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darklinaforever · 21 days

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Just because Emma D'Arcy says Daemyra is grooming doesn't mean that's the case. The actor, in the same interview, was literally wrong about Rhaenyra's age in episode 4.

Emma D'Arcy is an imperfect human being who can say stupid things. Especially today, many people use big words without knowing their real definitions.

I will add that even if Emma was talking about grooming, they did not agree and still did not find the scene where Daemon strangled Rhaenyra coherent, and rightly this time. Emma also said that they reads Daemyra fanfiction. So that basically means that they ship despite the problematic aspect. I wouldn't call it a victory for the antis.

Essentially, Emma D'Arcy seems neutral on Daemyra.

Also, Emma D'Arcy is an actor, paying to say certain things in interviews. Who's to say they's not just following the writers' stupid agenda ?

Then, I have already explained countless times that no, Daemon is not a groomer, notably in these posts, where I have also for some addressed the case of Emma D'Arcy and they grooming statements :

Moreover, even if the writers seem obsessed with a non-existent story of grooming between Daemyra, they do not seem to deny that it is a romance either. These people, and even HBO, obviously still have their ass between two chairs :

I will add that no, Daemon is not a pedophile either. Go to @nrilliree to get the definition because I'm clearly too lazy to explain again :

Especially since if you give me the example of the young prostitutes (which the antis also love to pass off as younger than they probably realistically are, like under 13 years old, just to make it really disgusting) when Daemon was in his 20s, know that they were all maidens.

“Maidens” is a term they use to refer to young unmarried women. In brothels these maidens were most likely between 15 and 17 or higher do to the lack of nutrition of the peasants. A bad nutrition causes someone's period to come later.

So no, they weren't little girls. This was for the time of young women literally according to society's of Westeros marriageable age.

The worst you can say about this case of prostitutes is that Daemon had a fetish for virgin maiden for a period in his younger years. (And even if it's obviously not great, I'm not sure #irony that we can put it on the same level as a groomer, a pedophile and a rapist... Yes I'm making an insituation in Aegon II for the last 2 points. We're getting there...)

Aside from that, Daemon was in a relationship with his then favorite, Mysaria, an adult, he also married Laena later, also an adult, and also married Rhaenyra when she was an adult (all according to our modern standards), although yes, he courted her when she was 14. But I remember that Rhaenyra had reached the age where she could marry and had already been courted by men. It's not surprising in the context that Daemon courted her. Especially since there is no evidence that anything sexual happened between them at that time. (One talking about sex is Mushroom, and we know to what extent he is obsessed with it and therefore that his testimony is almost worthless, and the second is Eustace, pro greens. And I remind you that the greens were already making up bullshit on Rhaenyra's sexuality before Daemon's return)

Basically, Daemon has always slept with maiden, and always of varying ages. (which is completely wrong with the definition of pedophile)

Limit, you can talk about ephebophile, but as @nrilliree already said, there is no evidence on this subject, especially since Daemon has also been with adult women several times (Mysaria for a little more than 1 year, Laena for 5 years, and Rhaenyra for 10 years), and this by our own standards modern.

Also, what makes me laugh is that these same people who will claim that Daemon only likes young girls who are essentially minors according to our time (because obviously they will look at age only according to our time, which is an error given that the historical context of this universe is completely different from ours, but in short), claiming that Daemon only married Rhaenyra for power and striving to say that Laena was 15 / 16 years old like in the HOTD show when he married her, while no, she was 22 in Fire and Blood. Well these same people will come and tell you and claim that Daemon did cheat on Rhaenyra with Mysaria, in addition to Nettles, during the dance.

An event whose veracity we also cannot prove and which seems somewhat strange when we take a closer look (so you will guess that I don't particularly believe in it either). See @horizon-verizon posts for that.

Why do I say it's funny ?

Well because Mysaria is an adult woman, much older than Rhaenyra and Laena.

But tell me... if Daemon is so obsessed with underage girls... why would he have slept with a former lover of his, who was already an adult at the time, and even older at this point there ?

We see that what really interests them is more to say bad things about Daemon whoever he is, rather than having any real consistency in their comments and accusations. (And if anyone dares to say that Daemon was sleeping with Mysaria to ensure he got her on his side... wtf ? Rhaenyra is the queen. She pays Mysaria and assures her safety. Why would sex with Daemon be the only way for Mysaria to ensure her loyalty to the team Blacks ? She literally hasn't seen Daemon in over 20 years I think. What would she care about him sexually or otherwise at this point, except perhaps for personal revenge ? And then, if Daemon really was with Mysaria to ensure her loyalty to his side... Well he's a bit much of an idiot if he really slept with Nettles after that. These people love to say that Daemon is a great master manipulator who places his pawns well in advance, especially when it comes to women, except that... Daemon does not seem to have been very intelligent if we follow this belief that I have already seen among antis, which is once again inconsistent with the speech Daemon was a master manipulator of women... I mean, according to their point of view, Daemon knew how to pretend for 10 years with Rhaenyra. Why couldn't he have lasted longer to play the charade with Mysaria ? Once again, the consistency of their words does not interest the antis. They only care about saying bad things about Daemon !)

And don't come for talk to me about Nettles, because I've already made some rather long posts on the subject, go see them if you want :

As well as I highly recommend the extremely in-depth analyzes of @horizon-verizon.

Basically, the story with Nettles could never be proven, and I personally don't believe it.

On the other hand, Aegon II is a character who could be described as a pedophile (by Westeros standards and ours) in Fire and Blood, having been with a girl (= child for Westeros. There is no adolescence in this society. Only childhood and adulthood. As a girl and not a maiden, a woman having her period and therefore marriageable, the individual with whom Aegon II was therefore indeed a child), and not a maiden, from precisely 11 / 12... And he's being also reported as having several inappropriate behaviors / touching towards women, strongly insinuating that he is a rapist (by the own maesters being on his side). And no, Eustace never denied the girl's age, and continued even though he referred to her as girl and tried to downplay the scandalous event.

And why am I talking about Aegon II fans ?

Because it's systematically them who come to me to tell me the bullshit about Daemon being a groomer and a pedophile while sometimes maintaining that their little favorite is not a rapist, and a potential pedophile.

Which is still pretty damn cheeky...

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fictive-culture · 1 year

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(Not fictive culture ask) What rant did ypu wanna go on about fictives from problematic sources? /genq

!!!!

Okay SO! When it comes to fictives problematic sources basically don't fucking matter. Like if someone is an avid harry potter fan yea that is shitty. However if someone has a harry potter introject and that is the only information you have you can not assume the same of them as you would a harry potter fan.

They could have been a fan when they were a kid and either introjected them then, or since the memory exists within them, they can't just forget everything about the source. The brain decided to introject them later. Even if they are non traumagenic you don't know how or when they got introjected and if they are still a fan of that source today.

By all means, if a source is triggering to you or makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to interact with them, but you can't make it their problem. Simply block them because unless you can easily see they are still a fan of and support the source, the only way to figure out how they got a fictive is to ask incredibly invasive questions and make people defend themselves by talking about their trauma or their past self which no one is entitled to.

Also, this isn't fictive specific, but liking a source doesn't even always automatically mean they're a horrible person. Jk bitch has irreversibly ruined her books but if the books were really important to someones childhood and they just talk about it amongst friends or keep a couple pieces of merch they bought before they learned she was awful to hold on to the good memories. They aren't a bad person? Burning or throwing their merch away isn't going to take the money back from her. If they don't support her and don't buy the merch, don't watch the movies they aren't really doing anything wrong. If you do throw your stuff out because it makes you uncomfortable, that's valid but if you put on a big show of it it's kind of just performative hating the show more than showing care and support for all the people she is against. Just don't be a clown and put your hogwarts house in your description, or people are gonna assume you support her.

People still read and enjoy the various stories by Lovecraft and he was awful. People still watch marvel movies when so much is wrong with various directors and actors.

For a lot but not all things you have to learn how to consume things critically, or you are going to end up being unable to watch anything because at least one person in it's creation was awful or at least one part was kind of problematic. And if it's all or nothing it's going to be so hard for you to tell apart good and bad people. There are probably moms out there that go to pride give out water bottles, free mom hugs and supports her queer kids to the moon and back but obsesses over hp and knits inspired blankets. She's not a bad person she's probably just confused and old.

I hope even like half of this makes sense and I just used HP since basically everyone knows what it is I thought it was neat for like half a year when I was 15

TLDR: Fictives ≠ supporting the source and they don't owe you how they formed. Problematic sources are 98% of the time not even worth 100% canceling you just need to learn to consume things critically.

#not fictive culture #even though i said people dont owe you their origins we like talking about ourselves so feel free to send our main asks if you want info on #any of our sources (main because id feel bad filling this blog with not related content)

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nightingaleflow · 1 year

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You'll have to excuse me but my brain is going wild at the idea of Tenten being Metal's mom, but with Lee and her being divorced. For some reason that thought never occurred to me and it's so damn juicy and I'm obsessed.

You mentioned the idea that Lee has full custody since Tenten really didn't want kids. What do you think Metal and Tenten's relationship would be like post-divorce? Or even Lee and Tenten's?

Honestly, I think there wouldn't really be a relationship between them post-divorce.

My theory is that they divorced sometime after Naruto's swearing in ceremony, since it's the only time we see all three of them together:

Now granted, I haven't watched all of Boruto yet, but the one and only other interaction I could find between any of them was when Tenten was proctoring the Chunin Exams:

And this interaction is interesting by itself because this is literally the only time Metal has this particular expression. See these other anxious Metal expressions for comparison:

But anyway!

Doing some math here, Metal would have been around 8-9 years old at the ceremony. (Assuming he's 12 at the beginning of Boruto, which takes place 15-ish years after the end of the Great Ninja War, and we don't know his official birthday yet.) So he definitely would have been old enough to pick up on his parents' marital issues, and my theory is that it's a major source of his anxiety. I also think he blamed himself for Tenten not wanting a relationship with him.

Of course it would be painful - Tenten and Lee had been friends and teammates since childhood after all. But Lee would first and foremost want what's best for Metal. So after the divorce, he would keep Metal and himself away from Tenten to focus on giving Metal the best childhood he possibly could. No visiting her shop, no birthdays, no team reunions, not getting together for Family Day, nothing. Just him doing the best he could for Metal on his own.

#ask nightingale #valkyriav #the leeten divorce saga #rock lee #tenten #metal lee #divorce mention #naruto headcanons

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imperialpatriot66 · 8 months

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TLK Headcanon(s): Sarabi lives!

Um so yeah, thought this blog(or whatever this is called) would first be about my obsession with Star Wars and the fics I made for that. However I have been on a Lion King high at the moment and read a lot of Lion King fanfiction and I thought I would give it a go as well. For that there comes headcanons and mine is that Sarabi lives!

In my headcanon Sarabi lives on but gets hurt by Scar when he hits her(in the scene where Simba returns to the Pridelands) she also suffered a lot during Scar’s reign due to the drought and famine and has problems moving later in life. It’s why she is not present at the presentation of either Kiara or Kion(if he got a presentation? But he probably did). However, she was not that old to not be present at some events like the Ukumbusho Tradition when Kion’s guard played.

(The Front Lioness in The Upper Left Corner has been theorised and it’s my headcanon to be Sarabi.)

(Chart over size and age of lion cubs)

However, I needed to know how long the characters were for my story which is set roughly 4 years after the end of TLK2. If we go back to the first Lion King according to this chart(above) and a Buzzfeed article Simba is around 2-months old when we first see him. Then a couple of days later his father dies fully grown and looking at pictures of adult male lions I’d say he is around maybe 6 years old which is what I’ll have Sarabi as well(since they were probably betrothed to each other from birth). Simba’s time in the jungle takes place till he becomes a grown adult, maybe 5 years old. So Scar’s reign lasts five years and by that time Sarabi is 11 years old. Which is old but the average lioness lives to be around 17 so not super. The entirety of TLK2 we see Kiara grow up to be a sub-adult(real term) so she is around maybe 3 years old. This makes Sarabi 14 years old. My story then takes place 2 years later which makes Sarabi 16 years old which is still a realistic age as she is taken care of despite her injuries. In my fic, she can barely stand anymore and spends her time in her own private den which is a part of the main den. She also has some trouble with her memory but still can recall her son, granddaughter and great-grandson(Oh! OC mention!).

For the other characters I imagine Simba being 10, Kiara 5, Kovu 6(but still quite close in age but Kovu is older since he was borned during Scar’s reign and Kiara was born around 120 days after Simba came to power), Zazu 15(since an adult Red-horned hornbill is over 3 years old I assume he could be around 5 years old at the start of TLK).

Sources:

#the lion king #The Lion King II: Simba's Pride #the lion guard #lion king #tlk headcanon #headcanon #simba #tlk #tlk fanfic #tlk 2 #kiara #kovu #zazu #sarabi #ngl my favourite lion queen #idk why #we will we see when ill get back to sw

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call-me-double-trouble · 2 years

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Meet Charlatan, my Double Trouble fankid! He’s trans, bisexual, and 13 years old. He’s best friends with Finn (Adora and Catra’s kid, for those who don’t know), who is 15 years old in this timeline.

He’s adopted, but used shapeshifting to resemble his moddy better. In my lore, I go with the AU where DT is the long-lost ruler of Green Glade, thus getting their power from a runestone and being able to share that power with Char. However, if that’s not your vibe, he could also probably use sorcery to shapeshift. Either way, he’s only able to shapeshift partially so far, so bits of his original form peek through (he’s based on a gila monster, hence the coloration, pattern, and thicker tail).

–More character info and another drawing under the cut–

DT found him as a baby in the Crimson Waste. His mother had just been murdered in a mugging-gone-wrong, and the baby lizard was left in her cold arms, crying and wailing. He was left there for a while before DT happened to pass by and noticed. They took pity on the poor creature (in my lore, they were in a similar situation as a baby when they got taken from Green Glade to the Crimson Waste, so the whole ordeal reminded them of themself, which compelled them to go against their instincts and do something). They tried to find some relative, someone to take care of the orphan, but no luck. Since they’d recently discovered through being Finn’s godparent that they didn’t mind kids, actually kind of liked them, and was rather good with them, they decided to raise the baby as their own, with help from Casta (yes, this is in the Castaspellma AU too–my mind works in crossovers).

Although Char lost his mother when he was a baby, he still gets anxious when alone and doesn’t like being separated from DT for too long. DT was his first source of comfort after his mother’s death, and their heartbeat became his favorite lullaby. He likes to hug them and rest his ear against their chest to listen to it and know that he’s safe when in their arms. It’s the surest way to calm him down during a panic attack. Most often, he hugs them koala-style so they can still walk around and do stuff while he clings to them. It was a little easier when he was still a small toddler, but even though he’s getting too big at age 13, DT still holds him and lets him sit in their lap. They’re completely used to it at this point.

Char grew to be one of DT’s biggest fans and attends every play they have (so long as they’re PG-13 or under). DT tried to get him into acting, but they both learned the hard way that he gets terrible stage fright. Thankfully, his first role was as a tree, so freezing up actually helped in that case. He didn’t move, didn’t even blink, and searched the audience until he found the first familiar face. He locked eyes with Glimmer and stared at her the entire time, in desperate need of moral support. Ever since then, he only helps out behind the scenes; building sets, helping tech master Bow with the lighting, making props, and assisting Finn in watching and critiquing DT’s rehearsals to ensure they’re at their best with each performance.

Speaking of Finn–I’ve seen lots of interpretations of them portraying them as DT’s protege, learning acting from DT, or otherwise being closer with DT than anyone else, so I thought, “Wouldn’t it be funny if DT’s kid was like that with She-Ra?” Everyone jokes that Finn’s and Charlatan’s personalities were swapped at birth. Whereas Finn’s quite the budding actor, Char’s been obsessed with She-Ra ever since he first learned about her. He’s been studying sword-fighting under her wing and is getting decent at it, but still has a ways to go. He even made a DIY She-Ra sword bracelet to match how Adora used to carry her sword around. He has big dreams of becoming a hero like She-Ra, and he knows all the legends and stories surrounding her. Because of this, sometimes the crew jokingly refers to him as “Flutterina.”

Everyone expected Char to turn out more like DT. Some thought he’d be an exact copy of them, and his striking resemblance to them didn’t help. Even DT expected they’d rub off on him a little more. Char chose to rebel by not rebelling. Everyone thought DT’s kid would lie, steal, cause mayhem and chaos, and get into all sorts of mischief. Therefore, Char tells the truth, gives people gifts, does favors for free, follows rules, and is a relatively quiet kid who rarely gets into trouble of his own accord, though often gets pulled along with Finn’s schemes. DT will often say things like,

DT: Okay, bedtime is 8 PM. I’m going to be out until midnight and definitely wouldn’t know if you stayed up late.

Char: Ok, 8 PM it is.

DT: I mean really, I would have no idea if you disobeyed me and, say, invited Finn over and ate junk food and broke something.

Char: Is that so?

DT:

Char: Then I might go to bed early.

DT: Listen here you little shit--

It’s not that Char has anything wrong with how his moddy acts–he loves his moddy more than anything, but he’s just not the same person as them, and he doesn’t like the pressure other people have inadvertently placed on him to act just like them. That’s why he sometimes goes out of his way to do the opposite of what they would do, and he struggles a bit to find himself. He changes his appearance here and there in an attempt to find what feels like him rather than DT. The pink hair was one such thing. Sure, he based it on Glimmer’s hair color, but it still feels like something that’s his and helps set him apart from his moddy. In adulthood, he’ll differ from them a bit more, but still resemble them enough. I don’t have a solid design yet, but I imagine he’ll let more of his gila monster traits shine through and will have built more muscle than DT has since he’s more of a fighter.

Thank you so much for reading all that! I know it was a lot. Let me know if you want to see more drawings of Char, or have me write a scene with him, or if you have any questions about him! I’m happy to talk about my OCs any day. If anyone wants to draw him, you can--just tag me!

#double trouble #she ra double trouble #spop double trouble #spop #double trouble fan kid #spop dt #she ra dt #long post #charlatan #my oc #my art #mine

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gldenhrs · 1 year

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(—) ★ spotted !! luciana “ luna “ santiago on the cover of this week’s most recent tabloid ! many say that the 22 year old looks like cindy kimberly , but i don’t really see it. while the model / socialite is known for being passionate my inside sources say that they have a tendency to be irresponsible i swear, every time i think of them, i hear the song crazy by aerosmith .

* ◞ ╰ general .

full name : luciana kristiyana santiago . nicknames : goes prominently by luna , only her dad calls her moon . birthdate / zodiac sign : april 12th / aries . birthplace : madrid , spain . sexual orientation : bisexual / heteroromantic . family : victor “ vic “ santiago ( lead singer in Aerosmith ) & indah prasetya ( band’s groupie ) languages spoken : fluent in english & spanish , conversational in indonesian . pets : two cats named freddie purrcury & madam meow occupation : model / socialite . love language : physical touch . + traits : passionate , adventurous , enchanting , valiant , energetic , optimistic , affectionate & honest . - traits : dramatic , stubborn , querulous , insecure , irresponsible , impulsive , impatient & moody . aesthetic : red lipstick on plump lips , freshly baked coffee , spontaneous dance parties , strawberry lemonade on hot summer nights , heart shaped sunglasses , pigmented eyelids , european music festivals , setting off firecrackers at midnight , laughter floating through a room , missed calls at 2am , ripped bralettes , bare chest in the mornings . muse inspo : fran fine ( the nanny ) , francesca farago ( too hot to handle ) , kelly taylor ( 90210 ) , rachel green ( friends ) , jackie buckhart ( that 70s show ) , hanna marin ( pretty little liars ) , phoebe halliwell ( charmed ) , kiara ( outer banks ) , gabrielle solis ( desperate housewives ) , caroline forbes ( the vampire diaries ) , stassi schroder ( vanderpump rules ) , maddie perez ( euphoria ) .

* ◞ ╰ quick history .

victor “ vic “ santiago ( aka luna’s dad ) is a famous lead singer in a rock band . think steven tyler from aerosmith ! ! so basically , growing up she’s been constantly surrounded by GOOD 80s rock music & being on the road which definitely shaped her personality .

luna’s mother , a groupie , is someone who followed the band around on the road for numerous years , but vic never took her seriously ( only took them to bed ) & the only reason she even got pregnant with luna is because vic wanted a child , knowing he would most likely never marry .

soooo , incomes luciana “ luna “ santiago , his pride & joy , his MOON . yes , he actually calls her that bc he’s always had an obsession with the stars & constellations . tbh luna’s been the love / light of vic’s life from the moment she was born , adored by not only her dad , but the band , team & fans too !

as for her mother * cough * , who knows where she is now , she doesn’t stay in touch tbh , only comes in town every couple of years to “ see her “ aka “ ask for money “ .

with the better part of early years where she was home schooled due to her dad’s insane tour schedule , luna was always an insanely energetic & menace of a child , constantly running around , causing trouble , etc !

at some point , she realized just how much she LOVES traveling , nature & being barefoot . yes , kind of a wanderer but who can blame her when she grew up with 80s rock legends ? ? so , she spend almost every waking moment traveling to exotic places , going to music festivals , walking bare chested in the mornings , painting landscapes ( SHE’S V TALENTED ) , having spontaneous dance parties at 3am , etc !

as far as doing things outside of being a socialite / a nepo baby go , she’s been in her dad’s music videos since she was 15 ( think liv tyler in crazy ) , and in many others , which naturally resulted in a numerous calls for modeling gigs , tv shows …. she took some modeling jobs out of fun & recently also out of pure fun , went to a famous tv show called “ too hot to handle “ ( think francesca farago here’s inspo hehe : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rUY_xAF0T0 ) . in a way , the only reason she went to that show was to show the world she can be something other than vic santiago’s daughter , so here she is ! !

* ◞ ╰ personality & dating life .

luna’s a bit of a spoiled brat which is a given , & while she does come across a textbook example of a nepo baby with no real world problems , she’s really not bc she never cared much about the fame she just likes having FUN .

v v enchanting & can charm her way out of any bad situation & make u swoon . tbh 10/10 she’ll annoy the living shit out of u or u’ll find her irresistible lol .

given her spanish roots , she can be hella’ dramatic just like her fav characters in telenovelas , but beside that she’s a truly good person with a good heart ok ! ! she just has a flair for dramatics , throwing fits , pouting & making puppy eyed faces whenever things don’t go her way .

can be hella hella flirtatious to a point she doesn’t even realize the effect she has on other people & more often than not she leads people on ? ? she regrets it later but eh .

loves to party , drink , dance , wear skimpy outfits & kiss on the lips but also wear mickey mouse pajamas while someone softly combs through her hair ? ? yeah , she needs to grow up . also kind of LIVES for summer & music festivals where she can just dress in glitter & fall in love with a different person every night !

v fun to be around bc she hates being bored & is impatient af ! she can’t stand being in one place for too long soooo catch her doing v dumb , impulsive decisions while bored like jumping on her father’s private jet to pet a koala in australia , go bungee jumping or snapping u a nude bc she’s bored at home jfnerjfgjsrgf .

some cute headcanons ? ? ok , here we go ! ! to this day loves watching telenovelas & she might cancel her plans with u to binge watch them ( like rebelde , rubí , pasion de gavilanes , la reina del sur … ) , still cries like a baby when mufada dies or miguel & mia break up , very childish & dumb at times but will also surprise u with some random wisdom at 2am , will react if someone offends her or her friends best believe she’ll throw a dramatic telenovela shit in public & call u “ un desgraciado “ lmao .

* ◞ ╰ connections .

she could use a squad ? like PLS . i want her to have a squad of friends she can party with and overall do dumb shit lmao .

also her BFFS . the thelma to her louise , the cassie to her maddie ! ! overall just two muses who are her family & they’re always tagging along w her , like vic probably treats them like his children too !

someone she’s dating atm but it’s nothing too serious , maybe he’ll end up breaking up with her or she’ll break up with him we’ll see but main thing is they WON’t last bc they’re messy af & luna’s heart isn’t 100% in this .

a close friend who party & hookup with other people when they’re out but always end up going home together & having this super open friendship where they have no problem hooking up with each other 6/7 days of the week ? ?

also gimme caleb fuck buddies that everyone ships & one of them is in love with the other while the other seems them just as a good time ? ewfjwesbf.

also also gimme a messy ex plot where they are constantly on / off & the fans love em but they’re just so fucking toxic ? ? maybe bc they’re too alike & won’t admit it’s love & just won’t settle down ( like imagine cheating scandals , public fights caught by tmz ... but also cute ass insta posts when they’re in a good place ) just think of nate & maddie from euphoria or francesca & harry ! !

a plot where luna uses them to make someone jealous but they don’t know & actually think it’s a legit relationship ? ? then obvi they find out luna was just using them & y’know : drama .

family friends ! ! someone who could know EVERYTHING about her life n be there for her like pls .

someone who is her HOME . it doesn’t have to be potentially romantic just someone who makes her feel completely safe , warm & protected ? ? they can also just…talk, and make each other laugh & smile, because they feel comfortable enough in themselves & with each other to be vulnerable in that way ? ? some fluff never hurt nobody .

someone who’s using her bc of her dad ? ? YES . gimme fake friends .

tbh exes she cheated on , exes that cheated on her , fwb of all kinds , crushes , childhood friends , good / bad influence on her dumb ass would be good , gossip queens n kings , party friends , enemies for whatever reason , etc ! !

#hillzhqsintro #here we goooooo :)))

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newvegasdyke · 1 year

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there was a case in my hometown (in northern AB) about 15 years ago where a 12 year old girl and a 23 year old man killed the girl's parents and brother together because they didn't want her to be with him and every single source on it, EVERYWHERE, calls the 23 year old man the girl's "boyfriend". people in my hometown are OBSESSED with uncovering the identity of this girl since she was given a new identity and the evil of a 23 year old man sexually abusing a prepubescent child is almost never spoken about here. this girl is never ever ever spoken about as a victim of sexual abuse. a popular true crime podcast did an episode on the case and talked exclusively about how "evil" this girl was and NOTHING about her adult abuser. it's so fucking vile.

Absolutely fucked up!! I have seen multiple cases of “EVIL TEENAGE GIRL KILLS HER PARENTS!! and her thirty year old abuser was there too and had been telling her to do it for months because her parents hated him but let’s not discuss that EVIL VIOLENT FAMILY KILLER GIRL!!” Like christ leave that girl alone don’t you think she feels enormous guilt over it and is traumatized by this abusive man that pressured or forced her into doing it!

#Anon #abuse tw #misogyny

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sinceileftyoublog · 2 years

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Tim Kasher Interview: The Ennui of the Days

Photo by Erica Lauren

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Writing about aging isn’t new. It’s certainly not new for Tim Kasher, the frontman of beloved Nebraska indie rock bands Cursive and The Good Life. But on Middling Age (15 Passenger), his recently released solo album, he dives uncomfortably deep into anxieties about getting older, presenting deft perceptions on time and space from sources of all ages.

Much of Middling Age was written before COVID, but when Kasher found himself sitting around with little to do, he decided to finish it remotely, seeking remote contributions from such heavyweights as Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace, Jeff Rosenstock, Cloud Nothings’ Jason Gerycz, and even a couple of his Cursive bandmates. The final product is stripped down but still rich with flute, violin, kalimba, and guest vocals of all timbres. None other than Kasher’s 9-year-old niece, Natalie Tetro, introduces the album on “Middling Age Anxiety Prologue”, with a song of her own within it called “Long Days”. Over acoustic strumming and whooshing instrumentation, Tetro waxes on about how “seconds feel like minutes” and “minutes feel like ten minutes”. Sure, I remember how when I was Tetro’s age, the idea of a whole year held more weight and sure seemed longer than it does for me today. But to hear such words out of the voice of someone her age is simultaneously eerie and comforting, a pure expression of the human condition, our collective inability to escape it, and our desire to eventually live with it. It contextualizes the rest of the album. “Is the point of this just to survive?” Kasher asks on “100 Ways To Paint A Bowl Of Limes”. It seems like the answer is yes. “We don’t know where we come from / We don’t know where we belong / We don’t know when we’ll be gone.../But you don’t gotta beat yourself up about it,” Kasher realizes later on. “In the end, we’ll pretend we’re not scared to death,” he sings on the layered “Whisper Your Death Wish”. If you can convince yourself, you’re doing pretty well.

I spoke with Kasher over the phone a few months ago about Middling Age. He detailed the inspirations behind the record’s structure, the truth behind one of its more twisted stories, how he approached the collaborations, and whether he relates to the songs the same way as when he first wrote them. Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: A lot of Middling Age was written before the pandemic, and the pandemic made you want to finish it. Looking back, why was it the pandemic that made you wanted to revisit songs about themes of aging? Was there a moment or a series of moments that triggered it for you?

Tim Kasher: As far as calling it Middling Age, it’s an overview of what the record kind of looks like to me: the anxieties of getting older. I fear that I’m becoming a broken record about aging on the records I’ve been doing, but it’s an obsession I don’t know how to get out of because we keep getting fuckin’ older and older. Does it pass? For me, it feels like it intensifies. I’m 47. When I look back at what I was writing at 37, I’m like, "Oh yeah, you were worried about getting old.” I’m a decade further into it now. A decade later, I’ll feel the same way, I imagine. How does one stop obsessing about that? I don’t know. As far as writing about stuff like that, it’s been my MO inadvertently all along: writing about what’s processing you at the time.

SILY: You tackle different parts of the life cycle on this record. The voice of your 9-year-old niece bookends it, but throughout it, you talk about death.

TK: I can’t help but want to bookend records. As long as nobody totally shits all over me for continuing to do it, I’ll continue to do it. [laughs] It’s a nice aesthetic. It’s like putting a bow on it. The idea of working with her was born out of my sister proudly sending me the stuff she was working on. I sincerely find she’s quite good at what she’s doing for 9 years old. I further thought that having a very young voice at the top and at the end, at the tails of the album, I can’t say specifically what it says, but it carries a certain amount of weight to it in my head. Her journey’s next. She’s going to go through all this as well.

SILY: There’s also something innately eerie about children singing. There’s an inherent innocence to it, but coupled with the themes of the record, you’re just thinking about that innocence being dashed.

TK: Oddly, and of some interest, I kind of masked her on the song she opens the album with, with a lot of excess digital noise. That song, “Long Days”, is like this sweet little 9-year-old already singing about the ennui of the days and weeks stretching out before her. It’s pretty heavy.

SILY: Those whooshing effects are a motif throughout the record, coming at the beginning and end of some songs. Did you include those to add a semblance of narrative to the album?

TK: Yeah. It definitely was a post-album-writing idea. I’m no stranger to that, too. As far as putting aesthetic bows onto an album, I like to do stuff like that to offer more cohesion, not just for the listener but for me, as well. After an album is finished and I’m putting those final touches on it, I’m spending a lot of time thinking what it’s about. That’s important for me. It’s probably more important for me than it is for anyone else. The more I can try to figure out what the record’s about, the better I am at communicating to the listener and giving them a better shot at reaching understanding and resonance.

SILY: A lot of these songs are centered around your--for lack of a better term--existential crisis. The one that does reference some events that others might be familiar with is “The John Jouberts”, when you sing about naming a band after the Nebraskan serial killer. The woman who came to see your band whose son was a victim and sees the band name spray painted across the drums and became furious: Is that a true story?

TK: It’s not. The first verse--and I guess a lot of what the song comes from--is over a decade ago, I wanted to start a really fun punk rock band with some friends and do it the way I used to do it when I was young. All my musician friends growing up would meet up 2-3 times a week with a 6-pack and fuck around. I don’t really get to do that any more. That’s beside the point. But I really wanted to name the band The John Jouberts, who is the absolute boogeyman from our collective Omaha childhoods for boys my age, because he was kidnapping little boys and murdering them. It’s so deeply rooted in my psyche. It was the type of thing where the news would probably say, “And the city is forever changed.” That was the environment back in ‘82-’83. In short, I thought it would be a cool name because it was subversive and aggressive. I grew out of it the more I thought of it because I thought, “This is kind of fucking rude.” This was a real person who murdered children. I never did start that band or name that band, but the song started with me thinking about that and then an opportunity to let these ideas out. [It’s basically me saying,] “By the way, I’ve been thinking about John Jouberts for the last 40 years.”

SILY: It’s multi-layered. You say in the song that it’s a song for some of the victims, but it’s also a song about different perspectives and legacies. When you sing, “What a shitty thing to say, ‘The good die young,’” it’s almost like you’re shitting on the idea of a legacy being important.

TK: I think that’s an astute observation, and I appreciate that a lot. Working on the anxiety sound pieces in between songs, that’s all part of the process of me understanding what the record’s about. Your impression of that song does help tie in the song, [which] I feel like is a bit of an outlier on the record. I always thought it fit as a flashback or looking back at our childhood, a fitting tangential narrative for thoughts about aging and existentialism.

SILY: It seems like the looks back translate over to the instrumentation, too, like when you reverse the guitars at the end of “100 Ways To Paint A Bowl Of Limes”. You’re again toying with the idea of a linear narrative and mirroring how our minds bounce all over the place.

TK: That’s great. I should have had you write the liner notes.

SILY: What are the voices sampled at the beginning of “Up And Cut Me Loose”?

TK: It’s found footage that I happened to find online. I just wanted to set it in a bar environment. Sometimes, I feel like a song is served better when it has an aural placement to put you there. Now, when I hear it, I imagine it as that somber gentlemen sulking at the bar chatting with whoever listens to him.

SILY: Do you find it eerie and uncanny that the actual person whose voice that is may hear it and recognize themselves?

TK: [laughs] I sincerely have never thought about it. I just think that would be too wild of a coincidence for a small record like this to find those ears.

SILY: Did you have folks like Laura Jane Grace and Jeff Rosenstock in mind when you wrote their arrangements on “Forever Of The Living Dead”?

TK: Everything was very after the fact, in a very casual way. Laura and I had been in a dialogue. She was being very considerate about appreciating the solo stuff I had been doing over the years. I told her, “I’m working on one right now. If you want any involvement, I’d be happy to have you.” With Jeff, I thought a saxophone solo would be the perfect timbre. The concept is embedded in our culture. “Walk on the Wild Side” was one thought I had in thinking of that cool, smooth, easygoing saxophone feel, so I thought, “Who do I know that plays cool saxophone parts?” I entrusted Jeff to it because he has such a great sense of melody and is such a great songwriter. I’m so happy with the way it turned out. Macey Taylor, I think I posted something online about being in the middle of working on this record, and Macey reached out and was like, “Hey man, I’m just sittin’ on my ass in the middle of this pandemic, whatever you want.” Macey is this amazing bass player. “100 Ways To Paint A Bowl Of Limes” was still in an infant stage, and I wasn’t really sure what to do with it, so I thought, “Just do the biggest, busiest bass line you can think of.”

SILY: What’s the inspiration behind the cover art?

TK: It’s an amalgam of a few ideas. The whole cover of the back is one large anonymous avatar, like when you’re on IMDB and they’re asking you to fill out your information and to put a picture in. I’ve been thinking about that blank, anonymous avatar and how anonymous and isolated we’re all feeling on the internet now. We didn’t go that route [for the front], but we wanted to create something that felt like a website, like a Second Life sort of thing but not wanting to lean into it too hard.

SILY: These songs have been around for years at this point. Do you still relate to them the same way today as when you first wrote them?

TK: I still feel the same, but it’s a totally valid question. I’d probably answer it more that because of this pandemic, this is the longest I’ve ever had to sit with a batch of songs. I set them aside multiple times because there was no rush to do anything with them. I felt concerned that, as a result, they would come across as old to me. I’m still struggling with that a little bit, but for the most part, it happens with [albums and movies all the time]. Things just come out late, and you just have to put your thoughts and feelings on hold, and now, here we are talking about it. It’s new now. It’s new for listeners. I’m hoping to attach myself to everybody else who feels like they’re new songs.

SILY: Are you currently working on anything?

TK: I’ve been working on a Cursive record. I started a Patreon over the pandemic to use up my time and find some element of a revenue stream to stay afloat. I’ve been staying busy with all of my own fruitless efforts of writing screenplays and trying to get things made. Same old stuff.

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#tim kasher #interviews #15 passenger #jeff rosenstock #jason gerycz #middling age #erica lauren #cursive #the good life #against me!#laura jane grace #cloud nothings #natalie tetro #john jouberts #macey taylor #second life #patreon

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sfpostofficial · 1 year

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Local Zoning Agent Accidentally Sells Horses for Slaughter

Local Town removes horses from property due to alleged zoning violations. While in transport from property for holding until zoning violations were fixed, contracted horse haulers stole the horses, selling four horses to be slaughtered across country lines. The Town Zoning Agent failed to check the transportation company’s business credentials.

In this tragic misunderstanding, local farm looses four horses. One horse of 9-year-old, Alana who bought the horse with her own money from mucking stalls. One horse of 12-year-old Melissa who was given her horse for her 10th birthday. Judy’s horse she has owned for 10 years and Isabella’s horse which has won a handful of Grand Prix events on.

Quote from Alana’s mother: “I can’t believe that this is even happening. Alana hasn’t come out of her room in a week now, and I am very worried for her. Her horse meant the world to her, ever since she could walk and start talking, she was obsessed with horses. I told her that I would never let her have a horse, but I couldn’t keep her away from the barn. By the age of 5, she made her way into a barn position mucking for $2 a stall. She saved up and bought her own horse. She won’t stop crying, that horse means the entire world to her. It is so sad this is happening. No town has the authority to even trespass on the private property let alone remove someone’s property without a hearing, this isn’t over we are suing.”

A lawsuit by families, horse boarding facilities, and local civil rights activist groups has been filed against the Inland Wetlands Zoning agency and the local police department.

Comment from the Town Attorney: “I have worked for this town for the last 15 years of my career. The town has been reasonable, and this is out of line for them. This will be the last case; I represent them in. We admit and are not trying to hide what happened here as it is the saddest thing I have seen in my life. We are hoping for a quick speedy trial and have arranged to offer a settlement to the property business owner and the families affected in this event…Read More

Source — San Francisco Post

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filthforfriends · 2 years

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The Best Rock Voice of Gen Z: MeloDia Cristea (Liliac)

And one of the most badass vocalists ever!!!

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Here she is at 19, making Ozzy himself sound like a little kitten.

If you like powerful, raspy rock vocals don’t scroll. Meet your next obsession.

Liliac - Dear Father [Official Music Video]

I notice the response I get when I talk about Damiano David’s amazing voice and know that other people are craving wicked, hard rock singers too. There’s something so satisfying about a heavy song with some rough around the edges, passionate, powerhouse vocals. MeloDia Cristea is simply in a class all her own. No one has sounded like her ever. It’s honestly exciting to find someone whose going to make music history before they’re even famous.

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You deserve to know about her, she deserves more recognition, so let’s begin. MeloDia is in a rock/metal band called Liliac with her siblings, currently aged 14-22 (she recently turned 20). They’ve released covers and original work. So brace for very tacky, but age appropriate visuals. Their musicianship is very impressive but this post is going to be about MeloDia Cristea specifically.

Symphony of Destruction- Liliac (Official Cover Music Video)

My personal favorite is Liliac’s cover of Symphony of Destruction by Megadeath. 19 year old MeloDia Cristea puts 30 year old Dave Mustaine to shame.

Master of Puppets - Liliac (Official Cover Music Video)

Even at 15 she could stand toe to toe with 28 year old James Hetfield.

Enter Sandman - Liliac (Official Cover Music Video) featuring some epic hairography

Yes she sounds this good live. I’m sure any singer reading this knows how difficult a voice this big and this raspy is to manage. Here’s her doing Janis proud at 17. You can also watch the live performance here!

On Liliac’s TikTok there are some incredible clips of her singing Black Sabbath and Rainbow in the last year. I would highly recommend since OG heavy metal is her forte. Since they’re not signed, Liliac have no budget so there’s a lot of redundancy sadly.

Liliac - We Are the Children [Official Video]

Liliac’s 80s hair metal + vampire + goth(ish) branding has been pretty consistent since MeloDia was 14. It was past time for their image to grow up, which finally happened (thank god). Liliac’s first performance since MeloDia’s birthday and with the new look was yesterday at Whiskey a Go Go.

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She’s already receiving backlash for her gorgeous outfit from Liliac’s predominately boomer aged fanbase because such a high level of modesty is required of Melodia Cristea. All while her male fan base practically had advent calendars for her 18th birthday they were so excited to legally sexualize her. There’s an overinflated sense of entitlement amongst some people that comes from years of helping fund the Cristea’s music career. Its understandable, but MeloDia is outgrowing those restraints and I would like to be part of the fanbase she can grow into. ☺️💕

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kmclaude · 2 years

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Still obsessing thinking about therapy au and Jehan possibly trying to help Héloise when she's going through a hard time. True he's happy to still have Héloise in his life even though she's no longer his therapist. He can convince himself to be content just being friends with her, as long as he constantly reminds himself never to be alone with her or do anything that might spark rumors. Despite idle gossip being a sin, almost all members of the church have been guilty of falling to its temptation, especially among the clergy and cloistered sisters.

Which is why Fr. Jehan is very concerned when he notices Sister Héloise has become distracted and withdrawn recently. Wondering if he's over stepping asking her what's wrong, and when she just half jokingly explains she just overthinking some stupid family stuff, from the last time she visited home, nothing to worry about. Yet it doesn't ease his anxiety at all, because how many times did he make similar excuses?

He knows Héloise also lost her father at a young age. It was one of the ways she got Jehan to gradually open up to her back when she was his doctor, and he was still reluctant to talk about what happened between him and Tiefer, and how things changed after Nathan's death. She shared stories with Jehan about growing up in Beirut and being all of 15 years old when war broke out, and she lost her father, her childhood and her home. (It's not an easy subject to talk about, for either of them, and she stressed to Jehan, this doesn't lessen what he went through. They both survived horrifying things, and though their respective wounds came from different sources, they both know what it's like to be wounded kids, crying, terrified and angry at both the cruelty they suffered and at themselves for being too weak to stop it. Even as an adult you can still feel that way. ) Though he knows despite sharing the loss of a father, and childhood Héloise's family situation was different than his own. He's just being paranoid right…right?

Until one day when Fr.Jehan was visiting the neighboring convent to assist when their normal parish priest fell ill. He recognizes Sister Héloise arguing with an older man outside the main entrance, and believes his worst fears might be true when he sees her jerk away when the man tries to reach for her and yell "just leave! Don't talk to me! Don't touch me! I can't stand to look at you!" Jehan immediately calls out to Héloise and heads over to stand between her and the stranger asking if there is a problem? Even when the elderly man steps away, addressing Fr. Jehan respectfully and apologizing for causing a scene, Jehan still doesn't drop his guard until he sees the older man walk off the grounds(he knows all too well thanks to Tiefer that just because someone acts harmless in public doesn't mean they aren't dangerous). Afterwards Héloise asks if she could speak with Jehan at the confessional. She doesn't want to create even more of a scene especially since it concerns something very personal, and she'd rather not risk Sister Rosalie overhearing, as she's one of the biggest gossips at the convent.

Fr. Jehan still fears the worst when he steps into the confessional and recites the usual prayers and asks Sister Héloise the usual questions. She explains that the man she was arguing with earlier was her stepfather, Joe Vicario, and when she clarifies that she wasn't upset with him because he harmed her in any way, she apologizes to Jehan for not clarifying things right away. Relief washes over Jehan when he learns his suspicions were wrong…until Héloise tells him that the reason she was so angry at Joe was because he and her mother were divorcing. Apparently neither Joe or Héloise's mother were going to say anything about it to anyone in the family, until her youngest sister left for college, but apparently that changed when Joe knocked up his 35 year old mistress. So Joe, being a well-intentioned dumbass, doesn't want his next (and possibly last) kid to be born out of wedlock, so he decides to let the family know before they get blind sided by receiving wedding invitations!

Understandably it's a fucked up situation (although thankfully not as fucked up as Jehan feared) but he understands why Héloise has been so withdrawn lately. He lets her vent all her anger and frustration, and how much she feels like a hypocrite because she should be able to handle this like a mature adult, she's 30 years old dammit! She's treated and counsels people for marital problems and divorce before, and honestly Joe and her mother should have divorced years ago, she shouldn't be acting like-

"Like a scared and hurt kid"

Jehan finishes Héloise self admission aloud. He knows what that's like, even now he imagines himself again at 13 baby faced, and too short for his age, he even checks his back to make sure the bandages are still covering the still healing scars, trying to make sure they don't bleed through and stain his altar boy vestments.

Don't imagine the same damaged boy stepping out of the confessional booth when he hears Héloise sobbing and checking in on her. Don't imagine Héloise looking like she did at 15 all gangly limbs, and her face hasn't quite filled out yet, her longer hair in a French braid hunched over sobbing, clutching her right side so the old bullet wound won't reopen and bleed through her Sunday dress. Don't picture young Héloise's tear stained face looking up.

"I was just so angry, and I said such awful things to him! And he was so heartbroken when he left. Je, I don't want to lose another father again, and it really would be my fault this time!"

Don't picture young Jehan kneeling in front of the sobbing girl, comforting her while he dries her tears. Don't picture the two of them awkwardly squeezed next to each other in the confessional, little Jehan holding Héloise's hand, reminding her to breathe and talking her through things like she always did for him. Once they both step out of the confessional they're back to their adult selves. Though once they finish the confession officially Sister Héloise hugs Fr. Jehan and thanks him for helping her. He just assures her that's just what friends do, and he has to keep reminding himself of that and not to keep stealing glances of Héloise throughout the day like he's still a dumb kid with a crush.

I'm not crying, YOU'RE crying 😭💕

#i have nothing to add im in a glass case of emotions #kmclaudereplies #jpriest85 blog #therapy au #au where jehan gets therapy

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spike-and-faye · 3 years

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Hello, I require your infinite wisdom please!! :O So I just finished cowboy bebop and I am so confused like who the fuck was Julia. WHAT was Faye's past. I literally never process tv shows and the bebop was not immune to my stupidity LMAO like... I guess the ending just really confused me, from what I gathered Spike and Vicious were friends? But then they weren't? And Julia dated Vicious but also Spike? And he? Went after Vicious even after Julia had died? I am Confusion. Please help. Thank u...

Oh BABEY I am so glad you asked! :) Be prepared for a long answer and I apologize in advance for how incoherent it will probably be.

ALSO Please note: this show is fucking complicated. I have watched it all the way through several times a year, every single year, for over a decade now, and I am *STILL* finding new shit every time I watch it. It's packed with symbols, motifs, allusions and underlying themes that are just so rich. It is so extraordinarily well-written that it could give a lot of classic literature a run for its money. I'm literally working on an in depth literary/film analysis my husband lovingly calls my Manifesto on the series right now. SO PLEASE don't beat yourself up about not catching everything on the first go round.

HEY BTW for anyone who hasn't finished the show, please know there will be MANY spoilers ahead!

Anyways ~

1. Spike / Julia / Vicious:

The information we get on Spike's past, including Vicious and Julia, is pretty limited considering how big of an impact they have on the story. We get our first glimpse in Session 1: Asteroid Blues, then again in Session 5: Ballad of Fallen Angels, Sessions 12 + 13: Jupiter Jazz, and Sessions 25 + 26: Real Folk Blues. I recommend reviewing these episodes for you Julia and Vicious fix.

What we know:

Spike and Vicious were both members of an organized crime syndicate called the Red Dragons, which is roughly analogous to the Yakuza or the Mafia. Their positions in the organization are not clear, but there are some images alluding to them being hitmen, and they likely rose up in the ranks as they were close acquaintances of Mao Yenrai, a Capo of the Red Dragon.

Spike and Vicious were close comrades. Spike taught Vicious everything he knew about fighting, and the two had a deep trust in each other. Which Spike fucked up ….

^^Vicious looks hot asf here

Julia was Vicious' lover/girlfriend. One night in 2068 (three years prior to the time we watch in the Bebop) Spike is injured, presumably from a syndicate-related fight and he passes out in front of her door. She takes him in and nurses him back to health and he SIMPS HARD for her. We’re all but told he's in LOVE love with her. They start an affair, and Spike tells her he's ready to abandon the whole life - the syndicate, Vicious, Mao, all of it - and they could run away together.

WELL Vicious finds out about this whole affair, and is DOUBLY betrayed because his literal best friend and girlfriend have been having an affair, and tbh I think he was just as jealous of Spike's attentions as he was of Julia's. (Whether or not it’s a sexual thing for Spike … well … I have my own headcanons about that). SO when he finds out they're going to run away together, he gives Julia an ultimatum: you can either kill him, or I'll just kill you both. Spike had written her a letter about meeting him in the graveyard to start their new life together, which she tears up to hide his location from Vicious. (This is the falling ripped up pieces of paper we see in Spike's flash back in Session 5).

^^ r/gifsyoucanhear

**NOTE: There are those who disagree with this view, (looking at you Cowboy Bebop wiki) instead suggesting Vicious and Spike were buds in the past, but then hated each other once they were both considered as potential successors to Mao. That's why Vicious wanted him dead, and he was enlisting Julia (who he didn't necessarily have a romantic connection to) to help kill Spike since he knew Spike loved her. Personally, I think there is plenty of evidence that Vicious also wanted Julia, and in fact was already with her, when Spike started seeing her. If you want me to cite my sources please send an me an ask about it :)

Spike gets the idea, whether by her just not showing up or word around the syndicate being like YO Vicious wants you dead. Despite Vicious' ultimatum to Julia, he was gunna kill Spike either way. SO he sets up an ambush, and SadBoy™ Spike walks intentionally into their trap. Somehow, he doesn't die, though the entire syndicate thinks he did. (Note Annie's reaction to seeing him alive in Session 5). It’s also implied that this is where he lost his eye.

HIS EYE - possibly the most important symbol in the show so I do have to mention it. In episode 26, he explicitly explains to Faye that one of his eyes only sees the past. (PS this isn't dissimilar to Jet's arm… we can get into that another time). Basically, he's constantly living halfway in the past and halfway in the present, and describes the past like a dream he can never wake up from. Because dysfunctional or not - the syndicate WAS his family. (Again - see his relationship with Annie, Mao, and Vicious (prior to Spike's betrayal)). It's his reminder that Julia didn't run away with him, and that he'd left behind that life for her. (He didn’t know she was being threatened until the final episode). Basically Spike is hyper-fixated on what he had and what could've been.

Not long after this, Spike starts bounty hunting because like? What else is he going to do. He doesn't care if he lives or dies but if he has to be alive, he may as well be able to eat. He joins up with Jet Black on the Bebop.

TL; DR: Spike stole Vicious' lover, Julia, so Vicious made Julia choose between her killing Spike or Vicious killing them both. She instead went into hiding and Spike thought he'd been stood up. He fake died and got the hell outta dodge.

2. What was Faye's past?

Ok let me start by saying Faye is my wife and my life. HOWEVER I hated her the first time I watched this show circa age 13 because I thought she was annoying/vain/shallow (also because #internalizedmisogyny lol am I right fam). Good news! She is all those things! But she's also very lonely and scared and an amnesiac and secretly a sweetie and she realizes she loves the crew of the Bebop like family.

SO my wife's backstory:

she was born in the 1990s (#only90skidsremember). There's some debate over her race/nationality, but due to the images of her hanging out in Merlion Park in Singapore, my bet is that she's Singaporean. She comes from a wealthy family with a big house, and we see some utterly *adorable* film of her as a child/young adolescent in Session 18: Speak Like a Child. I cry everytime </3

^^ Holla for the representation

In 2014, circa age 20, she and her parents were going into space when the shuttle they were on had some kind of malfunction/accident and it killed an unknown number of people, including her parents. At the time, the technology didn’t exist to be able to save her, so she was put into a cryogenic sleep state. Meanwhile, the Lunar Gate accident occurs, breaking up the moon and causing rock showers on Earth's surface. Most people died, moved to Mars, or settled underground.

She wakes up from her cryogenic sleep in 2068. (Also the year Spike leaves the syndicate.) She's 'woken' by the corrupt Dr. Bacchus who plans on charging her for the years and years of medical debt she's accrued. (See Session 15: My Funny Valentine.) Luckily a lawyer takes interest in her case (Whitney Haggus Matsumoto) and tries to help get rid of her debt. The two fall in love, but turns out Whitney is a Scumbag. He's actually Dr. Bacchus's nephew, and faked his death, writing Faye as the sole inheritor to his will. This means she'll take on all his debts. So baby girl has LOTS of debt at this point.

In the intervening years prior to her joining the Bebop, she gambles, cheats, gains a lot of street smarts, and adopts a very seductive character to get her way. She joins the crew on the Bebop in Session 3: Honky Tonk Women.

TL;DR: Faye is Austin powers

YIKES this is so long I am so sorry. Bitches are obsessed with this show. (I am bitches)

3. The Ending

Okay I'm going to present this in the way, in my scholarly opinion, would be correct, though there are SO many interpretations other than simply 'Spike died :/".

To understand the plot of the last couple episodes we actually have to go back to Session 5: Mao is instructed* to sign a treaty with a rival syndicate called the White Tigers. (*He's instructed by The Van (Council of identical creepy old men) who are the actual head of the dragon. I think we only see them in Session 26.) Well - Vicious is a Bastard Man and he and his fellow mutineers blow up the White Tiger guys' ship and slit Mao's throat. Before he dies, Mao is like "Gotdamnit if Spike was still here this shit wouldn't have happened." Later in the Cathedral battle, Vicious explains to Spike he killed Mao because Mao 'lost his fangs'. He planned on killing Spike for good her, IMO, so there'd be no rival to take over as Capo for the Dragons.

^^These guys are The Van btw

THEN in Session 25, the Van basically catches Vicious and is like “you killed Mao and now you have to go to Time Out.” The Van also decides to just kill everyone associated with Vicious, just 2 B safe. That's why there's a big ass shootout at the Loser Bar where Jet and Spike are chilling, drinking, (missing Faye and Ed and Ein lol) and Shin (younger brother to Lin, who's helping Vicious overthrow the Dragon) explains all this to Spike. OH and PS JULIA IS ALIVE AND HERE IS HER LOCATION :). (**Notice Spike's reaction at this point is different than his reaction in Jupiter Jazz when he hears there's a Julia on Calisto. Much less excited… hmm…).

SO THEN you know we get some flashbacks of the past as previously explained *and* Julia just happens to run into Faye. She recognizes that Faye is one of Spike's friends from the Bebop (she was keeping tabs on him it seems) and picks her up. Faye doesn't know who Julia is but is like damn bitch I'm a little gay for you. (I mean … that may just be my bi ass projecting, but Faye is REALLY struck with her. Look at how she describes her to Jet, I mean come on.)

Faye's like, 'we should team up' and Julia says 'no thanks but also tell Spike to meet me at *the place*'. Meanwhile back on the Bebop Spike and Jet are talking and Spike goes on about some dream woman who was his other half. (We assume he means Julia … I have my reasons to doubt this … I have a lot of angry DMs about my opinion here lol but I just do not give a fuck (: I can expand on this in another post or you can refer to the title of my fucking blog haha) Personally, I think Watanabe personally left this specific scene open ended, the same way he does with the ending and various other things.

more like SIMP Spiegel

ANYWAY Faye comes back to the Bebop to tell Spike about Julia, and Jet gets intel from a former cop buddy that there's some shit going down with the Dragons. (Again, the Van is hunting down everyone ever associated with Vicious, including your pal Spike). Bebop is attacked, Faye tells Spike what's up with Julia, and he heads out.

PAN TO VICIOUS chained up - about to be executed - but what's that!? It's a bird!? It's a pla- no it's just a bird. (With one glowing red eye … hm … reminds me of Spike, also the drug Red Eye. Pls let me know if you have any thoughts on this). Just a bird with a BOMB! Explosion (RIP bird c. 2065 - too soon), Vicious kills the elders, his buddies show up and are ready to go fuck shit up.

this show could not be more of an aesthetic

MMMPhhh okay RAINY CEMETERY. Spike and Julia. She draws a gun, explains why she didn't meet him that day, and then hugs him. Now Spike is not *great* at showing his emotions but he literally just stands there. Maybe it's a stoic expression of how sad he is that he never knew she still cared, when it seemed like she dumped him. Maybe he's finally getting some closure on his past. Maybe the past doesn't mean the same thing it used to. (I'll elaborate later on this).

They go to Annie's to get stocked up on stuff, she lets them know she denied knowing Spike was still alive and hey also the Van was assassinated by Vicious and his guys so. Watch out for that. Then her shop is surrounded by Vicious' guys and she dies :(. Spike and Julia escape to the roof, but she's shot and dies in Spike's arms, and says 'it's all just a dream' :(. (Refer to: Spike living in a dream of the past).

Anyway Jet SAID he wasn't gunna go after Spike but. Jet's parental instincts kick in (oh yeah he was shot in the leg earlier btw) and he goes to Sitting Bull to see if he knows where Spike is. He basically says yeah Spike's about to die somewhere. (I want to do a further analysis on all the Sitting Bull scenes.) Well conveniently Spike returns to the Bebop, eats, tells his story about a tiger-striped cat. (At one point Jet asks if he's going there for her, and Spike is like well she's dead now so whatever). THEN we get to the scene where Faye is like HEY YOU CAN'T GO OFF AND DIE ASSHOLE and he's like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I 've been living in the past so I might as well see if I'm living now. (**This will play heavily into my interpretation of the ending). Faye is pissed, shoots the ceiling and he goes off to the syndicate headquarters to fuck shit up.

He basically John Wicks his way through the building, Shin dies, he and Vicious have the big boss battle and whatnot. He kills Vicious and stumbles back out down the stairs and says "Bang!" and collapses. We pan to the sky and see a star fade away.

Well that explains the plot … now here's what I think happened!!! ALSO may I mention, anon - you picked up on something I feel like a lot of people miss out on. Why *did* Spike go back to kill Vicious if Julia was already dead??

Basically, once it became clear that anyone associated with Vicious was being killed, Spike knew they'd hunt him down, and they weren't beneath Kill-Billing their way to him, (i.e. systematically destroying this companions to get to him). And for all his apparent indifference - he really loves his new found family. Jet is literally like an older brother to him. Ed is a little sister. Ein is well … a very good boy. And Faye? Well the relationship is complicated, and I'm not going to get into the 69,420 reasons I ship them here, but I think it is beyond argument that he really does care for her, even if that just in a filial way. He didn't want the syndicates to kill them for their association to him, or in order to get to him. So he did what he had to do to protect them. *AND NO* I am not saying that he didn't love Julia. But it was clear that his desire was no longer to run away with her. I think he genuinely loved and cared about her, but at some point between Jupiter Jazz Pt 2 and now, he accepted that their time together was over. Now he had a new raison d'etre, which is the Bebop.

I think at this point Spike has 'woken up' to reality (as he implied to Faye in their final conversation in episode 26: "Look at these eyes. One of them is a fake, because I lost it in an accident. Since then, I have been seeing the past in one eye, and the present in the other. I had believed that what I saw was not all of reality...I thought I was watching a dream that I would never awaken from. Before I knew it, the dream was all over." (This is from the sub btw I'm too lazy to look up the dub transcript.) He wasn't going there to die, he's going to find out if he's really alive. This line is fucking cool and everything - but it's implications are multitude. I won't go into them all here but basically : what makes him alive now is that he's free from his past. He's alive because he has this new family and protecting them is all he really wants now. Spike was protecting Jet, Faye, Ed, (and Ein) by going and facing the entire syndicate, knowing that their lives would all be in danger.

SO - did Spike die? Well again - Watanabe has purposely and artfully left this open ended. Well, if we're following the symbolism from Sitting Bull, then yeah, the man is as dead as disco, and wouldn't that be a fitting ending? BUT at the same time, Spike always refers to having 'died' before (meaning when he was ambushed by the syndicate, and they all thought he died, and he pretty much did). Don't forget that in movie (takes places roughly between episodes 22 + 23, and yes, was made AFTER the series but whatever) he like .. DIES dies. He goes to the afterlife and everything. He wakes up to find he's chilling with Sitting Bull, who's like nah it wasn't your time to die yet. So the fact Sitting Bull confirms Spike will die in the final episode, means yeah, Spike is pretty much dead.

BUT -- okay now hear me out -- could this death in the final episode be a death to his previous life? The person he was in the syndicate? Now that he's extinguished the Red Dragons for good, is it not possible that its merely *that* life which has ended? That's the optimist in me saying that, but if it keeps me from staying up all night crying, I guess it'll have to do. Watanabe definitely wants to leave it up to the viewer, so whatever you think, I feel like there's validity to it.

WELL any anon, sorry for the fucking lecture - and believe me, I could've said MUCH, MUCH more - but I enjoyed this question. I always love talking about this show so please all you fuckers feel free to message me or send an ask about anything any time. I am really slow at replying because #life'sAbitch.

Love you all.

SY,SCB <3

#sorry for the long ass rant #i could seriously talk about this all day.#i even trimmed this down so much #cowboy bebop #fuck man this show is everything #spike spiegel #julia #faye valentine #jet black #vicious #radical ed #ein #<3 #spoilers #rant

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agentrouka-blog · 3 years

Note

1)I think that grrm is straight up writing a love story calling rhaegar love struck, him saying lyanna his last word, calling that loveshack tower of joy etc I don't think there's anything to read b/w the lines. Him crowning her qol&b was a political move to show Brandon that he was aware of southron ambitions & to back off with the alliance. I am sure there was mutual attraction b/w R & L and he crowned her for admiration too. But I don't think they fell in love nor do I believe they had any pl

2) plans to elope. I think he rescues her from kings's guards & keeps her hostage/leverage against southron alliance. He wanted to break L's engagement to Bobby to destroy STAB alliance. He also comes to know that brandon went along with his wedding to cat despite his warning at harrenhal. They fall in love during their journey to dorne wherein he comes to know that Elia & kids are hostage. Martells will ask him to give up lyanna. So they hide to protect her from aerys, Robert & martells.

Hi anon!

I actually like the first part of your ask because it adds a modicum of depth to Rhaegar's moves at Harrenhal, and acknowledges the way the Stark-Tully-Arryn-Baratheon Alliance formed an unsubtly threatening block against the Targs by literally encircling the Crownlands. (Though a better explanation is an attempt to acknowledge, rather than threaten, Rickard's and Jon's and Hoster's scheme.)

Where I think it is less solid is a couple of other points.

1) It erases the role of the prophecy that more than one source describes as very important to not just Rhaegar but the Targ monarchy as a whole ever since Jenny of Oldstones. Rhaegar and Aemon were exchanging letters about it as late as after Aegon’s birth, i.e. when Rhaegar was readying to abandon Elia after she almost died in childbirth.

Rhaegar, I thought . . . the smoke was from the fire that devoured Summerhall on the day of his birth, the salt from the tears shed for those who died. He shared my belief when he was young, but later he became persuaded that it was his own son who fulfilled the prophecy, for a comet had been seen above King's Landing on the night Aegon was conceived, and Rhaegar was certain the bleeding star had to be a comet. (AFFC, Samwell IV)

2) It's a terrible plan in its conception and even worse in its execution. There’s a four-kingdom conspiracy going on, and Daddy Aerys just managed to piss off a fifth by snatching Jaime, and Rhaegar’s bright move with the flower crown is doing everything to convince the entire Realm that he is slightly unhinged himself.

As far as messages go, it’s completely ambiguious. Handing Lyanna the crown means.. he wants to kidnap her if Brandon marries Catelyn? Did he send him a secret letter to go with the gesture, or was Brandon supposed to read that between the lines?

Plus, “threatening” the heir Brandon is pretty pointless when it’s the father generation pulling the strings. The only relevant “head of a House” there present was Robert, his cousin, whom he had just succeeded in deeply angering. Not to mention confusing a sixth kingdom he depends on (Dorne). It doesn't break the alliance, it solidifies it.

(Also, why on earth doesn’t House Stark properly protect Lyanna after this threat?)

Worse, when this fool-proof threat doesn’t have the desired effect, he does kidnap Lyanna to make her a hostage to force the Alliance to comply - except not only does he fail to tell her family, or to take her to KL, where she would be a “guest” of the official crown, he makes her his personal prisoner (once more proving he is as unhinged as Aerys) and drags her to... Dorne? Without telling anyone about it? And doesn’t rear his head again for months while the situation devolves into a Rebellion because obviously the kidnapped girl caused an uproar and he left Aerys to deal with it?

3) Rhaegar’s reason for suddenly abandoning his terrible but complex, time-sensitive and high-stakes plan is a sudden case of “in mutual love” with his teenaged kidnap victim? He just drops all of it in order to shack up with a fifteen-year-old in the middle of nowhere? He is scared House Martell will take his widdle mistress away while the kingdom is going up in flames? Really?

4) It makes Lyanna an absolute imbecile. Why would she fall in love with her kidnapper, who has a wife and children? She's 14/15 and he's eight years older and has demonstrated his gross lack of respect for her family and her values. What? This is not a “love story” at all. It’s two imbeciles absolutely out of touch with reality for no reason at all.

5) There's an easier explanation for GRRM describing him as love-struck: he can't say anything else without inviting questions. RLJ is still supposedly a secret, and there is no logical explanation for Rhaegar kidnapping a girl and then hiding her. The illogical explanations are "love", or the explicit secret intention of creating that third head of the dragon. Love is one of the un-universe explanations, and the easiest obfuscating answer GRRM can give. Plus, for all we know, Rhaegar himself did develop a creepy attraction to Lyanna. Something must have motivated him to choose her. But we don’t even know which name he whispered while he died. It’s implied but never explicitly stated that it was Lyanna. For all we know it was something entirely else.

This theory makes Rhaegar look even worse than the concept of his prophecy obsession. That one is, at least, consistent with itself, while this theory hinges on him being dumb as rocks and both so zealous as to start this confrontation and then so disinterested as to drop it entirely and achieve the exact opposite of his original intention, until he half-heartedly rides forth to fight and die at the Trident. (Why not just run off with Lyanna if he didn’t care abut any of it?)

There is no internal logic, and no motivation for this “love” that supposedly makes it a “love story”. So... no, I don’t think this makes any sense.

#anti rhaegar x lyanna #anti rhaegar targaryen #Tourney at Harrenhal #robert's rebellion #rlj #prophecy

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randomposterofstuff · 3 years

Text

Soldiers by Choice - Chapter VI

Author's Note: So, real life has been stressing me out immensely. Lol. And I really wanted to post this chapter as soon as I could, so please forgive me for any mistakes and any other problems. Haha. In any case, I hope that you all like it!

Also available on Archive of Our Own. Check my tumblr page to click on the ‘Archive of Our Own’ tab!

Tumblr Chapters List can be found here.

CHAPTER 6: Reasons and Apologies

Summary: Mikasa and Levi encounter troublesome Military Police officers while doing a supply run. Meanwhile, at the Cadet Corps headquarters, Eren Yeager and Jean Kirstein have another confrontation.

Year 847 (5 months later)

---

“Tch. They’re out of bleach.”

Levi glares at the empty row of shelves where jars of commercial bleach usually would be. A few feet away to his left, Mikasa speaks with the shop owner.

“Mr. Gale, I don’t understand. Section Commander Hange told us that you usually have stocks of everything during this time of the month.”

The Titan-scientist and Moblit were on the supply pick-up rotation for the current month. But since they were away on another observation expedition with the Research division, the task had fallen to the two Ackermans.

Mr. Gale, an aging man in his early 50s, clasps his hands apologetically. “I’m sorry, Captain. But due to some issues with our supplier, we won’t have stocks until next month.”

The dark-haired woman sighs at the news. “I see. We will just have to make do with an alternative and the other supplies.”

After a few more words and apologetic gestures from the shop owner, she approaches her co-captain, who is still glowering at the vacant racks.

“They won’t restock until next month.”

His frown deepens. “How the hell are we supposed to properly clean without bleach?”

Mikasa cracks a small smile at his displeasure over the absence of the cleaning agent. In the back of her mind, she muses that even after three years of working together, she still finds his pseudo-obsession with cleanliness to be comical to the point of disbelief.

“We can make our own cleaning formula.” She says. “The store has the necessary ingredients, and the budget is enough to cover them.”

The tautness in his jaw relents at this. “You know how to make bleach?”

She nods. “I do. My mother created her own cleanser. The employees at our estate use it.”

His eyebrows raise in mild surprise. “I didn’t know the Azumabitos also dealt in the cleaning business.” He remarks wryly.

She shifts her eyes from side to side before taking a step closer. "It's a closely guarded family secret." She whispers mock-conspiratorially.

He smirks. “Your secret is safe with me.” He speaks in a similarly hushed tone, and she mirrors his smirk.

---

After perusing the store for the needed ingredients, the two officers help the elderly shop owner place all their purchased supplies in eight wooden crates.

“That’s everything.” Mr. Gale comments as he places the lid on the final crate. “I’ll call my boys to help you load them on your cart.”

“There’s no need for that.” Levi says, already readying himself to lift some of the boxes. “We can handle it.”

The proprietor laughs good-naturedly. "Come now, Captain Levi. I know that you’re ‘Humanity’s Strongest Soldier’ and that Captain Mikasa is the ‘Woman Worth a Hundred Soldiers”, but you can’t rea---”

He cuts himself off when the two Ackermans each lift four boxes with little effort.

Mikasa shifts the crates so that she faces the shop owner properly. "Mr. Gale, you've already received the payment from our budgetary officer, correct?"

The older man merely nods, his mouth still agape in shock at the display of inhuman strength.

“We’ll be on our way, then. Thanks, old man.” Levi states, unfazed by the reaction.

The warm afternoon sun greets them as they exit the shop. The commercial area of Trost is filled with chatter from the mass of patrons. Due to the crowded streets, they had to leave their wagon at a fairly secluded area some ways away from the store.

When they finally arrive at where they parked, the crowd has thinned considerably. The few people there are either entering or exiting the complex. The two are in the process of loading the crates onto the cart when they hear the sound of glass breaking, followed by a frightened yell to their right.

They turn their heads to the source see to see a small saloon. One of its front windows is covered by pull-down drapes, while the other one is unobscured. Through the glass of the second one, the co-captains see a middle-aged man and woman, presumably the owners, anxiously speaking to two Military Police officers.

“Whaddaya mean we have to pay?” An MP with light hair slurs loudly while gripping a long-necked bottle.

The woman, who looks to be in her early 40s, attempts to explain. “Sir, you’ve consumed more than two bottles already.” She says, wringing her hands together nervously. “And our store ---”

“Blah!” The other MP, a man with darker hair, sways as he unslings his rifle from his shoulder. Both the woman and her partner take a step back, visibly terrified. “We serve the kingdom!” He yells. “You lot should be grateful! Besides, your stuff tastes like shit!"

He unsteadily aims his rifle at a row of bottles behind the counter while his companion laughs. “You’re right, Ricky!” He shouts, smashing the bottle he was holding against the floor.

The one called Ricky guffaws. "Damn right, I'm right, George!" Slightly swaying, he disengages the safety lock. “I’ve been wanting to try this beauty out! They say this thing can shoot 15 bullets in a row after just one click!” Just as he is about to place his finger on the trigger, he is suddenly struck across the head. The impact of the attack causes him to drop his weapon.

“Ricky!” George makes to unsling his own rifle but barely has time to react before a heavy boot hits him in the stomach. He faintly registers his gun being snatched from him before he is thrown across the room and roughly crashes onto a table and some chairs. One second later, Ricky lands beside him with a loud thud.

They both groan for a moment before raising their heads and seeing the profiles of two other soldiers in the area where they had been standing before. “Hey!” George yells while unsteadily getting up. “What gives?!” He demands, face flushed with both embarrassment and alcohol. “Who are you anyway?!” He trains his glazed-over beady eyes at their assailants.

Levi narrows his eyes, not the least bit intimidated. “You were harassing innocent civilians.” He crosses his arms, leveling him with a look of disdain. "Taxpayer money is wasted on pigs like you.”

“They’re from the Survey Corps!” Ricky exclaims, pointing to the Wings of Freedom on the fronts of their jackets. “You two have got some nerve!” He glares, eyes glassy with inebriation. “Accusing us of wasting taxpayer money when you ---”

Mikasa quietly raises his rifle at him, causing him to cut himself short. Both MPs freeze at the movement.

“P—put that down and g—give it back!” Ricky demands, voice shaking.

Mikasa shifts her gaze from the anxious Military Police officers and to the firearm in her hands. She examines its long sleek frame and swipes her thumb over the grip.

“It saddens me to see that my father’s guns were used to frighten defenseless civilians.” She comments out loud, her tone a cross between pensive and disappointed.

George’s brows scrunch up in confusion at her statement. “Huh?!” The two MPs look at her dumbly, trying to comprehend the meaning behinds her words.

Meanwhile, Levi picks up the second rifle from the floor, ignoring the whimpers from the two pigs. He feels the gun's weight in his hands and notes that it is light compared to other models. He then places his thumb on the butt of the rifle and runs it over the engraved encircled cursive 'A' which serves as the insignia of Lord Mikhail Ackerman's gun manufacturing company. He muses that the emblem looks similar to the Azumabito clan symbol on the inside of Mikasa’s wrist.

“If it’s any consolation,” he begins, still looking at the rifle, “I think that your father did a great job with this gun, Mikasa.” He remarks almost idly.

“Thanks, Levi.”

“Levi? Mikasa?” George repeats their names, a hint of recognition in their slurred tone. “Mikasa… Mikhail A—“. Shock settles on his features as they finally connect the dots. His eyes further widen in realization when they shift to Levi. “… Ackerman.”

“You’re Levi and Mikasa Ackerman!” George exclaims, lips trembling. At his exclamation, Ricky’s mouth drops open as sweat starts to form on his brow. The two men nervously shift their eyes between the co-captains – panic and recognition clearing away the drink-induced glazes in their eyes.

“I mean, my lord and lady!” George suddenly bows at the waist. His companion scrambles to do the same. “Our apologies! We didn’t recognize you!”

Levi’s jaw clenches at their sycophantic gesture. “Tch. Do not call us those.” He hisses. “And quit your groveling.”

They straighten themselves instantly at the vitriol in his voice. “My lord?” One of them squeaks.

Mikasa takes a sharp breath. “We’re not at the royal court.” She states, an edge to her voice. “Furthermore, we’re acting in our capacities as officers of the Survey Corps. So, if you’re going to address us, do so accordingly.”

“Yes, my la---, I mean, Captain!” The same MP yelps. “We’re sorry!”

Mikasa narrows her eyes, clearly unimpressed. “You’re clearly not genuine.” She speaks coldly. “And it appears that the likes of you get your bravado from carrying my father’s guns. Perhaps I should tell him to terminate his weapons provision contract with the Military Police.”

“Please don’t!” They both plead simultaneously, alarm in their voices. Clearly frightened of the consequences should they be the cause of the loss of the contract. “This won’t happen again!”

The disdain in her dark grey eyes indicates that she is not convinced. “I don’t believe you.” Mikasa then grips that rifle’s ammunition magazine. “So, I’m going to take these.”

Following her lead, Levi makes to do the same with the rifle in his hands. “I’ll take care of this one.”

Once he’s done, Mikasa holds out a hand, and he gives her the second rifle. She throws the weapons at the feet of the two MPs. “Take those and leave.” She commands, voice near imperious. “And don’t forget to put your payment on the counter.”

The two men do as they are told. They wordlessly take the ammo-less rifles and practically empty their wallets onto the counter before leaving the saloon with their heads bowed.

Once they were out of sight, the two Ackermans turn to the shop owners, who had been silently watching the exchange from the sidelines with bated breath.

“We’re not from the Military Police.” Levi states plainly. “But all the same, we’re sorry for the trouble they caused.”

The middle-aged man shakes himself from his daze. “Oh, please! You have nothing to apologize for!” He says, a nervous but sincere smile on his face. “In fact, my wife and I should thank you, my lord and lady!” His eyes then widen at his slip of tongue. “I’m sorry, I mean---”

Mikasa raises her hands in a calming gesture. “It’s alright.” She assures him with a smile.

The man’s tension eases, relieved at her assurance.

“Thank you so much, Captains.” His wife steps forward, wearing a bright and grateful smile. “May we offer you something to eat and drink?”

“Oh, we ---” Mikasa begins, about to politely decline.

“It’s on the house!” The husband insists. “It’s the least that we could do for you! We insist.”

Mikasa observes their smiling and amiable expressions before turning to Levi. She lifts her brows, and he gives a slight shrug before taking out his pocket watch.

“I suppose we have time before we need to get back to headquarters.” He comments.

The shop owners beam at the response. “Wonderful! I’m Tim Briles, by the way, and this is my wife, Frances." Tim introduces himself and his wife. “Please, have a seat. The menu is by the counter. Order anything you want!”

"Sure." Levi replies, and he turns towards the turned-over tables and chairs. “I’ll fix the tables and chairs. I’ll have what you’re having.”

“Noted." Mikasa states as she makes her way to the counter. She peruses the menu and, after a minute of deliberating, settles on a sandwich platter and chamomile tea. She vaguely wonders if the tea selection is meant for customers with hangovers.

After an enthusiastic Frances takes their order, she makes her way to Levi, who has just finished righting the disarray of furniture. As she approaches, her co-captain suddenly pulls out a chair and gestures for her to sit.

Mikasa looks at him questioningly, and he tilts his head towards the offered chair.

She decides to play along. “How very gentlemanly of you.” She jests, voice half-coquettish as she moves to sit.

“Only for you, my lady.” He drawls as he pushes the chair in for her.

They both snicker at the mocking references to their noble backgrounds.

“So, what are we having?” He asks as he sits from across her.

“Tea and sandwiches.” He raised a brow at ‘tea’, and she smiles. "I know; I was also surprised to see it on the menu.”

Levi hums. “In any case, it’s too early for liquor.”

A few minutes pass, and Frances approaches their table with their food and drinks. “Here are your orders. Enjoy!”

The co-captains both thank the female shop owner, and they split the sandwiches and tea between themselves.

Comfortable silence ensues as they eat their sandwiches. Levi muses that the saloon’s turkey sandwich is quite good. He takes a look at the sandwich in Mikasa’s hand and deduces from the green poking out from the bread that it’s full of vegetables.

After he finishes his food and begins stirring his tea, a random realization suddenly occurs to him.

“Something wrong?” Mikasa asks, noticing the contemplative furrow of his brow.

“No.” He replies, taking out the spoon from his cup and gripping it by the rim. “It’s just that I realized you actually used the ‘I’m going to tell my daddy’ card.”

Mikasa blinks at the remark. A beat of silence passes before she bursts into laughter.

Her shoulders slightly shake as hearty chuckles flow from her. She laughs in earnest at the absurdity and the truth of the statement.

Levi’s lips curve upwards at her open display of mirth, observing how her usually stern eyes crinkle at the corners and how genuine joy shines through her typically reserved expression.

“I’m sorry.” Mikasa says, still giggling as she adjusts her cravat around her neck. “You’re right, but it’s just so ridiculous.” She remarks, her smile wide. “Come to think of it, I’ve never used it before.” She muses out loud, her lips still twitching.

“At least you used it for a good cause.” He quips, sharing in her amusement.

She chortles at his joke. He also lets out an amused sound.

She eventually sobers down, though a small smile still remains on her lips.

But after a moment, her eyes suddenly become downcast, and her smile disappears.

Levi frowns in concern at the abrupt change in her demeanor. “What’s wrong?”

She takes a breath before directing her gaze towards the afternoon sky beyond the saloon’s window.

“Moments like this…” she speaks quietly as she raises her hand to gesture at their light-hearted conversation, “…don’t come by often.” A sad gleam then enters her eyes. “In a way, it’s… sort of unsettling.”

Levi’s lips press into a firm line at the reality of her words. Every soldier in the Survey Corps knows that every encounter with the Titans could be their very last. Danger, risk, and bloodshed are their constant companions. And the absences of the comrades lost will always be felt by those who live to join the next expedition.

The survivors know that it is their duty to honor the sacrifices of the fallen by carrying on with their mission. Yet, this knowledge hangs heavy over the heads of those who remain standing.

“I know what you mean.” He says, voice solemn. “Enjoying a moment of peace can be hard sometimes, considering the things we go through.”

They remain quiet for a while, the atmosphere suddenly tenser. Mikasa closes her eyes and sighs before speaking again.

“Sometimes, I wonder what my life would be like right now if I had stayed in the Capital or joined the clan’s Elite Royal Company.” She stares intently into her cup of tea, wistfulness underlying her tone. “I would probably be promenading with the other nobles in the parks. Or patrolling the grounds at the Fritz castle. Either way, my life would be simpler and less daunting."

A flash of resolve then enters her gaze. “But I already made my choice a long time ago.” She declares with a quiet certainty in her words. “And I’ve chosen to be a soldier for the Survey Corps.”

Levi quietly observes her profile. She sits with the graceful posture of a noble lady – a result of her upbringing. But her shoulders are squared with a soldier’s discipline. She holds her teacup delicately, but her fingers are calloused from years of wielding blades. Had she chosen differently, she could have been a socialite hostess.

The passing thought then prompts a question. “Why didyou join the Survey Corps in the first place?”

Mikasa half-smiles at that. It was a question she was often asked – the daughter of a noble joining any of the military branches was unheard of. Although, she never divulged anything apart from saying that she merely wanted to.

“I could ask you the same question, Levi.” She prompts back.

For all his fame, no one has ever known of his reason for joining the Survey Corps. Not surprising, since he would always brush off anyone who asks by telling them that it’s none of their damn business.

But Levi decides that he wouldn’t mind making an exception for her. “I’ll share if you share.”

Mikasa hums as if contemplating the proposition. “Fair enough.”

A moment passes before she continues. “I joined because of my Asian heritage.”

He raises a brow in confusion. But stays silent and waits for her to elaborate.

“The Azumabitos are the last Asians in the world.” She explains. “Our clan’s records state that our ancestors’ homeland, Asia, was full of rare creatures and mysterious fauna. Unfortunately, just like every other continent, it was invaded along with the rest of humanity by the Titans.”

“My parents gave me everything I needed while growing up. But they taught me that if I wanted something, then I should work to earn it.” Mikasa pauses as her lips twist wryly. “And since I wanted to see the roots of my Asian heritage, I decided as a child that I would join the Survey Corps to help eradicate the Titans.”

“It’s silly.” She remarks, more to herself, amused at her younger self’s reason. “But it’s what prompted me to enlist.”

Her expression then becomes more pensive, and she redirects her gaze to the table between them. “But after my first expedition, I realized that there are things which are bigger than my wants. I suppose you could say that it opened my eyes. Seeing first-hand the dangers and struggles made me understand the weight of the Corps’ mission.”

She looks up at him again. “I still want to see Asia…” she admits with a bashful look. “… and if we can eradicate the Titans during my lifetime, then I’ll be to do that.”

“But even if that won’t happen, I won’t have any regrets about joining the Survey Corps.”

With that, she concludes her piece. Levi remains quiet for a moment, feeling astounded and moved at the revelation.

“I’m glad that you joined, Mikasa.” He says softly.

She smiles at his remark. “Thank you for saying that.” A tinge of levity then enters her dark orbs. “Now, I believe it’s your turn to share.”

Levi tsks, but there’s mirth in the slight quirk of his mouth. “I suppose a deal’s a deal.”

He swirls the contents of his teacup before speaking. “When I was a kid, my great grandfather would always preach about upholding the clan’s tradition of being the Crown’s ‘Sword and Shield’.” He drawls out the last two words.

“Just like you and everyone else in our clan, I was trained to be the best fighter possible – because, of course, the royal family only expects the best to protect it.” He pauses to take a drink.

“Sure, it’s natural for the royal family to have protection.” He concedes. “But our clan’s talents are being wasted. The biggest threats are out there beyond the Walls, and our clansmen use their many years of special training to deal with problems that the Military Police pigs are supposed to handle.”

Levi lifts his gaze to hers. "So, I said to myself, ‘to hell with tradition’.”

She lets out a small laugh. “Of course, you would say something like that.”

He smirks before taking another sip. “So, I decided to enlist in the Survey Corps. Thankfully, my uncle became head of the clan even before my rite of passage. And since he isn’t as uptight and prissy as my great grandfather was, he let me go without much of a fuss. I wanted to put my skills to better use. And what better way to use them than to reclaim the lands stolen by the Titans from humanity?”

“And after everything I’ve seen…” he trails off, a more somber and pensive look in his eyes as he stares at his cup, “…I’m now surer than ever that I made the right choice.”

A quiet second passes before Mikasa speaks. “That’s very noble of you.” She says, her voice earnest.

Her co-captain snorts out a harsh laugh. “If it were anyone else, I’d say that they were kissing my ass.”

Remembering the incident with the two MPs earlier, she likewise smiles in good humor; his words can’t be any truer.

“But since it’s you…” his harsh smirk morphs into a gentler smile, “… thanks.”

Her smile remains as their eyes meet again.

“You know, it’s odd…” she begins off-handedly, “We’ve known each other for years, but this is the first time we talked about something like this.”

He raises a brow. “Is it? I wasn’t aware that there was a standard timeline for sharing things.”

Another light laugh escapes her, and Mikasa wonders if Levi realizes how humorous he can be at times.

---

Chatter fills the air of the communal dining hall of the Southern Division’s Cadet Corps Headquarters – with the main source of noise and talk being the long dining table where Eren Yeager sits with his friends.

“Eren, what you did was really cool!”

“Yeah, I don’t think that anyone else here would’ve been able to do that!”

From his seat at another table at the far right of the hall, Jean Kirstein watches as several trainees crowd around Yeager and pay him compliments for his incredible feat earlier this morning.

Connie sits across the green-eyed recruit with a wide grin on his face. “Eren, you were amazing earlier!” He exclaims. “Being able to balance yourself using defective equipment was incredible!”

Beside him, Sasha nods enthusiastically as she munches on a loaf of bread. She smiles broadly after gulping down her food. "You really did well, all things considered!" She exclaims while not so discreetly trying to take Connie's bread from his plate.

The shaved-headed boy snatches her wrist before she could lift the loaf to her mouth. “Oh, come on! You haven’t even finished your own bread!” He grumbles, exasperated as Sasha strains against his grip.

Eren chuckles at the display before scratching the back of his head with a sheepish expression. Even so, his green eyes seem to glow with pride and appreciation. “Thanks, guys.”

“Congratulations on a job well done, Eren.” Christa speaks from amongst the group that congregated around the table. “Your determination paid off.”

Eren's cheeks redden slightly at her smile. "Thanks, Christa. But I can't take all of the credit. Armin here gave me pointers, and Reiner and Betholdt told me to keep calm and not to give up." He then turns to the male blonde seated next to him. "Isn't that right, buddy?"

Armin’s lips quirk upwards. “It’s true that you got help, but all the work was you.”

“Armin’s right.” Reiner’s deep voice resounds from one side of the crowd. To his left, Bertholdt silently watches the interactions with a small smile. “At the end of the day, you were the one ultimately responsible for your success.”

Jean watches as more trainees give the brunette praises for his resolve and performance. It isn’t until he feels something nudge him in the side that he turns away.

“Just talk to him already.” Marco urges with a knowing look.

Jean scoffs at the comment. “Talk to Yeager? About what?”

Marco simply gives him a half-amused and half-exasperated smile. “You know what I mean.” He then picks up his glass of water. “It’s good that you want to apologize. It’s a mature thing to do.” He says before taking a drink.

Jean grumbles something unintelligible as he observes the sky through an open window. The last rays of sunlight are starting to fade behind the darkening sky. He can see some of their Commandant's assistant officers patrolling the grounds and inspecting the outdoor training equipment to ensure they're still working properly.

As his gaze lands on the row of 3DM gear simulators, Jean recalls how he, along with nearly everyone, laughed at Eren when he failed to steady himself using 3DM gear during his first attempt. He also remembers snidely commenting that Yeager was just "all talk and no bite" and how he brushed him off when he asked for pointers to improve.

Jean then sighs before getting up and walking over to the green-eyed recruit’s table.

---

Armin and Eren were in the middle of speaking with fellow recruits when the blonde sees Jean walking up to their table.

“Uhh… Eren?” He taps his friend on the shoulder.

At the prodding, Eren turns away from Mina and Thomas, who were standing behind him. His eyes narrow at the sight of Jean standing behind the other recruits surrounding their table. “What do you want, horse face?”

The entire room goes silent as everyone turns to Jean. The man in question averts his gaze as his cheeks flush at suddenly being the center of attention.

He stays silent for a moment before speaking. “I’m not here to fight.” He then finally raises his gaze to look at Eren. The crowd parts as he moves closer to the table.

Armin notes the sudden tension in the air as his childhood best friend stares at Jean with a cautious look – he deduces that Eren is not entirely convinced that Kirstein came in peace.

Jean halts when he’s near the edge of their table, just a couple of feet from where Eren sits. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“I’ll be honest. I still think that going after Titans is stupidly dangerous.”

Eren's eyes further narrow at the remark. He rises to his feet, but Armin pulls at his arm before he can move towards Jean. "Hear him out first.” The blonde half-pleads.

Eren frowns but nonetheless sits back down. His eyes are still trained on Kirstein, who instinctively took a step back at his abrupt movement.

Jean takes another breath before continuing. “But I now get how serious you are.” He admits, voice quiet but clear. “You have real resolve, and I respect that. And I’m…” He pauses, his pride momentarily stifling his next words.

“… I’m sorry for making fun of you before.”

Some trainees gasp lightly while some simply stare – all surprised at his gesture. Armin sees that even Connie and Sasha have paused their food-related grappling to gawk at Jean. The blonde also quietly muses that the entire room probably half-expected another fight to erupt between the two boys. All eyes are now trained on Eren, who looks astounded with his eyes widened and mouth slightly agape.

Armin then lightly nudges his friend’s shoulder. “Well, aren’t you going to say anything?”

The question shakes the green-eyed trainee from his stupor. He blinks once before rising to stand – more calmly, Armin notes approvingly.

“Thanks, Jean.” The hardened look in his gaze is now gone. “I appreciate you saying that. Apology accepted.” He says with a small smile.

“And for what it’s worth…” Eren trails off as his eyes dart downwards, a hint of shame in them, “… I shouldn’t have scoffed at you for wanting to go into the Interior. After all, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be safe.”

He then looks directly at Jean again. “So, I guess I also owe you an apology.” He admits with a half-smile, hoping that it would lighten the mood.

It seems to have worked as Kirstein offers him a smile. “Glad to know that you can see things my way, Yeager.”

Eren grins more naturally at the response. “So… friends?” He asks, voice tentative as he holds out his hand.

Jean looks at the offered hand in surprise for a moment before observing the other boy’s expression. There’s a mix of uncertainty and apprehension in his countenance – possibly wary of how he would respond. But the look in Yeager’s eyes tells him that the offer of friendship is genuine.

He eventually grasps the hand offered to him. “Friends.” He says while giving it a firm shake.

There’s a smattering of applause as the crowd gives a slight cheer at the show of camaraderie. Armin especially claps heartily at the sight of the usually hot-headed Eren making peace with Jean even as he hears Connie yelp when Sasha takes advantage of the distraction to take a massive bite from the Springer boy’s loaf.

“Well, it’s nice that we’re all finally getting along.” Marco comments with a smile from the sidelines, hands still pressed together from clapping.

Jean sends a slightly annoyed look at Marco, who only continues to smile in return.

---

End Note: So, the 104th gang finally appears! Since Mikasa is a veteran in this story, I wanted to play a little with the dynamics of the 104th's relationships with one another. On this, I wanted Eren and Jean to have a friendlier relationship in this story than in canon. I hope that I was able to execute this idea (as well as all my other ideas) properly. Lol.

In any case, let me know what you think! Critiques and comments are most welcome!

#rivamika #levimika #levi x mikasa

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