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fragilevixenfic · 3 years

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My AO3 Fanfiction Links (Current)

“I’ve never really thought about making a “Master List” of my own work but I figured, now is the time to do so. If any of the links are incorrect just let me know. I fix.

Adding in a “keep reading” tab because the list is starting to get long and intense.

Each fic is categorized and easily referenced. I’ll update as I go.

X Files

Series

Into The Shadows

XII (COMPLETE): A serial killer targets victims and leaves behind symbols of his affection -- but who is his intended target and what will it take to discover the truth? (This has a lot of trigger warnings)

Dance In The Dark (ONGOING Chapters 12/? Posted **UPDATED): With the continuing murder trial of Miles, Mulder, Scully, and Max are confronted by the VCU with a case that seems to be mimicking the pattern by their, now infamous, psychopath on trial.

Echoes and Whispers

Parallel (COMPLETE): The aftermath of the three little words that Mulder says to Scully in his hospital bed after being rescued from the Queen Anne as it re-appeared in the Bermuda Triangle...and the strange connection that Scully starts to feel to a memory that Scully couldn't possibly have.

Only The Night (ONGOING): Mulder and Scully begin their undercover assignment as an engaged couple with the assistance of Skinner at the University of Maryland to catch a serial rapist, putting their newly formed physical bond to the test in this sequel to “Parallel”.

Casefics

Falling Away (COMPLETE): Kersh’s assignment partially splits the team as Scully goes undercover under the watchful eye of Mulder as they both assist on an operation with SWAT and FBI personnel. (A gift for Greta)

Veritas se revēlet (COMPLETE): (The title is roughly translated to let the truth be revealed in Latin) An impromptu wild goose chase leads Mulder and Scully to the drifts of a winter-locked Tonopah, Nevada—where a little more than the embodiment of Mulder’s imagination takes shape between the walls of the Mizpah Hotel in the dead of winter. (A gift for @monikafilefan)

She Walks at Night (COMPLETE): Mulder’s knack for getting himself and Scully into sticky situations leads them to the heart of NOLA at the tail end of Hurricane season after barely surviving a Floridian storm—to investigate a rumor of a notable Voodoo Queen and missing girls trying to bring her back. (A gift for @starbuck09256)

Intrigues in the Dark (COMPLETE): A string of suicides leads Mulder and Scully to a sleepy, coastal town in Oregon for the second time—on their return to The X File—as tensions run high and nothing is as it seems. (A gift for @admiralty-xfd)

By Light, Unseen (COMPLETE): A series of re-opened cold case murders with one link…they’d been drained of every drop of blood and wore the same, haunting stare toward the sky with their lips aghast as if they were still screaming. (A gift for @serahsanguine)

Post-Series

A House is Not a Home (COMPLETE): The mere thought of raising a newborn in a world full of horrors has every part of Scully’s emotional irrationality over firing on a chilly, winter evening. Mulder wants nothing more than to show her that not everything is gray and grim. (for @danceswithcybermen)

Remember the Reason (COMPLETE): Post Series (Part 1 of the “Little Redhead Series”). Mulder and Scully already knew that life with a newborn would be difficult but the first Christmas with their two-month-old daughter throws every curveball…some worse than others, some more humorous. (For @underworldobsessed)

Confectioners Sugar & Snow Drifts (COMPLETE): Post Series (Part 2 of the “Little Redhead Series”). Mulder spends the morning bonding with Eliana by having a Christmas baking session while Scully is out shopping for gifts. Messes, mayhem, and a healthy dose of laughter ensue. No moment is ever dull as the snow falls outside.

The Easter Bunny was a Fox (COMPLETE): Post Series (Part 3 of the “Little Redhead” Series). Scully has to pick up Bill, Tara, and a couple of surprise family from the airport, leaving Mulder alone with their 6-year-old daughter, Eliana, on Easter Morning. All she has for him are curiosities as Easter’s non-Christian ideology unfolds before her eyes…creating the most unique bonding opportunity for a father and his daughter. (For Flicked_Switch)

Angst/UST/RST

Caught in the Rain (COMPLETE): A dark, rainy night leads Mulder and Scully to a hole in the wall bar where glasses of Scotch and unresolved tension is re-visited.

Or We Can Burn (COMPLETE): Post Never Again - expansion and continuation of the aftermath surrounding what Scully has been hiding from Mulder.

It Lingers (COMPLETE): The aftermath of trauma and the lingering effects of Mulder’s risky attempt to recover the truth about Samantha’s abduction leads to a revelation from Scully about her own coping mechanisms and flashes into a past she doesn’t fully remember...and the path to which they lead thereafter. (For @red2007)

Fluff/Humor

Nervous Laughter (COMPLETE): It’s been two full days since their tender, albeit brief, moment at the stroke of midnight and Mulder decides to be brave and methodical by inviting Scully over for a little movie and popcorn night for a film that has stayed locked in his mind as her favorite—The Exorcist. (This is a gift for @rationalcashew)

Lamplight & Shooting Stars (COMPLETE): It’s Spring-time in DC and spontaneous, mutually taken vacation time has become a personal mission of Mulder’s to surprise Scully with so much more than an escape from their norm—and the unseasonable, uncomfortable city heat. (For @underworldobsessed)

Into the Nightlife (ONGOING): A little paid vacation time never hurt anyone, right? (Not giving anything away this time)

Smut

Insomniac (COMPLETE): Another lonely, sleepless night, another dingy motel, and another town that isn’t home for Mulder…but, something changed, with the last gasp of the air conditioner as his partner, and best friend, chooses to walk through the adjoining door. (Expanded writing exercise)

Vultus in Speculo (COMPLETE): The last of the paperwork on the Strickland case has been finalized and filed and Scully goes off for a drink at a known FBI watering hole. Mulder is invited but doesn’t show up until after Scully is halfway through a drink—giving him an opening to inquire about a whole lot more than her flirtations with the Sheriff in the booth of a rooftop bar. (written for @msrheadcanon

Phosphorescence (COMPLETE): Still reeling from their experience in North Carolina, Mulder and Scully take a much-needed excursion to the coast of Oregon, where a flicker of light becomes more than a curiosity in the middle of the night. (Written for @anniexami)

The Darker Side of Love (COMPLETE): Mulder does not want to talk but he does not want Scully to leave, either. (This is for the MSR fanzine vol 3)

Ficlets/Drabbles/Short Prompt Collection

Affirmations and Protestations: “Fluff and Angst” Prompts (ONGOING):

Chapter 1 - "You Weren't Supposed to Hear That" - prompt #5, 61, 77

Chapter 2 - "Shout!" - prompt #19, 61 (From Valerie)

Chapter 3 - "Litost" - prompt #1, 85, 97 (From Monika)

Chapter 4 - "Ad Infinitum" - prompt #42 (From Minuete)

Chapter 5 - "Brick" - prompt - After Scully calls Mulder in the ep Emily, she asks him to bring her some things from home. Her journal falls to the floor and Mulder sees some things written about him that she has never allowed him to know. (from Monika)

Chapter 6 - "I'd rather be oblivious" - prompt #46 (from Annie)

Criminal Minds

Angst/UST/RST

Dulce Periculum (COMPLETE): Maxine and Spencer have continued seeing each other, in spite of the interference brought to the surface by Cat Adams. Spencer continues to work closely with the BAU after it nearly dismantled, with signature members scattering to the winds, leaving behind only a few, including himself, to keep working on their caseload. After a long, intense case, Spencer returns home to a little more than a can of worms. (A gift for an anonymous prompter)

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Angst/UST/RST

Chasing your Silhouette (COMPLETE): They’d learned each other’s quirks and intricacies on the job—but when did it become over the line? When did physicality become a detriment to them once they’ve taken off their shields? When did they realize the line in the sand no longer existed? (This is meant to take place a couple weeks after “Zebras” – had to assume a timeline, I don’t remember actual dates)

Paternity Redux - Time Just Stopped (COMPLETE): Her strength has always been immeasurable—but sometimes, something has to give and a string breaks. Nothing will ever be the same.“I’m trying my best, that is enough.” - UnknownThis is part of a challenge, to right a series of wrongs in an episode that has perpetrated many a discussion of “What Could Have Been”. WriterKC, Liv.Einziger, JustAnotherBookWorm78, MrsWellRested, EORocks, AlexisDawn, ChriskaPeach, and I have stepped up to the plate to do just that.

Oblivion (ONGOING 9/? Chapters posted ***UPDATED***): The undercover operation in Oregon takes an unexpected, unpleasant turn for Olivia Benson as an injury turns her life, and career, upside-down leaving her with pieces of her memory scattered in the wind.

Humor

Unlock the Door (TENTATIVELY COMPLETE 2/2): Olivia returns home from a celebratory series of shots with Kim Greylek and lets Elliot Stabler hear a little more than she ever intended to in the aftermath.

Series

Polaroids and Promises (COMPLETE): The Special Victims Unit has undergone an enormous amount of changes in the past six months, to the point that they are drastically undermanned—until a transfer from the 13th precinct brings new life, and a little chaos, to the team. Will her addition prove to be a permanent shift or a flash in the pan?

Discarded Dignity (COMPLETE): Elora continues to gain much-needed confidence as a member of the Special Victims Unit but an arrival booked for trespassing, assaulting an officer, and disorderly throws her progress into chaos as her past jumps to the surface. Will she be able to look beyond the misstep to solve one of the most convoluted cases she’s faced?

Contract Corruption (ONGOING 10/?): Dickie Stabler and Justin Andrisani are in over their heads--and the members of SVU and the Organized Crime task force must come together in order to set things right.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit/Organized Crime Crossover

Series

Words of love, words of lies, words of loss

Age of Regret (COMPLETE): Elliot Stabler has never been good with words but ten years and a double on the rocks in a lonely room will make a man pour his heart out…in any way that he can.

Infidelis (COMPLETE): Elliot had been haunted by too many ghosts; expectations, fantasies, and a promise that he knew should never be kept. It was time to lay them all to rest. “I do not regret you…I regret what you did to me.” - Unknown

#My fics #X Files #Criminal Minds #this is ongoing #someday soon #this will have SVU on it #all the fics #Law and Order: Special Victims Unit #yes I have more #no they are not all done #I'm a little crazy #Organized Crime #crossover

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imhaitusncarnate · 3 years

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I have very mixed feelings on that aot ending

Ok so the politics of Attack on Titan have been discussed by a lot of people, some of whom have a very surface- level understanding of the story. I would like to start by giving my disclaimer that Attack on Tiatan ABSOLUTELY isn’t fascist, its anti racism, anti bigotry and anti discrimination themes are extremely apparent in it’s examination of the Eldians inside Marley, and fascist views held by characters such as Gabi are explicitly condemned in the text and made clear to be misguided and false.

I would now like to draw everyone’s attention to the openings of seasons 1 and 2.

Images like these combined with lyrics like these:

You pigs who sneer at our will to step over corpses and march onwards Enjoy the peace of livestock false prosperity "freedom" of the dying wolves that hunger

We dedicate and sacrifice our hearts

And also the use of german lyrics:

Sie sind das Essen und Wir sind die Jaeger! (they are the food and we are the hunters)

O, mein Freund! Jetzt hier ist ein Sieg. Dies ist der erste Glorie. O, mein Freund! Feiern wir diesen Sieg, für den nächsten Kampf!

(O, my friend! Now, here is a victory. This is the first glory. O, my friend! Let us celebrate this victory for the next battle!)

This is the stuff that lead me to believe that this is a deliberate use of fascist imagery. If the show just wanted to go for a militaristic vibe for the aesthetic of it, references this explicit to fascist propaganda and the use of German lyrics was not necessary. Also, lines like this:

And plenty of evidence that things were not what they seemed it the world of aot and that the overly simplistic view of good vs evil (humans vs the titans) was incorrect led me to believe that Attack on Titan was a deliberate deconstruction. That it was putting the audience into the mindset of the fascists to pull the rug from under their feet later. And I was right. Sort of.

As the story progresses, the world becomes a more and more complex political landscape and we are led to believe that this black and white mentality is wrong. We are also informed that the people who can transform into titans, the Eldians, are an opressed minority, explicitly paralleled to the Jews during nazi Germany, from their living in internment camps, to them being called devils, to their armbands, to a large number of them (our heroes) being confined in an island with walls circling them, which is revealed by Isayama to be Madagascar. The island that the nazis originally meant to confine the Jewish population in before arriving at the conclusion that that would be too costly, and that genocide was preferable.

This is the first of the story’s mixed metaphors. While the show’s heart is in the right place, being sympathetic to the Eldians and showing their plight under marleyan opression and persecution, there is one problem. The reason for the opression of the Eldians is because the world is afraid of their power, as they are a race with the ability to transform into titans. There is, therefore, a tangible, justification for their internment. The Jews were not in any conceivable way a danger to anyone, they were simply scapegoated for the complex socioeconomic problems of Germany in the time period. Also, if we take a look at those openings again, we observe that the Eldians (our main characters) who wish to free themselves from their shackles are framed as fascists. So... what is that saying?

The idea, as I see it, is that the story is condemning fanaticism in general, as a biproduct of a militaristic black and white worldview. The monstrous titans that our (framed as fascist) heroes fight against are revealed to be human, just like them.

The same is the case for the Eldian “devils” that the Marleyans fight against. Gabi, the character who is most fanatically against Eldians (despite being an Eldian herself) is comfronted with the humanity of the people she hates once she gets to know them.

Again, Isayama’s heart is on the right place here, trying to condemn bigotry, however the explicit referencing of history is the imagery is kind of misplaced, for the reasons I previously mentioned. Now let’s have a look at Eren Yeager.

Eren starts the story as a kind of messed up kid. He kills the human traffickers who kidnapped Mikasa while screaming:

I mean, in this case he is certainly justified, but his rage and anger are definitely not normal for a child his age.

This is Eren. He can’t stand injustice when he sees it. And injustice is what happens to him when the titans attack. His already fiery attitude and mindset is what leads him to this declaration of revenge:

That side of Eren is visible throughout the story and it’s foreshadowing for what he will later become

Eren, however, is a natural product of his environment. Ravaged by socioconomic inequality, with the rich living in the centre of the walls and the poor living in the outskirts, constantly under the threat of the titans and unable to obtain any kind of freedom, Eren’s philosophy of the need to be strong to overcome one’s enemies makes sense. The mantra “the strong prey on the weak”, that he ends up teaching Mikasa (another allusion to fascist ideology) is a biproduct of the world he lives in. He does not know of the political intricasies outside the walls. All he knows is he must kill the titans.

Eren’s titan is described as the “manifestation of humanity’s rage. It is huge and monstrous, and could be seen as a metaphor for vengeful hatred in general. Keep that in mind, it’s relevant for the ending.

This manufactured and false black and white worldview shapes him as a character, and it’s what eventually, after the arrival at the much desired ocean, leads him to this:

“Will we finally be free?”

In the continuation of the story, Eren falls toward the dark side more and more, to the point of committing atrocities and war crimes that are explicitly framed as being similar to what he suffered as a child (see his actions in Liberio). He even acknowledges that, telling Reiner, the person who committed said war crimes against him, that he essentially has no hard feelings and understands that the two of them are similar, doing what “needs to be done”. The character of Gabi, who, after what happens in Liberio, becomes obsessed with revenge against the Eldian “devils” is meant to be a foil for Eren, and his obsession with killing the titans after what happened to him.

Extremely interesting is the way in which certain ideas and images are flipped in the later seasons. Namely, in season 4, we see a character who idolizes Mikasa and supports Eren’s plans in a scene where she spouts the same mantra of “the strong prey on the weak” and says that Mikasa saving her is what showed her that only with strength she can defeat her enemies. Mikasa tells her to shut up, and she proceeds to do the salute, that has been so glamorized by the show’s openings thus far. Now, it is done by a person from a military faction with a fanatic worldview. The direction doesn’t glamorize it at all. It is a nuanced, almost masterful deconstruction.

Levi, who has always looked for reasons for why his comrades had t die, justifying their heroism and convincing himself that their deaths were not pointless, ends up here:

At this point, I was in love with Attack on Titan. From here, it only figures that Eren ends up attempting a genocide of the people outside the walls. He has essentally become what he hated the most, and he’s a natural result of the world that created him. Despite his noble intentions, he has turned into a monster. Mikasa, the prerson who loved him the most, completes her character arc by killing him, thus rejecting her blind devotion to him and being free, while at the same time continuing to love the person he once was. It’s a sad and tragic ending, painting Eren as a tragic character and making a pretty strong political point, despite having a few mixed metaphors.

And then, chapter 139 came out...

And Eren apparently pulled a Lelouch. This is a “I purposfully turned myself into a monster to save the world and make my friends into heroes for killing me” kind of thing. It is important to state that the manga makes it clear that Eren would have trampled the world even if they didn’t stop him, because of his urge to be free. However, that urge, that fighting spirit, end up being a good thing. The death of our heroes in battle apparently wasn’t pointless after all. They say goodbye with a salute

The Yeagerists, who were previously framed as fanatics, end up in charge of the government

It is important to state that the real event, the catalyst of the ending, is that killing Eren, who has turned himself literally into the manifestation of humanity’s rage (which has now, through the intricacies of the story, taken the political meaning of hatred and intergenerational trauma), eliminates the power of the titans. The titans are no more. This, in of itself, is good, and in keeping with the spirit of the political commentary thus far. However, the war, is still not over, and Eren’s mantra ends up being correct

So the only way for the war to end is one of the races to be wiped out?

Also, despite Eren’s genocide being wrong, it is, in the end, justified, as a necessary evil by the story. An Ozymandias kind of moment in which the ends justify the means, but Eren himself has to die, because his crime was too great for him not to suffer punishment. Essentially, this chapter undoes all of the insightful commentary the story had made so far, by proving the ideology of its main character right. Story- wise this isn’t a bad ending, but if we take into account the political references the series has made, and its desire to explicitly tie itself with such imagery makes the ending leave a really bad taste in my mouth. What it essentally says, is that, yes, bigotry and racism are bad, yes, blind hatred is bad, but the general idea of might makes right and the impossibility of reconciliation are true. Armin, who has, throughuout the story, been Eren’s opposite, in terms of looking for peaceful solutions to conflict is rendered meaningless in the end, because him alongside with the other characters were all playing into Eren’s plans. The hearts of our main characters as recruits were in the right place, their fighting spirit admirable, and the overall worldview we are presented with in the beginning of the story remains more or less unchallenged.

So where does that leave this imagery?

The conclusion is that one must think very carefully before including allegory in their work. I am not accusing Isayama for fascism, and I appreciate the efforts at deconstructing it throughout the story. However, in the end he did an oops I accidentally justified the mentality I was trying to condemn. I still like Attack on Titan, I believe it has artistic value and is overall a pretty good anime, I even agree with its politics to an extent. However, it is very important to critically examine the things we like, and see where they may have gone south. And this ending is that for me.

#attack on titan #aot #snk #shingeki no kyojin #snk spoilers #snk meta #aot meta #politics #anime

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 3 years

Link

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 22, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

CNN’s bombshell revelation of Trump loyalist lawyer John Eastman’s six-point memo of instructions for overturning the 2020 election—discussed in the new book by veteran journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa—seems to be sparking a reckoning with how dangerous the Trump loyalists are to the survival of American democracy.

Eastman responded to the story by saying the released memo was only a draft and then giving CNN the final version, which was longer but no less damning—just how damning was indicated by two separate things.

First, J. Michael Luttig, the former United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit whom Pence had asked for advice about whether he could overturn the election results, quickly took to Twitter to distance himself from the story, saying: “I was honored to advise Vice President Pence that he had no choice on January 6, 2021, but to accept and count the Electoral College votes as they had been cast and properly certified by the states…. I believe(d) that Professor Eastman was incorrect at every turn of the analysis in his January 2 memorandum.” Eastman had been Luttig’s law clerk.

Second, former president Trump promptly sued his niece Dr. Mary L. Trump, the New York Times, and three New York Times reporters, claiming they were part of an “insidious plot” to obtain and publish his tax records “to gain fame, notoriety, acclaim and a financial windfall and were further intended to advance their political agenda.” Although the New York Times articles accused Trump of tax fraud, the former president did not claim libel or defamation in the suit. Legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Joyce Alene White Vance noted that to win on that point, he would have to prove that the reporting about his finances wasn’t true, and he was all but conceding he could not do that.

Trump used a lawyer that he has not used before to launch the suit, which Mary Trump, whose doctorate is in psychology, dismissed as the work of a desperate “loser” who was “going to throw anything against the wall he can.”

Eastman was no fly-by-night; he is a senior member of the Federalist Society and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (as well as for Judge Luttig). Eastman’s standing in the so-called conservative movement makes it all the more astonishing that, to my knowledge, no leading Republican lawmaker has commented on the revelations of just how close we came to the installation of Trump instead of the duly elected presidential candidate, Joe Biden, in January.

Instead, Republican lawmakers are making headlines by refusing even to negotiate over the debt ceiling, simply saying the Democrats are on their own. They appear to be trying to replace one crisis with another, trying to turn public attention away from Trump’s attempted coup to the idea that Democrats are wild spendthrifts (although the Trump administration added about $7.8 trillion of today’s $28 trillion debt, and during his term, Congress voted to raise the debt ceiling three times).

It is impossible to overstate just how momentous are both an attempted coup and an attempt to force the U.S. to default on its debts.

Other news about the Trump administration and the January 6 Capitol insurrection is surfacing, as well.

On Monday, a federal court in Washington, D.C. unsealed an indictment alleging that, with the help of conservative author Doug Wead, Jesse Benton, a political operative from Kentucky closely allied with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), illegally directed foreign money from a Russian businessman to the 2016 Trump campaign. That the Department of Justice sat on the case for close to five years, even while the question of connections between the Trump campaign and Russians was white hot, suggests political interference with that department.

On Tuesday, the New York Times broke the story that in November 2020, when leaders from the Trump campaign began insisting before television cameras that the election of two weeks before had been stolen by George Soros and Venezuelans using Dominion voting systems, they had already circulated an internal memo debunking that entire conspiracy theory.

It seems they knew what they were alleging was false. The document surfaced in a lawsuit: Dominion has sued Trump lawyers Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani for defamation. This memo will not help their case.

Today, Hugo Lowell, congressional reporter for The Guardian, reported that the House select committee investigating the 6 January attack on the U.S. Capitol is considering issuing non-negotiable subpoenas this week for Trump’s White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and his deputy chief Dan Scavino, as well as Trump’s former campaign manager Brad Parscale.

A far right Republican from North Carolina, Meadows helped to found the Freedom Caucus and was one of Trump’s closest supporters in Congress before taking the chief of staff job. Scavino ran Trump’s social media accounts—including Twitter—and was one of the former president’s closest confidants. Parscale was the Trump campaign’s digital manager after being replaced as campaign manager in July 2020. Subpoenas for the phone records or testimony of these three men would help the committee members figure out what was happening inside the Oval Office on January 6.

Tonight on MSNBC, committee member Adam Schiff (D-CA), a former federal prosecutor who is chair of the House Intelligence Committee and was lead manager for Trump’s first impeachment trial, told anchor Nicolle Wallace that the committee is investigating the activities surrounding January 6 as “a conspiracy to commit a coup.”

Schiff warned that while Trump loyalists tried to undermine democracy on January 6, mounting evidence suggests that through voter suppression and the replacement of nonpartisan election officials with boards of Trump loyalists, Republican lawmakers are continuing that effort today.

"We're going to follow the facts," said Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY), the committee’s vice chair. "What happened in the run-up to January 6, what happened on the 6th. What happened after the 6th."

—

Notes:

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/22/1039642768/trump-sues-niece-mary-new-york-times-over-tax-return-stories

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/22/nyregion/mary-trump-taxes-lawsuit.html

Joyce Alene @JoyceWhiteVanceThere is a good reason "Trump made no claims of libel or defamation against the paper or Mary Trump in the suit." He would have to prove that the NYT's reporting about his finances wasn't true in order to win. And, he all but concedes he can't with this. https://t.co/7qya7qXhuH

711 Retweets2,455 Likes

September 22nd 2021

https://electionlawblog.org/?p=124721

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/15/federalist-society-under-fire-after-leader-spoke-at-pro-trump-rally-before-riot.html

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/its-been-5-years-since-russian-cash-was-allegedly-funneled-into-the-trump-campaign-why-wasnt-it-charged-until-now

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/21/us/trump-campaign-memo.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/21/us/politics/trump-dominion-voting.html

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/16/trump-scavino-1327921

https://www.rawstory.com/adam-schiff-select-committee/

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/22/politics/january-6-committee-investigation-latest/index.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/21/capitol-attack-panel-trump-white-house-aides

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#political #attempted coup #corrupt GOP #criminal GOP #January 6 2021 #Letters From An American #Heather Cox Richardson #corruption #Civil War #US Congress #Debt Ceiling

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ymiwritesstuff · 4 years

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A Siren’s Song

I had this idea for some time and I may have gotten a bit carried away but I’m very proud of the final result! I’ve tried looking at Revali’s character a bit more in depth and I think this oneshot really shows that! Also yeah, the reader is a siren. Please enjoy!!

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild

Revali x Siren!Fem!Reader

Summary: After being assigned a quite boring and troublesome mission the Rito Champion finds himself on the stranded island of Eventide, though he soon finds out that he isn’t the only one there.

The navy blue Rito huffed in annoyance as he flew over the cerulean waters of the Necluda Sea. Out of all the things he could have been assigned to, this was by far the most belittling and cumbersome. To think that the Princess, so dependent on his superior skills, underestimated said skills by having him search for this isolated shrine allegedly located on a faraway island, was it called Eventide? He couldn’t recall as his annoyance was far outweighing his desire to visit this remote island. Revali understood why he was chosen for this painfully simple mission as he could most efficiently cross the vast sea separating the island from mainland Hyrule with his impressive flying, though this didn’t mean he was any less irritated about it.

As the island slowly came to view Revali’s eyes quickly scanned the area in case he could already see this alleged shrine. He sighed as he saw nothing of interest and continued approaching the isle. However, as he got closer, instead of seeing something, a faint sound reached him, and he could just barely hear it. Revali frowned his brows, the sound becoming clearer and clearer the closer he got, and for some reason, he felt this strange need to follow this sound. It was now clear to him that what he was following was a female voice singing somewhere on the island, the intricate melodies ringing in his head like a spell, almost asking him to follow it.

The heavenly voice the Rito couldn’t ignore led him to a sandy beach and beyond as he quickly realized that the sound was coming from the sea itself. He slowed down, the singing being now incredibly close as he could now hear it louder than ever. Revali hovered above the still somewhat shallow water, the voice seemingly echoing below the surface. His curious emerald eyes looked down, trying to see if he could witness the source of this mysterious singing. His eyes caught something. A figure, swimming in the water, effortlessly floating in the blue liquid and glimmering under the sun. He lowered himself further, desiring to see this mystical figure in more detail. However, this decision soon proved to be treacherous.

Suddenly, the singing ceased and Revali snapped out of the trance-like state he was just under, only to be violently pulled under the surface by an unknown force. Panic quickly kicked in and the Rito began thrashing around, desperately trying to reach the surface to get air. However, whatever was holding him had an iron-like grip on his torso that refused to let go, no matter how much he struggled. Revali was pulled deeper and deeper, the sunlight from the surface barely visible anymore. He was running out of options, and most crucially, oxygen.

The only and possibly last option that entered his mind seemed ridiculous and he wasn’t even certain it would work, however, there was nothing else to do. The vicious predator never loosened its grip as it dragged him down, certain that there was no way for the Rito to escape. But suddenly, something happened and the Rito was carried up by something that looked like an updraft. The unknown creature couldn’t keep up with the speed and was forced to let go, allowing Revali to shoot up from the ocean and not so gracefully land on the sand of the beach.

The Rito panted, trying to catch his breath, secretly thanking the Goddesses that he was able to escape. Trying to use his technique underwater was incredibly risky, but Revali was relieved to see that it had succeeded in saving his life. Realization quickly hit him as the battle was not over yet and whatever had just attacked him was still lurking around somewhere. He quickly stood up, his soaked feathers weighing him down a bit and he went to grab his bow from his back. Only to realize that it was not there. He frantically looked around, trying to find his weapon, but it was nowhere to be seen.

“Looking for this?” Your voice came through and stopped the Rito in his tracks as you emerged from the water, holding his Great Eagle Bow in your hand. Revali looked at you noting your scaly skin, long claws, but most notably, your tail. The Rito didn’t say a word, which caused your already existing smirk to widen. “You survived. That’s quite impressive. No one has been able to do that yet,” you say and look at the weapon in your hand, carefully examining it. “Hmm.. Quite the craftsmanship… Do you mind if I keep this?” Your eyes turn to look at Revali, who merely crosses his wings and scoffs.

“I doubt such a primitive beast like you would know how to properly utilize such a weapon’s strengths.” The tone of his voice is mocking, which surprises you, coming from someone who just almost met their doom. His eyes don’t even bother to look at you, which is meant to indicate that he saw you as an inferior being, however this has little to no effect on you.

“You’re a Rito, right?” He glanced at you and raised his brow most likely surprised a creature like you knew about the races living in Hyrule. Your smirk widened at this. “I’ve seen a few of you fly by. Though none have been brainless enough to approach me.” You glance at him, your eyes alone shining in a way that challenges his presence. “Well, until now.” Internally, your words painfully strike his pride, making himself feel like a fool. Externally, however, he merely laughs sarcastically and scoffs again.

“Only a lowly creature like you would resort to such cowardly methods in battle.” He brought his still wet wing to his chest as he continued to bathe in his own words of praise: “If you had revealed yourself like a true warrior, my victory would have been but assured.” Despite his words meant to be condescending, you couldn’t help but giggle at them. “Yet this lowly creature almost killed you.” Revali’s previously confident expression fell slightly, but you were able to catch that subtle change in his body language and it only fueled your own confidence.

“You know what? I like you. And it would be rude of me to leave you to fend for yourself,” you say, referring to his bow that was still in your clawed hand. Revali raised his brow at you, knowing full well that you were planning something as he wasn’t foolish enough to think that a creature of deceit would just offer his weapon without asking for anything in return. “However as I’m sure you already know, I can’t just give this beauty back to you for free. In fact, I need you to fetch something from me.” As soon as these words left your mouth, Revali let out a seemingly nonchalant laugh, most likely to fuel his facade.

“Ha! And why would I, Revali, the Legendary Rito Champion, obtain anything for the likes of you?” The Rito had raised his voice, and it was now echoing around the entire island. You sigh in fake disappointment and frown your brows to appear hurt. “I thought you might say something like that. Oh well.” Revali’s eyes widen when he sees you stretching the bowstring and pretending to shoot something, his gaze immediately noting the incorrect technique. “I suppose I will become an archer then,” You say with a voice that has a tone of underlying mischievousness as your claws come dangerously close to scratching the wooden surface of the bow. Your little trick is working as Revali is quick to stop you.

“Don’t do that!” He suddenly yelled which he immediately realized to be a crack in his seemingly unconcerned facade. You look at him with a smirk and he grumbles something under his breath. “Curse you…” He clears his throat and swallows his pride for this brief moment, only for the sake of his weapon. “What is it that you want me to obtain?” He asks rather quietly and your gaze immediately lights up.

“Aww, I knew I could count on you!” You exclaim mockingly, which only increases Revali’s feeling of humiliation. Your (E/C) eyes look at him properly for the first time as you state your request: “Are you familiar with the spirit dragon Farosh? It is said to appear near the Bridge of Hylia.” Revali listened closely, unsure what you were about to request. He was familiar with the spirit dragons, however wasn’t certain if they even really existed. “Now this is where you come along.” You said to make sure he was listening. “What I need, is a scale from this dragon. And you need to find a way to get me one.” You smiled playfully and Revali crossed his wings once more.

“You require a scale from a spirit dragon? And what do you plan on doing with it?” He asked, suspicion and strange curiosity coating his voice. You chuckle lightly and shake your head. “That’s classified information and totally irrelevant to the topic. I simply need it. And if you ever wish to use this quite stunning bow again, you’d better do as I requested.” A smirk makes its way across your lips again and you notice Revali’s own irritation growing. “So, do we have a deal, oh great Champion Revali?”

The navy blue Rito clicked his tongue in annoyance, but couldn’t do much to improve his situation. Other than comply. “Fine.” Your smirk widened at that, but you soon notice him stretching his wing out and taking a few steps closer to the shore. “However I need that in order to succeed,” He said, a smug smirk of his own dancing along his beak. You let out a laugh. How stupid did he think you were?

“Oh no, I won’t fall for that. I’ll be holding onto this,” you say, lightly caressing the bow. “To make sure that you won’t trick me.” You glance at him and see his face once again twisted by exasperation. He didn’t say anything, instead he crouched down and prepared to take off, not even bothering to look at you. “I’ll be waiting here. Just throw the scale into the ocean when you return and you’ll get your precious bow back. I promise.” You say with rare authenticity the Rito also notices. However, your features quickly revert to how they were moments ago. “Also, don’t take too long, I might get bored and leave the area. You wouldn’t want to lose-”

You didn’t have time to finish your words of tease when a huge gust of wind blew from below the Rito, drying his wet feathers in the process. With one leap he was flung into the air and began heading towards the direction he initially came from. You raised your brow at this but smiled in amusement.

“So that’s how you did it…”

To the Rito’s surprise, he was able to find this supposed spirit dragon and obtain its scale in a few days, albeit not easily. Having no previous knowledge of this dragon as well as approaching it without his trusty bow, Revali found the process troublesome and far too tedious and suffered a few minor shocks from the spirit. In addition to this, the Rito wasn’t certain why, but he felt a bizarre feeling of curiosity when it came to you. Perhaps it was merely something everyone like you possessed, seeing as your primary tactic was to allure people close and brutally drown them. The captivating song you sung upon your first meeting seemed to have planted a part of it within him. Regardless, he was successful in his little mission and was now on his way back to the stranded island to hopefully get his Great Eagle Bow back.

The Rito landed on the familiar beach, seeing no signs of anyone around him. He looked around a few more times before sighing in defeat and throwing the scale into the water, secretly praying that you wouldn’t just snatch it and leave. The scale floated on the surface and for a good few minutes, nothing happened, which made Revali wonder if you had tricked him from the very beginning. His patience had limits and it wouldn’t take long before he would accept defeat and leave the island with a bitter taste on his tongue.

However, suddenly something shot up from the water, and the emerald-eyed Rito could see two clawed hands grabbing the scale, followed by your familiar form emerging from the water, his bow securely on your back. Your (E/C) eyes admired the scaled and there was a wide, genuine smile on your lips. “You found it! You actually found it! For the love of Farore I never thought you’d be able to-” You stopped your excited exclamations when you noticed Revali looking at you, his wings crossed in front of his chest and a smirk stretching the corners of his beak. “Awfully enthusiastic, aren’t we? And here I thought you were nothing more than a traitorous snake,” He stated, strangely amused at your reaction.

You cleared your throat as his comment threw you off a bit. “Well, I suppose looks can deceive.” You grab his bow from your back and take a final look at it. “I’ve grown quite fond of this one, I almost don’t want to let it go.” Your words are meant to once again irritate him, but when you look at him, his expression is rather hard to read. However, it is clear that he wants his bow back. “But I am a woman of my word,” You finally say and toss the bow to him, which he immediately catches, quickly examining it before placing it on his back.

“I appreciate the cooperation, Miss…” His voice trails off, having realized that he doesn’t in fact know your name.

“(Name). My name is (Name).” A smile makes its way on your lips as you formally introduce yourself for the first time. Revali nods. “Well, (Name). I do hope you find a good use for that scale. Having me fetch it for you is quite the honor, I’ll have you know,” He says, feeding his pride once again. You playfully roll your eyes but laugh nonetheless. “I can imagine.” Suddenly, your eyes are firmly locked on him, their previous sarcastic and mischievous shine having disappeared completely as you hold the scale against your chest.

“Thank you, Revali. Truly.”

His eyes widen at this sincerity in your voice and the way your eyes look at him. The Rito feels a strange tingly sensation within him and isn’t quite sure how to respond, so he resorts to promptly turning around and preparing his gale. “The pleasure is mine, (Name).” He says, before raising his wings to the air.

“Will I see you again?!” You suddenly shout, almost unwillingly. The words leave your mouth faster than you can think and it makes the Rito stop his departure before it truly began. He glances at you and regains some of that sarcastic attitude he is so renowned for. “Perhaps. But it would certainly take a while.” His beak turns into a smirk and his eyes shine in playfulness. “Say, a hundred years or so. But I doubt you’d manage to wait that long,” he jokes, his words sounding silly to himself as well. In reality, though, he isn’t sure, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t wish to see you again.

“I’ll wait. I’ll wait for you as long as I have to. Who knows, maybe I’ll need more scales in the future.” The tone of your voice is similar to his, but in truth, you are somewhat serious. This cocky Rito somehow stuck to you and for some reason, the thought of not seeing him again saddened you in a way. Revali shakes his head and chuckles slightly.

“I suppose we’ll both have to wait and see. Regardless, I’ll gladly demonstrate my superior skills to you in the future.” And with that, he summoned that familiar updraft and soared to the sky, this time flipping and gliding around more than it was necessary. His movements were precise, effortless, perfect. Your (E/C) eyes shined in awe as you witnessed his dance in the sky. The sight of you, completely captivated by his elegant maneuvers, greatly amused him.

“I’ll have you know, (Name), my greatness far exceeds that which you currently see!”

With one final flip and look into your eyes, the Rito Champion changed his course toward Hyrule, leaving your awestruck form behind. “Until next time!” You blinked a couple of times, still holding the scale close, your tail lightly swinging below the surface. Even when Revali’s form got farther away, you found yourself staring at the silhouette of the Rito. There was just something about him. Something special under that arrogant shell. You smile to yourself and prepare to dive into the water.

“What a showoff…”

With all that has occurred, you can’t help but think that him escaping your deadly grip the first time you met was a good thing. And if it really took a full century to simply witness those splendid movements again, you would gladly, and patiently, wait for his return on this very beach.

#loz #legend of zelda #breath of the wild #loz botw #legend of zelda breath of the wild #loz revali #revali #legend of zelda revali #loz revali x reader #revali x reader #loz x reader #legend of zelda x reader #reader insert

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anon-e-miss · 3 years

Text

Intransigence 7

“Origin,” Smokescreen chastised his originator as he adjusted the berth so Prowl was sitting up ever so slightly. He slipped pillows behind Prowl’s back, and fussed with them until he was satisfied with the results. “You can’t just slag off Ratchet like that.”

“Nothing I said was incorrect,” Prowl replied.

Jazz could not help but grin. Ratchet’s field tended, at least when he was irritated, to put his more recalcitrant patients back in line. If it had done anything to Prowl, it had made him even more contrary. In all fairness to Prowl, he was probably right. He lived with his systems, and had from the moment he had taken his first intake. Ten invasive processor surgery, four rounds under a mnemosurgeon’s needles, once violent enough to have destroyed wiring, and to scar. That sounded to Jazz like a mnemosurgeon who did not need to be practising. Why had Prowl not complained? Why was Smokescreen angry? Maybe he would get the answers out of Smokescreen.

“All the same ‘m gonna recommend listenin’ to Ole Hatchet ‘til he springs ya,” Jazz cautioned. “He will weld ya to the berth if ya try to sneak off.”

“Jazz would know,” Smokescreen declared.

“Ya got no respect for yer elders, mechlin’,” Jazz replied.

“He does not,” Prowl agreed.

Smokescreen grinned. Prowl’s were dim. His jaw was tight as he endured the frame wide aches from such an extensive surgery. There were fresh welds, covered by shiny nanite gel along the sides of his chassis were panels of sentio metallico had been removed to give access to his most intimate circuitry. His protoform had a pronounced, natural slope at the chassis. The armour he wore only enhanced it a little. Smokescreen took after him a great deal; the longer Jazz looked at them together, the more he could see it. They were close, as close as creation and procreator could be. On the surface Prowl seemed dour and even severe but there was a softness around the edges when he looked at Smokescreen. There was none of the acerbic temper he had used on Ratchet. When Jazz wondered how someone as unorthodox as Smokescreen had come from such serious a mech he thought perhaps Prowl was just as unorthodox. Jazz had already heard how defiant he could be when faced with authority he did not respect. The mech intrigued him, there was no doubt about that.

“What can I do for ya, Prowl?” Jazz asked.

“Did Barricade survive?” Prowl asked.

“Thanks to Ratchet,” Jazz replied. “He’s in a CR chamber under guard. Probably a while before I can question ‘m. Garboil’s in the wind. We’re huntin’m.”

“Do you have any idea why they staged the assault on me?”

“Not yet.”

“Is there space in the barracks for Smokescreen to stay,” Prowl asked. His clear blue optics had brightened. There was intelligence and power in them. Jazz nodded his helm, his processor had drawn the same conclusions.

“He’ll stay wit me.”

“You think he might come to the habsuite,” Smokescreen said.

“It is a possibility,” Prowl replied. “If he thinks I know something or have something, that is where he might look. He probably already dug through my desk in the precinct.”

“Would ya notice?” Jazz asked.

“No,” Prowl replied. “Official case files are stored in the evidence room. Individual investigators will have files stored in their desks or on their workstations. I do not.”

“Why not?” Jazz asked.

“Because my files are stored in my battle computer. I only store evidence in the case files downstairs. My investigatory theories exist only in my helm.”

“Everything?”

“Everything. My processor works faster than most workstations. My battle computer is capable of running sims. I have hyperthymesia as an aspect of my glitch. I do not need to record a thought down. Everything is backed up in my processor.”

“Frag, that’d be intense,” Jazz figured everyone had things they would rather forget. “Ya can’t think o’ anythin’ ya got on ‘em that might ‘o brought this on?”

“No. I am not internal affairs. The only “evidence” I have against them would be the schedules and that is more a mark against Flatfoot than any of them.”

“We’re questioning Flatfoot. He’s playin’ coy, ‘n I don’t buy it. I want ya to think on it, when ya can, other than denting the fragger’s ego, what reason might Flatfoot have had for sickin’ the goons on ya.”

“You think Flatfoot sent them after me?”

“He was in communication wit Barricade ‘round two kliks before ya got jumped. Fifteen nanoklik comm call in the middle o’ the dark-cycle when Flatfoot was off shift. He made the comm. Tells me it was a miss dial. I don’t believe ‘m.”

“I do know why... unless his ego is even more delicate than I realized.”

“Think on it. The littlest think might seem like nothin’ but it could be everythin’.”

“Bream’s up,” Ratchet declared as he returned. Jazz nodded to him.

“I’ll step out ‘n wait. Smokey probably wants to stay ‘til his origin’s chargin’.”

He stepped out into the hallway and leaned against the wall, next to the door. Down the hall, Barricade remained int the CR chamber. Though there was no danger of the mech coming around any time soon, he remained, in Jazz’s processor, an ongoing threat. The Primal Vanguard was serving as the, very, armed guard in rotating shifts. Spec Ops did not have the mecha power to serve as guards, and were more suited to other duties. They were hunting for Garboil, and they were digging apart Flatfoot’s life. Jazz continue his own hunt, picking through every channel within the datanet, to see if he could not pick up some trail, or some link. This was something he could do from home, since home, or as close to it, was where Smokescreen needed to be.

It pleased Jazz that Prowl had come to the same conclusion as him. In the light-cycle he would take Smokescreen to the habsuite he shared with his originator and make sure everything remained on the up and up. Mirage had already been by, only long enough to install a few cameras to monitor the door and the hallway. Everything had been normal then, but in the joors that followed, who knew? If Garboil turned up though, Jazz would have his face on camera, and a piping hot trail. It would not be a terrible thing. Though Prowl and Smokescreen would probably prefer these creeps not turn up at their home. Smokescreen stepped out of his origin’s room a few kliks later, Ratchet followed. Jazz put his arm over Smokescreen’s shoulder, which was a reach since the rookie and about a helm in height on him.

“My guess he’ll be out for eight joor,” Ratchet said. “You can come back to visit then.”

“You’ll comm me if he has any trouble?” Smokescreen asked.

“He won’t,” Ratchet replied. “But on the off chance he does, I’ll be in touch.”

“Can I bring him pressed energon in the light-cycle?” Smokescreen asked. “He’ll be a lot less of a pain in the aft if he has it.”

“We do make it for patients, Mechling,” Ratchet said, with a spark of good humour.

“Yeah...” Smokescreen said, and he chuckled. “Not strong enough for Origin. He needs his rocket fuel too get the ATS going without drag.”

“ATS?” Ratchet asked.

“Advanced Tactical Systems. His logic processor and battle computer.”

“He calls them ATS?” Jazz asked.

“He got sick of them being called his defect. Fine, they are a power sink and the connections to his emotional cortex are a fragging mess but they are amazing! Origin can do amazing things. Not in spite of his glitch but because of it! Because he has this special and amazing processor and no one appreciates that because all they see is a glitch. They don’t listen to him because the think he’s a glitch. They devalue him, dismiss him because all they will ever see is a glitch.”

“Yer proud o’ yer origin,” Jazz said soothingly.

“Everyone’s always surprised to hear we’re related. Since I’m a hoodlum and he’s a by the books enforcer. But it was origin who taught me I needed to think for myself. He taught me authority should be challenged when it’s wrong, not mindlessly obeyed. There’s a reason Origin will never be Praefectus. He’ll never play politics. Even though he knows all the players.”

“What do ya mean?” Jazz asked.

“My progenitor was the only creation of Ambassador Crosscut and his Conjunx Endura Bishop.”

“Oh scrap. I didn’t even know he had a Conjunx.”

“Bishop never leaves Praxus. When Crosscut wasn’t playing court in Iacon or on some distant planet, they were hobnobbing with the movers and shakers of Praxus and the Crystal City. My progenitor was a financier. Origin had to memorize everyone’s titles and scrap so he didn’t embarrass my progenitor.”

“Prowl was an enforcer in Praxus, wasn’t he?” Jazz asked. Crosscut was one of the wealthiest mechs on Cybertron. He was trying to imagine what that compound Prowl had snuck away from must have looked like.

“Yeah,” Smokescreen replied. “That’s sort of how they met. Origin got roped into going to a charity dinner because he’d broken this massive case and my progenitor saw him, and... I don’t know if he loved my origin. I know he mostly left Origin to deal with his procreators once they bonded so he could go off buying and selling and that scrap. I know he had not spinal struts. Maybe bonding to Origin was a bit of a frag you to his procreators. Origin was so low caste compared to them. They treated him like he was beneath them.”

“How’d they react to his glitch.”

“Origin got quiet and flinty when I asked vorns back. So I didn’t ask again. My guess is badly. I know where Origin came from. What he pulled himself out of. I can’t imagine most of those surgeries happened back when he was living in the gutters. I can’t imagine he went to a medic until he was at the Academy. It must have been them.”

“You can bring him energon,” Ratchet grumbled. “Just don’t get underped while I’m doing my rounds, Mechling.”

“I’ll be on my best behaviour,” Smokescreen replied. His doorwings drooped with relief.

“Try to be a bit better behaved than that,” Ratchet replied.

#intransigence #maccadams #anon-e-miss writes #tf prowl #tf jazz #tf smokescreen #etc #don't know why brain wants to write this but it does #so i write

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hey-hamlet · 4 years

Text

BNHA AU Ideas: Grand Design

Also on AO3!

TL;DR:

If you asked the Heroics Commission why they created Izuku, you'd get an answer pretty close to the truth. The rising power of quirks was making them nervous, and All Might won't live forever.

What they aren't mentioning is the fact that they don't like All Might either.

He's kind and good and dedicated to people over the country. The man will break countless laws to save a single life and has defied the heroics commission on many occasions - something they can't punish him for in any way without being slammed by the media.

So, they come up with a plan.

if you asked the heroics commission why they created Izuku, you'd get an answer pretty close to the truth

the rising power of quirks was making them nervous, and all might won't live forever. 'there might be another quirk as powerful as all mights just around the corner for the heroes' you might say. 'we're just taking away the 'might'' they'd reply

but what they aren't mentioning is the fact that they don't like All Might either.

he's kind and good and dedicated to people over country. the man will break countless laws to save a single life and has defied the heroics commission on many occasions - something they can't punish him for in any way without being slammed by the media

so, they come up with a plan

"if we can't control all might, we make the next all might ourselves"

sure, the doctor who does the work for them is a little shady, but it can't be helped. quirk genetic experiments were recently made illegal in a case spearheaded by nezu himself. nezu doesn't exactly agree with a total ban and is encouraging regulation in place of a blanket stop, but its been years and the laws are going nowhere fast

maybe the man has some shady connections to some shady people all too eager to replace all might? oh well, it can be managed

a pregnant woman called Inko Midoriya shows up at a hospital, dead on arrival, with the baby inside her still clinging to life?

well.

thats just convenient, isn't it?

they extract the child, pronounce the mother dead and whisk the child away into 'foster care', or the arms of the good doctor

when he's revealed to be quirkless? at first the commission is dubious but the doctor assures them this is perfect. he doesn't have to base the quirk off anything, it can be built from the ground up, as exactly the quirk the commission wants

izuku is born 3 months premature to a dead mother and one month later has a strong enough combination of quirks to take down all might when he grows up.

there is a bit of a catch, though. due to the whole 3 months early and dead mother thing, his constitution isn't the greatest, leaving him pretty sickly. the doctor assures him he'll be much better when he grows up (he’s lying). still - it’s a long while until their creation will be an adult. they could let him grow up normally in a nice house, only to pounce on him when he's grown a little stronger

but a chance of letting their perfect child slip away? nope. they resolve to train him as soon as he can crawl.

A few variations of this AU bc I had loads of quirk ideas before I settled on one - Knock Off For All: Izuku has a quirk as similar to OFA as was possible to create without being able to stockpile, complete with the achy breaky bones (no extra quirks) - Power Set: Izuku has a set of the most useful quirks the doctor could think of, ala USJ nomu (Shock nullification, Regeneration, Super Strength, etc) - Midorigiri: Izuku has a powerful combination quirk like a certain cloud mist dude. Probably either a shock absorption + redirection quirk / all 4 elemental types / guardian angel: wings, flight, hard light construct, healing - All for Naught: Izuku has a knock off of All for One that lets him perma copy 5 quirks at a time

So, Guardian Angel is the quirk I’m going with, mostly for the Hawks parallels. They end up basically being raised with each other, hawks jokingly calling Izuku his little brother. He almost cries when Izuku asks what that is.

Izuku’s quirk allows him to fly with a set of wings (he has hollow bones to facilitate this), can create hard light constructs; the more complicated the shape the harder it is and was originally classified as a forcefield quirk before Izuku got creative with it, and gives him the ability to heal.

All abilities excluding flight are based on the amount of ambient light. The brighter it is, the stronger his constructs and the better he can heal. His blood glows. Make of that what you will.

The problem being that while his quirk/s are strong, Izuku himself is very weak. He has chronic anaemia, difficulty putting on weight, a heart murmur, weak lungs, etc. the HA don’t care at all and make him train until he can’t walk.

From birth till 7 Izuku has no contact with people outside the facility, whereupon he is promptly dumped into a public school for 5 days a week. The education he gets there isn’t important, he’ll learn what he needs at the facility. What they do deem as important is A, creating a paper trail for the kid and B, socializing him somewhat.

People flock to him for his quirk, cementing what they always told him. “All of your worth is in your quirk. You have an obligation to save others.”

Plus, they’ve told him he wasn’t born like everyone else, he was created. Different, artificial, inhuman, those where all words used to describe him at the facility. He finds it difficult to make friends.

He forms a strange almost friendship with Bakugo as the only other kid with a super powerful quirk in the school, even if it’s more of a support quirk than anything else. Izuku silently heals Bakugo when he gets into fights, Bakugo snarls at anyone who makes Izuku too uncomfortable. It’s odd, but it works.

Izuku’s personality is similar to canon in the fact he's the same person but it’s a little jumbled.

He’s even less trusting of adults than canon which is saying something, but he doesn’t have canons blatant disregard for authority. If he breaks a rule he makes sure he doesn’t get caught because the punishments he’s had before left scars.

His anger runs a little closer to the surface but he feels like a bad person for feeling any emotion that isn’t positive so he crushes it down under forced optimism. Izuku shows his anger rarely and when he does, it’s quiet and vicious.

If an authority figure tells him to do something, he does it. It takes a while for Aizawa to break the kid’s conditioned need to respond automatically to any request from a ‘Handler’. Aizawa is very afraid of where it came from, but Nezu can’t find anything about this kid other than the record of his birth and his school enrolments.

Izuku thinks he’s less valuable than others which is pretty canon, at least at the start, but here it’s because he’s ‘not as good/natural/ something’ as a ‘normal’ human. Most of the UA teacher see it, but they have no idea why he thinks he’s lesser so their mixed attempts at questioning/comfort fall pretty flat. Izuku is convinced they would abandon him if they knew.

So, Izuku has a complicated relationship with the concept of All Might.

To start off with, even with everything that happened, Izuku adores heroes right down to his very core. Hawks counts the HA lucky that they didn’t accidentally turn Izuku into a villain. Izuku’s favourite hero is All Might, but -

For a start, he was told he was made to be better than All Might. The part of the HA that created him isn’t fond of the no. 1 as someone they can’t at all control, Izuku has basically been taught that All Might is lying to the world with the way he presents himself and that he’s secretly a terrible person and would hate him for both being artificial and for being made to be better than him

Ergo, Izuku is shit scared of him.

Izuku wants to go to UA because Katsuki is going to UA and Katsuki is the only person other than Hawks he’s ever had a somewhat close relationship with. The HA thinks: eh, fuck it, it’ll be a nice fuck you to All Might anyway.

Then All Might is announced as a teacher after Izuku has been accepted and all hell breaks loose.

A brief set of things that happen:

Dadmight and Dadzawa to the extreme, all of 1A basically adopts Izuku instantly (after they get over the fear of his crazy quirk lmao). All Might and Eraserhead are Izuku’s favourite heroes, other than Hawks, so he's both terrified and in awe of them at all times. He finds himself both loving the familial affection he was denied as a child and being terrified they’d think he was a monster when they learnt he was made to overtake All Might, and isn’t a ‘real person’.

Izuku gets OFA, eventually. It ends up improving his physical health which is neat, along with its extra quirks and strengthening of his own.

Todoroki hates Izuku a little from the beginning, although he’d never admit it. Izuku’s quirk is incredibly powerful and he didn’t have to undergo Todoroki’s childhood torment (Which is Incorrect, but he doesn’t exactly know that, does he) When Todoroki finds out (sports festival, Izuku has a pretty emotional response to his little angst time and lets a few things slip) he becomes fiercely protective of him.

Izuku and Bakugo develop an actual friendship and it’s an adventure

Izuku gets kidnapped along with Bakugo at the training camp, during which the doctor, AFO or Shigiraki reveal he was created to beat All Might, just like the Nomu. Izuku wants to run away out of fear/shame, but Bakugo drags him along with the rescue attempt. Izuku, too scared to go back to the HA or UA, wants nothing more than to vanish off the face of the earth. When Aizawa and All Might visit him and Bakugo at the hospital, Izuku breaks down crying and cowers in fear, convinced his teachers are either going to hurt or kill him. Everyone involved is horrified. They try to calm him down but just seeing them is scaring the shit out of Izuku so they end up getting chased out by Bakugo who clumsily comforts him.

#grand design au #bnha au #bnha #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki #All Might #yagi toshinori #izuku #midoriya #aizawa shouta #eraserhead #todoroki shouto

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kentuckywrites · 3 years

Text

Imperium 2: Chapter 4

Audi stella. (Listen to the star.)

“...weird trees under rocks? Hm, new creatures? Never seen these before…”

Elma groaned, her eyes fluttering as she came back to consciousness. Her head hurt, her body ached - wait, the stalactites. She shot up suddenly, ignoring how her mim protested against such exertion, and she searched around wildly for her companions.

However, to her surprise, something was carefully moving the rubble off of her body. That must’ve been how she was able to sit up, she realized before looking further into the cavern. Lin was awake, shaking her head and checking herself over for any wounds. There was no sign of Nessa or Tatsu, but there was another creature a few feet away from Elma, throwing a stray rock to the side as he dug at the pile holding her legs in place. It didn’t seem to notice that Elma was awake, not at first, but when it finally looked up at her it froze. Elma recognized the little creature immediately: a Nopon. He didn’t look like any Nopon Elma had ever encountered, however. White fur, a thick winter coat covering most of its body, a long and prominent tuft of fur atop his head that faded into a bright pink. His wings were speckled with the same pink, though there were also hints of cerulean and lavender flecks amongst the white. And, perhaps most surprising of all, there was a rather large broadsword strapped to the Nopon’s back, a weapon far larger than any Nopon should’ve been able to carry, and easily larger than any Nopon she’d encountered before.

“Meh! One flesh tree awake and alive!” The Nopon commented with a smirk, “Have good nap, flesh tree?”

“Um…”

“Don’t answer. Froyoyo knows flesh tree was knocked out by silly cavern termites. Those are reason for stalactites falling down! Very unfortunate.”

“Cavern termites?” Elma asked, watching as Lin finally spotted the Nopon. Her eyes went wide, and then her expression quickly turned to that of confusion.

“Flesh tree not heard of cavern termites?” The Nopon - Froyoyo? - raised an eyebrow before a spark of realization hit his dark eyes. “Of course, Froyoyo understand now! Flesh trees not from here, surely!”

“You’re right,” Elma told him, “We’re from...well, we live in Primordia, in the city New Los Angeles. But we also aren’t from Mira. We’re from a planet called Earth, and we’re called humans.”

“Well, Humans, wonderful to meet you!” Froyoyo offered one of his little hands to shake, “Froyoyo is Froyoyo, legendary Heropon of Cocytios and leader of Desserta Caravan!”

A muffled voice came from underneath the rubble before Elma could correct Froyoyo on her proper name - and the fact that, technically, she wasn’t even a human. “MEH?! FROYOYO, HEROPON OF COCYTIOS?! TATSU KNEW YOU WERE REAL!!”

Froyoyo quickly hopped over to where Tatsu had called out, using his wings and arms to dig beneath the rubble. He pulled Tatsu out, who was dazed and disoriented, but still harboring a huge childish smile. He adjusted his glasses quickly before continuing to speak to Froyoyo, “It is!! Tatsu is Tatsu, and Tatsu is your biggest fan!! Tatsu’s mamapon read Tatsu Tale of Two Gods every night as a littlepon, and Tatsu could recite story word for word! Froyoyo is such a legendary Heropon -”

“Time for enjoying Froyoyo’s coolness comes later, littlepon,” Froyoyo interrupted, “Froyoyo appreciates it, but first, Froyoyo must ask: are there other flesh trees underneath rubble?”

“Yes! Nessa’s still down there!” Lin confirmed, a slight panic overtaking her confusion.

“Then littlepon, help Froyoyo rescue friend!”

Froyoyo quickly made his way closer to Lin, navigating the rubble with a certain air of grace. Strange, yet another thing Elma had put past the Nopon. Froyoyo was definitely an odd one, that much was certain, but his oddities were welcome. After all, he was talking to a mimeosome, a secret xenoform, one of the avatars of the sentient planet, and their adopted Nopon child.

Speaking of whom, Elma was also surprised that Tatsu followed Froyoyo quickly, though he wasn’t quite as careful and tripped over a stray rock on his way to help. Elma took the time to push the rest of her body out of the rubble, positioning herself on top and deciding to try and stand up. It was a process, especially considering how unstable this new flooring was, but by the time she’d gotten her balance, Froyoyo and Tatsu were both pulling Nessa out into fresh air. Her eyes were open and she was breathing, thank the gods, but when she surfaced she coughed, holding her stomach and regaining her senses as she lay on the rocks.

“Is flesh tree okay?” Froyoyo asked.

Nessa’s face scrunched up at that. “Uh, sure, flesh tree is fine. Who are you?”

“Froyoyo’s name is Froyoyo!” The Nopon introduced himself once again, and Nessa’s eyes sparkled with familiarity.

“Oh! You’re that Heropon Tatsu was going on about. Thanks for the rescue, sir.”

“Froyoyo need not be called ‘sir’,” Froyoyo huffed, “Only thanks Froyoyo needs is seeing you safe. Now, what are flesh trees doing in Cocytios, if not from here?”

“We’re here because my brother’s in danger, and we think he’s somewhere in Cocytios,” Nessa explained, “We were going to investigate a Ganglion fortress for any signs of -”

“Ganglion? What are Ganglion?”

Elma tensed at that. Bad sign, very bad sign.

Nessa seemed to feel it too, and her words became slower, more cautious. “They’re like...us flesh trees, but blue and purple and really ugly.”

“Flesh trees are referring to the Blue Bastards?”

Lin stifled a laugh, but it didn’t deter Froyoyo from continuing, “Blue Bastards have fortress south of here! Froyoyo would be happy to take flesh trees there, but not right now. Now, flesh trees should accompany Froyoyo back to Desserta Caravan and have wifeypon look over for wounds.”

“Desserta Caravan!!” Tatsu cheered, “Yes!! Friends, let’s go to Desserta Caravan! Tatsu want to meet Vanala and Froyoyo’s littlepon!! Entire chapter of Tale of Two Gods was dedicated to Sprinkle Sprinkle; Tatsu has to know what happened in adventure up Treachery Mountain -”

“Hang on there, tater tot,” Lin quickly objected, turning her focus to Nessa and Elma, “We should decide that as a team. If this is time sensitive, then...is it the best idea to take a detour?”

Elma thought about it for a moment before reaching a decision: “I think of it less as a detour and more of a potential recovery spot. Froyoyo’s extending his hospitality to us, and if what he’s offering is true, then I see no reason to refuse.”

“Froyoyo is right here, you know,” Froyoyo shook his head, “Flesh trees don’t need to accept offer of friendship. But Froyoyo hates seeing flesh trees looking so defenseless and stupid! Froyoyo knows family and caravan would be willing to help, just like they did with Sollypon!”

“Sollypon?” Nessa frowned, “Who’s that?”

“Sollypon is a not-quite flesh tree!” Froyoyo chirped, “Magical, has weird horns and long ears. Much taller than flesh trees, too!...wait, flesh tree with weird eyes, is Sollypon brother you mentioned?”

“Based on that description, no.”

“Is brother one of the Blue Bastards?”

“Absolutely no.”

“Is brother the weird furry dragon that has been attacking caravan?”

“I’m afraid to ask. No, he’s not. He looks exactly like me, but a little taller, has a weird heart shaped strand of hair atop his head, and he doesn’t have fat tits like I do.”

It became Elma’s turn to stifle an embarrassed snort, mostly because Nessa was so...nonchalant about that last part. Froyoyo eyed her weirdly before shrugging with his wings. “Then Froyoyo has not seen brother! But Froyoyo promises to help find brother if flesh trees come back to caravan and take care of themselves. And maybe help with weird furry dragon if it comes back.”

“I believe that’s...an eye for an eye, right?” Nessa brought up the saying, and immediately Elma wanted to congratulate her on not butchering it like Pongo would’ve. Even after spending so much time around humans, he always managed to mess those up.

“Incorrect use of the saying, but close enough,” She told her, “And in any case, I’d at least like to get out of this cavern, lest we get surprised by more…”

“Cavern termites!” Froyoyo exclaimed, “Like to build tunnels in caves, especially in stalactites. Caused lots of trouble for caravan when we settled down and made homes!” He didn’t elaborate, and instead offered out a stubby little hand to Nessa and Lin. “Now come! Froyoyo will show you to caravan, it’s not far at all. But we must hurry, since Cocytios gets very dark very quickly!”

Without putting up any resistance, Elma and her team soon made their way out of the cavern, following Froyoyo back into the cold expanse of Cocytios. Thankfully, the weather treated them kindly. No snow, but a threatening wind still kept Elma on her toes. Froyoyo walked with a confidence that only came with time and experience. Tatsu stuck to him like glue, and the two Nopon became engrossed in conversation fairly quickly. Elma’s attention, however, remained on Lin and Nessa. Neither seemed terribly hurt by the stalactites, but given how Nessa had already taken a fair amount of damage prior to meeting them, Elma wanted to make sure she was okay. If she was hurt at all, Nessa did a great job at hiding it, and she kept up the pace without struggle.

Oddly enough, after half an hour of walking, Lin entered into a sneezing fit. She could hardly talk, and once she started up, Froyoyo stopped to look at her. To Elma’s surprise, the hardened Nopon started to laugh, a loud and boisterous rumble.

“Friend must have inhaled a Sneezy Peezy!” He said.

Tatsu was the first to ask, “Meh meh? What is a Sneezy Peezy?”

“Sneezy Peezy is a snowflake that makes many creatures enter bouts of sneezing! Desserts Caravan sometimes catches Sneezy Peezies to melt, since melted Sneezy Peezies help cure colds!”

“Fascinating,” Elma commented shortly after Lin was able to regain her composure, “Are you alright, Lin?”

“I’m okay,” Lin caught her breath as Nessa put a careful hand on her shoulder, “Just wasn’t expecting that!”

“Cocytios is full of little surprises,” Nessa winked, “Just wait until we find a Tundrabbit!”

They continued on without further incident, and soon, atop an incline, Elma could spot the silhouettes of little huts. They reminded her of the other Nopon caravans scattered throughout the continents, but even from a distance, she could tell they were sturdier, more accustomed to the climate. And there were fewer of them, and no Potamuses lingering around with baggage. She supposed that was logical, considering the biological nature of the Potamuses, though she wondered if the Nopon used anything in its stead.

Once they approached the caravan, Elma watched as several little Nopon saw Froyoyo and stopped what they were doing to run over to him. They were all small, far smaller than Tatsu, and came in an assortment of colors. When one called out “Dadapon”, she realized that they must be Froyoyo’s kids. And there were far more than she was expecting - nine in total came to greet him, and one ignored him completely in favor of walking up to Elma, Lin and Nessa. It was a little pink Nopon, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“Dadapon, who are flesh tree friends?” The little Nopon asked, “Are friends from other continents? Ooh, do friends have stories for Sprinkle Sprinkle? Sprinkle Sprinkle desperately wants to know what happens outside of Cocytios -”

“Sprinkle Sprinkle!!”

And then, another larger Nopon approached, a similar shade of pink and flaunting a large tuft of curled hair. It almost formed a heart shape with how structured it was. “Do not haggle strangers for stories until they’ve settled down!!” She looked to Elma, the tallest of the three humanoids, and cleared her throat. “Vanala is Vanala! Welcome to Desserta Caravan! Vanala hopes hubbypon has treated you well on journey to caravan!”

“Of course, wifeypon! Froyoyo saved new friends from cavern termite cave-in!” Froyoyo claimed, trying his best to calm his excited kids down. Some even pounced on Tatsu, who handled them with expertise. Elma recalled how he was an older sibling in his own family, so it made sense how he knew the tricks to calming down the littlepon.

“Meh meh! Vanala sorry to hear,” Froyoyo’s wife said solemnly, “Very rude of cavern termites to do that! Are friends hurt at all? Vanala can heal with ether if need be!”

Lin shook her head. “I’m okay, but thank you! Though, you can heal with ether?”

“Of course! Ether is plentiful in Cocytios, so Vanala harnessed water ether to heal. Took long time to master, but very useful for when littlepon get careless in their roughhousing and when hubbypon bites off more than he can chew.”

“I thought all of the healing Arts used ether,” Nessa frowned, “Is something different about a Nopon knowing how to use it?”

“Well, none of the Nopon in the city - or any of the ones we’ve met across Mira - have ever been able to use ether before,” Lin explained, “We only have a handful of Nopon that are actually registered with BLADE, and they mostly stay inside the city. Heck, the fact that Froyoyo is carrying a weapon is really weird!!”

“Meh meh? Are friends saying that Nopon outside Cocytios are softies?!” Froyoyo scoffed, making his way over to them and letting Tatsu handle the littlepon for the time being, “So sad! Nopon must know how to defend themselves! If they don’t, what’s stopping them from being devoured by giant angry beastie?”

“Dadapon never taught Tatsu how to fight before he left for Heropon duties,” Tatsu said sadly, “But Tatsu would love to learn! Tatsu wants to become as strong as legendary Heropon Froyoyo!”

“Where was this enthusiasm to fight during all our other battles…” Lin muttered under her breath, echoing a thought Elma had but wouldn’t voice.

“Time for talking comes later!” Vanala announced with a bounce, “Friends follow Vanala into medicine tent!”

Lin stuttered for a moment, but at Elma’s nod, she shadowed Vanala. Nessa hung behind with Elma, taking their time in following, but never straying too far behind that they’d lose the little Nopon.

“The Nopon here certainly seem different compared to the ones we’ve interacted with previously,” Elma observed, placing a thoughtful hand on her hip. She didn’t say this with disdain or contempt, but rather, a budding curiosity complete with a touch of wonder. Which had come first: the soft, avaricious Nopon that NLA was familiar with, or the hardened, experienced Nopon of Cocytios? Perhaps the environment each grew up in influenced their development, but then, why weren’t the Nopon inhabiting Cauldros as tough? Surely Cauldros presented no mercy to them, surely Cauldros did everything in its power to tell the Nopon that they couldn’t exist on its land without suffering great discomfort at best and great loss at worst. Perhaps it spoke to the Nopon, and perhaps it spoke to how brutal Cocytios truly was.

“Don’t see much of a difference,” Nessa shrugged, “They all look like huggable egg-shaped friends to me.”

“Ah, I meant more in terms of personality and -”

“If friend dares to hug Froyoyo, friend will not be friend anymore,” Froyoyo suddenly called out, having returned to the littlepon and Tatsu. His face poked out above his wings, an adorable image shattered by how serious he looked. To think, a Nopon was capable of appearing as anything but cute…

“See? I like him,” Nessa giggled, unfazed by his threat, “Though I doubt my brother would’ve felt the same.”

“He was always one for hugs,” Elma replied, “Now let’s meet with Vanala and get looked over. We want to be in the best shape for the journey ahead.”

Nessa and Elma, shoulder to shoulder, made their way over to one of the tents. Elma had seen Lin disappear behind the curtain flaps mere moments before, and even if she hadn’t, she could harbor a guess as to which tent belonged to Vanala’s. It was the same color as her hair, embroidered with little white snowflakes, and a similar tuft of fur protruding from its roof. From a distance, it didn’t look nearly big enough to house three entire humanoids. So when Elma made it to the entrance first, she pulled back the flaps, beckoning for Nessa to enter ahead of her. She would need the most attention, most likely, and even if she didn’t need much, knowing that she was being taken care of would put Elma’s mind at ease.

“After you,” Elma offered.

Nessa smiled knowingly, almost teasingly. “Oh, you’re too kind!”

So Nessa ducked underneath, remaining bent down as she entered. Elma kept the flap open and peered in, watching as Nessa took a tentative seat next to Lin. Together, sitting down on a soft fur rug, there was much more room to breathe. Little lanterns hung from the ceiling, flickering with what Elma would’ve harbored were fireflies, had they been on Earth. Vanala had a little dresser she was attending to in the middle of the tent, rummaging around in a drawer for something specific. However, Elma’s attention was immediately piqued by something outside of the tent, something that cast a shadow over her. She’d heard the snow crunching underneath someone’s weight, footsteps approaching and growing louder, louder, the closer they got. Elma turned around, still keeping a hand on the tent’s flap.

“You must be humans.”

Elma wasn’t sure why she was surprised upon seeing a humanoid behind her. The shadow had been cast over her, implying height, which many Nopon most certainly didn’t have. But still, her eyes widened upon taking in the new figure’s form. Not a human, not by any stretch of the imagination. Light yellow skin, pointed horns atop the head, pointed ears. An outfit that swirled with blues and greens and browns and the slightest hints of magenta, and eyes that were sharp, their colors transitioning from the sky to the land. There were little ridges that followed their cheekbones, and that was the clue Elma needed to be able to speak.

“And you appear to be a Miran native.”

The Miran native smiled warmly and nodded once, only once. “I am a F’lenla A’slegn. Judging by your educated guess, you have encountered one of my kind before.”

“Elma? Who’s outside with you?” Nessa tried desperately to look past Elma, maneuvering every which way to get a better view.

Vanala perked up at the new addition, and a flash of recognition shot across her eyes, quick and easily mistaken for a trick of the light. “That is friend Sollypon! Sollypon has been with Desserta Caravan for a few days. They’ve been helpful with littlepon!”

The Miran native chuckled softly at that. “Your littlepon are rambunctious, I do admit, but they are quite a joy. You should be proud of them.” Turning back to Elma, they performed a small bow. “I am called Solstice. If you would be so kind, you may refer to me with neutral pronouns, as well as feminine.”

“Of course,” Elma understood, “My name is Elma. Behind me are -”

“I’m Lin!” Lin called out, unable to see the newcomer as Vanala was inspecting her for wounds, “It’s nice to meet you Solstice!!” “And I’m Nessa,” Nessa winked once more, finally able to get a better view, “The pleasure’s all mine!”

Solstice’s head tilted, a small gesture that Elma couldn’t quite decipher. “Would you be willing to share? Because it’s quite an honor to finally meet a human - three, no less. I believed in my travels I wouldn’t be able to interact with any.”

“Why’s that?” Nessa asked, “I mean, humans are everywhere at this point, especially if you’re with BLADE. Primordia’s the hot spot for them since that’s where their city is.”

“Primordia?” They frowned, “I haven’t had reason to visit that continent in quite some time. Though, humans live there, you say? Perhaps once I have completed my duties here, I will visit for a while. And what is this BLADE you speak of? Does that put limitations on how often humans travel?”

“BLADE’s an organization! It’s like...kinda like a government, but not really?” Lin struggled to come up with a reasonable explanation, “BLADE headed the exploration of Mira when we all crash landed here. There’s divisions that have different duties, and depending on what division you pick, you get assigned to do different things! And that’s not really all too strict, because anyone can take any missions they want regardless what the mission’s about -”

“Oh jeez, my brother totally rubbed off on you,” Nessa snickered, “Enough about that, though, what are your duties on Cocytios?”

“I’m here in search of Starr,” Solstice said simply, prompting Elma, Lin and Nessa to make confused expressions. Elma opened her mouth to ask for more details, but Lin’s gasp was like a lightning bolt, and Elma quickly spun around to make sure she was okay. Vanala was standing at her knees, wings hovering over a nasty scrape, and orbs of blue energy floated around and about. Many seemed magnetized to Lin’s wound, while others enjoyed their taste of freedom and continued to surround Vanala.

Nessa and Elma looked on, amazed for a moment, before Vanala announced loudly, “Friend must stay still for a while for ether to work! Would Sollypon and Elma like to come in?”

Elma and Solstice shook their heads. Elma told her, “I’ll be alright, but thank you for the offer. Nessa and Lin have the more urgent need, and I wouldn’t want to crowd your tent.”

“Then close tent flap! Don’t want cold air getting inside and giving friends bitefrost!”

Elma did as Vanala requested, trying to ignore the disappointed sigh that Nessa made. Solstice took a step back, hands carefully placed in front of them and folded with a polite aura. Elma didn’t want to stray far, and her unanswered questions were getting the best of her.

“Starr? Who is that?”

“Starr, the Undying.” Solstice explained, “It’s a beast that has recently been targeting the caravan. I am here to speak to it.”

“Froyoyo did mention a strange furry dragon attacking the caravan,” Elma thought out loud, “Do we know why the caravan is its primary target? Do the Nopon have something it wants?”

“It’s unclear,” They responded, “The obvious answer would be that Starr would like to claim this part of Cocytios as its territory. There are abundant resources and a large, natural cavern here, as well as an enjoyable hot spring to the east. It’s also sheltered, compared to most of the continent, but…”

“But it’s a predator, I assume. There must be better places for Starr to form a home. If it can fly, perhaps one of the mountains?”

“I’m afraid I cannot answer that question. Starr is...I have reason to believe it may be behaving erratically. It’s why I’m here. To talk to it, to understand what is plaguing its mind, and possibly help to restore it.”

“I see.” Elma glanced around, spotting Froyoyo, Tatsu and the swarm of littlepon not too far off. “Froyoyo asked if we would be willing to help deal with Starr, should it return while we were recuperating.”

“Froyoyo is a Nopon bent on dispelling Starr through physical means,” Solstice shook her head sadly, “But I cannot blame him. Starr is putting his family and caravan in danger, and my attempts at extending friendship have resulted in repeated failure. I don’t wish to give up hope and -”

“FROYOYO!! DRAGON IS RETURNING!!”

An unseen Nopon called out to Froyoyo, and Elma spun around to look at the sky. Sure enough, a winged figure was approaching, descending, a storm in its own right. Over the panicked noises of Nopon running back and forth, a roar like thunder erupted from its maw. Elma flinched, gritting her teeth. Her guns were out in the next second, pushing past Solstice even as they tried to reach for them, to call out that the answer was not in fighting. Elma didn’t have the time to explain that the guns were a precaution.

Lin and Nessa emerged from the tent moments later, both with their own weapons drawn. Lin’s gatling gun was out, and Nessa was poised with her dual swords. They quickly flanked Elma, peering up at the dragon - at Starr. Vanala did not reappear, but Froyoyo peered up from behind an adjacent tent, broadsword drawn and at the ready.

“Damn furry dragon,” Froyoyo growled, “Has not had enough of Froyoyo’s blade!! Has not tasted enough defeat yet!! Froyoyo about to show it true might of Legendary Heropon!!”

“Wait, please -” Solstice pleaded, but those two words fell on deaf ears. For Elma, it wasn’t a matter of not hearing, but rather, a matter of seeing. Because as the dragon approached, as it grew closer and closer to the caravan...she saw its wings. She saw its tail.

Glowing purple fragments, defying all known laws of gravity, acting as feathers on a fluffy white wing. Stardust trailed behind it, like a Skell leaving behind its trail in flight, like a comet leaving behind its aurora for the night sky. Had it been higher, had it been dark, Elma would’ve made a wish.

But now, all she did was wish she wasn’t right. And Lin echoed her thoughts in a hushed whisper, haunted by a very real possibility, a very real fear.

“Is that...a Telethia?”

#xenoblade x #Imperium 2: Chapter 4 #FINALLY ITS FROYOYO TIME #AND SOLSTICE #y'all have no idea how excited I was to introduce them #I also have an entire collectopedia in the works for Cocytios #hence all the collectible stuff popping up #anyways yep Cocytios has a Telethia :)

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minimalintelligence · 4 years

Text

This boat that's keeping us a float (2/...)

So, I'm continuing this. Yep. It's a mess, but eh. I really wanted to thank @gridoc for reading the last part. It really made my day!

____________

Doc awoke as the sun rose above the horizon. He groaned, but nonetheless got up off of the floor. For a second he was confused as to why he was on board some dinky ship, but reality quickly settled in.

"Great." His tone of voice was both tired and annoyed. He leaned back against the wall and let out a sigh. Doc glanced around the room, at the many boring trinkets hung upon the walls. An old sword, some sea shells, bottles of cheap wine, a watch, he put the last one in his pocket. Glancing once more around the room he noticed a sleeping figure on the ground. His mood doing a complete one eighty. "Great." This time his tone was excited.

But his happiness was short-lived when the ship suddenly shook and sank a bit. He held onto the wall to keep himself steady. Doc noted that the ship seemed to be completely still. And though he could hear the wind faintly blowing outside, and the waves hit the sides of the ship, the craft in question didn't move. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a groan.

"Wha..What?" Grian, who had seemingly woken up because of the shaking of the ship, asked. After a few seconds he let out a sound of disappointment and said. "Really? I thought that was a dream."

"Nope. Sorry to say, that is not the case." Doc said startling Grian, who had apparently not noticed the pirate's presence. After a second of silence a grin spread on Doc's face and an annoyed glare appeared on Grian’s. "What pirate?"

"Oh nothing, I'd just assume that an event like that would've been classified as a nightmare, rather than a dream. Unless.." His smile widened as he took a step in Grian direction. "..my presence was enough to turn a nightmare to a dream.."

"No! That's not what I meant and you know it, pirate!" Grian yelled out, his face bright pink. Before Doc could give a witty remark, the ship once again shook and sank a bit. He sighed. "I'm going to check what's happening." Doc said before exiting the room.

Looking around the deck he noted a few things: it was covered in a layer of water, the sails were torn and there was no land in the surrounding area. At this point Doc was confused. The anchor wasn't down, there was no land nearby and it didn't seem like the sea floor was remotely close enough to hit.

Once he went below deck he saw the cause of the stop, along with the cause of the shaking. "Massive jagged stones." Grian said in a dead tone from next to him, startling Doc stightly, but the pirate tried his best not to show it. "They're all around the area, just a few meters under water. Though the waters murky so you have to know what you're looking for to see them."

The ship had been ripped through by such rocks. Though the ship seemed to mostly stop moving after the impact, which meant the holes were smaller than they could've been, but still, water was leaking in, and causing the craft to slowly sink.

"Do you have any fishing boats on this thing? Or do I have to build a raft?" Doc asked, his tone both stressed and slightly playful. Grian pointed above them, when Doc looked up he noted the two fishing boats. One seemingly older and worse for wear, the other one newer and even had a small roofed area.

"They took everything they own with them." Grian said still in the same dead tone. Doc noting the tone of Grian’s voice and the past tense responded.

"Hey just because they're not on board right now, doesn't mean they're dead." He said trying to lighten Grian’s mood. Grian just looked him dead in the eyes, before sighing.

"That sentence is factually incorrect. Completely. 1. They're on this ship. 2. It does mean they're dead." He finished by pointing his finger to the other side of the room. The water in that area was red and you could see some hair floating on the surface. Grian sighed. "Not the first time I've seen that, but I really hope it's the last." Doc looked at the area, feeling uncomfortable, sure, he's seen other people die, sure he's caused it before. But he's never the one to see them once the water calms. It's eerie, and doesn't feel very good.

"So I take one boat you take the other?" Grian said, seemingly back to normal. "I think it would be a better idea if we took the better one together." Doc stated with confidence. "You'd probably die if you took the old one alone."

Grian glared at him. "What makes you think I'd allow you to take the good one?" Doc playfully glared back. "What makes you think you have any choice in the matter?" Grian took a step in Docs direction. "I've beaten you once, pirate, I won't hesitate to do it again." Doc just grinned in response. "I'm sure you won't, but what would you win in this situation anyway? The other boat is falling apart, you'd leave another person stranded in the middle of nowhere alone? And here I thought you Navy men had honour.." Grian's face turned red in embarrassment before he turned and headed back on deck. "I'll get the supplies!" He yelled in an annoyed tone.

Doc let out a chuckle, before grabbing a barrel from the room and placing it under the boat. "Now how do I get you down and out..?"

Grian walked across the deck looking for anything useful. He'd already piled up some blankets, towels and cushions. He'd decided to get as much stuff as possible, then decide with Doc what they need. He decided to take some salt with them and some pickles just in case, he saw no use for the wine. As he was grabbing some fishing equipment his thoughts wandered back to Doc. He was confused as to a few things. One why had Doc and his crew even been in the area, there wasn't anything worth visiting around them, two, why hadn't the pirate's crew returned for him yet and--

A loud crash -wood splintering- interrupted Grian thoughts. He hurried below deck to check what had happened. Once he arrived he saw a massive hole is the side of the already pretty broken ship and next it was standing a very satisfied looking Doc.

"Why in the world did you do that!?" Grian yelled, getting Doc's attention on him. "Had to get the boat out." Doc stated in a matter of fact way. "And I think I did it quite well." He finished smugly.

"You know we could've gotten it up together and into the water like that? I was concerned." Grian said the last part under his breath, but Doc seemed to hear anyway. "Aww.. You were worried about me!" Grian flustered though he still attempted to glare at Doc. "I was concerned about the boat, damn pirate."

"Right, sure. What supplies did you manage to get?" Doc asked, his grin ever present on his face. Grian glared a bit before going back on deck followed by Doc. "Pickles, salt, blankets, towels, cushions, fishing equipment, rope, some bottled water, extra clothes and a few other things. We need to decide what's the most important." Doc nodded his head and grabbed a few things: two cushions, the clothes, matches and an oil lamp, the fishing equipment, the salt, a blanket and some other smaller things Grian didn't bother to note.

The two headed down to the hole in the wall Doc had made while getting the boat out of the ship. The pirate hopped over onto the fishing boat first laying down the cushions and blankets in the part of the boat covered by the roof and the rest of the supplies on them. Grian hopped over next. He stumbled slightly but Doc caught him in his arms.

Grian face once again turned pink. "..Thanks, I guess." He said quietly, but Doc's whole face seemed to light up upon hearing that, which only made Grian blush harder. 'I've got to stop being a blushing so much, he's a pirate, not just some...mildly attractive... guy.' Grian noted in his head before sitting down in the boat.

Doc started prepping the craft to sail. Doc felt comfortable in the silence, but Grian felt awkward. He cleared his throat. "So, your crew must be looking for you?"

"Nah, yelled at them not to before we separated. Plus, they wouldn't do it anyway, unless I was gone for over a month. We agreed on that after the first time I got stranded in the middle of nowhere." Grian looked at Doc with disbelief. "How many times have you been stranded..?" The boat started moving north away from the ship. "..Seve- no. Nine. Ren calls me a hazard, but I don't even know how it happens." Doc said.

The boat sailed on, the ocean much calmer this time around. The sky was clear and it seemed that it was going to be a hot day. Grian sighed and hoped they would get to land soon.

____________

#gridoc #grian x doc #doc x grian #hermitshipping #grian is an angy boi #im still not quite sure what im doing

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tamakiamajikistentacles · 4 years

Text

Notification {Shoto Todoroki}

When it truly came down to it, Shoto Todoroki was a man of simple pleasures. He spent long days at his hero agency both patrolling and working with the few sidekicks that had been recently taken on, so when it came time for him to come home to the apartment he was only ever after three things: a kiss from his girlfriend, a warm shower, and a filling meal.

The universe favored him, he supposed, in the fact that he could generally have all three of those things within half an hour of walking through the door at the end of his workday. The kiss was always first; it started the night off properly, a quiet “welcome home” and “I missed you” whispered between them. The next two were followed shortly after.

“I’m just finishing dinner,” she said to him that evening. “Go ahead and shower, it should be finished when you’re done.”

Her voice was quiet, even; it wasn’t her usual easy smile sort of happy that followed his arrival, but with the weather dark and wet he couldn’t blame her. The rain had been persisting for almost five days and it had subdued just about everyone’s mood.

She playfully waved him off as he headed toward the bedroom, fingers already unbuttoning his shirt as he sought out clean nightclothes. He grabbed the first pieces of sleepwear he saw and moved into their bathroom.

His after-patrol showers at the agency had nothing on his home-from-work showers he found out long ago. At the agency he removed the surface layer of sweat and grime from his efforts to protect the public and do as much good as possible, the plain, nondescript scent of the soap dissipating as soon as the steam cleared. There in his own home he had the simple luxuries of time to clean himself more thoroughly and the citrusy smell of his own bodywash—if he also liked that the scent of his soap mixed with his girlfriend’s floral one to make the bathroom smell like orange blossoms, that was his own business.

Stepping under the spray of the shower relaxed him, the water comfortably warm so as not to agitate his competing temperatures. A contented sigh left his lips as he worked shampoo into his hair and was reminded as always of the day in high school Kirishima had jokingly asked him what it was like to wash red hair without most of the color running down the drain. The memory never failed to make him smile.

When he uncapped his bodywash the scent of orange and a hint of lemon began to fill the small bathroom, clinging to the tile and awaiting its springtime companion when she would shower later. Maybe it was strange but he truly loved the combination. It reminded him of how truly wonderful his life had become in recent years, a large part her doing, though not all.

He was a pro hero but not in his father’s shadow; he was nowhere near the top spot in the charts but a hero who made children’s eyes shine in wonder all the same when he patrolled. And he was loved for being himself. He was loved for being Shoto, no family name necessary. His friends from UA and Shiketsu and the agency were happy to be around him. His girlfriend loved him for the love he gave her even if at first it was hesitant.

Turning the water off, he grabbed his towel as he contemplated how far he had come in his affections with her over the course of the relationship. He had started out worried that anything he did was wrong, the incorrect answer to an obvious question of what he was supposed to do as one half of a budding relationship, but slowly he learned that the question was open-ended and left to interpretation between her and himself. Once he understood that, he doubled down on everything he did to keep her happy as she stood by his side in navigating adulthood and a healthy relationship.

He began to dress in sweatpants and one of his old comfortable t-shirts, his hands running through his still damp hair to style it somewhat. When he turned back to grab his dirty clothes, he bumped her facewash with his elbow causing the lime green tube to tumble off of the counter and into the small wastebasket tucked near the wall. He shook his head with a roll of his eyes; she never put anything away, and she was lucky he missed bumping her toothbrush instead.

Bending down, he pulled the small bin closer and nudged makeup streaked cotton rounds out of his way. He scooped up the tube, wondering how such a small thing could cost nearly five thousand yen, and started to stand when bright pink caught his eye. Brows furrowing curiously, he looked closer, his first reaction to wonder when their thermometer was pink and why she was throwing it away before he recognized the writing further down the white stick.

The result he read was simple—one line meant negative—but his mind had never felt so overloaded.

Why was he just now finding out about the need for a test? What had happened or not happened that made her think she needed to take it in the first place? Was this why she was so much quieter when he got home, not the rain? She hadn’t been acting off to him, was she hiding the fear or the curiosity or the excitement or the disappointment? Had she not really been hiding it but in actuality he had missed it? Was he out of touch with her needs, her health, her wellbeing?

His chest felt tight and he was warm not from the shower or his quirk. Any tension that had been released was back tenfold, and he needed answers if even a fraction of it would disappear again.

Grabbing the test the pushed to his feet and tossed the facewash aside to go back into the main area of the apartment. She stood at the chabudai plating the hot pot spread and looked up as he entered the room looking wide-eyed with flushed cheeks.

“Shoto?” she asked, rounding the table to come into their sitting room.

He held up the test and her concerned look shifted into something he couldn’t identify.

“It was negative,” she offered after a long silence between them.

“I can see that,” he said evenly, his gaze drifting back to the plastic stick only a few centimeters long that seemed to be putting more distance between them with each of the silent seconds that ticked by.

She crossed her arms, closing herself off to the discussion in the only way she could think to. “Then I don’t know why you’re bringing it up.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” he asked, brows furrowed.

“I was afraid, okay? Not of you, so don’t even start down the path of those negative thoughts,” she warned, well aware of the self-loathing attitude he could manifest about himself. “I was afraid because we’re both twenty-one and having a baby right now would be a huge life change.”

“Yes, it would be, but it’s a change to both of us and I deserve to know one way or another. Were you even going to tell me that you took this test?”

She turned away from him. “There was nothing to tell.”

“Don’t you think that as the other person in this relationship that I deserve to know this sort of thing, negative be damned?” he asked, frustration seeping into his tone. “Before you took the test or after, I… I should have been told.”

She let out a shaky breath. “Alright, Shoto, then in the future if this situation were to happen again, when would you prefer to be notified, before or after? Would you like a phone call? Email? Text message?”

His eyes fell shut as he pinched the bridge of his nose, the anger he was feeling at her goading words needing to be kept in check before he said something he would regret. He had to be understanding, he reasoned with himself. There couldn’t be a great way to tell your boyfriend that he could potentially become a father when it was totally unplanned and unexpected.

“What I would prefer,” he started softly, opening his eyes to meet hers, “is for you to come to me when something is wrong or in this case, worrying you. If this same situation were to happen in six months, I… I want you to tell me the second you think taking a test is necessary because if you’re worried about the result then you shouldn’t be alone. Let me carry some of the worry, okay?”

Her glossy eyes didn’t break his gaze.

“You make my worries so much more bearable when you take them on with me, so let me do the same,” he said. “Please, let me be a good partner to you.”

“Shoto,” she whispered, voice cracking as she crossed over to him.

Immediately he dropped the test and his hands fell to her hips, his fingertips sneaking beneath the hem of her top to rest on bare skin, a connection he needed and one he thought she did too. Her hands came to fist loosely in the material of his t-shirt that covered his stomach and her head tucked into the crook of his neck. His lips pressed gently against her temple before he rested his cheek against her hair.

“You’re not angry with me?” she asked quietly.

He shook his head lightly just once. “No, I’m not angry. I was afraid too, afraid that I had done something to lose your confidence in me to handle the situation.”

“I’m sorry, I…” she hesitated, “I shouldn’t have kept it to myself, you’re right. You should have been there, especially if it had… if it had been positive.”

A strange flutter in his chest made him consider what that would have meant. One more kiss to come home to, another seat at the chabudai, more bottles of soap and shampoo in their shower. Some small underlying note to add to the orange blossoms he coveted so dearly.

It would have meant change, change to a lot of his life in some subtle ways and some major ways too. Changes he wasn’t sure he was ready to make in that moment, but ones he could be open to someday. She felt it too, he knew. Changes to their lives and to her body and to their little family overall were appealing when looking at it as the future just farther than a year or two away.

“If it had been, we could have done it,” he said, voice steady and confident. “We would have made the changes we needed to make it work just like we always do. And one day, we will. But right now, I’m more relieved than anything. I’m not quite ready for fatherhood.”

“One day,” she echoed. “One day when we’re both ready we can be excited to find out together.”

“Exactly,” he smiled, moving to kiss her.

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himbowelsh · 4 years

Note

You can totally ignore this if you want but I could I request some sad headcanons about the guys. Like how they deal with ptsd or insecurities or traumatic childhood incidents.

Richard Winters

dick isn’t emotionally open in general. he keeps things in. that’s how he was raised, how he’s grown up, and the only way he really knows how to cope with things. talking about his feelings... is uncomfortable.

that said, he processes them well. dick doesn’t let negative emotions fester. he finds releases for them, either through doing things he enjoys or spending time around his loved ones. he’s not the sort of person to linger on things.

will definitely overwork himself when his mind is in a troubled place. being productive helps him so much. focusing on things he can control, things that need to get done... sure, he’s going to bed at 3am, but it’s not because he’s upset, it’s because he was working.

doesn’t... like being alone when things are on his mind. it’s too easy to get sucked in, for those loud thoughts to drown everything else out. being around other people... not sharing, but just not being alone... it helps.

Lewis Nixon

*summon the folger’s theme song* the best part of waking up... is an obscene amount of high-shelf liquor in your cup!!

hey, it’s nine o’clock... in the morning.

literally. nix is of the opinion that if you can’t drink the bad thoughts away, then they’re not worth thinking at all. the thing is, his brain summons them anyways, because brains are awful like that.

he’s got a lot of trauma!! so much trauma!! his childhood was miserable, his family’s the worst, he feels like a disappointment and has no desire to try to prove himself to parents whose love was questionable from the day he was born...

lots of insecurities too. can you tell?

he won’t talk about any of it unless he’s really, really drunk, with someone he counts among his closest friends. then sometimes the negativity just rushes out. he can’t help it, and it gets ugly.

otherwise, he broods, he holds it all in, and he drinks. would he benefit from therapy? yes, absolutely, but alcoholism tastes so much better.

Carwood Lipton

this is a healthy man right here

he copes with things. lip has interests, outlets he can channel his frustrations into, and the ability to rationalize things internally and get them off his chest. most things don’t weigh on him for long, because he’s got those sweet coping skills.

this isn’t even angsty. he doesn’t have a lot of emotional angst. he works through things, mostly by processing them on his own --- but if something’s really weighing on him, lip will turn to his most trusted person (his mother gives great advice) for an outlet.

Ron Speirs

heh heh. ohhhh boy.

he’s... he’s speirs, okay. he’s not gonna open up and talk about what’s bothering him, because that’s his business, and no one else needs to know.

ron... gets impulsive. reckless. places less regard on his own life. he’ll do obscenely risky things because he’s kind of an adrenaline junkie; that burst of danger actually helps him cope with what’s bothering him. at least, it gives him a good reason to keep going.

he retreats into himself when it comes to anything emotional. broods a little, but if anyone asks what’s on his mind, he won’t say a word.

“well, we’re all on a steady march towards death anyways, does anything really matter? no. i’m already dead so nothing has any consequences. yeet.”

jesus christ, get this man some therapy.

Harry Welsh

talks it out. literally, he’s just... gonna share things. he’ll literally just do that.

harry sometimes can be an oversharer, but he never really learned to put a filter on his emotions. it helps that he’s sort of the “water off a duck’s back” type of person; he doesn’t take a lot of things personally, so when he does need to rant about something, it’s usually big. he turns to his loved ones, because he trusts them, and usually they can help.

but it is kind of weird for guys like nixon and winters, whose life mottos are “i’ll keep all of my emotions right here and then someday i’ll die”, to hear harry be like “I’M UPSET TODAY AND HERE’S WHY”. like... he really doesn’t care who knows what’s going on in his soul, huh? he’s really able to open up like that.

(harry is the most emotionally healthy man here, good for him)

Buck Compton

it’s called impostor syndrome, and buck has it.

he’s a confident guy, but under the surface, has insecurity in spades --- he feels like he has a lot to live up to, and doesn’t believe he’s doing everything well enough. he’s supposed to be exceptional, and that’s a heavy burden to bear. there’ll be a part of him that’s always going to feel like he’s not good enough.

like... he seriously doesn’t know quite where to begin when processing negative emotions, because he feels like he should be able to deal with them himself. his first instinct isn’t to talk it out, or seek out positive outlets; he keeps it all inside because he feels he can handle it.

don’t get me wrong, buck handles things well --- he’s resilient. but every so often, the emotions just get so overwhelming, and boil up like a toxic spill inside of him; it can get overwhelming.

Eugene Roe

conceal don’t feel buddy

look, gene... never acquired coping skills growing up. it wasn’t anyone’s first priority, and he had too many sisters monopolizing his mother’s time. as a kid, gene had genuine anger issues, and would get into trouble often, because he just... didn’t know how to deal with what he was feeling.

his grandmother was the one who stepped in and taught him how to pray. that’s the closest thing gene has to comfort; he is quietly devout, and turns to god in his darkest moments when desperate for some guidance. if he can’t talk to anyone else about what he’s feeling --- and he usually prefers not to --- he can speak freely to god.

but god can’t help him shoulder his burdens. genuinely, gene just needs to learn to open up and share. keeping everything bottled up... is not good for him.

George Luz

laugh the pain away, until you no longer can.

people assume george luz processes his emotions in a healthy way. these people are incorrect. his “fake it til you make it approach” isn’t the worst, but 9/10 therapists would not recommend. (the 10th is luz, doing his best impression of a therapist.)

he laughs things off. it’s easier than to do that than to let people in. george hates burdening others with his feelings. he’s got a natural talent for keeping peoples’ spirits up, so bringing them down with him is... a frightening idea. it feels like failure.

for the most part, george is good at keeping things in and processing them internally. if something’s really bothering him, people close can tell --- he hardly smiles, and his jokes aren’t as funny as they are dark --- but he’s usually able to recover without any help. he’s good at dealing with things on his own.

he tries not to drink too much, because if he gets really really drunk, he loses his grip. then it can all come spilling out, in a big messy wave of feelings, and he’d prefer to avoid that at all costs.

oh gosh, there’s this amazing fic that actually centers around babe and roe dealing with their problems, but there’s this one scene with luz, and it breaks me

Joe Toye

in a word? not well.

joe dealing with things... is not a pretty picture. he prefers to not deal with things, to be honest, because it’s easier to pretend all the emotional shit doesn’t exist and just push it down until he can’t feel it anymore. sometimes it even works.

truth is, joe has a lot of insecurities, and really struggles to deal with them. they plague him]... and while he can channel some of it into anger (there’s a reason my modern!toye takes up kickboxing) a lot of it just gets sent straight to depression central.

it’s not something he talks about easily, either. he wasn’t raised in an environment that encouraged men talking about their feelings; joe comes from a tough irish family where everyone, especially the men, are supposed to keep a stern face and power through. he’s only able to opens up to a few trusted people (malarkey, maybe guarnere, maybe luz). when the emotions reach a boiling point... they don’t have anywhere to go. they feel like they’re going to consume him.

he’s contemplated some dark things before, and it’s not something he’s proud of.

Bill Guarnere

what the hell is this man even made of???

bill takes all his negative emotions and converts them into fuel. every tear his body forces him to shed adds an extra year to his life.

he’s incredibly resilient, and can power through pretty much anything. losing his leg didn’t take him out for long; sure, it was a blow, but he bounced back from it as strong as ever. losing his brother was agonizing (worse than the leg, honestly) and it made bill furious --- but that fury kept him going, and kept him alive. he reacts to grief by turning it into anger, and once that anger dulls it’s just raw energy keeping him moving.

bill copes by being around people. honestly --- just put him in a room with his best friends and his problems gradually fade out. it’s not like he bares his soul to them; he just needs to be around friends, enjoying life. their presence helps him work through things better than any therapist.

(peak extrovert energy omg)

Babe Heffron

just like bill, babe also recovers by being around his favorite people.

he draws energy from them; it’s like he’s low on cash, so he asks his buddies for a few dollars, but in this case it’s emotional stability. babe just copes better around other people.

left alone with his own thoughts... things can get messy.

this man doesn’t do well with being alone in general --- he feels isolated, almost forgotten, and will seek out the nearest person just to chase those dark feelings away. when babe’s struggling with something, he also struggles with how to deal with it. the emotions are like a pot bubbling over inside of him, and he’s fighting to make sense of them all. he can’t do that alone.

he has to express himself to someone. ideally someone he trusts, but it might just end up being whoever’s available, or whoever’s nearby. his dark emotions are very potent, and very painful; it takes a while for him to be free of them completely, but having someone else help make sense of them (or just offer reassurance) helps.

he’s a crier. he’s not proud of it, but when babe’s really at his brink, he cries. it’s an ugly sight.

Shifty Powers

just freaking... goes off into the wilderness.

no, literally. shifty needs some quiet time. when he’s struggling, he’ll take his gun, take his car, and vanish for a while. (that sounds... worse than it is. shifty’s not the kind of person to consider hurting himself.) he just disappears into the woods.

the longest he’s ever been gone was two whole days... but he always returns with a clear head, willing to talk things out.

Joe Liebgott

he just... straight up doesn’t, man. he doesn’t deal with shit. he pushes it aside, forces it back --- it’s not exactly repression, because the Bad Stuff is always there on the outskirts of his mind at all times, lieb just actively chooses not to deal with it.

(he’ll pick any fight except the ones in his own head.)

you’ve got to understand, he’s had his share of trauma. he didn’t have an easy go of it before the war, and definitely not during. liebgott collects emotional baggage like baseball cards, and at this point he’s got a full set.

if he can run from the emotions, he will. this leads him to self-isolate, cutting himself off from the people who might be able to help; he doesn’t want to share all the negative emotions, because he doesn’t know how. at his worst, he also tends to lash out, and... other people don’t have to deal with that, okay?

joe will put off dealing with things for as long as possible, and never truly deal with them at all.

David Kenyon Webster

writing is literally his therapy. putting his emotions down on paper helps. formulating them into words is like a release, and having them laid out in front of him, where he can analyze it all lets him look at the problem objectively. webster writes just to get things out... sometimes because he can’t bear to hold it all inside any longer.

he also loves sailing, partly because of how freeing it is to be out on the open water. he’s completely in control of his boat, and can go anywhere, anywhere in the world --- if he wanted, he could leave everything behind. the notion is tantalizing.

webster really isn’t open about his negative feelings with others. when it’s something personal... it takes a lot for him to open up, and he’d have to trust that person implicitly. a part of him feels that baring his emotions is just an invitation to be mocked, so he’s hesitant.

at least he processes them. he’s not tormented by things, because he’s got his releases --- writing, and sailing. if the mind is a prison, they set him free.

Donald Malarkey

catch malarkey right there in that kickboxing class with joe toye

look. don feels things deeply, and takes things personally. he can’t help it. he doesn’t let go of things; if he’s been hurt badly, it’s an open wound on his soul forever, and it never heals.

he’s never a wreck. like, he’s perfectly able to function, and has a unique ability to power through even in the darkest moments... but those shadows are always there, and they weigh on him. they smother him. he can never really escape.

tends to avoid the topics which hurt him; when they come up, he can get testy --- or worse, teary!! --- and that’s not something he wants to burden anyone else with. his greatest hurts are very private things to him, and he doesn’t want the people he cares about affected by them.

Skip Muck

skip channels his bad feelings into energy, and that energy needs to find its way out.

he’ll play guitar and sing along really aggressively. he’ll deep-clean the entire house. he’ll run just to feel the burn in his lungs, the ache in his limbs, until he’s too worn out to feel anything but exhaustion.

honestly, he gets a little manic when something’s bothering him. he needs to chill.

skip is... more willing than most to talk things out, so long as he has someone he trusts. it’s not too hard for him to open up, he just needs to be able to open up to the right people. his sister is a frequent confidant, as are malarkey and penkala. skip doesn’t like many people seeing the darker side of him, but being able to talk about his feelings helps immensely.

Ralph Spina

genuinely... doesn’t have any baggage.

no childhood trauma. no agonizing breakup story or betrayals. no emotional damage whatsoever. and when something is bothering him, his instinct is to just talk it out, and then it’s done. this man sleeps like a baby.

it’s freaky.

#eat up that sweet sweet emotional trauma #band of brothers #headcanons #tw depression #tw self-harm

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may8344 · 4 years

Text

The Journey of a Forgotten Soldier (Levi x OC)

Relationships:

Alana Frey (OC)Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Original Female Character(s)Levi Ackerman/Alana FreyFurlan Church/Original Character(s)Furlan Church/Alana Frey

Characters:

Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)Furlan ChurchIsabel MagnoliaAlana Frey (OC) - CharacterErwin SmithHange ZoëPetra RalGunther SchultzEld JinnOluo BozadoKeith ShadisSpecial Operations Squad | Squad Levi

Additional Tags:

Graphic Description of CorpsesBlood and InjuryViolenceMurder

Summary:

Alana Frey, a girl born in the Underground City, longed to see the true sunlight every morning that she would wake up. Alongside her comrades: Furlan Church, Isabel Magnolia, and Levi, Alana’s life as a thug continued with no way around it; until the sudden day she and her companions were offered the deal of a lifetime.

“Once you complete this job, not only will you be generously compensated for your work,

but you will also earn the right to live above ground.”

Word Count: 2.1k

---

Chapter 6: To Be a Soldier

“This is the military barracks,” Flagon introduced as he walked inside a decently spaced room filled with bunk beds. The quartet followed behind, admiring the area.

“There’s quite a few bunks, huh…” Furlan commented, carrying his small bag of belongings.

Isabel jumped up and down in excitement. “Sweet! So we all get to sleep in the same room!?”

“The women’s barracks are separate.”

“Aww! I wanna stay here, too!” Isabel whined, her enthusiasm dying out.

“That’s enough, Isabel,” Furlan scolded.

“Furlan, how could you!?”

“I didn’t make the rules!”

“This bunk’s for you two men,” Flagon cut off their bickering, obviously annoyed. Gesturing to the bunk bed in the corner, their leader crossed his arms, almost in disgust. “I know you’ve spent your whole lives living in a trash heap, but try to keep this place clean.”

Irked, Levi stomped his way over to the wooden framed bed and ran his hand underneath it. Little flecks of dust floated down, some clinging to the ravenette’s hand. He stared at his hand with disgust. His three companions turned to each other in fear of his reaction, but the squad leader appeared confused.

“What did you just say?” Levi threateningly asked as he marched over to Flagon, only inches away from him. There was quite a height difference due to Levi’s short stature, but that didn’t make him any less menacing.

“Hey! Don’t use that attitude with your Superior Officer, you little punk!”

“Anyway!” Furlan butted in before either of them decided to fight, “Don’t worry, Mr. Squad Leader, sir! We’ll keep it clean! Right, Levi?” He looked at his friend. Quickly doing his incorrect salute, he tried to make peace out of the situation.

After noticing it earlier, Alana quickly moved by Furlan and gently took his arm, turning his fist to have his palm upwards.

Flagon clicked his tongue with irritation, and turned on his heel to walk away. “When you’re done unpacking, come to the training yard. Chruch’ll beat you into shape, starting with a proper salute.” With that, he left, slamming the door in his wake.

“Levi! Didn’t I tell you not to cause trouble? We’re suspicious enough already,” Alana scolded.

“Didn’t you hear what that prick was spouting out of his big mouth?” Levi began wiping off his dirtied hand with a white cloth from his pocket.

Alana placed her hand firmly on Levi’s shoulder with a small smile on her face. “Look, I know this isn’t ideal, but once we finish our mission, then we’ll finally be able to live up here. We can stay in a warm little house together just like before. We’ll be able to see the sun everyday and breathe the fresh air. Isn’t it worth it?” Her gaze turned to the other two who were standing proudly. “We’ll all see beyond the Walls together.”

Levi grumbled but nodded. The cloth was clenched between his fingers, but he eased under Alana’s touch.

“We weren’t just caught by accident, you know.” Furlan put his hands on his hips and frowned. “I hope you haven’t forgotten why we’re here, Levi.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“In that case, until we get our hands on those documents, we’ve got to do everything we can to avoid arousing the soldiers’ suspicions!”

“The reconnaissance Battalion will likely come after you.” The mysterious man in the carriage added. “Be sure to put up a little resistance. There are two things I’ll have you do for me. First, you will obtain a certain document, which is in the possession of Erwin Smith.”

“Stop bothering Big Bro, Furlan! We can just beat the stuffin’ outta all of ‘em like we do Underground!” Isabel yelled as she climbed up to the top bed.

“Quiet. Idiots should be seen, not heard,” Furlan commented, annoyed by Isabel’s nonchalant words.

“Hey! Who you callin’ idiot!?”

“Fine. What’s eighteen plus twenty-two?”

Isabel paused before counting on her fingers. “Um… take eight plus two, carry the…”

“It’s forty, idiot.” Levi answered, slightly nudging the ginger’s head.

“Big Bro! Not you too!” Isabel whined as tears started to prick her eyes after her pride had been hurt.

Seeing the pain in her eyes, Levi sighed and ruffled the hair on top of Isabel’s head. “You’re such a pain in the ass, idiot. You don’t need to know how to add to go on living anyway. Let him try to live on numbers instead of food and see where it gets him.” He turned his head to the blond. “But Furlan, didn’t your plan call for us to join Blondie’s squad?”

“At least give me a small margin of error,” Furlan complained. “We made it into the Survey Corps. As long as we find it before the expedition outside the Wall…”

Levi slammed his fist hard into the wooden bed frame, anger flooding through him. “We still got to take care of him.”

“I understand how you feel, but that’s-”

The strange man continued his request, “And secondly, to kill the Scouting Regiment’s section commander, Erwin Smith.”

“Furlan.” Levi stopped him and walked towards the taller blond. “I’ll go along with your plan, but I will kill him.”

With a sigh, Furlan finally gave in. “Okay, fine.”

“But, before that.” Levi made his way over to the closed window in the room and pried it open. In record time, he tied a cloth on top of his head and one to go around his face. Taking a broom from one of the small closets, he turned to his three friends.

Alana stared at him with shock. “How did you know there was even a broom in there!?”

Ignoring her question, he turned and scowled to his friends. “Clean around the beds. Don’t leave a single speck of dust behind.”

“What? Now?” Isabel whined.

“You wouldn’t want me to cause trouble, would you?”

[~]

“Hiyah!” Isabel yelled as she urged her brown horse forward. A large smile was drawn on her face as she rode in excitement. She raced across the entire field as if she were a professional. Slowly balancing to a standing position on the saddle, she launched her ODM wires to attach herself to a nearby tree. Maneuvering her way up with a pump of gas, she cheered, hanging from the tree. “C’mere, you!” She yelled to her horse, which immediately galloped to the area in front of the redhead. Jumping off the tree, she landed back on her horse. “Woah, buddy!” She yanked the reins to bring the horse to a stop. Turning to her teacher, Isabel smiled, “How’s that?”

“I’m shocked!” Her female teacher responded with her eyes wide. “I didn’t think she’d get used to you so quickly.”

“Nah, living Underground I’ve gotten good with animals. The ones I have trouble with’re people!” She joked.

“The higher-ups and the other soldiers all put you down because you’re from the Underground, but it must’ve been hard on you, living down there, right?”

Isabel paused, a little in thought. Not letting her pride weaken, she turned her eyes away and mumbled. “Yeah, I guess. I was born and raised Underground, so for me, livin’ in a trash heap was normal. It got so I thought I was gonna die, but life’s a little better since Lana, Furlan, and Big Bro saved me from that.”

“Big Bro?”

“Yeah, Levi!”

“I see… Levi did that?”

“That’s right! He’s the strongest, even Underground!” Isabel stated, proud of the man she looked up to.

“Is Furlan the same?”

“Nah, Furlan’s…” She trailed off as she turned to where Furlan sat with another Scout member.

[~]

“I didn’t stand a chance,” Furlan sighed, speaking to his fellow soldier. “In the blink of an eye, every last one of my friends turned on me. Since then, about two years ago, I’ve always been with Levi and Lana. Though it might've been problematic making him any kind of leader.”

“Is he really that skilled?” The Scout member, who sat next to him, asked with interest on his face.

“Let’s just say you should stop trying to provoke him,” he laughed.

“Is Alana as strong, too?”

Furlan nodded. “Yeah, one of the best hand-to-hand fighters that I’ve seen. In some ways, she might be better at it than Levi himself.”

“I see.” The Scout’s eyes trailed up the building next to them. “Oops,” the member suddenly stood up from the wooden logs he and Furlan sat on and mumbled. “We’d better not chat here. Section commander Erwin’s watching.”

“From that room?”

“If we perform well, we can get private rooms instead of the barracks, too! Anyways, let’s get on with your training.”

Furlan mentally noted the exact room Erwin had stood in for later.

[~]

With a swift, high kick to the jaw, Alana was able to knock her Scout trainer to the ground. Though she remained in a fighting position, she looked at her opponent with a frown. “Are you alright? I didn’t kick you too hard, did I?”

The male Scout shook his head and stood up, rubbing his chin. “You got some moves, kid. I’m surprised. Is everyone from the Underground like this? I thought it was only filled with hungry, violent people.”

Though Alana had taken quite a bit of offense to this, she held back her remarks with a fake smile. “Not everyone, no. I’ve learned to defend myself over the years. It’s useful to know; to people who live on the surface, too.”

“Are your friends like that too?”

“All of my friends are strong. We all survived down there after all.” Alana relaxed her stance.

“I see,” he responded with a huff. Like most of his comrades, he didn’t see any of the four as humans; more as monsters. He clicked his tongue and put a hand on his side. “Well, you’re still not done surviving just because you made it above ground. Fighting against the Titans is no small feat, so don’t think you’re so high and mighty.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, sir.”

[~]

“You punk… what do you think you’re doing, holding it like that?” Flagon scolded Levi. “They weren’t designed to be held like that! You wanna die the second you step outside the walls?”

Levi held his two, bladed handles securely in his grip. However, the one in his right hand was held backward. Instead of his pointer and middle finger, he used his ring finger and pinky to control the two triggers.

“You might end up that way,” he scoffed in response, swinging around his weapons. “All that matters is slicing through the back of the Titan’s neck, right? Let me do that however I want.” With that, Levi launched his gear and started swinging through the training field trees.

Flagon was ticked off at this point. With the rest of his squad, he set off into the trees after the ravenette. Wooden Titan dummies, with make-shift rubber napes, were spread out. Some were controlled with a rope by other Scouts to move, but the rest were non-controlled and stood still.

“Hiyah!” One of the dark-haired Scouts named Sairam screamed his battle cry as he dug his blades into the nape, successfully slicing through. Unfortunately, due to how deep he had cut, one of his blades were ripped out of the handle to his gear, remaining stuck in the rubber.

Behind him, both Levi and a platinum blond-haired Scout followed, blades in hand, and ready to strike. Levi zoomed ahead, prepared to make contact. The other watched and mumbled under his breath. “These mysterious thugs… These vagrants with no knowledge as soldiers… I’ve trained half to death, and these criminals think they’re better!?” Quickly catching up, both of them struck the same dummy.

Levi cut with perfection, but his fellow soldier’s was a little shallow. Bitterly, the blond looked around, finding an untouched dummy. Pushing off of a tree, he raced towards it, keeping his eyes on Levi. “Don’t get left behind!”

From the distance away, the dark haired Scout yelled back. “Hey, wait! look out! I screwed up!”

Suddenly, the prideful, light haired Scout was heading straight towards an open blade. Due to his acceleration, he wouldn’t be able to dodge it without at least a deep cut.

Seeing the danger, Levi launched himself off of one of the nearby trees towards the dummy. With near inhuman speed, he flew past the terrified soldier and dug his sword into the area with the stray blade, quickly getting rid of it before anyone could get hurt. The light haired soldier landed face first on the newly cut rubber area. His head snapped up and he stared at the black haired man in front of him. “How can he be… so fast?”

Levi spared the dumbfounded Scout a mere glare as he continued forward.

---

(A/N) Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because it was a lot of fun to write versus the previous one (a lot less military talk). I enjoy writing for these four so much, so I hope I'm able to convey this through to all of you. Thank you for reading and I hope you have a good day.

Thank you Brianna for editing.

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

#shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #levi #levi ackerman #fanfic #levi x oc #OC #attack on titan fanfiction #levi ackerman x oc #furlan church #isabel magnolia #alana frey

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janelevy · 4 years

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Prompt: Dr. Latham's reaction to Connor and Ava's wedding invitation. Since he wanted her instead of Connor at the start, then said he hoped for them to enjoy working together when they first met, then told Connor that the two make a good team, but their interactions conflicted one another. I'm pretty sure he would be surprise to see them get married

thanks for the prompt! i’ll admit this was more fun to write than i thought it would be. i’m obviously no expert on writing in dr. latham’s pov so hopefully i did him justice

Dr. Latham thought he had heard rumors circulating around the ED floor about his two most promising young surgeons, but he hadn’t paid the gossip any mind. He had far more important matters to attend to than idle chatter.

Personally, Isidore wasn’t a very observant man when it came to trivial details that appeared outside his job. He sought solutions to medical problems, not the innocently curious questions that he pushed to the back of his mind. It was all in his subconscious, he thought, because he didn’t truly care if Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Bekker seemed to be exchanging cute looks and touches more often than not these days. As long as they focused enough on their work and did that work well, there was no reason for Isidore to complain. He found it difficult to miss the days when they were at each other’s throats. Sometimes it seemed like the only subject the pair agreed on was the very thing they were both passionate about: what they did for a living as surgeons. (But only on the surface, of course - there were still disagreements to be had over how best to perform a procedure, and so on.) But things ran a lot smoother in his department now with those two getting along.

Even with that said, however, Isidore hadn’t imagined Rhodes and Bekker getting along this well. It first hit him one evening at a gala when he walked up to them and they all had a brief conversation. They were hanging on to each other for dear life, arms linked, and there was a diamond on Bekker’s left ring finger that Isidore swore hadn’t been there before. Oh well, he figured, and chose not to point it out if they weren’t going to mention it. Maybe she always wore it outside of work. He knew of many doctors who refrained from wearing bulky jewelry on the job because it simply got in the way of taking gloves and stethoscopes on and off, not to mention the unsanitary factor.

But Isidore could no longer deny the evidence when he picked up his mail one day a few weeks later. Intrigued by the prim off-white, silver-lined envelope on top of the stack, he tore it open immediately and came face-to-face with their wedding invitation. Eyebrows raised to his hairline, Isidore scanned over the stiff card paper several more times to make sure he was reading the names right. And he definitely wasn’t seeing things: printed in classy script were Connor Rhodes and Ava Bekker. The two names seen most often printed beside each other on surgical notes were now sharing a very real wedding invitation.

The next day when Isidore came into work, he felt quite silly for having refused to notice the obvious. As he entered notes on one of the computers at the desk, he watched his two most successful charges enter the elevator together, Rhodes’ hand on the small of Bekker’s back. Isidore shook his head in wonder as he typed. Over the past few years, he had grown to see Connor as a friend, and even now Ava was approaching that point as well - so how had he missed the clues? Perhaps they hadn’t wanted it to be all that transparent, and if that was the case then they certainly achieved that.

So now Connor and Ava were not just a pair that worked together, they were a couple who worked together. Isidore had grown used to their conflict while also learning not to miss it if it were ever to fade. He definitely didn’t miss it now, and the affirmative RSVP he had been quick to send back proved that. He supposed the next issue to contend with was whether he would now have to address them as Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Rhodes; he could see her not taking Connor’s last name professionally, though.

A couple hours later, Isidore ran into Connor, who had just emerged from an operation. He made to walk by his superior with a friendly grin, but Dr. Latham stopped him.

“Dr. Rhodes - Connor. I just wanted to congratulate you on your engagement. To be honest, I hadn’t even realized it until I received your invitation.”

Connor’s grin split into a wider smile and he nodded, eyes shining. “Thank you. And I can understand that. Ava and I were kind of trying to keep it under wraps for the first few weeks, because you know how news spreads like wildfire around here. We wanted to keep it to ourselves for a little while.”

Isidore dipped his head. “Of course.” He turned to continue down the hall where he would be scrubbing in, but Connor’s hand on his forearm made him freeze again.

“I... I just wanted to say, um.” Connor let out a breath. He was looking at the taller man so seriously, Isidore wondered if something had gone wrong with the surgery he just completed despite reports of success. “I just wanted to say,” Connor finally managed to spit out, “Thank you for bringing her here.” He blinked his eyes rapidly to ward off tears. “I never would’ve met Ava if it weren’t for you. And I- I know I fought it every step of the way, but... now I wouldn’t trade this job for anything.”

Dr. Latham gazed after Connor as he walked away, probably to find the very doctor he used to make a strong effort to avoid. Isidore continued in the opposite direction, thinking to himself in amusement. It took some time and lots of patience, but he had always known Rhodes and Bekker would make a good team - in more ways than one, apparently. And when had his judgment ever been incorrect?

#chicago med #isidore latham #connor rhodes #ava bekker #rhekker #fanfic

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alrajehsaleh · 4 years

Text

A Novice's Overview to Asian Rugs

My love for Asian rugs started when I was a young adult in High School. A lot of these consumers had gorgeous Oriental rugs in their homes, as well as soon adequate I started collecting them myself. By the age of 20, I had opened my rug shop and have been purchasing, marketing, cleansing and evaluating carpetings ever because. you can also find out more by checking www.xlargerugs.co.uk

A Customer's Tale

Years ago, I offered one of my rugs to one more rug dealer in the area. Several months later on, one of my clients came in with the same carpet to be cleaned. Her house decorator had taken her to that carpet supplier to find a brand-new carpet for her house.

Don't Be Fooled By "Failing Indications"

On my commute to as well as from work, I drive by one more Asian rug shop. For the last three years, they have had the same "Failing" "Liquidation" and "Everything MUST Go" signs awaiting their store windows. They are not failing or those indications would have been gone 2 years back! When you see signs like these around for greater than a few months, they ought to serve as red notifies. These salesmen will certainly attempt to attract you with "discount prices" as well as claim you're getting the most effective deal since they have to remove their things. This is incorrect. Oriental rugs are a financial investment, and also unless you're seasoned as well as have done your study, you should be wary of purchasing from stores like these.

So, Just how Do you understand if an Asian carpet is truly "handmade"?

It can be challenging for a novice to know whether they are looking at a hand-crafted carpet or a maker made carpet. Here are a couple of suggestions you can follow that will aid you make the distinction.

Follow this detailed overview to determine whether you have a hand-crafted item or an industrial rug.

Actions

Look on the back of the rug at the weave. Look for white or red or blue horizontal (to the edge) lines of structure threads. Occasionally the straight strings go all the way from one side (bound side) of the carpet to the other side.

2. Try to find unevenness in the tinted knots on the back of the rug You might see some locations a little thicker than others.

3. Now consider the front of the carpet. Check out the design carefully. Very rarely will the style be specifically the same shapes and sizes from one end to the opposite end of the rug. This holds primarily in older Oriental rugs.

You may see minor color modifications making thick or slim red stripes in the rug. These shade adjustments are commonly found in the background color of the rug.

5. Sometimes there is a fabric tag stitched into one edge of the rug which claims, "Made in Iran" or "Made in India". You can be fairly certain that this carpet is handmade.

6. Handmade rugs are almost always woven with the wool pile. The device made rugs are commonly made with a type of nylon or polyester pile.

The device made rugs are often made with a kind of nylon or polyester pile, as well as are usually really uniform in their weave. On the back of the carpet, you might see white woven strings running from edge end to edge end, or you may see no white threads at all.

What size rug are you looking for?

One more concept to bear in mind is the dimension of the rug you are searching for to complete your room. Follow these straightforward pointers to pick rug size for the look you are attempting to attain.

When choosing a carpet for a living room in some cases the client puts the front feet of the sofa on the carpet and puts the occasional chairs totally on the carpeting.

A standard rug dimension to fit an area is to leave 1 ft. (~ 0.3048 m) of flooring revealing around the carpeting. Naturally, if you have an open strategy bigger area, then the rug should ground the furniture in the room only.

The rug size is much more vital when you are purchasing for a dining-room. To secure the edges of the carpeting, you need to measure exactly how far the chairs will certainly be pulled out when the restaurant is seating himself. You do not desire the legs of the chairs to catch the edges of the carpeting. Consistent scuffing of the sides of your carpeting with heavy chairs will certainly quickly cause damages.

If you are purchasing a carpet as a feature in your area, perhaps to put under a coffee table, then you want a minimum of 8 in. (~ 20 cm) of carpet to be noticeable throughout the table.

What to do with your new Asian carpet.

When you buy your rug, you may decide to utilize it as a wall surface tapestry which is not uncommon. To hang an Oriental carpet on a wall there are several different methods. Several various other approaches require making a semi-permanent adjustment to the rug, such as stitching material loops to the back of the rug and also weaving a pole with it which hangs on wall mounted hooks, or stitching Velcro to the back of the carpet which is stuck to more Velcro glued on the wall.

Steps

Determine if you desire your rug hanging easily (this utilizes one tack strip throughout the leading as well as creates a minor billowing effect) or to be completely protected to the wall surface from each side (this utilizes a tack strip along each side of the rug and there is no billowing impact). If you desire your carpet hanging openly, gauge exactly how vast the top of the rug is that you want to hang.

2. Coat the tack strip(s) on a clear surface or with paint as well as let completely dry. This guarantees that no acid from the wood tack strips can damage the back of the rug once it is hanging.

3. Utilizing a degree to make certain the tack strip is straight, hold the strip where the top of the rug will hang and also hammer in the nails along the tack strip (if hanging a hefty carpet, these nails must line up with studs behind the wall surface which can be located using a "stud finder"). If you are safeguarding it from each side, repeat this process for the remaining tack strips, ensuring to measure where everyone must go.

4. Raise the rug as much as the leading tack strip and also press it strongly versus the strip (with assistance from somebody else if it is hefty). Usage 2 or three upholstery nails to protect each edge of the rug (as well as potentially the middle if wanted) by toenailing them with the carpet and right into the installed tack strip. The upholstery nails are both practical and ornamental as they protect the rug to the tack strip as well as often tend to look extremely expensive depending upon the nails you pick to make use of. If securing each side, repeat for the three other edges by doing the sides first and doing the bottom last.

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team-crtq · 5 years

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Who is really at fault for what happened at Argus?

Needless to say, the debate about whether Team RWBY and Co were right or whether Cordovin was right has caused a bit of a debate.

However, I find that looking at it that way as one side having to shoulder all of the blame vs the other correct side removes a lot of nuance and the thoughts behind each action. Each side had their own reasons for making the choices that they did and those choices may not have been entirely correct with different consequences to each.

So, with this, let’s look at the choices from both sides that lead up to this point. Also known as another episode of Regalia rambling.

"Couldn’t they have come up with a better plan than stealing a military ship?”

Arguably, yes, they could have come up with a better plan, this is what happens when you leave a group of teenagers and an old lady in charge of a dire and dangerous situation. Sometimes in a desperate situation, the dumb and crazy idea is all you have.

They tried asking Cordovin if they could get to Atlas, which, to any situation or plea, Cordovin said “No”. Understandable, their ports are closed and yes, she could have just left it at, “No we cannot help you, our ports are closed, no one is going out under any circumstance.”

and the only circumstance Cordovin would allow is Weiss returning to Atlas on her own... Which, given that Weiss had to smuggle herself out of Atlas, it’s understandable that she nor the group want to go back alone. Because once Weiss is gone, they will have no way of reaching or contacting her, she will be alone on a military ship with a lamp that attracts Grimm, and chances are, Jacques wouldn’t allow her to speak with Ironwood at all and would have her put right back under lock and key.

If the team went with that plan and Weiss found herself in danger, it would be SOL for everyone, especially given they would have no idea what even happened to Weiss because she wouldn’t be able to reach them. It’s understandable neither team RBY and Co or Weiss herself wants to go through with that plan because there is no way back out for Weiss and we know what Jacques could do to her.

Given the stress and direness of the situation, it’s only natural they eventually ended up going with stealing the ship... But it wasn’t their first choice. Before making that decision... Let’s go over the things that happened leading up to it.

They find out Ozpin is hiding a very dangerous secret about Salem’s presumed immortality and naturally, in their anger, tear him a new one and he retreats back into Oscar’s mind.

They find a house and Qrow grabs himself a drink and ends up oversleeping and not waking the group up on time.

In his frustration of dealing with the tire, he goes and gets himself another drink.

Team RWBY and Maria end up fighting for their lives against the Apathy while Qrow was busy being drunk. If not for Maria, team RWBY would have died right under his nose... almost literally.

He had to be dragged away from the bar and it was only while the house was going up in flames that he realized the kind of danger they had been in while he was drunk.

Rather than deciding to drop the drink, he gets another one when they arrive in Argus.

Oscar vanishes and it sends the group into a panic, while they are out looking for him Qrow is passed out drunk... on the stairs... in public.

Needless to say, Qrow has caused more issues and grief for the group more than Maria or Ozpin. Ozpin’s worst crime is holding a secret and Qrow has been a hindrance to the group’s efforts and an unnecessary source of stress.

When Jaune brought up stealing a military airship everyone looked at him like he had straight lost his mind. Even they thought it was a dumb idea... but no one had anything else.

Sometimes when you have nothing else, the dumb idea is what you have to go with.

But what does Qrow do? He immediately shoots down the idea as worthless and something they wouldn’t be able to pull off. Which, in hindsight, he was right... They didn’t really pull it off and it went just about as well as he expected.

However, rather than assuming the reasonable adult position and sitting down with the team and saying “Let’s come up with a better plan.” what does he do?

He’s about to march right back to his room after shooting down the only other idea they had for getting to Atlas after the ones they had tried were exhausted either to mope around, sleep off his hangover, or get drunk some more.

In either case, even though he is technically correct... He’s been more of a hindrance to the group than even Ozpin whose worst offense was keeping a secret and retreating into the back of Oscar’s mind. Someone who doesn’t help but neither actively hinders the group is better than the person who is an actual hindrance.

So naturally, Ruby (and I assume the others as well, but the focus is on Ruby) is fed up with this and wants to hear Jaune out. Whether it is just pure defiance and teenage rebellion or desperation and stress of the situation they’ve been put in is a different analysis altogether, especially given Rubys mentions of not needing adults. Be on the lookout for that episode.

At the end of the day, they ended up stealing the ship and given that they had Saphron and Terra’s help, they likely discussed the plan in further detail so they weren’t running entirely blind into the situation.

Were they right to steal the ship in the first place? No. But they exhausted the other options they had seen because the only way to Atlas, is by an airship.

Naturally, upon finding out the ship has been hijacked, Cordovin goes to stop them.

Is she right to do so? Absolutely.

But her methods were incorrect.

You see, you can be correct in what you are doing or what you intend to do, but go about it in the wrong way.

Cordovin went about it in the wrong way. Just like the question about whether or not team RWBY and Co could have come up with a better plan... Could Cordovin have come up with a better plan for stopping them?

Yes.

With the reveal of this episode especially, it showed that they had more airships... Several more airships.

She could have easily sent more airships out after them and given that the people of Argus live near a military base, it likely wouldn’t have caused any measure of panic or concern. They probably see ships flying in and out daily, what’s seeing two or three more fly after another ship? They’ll probably just assume they’re doing a drill or carrying cargo or something or maybe there was a Grimm spotted and they sent out ships to assess and take care of the situation.

No big deal.

But what does she do instead? Break out this huge mecha that undoubtedly caused the people of Argus to panic.

The panic wasn’t caused by team RWBY and Co stealing the airship... but the huge mecha coming out of the ground after all of the shit Atlas got from what happened at Beacon.

The people of Argus aren’t paying attention to the airship... but they are paying attention to that huge mecha that was likely not public knowledge and not to mention, absolutely hidden from public view. They do not see that thing all the time.

Where Cordovin is wrong isn’t in trying to stop them from stealing the ship, but rather the methods that she takes to do so... Because needless to say, that mecha isn’t for handling stolen ships.

She brought it out not because she thought a group of teenagers, a drunk, and an old lady were a genuine threat to Argus safety... but because she felt like they had tricked them and her pride got in the way of her thinking clearly and felt that they needed to be shown Atlas’s might so they would never underestimate Atlas again.

Her thought process and actions have little to do with protecting the people of Argus and trying to retrieve a stolen ship... but wanting the group to surrender and recognize how great Atlas is.

While you can say that it is team RWBY’s fault that Cordovin broke out a huge mech... It really isn’t considering Cordovin had other options to choose from before getting to the mecha... The huge mech, intended for taking down huge Grimm like the Leviathan and not chasing after a group of teenagers and two adults.

It was disproportionate to the situation. It’s like responding to some kids breaking your window by burning down the entire block.

Should you stop them from breaking your window? Yes. Are you right to have them pay for fixing the window? Yes. Are you right by burning down the entire block in response to them having broken the window? No.

While Cordovin was right to try to stop them and right to try to arrest the group, the way she did about it is arguably the worst way possible.

Team RWBY and Co should be blamed for stealing the ship, yes, but they shouldn’t be blamed for Cordovin’s disproportionate reaction to the situation and the resulting damage.

Even though it was Ruby who broke the mecha, Cordovin was arguably willing to kill them by using a huge mecha because they stole the airship. She was going to use a cannon to kill a group of teenagers, an old lady, and a drunk who were of no immediate threat to the people of Argus... The people she was sworn to protect.

The result is that the mecha got damaged and she was stuck in the water when the Leviathan surfaced along with the horde of Grimm that her military base had been fighting off while she was busying flaunting her power around.

Cordovin’s actions caused more damage and panic than what Team RWBY and co did. So while Cordovin was right to stop them yes, Team RWBY isn’t responsible for the fact that Cordovin’s actions ended up causing more damage and panic than they did.

It’s like blaming the kids who broke your window for you burning down the block because burning down the block was in response to the actions of the kids.

Just because your actions and choices are in response to someone else’s, doesn’t mean that the actions and choices you made were correct... Even if your intentions were correct. Cordovin had the right intention on stopping them... Just not the correct method in stopping them.

And it was her choice that ended up putting the people of Argus in more danger and causing the destruction and rise of the Leviathan. Team RWBY’s choice of stealing the airship didn’t cause immediate danger or panic for the people of Argus. It was Cordovin bringing out a huge mech to deal with the choice team RWBY made.

But naturally, RWBY and Co feel terrible about this. They feel bad that they broke the only thing that could fight off that Leviathan... So naturally, they do what they can to make it right but putting themselves in danger and risking their plan of not going to Atlas falling apart. Even though they could have easily made it to Atlas in all of the chaos, they didn’t want to leave helpless people in danger and that shows even though they stole an airship, they didn’t actually want people in danger.

So they did the right thing and helped them fight back even though they were considered hostile... and Cordovin came to her senses about what she was sworn to do rather than her pride in the atlas military. Cordovin’s change of heart is a bit of an analysis in its own right. So I’ll save that for another time. Be on the lookout for that episode as well.

But to keep it brief, Team RWBY and Co didn’t point fingers or blame people for their actions whereas Cordovin did.

At the end of the day... Team RWBY is at fault for stealing the ship... However, Cordovin is at fault for the resulting damage and panic at Argus. Either side is truly blameless for the situation, but one Cordovin’s actions caused more damage than the others... even if those actions were in response to some teenagers stealing a ship.

Both sides had the right intentions, Team RWBY and Co were trying to fulfill their mission of getting the lamp somewhere safe and Cordovin in her attempts to stop them because they did commit an illegal act. But, they were wrong in their methods... Which naturally, both realized as well.

#rwby #rwby volume 6 #rwby rose #qrow branwen #RWBY Ozpin #Ozpin #RWBY Meta #RWBY Analysis #crtq #character analysis #rwby character analysis #mod regalia

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