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weirdworldofwinnie · 11 months

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A Darling Distraction

Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer x Female Wife Reader NSFW 18+ only Oneshot

(Mood board by Selene Shelby @forgottenpeakywriter, this fic is especially for you, so I hope you enjoy! Thanks for the initial idea and support💕)

Summary: Robert's been married to you for a while and now in Los Alamos, after the last few years of hard work and a 'successful' Trinity Test, he desperately needs something he won't admit: his wife in pink satin lingerie and sexual stress relief.

Word Count: ~3,703

Warnings: Smut, unprotected and oral sex both ways, light daddy kink + breeding kink, some angst, mention of infidelity, period stereotypical gender roles, unspecified age gap (less than 10 years)

Disclaimer: Obviously NOT historically accurate to real life and is inspired by Cillian Murphy's portrayal of Oppenheimer in the film. It isn't supposed to be in total support and a complete reflection of the man's character, only my interpretation. Scroll away and DNI if you are uncomfortable or take issue with this; it is primarily for entertainment purposes only and it is just fantasy/fiction!

This is strictly a one shot story, no more will be added to it. If you want to read other Cillian!Oppenheimer fanfiction, check out my Masterlist

Tags: @happysparklingshadows (@forgottenpeakywriter wanted me to tag you), @frozenhuntress67, @immyowndefender, @szde8-blog, @bypurple, @irenethewoman, @noirrose21-blog, @gridmouse86

It had been less than 24 hours since the denotation of the gadget and Dr. Robert Oppenheimer's eyes had been engulfed in fire; the aftermath of a hot white flash as bright as a hundred suns blowing out his pupils, followed by a colorful mushrooming cloud that was somehow simultaneously beautiful and horrific. Between the hours before and after Trinity, he had thought of Jean and her influential poetry, and you of course, but now the bomb had become him and only that one vision filled his mind, haunting him.

All day he had been at the lab and offices, but mostly at the main mess hall celebrations that flowed with chatter and too many drinks shared amongst the military and scientists alike whom many believed had been witness to a great success, a miracle, but also the worst of humanity had just been born into creation. Oppenheimer had become what he supposed he had been destined to be all along: Prometheus, doomed to bring great power and advancement to humanity at a steep cost. He was the destroyer of worlds, but not technically yet, and that was the worst of it. The early morning test was exactly that; a trial, a preview of what was to manifest, and very soon would the world get to see such power he had helped birth. He desired peace, but the trick was he was only attaining that through warfare like never before. The stress was far from over and he was afraid to become a nervous wreck by the end of the decade with all these dark pervasive thoughts and doubts. Depression was nigh on the back of pressuring anxiety and there was no way anything would ever be the same again. He had changed, the world had changed, seamlessly overnight.

As he clumsily unlocked the front door to his home with slightly shaking fingers and stumbled inside, reaching up to remove his porkpie hat and hang it up on the coatrack, he called out your name hoarsely. After a beat of listening and there was no response, he sighed... Maybe you'd already gone to bed or were tucking in the children, whatever it was he didn't know and didn't care because he was too wrapped up in his own emotions. He felt ecstatic that all the hard work had come to fruition and they cemented history, but he was also at a paradoxical point of great accomplishment and great moral failure; the duality of man. But most importantly: it worked. Now what they would do with it was another matter he couldn't quit thinking about.

He reflexively twitched for a cigarette in his shirt pocket, but he was empty, so he walked to the bedroom single mindedly and fumbled for a box in the side table, yanking out the drawer and shifting through to pick up a pack of Chesterfield's.

"Darling?"

He jumped, spinning around with a huff and hand on his hip to see you standing in the shadows of the entryway and draped in a pink robe snug around your frame and he noticed your feet were bare as if you'd just been dressing.

"Y/N, I thought you were... Are the children in bed?"

"An hour ago, they were fussy and very insistent with missing Daddy, but once I read to them they finally settled down. You've been absent all day because of the test, what made you actually come home?"

He shook his head, finding relief and refuge in taking a long drag on the cigarette and blowing the smoke out, gesturing at you with the butt of it.

"You brought in the sheets like I told you to?"

"Of course, I knew."

"Good."

He moved to the edge of the bed and sat down heavily, rubbing his forehead and you noticed the tiredness he exuded for a man who usually was so attentive with higher energy levels, and how sunken in and sad his wide ocean eyes were. These past few years had taken a tremendous toll on his wellbeing more than ever... His jutting cheekbones and general gauntness were more pronounced with the unhealthy loss of weight and crinkles of wrinkles were all he truly kept gaining in eventual amounts; crow's feet, forehead lines, nasolabial folds, and etches under his eyes. His dark hair, kept meticulously cut short, was greying at the sides. Even his teeth, if inspected closely, were on a fast track to faintly showing signs of aging decay from all the smoking and drinking he did on a daily basis.

Robert was not the picture, nor rarely the temperament, of boyish youth you remembered from Berkeley.

Truthfully, you and him hadn't had proper sex in many months; it just wasn't very desirable or convenient between his never ending work that created distance between him and anyone who wasn't a scientist, the continuing socializing and parties with many other faces in town, and you personally spending days cleaning up and minding after little (often crying) children who did not have a clue of what their parents were doing out in the middle of the New Mexico desert surrounded by barbed wire fencing and uniformed men always patrolling. Life here was anything but boring, but the bedroom sure had become so. More often than not, Robert couldn't sleep soundly while you kept to your designated side of the bed and tried to ignore his tossing and turnings until eventually he doped himself up on sleeping pills to cope. He also hadn't been the same since the news of Jean Tatlock's passing and you highly suspected - no, knew - he had an affair during his trip to California once he had his security clearance approved. Of course it upset you he could be so idiotic and unfaithful, yet it wasn't shocking given his womanizing track record, but what made you more concerned was knowing how psychologically troubled Jean had been and if Robert thought he could offer her some consolation, he may have just made it worse and partly done her in. If he blamed himself for her death, you couldn't imagine carrying around that kind of guilt in addition to what he spent his time creating to end the war.

He stood now, restless, and began to pace an invisible groove into the flooring as he continually smoked and muttered to himself. You drifted away into the bathroom and shut the door, shrugging off your robe to the floor. You were completely nude underneath, coming off of a fresh bath and you had spritzed yourself with the best perfume you owned, hoping to surprise Robert, but something was clearly missing here.

Yes, and you know obviously what it is. It's his happiness, the spontaneousness that he has lost ever since he ran those calculations and went to Albert Einstein about a chain reaction igniting the atmosphere and blowing us all to bits. It was less than 0.1% chance, but it reminded him of the bigger issue... creating such a weapon with the power to destroy oneself was mighty weighty on any half decent man's conscience and even a rotten one's, for he too would be annihilated in the process if ever taken far enough. Everything these days was pure existential dread, no doubt about that, and no wonder Robert wasn't in the mood for love. His heart was being drained of it daily and you wanted to help, to fill him again even if just for once. It was difficult to watch him continually self-destruct and negatively affect those around him.

So you plucked up the ready matching pink folded satin lingerie he'd gifted you for the fifth wedding anniversary off the countertop and slipped into it, banking on the fact that it made you look sexually irresistible... And oh, it certainly did dial the appeal up to ten. You sauntered out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom where Robert was now seated on the bed, nose deep in a book and paperwork, clearly engrossed and a permanent frown was driven into his skin between his sculpted eyebrows.

"I have something for you, love," you announced softly as you leaned in the doorway, letting your body be on full display in such a loose, risqué little number.

"Hmm?" he murmured distractedly, haphazardly fluttering pages.

"Are you even reading any of that?" you asked flatly and he accidentally dropped it to the floor, hands still quivering and he tried to get up, wavering on his feet as you watched him in a strange state of both nerves cracking and drunkenness. You ached to make him better and by golly, tonight you would even if you had to throw yourself at him.

"Robert, don't you want to look at me? I have a surprise on..."

"I should pick this up and go to bed with a pill," he said to only himself, bending over and scooping the paperwork and book into his arms before standing unsteadily and he turned his back, carelessly dumping the materials onto the side table. You quickly strode up behind him and slid an arm around his waist, fingers drumming on his metal belt buckle splashed with a tinge of turquoise design.

He froze as you wound a bare leg around one of his and he reached behind his back, brushing your scantily clad silky bottom, fingers gliding over the fabric and making you moisten.

"The lingerie, you're wearing it," he stated and you couldn't quite tell if he was delighted by this or not.

"So I am, I know it's been a while since you gifted me with it, so tonight I thought I'd finally return the favor after the amount of stress we've been under, especially you."

"You-you're proposing I need... oh no. No, I don't know if I'm, uh, ready-no, I don't know if I-I can, I mean do-handle it-" he stuttered out and you fought a laugh. Oppie the great improviser, the genius, the man always in control of the proverbial cockpit was ironically clearly not thinking all that straight tonight and for once in his life, absolutely tongue-tied. You may not have much power as a housewife (that earned psychology degree had been so far deemed useless once you moved with him and had children) in this godforsaken place, but you had this way of melting your husband to molten lava that no one else was capable of. His mouth utterly agape, you ran your hands around the leather of the belt and snaked another leg around his, squeezing gently into his side as you put your lips close to his ear, murmuring.

"You know that we both need it, so just let me work my magic like a good old fashioned whore..."

He bristled, catching your hand still fondling his belt and pushing away lightly.

"I would never refer to you as that," he said, completely unamused and perhaps with a veil of disgust too that you thought seemed unnecessary.

"What am I, then, just the stoic scientific director's wife who will be at your side when you receive a Nobel for your work in stopping the world from global conflict with explosions and implosions?"

His sharp jaw clenched and in one swift motion, he abruptly fell over sideways onto the bed and you startled, leaning over and gripping at his shoulder, worried.

"Oh, Robert, are you sick? I was just being a bit sarcastic."

He closed his eyes, obviously in some sort of internal turmoil that didn't merit sharing fully.

"No, I just... We don't need to do this, not now, not when I'm having a pretty bad time. I'm fatigued, probably drunk, and I should talk to the General tomorrow about the schedule. I'll be wanting to fly to Washington soon; the President will be expecting a briefing and they need to determine the exact target and then once it's all over we'll need to settle somewhere else and..."

He began to murmur anxiously about all the engagements he was expecting (postwar and not) and you shook your head, pushing down on his chest.

"But don't you want a distraction, a temporary all consuming joy for one night?" you pressed and he finally looked up at you, really gazed at you, and a genuine buttery smile spread across his mouth.

"Come here, my love," he whispered while tugging at the lingerie panty bow unsuccessfully and you clamored onto the bed beside him. He paused, licking his lips, and then spoke too briskly.

"We'll get straight to it and once I finish, it should help me sleep naturally better than those prescriptions."

You sat up, shoving him playfully and scowling.

"That has to be the least sexist statement you've ever said to me in the bedroom. Don't you want a marathon, not a sprint? Enjoy me, Robert. That's what I'm really here for anyhow, your darling distraction."

He took this in, then rolled over on top of you, his hot alcohol and nicotine infused breath on your cheeks as he breathed heavily, and you made a cringing face.

"How many drinks have you had today? You smell of a bar and I'm thinking you should rinse your mouth out before you get the luxury of having me."

"You do, hm? I guess that's a command, Mrs. Oppenheimer," he smirked and sat up, shoving off to the bathroom and you went to go put on a record on the turntable in the living room. The classical music crackled through and you walked back to the bedroom, laying into a seductive position onto the bed, one leg propped up with a bent knee and your arm draped across the headboard.

When he came back, his eyes widened at the sight of you as though it was finally registering and he wet his lips again, unapologetically hungry. He moved to the bed, shrugging his suit jacket off to drop to the floor, taking off his black tie, and mindlessly undoing the buttons on his white shirt. That was quickly discarded as you waited for him to remove his socks and shoes, pretending to be impatient by switching position to cross your legs and checking your manicure.

"Hurry up, Oppie, I have a time limit here."

He shook his head disapprovingly, kicking the shoes under the bed and whipping off his belt, tossing it to the floor with a clunk before wrestling out of his trousers and you stared at his boxer clad skinny frame, the cock not even engaged yet... Looks like he's making you do all the work again. A petulant sigh escaped when you rolled your eyes and he pointed a finger, chastising.

"Patience, my love. Hasn't Daddy taught you anything at this point?"

You bit your lip as he leaned over and his bare chest collided with yours... You pulled him into an antsy kiss, mouths crushing each other needily and he tasted of tobacco and toothpaste, a strange combination, but better than before. You felt the slight sheen of cold water he had splashed on his skin transferring to yours and you gripped his neck, fingers splaying across the back of his head.

His own hands went to fondle your covered breasts and you pulled away from his kiss for a moment.

"You are divinely doll like in this, I love such feminine expression," he murmured in a kind of rapture.

"Shame it has to be stripped of me," you whispered with raised eyebrows.

"It's only garments, what really counts is here..." He suddenly squeezed both your breasts and you let out a spurt of high pitched noise, allowing him to remove the top, shimming it off your body in one motion and tossing it over his shoulder where the strap caught on the bedpost.

He thumbed over one nipple and then transferred to the other, teasing you to rock hard nubs. He moved to your panty, slipping it down and off to expose you, and you kicked it to the end of the bed. Then, in turn, you yanked down his underwear and his cock sprung out into your ready grip. You began to pump on it and getting him to a more erect state, rising up. He groaned lightly and you pulled the oozing tip to your mouth, parting lips and flicking your tongue out to carefully lick a strip along the length before taking head, making him grow stiffer and wetter by the minute. Your mouth popped of his length, swallowing, and he gripped your waist as he focused hard on you over his throbbing member.

"What do you want, my love? Do you want me?" he whispered huskily and you shivered in anticipated arousal.

"Yes, darling, I want you... I need you, you own me and I own you."

"Sounds like a fair arrangement," he breathed before crushing into you and began to rub, purely animalistic, all over your smooth body. His head burrowed down into your freshly shaved pussy just like how you and him liked it clean, licking at your folds and massaging your lower abdomen in a desperate frenzy. You dug nails into his hair, curling, and bucked your hips to meet his appetite when he slowly slithered on top. You groaned as you took him, all of him, and let his penis expand and stretch out your core to the fullest extent, clenching instinctively around the shaft as he thrust repeatedly until you were sent easily right over the edge in freefall.

"Mmm, Robert!" you squealed in ecstasy and he muffled you, hand slapping down over your mouth and shushing insistently.

"Shh, don't need to wake the children now. God knows they'll find Mommy and Daddy intimately together one of these days and be scarred for life at the sight." He chuckled as you whined behind his palm and grooved further at a pace you both knew very well. After years of marriage and sensual exploration, he knew all your sweet spots and sensitivities, when was too much, and yet it was taking all his self control not to completely plow you apart right now. His skin smacked against yours as he ground into you, hands everywhere at once and he peppered wet kisses all along your jaw to nape.

When his warm cum finally jetted into you, flooding in your cervix fully, you were unable to constrain a loud moan and he growled primally, his whole small frame shuddered through his own climax as you gripped his back, using his boney spine as placeholders for your fingers as he rocked further at a steady pace, not going to come out right away.

More orgasms came fast and one after the other, especially as you rolled over and he took his place beneath and you rode his cock in a fervor, letting the peak hit all over again and he watched in a dazed nirvana as you pleasured. When he finally pulled out from your used leaking hole, you could tell how satisfied he was having been able to hopefully successfully seed you and that signature smugness was so evident.

You laid panting at his side as he took up another smoke, struggling to keep his eyelids from closing and drifting off to sleep. You interweaved legs, soaking wet with combined fluids dripping onto the sheets, and he flit a free finger down to your soaked pussy, groping and nearly overstimulating you with another orgasm you didn't think could be as strong as the first. He grinned at the effect and cupped your mound with his palm, dominant of it as he spoke softly.

"Groves pointed out that I have no knowledge of birth control, which is true. By this rate, you'll be having yet another baby in nine months and I can only hope we are far from this current landscape and political climate then, never to return. You know, I'm hoping for another boy this time."

You sighed with a smile, rubbing your belly and his hand joined yours, rubbing circles over your navel.

"You make a wonderful mother," he commented in praise and you laughed lightly, bitterly, and glanced at him.

"I'm not perfect, I can barely hold it together these days when they're hungry, tired, and upset for no reason I can physically see at all... Sometimes I wish to wring their necks quite honestly. And you're very hardly the model father yourself when you are always away and hardly take care of them. I know the work is everything, but they need genuine paternal love more than your science to save them."

He shrugged, nonplussed, and then set his wispy cigarette to the ashtray before leaning his head against yours.

"We are probably horrible people, but I wouldn't have it any another way. To create life with you is more than I could selfishly do alone, for obvious reasons untold."

You laughed again at his dry humor and intertwined your body with his own, wishing you could crawl inside his skin and live in his bone structure. He was absolutely everything to you, even on bad days, and maybe his prestige and stability contributed to that, but there was real love underneath his flaws.

"Whatever you face, I'll be here to try to mitigate it," you whispered seriously and he nodded, appreciative.

"I trust you and I love you, Y/N. It won't get easier for me, for us, and I'm afraid the future may be as horrifying as I imagine it."

"That's why we have sex, to stave off the inevitable for a little while," you told him, tears pushing out and slipping down your cheeks. He caught one with his finger and wiped it clean off, staring at the translucent wet spot at the tip of his fingernail sadly. It wasn't unusual for you to weep after sex, but this felt different.

"Kiss me," he murmured and you leaned forward as he grabbed the back of your head and smooshed in, tongues writhing together for a few seconds before you both pulled away, breathing in the same air together.

"Tonight is good enough for me," he decided and you snuggled into his neck, closing your eyes to succumbing exhaustion.

In an uncertain frightening world full of variables, you vowed to be his one constant for life.

Thanks for reading 🖤

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yakuzacanons · 6 months

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haiiii!!! is it okay to request some dating headcanons of Yutaka Yamai from IW? :D

LAST ONE FOR TODAY I have saved my personal favorite ask of da day for last, I have been obsesssssssed with Yamai. Also if you didn't know, Infinite Wealth asks are officially on da table so smoke em if ya got me. Some mild NSFW below, and welcome Yamai to the blog!

Don't let his dark demeanor fool you. Yamai is actually a big softie inside. Bit of a romantic himself, you can easily find him daydreaming about what was and what could've been.

He can be rough around the edges but he does have a sweet side to him. Type of guy who, despite all apperances, would help an old lady across the street. Carries that energy into romantic endeavors as well.

Given his history, chances are he will not confess to you first. In fact, he may try to bury his feelings. More of a flirt than anything, he hasn't had a serious romance since he left Japan and there's never been a steady partner of any kind.

Has had his fair share of experiences though, let's get that out there. Did his time at the strip clubs and hostess clubs, sometimes with the strippers and hostesses.

One of the most open minded guys out there. Things like age or race or appearance don't mean a darn to him. If he likes you, he likes you. Period. End of story.

Will not fall for someone easily but when he does he falls extremely hard, it's almost debilitating for him. Man won't be sleeping right, he gets disorganized, hell he stops getting cold so often. Everyone thinks he might be like dying or something, it's that drastic.

A shameless flirt and good at it. Blame it on all the lonely years at the clubs in Hawaii. Not a talkative guy and not the most profound conversationalist but boy does he have good voice control. Also has the most wicked fuck-me eyes. Key word being wicked.

Speaking of which, he can be an animal in bed. He's not messy or anything violent but he can be frantic, if that makes sense. Once he hits a certain limit, he's gotta relieve himself, either alone or with someone. He can't just pretend that isn't there. Translate that to a long term relationship, and you get some very hot and steamy sex.

Down to go on dates, it's the relationship part that's scary. A date can just mean getting food or having sex. A relationship means FEELINGS. And the last time he did that he had to leave Japan! Not a gamble to take lightly.

As stated previously, it is highly unlikely he will confess. Having said that, if you do, his face will kind of shift. Suddenly he's not some sullen, dark eyed fiend. He just looks so... soft. Like a cloud, almost. If you weren't serious or making some kind of joke, he would probably just fade away into dust right then and there.

He and Joon-Gi share the trait of loyalty. When he's in love, you are his person. Would do anything for you, for better or for worse. Despite how much his past has scarred him and how that's affected how he deals with his feelings, he still hasn't learned, huh? All these years later he's still a lover at heart...

#majima megaphone moment #yakuza #ryu ga gotoku #yakuza headcanons #yakuza imagines #ryu ga gotoku headcanons #ryu ga gotoku imagines #yutaka yamai #yamai yutaka #like a dragon infinite wealth #infinite wealth #ryu ga gotoku 8 #yakuza 8 #yakuza infinite wealth

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dark-petersburg · 2 months

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Step into the shadows

Welcome to my channel, where I explore everything gothic under one dark and fascinating umbrella. What is gothic? The term "gothic" was coined in the 19th century to describe elements of the past, often sensational and barbaric—like the works of Shakespeare. Not something you’d have expected right? Gothic is a construct and as such I will use it. In this blog, I delve into the dark and macabre as integral parts of our psyche, identity, nature, and culture. I will journey from the gothic elements that surround us today back to times even before antiquity, with a special focus on the Hellenistic period, which I personally favour. I’m fluent in two languages, and you’ll see both reflected here. I’ll explore gothic fashion, philosophy, literature, movies, aesthetics, and how art and architecture are influenced by the gothic. Join me so we can delight in the shadows and uncover the gothic threads woven through our history and culture. Is gothic depressing then? No. Darkness is reassuring and empowering. I would nonetheless like to make it clear that I do not condone violence or toxicity of any kind. My content is categorised into three main tags: #GothicGlimpses Mondays reveal the moodboard and main visual content of the week under #GothicGlimpses. This tag showcases the aesthetic beauty of the gothic, from fashion to architecture. Each moodboard immerses you in the dark visual world that defines gothic culture. #GothicGazette Wednesdays are for textual content, tagged as #GothicGazette. Dive into gothic philosophy, books, and movies, exploring how these elements shape and are shaped by gothic aesthetics. Join the in-depth discussions and analyses to enrich the understanding of the gothic realm. #Darkling_I_Listened Fridays bring the reading session under #Darkling_I_Listened. Personally I find the world we live in too hectic and chaotic at times. Readings offer a therapeutic escape, a space to reflect and engage deeply with gothic literature. I invite you to explore the darker aspects of human nature and find solace in shared experiences. Connecting with the gothic tradition reveals how it reflects and influences emotions and thoughts. Join me to delight in the shadows and uncover the gothic threads woven through the history and culture.

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moonspirit · 5 months

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TOP 10 favourite AA fanfics? (if you have one)

Oh hello xD That's a great blog name! Does that mean more questions will follow ._.?

Anyways, my reading speed has taken a nosedive as of late; too many things have been going on and I'm trying to stick to my own writing schedule too... so my recs remain mostly the same as the previous times I've been asked. Still, here are a few of my faves:

Bury Me in the Shadows of Spring & My Yellow Light in Your Soft Whispers by @annawayne . Features some of the most compelling story-telling I've ever seen. The former is a historic AU set in the 1920s and holy shit the immersion? Anna comes armed with a deep, impressive knowledge base of history and so the fic takes you straight back in time, as if you were standing in the time period itself. BMSS is a story carrying very heavy themes, and the dive into the character's psyches is simply stellar.

As for the latter, a post-canon fic set 10 years after the Rumbling, MYLYSW is a story that takes an in-depth study into the ways that an intensely traumatic event can affect people - both the victims and of those around them. It's a wonderful telling of grief, heartache, unresolved ghosts from the past, with stunning imagery and descriptive writing. :3

Black Water & everything else in @distortedclouds 's collection. BW is, as another reader very aptly put it, the single best take I've seen on Annie's relationship with her father, and how it affects Aruani's relationship. Clouds' mastery in prose and narration is on a whole other level, and every chapter literally hurts your bones. Aside from that, all the other fics in the collection are simply wonderful reads, with everything ranging from fluff to angst to smut and everything in between! My wife is very talented you see :3 Unparalleled!

Little Bird by @aquietjune . Simply a fantastic Annie-centric post-canon story, with writing skills that simply leave you in awe. June takes a deep dive into many of Annie's issues and problems that are still left unresolved, though the world may be rid of titans. Her dedication to period-appropriate research, and the how's and why's of in-world problems make the story a truly delightful experience, and coupled with her talent of being able to tell so much in so few words, this remains one of the best post-canon fics I've ever read. Please also check out her other works, she has an uncanny ability to make you laugh until your sides hurt xD

Coveted by @honeytheriot . One of the first aruani fics I read after the S4 P3 P1 dropped in March 2023, and holy shit xD Every chapter is a smut-filled goodness and delight, and honeyriot makes it WORK with her writing!

Children of War by @/SeaTempest . Primarily a Jeanpiku fic with Aruani as a side-couple, this fic features some of the best writing I've ever seen. Smooth prose and convincing post-canon world-building, plus very good character monologues?? Hell yeah. Hasn't been updated in a while, but has plenty of content, absolutely worth a read.

Tater Tots & Heavy Thoughts by Anonymous and everything in this collection. TT&HT is a modern AU Aruani fic primarily from Armin's POV, dealing with some very dark and heavy subject matter. The writing is really good, and while I haven't caught upto later chapters, I highly recommend it. The other fics in the collection are great too :3

There are many more tbh, but my head is mushy for the moment xD However, I'll add some fics I've been following as of late!

on the path that led me to you by @the-last-thread-of-my-sanity & By Each Crime and Kindness (I'm bound to you) by @aruanimess - two Cadet Aruani fics taking place that are an absolute delight to read! Wonderful writing, wonderful characterization, lots of fluff, and the impending doom of angst~

Who painted the sky? by @dudewhy3 & Hiding in Plain Sight by @midnightraine131, two Modern AU fics that take a look into the issues Aruani deal with from their past, in a modern real-world setting. Engaging and fun, with sprinkles of heavy angst now and then.

A Force To Be Reckoned by @luciensdefenseattorney . Inspired by Bridgerton, this is a wonderfully written and highly engaging Aruani fic set in the regency era. You just want Armin and Annie to kiss and find out all about each other already.

Legends by @mimiwrites2000-fun . Canon-divergence and wonderfully written, this is an Aruani fic spanning 32 chapters and counting! Lots of emotional, heart-wrenching moments, Mimi is a writer who embraces angst with a passion and doesn't shy away from hurting you T^T

#I have to catch up with the latest updates on many of these #T_T #please have patience with me #I'm doing my best!#ask #askingtheaafandomquestions #aruani #attack on titan #fic rec #aruani fic #armin arlert #annie leonhart #armin x annie #aruannie

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moltenwrites · 3 months

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HOW OUR WORLD ENDED CHARACTER INTROS

I’ve been talking about my book, How Our World Ended a LOT on this blog, but I’ve realized, no one knows the main cast. That changes today! Here is the intro to ( most ) of the main characters featured in the story

Res

Age - 23

Soul type - Light Blue ( Ice )

Powered - Yes

Physical appearance - An average height man with light skin. He has short curly black hair . His eyes are light blue. A frown stains his face frequently, but can be replaced with a soft smile on rare occasions He wears a light blue cloak with golden stitches. The undershirt and pants are a dark blue. He wears black boots and a belt, to which a knife with a distinctive golden handle is clipped.

Personality - Res is often cold and calculated. When he’s on the job, he imposes fear in all that see him. If you were to get close to him, he would stay reserved for a long period of time, but eventually warm up towards you. And when he’s attached, he’ll do anything to save the ones he loves.

Lyra

Age - 23

Soul type - Black ( Shadow )

Powered - No

Physical appearance- An average height woman with light skin and black eyes . She has flowing black hair that goes below her shoulders. She wears a black cloak, nearly always with the hood down. She wears matching black pants and shoes.

Personality - Lyra is a outgoing and kind, albeit easily angered person. She is always one to speak her mind, and won’t back down no matter the odds. She has a lot of love for those around her, especially her sister. Speaking of which-

Val

Age - 31

Soul type - Red ( Future Sight )

Powered - No

Physical appearance- A tall Hispanic woman with red eyes. She commonly wears a red dress with red heels. Her hair is brown and commonly tied into a bun. She always wears a white glove on her left hand.

Personality - Val is very quiet, but incredibly caring. She prioritizes her sister above everything, and would do anything to keep her safe and happy. Val has a talent for sales, but hasn’t been able to put it to use since- well, that’s a story for another time-

Raven

Age - idk, mid to late thirties though

Soul type - Purple ( Illusion )

Powered - No

Physical appearance- A tall light skinned male with messy black hair. He has constant rings under his dim purple eyes. He wears a black cloak with purple helix’s on the sides. He occasionally carries a wooden staff with a glass ball at the top.

Personality - Raven is quiet and incredibly intelligent. He has a fondness for history, and he wants to know everything he can about the world he lives in! Raven works as a professor under the king. While he may be timid, he shows his worth frequently.

Salazar

Age - ???

Soul type - Soulless, but if he was alive, white ( life )

Powered - Yes

Physical appearance- It depends! When Salazar doesn’t have a vessel, he is a towering man with gray skin. His hair is long and white, matching his eyes and robe. Spikes line his arms, ready to strike. Alas, this isint the design i associate with him most. His vessel on How Our World ended takes that place. When Salazar takes his vessel, he is an average height man with unkempt black hair. He wears a white suit, and a yellow masquerade mask to match his vessels yellow eyes. As this body is now shared, he has one yellow and one white eye. He also carries a foil

Personality - Salazar has one goal in life; To make it as fair as possible. Salazar puts fairness above all else, even if his definition of it has been twisted. He is willing to do anything to uphold this, and his high intelligence makes his plans a major threat, as any ruler should be.

Nelios

Age - 27

Soul type - Red ( Future sight )

Powered - Yes

Physical appearance - Nelios is a large light skinned male. He is incredibly fit, with incredible strength. He wears a suit of dark gray armor with a red skull embroidered on to the chestplate. He has pitch black hair, and blazing red eyes.

Personality - Nelios is incredibly cocky. I mean, if you were the son of King Dimitri, you would be too. Nelios, despite his arrogance, does hold the few people near him close. He strives to protect those around him. He is a deeply religious man, but has his doubts about those above.

Annnd there’s where I’m gonna call it. This is what I’d consider the “ main “ cast of How Our World Ended, but there are MANY important characters I didn’t include here ( Oti, Exodus, The Artist, and Dimitri for example) But I think these are the best ones to get the word out about. If you read that all, thank you so much, and I hope you enjoyed getting to know a bit more about my characters

#howourworldended #writers on tumblr #writing #writing on tumblr #fantasy #souls collide #writeblr #howe #writerscommunity #writing community #oc lore #ocs #oc #oc info

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nerdieforpedro · 3 months

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El vino me lo quitó (I lost him to wine)

Part Two (morado/purple) of Coasting through the Rainbow

My entire masterlist and blog are for readers 18+ MDNI. I do not consent to my work being used in AI, recommended on TikTok, borrowed or plagiarized.

Summary: The move back to the US presents Javier with new opportunities and challenges. He felt like he may have found someone to hold onto but is he really holding on to them?

Warnings: Angst, domestic Javier, allusions to smut, alcohol use, no bad jokes this time, and PTSD reference

Word Count: 1936

Notes: We’re moving forward in Javi’s story. It’s very angsty and the angst is strong in this fic but we are working toward a good ending for Javi, I promise!

Main Masterlist/ Javier Peña Masterlist/ AO3 Link

The hustle and bustle of Washington DC are confounding to Javier. Everyone is always moving quickly but seem to be doing nothing at the same time. He appreciates that there’s always something and someone to do, but there little nature. Not like Columbia where a drive could take you along rivers, forests and fields and not like Texas where he’d see animals, different fields and farms.

The overseas transfer went smoothly, due to his decorated history in the agency, the DEA want his knowledge which Peña is glad to be paid for. They included an apartment that had a parking garage. Good because Javier enjoyed driving, letting his mind wander listening to music, though with traffic as it was, it was difficult to get carried away in song while people were honking with all these one way streets.

Continuing to indulge in both women and men, Javier was able to work out some of the growing pains of his new life. None of his partners match Angelo’s looks exactly nor do they have his gentle touch. The loneliness ate at him daily however, there was a period of nearly a year that gave him a small part of familiar warmth from Columbia.

His name was James. He’s not gentle, nor does he allow Javi to hide as he hasn’t been able to being a gay black man. James is six foot three inches, broad with a three cloud tattoos on his upper right arm and a dark trail of hair leading to something Javier enjoyed. His hair is shaved on the sides and he keeps it long in the middle - a faux hawk. It looked goofy as far as Javier was concerned but give how limber his towering lover was able to make him in and out of bed, he never uttered a word about it. Often, when they began, little more than the slaps of skin were heard. Tender words were gone, neither of them had much use for them in the bedroom. Outside of it was a different matter all together.

To start, Javier met James for brunches and a few breakfasts. It was a stark difference in how his outings with Angelo went. Peña told himself he wouldn’t make that mistake again. No one wants to be hidden or a secret, he had realized that too late and been too scared to cross into the daytime. The relationship was one of two driven men.

Javier formed different relationship with agents in his new role and was helping to close cases, getting dangerous drugs off the streets.

James was a sommelier, working in a local winery and building his contacts along with gradually securing funding for establishing his own business.

In this respect, they complemented each other and spurred each other forward. They never lived together despite going from each other’s places freely at all times of day when there was time. Javier enjoyed James and cared about him, but it wasn’t quite the same as Angelo. Two ships floating in the same direction is how Javi would describe it. He did meet some of James’ friends and Javi had him out to dinners with the DEA crew he’d been advising. It was awkward at first as Javi hadn’t mentioned to any of them that he dated men in addition to women. Not that it was any of their business.

Again things were going smoothly and he though that despite not having same sense of security as he did before. Peña figured that having an undercurrent of trepidation would help him keep the relationship going.

Javier Peña finds himself wrong a second time.

James has been working many late nights similar to how Javi used to do in his younger days. He’s brought home some wine to go with dinner that Javier made - simple arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) but he added some asparagus cooked with chicken bullion and seasoned the pollo with tomatoes, lime juice and jalapeño stuffed green peppers. Normally he wouldn’t have added so many veggies, but Javi found that one of his favorite polo shirts - the pink one was a bit tight around the middle.

Javier only started cooking for one person and he wasn’t the one in the kitchen with him now. He always lingers in the back of my mind. I’m worried it’s always going to be like this. Will I ever move on? Forward?

When he and James sat down to eat, things were fine. They discussed their days like usual, ate a well-cooked meal. Afterword, when they were cleaning the kitchen up, James casually introduced the idea of California. “Going to visit you mean? We could, but we’ve never taken more than a weekend trip together Jay.” Drying his hands on the dish towel, Javi set down the plate worried that he may drop it. That’s a big step, but it has been nearly a year. Time just keeps moving doesn’t it?

“No, well yes we can visit the first time we go but eventually we would move there. I’ve been able to get all my funding, investors and contacts to open my own winery and grow the grapes I know will make an excellent wine.” James’ large palms press into Javi’s cheeks and his thumbs trace his upper lip and mustache. “Come with me Javi. I want you by my side. I’m going to start a wine empire!” The excitement is his dark orbs is accompanied by James’s cheeks puffing out from his wide smile. The bright kitchen light makes the stubble trying to grow back in on his face prominent with rich sepia skin.

“My job is here though James. I haven’t been here long enough for another transfer. Plus with all that the team has going on, it doesn’t feel right to leave them hanging.” Peña places his hands over James’. While correct in what he just said, Javi knows that he’s never told his boyfriend about what he saw in Columbia or California. Not the details that sometimes have him up at night. Make him still drink. Make him still smoke. Have him react to anything that sounds similar to a gunshot or eye any substance that looks like a white powder suspiciously. Javier is removed from most of that here. Just the mention of California has him in a cold sweat, his back starting to feel wet and tense.

James releases Javi and looks at the man he loves, the man he wants to walk long rows of greenery with and finally make a wine he’ll drink more than one glass of. The color has drained from Javi’s face, pallor has taken over. He’s surprised that Peña isn’t trembling, he just might start. “Sweetheart, does going to Cali bother you that much? Javi baby what happened? I’ll be right there with you. This is my dream. I’ve worked toward it for years.”

“Chasing a dream like that is a young man’s game. I’m damn near forty years old. I can consult for a while yet, but I don’t know about being out in a winery out in the hot sun. I can’t give you an answer right now James.” Javier turns away and places his palms face down on the counter, hanging his head. His age isn’t really that much of a factor, but he truly doesn’t want to go. And retirement has been on his mind since his work at the consulate, not that he knew what he would do whenever he did retire, but he didn’t want to be hurting for money like some law enforcement retirees are a few years into not working.

Crossing his arms, James knows Javier focuses more on facts when he wants to mask the real reason he doesn’t want to discuss something. Why didn’t he feel comfortable telling him? He knows that some things went down both in Columbia and Cali, things that made Javier famous in some circles, but only broad strokes. There were times he watched as Javi slept and murmured to himself, tossing in the bed. Peña would never speak about it, only that there were some ghosts that would always haunt him, choices that could have been different and kept more people alive. He holds himself responsible for that. James wanted to know why Javi felt like the world was on his shoulders, he couldn’t control everything. Javi knew that, but he knew it was it youth and the idiotic belief that his small team and the Columbia government at the time would be able to take care of everything eventually. He had been mistaken on every front, costing the lives of so many - some he knew personally, others he did not. “Is this it Javier? We’re not even going to discuss it more and you’re never going to tell me what in California keeps you up at night? It’s been nearly a year for us! I haven’t earned enough trust for you to be vulnerable with me?!�� Placing his hand over Javier’s with the other on Peña’s back, James rubbed it in silence. Javi wasn’t answering nor was he looking at him. A hole might form in the counter between Javier’s hands.

Without turning his head, Javier spoke, “We’ve never been about emotions James. You know that as well as I do. Don’t try and act like we ever have been. I’m not going and that’s final. I am proud of you though.” Finally, Javier turns his body to face James head on. A small smirk graces his face. Something else has ended again but it doesn’t cause another chasm, only a fracture - that will heal.

Kissing Peña’s forehead, James has his fingers in the black silky hair he enjoyed stroking after sex and occasionally when Javi would be working at his desk before coming to the table for dinner. It’s the last time he’ll have it in his hand. Embracing Javier and cradling his head near his heart, James knows his periodically cantankerous partner is right, he has not expressed his feelings about what he and Javi have. It’s too late to make him understand what life he wanted to build with the DEA consultant. His heart is beating swiftly, holding on to Javier. He might disappear right before his eyes, fade away. A winery won’t share meals with him or cuddle at night nor will it listen to his ideas - some outlandish and other actual options making them both laugh.

Once they let go of each other James walked out of Peña’s apartment and out of his life.

If there was one thing Javier envied about James it was his ability to press forward with his goal no matter what was around him. It was a quality that Javier used to have and admired in himself and now in someone else. In the past it would be work that would drive Peña but now he wants to put that energy toward a relationship.

Javier can’t seem to find a right path forward in his relationships. After James departs, it’s a few weeks later that he receives a bottle of red wine - a prototype of his brand.

Red wines are supposed to be sweet to Peña’s limited knowledge, but even after finishing the entire bottle in once sitting, there was nothing saccharine about what he just drank. “The shit’s just bitter. Maybe it’s just how I am. Can I even taste anything other than bitter and sour?” The question made Javier wonder if he should even try again. Maybe being by himself would be good for him. Maybe he could figure out what he wanted. Eventually.

Different brands of wine ��: @djarinmuse @megamindsecretlair @tinytinymenace @schnarfer @rulexofxnines

@djarins-cyare @secretelephanttattoo @soft-persephone @mysterious-moonstruck-musings @604to647

@morallyinept @for-a-longlongtime @soft-girl-musings @saturn-rings-writes @professionalpromqueen

@angelofsmalldeath-codeine @connectioneverywhere @fhatbhabiee @yorksgirl @guelyury

@readingiskeepingmegoing @survivingandenduring @rosecentaur1916 @westside-rot @romanarose

@lady-bess @sin-djarin @legendary-pink-dot @80ssong @kilamonster

@boliv-jenta

Part One - Rojo. Part Three

#pedro pascal characters #fanfiction #pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #javier pena fanfiction #javier peña #javier pena narcos #javier peña x ofc #pride month #lbgtq #coasting through the rainbow #a nerdie series #a nerdie fic

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kerubimcrepin · 7 months

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Episode 42 - The Trial

TW: mentions of genocide, totalitarian regimes, political extremism, and alcoholism. This one gets silly after I get lost in the sauce of analysing Bonta's political structures throughout history.

He was trying to toast them but couldn't reach. That's when the Darkness began to grow within him. That's the true sad backstory of Joris.

Not the last time he's too short for a toast in canon.

"ALBUM PHOTO"

Also, I will be real, by now I am actually unironically fluent in the Astrubian alphabet (non-cursive, non-handwriting). I don't know whether to be ashamed or proud of the lengths I went to, for this blog.

I think this takes place at the same time period as episodes 26 (A Hairy Mystery) and 50 (A Deadly Charm), because during both of those he also lived in Bonta, while Lou worked in law enforcement in some way. This would place those episodes before, or slightly before, all the adventures Kerubim would have with these three guys.

We are making some real progress here, folks.

Bonta, city of good, city of justice, everyone. Nothing corrupt or evil has ever taken place in it.

And it is definitely not just as bad as Brakmar.

Yes Kerubim. There are.

"DOSSIER"

Presented without comment.

Let's ignore the yet another instance of Kerubim being an unreliable narrator, or that ticket saying "KANI LAND", and focus on more important things:

Do you think Lou utilized girl power correctly when she sentenced three men, one of whom was scammed, the other of whom was robbed, and the third of whom is literally mentally ill, to prison? Do you think it was real Bontarian justice when she accepted a bribe to reverse that decision, and then decided to put the man who gave her that bribe in jail for four months to ensure she would receive it?

People who have only watched the shows may not be aware just how canon Bonta's evil nature is, and how much of a joke and a sham its "The City of Good" name is. It hasn't been explored in the Wakfu series, — actually, on the contrary, it has been portrayed as unquestionably good, through its aid to the Sadida Kingdom, through Joris's good deeds, — while in this series, its corruption is mostly played as a joke.

But it really is an unending nightmare that keeps failing everyone within it.

From people who are forced to mold themselves into an aspirational, heroic image, by completely destroying themselves with untreated mental illnesses and alcoholism, — like Bakara, or, to a lesser degree, Kerubim,

To people caught within its intrigues, unfairly convicted or framed. Like Julith's framing, which was an inside job, perhaps by the Huppermage temple itself.

To the fucking Huppermage genocide that happened centuries after, during a civil war, which has forced the survivors to flee to an island.

To the tolerance and acceptance of nobles like Ush.

Bonta has sucked badly for 600 horrid, horrid years, and it will likely never stop sucking, because the gods who founded it also suck ass.

It's such a tar pit, it's insane.

Anyway, man I wonder if trying to fix a city for 600 years, while knowing that this city killed your parents, made your aunt an alcoholic, and then resulted in the genocide of your people, would make someone want to start, perhaps, a militant fascist dictatorship with LOTS of guns, and slavery (BUT WOKE) as well as exploitation. Because only they, all alone, with like, two other people, can fix it. With guns. Haha.

Man, my headcanons are getting more delusional by the m——

GOD FUCKING DAMMIT.

#ep42 #ro liveblogs dofus #dofus #wakfu #krosmoz #joris jurgen

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sotwk · 4 months

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Hey! I love your blog and it made me appreciate thranduil's charecter even more. I love your headcanons about him and his family! Please keep this page alive, because i adore it just like my friend does! And by the way can you tell me more about Arvellas? I think he deserves more recognition.

Hello to you and your friend, Anon! <3 I know this is delayed response (again), but you sent me this sweet message at a time I was feeling down on my writing, and for that I am very grateful to you. :)

I am so happy to hear that my blog has helped you to grow in love and appreciation of Thranduil! He's not a hard character to promote since his awesomeness sells itself, but I like reminding people and growing his legend. ;) I am even more thrilled to hear that you're on board with my AU about his brood of amazing Thranduilions!

Again, thank you for your kind words that will surely inspire me to continue my mile-long list of project ideas (fics and headcanons and art) for Thranduil, Maereth, and their boys!

Now, as requested, here are a handful Arvellas headcanons to (hopefully) satisfy your interest. :)

Arvellas Thranduilion

Arvellas's name means "King's Leaf" in Sindarin. He was named after a common but valued plant native to Eryn Galen, long used as an herb in Silvan cuisine but also as an ingredient in many healing potions.

Queen Maereth chose this name for her son foreseeing his future as a wise healer who would devote his life in humble service to his people.

Although Maereth had a blissful pregnancy with Arvellas, she suffered through a terrible post-partum period after he was born. Maereth's experience was very similar to Míriel Serindë's depletion of body and spirit after she birthed Fëanor, and it was suspected that the reasons were the same--both their sons had extraordinarily strong fëa.

However, Fëanor's intelligence was the only quality Arvellas inherited from his ancestor; they could not be more unalike in personality. Arvellas is kind and humble, quiet and unassuming. He seeks neither attention nor credit for his achievements. He strives to create things that would be useful to his people, rather than to serve his personal glory or satisfaction.

In his youth, Arvellas led a very monk-like existence. He spent all of his time in the library, studying as much as he could and helping to expand the realm's collection of manuscripts. He transcribed volumes borrowed from other realms and wrote his own books, most notably accounts of his family's history.

He was single-handedly responsible for the production of over a thousand illuminated manuscripts in Eryn Galen's archives.

Although Arvellas would have been content to live his life away from the spotlight, he answered the call of duty when he accepted the appointment from his father to become the Prince-Regent of Cemamath. This was a province that required a great deal of diplomacy and political skill to manage, which Arvellas happened to possess more than anyone else in this family.

Arvellas had always been interested in the healing arts, but he only fully pivoted into the role of healer when the darkness and decay of Dol Guldur began to spread and infect the forest and the realm's people. His skills and his work alongside other older and more experienced healers from Eryn Galen were vital in saving lives during the initial rise of Dol Guldur and the emergence of the spiders and other poisonous creatures and toxic growths.

The only skill that Arvellas could be said to lack proficiency in (especially compared to his brothers) is fighting/combat ability. It is not due to lack of talent, but a lack of interest. However, Arvellas is more than capable of holding his own on a battlefield--his brother Turhir insisted and made sure he was trained enough for that!

Arvellas and Mirion were given the honor and very rare privilege of visiting Khazad-dum during the reign of King Durin V, where they apprenticed for several years under the best Khazâd craftsmen. In particular, Arvellas studied engineering and architecture, which would later on enable him to lead the construction of the underground cavern dwellings of his family and people late in the Third Age.

Although I prefer to keep the four youngest Thranduilions unmatched and unmarried in the official SotWK AU story (for flexibility in writing stories), besides Mirion, I see Arvellas as the one most likely to settle down with a wife and having children. He most definitely is "family man" material!

SotWK Fancast: Rupert Friend as Arvellas Thranduilion

For more SotWK AU headcanons: SotWK Headcanon Tag

#sotwk answers #sotwk headcanon #thranduil #thranduilion #arvellas thranduilion #sotwk oc #mirkwood #mirkwood elves #tolkien #greenwood the great #eryn galen #silvan elves

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horizon-verizon · 3 months

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I adore you drives into house Martell/Dorne and they not being poc. As a fanfiction writter and a woman who studies in college the medieval history of the iberian peninsula I try to Stay Away from writting house Martell fics because I do not believe they are poc the way fandom describes them (especially not as dark skinned) but I fear the backlash.

But I add my two cents to it because I feel the need to say it. (Sorry you'll be the one getting it)

I think the smallfolk around certain parts of Dorne are poc. Not the nobility. Nymeria and her descendents intermarried with the Andals many times. And if all dorne nobility is poc... How is Aegon V (grandson of Myriah Martell and son of Dyanna Dayne) isn't? Or his siblings. We meet all the men - no sign of a different "Race" in any of them.

I'm a little confused by this ask, ngl. You lost me here:

I think the smallfolk around certain parts of Dorne are poc. Not the nobility. Nymeria and her descendents intermarried with the Andals many times.

If the peasants, as you say, are PoC bc the Rhoynar female soldiers intermarried w/Andal-First Men Dornish people...are you saying they did with both Dornish peasant men AND nobles? Or they only did with peasants? If the latter, that wouldn't make much sense bc the petty nobles around or those "vassals"/oathed to the Martells at the time Nymeria arrived wouldn't go umarried to any of her soldiers, therefore we'd be forced to say that yes some nobles are PoC...and only if we assume that the Martells have become as PoC as them since Nymeria married Mors.

So it sounds like you're just saying that they, the nobility, are PoC.

from GRRM's blog:

GRRM doesn't distinguish b/t peasants and nobility when it comes him saying that he imagined them as more Mediterranean than African in appearance (and he's talking the white Med, not North Africans or Middle Easterners).

This is amok's Oberyn:

And this is the Magali Villeneuve's Arianne Martell:

If you're implying that there were still a few Rhoynar female soldier who married the smaller number of male Rhoynar male soldiers while the others married the Andal Dornish nobles (whether they be petty lords or the "high" lords), yeah it's possible some peasants--and a few here and there to this current time period of the main series--are what we'd call "PoC" if they lived amongst us.

But Dornish people, peasant or noble, are still monolithic to the people we'd call "white"/"BR/Germanic/NorthWestern European" white--the nonDornish Westerosi. Even they cannot be said to be PoC within the relationship of the Dornish to the Westerosi I described and discussed HERE.

Not all soldiers or warriors were peasants; some were/would be petty nobles, we simply don't have the details. A few of those female Dornish women could have married actually peasant soldiers and in the U.S. system of race, those kids' be considered "PoC", and so on so on. But this isn't the U.S.

🎨: NUTCHAPOL THITINUNTHAKO

Even if you are a Salty Dornish [3] (the Martells), a Stony Dornish [1] (the paler ones closest to the border b/t Dorne and the rest/the Dornish Marches), or a Sandy Dornish [2], the nonDornish people actively think of them all as "Dornish" and are xenophobic to all of them. We have seen no canon different behavior towards the paler stony Dornish.

We also don't know where exactly in Dorne Sylvenna Sand (a peasant) was from or what she looked like, but she was known as Dornish and the "laws" that Gaemon Palehair/his mother Essie laid out in KL are thought to have come from Sylvenna's background and closeness influencing those laws to protect women. Those Gyldayn calls "outrageous":

Skin color is definitely something these nonDornish make to orientalize or fetishize some Dornish people or to identify them bc you do find the darkest kind tones more in Dorne than anywhere else. But again, some Dornish people (and I mean entire populations) are pale, have the accents, may even practice male primogeniture but are still subject to xenophobia from nonDornish people in text.

And if all dorne nobility is poc... How is Aegon V (grandson of Myriah Martell and son of Dyanna Dayne) isn't? Or his siblings. We meet all the men - no sign of a different "Race" in any of them.

The Daynes are the paler "stony" Dornish.

Aegon was also never going to be considered PoC or Dornish or Dornish adjacent bc he came out with pale skin, violet eyes, and silverish-goldish hair.

And he is not a Dornish-raised person, but was born and raised outside of Dorne in the royal family.

So yeah.

#asoiaf asks to me #asoiaf race #dorne #the martells #westerosi society #nymeria #westerosi history #dornish ethnicities

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literaryxbones · 3 months

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Goth History-Episode 2: Gothic Fashion

Welcome back to my Second Episode of Goth History. If you're new to the @literaryxbones blog, don't worry! You don't have to look at the previous episode to follow this one.

Today we'll be discussing the history of gothic fashion: it's historic origins, connection to music, and its modern evolutions. Consider this a more generalized overview of goth style. There are many different iterative substyles that could warrant future entries.

Before delving into the contemporary goth scene, we must not neglect modern fashion's original, archaic influences. Stylistic inspirations date back to the Romantic Period. At the tail-end of the eighteenth century, people became disillusioned with the Industrial Revolution. They attached a sentimentality to nature, beauty, and simplistic living. Corporate technologies had long been eroding this traditional way of life.

As a result, discontent transformed clothing conventions. Dresses, vests, suits, and pants began to don elaborate, ornate patterns. Laces and ruffles exemplified its flair. A more restrictive, darker color palette of black, scarlet, purple, and brown was worn. The writings and dress of Edgar Allan Poe helped popularize the aesthetic.

With the rise of the Victorian period, British nobility adopted the darkened elegance displayed by its counterculture. In 1861, Queen Victoria mourned her husband's passing. Ever since his death, she was only seen wearing black. With the public clad in funeral garb, the commonfolk and the royalty grieved together. The color black possessed a strengthened association with death.

In the late 1970's, a rebellious post-punk subculture emerged. An emphasis on individualism, non-conformity, and a dark appreciation pervaded in their fashion. Victorian touches remained in the jackets, fishnets, and expressive makeup worn by early post-punk bands. Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, and Bauhaus flaunted this style on their tours.

A sprinkle of Punk-designer Vivienne Westwood's carnival themes cultivated the angular trad-goth makeup look shared all over social media today.

Bauhaus often used bat symbolism in their song lyrics and outfits. These nocturnal creatures are loved by many goths alike. Bats also recall to mind the Bat Cave, a London club.

I couldn't write about the history of our subculture's fashion without mentioning DIY. "Do-It-Yourself" attitudes were embraced by multiple alternative fashion scenes. Oftentimes, people thrifted, upcycled, and sewed clothing out of necessity. Younger members couldn't afford the expensive outfits worn by celebrities and made by fashion designers. Before online-shopping, most alternative fashion was inaccessible.

DIY also allowed for more creativity. Creations became an extension of the person wearing them. Goths chose from a variety of chains, collars, charms, and rosaries as accessories. They could implement these decorations in infinite ways. Different methods of distressing, cutting up, and patching clothes gave each piece a unique quality. Upcycling became an avenue for self-expression. People made what they liked.

In more recent times, second-hand shops and the DIY ethos has been centered around anti-fast fashion movements. Fast-fashion is when big corporations mass-produce a vast catalogue of items. Production is usually outsourced to other countries with cheaper labor costs. In these places, there are little regulations protecting workers. Popular sites for sourcing alt fashion like Ali Express, Shein, and Amazon use Chinese sweatshop slavery to produce their clothes.

Overall, gothic fashion is catalyzed by scene artists, ethical dilemmas, and the creative spirit. Now, a ton of styling subgenres are gaining traction. Pastel Goth, Trad-Goth, Victorian Goth, and Cybergoth are just some of these newer terms.

It is important to remember that these styles are all goth, and that dressing to a certain aesthetic does not make you goth. Goth is in your heart. It's in the music you listen to. It's in the interests you find beauty in. You don't need to wear loud microtrends to have your identity recognized. Just have fun, wear what you want, and explore your own creativity.

Phew, that was a long post! Thank you for reading all of it. Maybe I could add in a prize for readers who read all the way to the bottom, like a hidden sticker or stamp you can use or something!

Sources:

A Fascinating Look at Gothic Fashion History and Its Roots – Midnight Hour

Gothic Fashion: Brooding, Forceful & All About the Black | FashionBeans

DIY Goth Battlevest Created by @Lord_Dagger on Reddit

Written by SORDID

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quirkwizard · 1 year

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Vigilante Pursuit: Looking at the Villain Hunt Arc

So for anyone who has followed my blog for any period of time, you know that I dislike the Stars and Stripes arc. However, that isn't the only arc that I take issue with. When I was first reading this arc, I had my issues with it, but I did my best to try and move past them. Unfortunately, my opinion of it has only soured as time has gone on and I have had more time to reread and process everything that happened in it. That being the Villain Hunt Arc.

Yes, I know its official title is the Dark Hero Arc, but that name is dumb, so I'm sticking with the Villain Hunt Arc. To be pretty clear, I don't hate this arc, and I still think that there are some good qualities to it. The fight with Lady Nagant is a dramatic challenge to Izuku's perception of heroes, the confrontation between All Might and Stain was a strong beat for their characters, and the Uraraka's speech is one of the highlights of the later arcs of the series. It is not without its problems, and I do feel a lot of frustration with those problems. So, after reaching nine thousand posts, I thought I would reflect on them and try to figure out how to fix this arc.

Unlike the Star and Stripes Arc though, the problems aren't exactly fundamental to the arc itself, more that there are issues in execution. Even then, it's more of one consistent problem throughout the arc and a few other bits with how things play out. So a lot of this will be more of the rewrite than me simply complaining about it. For the sake of this, I'm going to try to stick to as much of the canon structure and this arc as possible with the rewrites. I may have a lot of issues with Izuku's power progression, which is probably the worst in this arc, but such a thing would require changing whole other arcs or making new ones. And when I am writing this, the most recent Chapter 387. So if anything happens to counter my points, know that it hasn't happened yet.

Just Watch Us

Whenever I think back on this arc, I always think about the lack of character moments that weren't for the usual ensemble. The ones that stand out most to me are Hawks and Endeavor. I can understand why the characters would want to brush past that given their personalities and their circumstances, but it feels unsatisfying to not see them react to what happened to them or have the world change as a result. Endeavor says that he will keep pushing forward and tells people to watch him. Even though he has nothing to show for except his words after one of the worst debacles in hero history. And what he did has no real effect or reaction on anyone outside of the family. There isn't any pushback or reflection on Hawks either. Hawks murdered someone on live television, and the most we get is during the press conference. There's no time to think about Twice or the regret he has for killing. He's an optimist, after all.

And don't think that they are the only ones. So many of the students are barely given any time to process or talk about what happened to them. Mina and Kirsihima saw the brutalized corpse of their teacher. And we barely get anything on that. They just got out of a war, and all of them seem a bit bummed out. This is the worst day for most, if not all, of the characters involved. Why can't we see that tragedy and turmoil in them? This isn't only a thing with the war, either. Uraraka and Iida find out their best friend has lied to them for the better part of a year and has left them behind, with the two having no idea where Izuku is or what's happening to him. There isn't any time to reflect on how they're dealing with any of this. We simply have to assume that all this happened off screen in the month-long time jump, if it happened at all.

Near Miss

So when I said that I didn't dislike the Lady Nagant fight, there were a few asterixis next to it. I know it's a minor point, but it has constantly bothered me: why is Kai here? Now I understand why Kai is around. It's to set up everything with Lady Nagant and Izuku trying to save and help the villains, pairing him up with the most hateable villain that isn't part of the League of Villains. However, that doesn't explain why Kai is here from an in universe perspective. Lady Nagant seemingly brings him out of Tatarus on a whim. She says she wants to use him, but what use is a gibbering ex-convict with no arms? And when they get out, she wants him around to identify Izuku. Why on Earth would she need that? Are you telling me All For One didn't even give her any information on Izuku? Nothing like a photo or a basic description of her target?

My biggest issue with it is the introduction of "Fa Jin". Aside from the pacing issues of introducing so many of his new Quirks in such a short time span, "Fa Jin" is easily the worst of all the "One For All" Quirks. As an actual Quirk, it's fine. Nothing special, but has a unique gimmick. My problems lie in making it a Quirk for Izuku because it doesn't really add anything to his power set. It isn't an interesting expansion on Izuku's arsenal, basically doing exactly what "One For All" was doing before. It's obviously only there as a crutch to get Izuku to One Hundred Percent as fast as possible in the shortest amount of time. What's more is that it ruins the fun cat-and-mouse dynamic the fight had before. It's not something we've seen in the series before and would have given us a chance to see Izuku as the intelligent planner he's supposed to be. Instead, Izuku didn't win through some clever strategy, he won by making his number bigger.

Then there is how the fight ends. Lady Nagant blows up as a part of a cruel tactic by All For One. I understand what the story is going for, having all of Izuku's efforts destroyed to mentally break him, but there are some questions raised. Like how exactly did All For One use a Quirk that wasn't his? Why make it a Quirk he snuck onto her then? Why not simply be the effect of a Quirk he already had? How did Lady Nagant handle three Quirks when even two Quirks are considered extreme and potentially life-threatening? How was Lady Nagant not aware of this? Then following up with Izuku going to the mansion, which only results in All For One reinforcing what we already know and another egregious explosion fake out, just feels like such a limp and pointless way to end this entire segment. It's another symptom of All For One worming his way into every single plot as the big villain. You can't have a moment between a hero and villain without All For One twirling his IV tubes in the background.

How it All Stops

I know I have played up in the past how much I liked this moment. I did feel catharsis when Bakugou finally owned up to how awful he was to Izuku and apologized. But looking back at it with a critical eye, I'm finding a major problem with it: it's all about Bakugou. Don't get me wrong, this is supposed to be a big moment for Bakugou and how he's grown. But the other half of the equation is simply missing. There isn't accountability of what he did to Izuku. It's all justification about why he treated Izuku so poorly, only to then turn it over to how he has been acting in the past. There isn't any kind of acknowledgement or punishment for what he's done to Izuku. It comes across that Bakugou effectively Houdinied his way out of the actual consequences of his actions.

What's more is that there's nothing about how Izuku is processing this. Izuku, the guy who was hurt most by Bakugou's constant bullying and actions, doesn't say or think anything about this. Which is such a massive problem throughout the whole of the arc. There is so little time to give Izuku any moments to himself or thoughts on how he's feeling about everything. This should be a huge surge of emotions and the culmination of everything that's been building up with Izuku. But everything is more focused on the other characters, either through Izuku's own thoughts or writing focusing on them more. All that happens is that he collapses and apologizes to everyone else for insulting them. And this ends Rogue Izuku portion of the story. Did you enjoy the handful of chapters you got? I hope you did, because that is the end of that part of his character. One we barely got to actually see.

After all of that, there's barely anything following up on it. All the building emotions he had about himself and the arc over the years? Gone. A serious talk between Izuku and All Might about everything that has happened? Nothing. Any sort of real connection or follow-up with Uraraka and Iida? Not really. The most we get is simply in service of Toga and Uraraka's plot dozens of chapters later. There isn't anything personal about this arc that carries forward. As far as developing the characters, it may as well not have even happened. Bakugou still acts like a tool to Izuku, making it seem like he didn't really learn anything from all of this. We don't even get any proper follow-up with All Might. He apologizes to Izuku and then they move onto more plot beats. Which is so off the mark that it's downright insulting to both characters' stories. Take a bath and a nap, Izuku. It's clearly what you needed.

I know I keep harping on this part of it, but you need there to be a proper middle ground and payoff in order for the conclusion to feel satisfying. It feels like I'm watching a DVD with scratches on it, constantly skipping between major scenes, and the characters acting like they came to a conclusion without us seeing it. It's what attributed to a lot of rushed feeling for the last few arcs. While I always believed that these rapid plot points began back during the MLA War Arc, they have become so prevalent here. All the characters are being moved to their conclusion faster than the manga can handle in the number of chapters they are given. So a lot of them either feel forgotten in the sweep or have their characters and stories shorthanded to reach the end. Now, how would I fix all this?

Heroes of the Past

To start things off, Gran Torino will die in the hospital, potentially while talking to Izuku. I'm not one for suddenly killing off characters, but he really shouldn't have survived such a massive attack from Tomura and I think this would be a good point for him to bite it. More could be added from his death than from his life, especially if he's just going to sit in the hospital for the rest of the series. It would actually have Tomura kill someone that we know and care about, adding some more stakes and threat to this arc, but it would also start Izuku's spiral during this entire situation. From there, I would change the vestiges role as well for this arc. I would have them put more pressure on Izuku. He is there last shot at stopping All For One and they would try to push him more and more. Having the manifestations act as the voices of overwhelming responsibility would be a really interesting way to represent Izuku's thought process and the doubts he has. It's literally Izuku's power and the ghosts of the previous user wearing down on him.

With Hawks and Endeavor, I would certainly have them both interact on their own as characters away from the plot. Maybe Hawks could see some parallels between himself and Shoto as two young kids who were weapons for the sake of others because of their strong Quirks. Maybe Endeavor could talk about how much he had similar thoughts to Hawks, yet was always able to hold back in the end. You could give some more depth to their histories, like Hawk's life in the Hero Commission or who Endeavor was outside of hero work. And if nothing else, we need Endeavor's reaction to "One For All". The cornerstone of Endeavor's entire character was wanting to surpass All Might. After everything that happened over the past year for him, from becoming the Number One to finding out about Dabi, there should be something to him finding out just how truly futile that goal was this entire time. How much of his life was destroyed for less than nothing.

After that, there should be some external pushback and problems for them. Endeavor could be confronted by civilians and heroes, saying that they don't want to look at him and constantly throwing what Dabi did in his face. You could even have former heroes attack him, believing that someone like him does not deserve to be a hero and is simply a villain corrupting their role. Hawks could come across a scene where he finds a group of minor, but recognizable villains, like the Reservoir Dogs, all strung up on the streets. This could either be done by civilians or rogue heroes, finding Hawk's actions justifiable in killing villains, only exasperated by the extreme circumstances. How could those two possibly confront those circumstances? It'd give us some actual weight and consequence to their actions while fitting with the idea of how the actions of major heroes can trickle down into the rest of society.

vs Lady Nagant

This time around, Lady Nagant will bring Kai out of a sense of empathy for him given his condition, though she will hide it from All For One with the same excuse of thinking he'd be useful, which is technically true. Once she gets her mission, she will bring him along out of a need for information about Izuku. Not he knows what Izuku looks like, but because he knows about Izuku and how he fights. It could help explain why Lady Nagant is doing so well, aside from her simply being that good and give Kai more of a purpose. Instead of using "Fa Jin", just have Izuku uses the benefits of his other Quirks. Let him use his other powers and show off the benefits that "Black Whip", "Float", "Danger Sense", and "Smokescreen" provide for him. This provides a unique chance to have Izuku fight smarter and not harder.

And when the fight is over, don't make Lady Nagant the bomb. Make Overhaul the bomb. All For One could have attempted to take "Overhaul", but failed to do so since Kai's Quirk Factor is gone, which well say works that way for this rewrite, only to then sneak the bomb on him. Then you could have Lady Nagant make a move to save Izuku at the cost of herself. That still has the same kind of tragedy to it. The person he'd tried to save is dead or dying, depending on what Hori wants to do with him, and reigniting those heroic values in someone puts her in critical condition. Plus, I think if Hori wants to do any kind of redemption for Overhaul, people are going to want to see him suffer a little bit more for all the stuff he did to everyone in the Overhaul Arc. And skip All For One taunting Izuku, that simply wasn't needed.

After this fight, we are going to cut away from that part of the story. In order to get some breathing room for the rest of the characters, we need to push Izuku away from the spotlight for a little while. What's more is that gives the audience some tension and concern over what's happening with Izuku. Ideally, we start with Izuku and cut away once the Lady Nagant fight is over. It helps put us into Izuku's headspace some, focusing so much on everything that all the other characters feel so distant, only to cut back to them and feel the worry with them since we know how bad of a place Izuku is in. And could you imagine the reveal when we see Izuku and his monstrous vigilante look? Then, when that happens, we flashback to what Izuku has been doing before all of this happened. Plus, with UA, we could get a look at some of the other civilian reactions to what's been happening.

Back at UA

As for what this would be filled with, the first thing to come to mind would be Kirishima, Mina, and Momo. Look, I don't like how they handled Midnight's death. I think it was an incredibly cheap death, throwing a named character to the wolves to give the deaths on the hero's side some artificial weight without giving her any depth or connections outside of a side manga. But if you are going to kill her, at least do something with the characters it's supposed to affect. Have Mina bring up how much Midnight's classes meant to her, or have Momo think about some advice Midnight taught her. Sure, it's a retroactive fill-in for what should have been actual moments in the story, but it's better than nothing. Maybe let Aizawa come in and talk about her as well. Show us that the death of his friend and colleague of over a decade actually affected him and break down his walls some. Show us he is emotionally invested in someone other than Oboro, the Friendly Dust Cloud. You could even have it tie back into Aizawa's own experiences with Momo and how much they believe in her as a leader.

Then there are Iida and Uraraka. I swear, these two have been pushed so far to the back of the manga for what should be major supporting characters that it's insane. You could have Iida running around UA, trying to help everyone he can, wherever he can. It's all that Iida knows to do when he's stressed. It's all that's keeping him from trying to go against the school and looking for his friend. He needs to be here as the person who bears the name Ingenium, one of the oldest families in heroics, and the successor to his brother. Uraraka is helping as well, but clearly isn't as present. She keeps going back to everything with Toga and what she said. You could then have them both talk to each other, realizing how difficult it is to cope with all this, especially when their best friend is gone. It could play off the traits we know about them and set up stuff for later.

Finally, there is Bakugou. There is a lot that could be covered with him, though I do think that it would help a lot if he had a character to bounce off of. And while there could be a lot of characters to do that, I think that All Might would be the best option. Give the two another scene together, paralleling the one after the first fight between Izuku and Bakugou. With them together, they talk about what was going on with Bakugou and why he did what he did. It could do a lot to help build the bridge between everything that happened during the war and his apology to Deku. This could be where the card scene comes into play during Bakugou's death as well, or at least the set-up for it, like Bakugou holding the card in his hand before cutting away or him stifling his words. Once it's all done, All Might could be the one to spill the beans that they actually lost contact with Deku, prompting the class to want to go after him.

Viglinate Izuku

So with the Final War Arc, there are a lot of issues with society broguht up. Some of which are not as fleshed out as they could have been. Want to know what would help with that? Seeing it in action. We get a few montages of this, but I believe that it needs more time to convey how bad things have gotten. While Izuku is running around as a vigilante, he could be dealing with crisis situations that relate to all of the problems brought up throughout the season. Heck, the whole thing with the giant fox/shark lady is some of the most development we got for the Mutant Plotline in the story. Why not shore up some of the other issues with more evidence of that coming forward? The country degrades as all the nasty sides of society come up as the chapters go on. Izuku's goal of trying to understand only brings him more stress and heartache. Have him deal with something like Wash and Yo Shindo did. Carry over some of the issues that Endeavor and Hawks are dealing with. Have him let someone slide when they are committing survival crimes for their family.

Then we cut back to Izuku after the Lady Nagant fight and meet up with All Might after beating another assassin. He sees the damage done to Toshinori's windshield, realizing that he was attacked and nearly killed by more of All For One's goons. Before he can explain, Deku brings up Sir Nighteye and Gran Torino and how much he's learned from them, but that he's learned the most from All Might. He says that he doesn't need him as his mentor any more, implying that he's doing this so All Might doesn't die as well. After that, it's going to be more of Izuku trying to solve people's problems, and it's only going to get worse from here. It's going to be more difficult situations with less obvious answers, stressing Izuku out more and more, made even worse by the lack of self-care he has been doing.

The final point of this will be at the Hero Commission Building. You know that recording where Lady Nagant talked about everything she did? Well, that got out to the public somehow, maybe by All For One to sow more chaos and distrust. Now people want blood for everything that happened with Lady Nagant. Izuku wants to stop the rioters because there are still innocent people in that building, but the rioters aren't villains. They're civilians who have been hurt by the Commissions attempts to keep the peace. Then we come to the big dilemma: Izuku is stuck between protecting the epicenter of all the corruption in hero work and the people who have been hurt by them. A major moral conflict to punctuate everything Izuku has been dealing with.

It all comes to a head when the Commission demands he help, and the crowd accuses Izuku of not being a real hero. Just another goon of the Hero Commission. Izuku breaks and unleashes "Black Whip" to make a massive webby wall between the rioters and the building, telling the rioters to go home. This is when we get the reveal of the monstrous hero costume in all its glory. And the rioters are terrified, looking on in utter fear and running away. Before the Hero Commission has a chance to thank him, we see the cold eyes of the broken Izuku we see later before he leaves as well. Not only could this show the other dangers of Izuku not taking care of himself and taking on the burden, but his appearance only inspires fear in the people he wants to help, but it also works to punctuate everything that has happened thus far with the various problems.

Izuku vs Class 1-A

Before this fight starts, we are given a bit in the world of "One For All". This is where I would flesh out the vestiges some more and how they view things, something that would have been hinted at through their brief appearances in the rest of the arc. Like we have the Second User saying that what Izuku is doing is fine, but why not have something like the Fourth User saying they should hide while Nana tries to act as the voice of reason? When it comes to the Despot fight, I would add a few more high profile villains to the scene. In the manga, this doesn't feel like a situation that Izuku needed help with, which is the whole point of this scenario. It feels like there should have been more ways for him to deal with this given the tools he had, but he gave up because that's what Hori needed to happen. So between the massive number of civilians and the other villains making it all at risk to do anything, I think that would cement more how screwed Izuku is without other people around him.

And when the students show up, I would give some more time to them to show off their abilities some more. Something that can show both Izuku and the audience that they have grown some over the skip. Maybe show off some new techniques without making a big deal out of it or changing their costumes around to give them a new edge. And with more villains, it gives us more chances to see that. Once the fight is over, the students will then try to ask Izuku to come back. The fight will play out mostly the same, but I would add the bit about how "Danger Sense" doesn't detect certain entities as threats since the students are doing this to help him. I think it explains how they are doing so well in spite of Izuku having a power like that and makes the bit with Toga later seem like less of a contrivance.

After the fight, I would pass off the speech Bakugou gave about returning home to Iida. I think it just works better for him. As for the apology, while you could easily rewrite it, I think it would be better to keep it as is and then build off of it. Just because he's a better person now doesn't mean that he can say sorry and have everything be okay. I think we need some catharsis on Izuku's side and some atonement on Bakugou's part. Regardless, when Bakugou finally apologizes, Izuku isn't going to take it, at least not at first. You could say that's out of character for him, but between Bakugou's self-focused apology and how much Izuku has gone through in the past few chapters, I think you could justify it. This would give Izuku some time to talk about his own problems and how much suffering Bakugou put him through. Heck, a lot of Izuku's self-sacrificing mindset is because of Bakugou and that's what's killing him now.

Izuku is going to lay into Bakugou, verbally and potentially physically, as he tries to let out all of his emotions, as shown by "Black Whip" striking out and wrapping up around Izuku. He tells Bakugou to take everyone and go, saying that they aren't strong enough to keep up and are only going to get in the way. It's basically here to play up everything that Izuku had in his mind as a result of his role and insecurities. But because of the development he's gone through, that doesn't matter to Bakugou. He only wants to help Izuku and reach out to him. Before he acted on instinct, now he's reaching out with the express purpose of trying to save Izuku breaking through the "Black Whips" in order to make it to Izuku and remove his cowl. It's meant to reverse their relationship at the start of the series, both in their positions in dynamic as Bakugou is saving Izuku from something threatening to envelop his whole body.

Returning to UA

Once Izuku gets back, it will mostly be the same, only now the ensemble will be made up of the people who Izuku has helped so far in the arc. I would want a moment between him and Inko as well. Just something sweet and nice, like her using her Quirk to pull the cowl off him to see his face. After this, we'll get some breather chapters and spend more time on Izuku mentally recovering and slowly becoming more and more accepting of himself. How many? As many as we can get, frankly. Seriously, this is such an important time for Izuku and the rest of the cast that they're going to need all the time they can get. Now, while the other characters will play a role, it will fall more to Izuku to evaluate and heal. Like staying on his own some more before slowly coming back into the fold after a period of time.

As for any character interactions, there should certainly be a moment between Izuku and Uraraka. Uraraka stuck her neck out and poured her heart out in order to get him into UA. There should be at least be a thank you from him to her. Then some time with Shoto and Iida as well, with possibly each of them reflecting on their own arcs, like Shoto telling him to take his time with this or Iida saying that he always wanted to go out looking for Izuku since that's what he would do. Maybe would could squeeze in something with Aizawa as well. Who, maybe after scolding from, Aizawa tries to connect his own feelings with Izuku's predicament. How Aizawa kept trying to push himself so hard after Oboro's death and how that affected his life. And while he always wants Izuku to push himself, he never wants Izuku to end up like him.

There will be attempts by Bakugou to make things better, and there will be a notable change in how he acts around Izuku, acting more like equals rather than Bakugou barely tolerating him. However, Izuku is still working through it and makes it clear he isn't ready to truly accept him as a friend. Not only would this be more realistic, but it would also add some more tragedy to Bakugou's "death", making it seem like he died without ever making proper amends to Izuku. And if we go with the idea that the "One For All" visages are less helpful and more confrontational, then maybe we could have a scene with him confronting the vestiges as well. You could have Izuku tearing off the black covering around his body and fully speaking his mind, making it clear that he is certain of how he wants to be a hero and how things have changed since they were around.

Then there is Mirio. Not only would this give us some time to catch up with Mirio, someone who we have barely gotten to see outside of a fight scene since he got his power back, but it would also finish up the comparisons between the two. Now that "One For All" is out in the open, we could settle Izuku's doubts on whether or not he was the right heir. Maybe Mirio could say something about how it was a blessing Izuku got it instead of him because now there are two great heroes, or that him taking it on would have been pointless since it would have only killed him before he had the real chance to be a hero. Maybe even throw something with Eri in here as well. Just something that confirms that, no, Izuku's being chosen was never a mistake and helps on his journey to self-worth.

Finally, I really want there to be a moment with Toshinori and Izuku. The two people who would be most affected by this situation and understand each other the most. This would be a follow-up to the confrontation Toshinori had with Stain. Toshinori simply being there and helping the students is more than enough. He needs to assure Izuku that he is proud of who he is and that he never once doubted his decision. It would be a genuine moment between the two. Not as the Eighth and Ninth Users of "One For All", not as the once or future Pillars of Society, but as Izuku Midoriya and Toshinori Yagi. A fine young man with a good heart, and an old man who did well in rebuilding his life. It would be a good punctuation to both Izuku's journey to rediscovering his own personal worth and Toshinori figuring out how to live a life outside of All Might.

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