops breathing. “Wait. Before we... Let me say something.”

Lief breathes again. He pulls back a bit, and he waits, as she asked; because he would tear down the stars if she so desired, and because there is a breathlessness in her voice that wrenches his attention away from everything else. Her face is so red; he knows he is no better. 

Jasmine swallows before she meets his eyes again, and it is all Lief can do to stare back, captivated by the way her fluster worries her mouth. She lets out a breath, a small muted thing, before adding just as quietly: “You said you trust me, so just, this... This is without the words.”

She lifts her chin ever so slightly, carefully presses her lips to his. The gasp slips from his mouth before he can stop it, and immediately Jasmine leans away. Lief opens his eyes (when did they close? — did they? — he is so lost and yet so found) to her nervous startled stare.

She’s shocked, Lief realizes, startled and astonished. She can barely believe I would...

(Another point of mending, but perhaps —)

“Is this— Did I— Do you still want this?” Jasmine asks, eyes still so wide, her breaths as shallow as his.

And Lief hears: Do you still want me? 

(— perhaps this is easier done than said.)

“Yes,” he whispers, pressing back in, closer this time, shivering when she sighs his name at the proximity. He lets his eyes fall shut. Blindly, he lifts his hand to thread it into her wild hair, and Jasmine makes a sound of surprise against his lips in response, her hands fumbling to loop around his neck. Lief’s mind stills, settles; everything becomes this, the gentle insistent push and pull, their sharp stuttering inhales, the clumsy careful honesty of their motions.

He pulls away eventually and leans their heads together, desperately trying to catch his breath. When his eyes open, Jasmine is watching him, and her smile blinds.

“Again?” she asks quietly, and Lief’s mouth dries. All he sees is her smile, her bright-eyed joy. “Yes,” he breathes, a repeat of his own words, before he feels Jasmine’s hands skim up from the back of his neck to cradle his jaw as she pulls him impossibly closer, ever a quick learner in this language without words, teaching him too how to speak it more fluently.

When he finally pulls back, Lief distantly registers that the sun has almost completely set. But the realization comes only after he registers Jasmine’s expression; her eyes still closed, her lips parted, the way everything about her is soft-edged and open. Vulnerable. A Jasmine only he has been blessed enough to see.

It robs him of words, so he simply tips his forehead into hers and murmurs, “Jasmine.”

He feels more than hears her questioning hum in response.

“Thank you,” Lief says quietly. “Not for — this, specifically, but for telling me. And for staying. I know you love the Forests, and I will not chain you here, but... Thank you for choosing me.”

She scoffs, but it is kind and endeared. “I thought you would hear this without my saying, but I suppose I should use words for the sake of clarity.” Jasmine turns to tuck her face into the side of his neck, and Lief closes his eyes.

“The Forests will always be there,” she murmurs against his skin. “But you... Well, if I were to leave, then who would be here to keep you from falling off a tree? Or from going mad in your kingly duties? Or even just to reminisce with about the old days of the quest? Barda might be able to achieve two of those, but absolutely not all three, I think.”

Lief opens his eyes to gaze at the darkening sky, something wordless and roaring rising in him. He leans away, looks down to meet Jasmine’s steady gaze; he feels full to overflowing, and it is all he can do to curl his fingers under her chin and bring her mouth to his again. “Jasmine,” he mumbles, his mind a haze. “Jasmine, I —”

“It was never about choosing one or the other,” she whispers, pulling just far away enough for Lief to feel every other word against his lips. “I can have the Forests, and my freedom. And I can have you too. Are we clear?”

Lief’s resounding grin is so wide he almost fears he will somehow hurt Jasmine with his teeth, but then he feels her own smile against him. “Giving me a taste of my own medicine, are we?” he asks, and she laughs when he leans back to watch her eyes flutter open, tugs on her hair gently as he carefully frees his hand to lace their fingers together. “But yes. We are clear.”

It is like this that they stay, quite alone, watching as the sky begins to glow with the promise of another kind of light. And although the sun has taken the warmth of day with it, Lief finds himself content to bask in the summer that is his place next to Jasmine, his cloak around their shoulders.

(It is like this that they stay: the quiet of his rioting heart, the slow slip of dusk to evening; and this: the weight of Jasmine’s body against his, steady and warm and here, with him.)

(Quite alone indeed.)

When the first three stars appear, Lief says quietly, “Shall we leave before the cold becomes too much for my one cloak?”

“So sensible,” Jasmine replies, her smile audible. “Let us do so, then.” And then, to Lief’s silent astonishment, she presses closer briefly before pulling away, without hesitation and so utterly at ease that it stings his eyes. He watches, still astounded, as she peels his cloak from her shoulders and swiftly begins to climb down from their perch.

The wind rises to batter them once more, but Lief hardly feels it — because now, now the world can turn as it pleases: he has finally heard what he had longed to hear, for longer than he knew.

“Lief? Lief!”

He blinks, looks down towards the sound. Jasmine stands below him, arms crossed but a grin on her face, tilted up towards him. “Are you coming down from that tree or not?”

And for the second time that day, Lief finds himself in awe of this incredible wild girl — so doubted and wounded and scorned by the world so determined to break her, but still, still, bearing and baring it all with the courage of her vulnerable pride.

He laughs, loud and bright, clumsily climbing down to her side.

Jasmine grins up at him when he lands at last, and there is a light in her eyes that rivals the stars overhead. “Ah my king, you have made it alive!”

A rush of fondness washes over him, stronger than any wind, and Lief abruptly pulls her close, bundling the edges of his cloak in his fists and wrapping her up in it. It makes her laugh in startled delight as she falls into him, and he revels in the joyful sound of it.

“In all honesty, I am only alive thanks to my wonderful teacher,” Lief murmurs into her hair. She wraps her arms around his waist, makes a soft inquisitive noise that reminds him of the Forest birds. He can feel her fluttering heartbeat against his chest, knows his own is also a bird of the same rhythm, and something in him warms. “She taught me well.”

“And who exactly is this esteemed teacher you regard so highly? A princess, perhaps, or a noble lady?” Jasmine asks, playful despite the careful hesitance in her voice.

Lief pulls back slightly, dropping the edges of his cloak from his hands to hold her by her forearms, looks into her eyes. They roam, searching his face.

He laughs, quiet and small, but for some inexplicable reason he also wants to cry.

“Oh, but have you not heard?” Lief says. “She is far from any princess or lady; she is Deltora’s queen, more than worthy of her crown. And she is, more importantly —” he breathes in, no longer needing hope — “my love.”

A slow smile, bright and open and real, spreads across Jasmine’s face before she buries it in his shoulder. “Lief,” she mumbles, “when I said I want to stay... I also meant to say. That — that I. I love you too.”

He closes his eyes, presses his own smile to her temple. “I know,” he says. She hums quietly, a question. How? Lief laughs quietly and wraps his arms around her.

“You already told me. Without words.”

(And now there are two on the path to mending, instead of one.)

--

bonus coda:

leaf: “wait. Wait. then... who did you think i was referring to when i said i would marry for love back then after the shadowlands?” jas: “idk i’m just too used to you just saying stupid Grand shit all the time ok lil king, don’t blame this on me”

marilen and doom, straight up faceplanting: “oh for the love of aDIN”

--

how much does jas r e a l l y understand about Feelings(TM) and Certain Specific Gestures? idk man that’s a whole other fic, i can’t possibly add the lief-explaining-relationships-to-jasmine brand of jaslief in here it’s already too full of all the other tropes i wanna read HAHAHA

MORE FUN NOTES!

this monster started as a casual take on the “jaslief clears the air between them” and became a 5k+ Absolute Unit

like. i wrote the first draft of this on my phone in fuckign 2017 while in china in desperate attempts to mentally escape Pestering Relatives and then promptly forgot it existed for a year and a half and THEN i decided to completely rewrite some parts and add completely new ones...............pffffttttt, i can’t believe i’m still alive

The Biggest Shoutout to the greatest showman ost (especially rewrite the stars! a BOP!) for giving me some gr9 background music / motivation while i stumble around in writing a subject i have -0 experience in ooPS

(“but you’re here in my heart / so who can stop me if I decide you’re my destiny” + “it’s up to you and it’s up to me / no one can say what we get to be”)

also! a Cursed Thing that occurred to me while writing their names as leaf and jas was: leafyboy and jasgirl. like... fireboy and watergirl? ..........no? no one? (i’m so sorry i have no excuse)

this is also essentially me projecting my huge crush on both characters in this ship L M A O

I MEANT TO HAVE THIS DONE BY 5/20 FOR “CONFESSION DAY” BUT WHOOPS

finally, another shoutout to my slow slide into the kpop chasm !! i can’t believe im saying this, BUT: stream mikrokosmos by bts, bc god i looped the hell out of this song while doing the final stages of editing and rewriting

HOPE YALL ENJOYED!! if you wanna scream at me, to me, with me, p l e a s e do it i love yelling and i wanna make friends please please please

[marsmoonqueen]

There’s Nothing to Fix

Professor!Negan x Reader

Warning: Long as fuck. Nothing else I can really think about.

Prompt / Summary: Reader is Negan’s favorite student. How is he going to fix the things between both of them?

Note:  Well, this is the second part of “ Sleeping Test” Hope you like it! 

A week passed after the “incident” with Professor Negan. A week in which Y/n did not go to any of her Mythology classes, with the excuse that she was sick. In those 5 days, she had enough time to think properly and heal a little. A part of her wanted to go back to Negan and apologize, to ask him to forgive her and take all what he said back, to beg him to keep thinking of her as his favorite student. But the other part, the prideful, spiteful and choleric part of herself was wrathful, and wanted him to regret telling her that, to regret making her cry. Because it wasn’t her fault. Yeah, she partied all night long, the night before her test, but everyone has done that at least once. And everyone has done that because it feels good. Because we are humans and we deserve to be carefree and wild for a night. And even after all, she didn’t regret going to that party to support her best friends.

“When are you going back to your classes?” Tyler asked her. They were in her room. Y/n was lying in her stomach doing the Mythology’s homework to catch up, and he was in her couch reading some Biology stuff.

“What do you mean? I haven’t missed a class since Wednesday, and I caught up with the subjects already.”

“You haven’t missed a single class since then? You sure?” He insisted.

“Shut up.”

“You know you will have to go back one day, right?” Tyler tried to sound comprehensive.

Y/n didn’t respond.

“And that day will come sooner than later.”

She stopped writing and looked at him for the first time since he started talking.

“I’ll go next week.”

“Well, that’s awesome, and so convenient because in two days is Monday again and-”

“No, I mean, next week, after this one.” The girl interrupted him.

“Oh hell no.” Tyler got up from his spot in the couch, walked to his friend and took her wrists, making her get out of bed gently but firmly.

“Tyler what the-”

“You, my friend, are going in two days to that stupid class, no next week, no next month, two days.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Oh, you don’t want to, but you do want to fail de class, eh?  Stop being a cry baby. Yes, he made fun of you in front of, what? 50 people.”

“52, thanks for remind me.” She answered with a bitter tone as she got off his hands and sited down in her bed.

“Oh shut up. What’s the big deal with that? Do you think you are the only one that has passed through that?  Don’t you remember Glenn?  The boy is always getting detention for talking too much with Maggie!”

“It’s… It’s just not the same.”

“Then enlighten me! What’s the difference?”

“He… he had never talked to me like that before. That was the first time that he raised his voice at me.”

Tyler’s eyes softened and he took sit next to her to hug her.

“I know, but… you can’t let him get away with this.  Would you rather avoid him for a month and then have to see him in the summer because you failed the class for non-attendance?”

“No, I would rather not to.”

“Then woman up! Go to his class, show him how intelligent and badass you can be at the same time and end this. For you are just hurting yourself.  Do you really think that he is sad?  Or that he regrets yelling at you?  I’ll answer that for you, no, he doesn’t.  So, go get some pants, or a skirt if you prefer, and do your god damn job.”

  But, truth to be told, Negan was sad. He regretted yelling at his girl, and more than that, he hated that he was the reason why she spilled tears. All he said, all he screamed, he really didn’t mean it. How could he be serious about her being a wanna be Barbie?

It’s just that… he was so mad and… and disappointed. Disappointed because she went to that party with that boy who couldn’t treat her half as good as he could. Disappointed because she chose that son of a bitch instead of him… but again, she really didn’t choose anyone, she just went to a party. Her only mistake was not studying, and even then, she had an acceptable score.

Why?

Why did he have to be so rude to her? Why did he have to make fun of her score in front of the class? Why did it affect him that much?

“You know, you could apologize.” Professor Rick Grimes said as he entered the room and left some papers in Negan’s desk.

“What are you talking about Ricky Dicky?”

“I’m talking about the student to whom you yelled like she had murdered a puppy just because she went to a party a day before.” He answered taking sit in the desk, facing the chairs and giving his back to Negan, who raised his brow but said nothing about the action.

“Shut the fuck up.”

“I mean it-”

“Well, how the god damn hell am I supposed to apologize if she keeps skipping classes? Eh? You have any ideas mate?”

“She can’t skip classes forever.” Was his only answer.

Negan growled and rested his head on his hands, frustrated. “That’s not what I asked.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not really sure what you are asking for.”

“Help.” Rick turned his head to see Negan, who was already looking at him. “I’m not sure of what to do.”

Grimes noticed the difference between the Negan of last week and this one. The one in front of him looked like a living corpse, with bags under his irritated and red eyes and everything. He noticed everything since the beginning, but blamed the stress. Just now he realized that the stress had nothing to do with it.

“Why did you yell at her?” He asked curiously, after some minutes of silence, turning his gaze to the front again. “It’s not like any of your other students haven’t done that.  Or worse.”

“It’s different with her.”

“Why?”

“She has a lot of fucking potential, and I don’t want her to-”

“Waste it. Yeah, that’s what I was told you told her.” Rick interrupted, standing up and facing Negan with his arms supporting his weight on the desk. “Now, tell me the real reason why you lost your shit.”

Negan froze. “Wha- What are you talking about Dicky? I didn’t lose my shit.” He got up and gave his back to Grimes.

“Yeah, of course.” Rick rolled his eyes. “And it has nothing to do with her boyfriend using her and her being a… how did you called her?”

The man swallowed hard. “A fake-doll” He whispered feeling guilty.

“Oh, yeah that.” His friend pushed, trying to make Negan cooperate with him. But he only managed to make him sight and look at his shoes. “Negan, look at me man.” He did. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong. C’mon, talk to me.”

“You want me to fucking talk? Okay, then lets fucking talk.”

  “Hey, Y/n, it’s good to see you here again.” Said Beth smiling, when she arrived to her Monday Mythology class. She just smiled back.

Other classmates also greeted her, telling her about what she missed and all commenting about Negan’s bad humor the anterior week. Once more, she just smiled, made smooth comments and avoided the topics about the teacher, feeling safer every minute about the fact that nobody was bringing the elephant of the room to the conversations.

All the laughs and smiled faded when a loud blow sounded. It was the door from which a frustrated Negan entered, as he passed by, he gave them all a quick look, and went straight to his desk, demanding silence.

“Hope you have read today’s topic, because it can be easy as hell if you did, if not… you’ll be fucked.”  Then he turned around and froze. He saw her.

Y/n held his gaze when his eyes met her, she didn’t make any expression, nor got flushed or flinched, just raised a brow, and that was enough to punch Negan out of his state.

She was mad and wasn’t going to let that anger go away easily. She had finally understood that it wasn’t her mistake, and was going to pay him back with her indifference.

The two hours’ class passed slow for both of them. Negan hadn’t lied when he said they all would be fucked if they hadn’t read the topic, for it was a complex one. Y/n did not participate willingly in any question he asked or in any activity he dictated. But Negan asked her the majority of the questions and asked for her point of view in the activities. She responded to all with a correct answer, but with a monotone tone and expression.

When the second bell finally ringed, she got up and without rush she leaved with her friends around her asking about her last week. She didn’t give Negan time to ask her to stay, but he doubted she would have.

 The week passed with similarity. In the beginning Negan though she was acting that way just to make him feel guilty. But she laughed with her friends and lived her life normally. She didn’t even try to avoid him, and when she saw him outside class, she just ignored him. Of course she greeted him in front of other teachers, but her face never changed. All of her was screaming at him that she didn’t care. At least not anymore.

  Friday’s class arrived with rain, a relaxed Y/n and an equally stressed Negan; and also a test. The instructions were the same, except for a little variation. Nobody was going home until everybody got their test was graded, and the tests were going to be grated after everyone had finished. Everybody thought the same “Bullshit”

Usually Negan would let the go after they finished a test, but this was the second time he changed his strategy, the fist being the night of the “incident”.

Y/n gave it back a little before the second hour started, and spend the rest of it in her laptop making a book report, with Negan’s eyes glued to her.

After everyone gave them back, Negan finished grading them and started to distribute them. One in one her classmates were exiting the room after taking their tests. Y/n had already packed everything except for a book, and was currently listening music and reading in her chair in a careless position. She seemed bored and wanting to go out, not because his presence made her nervous or something, but because she was disgusted, or tired. Or that’s what Negan thought.

But Y/n was an excellent actress. She was sweating and her heart was going to an abnormal rate. She couldn’t concentrate in her book and had to listen to her favorite band and hum her significant songs to avoid panicking. And being the last one in the room with her professor didn’t help at all.

“This is yours, very well sweetheart.” Negan said out loud, looking at her eyes.

Y/n froze; she couldn’t move from her place. Her eyes traveled from her book to Negan’s eyes to her phone, and changed the song with her shaking hands. Of course Negan didn’t see this, he just saw how she ignored him.

The girl was having difficulties finding a song that could calm her down enough and give her the strength she needed to go and take her test. Finally, she decided to take it from his desk after he had gone.

“Your test pretty girl.” Negan said putting the paper above her book. He was in front of her with a nervous smile. One she had never seen in him. “Well-fucking-done honey.”

“I heard you the first time sir.  I just thought that I was fake-doll now, no sweetheart, no pretty girl, nor honey.” She said, with a cynical smile. She herself, got surprised by her outburst, but regretted nothing as she got up from her sit and took her bag in one hand with her book, test and phone in the other.

Negan who was shocked, took her by the elbow. “Wait a motherfucking second, and stop acting like that!” He whisper-yelled at her.

“Acting like what?” Y/n said, tuning to face him fully, and taking off her headphones in one go. “I’m not acting in any specific way, sir.”

“Stop it! See, you are fucking doing it fucking again!”

“Fucking doing what? Eh?” She got closer to him. Her face red, his jaw clenched, her eyes teary, his eyes darker than usual, her body slightly shaking, his tense as hell.

“Stop fucking acting like-”

“Like fucking what?” She interrupted him. At this point their noses were centimeters away from each other.

“Like you don’t fucking care! Like I didn’t hurt the hell out of you!” Negan growled, with the same tone he used that day.

The girl in front of him gasped “That’s what you want? To know that you hurt me? That you made me cry?” She broke, her expression changed, and her eyes were at the verge of shedding tears.

“No- no, sweetheart that’s not what I meant.” He said softly, regretting had yelled –again- at her. “Hey, hey, no, come here.” He gently pulled her from her elbow, that he hadn’t let go, until she was between her arms. When she realized what had happened it was already too late. His arms imprisoned her.

“Let me go!” She whispered as she withed in his arms.

“No, no, you and I are going to stay like this until we fix this.” He told her as he moved carefully to his desk. Once there he leaned in his desk to have some support and continued hugging her. Y/n had already forgotten the idea of fighting and was just crying her heart out in Negan’s chest.

“There’s- There’s nothing to fi-fix” She managed to say between hiccups.

“Yes there it is… you know that, sweetie.” He whispered to her ear.

“You haven’t even apologized.”

“I know-”

“You were so rude, you made me feel bad with myself.” The girl said raising her head to see his, her red puffy eyes connecting with his, making him feel guiltier.

“I know baby, I’m- I’m-”

“Why would you do that?!” Y/n pushed herself away from him, but it was pointless, he didn’t let her get away.

“Hey, hey, okay let me explain… I, well, I had a-”

“A bad day? That’s why you treated me like that?! Like I was the worse trash.”

“You are no trash-”

“I know that!” She yelled again.

Negan was losing her, she was panicking and getting angrier. The peace and willingness to hear his version was fading fast because he couldn’t get his shit together. Y/n was looking at him and trying harder to get out of his embrace. Even though it felt like heaven, he wasn’t going to apologize, or explain. Being there was pointless.

Just when she was going to finally scape his arms, his lips connected with hers. She tried to resist. But the devil won in the end, and she deepened the kiss, dropping her bag and book pass her arms behind his neck. A melody came to her brain and made her smile in the kiss. Damn his lips were addictive, but air was necessary.

“I’m sorry, baby. I wish I hadn’t yelled at you, it was a bad fucking day, and… and I was mad at you.” He said when they got their breath back.

“At me?  Why?” She looked at his eyes with a curious and innocent expression, all anger gone.

“Why? I dunno, maybe because you didn’t fucking study for the test I god damn told you to study for, just because you wanted to go to a party with your idiot of a boyfriend.” Even though that was the reason that made him blow a week prior, he couldn’t find in himself anger to lecture her, instead, he kissed her nose as he spoke softly.

“My boyfriend? That’s all? You- you were jealous?” Y/n asked with a goofy smile. Negan’s lips were making her incoherent.

“Yeah, that damn idiot. And no, I was not.” The man stopped petting her so she could focus, and maybe, tell him what he was dying to hear.

“Ty is not my boyfriend, just a very good friend, I don’t like him that way.” She said all serious. Negan studied her for a moment, then broke in a smile.

“Oh, really? Then who do you like that way? Mmh?” He continued placing his lips in her cheeks and neck, checking from time to time the door, to be sure no one was coming.

“Well- I- mhh.”

“I don’t know that fella.” He tickled her sides.

“You! Agh, stop it.” She laughed.

“Fan-fucking-tastic sweetheart. That’s what I wanted to hear.” He kissed her again. “Now, why don’t you let me repay you with a date and more kisses? Mhh, what do you say beautiful?”

Y/n giggled. “I would love that.”

<3

@nijiru @neganscherryblue

Thanks for all!

[smolbeandrabbles]

Science & Faith - Finale - Talos/Keller (Captain Marvel: AU)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 

Authors Note: See what I did 😉 Well, I don’t know what to say, my first complete series!! I got some more Talos/Keller in the works... So don’t fret, I’m not giving this man up entirely 😘❤ Oh god, I tried so hard to cut her damn Lore down because it was just gonna read like a guide to her race... I was somewhat successful... I think... Disclaimer: I own none of these characters. Except Maliyah and all her race Lore. I have to say I’m not completely sure of Supernova’s powers I just LIKE the idea of it being something to do with dying stars... That Lore is kinda twisted with my own. Slight lyrical liberties with ‘Color’ by Carly Pearce. Premise: So often told she didn’t belong on Xandar, and for so many different reasons. Now she has a way out... Is Maliyah brave enough to take Talos up on it..?  Words: 6563 Warnings: Zip. (Assassination?)

ALTERNATE UNIVERSE USED Not Reader Insert

I give up, I surrender And be nice, 'cause this heart's a little tender You were right, I was wrong, boy Yes, I know that you knew it all along, boy Tried to tell me we belonged together, I knew better, I was like "no" I admit it, I'm a wild child looking for a hand to hold

I’ll be the lines, you be the color Just like the day and night need each other Life ain't as great without the other I’ll be the lines, you be the color you be the color

Oh, nothing feels like you, boy I don't know how you knew, boy

 ---

Oh, and there's a view I just can't describe No, I'm not there yet, just a few more steps, baby wait Okay, you can open your eyes

This is it, this is now, this is what I've been talking about Looking out, can't you see forever? Take my hand, just take it in This is a moment we won't forget On top of the world, here, together If there ever was a time for a perfect kiss, this is it

 --- Maliyah zipped her jacket and popped her collar, rolling her sleeves down as far as they could go she actually looked half presentable as she entered the meeting room. The conversational lul was quiet... She stopped at one end of the table, frowning and pointed to the empty chairs; “Where are...???” Talos and his lieutenants were noticeably absent. “Well, seen as we don’t seem to be able to come to a satisfying conclusion with them here, I decided we would have a debate without them. Then we give them our final answer.” Maliyah nodded and walked slowly to her seat, this was all her fault and she knew it. She was bringing her personal life into her professional one and if she didn’t do something, she was about to screw this up for two races. Neither of which were hers. She sat, noticing how Yoel almost ignored her. Oh, so he wasn’t happy with her either?! Figures. Reis hasn’t arrived yet... Maliyah took a deep breath. She could do this; she could get through this. Reis arrived, and he wouldn’t take his eyes of her. That stare coupled with that smirk meant trouble... It was times like this she wished Garthan was still around. He wasn’t. Maliyah was back to defending herself.   The only non-Xandarian of the Nova Corps. Reis wasn’t down for that, and he was even less down with the races of her significant others... Nova Prime sighed deeply; “As of right now, we have no conclusion. And quite frankly I’m sick of it. They deserve nothing less than a straight answer and this political bickering is embarrassing.” She gave Maliyah a sharp stare “I expect better from you.” Even though she was addressing the table as a whole Maliyah winced – time to make her decision. “I know you do.” Nova Prime looked a little taken aback. It took a lot for Maliyah to swallow her pride. Yoel shifted. Aha... all she needed was him back on side... That was all she needed... “I expect better from myself. I’m not pretending to speak for the table. I understand we have only just fought and lost a great deal to the Kree. But that does not mean we should be uncivil to the Skrulls.” She took a breath; “It should never have got to the point where you felt the need to call this meeting. And I am disappointed in myself and my actions.” Maliyah folded her arms, “I realise I have a great deal of influence as your military leader and I have abused that power. There have been many good ideas around this table that I have rejected for personal reasons. That was stupid. And I retract all previous statements. I retract my right to veto anything that comes from this, and I am almost tempted to tell you I should leave... I should have no power here...” Her eyes flicked to Reis, to how smug he looked at her admitting she was wrong. That was exactly what he wanted. She was about to wipe that off his face though. “They need us. I think we need them.” His face fell, looking like she’d just betrayed him. Those on the fence would sway with her, she’d seen it happen in the past few days alone. Reis’ little bit of power was slipping through his fingers. She turned back to Nova “...Give them what they are asking for. In honestly it isn’t much.” An alliance between races didn’t have to cost either a thing… But, Maliyah had ideas of her own. She tipped her head “Though I’d bargain on that light speed engine… We need something like that... I’ll work on it.” She tapped her fingernails against the desk in thought. Talos would probably agree on giving her something. And something that fast – she might need a back-up plan for when her own race came calling… At this, Yoel swivelled his chair and stared at her, she looked back to him and waited for him to smile; “I wondered when you’d start seeing sense!” Reis wasn’t having it. He tried not to let his anger show on his face, calling all attention back to him; "Blue to Green? I don't think we can trust our Denarian to do anything but date her way through the colour spectrum. I move for a vote of no confidence.” The whole room fell into an awkward silence. Maliyah just folded her arms and pursed her lips. Really? He wanted to play this game? Well, she guessed she had ignited a vote of no confidence in herself… Of course he’d make a play. "I think with some semblance of humanity there, you've missed out a colour..." "Not if he was never human." "... Then that's consistency; a far more trustworthy trait than political backstabbing." Ah-! That made him back down. He sat back in his seat, staring murder at her. Nova Prime sighed; “Maliyah… I want you to know… These personal reasons of yours, that both you and Reis speak of…” Maliyah swivelled back in her seat, biting her lip gently. She was aware that even with her jacket pulled up, it was still virtually impossible to miss the lights crossing her skin. “…They are not an issue. I understand why you made them such. And I appreciate your honesty in knowing you were wrong to make them one.” Maliyah bowed her head; “I made hot headed decisions out of spite. And… For that, and what it means for Xandar, for these negotiations I can only apologise…” Yoel looked pretty proud of her, but Nova Prime just smiled; “I feel it is not us you should be apologising to…” Maliyah received another significant look from her partner. “Oh-! Well… I guess you’re right!” *** She re-entered an empty apartment and sighed. She could only blame herself… She unzipped her jacket and rolled her sleeves up. Would he come back? Would he come back to her? He was probably at other meetings. She guessed Nova Prime would call upon them to discuss the final verdict. Then Maliyah would have to try the prospect of the lightspeed engine proposal on him… She wasn’t sure how he’d take that. Another thing to help her run away?? Well, what if it wasn’t him she was running from? She was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed watching the sky when Talos returned. He noticed she did this a lot. Far more than on Earth. “What do you keep looking for?” She shrugged “Something’s coming. Always is... Earth was the only place I never felt that. And look what happened... There I could just watch the stars.” He crossed her apartment and sat in front of her, if only to pull her attention away from the sky. “I owe you an apology...” “What? What for?” She gave him a look, like he was just being polite; “Everything.” She steepled her hands in front of her lips “I’m sure they’ll tell you everything is resolved; the deal is finalised. You’re getting everything you asked for. I’m sorry for standing in the way of that.” “You had reasons.” “Yeah, that weren’t good enough reasons and I should have kept to myself... I’m their Denarian and their Supernova I should know I sway everything here... You talk so much about fixing this... I decided I needed to fix something myself.” “What is a Supernova? To you. The significance of me calling you that is far more than just a name...” She indicated to his wrist “You’re wearing part of it.” He looked to the fine chain, the North Star looking pendant she always called a Nova. “My brother gave it to me... I gave it to you. He was the original Supernova… It fell to me, but I’m not Xandarian... He knew his limits. The fact that no-one knows mine is scary. To them.” He held his wrist up “So what is this? The source of that power?” Maliyah took his hand in hers so that the star fell between them; “No... The two pieces together... That energy? As far as I know, we’re talking a real supernova.” His face scrunched like he was trying to process that information “…You’re… Talking about yourself?” She nodded slowly; “I am now… You’re meant to keep me grounded. The significance of you with my Nova star should not be taken lightly.” She took his other hand “So don’t you dare go dying on me!” He raised an eyebrow "Is that your version of I love you?" She narrowed her eyes slightly with a wry smile; “The last time I told someone I loved them he wasn’t who he said he was.”  **  Maliyah could sense it before it happened. Strolling through the Capital with Talos just to get used to him. She needed to know him as well as she knew Keller. They were technically the same person... But nothing about them was similar... His love for her, maybe. But the way his feelings presented themselves to her - she had to get used to all of Talos' nuances. So she just made him walk and talk to her. Maliyah didn't have to concentrate on anything but his voice; allowing herself to get wrapped up in him. “…What happened to you?” “Hmm?” “The day I left, what happened to you?? Even if you got shot, you’d bleed…?” He laughed, and his genuine amusement sent another wave of gorgeous sparkles across her skin; “Oh. No. Not bullets. More… energy.” “Energy!?” “The same kind of energy in fact that powers the engine. Only... in a more condensed form.” She was clearly trying to figure out how that worked in her head. Accepted she couldn’t. Was impressed he could take a hit from a mini infinity stone and changed subject, slightly; “Wait - you were there for the drive?!” “No... I helped make the drive. Well, commissioned the drive - for my people.” “So how long did that take?” “Well... Let’s just say Keller didn’t become a Director overnight… I’d have given the drive up and stayed for you, you know?” “I figured. Would you ever have told me?” “Whether you believe me or not I tried many times. But... Jonathan to you was... Everything... and I... I didn’t want to take him away from you.” “Well, I guess in a weird way, he’s still here...”   Maliyah was not a true empath. She could only ever feel everything from her significant other. But if the feeling from someone else was intense enough - if it was so out of place, she could sense it. And on this sunny afternoon, walking down the promenade and absentmindedly watching other lovers and families go about their days, she felt it. It was close. And it made her uneasy. It pulled her out of her focus on him.  Maliyah turned; the problem was nothing looked out of place. Everyone seemed to be going about their business happily. But it was something; an uneasy, panicked feeling. She ran forward a few steps and turned, so she could still talk to Talos - walking backward. She slowed herself, making him slow his walk - by the look on his face he knew something was up too - but she had to make this natural. How else was she supposed to find out who or what it was?  Then she spotted him. Not because he was trying to stand out, but because he wasn't. And not only was he trying to be inconspicuous, as the crowd moved around him and he weaved - he only kept his eyes on one thing. And she realised with horror that that one thing was Talos. Oh - HELL no. The crowd fluctuated again and she lost him. Now this was bad... Maliyah picked up her pace again, instinctively trying to distance him, Talos followed no questions asked. Her colours ran over her skin where it was exposed in vibrant warning lights and her eyes were alert. She wasn't pay attention to his talking, but he kept the conversation flowing to appear natural. Maliyah sprinted forward - yanking Talos back and out of the way, despite the fact he was bigger than her, she slammed her shoulder into the guy; he was winded and floored in seconds. And her Yaka arrow was in his face. Oh-! Talos almost smirked, now she was using it to defend him? That was sure an interesting turn of events. The weapon the assassin had been carrying skittered across the floor as the crowd froze and parted to see what was happening. "What the hell was that you just attempted!?"  He wasn't a real assassin; she could feel his panic now. It was a cheap move and it hadn't paid off. With that arrow in his face Maliyah wasn’t surprised he could barely speak - she squinted. He wasn't going to get away with that.  He cried out in pain as the arrow began to dig into his skin at her insistence; "I could just kill you, of course." She stood back, "That would be a violation of several Nova Corp rules and I'd probably be sanctioned. But it’s not half as bad as what YOU just attempted." "He is a killer!" The man spat "He deserves to die." Was he Kree? On Xandar…? "You've got about 10 seconds to change your opinion." He whimpered as the arrow began to draw blood. Talos reached for her "Maliyah." It was like he snapped her from her anger, "Do not end his life on my account..." It was as much a swell of pride as surprise that she would. She was serious. About making this work. He didn't think she'd ever let Keller go... That she would ever accept him. But here she was. She took a deep breath; pulling the Yaka arrow back a few inches. Tapping her coms "Nova Corp. Arrest made in sector 3. Immediate escort to the Kyln necessary." She called her arrow back in disgust as she heard dispatch send out ships to her location. "This so called murderer just saved your life. Asshole."  Talos had to be quick to follow her through the crowd. She was pissed, they were here on political asylum and someone had just tried to kill him!? Was there literally no end? Would it never be over...!? She realised she was tired... of everything... He caught her arm; "Mali... Mali wait..." She turned back to him; "I'm sorry." He was taken aback; for what? "Sorry? Maliyah. You just saved my life." She blinked a few times; before giving him a crooked smirk - "Yeah. Don't get too used to it." He shook his head; he knew she didn't mean it the way it'd come out. She was still about that front. But it was an ever increasingly flimsy front. "What are you sorry for?" She looked around her; "I'm just tired..." "Of what?" "Of war... of all this political nonsense... of races... fighting over EVERYTHING. I don't want to live this. It's why I left Xandar in the first place. Only, Ravagers aren't much better... So I went exploring. And then I found Earth - and – I just... Earth gave me something so real..." she shook her head, and gave a gentle smile, that extended to the sparkle in her eyes and the soft colours in her skin. Genuine happiness "Earth gave me you." Talos opened his mouth; but realised no words would do that moment justice. He realised it then, what he thought he had before, but looking at her now it was just so clear. Maliyah Saal had really fallen for him. The real him.  *** “You want the lightspeed engine?!” “No. No… Not the actual engine just something like it.” “Why!? So, you can run away again.” She sighed, but there was a smile there – she knew he was teasing her this time “…No! Not exactly.” “That sounds like a yes-! What did I do this time!” “Stop it!” She placed her hands on the table – currently they were looking at holograms of tech. It had started as a tactical discussion. It was fast becoming something else “Nothing-! I’m thinking of me. My race. My planet.” “…?” He tilted his head “What?” “You know eventually they’ll come after me and drag me back home. I figure if I can’t beat ‘em, and certainly won’t be joining them… Then running as fast as possible across the galaxy is probably the best option.” He chuckled; “Alone?” “I didn’t say that!” “That’s what it sounded like.” She tried her best to look grumpy as she rounded the table, pointing at him “Now, alone is no good for me is it!?” “Are you telling me this about your planet to try to get me to give up on you?” “…No!” He crossed over to her, with a little smirk; “Good. Because it kinda sounds like you’re giving me an excuse to leave…” He placed his hands delicately on her shoulders “But… I don’t want to leave. You and your race and all those problems we can work through… Right? I’m down. I’m ready when you’re ready. Don’t rush this for me…” He placed his forehead to hers again “I love you. Do this at your own pace. I’m always gonna wait for you…” Maliyah pulled back from him for a minute, shaking her head gently, she knew that already. He already had… She smiled, pulling him towards her and into a kiss; “You should be done waiting…” **  Talos watched her stare absentmindedly out over the port as his lieutenants continued to move about the dock, resupplying the ship; "Don't you ever think maybe it’s time for another change?" They were standing by his ship; now everything on Xandar was finalised he really had little reason to stay. And he certainly didn’t want to outstay the welcome. "You look like you need one..." She folded her arms and tilted her body back "Oh? Really? Any suggestions?" He frowned “You don’t belong here. Maliyah.” “…So, what? I belong with you…”  It took him far too long to realise what part of that sentence was a question. When he did realise he had an instant idea; "That’s-! That's not a bad idea! Maliyah-!" Talos took her hands in his "Come back with me.” "Huh? How?!" "Well, someone from Xandar surely needs to check we're keeping up our end of the bargain on this treaty right? We could do some kind of political consulate... swap... That works? Right?" She studied his face very carefully, before she laughed, and she kept laughing until tears were in her eyes "You're serious! Oh my gosh! You're serious!" He watched her look back to him in wonder, and he nodded in confirmation "I've never been more serious about anything." Nova Prime looked between them with a smile; "I don't see a problem with that." They looked to each other with wide eyes - it shouldn’t have been that easy? Should it?! Why was it that easy!? She chuckled; "Maliyah, darling. I have known you for far too long. Could I really ever have stopped you from leaving." Maliyah chewed her lip for a second; "Well... My duty is to the Nova Corp. As I hold the Nova Force.... I just.... I should be here..." She had to admit it. "Perhaps the Nova Force being kept separate to an Infinity stone would be a good thing. Two great sources of power here may cause problems.... You are correct. Of course. But, we can make it work... Who would you have take over for you?" "Day has always been the better Denarian. It’s time we gave him the full title." "You will come back whenever we call you." It also wasn't a question. Maliyah nodded; "Yes M'am." Nova Primes eyes flicked to Talos; “That will work with your people?" He nodded, but didn't have much of a choice "We shouldn't need her for anything more than politics. I hope. That power would surely be useful..." His eyes flicked to Maliyah "But she isn’t one you want to bore or tie down." Maliyah almost snorted. She wasn't sure life with a shapeshifting race could ever be boring.... "Now on that we certainly agree. Very well, Maliyah. I will see your complete hand over to Denarian Day... And then you are free to leave as a Xandarian Emissary for the Skrulls." They both bowed "Thank you M'am." Turning to leave Nova Prime called her back; "Maliyah... Just hold on a minute..." She stopped, But Talos respectfully took his leave. "M'am?" Nova Prime approached and gently took Maliyah’s face in her hands "My darling girl. I have known you since you were very small. You are not of Xandar. But you will always be Xandarian. I am proud of the woman you have become. Your parents are proud of the woman you are... I know Garthan would be the proudest.... He might not have ever said it, far be it from Garthan to do so, but my darling... He was. He always was." Maliyah couldn't help beaming "T-Thank you... That is an honour." Prime smiled; "Maliyah Saal - wherever this universe takes you, and with whomever you chose - you will always be our Supernova."  Talos was standing just down the corridor when she left, and Maliyah sprinted to him, slowing to a stop with a smile that he couldn't help but mirror. "So, you're officially coming back?" "Officially. I’m a political mission, General." "Of course. We shall have to be very serious about this." "I am serious about this." He nodded "No doubt..." Maliyah entwined her fingers with his; "But your planet. I want to know EVERYTHING! Tell me everything I need to know!"  *** Before she left, Maliyah had one more thing she needed to do. She had arranged to meet Reis in the Corp HQ, so she could tell him the news. He still gave her that same look of distaste. He’d never be happy until she was no longer Xandar’s problem... “Looks like you’re about to get your wish.” He raises an eyebrow and tilted his head questioningly; “I will no longer be Denarian of the Nova Corp effective tomorrow. Instead all duties will be handed to Day as a true Denarian just like my brother was...” “And you think that makes me happy?” “I wasn’t finished! I will also be leaving Xandar. I have a new mission and new orders - so you’re going to be rid of me. Likely once and for all. Surely that’s got to make you a bit happy?” He couldn’t help but smile a little. “And where will you go? With them?” “Not that you have any reason to have a problem with that Reis... Not that you should have any reason to have a problem with the Skrulls at all. But, I guess the threat of another War is too much for you, is it? Or is a war just what you want…? Is that why you did it?” He looked back to her; eyes narrowed. “What did you just say?!” “See, I’m proud of this, Reis. Of what my race has the capability to do. Of these colours. So, I really hope you’re proud of yourself...”  Maliyah could sense his panic even though Reis looked controlled; he was trying to keep so composed...  ”I don’t know what you-” ”Cut it. I know I don’t have proof. But I know you’re responsible... And that it didn’t work...” It shouldn’t have surprised her that all paths on this attempted assassination currently led to Reis. It wasn’t just about how it would affect the treaty... But how much it would hurt her too... She turned away from him; “We’re done here.” but she flicked her eyes over her shoulder; “But I’m never going to stop looking for that proof... So watch your back.”  “You have no power here anymore...!You’re not even Xandarian!” She shook her head as she walked away from him; “See Reis there is your problem. I wasn’t born here... You’re right. But Xandar is my home. I have a duty to my home that I will fulfil. And the fact that you can’t do that, makes me more Xandarian than you will ever be...” *** It was good to be back amongst the stars. Saying goodbye might have been hard but Maliyah knew it wouldn’t be forever, she would come back to Xandar every so often. But the explorer in her felt most at home here... The light speed technology clearly didn’t extend to all ships. But she would rather have the time to think about her decision than watch her beloved stars blur by...  Talos let her stand alone and think about it, and almost didn’t bother her for the duration of the trip. Waiting for the tension to work itself out of her, until she at least looked more relaxed. He didn’t have her gift for sensing emotions but he could read her body well. She didn’t truly relax until they came upon the planet itself. Like she was accepting that there was no going back now. Talos joined her. “How are you feeling?” She leant her head against the window frame “Like I made the right choice? I’ve never been here before… I’m thinking of how much I get to discover for myself.” That was the adventurer in her talking “And you’re here. So I think I’m gonna be just fine.” He laughed. He’d certainly take that. The ship descended into atmosphere and he watched her face closely. He loved coming back home; but she was seeing this for the very first time and he was desperate to know her reaction. Maliyah’s eyes widened in joy, it had to be at the way colour flashed across her skin, and she couldn’t take it all in fast enough. The planet was covered in what appeared to be lush green forest areas, grasses of different species, she could see for miles upon miles - to the mountains raised in the distance and the great glassy lake reflecting the sun. Every so often cities raised themselves up, all with great glass structures. They had built up instead of out. Preserving as much of the planet’s natural beauty as possible. An almost seamless blend of technology and nature. Talos had to look back at it for just a minute, so he could imagine what was racing through her mind... “Take the war away from the planet, everything grows back…” But he couldn’t help it; “So, tell me, did you make the right choice?” She didn’t answer, but a smile spread across her face “Ah-! That’s a smile!” Maliyah pushed his arm; “Shut up! It was NOT a smile!” He didn’t believe her for a second, and worse, now she was blushing…  * Maliyah Saal was not one for thinking she made many mistakes. But her first month was a hard period of adjustment. Everything about the Skrulls was different from everything she’d ever known. Immersing herself in the culture wasn’t hard – but they were all so interested in her, she found herself answering the same set of questions ten thousand times. She could only cope with so much at a time before she got overloaded. Talos knew this and he shadowed her, giving her just enough space to explore as independently as she wanted, but always close by when he felt she needed rescuing. She was always welcome for the respite of just being alone with him and letting herself get as wrapped in his emotions as she had with Keller. It was so different and yet so familiar, and it was a sensation she never wanted to fade… Sometimes he would let her take Keller back. And that was comfortable. There was something else in that he would do that for her… But that wasn’t her life anymore… “Please stop doing this…” She took his hands in hers, sincere “…You don’t have to do this for me anymore…” She bit her lip, as she so often did, to suppress her smile – but what was the point in that when the lights flashing across her skin so often gave her away? “…He is not the man I want…” Eventually she got culture shock. It was too much and she would spend excessive time alone. To counteract that, Talos took her back to the stars. The trips were short, because Maliyah promised herself she wouldn’t leave until she’d explored every inch of his planet. Still, it was amongst the stars that his Supernova belonged. She always looked at home here. He was in tune with her enough to know, she might have been tied to Keller on Earth but she would never have stayed. She was far too tough to tie down. Maliyah was made to explore. Talos was determined to make the most of that. To make sure if her race ever came looking she would never be found. “…You want to save me from my race?” “…Yes. Because I know I can.” Talos tilted his head “Maliyah, you weren’t made to go back there. And it would be a travesty to let them take you away now.” His look was defiant “They will not take you from me.”  *** “I was told I’d find you here” Maliyah was starring around the room with interest; “I was told this is where Skrulls come to practice shifting…” “We do.” He studied her carefully, she really was getting into this... “…Well then…” She looked up at the ceiling; and took slow, deliberate steps “What are you doing here.”   Ending her walk at the open window, Maliyah leant on the sill. “You know. Sometimes I can’t get over it.” “What?” “…My kind was made – MADE – to traverse the stars and combine DNA with other races… Everything about how we are made is tied to that notion. Even down to the way we have children…” She turned from looking at the scenery to look at him “…Yet we became so insular? We’re explorers – but now it’s all about purity…” She turned back with a sigh; “…When Aurons started leaving home they did it to bond… To find that perfect DNA match. And your DNA… that’s almost perfect. But it’s so discouraged now, if home calls me back what would I be good for? What would my children really be good for? Bloodline purity? The age-old ways of my race were never about that.” Talos joined her, “…Your race… Are you telling me your race is compatible with all others?” “If all the markers in both parents’ DNA is correct. Then yes.” “…You’re talking about children again.” Maliyah scoffed “So were you.” She turned to him; “Yes. But it’s not an exercise in intercourse. Intercourse will not result in anything. My DNA will simply reject yours… It will create colour, but not life. A real DNA bond is a two-way consensual street.” “Meaning what?” She raised an eyebrow; “You’re ready for that?” “Aren’t you?” “…I thought I’d highlighted the significance of what our children would mean…” She gave a shrug “But now I’m here…” She relaxed herself against the railing, regarding him coolly – “…It requires your blood to mix with mine. Your DNA becomes a part of my very existence. However… MY DNA must also become a part of yours.” Apparently this information didn’t deter him “How?” “That’s really up to you, isn’t it... It needs to be a serious decision and commitment because it is an irreversible one.” “All I’m hearing out of your mouth is not now but later.” Maliyah smiled – oh, he knew her far too well – with a nod; “Not now… But later.” ** As the months continued to pass, they only continued to grow closer. Maliyah revelled in this kind of intimacy; she'd never loved or been loved like this before. The closer they got and the further their bond strengthened, the more Talos noticed she started to pick up. His language was almost second nature to her now, and there were times when Maliyah would forgo the universal transmitter completely. She didn't need it. He'd offered to try to learn hers, but she'd just laughed. Maliyah decided to teach him basic Xandarian; but her language was a waste of time – For Auron’s, their lights meant sometimes they didn't need words… It was all a little too good to last. He knew she'd be called to Xandar eventually... And late one evening that call came. "We are under attack-- Maliyah we need you to go come back - - they are after the infinity stone...!" “…I gotta go…” “Right now!? Right this second!?” Talos was only halfway dressed before she attempted to walk out of the door; “If it’s the infinity stone they need me – my planet needs me!” It struck him that she didn’t say home… "Don't you need the lightspeed engine?" "No..." She turned to him; "I can get there pretty quick. But I do appreciate the offer...!" He threw his jacket on "Should I come anyway?" Maliyah shook her head, taking her hands away from the door she turned back to him; "I am not risking your life for Xandar... You belong here. They need you here." "You need me too..." Talos placed his hands gently on her arms, making her lean up to kiss him with a smile; "I know. But I can't let you come with me...." He took her hands "Then come with me. Let me show you something. " "Do I have time?" He was already pulling her down the corridor "Yes! It's a good place for you to set off from too!!" Talos knew this much, Xandar needed Maliyah because she was their Supernova... He didn't know nearly enough about the powers she had under that responsibility. But that would probably be what got her there... And he guessed his shooting star could fly.   She followed him cautiously; even though he was moving at pace. Maliyah guessed he knew the urgency that was needed back on Xandar. But before she left there was just one more thing he had to show her... They continued on a path out from the city on a slow incline. In the months that she’d been here she wondered why the hell he hadn’t shown her this before?! Maybe he was waiting for the right time?? Talos hesitated at the edge of the forest area and turned to her; “... Close your eyes.” She stopped and tilted her head with a raised eyebrow. He held out his hand; “Don’t worry I got you.” Maliyah smiled, closing them without question and lacing her fingers with his “I know you do...” she breathed, and let him pull her gently. She could feel the warmth of the sunrise as he led her gently. “Okay. Open them.” She did so slowly, and breathed, hands covered her mouth as she gasped. And she thought she’d seen beautiful from the atmosphere. Talos smiled, taking in the view for himself “This has got to be my favourite place on the whole planet...”  The edge of the cliff opened out onto the Great Lake below, waterfalls running into it throwing colours as the sun just caught them enough to sparkle. The sky was clear, and as the closest star began to burn in the sky, the evening stars melted away. “... and now I get to share it with you...”That wasn’t a significance lost on her as she grasped his hand tighter, she couldn’t say anything. But she didn’t need to... “Look you got your thing with Xandar, I’ve got my thing going on. But it’s okay… We’ll do our own things, but we’ll always have THIS and we’ll always have each other.” Maliyah bit her lip at his sudden seriousness “Promise me you’re gonna be here when I’m done...” Talos turned to her with a gentle sigh, “I can’t promise I’ll be here. But I can promise I’ll always find you.” he held up his wrist, that gorgeous Nova Star. She took a step back with a sigh “... I don’t know how long this is going to take.” “Take your time. Maliyah. I can wait on you... I’ll always wait on you.” “I’ll aim not to keep you waiting forever...” She gave a smile and closed her eyes again. This time when her lights flickered, they were in blue and yellow. The star around his wrist glinted – it was obvious to him now, the two were connected. Her eyes were much bluer when she opened them; with a gold sheen, and she very slowly lifted herself from the ground.   “Stay safe!” Talos couldn’t help but smile that she’d addressed him in Skrull. She was getting good at that. “If you do.” She laughed, “…Fair bargain.” Maliyah hovered out over the edge of the lake and sighed; “I’m gonna miss you!” “You haven’t even left!” He laughed; “Go hurry on and save your damn planet so you can get back here then!!” And he said it like it was so obvious.  Maliyah gave him one last gentle nod as she turned to leave but she wasn’t even half way to the atmosphere before she was turning back. She pulled herself closer to him, radiating heat and energy. She was right - she held the power of a dying star... She ran her hands over the markings on his skin, and kissed him gently. When Maliyah broke it she placed her forehead against his. Hands still on him. She felt like the warmth of the sun too. He decided whoever was attacking Xandar had a world of hell coming… And they probably deserved it. But Talos didn’t expect for her to mimic the same purring sound he had. He almost froze. Hang on... Maliyah let him go, and floated back to over the lake, and the smile on her face said the same thing he had as Keller when he’d done it for the very first time; I love you...  Suddenly she looked like she’d remembered something and began rummaging through her jacket “Oh! Yeah! If you’re saying we’re compatible…” She threw him a small glass vial. The liquid contained within was thick, blueish-purple, just like her eyes. “Prove it!” He looked a little confused as he looked back to her. She gave him a wink “When the time is right... well, you’ll know what to do.” Was she saying what he thought she was saying..??! “D-don’t you need m-my blood for this?!” Talos felt lightheaded for a moment just thinking about that. She didn’t just love him. That wasn’t all this was about anymore... Maliyah gave him a mysterious smile that made him think she might already have it. Back on Xandar they’d run many security tests, including on his bloodwork. She gave a gentle shrug but didn’t say another word. She hesitated once more, then sighed. Leaning in for one last kiss; just one more and she could do this… And she would come back… With that and her eyes telling him everything she couldn’t say, she turned. Illuminating in a soft white-to-yellow glow… Starlight… Maliyah forced herself not to look back as she shot towards the atmosphere. Talos watched her arc across the sky with a smile. She was still the most beautiful shooting star he’d ever seen. The brightest supernova.

---

I just want you all to be sure, that now we’re clearly linked back to Avengers: Infinity War canon, she’s gonna be okay... He’s gonna get her to Carol and they’re gonna go kick ass on Earth....

[theanoninyouraskblog]

Well, well, well.

@erasermic-aus​

Looks like henry and windy are at it again. Lets give them hell shall we.

Mmm look at that delicious hint. Alright you know the drill lets look at obvious stuff first. 

1: We’ve got a recording microphone. Specifically based on the shape it looks like we either have a condenser mic (specifically a large condenser mic) or a Ribbon microphone. Knowing what we do about Present Mic canonically (He has a radio show) we can assume this Mic also has a radio show (or a vlog, we’ll get to that later) which means he’s probably using a Ribbon Microphone given that they’re said to have the most natural sound and are usually used for recording human voices. 

But we can take this further. 

Hizashi’s Microphone is a mounted mic on stand... obviously (they help with audio quality). And he appears to have a pop filter on the front (basically it makes audio not sound like shit or in the words of an expert: “One of the simplest recording gadgets is the humble pop filter... positioned between the vocalist and your microphone to block plosives – those percussive P and B sounds that cause annoying low frequency bumps.”- a random fucking website, I did this research myself, I’m not sighting it if I don't have to.)

2: Red eyes. Now Hizashi canonically in the Bnha comics has read eyes, it was changed for the show... for atheistic reasons I guess? This isn’t some measly one off, because Windy and Henry aren’t sloppy. Lets take a look at what versions of Mic have green eyes. The mad hatter. Waiter Hizashi. That's it... there aren't that many full color pictures of hizashi with his eyes colored/open. 

But lets look at who has red eyes. God’s Abomination, specifically when it’s villain mic and hero eraser. (there's no fully colored version the other way round so I’m just sort of assuming his eyes are green when it’s hero hizashi and villain eraser, would make my job soooo much easier being able to draw that conclusion) BUT NOPE I can’t make that clear decisive cut of red means evil, because guess what... HERO MIC HAS RED EYES IN SCREECH’S AU.

But you know what we do know. 

Mic isn’t a hero. Henry told us as much. 

Odd emphasis on not there... implies he’s a villain. But we wont rule out civilian yet.

Now we get to talk about this:

Firstly, that one eye visible one eye not is a fucking trope in the art world. 

Want to know why?

Nah, I’m joking it’s been around a lot longer than him. But the glasses glare and the one eye is a very common theme. Don’t believe me?

That hiding one or both eyes on dangerous characters thing? Also a fucking trope. 

Want a list of popular anime character with only one eye showing??? I have one!! https://www.ranker.com/list/best-anime-characters-with-one-eye-showing/ranker-anime Want a whole fucking page about it? https://www.animecharactersdatabase.com/tags.php?id=1085 Here's the data base!!!

Want videogame examples? Undyne (undertale), Sans (undertale), Garry (Ib)! The list goes on!

And doing something with a character’s eyes is always a trope! Character got possessed??? Guess what you can change the eyes to clue your audience in! You’re character just went fucking feral? SLITTED PUPILS ARE THE WAY MY DUDE. Aizawa Shouta just activated his quirk? Zoom in on them eyes, change color and do a weird color fracture. 

Super powerful character has eyes flash? Totally normal, robot character’s eyes change color when scanning? One eye changes color?

Heterochromia is also super common. 

This implies that Hizashi is dangerous, since it’s not happening before a fight as far as I can tell, it just implies he’s a dangerous man and not to be messed with. 

Also remember how I mentioned vlogging? There is the off chance Hizashi is blogging and that’s why his attention isn't on his microphone. Or he could be looking at photos,  or something... maybe a kidnapped and tied up Aizawa... who knows. 

3: Now lets look at that dialog. 

“He was amazing!” We can infer that the he in this situation is probably Aizawa... though it could technically be anyone. But we’re going to stick with Aizawa. 

He was amazing? Well sounds a bit like Hizashi talking about Hero Aizawa, having seen Aizawa on patrol or even having fought him. One this is for sure, this is probably an obsessive mic. The sort that fixates on Aizawa or the like. Seems to me like a villain obsessing over a hero. Now, subtler details. 

1: Lets take a look at this background. That’s glass right there which means this isn't Hizashi’s house, this is a recording studio. And Hizashi is either the host or is being interviewed, and we can rule that out due to the fact his feet are up and it’s fucking rude to do that if your being interviewed. 

Now this could also be a police interrogation room, but the chair lends to it not being so, as does his posture and the mic itself. No this is a recording studio which means Mic defiantly has his own show.

Not only that, he’s a public figure. And probably a villain!

2: Hand guestures are something distinctly Hizashi. As someone who speaks with their hands the same way he does, expressing with hands isn’t just a thing for other people, you move your hands by yourself, reminding yourself to put on socks with motions, etc. But that, that's an odly specific position. 

Now talking with your hands is a common phenomena, books have been written about it, it allegedly conveys strong leadership and the like... however it’s also a trait sociopaths and psychopath are known to mimic in order to endear people to them. Now let me put up a sociopath/psycopath checklist (The tests are very similar and I didnt feel like doing both) and lets look at Present Mic as a character.

GLIB and SUPERFICIAL CHARM — The tendency to be smooth, engaging, charming, slick, and verbally facile. Psychopathic charm is not in the least shy, self-conscious, or afraid to say anything.  A psychopath never gets tongue-tied. They have freed themselves from the social conventions about taking turns in talking, for example. ✓ Hey, look Charm? Never gets tongue tied... hmmm

GRANDIOSE SELF-WORTH — A grossly inflated view of one’s abilities and self-worth, self-assured, opinionated, cocky, a braggart. Psychopaths are arrogant people who believe they are superior human beings. ✓ This one is a little harder to check off, because he’s not nearly as self centered, but cocky? yeah... yep, so he gets half a point here.

NEED FOR STIMULATION or PRONENESS TO BOREDOM — An excessive need for novel, thrilling, and exciting stimulation; taking chances and doing things that are risky. Psychopaths often have low self-discipline in carrying tasks through to completion because they get bored easily. They fail to work at the same job for any length of time, for example, or to finish tasks that they consider dull or routine. ✓ I dunno if you’ve met Hizashi, but this fits in rather well.

PATHOLOGICAL LYING — Can be moderate or high; in moderate form, they will be shrewd, crafty, cunning, sly, and clever; in extreme form, they will be deceptive, deceitful, underhanded, unscrupulous, manipulative, and dishonest. ✓ If he’s a villain he checks this easily. Especially if he’s a public figure AND a villain. 

CONNING AND MANIPULATIVENESS — The use of deceit and deception to cheat, con, or defraud others for personal gain; distinguished from Item #4 in the degree to which exploitation and callous ruthlessness is present, as reflected in a lack of concern for the feelings and suffering of one’s victims. ✓ See above

LACK OF REMORSE OR GUILT — A lack of feelings or concern for the losses, pain, and suffering of victims; a tendency to be unconcerned, dispassionate, cold-hearted, and non-empathic. This item is usually demonstrated by a disdain for one’s victims. Ehhh… I really need to see more of this version of Hizashi to determine that. 

SHALLOW AFFECT — Emotional poverty or a limited range or depth of feelings; interpersonal coldness in spite of signs of open See above.

CALLOUSNESS and LACK OF EMPATHY — A lack of feelings toward people in general; cold, contemptuous, inconsiderate, and tactless. Once again see above

PARASITIC LIFESTYLE — An intentional, manipulative, selfish, and exploitative financial dependence on others as reflected in a lack of motivation, low self-discipline, and inability to begin or complete responsibilities. Nope.

POOR BEHAVIORAL CONTROLS — Expressions of irritability, annoyance, impatience, threats, aggression, and verbal abuse; inadequate control of anger and temper; acting hastily. ✓ Acting hastily? Yep.

PROMISCUOUS SEXUAL BEHAVIOR — A variety of brief, superficial relations, numerous affairs, and an indiscriminate selection of sexual partners; the maintenance of several relationships at the same time; a history of attempts to sexually coerce others into sexual activity or taking great pride at discussing sexual exploits or conquests. Cannonically this would make sense but we wont check it.

EARLY BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS — A variety of behaviors prior to age 13, including lying, theft, cheating, vandalism, bullying, sexual activity, fire-setting, glue-sniffing, alcohol use, and running away from home. Dunno yet.

LACK OF REALISTIC, LONG-TERM GOALS — An inability or persistent failure to develop and execute long-term plans and goals; a nomadic existence, aimless, lacking direction in life. This man wanted to be a radio host. That's not a fucking stable job Hizashi. This is poor planning. ✓

IMPULSIVITY — The occurrence of behaviors that are unpremeditated and lack reflection or planning; inability to resist temptation, frustrations, and urges; a lack of deliberation without considering the consequences; foolhardy, rash, unpredictable, erratic, and reckless. ✓ No duh

IRRESPONSIBILITY — Repeated failure to fulfill or honor obligations and commitments; such as not paying bills, defaulting on loans, performing sloppy work, being absent or late to work, failing to honor contractual agreements. ✓ if He’s a fucking villain.

FAILURE TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR OWN ACTIONS — A failure to accept responsibility for one’s actions reflected in low conscientiousness, an absence of dutifulness, antagonistic manipulation, denial of responsibility, and an effort to manipulate others through this denial. ✓ if He’s a fucking villain.

MANY SHORT-TERM MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS — A lack of commitment to a long-term relationship reflected in inconsistent, undependable, and unreliable commitments in life, including marital. Nope

JUVENILE DELINQUENCY — Behavior problems between the ages of 13-18; mostly behaviors that are crimes or clearly involve aspects of antagonism, exploitation, aggression, manipulation, or a callous, ruthless tough-mindedness. Dunno yet

REVOCATION OF CONDITION RELEASE — A revocation of probation or other conditional releases due to technical violations, such as carelessness, low deliberation, or failing to appear. Dunno yet

CRIMINAL VERSATILITY — A diversity of types of criminal offenses, regardless if the person has been arrested or convicted for them; taking great pride at getting away with crimes. …..✓

Let me spell this out for you, Hizashi is displaying an oddly exaggerated handmotion, even for the most exuberant of hand talkers. (Generaly talking with your hands never gets outside of a box, here I’ve drawn the box on mic for you.)

The larger box is where most people talk and people why are shy or have been bullied/are self conscious of their hands talk in the smaller box. 

He as a character ticks of most of a psychopathic checklist and if he is indeed a psychopath he could have learned that hand motion endear people to you. Now I’m not saying he is a psychopath, most people tick off at least 4 of those boxes, I’m just saying it’s possible. 

3 yep that eye is still confusing me, he defiantly seems like he’s looking at something and the more I look at that smug expression the more I think it’s Aizawa tied up and gagged in a chair with his own capture weapon glaring at him.

4: That's a nice chair. That's a nice chair. Not interrogation I guess. But something about that chair irks me. 

Alright nitpicky now. 

Posture:

That's not fucking relaxed posture. That’s posturing to give of the air of being relaxed. Mic may have been relaxed when he crossed his legs but those arms are not relaxed. Look at the stiff angles. That’s a man who’s up to something. 

And lastly, no, no I could not figure out what kind of shoes Mic is wearing, and I don't think it’s relevant.