#I mean... warriors in general but multilingual | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

xoteajays · 7 months

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Majority of my dreams are bizarre. And I would have to say that it's so very rare for me to have dreams that actually make sense. If I can also remember any of my dreams, especially dreams that make sense, I'm always writing notes of what I can actually remember if I'll do use that for materials in a creative way. Like using dreams for plots in stories.

Either one long season, or one last movie or something to completely wrap up the whole franchise. I don't really know about Keiji as Rocky.

But the Mighty Warriors (the musicians) have been making the music videos where they're apart of Kuryu now, with new and old members.

So if the Mighty Warriors are technically the new Kuryu now, I have to say that they hopefully would get more backstory for some of them if that were the case. And that actually does include Ryu this time too.

This new war between SWORD gangs and the newly formed Kuryu, is the actual war I've been really curious about. Who's the real winners.

Hopefully find out who or want this mastermind, Mr. Bulge, person is.

Also more concrete ending for the SWORD gangs, happier times with these gangs too. Basically anything and everything we want for them.

Actually.. I think I gave you some of my ideas for a sequel story. If and when I actually do start writing stories. So this is always my problem.

That's how I felt. Despite them graduating, they still seem like closest friends with each other (but not really including other gangs either).

Yeah.. If someone in Daruma accidentally let any secrets slip about all the older Daruma men, it would have to be the younger generations. I can't imagine Hyuga, Kato, Sakyo or Ukyo mentioning anything since they seem that they would keep it amongst themselves. Not others. I don't really know. That's how I see it. But I could be wrong about that.

And Seki is someone who would accidentally say things he shouldn't.

If I watch Worst Of Evil, I might wait until the season is over because I am too patient to wait weekly for an episode. So... I'll wait a bit longer.

I don't mind watching shows and movies on sites - especially if that is the only way to watch. But I can't tolerate that many commercials but popup ads are even worse than commercials, if that really is possible.

Exactly! Obviously Vincenzo's multilingual. He speaks Korean, Italian and English. That is because he lived in Korea and Italy, so that would make sense for his character. And Jang's character lived in America... So I know he could speak fluent English. But altering the English and Korean sentences while communicating to people who don't know so much about that language? Why? I know in Asian countries, English's the secondary language they have to learn in school. But that doesn't really mean they are fluent in that language. Some may be, but not all of them. Because Cha-yeong and Choi are really not fluent in English.

And, I know there are some of the men from Exile Tribe who are really able to speak more than one language. Not sure who though. But! I'm sure Elly is one of them. He was able to speak English and Japanese.. Same with Sarah. Granted those actors are of mixed descent so there is a chance they learned more than one language from their families - same with some other mixed celebrities. I know there are times when some people may be able to understand a language without knowing how to speak it, but that's not too often that I know of. Like you said; I just watched End Of Sky. So I remember those scenes when that guy with the pompadour hair kept communicating with Yamato, mainly in English too. There was some times where even it seemed like Yamato understood some sentences. But for the most part, he didn't actually understand most of what was said to him. So why communicate with someone who doesn't know the language? I don't know. Personally I'd be too confused to have a conversation with someone who would not know the language. I know the Korean actor who was just completely, y'know, manipulating Kohaku was also multilingual (in reality, and the movie). And Pearl spoke a little English. So I can't remember who else is able to though. But! I know they never mention this. So this may be my headcanon.. But because Kizzy and Kaito lived in America, during the time Kizzy was getting her operations. I do believe they can speak English, at least conversational English so enough to communicate.

And you probably already know this by now because I've commented about it.. Vincenzo (and Joong-ki) is my type of man. Especially when he is a mafioso man... "I'm just a scumbag who gets rid of even worse scumbags." I'll so just look the other way if my man actually murdered people like them, people who deserve to die. And no questions asked.

Anyway.

You're probably annoyed by obsessive commentary about men now.

I do love the plot twists that happen. And, a lot of the time, those plot twists are twists that you'd least expect to happen in this entire show.

Definitely one of my favorite series.

Oh! Speaking of alcohol.. Maybe not anymore. I know the drinks were a part of the Club Heaven scenes. And, I know, the White Rascals had been inspired by Clockwork Orange - I don't know if you ever saw the movie. Anyway. I do wish that there was a recipe for the milky drink in Club Heaven because I might want to try that drink. I don't know why.

i wish my dreams could be used for story plots, but all of them are so nonsensical that they’re basically useless. or i forget them before i can get my phone open to the notes app. cannot wake up quick enough, just keep trying to fall back asleep and in the process end up with an entirely different half-asleep dream.

gimme one long season. 50 min - hour long episodes. tie up those loose ends, squeeze in some new fun characters history scenes. crush new kuryu/warriors into an unreturnable-from dust or gimme an enemies-to-allies plot where they face off against bulge. leave all the sword gangs with more concrete, hopeful endings instead of the ramshackle open ones they’ve currently got.

they’re besties! and doing their own lil things now that they’ve graduated! i like to think the got closer with the sannoh boys - mainly because murayama goes around into sannoh to bother befriend cobra. i think furuyu and seki would get along with yamato and noboru.

sakyo and ukyo mind their business. the babies are a lil bit of blabbermouths. kato would let a secret like hyuga falling off the hood of the car slip if hyuga was annoying him enough - that’s the big brother energy popping out.

if cobra found out, he’d probably confront them about it. cobra just ‘did you fall off your car/truck?’. murayama/hyuga: …. 😬

the popups at least don’t cut in if you go fullscreen so that’s good. plus the myasiantv site has, like, ever possible asian show and movie available. nearly all with english subs unless they’ve just come out or only the raw footage was released. i’ve only found a couple things that don’t have subtitles.

i like when vincenzo speaks italian. it’s a neat language to listen to and his voice is nice. from googling, it seems like only about ~10% of korean citizens fluently speak english. so i can only imagine that when jang speaks english that whoever he’s speaking to might only understand about half of it.

i think elly can, and i think that i trad that pho’s actor used to be fluent in english but he’s been living in japan for so long that he’s slipped a little bit? i don’t know about the other guys. i think i also read that naoki (genji), naoto (jesse) and alan (bernie) can speak a little bit of english?

kizzy and kaito are probably decently fluent in english, maybe kizzy a little more than kaito just because she’s the more chatty one.

i thought i saw somewhere that the club heaven drinks might’ve been lychee flavoured but i don’t remember where. might’ve just been in my head idk. they’re probably some kind of cocktail, maybe something coconut-y. there’s a lot more white cocktails than i thought, but one that looks similar might be the french 75? not a milky drink tho. in some pics it looks more white but in others it looks more yellowish/clearer? there’s also a couple japanese sake cocktails it could be. idk i’d have to look at the club heaven drinks a little closer.

#tj answers #long post //#long post anon

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einaudis · 3 years

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I finally watched "The Old Guard" last night and now I get the hype. Why didn't I know they were multilingual warriors? When 'multilingual warriors' is all I look for in any media I consume?

#random #personal #my shitty English #I mean... warriors in general but multilingual?????? I'm not kidding I have a serious thing for multilingual people

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serene-victory-77 · 3 years

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Why The Crows Being Teenagers Is Actually Perfectly Realistic

There’s a TL;DR are the end because wow I like to rant.

I lightly discuss the general situations they’re all in to explore how they are frighteningly mature and competent, but it’s not particularly depressing or descriptive, it’s definitely lighter than the books

I thought about this post with a joke first: “People who think that Six of Crows is unrealistic because they’re so young clearly have not spent much time with traumatized honors students.”

It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the point stands.

But I decided that, hm, actually, I could make a point about this. I totally agree with the aging up of the characters in the Shadow and Bone show, but when people straight up say that the books are wrong or unrealistic for having a young crew, I get annoyed, and here’s why (other than me reading the books for the first time when I was 13 and thinking ‘Huh okay, I see it’ and now being lowkey offended when people say they ignore it for being unrealistic):

On Inej

- At first I thought Inej’s wisdom and general demeanor was one of the most unrealistic things in the book

- When I thought about it longer, I was like “Actually, she’s 16, right? I’ve sent some of the most lyrical philosophy trying to help my friends while in high school. My friends have done the same. It’s valid.”

- Frankly, teenagers love hard-hitting philosophical truths. They love repeating what they’ve read or heard in movies and in books and from family stories. They love sharing little bits of wisdom they have come up with

- Inej’s ability to hear and understand philosophy and wisdom that she was surrounded by for 14 straight years and then sit on it and elaborate it for her friends to understand, or even just to piss them off in Kaz’s case?

- Teenagers have that. They do it. So, Inej’s Wisdom passes, to me. It’s valid.

As for her being calm

- You know how everyone jokes that Kaz seems calm on the outside but when you get to his POV he’s like “What the fuck” at the Van Eck house or just straight up “Huh, is this revenge for making tree jokes” at the Djel River thingy in the Ice Court?

- Inej is like that, too. And she gets angry, and she gets confused, or exhausted.

- AKA every quiet kid ever. Like, are you kidding? Have you ever been in a situation in which it’s literally chaos all around you, people are screaming and things are being destroyed (think middle school classroom with bitchy long term substitute and even worse students), and you’re just, calm? You pick up your things, you do what you need to do?

- That’s Inej. Like, what else is she gonna do? She’s smart enough to know that panicking won’t help anyone, and so she just rides it out. Internally she might be like “Why is this happening” but frankly, her being quiet and controlled in most situations is probably a coping mechanism and I respect that

- Pretty sure this is also based on the fact that the Suli have no land for their own and constantly have to keep moving. It might align with generational trauma, I’m sure someone could explain it better than me, but being able to keep your cool while constantly having to change and adapt to new situations, in, say, a country with hellfire politics and no land to call your own? Seems like a hereditary trait that could be useful in Ketterdam, although it’s sad.

On Inej’s abilities

- Simone Biles started training when she was 6 and went to the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships when she was 16, where she qualified in all the events.

- There are videos of people walking over tightropes as young as three years old. We know Inej didn’t start that young, but not only was she naturally talented at it, but she spent a lot of time practicing. I think it’s valid. Plus, some of her family members do some pretty crazy things in her flashbacks, because that’s the whole point of what they do.

- Youngest person to beat American Ninja Warrior was 16 year old Vance Walker

- Inej has a variety of of tools that help her wall climb, and while it’s true that she started young and got good really fast, she already had a history of physical work that would help her, and from what we can gleam from the book, a surprising amount of free time in which she was actively encouraged to learn everything she could.

So that’s Inej! I think her skills are perfectly possible for someone with her history and situation. It’s true that she’s naturally skilled, but that’s not actually all that unusual. And her demeanor and wisdom do fit in with what a lot of teenagers are like and the circumstances she was brought up in

Onto Kaz!

- One thing I hear about is that Kaz is too smart for not having gone to school and also too young to know all that he does

- Do you all KNOW how many self-taught people there have been in this world? The word for people who are self-taught is autodidacts, and honestly a huge amount of famous people apply. Like many, many other people in history (there’s a whole list of them in Wikipedia), he had an vested interest in a field and he learned all he could. Sure, those fields were magic tricks and math, but still.

- Suddenly I have a lot of thoughts

- Okay, think, hyperfixations. That’s essentially what Kaz’s thing with magic tricks was, right? Have any of you ever spent time with an eight year old that clearly really, really loves dinosaurs? Those kids can spout names and facts and identify them by their skeletons and frankly know more than I ever will. Kaz’s was magic tricks. All kids are special.

- Kaz continued working on magic tricks and practicing them for years, so, I think that gets a pass.

- As for the math! Look, a Fact Of Life is that some kids are just Like That, whether it be possibly from neurodivergence or other factors:

- Flo and Kay Lyman are twins with Autism who basically have the calendar of EVER memorized. Kaz memorizing card decks is sensible, and these ladies don’t need to look up anything to figure it out, so Kaz doing sums inside his head seems plausible. His “photographic memory’ isn’t impossible, although the term itself might be incorrect.

- Katherine Johnson who worked at NASA (yes, the lady from Hidden Figures), was so good at math that she was in high school by age 10 and went to college at age 15. It’s true that she had some teaching, but 1. There’s no evidence Kaz had absolutely no schooling, even if it was just at home with books and 2. Kaz was 9 when he came to Ketterdam, and after Jordie died, when he wasn’t surviving, he was learning.

- Human calculator is a term that is applied to children a lot and there’s definitely plenty of videos showing how smart these kids are and them doing mental math easily, which he does in the books

- He had a LOT of pressure on him to figure out all he could, and if he wanted to move forward, he was going to have to learn a lot. He spent hours practicing magic tricks, for all we know he spent hours practicing math too. We know Jordie was a bit of a bookworm too, so Kaz from a young age probably already had a reason to learn. Personally, a lot of my love for books was inspired by my older sibling when I was younger

- Young people are adaptable. Kaz is incredibly adaptable. The term prodigy exists because of people like him through history.

- As for him being rational, there’s no other way to survive. Some of the greatest soldiers in history have been very, very young, and very, very smart. It’s true tacticians are generally considered to be older, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been very young ones.

- A lot of the generals I found were like, 19 years old, but Kaz is 1. not a general and 2. in a place where young people take up the mantle really, really quickly, and frankly it’s been like that for a long time. I still think this passes. This isn’t relevant but William the Conqueror was apparently called “The Bastard”?

- Frankly, underground communities of thieves probably don’t go around publishing their escapades so to me it makes sense that I can’t just look up “famous young thieves” and get anything that makes sense, but I did try

- Y’all I tried to do research on youngest escape artists since I think Kaz qualifies and I found myself in what I think is a magicians forum? It’s from 2002-ish and I feel like I’ve just found a relic. I can’t definitely prove they’re all saying the truth, but some of the people there talk about 10-11 year olds at magic camps, so, it’s not impossible for this to be a skill Kaz learned really young, particularly when he made a habit of following around magicians

- I think he passes the realism check overall

For the other Crows:

- Nina being so proficiently multilingual makes sense to me, because she’s been in the Little Palace almost her entire life with all the best teachers they could afford at her disposal. Some people just click with languages. One such would be Timothy Doner, who spoke 23 languages at 16.

- Nina is a child soldier. She of course can handle the battlefield, although I imagine there’s a degree of trauma that she has to deal with (although it’s true that most of her work was always meant to angle her towards being a spy).

- Jesper was taught to shoot from a young age by Aditi, who was likely incredibly proficient. Plus, there’s mentions of him and his father being on some sort of frontier at one point in the books, so, it’s likely that Jesper got his fair share of ‘being a child soldier” since he would’ve been 15 or younger. Plus, with being a Fabrikator, he gets a leg up

- Jesper’s smart y’all, he just also likes to have fun

- I am a little terrified by the fact that I looked up ‘youngest sharpshooter’ and found out about a 9 year old girl (Addysson “Addy” Soltau) who can indeed shoot guns, but uh, it does prove my point

- Matthias... I haven’t heard anyone really argue about Matthias. He’s the oldest at 18 and again, he’s essentially a religious child soldier. Of course he would be built af and know how to handle himself in a fight, and in a flashback about meeting Trassel, we’re told that he was actually distanced from the other boys and was the biggest and strongest/smartest of the group. Perhaps not compared to Kaz, but still

- We know how Wylan ended up how he is, so I don’t think i have to defend how he’s both a musical prodigy, good at math, and good at chemistry. Plenty of kids who can’t do one thing will immediately gravitate to a different field (think AP math students who can’t write essays, or those kids who could analyse a book and it’s metaphors in class but didn’t understand geometry).

- Granted he took it far but it’s kinda implied that his father ignored him eventually and what else was Wylan going to do

- I don’t really know how he did chemistry while not being able to read the symbols and stuff, but that’s likely because I’ve never had to learn the way he did and also I really suck at Chemistry, but I refuse to believe that it invalidates his capabilities

Final Thoughts:

- They’re Traumatized Honors Students

- People might say that “it’s unrealistic that all the smart ones somehow ended up together” but again they’re traumatized honors students and those gravitate to each other

- Of course the smart ones ended up together, they’re the ones in those crazy situations precisely because they are prodigies. Nina wouldn’t have met Matthias if she wasn’t skilled and a spy, Kaz wouldn’t have known Inej if she hadn’t been skilled at silence (I can’t explain that one but uh ninjas did/do exist and it IS still a fantasy world). Kaz would have never been a leader of the Dregs in a position to find Jesper if he hadn’t been so determined to rise to the top, and Jesper wouldn’t have been in Ketterdam if his father hadn’t thought that Jesper was smart enough to get that chance.

- You know how those fringe revolutionary artists for new eras end up knowing all knowing each other and even hanging out? That’s them.

- I have decided there is a strong basis for Autistic Kaz, someone who is more studied than me should feel free to explore this.

- I read this book a few years ago, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. It’s about this guy’s experiences as a boy soldier and it’s a painful read so I’m not sure I recommend it as a casual read, but he talked about these young kids being able to actually make competent military strategies and handle warfare. It’s an extreme example of what I’m trying to explain when it comes to them being able to handle the brutality of their situation, but it’s true, essentially

- They are definitely serious, but if you think they’re not teenagers I just, disagree so much. They have moments of lighthearted banter, they make light of their situation, they try to support each other Nina covers it so well in her farewell at the end of Crooked Kingdom: The little rescues of laughing at each others jokes or eating together and just supporting each other, is not only a very human thing, but a very teenager thing.

- Scary experiences that shape us happen all the time, and although for most it’s not the things that the Crows experience, picking each other up is a big part of why they do read as teenagers to me. I’ve seen kids be able to seriously converse about things like being questioned by the police, or being left to their own devices for days at a time, or the general impending doom they all feel, and it’s dark, but they’re also going to joke about silly puns 20 minutes later.

- Teenagers aren’t exempt from terrifying maturity and competence

- Finally: Despite all I said, it’s a fantasy story and doesn’t have to be realistic

In the end, everyone can believe what they want to believe, but this is my case for my opinion.

TL;DR The Crows are all prodigies and a lot of their achievements and capabilities are based in reality and there are real people who actually achieved things like what they’ve done. Messed up prodigies gravitate to messed up prodigies, hence how they all end up together. When it comes to their mental state, most of them have been brought up their entire lives in situations that required for them to problem solve and keep their cool even when things are going to hell.

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mandoalorian · 3 years

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I Believe In Love [Maxwell Lord x F!Reader] - Nine: Peace

Summary: When you find your calling to leave Themyscira, you venture out to the World of Man with intentions of helping and healing a very specific person’s relationship with his son. You’ve heard his voice before, but only in dreams. You’ve felt his pain and anguish and you’ve never been able to relate to anything more. But things don’t come easy for you, and they certainly don’t come easy for him either. [This series contains spoilers for WW84 and is my interpretation of what happens after the movie ends].

Warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, mention of child neglect and abuse

Word count: 3300>

Masterlist

Previous - Chapter Nine - Next [coming soon!]

It was a long walk back to the holiday resort, just you and Maxwell. Your mind wandered off with worry about Diana. You knew she was strong enough to handle her own, but there was clearly something very personal between her and Barbara, and you knew better than anyone else how easy it was to let your feelings get in the way of your goals. You and Maxwell held hands the entire journey, although neither of you spoke that much. There was still a lot going on. Yes, you had destroyed the dreamstone, the God of Lies was no more, but you still had to fight for Alistair. You still had to win this custody battle. The war wasn’t over yet. Maxwell hadn’t stopped thinking about it either. Since arriving in Greece, you’d hardly spoken about the case and it left him wondering what exactly your plan was. He was resting his fate with his son on you. No lawyers… just an Amazonian goddess who swore her duty is to bring together families. He had no reason not to trust you, but this was a big deal so of course he was worried.

And of course there was one thought you both had in common. It wasn’t as much of a concern, but neither of you felt like you could bring it up yet. You had destroyed the dreamstone using the power of love. Your love. The love you had for each other. Maxwell didn’t know what it meant to love someone romantically until he met you. He thought he loved Julianna, but that was short lived. He always saw himself as someone undeserving of those feelings. But now he was certain. Maxwell Lord was completely and utterly in love with you.

By the time you’d reached the quaint little village you were staying in, your stomach rumbled. Maxwell paused and looked at you before bursting into laughter. You felt your cheeks heat up and you placed a hand over your stomach, slightly embarrassed.

“Hungry?” he laughed and you nodded sheepishly. “Why don’t we- uh- get dinner?” he suggested with a casual but nervous shrug of his shoulders.

You smiled. “Dinner sounds good.”

Maxwell nodded his head and led you down a cobblestone path. At the end of the long path, was the hotel resort, but along the way was plenty of quaint little shops, boutiques, and restaurants serving native cuisine. It must have been around nine at night, so the other shops were shut, but the restaurants were lit up beautifully with golden string lights, and on every street corner was musicians singing and playing instruments.

You were in awe. You broke free of Maxwell’s grip and wandered over to one man who was playing the violin. It was soft and romantic. You got close to him, probably too close, but Maxwell found it endearing. He loved to watch you take in all these new experiences.

“You didn’t have music on Themyscira?” he asked, pressing a hand into the small of your back. His touch combined with the melody of the violin was enough to take your breath away.

“No,” you replied quietly as you let yourself fall deep into the song. When the man finished, Maxwell took out his wallet and made a generous donation. “You should be very proud of yourself. You have a gift.” you smiled- and the man blushed at your comment.

Maxwell was taken aback when you and the Greek street musician held a conversation in his native language. Of course - Amazon’s were multilingual. He remembered you mentioned it before. You knew every single language. But still, it never failed to impress him. Everything you did, every action and gesture you made had Maxwell fall head over heels for you.

You both carried on walking for just five more minutes, until Maxwell decided on a suitable restaurant. You’d settle for anything, but Maxwell had a specific taste. As it turned out, Maxwell Lord was even known in Greece, and the restaurant manager was able to pull a few strings to get you both a table without reservations.

“Do you know what you want?” Maxwell asked, peeking over the menu. You took a sip of water and shook your head ‘no’.

“How do I know what tastes good?” you asked.

“You can’t really go wrong with Greek food. In my experience it’s all good.” Maxwell explained, puting the menu flat on the table and waving over a waiter.

You pointed at a couple on a nearby table. “They’re sharing,” you acknowledged. “Why?”

You and Maxwell both watched the man and woman as they fed each other moussaka, laughing and smiling and planting intimate kisses on each other’s hands. “They’re a couple.” Maxwell hummed, wondering what it would be like to share food with you.

Too distracted in his own thoughts, Maxwell didn’t even realise you had already placed your order with the waiter. “We’ll have exactly what they’re having.” you beamed, pointing towards the couple.

Maxwell blinked and turned to you.

“And drinks?” the waiter asked.

“Same as them!” you repeated and Maxwell’s head snapped towards the table. Actually, a pink berry iced cocktail didn’t sound at all that bad. It made a difference from his usual champagne or dry whiskey. Before Maxwell could even object, the waiter was already whisked away to bring your order to the kitchen.

“You’re getting really good at this world of man stuff.” Maxwell told you proudly, taking your hands and brushing his thumb over your knuckles.

“I feel like I’m settling in,” you admitted with a nervous smile. “I always felt like an outcast on Themyscira. Like I just… didn’t belong there. I was never a warrior like the other Amazons.” you explained and Maxwell nodded in understanding.

“It’s a shame you can’t stay here.” Maxwell swallowed and looked past you. His eyes fixated on another happy couple, and the truth finally began to settle in his stomach.

In just a few days, the love of his life was going to leave him, and he’d never see you again. Being with Maxwell in a Greek restaurant amongst the other happy couples left you feeling upset too. It made you wonder: did you really want to leave? Did you even have a choice?

Diana had told you that the world of man could not handle a goddess just walking around living a normal life. Your powerful aura would slowly cause destruction and chaos. Even death. You’d read plenty of romance novels to know that there would always be heartbreak. And maybe this would be yours.

“Your moussaka and cocktails.” The waiter grinned, presenting you both with the food on a silver antique platter. You both thanked the man and picked up your forks. In unison, you both dug into the meal and fed it to each other, just like you’d witnessed before. There ended up being a lot of laughter and hysterics as food missed your mouth or it dropped down Maxwell’s shirt making a mess.

You both knew that the inevitable was coming, but that didn’t mean you had to wish away your days together. You were fully prepared to make as many memories as possible with Maxwell and enjoy your night together in Athens.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Maxwell asked as you walked back to the hotel room.

“Worried about Diana.” you mumbled.

“Yeah uh- I’ve been thinking about Barbara,” Maxwell revealed, and you looked at him in confusion. You remembered the flirtations he made towards her in the cave, or rather, the manipulative techniques. “I owe her an apology. But I can’t apologise until she renounces her wish. I failed her.”

You gulped and squeezed the businessman’s hand. “Even if I’m not here, I believe that there will be a redemption. She will renounce her wish.”

“How do you know?” Maxwell quizzed you. “I just do,” you hummed. “She’s not a bad person. She’s just a person… who’s done bad things. But we’ve all done bad things before, haven’t we?”

Maxwell nodded before smiling. “I can’t imagine you doing anything bad.” he chuckled lightly.

“I try not to,” you shrugged. “But nobody is without flaw.”

Once you reached the hotel lobby, the receptionist called Maxwell over.

“Mr Lord, you have a phone call on line 3.” she said, pointing her finger towards the phone booth. Maxwell nodded before turning to you and pressing a chaste kiss on your cheek.

“Let me take this call. Meet me in the hotel room.” he told you, passing you the key. You obliged, padding towards the elevator.

Maxwell walked over to the ringing telephone and took a deep breath. He wondered who could possibly be calling him from Athens?

“Hello?”

"Hi daddy. I miss you." Alistair's small and timid voice revealed. His little fingers curled around the telephone wire as he tried to keep his balance, standing on a stool so he could actually reach the telephone that was pinned to the dining room wall. Maxwell's face softened upon realising it was his son who had been trying to communicate with him.

"I miss you too, but I'll be home soon. Is everything okay?" he asked Alistair with genuine concern. He was at Theodore and Julianna’s house and they never let him contact Maxwell. It was forbidden.

"No. Mommy and Ted went out together and they've left me in the house alone. They've been gone for hours. Daddy I'm scared." Alistair sniffed, rubbing his tired, glazed eyes.

Maxwell immediately saw red. He knew Julianna was neglectful, if anything she had always been even more neglectful than Max. But the fact there was an ongoing custody battle and his competition had left their six year old boy home alone was infuriating.

“Where did they go?” Maxwell asked.

“Date night.” Alistair replied shakily.

“Listen buddy, I’m going to call Raquel and have her take you to Black Gold okay? Me and Y/N are heading to the airport now so we’ll see you as soon as we possibly can. I love you Ali. Stay strong for me. Can you do that? Can you stay strong for me?”

Alistair nodded weakly. “Why does everyone always leave me daddy?” Alistair croaked and Maxwell’s heart broke because he knew he was partially to blame for it too. He hadn’t been a perfect father but he sure as hell was trying to make amends now, which was more than what Julianna could say.

“Because they are not deserving of you Ali, you are too good for this world. I mean it. Go to your room okay, and Raquel won’t be long. I love you.” Maxwell promised.

“I love you daddy.” Alistair sniffed before putting the phone back on the hook.

***

Maxwell had been downstairs on the phone for quite a while. You had kicked off your shoes and discarded most of your outfit on the floor. You were lying on the king sized bed staring at the ceiling. All you could think about was Diana and Barbara. You had to make sure Diana was okay. She was your sister, after all.

The door swung open causing you to jump up in surprise, and Maxwell bolted into the room before doubling over trying to catch his breath. “Elevator was taking too long. I ran up the stairs. We have to go.” he panted, clutching his chest for dear life.

“Max? What’s wrong?” you asked, climbing off the bed and walking over to him. You placed both your hands on his shoulders and tried to calm him down.

“It was Alistair. He needs us.” Maxwell said, fear flicking in his eyes.

“Say no more,” you told him, finally feeling your duty as goddess of home and hearth kick in. A child in need of his father? This was your time to shine. “You pack our stuff. I’m going to try to call Diana and let her know that we’re leaving earlier than planned.”

Maxwell nodded as he started to gather together your things, throwing them haphazardly into the bags. To your surprise, Diana answered the phone after the first few rings.

“Di! Oh Gods, I was so worried about you.” You confessed, taking a big sigh of relief.

“You need not be worried,” Diana chastised you. “I’m okay. I had some trouble with Barbara but nothing I can’t handle.”

“Did she renounce her wish?” You asked.

“No,” Diana replied, her voice small. She was struggling to hold back tears. Barbara meant so much to Diana, she could not fail this one thing. She had to redeem her best friend. “But she will. I’ll make sure of it. Why did you call?”

“It’s Max’s son… something came up and… we’re flying back to D.C. tonight.” you told Diana, glancing briefly into the en-suite bathroom where Maxwell was collecting your toothbrushes and toiletries.

“When’s the court case?” Diana questioned.

“Two days.” you informed her, feeling a little weak in the knees. It was so soon and you hadn’t even discussed a plan with Maxwell.

“Remember sister, once this is all over you must return to Themyscira. Earlier, when the cave walls began to crumble… I realised that was because of you. You’ve already overstayed your welcome. I’m afraid the world of man’s destruction has already begun.” You had caused the cave walls to crumble? The ground to split? You were mortified. But if this was only the start… you weren’t prepared to know what was to come.

“I know.” you whispered sadly, feeling a tear slip down your cheek.

“I’ll see you back in D.C.,” Diana promised. “Good luck.”

And with that, there was a deadline.

“Everything okay with Diana?” Maxwell called from the bathroom.

You choked out an involuntary sob just hearing Maxwell’s voice again. How would you ever be able to live knowing you could never hear another word he spoke? His voice was more beautiful than any violin or song on the car radio. You didn’t want to go. You didn’t want to go back to Themyscira. When you didn’t reply, he called your name.

“Yes, everything is fine!” you called back, doing your best to hold back your whimpers. Maxwell didn’t need to see you like this, it would only concern him. You wiped your tears away and began to pick up your previously discarded outfit, re-dressing yourself.

Diana might have said goodbye to Steve, but there was no way you could say goodbye to Max.

***

The flight back to D.C. was uncomfortably long and you could cut the tension with a knife. “Max, he’ll be okay. He’s with Raquel.” you reminded him.

“He doesn’t deserve this,” Maxwell shook his head in dismay. “I can’t believe my son is having to put up with this bullshit.” he spat angrily.

You hadn’t seen this side to Maxwell before. Sure you’d seen him get mad and give you the silent treatment, but now he was being so vocal. He was vocal because he could be. He had been in Alistair’s shoes before. Neglectful parents who didn’t give a shit about him.

“My dad was never home,” Max swallowed, tears pricking his eyes. “And when he was, he was drunk. My mum was sick. She slept a lot. I didn’t have friends growing up. I was alone and bullied…” part of this you already knew from when the lasso of truth had shown you little Maxwell Lorenzano’s childhood, but still, you chose to keep quiet and listen to what you had to say. “I never planned on having kids but when Alistair was born I swore I would be a good father. I wouldn’t end up like my old man. But without even realising… I did. I neglected my son. I was always working. Too busy for him. I-” Maxwell held his face in his hands as shame consumed him.

“You are nothing like your father,” you promised Max, grabbing his wrists and pulling them away from his face. “Listen to me. Alistair loves you. And you love him. He called you because you’re his dad. His hero. You made mistakes in the past but we all do. Point is, you’re choosing to fix it. You’re choosing to change and that makes you one thousand times better than what your own dad ever was. Alistair sees the good in you,” you whispered. “And I do too.”

***

By the time you arrived back in D.C, it was nightfall. The sky was pitch black and Maxwell was readjusting his watch to fit the EST timezone. Upon your approach to Black Gold Cooperative, you noticed from looking in the windows that most of the lights had been turned out, bar the main lobby and Maxwell’s private office. Max was the first to enter, pushing through the revolving doors and bolting through the building, up the stairs and to his private office. You followed him, but let yourself drop behind just a little as you thought about the fact this might be your last time in this building. It was this exact lobby where you had met Maxwell Lord for the first time, sleeping on that sofa in your full Amazonian gear. It was only a week ago and yet it felt like a lifetime.

“Alistair! Alistair!” Maxwell called. He barged into his office only to see his son, curled up on his chair, asleep. Raquel was laying on the sofa, fast asleep also. It was late and Max didn’t blame her whatsoever. As long as Alistair was safe, that’s all that mattered. “Hey buddy, hey.” he cooed, picking his son up in his arms. Alistair stirred slightly and opened his eyes.

“Daddy?” he asked, his question followed by a yawn. He brought his fist up to his face and rubbed at his tired eyes. “You came back?”

“Of course I did,” Maxwell whispered, smoothing out Alistair’s black hair and pressing a kiss into his son’s forehead. “I’ll always come back for you Ali. I missed you.”

“I love you daddy.” Alistair sniffed, bringing his hand up to cup Maxwell’s face.

“I’m going to take you home, okay? Better sleeping in your own bed than in daddy’s office chair. Trust me, I know.” Maxwell said, remembering the ample amount of times he had fallen asleep at work, amidst an abundance of paperwork.

“Let me take Ali,” you whispered, nudging Maxwell and holding out your arms. “You should wake up Raquel and let her know you’re back.”

Maxwell nodded his head in agreement and handed you his son. Max was strong, but holding a six year old in his middle age did nothing for his bad back. When he passed you Alistair, part of him expected your shoulders to curl inwards or for you to struggle to lift him. Then he remembered you were an Amazon, and he smiled to himself upon seeing the way you cradled his son like he was as light as a feather. There was something so wonderful about seeing you hold Alistair like he was your own child. Ali looked at you with so much love. Just like his father, he’d only just met you, but he had put his whole trust in you - like his life depended on it.

“How was Greece?” Alistair asked you.

“Was good,” you smiled. “I brought you back a present.”

Alistair’s tired smile grew into an ecstatic grin. “A present?!”

“Yes,” you giggled, pinching his adorable little button nose. “But I’ll give you it tomorrow when you wake up. How does that sound?”

Alistair nodded his head and closed his eyes again, before nuzzling his head into your chest. “Thank you for being so kind to my daddy. He doesn’t realise it, but he’s been through a lot, and he deserves kindness.” Alistair hummed quietly, and you felt like your heart had melted right then and there. Before you could reply, Alistair had fallen back asleep in your arms.

It was that precise moment when you realised how important family was to you. It was that moment when you realised that maybe you wanted a family of your own.

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lovelyjasmari · 3 years

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KHOC Week 2021 ~ Day 1

@khoc-week

Day 1 ~ Strength

Hello Everyone!

It’s great to be participating again in KHOC Week for the third year in a row! This year, I’ll be focusing on two in particular. Many of you already are familiar with my primary oc Kalai; elegant adventurer, noble warrior, daughter of the Whirlwind Lancer. But this year, I’ll also be showing off more of her grandmother, Anila.

At 88, Anila is my oldest oc and has had a very incredible life. Spending her early years as a keyblade wielder and training beside Eraqus, Xehanort and the other Scala kids before setting off on her own as a young adult to traverse the countless worlds, then settling down in Radiant Garden where she becomes a wife, a mother, eventually a grandmother and even politician!

Of course, Anila has had her share of heartbreaks and tragedies, but her heart has always remained hopeful and even in old age, retains a youthful spirit that inspires those around her. To kick off this week, here’s a snippet highlighting the relationship between Kalai and Anila and how the latter gives inspiration to her granddaughter.

Mindful and Free ~ 2834 Word Count

This was a long shot. She had never visited any place in Radiant Garden outside the capital. But thankfully, those she spoke to seemed to know exactly where she needed to go. Kalai walked along a long dirt road, leading further away from town. The sound of morning doves took her deeper into the woods as the sounds of the bustling village fell away. After a time, she came across a fine stone cottage, mantled in ivy. Wildflowers lined the pathway leading to the door, which was open.

A rustling noise followed Kalai as she came closer to the house. An orange cat sprang towards her from the bushes. It startled Kalai, but she did not call out. She simply looked down at the creature, who, with a few blinks and mews, circled her feet before running back into the house. After collecting herself, Kalai wondered if the cat was guiding her to her destination, and she smiled to herself at the thought.

~~~

Despite the early hour, Lady Anila was awake and ready for whatever the day had in store for her. She opened her windows as well as the front door to let in the daylight, and wasn’t surprised when her cat made a beeline for the door. Outside, she could hear the cat mewing at something, piquing her curiosity.

“Lisi, what are you…oh!”

When Lady Anila stepped outside the doorway, she wasn’t sure what to expect, but she certainly did not expect to see her granddaughter waiting outside for her. Not that such a thing was ever unwelcome. Months had passed since their last meeting. They both immediately rushed towards each other. Each took the other into her arms, and they wholeheartedly embraced each other.

“Does your father know you’ve come here?” Lady Anila asked as she held her granddaughter close.

“He doesn’t,” Kalai replied. “No one in the castle knows I’m here, but...I needed to see you, Grandma. I need your advice.”

The two women pulled apart from each other ever so slightly and their identical eyes locked. Lady Anila replied, “well I’m always glad to help you if I can.” The elder woman smiled. “What has…”

A beam of the morning sunlight found the silver cuff decorating Kalai’s arm, causing it to shimmer more brightly than usual. The brightness immediately caught Lady Anila’s attention and stopped her mid-sentence. It was so similar to a cuff that encircled her own arm for decades, in her previous life, before Radiant Garden. She reached for her dear granddaughter’s wrist, bringing the cuff closer to her face. She gazed upon it with wonder and a tiny hint of concern. Kalai did not resist her grandmother’s inspection of the cuff, as Lady Anila continued running her fingers along the intricate design. A plethora of thoughts swarmed her mind. But she wanted to be certain.

“Kalai, how did you get this?”

Kalai did not respond with words. Gently pulling her arm away from her beloved grandmother, she stepped back and extended her cuffed hand, summoning Graceful Destiny in a beam of light. Lady Anila took one look at the keyblade and became overwhelmed with emotion. A flood of memories revived themselves and danced inside her mind. Yes, it was just as she suspected, and in her heart, she had always hoped something like this would one day happen. But after having a son more interested in lances and never taking on an apprentice, she felt that her hopes would never be. Now before her eyes, she could see her legacy, which would surely continue long after she departed this world. Lady Anila couldn’t be happier and nearly suffocated her granddaughter in another embrace, holding back tears.

The words began spilling out of her. “I gave up my keyblade decades ago. And with it, my hopes that I’d have a successor, someone to carry on my legacy.” Lady Anila gazed at Kalai, eyes shining with affection and pride. “With this, my dear, you’ve revived my hopes. This is so incredible, do you know what this means for you?”

“But...grandma…” Praise from her grandmother, though well-intentioned, only added to Kalai’s anxiety. “I came here because I’m not sure about wielding a keyblade. My Master has faith in me, and of course, Dad has faith in me. But I’m not sure if I have as much faith in myself.”

Lady Anila nodded, remembering all too well her own uncertainty when, as a little girl, she was bequeathed with the power of the keyblade. And she remembered all too well her continued fears as she went through her training and her Mark of Mastery.

“I understand,” she said. “You might be unsure now, but it doesn’t mean you’ll always be that way. Come inside child.”

Placing her arm around her granddaughter, Lady Anila led Kalai inside as her cat followed behind them. Memorabilia from decades of exploits and adventure was on display for Kalai to see. Unique treasures and cases filled with rare multilingual tomes spoke to the very rich life her grandmother had lived. Kalai sat at a table by a window overlooking the sea while Lady Anila poured tea for them. The white cat purred, nuzzling her owner’s leg and was rewarded with a bowl of milk. Lady Anila smiled down at the cat, then back at Kalai.

“Lisi is my companion when I’m not in the capital, named after my old friend from my days in Scala,” she explained as she sat down. “So, tell me about your keyblade. Are you training? Do you have a Master?”

“I do have a Master who’s training me,” Kalai replied. “I live with her now. Her name is Aqua.”

“Aqua!” The elder woman’s eyes lit up. “I know her, she was one of Eraqus and Ilysia's wards. And a boy named Terra.”

“I know Terra!” Kalai smiled. “He lives with us too!”

“I haven’t seen either of them since they were little ones. But Eraqus trained them, so I know you’re in good hands. Which brings me to my next question…” she continued delicately, taking a long, measured sip of her tea. “Why do you not have any faith in yourself?”

Kalai let out a long sigh, turning her cup in her hands as she thought about how to best explain herself. But her grandmother already understood.

“Does this perhaps have anything to do with the...unfortunate events in your past,” Lady Anila gently said. The elder and the younger’s eyes met again, light catching their dark irises in the exact same manner.

“That is part of it,” Kalai replied. “I have another Master, sort of. He’s a former master, but he gives us advice. Yesterday I found out that he secretly doesn’t trust me, because of my past association with Xehanort.”

“Is that so?” Lady Anila chuckled. “If that’s all, then I would also be unworthy of trust since we were once friends.”

“But you knew him before he was a darkness-soaked tyrant. And let’s be honest, grandma.” Kalai lowered her head as a sudden recollection shamed her. “It’s not like I was without my own darkness before he came along. That’s what I’m unsure of. I don’t want to be a keyblade wielder like him. Am I even worthy of a keyblade? Considering everything that’s happened?”

“Hmmm…” Lady Anila placed her cup back on the table, not answering right away. She was thinking of an instance, decades ago, when she sat in her classroom as one of the Masters explained how darkness manifested itself in people’s hearts. She was quiet and thoughtful for so long, Kalai became concerned.

“Grandma?” she called out to her.

Lady Anila breathed deeply, and spoke with great care and intention. “You say you don’t want to be like Xehanort.” said the elder woman. “That would imply you’re afraid that there is still enough darkness in your heart to hold sway over you.”

“Yes. That’s what Master Yen Sid is worried about.”

“Yen Sid?!” Lady Anila laughed. “The sorcerer? That’s your other master?”

“You knew him too?”

“I did, and I should have known. His stance on light and dark has always been very black and white. Eraqus too.”

“Isn’t it though? Black and white?”

“Not exactly. Granted, my stance on light and dark is more nuanced for a Master of our generation. But I wasn’t always that way.” Lady Anila took another sip of her tea, then surveyed her granddaughter’s face with great tenderness. “Have I ever told you why I chose to relinquish my role as Keyblade Master?”

“No,” Kalai shook her head. “I don’t think you have.”

“When Terra and Aqua were still little, I went with Eraqus and Ilysia to the Realm of Darkness. We were searching for Xehanort, whom Yen Sid had given us reason to believe was trapped there. It ended up being the final mission we ever went on.”

“Why? What happened?” Kalai asked, although from the downcast look in her grandmother’s eyes, Kalai felt she could make an educated guess.

“Long story short, we found him, but we were cornered by a large Heartless. Ilysia knew our options were few. So using a special keyblade, she opened a portal to the Realm of Light but placed herself in front of the monster to help us escape.” The elder woman closed her eyes. “For years...she and Eraqus ruled Scala together, yet her sacrifice that day was the noblest action of her entire life…” The horrific final image she had of her friend alive caused her lip to quiver. “...and her last.”

“Grandma...I’m so sorry…”

“Eraqus was never the same. Neither was our relationship with Xehanort. As for me, the grief was too much to bear, especially due to the tragedies darkness had brought upon me. My father was also a Master, struck down like many of my companions. Now darkness had taken my dearest friend. With all the pinned-up sorrow I kept in my heart over the years from what darkness had taken from me, I knew it was only a matter of time before the darkness took me as well. And in that fear, I vowed never to use my keyblade again.”

After this, there was a long silence, cut only by the distant sound of waves outside the window and the occasional mews of Lisi. Looking at her grandmother, Kalai saw immeasurable wisdom. But as a child, her father would often say that the most important life lessons were often bitter ones. And for every inch of wisdom Lady Anila possessed, there was sorrow to accompany it. To be named a Keyblade Master was the greatest honor that could be bestowed upon a warrior of light. To be worthy of such a title, the strength of one’s heart had to be beyond measure, the resolve unwavering.

And yet, her grandmother had felt compelled to doff that mantle out of fear of the darkness growing in her heart. Even in her old age, she could see her grandmother was a strong person, with a kind disposition. So whatever darkness she had, it must have been extremely powerful to make such a decision. Kalai thought about when her mother had died, and the rage she felt when she had been excluded from the funeral. Such turmoil remained with her for a long time after the fact, even now. Would her dark feelings eventually compel her to abandon her keyblade as well?

“In those days, one of the first lessons drilled into a prospective Master was the ways darkness is manifested, the negative emotions that in and of themselves are considered darkness, that become darkness over time.” she continued. “However, the real lesson, that I did not come to learn until decades later, is that those emotions aren’t darkness at all. They’re as much a part of the human experience as happiness and love. It’s not realistic to think you can erase those feelings.”

“Sometimes, I feel like my heart is still ruled by my darker feelings,” Kalai admitted. “Remember how much I hated my sisters? Because just looking at them reminded me of how much my stepfather hurt me.”

“I remember.” Lady Anila smiled a little. “But in time, your heart opened up to them. Having dark feelings is not a problem, it’s holding onto them that’s the problem. That was Xehanort’s folly, but I know for certain it will not be you’s.”

“How can you know that?”

“Because I’ve seen the effect darkness has had on you. I’ve seen you almost on the brink of losing yourself. And yet, you refused to let it destroy you.”

Lady Anila took her granddaughter’s hand with a sigh. “Kalai, whatever dark feelings you have, you are stronger than them. If I had understood that about myself sooner, I might still be wielding my keyblade, even at my age. I might have had more I could offer you beyond advice. Please don’t wait until you’re my age to realize something so simple.”

“So you think Master Yen Sid is wrong about me?”

“Please understand, in our time, we had a lot of reasons to fear darkness. Of the eleven in our original class, only six of us survived our training and became Masters. And of those six, only I, Yen Sid, and another of our friends still lives. However, It doesn’t mean I think he’s right to hold your past over you.”

“So what should I do?” Kalai asked.

“Continue what you’re doing now, my dear.” Lady Anila replied. “Listen to what Aqua tells you and strive to be the best wielder that you can be. As for your darker feelings, acknowledge them, but do not embrace them. And when you do that, you’ll learn to stop worrying and realize what’s most important. In time, I’m certain that Yen Sid will see the good in your heart.”

“I hope so.”

They talked about other things, like Kalai’s training and how it compared to Lady Anila’s. Kalai learned that Kairi’s grandmother had also once been a Master and trained beside her own grandmother when they were young. And nearly eighty years later, they were still friends.

“I guess it makes sense that our granddaughters would also be friends and inherit our gift.”

“Kairi has been having doubts herself. ”Kalai thoughtfully leaned her face into one of her hands. “We try to encourage her and I’m certain her grandma is proud of her.”

“She is, and I am proud of you too, Kalai. With your keyblade, I know you will do amazing things.”

Kalai stayed with Lady Anila a little while longer. Lisi sat purring in her lap as she was told more stories of her grandmother’s life in Scala. Soon enough, she felt her confidence returning but when she was asked if she would try to become a Master herself, she laughed.

“I doubt it,” she replied. “I’ve only had my keyblade for two months and from what you’ve told me, the Mark of Mastery sounds dangerous.”

“I understand. Perhaps you’ll feel differently after a few years of training.” Finally, when Kalai felt that she had stayed long enough, Lady Anila guided her to one of her bookcases. “Before you return, there is one last thing I wish to show you.”

She pulled out a large tome bound in dark leather, taking out something that was marking one of the pages. A purple star-shaped charm dangled in her hand. Kalai recognized it at once, it was very similar to the ones carried by Terra, Ventus, and Aqua.

“It’s a Wayfinder,” she told her. “It was given to me a very long time ago, I was much younger than you when it was given to me.” She stared at the charm somewhat wistfully. “The Wayfinder serves as a good luck charm and for the longest time, it decorated my keyblade as the chain. Even without a keyblade, it still holds a lot of meaning to me.”

But when she handed the Wayfinder to her granddaughter, she would not accept it.

“I couldn’t possibly take something so important.”

“That’s exactly why I want to give it to you. In a way, it represents my life before coming to Radiant Garden, my hopes as a young girl. But these days, I have a new purpose in my life.” She pressed the Wayfinder back into her hand with a little smile. “As do you.”

Kalai took the charm. The lustrous purple seashells reflected softly in the light, casting itself upon her face. A little smile slowly pulled at her lips as her grandmother’s words began to reach her heart. Darkness was never her choice, it wouldn’t be her choice now. With her keyblade, she had even more reason for her heart to remain strong. Even if it was just her stubbornness driving her, it didn’t matter.

In a way, this pretty little charm represented far more than a means for good luck. This Wayfinder symbolized her grandmother’s faith, and more than anything, Kalai wanted to be at least worthy of that.

#khocweek2021 #kingdom hearts oc #kh oc #kingdom hearts #kalai oc #Anila oc #my art #my writings #i literally finished this less than an hour ago

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