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yourturntofnaf · 4 months

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taking a shot at working through this deleted scene...

Our research has finally taken shape and borne fruit. / The artificial intelligences created by humans thus far have mostly excelled in their learning capabilities and been developed to support humans. / AI is anticipated to achieve growth and efficiency far beyond humans. But at the same time, something is being discarded there. / Emotions. / Emotions, which one would think have an inseparable connection to the formation of intelligence, have been treated as a nuisance. / Yet AI development that prioritizes emotions is a difficult prospect in this country. / They are unwilling to fund researchers who do "romantic" research with no clear profit. So it is extremely difficult. / Under normal circumstances, that is. / We gave the researchers the best possible environment for their work. And at last, they achieved things they could not have in the world above. / No need for growth or learning. / It's an artificial intelligence that simply has "a human heart." / An absurdly fascinating... and absurdly pointless... artificial intelligence. / I want you to imagine it. The family member, the lover, the friend you adored will stay unchanging on a screen. / Your parents when they were young and lively. Your innocent girlfriend from when you first met. Your friend who would talk with you untiringly. / If you wish it, you can have it, anytime. / ~The Green and Gentle Peace Committee~

first, I would like to point out the use of the word "discarded" which is also used by Safalin during the Liazer scene.

this dialog also says emotions have been viewed as a nuisance which I feel corresponds to Gashu's view of positive emotions. he saw them as a problem, a burden getting in the way of the perfect Asu-naro candidate.

less relevant to the point, but I took notice of the note of the "best possible environment", which seems to tie into Michiru's recruitment file which stated she could be drawn in with the ideal work. if this is about Namida, this may be placing her recruitment on the timeline around a similar time to Ranger's development.

now, I want to make note that this is not exclusively about Ranger and there's a clear issue as to why: they describe that they created an AI with a human heart. this is something that is specifically stated to not be given to Ranger until the Laizer scene. I don't think this dialog is about only him, and I'll get into who else I think may be involved soon.

While we are here though, I would like to throw out a possibility that the Ranger with a heart, aka Laizer, was the original creation. As I mentioned Safalin says the emotions were discarded, not that they were never present. I could see a world where Ranger was created in full replica of Sei and Gashu, likely very early in Ranger's existence, decided that was not good enough and made Michiru change it. This could have happened before Ranger was even fully conscious, or something akin to being shut down and remodeled occurred. this could be similar to dying, and Ranger himself told us the AIs could not be programmed to handle memories of their deaths. At the same time though, it's extremely possible this was about Sei, and she was explaining that what he was originally modeled off of possessed these emotions that were discarded from his creation.

anyways, back to the point at hand.

rather than being about one specific AI, I think it's a declaration of the radical development of Asu-naro. it's a statement of their ability to perfectly replicate a human using artificial intelligence.

so, now for the more speculative part. the examples they give of the purpose of this intelligence can line up with some actual creations we have seen.

the family member would be Ranger being created in Sei's vision. the lover could be Emiri's fiancée (that one is a big stretch, but I'll explain why this came to mind for me). finally, the friend could be the Shin AI, created for Midori who "adored" him, for better or worse.

the section following this could be the corresponding human who would request the creation of these AIs.

"Your parents when they were young and lively" referring to Gashu, references back to when he was more alive in the times before Sei was killed.

"Your innocent girlfriend from when you first met" would be Emiri/Miley. this specific line is what made me connect the lover to her fiancé. the word innocent fits into her before asu-naro, back from when they first met at their workplace before she would have been lured into asu-naro, the company that took innocence out of her.

"Your friend who would talk with you untiringly" loosely fits Shin and Sou's dynamic. this line differs from the others by not giving a positive descriptor of the other such as lively or innocent, rathee simply describes what the other benefited from their bond. in my eyes, this fits how Hiyori seems to perceive relations with others.

in support of these lines referring to the requesting human, we can safely say Hiyori selfishly made the Shin AI. I think it is likely Gashu was the original requester of creating Ranger, which might have been hinted at when Sara recognized the importance of Ranger by thinking he may exist in the placement of a son Gashu has missed having.

so, what does my interpretation mean to me?

1. this brings up the possibility of Emiri's fiancée returning through the means of AI, if he hasn't already. we could tie this in with the theory of Hayasaka being her partner who we have already seen returned in AI existence.

2. this could give context to what Emiri and Michiru were recruited for, and what their role in the company was pre death game. this dialog could point to them being brought into the ideal environment, something Michiru specifically desired, to model these new AIs. I think this recruitment context could also be evidenced by another deleted scene describing researchers coming together to "build a human:

these two obviously don't line up directly with Michiru and Emiri going off of the given names, but I wanted to point out this example of a dialog that once again describes researchers coming together to create a human-like AI. now I will say it's interesting both of these scenes are deleted, so perhaps this concept may have been scrapped anyways.

3. it's interesting to see that Nankidai has had Ranger and Sei's story planned out this whole time. looking back at chapter 2 it feels so obvious. the previously mentioned Sara line about Ranger being a stand-in for Gashu's son was picked up as being about Kai at the time, but now clearly fits Sei. the way Safalin explains Ranger's existence to him feels like she was boarding telling him about Sei; saying that he isn't complete, that he lost what he once had, and that Ranger isn't his true name. even the surrounding setting of Ranger's death, dying next to a Yabusame being comforted by their sibling hurts so much more thinking about Kai being with Sei when he was killed. it all makes me appreciate Nankidai's planning and execution.

thank you for reading if you made it this far! just want to say this is only my interpretation and I'm sure it's not fully accurate to whatever the original intentions were. also, this scene is deleted so even if any of this is correct it may now be totally irrelevant.

#your turn to die #yttd #yttd theory #yttd analysis #rio ranger #michiru namida #emiri harai #gashu satou #shin ai #sou hiyori #long post

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mah-o-daryaa · 5 months

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The Cycle Repeats: Part IV

One of the key themes of the ATLA franchise is the concept of the Avatar; master of all 4 elements, the fusion of humanity and Raava, the spirit of light and order, whose sole duty is to bring balance to the world, and be the bridge between both the physical and spiritual realms. Along with this comes the idea of reincarnation, which is the premise of the Avatar Cycle, the idea that the Avatar reincarnates in a cyclic order in any of the four nations (fire, air, water, earth). Another concept related to the Avatar Cycle (although originating from the fandom) is the idea of the Avatar fixing the mistakes of their past life, which is often indicated in differences in both habitual circumstances and personalities between both predecessor and successor, and therefore differences in morality.

But what if I were to tell you that the saying "history repeats itself" is also true among Avatar incarnations? Not exactly going the same way, but rather parallels between the lives, personalities, and accomplishments (and failures) of past lives?

In this series of metas, I will be going over parallels (or in some cases, foils) between certain pairs of Avatars that lived decades, or even centuries apart, and yet could not have ever been more similar.

An Unlikely Analogy II: Avatars Kyoshi and Korra (+ Yun)

"Kyoshi was the Earth Kingdom-born Avatar immediately succeeding Avatar Kuruk of the Northern Water Tribe, and preceding Avatar Roku of the Fire Nation. She died at the age of 230, making her the oldest confirmed human, and was also an exceptionally tall woman, towering over most people. Kyoshi was born to two criminals: Jesa, a renegade Air Nomad nun, and Hark, a thief from an impoverished family of Earth Kingdom actors. She inherited her later signature outfit from her parents, adopting her mother's golden headdress and metal war fans and her father's daofei face paint."

"Korra is the current incarnation of the Avatar and immediate successor of Avatar Aang. Born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe, where she mastered waterbending, earthbending, and firebending, she later relocated to Republic City to attain a similar proficiency with airbending under the tutelage and guidance of Tenzin, as well as to help her overcome her aversion to the spiritual aspects of the bending arts. With the assistance of Aang's spirit, Korra gained the ability to energybend and, after connecting with her past lives, she gained the capacity to enter the Avatar State at will, marking her transition into a fully realized Avatar."

"Yun was the friend of Kyoshi and Rangi and the earthbending pupil of Jianzhu. Talented, charismatic, and handsome, he was misidentified as the new Earth Avatar after a long and difficult search. Following the revelation of Kyoshi's identity as the true Avatar, Yun was betrayed by Jianzhu, who felt the boy's usefulness had been exhausted and allowed Father Glowworm to carry him off in the mountains."

I once again posted the first paragraph of their respective pages, and you might be wondering why I've included Yun. The reason is that, although Yun was misidentified as the Avatar, he still has various parallels with both Korra and Kyoshi during his "journey". On the surface, you might say that they are more balanced; they have both similarities and differences between their morals and personalities. You would be right on this account, so let's dive in!

(WARNING: There will be possible spoilers for both The Rise of Kyoshi and The Shadow of Kyoshi. If you do not wish to be spoiled, I suggest not reading any further and scrolling past this post until you have finished reading both novels. You have been warned.)

First, we have to take account the parallels between Kyoshi and Korra. The problems that arose during their times were rather complex; Kyoshi's predecessor Kuruk left behind a destabilised Earth Kingdom overrun by criminals, while Aang, although he brought the world to peace, had left behind both the Equalists and the Red Lotus for Korra to deal with. In addition, according to the first chapter of both The Rise of Kyoshi and the premier of The Legend of Korra, Welcome to Republic City (Book 1: Episode 1), both Jianzhu and the White Lotus had been looking for the Avatar for years. Jianzhu and Kelsang had been trying to locate the Avatar across the Earth Kingdom, while the White Lotus had searched both the North and South Poles. This is also where Yun comes in.

Initially in Book 1, Korra had similar opinions on violence and control as Kyoshi did (only justice will bring peace), and even befriended a polar bear-dog (Naga) at the age of four. (Polar bear-dogs are considered to be dangerous animals in the Avatarverse.) However, there is a difference between how each Avatar reacted to her status. Kyoshi denied it and ran away (which I have mentioned parallels with Aang), whereas Korra was the one who discovered her status and accepted her fate as the Avatar, saying that there was nothing more she wanted to be, which is a parallel to Yun's false identity as the Avatar. Ironically, Kyoshi (like Aang) ran away from her duties when the world needed the Avatar, while Korra accepted her duties during a time when the world had long since advanced beyond the need of an Avatar.

Both Kyoshi and Korra are also of mixed ancestry; Kyoshi's father was from the Earth Kingdom, while her mother was a rogue Air Nomad. Korra's father, like Kyoshi's mother, was a rogue immigrant to another nation, being a member of the NWT royal family, while her mother was from the SWT, which gained independence from the North after the Water Tribe Civil War. Kyoshi and Korra are also the only two Avatars to master the elements in their home nation, rather than travelling abroad (Kyoshi learned earth-, fire-, and waterbending with the FOC in the Earth Kingdom and mastered air- and waterbending in the Fire Nation, while Korra mastered water-, earth, and fire-bending in the White Lotus Compound in the South Pole and learned airbending at Air Temple Island in Republic City). However, Kyoshi was constantly on the run, living on the streets as a child, whereas Korra lived in comfort, but isolation.

However, their bending affinity are opposites. Kyoshi struggled to earthbend due to her sheer power, to the point that she had trouble bending small amounts of earth, while moving chunks of the seafloor with ease (not how it typically works), and favoring its elemental opposite, air, in combat. Korra, on the other hand, preferred earth- and especially firebending in combat, while struggling to airbend due to its philosophies contradicting with her drive and hot-headedness.

Now, the parallel between Korra and Yun. Korra and Yun's respective upbringings parallel each other; both grew up isolated in compounds, and being taught by the companions of their predecessors, being told that the only thing that mattered was their status as the Avatar. As a result, this caused a serious mental stunt for both of them, especially when it was revealed that Yun wasn't the true Avatar. Korra wasn't taught how to properly handle politics, whereas Yun went all-in and hunted Kyoshi down Tai Lung-style. Ironically, this was originally supposed to be a way to protect the Avatar, issued by their predecessors, Aang and Kuruk respectively, which was apparently misinterpreted by their supposed caretakers (The White Lotus and Kuruk's companions respectively).

Finally, the parallels between Kyoshi and Yun. Both are similar in that they both grew up abandoned in the streets; Kyoshi in Yokoya, and Yun in Makapu; at least until they were moved into Jianzhu's mansion in Yokoya. Both were "cared" for by a former companion of Avatar Kuruk (Kelsang and Jianzhu respectively; note that I put quotation marks on "cared for" because Jianzhu pretty much physically and mentally abused Yun), but this is where the similarities end.

Now, there are a handful of scenes in the Kyoshi novels which particularly stood out to me. The parallels between Yun's ability to bend the tiniest speck of dust vs Kyoshi struggling with the finer movements but easily raising the entire sea floor during her fight with Tagaka. The parallels between Kyoshi almost drowning herself to connect with Kuruk for the first time while forgetting she can waterbend vs Yun returning to the physical world only to be denied access to water.

We have to remember that the element of earth plays a central role in Rise; Kyoshi is a born earthbender, the book takes place in the Earth Kingdom, earth is the only element Yun can bend, earthbending is the only advantage Jianzhu has against Kyoshi, most of the FOC (Kyoshi's daofei gang) are earthbenders,etc, while the element of water is a central theme in Shadow (which is ironic, considering the book takes place in the Fire Nation), as is Avatar Kuruk's legacy as the Water Tribe predecessor of Kyoshi. In the original series, Iroh states that water is the element of change. During the whole novel, water represents the ability to move on, the ability to change. In these two scenes, water represents both Kyoshi feeling overwhelmed by her new duties as the Avatar and Yun's desperation to prove that he is the true Avatar.

Also, during the final battle, Kyoshi kills Yun by freezing his heart and lungs. Her ability to waterbend represents her ability to move on from the past and change, whereas his lack of waterbending represents his inability to grow, to move on from the past, to change. Yun even bends the earth similar to water, but it's a mere imitation of the bending art, not the skill itself.

Generally speaking, most people can easily spot the similarities (and in some cases, differences) between Kyoshi and Korra. From bending to upbringing to the conclusions of their respective histories, one can find some details between both Avatars. What they don't see is their biggest connecting link; their similarities with Yun. The False Avatar acts as the foil to enhance both characters, their histories, and their legacy. In the next part, we'll discuss the similarities between the current Avatar Korra and the Water Tribe Avatar before her, Kuruk.

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#atla #past avatars #kyoshi #korra #yun #avatar yun #<- prev tag is literally MOCKING him #lok #kyoshi novels #the rise of kyoshi #the shadow of kyoshi #the cycle repeats #mone's theory #mone digs deep

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catofadifferentcolor · 4 months

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Terrible Fic Idea #81: Harry Potter, but make it Aberforth's Daughter

Having been told that choosing to be a muggle in the Wizarding World is "not getting into the spirit of things", I set about determining under what circumstances I could bear to live in the British Wizarding World. This is what I came up with.

Or: What if the SI were to replace Aberforth Dumbledore's OC daughter?

Some context:

First, we're leaning heavily on book canon while dipping our toes into Hogwarts Legacy as far as the extended magical communities in the Scottish Highlands are concerned. This means no Fantastic Beasts movies, no Credence Barebone, but the Hogwarts Legacy map and the implication the Wizarding World is bigger than just a school and alley - and actually magical.

Secondly, the OC wakes up with memories of her past life as the SI on her fifth birthday. This is less of a true SI than a modern woman in the British Wizarding World, with the middle-aged SI being a critical HP fan with an engineering background.

Thirdly, the SI takes the place of an OC - Aberforth's daughter, Aishwarya Devi, born in early 1979 as a result of fling with an Anglo-Indian astrophysicist by the name of Sandhya Devi who moved to the UK as a young adult. Although Aishwarya - Ash - is never unaware of who her father is, her parents agreed before she was born that Sandhya raises Aishwarya by herself for a variety of reasons that are part wartime paranoia, part not wanting to burden a child with the expectations of the Dumbledore name, and part Aberforth really not being cut out to be a husband or father. Assume she existed in canon, was sent to school in her mother's native India, and never made it into the pages of the books.

Just imagine it:

Ash grows up in the town of Brocburrow in the Hogsmede Valley. She is a quiet but inquisitive child - two traits that only grow more pronounced after she remembers he past life as the SI.

It becomes painfully clear early on that there is nothing she can do to prevent the Second Wizarding War from her position as an untrained underage witch, so Ash concentrates on learning everything she can so as to survive it, soaking up everything her mother can teach her - Wizarding and muggle astronomy, plus more runes and arithmancy than most ever learn in Hogwarts - and reading everything she can about this new world she has unfortunately found herself a part of.

The more she learns, the less impressed with the British Wizarding World Ash becomes. Too much power is concentrated in the hands of too few, with most wizards willing to blindly follow the most magically powerful among them because of a lingering belief that the magically powerful are magically powerful because they are deserving of it. (Think of the similar medieval concept re: nobles and their presumed nobility.)

Aberforth has little role in her childhood. If Ash had really been a child, it would have been easy to mistake his distance for lack of care, but having once been a semi-functional adult it's easier to see that Aberforth simply has no idea how to interact with children. He tries for her sake and Ash can't help but love him for it, even as he fails miserably.

Although Sandhya initially wishes her daughter to attend her alma mater back in India, Ash manages to convince her to let her attend Hogwarts in the fall of 1990, one year before Harry Potter is set to start his schooling.

To no one's surprise, she ends up sorted into Ravenclaw - and wielding an acacia and huma feather wand. ("A kingmaker's wand," Ollivander says.)

First year it's her intention to keep her head down and avoid attracting the notice of her uncle. Ash succeeds in this, coming across as just another academically gifted Ravenclaw, albeit one who makes a bit of a name for herself complaining that the muggles know such much more about outer space than we do. And math. Calculus was invented before the Statute of Secrecy, you know.

She also manages to strike up a surprising friendship with fourth year Percy Weasley - their usual tables in the library are next to each other and so they form a quiet academic acquaintanceship that evolves almost without them realizing it into true friendship. As least half of this is based Percy once telling his brothers off for a prank that borders more on bullying than humor, and the rest on Ash being just that advanced in astronomy and arithmancy.

Second year Ash is determined to stay out of the sorcerer's stone debacle - but also sets out to cultivate a friendship with Harry Potter, initially because it's the only way she can think of to get him away from the Dursleys (as any sensible adult should have done the first time he crossed their path) and out from under her uncle's thumb, but later because he is genuinely a sweet kid who soaks up all the affection he's given and returns it threefold. She does this by inviting him to celebrate Diwali with her and the other Hindi students - which opens up a can of worms regarding Harry's hereto unknown desi background - and establishes herself (and through her, Percy) a trustworthy older student Harry can rely upon.

This works out better than she can possibly dream when Harry takes his fears regarding the stone to Percy, who then presents them to McGonagall in a way that leads her to stake out the third floor corridor in her animagus form, catch Quirell in the act, and watch him die when Voldy deserts him.

Third year starts fairly close to CoS, but after the first petrifaction - about which the Headmaster does nothing save almost seem to encourage the rumors about Harry being the Heir of Slytherin - Ash decides to use her first Hogsmede weekend to act. She goes to the Hog's Head, tells her father exactly what is happening in the school, and watches as Aberforth's face turns into a storm cloud.

She has no idea what Aberforth actually does - only that the next morning the Headmaster announces the school will be closed until the person behind the petrifications is caught. She spends a week at home before the school reopens and though there are rumors the Aurors found a basilisk in the school, not a word of explanation is ever given to the students.

Ash's third year continues without further incident - except now she is on the Headmaster's radar. Albus had been kept carefully unaware of his brother's child, but now that he knows of her existence, he's eager to fit Ash into his Greater Good. Ash rebuffs him, but it's hard to be sure if even that isn't part of his plans.

Fourth year follows PoA fairly closely, though it's Ash's house Harry runs away to following events with Marge. Sandhya is more than happy to take her daughter's friend in, but the more she learns about Harry's home life, the more concerned she grows, and starts the ball rolling in the muggle world to have the situation investigated. This plays out quietly in the background while the school year otherwise follows canon - up to and including Wormtail's escape at the end of the year.

The summer before fifth year starts with both Harry and Dudley being removed from the Dursley home. Harry gets to stay with Ash and Sandhya while the Wizarding World fights over who gets to become Harry's legal guardian. They never get to decide - Harry is legally emancipated when he's forced to take part in the tournament - but the whole situation shines a bright light on everything that has been going on at Hogwarts the last few years. Dumbledore comes out of the situation with his titles intact, but his reputation in tatters - particularly after he claims Voldemort's return, which many think is a way to try to regain his former prestige.

Sixth year - OotP - is where things really start to change.

Despite his emancipation, Harry continues to live with Ash and Sandhya - Ash having very much taken up the mantle of protective older sister at this point.

With Dumbledore's political power already on a downward arc, it makes no sense to send Umbridge to Hogwarts. So Percy Weasley is the new DADA instructor instead. This makes a certain amount of sense, as Percy's frantic work keeping Crouch Sr.'s department running even while he was imperiused/ill/dead meant that things actually ran smoother. Fudge sees Weasley as a potential rival to be cut off at the knees... and one of the few Hogwarts graduates in his employ with an O in DADA.

This is awkward for a number of reasons, not least because despite having remained friends throughout Hogwarts, after running into each other at the Yule Ball (Ash was Harry's date) they're in that awkward stage of waiting for Ash to be older before investigating the attraction between them.

Sixth year goes well, with Percy setting out to teach not torture, and doing just enough to keep the ministry off his back - there are some parts of Hogwarts that need to be investigated, i.e. security and the reduced class offering - as well as doing just enough for his fellow professors to think he's a ministry toadie - Flitwick and McGonagall are not convinced by his act, but others are. There's still an incident at the DoM at the end of the year, but Harry is able to tell the relevant adults so that it's they who spring Voldy's trap, not half-trained children.

Ash's seventh year - HBP - goes by similarly smoothly. The major change here is that 1) Harry repeats everything he learns from Dumbledore to Ash, whose takeaways from the memories are far more critical of her uncle, and 2) Ash and Percy begin dating, but so little changes between them that only those they've explicitly told notice.

With the Wizarding World at war, it's a bit of a culture shock when Ash begins muggle university the next year, majoring in astrophysics. Her flat near the college serves as a well-warded base for Harry and co to hunt for horcruxes after Grimmauld Place is lost. She fights in the Battle of Hogwarts, and though she'd intended to save as many as she could, it's still a surprise when she manages to save Fred Weasley from his canon fate.

Afterwards, Ash goes on to gain a doctorate in astrophysics in the muggle world and work on integrating muggle discoveries with Wizarding knowledge, as her mother had done for the past several decades. Her friendship with Harry means that her work is put in a greater spotlight, and when Professor Sinistra finally retires Ash is the one asked to replace her. Sometime between all this she and Percy marry - much to the surprise of the other Weasleys - and have a single child just old enough to start Hogwarts when Ash begins teaching.

Harry himself takes a more political role in this world, having come to the conclusion very early on that oppression and ignorance help no one, and that it's the Wizarding World's belief that might makes right that got them all into this situation in the first place. He's Head of the DMLE for several years before being elected Minister for a maximum three terms. His administration is marked by efforts to shift Ministry hiring practices from nepotism to merit, as well as make laws apply legally to people of all magical backgrounds. He's not entirely successful, but it's a vast improvement.

Bonuses include: 1) Albus Dumbledore not evil so much as misguided - he honestly, genuinely thinks that he knows what's best for everyone. Maybe he even does. He's simply forgotten that people are not pawns and just because you want what you think is best for them doesn't mean that they want it, or that it is what is personally best for them. All of this should be brought up when he tries to pull Ash into his web; 2) An institutional problem with bullying in Hogwarts. All houses have villains and victims, but Gryffindor has more than its fair share of the latter, compounded by Dumbledore's nepotism and McGonagall being too busy to breathe most days. This eventually comes to a head during GoF, when Ash ties a charm into the school wards that writes the word Bully across the perpetrator's face when they violate standards borrowed from a muggle secondary school's guidebook; 3) Aberforth playing a greater role in Ash's life as she grows older, especially after she comes to him for help with his brother in CoS; and 4) Ash and Harry becoming siblings of choice. Ash never displaces any of Harry's friend group, but is there and willing to listen in a way no one in his life had been previously. And that changes everything.

And that is, surprisingly, more than I'd thought I'd have. As always, feel free to adopt this bun, just link back if you do anything with it.

Other SIs: Aberforth's Daughter | Lysa Arryn | Petunia Evans | Princess of Dol Amroth

More Terrible Fic Ideas

#plot bunny #fic ideas #harry potter #self insert #aberforth dumbledore #female original character #desi harry potter #hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry #wizarding society #wizarding world #percy weasley #families of choice #found family #desi oc #hp #original character

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merlot-and-chardonnay · 2 months

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The Slighted Sons: A Character Comparison of Aemond and Zuko

Okay, here I am writing another character comparison analysis between two characters from two different shows. This time I'm going with Aemond Targaryen from HotD and Zuko from AtLA.

Now you're probably wondering what could these two possibly have in common.

Well, there's plenty actually. Both surface level and a little deeper.

So, brace yourself, and let's go over them.

Also I realize I'm making this post the day the live action remake of AtLA is released on Netflix, and I actually didn't know. I swear I must be psychic or something.

First a quick character synopsis for each.

Prince Aemond Targaryen is the second born son of King Viserys and Queen Alicent. From an young age, Aemond desperately wanted to have a dragon of his own, even more so when his brother and nephews started tormenting him for being the only one without. He eventually got his wish when he claimed the dragon Vhagar, which his cousins and nephews beat him up for that and...well we don't need to go into what happened next. After that, Aemond became known as the One-Eyed prince and as he grew, he invested in studying his history and philosophy as well as training intensely with the sword.

And then we have Prince Zuko, the oldest son of Firelord Ozai and Ursa, whom left under mysterious circumstances when Zuko was still a child. When Zuko was invited into a war meeting at the age of thirteen, he spoke out of term, angering his father, whom Zuko had to fight in an Agni Kai to restore his honor. Refusing to fight, and being subsequently scarred as punishment, Ozai banished Zuko, saying the only way Zuko could restore his honor and return home is to capture the Avatar.

So, on the surface, Aemond and Zuko are both princes, royalty, and they were physically traumatized in one way or another as children, with Aemond taking a dagger to the eye, and Zuko getting burned by his own father.

Oh my god, I just realized both Aemond and Zuko's injuries are in the exact same place, over the left eye. I did not notice that until now! :0

But, as I mentioned before, there's more to compare to:

1. Dysfunction Family Dynamics

Okay, I best cover this part first. Both Aemond and Zuko's family are pretty dysfunctional, but in different ways.

One thing that is similar is the ways they were treated by their fathers.

Aemond is the second son, and in Westeros, second sons don't have much to claim in terms of land or title, they often have to make their own way. He trains with the sword and pays attention to his lessons. Even if that wasn't the case, Aemond is still overlooked by his father in favor of his sister Rhaenyra. If we recall from episode 7 of HotD, the night Aemond lost his eye, Rhaenyra, who was trying to cover for her sons when it came to light Aemond called the boys bastards, she demanded of her father that Aemond be 'sharply questioned' so as to learn where he heard such slanders. And it looked like Viserys was prepared to do all this, despite his sons' maimed state.

Much how Viserys often favors his oldest daughter, we saw similar dynamics between Zuko and his own father, whom often favored Zuko's sister Azula. Despite being the oldest child and Heir Apparent, Zuko was constantly overlooked by Ozai, especially when Azula surpassed Zuko in her firebending. As Zuko mentioned in the season finale of Book 1, he brought up how Azula was a firebending prodigy that everyone adored, and that his own father had told him this:

"She[Azula] was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born." -Zuko; AtLA

Now, I want to make clear, I am NOT saying Viserys and Ozai are the exact same people; Viserys may have been a shitty parent, but he was in general a good man, albeit, a man who made passive decisions in attempts to please everyone in his court. Ozai in contrast is just a ruthless and cruel man overall, and it showed in his parenting to Zuko and Azula too.

Ozai was harsher on Zuko presumably he saw him as weaker, and he doted on Azula, probably because her personality was similar to his, being sadistic and taking pleasure in putting fear in others. But as we saw in the series finale, Azula had a heavy burden placed on her in order to please her father, probably because she did see the way Ozai treated Zuko, and she knows not to get on her father's bad side as a consequence.

Ozai's abuse towards Zuko was direct, while Viserys was more indirect. Viserys was not the one to cause physical harm to Aemond as Ozai caused to Zuko, but Viserys didn't seek any kind of recourse, instead demanding that his sons and grandsons make peace and put the incident behind them...

Yeah, like that was ever going to happen. She said sarcastically.

Oh my god, I actually want to see Ozai and Viserys put in the same room and hear them criticize each other on their parenting styles. OOOOHHH the irony!

Another similarity is the way Aemond and Zuko are doted on by their mothers. Say what you will about Alicent, but the woman was the one who would do anything to see that justice was served to avenge the loss of her son's eye. She was also the one who comforted Aemond when he was bullied by his brother and nephews for not having a dragon, and she was the one who was frantic with worry upon hearing Aemond lost his eye.

And in the AtLA episode "Zuko Alone" we got to see the way Zuko's mother Ursa doted on him as a boy, being the one to comfort Zuko when he tried to demonstrate what he learned in terms of firebending before his grandfather. She was the one who told Zuko she loved watching what he learned, and that it was okay that he wasn't as ahead in his training as his sister was. And in the comic, "the Search", we saw Ursa take the fall for the death of Firelord Azulon, doing what she needed to do to see that her son and, her daughter even, would be safe and out of harm's way.

And of course, before continuing with the similarities, I have to talk about the difference in Aemond and Zuko's relationships with their uncles.

Uncle Iroh was basically the father to Zuko his own couldn't be bothered to be, being there to support Zuko during his exile era (even when Zuko would push him away at times), and being there to embrace Zuko when he lost way and found it again. We stan Uncle Iroh in this household...and his tea making, the guy is a true GOAT, just saying:

It's more than what I can say about Aemond's relationship to his uncle Daemon. Daemon never really cared about his brother's children with Alicent, presumably because it was an extension of his loathing hatred to Otto Hightower.

And for anyone who has read the Fire and Blood novel, we all know how that ended with Daemon and Aemond fighting each other on top their dragons above the God's Eye.

We also stan Daemon in this household, our toxic problematic Rogue Prince :P

Now, I want to see Daemon in the same room as Ozai. They're both second sons, yet Ozai was pronounced the new FireLord in place of his father. I want to see Daemon take notes on how that was accomplished.

Also, quick note, while Aemond didn't have his uncle to rely on as a father figure, the closest he would get to that is probably Criston Cole, whom Aemond trusted enough to convey his true feelings about the thought of Aegon being king back when he and Criston were looking for the guy in Episode 9

Okay, moving on.

2. Hot Temperaments

Both Zuko and Aemond had shown to have rather firery tempers at times, especially Zuko in Book 1. Aemond is usually a little more calm and collected, better at masking his emotions, but even he has breaking points, particularly in season finale when he demanded that his nephew Lucerys put out an eye to repay the one he lost, and he snapped when Luke refused.

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And, as we've seen, their hotheadedness got the both of them into a lot of trouble at times, be it Zuko when he challenged Zhao to Agni Kai in his anger to prove he was not the disgraced prince, or Aemond when...he chased Luke on dragonback and, unable to control Vhagar (cause dragons are not slaves), accidentally killed Luke and his dragon, consequently starting the domino effect that led to the Dance of Dragons.

Oh yeah, speaking of Dragon Dances.

3. Dragons!!

Even though we didn't see Zuko riding any actual dragons till season 3 of Legend of Korra, I still think it counts.

I think Zuko could've had a chance to become a rider, if his great grandfather Sozin never started the tradition of hunting dragons in the first place. Even still, dragons do hold a certain level of cultural significance to the Fire Nation and the FireLord's family.

Uncle Iroh, after all, was known as the Dragon of the West, having earned that title when he supposedly slayed the last dragon before Zuko was born.

Spolier alert, that wasn't actually how it went down.

Even though we never saw Zuko ride a dragon during the duration of AtLA, we did get to see him and Aang learn about firebending from the dragons, having mastered the Dragon Dance, and getting a better understanding of the element of fire and its true nature. Dragons also hold significant sway for the Targaryen family, and they also held cultural significance for Old Valyria before the Doom. Aemond's ancestors Aegon the Conqueror, and his sister-wives Rhaenys and Visenya, wouldn't have been able to unite the Seven Kingdoms successfully had they not had dragons at their side (Seven minus Dorne, who refused to kneel to the might of Dragon Fire for as long as they had even after Aegon's official conquest, kinda similar to how the Earth Kingdom refused to bow to the might of the Fire Nation even after the Fire Army's conquest of Ba Sing Se).

One of the dragons that was part of the initial conquest was Vhagar, whom Aemond claimed at the young age of 10, and it's a feat Aemond takes particular pride in, especially when he had gone as long as he had without while the rest of his family had dragons left and right.

Although, Aemond did learn a rather hard lesson from Vhagar, that dragons cannot never truly be tamed, they will do their own thing, and to try and think otherwise can result in deadly consequences.

4. Honor Oriented

Both Aemond and Zuko are heavily duty bound and place varying levels on emphasizing honor.

Zuko, obviously, started off in the series determine to restore his honor by capturing the Avatar, and we saw the lengths he would go to see that through.

Aemond considers himself an honor bound man; while he never had to go on any quests to restore his honor, he was duty driven, taking his school lessons and sword training seriously, refusing to indulge in deprive acts as his brother Aegon had.

5. Sibling Rivalry

Zuko was often pitted against his sister Azula, courtesy of his father, and Azula took pride in being able to master firebending techniques at a faster pace than Zuko could hope to. And it was something Azula would snubly rub in Zuko's face, even more so when the two would actually fight, such as in Book 2, when Zuko went after Azula for lying to him, and Azula pointing out how much of a disappointment child Zuko is to their father.

Their rivalry, I would also like to point up, was dialed up compared to Aemond's rivalry with his brother Aegon. I mean, Zuko and Azula had a physical fight in the form of Agni Kai during the series finale, which would also determine who would become the next firelord.

While Aemond never had such fights against Aegon, the guy did resent the fact Aegon was firstborn, and because of that, he was expected to become king in the eyes of the Greens, even though Aegon was not deemed fit by Aemond to be king due to his excess indulgences in wine and women and the fact Aegon shirked away from his duties and training, while Aemond surpassed Aegon in all these things.

Aegon didn't exactly make things easy for Aemond too when they were children, especially with the Pink Dread prank Aegon clearly convinced Jace and Luke to pull on Aemond.

Aemond knows he is better suited to the position as king, but he is a second son, so there's no chance of that happening (that is until an tragic accident at Rook's Rest during the Dance left Aegon critically injured and unable to perform his kingly duties, leaving Aemond in charge as Prince Regent).

The resentment is there nevertheless.

6. Fan Favorites

Be honest, you had the biggest crush on Zuko when you first saw the show...well, I did anyway.

I was in middle school when AtLA first aired, and I would like to credit Zuko as the first fictional guy whom I really crushed on as a girl who was slowly moving into my teen years. This scene especially, I'd like to credit for...definitely awakening something in me...;)

I also know for a fact people felt similar tingly feels when we saw Aemond as an grown man.

Certainly helped with actor Ewan Mitchell's portrayal and how he brought adult Aemond to life, especially with this scene:

Be honest, you felt things too about Aemond...I certainly did.

Actually I know this is fact, why else would there be so much smut related content around Aemond on this sight?

Conclusion

Aemond and Zuko are princes of prominent royal families who are also slighted sons; one was firstborn and the other is second born, but both slighted nonetheless, by their families, especially by their fathers

Much so that they had to find father figures in other people.

Both were heavily doted on by their mothers, both received physical scars by their family members, and both learned different lessons from the dragons, whom hold cultural significance to their families as well as their ancestral lands.

Both were pitted against their siblings, and both have fiery hot tempers that got into trouble on more than once occasion.

And both Aemond and Zuko are fan favorites to the point where numerous fans write fanfiction on both characters, be it reader inserts, or ships, etc.

We love and stan our brooding, tragic princes, no matter how toxic and angry they may be.

Also, I really want to write a crossover between HotD and AtLA, but I would probably do like maybe two chapters possibly (I say that, but knowing me, that would probably extend into a longer story, and I already have enough of those to work on as it is). I would like to see what it would look like if Aemond and Zuko were put in the same room.

Have a nice day, y'all :)

#hotd #atla #aemond targaryen #zuko #prince zuko #aemond #house of the dragon aemond #iroh #aegon ii #atla azula #Youtube

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rex-shadao · 1 year

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The unfortunate implication of born evil

There's a reason why I stated that Belos/Philip works best as someone was a lot like Luz in his youth, serving as a dark reflection to what path she could have taken. Because the alternative is to suggest that Philip was born a psychopath and therefore evil from the start. Which is absolutely a horrendous interpretation that goes against the themes of the Owl House.

I came across this discussion thread arguing that Belos never loved Caleb at all, not even when they were children. As someone who has a brother who clings onto family to feel safe, this rubs me the wrong way.

The only time Born Evil works is for horror movies, where the less you know the more you fear works. But in a show that teaches audience that inherent differences are to be embraced and celebrated and that weirdos should not be treated as outcasts because they are "different," the idea of Philip being born a psychopath and thus has no love for Caleb even at the beginning undermines the whole message. It suggest that Philip could not be reformed but instead must be destroyed immediately. And that he is different from other humans, therefore we can separate him as an outcast. Which sounds similar to a certain belief that Philip has about witches.

But we see in the show itself, Philip was an orphan boy when he came to Gravesfield. The same Gravesfield that would later deem Luz to be an outcast for not fitting in with society. Philip and his brother had to become Witch Hunters in order to survive and be accepted by society. If they did not, they'll be left on the streets or worse, be accused of witches themselves.

So it's not surprising that Philip desperately wants to fit in society and why he wants to become a hero and Witch Hunter General. He learned early on that was the only way to never be an outcast again. In fact, his desire to be accepted into society is what drove him to become evil in the first place.

What makes Belos evil isn't his personality; it's rather his deeds, his choices, and his determination to be accepted in a society that changes their standards and probably won't accept him anyways. Him feeling guilt about murdering Caleb actually makes his actions worse because we know he is capable of choosing a better path, but still takes the worst path out of fear of the emotional pain. That's the whole point about Philip. He wasn't born a monster. He became a monster by his poor choices.

And thus, he serves as a reminder to Luz and the audience that anyone could become Belos under the right circumstances and that Belos is the product of Gravesfield's sins, especially regarding the treatment of people outside the norm.

If we were to accept that Belos is born evil, we inadvertently absolve our own flaws and pretend to be superior even as many of us wish for the most painful and primal physical death for Belos.

#emperor belos #toh #toh belos #character analysis #writing pet peeves #tragic characters #tragic villain #villain #I need to get this off my chest because I despise the implications #belos should be evil by choice #not by genetic inheritance #nature vs nurture

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beanyboobee · 3 months

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Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

Oh! I love these types of questions of course! Well my favorite character tends to change every once awhile, so I'll just sort of throw out a few. I don't know if I have 10 because it's been awhile since I've watched anything properly! But here we go! In no particular order-

1. Noe Archivisite: Noe is my favorite character in media at the moment. Specifically Noe in the Manga as opposed to his Anime counterpart. There's just something so interesting abiut him. How he is written to sort of be the eyes on the world. Also his excitement for making new friends and his ability to get lost even under the simplest of circumstances [I can relate to way to much]. But mostly I adore him because his character development is subtle but real, he is flawed but that doesn't make him a bad person. And how he veiws those around him is facinating to read. Honestly I could write an entire analysis of his character . But we would be here all day.

2 . Daisy Buccanan from The Great Gatsby.[book] Though we don't see much of her perspective, what we do see is facinating. She's almost caged in this mystery. We learn enough about her but not everything to the point of understanding her. She's an enigma on writing that cannot be tied down by any accurate term but if I were to try and pair a word to who she is. The first word that comes to mind is. Melancholy. She's a very Melancholic character. Complex in a way that can be read as she is on paper or looked into and explored more deeply.

3. Viktor Frankenstein [from the book] it is no secret to my friends that ti hold a very big place in my mind for deep diving into Frankenstein and the character that is Viktor Frankenstein. Having read the novel 5 times. Each time I find myself with a new outlook on the character. I've grown tired of this narrative that Victor's the villian and honestly I never understood it. Similar to Noe I could make an entire analysis of his character but I doubt very many would be interested. But as a quick run down, I veiw his character as a young boy who is grieving and doesn't know what to do with that grief. A boy who didn't give himself time to greive proper and so threw himself into an old forgotten passion and created something horrifying in the making. A regret he cannot take back that leads to tragedy after tragedy. A character that realised the error of his ways too late and even when he is old. Is not too proud to not admit his wrong doings and even saves another from losing themselves to passions. He is a complex character who I deeply admire and am saddened to see often watered down when it comes to films.

4. 4. Wei Wuxian [The grand Master of Demonic Cultivation] another one everyone probualy saw coming, but I adore the complexities of his character, mainly I adore the entire story but specifically how they push Wei Wuxian as a character that has motivation behind every action. A person who I at least veiwed- As the one good person in a way full of those looking for someone to blame. He isn't all good of course not innocent in the slightest. There's blood on his hands but as the book unravels and we see each life event of his you cannot help but admire him. For what a bright and cheerful person he remained to be even after coming back from the dead. After everything he never once wishes ill upon those who wish it on hom. Insted always bringing it back to how he deserves their erie. He is a facinating character with way to much to say about him that kne simple post can take.

5. Deirdre of the Sorrows [A legend from my country] A tale about a girl that was apperantly cursed before she was born. A prophecy made that everyone took incorrectly that resulted in the death of not only Deirdres lover and brothers in law but herself too. Kicking off one of the biggest wars in Irish Mythology. The Character of Deirdre slowly eroded with time as did many women in irish myths but what remains is still enough to say she was a smart woman who's broken heart and beauty was enough to spark a war. There's many differnat variations of this tale. Some where she lives others where she dies.

But the one in which the scream that was heard from her mother's stomach before she was born. Is the same scream she let's out before dying of a broken heart is my favorite characterisation of her a tragic heroine, who loved so deeply she couldn't live without it.

6. Cinderella [from Disney cinderella] I wrote a whole essay on her for a college paper of which I will not go back into. But basically her character inspired little me to become a better person and for that she is always one of my favorites.

There's definetly more I just can't think of them at the moment

My brain has now gone blank and it's 1 am so I'm afraid this is all I got-

#frankenstein #viktor frankenstein #wei wuxian #daisy buchanan #the great gatsby #irish mythology #noe archivisite #Vanitas no carte

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s-creations · 1 year

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The Forgotten - Chapter 9 'In Which The Fight Is Brought To Another Castle'

The BeanBean Kingdom has lived peacefully for centuries, due to the wild ocean and towering mountains that surround them. No one being able to get in or out. Which makes it strange when a stranger enters the kingdom, but not in an expected way.

Close to death and with little memories about his previous life, Peasley has to uncover where this 'L' came from. As well as who would want to hurt this confused human.

Fandom: Super Mario & Related Fandoms Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Relationships: Luigi & Mario (Nintendo), Luigi/Prince Peasley Warnings/Additional Tags: Luigi don't remember who he is, AU to Super Star Saga, There will be mentions of torture, PTSD, Bowser's gonna be intense in this, At least far more than in comparison to the games, Mario's a worried older brother, It's a dangerous game of cat and mouse

“We don’t have the means to defend ourselves from such a threat!”

“Do we have enough time to evacuate the entire kingdom?”

“I doubt that thing would allow us the decency to do so.”

“Why hasn’t Bowser followed up with another attack?”

“Are you daft man, why would you ask such a thing!”

Peasley felt absolutely sick. Unable to pull his attention away from the wooden table before him. Everyone seemed to be shouting at once. Trying to figure out what was happening and what needed to happen next. But it amounted to nothing more than an insistent pounding against Peasley’s already throbbing head. His mother sat quietly next to him. Clearly as lost as the rest.

Unable to stay in the room any longer, Peasley silently rose from his chair and made his way to the door. Leaving with no argument or questions about his actions. Closing out the shouting with a thud and a heavier sigh, Peasley finally lifted his head. The prince tensed, finding Mario standing directly outside. The human’s attention directed towards the destroyed kingdom seen past the melted window.

Drawing closer to Mario caused the human to flinch and tense slightly. Peasley offered a weak smile as he joined. “I do wish our meeting was under better circumstances.”

“Well…it can’t be helped now.”

“Suppose so…”

They fell quiet, Mario starting at the kingdom once more while Peasley turned towards the fortress. Bowser hadn’t left, but he also hadn’t attacked again. Seeming content to remain in the red sky and appear ominous. Swirling black clouds adding to the overall dark feel to the situation. The quiet was causing more panic than the actual attack mere hours before.

“He’s playing his game now.”

Peasley looked over to Mario again, “What do you mean?”

“Bowser has all the pieces on his side. Your troops are weakened, your kingdom in ruin…Luigi…” Mario’s hands clenched before letting out a slow breath, “He wants us to make a move because he has what he needs. Now he just has to wait, knowing we don’t have much of a choice but to engage in some way.”

“How long do we have before he becomes bored?”

“...Not long.”

Peasley took a deep breath while nodding. Another moment passed before he faced Mario, offering a low bow. “I’m sorry for not providing a proper introduction. I am Prince Peasley, heir to the Beanbean Kingdom.”

“Ah…Mario. Hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, escort to Princess Peach…and Luigi’s brother.”

The prince offered a gentle smile at that. “I can tell. You both have…similar features.”

That caused Mario to give a small laugh. “Well, we are twins. I was just born first. Two whole minutes.”

“Does that really count to mark you as older?”

“Of course.”

Another weak laugh was shared between the two. But the gut feeling of guilt felt heavy in Peasley. “I’m…sorry. I took it upon myself to keep Luigi safe. I promised that nothing would happen to him… I failed and I can’t ask for forgiveness from you.”

“I don’t blame you for any of this.” Mario’s voice was so stern, it worried Peasley.

“But-”

“You were up against an unknown enemy who is willing to do anything to ‘win’. You did all you could. If anyone’s to blame here, it’s me. I thought we were being handed an advantage, preventing him from getting Princess Peach again… I didn’t think it would result in Luigi being taken. I just…I’d turned for just a second. I was knocked out and woke to no trace of him or any trail to find Bowser. I was so panicked, I couldn’t think straight…”

A sickening thought entered Pealsey’s mind. “...Were we the first report of Luigi that you received?”

“Yeah.”

“...It’s been 7 months.”

Mario’s face cracked a pitiful smile. “Yeah…7 long months.”

Guilt turned to rage as Peasley tried to put himself in such a position. Unable to imagine the turmoil the human had to live through this entire time. Knowing someone you cared about was in the hands of an enemy? With no way of knowing where they went?

Taking a deep breath, Peasley gave him a few seconds to calm himself before saying, “We’ll get him back, I promise. I told Luigi I would get him home and I will follow through.”

Surprised by hearing such conviction, Mario peered over to the prince. Finding a stance of pure determination, Peasley’s eyes narrowed on the floating fortress. However, there was more than just following his offered duties that was driving him forward. It was an underlying tone that Luigi had told Mario he’d seen a few times in the older brother. Mainly when Mario was focused on how they were going to get Peach back.

Mario wasn’t given much time to think about this as Peasley properly faced the hero. The prince said, “You know our enemy better than anyone else here. How do we stop him and get Luigi back?”

“I do have an idea… But you’ll have to sell it. I don’t think my words will carry more.”

“Very well, explain your plan.”

Queen Bean was shocked when the doors were suddenly forced open, rather harshly as they actually bounced off the wall. The queen sat up further as Peasly and Mario walked in. The prince’s presence quieted the room quickly as they approached the table. Not faulting when all eyes landed on them.

Queen Bean eventually said, “Prince Peasley, you seem to have something you wish to share.”

“Mario and I have created a plan. We are not running away from this, we’re defending our home.”

“Are you insane child!” A councilman spoke up. Only to shrink back into his seat when Peasley stared him down.

“We are not running. We’re not going to let our kingdom fall so easily. We’re not just handing it over. I am not leaving Luigi behind. This has become personal in more ways than one.”

“We also have someone who’s gone against Bowser numerous times,” Peasley placed a hand on Mario’s shoulder, “With his expertise, we’ll be able to take Bowser down. I’m aware that this kingdom had not seen strife in years. But I’m not losing my home and I’m not losing Luigi. I refused to do so.”

Mario spoke up at this point. “I know this is asking a lot. But fleeing will do you no good. If Bowser sees you run, he’ll just follow you. Stopping him now is your best option.”

Queen Bean stood. Attention from the table snapping over to her. “Mario, hero to the Mushroom Kingdom, if I may ask. Your demeanor carries more than just caring to defend a new kingdom and defeat an old foe. If I may be allowed to ask, what is your relation to our guest.”

“...Luigi is my brother. I failed to keep him safe… I know it’s a lot to ask for help, but-”

“If you’ve faced this beast before, why can’t you just deal with this on your own?” Another councilman asked, frowning.

“Because previously…his prisoners haven’t been used as… Luigi is in direct danger. Bowser’s not going to let him live if it means getting to me. To harm me. Bowser has no reason to keep Luigi…” Mario swallowed weakly, his eyes darting around, clearly becoming frantic. “I…could lose my brother. I can’t…I can’t keep your kingdom safe, fight his army, and get Luigi back. I hate to admit this. But I’m being pulled in too many directions.”

“Then we shall offer our help,” Queen Bean announced, “You are right, we can’t just stand by. This nightmare won’t end unless we confront it. …What do you propose?”

“We have to divide who tackles what. Your army will have to handle Bowser’s. I can provide a few tips on how to handle them. Your current weapons aren’t going to cut it. With them being distracted, Peasley and I will attack Bowser directly. With Peasley focusing on getting Luigi and getting out. I can handle Bowser easily if I know everything else can be handled.”

“While it looks good on paper, our army is not even close to being substantial. I doubt we’ll be able to hold them off for long.”

Mario’s reply was cut off when the doors were opened once more. A few knights entered, offering a salute before one spoke up. “We’re sorry to interrupt, but citizens are currently at the entrance to the castle. They’re asking to help.”

Queen Bean was surprised by this. “I see… Is there an elected member who would be willing to speak on behalf of the group.”

The knight who had spoken nodded before going back to the hallway. Soon returning with a farmer, one that Peasley remembered talking to Luigi numerous times during the festival. Said farmer bowed before speaking, “Queen Bean.”

“Adzuki, we’ve been informed that you and others are asking to help in this endeavor?”

“Yes,” Adzuki nodded, “We’ve already sent our children to HooHoo Village to wait this out. We want to help defend our lands and to bring one of our own back.”

“Are all of you aware of what you’re asking?”

“We are.”

Queen Bean took a deep breath before nodding. “Very well. I have a feeling we won’t have long to properly prepare. Let’s get this done quickly.”

_____________________________

It was hard to wake up. Luigi half wanted to fall back asleep to ignore everything once more. Because last he could recall was Pealey’s frantic face as he was pulled away. Pulled up into heavy clouds of smog. Luigi didn’t want to face the reality that he was in.

A twitch to his legs caused Luigi’s eyes to snap open as pain shot through his body. Letting out a gasp as he tried to sit up. Only for the pain to increase and forced Luigi back down to deal with the heavy feeling. Panting harshly as he tried to think through the fog.

Swallowing down the warm sickness that was crawling up his throat, Luigi turned his attention to his surroundings. He was resting on a dark rock floor, the structure around him seeming to mimic that of a cave. The rock was even curving to create domed walls. At one end of the long ‘hall’ stood a throne. Also created by the surrounding rocks, being haloed by heavy rivers of lava. Even from a distance, Luigi could feel the heat. On the opposite end was a set of large doors. Hope rising upon realizing how close he’d been placed.

Rolling onto his stomach and swallowing down the pain, Luigi took a few steady breaths before crawling forward. Between the constant pain and having almost no energy, it was a struggle. One that Luigi had to mentally push through. He let out a weak laugh as he finally reached the door. Lifting a hand up to push the door open and-

“Leaving so soon?”

Luigi let out a pained yell as he was suddenly dragged back by his broken legs. Pulled all the way back until reaching the foot of the throne. The pain continued as he was now lifted off the ground, still by his legs, and was left to dangle upside down.

Kamek emerged from the shadows, his wand glowing blue. Eyes narrowed on the hurt and fearful human as he tried to find a way to escape the pain.

“Please… Please stop this…” Luigi choked out, his voice quiet as his eyes fluttered around, “I don’t…I don’t know what is happening… I-If I did something to offend you-”

A scream was ripped from him as his arm was suddenly yanked back. Almost feeling as if it was about to be pulled from its socket. Luigi reaches up to try and pull it back with his only still free limb.

“How utterly naive of you,” Kamek spat. The smile on his face betrays how much he was enjoying this. Taking a few moments to watch the human struggle before continuing.

“What ‘you’ve done wrong’ is to help that portly hero stop my King’s rightful reign. In all honesty, this has been the most useful you’ve ever been. Lord Bowser took such enjoyment watching you squirm. You were a wonderful stress toy.”

“Please stop, please stop, please stop-”

“You should really be thanking me for keeping you alive. There were so many times you should have reached your Game Over. It was only Lord Bowser’s good graces that allowed you to keep living as he wanted you to fall just as Mario arrived. A weak attempt to try and save you. Which meant every time you were about to cross that finish line, I had to pull you back. It was honestly aggravating. I just wanted you gone.”

Luigi let out another scream as his arm was both snapped and dislocated. His mind went white with heated pain, tears falling as his only uninjured arm fell limp.

Kamek allowed Luigi to float in the pain before continuing. “But I supposed I would be lying if I didn’t also enjoy breaking you as well. You make just the best noises.”

“Release him, Kamek.”

Luigi gasped as he was suddenly dropped back onto the hard ground. Letting out a shaky whine as he tried to orient himself. Heavy footfalls drawing closer to where he was currently crumpled onto the floor. Still dazed, Luigi didn’t put up a fight as he was rolled onto his stomach. The daze quickly disappeared as something sharp easily clawed through his back. Feeling something warm flow from the newly created wound. Luigi left shaking as Bowser looked over the damage with quiet glee. Shaking the blood from his claws easily.

“I would try and give you some form of peace here, Greenie,” Bowser’s voice rumbled as he paced around the broken human. The smirk grew, watching as Luigi tried to move away from the Koopa. “Your game’s going to end. You’re going to be long gone before Mario arrives. Perhaps it will provide you some comfort as you…drift off.”

Luigi tried to break through the pain, confused over the words offered to him. Eventually choking out. “W-Why?”

“Why what, Greenie?”

“W-Why… Why is Mario…so important?” When there was no immediate reply, Luigi shakily lifted his head up. To see a look of shock on Bowser’s and Kamek’s face.

It quickly disappeared as Bowser began to laugh, seeming almost joyful at Luigi’s question. Reaching out to easily pluck the human off the ground. Luigi wincing as he was now dangling in front of the Koopa. “Alright, riddle me this: Who is Mario?”

“I-I don’t know!” Luigi panicked, eyes wide, “I don’t know, I don’t know him! W-Why is my life so d-dependent on him? Please! Please, I just want to go home! I don’t want to be here! I don’t know what I-I did wrong!”

“Well, this has turned out to be so much better than I thought.” Bowser casually tossed Luigi aside. Kamek summoning a familiar domed cage to trap the human back in. “I can’t wait to let Mario know that you clearly remember what I’ve done to you. But you don’t even remember your…dear…brother.”

Luigi looked up in shock at that. “...B-Brother?”

“Wow, how hurtful of you to not even remember your own family!”

“Brother…” Luigi shakily reached up to grip at his chest. His mind raced as he attempted to try remembering something. Anything! But it only offered the same blurred face and disjointed voice.

A small whine escapes him, sorrowful tears falling. “...I…I can’t remember… T-That’s not fair…”

Luigi let out a choked gasp as his cage was suddenly rattled. Wide eyes looking up fearfully as Bowser sneered down at him. “You will learn very quickly that life is not very ‘fair’ for you. It’s a good thing you won’t have to worry about that for too much longer.”

Attention was pulled away from Luigi for a moment when the entrance doors were opened. A green-shelled Koopa rushing in. Offering a quick bow before saying, “Your Surliness, the BeanBean Kingdom is showing signs of launching a counter attack against us.”

Bowser merely laughed, yellow eyes narrowing on the caged human again. “How curious. I supposed our dear hero has arrived… Gather the troops, deal with the Bean people. But you leave Mario alone. He’s mine to deal with.”

The Koopa nodded before rushing out. Luigi watched them go, catching a brief look at his fleeting freedom before the cage was rattled once more. Fearful eyes going back to the towering beast.

“We don’t have long now,” Bowser growled out, “Kamake, let’s get ready.”

“Of course, Lord Bowser.”

_____________________________

Peasley’s heart was hammering, threatening to beat out of his chest. He and Mario were standing at the top of the large hill overlooking the valley where the invading army rested. His own citizens were going over the final points before they fully engaged. The ominous floating fortress seems to stare down at the scene below it with curious glee. As if it knew what was about to happen.

Luigi was there. Even with how fearful Peasley felt, he knew he needed to be brave. For his Kingdom, for his mother…for Luigi. The same harm that brought him to this kingdom no doubt befalling him once again. If only Peasley could pull that strong emotion, that bravery, to the front. At the moment, he felt absolutely terrified.

“You ready?”

Peasley looked over upon hearing Mario. The hero provided a tight smile, which the prince gave his own back. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Mario nodded, pulling his bag further onto his shoulder. “The Queen was looking for you.”

Swallowing weakly, Peasley nodded back. “I suppose some final words will be nice.”

“Hey…we’re coming back.”

“I saw the damage…what this Bowser can do. You can’t promise that.”

While he shifted nervously, Mario was still able to give a gentle sigh. “That way of thinking won’t help. Taking everything a step at a time will. Focus on what you can… We’ll be okay.”

Peasley felt the words become stuck in his throat, he could only nod at first. Turning away as he forced out, “I’ll be back in a moment.”

“Okay…” Mario watched as the prince walked off, knowing there wasn’t much more he could offer.

The fear and worry that was already settled in Peasley’s stomach only grew seeing his mother wearing heavy armor. The silver seems to shine brilliantly even with the limited light that fell over the kingdom currently. Hair pulled back into a tight bun, her crown nowhere to be seen. Sturdy sword positioned well on her hip as she stared the fortress down with such venom that disappeared as Peasley rushed forward. “Prince Peasley-”

“What are you doing?” Peasley choked out, feeling as if he was suffocating.

Queen Bean gave a warming smile, bending down to pull her son into a tight hug. “Do you really think I would just sit by while my kingdom and son fought? I’m not much of a sideline queen.”

The smile fell as she felt the small form in her arms begin to shake. “Peasley-”

“I’m scared mom,” Peasley forced out, swallowing down the sickness as warm tears fell. Finding no comfort in the hand that gently rested on the back of his head. “I don’t know what to do…I feel like I’m drowning. I know I need to fight. But there’s so much that could go wrong. How many people could we lose? Will we lose our kingdom, after so many quiet years? Have…Have I already lost Luigi? …Will I lose you?”

“Oh…my wonderful boy. Your fear is not unfounded. I would believe you foolish if you faced this without worries.” Queen Bean gently pulled her son back, offering another gentle smile at Peasley’s fearful look. “Those fears need to become what powers you forward now. Let them fuel you into battle so you don’t see them become reality.”

“...They’re so strong though.” Peasley replied back weakly.

“I know, I know they are. You need to be stronger, louder than them. Show your enemy you’re resolute spirit. Show them you’re unbreaking will. Don’t worry about being a prince. I want you to be Peasley. Go rescue your love so I can hold you both close in joy.”

Peasley laughed weakly, wiping at his cheeks. “That…sounds like a princely thing to do.”

“I suppose so. But that’s what I want you to focus on. Get Luigi back. You leave the rest to me.”

“...See you after all of this is over?”

“We’ll both be standing tall on the other side.”

“I love you, mom.”

“I love you, my darling Peasley.”

When he returned to Mario’s side, Peasley still felt shaky. But his stand gave one of determination. Offering a nod to the hero’s raised brow. “Queen Bean will be leading the charge. Once the kingdom engages the enemy, we’ll make our move.”

“Okay.”

They waited and watched atop the large hill, Peasley’s heart clenching as Queen Bean took her position at the front of the army. There was a pause, no doubt all allowing themselves a few moments to steal their nerves before a horn sounded. Peasley watched in quiet fascination as the BeanBean Kingdom charged forward. Meeting with the invading army in no time.

“We need to go.” Mario spoke up.

Peasley nodded, turning back to the castle and gave a sharp whistle. Soon enough, his flying Bean was hovering beside them. Pealsey climbed on first before helping Mario up. The hero was a little wobbly, taking a few seconds to settle himself. Once on, they took off. The prince gave one last look to the attacking armies before it disappeared beneath the dark clouds that surrounded the fortress. Peasley turned his attention to the looming fortress.

It was absolutely terrifying up close.

The dark clouds broke away allowing an up close look to the large rock face of Bowser staring back at them. Even with how high they were, the sky seemed heavy with heat from the lava pooled at different parts of the fortress. Between the dark rocks creating the structure and the smog, this place gave a warning to stay as far away from it as possible. It was impossible to think that someone would find this place comfortable enough to call a ‘home’.

Swallowing weakly, Peasley felt a new wave of fear wash over him.

“Take a few deep breaths,” Mario spoke softly, “You’ll be fine.”

“R-Right…”

Before he knew it, Peasley's feet touched down on the flat base. Head tilting up as his mouth dropped in amazement at the sheer magnitude of the area. A gentle bump to his leg pulled the prince back to his flying companion. “Stay here and out of sight. You’ll either see us or I’ll call for you. We’ll be back soon…”

“...Prince Peasley.”

Peasley turned to Mario. The hero standing before the towering double doors. “Yes?”

“I need a favor from you.”

“Of course.”

“I’m putting Luigi’s life in your hands. You’re the only person I trust to keep him safe.”

“But-”

“You didn’t fail him or me. I told you, you were facing someone you had no idea what they were capable of. Or what they’d be willing to do. But I trust you as does Luigi. When we get in there, Bowser’s going to focus on me. I have no doubt Kamek is waiting for us as well. I’ll try to keep them both occupied. The moment you have Luigi, I want you to run.”

Peasley’s eyes widened. “I’m not leaving you in there.”

“I’ve faced this guy before, numerous times. I’ll be able to fight fully knowing Luigi’s out and safe.”

“Two against one is hardly fair. Even then, how are you going to get back down?”

“I’ll find a way. I always do.”

“But-”

“Just promise Peasley… Promise you’ll grab Luigi and run.”

The prince wanted to argue back. But time wasn’t on their side and he had a feeling Mario wasn’t going to be swayed from his choice. So he let it go. “Alright. You have my word. I’ll get Luigi out.”

“Thank you… You ready?”

“Yes.”

Standing side by side, the duo marched forward and pushed the double doors open. If the heat outside was uncomfortable, inside was unbearable. Peasley swearing he felt his breath pulled from his lungs at the heat washing over them. He faulted slightly, Mario’s hand reaching out to keep him upright without needing looking over.

Even with a steady flow of lava, the shadows that were being cast in the long hallway were heavy. Adding to the already ominous aura. Sitting on his large throne, silhouetted by lava, was Bowser. Looking smug as yellow eyes watched as the duo approached. Kamek standing at the foot of the said throne with a triumphant smirk playing on his face.

Bowser stood, arms open wide as if he was offering a calm greeting to Mario and Peasley. The smirk says something different with the numerous fangs glistening in the limited light.

“Well…I suppose late is better than never with you.”

The doors closed with a heavy thud.

#luigi #peasley #prince peasley #luigi x peasley #s-creations #fanfiction #chapter story

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valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn · 7 months

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I've sometimes secretly wished the MCU would show more blood. For the simple reason of "to give a stronger sense of how much danger the heroes are putting themselves in". I mean, Daredevil didn't hold back on the blood, and I think that actually works to its favor, because when Matt Murdock is left a bloody mess in the aftermath of a fight, like so...

...the blood conveys just how much physical danger he's putting himself in every time he goes out to fight criminals.

And in similar regard, him punching criminals until they're bloodied and unconscious illustrates his mentality when fighting.

It's not even limited to Matt. The blood was absolutely a necessity to display, for instance, when Fisk killed his father. The image of Fisk's face covered in his father's blood illustrates appropriately how that event was crucial towards cementing the beginnings of his rise to being a ruthless crime boss. (That image from the start of episode 8 where adult Fisk looks in the mirror and sees his bloodied younger self staring back at him brings me chills, while nicely illustrating how Fisk is still to a degree that frightened little boy.)

The amount of blood shown when Karen kills Wesley nicely conveys just how Karen is capable of violence under the right circumstances.

Luke Cage similarly warranted the need to not hold back on the blood with the murders Bushmaster commits in season 2 because that's really the only way to appropriately illustrate the whole idea that "if the Yardies are Al-Qaeda, the Stylers are ISIS" as one of Misty's colleagues puts it. Likewise, Cottonmouth's death in season 1 warranted the blood to properly cement that it's the start of Mariah's descent into true villainy.

Jessica Jones used blood nicely to convey the sort of violence Kilgrave's willing to make other people involuntarily inflict upon each other or on themselves.

In the mainstream MCU...we're not really given many equivalent examples of bloodied heroes. I think we have Tony's battered face in Endgame, Thor losing his eye in Ragnarok, the cut Wanda gets on her face in Infinity War, and that's about all I can think of right now. It makes me think of potential missed opportunities to show a bit more blood (like, maybe in GOTG3 show blood pooling around Lylla after the High Evolutionary shoots her in the back; same for Teefs and Floor when the High Evolutionary's guards kill them).

I couldn't agree more with you but the age ratings can only allow so much. The Netflix shows were rated as Mature (so unsuitable for younger than 17) while the MCU is PG-13. They might change it a bit with Deadpool but I don't see them doing it for anybody else.

Of course it sucks for us as we would prefer to see more stuff similar to Daredevil but I have to admit that, in this case, I understand why they want to keep the same rating for all movies. This is a connected universe and, technically, you need to watch the whole thing to get the overall story. So they can't have 13-year-old kids skipping certain movies because their parents are afraid they might see too much blood.

I mean, I won't get into this here but an argument could be had that these kids are seeing worse stuff in their TikToks and their social media, but... the age ratings are kinda weird. Violence can be shown in a PG-13 but sex? Oh no, cover that right up, that's R-rated! 🤦‍♀️

Who knows what they will do with Born Again. I'll admit I'm kinda worried.

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juulz · 10 months

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Here's another thing that lives in my head rent free: who the fuck was Misfit! Silver's ex? The one mentioned in the Nothing comics, who overdosed on accident? I understand if it's something you won't answer because it's going to be relevant later, or on the flipside, a trival thing you didn't expect someone to go buck wild over. I just need to talk about it and you've humored my crazy thus far.

I reread the Nothing comics before posting this so I was sure I remembered every detail. Dating and never breaking up. Making it very clear he just has sex with Gold for kicks and casually has sex with others too. The way the Silver we see in the present viciously rejects love and tries to not even care because he never wants to feel that loss again. He loved them, maybe even to the moon and back, didn't he? The way Silver reminds Gold that their deal was "no dating, no commitment" makes me confident that it was at least a mostly exclusive (possibly barring threesomes/orgies because bitches be kinky) relationship. Part of me wonders if they had a deeper commitment, i.e. engagement, that Silver just glossed over.

Who were they? Were they another defector from decadence, a normal person who got mixed up in some shit, or born and raised in poverty with or without a loving family? How did they meet? How long were they together? Did they have plans to get engaged if they weren't, or to marry/elope? Were they somewhat like Gold or were they like Silver? Neither? Why did Silver fall in love with them? Were they skilled, strong, clever or witty? Did he feel like they were similar enough to him to understand him? Or were they different from him enough to make up for what he lacks? Did Silver ever write songs about them before and/or after their death, regardless of whether or not those songs were ever shared with anyone?

Clearly Silver would have treated them differently, but what was he like with them? Were they all rough fucking and partying, or was he gentler with them, even if on occassion? Was he jealous and possessive, or was he lax about them receiving attention from others? Did he introduce them to big sis Blue? Or did they know Blue already? Could they have been a band mate or groupie? How did Silver feel about them? Did he get his die fighting mindset from them?

Who were they???

ALRIGHTY I’m back and ready to rumblereply. I know it took this long, but it's gonna be underwhelmingly plain.

Misfits!Silver has never fallen in love.

Infatuation, flirting, flings, any and all monogamous and poly affairs - you name it (fuck buddies let’s be honest here), but he has never really truly been in love. He’s not in love with Gold (not at this point for sure. later? who knows) and he hadn’t been with the last person he’d dated.

The focus is a lot less around romance, but about loss, this you’re spot on. Even with no romantic feelings involved, it’s not to say he doesn’t care to some extent and certainly neither does/did he wishes/wished them death. There’s been a number of losses in Silver’s life, voluntary and involuntary, and the circumstances under which they occurred shaped his view on the matter. Vague, but this one I’m not gonna elaborate on. Guess I’m due for another flashback.

But if there wasn’t love, it doesn’t mean there isn’t guilt. For each one he internalizes, dwells on it, broods if something, anything that he might’ve done for the outcome to be different. Even for ones he couldn’t possibly have had a say in. In a sense, the self-destruction is about taking control back.

Of course, at the end of the day, the interpretation is up to the viewer. Did he love them, yet was unable to acknowledge it? Maybe. Were they similar in character? Perhaps. Were they polar opposites? Could be. Rough sex or sensual lovemaking, jealous or relaxed--

In my head it does not matter who they were as don’t the ones before them. What matters is that the relationship ended. Sure, this time for a reason other than personal differences/infidelity/conflict/etc, but just another token into the scale against commitment. On top of pre-existing trust issues, hints at prior indoctrination and even possible denial of the very concept of love, well… Gold, you’re in for a tough one. Good luck.

Once more, thank you for such an in-depth take on the implications. I’ll admit that it’s one of those that I didn’t think about too much while writing the comic, so reading your impressions helped to expand upon and put my own thoughts in order.

All the above definitely has had an influence on Silver’s music. And yeah, sorry not sorry to disappoint, no marriage was ever in the picture.

#oof tis a good one #been thinking about it for days #travel is fun jetlag is a myth #only sets in on the third day #before then time and space are relative #k i'll stop rambling #again thanks for the ask!#misfits au ask

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yournextflame · 2 years

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Hello there! I was looking around some of the Miquella related cut content and I came around this dialogue piece apparently related to him:

Let all things flourish,

whether graceful, or malign.

On your opinion, what exactly would Miquella mean by that? My best guess is that no matter how foul something is, under Miquella's rule it shall be granted the right to simply exist (maybe a succint jab to his mama who couldn't handle the concept of Death and so sealed it away).

Still on Miquella, I don't recall which item it was, but there was a description somewhere saying the Haligtree was a failure regardless of Miquella's efforts. Do you think it failed after Mohg tore Miquella from the Haligtree - and so the tree had no more Empyrean blood to feed upon + Malenia's Rot infecting it upon her return - or it already showed no hopes of becoming what Miquella wished for it much before the kidnapping?

This line always intrigued me, especially giving Miquella's goal to ban the influence of the outer gods. Aside from my own theory that outer gods are representation of the natural forces, which puts Miquella... in interesting position in a story, where one of the biggest themes is Nature vs Civilization, this line contradicts with his views on Those Who Live in Death. On the whole, he seems like his mama on crack, denying not only Death, but everything what comes with it. Notably, there are no Omens in Haligtree, and the color of their flame is similar to Godwyn's death spells.

All these contradictions can be resolved, however, if Miquella had his own arc. Rico's quest line provides some valueble insight on St. Trina and Miquella himself, but this quest line also supposed to be a source of worldbuilding information (*cries in lack of Dreambrew descriptions in txt). There are traces of his model and cutscenes in files, so maybe there is even more cut content that was outright removed, including Miquella's own quest.

This isn’t to say that we don't know to which extend Miquella's motivation to meddle the influence of the outer gods was based on Malenia's circumstance. I don't like interpretation that he was raising Haligtree solely for Malenia's sake, but for sure her Rot is what inspired him to create unalloyed gold. Although some cut content gives us hints that Malenia used to be Tarnished's companion (presumably OG Milicent, but it's uncomfirmed), she was still a boss, killiable character. In that case, would Miquella still care about the outer gods if there are would be no sister to heal?

[cut content] Twinblade symbolizing twins Miquella and Malenia. Miquella and his sister were born from an inseparable fate (Abundance and Decay Twinblade)

However, we can't be certain what exactly Miquella called "malign things", but I do find this contrast between him seemingly accepting everything in his cut content and his current portrayal, in which he is indeed softer than his mom, but still discriminates some beigns.

Though watered with Miquella's own blood since it was a sapling, the Haligtree ultimately failed to grow into an Erdtree.

I'm sure that Mohgnapping caused or at least affected Haligtree's failure. But I'd like to speculate that there is more to it. Haligtree sigil shows a tree without roots, possibly a metaphorical symbol of Miquella rejecting Nature, but maybe there is another meaning, considering that the Erdtree sprouts from the Elden Ring (JP official site). This makes me think that to grow a proper Golden Tree you need the Elden Ring.

#reply #is it wrong that half of my interest in elden ring lore comes from cut content?

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headinclouds-universe · 2 years

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Little Sea Patrol ficlet - Swain and Kate in blended family mode.

I don’t own photos or characters, just having fun.

Chloe Blake had stood on this very dock multiple times during her childhood but she thought it felt pretty surreal to be standing here again under very different circumstances.

While her parents had spent their fair share of time away from home, this would be her first time away in this capacity and she was feeling a little anxious. Her training had even taken place here in Cairns and so she was afforded the ability to see her family more regularly then some of her other classmates.

Eyeing the ship alongside, she knew this was going to be an adjustment for everyone. Biting her bottom lip, she scanned the crowd looking for three familiar faces.

A smile split her face when she spotted her younger brother. Waiting patiently for the few seconds it took him to see her, she was thrilled when he ran over to her and didn’t resist when she pulled him in for a hug.

“ I missed you.” She admitted while she pushed her face into his soft brown hair and admired how much he looked like their father. Chloe inhaled the smell of him to commit to memory, she had watched their Mum do it a hundred times before.

“ I wish you could have spent the few days here with us instead of going to Perth.” He declared into her shoulder and she squeezed him a little tighter in lieu of a reply.

Her Mum had moved to Perth two years ago to care for her elderly grandparents. Chloe had made the choice to stay here during that time so she could finish her last years of school in a familiar place, she also hadn’t wanted to leave her family. It had been a hard decision at the time but it had been the right one for her.

“ I know you wanted to see your mum but I wish you could have been here too.” He pulled away but no far and looked up at her.

She offered him a smile, “ I know but technically I’m still living at home. So when I’m not out at sea, I’ll be hanging around and bugging you like normal ” she teased with a ruffle of his hair and he rolled his eyes has he tried to flatten it back down.

He tried to offer her the same bright smile back but she could see the sadness that lingered there, she felt it too.

Chloe thought it best to tried to cheer them both up, “ You have my email and we might even be able to video chat if I get good reception.”

It was amazing how quickly they had adapted to becoming a permanent family of four. Before her mum moved to Perth it was normal for her to spend days between both parents houses. Luckily they had only been minutes away at the time but the permanent move had certainly created a tighter bond between her and her brother and her and her step mother.

Speaking of which, there they were.

At her fathers look, she bit her bottom lip again in an attempt to keep the tears at bay but the minute he pulled her into his strong frame the tears fell down silently. She pushed har face into his warm chest and squeezed her Dad harder then she did Cameron and felt him squeeze her back and rub a hand up and down her back.

He pushed her gently away from his chest but kept her at arms length to take her in.

“ Look at you”, he said affectionately, a dimple showing in his cheek and warmth in his eyes. He cupped the back of her head with one hand and tilted it up a little, so he could bend slightly forward and place his usual kiss there, though he lingered longer then normal. He tucked her under the chin before he took a step back so that her Mum could have a turn.

Chloe didn’t remember when she had started calling her step mother, mum but she knew it had been sometime after Cameron had been born. Being with her brother so frequently and hearing him say it all the time meant she had called her that a few times by accident. In time it had just felt normal and it had stuck.

Like her brother and Dad before, she took a moment to lock in the visual memory before she boarded.

Beautiful long blonde hair, so similar to each other’s that they were often assumed for mother and daughter, tied neatly in a low bun. A little fringe elegantly swept to the side and green eyes she was certain had a shine to them. Her white uniform fitting her well and her growing medals and badges gleaming away in the sun.

Chloe had been about to move in for a hug when she remembered where she was and with whom.

Kate McGregor might have been her step mum but now she was also her Commander and propriety dictated she must salute to her superior officers.

Chloe felt the now natural way her body automatically straighten, shoulders sat back and her arm shot out and cut in to salute. Chloe watched the moment her Mum slipped into officer mode too, posture perfect and mirror the salute back. Chloe didn’t move a muscle until her Commanding officer put her hand down.

Her Dad watched them both while he pulled Cameron in beside him.

When her mum relaxed and offered her a warm look, Chloe embraced her.

“I’m so sorry I can’t stay to watch the ship leave. I’m needed back at Navcom urgently, a situation is unfolding on one of the islands. I’m sure you’ll be briefed on once you are on board.”

Kate pulled back and smiled at her fondly. “But nothing was going to keep me from seeing you before you leave.”

Chloe felt the familiar warmth of a tear running down her face has her step mum reached out and straightened her name badge before she placed a hand on her cheek and wiped it away.

“ Now, mistakes happen even when you think you are done learning, so own them but don’t get too caught up in them because everyone makes them.” Chloe nodded.

“ Don’t let anyone make you think you aren’t worthy of being out there with them. You got yourself here, you did the same training like everyone else and that has nothing to do with who your dad is or my position - you understand?” Chloe nodded repeatedly, caught up in the proud tone that she could hear from her Mum.

“ Most importantly, don’t ever relax when on a boarding. You keep your eyes on everyone and be prepared for anything.”

She felt her mum pull her in for another hug, her dad and her brother joined in.

“ Come home safe.” Her Dad said the words out loud, the words she would say to them both when she was old enough to become aware of the dangers they faced.

Chloe Blake was now embarking on a career in the Navy and looking forward to seeing what that held for her.

#sea patrol #kate mcgregor lisa mccune #aussie tv

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storiesforallfandoms · 3 years

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the type you bring home to mom ~ eddie kaspbrak;it chapter two

word count: 2361

request?: no

description: in which he finally brings his girlfriend home to his over protective mother, and it goes exactly as he thought it would

pairing: teen!eddie kasprak x female!reader

warnings: swearing, overbearing mother, derogatory name calling (i guess?), basically eddie’s mom just sucking

masterlist (one, two)

note: (y/n/p) = your parents’ names

I played with the hem of my dress as I walked up to the Kaspbrak household. I was regretting my choice in wardrobe, but it was too late to change now. I knew nothing would feel right anyways, I had already changed three times before I came over.

For the first time in our year long relationship, I was meeting Eddie’s mother. We had somehow managed to keep our relationship a secret for so long that I never felt like I had to meet her, and Eddie wasn’t exactly pushing for it either. As much as he loved his mom, he also knew she was manipulative and overbearing, and he often told me how he was afraid of his mom scaring me off because of these facts.

When the news eventually got out and travelled quickly through the small town of Derry, as gossip usually does, it got to Ms. Kaspbrak in no time. She immediately demanded to meet me, and Eddie set up a dinner at his house for the occasion.

Before I could even knock on the door, it swung open to reveal my tall boyfriend smiling down at me. Any tension I had melted away as I looked up at him, into those beautiful eyes that could calm me down whenever they were on me. He took my face in his hands and pulled me to kiss him. It was such a normal action that, at first, I leaned into it happily, until I realized the circumstances of my visit and quickly pushed him away.

“She’s not here,” he said, as if reading my worried thoughts. “She’s gone out to get some stuff for dinner.”

He stepped aside to let me step into the house. It wasn’t unfamiliar territory; Eddie and I had had many rendezvous there during the rare moments when his mom wasn’t home, but it felt wrong to be there on this occasion. I just wanted it to end already, and to go home or go for a long drive with Eddie.

“Come, sit,” he said, leading me to his living room. We sat close to one another on the couch, so close that we were just barley touching. Feeling his arm brush against mine sent sparks through me.

“How worried should I be?” I asked him, trying to remain as light as possible.

He sighed and shuffled in his seat. “I wish I could tell you not at all, but...”

He trailed off so I finished his sentence for him, “But it’s your mom.”

Eddie nodded. “But it’s my mom.”

One of his arms was around my waist. I hadn’t realized that the skirt of my dress had hiked up a little until the hand around my waist started to play with the hem, his fingertips brushing against my ass. His other hand touched my leg, starting lightly on my knee and then slowly travelling up my thigh till it stopped on my inner thigh. I shivered, wanting him to go further.

Most people who knew him would never believe that Eddie Kaspbrak, the hypochondriac, fast talking, former sheltered mama’s boy, would be absolutely mind blowing in bed, and constantly handsy whenever we were alone. I hadn’t even believed it until we got together, but man, Eddie knew how to make me feel absolutely amazing.

He leaned forward to kiss my neck, his fingers tracing circles in my inner thigh. I was shivering with anticipation and whimpers were escaping my lips. I could feel Eddie’s amused smirk against my neck as he placed another kiss there and lifted his head to look at me. He kissed my lips and his hand finally made its way further up my skirt.

Our moment was interrupted by the sound of a car door slamming. I practically jumped to the other side of the couch, touching my neck in hopes that he hadn’t accidentally left hickies there.

“You’re good,” he said, understanding what I had been doing.

The front door opened and I suddenly felt paralyzed. I wasn’t sure if I should stand up or stay sat down, if I should move even further away from Eddie or stay exactly where I was. In the end, I stayed frozen like a deer in headlights as his mom rounded the corner, arms full of grocery bags.

“Oh,” she said when her eyes landed on me. “Is this...her?”

There was a slight leer to the way she said “her”, which made me want to squirm under her intense gaze.

“Mom,” Eddie said, a partial warning tone in his voice, “this is (Y/N), my girlfriend.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Kaspbrak,” I said. “Do you, um, need any help with - ”

“No,” she cut me off. “I have it. You’re early.”

“I told her this is when to get here,” Eddie defended. “You wouldn’t tell me exactly when to invite her over.”

“Well, this is hardly dinner time,” his mother huffed. “It’ll take me a while to get dinner ready.”

“I can help,” I offered again.

“No,” she said, sharply, which told me that was the end of the matter.

I shrunk down in my spot on the couch.

“Mom,” Eddie snapped again.

She glared at me before turning to her son, trying to soften her expression for him. “I’ll let you know when the food is ready. For now...stay here.”

When she disappeared into the kitchen, Eddie immediately moved to sit next to me and took my hand in his.

“I’m okay,” I assured him. “I’ll get through it. It’s just dinner then we’re done, right?”

He nodded, but I could see the worry on his face still.

A while later, Ms. Kaspbrak called to tell us dinner was ready. She had made sure to place everything so that Eddie and I were sat at the heads of the table, far apart from one another, while she was sat between us. Eddie and I shared a look before sitting in our designated spots.

Dinner started with awkward silence besides our cutlery against the plates. I tried to keep my attention on my plate, but every so often I’d glance up at the Kaspbraks to see Eddie nervously glancing between me and his mother, and his mom just glaring daggers at me. The nervousness I was feeling took away my appetite, but I felt like I had to eat everything to make a good impression, if that was even possible.

“So,” Ms. Kaspbrak said, drawing our attention to her, “(Y/N). Your parents are (Y/P/N), right?”

She already knew the answer to this question. I had grown up in Derry, where everyone knew everyone. There was a reason she was asking, and I had a feeling I already knew what that reason was.

“They are, yeah,” I responded.

“And they’re divorced, aren’t they?”

“Mom!” Eddie groaned.

“It’s just a question, Eddie,” his mom said.

“It’s okay,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t mind talking about it. That’s kind of old news anyways. They divorced when I was 10, dad moved to the next town over and mom got full custody of me.”

“That doesn’t seem like a very stable upbringing,” Ms. Kaspbrak commented. “I’m sure it’s taken such a toll on you, you must’ve decided to rebel somehow.”

Eddie put his face in his hands, officially admitting defeat on trying to stop his mother.

“Actually it wasn’t anything like that,” I said. “Mom and dad stayed pretty civil. There wasn’t any big fight or anything, just an agreement that they’re better off not being married. When dad moved he made sure to stay in constant contact, and comes to visit all the time or I’d go to visit him. Mom always made sure I had a roof over my head and food on the table. They both love me unconditionally, even if they’re not together.”

Ms. Kaspbrak sat back in her seat, a sour look on her face. “Well...regardless, it’s just not right to be raised by a single mother.”

Feeling a bit brave, I raised an eyebrow at her. “Eddie was raised by a single mother.”

“That’s different. My husband died, he didn’t decide to abandon me and Eddie.”

“My dad didn’t abandon us, he’s still very much a part of our lives.”

She ignored me and continued to eat. I looked across the table at Eddie to see him avoiding all eye contact with either of us as he pushed his food around on his plate. As if feeling my gaze, he looked up at me. I gave him a small smile to try and indicate that I wasn’t upset with him. I wanted him to know everything was going to be okay, even if I didn’t fully believe it myself.

“How many boys have you had sex with, (Y/N)?”

The question caught me off guard and I nearly choked on the food I had just put in my mouth.

“Jesus Christ, mom!” Eddie snapped.

“Don’t take the Lord’s name in vein, Edward,” his mother chastised him.

“You can’t just ask something like that, mom, that’s none of your business.”

“Of course it’s my business. I need to make sure my son isn’t dating a slut. I remember you were friends with Beverly March before she moved away, and trust me, I heard all sorts of stories about her. Anyone who would hang around with her must be somewhat similar.”

The mention of the untrue bullshit that used to be spread about Bev made the anger within me bubble over. I was seeing red as I looked up at Ms. Kaspbrak, and I was ready to pounce.

“Actually, your son took my virginity, and I took his,” I told her. “And we have sex quite a lot, sometimes upstairs in his bedroom when you’re not home. Although, for someone who says he was a virgin I don’t know how much I believe it. Eddie has done things that I don’t even think the most experienced of people could do.”

If he was upset with me for saying all of this, Eddie’s face didn’t show it. He was sipping on his water, trying to hide the smug smile that broke out across his face.

Ms. Kaspbrak’s face turned blood red before she rose from the table. “Get the fuck out of my house!”

“Gladly,” I said, abandoning my dinner to quickly leave the shitty situation.

“And don’t you dare come anywhere near my son again, or else I will have the cops on you!” she threatened.

I stopped and turned back to face her. “For what? For dating your son? For showing him that there’s someone who actually cares about him without manipulating him? For finally cutting the cord that you’ve had wrapped around his neck since he was born? Ms. Kaspbrak, I understand that you’re afraid to lose your son the way you lost your husband, but being a manipulative bitch who forced him to think he had illnesses he didn’t have for years and insulting his girlfriend in front of him is not the way to keep him around. Eddie is 18 years old, he’s an adult. He can do whatever he wants, which includes dating whoever he wants and leaving this hell hole that you have the audacity to call a home. The day that you finally accept that just might be the day that Eddie finally considers you to be an actual mother.”

And with that, I decided not to overstay my welcome and left.

I was only a few feet away from Eddie’s house when I heard him calling after me. I slowed my pace just enough that he could catch up with me, but didn’t completely stop. I wanted to put as much distance between myself and the Kaspbrak house as I could.

“I’m sorry,” I sighed as he fell in step next to me.

“For what?” Eddie asked. “I should be the one apologizing to you.”

“You warned me on how she would be, and I still let her get to me,” I said. “I probably made having to live there a whole lot harder.”

“It was hard to begin with, (Y/N). Nothing could make it harder than what it was,” he told me. “What you said, it was all true. Mom needed to hear that. Doesn’t mean she liked hearing it, or that she’ll actually accept it, but she needed to hear it none the less.”

“I guess I could’ve said it nicer,” I said. “Or at least not included details of our sex life.”

Eddie awkwardly chuckled. “Yeah, could’ve done without mom knowing I’m a sex god.”

I gave him a look and playfully nudged him. “I never said you were a sex god.”

“Eddie has done things that I don’t even think the most experienced of people could do I believe were your exact words.”

“I only said that to make her more upset.”

“So you’re saying I’m bad at sex?”

I pushed him again. “Eddie!”

He laughed and put an arm around my waist. “I appreciate the compliment either way. And I hope you know how much I love you.”

I smiled up at him and leaned into his touch. “I love you, too.”

We walked in silence for a while and, before I knew it, we were at my house. We stopped and turned to face each other.

“Want to stay over tonight?” I asked. “I figure going home isn’t exactly the best option right now.”

“It’s not,” he agreed. “Will your mom be okay with it?”

“Of course she will, she loves you. She’ll probably even cover for you if your mom calls.”

“I take it back, I don’t love you. I love your mom.”

“And I take back my offer. Go sleep on the streets.”

I took off for my front door with Eddie hot on my trail. I tried to open it and lock him out before he caught up to me, but of course his long legs gave him an advantage. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me away from the door, both of our laughs ringing out through the otherwise quiet neighborhood.

#eddie kaspbrak #eddie kaspbrak imagine #eddie kaspbrak x reader #james ransone #james ransone imagine #james ransone x reader #teen!eddie kaspbrak #it chapter two #imagine #one shot #requests #fanfiction #fanfic #fandom

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queensoybean0724 · 3 years

Text

Succession Chapter 1 (Karl Heisenberg/female reader) Resident Evil Village fic

Here is chapter one of my new fanfic!

Title: Succession

Characters: Karl Heisenberg, female reader, OCs

Rating: PG-13 for language and intense scenes (for now, this is a slow burn, but it will get very hot and spicy in later chapters)

Summary: You discover a long lost relative from Moldova that you didn’t know existed has died and you are his sole beneficiary. You are on board a plane to collect your inheritance when your plane crashes in a village in Romania.

Author’s Notes: I do not own the characters from Resident Evil Village. This is a work of fiction. Anything remotely similar to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental.

Chapter 1

The music blasted from the car speakers as you drove down the main road towards the highway. You had your phone plugged into your car stereo, your favorite Spotify playlist on shuffle. Despite the A/C being on full blast, beads of sweat formed at your brow and rolled down your temple. You adjusted the vents on either side of you, making sure the cold air directly hit your body. The song that was playing had you tapping your fingers on the steering wheel, your head bopping to the beat.

The fridge at home was close to empty and it was beyond time for you to go grocery shopping. The grocery list was secure in your purse and you were determined to stick to the items on the list and not make any frivolous purchases. Money was tight and you only had so much money left before payday next week.

The song shut off suddenly followed by your ringtone. Looking at the screen of your phone, UNKNOWN stared back at you. Probably a spam call, you thought to yourself, reaching to press the red Ignore button. Unfortunately, your finger slid at the last minute and mistakenly tapped the Accept button. You watched as the call came through and the seconds ticked off. FUCK!

“Hello?” you greeted with a hint of exasperation in your voice.

“Hello, am I speaking with Miss Y/N?” a heavily accented male voice responded.

“Yeah, this is she,” you muttered, rolling your eyes. You tried your best to avoid these calls, ignoring them and letting them go straight to voicemail. Very rarely was it followed with an actual message, which was more than fine with you.

“Miss Y/N, my name is Ron M. Dathermi. I am a lawyer residing in Chisinau, Moldova in Eastern Europe…”

You raised your eyebrows at that. Moldova? Who the hell was calling you from Moldova? Chalking it up to a scam, you were about to interrupt the man when he continued.

“...I wish I was calling under better circumstances, but I’m afraid I have some bad news. Your great uncle, Serghei Popa, has passed away from a short illness and has named you his sole beneficiary…”

You couldn’t help the amused huff that came out of your mouth. This must be some very elaborate scam.

“Umm...sorry, but I think you have the wrong person. I don’t have family from Moldova and I have never heard of this man in my whole life.” You were about to hit the End button when Mr. Dathermi continued.

“Am I speaking with Y/N, born on (your birthday) to (your father and mother’s full names) and the granddaughter of (your grandfather and grandmother on both sides of your family)?”

Your eyes widened at that. “Yeah, that’s me…” you answered.

“I know this may sound unusual, but Mr. Popa was the brother of your grandmother on your mother’s side. He was given up for adoption at birth and taken in by a Moldovan family. He did not have a spouse and had no children, and according to the genealogy report I have before me, your grandmother and your mother are both deceased. Your mother was an only child, yes? It appears to me that you are the last of his living relatives.”

You pulled off the road and into an empty parking lot. The information you were being given was a lot to handle. You didn’t have that large of a family. You were an only child and raised by your parents and both sets of grandparents. Both of your grandfathers had died before you turned 10. Both grandmothers died within 5 years of each other and your father and mother died of illnesses, cancer and pneumonia respectively, in the last year. Grief was a feeling that you knew better than anyone. You kept to yourself mostly and you didn’t have any close friends or a significant other.

“Listen,” you began, “you are correct about all of your information, but how do I know this is not some kind of scam?”

The man on the other end of the phone cleared his throat and the sound of shuffling papers met your ears. “I can imagine that this information is sudden and unusual. What I will do is send a copy of his will and a copy of the genealogy papers to your address. I encourage you to take this to your lawyer and have them look over the information. The reason I am calling is because I need you to fly to Moldova, sign these papers, and accept the monetary inheritance that he has left you.”

Your jaw dropped as you looked down at your phone. Fly to Moldova? Is this true? The only thing you knew about the country was that a foreign exchange student from high school was born and raised in Moldova. That about sums up your knowledge of the country. This seemed incredibly asinine and ridiculous. But the word that settled in your train of thought was “inheritance.” What inheritance?

“Mr...what was your name again?” you asked.

“Mr. Dathermi, but you can call me Ron,” the lawyer responded.

“Ron...umm, how much monetary inheritance are we talking about?”

More shuffling of papers was on the other side of the phone, Ron clicking his tongue as he looked through the information. “He has left you 53,806,746 Moldovan Leu...which translates to $3,000,000 in American currency.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!?!” you exclaimed before clamping your lips shut. You heard Ron chuckle. “I’m sorry, pardon my language. It’s just...wow...this sounds insane…”

“I can imagine it does,” Ron replied, “which is why I want to mail this information to you and have your attorney take a look at it so you know this is a legitimate will and testament. If you would like, I can mail the information straight to your attorney if you are still leery.”

“No, no, that’s okay,” you said, shaking your head. Your mind was whirling. None of this sounded remotely true. You felt as if you were dreaming. This felt like something that only happened in books and fairy tales...a girl who had nothing and nobody suddenly inheriting millions of dollars from an unknown distant relative. What are the odds of something like this happening in real life? You gave Ron Dathermi your home address.

“Thank you very much, Miss Y/N. I will send this as soon as possible. I’ll also include my business card so your attorney can contact me and we can iron out the details. Thank you very much, Y/N...I’ll be in touch.”

You thanked him as well and ended the call. All alone in your car in the empty parking lot, you let out an excited squeal and started hopping up and down.

You adjusted the messenger bag that was slung across your shoulder as you heard the overhead speaker call for the boarding of your flight. Taking a deep breath, you got in line, extended your ticket to the airport employee, and walked down the tarmac and into the plane.

Butterflies were fluttering in your stomach. Your hands gripped your bag tightly as the flight attendant looked at your boarding pass and pointed down the aisle to where you were to be seated. You had never flown before and your nerves were on alert. Scenes from Final Destination flashed in your head as you walked down the aisle towards your seat. Taking a deep breath and willing your body to relax, you located your seat next to the window and sat down, plopping your bag onto your lap.

The small window was close to the wing of the plane and looking beyond that was a long expanse of grass that met a vast forest. You were thankful that you had the window seat and your headphones so you could tune everything out and relax in your own little world.

Once the papers from Mr. Dathermi arrived a week prior, you immediately called the attorney that helped you with the probate and will from your parents’ deaths several months back. He was more than happy to help, knowing that you were all alone in the world after your parents had passed. Two days later, he called to inform you that all of the paperwork was, in fact, legitimate and that Mr. Serghei Popa was the brother of your grandmother. He showed you the adoption papers, confirming that your great uncle had been put up for adoption and the family that took him in had relocated to Moldova when he was two years old. He had remained in the country until his death. Your attorney contacted Mr. Dathermi, who in turn secured a round trip plane ticket in order for you to come to Moldova to finalize the paperwork and collect the inheritance.

At the thought of the money you were about to acquire, another surge of excitement flowed through you. Your parents hadn’t left you much after their death and you worked at a dead-end job that had no room for advancement and no possibility for raises. All of these recent events sounded like something out of a fairy tale.

“This is your captain speaking,” the voice sounded from the speaker above your head, “we will be departing in the next ten minutes. Please make sure your seatbelts are secured, your tray tables are up, and all electronics are off until we are at the appropriate cruising altitude. I will inform everyone as soon as the coast is clear. Thank you for flying with us and enjoy the ride.”

You fastened your seatbelt and laid your head back, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath.

“Don’t be nervous…” a voice sounded next to you. You opened your eyes and looked over to see an older gentleman with wide rimmed glasses and a nice smile.

“Is it that obvious?” you asked, returning his smile.

“It’s pretty obvious,” he chuckled, “my name is Bruce Williams. I’m the air marshal on board this flight.” You told him your name and shook his hand. “Just relax,” he assured, “we’ll be flying for the next 10 hours. There are lots of movies and tv shows to watch on the screen in front of you, or you can listen to your music and read a book if you brought one.”

You patted your messenger bag. “Yeah, I have a few books to choose from. Thanks,” you smiled.

Within minutes, the plane had backed away from the tarmac, turned towards the long expanse of runway, and increased speed before leaving the ground and soaring up into the clouds.

The steady hum of the plane’s engines provided a relaxed soundtrack as you slept. It was close to early morning, according to the clock on the tv screen, but your watch was still on your regular time zone. It read early afternoon and that threw you through a loop. You had heard that jet lag could be a bitch and you wondered how bad yours would be once you landed. Bruce had passed you a pillow and blanket once you were ready to sleep and he assured you that your bag and belongings would be safe while you slept.

You were so thankful to be seated next to him. Not only was he the air marshal, but he was a really cool person as well. You two talked about movies and actually watched a couple of them on the tv screen in front of you. Bruce was kind and nice to talk to. The crinkle of crow’s feet around his eyes, his laugh, and his hair color mixed with hints of gray reminded you of your father...maybe that’s why you liked him so much.

You shifted in your seat and let out a soft yawn. Stretching your arms above your head and arching your back, you wondered how much longer it would be until you touched down in Moldova.

“You weren’t asleep that long,” Bruce murmured. You looked over to see a book in his hand and his glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom and then go back to sleep,” you replied, standing from your seat. Bruce stood up and allowed you out into the aisle. You made your way to the bathroom towards the back of the plane. The cabin was dark with little lights dotting either side of the aisle on the floor. Soft lights were shining here and there from people reading, watching the tv screen, or messing with their phones while most of the passengers were asleep.

Once in the bathroom, you did your business, flushed the toilet, and began washing your hands. The mirror in front of you showed a tired and weary version of yourself. Some of your eye makeup was smudged. You told yourself once you returned back to your seat, you’d retrieve the makeup remover wipes in your bag and do away with the dirt and oil.

Just then the plane hit an air pocket and dropped several feet, throwing you forward towards the sink and mirror. You let out a shriek as the plane quieted and went still. “God dammit,” you muttered, putting your hand over your heart, “that scared the shit out of me!”

Once out of the bathroom, you slammed the door shut and walked back to your seat. You tapped Bruce on the shoulder and he moved aside.

You lifted the window shade and looked outside. Natural light from the start of the day began to show. The plane was amongst the clouds so it was fairly cloudy and hard to see.

“How much farther do we have?” you asked Bruce. He shifted the book to his left hand and looked down at his wristwatch. “We should be there in three hours. I think we are flying over Romania right now…”

You nodded your head and thanked him, turning back to the window. The clouds gave way momentarily and provided the opportunity to see the ground below. Tall, snowy mountains came into view. You smiled and marveled at their beauty, wondering what mountain range this was. You cursed yourself for forgetting the basics from your World Geography class in high school. Hell, all you knew about Romania was that it was the setting for Dracula and the real life territory that was once owned by Elizabeth Bathory, who allegedly killed upwards of 650 maidens and bathed in their blood. You shook your head and smiled to yourself. You really did enjoy some morbid and fucked up stories.

Your train of thought stopped short when a large and spacious castle came into view. Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped. It looked like something out of a Disney movie or from ancient castles that still sat throughout Europe. The place looked like it stood on several acres of land and who knows how many square feet. What a gorgeous and breathtaking place it was. You wondered just what was inside a monstrosity like that and who was lucky enough to inhabit such a place. Maybe there were castles in Moldova that you could explore and visit while you’re conducting your business.

The castle fell out of view and not far from it stood what looked like a village. You were too high up to see any people or any traces of lights or torches. You took everything in with total awe and appreciation. It looked like a small and sleepy storybook town.

A sudden movement close to the village caught your attention. You squinted your eyes and tried to look closer, pressing your forehead to the window. What the fuck is that, you wondered. It looked like a black tree, naked of leaves or any type of growth...and it was moving. It looked to be swaying in the breeze, but the size of it looked way too sturdy for any kind of gust to move it with such fluidity. As you focused on the tree, it appeared to be growing...getting closer to the plane. Was the plane descending? Were you getting closer to Moldova?

One of the branches of the tree slowly drifted to the ground before extending long and rigid, slinging itself up into the air like a bullwhip, hitting the wing of the plane. The plane suddenly tilted as the slithering limb wrapped around the wing and broke it off. You let out a loud scream as the plane turned on its side, Bruce falling against you, squishing you to the wall. “WHAT THE FUCK??” Bruce screamed as yelps, shrieks, and screams echoed in the cabin of the plane. Dozens of people were knocked from their seats, flight attendants falling into the aisle and rolling towards the cockpit. The plane shook and quaked as it dropped several feet in a matter of seconds.

“OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!” you screamed, grabbing hold of Bruce’s arm. The air masks dropped from overhead and Bruce grabbed yours, making quick work of putting it over your face. “HOLD ON TO IT! HOLD IT OVER YOUR MOUTH, Y/N!!” he commanded, reaching for his own mask.

“THE WING OF THE PLANE HAS BEEN DAMAGED!” the pilot yelled from over the speakers, “WE ARE LOSING ALTITUDE! BRACE FOR IMPACT!” People screamed and panicked, holding on to whatever it was they could. Panic surged through your body as your fingers dug into Bruce’s arm. The plane shook as it fell. Your stomach dropped and it felt as if you were seconds from impact. You looked out the window one last time before the ground came into view and everything went black.

He leaned over the body on the metal table in the lab of his factory. He fastened the bolts with a wrench and tested the strength of the metal against the rotting flesh. A soft horn sounded in the distance along with the various turns of chains and clangs of steel against steel. He wiped the sweat off his brow and walked to his desk, looking over the blueprints and sketches he had devised the previous day.

Despite the different array of sounds, nothing could mask the loud crash that sounded off in the distance. He lifted his head, silently trying to figure out what the fuck made that noise. Leaving the body laying on the table, he exited his lab and made his way down the stairs and to the factory doors.

With a grunt, he slid the doors aside and looked off into the distance. Black smoke billowed from an area that looked to be close to the village. Other than the crows squawking and flapping their wings in retreat, everything was dead quiet. He looked off to the right just in time to see the long, spindly limbs of mold retreating back towards the earth. Karl Heisenberg’s face tightened in a disgusted grimace.

“Mother Miranda...what have you done?”

#resident evil village #resident evil village fanfic #karl heisenberg #karl heisenburg x reader #daddy heisenberg #house heisenberg #heisenberg #karl heisenberg fanfic

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seyaryminamoto · 3 years

Note

Do you think canon Zuko has any understanding of the idea of duty? That he, especially given that he aspires to political power, should act like his status as Prince gives him certain responsibilities? That doing what's best for the for Fire Nation or the world might require him to do things which make him unhappy or uncomfortable or require him to make grave personal sacrifices? Does he even understand duty as a concept?

Oof. Complicated questions, thus, this sat in my inbox for a veeeery long time.

I honestly, seriously, genuinely... don't think Zuko truly understood, at any point in canon, what it really meant to be a leader. I know many of us (and I think you, too?) don't particularly like the comics, but in my opinion, The Promise did a surprisingly decent job at highlighting several problems left in the wake of the end of the war, and perhaps unintentionally, this is one of the problems: upon becoming Fire Lord, Zuko is remarkably erratic, unsure of his choices, even seeking advice from his FATHER, of all people, because he has no idea what he's doing.

In the most favorable possible view of Iroh, he taught Zuko to be a better person. I don't entirely adscribe to this belief, but fine, let's concede that he did, or else this answer would never end: not just because you're a good person, however, are you guaranteed to be a good leader. Zuko, as we both know, is far from the best person in the world, and he is prone to making impulsive, emotional mistakes that can cause harm and trouble, and typically, Zuko doesn't face the consequences of most his actions, or the narrative just pins the blame on someone else. When we see this sort of behavior in a real-life politician, the immediate reaction we would have is "this guy is awful at his job", and sadly, I find myself thinking that quite often when it comes to Zuko's canon tenure as Fire Lord.

So... what is Zuko's concept of duty? Going by his pursuit of Aang in the first two seasons, duty is a task given to him by someone whose approval he seeks (in this case, Ozai) and he must pull it off, no matter what, to gain said approval. By Book 3, this logic still applies fairly easily to how Zuko acts over Iroh: I've highlighted in the past that the main motivation for Zuko's redemption is Iroh, doing right by Iroh, making amends to Iroh, regretting how he treated Iroh. He points that out explicitly in Ember Island Players, he does it as well indirectly by bringing up Iroh first of all, when confronting Ozai: this is his main priority. Ergo... I'd honestly say it's safe to judge that this is what Zuko regards as duty, as what he has to do. Iroh wants him to be Fire Lord? That's exactly what he becomes. The difficulties and complications in this particular line of work are taken for granted, and so, we have an outcome that was remarkably well depicted in The Promise, despite that comic's many glaring flaws: Zuko gets swept back and forth, twisted left and right by all the pressures and responsibilities, because he has no idea what he's doing as Fire Lord, and no idea/experience in how to be a real leader.

As far as I can tell, the core of the matter is that nobody really seems to have taken Zuko all that seriously as future Fire Lord. Ozai, evidently, wasn't training Zuko to be his personal heir. Ozai himself is a questionable source of information regarding learning what it means to be Fire Lord, considering he, as well, wasn't raised to take that role, just as he didn't raise Zuko for it. Yet Iroh didn't exactly teach Zuko how to lead anyone either, as far as I can tell: his lessons were meant to be of a more personal nature, and even then, Zuko had lots of trouble accepting most of them. Iroh's firebending lessons to Zuko were typically stunted in the basics because he was hot-headed and rash about getting to the intense and interesting stuff...

So: neither Ozai nor Iroh gave Zuko actual responsibilities. Ozai gave him a punishment Zuko was trying to endure however possible, a punishment he wanted to prove himself unworthy of by finding the Avatar and "regaining his honor". Then, Iroh punished Zuko as well by giving him the cold shoulder in Book 3, then he escaped and Zuko did everything he did, after betraying Ozai, to prove himself worthy of Iroh's kindness once again. It's not actual duty, the way it is in Azula's case: no doubt, Azula wants Ozai's approval too, but she has the madman's trust when it comes to finding her brother and uncle, to taking down the Avatar, and to conquering Ba Sing Se, as far as anyone can tell. I do doubt Ozai gave her all these missions at once, but he gave her the resources through which she pulled off ALL of them: she had the firebending procession, she had a ship, she had a train-tank, she had mounts... Zuko had a rundown ship that looked like a 1:10 scale version of every other ship in the harbor back in the very third episode: he was being punished. In contrast, Azula is entrusted with a mission, with LEADERSHIP, while Zuko has no visible, tangible, objective experience with the latter (consider how Azula steals the Dai Li's loyalty from under Long Feng: when did we see Zuko pulling off something like this? Even with Jet, Zuko was more of an associate to the Freedom Fighters, and Jet was still the leader).

I've always thought Zuko wasn't prepared to be Fire Lord, and the main reasons are the ones you indirectly point out through this ask: Zuko doesn't seem to treat the throne as a responsibility, but as his right. I won't get tired of pointing out that this was NOT Zuko's birthright, he was NOT born thinking he'd be Fire Lord: he was born to the second branch in the Fire Nation family. We literally SEE the day in which Lu Ten's death is revealed to him. According to somewhat official sources? He's ELEVEN in Zuko Alone's flashbacks. I, personally, think he looks a little younger than that, but I think that's the official wikia age, no idea where they got that info but that's what it says. Meaning...

Zuko, objectively, only had been crown prince for FIVE YEARS.

Zuko was NOT raised, not by his mother, not by his father, with the belief that the throne would one day be his (Ursa is gone before Ozai is crowned and Ozai clearly wanted Azula for the job rather than Zuko).

And yet, when you backtrack to the show? It seriously looks like that was the case. He clings to the throne in Books 1 and 2 as though he had no other purpose in life, as though this was everything that was promised to him (in contrast, Azula only ever indicates wanting the throne in Sozin's Comet: Part One). Even when he's an outlaw, discarded and cast out, he STILL talks about the throne, as though most his identity were built upon the notion that he must become Fire Lord: why? How come? Within five years, he's crafted his entire existence around being the heir to the throne? That's... a bit weird.

And a bit wishful, too. Which is why I commend that the comics show him struggling as Fire Lord, if anything they should've had him struggling MORE than that, because Zuko is simply NOT prepared for these responsibilities. He never gave any indication, any sign, of seeing it as such. He sees it as his right, his birthRIGHT. Why? Why more people don't ponder how utterly strange this behavior is, beats me. But it really does bother me that Zuko built his entire existence around being Fire Lord in a very similar way to how Korra built her own about being the Avatar. I have very little praise to give LOK in general, but the premise of Korra learning she was a person, a human, and not just the Avatar felt like the perfect parallel to Aang's story, where he was very much anchored in his humility and belief that he was just "one kid", and his rejection of his duties as the Avatar was meant to change gradually as he learned to accept himself as he was. Korra, however, never fully hit the mark with this subject, in my personal opinion... much as Zuko doesn't hit the mark either, since the show's only direct attempt to "deconstrue" Zuko's clinging to the throne happens in one dialogue, and his attachment to the idea is built up again, right afterwards:

Zuko: And then ... then you would come and take your rightful place on the throne? Iroh: No. Someone new must take the throne. An idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honor. It has to be you, Prince Zuko. Zuko: Unquestionable honor? But I've made so many mistakes. Iroh: Yes, you have. You've struggled; you've suffered, but you have always followed your own path. You restored your own honor, and only you can restore the honor of the Fire Nation. Zuko: I'll try, Uncle.

And there we have it. The only point in the show (that I can remember) where Zuko seemed to not feel worthy of the throne and questioned he should be the one sitting on it (RIGHTFULLY!), buuuuuuuut he goes right back to wanting it, right afterwards, based on how this single exchange was enough for him to be 100% determined to take down his sister, merely a few lines later.

As for his willingness to make personal sacrifices... some might say he was outright willing to die for Katara in the finale -- though I'll point out he was trying to redirect the lightning anyway, didn't do it as well as he should have, but he wasn't exactly, consciously, trying to DIE for her... --, some might say that he left Mai behind in the FIre Nation, and that as well was a sacrifice... but was it? We don't see him missing her, or suffering about her fate, at any point in time after SHE sacrifices herself for him in the Boiling Rock (my biggest gripe over this particular canon couple is this, tbh). I feel like the show generally presents Zuko's situation as somewhat... self-sacrificial? Especially in Books 1 and 2, and yet that's really not the case: it isn't Zuko himself who makes the choice of traveling to find Aang, it's a punishment inflicted upon him.

This particular view upon his circumstances makes it so Zuko is never responsible for... well, any of his choices? It's always someone else's fault, therefore, whatever he suffers through, there's always someone he can (and usually does) resent for it. Therefore... I can't genuinely think of anything Zuko sacrificed in order to come as far as he did. He was forced to let go of things by his father, typically, by Zhao as well, maybe, but even then, it's not like we saw that he has a super healthy and happy relationship with, I don't know, Earth Kingdom people (his only meaningful positive EK bond was with Jin, which went nowhere and goes forgotten after a single mini episode)? The Palace staff? The commoners of the Fire Nation (they just treat him like a hero and he seems awkward and distant about it anyway, like he can really just do without their worship)? He doesn't have other friends beyond Azula's own friends... thus, he doesn't sacrifice anything that really matters. And in a sense, some people might say he doesn't have to sacrifice anything at all: he already went through so much strife and struggle that why would he need to sacrifice anything else? But the thing is... you DO have to learn to make such sacrifices if you're going to be a good king.

So often, people who devote themselves to their jobs have to consciously neglect their families, to name one thing: Zuko neglects Mai and she explodes at him for it in The Promise, then he just tries to get her back at all costs in Smoke & Shadow, with no thoughts given to the fact that maybe he isn't ready to juggle both a relationship and the throne, that maybe Mai could be happier with someone other than him, someone who can give her the attention and relationship she's looking for... THOSE are the sacrifices I'd be referring to, personally, sacrifices where his happiness and peace of mind have to be set aside for the sake of something much more important than himself, and I expect that's the kind of sacrifices you're referring to, too. I seriously don't think he's ready to make them, and with the comics as reference, there's seriously no evidence to suggest he's prepared to accept these burdens that come with the heavy mantle of leadership and ruling. I've never seen any signs of him being ready for it, myself. Maybe I need to reexamine the show and see if maybe I'm missing something... but I don't really think I am.

The worst part, for me, is that Zuko isn't even doing the bulk of the things he's doing in pursuit of genuine happiness: he's doing it over a sense of destiny. He never stops to reason with that destiny, to wonder if maybe he doesn't need to be Fire Lord, if maybe he could have a life beyond that role. Book 2 veeeery briefly suggests he MIGHT be on his way to questioning that destiny, but as I've said before, I don't see the sense in Zuko's big change of heart after the Appa incident considering we don't really understand what he's learned, other than how to be the perfect nephew for Iroh, apparently. Zuko never really is happy, as he says in the show: his happiest moments are with Mai and they're only like a 25% of his relationship with her, everything else is a mess (and his relationship with her isn't exactly the core of his character, either). So, the way I see it... Zuko is even worse off than it looks at first glance. He's out to fulfill a destiny he has never stopped to reason with, a destiny he's 100% sure is his, despite he has only been on that path, objectively, for five years? Despite he wasn't raised all along under the belief that this was what he was supposed to be? If given a chance to be genuinely happy, what on earth would he even do? A lot of the growth I gave him in Gladiator was based on that particular question: is the throne really what Zuko needs to be happy? It doesn't look like it, even in canon. If it's not... then it's not happiness he seeks, it's some sort of sense of assurance that he's doing the right thing, according to the figure of authority he follows at a set point in time: by Book 3, said authority is Iroh, and Iroh wants him on the throne. His motivation, as far as I can see it, is as simple as that.

Long story short... I don't think Zuko really has a strong grasp on many concepts that he absolutely should have reasoned with and worked out in order to become Fire Lord. In a sense, he's way too young for the role he's given, for the heavy burdens he has to deal with, and I'll NEVER see the sense in not having Iroh taking the throne (beyond how "poetic" the creators and writers found it to crown Zuko to finish his story, of course), at least for a short time, before Zuko can be ready. This is exactly why I wrote things that way in my oneshot where Azula takes Zuko's role, more or less: Iroh serves as regent while Azula prepares for taking the full role of Fire Lord when she's ready. I love her, she's awesome, I absolutely adore her character... but I don't think an Azula who was sidelined and sent on a long voyage with her uncle for YEARS could possibly be ready for the responsibilities of being Fire Lord right away.

Meanwhile? Iroh was given leadership of military missions enough times that he became a general in the Fire Nation forces. By all evidence, he was Fire Lord Azulon's pampered and spoiled son, whom he DID prepare for the duties of a Fire Lord for as long as Iroh was born: Iroh literally had fifty-ish years of preparation, as far as I can tell? How is he NOT the better suited person to take the throne, if just temporarily, while his nephew learns what it really means to rule by watching him, or by maybe learning leadership by managing smaller duties first, a specific town or city, and then putting his knowledge to good use by becoming Fire Lord properly?

Eh... because it wouldn't be an epic enough finale for the show, I suppose. That's the only answer I can find for this particular question.

So... yeah. That got long :'D but in short... I don't think Zuko has a strong grasp on responsibility and duty, let alone on the burdens inherent to these concepts. Yet more reasons why his character's arc can't hit all the marks it should, imo, to make it as great as the whole fandom is already convinced it is.

#zuko-always-lies #more zuko meta #and it got long #:'D #if anyone needs a read more #let me know and I'll add it #but for now #it is what it is #you know it really is sad to write all this when I'm more or less making peace with Zuko via Gladiator #and actually making him reason with soooo much stuff #that he never really had to in the show #*siiiiigh*#he'll never be my fav #that much is obvious #but he could be MORE #and it's sad that he's not #very sad

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