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cancerjupiter · 4 years

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🌱earth moons🌱

Those with earthy Moons react in a very grounded, matter-of-fact way. The reaction may be so self-contained in those with Taurus or Capricorn Moon, in fact, that others may wonder if there has been any reaction. Those with Virgo Moon, on the other hand, react rather quickly, mentally, and sometimes nervously to any stimulus in a way obvious to everyone, even if the person is trying to contain his or her emotional reaction. Just like the earth itself, those with an Earth Moon have a crust over their emotional reactions; and they prefer to present a certain form to the public rather than to reveal their vulnerabilities.

taurus moon

The Moon is extraordinarily happy in the comfortable, stable sign of Taurus, for the emotions are steady and the person has little self-doubt. Those with the Moon in Taurus are not easily perturbed, even by powerful attacks or shocking events that would strongly affect others. They are in fact amazingly resilient, bouncing back from any defeat, disappointment, or trauma. Perfect examples are politicians Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, and celebrities Demi Lovato and Lindsay Lohan; who, despite unmerciful attacks, still manage to have their shit together and maintain at least some degree of popularity.

The poise with which Taurus Moon people face life’s demands and unpredictability is remarkable, and they therefore have a steadying influence on others, who appreciatively value their reliability. Note that I said “reliability,” not necessarily readiness! This sign is known for being the slowest in the zodiac, moving actively only when they are good and ready and insisting on their own pace in everything they do in life. Their inner contentment and resistance to change can thus make them frustrating to deal with if their considerable stubbornness causes them to dig in their heels to resist what you want. The other side of the coin is their remarkable persistence when they are focused on attaining a certain goal.

Those with Taurus Moon are attuned to the rhythms of nature and the earth, and this gives them their particular pace of life and much of their strength. They are notably physical and sensual, and have a great need for the “pleasures of life.” And they insist on taking the time to enjoy them. This unique attunement leads to a trust in earthly life that enables them to accept others with few demands and to take life as it comes. They are pleased with life (generally) and rather pleased with themselves. This can of course result in smugness, conceited self-satisfaction, and self-indulgent laziness. As Grant Lewi wrote, the key to improving oneself for Taurus Moon is to “turn self-satisfaction into active self-confidence”.

Emotionally, those with this Moon sign are not at all cold, but neither do they readily reveal their feelings. They are good listeners and are usually warmly responsive and solidly supportive, but not gushingly effusive. They really prefer not to allow anything to affect them. Some comments from questionnaire responses add additional perspectives to this lunar type:

1. “Seems very positive, giving men good relationships with women. It also appears to give talent in crafts such as cooking and other home arts.”

2. “ … sensual, heightened sense of material/physical aesthetics (e.g., clothing, home, colors, etc.), wonderful sense of humor, stubborn, and sometimes impervious to what’s going on beneath the surface of things.”

People with the Moon in Taurus like to be touched, especially to be hugged. Also, I’ve noticed a certain resistance to change. This resistance ranges (in different people) between a reluctance to accept the moods of another and a reluctance to allow any out-of-the-ordinary spontaneity to enter their life (usually hate surprises).

virgo moon

Those with Virgo Moon need a sense of order in their own minds and in the environment to feel comfortable and secure. This leads to their instinctive analytical reaction to all life experience, sorting their perceptions and thoughts into categories and discriminating between them according to their personal principles or prejudices. This need for order also motivates their obsession with neatness and cleanliness. They likewise feel more secure by making definite improvements in their environment, in their scientific, artistic, or intellectual pursuits, or—something not always appreciated with this sign—in other people. In fact, as one woman wrote in a questionnaire, “Sometimes they can be busybodies, putting others’ lives in order with advice—usually not so tactful. They’re so busy organizing friends’ lives that they forget about their own”. This “workaholic” tendency can also manifest as a broad range of criticism from afar directed even at total strangers who, evidently, just don’t measure up to the Virgo level of perfection.

Being helpful makes them feel better about themselves and aids them in overcoming their habitual self-doubt and sense of personal imperfection. In fact, “perfectionism” is a keyword for Virgo, and their unavoidable awareness of their own imperfections leads often to excessive self-consciousness, sometimes of a type so severe as to render them unable to use their genuine gifts with any confidence. Their tendency to notice the imperfections of others, and to voice those observations far too often, frequently makes the other person feel uncomfortably and unproductively self-conscious. Those with Virgo Moon would do better to heed their deep need to serve and to help others or improve things in the outer world. By doing so, they can eventually gain a sense of having improved themselves—at least in the modest way they will allow themselves to acknowledge. Virgo is the most modest sign in the zodiac—one of the few, in fact. Virgo Moon people can seem shy and reserved.

Habitually nervous types with a tendency to worry, Virgo Moon people often find their personal tranquility and self-validation in work and compulsive “busyness.” Work also provides an escape from the unpleasant emotions or depressing feelings of guilt or worthlessness that so often afflict those with this Moon position. But, because emotions interfere with productivity, as Donna Cunningham points out in Moon Signs, they are conveniently put aside or suppressed in the routine of daily life. Hence, Virgo Moons are among the few people who love all kinds of petty, boring activities — even housework. A friend with this placement even admitted to dreaming about being a mother/grandmother, so she could do chores and serve her family all day (of course, she’s also a Cancer Rising).

Doubt and skepticism pervade their mode of thinking and reacting, and of course there is always something to criticize in any person, place, thing, or concept. The infinitely small is always available as a target! This constant mental tension and the sensitivity of their nervous system, and their hyper-attunement to hygiene and purity, make these folks fascinated by and eager for involvement in the areas of nutrition, biological sciences, natural therapies, the healing arts, and/or the medical professions. This natural affinity also, however, bends them toward hypochondria, at its worst, or at least to a sensitive digestive and/or intestinal system. The quality of the food they eat is of utmost importance, since it directly affects their nerves and mental state, not just their digestion.

Their talent for detailed work is without equal (except for those with certain other planets in Virgo), and they often get great satisfaction from employing their natural craftsmanship in the practical or fine arts. Because their mind can always find something wrong with any idea or plan, indecision often afflicts those with this Moon placement. Moral indecision as well is often observed, as their perfectionist and puritanical tendencies battle with their more practical or sensual needs.

capricorn moon

Those with Capricorn Moon, as is also the case when other major planets or the Ascendant are in Capricorn, seem unnaturally old and serious when they are young, but they can lighten up as they grow older. In their youth, they are unusually capable, disciplined, and conservative, taking the well-trodden path to their goals of worldly achievement or to follow a vocation. Their real confidence is late-blooming, as their sense of inner security develops over time and they feel that their age at least, if not their accomplishments, has earned them some respect they have always craved. Capricorn Moon people eventually learn to relax somewhat and to trust life and other people to a greater extent. The aura of melancholy that those with Capricorn attunement so often carry around with them can also slowly dissipate over time, sometimes helped by a more and more adventurous—but dry—sense of humor.

The fluctuating, responsive, emotional Moon is not at all naturally comfortable in a sign that is often rigid and distant, and prides itself on not revealing any sign of vulnerability or personal need. People with Capricorn Moon have instinctive reactions to life that are characterized by self-control and caution, and sometimes by a defensiveness or negativity that is almost shocking. They feel that they need to manipulate and control the world (and their feelings) in order to attain the power, authority, and recognition that they deeply desire. In fact, they are most secure within themselves when their identity is confirmed by a social role, title, specific duty, or mantle of authority. Even at an early age, Capricorn Moon people are comfortable assuming responsibility and feel perfectly at home in the role of provider, protector, or organizer. They are most relaxed and truly themselves when they are carrying some weight, or when others have to depend on them! Very hardworking, these folks share with Virgo first place on the list of people who absolutely love to work, which often ultimately results in professional success. They may not always be fun, but they will often get the job done.

Perhaps the most oppressive thing about this group occurs in those who become too obsessed with being recognized as important and having authority; sometimes, there is a persistent “one-upmanship” that pervades their personal and professional lives. The constant drive to be “on top” can cripple their capacity for any human intimacy and eliciting automatic distrust from others. As psychologist-astrologer Glenn Perry, Ph.D., wrote,

“The tight controlled responses often lead to loneliness and despair as it prevents the individual from flowing and responding to the changing mood of others. Moon in Capricorn nurtures by taking charge and giving orders. This dry mechanical approach to feelings is not sympathetic and tends to imply that the other is incompetent. Unable to respond directly to emotional needs, Moon in Capricorn gives the impression of being callous, hardened and unaffected by the tender side of life. (Aspects magazine, Fall 1981)”

If the emotional suppression and denial become chronically extreme and rigid, the result can be a person who others may respect but not love. However, from another view (from the inside, so to speak) of this Moon sign’s emotional nature, I quote here from an interview with a Capricorn Moon young woman who characterized herself to me as having “a seriousness about the emotional life, an interest in getting down to bare bones, an impatience with small talk, and a need to get to the core emotionally.” She continues:

“All Capricorn Moons I know (there have been a lot) have a certain gravity to them, an ability to take the emotional life seriously. The women especially are almost never giggly or flirty — we’re too serious to flirt much. The women are kind of ‘masculine’ I guess, sort of businesslike in their manner (men too actually… it’s not a placement I ever see that is friends with everyone and instantly, openly affectionate). I think ‘a few serious, long-term friendships’ sums up all the Capricorn Moons I know.”

A questionnaire reply from another woman also emphasized that women with this capable, ambitious orientation are liable to feel “ambivalent about their sexual identity,” although they have strong physical needs, and that women with Capricorn Moon have “a great need for appreciation to develop their self-worth”. Two other questionnaires confirmed the self-disclosure quoted above regarding the practical agenda underlying emotional commitments. The words they used were “cool in affections and looks out for self” and “very calculating—not necessarily bad—just a lot of planning, no spur-of-the-moment reactions.” Another quite thorough questionnaire reply from an experienced practitioner of astrology included the following:

“this Moon placement shows marked proficiency in handling the self in the material world, or at least a lot of concern over and attunement to material affairs. They are very shrewd in taking care of their financial needs. Very often they are involved in some secure structure, like working for the government, etc. They like a secure financial position. For all, they take things very seriously; they approach many things cautiously. This is also a very sexual placement in laid-back ways.”

In conclusion, the Capricorn demeanor of slowness, caution, and hesitation should never mislead you. They may be conservative in most attitudes, but they are actually very progressive and results-oriented in action. They just don’t like to make mistakes.

#astrology #moon signs #taurus moon #virgo moon #capricorn moon #moon in taurus #moon in virgo #moon in capricorn #cap is longer bc that's my sign therefore i understand it better

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sarahxalice · 3 years

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Character Introduction - Meww Hatsune

--Edits/Updates-- --Edited 8/30/21-- Organized body type information into a list rather than a paragraph.

Hello first post here, maybe I’ll try and setup a format or whatever, but I’ll just go with the flow for now. This very first post will be of my Main and very first OC, Meww Hatsune.

--Origin and Inspirations-- Her origins are quite fuzzy a bit as she is by far my oldest character. She originated as either a character concept to either represent myself online and in games, or as a DND character. She was most definitely used as both and for an extremely long time. Of course character development happens over time and isn’t all at once, it’s just a question of when a solid basis was made for her.

Her name is a bit easier to talk about, while my memory is terrible I can at least probably pull a few references I came across that inspired it. One of the main sources of inspiration was Nyu from the anime Elfen Lied. Unfortunately am currently failing to recall other name inspirations, I can recall having around 3 and yet am missing the others. If I can I will edit this post to update this part, if not I will just make a new post later on adding on information.

As far as inspirations for appearance, characters like Lucy and Nyu from Elfen Lied, Zoey from Tokyo Mew Mew and Yuno Gasai from Mirai Nikki. Main inspiration from these characters is her pink hair and eyes. Skin tone and clothing preferences are based on myself and my own preferences.

Inspirations for her personality while partly coming from characters like Yuno Gasai, a majority of it is just something I was taught about when making characters for the first time for a DND campaign. Which was basically to take a personality trait from yourself and just exaggerate it. And essentially it would be close enough to yourself so it would be easy to roleplay while also not being a complete self-insert.

--Appearance-- As for her appearance, she is shown in my tumblr profile image on the left. Going into more detail I will break it up between her physical appearance and her fashion choices.

-Body Type: -Race: Human (Most Commonly), Half-Demon, Demon -Ethnicity: American (Most commonly) -Sex/Gender: Cis Female -Romantic/Sexual Interests: ♥ Girls ♥ Girls ♥ Girls ♥ (Self-claimed “Super Gay”) -Height: ~5ft 2in -Weight: ~100-110lbs -Physique: Lean musculature (Very fit and active) -Skin Tone: Pale White -Hair: Short, soft, messy/wild Pink hair (Varies between pale pink[255,170,255], neon pink[255,0,255], dark reddish pink[120,0,70] and dark pink[180,50,180]). Eyebrows are neat and moderately thin, usually matching the color of her hair. -Eyes: Tend to be sharp and intimidating. Color usually a bright, near glowing, neon pink. -Age: Typically a young teen to adult, roughly in the range of 16 to 21. -Other: Teeth vary between normal human teeth, adding a fang(s), or razor teeth similar to Soul Eater from the anime Soul Eater.

-Clothing Fashion: For fashion, she typically wears a zip up hoodie, cargo pants, combat boots, and a plain black t-shirt. For some extra details she likes chains, belts, buckles and zippers. Most prominently everything she wears is black, if there is any additional color to her outfit it would be pink as a trim highlight or supplementary color (typically a bright or pale pink). Jewelry isn’t very interesting to Meww, however she sometimes has earrings and is more recently depicted with a ring on her left ring finger and will almost always have it from here on.

--Personality-- She is a rash energetic girl. Hyperactive and proactive, likes to do everything herself. Willing to help anyone she gets along with, willing to take on projects or jobs from others as she likes to just do things herself especially when it comes to fighting. Of course things vary based on the kind of world she is in, in a more fantasy setting she’s typically a fighter/adventurer while in a more “realistic” or modern world, she’s really into athletic fields (commonly things like kendo and track), though combat isn’t out of the question, again depending on the world setting. She has the mindset of a rebel and likes to do things her own way rather than taking orders from another person, though not completely disobedient to anyone, and is not entirely against working with others. She just has a tendancy to lead or go alone on things. She is headstrong, confident, positive, a hard worker, supportive, loving, caring, fierce, aggressive and reckless. Of course she is not without her negative qualities too, some of which have been already named such as reckless and her confidence can be overbearing to outright unreasonable and annoying, and at times even worse. While she is a caring and loving person, she can also be really cruel, uncaring, cold and even sometimes sadistic and heinous. Of course interactions depend highly on the person or situation theyre involved with. As for some more negative qualities, she is very apprehensive and more likely to act negatively towards males than she is females. This as such also affects her romantic interest in people as well, making her solidly a lesbian and having no interest in guys in the least. She’s even hesitant to make friends with the opposite gender and acts very standoff-ish with them (this dislike of males can even be seen with other species such as animals as well). As for females she really loves girls, she loves how they’re all so pretty, beautiful, kind and finds them all amazing. Which kind of skews her views on right and wrong with it. She is way more forgiving to a female who does questionable things and is willing to forgive them or make excuses for their actions. Whereas males she almost is ready to condecend them and look down on them as if they are a bad person before even knowing anything of them. As far as children go she is conflicted on them. She tends to dislike children as well, but can also show kindness and caring towards them. As far as the world around her, she absolutely loves nature and flora. She enjoys fauna too, but not nearly as much, and as far as certain types of fauna, she actually dislikes for example, reptiles and insects. For time of day she loves the night and when its darker out, enjoying gloomy weather as well, such as rain and overcast. She has a neutral feeling towards storms, not particularly enjoying lightning or thunder, but is not disturbed by it. She loves nature to the point of even happy to sleep outside, usually in high places such as in a tree or on a roof. She absolutely loves the snow and snowy regions thus making her favorite season by a landslide, winter.

--Other Information-- Here is where I will put other information that I didn’t feel belonging to any of the previous groups of information, and nor do I believe I could write a whole section on it by itself.

-Relatives: Miku Hatsune (Mother; Yes, the Vocaloid), Teto Kasane (Mother; Yes, the Utauloid), Sylvia Hatsune (Wife), Miku Hatsune (Daughter; Named after her grandmother), Chloe Hatsune (Daughter)

-Allies: Sarah Alice (Close Friend; Soul Twin)

-Likes: Girls, Love, Fighting, Adventuring, Witchcraft, Tea, Cats, Sky, Puns, Sarcasm

-Dislikes: Guys, Not doing anything/Waiting

Fighting Style/Powers: She highly enjoyed close-ranged combat, primarily using her bare hands for hand-to-hand combat, a scythe, a spear, or a one-handed sword with an empty off-hand (rapiers are a particular favorite type of swords she prefers). As far as ranged combat goes, she enjoys and prefers bows, pistols and sniper rifles. As far as magic she uses it slightly more often than ranged weaponry. Prefering the elements of Dark and Ice, while next most commonly used would be fire. Other kinds of magic she has been depicted with is the ability to manipulate blood (while not inspired from, but was rienforced with/from Mirai Kuriyama from Beyond the Boundary) and telekinesis. She thrives on and is extremely fast, being usually one of the fastest people in her world. This also gives her a fairly strong reaction time as well.She sometimes is depicted as fairly strong physically as well, though not usually too far off from average in the world she is in. As far as style, she enjoys and tends to go along with more flair and aesthetic choices in her fighting, sometimes at the cost of efficiency. For strategy she tends to forsake it, while she is fairly intelligent and has the capability to be quite strategic, she tends to more commonly rely on raw emotion and instinct instead resulting in a more feral and sometimes beastial fighting style. As she can be reckless, she is highly aggressive and does not tend to protect herself, sometimes even getting hurt unnecissarily. As she really loves the sky she often dreams of flying, so she usually finds some way to do so.

Possible Quotes: -”I love you.” -”Fight me!” -”Oh no~ how awful.” -“But why?” -”Meow.”

#MewwHatsune

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ofviolentdeath · 3 years

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Detailed Headcanons for Devin

Below the cut is a long list of headcanons for Devin. @mortalalchemy because I know you wanted some of these xD

✘ Have they ever committed a murder?

No and they honest to god have no intentions of doing so. However, he knows the odds of it happening are pretty high, especially with the sort of shit his sister gets mixed up in.

▼ What is their greatest fear?

Lissa dying. He’s already lost his parents and come pretty damn close to losing his sister. He wouldn’t be able to handle that kind of loss and thinking about it too long sets him into a full blown panic attack.

✿ Would they ever trust dark or wicked magic?

Absolutely not. He knows stuff like that has a habit of doing more damage than intended and he refuses to get mixed up in anything of the sort.

△ Name one thing from their past that they regret.

Taking Lissa along with him on a few bouncer jobs. He thinks she never would have gotten into drugs if she hadn’t been in that environment and he will never not blame himself for that.

✂ If they had to choose one weapon to carry forever, what would it be?

He’s not all that fond of weapons in general, but he does have a taser and it’s about the only thing he will use and even, it’s rare and as a last resort. Being a werecat has its own perks and he would much rather try to subdue anyone than anything and then he’s got other things he can use to incapacitate a person without risking damage to their heart or actively killing or disabling a person.

☣ Would they kill someone close to them if they had to?

Seeing as the only person they’re close to is their sister? The odds are extremely slim. It would need to be a case of Lissa going actually feral and going on a killing spree or trying to kill him. Even then, he wouldn’t survive too long after that because he would definitely kill himself if he lost her as is. Add on the guilt of being the one to kill her? There’s no way he would get through that.

☢ Would they survive an apocalyptic situation?

Survival is what Devin is good at. He’s resourceful, knows he wouldn’t be able to do it entirely alone because there are skills he doesn’t have and he’d be willing to seek out people that do have those skills.

❣ If someone had the power to bring them back after death, would they want them to?

It would depend. If Lissa was alive and alone, absolutely without question. But, if his sister was dead? No. Without her, he has no family and no real desire to live.

☠ Do they fear death?

No. Death itself doesn’t scare him because he’s already lost so much that the idea of seeing his family again is a comfort to him. He does, however, fear leaving his sister.

♱ What do they think awaits them after death?

Peace and his family. He fully believes that there is some sort of afterlife and that he’d be reunited with his parents and he wants so badly to see them again. He’s tired of being the strong sibling, of keeping his sister alive.

¿ Are they easily frightened?

Not on the surface, no. He’s had to keep everything together for him and his little sister, so showing fear is not a real option.

╳ How would they react to seeing a loved one become possessed?

Poorly. He would have no idea who to call or what to do and it would honestly terrify him down to the core of his being.

☹ Name one person they would kill for.

Lissa. There is nothing he wouldn’t do for his sister and that means kill for her.

Lex and Zayde also make this list in their respective verses. Because Devin absolutely wants to kill their dad.

☼ If they had the choice to be immortal with one other person, who would they choose?

There is no immortality for him unless it includes his sister. Even if they drifted apart and she one day grew to hate him, it wouldn’t matter because she was alive.

☎ How would they react to receiving a phone call from a deceased love one?

He would not handle it well. Hearing from either one of his parents would cause him to have a full break down, sobbing and apologizing for not taking good enough care of Lissa and asking how he was supposed to do all of this without them.

★ Do they have a favorite scary movie? Book? Show?

No. Devin is really not a horror fan at all. He’s tried reading Stephen King novels but even those were hard for him to get into. He definitely prefers action movies overall.

♣ Do they believe the world is made up of good and evil?

Yes. He believes there are completely wicked people in the world that are beyond redemption and people that are absolutely good to their core. But, overall, he thinks the majority of people are somewhere in the grey.

♥ Have they ever acted out of heartlessness?

No. He’s acted out of anger and out of fear or even desperation, but never out of heartlessness.

☾ What is their favorite and least favorite thing about the night?

He likes that it’s not as bright out and he feels more awake, but he also usually works nights so he doesn’t get to really enjoy the time all that much. Plus, he also has to deal with worrying about his sister most nights too.

ψ Do they think they deserve punishment for their wrongdoings?

They would if they had ever done anything really bad, but overall, Devin’s a solidly good guy.

ϟ Have they ever gotten pleasure from causing others pain?

Sexually and with consent, yes. But there are always safe words and as soon as anyone uses said safe word, he immediately switches to care. Outside of that sort of situation, no, not really. It was satisfying to punch someone that had tried to put hands on his sister in front in of him, but that was about it.

♚ Do they consider themselves to be evil?

No. They’ve made mistakes, sure, but nothing that could seriously hurt anyone and nothing malicious.

♒ If they could choose how to die, how would they want to go?

Peacefully and of old age, preferably.

™ Are they possessive?

Absolutely. He’s always been on the possessive side but he’s not toxic about it. He’ll never tell someone he’s with that they can’t be friends with someone, but he will def advise cutting someone toxic out of their lives. For example, the verse in which he’s with Zayde, he’s constantly trying to get Zayde to cut ties with his abusive father, but that’s less a possessive thing and more of a protective one.

✔ Are they holding a grudge against anyone?

He really doesn’t have the energy to hold grudges. Between making ends meet and trying to keep his sister safe, he’s got no time for it.

◯ Do they believe in ghosts?

He really wants to, but he doesn’t. He’s seen a lot of shit in his life but if ghosts existed, why didn’t his parents stick around? It would have been so much easier if they had stayed, even a little while, to make sure him and Lissa would be okay but they didn’t. It makes it hard to believe in ghosts.

✦ Who is their favorite villain?

He doesn’t have one. He really does not like villains at all.

☄ While watching a scary movie, are they the one clinging to a friend or being clung to?

The one being clung to. Devin often takes on the role of the protector, no matter what the situation is.

웃 Do they believe in aliens?

He believes in the possibility, but not in the way they’re portrayed by most media. He figures if aliens did exist, they’d likely be something similar to humans and has often wondered if the old stories of the old gods were actually aliens as they were depicted looking, for the most part, like humans but powerful with magic.

#devcanon #as we lie in fields of queue

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metallicarules5 · 5 years

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My Big Takeaways: Thoughts and Opinions on TDP Situation

It has been almost 72 hours since the most recent accusation and allegations were brought forth by Danika, Lulu, and Diandra. Aaron Ehasz has finally decided to respond to the allegations brought forward. For many of us, opinions have changed, and despite me and others advocating against it, many have vehemently already picked what sides we lay on, either staunchly in support of the women, or staunchly in support of Ehasz. I have read the perspectives given by many people here and on Reddit (since these have been where most of the discussions have been taking place), have read and reread the accusations, as well as the statement by Ehasz. These are what my thoughts are based on what we do know:

1. Aaron Ehasz is a shitty boss. Whether you 100% believe the accusations, mostly believe, or even somewhat believe, I think there’s enough evidence there to say that Ehasz, who is a talented writer, is an incompetent manager. He is not a leader. He is either incapable, or simply doesn’t want to, communicate with his staff, treats surrogates and those beneath him less than professionally, either outright lies or makes promises he ends up not being able to keep, and is someone who’s stuck in his way of doing things.

2. That being said…I’m not seeing evidence of sexism, abuse, harassment, misogyny, or bigotry. Sure what’s accused of is bad. It makes him look like an asshole, a douchebag, an egotist, an authoritarian, and various other names. However, sexist is not one of them. Even Danika mentioned in her tweet thread that his behavior extended to both men and women alike, and none of the accusers said that the reason for his behavior was solely because they were women. While certainly unprofessional, the behavior he displayed isn’t criminal.

3. In any workplace, not all of your ideas are going to stick. One of the most common accusations made in the accounts was that Ehasz supposedly didn’t listen to or acknowledge their creative input all the time. On the surface, this seems horrible and bad, but the fact of the matter is that this happens all the time in the workplace, regardless of where you work. I’ve come forward with ideas or suggestions to my managers as to ways I think we can run the business better. Sometimes, my ideas were accepted, but other times, they weren’t and were flat out rejected. It sucks when you have what you think is a great idea and it gets shot down by a higher up, but that’s the reality. Other times, the managers would enforce a new policy or a change in the workplace, despite the fact that I preferred the old way of doing things. Did it make me angry, sure, but to call that harassment, abuse, or anything along those lines, definitely not. I figured out how to work within the new system, even if I didn’t like the change, and made it work. They’re the manager, and they have to make the ultimate decision that they believe is the best direction to go in. If I’m unhappy, I am free to leave. Look at it this way, we’ve all written essays or papers for school, and for some of them, you were asked to hand in multiple drafts of it. You get a draft of yours back with comments and suggestive edits from the teacher. Did you listen to every single one of those suggestions? My guess is probably not. Sure, some or a lot could be true and you work to incorporate it, but others you believe would actually hurt the quality of your writing rather than enhance it. Maybe the suggested edit works against your point, or weakens your argument, or messes with the overall flow. At the end of the day, it’s your paper, and you make the final decision.

4. As the boss and creative head, Aaron will always have the final say. This sort of plays off the previous point, but it deserves it’s own spot. Whether he was at Riot or Wonderstorm, he was the head of these teams, and thus, he makes the ultimate decision on which direction to go. Diandra admits that their mutual superior did give Aaron complete freedom: “He was told that he had cart blanche to change things.” So when he decided to make editing a group activity with people sharing notes, she may not have liked or agreed with the situation, but that’s all there is, someone who didn’t agree with it. Aaron’s responses to her are rather dismissive, but that’s all they are. It again shows he doesn’t communicate with his staff, is egotistical, and is a “My way or the highway” type person, but it’s not abuse.

5. Neither Danika or Lulu were writers. This is not meant to be derogatory to the two of them, nor is it meant to diminish the work they did while at Wonderstorm. But here’s the thing, their jobs were not to be involved with the creative process, to my understanding. Danika was responsible for social media, and Lulu was a writing assistant, not a writer herself. Sure, the aspiration was most likely to become a writer one day for the show, but that still doesn’t give her creative input on the show’s direction, nor did that fall in line with the responsibilities of the position.

6. Memories are malleable, they do change over time. Scientific studies have actually proven that, over time, memories become disjointed and change as a result of not only the passage of time, but the more we try to remember those events. “A memory is not simply an image produced by time traveling back to the original event – it can be an image that is somewhat distorted because of the prior times you remembered it…Your memory of an event can grow less precise even to the point of being totally false with each retrieval.” These were the words of one Donna Bridge, the lead author of a research paper on this subject matter. Now obviously, when you read this, your first response is going to be denial that this is possible, how can I forget an event that clearly had a huge impact on me. Well there’s a lot of factors that play into this and our changing perception, causing us to remember the situation differently each time. “Memories aren’t static…If you remember something in the context of a new environment and time, or if you are even in a different mood, your memories might integrate the new information.” These findings have been further explored and proven by other studies, such as one done by Liz Phelps, a professor of Psychology and New York University.

…Phelps explains that our memories can change because each time we revisit them they become vulnerable. When we first lay down a memory, it takes the brain a little while to solidly store the information—a process called consolidation. And every time we subsequently recall that memory, it has to go through a new storage process—another slight delay for another consolidation. During that window, new information can interfere with the old information and alter the memory. Phelps says it is like playing the school game of telephone, where one student tells a short story to a second student, then that person retells it to a third, who tells it to a fourth, and so on. By the end of the chain the story is usually quite different from how it began.

So again, this makes it hard to determine who is telling either the full truth or even just the partial truth, because both sides are probably remembering the situation wrongly or have led themselves to believe that their side of the story is the truth. Maybe it is Ehasz gaslighting, maybe this is also at play, both can be true at the same time, these are not mutually exclusive.

7. Aaron’s statement is bad, like, really bad. Frankly, he could have admitted to everything he was accused of and offer the most sincere apology ever, and people would still not accept it. However, what this statement ultimately is, is Aaron stroking his own dick and that of Wonderstorm’s. I’m not surprised he denied the accusations, and regardless of what side you’re on, this shouldn’t be a surprise to you either. If you’re on the side that he’s innocent, he shouldn’t apologize for something he didn’t do. If you’re on the side he’s guilty, then that just further proves many of the women’s points about him gaslighting and not understanding when he did things wrong. That doesn’t change the fact that this is just a diversion and a bare bones, vague statement meant to try and shield him, downplay the situation, and make it go away. I do think there’s enough corroborating evidence to say that he can be less than professional in the workplace (read Point #1), to which he could apologize for. However, while he says he is imperfect, he’s still acting like he did nothing wrong and everything is completely fine. For those defending Ehasz, this statement seems more than enough, but for those undecided or siding with the others, this only sows more discord and animosity, meaning his attempts to try and defuse the situation have failed. For a guy who’s so gifted at writing, he sure couldn’t write a better defense.

I’m sure there’s more I can say, but these are the biggest points and my biggest takeaways.

Here’s the truth of the matter, we can only judge based on the evidence at hand. We were not in those rooms, we were not on those phone calls, we were not in those emails, etc. As a result, our knowledge is limited. Maybe some of those claims are blown out of proportion, which I have seen some women say about it. Maybe things are worse than they actually are and there’s more stuff that Danika and Lulu haven’t come forward with yet as they alluded to. We just don’t know, and that’s why it’s important to always keep an open mind, question and scrutinize, and listen to each other, not be at each other’s throats. There will be those that vastly disagree with some or all of the content of this post. Okay, then we can have a discussion about where we agree and disagree. I’m not in the business of trying to “defend abusers” or “believe all women,” I’m just a fan who wants to be able to enjoy something without it falling into controversy, for once.

#tdp #dragon prince #the dragon prince #aaron ehasz #wonderstorm

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thatvixenchick · 6 years

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hey there vixen! Ive been followin you for a while, and wanna ask some advice; so an online friend of mine has revealed that they’ve been lying the whole time; that they are really not in their 20s, and have been around like, 19. We’ve been chatting for 4 years, and I’m slightly panicking, since I have talked the nsfw of the nsfw stuff about her back when she was about 16. Rly sorry if this is sudden, but wouldn’t you be weirded out if its revealed ur friend has been underage this whole time??

Because of the current tumblr climate, I’m going to answer this much more long-winded than I normally would have. Take a seat, it’s story time.

When I was in middle school, I was much more emotionally mature than my peers. I started going into chat rooms on the internet and the people I connected with were all older. Occasionally, they would strike on topics I was not comfortable participating in, so I would tap out until later. That wasn’t often because I was in mostly themed chats. We talked about ghosts or updates on the websites we visited or TV shows we watched. Most of my main chat were college students. I hid my age with them and when they would talk about classes, I would desperately try to pretend like I knew how college courses worked. They never learned my age.

In late middle school, my peers started exploring sex. I did not. I had a mental block on exactly how sex worked right up until the end of 8th grade in which I picked up a romance novel, not realizing what it would contain. The book solidly used “gates of womanhood” and “gates of manhood” the entire scene, but it got the point across. We had no sex ed in my schools because of where I lived. However, my mother was insistent on me going to her about anything. So in a daze, I walked up to her and asked if that was really how sex worked. She said “yes” and left it at that since she was coming to terms with the fact that my questions in the future were about to get a lot more detailed.

That summer, I took the book to 4H camp and talked about what it contained to the 14 girls I was in a cabin with. Half of them wanted nothing to do with it, the other half wanted to know. I refused to give details. Only 3 of the girls were brave enough to read the scene, and one got invested and finished the book. (I still dunno how people can read that fast…)

In high school, people were having sex, getting caught, and talking about it. I also discovered fandom. I quickly learned that, at this point in fandom history, there was a 50/50 chance of an author being around my age or much older. I trusted the ones much older since the ones around my age had crazy ideas about how sex worked. For example, Harry rubbed Hermione's belly button because the author thought that’s where the clit was. My friend group would talk about these fics and laugh. We would share terrible examples of sex. We would also share good examples of sex. Online, nobody spoke of their ages as it was an unwritten rule of fandom spaces during that time. Some you could tell, others you could not. It was how things worked back then.

For every new thing I learned from fanfiction or my high school friends and was confused about, I would go to my mother for accurate clarification. She used these moments to also make sure I understood safety and consent. I asked her about the things I learned from my friends about the sex they were having irl and discovered how much of it was SO unsafe. About this time, I started having cyber sessions with a person from my text-based role-playing group. He was a year younger than me.

At 17, a friend from a forum group that I talked to over messenger started flirting with me. I knew he was older. So, in light of our 4 year friendship, I told him my age. He was uncomfortable and decided to stop talking to me. I didn’t blame him for that, though I was a bit sad. Still, it was the best decision he could have made for himself and I respected that.

At 19 my cousin came to me because her boyfriend wanted to have sex. She was 13. She had nobody to turn to for advice or information since her family was of the opinion that no information at all was best. I had always encouraged her to ask me about anything she needed to know. I explained that she was too young and her partner too uneducated. I let her know the facts about what she asked. I made sure to drill into her head that condoms were non-negotiable since she looked determined to do it anyways. She did. She got hurt. She stopped seeing the boy. She avoided anything sexual for another 3 years before slowly getting back into things. Every time she needed something, or had a scare, or had a question, she would come to me. She was always so afraid of talking about it out loud, so I let her know all the safety information I could give to make sure she understood what she was getting herself into. She stayed sexually active, but she also stayed safe, clean, unhurt, and would punch a guy that tried to push something. Consent is important.

As for me, I did not start being sexually active with my own body until I was 19. I did not have sex until I was 21. I dated during that time, but I set very clear and firm boundaries about what I was and wasn’t comfortable with. I had no tolerance for those boundaries being pushed. As I grew older, I continued to enjoy learning everything I could about sex and kink, consent and safety, sexuality and gender. Currently, I help out with sex education where I can, including essays, presentations at conventions, and podcasts.

So now you know my history and can better understand my answer:

I understand why a person would have various reasons for lying about how young they are on the internet. I did it. I have friends that did. There’s a certain amount of responsibility one has to take when lying about being older, though. One, you cannot engage in any sex talk that is personal between yourself and the older person you are talking to. Two, you must be honest if a situation arises in which the older person could get into legal trouble. Three, you must take full responsibility to walk away from conversations that you find uncomfortable. Four, you must protect your privacy with your life and give no details on your name, specific location, personal acquaintances, or pictures of yourself.

I understand why a person would be upset about being lied to. Not only the lie but because the decision of what they would feel comfortable with was taken from their hands. It was a violation of their trust and personal online safety.

Not to mention, things are different now than they were back in my day of fandom. It’s important to keep in mind the expectations of the majority in different spaces on the internet along with personal boundaries of whoever you are talking to. Be educated and make informed decisions about your online interactions.

Would I have been upset about discussing nsfw content that did not personally involve me or the other party without me knowing that the other party was underage?

This answer varies per person and that’s okay. Every person has different boundaries for themselves and different expectations of their own online privacy and safety. Every person must set those boundaries for themselves and see that they are adhered to by those around them whenever possible. It’s nobody else’s job to enforce the rules you have made to protect yourself.

Legally speaking (I am in America), so long as the older party remained unaware of the age younger party, and all talk of a sexual manner was not used in a way to seduce the younger party, and no pictures of the younger party were exchanged, then nothing illegal happened. That’s a fine line to walk, however, with the ways that lawyers can spin things. So it’s understandable that an older party would want to be able to walk away from any nsfw conversations with a younger party to protect themselves.

However, I also understand not being bothered at all because the younger party had someone they were comfortable with talking to about these things. They were learning, whether they realized it or not, the details of the content they were reading, what was and wasn’t real, and how to form better decisions on safety and consent. Because speaking to someone more mature means getting better information. It means there’s no argument about where the cervix is located or whether or not a nipple can be pinched off with a clothespin. An older party could find themselves relieved that the younger party had someone to talk to that knew better than to sneak out during school lunch break and have sex in their car with a plastic bag for a condom.

As a sex educator, I would rather a teen come to me with their questions than to their peers. Of course, as a sex educator, I also understand my own personal and legal boundaries better than your average joe on the internet. So it’s perfectly reasonable for a person who does not know those boundaries to want to tap out of a conversation with someone underage.

So for me, personally, I come from a time when ages were simply not discussed. This isn’t unusual for me. I also understand wanting to talk to someone more emotionally mature who likely has a better education than one’s peers. I also get being panicked when you weren’t aware of the boundaries you should have been adhering to when talking to someone underage. It’s a complicated situation, made more so by the individual in question and the details of the conversations I might have had with them. How I felt and the actions I would take would vary depending on the situation as this is too broad a question to give an all-encompassing answer.

So I will say that any emotions that you are having about it are valid. The decision that you make now should be what is best for you - for your emotions, your safety, and your future. It is worth being empathetic to the other party, but you should never be swayed by their reasoning, feelings, or excuses because ultimately, you must do what you feel is best for yourself. But whatever you do, don’t hold onto it and obsess over it. Deal with the emotions you have from the violation of trust, come to a rational decision as to what’s best, follow through, and then let it go and move on.

#ask #answer #advice

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impracticaldemon · 6 years

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Interesting take and analysis! Does that mean you’re an active shipper now or you just found a new respect for the ship (Okichi)? I’d also like to get your rankings on the ships (I see this thrown out a lot before so thought I’d ask)!

Thank you, Anon! I appreciate the encouragement.

I’m still not an active OkiChi shipper, but I’m far less ambivalent about it – it feels more real and more plausible to me now. I’m finally satisfied that I understand how Souji and Chizuru ended up where they did, both physically and emotionally. I know that a lot of the story was there before, but it’s as if some of the gaps have been filled in now.

I think I’ve always been put off by Souji’s style of put downs, many of which I perceive as too harsh to be called “teasing” when aimed at Chizuru (who was frightened and had no hope of fighting back). I’m just not attracted by that type of character. KW reduced some of the harshness, and put a little more emphasis on Souji’s interactions with Chizuru; EB put the late-game personal, romantic and sexual aspects of the ship solidly on the map for me. I admire the intensity.

I feel that OkiChi was unfairly blessed with romantic CGs in EB, but I am pleased on behalf of the many OkiChi shippers I know! (Just envious…)

Ships & Ranking

An acquaintance on Steam (the PC gaming site) commented that she understood where I was coming from with my character/route preferences, but asked “don’t you find them kind of boring?” I thought it was a legitimate question, in the sense that it highlighted how personal preference and experience can shape your views.

My favourite characters, from a strictly “who is attractive to me” and “which ships strike a chord with me” pov, are Saito, then Harada / Hijikata / Yamazaki (order not clear), then Souma (I’m still thinking about where Souma fits into this). I find these characters soothing to my jangled hyper-awareness, and I perceive them as a good fit for Chizuru as I perceive Chizuru. Whether or not that means I’m looking for “boring” is a matter of perspective – but I understand the question!

I’m capable of significant objectivity, but I don’t believe an unbiased ranking is possible for anyone. Personal attraction or dislike, romantic or otherwise, will always influence your decisions, and we’re all attracted to different things (some more common than others). So I’m going to rank my favourite ships, and say why, and hope that everyone will take it all with a grain of salt. This is about my perceptions, and doesn’t invalidate anyone else’s.

SaiChi: My OTP (in the literal sense of the expression). Saito is calmly protective of Chizuru from the beginning. He would have killed her under orders, but I’m strongly of the opinion that he didn’t expect Hijikata to give that order. Saito generally seems to disapprove of making Chizuru any more uncomfortable, embarrassed, or frightened than she already is. He also tends to treat her as a person, not as “a girl” or “an annoyance”. He answers her questions, and doesn’t mock or undermine her efforts, although he is blunt when she makes mistakes. Saito’s direct intervention with Sannan (about Chizuru not being a burden) is one of my favourite scenes. Saito may be reserved to the point of being cold (debatable, especially in KW), but his actions are almost uniformly kind, right from the start.

There are indications of him caring about Chizuru’s well-being from very early on. The scenes where he drinks Chizuru’s blood are the only ones in Hakuouki that are both sexy and rather cuddly (and frankly, this says a lot about how he feels). He also fusses less over the whole thing, despite being apologetic, which I think Chizuru would prefer.

Saito and Chizuru actually talk more than it might seem (especially given that Saito doesn’t talk much in general), and Saito seriously considers and values Chizuru’s input. I love that EB brought in some of my all-time favourite scenes from Stories of the Shinsengumi. I don’t care if it’s a rather shy, awkward relationship at times, it’s the ultimate slow-burn fic of Hakuouki, for me.

… Okay, better stop before I write (more of) an essay on this topic. Or a 90-chapter story.

HaraChi / HijiChi / YamaChi / SouChi – Ships I ship

HaraChi: His very earliest treatment of Chizuru is oddly uneven (a little less so in KW), but my headcanon is that he knows he’s prone to caring too much, and is trying too hard to guard against it. His route always felt realistic to me, given the time period and Chizuru’s background. Sano is flawed, but I find him very human, and I think Chizuru finds him both kind and comforting. Plus, somebody needed to say this:

I’m immensely grateful that EB significantly changed the first part of the HaraChi interactions in Edo. It works SO much better now. Sano’s a sweetheart, and he makes Chizuru his priority more than most of the others. This is the route and character that I never expected to love as much as I did (originally); now I love it more. (And he has such awesome banter with Shiranui, and snark for Kazama. ♥)

HijiChi: Hijikata should never have left Chizuru behind when he went to Ezo. Now that that’s off my chest… I like the ship because it feels realistic given Chizuru’s overall personality. Chizuru’s crush on Hijikata (from the beginning) makes sense to me, and I can see how his charisma, devotion to the Shinsengumi, and obvious disregard for his own needs eventually converts a crush into love. He’s a difficult man not to admire, if you value the fiercely responsible type (which I do). I don’t know if EB added as much to this route as to some others, but I definitely enjoyed seeing Hijikata with Souma and Nomura, and I liked the extra historical details. The main flaw to this ship is Hijikata’s refusal to concede the validity of Chizuru’s feelings and wishes until he is driven to it. I do appreciate the fact that he didn’t “fall for” Chizuru right away (there’s a big difference between 16 and 28!); on the other hand, he clearly came to care about her from early on.

YamaChi: I think I enjoyed the KW portion of this story better than the EB portion; something about Yamazaki’s EB route was not quite as satisfying for me – but I’ll be playing the route again for a second impression. I like the fact that EB established Yamazaki as a superb warrior as well as a caring medic. The affection in this ship was endearing, and they seemed like a natural fit. I thought the ending was solid, and the whole demonstrated a deep, ongoing commitment to each other. It doesn’t hurt that Yamazaki is one of my favourite Hakuouki characters.

SouChi: Chizuru getting to be a senpai was great. If you want the wildest roller-coaster of feels and angst from start to finish, this is the route. I think I like this ship because of the honest respect for Chizuru and what she does, and Souma’s commitment to the Shinsengumi. I’ll save my comments about the route itself for another time (there were aspects of the EB route that I was so-so on). SouChi, like YamaChi feels like a solid, believable relationship with clear affection and respect on both sides, and the attraction resonates for me. Also, I adore the Souma / Nomura friendship. KW & EB did a terrific job with Nomura as a character. [And I can’t get over the way they brought so many of the others into this route – aaaaahhhhhh!!!! so cool!]

Random screencap of some cuties. (Yes, okay, I put Saito in there – he did give Souma excellent advice, however. Also, as stern as he was, he took the guys seriously, unlike pretty much everyone else they ran into.)

ShinChi / HeiChi / OkiChi / IbaChi Good points, but I don’t really ship them

ShinChi: I liked the route concept for EB – Shinpachi having to deal with having been made into a fury, but not wanting to make Chizuru feel awful either. I felt like poor Shin could have used a friend like Sano around even just to yell at, or drink with, or something. I really liked the idea of trying to fight his final battles without resorting to fury form, and I liked the watchful presence of the Oni. And Shin finally got properly recognized for being a top-notch swordsman! Problem is, I’m kind of neutral on the ship. I never quite got past the brother/sister feel to it. On the other hand, the epilogue was sweet and I’m glad they got there, so a replay is definitely in order (on Steam, since I’ve played it on my Vita). I might change my mind on this one.

HeiChi: I’m “positive-neutral” on HeiChi and always have been. I don’t find the ship compelling, despite the reasonable argument that it can be seen as healthy and more “equal”. To be honest, I got a strong sense from the beginning of Hakuouki that Chizuru liked Heisuke, and appreciated his cheerfulness, but was *attracted* to Hijikata and the others. The ship’s probably fine, objectively, although Heisuke does leave Chizuru behind to follow his aspirations with Itou, which always troubled me. Heisuke’s a sweetie, but I don’t “feel” the romantic ship. I sympathize with Heisuke, always trying and trying to come into his own, and make the decisions that are right for him, but there’s a sense of immaturity-despite-best-efforts that doesn’t work for me. I leave HeiChi in the competent hands of those who love it! (And hope that my HeiChi stories make up a little bit for my personal ambivalence.)

OkiChi: … I’ve said enough about OkiChi. I leave it to those who love it best and write really cool fanfiction about it. It’s a big change for me to move OkiChi up this far on my list (partly Shinkai, partly having friends who’ve been working on me with OkiChi!).

IbaChi: Not a bad ship, or route, but left me neutral. Having gone down the path with the Demon Arm, and the way it and Iba and then Chizuru were intertwined, I felt like there could have been a bit more to it. I would have preferred Takeda to be a more well-rounded villain. I didn’t feel a strong Iba-Chizuru connection in KW; I felt like Iba was pushing Chizuru to feel and remember things. I kept wanting Iba to be a little more honest and a lot more direct. There were upsides and downsides to both this ship and this route, and I’m in the middle. The ending was good, and I liked that final CG (Iba looked really good). This is another ship I’m going to leave to those who really love Iba as a character – I know you’ll do great with it! :)

KazaChi / SanChi /SakaChi*I don’t ship them, but I can see the possibilities, to a point* except SakaChi which I just don’t ship

KazaChi: Maybe. I still can’t wrap my head around the arrogance. Smug doesn’t work for me, especially when it’s all one-way – it’s part of why I still struggle with OkiChi. I’ve come to the conclusion that I do better with modern AUs for both OkiChi and KazaChi. KW and EB provided some good KazaChi moments, and I really, truly feel for Kazama toward the end of EB (which is much more like Movie 2 than the original game or the anime). @hidetheremote et al, this one’s yours, and I will continue to do my best to contribute from time to time! I actually do have a soft spot for KazaChi in its end-state – Kazama does start to respect and care about Chizuru for herself, eventually (when is a matter of opinion). I don’t think loving another person will ever come easy for him, but I have the feeling he’ll try, and he’s a very competent man (Oni).

SanChi: This is another one where I think I preferred KW to EB, but it requires another play-through. The route itself was rather fascinating, although I think it over-complicated itself toward the end. Sannan and Kaoru (and Kodo) in a dismal castle full of furies – this is some serious Gothick. The atmosphere was very well done. Sannan as a ship with Chizuru – hard to get my head around. And yet. I couldn’t help but feel that tug on my heartstrings that said “Sannan is truly a tragic figure and deserves some happiness.” Plus, he’s a damn good tactician and devoted to his cause. Don’t ship SanChi, but still want Sannan to be loved and appreciated. Hmmm.

SakaChi: I can’t bring myself to like this ship or find it believable (though definitely more so in EB than in KW). Everyone has their types, and Sakamoto is the exact opposite of mine. He set my teeth on edge from (literally) the first time I saw him on-screen. I know my opinion of this ship is biased, but there are just so many reasons I don’t ship SakaChi. If you love Sakamoto / SakaChi, then I’m kind of glad, because I like every character to have their fans. However, there’s probably no point reading my comments below unless you’re honestly curious about my perspective. I’m trying to outline my issues with the ship, not convince others that they’re wrong. (I mean this – don’t let me upset you. If you like something, despite seeing some of the flaws, and you respect other people’s preferences without hate, then stick with what you like!)

CG: one of the scenes that I did like a lot

First, I found the entire development of SakaChi in KW totally unbelievable, and Sakamoto was disrespectful of Chizuru’s personal space to an extent that I’d call harassment. He made Harada look tame, as far as flirting goes, and I’m firmly of the belief that Harada treated her personal preferences with more respect. As a specific example (albeit from EB), Sakamoto asked to “borrow” Chizuru’s lap. When she was taken aback, he settled in anyway, then said “oh come on, it’s not like I’m violating you.” Just… no. This excuse is used way too much in the real world for me not to flinch here. I’ve seen too many women have to deal with this, and I don’t like it.

Second, Chizuru’s loyalty to the Shinsengumi is part of what makes up her character, for me. So I struggled to understand why she got so involved with Sakamoto in the first place, given his total and complete disdain for the Shinsengumi (not unjustified disdain, but not likely to appeal to Chizuru coming from a guy who’s pretty much a stranger). Chizuru also seemed too quick to let go of the fact that Sakamoto was a gun smuggler and general arms’ dealer whose weapons killed an awful lot of her friends (although at least she wasn’t altogether happy about it).

** Must admit that I did better with Sakamoto as a character / person once I went and learned a lot more about him and the situation in Tosa. I already had some background knowledge, but I definitely improved on it. Sakamoto’s balancing act between powerful Satsuma and powerful Choshu, while working around Tosa’s locally powerful / abusive daimyo, was fascinating.

Third, although I found Sakamoto much improved in EB, lines like this were a complete “ugh” for me:

Look, buddy, she just told you that she wasn’t ready to sleep with you. Complaining to her that it would suck if she made you wait until the wedding is not my idea of a good relationship.

What did Sakamoto / Sakamoto’s route do well? The route presented a good story, told from the opposite side, that didn’t just repeat the basics of the rest of the routes. Sakamoto is an interesting guy. If you’re into the brash, self-confident, pirate types (Han Solo comes to mind, although I preferred Han), then Sakamoto’s a good fit for you. Sakamoto does, without question, rock the western look. Despite my belief in the importance of Chizuru having some agency and self-determination, I think Sakamoto’s absolute refusal to let her go rescue Kondo was both right and appropriate (that’s the CG I picked, above). To be honest, stern Sakamoto appeals to me far, far more than smarmy smiley Sakamoto, (another clear result of my personal preferences). The scene out by the dock was good, and I had to appreciate Sakamoto’s directness, in that instance.

Okay, so despite my best efforts, I ended up putting a lot of my route review thoughts into my personal ship ranking list. AND it’s all way too long again.

I hope that there’s something here of interest. And – one more time – ship what works for you. Canon (game-based) ships, “non-canon” ships, semi-canon ships, m/f, f/f, m/m, whatever. We don’t have to agree for me to respect your preferences. Otome games are all about so-called “problematic” ships; my preferences tend to be on the “serious and thoughtful”, or at least “responsible and honest”, side (or “boring” depending on perspective!).

~ ImpracticalOni

#hakuouki #edo blossoms #haku ship reviews #eb route reviews #imp reviews eb #hijichi #okichi #saichi #heichi #harachi #kazachi #shinchi #sanchi #yamachi #ibachi #souchi #sakachi #why oh why oh why do I do this??#long post

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artificialqueens · 6 years

Text

Soccer Punch (Shalaska)- Chapter 3 - Ty5000

A/N- Hello my lovelies, I’m back again! Thank you so much for the feedback I hope y’all are enjoying this as much as I am enjoying writing it. This will be my last update before Christmas so I would just like to wish you all very Happy Holidays and I’ll see you soon. - Ty

P.S - It’s 4am, If I missed any mistakes i’m sorry.

Summer Break 2014

Sharon had always loved summer break and awaited it each year with anticipation and a childlike joy. She may not be a massive fan of the increased temperature that makes her red, splotchy, sweaty and not to mention tan but there are a few things she did enjoy about the time off school. Mainly no homework or dealing with teachers or school in general was a huge plus. Being able to stay up as late as she wanted, go out as often as she liked, party as often as possible and sleep until the sun was beginning to set again were some of her favourite pass times and thankfully summer had a lot of time for her to pass.

For the first few weeks that is exactly how her summer played out, she would roll out of bed around 2pm and find herself some breakfast; usually leftover pizza or a bowl of cornflakes which she messily prepared while checking her phone for updates. Once her meal was finished and the dishes left in the sink to be worried about later she gets dressed (usually in black despite the summer heat) finds some plans to crash or mischief to cause and leaves the house not to return until the wee hours of the morning usually as the sun is rising and normally varying levels of drunk or high or both to pass out in her bed. This routine continued pretty solidly for the first three weeks of the vacation until one particularly hot Wednesday afternoon.

Sharon lay on her bedroom floor (her bed was too warm) beside her electric fan as she mindlessly swiped through her phone becoming increasingly more frustrated by the minute at the lack of notifications. She couldn’t find one single thing to do, the party she had been planning to attend that night had been cancelled due to the host’s parents choosing to stay in town after all and all her other friends appeared to be busy, Thorgy was in Florida on vacation and Katya had been summoned to some family only barbeque. Hell, even her dealer was ignoring her!

She let out a final sigh of boredom, tossing her phone across the room lightly, it was much too hot to be doing anything anyway she decided as she made her way downstairs to grab a cold beer from the refrigerator.

It was that chain of decisions which lead Sharon to where she was now; laying on the sofa watching a soccer game. Now don’t get her wrong the choice hadn’t been completely voluntarily as there was literally nothing else on TV worth watching and she would rather watch the game than sit in silence and let her mind slowly rot in the heat.

Twenty minutes later Sharon surprised herself as she yelled out in anger as the cute twink like boy she had been following around the screen for a while now and developing a soft spot for was tackled by a much buffer burly man on the opposite team. She hadn’t been aware how invested she had become in the game at hand sure she played the game (begrudgingly) but watching a game with her own eyes was usually enough to put her to sleep yet here she was her finding herself actually enjoying the show.

Maybe that warm Wednesday afternoon would be a turning point for Miss Needles, the point in which she would completely give up her party animal ways and devote herself to a fitness journey revolving around her soccer star dream. Well it was doubtful but only time will tell.

- - -

Meanwhile across town Alaska’s summer was going in a completely different direction. It started out like every other summer had for the past two years, she’d wake up early; not as early as a school morning but still early enough. Then she would take a run around her neighbourhood and return home a sweaty red-faced mess for a shower and healthy well balanced breakfast of toast, eggs, avocado and a fruit smoothie which she ate while her Mom hovered nearby with a watching eye to ensure her daughter was getting the right nutrients to build her into the super star athlete she didn’t get the chance to be. Alaska’s mother was an amazing player destined for greatness until she fell pregnant with Alaska at just seventeen years of age, after she was born her Mom had tried to get back into the sport before falling pregnant again just two years later with Alaska’s sister Nebraska. She gave up her dreams after that and replaced them with motherhood so you could imagine her delight when from a young age both her children displayed an interest in the game providing a perfect canvas for her to project her hopes and dreams.

Alaska could never be more grateful for having such supportive parents who cared so much about her passions they put her through years of Soccer training from as soon as she was able to walk until she was able to join a team at the age of eight, they even petitioned the middle school to start a girls team and when she started at Castle North they got her a summer job as a soccer coach for a local camp to ensure she didn’t miss out on practice over the break.

Without them constantly pushing and encouraging her to work and train she would have broke right after the championship loss, sometimes she wonders if it’s her mothers plan to not let her think about that day to not give her a chance to crash.

It was the third Wednesday of the summer when the camp called just as she was preparing to leave for work. Something about “High temperatures, too much physical activity and keeping the kids in doors .” The basic idea of it being to inform her that she wouldn’t be needed for work that day. The news came as an unexpected but welcome surprise with the realisation that she was home alone for a few hours meaning she could actually have some time to herself for the first time that summer. Naturally she chose to spend that time the only way she knew how; watching a game and eating ice cream. (Don’t tell her mother.)

The game was going well and Alaska was really enjoying the opportunity to watch instead of play for once, that is until out of nowhere a tall burly player came rushing onto the screen kicking the ball from beneath another players feet causing him to fall over. The whistle blares alerting the offender to his warning and signalling the other team to take their penalty shot. They score.

Everything comes flooding back to her in a wave, she hears the whistle, the flash of yellow, sees Sharon’s foot connect with the ball and Jinkx diving and missing as it hits the net. She sees the flash of disappointment in her teammates eyes when she looked at them. It was all her fault, they lost the game, the championship, and their decade long winning streak because of her. She was a disgrace to the team, she’d be surprised if they even let her back next year and if they did she absolutely wouldn’t get voted captain.

Of course, this was the exact moment her mom would arrive home from work to find her daughter curled up on the sofa, tears streaming down her face and sobs wracking her small frame.

“Alaska Sweetheart what’s wrong!” She exclaimed rushing towards her daughter and reaching out to rub her shoulder supportively.

Alaska jerked away instinctively rejecting the touch, she didn’t want anymore false support. “I’m Sorry.” She whispered in between sobs as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

“Sorry for what?” Her mother replied. “Talk to me baby.”

“I failed you. I failed the team. I failed myself. I failed.” Each new sentence was punctuated by a loud hiccup like sob.

It was that exact moment that her mom noticed the game playing on the TV. Oh.

“No sweetie, no no no” She reached forward again desperate to comfort her daughter. “You didn’t fail anyone. You made a mistake, they happen to the best of us. Knoxville were on top of their game this season and that had nothing to do with you, it couldn’t be helped.”

As she spoke Alaska’s sobs began to slow slightly but she didn’t look convinced.

“Come here” her mother sighed softly gesturing her daughter into a tight hug. She rubbed her back softly.

“It’s okay to be upset, but please don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“It’s hard.” Came her muffled reply

“I know. Can I teach you a trick I learned to help with when you’re feeling down?” She nodded still pressed tightly against her mom’s chest.

“Write.”

Alaska pulls away and looked up at her sceptically “Really?”

“Trust me. Grab a pen and paper and go to town don’t hold back anything. It really helps.”

Now Alaska didn’t believe her, nor had she ever written anything that wasn’t a shopping list or school work, but she was desperate to stop feeling this way. So, she thanked her Mom, apologising again much to her dismay, and made her way upstairs where she wasted no time in pulling out a pad and beginning to write and write and write, pages upon pages of thoughts and feelings and anything that came to her head.

Huh. This really did help.

#ty5000 #soccer punch #shalaska #alaska thunderfuck #sharon needles #rpdr fanfiction #submission #high school au #lesbian au

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iampureland · 7 years

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My Thinking Addiction

Full disclosure: I have thought a lot about this essay on not thinking. I love to think about ideas for hours on end. As a journalist and college professor I make my living coming up with interesting thoughts to think. But I am also a binge thinker. In fact, I may be addicted to thinking. And as I explore ways to heal from childhood trauma, I am trying to break my thinking habit.

I grew up in a home where thinking was put on a pedestal above all other human traits. Cooking, changing the oil in a car, putting up a tent – these were things my parents did not know how to do. But, boy, could they think. My dad called it “intellectual stimulation.” And immersing oneself in interesting thought was always the goal, whether by talking to strangers about their lives or discussing ideas at the dinner table or mulling things over on a walk or reading a literary classic. Even when Dad was at the end stage of Alzheimer’s and in an assisted living facility, he was still thinking about stimulating his intellect. He complained that the other residents had nothing interesting to say (not surprising, given their condition) and he preferred discussions with the facility’s caregivers.

I remember that throughout my childhood Dad was always filling legal pads with his ideas. He was constantly thinking about books he wanted to write and inventions he had dreamed up that he might one day patent. He was always plotting, scheming, dreaming. Dad made lists of things he needed to do to turn these ideas into a reality and searched out books he might read to give him more ideas.

When I was little, I wanted to follow in Dad’s cerebral footsteps. I remember that I used to announce, “I’m going to go think to myself.” And then I would sit in my rocking chair in my bedroom and drift deep into thought. It was comforting to imagine new worlds and ideas, dreaming up my own stories. When my parents were yelling at each other, or I was having trouble in school, becoming lost in thought was a good place to be.

Going to college and double majoring in journalism and comparative literature was thinking heaven. I remember sometimes walking out of an Honors lit class almost dizzy from thinking so hard and enjoying it so much. In college, I found a brainy community who, like Dad, was devoted to seemingly non-stop intellectual stimulation. After graduating, things got even better when I was paid as a writer for my journalistic investigations and cerebral musings. My entire identity revolved around my ability to use my mind. I was my mind. And if there was something bothering me, all I had to do was slip inside my head to escape it.

But life as a middle-aged adult was a lot harder than during my blissful college years. I had a child to raise and a job to keep. A mortgage. Deadlines. A dad with Alzheimer’s. Two failed marriages. Over the years, my non-stop thinking went from an activity that was akin to skipping through a field of wildflowers to being more like a hamster in a wheel. I still thought a lot about the stories I was writing and the classes I was teaching. But, mostly, it was a steady drip, drip, drip of anxious thoughts about things I needed to do or conversations that I might have. Yet, I remained as wedded as ever to the belief that my world revolved around my mind. If I had problems, the only solution was to think harder. Drip. Drip. Drip.

And then my mind turned on me. Maybe it was seeing Dad with his stack of legal pads in the Alzheimer’s unit and knowing that throughout his adult life he never actually carried out a single idea he had written down. I became aware there was a certain futility to my non-stop thinking and that always musing on this and that was not necessarily productive or even healthy. What to do? I thought harder, all day and all night. I didn’t know any other way to be. Despite utter exhaustion, the hamster kept at it, even speeding up. Memories from childhood—thoughts I had long been able to keep locked away—began to terrorize me. I couldn’t’ sleep. I had panic attacks. I was trapped inside my head and it was hell.

Desperate to get my thoughts back under control, I went to see a psychiatrist. She told me the solution was to think less—actually, sometimes not at all. She said I was basically making myself crazy with intellectual stimulation. This was earth-shattering advice. For me, the idea of not thinking was the equivalent of not living. It was like telling me to stop breathing.

Nevertheless, I heeded her advice because I was desperate for peace of mind. I started studying the writings of Buddhist teachers like Tich Nhat Hanh and Pema Chodron. I also attended mindfulness classes and attempted to practice guided meditation. I started to realize that when I was thinking, I was almost always mulling over something in the future or in the past. If I could sometimes manage to be solidly rooted in the present moment, I could theoretically get the hamster to take breaks.

French philosopher Rene Descartes famously said, “I think, therefore I am.” But Tich Nhat Hanh writes that such a mindset actually means, “I think, therefore I am not here in the present moment.” The Pure Land school of Buddhism revolves around the idea of attaining enlightenment and eternal happiness in a kind of heaven called the Pure Land. Tich Nhat Hanh promotes the idea that heaven is here and now if you can stop dwelling in the past and the future. “Let us enjoy the Pure Land right now in the spirit of living happily in the present moment,” he writes.

Eckhart Tolle, author of the bestselling book, The Power of Now, is the high priest of living in the present moment. He has a term for people like my dad and me: “a compulsive thinker.” And Tolle asserts that intellectual brilliance does not result from compulsive thinking. “The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive…the instrument has taken you over,” writes Tolle. “The compulsive thinker lives in a state of separateness, in an insanely complex world of continuous problems and conflict, a world that reflects ever-increasing fragmentation of the mind.”

Both Tolle and Tich Nhat Hanh maintain that devoting a part of each day to living in the present moment rather than constantly lost in thought brings both mental clarity as well as a deep, steadfast peace of mind. Tolle simply calls this state “being” or “presence.”

But old habits are hard to break. The mindfulness classes and group meditations did not work so well for me. I could not get my mind to stop. If nothing else, I was thinking about how I was still thinking. Or I was thinking about how the person next to me was breathing loud. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Fortunately, I have been a hiker my entire life and I realized that the only place where I could get my thoughts to stop was in the wild. As a child, I had always wandered alone in the woods and found deep comfort from the trees and birds and sky. Nature was far more soothing than my rocking chair. But as an adult I started using my daily hikes and trail runs as just one more place to be lost in thought and figure things out. If I could not solve a problem at my desk, I would search for the answer when I was in the forest. But, as Tich Nhat Hanh would rightly point out, I was actually not in the forest. I was in my head.

Once I became committed to breaking my thinking addiction, I approached my daily hikes in the forest near my home in a completely different way. Going solo whenever possible (except for my dog Sunny), I began roaming cross country rather than on trails so I could be as close to wild nature as possible. I turned my phone off. I focused on my surroundings and using my senses: the smell of the ponderosa pine; the sound of the woodpecker; the delicate purple color of the lupine. I would imagine myself a sponge that was soaking in all the beauty around me. When my mind attempted to drift into my “to do” list, I would just take a deep breath of fresh air and fix on a specific tree, bringing myself back into the present.

I found that when I was already in a state of presence in nature, I could sometimes have moments that were utterly transcendent. Moments of wild beauty, like the view from a hilltop at sunset, connected me not only to the place but to my true self, the person beyond the intellect. The translucent pink sky framed by a rainbow was not a thought but an experience that went straight to my core. In those moments, I was not my mind. I was everything around me. I was the sunset.

It has been seven years since I gave up chronic thinking as a lifestyle, although I am constantly challenged by slipping back into hamster-in-wheel mode. In addition to bringing me more peace of mind, my daily hikes have also gifted me my best ideas. When I am climbing up a steep hill and saying hello to the trees, the perfect idea will explode into my mind out of nowhere. Dad would have never believed it, but not thinking during my wanderings in the woods has made me a happier person as well as a more creative and productive thinker.

In her book, The Nature Fix, author Florence Williams calls this phenomenon “brain rest.” And it only happens when humans are in nature, most often in “restorative landscapes” that induce “soft fascination.”

While the modern emphasis on mindfulness may seem fairly new, it is actually an idea that was at the heart of why the United States established the world’s first national parks. These wild landscapes offered an increasingly stressed out nation a place for brain rest.

Williams points out in her book that national parks founding father Frederick Law Olmstead saw America’s awe-inspiring great outdoors as an unmatched sanctuary for brain rest. “Viewing nature,” he wrote in 1865, “employs the mind without fatigue and yet exercises it; tranquilizes it and yet enlivens it.”

Annette McGivney is the author of Pure Land: A True Story of Three Lives, Three Cultures, and the Search for Heaven on Earth. For more about her book and learning how nature heals visit: www.purelandbook.com. She is also founder of the non-profit Healing Lands Project, which funds wilderness trips for child victims of domestic violence. For more go to: www.iampureland.com.

#iampureland #natureheals

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kuriquinn · 7 years

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Fic Prompt / Request: Uchiha Homecoming & the Konoha 11

Anonymous:

Hello how are you? Do you think you can write a story where Sasuke and family meet all the other members of Konoha 11 and /or their children. I'd love to see how Sasuke interacts with the others since we've ve hardly seen him talk to any of them (except team 7 members I guess). I know you've got a good grasp of the characters personalities. And besides, it's been so long since you wrote about anyone other than the Uchha family. Thanks!

Blanket Fic Disclaimer

AN: So, this is as close an answer to your request as I can manage at this point in time - I hope it turned out okay. I’m going to be working on other fics that take place in the time of the Blank Period and post-Gaiden which involve the Uchiha family interacting with others, but in the meantime I hope this gives snapshot of the other Konoha 11 + Significant Others are doing. Also, I’m going to eventually finish my NarutoWeek2017 prompts which focus on other people than Team 7, so check those out! Anyhow, enjoy!

Their first night back in Konoha, they stay at Sakura’s parents’ house.

It’s not exactly what Sasuke would prefer (his relationship with his in-laws is tenuous at best), but there’s not much choice in the matter. He and his wife didn’t exactly leave a house behind when they left the village, putting that matter off until they returned from their journey, and he has no intention of imposing on Naruto or Kakashi.

As it is, he gets the shock of his life when Mebuki Haruno, upon seeing Sarada cradled in Sakura’s arms, gives a shriek of joy and hooks both her daughter and Sasuke around their necks, forcing them into one of the most awkward embraces he has ever experienced. Sarada begins to fuss at the noise, Sakura complains and Sasuke can’t help sputter in shock when his mother-in-law plants two large, wet kisses on either side of his face.

He wonders if maybe he didn’t accidentally activate his Rinnegan and enter a separate dimension.

Mebuki spends the rest of the evening, when she isn’t cuddling or cooing over Sarada, ruffling Sasuke’s hair and squeezing his shoulders with something like pride and affection.

Considering the woman once flat out told him she hated him, Sasuke is understandably rattled.

Kizashi is also much more mellow than Sasuke remembers him being, offering him a book of crossword puzzles and suggesting, “You look like a man in need of a distraction.”

Rather than get caught up in stilted small-talk, Sasuke accepts the offering and spends the rest of the night in tolerable silence. Once Sakura finishes nursing Sarada after dinner, he can excuse himself under the pretense of putting the baby to sleep while allowing his wife to catch up with her family.

Our family too, I suppose, he thinks as he sits beside his sleeping infant daughter.

Given that the Uchiha number a grand total of three, they can’t really afford to be choosy.

The next day, the peace comes to an end, as over a lavish breakfast, Mebuki starts in on the questions—what their plans are, where do they intend to live, will Sasuke be getting a job, when will Sakura return to the clinic, if they intend to hire a babysitter—

Sakura, being the chatty individual that she is, gets pulled into the conversation, and Sasuke, feeling very out-of-place, quietly takes his leave. There are matters he must see to anyhow, and as unpleasant as they are, they’re preferable to this.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Sakura asks as she walks him to the door of her childhood home, touching his arm lightly.

He shakes his head. “Not this time.”

Unspoken is the promise that once they settle in, he will occasionally need her presence on these pilgrimages.

The Konoha cemetery looks the same as it always did.

He stares at his brother’s name on the memorial stone for the Fourth Shinobi World War and imagines Itachi standing before him. He has thought of him often in his travels, however in those moments he always felt very distant and detached. Here in Konoha, it’s different; though it’s not the ground where Itachi’s bones rest, it is where his heart remained throughout his life. And so, it is here that Sasuke quietly imagines relating his journey over the past few years—his and Sakura’s initial mission, the first weeks of married life where he tried to figure out what it meant to be a husband, discovering how past secrets still held sway over his destiny, learning that he was going to be a father—

Holding his child for the first time.

More than ever, Sasuke wishes his family was still alive to see it all.

The next place he visits is the old Uchiha district. It is still in ruins, still awaiting the day when he decides what is to be done with it. For all he knows as of this moment, that day will never come. Looters have been through here, it appears, because there are things missing from the streets and from inside his childhood home.

The only hint of life in the place is a stubbornly growing bush filled with cherry tomatoes.

“I’m pretty sure Kakashi-sensei’s been taking care of it,” he hears Naruto say from a few feet behind him. Sasuke was so lost in thought he barely noticed him arrive. “I mean, he has been betting on you two since we were kids, so it stands to reason.”

“Sentimental fool,” Sasuke mutters under his breath.

“Says the guy paying homage to a plant.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you. Come on, there’s something I need to show you. Sakura’s meeting us.”

There’s nothing urgent in his friend’s tone—more pleased, and possibly with a hint of smugness. “What did you do?”

“Oi! Why do you assume I did something?”

“Because you’re you.”

Naruto dissolves into an annoyed, needlessly offended rant about how much Sasuke doesn’t appreciate him, and how he’s a big deal these days and ought to be shown some respect.

Sasuke smirks and tunes him out within the first minute, thinking absently that he hopes Sarada is awake when he returns to the Haruno household. She is far too young to smile yet, but she has begun to recognise people, and whenever she sees him or Sakura, her eyes light up and she kicks her tiny feet with pleasure.

Sasuke could watch her for hours.

That plan is not to be, however; Naruto leads him down a familiar road to a house Sasuke has been to only a handful of times. Sakura is waiting outside the gate with Hinata, both women cradling their infants. Sarada is asleep, while the tow-headed child in Hinata’s arms babbles in frustration.

“Yours, I assume?” Sasuke says dryly.

“You’re not funny,” Naruto scowls, but the expression doesn’t last long; as soon as they are within reaching distance, a goofy, proud smile passes over his face and he accepts the baby from Hinata. “This is Boruto—the next future Hokage!”

The blue-eyed child that Naruto holds out to him is red-faced and with drool soaking down the front of his shirt.

Now, Sasuke is very glad he didn’t accept the invitation to stay at the Uzumaki household—it’s obvious Boruto has started cutting teeth. Sakura has been telling him teething horror stories, and Sasuke hopes to limit that experience to his own children and not those belonging to his loud-mouthed friend.

“If he wants to be,” Hinata adds serenely, smiling up at Sasuke. “Welcome back home. We’re so happy you and Sakura have returned. And congratulations on the baby. Sarada is beautiful.”

“Hm,” Sasuke acknowledges, deciding that he always did like Hinata, and turns to Sakura.

Without a word, his wife passes Sarada to him, and he cradles her expertly in his arm. Under normal circumstances he would kiss her forehead, press his face into her cheeks and relish in the smell of her (provided Sakura has been kind enough to change her already), but Naruto is watching with an encouraging, expectant grin, and Sasuke refrains.

The idiot is far too conceited about this whole thing, as if somehow, he is responsible for it, and as it is he looks far too amused by the sight of Sasuke holding a baby.

At least mine doesn’t look like she’s leaking from the mouth…

“Why are we here?” Sasuke asks once his daughter is secure in his arms.

“I told you, I have to show you something.”

“We’ve already been to your house before.”

“Don’t be stupid, that’s not what we’re showing you,” Naruto rolls his eyes, passing Boruto back to his wife. “Come on.”

He indicates the house directly across from him and Hinata. Sasuke shoots Sakura questioning look—Should we be worried?—but she looks just as uncertain as he feels.

“Hinata hasn’t said anything,” she tells him quietly as they follow the other couple across the street. Naruto raps on the door three times, and then lets himself in. Hinata beams at them and follows, and without any other recourse, Sakura and Sasuke do the same.

The door closes behind them, shrouding them in darkness. Sasuke barely has time to consider activating the Sharingan, when a sudden shout goes up.

“SURPRISE! WELCOME HOME!”

Sarada startles at the noise and begins to cry. Sasuke has to reign himself in from moving into a crouch, intending to lash out with feet since his arm is occupied. Beside him, Sakura is already reaching for Sarada in preparation for an attack—until the actual words bleed through and the lights come back on.

Sasuke stares at the sight of what appears to be his entire Academy graduating class and their spouses crammed into the large living area. And quite a few babies, too, it appears, all of whom are reacting to the sudden noise with varying measures of displeasure (or amusement in the case of a solidly built toddler in a pink dress).

Sakura’s hands fly to her mouth. “Oh my gosh!”

“Naruto,” Sasuke says quietly, “what did you do?”

Sarada continues to cry and he has no choice but to pass her to Sakura for soothing; there are far too many people here for him to be comfortable to do it himself.

“Oh, don’t be an idiot,” his friend snorts. “It’s a welcome home party! And a baby-shower, I guess, because someone didn’t tell us they had a kid while they were away.”

“I see,” Sasuke grunts. “Thank you. But there’s no need for that. And you’ve upset our daughter. We’ll be leaving now.”

“Darling,” Sakura begins to protest, quiet but with a firm edge that suggests he isn’t being acceptably polite.

Naruto’s grin widens at the endearment, like he’s just been handed a several years worth of teasing material. Sasuke silently promises to punch him the first time he makes a comment.

“Don’t be rude, Sasuke. Besides, you can’t leave,” another familiar voice says and from the crowd of people, Kakashi appears. “This is your house.”

Which causes both him and Sakura to freeze. Even Sarada appears to still at this.

“Wh-what?” Sakura stammers.

“Exactly what he said,” Naruto beams. “This place is for you guys. Kakashi got the building permits figured out, Sai designed it, and Yamato-sensei built it before he left to watch old Snake Face. And Ino did the—what’s it called—the interior design, and I carried all the furniture and stuff inside.”

A second glance around the place and Sasuke sees that the furniture is all familiar: pieces he recognised from his few visits to Sakura’s childhood home, and—

I see. So that’s where the furniture from the Uchiha district went.

“Geez, you guys take forever to get to the point,” Ino Yamanaka complains, also striding forward, hand on her hip. She is as imperious and brimming with attitude as ever. “We’ve been getting this place ready for you for ages and you took forever getting here, you ungrateful jerks.” She shoves a finger in Sakura’s face. “And don’t think you’re getting out of apologising for not coming to see me right away when you got home. You owe me a day for that.”

“I—you—we—!,” Sakura still appears so disbelieving she can’t get the words out. She shakes her head and stares at her former teammates and best friend. “You…got us a house.”

“Next to you,” Sasuke adds in a deadpan.

“Damn straight,” Naruto says. “You guys have been far away for way too long. Now that you’re back, I’m making sure to keep an eye on you.”

There’s no opportunity to snap back at him before the fledgling Uchiha family is surrounded by a gaggle of old friends.

Sai and Ino are the first, of course.

The pale man is wandering around wearing a carrying contraption on his front, similar to the one that Sakura uses to carry Sarada everywhere (and which Sasuke wears only when they are alone). Nestled inside, Sai and Ino’s pale, blond child gazes out at them with light, eerily aware eyes.

“Welcome home, Ugly,” Sai says to Sakura. The otherwise unflattering nickname is a bizarre joke between him and Sasuke’s wife, and it’s for that reason alone that Sasuke doesn’t punch him. For the same reason he tolerates the smirking nod and casual acknowledgment, “Uchiha.”

He holds his hand out and Sasuke narrows his eyes a moment before reaching forward to offer it a quick, firm shake.

“Hi, Sasuke!” Ino trills, and of course, a moment later she has glommed on to his arm. “Did you miss me while you were away?”

“…Not really.”

“Oh, you are still so mean!”

“Don’t you have your own husband and daughter to troll over?” Sakura demands.

“Inojin’s a boy, Forehead!”

“Well, it’s not my fault you and your husband both have girly features, Pig!”

“Hah! You want to talk about girly features?!”

And Sasuke promptly finds Sarada deposited in his arm once more while Sakura and her best friend dissolve into familiar bickering that has been pent-up for at least two years. Sai remains utterly oblivious or perhaps uncaring about the interchange, likely as desensitised to their bickering as Sasuke learned to be as a child.

“I suppose that answers the question of whether you could figure out sexual intercourse,” the former Root operative remarks casually as they watch their wives. “I had my doubts, but then again, if Naruto could figure it out…”

Sasuke tries to remember if he ever liked this guy, and wonders if Sakura putting Sarada in his arms might not have been a way to ensure him from committing murder.

“Hey, Sai—come over he and help me pour the sake!” Naruto interjects, possibly sensing the rise in killing intent. He begins to shove his friend away from Sasuke and steering him toward the kitchen.

There’s no time to breathe a sigh of relief, but two more people appear seemingly out of nowhere.

“Sasuke. It’s good to see you,” Temari says; her words aren’t exactly warm, but they are genuine. “It’s been too long.”

“Hm,” he nods in acknowledgment of that.

He saw Temari rather often during his travels through Suna, and once he and Sakura were treated to the Kazekage’s hospitality after a particularly gruesome incident within the village. She hadn’t left to get married by yet, and she was one of the few advisors of a Kage that treated Sasuke like a person.

Then again, in her eyes, he is the same as her younger brother: a man with a dark past that she truly believes is capable of redemption.

The former Sunanin’s husband is another matter entirely.

Sasuke greets Shikamaru with a nod but doesn’t bother exchanging words with him.

Shikamaru still resents him for deserting Konoha, and for being the reason that his first mission as a chūnin resulted in utter failure—and the near deaths of almost is entire team. Still, at least they can be civil for the sake of Naruto.

Sasuke knows that over the past few years, Shikamaru has become a close friend of Naruto’s. If it weren’t for Sasuke, he would likely be his best friend. The man is a genius, and when the blond loudmouth inevitably becomes Hokage, Sasuke can think of no one else that could advise him best.

The Nara’s son is about what is expected: about six months old, and the spitting image of Shikamaru. The only difference are Temari’s sharp green eyes, which frown up at Sasuke in calculation for about two seconds, before he gets bored and curls his face into his mother’s chest to go to sleep.

Definitely Shikamaru’s kid.

Chōji Akimichi greets Sasuke with a jolly laugh and booming congratulations on Sarada. There is absolutely no resentment in his tone or his features, and Sasuke remembers that the other man has never been the type to hold grudges.

Except, perhaps, over the last morsel of food.

It’s more than can be said for his wife. Karui has never forgiven Sasuke for his part in attempting to kidnap her sensei. Even though Killer B and the former Raikage eventually got over it—and the latter isn’t even that bitter about his arm anymore—she still scowls at him like she would give anything for a chance to fight him. After a few brief, terse pleasantries and her own congratulations, she sweeps away, bringing their hefty seven-month old daughter to the table to examine the culinary offerings.

Across the room, Sasuke recognises a young woman from his many trips to Cloud City—Tamaki, isn’t it?—laughing as she watches Kiba roughhousing with Kakashi’s identical white-haired sons. Meanwhile, Manako Inuzuka—or is it Hatake now? He never figured either of them for the marrying type—converses with her own twin, Hana. Sasuke can’t remember ever having seen the two of them together, and he wonders why the latter is even here, until he sees Shino Aburame coalesce practically out of nowhere and hand Hana a drink.

Huh.

In the back corner, Maito Gai is teaching a toddler with a bowl cut to punch his palms, while Rock Lee gets teary eyed nearby. Tenten is having a drink with Hinata’s younger sister, Hanabi, while a little girl with unruly black hair plays with a hulking, wizened Akamaru. Considering Kurenai Yuhi is watching her from nearby, Sasuke supposes the child is hers. He had heard that Asuma left a child, but he didn’t spend much time in the village after the war to meet them.

The sheer amount of memories and long-buried connections rattling through his mind are making him dizzy, and Sasuke glances desperately at the door to the house. No one is paying him much attention, he can easily make a quick escape…

“Would you like to see the rest of the house?” a quiet voice asks, and he looks over at Hinata. She smiles kindly, no doubt sensing Sasuke’s growing discomfort with the same ease that Sakura can do.

Speaking of his wife, she is occupied with Ino, who looks like she has no intention of letting Sakura out of her sight the rest of the night. Naruto and Sai stand nearby, good-naturedly arguing about something.

He simply nods gratefully.

As he follows her from the living room, she leans a little closer to him and says quietly, “Don’t worry. If you don’t like it, I’m sure Sakura can come up with a believable excuse to demolish it.”

Sasuke blinks in surprise, and against his will, his mouth twitches a bit.

He wonders if Hinata has always had a sense of humour or if it only developed since she’s been married to Naruto.

As it turns out, the rest of the house isn’t that bad. In fact, he finds himself at ease here.

The layout is traditional, very reminiscent of his own childhood home (he supposes Naruto and Kakashi have something to do with that), but it’s also filled with more of the modern conveniences that have been popping up in towns all over the country. There’s even a study with a box-like computer set up (which he privately vows to never touch).

Two bedrooms have been set up and decorated, the larger obviously meant for him and Sakura, while the other is likely meant for a child. There is even a crib, which he raises an eyebrow at Hinata over.

“We supposed when you returned you intended to start a family,” she says with a light blush. “I guess we didn’t expect...that you wouldn’t wait.”

“It wasn’t completely planned,” Sasuke admits, and then nods at the baby in her arms who is now trying to eat his own fist. “Congratulations, yourself.”

Hinata beams.

“Thank you.” She turns to leave. “If you want, I’ll tell the others you’re putting the baby down for a nap. That ought to buy you at least a half hour.”

“Thank you,” Sasuke tells her, genuinely grateful. He foresees a future where Naruto’s wife becomes a great ally against the extroverted nature of both their spouses.

Sarada isn’t tired, of course. She’s quietly observing the room, and there’s a little bit of time before he must fetch Sakura to feed her. For now, he can just sit with his daughter in this room—in her room—and let it all sink in.

“It’s possible,” he tells his solemn eyed daughter, “that our family is larger than I thought.”

She makes an inquiring noise at that, and he unselfconsciously bounce-rocks her back and forth. He keeps it up for several long minutes, stopping only when he hears footsteps approaching.

“It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?” Kakashi asks Sasuke quietly. He is carrying his own son, a brown-haired toddler that sucks on his thumb and picks at the tiny pair of goggles on his forehead. “Especially considering it’s something you never would have expected for yourself.”

Sasuke nods at this, grateful that someone here understands his unease; Kakashi is another man who never expected life to turn out in this way.

“Baby,” his former sensei’s tiny son points out solemnly, pointing a chubby finger at Sarada.

“Yes, Obito, that’s a baby,” Kakashi tells him cheerfully. “And also, inevitable proof that Sasuke Uchiha has had—”

“Finish that sentence and Naruto will be succeeding you as Hokage a lot sooner than expected.”

Kakashi beams beneath his mask. “It’s nice to have you home again.”

Sasuke reflects for several seconds on this, and then allows himself the smallest of smiles. “It’s good to be home.”

For the first time since he left Konoha all those years ago, the words are the complete truth.

終わり

Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome, but if you feel like keeping me caffeinated out of the goodness of your heart, it certainly would be appreciated! I’m also starting to post original works to my patreon.

I’m only able to keep writing as I do thanks to the support of readers like you, so every bit helps!

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#sasusaku #legacy of fire #homecoming #konoha 11 #team 7 #friendship #family #feels #fluff #friday fic requests

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zoadgo · 7 years

Text

Shit happens | E | Echo/Raven | 3915 words

Read on ao3

Tags: Canon divergent, post 4x12, Fingering, Semi-Public Sex (not emphasized but technically), smut, comfort

A/N: I ship Echo and Raven so hard for some reason, guys. I love them so fucking much. Enough to attempt more smut, even! I’m hating it less each time, maybe eventually I’ll even be good at it. As always, @coldsaturn is the best for editing my crackship fics, couldn’t do this without her <3

“I was only trying to save my people.” Echo responds to something Raven wasn’t paying attention to, and Raven looks up to see Bellamy and Echo facing off, with Clarke looking on in tired concern. “I don’t care.” Bellamy advances on Echo with evident rage, and Raven sighs, rolling her eyes as the same old argument springs up in the informal dining room once again. “God, Bellamy, give it a rest.” She hops off of her perch and walks towards the pair, situating herself solidly between them, back to Echo. “And back off.” “Raven, she killed-” “I know how many of our people she killed! I knew them, Bell. But how many of her people have we killed, huh? How many times did I build bombs for you?” Raven crosses her arms over her chest and thanks whatever deities are listening that Echo remains silent. Raven might be able to talk some sense into Bellamy, but if Echo talks it’ll all be over. “You’re taking her side? Really, Raven?” Bellamy steps back, shaking his head, and Raven takes a deep breath through clenched teeth. “No, I’m saying that sides are stupid. We all have to live together here, we’ve all killed people, we need to stop pretending any of us is any better than each other.” Raven keeps her voice carefully calm, won’t let her words be dismissed as emotional. Bellamy stares at her for a moment before turning away to look at Clarke. “Can you believe this?”

“Bellamy…” Clarke’s voice is soft, persuasive, “She has a point.” Bellamy looks as if someone just slapped him in the face, throwing his hands up in defeat. “Fine, whatever, I guess I’m the only one who cares-” Bellamy continues ranting as he leaves the room, and Clarke shoots Raven an apologetic look before setting out after him. It’s only when Raven and Echo are alone in the room together that Raven finally uncrosses her arms and relaxes with a drawn out breath. “You shouldn’t have done that,” Echo says, and Raven nearly jumps out of her skin. She had forgotten how close Echo was behind her. “Don’t worry about it.” Raven chuckles lightly, turning to face Echo and taking a small step away. “No, you really shouldn’t have.” Echo looks as serious as she always does, frowning slightly at Raven. “There’s no reason for you to have sided with me over your people.” “Echo, I meant what I said to Bellamy. If we’re going to have sides up here, it’s going to be a hell of a five years. I backed you up because Bellamy was being an ass; if you’re in the wrong next time, I’m not going to,” Raven explains. She hopes Echo can get it, and that Clarke or some of the others can convince Bellamy of the same thing. Honestly, being at each other’s throats for five years is not a prospect Echo wants to face, she doesn’t know how Bellamy thinks he’s going to have the energy to actively hate Echo every day. Echo raises her chin slightly, regarding Raven thoughtfully. She’s silent for a long while, long enough that Raven begins to feel uncomfortable, but eventually she nods. “I see.” Raven keeps most of her victory celebration over that internal, instead simply smiling at Echo. “You know, when someone saves your ass, you typically say ‘thank you’.” “You didn’t-” Echo’s eyes narrow, defensive and painfully serious. “Relax.” Raven waves off her objection, limping over to a chair in order to sit and take some of her weight off of her leg. “I’m just teasing you.” Echo remains standing a few feet away, apparently contemplating Raven’s words. When she comes to whatever conclusion she does, silent as ever about her thoughts, she crosses over to Raven and takes a seat next to her. Something inside of Raven does a little happy jig at the fact that Echo chose to sit next to her, rather than storming off. Everyone else seems to be afraid of her, and Echo seems to enjoy that. It makes Raven feel a little bit special that Echo would permit her to tease her. “There wasn’t much teasing in the Queensguard.” Echo elaborates, and Raven chalks that up as a third win; Echo listening to her, Echo staying, and now Echo sharing facts about herself. It feels different from any interaction Raven’s had with the warrior, and she realizes this is actually the first conversation she’s seen Echo have. Everyone only seems to talk to her when they need something, and even then as little as possible. “No? You guys didn’t play pranks on each other? Joke around while you were training?” Raven queries, thinking back on her own colleagues. Their job was serious and important, but that didn’t mean they had to be. Although every Azgeda warrior Raven had ever seen seemed to be made of particularly stern stone, she guesses she always assumed they were different in their homeland. “Not those of us who made it through training. Queen Nia had no time for jokes, and her will was our livelihood.” Echo speaks so plainly about it, yet it seems horribly sad to Raven. “What about before the Queensguard?” Raven asks, not about to miss out on a chance to learn more about Echo, even if it’s sad. Echo shrugs, “Perhaps, but I can’t remember it clearly. I was a child when Nia chose me from my village.” “A child? I thought…” Raven trails off, realizing a lot of what she thought had just been blind assumptions, applying her own experiences to fill her void of knowledge. “Why did Nia choose you?” “She saw me fighting an older child in the streets.” A hint of a fond smile creeps onto Echo’s features, and it suddenly strikes Raven how beautiful she actually is. She’s never seen Echo do anything other than frown before, or look entirely impassive. “He was trying to take my food. I lost, but I ruined the food in the process so he didn’t get what he wanted. Then I got back up and spat blood right at the feet of the Queen of Azgeda. I guess she liked what she saw.” “That’s-” Raven cuts herself off before saying ‘horrible’, seeing that Echo clearly enjoys the memory. She tries to see it from Echo’s point of view; a child, clearly not a prodigy in fighting yet being raised in a warrior culture, being picked off of the streets to serve the Queen herself. She guesses she can see it, why that might have left a positive impression on Echo, so she changes her sentence. “Impressive.” “I thought so. I spent my entire life trying to live up to whatever she saw in me that day.” Echo’s expression darkens quickly as she looks around the room. “And here I am, outcast and in space.” Raven doesn’t know what to say to that, what she could possibly say to comfort someone so entirely out of their element, so silence grows between them. Not uncomfortable, precisely, but definitely a palpable presence. Raven worries her lower lip, wondering how she didn’t stop to consider Echo before this. Of course they didn’t have time for it, with one disaster after another piling up, but still… She feels that she should have thought more about Echo, if only because there are so few of them to consider now. But no one was concerned for Echo, only over her and what she might do; none of them cared about her comfort. “Hey, want to see something?” Raven breaks the silence, an idea dawning on her. Echo looks at her skeptically, but nods slowly. “Sure.” “Come on then.” Raven pushes herself to her feet with a grin and sets off at a brisk pace through the halls. Well, a brisk pace for her. Echo keeps up with no effort at all, and Raven wonders if she should try adjusting the artificial gravity. Not shutting it off, of course, but maybe reducing it just to make walking a little easier for her. But of course that would make it all the more difficult when they return to Earth, so Raven files the idea away for daydreams. There are viewing ports all along the halls, and Raven passes them without a spare glance until they reach a corner that’s all window, a clear barrier between them and the great blackness of space. She wants to be out there, yearns for a spacewalk on a primal level. Soon, she reminds herself. They’re going to need lots of maintenance over the next five years, she’ll get her fair share of spacewalks. “Here.” Raven walks up to the window, beckoning Echo to her. Echo approaches warily, looking at the edges where the glass meets the metal with obvious doubt. “It’s perfectly safe, don’t worry.” “I’m not,” Echo says, and absolutely nothing in her tone or mannerisms convinces Raven of that. Raven keeps that to herself, however, smothering a smirk at the mighty and intimidating Azgeda spy being nervous because of space. “Of course. Now,” Raven gestures out into the black, towards the beautiful sphere of blue, green, and white before them, “that’s Earth. And that,” Raven moves closer to Echo, looking over her shoulder to make sure she’s pointing out the right area on Earth’s surface from Echo’s perspective. “is where we came from.” Echo doesn’t respond, but the trepidation fades from her features. After a moment, she takes a step forward and places a hand on the glass, right over where Raven had been pointing. “You’ll go back someday. You’ll get to be Azgeda again.” Raven offers, and on an impulse places her hand on Echo’s shoulder, over the thick black lines of her tattoo. Echo doesn’t reject the touch, but her hand falls from the window to hang at her side. “...They won’t have me. Roan banished me in his final act as King, Octavia will have told them all by now.” “And when they’re rebuilding everything, without a King or Queen to guide them? They’re your people Echo, they need you. They’ll come around.” “I hope you’re right.” Echo’s voice carries a hint of her sorrow over the loss of her people, and Raven rubs her thumb against Echo’s skin. She studies the warrior’s tattoo, and for some reason it only strikes her as odd in that moment. “Why do you have a tattoo?” Raven blurts out, her curiosity changing the subject abruptly, “Azgeda usually have scars, right?” “A sacrifice for my Queen,” Echo says, the words sounding like a quote rather than her own explanation. She pauses for a moment before continuing, “The Queensguard needed to be unrecognizable as Azgeda as most of our activities were… frowned upon by the other kru. If any of us were caught, we would deny any attachment to Azgeda, and our Queen would say she had no knowledge of us.” Echo takes a deep breath, and Raven can feel her muscles tense. Her lips pull into a hard line as she continues, voice carefully devoid of emotion, “My Queen had a mission for me, one that took me away from Azgeda lands for a long time. I needed to infiltrate Trikru, to gather information and possibly take out a target. But to get close enough to learn what I needed, I had to be Trikru. I learned their accent, I wore their clothes, but there’s one more thing that marks them from the other kru.” “The tattoos,” Raven says, finally understanding. “Each kru has their own style. I found a Trikru artist and… persuaded him to tattoo me. Got caught by the Mountain Men before I could get the information anyway.” Echo reaches up and scratches at the lower edge of her tattoo, not looking away from the view of Earth below them. Raven realizes the importance of the marking with a slowly growing weight in her stomach. The tattoos, the scars, they mark who your people are. And Echo had not only chosen to avoid taking up that claim in order to protect her people and serve them better, she had taken another kru’s mark because it was asked of her. She had given everything in her life to her people, and yet someone looking at her would see her as Trikru, not Azgeda. And now, to be banished and living with Skaikru… Raven can only begin to imagine the pain Echo must be feeling, must have felt at every point in which her devotion to her people turned out not to be enough for them to accept her. “That’s awful. I’m sorry,” Raven says, heartfelt, and Echo brushes Raven’s hand off of her shoulder abruptly. “I don’t need your pity.” Echo bites out the words, turning to glare at Raven. “Not pity, just… That’s a shitty situation. God, this is all a shitty situation for you. The least I can do is say sorry on behalf of the universe, or something.” Raven gets it, people having pity on you for something that doesn’t affect how badass you are is the worst. But what else is she supposed to say, with everything she’s now learning about Echo? “Did anyone do that for you?” Echo asks, her cold anger slipping away in a heartbeat, and Raven guesses that means she accepts Raven’s explanation. “Do what for me?” She asks, confused. “Apologize. For the universe.” Echo reaches out and brushes her knuckles against Raven’s knee, and Raven tries to imagine she can feel it. “For this.” “The guy who shot me did.” Raven shrugs, remembering Murphy’s apology. It was odd when he’d said sorry, not just because seeing genuine emotion from Murphy is strange. She’d realized at that point that she didn’t really blame Murphy for what happened to her, despite thinking she did and hating him for a long time. He’d been shooting wildly, it had been dumb luck more than anything malicious. Sure, if he’d never fired at all she wouldn’t have gotten shot and it was definitely his fault, but she hates the whims of fate more than the guy who sprayed bullets in panic. “You were shot?” Echo asks. Of course she wouldn’t know, none of them would have told her. “Yeah.” Raven turns around and hikes up the hem of her shirt, shivering slightly as she exposes the scars on her lower back. “That’s where they took the bullet out. No painkillers, no anaesthetic. It sucked.” Echo’s fingers brush over the skin around Raven’s surgery scars and over the repaired skin itself, and she can definitely feel that touch. An entirely different sort of shiver runs through her at the surprisingly soft exploration. “Did you kill him?” Echo asks, her fingers leaving Raven’s back, and Raven misses her touch immediately. She tugs her shirt back down and turns around to face Echo again with a small chuckle. “No, otherwise we’d be short a set of hands here,” Raven says, and then elaborates at Echo’s confused look, “It was Murphy who shot me.” “I’ll kill him for you,” Echo says, entirely calm, and Raven grabs her shoulder as she goes to walk off, presumably to hunt down Murphy and end him. Raven shakes her head with a smile. “No need, we’ve moved past it.” “You’re sure?” Echo searches Raven with her gaze, like when Abby would check to see if Raven was lying to her about her pain; doubtful and protective. “I could make it look like an accident.” “It’s fine, I kicked his ass.” Raven explains, and Echo nods, apparently satisfied. “I mean, it wasn’t hard, he’s a scrawny bastard.” “You’re a warrior, Raven. You would have beaten him anyway.” Echo states with confidence, and a warm glow rushes through Raven at that. She’s always been a genius and a badass, sometimes a fool, but a warrior? She could get used to being called that. “Call me that again,” Raven requests, indulging herself. A small smile creeps onto Echo’s lips, and god she is gorgeous when she smiles. “You’re a warrior. Battle scars, victories, and all.” Echo obliges, and Raven smiles, revelling in the way it feels. Being a genius is fun and all, but ever since the injury it has seemed like a way to compensate for everything lacking in her, a way for her to not be a burden. But being a fighter and her leg being a battle scar means she has nothing to compensate for, nothing to be ashamed of. Raven chases that happy glow, shifting her hand from Echo’s shoulder to the back of her neck and leaning in. To her delight, Echo meets her halfway, her hands seeking Raven’s hips, calloused fingers touching skin above the waistband of her pants and sending a thrill through Raven’s nerves. And then their lips are crashing together, and Echo’s are soft under Raven’s, sliding silk in contrast to the sharp bite of her teeth which Echo doesn’t seem to be afraid to show. Not that Raven objects, mind you, she moans into the kiss as Echo pulls her lower lips between her teeth. Raven’s hands find their way into Echo’s hair, tangle in it as Echo’s lips leave hers in order to make their way down Raven’s jaw to her neck. She nips lightly at the skin there, just enough to cause shocks to jump through Raven, not enough to cause actual pain. Raven responds with sharp tugs to Echo’s hair, which are met with favourable groans. Echo slips her hands under the back of Raven’s shirt, mapping over her skin and toying with the waistband of her pants. Raven’s breath catches in her throat, and her knee buckles on her at the worst possible time. “Shit-” She barks out, prepared to fall and take Echo - and the moment - with her. But despite her knee failing entirely, she hardly shifts, Echo shifting her grip to catch Raven, pulling her flush against her in the process. “You okay?” Echo leans back, holding Raven around the waist with one arm and brushing hair behind Raven’s ear with her free hand. “Yeah, it’s just my stupid knee.” Raven’s cheeks burn with shame at her own weakness, but Echo simply smiles and kisses her, softer and quicker than the last last time. “Not a problem. Here.” Echo turns them around in a heartbeat and carefully backs Raven up against the window. When Raven’s back contacts the insulated material, Echo presses forward and lifts Raven’s bad leg, bending her own leg in order to rest it on top of her thigh. It takes all the weight off of Raven’s leg, and she sighs in relief. “Better?” “Much,” Raven admits, communicating some of her thanks with her lips on Echo’s. And then Echo rolls her hips forward, friction muted by their clothing but still sending a wave of pleasure through Raven. “God, much better.” “Good.” Echo practically purrs the word, and Raven grabs her hips, pulling her impossibly closer to prompt her to repeat the motion. Echo seems more than happy to oblige, and Raven lets her head fall back against the window with a sigh. Echo’s mouth seeks Raven’s neck again, and she doesn’t mind in the slightest as Echo soothes light bites with her tongue. It’s not hard enough to leave more than faint marks which will fade in a few hours, and Raven appreciates that. Not that she really minds hickeys most of the time, but, well… People are bound to notice and ask questions when there’s so few of them. Raven slides her hands up under Echo’s shirt, feeling smooth skin seamed with scars. She may not have the delicate patterned scars of an Azgeda, but there’s no question about the life Echo has lived. Raven imagines a few of the long scars on her back are from a lash, and she wonders at the story behind them for a moment. A very short moment at that, because as she discovers them, Echo begins working at the fly of Raven’s pants, and suddenly there are far more pressing matters. “Okay?” Echo breathes the question into Raven’s ear, and Raven is thrilled to hear that she seems as out of breath as Raven herself. “God yes,” Raven responds enthusiastically. Echo separates their bodies only enough to gain the room necessary to slide her hand into Raven’s pants, cupping her for a moment before sliding a finger through her folds and drawing a gasp from Raven. She repeats the motion a few times, and Raven groans through her teeth, “Echo, don’t tease me.” It’s been far too long since Raven last got laid for her to have the patience for teasing. “You teased me earlier,” Echo points out, circling her finger around Raven’s clit once before removing the needed touch. “That was different!” Raven protests, before letting out a needy moan, “Please, Echo.” “Say it again,” Echo mutters, her lips against Raven’s ear as she continues her torturously slow exploration of Raven’s pussy. The tone of her voice sends a delightful shiver through Raven. “Please, Echo,” Raven draws the words out, lets Echo hear exactly how bad she wants this. And finally, Echo obliges, sinking two fingers into Raven and cupping the heel of her hand over her clit. Raven moans as Echo rocks her hand within her, gripping at Echo’s shoulders and not feeling at all bad about the fact that she’s probably leaving nail marks there. “Shit, yes, thank you.” “You make so much noise,” Echo interjects into Raven’s rambling, and she swallows down another expletive with effort as Echo hits a particularly good spot within her. “Sorry, I can - ah! - be quieter,” Raven pants out, grinding into Echo’s hand as her climax grows nearer, doubting her owns words as she says them. “No,” Echo slides a third fingers into Raven and Raven can’t hold back her moan at that, “I like it.” “Shit - okay,” Raven groans, allowing herself all her moans and pants and sighs as Echo soundly finger fucks her, her other hand gripping Raven’s hip tightly. Raven speaks in an incoherent jumble of curses and prayers as tension builds within her. “Fuck, Echo!” Raven cries out as her orgasm breaks, rolling through her in rapid waves. Echo continues to fuck her rapidly through the peak of it, then slows her motions and coaxes Raven back down from her high, until Raven lets out a groan as she stops clenching around Echo’s fingers. “God that was good.” “Good,” Echo says, kissing Raven slowly and decadently as she pulls her hand out of Raven’s pants. She does them back up, and then she leans away and licks her fingers, and shit if that isn’t absurdly hot to Raven. “We should get somewhere more private,” Raven says, her eyes fixed on Echo’s lips as they wraps around her fingers, “And more horizontal, so I can repay the favour. As soon as my legs work again.” Echo drops her hand from her mouth with a grin, and next thing she knows, Raven is swept up in Echo’s arms. She supposes she could feel offended at being carried, but instead Raven finds herself amazed at Echo’s strength, running her hands over her biceps and shoulders, feeling the steely muscles beneath the skin. “Eager much?” Raven jokes, and Echo smiles down at her. “Wouldn’t you be?” Raven can’t argue with that, so she kisses Echo again and tastes herself on her lips. Yes, she’ll definitely repay her. And then some, if Raven gets what she wants.

#the 100 #raven reyes #echo kom azgeda #panda mechanic #i'm coining it that's their ship name #echo #fan fic

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anniesadventuresabroad10 · 7 years

Text

Washington DC

December 27th-30th 2016

I love big cities, I adore museums, and I get unreasonably emotional when surrounded by a lot of history- so naturally I’ve wanted to visit DC for a while now.

My last visit was in 2005 with the rest of my elementary school’s Safety Patrol- and while that trip was fantastic, I wanted to see the city my way and visit the nation’s capitol before the end of Obama’s term.

And so I went. Equipped with my backpack, camera, and far less planning and fewer spreadsheets than normal, I hopped on a Greyhound bus on Tuesday afternoon and arrived in DC with just enough time to be hopelessly turned around in Union Station, have an argument with a metro card machine, and find my hostel before thinking about dinner.

I dropped my bag and headed to a taqueria that came highly recommended and also happened to be 87 feet from my lodgings. Aside from the usual surprise at my dining alone, the staff of El Sol was exceedingly friendly and brought me one of the best margaritas I’ve had (it was probably more tequila than lime, but I’m not complaining!). The chips and salsa were excellent, and the pork in my quesadilla was pretty near perfect. I could easily see why the Washington Post called it the best taqueira in DC. After dinner I returned to my hostel to recharge and plan out the rest of my trip!

For a day that started with a confusing quest for hostel pancakes, my second day in DC was unexpectedly fantastic. After breakfast, I set off into the bright and brisk morning with some vague idea of visiting the National Mall and embracing my inner Leslie Knope. Upon arriving at the dusty green, I set my boots towards the Washington Monument (mostly because none of the museums opened until 10).

I got some great shots and appreciated the opportunity to reflect in the shadows of Washington’s legacy on the current political climate and what can be done to improve the state of things. The visit also provided yet another wonderful excuse to listen to the Hamilton Mixtape again because it was, you know, relevant and whatnot.

Leaving G Wash behind I strolled to the WWII memorial, admiring the wreaths and thinking some more, mostly about the high cost of freedom and how cold my hands were getting. My next stop was clearly visible at the other end of the reflecting pond- The Lincoln Memorial towered above all, trees, people, and ducks alike. I skirted agitated families, had a chat with Abe while reading his 2nd Inaugural Address, and took a few more pictures before taking my leave.

Walking in a nearly straight line from the memorial, I ran into the queue for the Natural History Museum and decided to join it. Cards on the table, I LOVE museums- particularly those for natural history. There’s something comforting about the combination of science and history that just fills me with so much joy. In my happy nerd haze I did get a bit overwhelmed at just how many amazing things there are to know and see and learn- I’m sure the neat rocks, John Muir quotes, National Park pictures, and color chemistry display had something to do with it.

I followed the Natural History Museum with a scarfed down street hot dog and a stroll through several sculpture gardens on my way to the Air and Space Museum. The part of me that never really quite stopped wanting to be an astronaut was giddy with excitement, and the rest of me was pretty pleased too. I sacrificed any cool points I may have had and went through the exhibits with a dumb grin on my face while pushing buttons and exploring all the ways humans have devised to fly.

Stepping out into the sunshine, I realized that I had just enough time to tour the Library of Congress. After a brisk walk around the Capitol, I got my bag searched, grabbed a brochure and then had to actively remind myself how to breathe.

The architecture of the Jefferson Building is breathtaking enough, but add books and a ton of quotes about how great learning is? Full on heart eyes. My favorite parts were the exhibits on the top 40 most influential works of American literature (something about acknowledging the power of books and stories that gets to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) and seeing Jefferson’s library-Jefferson and I may not agree on much politically, but the man did know how to appreciate books. Seeing the main reading room was also quite special, I would have loved to spend more time there, but evidently you need a better reason than “I want to be around books” to obtain a pass. It was an excellent visit.

Feeling a few steps beyond peckish and following a cousin’s recommendation, I decided to try the Founding Farmers. The place was crowded with locals and tourists alike and there was a warm buzz that bounced off the exposed brick and ironwork. After waiting nearly 90 minutes for a table (I had nowhere else to be and they had books about farming, pamphlets from the ND farmer’s union, and plenty in the way of people watching to tide me over) I was seated at the end of a community table and ordered a drink from my waiter who seemed mildly surprised at my dining alone. The clover club cocktail was an excellently balanced combination of gin, lemon, grenadine, and whipped egg white and was exactly what I hadn’t known I wanted after such a long and busy day. For dinner I ordered the chicken and waffles and was given a plate of food so delicious that it made me question if I’d ever actually had chicken and waffles before. Next time I’m in DC I’ll definitely try to come back.

Full, exhausted, and warm I headed back to my hostel, ready to take off my boots and turn in so I could be well rested for Thursday’s adventure.

The sky was grey and the drizzle was undecided on my second morning in DC, which meant my first order of business was finding a cozy local coffee shop from which I would plan out my morning. I wandered into Ebeneezer’s, which was full of people happily enjoying the brews and not talking to one another. I ordered a honey lavender latte, and it was fantastic- just sweet enough and wonderfully floral without tasting like soap. I read and journaled for a bit before deciding to walk over to the temple of American justice- the Supreme Court. They had a delightful exhibit about the building’s history and construction. After taking a gander at the famed spiral staircases, I found my way to the ground floor to join the queue for a courtroom lecture and used the wait time as a chance to sit and admire the spectacular great hall and its Christmas tree.

I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t get a little misty-eyed upon being seated in the chamber where so much history has happened. Even just seeing the chairs where the justices sit while hearing oral arguments was a bit chilling (especially when I began to consider the still missing ninth chair). The lecturer did an excellent job of explaining the appellate system and the functioning of the court while bringing home the enormity of what the judicial branch is responsible for.

As I left the court, a bit shell-shocked and star-struck, I didn’t have much time to dilly dally as I had a walking tour to meet! Though the day was rainy and cold our guide, Ingaborg, was cheerful and told the stories behind the monuments exceedingly well. I gained a greater appreciation for the memorials I’d seen the day before and was able to see the monuments I’d missed. I vaguely remembered the Korean memorial from my last trip, those silently watching statues were just as striking this time around as they were ten years ago.

I also really loved seeing the MLK Memorial in person, and the pictures I took don’t do it justice. There was more to it than I was expecting, instead of just the relief carving, there was a bit of a story all built around the “out of the mountain of darkness, a stone of hope” quote. The FDR Memorial was also very lovely and seeing the Jefferson Memorial at sunset felt rather special- if also very cold and windy.

With the tour ended, my stomach growling, and my knees more than ready for a break, I went off to find dinner at the famous Shake Shack. I found my way to the metro in the gathering darkness and emerged in the middle of a crowd headed to watch a Capitols game. The crowd was also present in the restaurant- nearly every available surface had someone eating on it! I found a perch to eat my fairly good burger and drink a solidly mediocre chocolate shake before leaving, feeling much more energized and patient. I had an early night in order to rest my joints and prepare for my final day in DC.

Friday dawned bright and cold, and I was up and ready for adventure fairly early. I dropped my backpack off at the Union Station luggage storage before heading to Foggy Bottom in search of good coffee and the White House. The cafe I was hunting for was closed for New Years, so I settled for Starbucks to warm and wake myself up as I wandered. The White House was thoroughly barricaded but still neat to look at. I also really liked seeing the National Christmas Tree and Menorah.

I was able to stop at the American History Museum for a little while and really adored it. I saw Julia Child’s kitchen, the original Star Spangled Banner, old lab glassware, and the Classical shirtless statue of George Washington. It was pretty great! I did leave the museum before I’d seen everything because I had someone very exciting to meet and a new museum to see!

Due to some wonderful luck and great timing, I was able to see one of my very best friends and favorite people in the entire universe. My friend and her mom had tickets to the new National Museum of African American History and Culture, and happened to have a spare. The new museum is absolutely gorgeous and is very well thought out. Each exhibit is packed with so much rich detail and there’re so many things to look at! It’s a beautifully done museum and I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to see it. It was also incredible to see my friend because I miss her like crazy and she’s wonderful, so I relished the opportunity to catch-up a bit, and it was great to see her mom again too!

After a great lunch in the museum’s cafe, I said my goodbyes and dashed to Union Station where I collected my bags and headed to the bus stand. I arrived back in Raleigh thoroughly exhausted from my travels, and a bit glad to sleep in my own bed. It was a really lovely trip, and I’m very glad that I decided to listen to the travel bug that’s been biting at my ear for so long now.

I don’t know where my next adventure will take me, but I know I can’t wait

#Washington DC #Travel #Washington #Solo Travel #This whole trip was just me embracing my inner Leslie Knope #I'm such a nerd #especially in museums #history

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