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joachimnapoleon · 3 years

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“You can never know how attached to you I am”

Today (25 March) is the shared birthday of Joachim & Caroline Murat (in 1767 & 1782, respectively), so I've put together a little something to provide some insight into their relationship. There's one period in particular during which an abundance of letters exists from Caroline to Joachim: their long separation(s) during most of 1810.

Joachim and Caroline arrived in Paris in December of 1809; Joachim returned to Naples at the end of January 1810, but Caroline remained in Paris. When arrangements began to be made for Napoleon's wedding to Marie-Louise of Austria, the Emperor chose Caroline to go out to meet the new Empress and accompany her back to France. Joachim briefly (and reluctantly) returned to Paris for the wedding, and then left again for Naples, where he was preparing to lead an expedition to capture Sicily and unite it to the throne of Naples. Caroline did not return to Naples until August, and it was another two months until she was reunited with Joachim.

The Murats' relationship had not been harmonious since Napoleon had put them on the throne of Naples in 1808. Joachim feared being relegated into a humiliating background role like the husbands of Caroline's sisters, and did all he could to minimize his wife's role in managing the kingdom's affairs. But the Neapolitan court soon divided into pro-Italian and pro-French factions, with Joachim as the figurehead of the former, and Caroline, the latter. As Joachim found himself increasingly out of favor with Napoleon, Caroline (and her faction) gained more influence, which further strained their relationship.

During their brief stay in Paris together for Napoleon's second wedding, however, a reconciliation occurred. Shortly after Joachim's departure, Caroline began to (correctly) suspect that she was pregnant. Her letters to Joachim during this period are full of affection, but also anxiety over his Sicilian expedition, and gently-worded advice/guidance on various political matters.

There are over sixty of these letters in Volume 8 of Murat's published correspondence (it’s a one-way affair; Caroline apparently was in the habit of destroying most of her received correspondence, so unfortunately very few of Murat’s letters to her remain, and none from this period). This post is a compilation of choice excerpts from some of these letters. I wanted to showcase a little of everything here--not just the affection and sweetness, but also the politics, Caroline's anxieties, Napoleon's stubbornness (note how long it takes Caroline to actually get permission to leave Paris and return to Naples later on), the references to their children, and a touch of Caroline sniping at Joachim for his "unfairness". And also, Caroline's voice isn't heard nearly enough in narratives about her life, which tend to revolve around her betrayal of her brother. These excerpts show a side to her with which most people are totally unfamiliar.

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Source: Lettres et documents pour servir à l'histoire de Joachim Murat, Vol 8.

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Paris, 3 February 1810

My sorrow is very deep and I am very sad over your departure. I await your news with impatience and I hope that you will give it to me soon.... I am with the Emperor in order to not cry at finding myself far away from my children. Embrace them for me and think that there is someone at the Pavillon de Flore who is very attached to you and thinks of you often.

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Paris, 5 February 1810

I am very impatient to receive your news, it seems to me that you don't hurry to give it to me.... I am still very sad at finding myself all alone and I envy your happiness at being with our children. Embrace them tenderly for me. The Emperor is always very good to me, he spoils me, he speaks to me often of you and seems surprised that we still don't have your news. Write me very quickly.

***

Paris, 6 February 1810

I very much regret not being with you. I weep from sadness, you can never know how attached to you I am and all the happiness that I wish for you. If you go to the provinces, watch out for those wicked Calabrians.

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Paris, (7 or 8?) February 1810

We went to the ball at Princess Pauline's yesterday and today to the hunt, the weather was very wet and the Emperor told me: "Ah well! The Lazarone forgets you, he no longer thinks of you, he is going to be very upset, because I'm marrying an Austrian." But all this while laughing. I believe that since he is marrying an Austrian, you should not show any repugnance, because as it is neither you nor I who can decide it, that it is apparently his policy which gives him this counsel.... I hope that you will come back for the wedding and that you will bring me back to Naples to leave you no more. Embrace our children for me, don't spoil Letitia and Achille too much, consider that children are not born for our pleasure but to make them happy. Do like me, I've often deprived myself of the pleasure of seeing them, for fear of spoiling them.

Adieu, Naples; Naples, I miss you, as well as the beautiful terrace.

***

Paris, 12 February 1810

I am very sad. There is talk that I will make a great voyage. The Emperor desires that I go to Braunau to find the new Empress.... When everything is decided, I will send you an auditor to tell you the day of my departure and the time of my absence.... I write to Achille often, I hope that he makes a collection of my letters. Don't take Letitia out too much, it will hurt Achille and Lucien.

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Paris, 24 February 1810

The evening before yesterday, I had an accident that might have become a disaster, but was nothing more than a fright.

We were playing blind man’s buff in the Emperor’s apartments, when the hard and pointy forehead of Mme Duchatel came so unfortunately against my eye that the blow tripped me over. The Emperor supported me in his arms and prevented me from falling. The pain had been so bad that I gave a sharp cry and believed my eye was out of its socket. The Emperor, full of kindness, frightened for my situation, immediately called Ivan, who bathed my eye, put a poultice and a black blindfold on it, and soon I had the air of an invalid in the midst of the salon. The Emperor has showered me with attention, he came to see me, he has been anxious. Today, I have a great contusion, my eye is very black from extravasated blood, but I don’t have any pain. I am aggrieved to have to tell it to you, since you like Mme Duchatel, you find her to your tastes, but she has terribly pointy bones that hurt a lot. Indeed, the poor woman has been desolate to see me in this state by her fault.

Don’t be too worried about my accident. By the time you receive this letter, it won’t be visible anymore.

***

Paris, 27 February 1810

I strongly urge you to come for the wedding. Jérôme, the Viceroy [Eugène], Elisa, all the family will be reunited, your absence will have a bad effect and will greatly upset the Emperor. You know that I will be very glad to see you, but I assure you that it is your interest alone which makes me press you to come, because the Emperor will be very discontent. If, however, you have strong oppositions which will prevent you from making this journey, write to me secretly and if this occurs, write a charming letter to the Emperor to excuse yourself. But I repeat to you, I regard your arrival for the wedding as a very useful thing to our interests. The Emperor is excessively occupied with his future, he speaks of it all the time and is almost in love with it. Everyone who was opposed to the marriage is now in joy. You know my good and my constant friendship for you; listen to the counsels of a friend who only desires your happiness. Show no more opposition which will turn to your detriment; your inclination for the Russian alliance will become suspect in the eyes of the Emperor, who wants us to think like him.... I am charged by the Emperor with the formation of the household of the new Empress. I work from morning to evening and my apartments are always full of visits from solicitors. I cannot express to you all the sorrows I had from the fear of being named superintendent of the Empress's House, but I could not decide on it, because I would have needed to stay absent from Naples for two years and been deprived of the pleasure of seeing you as well as my children. The Emperor made me the most beautiful and kindest propositions and his intention was to elevate this position so much that it would not have been beneath the title of Queen.... You see that the Emperor wanted to do a very kind thing for me, but the separation I would've had from my family caused me too much pain, and without offending the Emperor, who always has a perfect kindness for me, I managed to see him forget this plan, because he perceived that it hurt me too much. The intention of the Emperor in fixing me with the new Empress for two years was to have her led as he desired and to prevent a crowd of people who think badly from surrounding her and showing her their bad feelings.

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Paris, 28 February 1810

I do not want to complain of you, but I hope that on my return you will spoil me so much that I won't want to come back to Paris. Don't be upset by this little jest and read the charming letter from Joseph that I'm sending you, and give to Achille and Letitia the letters their uncle wrote them. Embrace them for me. I am very happy at the idea of seeing you again soon.

***

Munich, 18 March 1810

I sighed at the description you gave me of your dinner with our dear children, and I am quite sure that you thought of me; my entire heart and soul go continually with and amidst you. I am charmed that Achille is satisfied with his electric machine; it seems that our dear Louise will still read before Lucien, but this is not astonishing: this poor little one is still too slow in his studies by some indisposition.

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Vitry-sur-Marne, 26 March 1810

Princess Pauline just wrote to me that you complain about me not writing you often; so you will never stop being unfair. I arrive very fatigued, very overwhelmed with matters and I often take away from my sleep in order to write you and yet you complain! I write you more letters than I receive from you. Adieu, I will be happy when you still stop being unfair, because your unfairness has always hurt me very much. I embrace you and love you very tenderly.

***

Compiègne, 18 April 1810

You have left, my dear friend, and I am very sad here. I hope that you will write me a little word before your departure from Paris and that you will promise to give me your news often along the road. Don't leave me for a long time without your letters like on the first journey, and consider that when we are separated, we are happy to receive the news of those we love very tenderly. You know if you are dear to me and if I can part in thought for even a moment with the father of my children. You are going to see them, those dear children, speak to them of their mother and embrace them for me. At the moment of your departure I still wanted to tell you many things for them, but those moments are always cruel and make you lose everything you had in mind. Adieu, my dear friend, believe that I will write you often and that we will still have in common the displeasures as well as the happiness of life.

***

Compiègne, 22 April 1810

I'm very afraid that you will not take Sicily, do not undertake this expedition if you are not sure to succeed.... The Emperor seems to me very well disposed towards you and he spoke to me about you a lot yesterday.... I am going to tell you also that I was penetrated with sorrow seeing you leave and especially penetrated by the kindness you had for me; you have never been like that and I admit that it filled me with tenderness, and it gave me the courage to ask you for what I want, without having the fear of you getting angry as you always did, which made me want to ask you for nothing nor to owe you anything.... [the end of the letter is missing]

***

Compiègne, 26 April 1810

My very dear friend, I spoke to the Emperor about the licenses and he told me he was going to send them to you, which, I am sure, will give you great pleasure. I am leaving at five o'clock in the morning to go to Saint-Quentin; will not be on the great voyage [with the Emperor and Empress], because my health is not too good, having always the same hopes, I would be afraid of fatiguing myself.

***

Paris, 4 May 1810

Yesterday, I was at Neuilly to dine with Paulette, I cannot tell you how sad I was to see once more the places which painfully reminded me of our children and you and our walks; it's a very beautiful place and the weather was superb.... Adieu, my dear friend, my health is still faltering and I am anxious about your expedition, give me your news as quickly as possible and believe in a tenderness unbounded. Adieu, my friend.

***

Paris, 6 May 1810

I will confess to you that I believe more than ever that I am pregnant, and my very sufferings prove it to me, I'm taking care of myself and I don't want to expose myself to any fatigue which might do me harm.... Write to me soon and tell me exactly if you believe you will make the Sicily expedition. This Sicily [expedition] worries me very much and I tremble at the idea of all the fatigues you are going to suffer.

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Paris, 8 May 1810

I received your letter from the 27th which tells me of your arrival in Naples. I cannot tell you how much good and bad it did me. My poor children! To see them in your arms asking you for their mother is an image that brings me to tears. My God! When we are once again reunited, we must not be separated anymore. You have found them so grown, charming, judge what they will appear to me after a longer absence. Embrace them for me, repeat to them that their mother will never be perfectly happy far from them, far from you.

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Paris, 11 May 1810

My dear friend, this latest separation seems more unbearable for me than the others. You were so good, so perfect to me in your last moments, that those proceedings touched me to tears and still penetrate me with tenderness. I confess to you that when you do justice to all my feelings for you, I am the happiest of women. Believe that my happiness, the happiness of my whole life, consists only of the happiness of the father of my children, of the one who I regard as my best friend.

***

Morfontaine, 16 May 1810

My dear friend, I am here since yesterday and I confess to you that these places have given me a very agreeable sensation; it is here where we were united, this is where I began to have for you the feelings that I still retain, plus those added by esteem, habit, and good friendship. I would like to see you here with me, and I believe that my happiness would lack nothing, if we could join our dear children here.

***

Paris, 19 May 1810

I am very sensitive to all the care you are taking for my apartments; the idea that you are occupying yourself with them makes these cares all the more pleasant. You've been so good to me for some time that I cannot express to you how sensitive I am to it. It is very sweet for me to take all the pleasures of my life and my happiness from you who I love very tenderly. You are right, we will be very happy, when we will be reunited, take care of your health.... Adieu, my friend, I embrace you from the bottom of my heart.

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Paris, 31 May 1810

I desire so much to see you, to embrace you, I think unceasingly of all your fatigues, I fear also that your health might not sustain itself with this great heat, I fear so many things that I am always in a continual state of anxiety. Write to me at least as often as you are able and reflect how unhappy I am every time the estafette arrives without bringing me your letters.

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Paris, 1 June 1810

My pregnancy advances, however I am not getting too fat and it is not very apparent, but I often have sicknesses that tire me greatly; I am of an unequaled impatience to return to Naples, it seems to me that I will be closer to you and that at least I will share in part your fatigues, your disagreements, your dangers and that I will have your news at each instant. The Emperor arrives today and I will ask him to leave in eight days, I can no longer remain here, I am bored, I am anxious, it is not living to exist like this. And my poor children! I have so great a need to embrace them!

***

Saint-Cloud, 6 June 1810

My dear friend, I hope to depart on the 30th, the fêtes will finish on the 25th, but the Emperor will not hear of me leaving before all the fêtes are finished; he fills me with kindness and is very good for you... I embrace you as I love you, which is to say, very tenderly.

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Saint-Cloud, 16 June 1810

I have already sounded out the Emperor two or three times about my departure, but he always responds with an angry air: "To put yourself en route with this heat!" I haven't dared to insist and I'm waiting for the fêtes to be terminated to beg him to permit me to go rejoin my children and to put myself closer to you. I hope he will grant it to me, because he is very good for both of us. I receive every day news of our children and it is a great compensation for such a cruel absence. I believed I would only be separated from them for one month and here are seven months elapsed.

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Rambouillet, 9 July 1810

My very dear friend, you are kindness itself to profit from all your free moments to give me your news and to calm my vivid worries; at last, you are able to cross, I make wishes for it to be with full success, but I still recommend prudence; reflect that your existence belongs to your wife and to your children....

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Rambouillet, 18 July 1810

I was a little indisposed yesterday, I am better today, I count on taking leave of the Emperor tomorrow, and, if he grants it to me, I will depart the day after tomorrow. Adieu, my dear friend, I have an extreme desire to embrace you, I feel that I will only be happy and calm when I see you near me again; absence is too cruel a thing for two beings who truly love each other, and reunited to our children, what happiness could we envy?

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23 July 1810, 1 o'clock in the morning

My dear friend, I'm leaving in one hour. In twelve days I will embrace my children. I will arrive in Naples unannounced, because I want neither fêtes nor pleasures in your absence.

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Caserta [Naples], 3 August 1810

I only have the time to tell you, my dear friend, that I have arrived in good health, that I am the happiest of mothers, that my happiness was not complete, not having you with me, but that I am already happier by the idea that I am nearer to you and that I will have your news more often. I found our children grown, beautified; in truth, we have nothing to complain of, we are at the height of happiness by possessing such a treasure. I don't speak to you of their cries of joy, or of their tears, you can guess all of that. Oh! My friend! What a delicious moment! I will have the same when I see you again and then we will not have to complain about anything, since we will all be reunited.

***

Unfortunately, the immediate aftermath to this series of hopeful and loving letters, was not a happy one. Caroline's fifth (and final) pregnancy ended in a miscarriage in September. At that same time, Murat's Sicilian expedition took a frustrating turn; Murat's authority over the French troops participating in the expedition was undermined by orders from Napoleon to his generals, leading to their refusal to take part in the attempted (and ultimately abortive) crossing to Sicily. The expedition ended in failure and Murat returned to Naples deeply embittered. Over the next year, his relationship with Napoleon reached its lowest point--one could argue the lowest point it would reach up until its total rupture in 1814--and Caroline would find herself returning to Paris in 1811 to try to bridge the gap between her husband and her brother (again).

#Happy Murat Day!#Joachim Murat #Caroline Murat #Caroline Bonaparte #Napoleon #Napoleon Bonaparte #letters #translations #1810

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highly-flammable · 3 years

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Reacting to Legacies 3x03 (SPOILERS):

1. So ARE we FINALLY getting to some proper firstborn Mikaelson witch breakdowns?

2. Oh well, apparently no. They'll just try to wave it off as some one time thing probably.

3. So Hope and Landon are on a break. Okay. TBH watching them sass each other is interesting.

4. The guidance counselor is pretty much a compulsion monster, is that it? Well, I do like his wardrobe.

5. Alyssa's concern for MG is so fake I can't.

6. Nobody other than Jed read for Stefan? THE DISRESPECT.

7. Lizzie playing Caroline makes total sense but them asking Josie to play the lead without even an audition looks a bit bad TBH. Like, give the other interested people a chance, at least.

8. I find it a bit repetitive how there are mind-controlling monsters popping out again and again.

9. So MG is basically going through a phase similar to what Cami was going through when Klaus used to compel her at the beginning of TO. Considering Quincy's fondness for Cami, he must have liked playing that.

10. I understand that Landon is supposed to be a capable songwriter in-universe but it takes more than that to write and direct a musical and it's very weird that they didn't even find a guest star to pose as a Drama or English teacher who is guiding him or something. WHERE ARE ALL THE TEACHERS?

11. I kinda feel like some of the lead characters in this show are colour-coded. I see Hope and Landon in red and blue a lot (the two gowns we have seen Hope wearing also fall into this pattern) and Josie wears yellow in like, every other episode. If I recall correctly, Lizzie wears a lot of white, too. I wonder what the reasoning behind these choices are.

12. Well, I liked Hope and Landon's relationship in S1, I have no idea what was going on with it in S2, and I still don't know what to think about it.

13. Lizzie casts herself in Caroline's role and then chokes at rehearsal. Not totally unrealistic but still feels a bit forced to me. Would have been better if Landon cast her because she's Caroline's daughter and Lizzie was a bit apprehensive in the first place because she didn't want to mess up the role.

14. I appreciate the show taking a moment to talk about Lizzie's bipolar disorder though. It's been a while.

15. "Bonnie just disappears for long periods of time"? Dude, she's still super important and you're putting her in the play. Right? RIGHT?!

16. Landon, THANK YOU for pointing out how weird Caroline and Alaric's relationship was. The guy deadass got engaged to her and had a pissing contest over her with Stefan, that will never not gross me out.

17. So the monster is mind controlling Landon to put Klaus into the play. Saw this coming IG.

18. Hope is painting again, like her dad used to do when he felt things were going out of control. I've been rewatching TO and this is making me so emotional. I MISS KLAUS AND HIS SHENANIGANS. And not a single character on Legacies comes close to Klaus, Elijah and Hayley for me. (Sorry if this hurts anyone's feelings but Legacies really is a downgrade from TVD and TO)

19. Ugh, why would he use the contents of the letter as lyrics? Dude, is it because you're mind-controlled? No, I don't like this. Klaus loved Hope to the ends of the earth and wanted everyone to know but Hope wants to keep things private, and her wishes should have been respected.

20. So apparently Landon tries not to put Klaus' villainous antics into the show. Well, okay, it's definitely a copout but since he is Hope's boyfriend, makes sense. But I don't understand why the musical HAS TO BE about the Salvatore school. The accreditation excuse is lazy, writers! Also, Landon, my dude, Klaus was a major donor of the school. Put that in instead of the other things, stop pissing off your girlfriend FFS. Even if you're mind-controlled 🤦🏻‍♀️

21. I do find it funny how Landon is all gaga over Klaus' use of language though. The guy really did have the best lines, didn't he? (Tied with Elijah, I suppose, for me)

22. The other singers of the first song are really good so Kaylee sounds a bit rusty in comparison. Also, she reminds me too much of Dark!Josie with the hair and makeup. From a distance, she can be mistaken for Nina though.

23. I love that the backstage activities are being shown.

24. I'm digging Jed as Stefan and I really like his singing voice. And the Hero Hair wig cracked me up. Kaleb is obviously good at singing at it's nice to hear more from him. I also like how Chris Lee didn't try to exactly emulate Ian and played Damon how someone who has only heard about him might play him.

25. Is Hope painting herself before the pit or something? Or is this supposed to symbolize her despair at her parents' loss? ALSO, I WANT SOMEONE TO MENTION HAYLEY :( Why is Hayley so ignored?!

26. The same person probably wrote MG's notes and Caroline's letter IRL and therefore, in-universe, MG has Caroline's handwriting and it's funny to me.

27. Jenny sings well, I like it. I don't understand the song though, was Caroline actually ever feeling this insecure? I feel like the song became a lot more about Lizzie than her mother. (It's been forever since I watched TVD, if anyone has yet to guess, I prefer watching TO)

28. The doppelganger thing cracked me up.

29. Wait why did the monster attack Josie?! Ohhhh he's forcing Landon to improvise and put Klaus' song at the end. Well, I guess it makes it seem a bit less like Landon's fault. But would Hope know that?

30. It's hilarious how they lowkey make a call back to Nina leaving TVD and them having to put Elena in a sleep spell though.

31. Landon having a hissy fit is funny to me. Aria needs more comedic scenes.

32. Wait, where did Jade come from? Has she been in the school all these weeks?

33. While the scene seems a bit shabby to me, Klaus talking to Hope reminds me of their scene from TO 4X03. I needed more of Summer Fontana and Joseph Morgan together. Also, the donation did get mentioned, YASSSS. Man did some horrific things but he did fund the school so maybe a little less badmouthing in the presence of his daughter now that you know the story, eh, students?

34. The fact that the guidance counselor actually wore a leather jacket and a henley is cracking me up. It's really bizarre.

35. "Terrible painter" XD Klaus would have eaten you for saying that if he were alive.

36. Um, Hope, wouldn't you ask your family if you are doing enough to make your father proud, instead of this random bloke who supposedly met him once?! Maybe call Freya or Rebekah.

37. Why is this monster being nice to Hope? Doesn't it try to break people up or something? You'd think he'd try to piss her off even more and ruin her relationship with Landon.

38. Stefan was trying to be more like Damon by sacrificing himself? Um, what?

39. Well, this musical at least gave Stefan and Caroline a goodbye scene. I wonder how much the twins remember Stefan, must have been a bit emotional for Lizzie to play that. Jenny's singing was gooood, really liked it.

40. JED WAS GONNA KISS LIZZIE AND I WANTED IT TO HAPPEN. But a forehead kiss does work.

41. Hope's playing Elena now? What?

42. Ngl I want Hope and Jed to be friends. She needs more of a connection to her wolf side. Both of her parents wanted her to be surrounded by wolves and she's barely interacting with the wolves in this show, which always makes me sad.

43. So this monster can also do little spells and move physical objects eh? Whatever, this is random.

44. And this monster brings people back together? Why?

45. So when Hope is singing, is she doing it as Elena or Hope? She came on stage as Elena, but I thought the song is about Hope. So WHAT IS IT?

46. Oh Damon's on stage, so Hope is singing as Elena and it's a call back to the graveyard scene from the TVD finale.

47. Danielle sings pretty well. It's good she decided to perform this time.

48. Okay, that lifting up scene was adorable. I feel like Hope and Landon are at their cutest when they're a bit spontaneous. But she's Elena on stage and it lowkey looks like Landon crashed her romantic scene with Damon to kiss her so I'm cackling.

49. How much older is Jade supposed to be than Josie?

50. So is Josie going to leave the school for a while and that's why Ethan will be back in the picture?

51. Jade used to babysit Josie? Okay, it is hella awkward.

52. Josie why, don't do this, yikes. Kissing her once doesn't make it non-creepy.

53. The Sheriff feels kinda shoehorned to me. Also, I don't care for Matt Davis or his character.

54. So Candice did the voiceover for Caroline's letter. That's nice for the show. I still don't understand why the letter showed up in Hope's fireplace though LOL.

55. This episode should have spent more time exploring the aftermath of the loss of Rafael. The abrupt shift from the last episode wasn't nice.

56. Yeah, kids, talk out your problems, thanks.

57. I feel like Klaus is too much of a controversial figure that Hope's conflict about her father's reputation would be resolved in one day. This is feeling undercooked. Speaking of, when is one of Klaus' or Hayley's enemies coming after Hope, because she did inherit all of them. Would make for better storytelling than this monster of the week nonsense. And yeah, still no mention of Hayley, I hate this.

58. The monster's characterization was really odd to me and I am so tired of this format SMH.

59. So they toyed with MG for weeks to get a vampire for the spell? That sounds like too much effort. There are tons of vampires from Klaus and Rebekah's bloodline, they couldn't find another? Also, I wonder who is the wolf that they will use.

Well, I felt like this episode was mostly okay, but not that well-cooked or epic or whatever. What is horrific is that they didn't show Bonnie, though. They could have at least gotten a female black guest character who is one of the witch students or something. This is very offensive.

Also, I don't think it makes sense for the show to do any more musicals in the future. This ain't Riverdale.

#legacies #legacies cw #hope mikaelson #landon kirby #lizzie saltzman #josie saltzman #kaleb #jed #milton greasley #alyssa chang #jade #klaus mikaelson #hayley marshall #elena gilbert #damon salvatore #stefan salvatore #bonnie bennett #caroline forbes #cami o'connell

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ihatecoconut · 4 years

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One of Ours

Cross Posted to AO3

It was an unfortunate series of events that moved the Jacobs family from Ohio to New York, but it came with a pay rise for Mayer, a new job for Esther, and a new school for their three children. All three had been struggling at their previous school, bullied for being Jewish, and Esther had high hopes that they would get on better in a state with many more Jewish people around.

Davey and Sarah were fifteen, Les was twelve and unknown to their parents, they were all relieved to be moving to New York- or, back to New York, considering they all had memories of living there before. Sarah called it her past life, Davey just called them memories, without giving it a name that had such huge connotations as Sarah’s did. Les didn’t call it anything, because he was twelve and not yet fully aware of the fact that it set them apart from everyone else.

“It’s called ‘The World’,” Esther was explaining to Sarah as Davey came down the stairs. He still wasn’t used to having a house with two floors, or a room to himself, despite it having been nearly a week since they had moved in.

“It’s run by a man named Joseph Pulitzer, a descendent of the Pulitzer Prize man- morning David.”

“Good morning, mama,” he replied, sitting next to Sarah.

“I was just telling Sarah about your new high school. It’ll be good to know some things before you get there, won’t it?”

Davey mustered up a smile and nodded, biting into his toast despite the nerves churning in his stomach that threatened to send anything he ate back up. Sarah squeezed his arm under the table, smiling at him hopefully. He knew what she was thinking- in the memories the three of them shared Pulitzer had also been named Joseph, and Sarah had been utterly in love with his daughter. If they weren’t the only ones, maybe Katherine went to their high school as well.

Les borderline tumbled down the stairs and dropped into the chair on Sarah’s other side, “Good morning, mama!” he chirped cheerfully, taking the toast she set in front of him and devouring it.

“You seem excited.” Esther commented, looking relieved- even if the twins were nervous, she knew they would have each other, Les on the other hand was only in middle school, and would be alone surrounded by people he didn’t know.

“I am!” Les replied, around a mouthful of toast that made Davey grimace, “I can’t wait to meet my friends!”

Esther laughed, ruffling his hair, the statement meant nothing to her, just the ramblings of her excited son. Davey and Sarah knew that he was convinced that they would meet the people they had known before- it had been their topic of discussion last night- and neither of them had the heart to point out to their brother that they might be the only three that remembered.

Breakfast was finished, and Esther hurried the three of them out of the house, dropping kisses on cheeks and wishing them a good first day as she walked in the opposite direction to them. Together, they watched her hurry off- she had started working at a local bakery partway through their first week and was used to it by now. As she got out of sight, they turned as one and began walking towards the school.

Their father had made them walk to the gates and back multiple times over the previous few days, so they knew where they were going.

“Davey!” Les gasped, tugging on his sleeve like he did in the memories, the memories where he was much younger, “It’s the lodging house!”

And it was. The building had barely changed, save for some wear and tear and the sign that now read ‘Kloppman’s home for boys’ instead of ‘Duane Street Lodging House.’ As if on cue, a group of boys tumbled out of the door and began walking in the same direction they had been.

Les stood on his tiptoes, glancing between all the boys, trying to see anyone he recognised. Davey and Sarah exchanged a slightly horrified glance- it had been fine thinking about meeting the other people they remembered in abstract, but the sudden idea that it could be very real wasn’t something that either of them had really been prepared for.

“Les,” Sarah said, pulling him back from where he seemed to be about to run into the fray, “you have to be careful. They might not remember.”

His little face took on a much sombre look, “I know. I’m not supposed to know their names unless they say something first.”

She nodded and squeezed his hand, “If you were friends last time, I’m sure you’ll get along this time too.”

He grinned up at her and nodded, with that the three of them began to walk again, no more words exchanged until they had left Les at the gates of the middle school, gaining a promise from him to wait for them and not walk home on his own.

“Do you really think that?” Davey asked quietly, “That if we were friends last time, we’ll be friends this time?”

“Why wouldn’t we be?”

“We only became friends with them last time because we had the same job. They wouldn’t have cared about me if I hadn’t joined the newsboys.”

Sarah hugged him, “You’re so pessimistic. Try and look on the bright side, ok?”

He sighed, “Yeah, ok.”

They went to the school office, following helpful signs, to collect their schedules- and apparently, someone who would show them to first period if nothing else. The secretary introduced herself as ‘Hannah, you don’t need to call me miss anything’ and handed them their schedules with a smile and a basic explanation of the shape of the school.

“It used to be the headquarters for ‘The World’ newspaper, so the main body was set out like offices, but there was some reworking before the school was opened, so there’s more classrooms- and obviously the newer parts were built to be a school.”

Davey didn’t say anything, so Sarah took over the polite smiling and responses until they were told to sit in the waiting room and wait for the people who would be showing them around this morning.

“What’s up with you?” she asked quietly, pretending to be comparing their schedules, “You’re never like this.”

“I know her,” Davey replied, the same volume, “She was one of Pulitzer’s… I don’t know, secretaries?”

“Weird.”

“Do you think…”

“No. No way, she didn’t seem to recognise you.”

“Maybe she’s had practice.”

“If she’s here, who else- “

Sarah was cut off by two people entering the office kind of loudly,

“Hi Hannah!” the boy called, leaning on her desk and grinning brilliantly, “You are looking radiant as always.”

“Romeo.” The twins whispered in unison, thankfully not loud enough for either him, or his friend to here.

“Sarah! David!” Hannah called, “Come here, please.”

They did, smiling at Romeo, and the girl who turned out to be Hotshot, while trying not to let the recognition show through. Neither of them seemed at all surprised to see the two of them, or as if they recognised them and Davey wasn’t quite sure if that was a relief or not.

“Alright.” Hannah clapped her hands, “Sarah, this is Romeo, he’s gonna stick with you for the morning and hand you over to Mike for the afternoon. David, this is Niamh- “

“Hotshot.” Niamh interjected,

“-Hotshot, yes, and she will be with you for first period, then she’ll hand you over to Katherine for the afternoon. Ok?”

They both nodded their understanding and went to stand with their assigned partner, for lack of a better word. Sarah gave her brother an encouraging smile, one that said he could do this, even if he was almost completely convinced, he couldn’t.

They split up almost immediately, with Romeo leading Sarah down one corridor soon after the exited the office, and Hotshot continuing straight on. She didn’t say much, pointing out things Davey would want to remember as they passed, and glancing back every so often to check that he was still there, which was fine by Davey as he had never been particularly good at small talk, and it gave him time to think.

He hadn’t got many memories of Hotshot, just that she had been Spot’s second and he had sometimes had to pass messages through her in order to speak to Spot. She hadn’t been particularly talkative last time either, from what he vaguely remembered, but then none of Brooklyn had- she still had the Brooklyn accent, even at a school in Manhattan. “This is first period,” she said, gesturing at a door that was marked ‘Bi3’ “Biology.” She pushed the door open and walked in, obviously expecting Davey to follow. The teacher who turned and smiled at them wasn’t at all recognisable to Davey, which he found slightly relieving, and she welcomed him to the class, before directing him to sit next to Hotshot at the back- the only spare seat.

A few corridors over, Sarah was behind Romeo in math. Before they had gone in, he had warned her that the teacher wasn’t particularly nice and that they called him ‘Snyder the Spider’ behind his back. The words had sent a chill up her spine- her memories of the newsies explaining the Refuge to her and her parents were harsh, sharp, and awful. The memories of even one of the littles lifting up his shirt to reveal an ugly scar were too embedded in her head to ever forget.

“Miss Jacobs, I assume?” Snyder had said as they entered, smiling at her in a way that made her realise that no matter what Romeo or Hotshot or Hannah remembered, Snyder had all his previous memories and he had connected her to Davey immediately.

“Yes sir.” She replied brightly, “Where would you like me to sit.”

He gestured at the empty seat behind Romeo, who was sitting next to another one she recognised, even if she couldn’t call his name to mind- both of them were looking at her worriedly, a warning not to incite his anger. She sat down and pulled out her notebook and pencil case, wondering if anyone was going to sit next to her, or if she was destined to sit alone for the rest of the year.

“Alright,” Snyder said, “Quadratics.”

As if on cue, the door was flung open and someone slid in neatly- a baseball cap sat backwards on top of red hair, bright enough that she knew immediately it was Albert.

“DaSilva.” Snyder snapped. “That’s the second time this week. Detention.”

“Yes, sir.” Albert replied, grinning cheekily, and making his way across the room to flop into the seat next to Sarah, “Morning Romeo, Elmer, new girl.”

Elmer- that was his name.

“Hi,” she said, “I’m Sarah Jacobs.”

“Albert DaSilva.” He replied and shook her hand politely. At the front of the classroom, Snyder was writing questions on the board. “You met Romeo and Elmer?”

“Romeo’s showing me around this morning.”

“Damn, be prepared to get lost.”

“Shut up.” Romeo replied, but he was laughing, “I’m not that bad.”

“I’m Elmer,” Elmer said turning around. “Ignore these two idiots, honestly, and don’t worry about math too much, we have another teacher more often than we have the Spider, so she actually teaches us.”

That was actually something of a relief, and she thanked him for the information, at which he nodded, and turned back around before Snyder did- she was remembering Jack saying that you didn’t give Snyder a chance to yell at you, you did everything right before he could tell you.

The class went silent as Snyder turned around, instructed them to do the twenty questions he had written up and left. The silence remained for a good five minutes and then the classroom almost erupted into noise.

Sarah sat back, copied down the questions, and wondered if the Katherine that would be showing Davey around would be her Katherine.

As it turned out, it was in fact Sarah’s Katherine that Hotshot passed Davey off to after Biology- he barely held in the urge to shout her name, hug her, or do something else that would scare her off. Her fiery hair stood out from where she was leaning against the white walls, a pink folder hugged to her chest with one arm, while she checked her phone. She smiled up at the two of them when Hotshot called out her name, and moved towards them. She was taller than Davey remembered, almost as tall as him, but aside from that she seemed exactly the same. He had known her the best out of the few people had seen so far, and he found that it actually ached not to be able to reach out, brush her hair off her shoulder, hug her, lean into her and just resume the comfortable affection that they had had last time.

“English?”

“Huh?”

“I said, are you ready for English?” she repeated, smiling gently, and he almost thought she was going to reach out and put a hand on his shoulder. She didn’t, and he nodded, trying not to show his disappointment, and wondering if he could warn Sarah about how it felt.

Like Hotshot, Kath pointed out a few things he should remember- the lockers, the nurse’s office- and unlike Hotshot, she kept up a steady stream of conversation that Davey wasn’t really expected to contribute to, only interrupted by people greeting her, where she would pause and introduce them to Davey. By the time they reached English, Davey had been told more names than he thought he could ever really remember, and maybe he was right because they all flew out of his head immediately when he was faced with the English teacher. Denton.

The English teacher was Bryan Denton, and he could have laughed at that if it wouldn’t have got him several questioning glances.

“David Jacobs?” Denton asked brightly, moving towards him to shake his hand firmly, “It’s a pleasure to have you in this class, please- take a seat.”

Slightly tongue tied and reminded of the unfortunate crush he remembered having on Denton, Davey followed Katherine and sat down next to her, remembering to ask if the seat was empty before he collapsed into it.

“Alright,” Denton said, “I just need to go grab some photocopies, so talk amongst yourselves for a bit.” Katherine smiled at him and turned around to talk to someone behind them, who turned out to be Spot, much to Davey’s surprise- they were introduced, and then Spot pulled Katherine into a conversation that seemed to need a lot of background knowledge to follow, so Davey pulled out his phone instead. To Sarah: I’ve found Katherine and Spot, as well as Hotshot. From Sarah: I’ve found Romeo, Elmer, Albert, Specs and Jack. He stared down at his phone, willing the words to make sense. She had found Jack- his Jack.

From Sarah: I think Romeo and Specs are dating and I know Albert and Elmer are dating because they started making out as soon as they saw each other. They were both avoiding the obvious topic, but it was nice to know that they were surrounded by people they had known. To Sarah: I’m pretty sure they were dating last time as well, subtlety had never been Albert’s strong point. He got a laughing emoji in response, and didn’t have time to send anything else as Denton re-entered the room, waving a load of paper triumphantly, “I have the photocopies.” The lesson began there, they were looking at The Great Gatsby, which Davey had covered at his old school only a few years prior, so he felt comfortable enough to relax slightly. Or relax as much as he could with Spot’s eyes boring holes into the back of his head. The one time he glanced around, Spot made direct eye contact and held it until he turned back. Spot wasn’t any less terrifying in the twenty first century it seemed. * Katherine seemed to be expecting Davey to eat lunch with her and her group and based on the interactions she had had with people that Davey recognised, he was pretty certain that Sarah would be eating with her group as well. He went with her, stopped by the small greetings from people that he had gotten used to by walking around with her, and some of them even remembered him, remembered his name and were actually interested in how his day had gone so far. They went through the lunch room, Katherine pausing at one table to talk to some people- two of whom Davey recognised as Bill and Darcy- but kept going after she had gotten the information she wanted, past all the other tables and outside and towards a tree. A tree that already had a large gathering of people under it- including Sarah who jumped to her feet as soon as she saw him and pulled him towards where she was sitting. Where she was sitting, next to Jack. “Hey,” Jack greeted as Sarah pulled him down onto the grass, “You must be Davey, Sarah said you were somewhere around here.” The utter lack of recognition in Jack’s friendly tone went like an arrow straight to Davey’s heart, and he somehow found it in himself to smile politely and ask who Jack was. “I’m Jack.” Jack told him, “Jack Kelly, and I live at Kloppman’s with most of these idiots.” “We walked past that on our way this morning,” Davey said, desperately trying to keep the conversation as long as possible. “Yeah, Sarah said, she said you’ve got a younger brother too?” “Uh, yeah- Les, he’s twelve and at the middle school.” “Yeah, my brother Crutchie’s there too, he’s thirteen, though.” Davey smiled, both at the fact that Jack still considered Crutchie his brother, and at the fact that Les would be able to make at least one friend, even if nobody outside of the three of them remembered the previous century. “Speaking of Les,” he said, and pulled out his phone to discover that Les was ahead of him and had already texted. From Les: im fine, ive made friends, im being shown around From Les: ALSO ULL NEVER GUESS WHO I MET To Les: Was it Crutchie? From Les: YESS!!! From Les: and he remembers Davey paused staring at Les’ final text, a text that in three short words had brought something that might have been hope to sit in Davey’s chest. “Sarah?” “Yeah?” “Has Les texted you?” “Yeah, he said he made friends with Jack’s brother.” They both looked up at each other, and he could see that Les had in fact imparted the important piece of information to Sarah as well. She raised her eyebrows. Davey went back to his conversation with Jack. Looking around, he could see most of the previous newsies that had been their age in the little group under the tree. Race and Spot were next to each other, arguing over something that he couldn’t quite hear, Sarah was sat with Katherine, Smalls, Sniper, and the twins- Mike and Ike- on the other side of Jack was Buttons, Tommy Boy, Henry, Blink and Mush, Hotshot was next to Spot, but not involved in the argument, instead talking to Albert, Elmer, Romeo, Specs, and Finch. It was just as chaotic as he remembered the lodging house being and it was oddly perfect for him, someone who hated loud noises and crowds. * They picked Les up at the gates of the middle school, along with Jack and Race who had accompanied them to grab Crutchie- the rest of the group, Jack explained, just left when they were let out and they all reconvened at Kloppman’s, otherwise they’d be waiting on the school grounds for ages and it was sometimes hard to know when they had everyone. Crutchie beamed at the four of them as they approached and was quick to introduce everyone who didn’t already know each other. “You guys wanna come back to Kloppman’s with us?” Jack offered, one arm slung over Crutchie’s shoulders, “We generally do homework and stuff together.” Les wanted to say yes, it was obvious in his face, but… “Mama asked us to have dinner going when she got home.” Sarah pointed out gently, “Maybe another time.” Les and Crutchie looked sorely disappointed by that, and maybe Davey was flattering himself, but he thought Jack looked a little disappointed too. They said their goodbyes, Les hugged everyone because he was just like that, the three Jacobs headed back to their little house, and the other three headed to their home. Jack would never have admitted it to anyone, but he did glance back multiple times until they were out of sight, hoping that they might change their minds. The Jacobs weren’t aware of Jack’s glances, instead too focused on getting back to their house where they would be free to discuss the weirdness that had gone down on their first day. Sarah locked the door and dropped her bag, rounding on Les, “You’re certain? You’re certain that Crutchie remembers?” Les nodded frantically, “he brought up an inside joke from before and I finished it and we both just knew!” The twins exchanged a glance, both hoping that the other would know what to do about the situation, and- when no solution came- the three of them just fell about laughing. There wasn’t really anything else to do in such a situation, it wasn’t like there was a handbook entitled ‘What to do when your friends don’t remember their past lives’ or anything, no matter how much Davey thought it would help. “Holy shit.” Sarah finally breathed out, “This is insane.” “Yep.” “Yep.” They looked at each other and started laughing again. * Back at the lodging house- which was still how most of them thought of it, despite the fact that it hadn’t been called that in over a century- Crutchie was sitting in the middle of a circle as he explained how Les also remembered, but he didn’t think that the twins remembered because Les hadn’t said anything, and he hadn’t seen any recognition in their eyes. Other people mumbled their agreements at that, they hadn’t seen any recognition from the Jacobs either. “I don’t know,” Katherine argued, “I’m pretty sure Davey at least recognised me from the way he kind of stared when Hotshot introduced me.” “Maybe he was just doing that ‘cos he thinks your hot.” Spot offered from Race’s bunk, where he was currently curled up with Race. “Funny.” “Just saying.” “Well don’t.” Jack muttered, ignoring the amused looks that gained from most of the older members. Spot shrugged in response, “Kloppman’s gonna come and tell us off for not working soon.” There were a series of groans and objections from around the room, but people stood up and moved to their desks or onto their beds, depending on how they preferred to work, and by the time Kloppman walked in everyone was doing something appropriate- even if they were occasionally mentioning the three Jacobs’s siblings. “What’s this about then?” Kloppman asked gently, sitting down next to Jack on his bunk, “There’s some new kids,” he glanced up, “you remember Davey? Davey Jacobs?” Kloppman resisted the urge to ask how he could have forgotten with Jack drawing him every few days, and instead just nodded. “Him, and Sarah, his twin, and Les- you remember Les- they joined our schools today.” Kloppman raised an eyebrow, unphased. He had met too many people that he had known before to be surprised when another one showed up, in all honesty he was almost convinced that they were all gravitating towards New York in some way- call it fate, destiny, a horse- they would all be there eventually. “Bring them ‘round.” He said to Jack, patted his knee and eased himself up to check in on the littles, who were primarily looked after by Miss Medda these days, but it was good to keep up with them for when they moved up. “Yeah,” Jack sighed, watching him go. “It would probably help if they remembered.” * “Yeah,” Les sighed from where he was cutting carrots at the table, “I’m pretty sure they don’t remember, that was what Crutchie implied before you guys arrived.” Davey sighed, resigned, “I mean, I’d already worked that out, but…” “It kinda sucks?” Les finished, “Yeah, it kinda sucks.” Esther and Mayer arrived home at that point, thanked their children for starting dinner and the conversation about past lives, memories and people they knew that didn’t know them, had to be dropped in favour of more parent-friendly conversations like how was your first day at school? And did you make any friends? Which classes did you enjoy? Were the teachers nice? Did you find your way around alright? That became a sort of pattern for the rest of their week, they would walk to school, drop Les at the gates, continue walking to school where they might be joined by one of Kloppman’s boys or their extended group, split up for classes which they both all had with at least one of said extended group, regroup for lunch, under the tree, finish classes, walk to the middle school with at least Jack and sometimes a few others, collect Les and Crutchie, say goodbye to Jack and Crutchie, reject Jack’s invitation, walk home and start on whatever their mother had planned for dinner while complaining about how much they wished the others remembered. And it followed into the next week, and the week after, until Sarah finally remembered to ask their parents if they could go over to Jack’s after school with their friends. That broke the pattern more than they could have anticipated when Esther gave them the go-ahead that morning. They walked to school, dropped Les and weren’t joined by anyone but that was fine because they were going to hang out with them after school, they split for classes, regrouped at lunch, by mutual agreement didn’t tell anyone they had been allowed to go over to their house- Sarah’s idea, she thought it would be funny to just say yes to Jack’s invitation with indication that was going to happen- spilt up again for afternoon classes and walked to the middle school with Jack and Katherine. “Do you wanna come over?” Jack asked, “Get something done on your homework with friends?” It was pretty obvious he was now just asking to be polite, because he didn’t think that they were going to say yes, but he had made a habit of asking everyday. “Yeah.” Sarah said. “That’s fine, I- wait what?” “Yeah,” Sarah repeated, trying not to laugh, “we’d love to.” Jack blinked at the three of them stunned for a couple of seconds, before a smile broke out across his face. Davey thought it looked like the sun was coming out, and he was taken breathless by the happiness that Jack displayed and the memory of when he had truly been in love with him- he thought that he might be able to fall in love with Jack again if he was given the chance. “Let’s go!” Jack said, looking happier than a child in a candy store- as happy as a child in a candy store who had been told everything was free. The five of them turned towards the home and crossed the road, Jack thundering ahead to yell the good news into the bunk room. Davey, Sarah and Les entered to loud obnoxious cheers- the loudest of which came from Race, because he was just like that. There was some laughter when Race just kept going after everyone had stopped, and more when Spot pushed him off the bunk, but they made space for the three of them, offered them blankets and fluffy socks because the floor was always cold no matter how high they turned the heat up. Kloppman came in at the usual time glanced around the room and stopped his gaze on Davey, “Davey Jacobs?” Davey jumped up automatically, “Yes, sir.” Kloppman stared at him for a second and then broke out into one of his rare complete smiles, “Isn’t it good to see you again?” and wrapped Davey up in a hug, shook hands with Sarah and swung Les around like he had done before. Davey stood in a minor amount of shock, “What do you mean again?” “Don’t you remember? 1899? The strike?” “I mean, yeah but I didn’t realise you did.” “Wait,” Jack cut in, “You and Sarah? You remember too?” “Yeah, we thought only Crutchie remembered.” Jack laughed, “We thought only Les remembered.” The volume suddenly picked up with everyone asking questions over each other, but Davey found he could only look at Jack- and Sarah for a brief second when he saw her leaning in to kiss Katherine. “Hey Mouth!” Spot called, and the angry eyes Davey had been faced with in English for the past few weeks were gone, replaced with an odd gentleness. “Welcome back.” “It’s good to be back.” Jack lunged at him suddenly, and he found himself with an armful of Cowboy, “I missed you,” Jack whispered, loud enough for only Davey to hear, “I missed you so much.” I missed you didn’t seem to cover Davey’s feelings, but he said it back anyway, because how else could he express feeling like a part of him that was missing had been returned now that he was holding Jack in his arms? There was no other way. He glanced around the room, Les and Crutchie were on one bunk with some of the other pre-teens, Sarah and Katherine were curled up next to Smalls and Sniper and everyone else was in their own little groups. Spot was the only one still watching them. “It’s good to be back.”

#the newsboys #newsies fanfiction #newsies fandom #writing #writer #handwritten #writers #my writing #writblr #writeblr #writers of tumblr #davey jacobs #Jack Kelly #sarah jacobs #katherine plumber #javid #javey

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sohin-ace · 4 years

Text

SDC - Periods

This is cross-posted from Wattpad and available on AO3.

Enjoy~

Scenario with the crusaders

Being the only girl in the crusaders was really something. It was fun to be with the boys, and they never treated you bad or underestimated your abilities because you were a woman. In fact, they respected you a lot which you appreciated.

You always felt safe with them and knew you could trust them and count on them. But of course, there were some times and some matters that were hardly discussable with the group.

If you had any sensitive matters to talk about, you'd rather go find Joseph or Abdol since they were the most mature of the group and the most likely to understand your concerns. Especially Joseph, as he was a father, after all.

Today was one of those days sadly. The days were you had to deal with feminine problems.

That's right. Periods.

Everyone was a little bit on edge since a stand user could be attacking at any time. Even if it was a perfect time and place for a little bit of sightseeing, you couldn't let your guards down.

You were all walking around the streets, directing yourselves towards the nearest hotel when you started to feel cramps.

At first it wasn't pain, just an unpleasant feeling in your lower region, basically your uterus signaling you that it was time. You ignored it as it was tolerable. But then ten minutes passed, and the feeling grew into slight pain which made you scrunch your face and grunt a little.

'Jeez, not now. We're almost at the hotel, hold on.' you thought to yourself, trying to control the situation.

But it just got worse with every passing minute until you started to have a hard time walking and breathing. You put your hands over your stomach and slowed down a little.

"A-aah..." you moaned in pain. The boys noticed and turned to look at you and stopped in their tracks.

They looked at you concerned, but before any of them could ask you what was wrong, a sharp, piercing pain suddenly shot through your core, like you were being stabbed.

"Aaarghhh...!" You cried very suddenly. You clenched at your stomach and bent forward trying to suppress the agonizing pain.

"Hey Y/N are you okay??" Polnareff asked panicking. Abdol instantly grabbed your shoulders, afraid that you might collapse.

"What's wrong Y/N? Are you hurt?!" Kakyoin checked on you for potential injuries.

"Could it be... A stand user?" Jotaro looked around, scanning the area for a potential suspect passing by who might have sneak-attacked you.

This is exactly what you wanted to avoid. You were in too much pain to walk properly, but you also wanted them to stop worrying and just go since there was no danger.

"I-I'm fine guys let's jus-uughh!" you tried to argue but got cut off by another wave of pain that caused you to start shaking.

Joseph started to understand what was going on and suggested they just continued to the hotel and he would carry you. But Jotaro, Kakyoin and Polnareff were confident at this point, that your pain was caused by a potential underling of Dio.

"No Mr. Joestar, if someone has the ability to attack without us seeing them, they have to be dealt with as soon as possible!" Kakyoin told Joseph with blind determination.

Jotaro already got Star Platinum out and was ready to beat the crap out of any passerby for information while Polnareff was glaring daggers into the distance.

"Tch... It could be another invisible stand... Maybe even... the stand infected her body somehow! Y/N did you eat anything that none of us had recently??"

This was getting out of hand. You tried to stand up straight and move forward to persuade the boys to continue walking towards the original destination.

"No, It's okay Pol' I-ah... I'm fine really! Guys it's not a stand, I just need some painkillers, let's go-" Kakyoin cut you off by grabbing your hands reassuringly.

"It's okay Y/N don't push yourself, we'll deal with it okay? You go to the hotel with Mr Joestar, and we'll find that stand user and come back to you both" He said with confidence as he started walking off with Polnareff and Jotaro who seemed way too determined.

"Abdol, we'll need you and Magician Red in this, come with us." Abdol then sighed, he glanced at Joseph who gave him a knowing look, thinking on how he could tell them without shocking their poor souls.

You sighed in desperation. These boys were so damn stubborn they never listened. You looked at Joseph and wanted to tell him, maybe he'll find better words than you to explain the situation to the boys and bring them back.

"Mr. Joestar, actually I-"

"I know Y/N, I get it. For now let's get you to the hotel, I'll buy you some medications and supplies. Can you walk?"

You nodded quietly, a bit surprised and relieved at how well he handled the situation. What a man, you thought to yourself as he grabbed your shoulder so you could lean on him for support.

The entire walk was spent with you being embarassed at how you couldn't manage the chaos caused by your feminine cycle and convice the guys that it wasn't anything to worry about.

You were finally brought to your hotel room by Joseph. He kindly put you to bed and told you he would take care of the situation with the boys and that you could rest peacefully until he was back with everything you needed.

"Thank you Mr. Joestar... I'm so sorry, this is embarassing..."

"No, don't worry about a thing Y/N, you can't expect them to understand those things. Alright, don't sweat it, I'll be right back." He covered you with the blanket and walked off silently.

After a while, when Joseph finally came back, you were already fast asleep. By the same occasion he brought back the boys who were feeling very stupid, but decided not to bring it up in front of you, so that they wouldn't embarass you as you already must be.

"She's brave.... She pulls up with 5 guys with no one to understand her, and yet she never says anything and acts like she's no different than us." Kakyoin muttered softly and with sympathy as he looked at your sleeping form.

"I mean, she could have told me! I'm a very open-minded and attentive person. I don't judge, she can tell me anything, I'm not scared of girl stuff!" Polnareff exclaimed like he was obviously the first person to come to to talk about feminine issues.

"You wouldn't even know what tampons look like, shut up." Jotaro deadpanned.

"We should let her rest for now, let's go to our rooms until she wakes up." Abdol inquired and everyone agreed while exiting the room.

After two hours you woke up feeling better, but still a bit drowsy. You saw a plastic bag filled with painkillers, a bottle of water, (tampons/pads) and a little box of chocolate. You smiled and secretely thanked Joseph for his incredible consideration. You'll have to do something for him later.

After you prepared yourself, you decided to go face the boys. You came out of your room and guessed they would probably be staying in the adjacent rooms, so you knocked on the room next door.

You were greeted by Kakyoin who was staying with Jotaro. The red head smiled softly at you.

"Y/N, It's good to see you all well." he started.

"So uh..." you sheepishly rubbed your hands together in embarrassment. "It's not a stand user... I'm just-"

"Don't bother." he put a reassuring hand on your shoulder. "We know. I'm sorry we acted like a bunch of children, we should have tried to understand you first. You're the only girl of the group after all, we should be expecting those things."

He smiled warmly at you and you relaxed a bit. Thank god Kakyoin was kind and knew how to carefully choose his words. You thanked him silently.

"You want to come inside?" He stepped aside to let you in, and you saw Jotaro laid down on one of the beds, his back facing you.

"I think I'll let Jojo rest, but thank you." As you said this, Jotaro slowly got up and walked towards you. He then put his large hand over your head and rubbed your hair, a bit too roughly, but in a nice gesture. You smiled at him and put a hand over his as to reciprocate the affectionate act.

"Come on, I'll show you the others' rooms" He said bluntly while walking down the corridor. You waved at your cherry-haired friend and followed Jotaro.

At the end of the day, you were surrounded by a bunch of dorks who couldn't understand you entirely, but at least they tried their best to make you feel right at home.

They were the kindest and most caring people you've ever met, and you wouldn't trade them for anything in this world.

Bonus:

"You could have told me you were on your periods! I would have taken care of you! I know these things, I know stuff about women!"

"Stop being so loud Polnareff, we're in public!! This is embarassing! And how would you take care of me, I can take care of myself!"

"Like, don't you need help putting that stuff inside your pu-" you smacked his face with your stand, efficiently shutting him up.

"YOU PERV!"

#jojo's bizarre adventure #jojo #jjba #stardust crusaders #sdc #x reader #reader insert #writing #jotaro #kakyoin #polnareff #mohammed avdol #joseph joestar #jojo scenarios #jojo no kimyou na bouken #jojo part 3 #part 3

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imaginesforjohnnydepp · 4 years

Text

Architectural Digest (Power Couple extended imagine)

for @karlacce4 @takemepedropascal

Inside Johnny Depp and Y/N Y/L/N’s Stunning $1.9M New Orleans Home! - Article by Rita Joseph, November 2018

A casually dressed Y/N opens the door on a bright and sunny but chilly Friday afternoon. The Golden Globe nominated actress is just as stunning makeup free and in an old college sweatshirt and jeans and her hair pulled back from her face as she is in expensive designer gowns and jewelry; right behind her is her husband Johnny Depp and their dog Jack Sparrow. “Hey, come on in!” Immediately, I’m greeted with warmth and the scent of cinnamon. The entrance is narrow, and there is a wooden table next to the door with a small bowl which hold two sets of car keys, but there are two doorways across from each other: on the left is the sitting room, and on my right is the dining room with its painted blue walls contrasted with white curtains and a chandelier hanging above the table.

We start with the sitting room which holds a lime green couch adding a nice touch of color against the white walls. There is also a gold ceiling lamp and a glass coffee table. “This is our sitting room, but we use it for a little bit of everything, like a storage room or sometimes a guest would want to sleep in here when they visit because it’s so quiet as opposed to upstairs because we still have teenagers, and there’s a lot of banging around in the morning getting ready for school, or we’ll have friends over.” Those friends would include Brad and Angelina (before the divorce), Tim Burton and Eva Green, Helena Bonham Carter, and Depp’s Hollywood Vampires band mates Joe Perry and Alice Cooper. What great company to keep!

From the sitting room we head into the dining room. “We actually painted the dining room a week after we moved in. All of the walls in the house were white and we thought it was way too much, so we decided to paint it a different color,” Depp said. “The tables and chairs actually belonged to Y/N’s sister and we bought it off her in ‘07 when she moved to another city, and that couch in the other room we bought after Nathan and Noelle’s first birthday.” “It was their favorite thing to play on when they were babies. So hard to believe that was 2004,” Y/L/N reminisced. The blue walls are decorated with a few of Depp’s paintings with a molding of a deer’s head that Y/N got at a flea market.

As we exit out of the dining room, I get a good look at the other side of the wall facing the staircase as we go into the living room. The entire wall is covered in a black and white photo of a jazz band taken at a Mardi Gras parade a few years ago, and there is a nice sized wine cabinet which is the size of a recording booth with only one bottle of wine in it; Johnny has cut back on drinking, but still enjoys a glass of wine every now and then. “I’m not as young as I used to be, and I’m runnin’ around on stage all night so I want to be as healthy as possible when I’m performing and to see the rest of my babies grow up.” The rest of his babies would be Nathan and Noelle, fraternal twins born in 2003. Their oldest kids include 26-year-old Star Wars star John Christopher III, born in 1992, and 22-year-old The Greatest Showman actress Camille.

The living room is gorgeous but simple; an all white leather reclining sectional with built in cup holders surrounds a small wooden coffee table in front of the fireplace which has a flat screen television above it. There’s a chandelier in this room as well, similar to the one in the dining room, and the wooden table behind the sectional breaks up the whiteness of the room. “This is where everyone spends the majority of their time. Morning, noon, night, weekends, we are here, with the older kids when they come over for dinner on Sundays. They’ll come over in the afternoon and stay the whole day.” Even with the oldest kids moved out and with houses of their own, the Depps are still a close knit family with Camille and John Christopher, or Three as he’s called by friends and family, living minutes away. Depp family favorite weekend activity? “Cooking breakfast together and then going to the nearby park or to a flea market or farmers’ market. There’s always something to do do in the city so you’re never bored,” the Dark Shadows actor explained.

When I asked them why they decided to move away from Hollywood, it was an easy answer. Y/L/N said: “we wanted to give them a normal childhood, and you can’t really have that when there are people taking pictures of you in your school uniform heading into school.” The couple moved to the Big Easy before Johnny began filming the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie in 2002, and speaking of cooking, the kitchen is next, and it is every homeowner’s dream. The white marble kitchen island doubles as a sink with its clear backed chairs and a sleek gold light fixture hanging above. A few feet away is a rectangular table with four shelves.

“This is my favorite room. I’m always cooking, and this is pretty much multipurpose room. We do game nights, eat meals, the twins do homework here.” When I joked about the chandeliers, the two only laughed, with Y/N adding, “you’re gonna be seeing a lot of chandeliers in this house. I loved them as a child and always wanted one. Or thirteen. We actually got each of them at Home Depot or Wayfair, and they look good in every room.” At this point, Jack Sparrow begins barking and runs to the front door (the dog, not Depp who plays the beloved swashbuckler). Noelle and Nathan are home from school and they follow the dog into the kitchen.

They are taken aback as they take in the camera man, as they wash their hands in the sink before reaching for the snacks. “Oh, I thought this was happening tomorrow,” Noelle remarks as she reaches for a bag of trail mix from a cabinet and a bottle of water from the fridge. “You have drivers ed tomorrow,” Y/N instantly in mom mode. “And your uniforms are hanging up in the laundry room.” Johnny and Y/N are athlete parents with Nathan playing on his school football team while Noelle is a cheerleader. After getting an okay from the twins to tour their rooms, we head upstairs after the examining the wall of pictures in the upstairs hallway.

Some pictures that have never been made public: a tired looking Y/N in a hospital bed after giving birth to their children, followed by a procession of school portraits and certificates from school. John Christopher and Camille’s graduation and prom pictures. Family outings at the near by park which featured a heavily pregnant Y/N circa early 2000s. A picture of Depp’s late mother Betty Sue and Y/N’s Aunt Claudia smiling as they played cards. And then there were the family portraits.

One that started with John Christopher as a newborn in 1992, then adding Camille in 1996, followed by the twins in 2003. Black and white photos of grandparents and great-grandparents, photos of Depp and Y/L/N ancestors, and the framed Polaroids of Y/N and Depp in Vegas on their honeymoon, after they eloped in summer 1991 after less than a year of dating, and I had to ask the question that’s still on peoples’ minds years later: why elopement? “We were young and didn’t want to go through the process of planning a wedding. I proposed a day after meeting her aunt and uncle and two days later we were married.” You remember that day like it was yesterday; you and Johnny went on vacation to visit your aunt and uncle so they could meet him for the first time as your boyfriend. They loved him, of course and at that point, you’ve only been dating for four months and it was getting serious to the point where Johnny called you his future wife and mother of his children in interviews (which probably wouldn’t be too distant in the future since your period was late). He proposed the night before you left for L.A. after your aunt and uncle had gone to bed and you immediately said yes.

After settling back home, you two took a road trip to Las Vegas the very next day and twenty seven years later, you’re still very much in love. I asked them why move to New Orleans, to which Depp answered: “Y/N was filming a movie here after Three was born, and when I came to visit her with the baby, I think it was during Mardi Gras, we had an amazing time. The food was just incredible, and the people were amazing, and no one gave a fuck about who we were. Once Camille was born, we kept coming back as much as we could, and we decided we wanted to build a life here.” The first room we enter after reaching the landing is the master bedroom. The walls are painted a nice gray, and, you guessed it, a chandelier. “This is our room, where we rarely get any sleep because we have the kids always running in and out for whatever reason--”

“And we also climb into bed with them too,” Noelle interjects. “And other times we just do it to annoy them,” Nathan backs up his sister’s statement. The bathroom is gorgeous with a white tiled floor; the shower stall is in a corner next to Y/N’s vanity, and across from it is a jacuzzi tub set next to a window that had a few candles along the edge, and adjacent from the tub is a double sink. “This is our bathroom, and we do more unwinding here than the bedroom. Whenever one of us comes home from filming or press tours or whatever, we’re in the tub, probably falling asleep.” Next we move to Noelle’s room and it’s something out of a Pintrest board

Pretty pastel pinks and fluffy white rugs and throws with a nice swing chair in a corner, which she calls her reading nook. Black and white framed pictures of her mom from her modeling days as a teenager and pictures of friends and family fill in space on her walls. “Every piece of furniture came from either Wayfair or Overstock. They have such great deals on furniture and rugs, and I’m always scrolling through their websites.” Nathan’s room is a typical boy’s room. It’s a cool gray scale vibe with a portion of the wall behind his bed painted black and there are shelves on either side of the bed filled with books, picture frames and sports trophies. “Dad and I repainted this wall almost a month ago. The sun shines so bright in the mornings and it’s always a pain, and I love when a room is cold and dark.”

He admits to sleeping with the fan on at night, even in the winter. There’s a sleek desk in the corner that holds a laptop and a stack of books, and next to it, against the wall, is a decent sized book shelf. Nathan likes to read, a trait that he and the rest of his siblings picked up from their parents. He and Noelle are having a competition to see who could read the most books by the end of the year. The next room is a low ceilinged guest room which is where Depp’s mother Betty Sue lived her last days.

“This used to be Grandma Betty’s room. Jack comes in here all the time, and we’d find him just laying on the bed,” Nathan says, touching a portrait of his grandmother. The next room is pretty much a music studio, as there’s a drum kit, bass guitars, electric guitars, and a keyboard. The walls are covered with the kids’ school art projects over the years. The room is frequented by Depp’s band the Hollywood Vampires whenever they blow into town, where they write and record new music, and Noelle receives guitar lessons from her father and Cooper. The last room we reach is a game room/homemade home movie theater.

There’s a nice flat screen on the wall and plastic storage bins containing video games, game controllers, and DVDs; Noelle used the room to host a sleepover a few weeks ago, and Nathan and his friends used it to launch water balloons at the neighborhood boys during the summer, which he realizes he makes a mistake in admitting this in front of his parents. Finally we come to the last part of the tour, the backyard which holds a patio and a swimming pool. “I know it doesn’t feel like it now, but we were using the pool up until a week ago. During the spring and summer months, we’ll invite the neighbors over for barbecues or they’ll invite us.” It’s November, and Thanksgiving is a week away. The entire Depp family plans on spending the holiday at the Kentucky ranch Johnny bought for his mother with his siblings. Before we leave, Y/N offers me and the camera man Justin a snack of green tea and cinnamon rolls ushering us politely out of the door so they could have dinner and get ready for Nathan’s game.

The video is now up on architecturaldigest.com and on our YouTube channel.

The video is uploaded on YouTube to great reviews; the viewers love how down to earth and humble you are and that you didn’t spend a ton of money on furniture and other unnecessary miscellaneous items in the house while others wish they had a room like Noelle’s when they were teenagers. The comments range from: i’m a simple person. i see johnny depp’s name and i click on it-user26. i love how they live in a normal looking house in a normal neighborhood. i’m so glad they raised their kids outside of hollywood because john christopher and camille are the most humble nepo kids in the industry and always acknowledge their privilege. can’t say the same for others.- user89. When is Noelle gonna start her modeling career?- user85. i love how close they all are and that they live so close together to where they can get together on the weekends.- user63

dying at the looks johnny and y/n gave nathan when he said he and his friends threw water balloons out the window.- user14. when tf did the twins get so big??? why wasn’t i warned???- user 78. why do noelle and nathan get to look like they just stepped out of a j crew catalog after a day at school but i look like i got beat within an inch of my life by 4th period? - user52

#johnny depp imagines #johnny depp x reader #johnny depp imagine

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mariaorsic · 4 years

Video

youtube

The Importance, Role, And Power Of Our Subconscious Minds

We are all victims of some kind of bad programming. Some people were programmed to think they have God-given right to exploit, persecute, and dominate other people. Some were programmed to think they were born to be financially poor and serve “wealth”, by laboring from their young age to their caskets, and some were programmed to think they have genetic predispositions to be obese. In any case, we are all being powered by programs that are controlling our minds, which means informations and thoughts we adopt have absolute control over all areas of our lives (and bodies), from social life to financial incomes.

Since only one percent of the global population controls 97% of the money, it is not hard to realize most of us have grown up in poverty. Not just financial poverty, but all kinds of poverty that we can and usually are led to from the point of being or becoming financially poor.

Many marriages fell apart as a result of financial poverty. Many children stopped daring to dream or chase their dreams. In fact, since children have highly suggestible subconscious minds active for most of the time, they are easily influenced by their impoverished, overly-cautious, bitter, discouraged, fearful parents. The aftermath?

Those children grow up into younger mental & characteristic replicas of their parents, which means that all kinds of poverty are inheritable.

Yet, 1% which controls pretty much everything we can imagine, from radio, music, and movie industry to pharma and military industry is giving their best to extinguish even our last will to “fight” for the creation of better, and healthier living standards. We are being bombarded with destructive information, thoughts, pictures, sounds (frequencies) all the time.

However, a partial cause of your poverty may be found in you. After all, you can change yourself. Start a journey into prosperity by reprogramming your (subconscious) mind. From now-on, FORGET opinions and thoughts about money and fortune which you inherited or adopted.

FIRST of all, money is NOT evil. It surely can be used for evil deeds, but it can also be used for noble deeds. Therefore, materials are neutral. The reason you must stop seeing money as evil is the change (improvement) of vibration (frequency, energy) your mind is operating at for most of the time, because everything, and everyone works, lives, and exists on a certain frequency. Poverty and fortune are not exceptions.

The frequency of a cold cocoa-milk mix is much higher than of the hot cocoa-milk mix. White and black ceramic cups of the same size and shape have different frequencies. Don’t believe me? Fine, make a test! Take two identical ceramic cups, one white, and one black. Fill them with the exact amount of water, and take a small teaspoon. Make a sound test! The difference will shock you. By the way, never ever use dark-colored dishes, clothes, etc.

Anyway, back to the point about the money. Once you realize that money is not evil nor is poverty noble, you will automatically start attracting greater opportunities into your life, because the frequency your mind operates at will skyrocket. Like attracts like. You will suddenly start finding yourself being in a harmony with (frequencies of) greater incomes.

SECOND, replace negative thoughts, opinions, and pictures with positive ones. Remember, subconscious minds accept all orders and opinions as “right”/”correct”, and “truthful”. Yes, you can remain focused on poverty that can be found in everyone and everything, and you can keep thinking about it forever, but that will not do you any good.

By embracing the same old thoughts you will find yourself repeating the same old actions (that are being called “habits”), and you will find yourself “manifesting” the same old results.

Therefore, build a new habit of being focused on building a positive, courageous, determined, and focused mindset, that will deliver you into a new spiritual realm/level, on which your character will be unrecognizable.

I suggest you avoid “negative” people because no matter how positive you are, after seven minutes of being in their presence, your mind will enter a harmonious state with their minds.

So, if you are an optimist who deals with a single pessimist at the time, your energy will decrease, his/her will increase.

If you are an alone optimist in a group of pessimists, you will become a pessimist, at least for a while, because their mental energy is dominant over yours.

If you are an optimist who is surrounded by negative family members, try to avoid them. Spend more time in nature (trees can lift our spirits up), or exercising. Build an iron mindset by constant repetition of positive affirmations, and try to concrete the following idea to your mind: “Other people cannot affect me. I am the captain of my mind.”. That idea really helped me, because, for a long period of years, I was able to be positive only when alone. Whenever a negative, drama-stricken mind would enter my presence, I would lose the ground and begin to sink into the old, negative, and destructive mindset. I highly suggest the teachings of Dr. Joseph Murphy who claimed it is insanity to let other people affect your mind.

THIRD: you must realize, you are not your mind. Stop searching for answers and solutions in your mind or the outer world. If your mind knew any better, rest assured it would not create any problems in the first place. Your mind is the creator of all “problems” in your life. In fact, there are no “problems”, just “things” your mind calls problems. Once you quit letting your mind have control over you, you will take the wheel.

Human beings live on three different plains of existence simultaneously:

A) Physical — Outer

B) Mental — Central/Middle

C) Spiritual — Inner

Instead of being subdued (dominated) by your mind, start paying attention to the inner voice. It is the voice of your soul. With a little practice, it could become immensely powerful. In fact, if you want to know yourself, you must start listening to your inner voice, instead of your mind (or the body). You are a spiritual being in a physical body.

Do not let the outer world control your inner world. Instead, create your outer world by following the orders of your Spirit (inner voice).

Therefore, each and every time your mind tries to stop you, discourage you, intimidate you, go back to affirmations and start reading them. The reprogramming process may last for a day, a year, or a decade. Do not hurry nor force the change to occur. After all, you’ve been programmed since your birth!

FOURTH: of immense importance is to stop listening to music/songs with negative lyrics that contain I-finite negative affirmations. For example, the song “Bitter Sweet Symphony”, by the band: “The Verve”.

“No change, I can’t change, I can’t change, I can’t change, but I’m here in my mold, I am here in my mold. But I’m a million different people from one day to the next. I can’t change my mold, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…”

You see, “the enemy” is sneaky and wise. Rest assured, he will not be direct and tell you to start repeating that you are poor, or brokenhearted. Instead, he will embed such destructive affirmations into a catchy and what seemed-to-be “positive” song.

When you begin to sing it, you are actually programming your subconscious mind, and therefore, creating/manifesting a negative reality. To think and speak negative, yet expect something positive to happen is insane. It is equal to jumping off a building and expecting to go up. The law never changes.

Therefore, start paying close attention to the lyrics of songs you like to listen to. Stop reading news, start avoiding pessimists, and ignore movies/videos that contain gore/explicit scenes, language, etc.

FIFTH: tune your music (preferably happy instrumentals) to 432 Hz.

Shortly; standard worldwide tuning 440 Hz, which is unnatural, and destructive. 432 Hz is natural. I strongly suggest listening to 432 Hz piano overnight (while sleeping). If you encounter bad dreams while listening to such melodies, start celebrating, because that is the first sign of mental cleanup. Your old, hidden, and consciously forgotten traumas are reaching the surface and dissolving.

#VRIL #Xurious #ReverendIke #Subconscious #SubconsciousMind

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vendettacanons · 3 years

Text

Random Headcanons I thought up-

// With no rhyme or reason. Includes FAITH, Far Cry, and GTA muse headcanons... but mostly FC 5 and ND since I’ve been on a kick

FAITH: The Unholy Trinity

Lisa used to and still owns a Raggedy Andy doll that she got from her father and mother for her third birthday. It’s a really big comfort to have when she has nightmares or his anxious about something. (Additionally, she had a really big crush on Raggedy Andy when she was younger.)

Lisa is sensitive to touch and values certain textures over others. She loves soft and fluffy things as they bring her a sense of comfort and happiness.

Lisa’s favorite animals to care for are baby animals and animals with soft fur. Sheep, fluffy dogs, baby deer, kittens, and rabbits are all animals she adores.

Lisa is a pescatarian. She’s chosen this diet of her own volition for two main reasons: she doesn’t like the idea of eating red meat or poultry but she knows she needs some protein in her diet and feels better about eating humanely wild-caught fish in comparison. She also does it because she’s been informed that avoiding red meat is healthier anyway and she finds that knowing that helps encourage her to eat more.

FAR CRY

Prior to the Cult taking over, Boomer was regarded as being a quiet, brave, and loyal dog who never so much as growled unless it was an emergency. Since losing his family, he’s become much louder. He barks openly and aggressively, especially when he’s scared and will snap at people if he’s caught off guard.

Boomer now has a Far Cry New Dawn verse. He was taken in by the Cult and kept in John’s bunker, where he was treated with some of the remaining Bliss. Fortunately, it didn’t alter his appearance but it did improve his athleticism and prolong his lifespan.

Cheeseburger really likes pancakes in addition to cheeseburgers. Fluffy buttermilks with syrup are his favorite treat. He also adores barbecue food.

Like Boomer, Cheeseburger also has a Far Cry New Dawn verse. He was taken into a bunker in Jacob’s region and treated with some of the more modified Bliss that was originally used on Judges. It altered his appearance and made him stronger as well as more docile towards the Edeners.

Horatio has separation anxiety. After losing his family to the Highwaymen, he’s quick to bond with the kind humans of Prosperity who saved him. Anyone he’s traveling with he sticks close to. He squeals whenever they go into a place he can’t follow and will circle them when they emerge again. He’ll do tricks for them and boldly defend them from any other creature threatening them.

Horatio loves a good fight. This boar was well known for chasing off bears, wolverines, and cougars that got just a little too close. He’s even been known for shaking off shotgun rounds.

Horatio loves chickens. He grew up surrounded by them and loves to playfully heard them and help them dig up treats. Chickens love him too, and will routine roost on his fuzzy back or build their nests close to him. Horatio was once even found to be helping incubate a clutch of hen’s eggs.

Though Jerome Jeffries is a pastor, he tends to be very tolerant and understanding in his beliefs. To him, faith is supposed to be a supporting force for love and acceptance, not a leg for hate to stand on.

Jerome’s PTSD, both from the military and from his run-ins with the cult, mostly affects his sleep. He has nightmares about what the cult has done and what it will do if the Resistance fails.

During the early defection of the flock from his church, Jerome's wife Joy left him to follow Joseph Seed's path, taking their daughter with her. Joseph ended up drowning her by accident during one of his routine baptisms (after which he stopped performing them himself and designated that responsibility to John Seed.) While he does have a note from Joy about her leaving, he doesn't know anything more about her fate.

The Judge is very much into gardening. They know the meanings behind all kinds of flowers, enjoy growing fruits and vegetables, enjoy making floral arrangements, and generally just find tending to the earth relaxing.

When at Prosperity, the Judge tends to stay by themselves and avoid going near anyone they used to know. They hide it well, but the comments they’ve received from some of their old friends hurts them. (This was only worsened after a small misunderstanding led to them being hollered at by Nick and the subsequent attention it drew to them became a lot to bear.)

The root of the Judge’s behavior lies in Joseph’s manipulation of them. Because of him, they sincerely believe that the end of the world as they knew it was their own fault. They gave in to the idea that they were the lamb that broke the seven seals and cause the Collapse. They were also convinced that everyone else knows this too, and that if not for that reason, then they are hated because their friends believed that the Judge abandoned them and joined the enemy; that they willingly joined Joseph and chose to stay with him for 17 years instead of being manipulated to do so (of which the comments have only unknowingly reinforced this idea). Because of these reasons, The Judge insists on punishing themselves and avoiding their old friends because they are unworthy of and unlikely to ever receive their forgiveness.

Despite their routine avoidance, the Judge never truly stopped thinking about their friends and they still care for them even if they believe the feeling is not mutual. If one looks closely enough, they’ll find the names of everyone they came to care about carved into their bow.

Generally speaking, the Judge does not like being the center of attention in any capacity. They do not like being watched or spoken about, they stick to the shadows and avoid most contact really. The only individuals they truly interact with on a consistent basis are Timber, Horatio, Eden’s animals, and an wild animals that approach them.

Trained as one of the finest Chosen to ever be, the Judge is catlike and graceful in all of their movements. They can move completely silently, sit perfectly still for hours, and hit an accurate target from anywhere. They can also lift a greater amount of weight than should be possible for someone of their size (and they are much leaner than they look beneath that outfit).

Staci went through Eli’s reprogramming routine and while he’s not longer so prone to violent tendencies, the effects of Jacob’s conditioning still linger. Hearing “Only You” will send him into an intense panic attack. He’ll scream his throat hoarse and run for cover, he’ll claw at his ears, and he’ll generally be inconsolable for a period during and afterwards.

In the wake of his conditioning, Staci is generally very submissive and conflict aversive. He has a hard time making eye contact, carrying conversations, and is generally very passive in the wake of aggression. He’s eager to please and even more eager to stay under radar. Unlike before, his desire to be appealing is less to impress and more to stay safe, and when he can’t prove himself useful, and tries to make himself as undesirable of a target as possible.

One of Staci’s greatest talents is guitar. He can play phenomenally and he can sing pretty well. In the wake of his time with Jacob, he hasn’t touched the instrument or made any attempts to sing, but he still could if he tried.

As an older dog, Timber’s endurance and joints aren’t what they used to be. He can still run like a puppy, just for not as long and he’ll need a rest afterwards.

The humidity aggravates the mild arthritis in some of his leg joints, so Timber enjoys swimming in the cool waters of Hope County to compensate. They ease the pain and the movement is generally easier than walking. Plus, he just likes swimming.

Timber used to be the leader of a relatively benign pack of wild dogs. They used to sometimes travel with kind humans, hence his understanding that not all people are bad. Eventually though, they were killed and his pack was taken by the Highwaymen.

Timber himself is incredibly inquisitive and perceptive. He can point out enemies, find key resources, learn about and recognize materials by name and smell, and knows how to maneuver over, under, around, and through certain obstacles. This includes opening doors, getting up into high places, and digging impressive tunnels.

To some extent, Timber could be considered an emotional support animal. He seems able to read the emotions of other beings around him and will comfort them if he finds that they are distressed.

Grand Theft Auto

In addition to being Steve’s glorified secretary, Andreas was unofficially designated the social media manager for the LS branch. He runs the FIB Bleeter page and it’s not marked anywhere so he really could post anything on there and no one would know.

Andreas is prone to bouts of anxiety with seemingly no source. He has no real explanation as to why, but he gets this sudden sense of dread or the feeling that there’s danger inexplicably and at random.

Andreas is really averse to wearing the color yellow. Not just because he thinks it makes him look unflattering, but because it dredges up a lot of bad memories for him. Additionally, he’s not fond of gold accessories for similar reasons.

#you’re a natural : headcanon #// ooc #‘’ trouble found me ‘’ // far cry #‘’ i don’t ever wanna leave this town ‘’ // gta #‘’ it’s been a difficult year ‘’ // faith #tw eating disorder mention #tw violence mention #tw death mention #tw manipulation mention

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lepidotrichia · 4 years

Text

almagest

Summary

"So you know how life is made up of stardust? Like you and I both are made up of the same things that used to make up a star, right?" "Right." "And you know how people make wishes on stars?" "...Yes?" "What if someone ends up being made up of the stardust from one of those wishing stars?" Snorting, he said, "You calling me a dream come true?" "No. I'm a dream come true. You're probably made of the stardust of an evil sun that cursed every living thing around it." "Fuck off."

They were both laughing, music dancing through the night.

Characters

Noriaki Kakyoin, Jotaro Kujo, (BRIEF APPEARANCE) Joseph Joestar, Mohammad Avdul, Jean-Pierre Polnareff

Relationship(s)

Noriaki Kakyoin & Jotaro Kujo (If you wanna read it that way. Technically Pre-Relationship)

Themes, Motifs, and Additional Info

Stargazing, Constellations, Mention of Nightmare, Comfort

Takes place after the fight with Death 13

Word Count

2312

Story below the break! You can also read it here.

While collecting the stars, I connected the dots I don’t know who I am, but now I know who I’m not I’m just a curious speck that got caught up in orbit, in orbit Like a magnet it beckoned my metals toward it, toward it

Joseph’s snores sounded throughout the campsite, harmonizing with the crackling campfire. Jean, Mohammad, and Iggy were huddled nearby, the fire’s steady light dancing across their sleeping figures. A rock’s shadow loomed over the ground. Perched upon it were Jotaro and Noriaki, huddled in a blanket to keep out the January desert night’s chill.

The average seventeen-year-old isn’t equipped to fight a living god. Fear of what’s to come, of what failure would mean for the world, keeping them awake. Both of them were too proud to name that fear out loud, but they knew. Specters tearing apart everything and everyone they ever cared for haunted their dreams.

At times like this, the company of another was a small mercy.

“And that one,” Noriaki continued, pointing at the diagram Hierophant had drawn in the sand, “is Lyra. The one that looks like a parallelogram with the line sticking out of it.”

Hand pressed against his cheek, Jotaro mumbled, “What’s it supposed to be?”

“A lyre. Have you heard of it? It looks like a small harp, but its structure is more like a lute. It was commonly used during the Greek classical period.”

Jotaro carefully considered the sky etched into the ground. Noriaki had wanted to tell him about all the constellations they were missing out on since it wasn’t the right season to catch a glimpse of them in this hemisphere. Breathing out another cloud of smoke, he replied,“I don’t see it. All just looks like a bunch of dots to me.”

Noriaki shook his head. “You’re not looking hard enough. I mean, they are just “a bunch of dots, but humans always manage to find patterns. We find icons and symbols, make stories out of them.”

“What’s the story for this one?”

Noriaki grinned, “I’m glad you asked!”

Gazing into the peaceful darkness, Jotaro eased into his skin. He’d much rather be in a hotel room right now, but he had to admit, he was glad he was here to see the night sky. It looked so vibrant. He’d never seen the milky way in person like this. The city lights back home overwhelmed the stars’ distant glow, rendering them invisible. Here, there was no excess light or noise. Just the stars, the campfire, and Noriaki’s soft voice streaming bits of trivia.

“Do you know the story of Orpheus?" Noriaki toyed with his hair as he began. "Supposedly, he played the first lyre ever made. Legend has it, his music was so beautiful that it charmed even the sirens and the gods. When his lover, Eurydice, died, he went to the Underworld to beg the god of the dead, Hades, to bring her back to life. Can you guess how he got Hades to say yes?"

Without waiting for a reply, he answered, "By playing for him on his Lyre! Thus, Eurydice was allowed to leave the Underworld under one condition." Noriaki leaned in, the dim glow of the campfire casting a shadow on his face. "Orpheus couldn’t look at her until they were back to the land of the living.”

Taking a breath, he continued, “Of course, like most of these stories, it ends with a tragedy. Orpheus couldn’t help himself. He’d missed Eurydice so much. He just couldn’t believe that they’d be together again. And you know, it’s hard not to want to reach out towards someone you’d loved and lost. So Orpheus ended up looking back at Eurydice as they were leaving the Underworld, despite Hades’ warning."

Noriaki leaned back on his hands, tone turning nonchalant as he finished. "So Eurydice was sent back, never to return to the land of the living. Orpheus would spend the rest of his life wandering around aimlessly while playing his lyre, and no one lived happily ever after. The end."

Jotaro’s mouth twitched into a frown, “That’s stupid. If I was Orpheus, I just wouldn’t have looked back.”

“Wouldn’t you?” Noriaki inclined his head as if to say "really now?".

“No. I mean, why would I go through all that trouble just to fuck up and do the one thing I wasn’t supposed to do? What’s the point?"

“Well, it’s a story in the end.”

“Hmph, dumb story."

“It was probably a rhetorical question—” Jotaro nodded, “but the point of the story is to talk about how death is absolute. At least, that’s what I think. No matter how much Orpheus and Eurydice loved each other, love alone wasn’t enough to overcome death.”

Jotaro furrowed his brows. “But it was Orpheus’s fault.”

“Was it?" Noriaki rebutted. "Gods are supposed to be omnipotent. See, I think Hades knew that Orpheus wouldn’t be able to resist looking back, so he gave him this impossible condition to follow. He was humoring the funny little man with his pretty-sounding lyre. I mean," his hands were animated now as he spoke excitedly, "how are you just going to waltz into the realm of the god of the dead demanding your lover be brought back to life just because you miss her? Hades was never actually going to bring Eurydice back to life.”

Bringing his hands back down behind him, skin pressing into stone, Noriaki gave Jotaro a sad smile and said, “No matter how brutal it is to have someone you love ripped away, the universe doesn’t grant any favors.”

The two sat in contemplative silence. Hierophant’s tendrils shifted beneath the sand, mapping out their surroundings out of habit.

“I still wouldn’t have turned around”, Jotaro broke the silence.

“Hmm?”

Turning to face Noriaki, he continued, “I wouldn’t have turned around. Orpheus was thinking about how much he missed Eurydice. That’s why he turned around. That was his mistake.”

Noriaki tilted his head, a teasing gleam in his eyes, “You’re saying Orpheus was being selfish?”

“I’m saying he cared more about how much he missed her than actually bringing her back to life.”

“You’re telling me he deserved to be punished for missing someone?”

Jotaro sighed irritably, “I’m saying he put his wants before someone else’s needs. His feelings shouldn’t matter when someone’s life is on the line.”

Noriaki hummed. “Impressive, Jotaro. You know, Mr. Abdul told me how you locked yourself up in jail after you found out you had a Stand because you were afraid you’d hurt someone." He reached out to sweep aside a curl resting uncomfortably on Jotaro's left eye. "Something about an “evil spirit”? Did you have the same mindset when you did that?

Jotaro pulled back. “Fuck off”, he dismissed, stubbing his cigarette against the rock’s side, dropping it into the sand below. Noriaki winced as the cigarette landed on a part of Hierophant, ashes burning into their tendrils. Hierophant quickly withdrew themself.

“Shit", he breathed in sharply." Fuck, sorry.”

“You’re fine you’re fine", waving the incident away. Stifling a yawn, Noriaki closed his eyes, chin dropping. His loose curls fell against the side of his face, the red of his hair burning bright against his silhouette. Basking in the faint warmth of the fire, he spoke slowly, apologizing, “Not much I can tell you about the sky right now. I’m only really familiar with the summertime constellations.”

Pressing his face into his palm more, Jotaro stared at him, jaw tensed in quiet worry. “Kakyoin.

"Yeah?"

"Go sleep.”

“What?" Noriaki opened his eyes, sitting back up. "No, I’m fine.” Jotaro gave him a side-eye. “Dude, I’m wide awake.”

A wicked grin took over, as Noriaki pressed, “Is it that you’re tired, Jotaro? Is it past your bedtime? I know Ms. Kujo wouldn’t want her baby boy up so late—”

“Oh my god, I’m going to kick your ass”, Jotaro complained, shoving at Noriaki. There was no hiding the smile growing on his face. Noriaki’s laugh carried in the air as he pushed himself back to lean into Jotaro, the latter dissolving into silent, shaky laughter himself.

After some time, the two caught their breath. Below a sky full of stars, they sat resting against each other. Noriaki spoke gently, “Are you worried about her?”

Jotaro huffed, “Don’t ask stupid questions.”

“We’re going to win, you know. We’ll save her.” Noriaki squeezed the other’s arm, “You hear me, Jojo?”

"Yeah.” He was quieter now.

“I promise.”

Hiding below the brim of his hat, he mumbled, “Thanks, Kakyoin.”

“Do you wanna play a game?” Noriaki poked up at the hat’s brim so he could see Jotaro’s eyes again. “Let’s make up our own constellations.”

“That sounds stupid.”

“Exactly. Haven’t you ever tried to do something stupid to cope with something serious? It’ll be fun.”

Sighing, he gave in, “Fine.”

“You first?”

“What? Why? I don’t even want to pl—”

“You’re older, so you go first.”

“That’s so stupid. This is so stupid.”

“If you complain or say “stupid” one more time, I’m going to have Hierophant pour sand down your uniform.”

“You’re one evil bastard.” Noriaki grinned as if he’d just been complimented. “Fine. Okay um”, Jotaro squinted at the sky before him. “That one looks like a cat stretching.”

“Really? It looks more like a horse to me. See, its face is too long to be a cat’s.”

Jotaro sneered, “Hey, it’s my constellation. I’m the one who says what it is.”

“Okay okay!” Noriaki laughed, raising his hands in surrender. “What’s its story?

“Fuck, I don’t know. It’s just a cat. Does it have to have one?”

“It’s more fun if it does.”

“I think our definitions of “fun” are very fucking different, Kakyoin.”

“Fine! You’re taking too long anyways.” Noriaki scanned the scene before him. “That one looks like someone asking for a dance.”

“How do you even see that?”

“See? That’s his arm and it’s outstretched. He’s in a dancer's pose, and anyways, it’s my constellation. I’m the one who says—”

“You’re so annoying.”

“So I think his story is that he was this great dancer, so great that he could never find a dance partner. He always performed alone. No one could ever understand him because no one could ever keep up with him. One day, during one of his performances, he was suddenly overcome with so much grief that he danced himself to death. So now he dances in the stars.”

“That’s dark. How did he end up in the stars?”

“Even though he always felt lonely, the people around him admired him a lot. They loved to see him, even if they didn’t really understand him. So although he lived as this untouchable being, he still left a mark on his admirers’ lives. So now he dances with the stars for the whole world to see.”

“That’s depressing.”

Noriaki grumbled, “Come up with a cheerier story then.”

“I’m not good at storytelling.” After searching for a moment, Jotoro said, “That one looks like a fish.”

“No story?”

“No…but I can tell you what kind of fish it is.”

“How do you know about the kinds of fish?” Noriaki questioned curiously.

Jotaro shrugged, “I’m getting into marine biology. Anyways, we’re near the Red Sea, so I’ll say it’s a Bigeye Houndshark.”

“Why a shark?”

“I like sharks.”

“I learn something new about you every day”, Noriaki nudged him with a smile, pulling the blanket tighter around them. “One more?”

“Sure.”

“Hierophant”, Noriaki called out. Hierophant materialized before them, starting at the two. Messages seemed to pass between the Stand and their user, and, after a moment, Hierophant chirped affirmingly. Floating higher up, they unraveled themself, aligning their tendrils to match what the boys saw as the position of the stars. Jotaro blinked at Hierophant as they settled themself in, seemingly pleased with their work.

“What’s this supposed to be?”

Noriaki smiled and replied, “If I remembered it right, it’s supposed to be a map of our journey so far. See that bright star near Hierophant’s head? I recognize it. Polaris, I think. People used to use it to navigate.”

"What’s it supposed to stand for now?”

“Cairo, or our end goal in general. The story of this “constellation” is the story of our crusade, I guess.”

Jotaro stared for a moment longer, trying to think of something to say. A certain feeling tugged at his chest, and in his rush to beat it down, he was rendered speechless.

“We’re awfully close to figuring out how this story ends, don’t you think?”

Jotaro scanned the distance between Hierophant’s head to Polaris. They weren’t all that far from the end now, were they. “Yeah.”

“Are you ready?”

Their eyes met. Jotoro shook his head.

“Me neither”, Noriaki sighed as he called Hierophant back in. “We’ll get there when we get there I suppose.”

“Kakyoin.”

“Mhm?”

“We’ll win. Promise.”

Noriaki stared in surprise before softening his eyes. Smiling, he replied, “Thanks, Jojo.”

"Do you want to stay up a little longer?” It was Jotaro who pulled the blanket around them tighter this time, silently voicing his own answer.

"Please.”

"Alright.”

The campfire crackled, sharing in the warmth of its company, both asleep and awake. The Red Sea’s coast was only a few kilometers away. The group's 50 days and 50 nights were drawing to an end. Maybe no one else would witness their efforts to save the world, but the stars above have burned on longer than any human life. Joining together, they form constellations. They are the archivists of times long passed, stories mapped out in the heavens. They are the storytellers of histories long forgotten. They are the witnesses of the things that happen in the dark, hope carried through dots of light.

Make my messes matter Make this chaos count Let every little fracture in me Shatter out loud

Author’s Note

If you were wondering, the constellations they're referencing in their game are:

Monoceros

Orion

Pisces

#jojo's bizarre adventure #jojoba #jjba #stardust crusaders #jotakak #<-- cringing #jotaro kujo #kakyoin noriaki #kakyoin tenmei #kujo jotaro #jotaro #kakyoin #mywriting #jojo part 3

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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What Did Batman Do Between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises?

https://ift.tt/3cfgO0Z

The Dark Knight not so much glided back onto cinema screens in 2012 as he hobbled across them. With a scraggly, unkempt beard and a bathrobe acting as his cape, Bruce Wayne appeared more like how one imagines Christian Bale exists between gigs than Batman at the start of The Dark Knight Rises. He appeared like an invalid whose great adventures were behind him.

In retrospect, this is probably not the version of the Caped Crusader fans expected to find after The Dark Knight’s thrilling finale. At the close of what many still consider to be the high water mark for superhero movies, Batman has agreed to take on the burden of Harvey Dent’s sins, framing himself as a murderer and saving Gotham City from cynicism through a veil of lies. Yet it’s not really a sad ending. Gary Oldman’s Jim Gordon even pens a triumphant eulogy for the superhero’s fallen image. The Batman’s become “a Dark Knight.”

After the film concluded, many fans began speculating just what a third chapter of the Christopher Nolan directed and co-written Batman films would look like: the police at war with Batman? The rise of a criminal underworld of masked freaks like Joker and Batman, embracing the chaos unleashed by their fight? Maybe we’d get to see Batman tackle the Riddler, a foe almost as mentally taxing as the clown.

None of these came to pass, however, as made exceedingly clear in the first seconds of Bale’s introduction in The Dark Knight Rises. Eight years have passed in the film’s narrative since last we saw our hero, and Bruce is now disheveled and broken, haunted by ghosts while living like one in the shadows of Wayne Manor. Prior to directing Batman Begins, Nolan dreamed of making a film about Howard Hughes’ final years: the period when the millionaire aviator, film producer, and mad man succumbed to his neuroses and obsessions. Rises not so subtly revisits that iconography, with Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) even expressing disappointment over Citizen Wayne not having Hughes’ long fingernails.

To many moviegoers, particularly fans, this is apparently all Batman’s been doing for the last eight years: living like a recluse and leaving the burden of saving Gotham to the GCPD. However, given all the context clues in The Dark Knight Rises, this is hardly accurate.

Bruce Wayne’s Greatest Crusade

While Nolan’s third Batman movie begins with Bruce Wayne fully entrenched in his traumas—the loss of his parents, his murdered childhood love, Rachel Dawes, and an overwhelming sense of despair about the state of the world—he didn’t immediately hang up the cape at the end of The Dark Knight and start growing the beard. In fact, more than just obsessing over “saving Gotham,” Bruce moved on to trying to save everyone.

The timeline is never fully explained, but various scenes between Bruce Wayne, the woman who calls herself Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard), and other members of the Wayne Enterprises board reveal Bruce Wayne only gave fully into his demons about three years before the events of The Dark Knight Rises.

“You have a practiced apathy, Mr. Wayne,” Miranda says when she sees Bruce has stepped out of his cave, literally and figuratively, and is now at a charity event. “But a man who doesn’t care about the world doesn’t spend half his fortune trying to save it, and isn’t so wounded when it fails that he goes into hiding.” In another scene, she clarifies the timeline further when she tells Bruce (and thereby the audience), “Three years ago, a scientist published a paper on weaponized fusion reactions. One week later, your reactor started developing problems.”

When these details are fully considered, they paint a tragic portrait of Wayne’s isolation. In Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy, Bruce Wayne never imagined Batman to be an indefatigable superhero who valiantly fights an endless war on crime. With the filmmakers’ quest to ground their Batman in verisimilitude—which is to say make him feel real even as his exploits are far from realistic—they opted to depict the character as neither crazy or misanthropic. He did not only put on the cape to soothe his fractured psyche, and he doesn’t get his jollies from beating up the desperate poor every night… a grim implication for a “grounded” interpretation of a billionaire patrolling “dangerous neighborhoods” looking for a fight.

As Bruce tells loyal butler Alfred (Michael Caine) in Batman Begins, “[I’m coming back] as long as it takes. I’m going to show the people of Gotham their city doesn’t belong to the criminals and corrupt.” In his way, Bruce viewed the Batman as akin to a political campaign. Batman’s a symbol to galvanize the better angels of Gotham around an idea of anti-corruption and anti-organized crime reform. And like a political operator, Bruce built a network of allies and true believers to implement incremental change through the system. But as the saying goes, the road to Hell is paved in good intentions.

After several years of Batman-ing, Bruce has inspired copycat vigilantes who got themselves killed and a nihilistic anarchist who called himself Joker, a glorified terrorist who did irreparable harm to Gotham’s institutions, its morality, and the public trust. Still, Bruce Wayne had a desire to use his wealth to improve the world, and not just his own mood. Hence instead of spending “half his wealth” solely on an ego-stroking war on crime, he invested in building a clean energy fusion reactor.

While it seemed like an almost incidental plot point in 2012, the increasingly dire effects of climate change with each passing year makes the fantasy of powerful nuclear fusion ever more appealing. A nuclear fusion reactor that actually produced comparable amounts of energy to modern nuclear power plants (which run via nuclear fission) would mean a much cheaper power source, as well as one that did not have the drawbacks of nuclear fission, including dangerous radioactive material that must be disposed of for millennia, and power plants that run the risk of melting down.

In Nolan’s fantasy action movies, Wayne Enterprises spent hundreds of billions of dollars on “some save the world vanity project,” as one of Bruce’s rivals puts it. A clean, cheap, and massive nuclear fusion reactor could be a silver bullet for curbing carbon emissions around the world, and a chance to stop something far scarier than supervillains.

Yet after five years of investment, it resulted in more chaos. A scientist’s paper in a professional journal reveals Wayne’s dream machine was also a weapon in the making. Indeed, that’s exactly how Tom Hardy’s Bane uses it during the second half of The Dark Knight Rises. Like the abstract idea of Batman before it, the good intentions baked into Wayne’s nuclear fusion miracle result in more death, more destabilization, and more chaos.

The man with an obvious hero complex failed again. Only then does Bruce give up on the world and indulge his myriad traumas.

Batman Returns Off-Screen?

That is how Bruce Wayne spent five of the eight years between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. However, that doesn’t mean there was not also room for Batman. While the canonical text of the film states no one has seen Batman in eight years, there is reason to believe Bruce Wayne did not hang up the cowl on the night Harvey Dent died.

In another scene in Rises, rookie cop John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) recalls the myth that grew around the night Harvey Dent died. Blake says it was “the last confirmed sighting of the Batman [before] he then vanishes.” But confirmed is the operative word here since there are little things that don’t line up between the two movies that fit this narrative. For starters, there is the swanky Batcave sitting beneath Wayne Manor. When we first see it in the third film, finally renovated after primarily being a long lost historical site from the 1800s in Batman Begins, Bruce is perched at a bank of computers, trying to figure out the identity of Selina Kyle.

“You haven’t been down here in a long time,” Alfred says to his surrogate son. The implication is that in some earlier time, Bruce would spend days in the Batcave. Why would he if his war on organized crime was over? Why build an entire second Batsuit in the cave to complement the one he keeps hidden in his off-site location if he’s done? The answer is that he wasn’t. At least not for some months or years after the events of The Dark Knight.

The Actors Who Have Played Batman

By James Aquilone and 1 other

Movies

The Batman: Can a Superhero Movie Be Too Dark?

By David Crow

Throughout the movie, memories about the violent days after Two-Face’s death and the passage of the Dent Act abound, with all the characters describing it as a “war.” It seems plausible someone as obsessive and exacting as Bruce Wayne would want to participate. In fact, it’d be odd if he did not. Embracing hidden and more surreptitious tactics after becoming a public enemy might also explain how Batman injured his knee so badly between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises that he needs a brace to hide the limp.

It also might explain why no one bats an eye at Selina Kyle’s cat-themed costume. While no character calls the femme fatale with a heart of gold “Catwoman” in the film, she isn’t afraid of embracing the theatricality of her catlike ears either. She even hisses, “Cat got your tongue?” to a mark. The impracticality of this entire aesthetic seems inspired, at least in part, by the Batman. While there is never a line of dialogue confirming this, Hathaway and an uncharacteristically restrained Nolan rely on inference to get the point across.

Like Jim Gordon, Catwoman is given a moment to pause in what she’s doing to marvel at the television when news of Batman’s return breaks. And when she hitches a ride in the Batman’s sci-fi aircraft, she steals a glance at her surroundings when he’s not looking, smiling to herself about being in the same space as an apparent childhood hero. Indeed, Selina would’ve been a teenager during the events of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, and like perhaps so many other members of the next generation of criminals and adventurers, her imagination took flight with news reports of a man dressed as a Bat jumping off rooftops.

It returns to the theme of “escalation” from The Dark Knight, with the Joker saying to Batman, “You’ve changed things forever.” At the beginning of that film, the Bat was still fighting mobsters; by the end he was facing clowns in war paint. The transition was painful for Gotham, but no one seems to think it odd anymore for a famed cat burglar to turn her goggles into cat ears. It makes you wonder if there were any more elements of a rogue’s gallery in the interceding years before the Dent Act brought vaguely unconstitutional order?

This is admittedly speculation. And the kind which reminds us that there were stories that could’ve been told between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises that we’ll never see. It’s probably this knowledge that disappoints some fans. Before details of Rises’ plot leaked, the nascent comic book Twitter theories of the era imagined Bale’s Batman opening the movie still running from the Gotham City Police, and fighting the next war.

Instead Rises begins with the war over, and Bruce all the bitterer for it. It was a large pill to swallow for fans who dream of Batman as a crusader always ready for the next robbery, mugging, or burning building. They wanted to see Batman fighting serial killers who leave riddles, not as the Phantom of Wayne Manor, and then as a retiree who’s conquered his pain well enough to enjoy a glass of wine in Italy.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

For those disappointed, Matt Reeves’ The Batman looks poised to offer the follow-up they wanted a decade ago. But Nolan’s choice to depict a Batman who had the vision to see the big picture, and to then walk away from it, remains satisfyingly singular and whole.

The post What Did Batman Do Between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises? appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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dixielis · 5 years

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An Interesting Turn of Events [3/?]

Pairing: Jotaro Kujo x Noriaki Kakyoin Summary: There were three things Jotaro Joestar was completely certain about: One. 80’s rock was the be-all end-all of music. Two. The movie Jaws wrongly portrayed sharks as evil and blood-thirsty, and he did not stand for it at all. Three. Being an alpha while also part of the Joestar-lineage was an absolute curse. Warnings: Omegaverse with omega!Kakyoin and alpha!Jotaro A/N: Chapter 3! Just the boys being gay and playing pokémon

Read on Ao3 here: LINK

He was usually a morning person. But last night he had an unusually hard time falling asleep, his mind constantly going back to a certain omega he had met just the day before.

Jotaro didn’t understand what was wrong with him. It wasn’t like he had never spent time around another omega before. But his mind seemed to think that it was.

He let out a deep sigh as he sat up, resting his bare feet against the cool wooden floor. He tried to ignore the obvious tent in his boxers as he got up for his morning shower, in which he used considerably colder water than he normally would.

As he went downstairs after getting ready all three of his brothers were already seated around the kitchen table eating breakfast.

“Jotaro! You’re up unusually late” Jonathan commented as Jotaro poured himself an extra large cup of pitch-black coffee. Jotaro just mumbled in response, not one for small talk in the morning.

“As I was saying” Joseph continued, clearly having been interrupted by Jotaro’s entrance. “I ran into him yesterday and the dude seriously tried to make me trip me down the stairs, so I might have broken into his locker and I might have stolen a couple of bills out of his wallet”

“Joseph!” Jonathan exclaimed in a clearly unhappy tone.

“Who did you steal from?” Jotaro asked as he furrowed his brow, taking a sip of his bitter coffee as he took a seat at the table. He was not following this conversation at all.

“Our least favourite next-door neighbour. I just think of it as payback for all those stitches I had to get because of him”

“Joseph, you still shouldn’t steal from people” Jonathan tried to reason with him.

“He killed our dog”

“We don’t actually know if that was him”

The room fell silent as Joseph and Jonathan ceased their arguing. The air in the room had gotten uncomfortable at the mention of Danny, who had been killed under suspicious circumstances several years prior.

“Whatever, I’ve got an extra fifty bucks now. Who’s up for McDonalds?”

“Me!” Josuke immediately shouted out, waving his hand in Joseph’s face.

“McDonalds is for Saturdays only, Joseph”

“Shut up, Jonathan. Josuke is a growing boy, he needs the extra calories!”

“That’s right, I’m gonna end up being taller than all three of you!” Josuke claimed as he stuck his tongue out towards Jonathan teasingly.

“I hardly think that cheeseburgers will have much to do with your height, Josuke”

Jotaro stayed quiet sipping his coffee while the others argued about trivial things. Little arguments like these were common when your household consisted of four boys all on the line of reaching adulthood. Jonathan, being the oldest, had turned 19 just a couple of months back. He therefore had the most responsibility and control over what happened under their roof. That was the way it had been for the last two years, when their father had unexpectantly passed. Now it was just the four of them against the world, living in the house, borderlining on mansion, that had been left in their name.

Jotaro was pulled back from his little trip down memory lane as he noticed that Joseph was looking straight at him with questioning eyes. Jotaro quickly averted his gaze as he chugged down the last of his now lukewarm coffee.

“You seem distracted, Jotaro. Anything on your mind” Jotaro silently cursed him out as Jonathan and Josuke turned to look at him as well.

“Not really” Jotaro replied. “Just schoolwork and stuff”

“Oh! Speaking of schoolwork, I’m planning a party for tomorrow night!” Joseph exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands together.

Jotaro furrowed his brows. “What does that have to do with schoolwo-“

“Am I allowed to come?” Josuke chipped in, practically vibrating with excitement.

“No, Josuke, you’re too young for any of Joseph’s events” was Jonathan’s immediate response. Josuke pouted at him.

“Can I have double McDonalds instead then?”

“…fine”

“Works for me!” Josuke said as he stood up, moving his dishes off the table. “I’m off to school then, see you later” He was out the room before any of the others had a chance to tell him goodbye.

“Who’s coming to your party?” Jotaro asked, silently hoping that it would be one of Joseph’s smaller gatherings for once.

“Everyone of importance, and a few dozen more” Joseph replied. Jotaro’s wish for a quiet night would apparently be out of the question then.

“You two can invite some people as well if you want” Joseph looked between Jonathan and Jotaro.

“I think I’ll at least invite Will and Speedwagon over”

“I already invited Speedwagon, nobody would even come around if it wasn’t for the legend himself” Joseph rested his chin in his hands as he focused his gaze on Jotaro expectantly. “How about you Jotaro?”

Jotaro simply gave off a slight shrug. “I’m probably just gonna invite Pol and Avdol over” Joseph let out a slight hum at this.

“If Polnareff throws up on the carpet again I’m going to cry” he warned. Jotaro let out a slight snort in response.

“I’ll be sure to tell him” he answered as he got up from the table. “I’ll be going now”

“See ya”

“Don’t cause any trouble now” Jonathan warned him. Jotaro just waved him off.

He pulled on his usual coat and secured his trademark cap on the top of his head, letting a couple strands of hair poke out from underneath it.

The air was unusually cold as he stepped outside. Autumn was approaching fast and Jotaro found himself already missing the summer. He really didn’t enjoy the cold. He buried hands deep in his pockets and started making his way towards the gate.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed another person walking down the street from the corner of his eye. That blonde head of hair was unmistakably that of their next-door neighbour, Dio. But something seemed off about him today. Instead of walking the shortest route to school that he would normally take he was apparently taking a de-tour.

Jotaro decided not to ponder over this fact for very long. He should just be glad that it would be easier than usual to avoid Dio, since they were not exactly on the best of terms. Jotaro took a quick glance down at his watch. He should probably get going if he didn’t want to be late for homeroom. And the dark clouds in the distance seemed to promise rain in the near future. So he rid all his thoughts of Dio and walked off in the opposite direction.

**********

Jotaro’s first few classes, to his delight, went on uneventfully. By the time lunch came around it was pouring rain outside. He could hear a few people moan about it as he made his way towards the cafeteria, following the stream of people moving in the same direction. Jotaro decided to wait outside the hall until the crowd had thinned out. Since he was a head taller than everyone else it would still be easy enough for him to be spotted.

“Oi Jotaro!” he could hear Polnareff’s voice drift over the sea of people around him. Jotaro just watched on as Polnareff and Avdol made their way towards him.

“I guess eating on the roof will be out of the question for today. Polnareff suggested that we just be lazy and grab a table in the cafeteria” Avdol explained to Jotaro, gesturing towards the doors to said room.

“Oh” Jotaro replied, before pausing for a moment. Polnareff and Avdol looked at him expectantly.

“I won’t be able to eat with you guys today. I have other plans”

Avdol and Polnareff exchanged a quick look of slight disbelief.

“Why? What did we do? Please don’t dump us, I need more than one friend in my life” Polnareff rambled, giving Jotaro his best attempt at puppy-eyes. Their effect on Jotaro was extremely limited.

“It’s nothing like that, I just have a group assignment to work on” he quickly explained, before Polnareff would start to fake-cry or something equally embarrassing.

Avdol’s eyes narrowed slightly. “During lunchbreak? Assignments are normally worked un during class or free period”

“Yeah!” Polnareff agreed. “Using lunch break for anything other than eating should be considered a crime. You sure that you haven’t just given in to one of those omega’s wanting to go on a date and trying to cover for yourself?”

Jotaro shifted uncomfortably at Polnareff’s choice of words. It was just studies, nothing more. Even though he might have wanted it to be something more. He adjusted his hat so that it would cover more of his face, his cheeks reddening slightly.

“No. Sorry” he replied quickly. “But if you’re serious about getting a table you should probably get going”

“Just you wait until we get back, I am going to interrogate you so hard” Polnareff threatened, looking Jotaro straight in the eye.

“Jotaro is right though, let’s get going, Pol” Avdol said and grabbed a hold of Polnareff’s wrist, practically pulling him away. Jotaro could feel Polnareff’s curious gaze on him until Avdol had finally pushed him through the doorway.

Jotaro let out and audible sigh and leaned his head back towards the wall. He however didn’t get many moments of rest until he heard several voices calling out towards him. They had most likely been waiting until was completely alone.

“Jojo!”

“I’ve saved you a seat if you need it”

“Aren’t you gonna have lunch Jojo?”

Jotaro groaned as he was soon surrounded by a small group of omegas, each of them looking up at him with hopeful and hungry eyes.

“Fuck off” Jotaro replied flatly. He heard a few giggles emerge among the omegas at this as they shifted even closer. They just continued rambling on about whatever unwanted propositions they had for him today.

“Jotaro!”

Jotaro’s head snapped up as a familiar voice called out to him. Kakyoin was standing a mere few meters away, smiling hesitantly at him. Jotaro immediately found himself stepping away from the girls as he moved towards him. He could hear the disappointed murmurs coming from behind him, but he simply ignored them. He instead focused his gaze on Kakyoin, who was looking back at him, a smile still present on his lips.

“Hey” Jotaro said, burying his hands in his pockets. Kakyoin let out a slight chuckle.

“Hey. You know any place we could go work? I’m guessing the cafeteria is pretty full by now” Kakyoin tucked a piece of hair behind his ear as he spoke.

“There’s a corridor on the second floor that is usually quiet, let’s go there” Jotaro answered. He risked a quick glance behind him. The omegas were still huddled in a small group, watching their exchange intently.

“Sure thing, you mind leading the way?” Kakyoin said. Jotaro nodded, and started making his way up the nearby stairs, Kakyoin immediately falling in step beside him.

Jotaro’s mind began racing for something to say. He had always sucked at making small talk with people. And the slight feeling of nervousness that washed over him with Kakyoin so close at his side didn’t make it any easier.

“So, uh, how are you liking school so far? Since you’re new and all that”

Kakyoin seemed to ponder over the question for a moment.

“It’s pretty similar to my last one, so it’s been pretty easy to fit in. And most people have been really nice to me so that’s always a plus” Jotaro hummed lightly in acknowledgement.

“And the teachers seem to be really good as well. Apart from a couple of them or so. But that’s how it almost always is. For some reason it’s always the gym teachers that are the worst. I’m not sure why that is”

Kakyoin kept talking as they made their way down the corridor. Jotaro spotted an empty table in between two small sofas. “Let’s sit here” he said and gestured towards it.

Kakyoin stopped his rambling and looked towards the table. “Oh! Looks comfy” He gave Jotaro a slight smile.

They sat down on opposite sides of it and pulled out their lunches as well as their schoolbooks. Jotaro just had a couple of sandwiches with him, not really a fan of cooking unless it was absolutely necessary for him to do so. Kakyoin on the other hand opened up a bento box, filled to the brim with various types of dishes.

Jotaro watched as he took out a pair of chopsticks and started eating, bringing some noodles up to his lips, slurping them up loudly. Kakyoin must have noticed him staring, as he met Jotaro’s eyes momentarily, before looking down at the sandwich in Jotaro’s hands.

“Would you like to try something? It’s all really good” he offered, pushing the box a bit closer to Jotaro.

“No it’s fine” Jotaro replied, looking away.

“You sure? That sandwich doesn’t look very filling” Jotaro watched as Kakyoin picked up something with the chopsticks, bringing it towards him. “Here, try some, my mom makes the best Tamagoyaki”

“What is it exactly?” Jotaro asked, looking at the yellow roll of food being held out towards him.

“An omelette of sorts” Kakyoin replied. “Come on now, open up!”

Jotaro stared at the chopsticks in Kakyoin’s hand, now a mere few centimetres away from his face. He opened his mouth slightly, and felt as Kakyoin brought the piece of food into his mouth before withdrawing the chopsticks. Jotaro chewed slowly as he tried to keep his cheeks from turning red.

“It’s really nice” he said, adjusting his hat slightly.

“Told you!” Kakyoin smiled brightly at him. “You can have some more if you want, my mom always packs way too much for me anyways”

Jotaro shook his head slightly and tried to ignore the slight flush on his cheeks. “No, it’s fine. But thanks anyway” He decided to occupy his mind by opening one of his books and flip through it idly. From the corner of his eye he could see Kakyoin doing the same, while still shoving food into his mouth at an alarming rate.

They started going over their notes from the day before, deciding what would be relevant to bring up and what they should scrap entirely. They soon ended up with a simple draft of what still needed to be done.

“This is probably as far as we’re gonna get before we can check in with the others on Monday” Kakyoin commented. “So I say we’re done for the week”

“Yeah, I agree” Jotaro said and started cramming his books back into his bag. “I could try and find some more recourses we could use, I have a couple of books at home that might be useful”

“Go ahead if you want to, but I’m gonna take the weekend off” Kakyoin replied.

Jotaro heard a low melodic sound come from the omegas direction and he moved his eyes towards him. Kakyoin held some sort of small, handheld gaming-device in his hands, his fingers moving rapidly over the buttons. Jotaro simply observed him for a few moments. He noticed that the tip of his tongue poked out between his lips in concentration as he looked at whatever was on the screen in front of him.

“Say, Jotaro” Kakyoin started, looking up from the device to meet Jotaro’s eyes. “What do you think I should name my new Snorlax?”

“Um, your what now?” Jotaro asked, unsure if he had heard him correctly. Kakyoin turned the device around, and pointed at what looked like a big, sleeping blob on the screen.

“As in the Pokémon Snorlax. What should his name be?”

“I, uh, don’t really know anything at all about games, so I don’t know”

Kakyoin regarded him with a strange look in his eye. “You… you’ve heard of Pokémon, right Jotaro?”

Silence fell over them as Jotaro looked into Kakyoin’s wide open eyes for a moment, before slowly shaking his head. Kakyoin let out something that sounded close to a whine before he quickly stood up, moving around the table before Jotaro had even registered what was going on.

“Scoot in a bit”

Jotaro did as he was told, and Kakyoin sat down beside him.

“It’s time for you to learn a bit about one of the greatest gaming-series ever made” he said and looked at Jotaro with a slight glint in his eyes.

“Let me just name this thing real quick” Kakyoin then pushed some of the buttons in a quick succession, clearly very used to doing whatever it was he was currently doing. Jotaro watched as he put in the name ‘Lazy Fuck’ under the big, sleeping blob.

“Isn’t that a bit mean?”

Kakyoin let out a small laugh in response. “It’s true though” Jotaro watched as text flashed across the small screen in a quick rate that he was unable to keep up with. Kakyoin kept pressing the buttons for a couple more moments before he shifted closer towards Jotaro, their bodies getting tightly pressed up against each other.

“I’ve started a new game for you. We’re just gonna skip the story-parts, what we want is to catch all the Pokémon”

“Why?”

“That’s the whole point of the game! Look” Kakyoin shoved the device closer to Jotaro’s face. “Pick one of these little guys”

“I, uh” Jotaro stammered slightly as he looked at the three small, brightly coloured blobs at the screen. “The blue thingy”

“Squirtle it is then!” Kakyoin said, as he pushed a button. “What do you want to name him?” he paused and looked up at Jotaro expectantly, his violet eyes sparkling.

“…Blue?” Jotaro replied uncertainty. Kakyoin let out an audible snort but gave him another bright smile.

“Sure thing, Blue it is”

Ten minutes or so later, Jotaro decided that he didn’t mind this Pokémon-thing too much. He and Kakyoin took turns naming everything they caught. Jotaro’s usually ended up being named after whatever colour they were or what animal they looked like. Kakyoin would instead name his after obscure pop-culture references that Jotaro only got about half of the time.

Kakyoin passed him the device when they managed to capture their next Pokémon. Jotaro thought for a few moments about what to name him, before deciding to simply call him ‘Kakyoin’.

“Wait, why are you naming him that?” Kakyoin asked him, as Jotaro gave the controller back.

Jotaro shrugged. “He kind of looks like your little hair strand” he replied and poked gently at the long, wavy piece of hair framing Kakyoin’s face. He didn’t miss the way Kakyoin’s cheeks flushed slightly at the contact.

“My hair does not look like a Slugma, Jotaro!” Kakyoin cried out and slapped him lightly on the shoulder, while clearly fighting to hold back a smile.

“It’s true though, same colour and everything” Jotaro said back, also trying to keep his expression serious, but failing miserably at it. Kakyoin wagged his finger at him.

“Just you wait, I’m gonna get you back for that” he warned, before his face shone up in the wide grin that he had been trying to hide earlier. Jotaro could feel his heart skip a beat.

He then realized how close to each other they were sitting, with both their arms and their legs pressed up against each other. He could smell the various scents coming off Kakyoin without even the slightest of trouble. He smelled kind of fruity, and sweet, but not overly so. With an underlying scent of comfort. Of warmth. The omega was clearly relaxed around him, which translated into his scent as well. It made Jotaro want to lean forward just a bit more and bury his face in his neck.

But he wouldn’t do that. Because he wasn’t a creep.

“Hey, Jo-otaro!”

Both Jotaro and Kakyoin quickly turned around when they heard the loud voice coming from behind them. Jotaro groaned internally as he watched Polnareff and Avdol walk towards them. Avdol was looking between the two of them, clearly wondering why they were seated so close together. Jotaro found himself leaning away slightly.

Polnareff had a twinkle in his eyes that Jotaro didn’t like one bit, since it usually meant that he was up to no good.

“Who is your friend here?” the Frenchman asked curiously as the two of them reached the table.

“I’m Noriaki Kakyoin, it is nice to meet you” Kakyoin said with a polite smile, his eyes jumping between the two men.

“Hey, how does your hair do that? It kinda looks like a noodle” Avdol elbowed Polnareff hard in his ribs and he quickly continued “in a good way, of course!”

“Regular perms and a lot of willpower” Kakyoin answered with a laugh. “And I guess it kind of does look a bit like a noodle”

“Sorry for my friend here, he doesn’t mean to be rude, that’s just how he always is. I’m Muhammad Avdol, and this is Jean Pierre Polnareff” Avdol said with a polite smile as he gestured between the two of them.

“I thought you were going to do schoolwork, Jotaro?” Polnareff asked as he looked down at the game still open and running in Kakyoin’s hands.

“We’re done for the day already” Jotaro replied curtly, as Kakyoin quickly put aside the device. Jotaro saw Polnareff and Avdol share a thoughtful look before turning their attention back towards the pair on the sofa.

“Jotaro apparently knows nothing about Pokémon, so I thought I would teach him the basics” Avdol let out a brisk laugh at Kakyoin’s words.

“Jotaro sure is hopeless when it comes to anything that doesn’t live in the sea” He said in agreement. Kakyoin let out a slight chuckle as well.

“You want anything?” Jotaro asked abruptly, narrowing his eyes at Avdol.

“We were just going to check if you wanted to walk to class together, break will be over in ten minutes”

“It’s fine. You guys go ahead” Jotaro answered them. Polnareff cocked his head slightly to the side. Avdol just gives him a slight smirk, like he knew something that he shouldn’t.

“Mind if we join you-“

“We should get going then!” Avdol exclaimed, drowning out Polnareff’s half formed question. He then grabbed a hold of Polnareff’s shoulders, starting to push him away from the scene. Polnareff gave Jotaro a disappointed glance, before Avdol kicked at his heel to get him to get a move on.

“See you later, Kakyoin!” Polnareff yelled as he was pushed away, his hand emerging over Avdol’s shoulder to wave towards them. Kakyoin just let out a slight laugh and waved back towards him.

“Your friends seem nice” he said as he gave Jotaro a genuine smile. Jotaro nodded.

“They’re a little annoying at times, but they’re good people” he responded, meeting Kakyoin’s eyes for a moment. Kakyoin moved to grab a hold of his gaming device again, flipping the screen open. He shifted slightly so that Jotaro could observe what he was doing. They stayed in a comfortable silence for a minute, before Jotaro cleared his throat. Kakyoin looked over at him expectantly.

“So” he begun, keeping his eyes focused on the tiny screen on Kakyoin’s handheld device. His mouth felt dry as he tried to form the question he wanted to ask.

“My brother is having a party at our house tomorrow night. They can get a bit noisy and… out of hand, but they are usually still really nice” Jotaro paused for a second.

“You could come over if you want?” it came out more as a question than an invitation. Jotaro finally met Kakyoin’s gaze, his eyes practically glowing.

“I’d love to”

Jotaro’s heart sped up. That had gone a lot smoother than he had thought it would. As Jotaro told him the details of the part Kakyoin quickly scribbled down his address in his notebook. Just as he finished the bell rang.

“I guess we should get moving” Kakyoin said. The heat from his body being pressed up against Jotaro’s suddenly left as he stood up. Jotaro immediately found himself missing the warmth.

They quickly said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Jotaro couldn’t help but watch as Kakyoin turned the corner, only to find him looking back at him as well. Kakyoin gave him a discrete wave and a slight tug of his lips, before he walked out of his line of sight. Jotaro turned back around and tried to remember where he was and where he was going, his mind suddenly feeling all muddled.

Jotaro realized that he was falling for Kakyoin.

And he was falling hard.

#Jotaro x Kakyoin #jotakak #JJBA #fanfiction #omegaverse #my fics #AITOE

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rookisaknight · 5 years

Text

Who Knows What the Next Half Hour, Forty-Five Minutes Hold- A Sharky x Deputy fic

Guess who finally finished that meet cute ideaaaaaa. So this got long enough that I’m actually gonna put it on AO3 as well because I’m an attention hungry bitch. This is set pre-game events (like, a couple months before), and is a gender neutral Deputy because, in the words of a great man, “I don’t wanna go assumin nobody gender”

Fic Summary: You don’t expect your luck to turn around via getting caught trying to light a squad car on fire. But then, weirder things have happened for Sharky.

Word Count: 3721

They hadn’t invented a curse word good enough for the kind of day Charlemagne “Sharky” Boshaw the IV was having. Not that this was stopping him from cycling through a few choice ones, trying to find one who’s mouthfeel and vitriol would encompass the capital B Bullshit he was putting up with today.

First off, waking up in a drunk tank was never a good way to start the morning. Especially not with that shithead Pratt, who’d lately taken to amusing himself by waking up the nightly collection of hedonists with decidedly non-regulation use of the prison’s speaker system. The only thing worse than waking up with a blistering headache and a knot in your back is having it happen to the tune of “Chicken Fried” at 120 decibels.

“Fuck, dude, I should kill ya for bad taste if nothin else!” He had tried to scream over the fuckin acoustic strumming. Pratt had just snickered, handing a coffee mug to his P.O., who looked just as amused by the whole scenario.

It was only after he’d shouted himself hoarse that Pratt finally agreed to give him his phone call. Voice squeaking with dehydration and overuse, he’d by some miracle got Hurk on the phone and tried to talk him into bailing him out. Problem was, Hurk was (as per fuckin usual) short on cash. The old man was also piss drunk mad at him (once again, usual), but he thought maybe Addie might be in a good enough mood to chuck a little his way. The thought of Aunt Adelaide had momentarily perked him up until he realized that if Hurk couldn’t get the money from her, he was gonna have to be able to talk to Hurk again to sort things out. And given how absolutely certain he was that Staci was going to shove the “one-phone-call-only” stick up his ass in a few minutes......that meant he was gonna have to stay on the line.

He spent the better part of two hours, head pounding, mouth only getting dryer as he listened to Hurk putter around looking for his keys, getting continually distracted, finally getting in the fuckin truck and driving up to the Marina, only to discover the reason Addie had seemed so good-tempered in her response to her only son’s good morning text is that, judging by what Sharky could hear over the tinny reception, she and Xander were....busy.

What followed was a three way screaming match of Addie yelling at Hurk to get the hell out, Sharky yelling at Hurk to stay the hell there, and Hurk yelling their responses back and forth across the phoneline.

Finally Xander tossed his wallet at Hurk in an effort to make him leave (“he seemed real excited about this harness thing Mama was fussin with, I dunno”), and after paying off his bail, slipping an extra fifty to keep his P.O happy, and begging a ride home, Sharky was more than ready to take some aspirin, find a six pack, and wash off last night’s hangover with a tonight’s beer.

No such luck. His truck had been impounded after last night’s little misadventure. And he felt his heart sink into the holes in his socks when he saw the big black Eden’s Gate cross in the window of the only liquor store in walking distance

“MotherFUCKINGdamnit not you too!”

Had he lost his temper a bit? Sure. Did he expect the windows to still be alarmed? No. But, he thought to himself as he beat feet into the woods before any cops could pick up on it, Eden’s Gate had only themselves to blame for it! Wasn’t enough that they had to get half of Holland Valley so all-fired on chastity that he couldn’t move without getting a pamphlet on lust shoved up his nose and down his pants, now they had to deprive him of his well-earned booze too!

Like most residents of Hope County he didn’t know what the hell the cops were playing at letting the Peggies keep running as they did. Sure, John Seed and Faith were running spin so well it made carousels jealous, but it was the state’s worst kept secret that the recent rash of disappearances could be pretty easily traced to them. Not to mention the scars most of their members were sporting....Hell, maybe he should recommend Pratt to the evangelists that came knocking through his trailer park early each Sunday.

.....No. No he wouldn’t. Jackass though he was....well. From the stories Sharky’d heard and the bits and pieces he’d seen for himself, he wouldn’t wish that on anyone’s head.

Still, he felt irritated. Frustration building inside him like a pressure cooker as he shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets, feeling his feet unconsciously make tracks for the ruins of the old roller derby. He needed to cool off.

People made the mistake of looking at him alongside Hurk and assuming he was just as mellow. He wasn’t. Sure, the weed and the beers kept him nice and chilled out, usually, but without a substance in his hands he was at the mercy of the spastic energy that was always cooped up in his body. He needed to...shit. Hit something maybe? Prank calls?

No.....no he knew this feeling.

He needed to burn something.

He fished the lighter out of his pocket, sending up a quick thank you that Pratt hadn’t taken it off him. He was running low on them with the new P.O sticking his nose into every nook and cranny to squirrel out contraband. Something about enablement and all the other bullshit his court-appointed therapist liked to recite to him in their bi-monthly sessions.

With a huff, he leaned against a tree, flicking it on and off again. Trying to lose himself in the little bright patch of flame. Sometimes this would at least take the edge off. Today, though? He was gonna need a lot more than a measly little two buck zippo.

His options were limited. Normally in a case like this he’d go for a campfire but it was the dry season and any smoke was certain to have those smarmy pricks from the fire department up his ass. He flicked the lighter a few more times, hoping maybe it’d concur with a lightbulb moment and he could have that dramatic satisfaction.

Out of the corner of his eye he suddenly saw a gleam of white aluminum.

He glanced over and instinctively dove behind the tree once he realized what it was. Police cruiser. Of all the days....He observed it cautiously before slowly emerging. Didn’t look like anyone was there. Keys weren’t even in.

He’d gotten acquainted enough with most of the police vehicles in town to know this one was Pratt’s chosen steed. You could tell by the number of air-fresheners he kept in there: one of his tricks he insisted made chicks feel more at home in a car.

(Not like Sharky’d tried that or anything. And even if he had, the lingering odors were finally coming out of the upholstery after the fourth wash. “Stripper smell” his ass....)

Most importantly, though, like most people around here, Pratt didn’t lock his doors....

Sharky’s lightbulbs usually took a while to kick on but this one seemed to burn a few watts brighter than most.

He took a quick check of the surrounding woods. Long practice had taught him what made for good kindling and what didn’t. It was pretty much the only thing he’d kept from a few frustrating years in 4H, aside from a couple of hoofshaped bruises on his arms and a healthy fear of pigs.

And that was the moment when he realized all the bullshit of the day had been leading him to this single, perfect, shining moment. Because right there, nested amongst a beautiful layer of crisp pine needles and perfectly dried out branches....was chamerion angustifolium.

More commonly known as fireweed.

He moved fast as he could, carefully laying the groundwork in the backseat of the cruise, setting it up with the savoir-faire of a practiced artist. The finished product damn near brought a tear to his eye. He couldn’t resist taking a picture, moving it to a hidden folder reserved for porn and particularly nice stills from period piece movies.

He’d just found some clubmoss and was debating whether or not he had the time, scraping the fine powder off the stalks and into the center of the tinder...

“I didn’t find anyone”

The voice jerked him out of his reverie and his head snapped up.

“Yeah, me either.” Said a tired voice. Wait, he knew that one.....Deputy Hudson?

He slowly poked his head around. Yeah, Hudson alright, stomping through the woods, looking her usual vaguely tired/irritated self. She was talking to a figure he didn’t recognize (and Sharky flattered himself that he was pretty familiar with the figures of Hope County).

Shit. Should he run?

“Should we call it in?” they were saying, hand reaching for the radio clipped to their belt.

Hudson sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I dunno. Lot of trouble to go to over a busted window. Specially when there wasn’t anyone in there.”

Fuck shiiiiit they were looking for him then. He thought about bolting, but.....he looked at the kindling. There was no way this wouldn’t point back to him. He raised his hand to smash it but it was like asking Leonardo to smash the Mona Lisa. Or was is Raphael? One of the turtles...

“Still, it is Eden’s Gate property now....will that be a problem?”

“It will be. Question is, if we care or not.”

The stranger looked down, biting their lip. Hudson seemed to notice and snorted. “Right. Look, I know they seem intimidating but if the department went into a frenzy everytime somethin happened that Joseph Seed didn’t like then we’d never stop frenzy.....ing.” She grimaced a bit at how the sentence ended.

“So what should we do.”

They were too close, if he bolted now they’d see him run.

“Tell ya what.” She came to a halt. “We’ll do a last sweep. If we don’t find anything we’ll call it a day. Tell Seed it was a big bird or something.”

“You’re sure?”

“Trust me, Rook, the sheriff won’t care and I don’t wanna be out here any longer than I have to be. You go left, I’ll go right, we meet back in ten minutes. Sound good?”

He let out a slow sigh of relief. They’d leave, he’d (carefully) dismantle the pile, and he’d be gone. No point doing it if Pratt wasn’t gonna suffer the consequences. He started to slowly rise to his feet.

“Alright, see you the-”

Several things happened in the span of a few seconds.

One. Sharky remembered the sleeve of his hoodie was a bad place to keep his lighter. He remembered this as he watched it topple out.

Two. his instincts kicked in and he snatched at it, catching it just as it hit the pile of spores. The contact of his hand made them fly into the air in a puff.

Three.

His thumb caught the sparkwheel.

He felt a sharp pain in his right hand that caused him to scramble backwards as his eyes were blinded by a bright flash. He felt his facial hair singe and a wall of heat on his face, and heard distant cursing.

Long experience had gotten him used to being blinded, and his vision recovered quickly. Quick enough to see the minor explosion evaporate out of the air, catching the tinder just as it faded away.

His ears were ringing and he didn’t hear them running towards the car, but he sure as shit felt it when the stranger cop tackled him to the ground. Hudson followed close behind, cursing loudly and hurriedly using the jacket to stifle the flames that were steadily eating through the upholstery.

“Who the hell are you?!” the stranger said, grabbing the front of his hoodie and pulling him up to look at them.

“uh.....Jimmy Buffet?” He said stupidly, mildly dazed. Didn’t help that this stranger had a pretty ass pair of eyes. Or maybe that was just the shock talking.

Hudson finally managed to choke out the fire, backing off and taking a deep breath before taking a look at the culprit.

“.....Boshaw?!”

What mirror had he broken

“You know him.”

“Ohhhh I know him.” Hudson straightened off, looking torn between anger and mild amusement. “The local serial arsonist. Thought Pratt had you drying out in the tank?”

“I wanna lawyer” He groaned.

“Yeah, yeah. Get off him, Rook, contrary to appearances, he isn’t dangerous. Just stupid.”

The stranger (Rook? Rookie? A last name? Who knew) clambered off him, looking slightly sheepish at having gone full Rambo for no apparent reason. “What should we do.”

“What you’re gonna do.” Hudson said, hauling him to his feet. “Is start the car and make sure it still runs.”

“Aw, c’mon, this aint necessary-” Even as he protested, out of long habit he assumed the position against the cruiser, wrists moving into position for easy cuffing.

“No, but it sure is fun” Hudson said, snapping them on. Loose. Which was almost more humiliating, and not in the fun way either.

The car turned on as normal.

“Well. Guess we don’t have to add ‘vehicle replacement’ to your list of fines.”

“I didn’t put nothin in the dash! I’m not tryin to kill anybody, just deal with some highly justifiable frustration-”

“You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be held against you in court of law.” Hudson said quickly, cutting across his excuses as she forced him into the passenger side of the cruiser. “Rook, take him into the station, Pratt’ll know what to do. I’m gonna radio the Sheriff and let him know we found the window perp.”

“Hey, you got no evidence that was me!” He protested. “Just cause I happen to be in the same area as a liquor store doesn’t mean I’m-”

“How’d you know it was a liquor store.”

“........hey can we have a mulligan on the ‘right to remain silent’ thing-”

Hudson rolled her eyes. “Knowing Earl he’s gonna wanna come up himself and make sure the report’s in order. I’ll catch a lift back with him.”

“Got it.” Rook said, climbing into the driver’s seat. “See you at the station.”

They put it into drive and pulled out.

Sharky tried remaining in sullen silence but that was bound to last all of two minutes. His foot jiggled restlessly as he started racing through his options.

“Hey! You have any idea how serious this is?” they snapped, glaring at him. “What the hell were you trying to do?”

“Not talkin till I get a lawyer.”

“That ship’s kinda sailed don’t ya think? What the hell did you do, pour gasoline on the seats? An explosion that big, you’re lucky it didn’t destroy the car and take you out with it-”

“Its clubmoss”

“.....what?”

“Its clubmoss!” He said, snapping a bit more than he would’ve normally liked. But damn it, dude, this was the one area where he actually knew what the fuck he was talking about! Actin like Sharky Boshaw didn’t know exactly how much havoc he was wreaking was an insult to his professionalism. “Its basically plant flashbang.”

“What do you....”

“Here, just-” He slipped out of the cuffs easily enough, and ignoring their sputtering protests, he reached into the backseat and scraped up a handful of the green powder that hadn’t burned off in the explosion. “Slow the car down”

“I’m not gonna-...you-”

“I’m not gonna run. Not lookin to get tackled again.”

“....” Curiosity got the better of them and he felt the car slow to a crawl.

He rolled down the window, tossed the powder in the air, and in the same moment sparked his lighter. A burst of flame, much smaller than the last but burning out just as quick, appeared and disappeared, making Rook yelp.

“Clubmoss spores are chockful of lycopodium powder. They use it in movies and shit for special effects, the stuff doesn’t last long enough to cause real damage and won’t light unless it’s in the air.” He rolled back up the window, absently slipping the handcuffs back on. “Found that out from a behind the scenes featurette on this old bible movie from the church basement. Used to watch it a lot for the scene where God tossed down fire on the Egyptians or whoever. That is uh.....until the pastor confiscated it. Turns out the church basement still qualifies as holy ground and popping a boner anywhere on holy ground ain’t exactly considered kosher.”

.....Judging by the look on their face? Probably should have stopped after “behind the scenes featurette”

“So you’re a uh....special kind of crazy huh.”

“....The technical term is serial arsonist” He muttered, turning away with a flush.

“Well.....its a cool party trick at least.”

“Its-” Wait....wait, were they smiling?! Cops could smile at something that wasn’t the pain of others? Didn’t that violate some kind of code?

“Gotta say, if I were you I would’ve left the handcuffs off.” They turned onto the main road.

“Uh....” Shit, they really were cute. Or maybe that was the 6 months dry spell talking. “...gonna be honest, I don’t recall puttin em back on.” Cmon, cmon, think of something sexy to say. “Probably cause of uh...how used I am to being in handcuffs. For pleasurable reasons. I associate handcuffs with very....very good moments.” Nailed it.

“Well, given how much time Pratt says you’ve spent in holding cells I guess some of those memories have to be pleasant.”

Unnailed.

“So why’d you break the window?”

“What window.” He said instinctively. The Deputy gave him a Look and he shrugged. “.....look, I understand, freedom of religion and all that shit, but comin between a man and his liquor store has to qualify for some kind of offense, right?”

They snorted. “Well. Not that I don’t sympathize but I don’t know how well a judge is gonna take to that line of reasoning.”

“Wait, a judge? I don’t....look, we don’t need to take it that far-”

“Its probably what’s gonna happen. Those Peggies.....” their voice trailed off. Unsure how much shit-talking they could do in uniform. “Never seen a group so eager to press charges.”

Sharky groaned. “You gotta be fuckin....Officer, come on, I can’t do another couple months in prison. You know how boring it is in there? I mean, sure, the first few days are fine, you get to catch up with everyone, but after that you realize you’re gonna have to get used to watching all these guys take a piss for the next few months and it gets old real fast.”

“Its not really my call.”

“Its not like I even hurt anybody” This time. “Just a little reupholstering job, hell, I’ll stitch the damn seat cover myself-”

“I’m sorry but....I don’t think there’s anything I can do”

They sounded genuinely sympathetic, something he wasn’t used to from law enforcement. Maybe this one really did have a human side after all...

.....Well. Looked like the day had finally come that Sharky had been waiting for his whole life. He leaned back, pulling off his hat and running a hand through his hair a few times and trying to get a look at himself in the rearview mirror. Alright, so he wasn’t exactly Ryan Gosling, but this wasn’t the worst he’d ever looked...

“I mean uh...” He let his voice drop about a half octave and leaned into the hoarseness to go for that rougher quality. “If you want...I could find a way to make it worth your whILE”

His voice squeaked. Cracked like it hadn’t since early puberty.

A deathly silence settled over the car.

And then the deputy erupted in laughter.

Loud, long laughter, making their shoulders shake as they bent over the wheel. Gasping for air, they were forced to put the car in park just to keep them from driving off the road. Practically screaming with it.

“Alright, alright” He muttered, shoving his hat back on as his face went bright red. “I can take a hint”

They pounded the dash. “Y-you-....you-!” Tears were streaming down their face as they snorted helplessly. And despite the humiliation of the scenario....it was infectious enough to make him crack unwittingly into a grin.

Eh, what the hell, longer it took them to recover, longer he was out of prison.

“What’s so fuNNY” He said, forcing the crack again, which reinvigorated the laughing.

“Stop, stop, I-I’m gonna puke” They gasped out, choking a bit.

Sharky patted their back. “Sooo that’s a no I’m guessin.”

They shook their head, grinning ear to ear and straightening up as they caught their breath. “Get going.”

“What?”

“Go. Leave the handcuffs. I’ll make up some excuse.”

“....you’re serious?” His eyes widened. “Please, fuck, be serious, Staci let me get like 20 feet before hitting me with a taser in the back and let me tell you that think hurts like a bit-”

“You’ve been punished enough today, I think. And we’ve got actual threats to deal with these days.” They pulled off a key from the ring and handed it to him. “No offense.”

“....I mean, ok, a little offense normally, but given the circumstances, none taken” He unlocked the cuffs quickly and shot out of the car before they could change their mind.

“Hey, Boshaw!”

“Uhhh.....you can call me Sharky. Sounds a bit more normal.” He turned back to look at them.

They smiled. “Sharky then. Honey in tea is gonna help that voice of yours a lot more than beer. And try not to burn the forest down on the way.”

“Can do ma’-...si-....officer!” He waved and ran off fast as he could. He heard their laughter echoing a bit as the car pulled off.

.....Maybe it might be worth sticking on the right side of the law for a couple weeks, at least.

Or maybe not. How the hell else was he gonna see them again?

#far cry 5 #fc5 #far cry deputy #we all know its canon staci was kind of an asshole before the game #so i rode that #staci pratt #joey hudson #sharky boshaw #sharky boshaw x deputy #sharky x dep #far cry rook #deputy x sharky #hurk drubman jr #adelaide drubman

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theloversofmrsunshine · 5 years

Text

The Better Ending, pt 10

This chapter is for those we miss, cherish, and love with all of our hearts. For those that left us too soon. For those who took with them a piece of us all.

If tears could build a stairway

And memories a lane;

I’d walk right up to heaven,

And bring you home again.

-Author Unknown

Stairway to Heaven

It’s a fine day in Heaven, with the entirety of their population out and roaming in gay groups. The women huddle about like flocks, wearing beautiful silken dresses. The men strut mostly in pairs, discussing some matter or another in low voices. Huijin had found the entire thing ridiculous. Though abundant, the many enjoyments of Heaven had worn thin on her nerves within the first few years. An eternity here for her service to her family and her country feels rather more like torture. Her only enjoyments are the multitude of beautiful dogs in this place, but even their charms have limits for a woman like Huijin.

Then one day, one of the faeries had taken pity on her and shown her a very strange, yet magical mirror. Placed deep in the heart of The Emperor’s rose garden, it was not an easy place to access. Only thanks to her status as a hero was she even able to set foot in this place. This mirror, if awakened by the proper incantation and emotion, could become a window through which she could observe those she left behind. Huijin had almost no family, but there was one face she dearly missed. Ever since Aeshin was about five years of age, Huijin had taken to watching over her daughter. Gasping in delight whenever Aeshin discovered something new, cringing in horror when Aeshin was ever in danger. Laughing when her daughter suddenly made a face of angry surprise which reminded her so much of her husband. Her daughter was her only source of amusement and comfort in this sterile, sad Heaven she did not feel she belonged in.

“Now, wife, you can’t stay here all the time,” comes a voice, as Sangwan walks through the gateway that leads into the gardens. Her husband is stunning in his cream suit, his hair swept neatly back. In such a traditional setting, his more modern clothes set him jarringly apart. But Sangwan had never been interested in playing by anyone’s rules. Even as he scolds her, he’s smiling, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

“Says who?” she challenges, even as she holds his hand and turns her head to kiss his chin. He nuzzles her shamelessly, smiling, as he looks into the face of his now grown daughter.

“Has it really been seventeen years?” he asks, watching his daughter as she reads and faithfully copies down the words of Confucius. It brings back memories, as his father used to punish him in a similar manner when he had been fifteen and wild.

Huijin nods, smiling widely and proudly at her daughter. “Isn’t she beautiful?” Then her mouth turns down and she glowers. “She’s been working on Confucius for four days now. Must father-in-law really be so harsh?”

Sangwan hums in amusement, wondering if perhaps the old man had been growing soft. “He used to punish me with two authors at a time. I once spent ten days copying the texts my father mandated. My handwriting was practically squiggles by the end. Father had to bite his cheeks to keep from laughing.”

His wife doesn’t seem to find the same humor in the situation as he did. Her daughter is too precious to spend such prolonged periods of time on the classics merely because she wanted to stay informed in the modern happenings of the world. Her father-in-law is going overboard. She wonders if she could request special permission to haunt his dreams or something. He is going to get an earful from her!

“Do stay calm, dearest,” Sangwan persuades, helping his wife to her feet. “Let’s go have a meal, shall we?” The couple walks back to the merry streets of the Jade Kingdom, arguing all the way.

Joseph smiles as he walks about, enjoying his time in this place greatly. There is a mix of so many people, all of them friendly. They shout in greeting as they pass, walking or astride gorgeous mounts. Dogs abound, wagging their tails and weaving among the crowds with practiced ease. Their coats are shiny and glossy; all of them looking healthy and well cared for, despite seeming strays. Though there are places to eat, none of them accept any currency, as far as Joseph can tell. He’s almost sure this is Heaven, though he’s not convinced he’s in the right one. From what the Bible told, Heaven would be very different from this.

He’s not sure how different, but he’s pretty sure he might have landed in the wrong one. The dogs check out, but the people around him don’t seem to be believers of his faith. Could there have been a mix-up? He woke up here, but perhaps he somehow got lost from where he should have been?

He strolls along the streets and finds a bar. Though most religious men of his faith don’t drink alcohol, the people of Joseon had enlightened him to the wonders of alcohol, if consumed responsibly. Joseph doesn’t think that alcohol consumed in Heaven even counts. He takes a seat and clumsily asks for a drink. The lady taking orders nods amiably, recognizing the blond foreigner. Despite the fact that his Korean is still rather poor, the people seem to find him charming. He’s seen quite a few other foreigners around, but no Europeans or Americans in this place. Very few people here speak English, so Joseph gets by with the language skills he learned while stationed in Joseon.

“Hey, there, Father,” a lilting voice says from a neighboring table. “You ought not drink alone.”

Joseph looks up to find a handsome man dressed in Western clothing. His cream colored suit is stunning, accented by the blue handkerchief on his chest pocket, blue tie and the black oxford shoes. He is clearly of Asian descent, but he dresses like a European gentleman. The man stands, bringing his own cup and bottle of rice wine with him. He sets both on Joseph’s table, smiling widely.

“You look a little foreign for these parts, I presume you’re just visiting?” the man asks, filling Josephs cup with his own liquor once the restaurant lady brings both a new cup and bottle.

Joseph is rather used to how the people of Joseon tend to infringe on other people’s personal space. It’s been a while, but he doesn’t mind the behavior. It helps him feel welcomed. “Perhaps an introduction would be more in order? My name is Joseph. And you are?”

The man grins and holds out his right hand, clearly knowledgeable about foreigners and their ways. It’s not lost on Joseph that most of the people in this place are ignorant. It’s been dawning on him he’s basically surrounded by people long since dead. It would explain the disconnect; most of these people don’t even know America even exists. This young man, however, is obviously in the know. “My name’s Go Sangwan,” he says and they shake hands.

There is no true night or day in Heaven, but the eternal twilight of the place seems to vary between bright and gloomy. As the gloom grows and darkens, Joseph and Sangwan drink. They chat and munch on snacks, enjoying each other’s company. The drinks have warmed Joseph enough that he can finally answer Sangwan’s initial question with some semblance of honesty.

“I don’t quite know what I’m doing here,” he confesses, smiling. “Last I knew, I had a letter from the Emperor to deliver, then an explosion of pain… and nothing else.”

The man sitting before him clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “Aye, you’ve been labeled a hero, then.” He laughs, slapping his thigh. “Here my wife and I thought we were the only ones in at least thirty years to end up here on heroism, but alas, it is what it is.”

Joseph, intrigued, leans forward. Glad to find a listener, Sangwan tells tales of his and his wife’s many dutiful sacrifices for the crown of Joseon. Their love for freedom and devotion to their country is what landed them here, after all. They still haven’t been given the possibility of rebirth, but that is out of their hands, really. Sangwan doesn’t worry too much, anyway. His wife clearly wants to wait this century out. She’d much rather keep an eye on their daughter than be reborn and forget Aeshin. Especially since their little apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. A rebel daughter is bad for their health, he tells Joseph. Joseph looks on thoughtfully, before finally chiming in.

“You must love your daughter very much,” he says softly, smiling. Sangwan stops for a moment, reading between the lines.

“I see you had a child, too,” he says, confused. “I thought men of the cloth weren’t allowed to have families.”

Joseph laughs, shaking his head. “My son was adopted. I found him… or perhaps, it is more accurate to say he found me. He was my greatest joy, though I could not give him all that I wished I could.”

Sangwan clears his throat, looking skyward. “That is popular among us who die young, I’m afraid. I wish I could have done so much more for my daughter, as well.”

They drink to their mutual feelings of paternal love, before a female voice interrupts them.

“Husband! You’ll never guess what has happened! This is incredible!” Huijin comes running across the street, heedless of the people jumping out of her path. She slams both hands on the table, smiling widely. “Our daughter and that Marine, oh, I do love them together! That Eugene is the perfect man, you must see him!”

She pauses for breath, and finally notices his companion. “Oh; my apologies. I hope I haven’t interrupted anything important.”

Joseph is staring at this somewhat wild, but beautiful apparition who seems to have come up from nowhere. Then, as his mind registers her words, he abruptly stands up. “I apologize, but did you say Eugene… as in Eugene Choi?”

Floundering, Huijin nods mutely, before putting both hands on her face. “Don’t tell me… you’re his adoptive father. The one who…” Her grimace of pain and understanding has Joseph realizing that this woman had truly spoken of his son. His son!

“My boy! You have seen him? How is he? Is he alright? Can I see him?” His flurry of questions come in both English and Korean, startling the couple. Huijin’s expressions grows smooth with clarity, and she gestures for him to come along. Sangwan follows after them, shouting his gratitude at the bar lady. As they walk, Huijin tells Joseph all that she has seen of his son. When Eugene and her daughter met, aiming weapons at each other. Their first dialogue, their second meeting, and so on. How they went from almost-enemies, to allies and now, to lovers. Joseph cries as he hears how his son shot himself in the arm for the sake of protecting his lady, spending the night in jail despite his injuries. He smiles at how clumsy Eugene is in his attempts to woo the lady. Huijin tells him of how her daughter had prayed for him to be lead to Heaven, despite their differing religions. Huijin offers a handkerchief for his tears, before gesturing toward the maze of roses that stand between them and the mirror.

“I cannot lead you,” Huijin explain, gesturing for him to go ahead. “If the Heavens permit, you will find it.” Sangwan joins his wife, smiling at his friend.

“Don’t worry and just follow your heart,” he advises. “We’ll see you at the mirror, Father.”

Joseph walks in, casting his gaze about this beautiful, but confusing rose garden. Everything looks exactly the same. He pauses for a moment, and sends a prayer to God. Opening his eyes, he walks swiftly and with determination. It doesn’t take long for him to get lost among the maze of beautiful roses. There are myriads of them, a beautiful collage of red and pink. Among them, he finds a white blossom, gorgeous in her solitude. Joseph walks toward it, gently touching its petals. She is fragrant and large, a lovely specimen. He commends it for its beauty, pauses, and follows the path she lies on. After a few meters, he finds another white blossom, then another… and another. As he follows their lead, the white roses behind him quietly and simply lose their petals and die.

Joseph walks for what feel like hours, panting and wondering if there is water in this garden. Just as he considers trying to find his way back, he sees a shimmer of light. Following the glow, he comes upon a gazebo, where Sangwan and Huijin await him. They smile and welcome him, offering a cup of cool water. Joseph gratefully accepts as the couple makes space for him on the bench facing the mirror and teach him the incantation.

As he whispers the words, thinking of his Eugene, his sunshine, his son… the mirror distorts and he can see his son sleeping quietly in his bed at the Glory Hotel. Seeing him, safe and all grown up, Joseph quietly cries. He had not seen him since he left him a boy that fateful day, lonely and waving on the pier, as Joseph set back to Joseon. They had only exchanged letters, and Joseph had seen the clumsy writing grow firmer, surer and more elegant over the years. Now, he sees the fruits of time, age and wisdom on his son. It breaks his heart and puts it back together again. He is, at last, whole.

For whatever Fate that brought him here, Joseph is grateful.

Hongpa stares about, finding her surroundings very disorienting. Last she remembers, she had been shot and had fallen into the water. This surreal, colorful place is starting to unsettle her. Perhaps… she is dead?

“Oh, young lady,” a voice hails her, and Hongpa turns. Before her stands a beautiful woman, dressed in silken finery. Somehow, this woman reminds her of someone, though she cannot place exactly who. “You look terribly lost. Do you need any help?”

There is a foreigner with the lady, calmly smoking a cigarette. Among the sea of Asian faces, the man is a stark contrast to those who surround her. The man smiles benignly, and Hongpa nods. She’s not one to accept help, but this place frightens her. She woke up here, with no memory of having come to this place. All she remembers is the Japanese men in her tavern, the terror, and how cold the water felt against her weeping wound. She shivers without knowing why, her hand straying to her shoulder.

“I see,” the woman says; a hint of sorrow in her voice. “You’ve died before your time.”

She puts her arm around Hongpa’s, gently steering the girl toward the warmth of a fire and perhaps a meal. “Tell me everything, I’m dying to know.”

Hongpa later came to learn she was in the presence of legendary heroes of the Righteous Army, singled out simply because of her acquaintance to their daughter. They welcome her, soothing her lingering memories of death and giving her peace. Heaven is an odd place, but Hongpa never minded dying. She had known her day would come, though she’d hoped to see Gunner Jang one last time before leaving him.

“I’ve heard you’re an excellent shot,” the woman, Huijin, says with mischief in her voice. Hongpa smirks, downing a shot of liquor. There is a challenge there, and Honga has never backed away from a challenge.

“The very best, my lady.”

Dongmae stumbles, grunting. His breathing is harsh, even as he slowly realizes his lungs actually work. He grasps desperately for a sword at his waist, missing, and glances wildly about. People around him don’t seem to mind him at all, parting around him like schools of fish avoiding a predator. The ground beneath him is unstable, his vision tunnels and he thinks frantically of the people he left behind. What of his friends, his followers, Lady Aeshin… Hina…

A voice sounds like the twinkle of a shaman’s bell. It calls to him, and he straightens in shock.

“Breathe, Gu Dongmae. Breathe,” her voice is a melody he wished he could forget. As he turns, shell-shocked, there stands Hina. She’s as beautiful as he remembers, resplendent in a blue silk, corset and petticoats. Her hair is pinned, curls around her lovely face. She holds a parasol over his head, though there is no rain or snow. It’s red, covering him where he crouches in the middle of the busy street. She’s bending forward slightly as she shields him, smiling warmly.

Gu Dongmae blinks, unable to breathe. This must be a dream. She cannot be here. He’d lost her; he knows he’d lost her. He’d felt her last breath on his back as he carried her across the sand that horrible, horrible day. Felt her grow cold and heavy and so very dead. Though he’d prayed, the Gods had taken her from him, and she’d died after confessing the impossible to him.

“I lost you,” he says, reverently and in agony.

Her touch on his cheek is feather-light. He leans against it, closing his eyes briefly, before opening them again. He does not want to look away, in fear of her disappearance.

“You’ve found me again,” she says, and he forgives her everything.

Hina finds Huiseong reading under the shade of a cherry tree, looming large in the gardens of Heaven. As usual, Dongmae is a few steps behind his lady, unwilling to leave her side. Hina lowers herself onto her knees, daintily sitting at the nobleman’s side. Dongmae is less covert, simply plopping down onto the tired roots of the First Cherry Tree. Huiseong looks up with a welcoming smile, lowering his book.

“You’ve come out of your abode at last,” he remarks with a cheerful lilt in his voice. “How fortuitous!”

The pair blush, Dongmae looking away to hide a smirk. Huiseong notes it, but says nothing. He is happy for his friend to have found joy and love in the afterlife. In his opinion, they both deserve that and more.

Hina decides it’s safest to change the subject. “Where on Earth did you find that book? I’ve yet to see a library here.”

Huiseong’s gaze is back to his book, humming softly. “Ask and ye shall receive,” he says loftily, to which Dongmae kicks him in the shin. Huiseong winces, glaring at his friend. “If you ask the right people, enough times, you’ll find the bookstore.”

“So you annoyed someone into disclosing the location of a bookstore,” Dongmae surmises, snorting when the nobleman clicks his tongue in annoyance. The petals fall around them, and the young man is momentarily distracted by the sight.

“So it is time…” he sighs, closing the book.

All three rise, turning toward the gates. The walk is brief, even if their steps lag in hesitance. There is a dichotomy to their countenance as they stride toward the newcomers; a melding of pleasure, dismay and mourning.

They find Aeshin’s servants already at the gate, their hands joined as they peer anxiously into the bright light that blocks their view of the river and the bridge beyond. More people join them, materializing almost out of thin air. A beautiful lady and her husband, an aged clergyman, the elderly Lord Go, Officer Jang, the tavern owner and many more people unknown even to Kudo Hina. The gates hum, vibrate and grow even brighter. Silence settles over those gathered, awaiting the new arrivals. It has been many years since their parting and they have been dearly missed.

Together, they wait.

To be Continued…

All dogs go to heaven. This is fact.

#fanfic #MrSunshine #Gu Dong Mae #Kudo Hina #kudohina #Kim Hui Seong #fanfiction #The Better Ending #TheBetterEnding

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thearrangment-phff · 5 years

Text

LXXIII

May 2019

In back to back weekends, Prince Joseph Wenzel Liechtenstein married Countess Laura Henckel von Donnersmack and Princess Maria Anunciata of Liechtenstein married Archduke Johannes of Austria, Prince of Habsbourg-Lorraine. Joseph Wenzel and Maria Anunciata were first cousins and the double wedding brought much joy to the tiny principality of Liechtenstein.

Joseph Wenzel married in the capital of Liechtenstein drawing in royals from all over the world to the tiny country. Maria Annunciata had married in Switzerland but many royals stayed in surrounding areas finding no reason to leave and only return the following weekend. With the deaths of Marie Gabrielle of Bavaria and Jean of Luxembourg guests were advised to wear darker colors, even some decided to wear mourning clothes.

Isabella, of course, stayed in London while Harry represented the British royal family at the weddings. Harry’s increasing role in the British Royal Family was unlike ever before. Foreign weddings and funerals were putting Harry above his brother and sometimes above his father. The wedding of the future ruler of Liechtenstein should have gone to Charles as Prince of Wales but Harry’s invitation had shifted things.

Both weddings, Harry smiled, hugged, and made small talk with the rulers of Liechtenstein, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the dozens of princes and princesses of Europe. Everyone had asked about the children and Isabella and whether or not their family would get any bigger. Harry brushed off the comments and enjoyed his time with Isabella’s family.

In the meantime, Isabella had been meeting with jewelers and her bank regarding Princess Charlotte Murat’s jewelry and the rest of her extensive collection.

“I suggest bringing out the tiaras to inspect first.”

Isabella nodded as she bounced Mary Astrid on her knee while Princess Christine held Charles and Countess Antonia carried Albert in their arms.

Queen Fabiola’s Spanish Wedding Tiara and The Belgian Diamond were the two tiaras she was well aware of. Queen Fabiola’s tiara was the one she had worn at the Spanish State Visit to the United Kingdom and the subtle nod to the origins of her great aunt and godmother Queen Fabiola of the Belgians was greatly appreciated. The Belgian Diamond had been gifted to Isabella on her wedding day by the Belgian nobility as Isabella was a Princess of Habsbourg-Lorraine by birth.

“Those two are what we refer to as your wedding tiaras. The next couple of tiaras we call the Liechtenstein collection as they were gifted to by your godfather The Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein.”

One by one men and women came in carrying boxes which were opened to reveal the magnificent tiaras.

“What are those?”

“Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia’s Diamond Fringe Tiara, Princess Elena of Greece and Denmark Diamond Tiara also known as the Grand Duchess Elena of Russia’s Diamond Tiara.”

“They are beautiful,” commented Isabella.

“And quite expensive. His Serene Highness has asked that these not be loaned out to anyone, as you are the only ones who can wear these tiaras.”

“What about after I am gone?”

“I would suggest giving them to the wife of your eldest son, The Earl of Ross. Of course, provided that he marries dynastically. Since the tiaras are now a part of the trust the same rules apply.”

Isabella got up from her seat and walked closer to the tiaras, “The world hasn't seen these tiaras in years. Now I have them in my possession and they may never see the light of day.”

“They are magnificent tiaras ma’am. Befitting for an archduchess of your stature.”

“Thank you.”

“Is this all of the tiaras?”

“The last collection is what we have named the Murat collection as they were given to you by Princess Charlotte of Murat.”

A series of 7 different tiaras were brought out that left the people in the room speechless. Magnificent tiaras were placed in front of Isabella.

“Should I ever wear these, my little head might be swallowed up,” joked Isabella.

“Belle these are magnificent,” commented Christine. Mumbled comments from the other woman followed suit.

“These were Charlotte’s?” asked Isabella.

“They were ma’am. She choose never to wear them fearing she was not worthy of them.”

“Why do they look so familiar?”

“Two of these tiaras belonged to Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia ma’am. They are well over a century old but of course the most magnificent belonged to Empress Eugenie of France.”

Once again, the group of women fawned over the large tiaras that came out. The four magnificent tiaras that Charlotte of Murat owned were over 200 years old. Very few tiaras remained intact during that time period.

“How did she come into possession of Empress Eugenie's tiaras? After the fall of Napoleon III, I would assume the new republic would have taken possession of them,” explained Isabella.

“While the details are vague after the fall of the empire the tiaras were possessed by the new republic and later sold to a Spanish duke. The tiaras then came under ten different owners over the course of 200 years. Princess Charlotte paid a very large sum to get these tiaras. Since most of the owners were private citizens, the ownership didn’t have to be made public.”

“They are... quite large,” commented Isabella.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I don’t think I could ever wear these.”

“Should they still stay in your possession, there is no need to wear them, ma’am. Many women don’t wear tiaras but simply keep them.”

“It’s a shame beautiful things like this are going to be locked up forever.”

“Well, you could always showcase them like The Queen does every once in a while.”

Isabella thought for a couple of minutes which worried the other people in the room. Finally, Isabella spoke, “How long would it take to bring all these jewels to Brazil.”

“Brazil? Ma’am, why would we take them to Brazil.”

“Well, you mentioned how Her Majesty loans out tiaras to be displayed at museums. Last September the Brazilian museum suffered a devastating loss when their national museum burned down. I could loan my tiaras and jewels to be displayed and all tickets sales will go to them to help with rebuilding. It would simply be my gift to the nation who harbored my ancestors when Napoleon came. I am, after all, a descendant of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil,” smiled Isabella.

The room didn’t know how to respond, had Princess Charlotte of Murat been here, she would have praised Isabella’s work ethic and ideas. Of course, Charlotte was dead and Isabella had no one who would praise her quite like the older woman use to.

“Isabella, perhaps we should think this through.”

“What is there to think through? I help people and my jewels get the appropriate praise they deserve,” countered Isabella.

“Isabella, maybe we should get more opinions before we think of something this big, this soon.”

“We don’t have to think about anything. These are my things and I can do what I want, after all, they are in a trust I have sole ownership of,” fought Isabella.

“Well she isn’t wrong,” added Duchess Pauline of Württemberg.

“We can start arranging security and transportation. We would of course need confirmation from the museum of this.”

“That can be arranged,” argued Christine.

“I don’t want anyone to hear about this until the day of. I don’t want any assumptions. I hate having my names in papers for such childish reasons,” added Isabella.

“Of course ma’am.”

“Perfect timing since I’m going to Austria in honor of my ancestors birthday. Maybe Austria will follow Croatia and the monarchist movement will grow,” smiled Isabella.

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