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#and seeing a character and going 'hmm that absolutely wasn't their fault' can help you realize that it wasn't your fault either
joannerowling · 8 months
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Man PinkNews really can't stay away from Jo for too long lol, they're back at it again with more slander, this time with a supposed like of a pretty offensive tweet. And as always people are eating it all up.
Now I went to check and that supposed like wasn't there which makes me think it's fake(either that or much like few years ago when she liked and then unliked that one tweet-I forget what was it about, and if her like was real then it could be the same case again, an acidental like).
But like, I really don't get these people...I get it, they hate her, but why make up stuff? Is it cause perhaps normies are waking up and seeing that Jo isn't this evil person the likes of PinkNews and TRAs are trying to paint her as...it's so weird.
Well they can't exactly go and talk about anything wrong she would have actually done, can they, since when you look up what Jo really does with her money it's all charity and paying her taxes. We're still waiting on that list of anti-trans organisations she would have supposedly funded or donated to - you'd think they would line up to claim her patronage, and yet! Crickets! Strange, isn't it?
So they are reduced to this: dishonesty, defamation, and just making shit up when they run out of ideas. Take this week's example of what has the gendiboos shitting themselves: Jo liking a darkly humourous tweet saying "at least the Talibans know what a woman is". Someone tried to paint that as a) original tweeter was supporting the Talibans (yes, in this era where people can just say "kill yourself" to a celebrity over them claiming to like raisins); b) JKR herself implicitly supports the Talibans by proxy because she liked the tweet. Now, the person who said that claims to have received a cease and desist order. Gee, why would that ever happen??
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… Yeah, i guess Jo's a little sensitive about that particular brand of defamation of her character. It's almost like, unlike these bozos, she actually cares about hate crimes against women.
Honestly i wish she'd actually take them to court, just once. She would absolutely wipe the floor with them and that would set the record straight for any more who wants to try her. And i'm not even saying that with her sake in mind tbh.
But for the sake of the ACTUAL WOMEN IN THE MIDDLE EAST SUFFERING THROUGH ISLAMIC REGIMES RIGHT THE FUCK NOW.
Like hey!! guys, gals and nonbinary pals! Maybe… just maybe?? we shouldn't use victims of horrible religious tyranny as pawns in some stupid gender wars?? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I know we're all convinced in our heart of hearts that JK Rowling is a big bad meanie, but maybe we could act like the better people we pretend to be for once and treat this topic with the seriousness it warrants?? ufuckingwu!
And since i had the unpleasant surprise to see that in the tag this morning: same thing with Ukraine. No, JK Rowling is not friend with Putin, she has actually helped Ukrainian refugees since the start of the war, and the fucking Harry Potter store being maybe still up in Moscow on Google Maps is the last of Ukraine's problems even if she had the actual power to shut it down (assuming GM's infos are even actualised).
Like, i can sort of laugh it out when these idiots make up bullshit about the Goblins being antisemitic caricatures. (Except, it's not actually funny, not when you take two seconds to think about the implications that a whole generation of people apparently think that this is what antisemitism is, OR, care so little about antisemitism that they are happy to pretend that this is it.) It's a whole 'nother business to pick victims of current wars and religious extremism and make up a story about how it's all some writer you don't like's fault. Those are real people ffs. Whom JKR is tangibly helping. What the fuck is Pink News doing for them, hmm? Not even showing them an OUNCE of decency and respect, that's what.
Anyways, apologies for this outburst. To answer your question : why do they do it? Hatred. Hatred is the point. It goes nowhere deeper than this i'm afraid.
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knickknacksandallthat · 10 months
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I know you told us how the foxes felt about Thea, but we’ve never really seen how Jean and Jeremy feel about her. Hell, how did wymack feel?
Ooh, another good question, anon! Hmm, let me see...I think I can answer how Jean/Jeremy felt about Thea before Dead of Night and not spoil anything. Anything after that is plot-relevant so...it's a no-go. Then I'll tackle Wymack next cause...hoo boy.
Again, the incredibly long, detailed synopsis that I'm sure no one wanted. 😅 (And all my own opinions, based on the au I created! Feel free to hc differently if you want to!)
T/W: Discussion of assault, age gaps, non-consent, and character death below
*Also spoilers for DON below!
JEREMY: Jeremy has been a fan of Kevin's from the beginning. We're talking 14-year-old Jeremy putting-posters-of-Kevin-Day-on-his-wall-and-kissing-it-goodnight kind of celebrity worship. So when Kevin started dating Thea, Jeremy was bummed but also swooning because that's his idol! Dating an older woman! Who's one of the best backliners in the league! They're literally Exy royalty! OMG how cool!
For a long time, I think he was swept up with the rest of the world in the glamor of it. He saw Kevin dating a mature woman and was just so impressed and in awe of him. I think it wasn't until he met Kevin in college and Kevin became a "real" person to him, that Thea also became "real" as well. Despite the ease with which Jeremy brushed Kevin's rejection off at the time, it ached for a while after. During his bounce back, he dove into Kevin and Thea's relationship, watching them in interviews and games, reading about them in magazine and internet articles...and that's when I think he started to question their dynamic. Like why would Thea be interested in someone that young? What did they have in common? Why did they act that way toward one another? When did it start? And wait...um, that's not okay, right?
Then when Jean arrived? Broken and angry and so so so hurt? And Jeremy learned more about that relationship from Jean's perspective?
He became really conflicted over Thea indeed.
(But he has absolutely no idea what happened between them in the Nest.)
JEAN: Oh, Jean. Poor, poor Jean. As everyone knows, Jean's life in the Nest was absolute hell. And here he had this one ray of light - this one person in the entire world who looked out for him, who watched his back, who did whatever he could to help him. Who also happened to be devastatingly handsome and nice and intelligent, and learned Jean's language just so they could talk in private, and looked at him like he had stars in his eyes and - wait...did he actually look at him like that? Wait, he actually likes him? Wait, he wants to kiss him, and be together, and-
And then his world falls apart.
Because, overnight, Riko takes everything. In one night, he completely destroys Jean because not only does he attack and assault him - he hurts Kevin as well. He ruthlessly shatters Jean's dreams, ripping the roots of that romantic relationship up before they even have time to grow. And the worst part for Jean is (what he believes to be) the absolute erasure of this attraction by Kevin. It felt like Riko brainwashed him - that overnight, the simmering heat between them simply fizzled up like smoke.
And to put the final nail in the coffin, Kevin started dating Thea. The girl he said he didn't like only a couple weeks before. That terrifying fourth-year that barely spoke to anyone. Jean had asked, just to make sure, but Kevin had confirmed it - that they liked one another.
And so Jean had nothing left. Nothing but the tendrils of friendship between Kevin and him that he clinged to, for years.
He couldn't fault Thea, of course, for liking Kevin - that would be hypocritical of him. But still, he didn't like her - a move that he instinctively recognized as immature and irrational but unavoidable all the same. (But understandable when faced with a love rival, I think.) He did respect her, though - he respected her Exy skills, respected her transparent and direct communication, and the careful way she seemed to treat Kevin in public. (Did he find their dynamic a little cold, strange, and standoffish? Yes. Did he think he could do a better job? Also yes. Could he do anything about it? No.)
He had absolutely no clue that the age gap was a problem. How could he? He was too young to know these things before being handed over to the Moriyamas. It wasn't until Jeremy asked some careful questions, and the winces and scrunched-up looks he received in return for his answers that he began to suspect something might be wrong there.
He also has no idea what happened that night in the Nest because Kevin never told him. (And he still hasn't...yet.)
WYMACK: Kevin was a small, small blip on Wymack's radar before he called him that fateful night he escaped. Something wistful and nostalgic, and interesting to read up on in his free time. So he didn't really spare much thought to Kevin's relationship. (He had bigger things to worry about.)
And yet, there was something that twisted in his gut, even when he didn't consciously acknowledge it.
It wasn't until Kevin was recuperating at Abby's that Wymack really got the sense something was strange between the two. It happened after the first time that Wymack offered to get in contact with Thea - the striker's supposed long-term girlfriend.
And the answer he received in response was a panicked wheeze, a frantic shaking of the head, of eyes opening wide as Kevin shouted, "NO!"
It...confused Abby and Wymack to say the least.
It's late at night when he comes over to visit Abby only to find her frowning in the dark in her kitchen. "You said they've been together for four years, right, David?" she asked, still staring at her laptop.
"Who?"
"Kevin and Thea."
"Yes?" he answered, confused.
"So they got together when he was sixteen."
"Right."
Abby looked up at him. "That means Thea was twenty-one."
And suddenly bile rushed up Wymack's throat because - that's a seven-year-age-gap. That meant Kevin was underage. That meant he couldn't consent.
That was almost exactly what happened to David's mother.
There will be many, many more twisted and dark things he'll come to learn happened to his son. (A fact that he doesn't even know until two years later.) And by the time they're in a place where they've dealt with the more pressing, immediate nonsense that Riko brought to the table, and the aftermath his death causes, Wymack will feel stuck. Because what possible leverage does he have to influence a now-adult that his relationship originated from fuzzy, uncomfortable, and possibly non-consensual means? He's been his father for .5 seconds - a fact that he discusses several times with Betsy. How can he hope to create a father-son relationship with Kevin when he's already undermining his decisions in an environment where he basically had no choice? Things are precarious enough as it is.
But Betsy was firm and direct with David (in her own Bee-like way) - she kept encouraging him to approach the topic. It's just that Wymack didn't have time - and he didn't have a good way to bring it up. He couldn't find the right moment to say - oh, how did the two of you get together anyway? Did you actually have a choice in that decision? Or is this another story I'm about to hear that will tear me up from the inside out? Isn't it a little strange the way she treated you when she came on campus? Why are you having to grovel to a girlfriend for being abused and manipulated, and why didn't she reach out to you to help when she learned you were here? Why is it she still wears her uniform number around her neck? Why do you never talk about her or call her or seem to think about her in any decisions you make?
But he waited too long. And suddenly the relationship was no longer a problem. Suddenly they were simply broken up. And Wymack doesn't see a change in Kevin's demeanor. He doesn't see him grieving or pining away for the love he lost. So he thought that was that. A juvenile relationship that ran its course. He's relieved. He tries to tell himself that if Kevin wanted to talk about it, he would.
And then DON happened.
(And there was one more thing Wymack regretted in his life.)
So...yeah...again. Not like I've thought about any of this AT ALL in my writing LOL. Thanks for the question, anon!! ❤️ A pleasure to be able to think through all of this! 😊
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kerra-and-company · 2 years
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(legendary-renegade-stance)
5, 11, 14, 21, 25 i think for whoever you'd like!
Thank you thank you!! :D Let's see, which character to talk about for these...I think I shall give you some Minei facts! :)
5. On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?
Probably a couple specks of dirt (as would be in plenty of people's pockets who spend a decent amount of time outdoors), a folded and worn sketch of her adoptive family (her sister and her dad) that she drew herself, some sort of easily portable snack (maybe a granola bar if the pocket is big enough), and, potentially, her pet rat Stanley, if wherever she's going isn't work-related. Stanley travels in her bag sometimes too, if she has one.
11. In what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been?
Ooh, boy, it's going to be two parallel but different traumatic losses for Minei. (TW: discussion of grief, loss, death, etc. in the rest of the answer to this question below the cut.)
First, when she was losing her adoptive dad (who she does consider her dad, I'm only specifying "adoptive" because she has three different father figures at different times) to a mysterious poison after a bandit attack. She knew she and her sister were both going to lose him if they couldn't cure the poison, but no one was able to discover (and none of the bandits she and her mentor Logan tracked down would say) what it was. It's a very specific brand of helplessness and anger and absolute dread, because you know the outcome and can't fix it no matter what you try.
Second, when she realized she was going to lose Forgal to his sacrifice on Claw Island. A repetition of the first situation in the helplessness and dread, but also the knowledge of how much it hurt to lose someone she looked up to like that. And the fear of going through that again when she lost the person who'd helped fill the hole the first loss had left behind. The fact that she was able to help her new friends and acquaintances fight their way to the boat to escape, even if relatively feebly, took quite literally everything she had.
Minei's not scared of death, not really. She's blessed by Grenth (literally); she's a naturally gifted necromancer; she deals with death and death-adjacent power on a daily basis. But she's still afraid of loss--and how much it will hurt. Understanding death on a bone-deep level doesn't make that easier for her.
14. Does your character remember names or faces easier?
Faces, by a small margin. Recognizing who's safe and who wasn't at a glance based on memory was a valuable skill when she was a kid.
21. If something tragic or negative happens to your character, do they believe they may have caused or deserved it, or are they quick to blame others?
About half and half. She is very unlikely to believe she deserved it, but believing that it's somehow her fault will come easier. At the same time, she is very good at directing her anger at the people/creatures/etc. who did cause the situation. For example, in the two events in question 11, she addressed those events by a) feeling helpless because she did everything she could and it still wasn't enough and then pivoting relatively quickly to b) "punish whoever is actually responsible for this horrible loss I couldn't fix". She organizes an expedition with Logan to take care of the bandit organization ultimately responsible for her dad's death, and she absolutely tears into every single minion she can get her magic on when they return to Claw Island (very much including Blightghast).
25. How quick is your character to suspect someone else? Does this change if they are close with that person?
Suspect someone else of being responsible for something wrong? Hmm. Minei's pretty decently skeptical of people (and institutions) in general. She's the type of person who won't cross anyone off of a suspect list unless there's a concrete reason to rule them out--not in the sense that she expects everyone to be responsible for things, just that her life experience has led her to be very sparing with unconditional trust. The only person who she really, truly, completely trusts unconditionally is her sister Petra. (Close seconds are Kerra, Almorra, and Logan, though.)
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ghostmacandcheese · 2 years
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Heaven help the fools chapter 3
(Hello! I hope you like this fanfic. It’s going to be five chapters, that way I can put a good amount of detail into the story. It isn’t a Y/N reader, as the main character does have a name, and if it seems strange or annoying the way the conversations flow or the way things are described, sorry, that's just how i think and react to things. While most of the stuff in this is false, obviously, there will be a note at the end of each chapter letting you guys know what was actually real from personal experiences! Hope you all enjoy, i know i had a lot of fun writing this!)
Summery: you meet Steven in the museum gift shop and become fast friends, and maybe something even more!
Pairing: just Steven x female reader
Warnings: some swearing, being the family disappointment, sleep disorders,
Genre: fluff, meet-cute, friends to lovers
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Chapter 3: wasteland, baby
It had been about two weeks now since that first time going to the coffee shop with steven, and about every day after, the both of you found some excuse to hang out. He gave you regular tours of the museum, and even though they were all basically the same, you always said yes when he asked, purely to just listen to him talk so excitedly and passionately about his obsession. You've learned a lot about him since the first time you met him, and he now knew a lot about you, but that was just because he was so easy to talk to that you couldn't help but open up to him. He listened to everything really intently, and wouldn't interrupt unless he got excited. He was kind and seemed to genuinely care, and that made you feel important.
You learned that he had a sleeping disorder, lives alone, never had a girlfriend, and loves jazz. He likes to bake, but never has any time, and is an avid collector of tiny seashells. I don't think I've ever been happier to know someone can collect tiny seashells because they love the swirl pattern in their shells.
I roll over and check my phone, confirming my suspicions. It was 3 am, and I was still awake. Even worse, I was thinking about steven, instead of sleeping. “God, I need a hobby. D you think he's up now? Should I text him? Ugh, no, that would seem too obvious.” I get up out of bed and pace around the open floor in my living room, trying to figure out what I could do, and whether I should call him or not. I decide to pull out my earbuds and play my sleeping playlist, shuffling it until I found the perfect song. I lay on my bed while Wasteland, Baby by Hozier filled my ears. I close my eyes and let the song wash over me, letting it lull me into almost sleep when my music stops. I check my phone to see what's wrong and see steven is calling me! Shit shit shit what do I do? Do I answer? I mean, he'd probably be upset if I didn't answer, yeah, I'll answer.
“Hello?”
“H-hey, I wasn't sure if you'd be awake! Glad to see I'm not the only one with sleep issues.”
“Hmm, yeah, I haven't been able to fall asleep all night.” and it's all your fault, you absolute moron, do you know what this is doing to me right now?
“Was there something you needed?” I ask, trying not to sound rude so he wouldn't think I was angry.
“O-oh, uh, not really, I, uh, just wanted to um, I just wanted to talk to you, i-guess. If this is a bad time, I can go.” he sounded so sad, that I couldn't say no to him.
“No, it's fine, I don't have work tomorrow, so I don't care if I can't fall asleep right now. Anyway, what are you up to? Anything interesting to pass the time?”
“Eh, you know, just puzzles, books, anything to keep my brain active, I guess. What about you?”
“I mean, I was thinking of starting a painting, but I'm not really sure of what. Maybe something psychedelic so I can mess around with neons and glow in the dark? A huge canvas of glowing neon eyes would be pretty cool.”
“I-are you being serious?”
“I'll be honest, at first I was joking, but that actually sounds like a really cool idea. Like, it's one face in the light, and another when you turn off the lights? I don't know. I've got a big canvas and glow-in-the-dark paint, though, so I guess we’re gonna find out, huh.” I started heading to the back corner crawl space where I keep my painting supplies, and steven starts talking about the eye and its symbolism in Egypt. Eventually, he stops, and I realize I've been quiet the whole time I've been painting.
“Steven, why’d you stop talking?” I ask, thinking something happened or he fell asleep.
“Oh, sorry, I thought you found me boring and I was afraid I had put you to sleep or something.”
“Oh.” I chuckle, shaking my head. “I'm sorry, I just got so focused listening to you while painting I completely forgot to talk. If I'm being honest, I probably would fall asleep to you talking.” I hear a disappointed “oh” from the other end of the phone before I could finish my sentence. “No, not because your boring, because your voice is so nice and relaxing it makes me wanna fall asleep. I like sleeping to constant noise, and your voice has such a nice cadence that I could listen to you talk all night long and comfortably fall asleep to it. I didn't mean it rudely, don't worry.”
“O-oh, ok. So… you like my voice?” he sounded so timid, it was like a small child asking if their playground crush liked the drawing they made them.
“yes, steven, I like our voice,” I said with a smile. “I like a lot of things about you, actually. I like the fact that you love Egypt so much you could talk about it all day, that your hair looks really soft and is always slightly messy, and that you always listen with 100% interest to what I'm saying, even if you don't really want to, and that you respect my boundaries and personal space. I like the fact that you smell like an old library and the incense used in the Egyptian wing, and that you drink coffee every hour of the day and still look exhausted. I love how excited you get when listening to me talk, and how much you love your goldfish. I love a lot of things about you, steven grant.” I let it all out in one breath, feeling like I just shared a part of me I had never shared with anyone before. Steven was quiet for a while after that. Unbearably quiet.
“S-steven, are, are you ok?” I ask, nervous I had just ruined my only friend with my feelings.
‘I-you like all those things about me?”
“Yes,” I said, suddenly feeling really shy.
“You changed your wording, halfway through.”
“I-i did?”
“Yeah,” he said, sounding thoughtful. ‘You started by saying you like a lot about me, and ended by saying you loved a lot about me.”
“I-i guess I did, huh.”
“So, um, w-which is it?”
“What?”
“Do you like me, or love me?” he sounded about as nervous as I felt, which is to say, incredibly nervous.
“Um, I mean, I guess, kina both, if that's ok?”
“Yeah, that's ok. I guess I feel both too. A-about you, I mean, not me.” I laughed at that.
“Ophelia,”
“Yes?”
“Would you, um, many wanna, wanna go out somewhere with me? Like, on a date? Not to any restaurants or anything, I know you get bad claustrophobia and anxiety when it comes to restaurants, but maybe somewhere else, outside maybe? Like in the park? We can make a day of it! Um, if that's ok?” he sounded so sweet, so genuine. This was truly what it felt like to be loved. To be important. To be cared about.
“Steven, I would love to”
“Oh, great, that's just great! Yeah, um, ill let you know the time and place, ya? I'll get it all figured out, don't worry.”
“Oh, I trust you.”
“Ok, well bye I guess,”
“Bye steven, I cant wait.”
“Bye Ophelia. Love you, laters, gators.”
He-he just said “I love you” to me! This is the day I die from happiness! You're going on a date! With STEVEN GRANT!! oh, and now that you are excited about it, not only will you not sleep for the next 3 hours, but you also get to cash in that free anxiety ticket you'd been holding on to for a rainy day, how fun! Sleep well!
‘Well,” I mutter to myself, I guess I better at least try to sleep somewhat once I finish this painting.” I take a deep breath, letting the full events of what just happened 15 minutes ago fully hit me.
“OH, MY GOD I'M GOING ON A DATE! FINALLY! AND HE'S SOOOOO HOOOOOOT!!!” I start jumping up and down, super excited until one of my neighbors knocks on my door and kindly reminds me with his middle finger it's now 4 in the morning, and he'd like to sleep.
“Sorry,” I whisper, “I just got a little excited, ill be going to bed now.” I close the door and walk over to my bed, falling in it, giggling like a teenage girl. This is the best day ever!
*end chapter authors note*
Hello! Glad you guys seem to be liking this series so far! So, quick update, i know i said six chapters, but I’m making it five, so that way i dont have an entire chapter of stupid stuff that’s unnecessary! Anyways, aside from that, here’s stuff about me that i put in this chapter!
1) i love jazz, baking, and collection tiny things, including seashells, since i happen to conveniently live by a beach
2) i paint quite a lot, and the painting Ophelia makes is something i actually really want to paint soon
3) i have pretty bad anxiety and claustrophobia when it comes to certain places like restaurants, so i generally feel safer outside
Anyway, thanks for reading!
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lewishamil10n · 2 years
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9, 10, 14, 20 & 23 for the Sam ask game :DDD
hi ana <333
9. powers/boyking!sam or witch!sam?
OH this is a tough one! i really love both, but for this i think i'll go with powers!sam. i thought they were really cool and that sam would've made an excellent king of hell. i don't think it would change who he essentially is at his core, i think his version of hell would be a lot more just and righteous, he'd make some good changes i think. also i want him to drink demon blood and kill angels <3
10. soulless sam, yay or nay?
oh absolutely yay. it was great acting from jared, and yes, the comic relief parts of it were hilarious, but i also liked what it said about sam. this guy who worried all the time that he was actually secretly evil, and yet even without his soul he was hunting, helping people. did he fuck up? oh yes, so many times, and it did end up hurting/killing people. he has no moral compass. but you know, he could've decided to be a serial killer or something and hurt people on purpose, actively. he wouldn't feel guilt, we know this. but he didn't. when dean returned, he chose to follow dean, which meant somewhere deep down he knew that dean was important, that it was important to be with him. even without his soul, sam wanted to be around dean and help people through hunting.
14. sam storyline that should never have been dropped?
hmm, a few come to mind. i wanted more powers!sam, though i get why that ended. i'm not unsatisfied with its conclusion, per se, i just think powers!sam is cool lmao. also, i wish they'd talked about moc!dean telling sam it should've been him up on charlie's pyre. OH and the voicemail from s4! we never got a fixit! fuck, for all i know, sam lived his entire life thinking dean actually thought all that at one point :/
also, i wanted sam to have a storyline with magda, and i always want him to have more time with the younger generation of hunters like claire. i always like those characters more when they're around sam, he brings out the best in them and can make even the most annoying and dull characters bearable and interesting.
20. what is the worst thing the writers did to sam?
making him work with those that hurt him, over and over again. it's one thing if it's the way it was with walt and roy, because that was out of necessity and the history there was acknowledged, even if barely. but the writers really had a hard-on for making sam be around lucifer, for letting him be hurt and abused over and over again, for forcing him to work with him for whatever reason. it was sickening and i'm damn sure that they didn't even care about what it did to sam. jared is the only reason we got any portrayal of trauma and ptsd.
also, having castiel be the one to spring him from the panic room and never letting it be acknowledged or brought up. sam deserved to know that he wasn't solely at fault for the apocalypse, even if he's the only one that took responsibility.
23. scene/episode that makes you want to chew glass
sacrifice :)))))) seeing him broken down like that, sobbing because he thought dean didn't love him? knowing how alone in the entire world he must have felt, how much of a burden, thinking it would be better if he died because at least then he was doing some good? saying his greatest sin was letting dean down, when he hadn't really? thinking dean didn't want him any more because he had others, while sam was all alone? yeah, i'm still fucked up about it :))))
sam winchester ask game
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nadziejastar · 5 years
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How do you think the experiments would have impacted Lea? Obviously he wasn't as traumatized as Isa, but no one gets kidnapped and used as a lab rat and comes out unscathed
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Roxas: Saïx called her “broken.”
Axel: Hmm… Well, if it cheers you up, I’m probably a lot more broken than her.
Ooh, I love this question. I get to use one of my favorite Axel quotes. Yeah, I definitely agree with you. He’d still be very messed up even if he hadn’t lost his heart. He has a LOT of anger and pain underneath the surface. He lost everything in his life. I’m really disappointed that we never got to see his entire backstory. He’s such an interesting character. I wanted to see how he went form an innocent frisbee playing kid to a remorseless assassin. What did he think the Organization was after when they kidnapped him? Did he think they stole his heart as part of the experiment? I wanted to know how he felt about having his heart stolen and then being asked to build KH to try and get it back…by the people who stole it. That must have been confusing. And did he know how the apprentices lost their hearts, too?
I think that he and Saix plotted to take over the Organization for revenge as well for as their freedom. In the novel, this is what is going through Axel’s mind when he first convinces the Riku Replica to join him.
Given the right memories, the Replica could mimic the powers of the original. Which meant that if he were implanted with somebody else’s memories, he would, hypothetically, gain other powers. Somebody’s—or maybe even a Nobody’s. He had one particular Nobody in mind. All the members of the Organization were still influenced by the memories of their human lives.
This sounds like a subplot that never materialized. I wonder who the Nobody was. Braig or Xemnas? It wasn’t Zexion, because Axel says he’s as good a place to start as any. He was testing the Replica on Zexion. I’m not exactly sure what experiments were done to Axel, but I would guess they are the reason why he can control fire. And there were a lot of Emblem Heartless being manufactured in that basement.
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He probably was forced to fight at the very least, as I suspect Isa was. The black cloaks are meant to prevent someone from getting swallowed by darkness. Lea and Isa were wearing them when they were recompleted. This indicates they had things done to them that risked them getting swallowed by darkness.
The Heartless appear in groups, and are multiplying rapidly. I’ve provided them both living and nonliving samples. They’ve responded only to the living. They seem to multiply after absorbing something from the living creatures. Their prey vanishes without a trace.
Not only is he traumatized because of what he personally experienced, but probably also from witnessing what happened to others as well.
Yeah, I know. Our plans. That part won’t change.
This is what Axel is thinking in the novel when talking to Saix. Even though they weren’t really getting along at that point, he said that their plans wont change. He wasn’t doing it for just for Saix. He wanted to take over the Organization as much as Saix did. He only becomes less motivated when he starts growing a heart and enters an existential crisis.
Hearing his old name, Axel glanced up at Saix watching him intently. He remembered being human. Memories surged inside him, crowding the space in his chest. For Nobodies, memory had all the weight of a heart.
I remember. I won’t forget.
I think he’s talking about both his memories of Isa, and his memories of the experiments that took everything away from him. His normal life, his heart, his best friend’s personality, his ability to experience happiness and love. He has a really dark and twisted side to his personality. Which I love. It makes total sense. I think the upside-down tear marks were something he came up with himself. Not Saix. Gang members get the tear-shaped tattoos as a permanent reminder that they’ve killed someone or they’ve had a friend killed and they want revenge. And Axel’s are upside-down. As an assassin, the message being sent is, “Ain’t no tears being shed for you, bitch”. But deep down…I think there are.
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“The dirty work doesn’t bother me”, Axel went on. “You just make for the top.”
There was nothing false in that, and he looked at Saix in the eye as he said it.
Since the heart is the seat of your emotions and interpersonal relationships, I think that Axel and Saix probably got along decently during their time in the Organization. They were both single-mindedly focused on revenge. They were less like close friends and more like gang brothers. Loyal, but not close. Axel didn’t have an intimate relationship with Saix. They didn’t have fun together, or laugh. And this didn’t seem to bother Axel too much until he met Roxas.
Zexion had never trusted Axel one bit. In fact, he had never trusted anyone besides the original members of the Organization–those he had once known in the laboratory. But he found two especially untrustworthy: Saix, who had somehow wormed his way into Lord Xemnas’s confidence, and his close acquaintance Axel.
Zexion was just a kid when everything happened. I doubt he had anything to do with the experiments personally.He didn’t seem to have any clue who Axel and Saix were in the novel. Nor did he know Saix was Xehanort’d. He trusted them the least out of anyone, because he could tell how much they hated the apprentices. So if this is how much pleasure he took in eliminating Zexion, I can only wonder what he was imagining doing to Xemnas or Braig.
His title, Flurry of Dancing Flames, is a reference to a dance the god Shiva performed that almost caused the end of the universe because he was so angry after his wife killed herself.  Another weapon, Ifrit, is a death spirit drawn to the life-force or blood of a murdered victim seeking revenge on the murderer. He might not have known the whole story on Isa, but as soon as they woke up after turning into Nobodies, he obviously would have noticed that he had a giant scar on his face. I’m sure he was beyond pissed when he saw that. I wish I could see how furious he’d be if he knew the entire truth.
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Sora: What are you— What ARE you people?!
Axel: Hm… Don’t know. I wonder about that myself.
I really wonder how he would have acted around Even in DDD. I think they kept him and Dilan away from Lea for a reason. He absolutely revels in Vexen’s death. To Axel, Vexen is a symbol of all that was taken away from him. In the novels, he feels kinda bad destroying Dusks because they are fellow Nobodies. Yet he never, ever shows remorse for taking out Vexen or Zexion. He detests the Organization. But at the same time, he recognizes that he isn’t naturally like this. That he’s warped. Broken. This isn’t the person he wanted to be. He’s changed into someone else because of everything he’s been through. He remembers being different. I think that’s why he never really hates Saix, either. He assumes he’s just warped, like he is.
Axel: Most kids spend summer vacation just goofing off with their friends. They save the homework till the end and then help each other finish it.
Roxas: That sounds fun, I guess.
Axel: Yeah. I hadn’t really thought about it much since becoming a Nobody. So how’d you spend the day?
Axel: Hey, I’m not about to tell you ALL my dark secrets. Got it memorized? I bet you keep a thing or two from me.
Axel admits he hadn’t thought of his normal life too much since becoming a Nobody. He’s had other things on his mind, obviously. He jokes about having dark secrets after sleeping the entire day away. I think the experiments are another reason why he says that memories are just baggage that have never done him any good.
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He won’t allow anyone to get too close to him. He never really confides in anyone. Ever. Not even Roxas. He keeps an emotional distance with everyone at all times. Even when Axel says dark things, like he’ll never get to experience love, Roxas doesn’t pick up on anything wrong or ask him about it. He is too naive to tell that he’s got lots of baggage. Not his fault, but it is what it is. Not that Axel would want to talk about it anyways, but still… he always puts on a smile to hide his pain. Always. Even his closest friends had no idea how much he was suffering. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Even after he begins to grow a heart, he still kidnaps Kairi. He even does the iconic hand reach of darkness. He feels bad about this later, but he’s so lonely and miserable at that point, he doesn’t care about morality. Morals didn’t exist in the Organization. You didn’t survive that way. In the novel, Axel and Kairi have this exchange which I absolutely loved.
Kairi looked up at him. “Aren’t you…a bad guy?”
“I’m not,” Axel replied, completely serious. “But not really a good guy, either.”
“This doggy likes you, though,” she pointed out.
Axel dropped his gaze, and indeed, Pluto was right there with his tail whipping back and forth.
“Just because dogs like someone doesn’t mean they’re a good person, y’know. Got it memorized?”
I swear, Pluto LOVES Axel in the novels. I almost think they must have met before or something. I also love it because Axel’s main weapon, Eternal Flames, is actually shaped like the symbol for Aleister Crowley’s Chaos magic.
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Chaos is neither good nor evil, but both and neither at once. It cannot be controlled; not even by itself. It promotes freedom of choice, thought, and action above all else, even if this leads the world into a primal state of vice and survival of the fittest. Chaos refuses any limitations placed on it. I love how his weapons are so different from Saix’s. Ironically Saix’s are named after benevolent female goddesses and such. Axel’s are the ones who are much darker. You’ve got the lance of Mars, the Roman god of war.
Then there’s the Fuma Shuriken with the Recusant’s Sigil right in the middle. This is the Mystery Gear weapon that’s supposed to represent his true personality. A recusant is someone who refuses to submit to authority. If anyone is a recusant, it is Axel. He’d wear that “X” proudly. Fuma Shuriken was a weapon said to be wielded by the leader of the Fuma clan. The Fuma Clan were a group of outlaw ninjas, especially skilled at night raids and other sorts of sneaky surprise attacks. They were extremely strong, extremely deadly, and had a reputation for pretty much having no morals whatsoever. They would slash enemies in the back, set entire villages on fire, and resort to all sorts of violent and non-violent trickery. They were also said to be experts at the use of fire and smoke – including the smoke-shield practice. In a folk legend, the leader is often depicted as an inhuman figure: a supposedly part-oni, monstrous giant with inverted eyes.
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I loved how awkward his conversation with Ienzo was in DDD when he is looking for Isa. It’s even funnier when you hear that scene in Japanese because he sounded so impatient, like, “yeah yeah, shut up already with your long explanations, no one cares. Where’s Isa so I can leave this shithole already?” I’m so mad we didn’t get to see him confront the apprentices. I wanted to see him get mad. Something similar to when Roxas smashed up all of the computers. THAT level of rage. He needed to heal from his past, too. And the first step would be to face it head on and be angry.
I don’t think Axel truly got to heal from his pain in the story, either. He and Isa needed to heal each other. Axel immediately went to being perfectly okay after DDD. But I definitely don’t think he would be. He still needed closure. He needed to get angry at Saix to truly grieve the loss of Isa. And he needed to get angry at Xion when she tried to destroy herself. For himself. To acknowledge his own pain that he always minimizes or tries to hide. It felt like the writers forgot all about Axel’s pain and darkness in KH3.
Goofy: Gawrsh, Lea sure hurried back to Radiant Garden
At the end of DDD, after he saw that Isa had become a vessel, Goofy says Lea hurried back to Radiant Garden. I was so sure that he was going to confront the apprentices and finally learn what happened with Isa. He saw how vessels are made after rescuing Sora. He knew they were made by breaking the person’s soul and having Xehanort’s heart forcibly put into them. He knew Saix had yellow eyes and pointy ears. God, it blew my mind that he never seemed to suspect that Isa might have had the same thing done to him. Never in a million years was I expecting to learn in KH3 that Lea and Isa were “apprentices” all along, and Isa just chose to stay with them because he wanted to get stronger. Um, yeah right.
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The longer you know someone, the less you need to speak in clear terms. Everything gets across with a wink and a nudge, a little reading between the lines…When it comes to what befell our late comrades at Castle Oblivion, ambiguity suits me just fine. But the Keyblade master and Roxas come out and say every little thing that comes to mind. Maybe that’s human, or maybe they’re just special.
But in addition to anger, I think he forgot what it felt like to have positive feelings at all. That’s why Roxas was so important to him. He made him remember what being whole felt like. And he also looked like Ventus, so he brought back all sorts of memories from when he was young. There was a time, long ago, when he was just like Roxas.
Talking to Roxas and Xion always brings back memories of my human life, back when I was a kid. It’s a weird sensation. I ought to be able to share all this with Saïx, but I just don’t feel like it anymore. It’s strange, but I’m content with just missing what’s gone. I’m not the one who changed. You did.
From this you can tell that he didn’t always mind talking to Saix. But after spending time with Roxas and Xion, he starts to grow a heart, and then he remembers how genuine friendship felt. He’s sick of living like this. Like a criminal. He wants to eat ice cream and laugh about stupid stuff…And he starts missing Isa. And he can’t stand to be around Saix anymore, since hes nothing like Isa. The chasm between past and present is just too great. 
What were you really after, Lea? We joined the Organization at the same time, and formulated our plan. At this point, it’s just an idle fantasy. Everything changed. You, and me.
Saix says that Axel has changed. He used to be a lot more cold and brutal. Saix says he’s changed as well. I think it’s because he has Isa’s memories, so he can remember what Isa was like. And even he knows that he isn’t like Isa. I thought that was interesting. That he had that level of self-awareness. It must have been confusing to him, too. How different he used to be.
Roxas doesn’t trust me after the whole Xion incident, but I can’t tell him the truth yet. So I keep lying. It’s no big deal when you’re a Nobody. There’s no guilt, no feeling at all. So why does it still sting, just a little, when I lie to him? All my dealings with Roxas give me this bizarre illusion of humanity.
Axel isn’t used to feeling guilt when he lies. He forgot what that felt like, so it surprises him when he feels it. But he can’t imagine it’s anything more than an illusion…
“You know, I’ve been thinking about something Naminé said. Roxas, are you really sure that you don’t have a heart? Is it possible that we ALL have one? You, me, her… Or is that just wishful thinking?”
…Just wishful thinking. It’s too scary to hope for anything more.
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Riku Replica was just a tool, but I can’t just use Xion. No, I was wrong to have just used Riku Replica in the first place. How is a man-made puppet any less worthy than a Nobody that was never meant to exist at all? They’re both ambiguous. Tenuous at best.
Even when he does start to feel emotion again, he is confronted with overwhelming despair. He doesn’t even view himself as human. When he’s revived in DDD, he says hes “human again”. As a Nobody he sees himself as sub-human. On the same level as a Replica. When he disappears, he tells Roxas they’ll meet again in the next life. But he really didn’t believe he had one. I don’t think this outlook is just the result of losing his heart. I think it all started with losing his faith in humanity after the experiments were done to him. He sees Roxas as pure and innocent; something he no longer is. To Axel, Roxas is more worthy of humanity than he is. Honestly, he gets even more cynical after he starts to grow a heart again. That’s when he can feel the brunt of his trauma with full force, unlike before.
He had never apologized to anyone before. Or thanked anyone, either. Without a heart, there was never any need. If he had no heart, did it mean anything to say he was lonely, or sorry, or grateful? The words couldn’t be heartfelt, when there was no heart to feel them. But even that word, painful—what could it possibly mean for someone with no heart?
This whole passage from the novel shows how he views himself. He’s ashamed of himself. He knows it’s abnormal to lack emotion. Humans aren’t supposed to be like that. He’s broken. He invalidates his own feelings because he thinks he’s not worthy of having them in his condition.
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Axel stretched his neck and munched on his ice cream.
“You know, I don’t mind disappearing.”
Namine’s breath caught.
Riku stared at him.
“Roxas is gone. When we bring Kairi here, Namine will be gone, too. Same for me,” he said, as if he were discussing the weather, and then punctuated his comment with another bite of sea-salt ice cream.
“We don’t disappear…We’re only reborn,” Namine murmured, perhaps to herself.
“I‘m not like you and Roxas,” Axel said flatly, his hand holding his ice pop stick in midair.
“But—But you…” She looked down, clenching her fists.
“It’s because I don’t have a heart,” Axel went on. “I don’t want to disappear, but I’m not upset or sad about it.”
Namine tried to say something and failed.
Nobodies aren’t supposed to exist. Nobodies don’t have hearts, so they can’t feel anything.
I really love how much extra characterization the novels give. Despite all evidence to the contrary, he says he can’t feel anything. Or ironically, maybe he just wishes he didn’t. Maybe he forgot that having a heart can make you feel more profound pain, just as it can make you feel fulfilled. And he mistakes that emptiness for heartlessness.
Then someone else spoke behind him. ”I’ve been waiting for you Axel.”
“Yeah, I figured you’d show up.” His smirk turned nastier as he turned to see Saix. He didn’t take his eyes off the other man as he spoke to the girl in the cage. “Listen, Kairi! Trust me. I’m going to get you out!”
Behind him the portal closed.
“What are you saying…? Vile traitor! The great Claymore took shape at Saix’s back. Axel didn’t waste a second grabbing his chakrams. But his body was reluctant somehow.
I don’t want to disappear…But still, it wouldn’t be so bad if I did. Not here.
What does he even have left? Roxas forgot about him and disappeared. Isa forgot about him a long time ago (he thinks). And now he’s trying to kill him. If he wants to live, he might have to try and kill Isa now. He said he wanted to find hope—the hope that Sora and Riku have. But now? He thinks it wouldn’t be so bad to disappear. He puts on a “nasty smirk” when Saix comes. Just like when he disappeared with Sora, he still put on a smile to hide his pain. Like, wow. That is SO sad. It’s why I the LOVE the fact that his Keyblade is Phoenix-themed. The glorious rebirth from the ashes of death. Both for him and Isa. Yeah, I think the experiments had a devastating effect on Lea that the story didn’t provide any closure to at all. 
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vidkid20ssimblrlair · 5 years
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Episode 11: Flawed
"I feel like shit," I thought touching the back of my head gingerly. "Wait. Where's Vince?"
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I sat straight up in bed and looked around in the strange room I found myself in. I was totally alone. It was also morning now. I must have fallen asleep doing the night. The last thing I remember was Vince standing over me smiling and explaining where I was. Madison of all people had brought me here?
I looked over at the nightstand and remembered Vince had given me a slightly melted candy bar. Apologized about eating the can of peaches or something. I giggled and literally inhaled the candy bar. I licked my fingers and slide out of bed slowly. My head no longer throbbed, but I still felt dizzy.
I slowly made my way to the door. I peeked out and lo and behold Madison stood in the hallway. She seemed occupied as she looked down and I quickly scanned the room for my sword. I grabbed it quickly ready to pounce and then she knocked on the door.
"Come in," I said unsure as to what to say as I stood behind the door ready.
She opened the door and she poked her head in first looking around. There was my chance. I jumped forward and pointed my blade at her. She jumped and she fell backward with a loud crash. I opened the door wide open and she laid there with food splattered everywhere. Food on the floor, on her clothes, and some even on her head.
"Well, good morning," she mumbled staring up at me. "I thought we could eat breakfast together and talk. I guess not."
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I felt terrible then. Absolutely awful. She carefully got up and began cleaning up the mess surrounding her placing it on the tray. She picked out bits of food from her hair and rung out her shirt in a coffee mug.
"I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," I stammered.
"It's ok. It's understandable."
"But I wasted food. Was that for me?"
"Yeah."
"I'm so sorry."
"It's ok. We have more eggs," she said wiping food from her face. "I just have to cook up something real quick. Maybe you can help me this time. That's if you want."
"Um,...sure I guess."
"Then off to the kitchen then. Just have to finish cleaning this up and change."
I helped her out the best I could, picking up what was left as she wiped the floor with wet paper towels. When we were done, I waited outside in the hallway as she changed clothes. I peeked in and her bare back was exposed with various scars decorating it.
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I quickly looked away and she appeared at the doorway smiling. We then descended the stairs and entered into the kitchen.
"Nice house huh?" she chuckled watching me as I looked around in amazement. She grabbed a frying pan from the stove. "I noticed you were alone this morning. Aaron was supposed to be watching you and keeping your company. He's getting worse and worse nowadays."
"Where's Vince?" I blurted out sitting down at the table.
"He went out with Matthew, Nathan, and DJ," she said glancing over at me. "He told you about them, right? Well, they're good people. Don't worry. They just went to get the gas and help out Vince with the car. They shouldn't be too long."
I sighed. "I hope not."
"Well, how about you stop being a worry wart and get me the eggs you owe me," she said playfully. "The coop is out back. Go through the dining room and you'll find the back yard. Some friendly faces are out there."
"Coop?" I thought as I stepped outside on the porch. There a beautiful yard laid before me. I stood there just staring at it completely stunned.
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"Why hello," an elderly woman grinned staring up at me. She appeared to be planting something. She got up from her kneeling position and came closer. "You must be the new young lady. How are you today? Feeling better I hope."
"Yeah. That's Audrey," a man chimed in. I looked over to see him on the porch sitting on a bench next to me. "Nice to see you conscious."
"That's my husband, Omar. My name is Grace. It's lovely to meet you. Are you doing ok?"
"I'm fine", I said still stunned. "A little tired, but I'm alright. I came out here for eggs?"
"Coop over there. Lucky for you the cat and walkers haven't ate them yet," Omar joked pointing it out.
"Cat?"
"Omar, don't be crude," she laughed shaking her head. "Ms. Fluffy is a nice cat."
"Cat?" I thought puzzled as I spotted the coop.
I walked over and greeted the hens petting them. They walked around squawking with not a care in the world. I had once own chickens so it was no big surprise to see them, but zombies had ate mine. They were lucky to be still alive. I spotted a basket nearby and gathered the few eggs left in the coop still feeling guilty for what happened earlier. Then I looked over and saw a cat. An actual cat. I jumped a little holding the basket close to me and instantly felt silly for reacting that way. How strange it was to see a cat now.
"Hi...kitty," I said grinning as it rubbed against me purring.
Grace walked over to me beaming. "Looks like she's taking a shine to you."
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"Where you find a cat?"
"We found and saved her at the sanctuary we were staying at before this," she replied kneeling down again over her plants. I joined her kneeling next to her as she continued. "It was a nice place. I don't know why we left."
"Well, this place seems nice. It almost seems like a dream."
"It does sometimes and Mr. Jones is such a nice man. Have you met him?"
"No. Not yet," I said. "Have you met Vince?"
"Who is that sweety?"
"My friend. The man who came here with me."
"No. I haven't had the pleasure”, she said shaking her head smiling.
“You know. You remind me of my granddaughter so much. You're much older though."
"How much?"
"She's a baby. Not even a teen yet."
"Does she live here too?"
She frowned. "No. I wish. I wish she was here."
“She out there then?”
“No. I..I don’t know where she is. Do you know?”
"Huh?"
Tears began forming in her eyes. "I don't know where she is. Omar keeps telling me she's gone, but she's not. She can't be!"
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"Grace," I heard Omar said standing over her. "I think it's time we go inside and get you some rest."
"But we were talking...," she said sounding increasingly upset.
"You can talk later," she said gently grabbing hold her hand. He then guided her towards the house and nodded at me before disappearing into the residence.
Madison then appeared on the porch. "Audrey. Come on. Let's have breakfast."
I hurried back into the house and into the kitchen. I sat at the table and laid down closing my eyes. I could hear Madison cracking the eggs and the delicious sound of them frying in the pan, but my mind was on Grace. Had I said something wrong? The frying stopped and I heard the clinks of plates next. I then felt a poke and looked up to see Madison standing over me with two plates.
"What's wrong? Lost your appetite?"
"No," I said sadly. "I think upset Ms. Grace."
"No. You didn't. Not on purpose, she said putting the plates down on the table. She sat down across from me. "Grace isn't well."
"What's wrong with her?"
She sighed. "She has Alzheimer's. Whenever she talks about her granddaughter or anything upsetting or death, she gets upsets. It's not easy."
"That's horrible," I cried feeling my own tears coming to the surface. "And I think I remind her of her granddaughter."
"Everything reminds her of her granddaugter," she lamented. "It's really not your fault. Don't feel bad. Do you need a tissue?"
"No. I'm fine." I sniffled and I picked up my fork. "You wanted to talk?"
"Yeah. I just wanted to apologize. About what happened. I acted on emotion and I hurt you."
"I'm the one who jumped on you."
"Yeah, but I'm not the one who got seriously hurt," she said glancing at me. "I'm really sorry."
I chuckled. "This morning I wanted to kill you. Now I don't think I could be angry at you if I wanted."
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"Well, I'm glad. That sword is freaking sharp," she smirked poking her eggs.
"Sorry about your hand."
She shrugged. "It's fine. I still have all my fingers.
I laughed and looked down at my plate. "Vince cooked me eggs the first time we met. Told me he was the breakfast king."
"Breakfast king? Hmm...interesting," she smirked. "Well, I'm no breakfast king, but I hope this a good peace offering. Better than my last attempt at least."
"Oh, it’s fine. I can't remember the last time I had a hot meal."
"Maybe you can have another one at dinner," she said getting up. She then grabbed two glasses from the cupboard. "All we have is water right now. Hope that's ok."
"It's fine."
"Hey and don't worry about Grace. She'll be better after her nap. She'll be happy to talk your ear off. Both her and Omar."
She poured me a glass of water and poured one for herself. She sat back down. Both of us relaxed and comfortable. A complete turn around from our first meeting, but the calm didn't remain. A gunshot could be heard outside in the distant and Madison jumped up immediately. She speedily walked to the back door with me following close behind her. She then swung the door open looking out.
"Lin, was that you?" she asked the Asian woman standing in the yard now. "You and your damn itchy trigger finger is going get us kicked out!"
Lin looked back wide-eyed. "That wasn't me!"
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Still too many pics, but I like to capture the important moments and first meetings between characters. This chapter is setting up a lot by the way. 
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P.S. Again sorry this was late. Family issues came up. I hope I have time to do it this weekend, but I do have school work. D:
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