#there’s so much passive aggression and animosity towards each other from both of them at first | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

skulljackxiii · 1 month

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GrojBand Comeback Tour - Final Act P.2

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Overall Narrative: Along side GrojBand's journey comes another band that attempts to be as reckless as them, but appears to be more well kept together and prepared. They are the only other band besides GrojBand to sign up in all genres in the competition so that they appear as the superior musicians, The Newmans. For a long time, they and GrojBand have always one up each other in their performances, though when it came to popularity the Newmans were always in the lead. But that never lead them to believe that they were truly better than their competitor.

Outsiders may believe that this obsessive rivalry was born from spite and jealousy, however in truth there has never been a droplet of animosity or ill will between the two bands...well mostly between the two leaders anyway, Carrie and Corey. Whenever they cross paths the two would often banter and instigate tension to mostly motivate and ignite their passion for music. The only times when Carrie would be more passive aggressive and antagonistic towards GrojBand would be whenever she interacts with the band's bassist, Laney, due to more personal conflicts outside of music.

This rivalry dates all the way back back before the bands were even formed when middle school started and Carrie was more quiet and insecure about her general well being. Though everything about her life up until that point was going to change when she was introduced to both music and Corey. The two quickly hit it off and formed a genuine friendship that lasted all the way up to high school where the two separated to start their own band in order to give the other motivation to be better musicians.

Back to the present, It's revealed that right before they left on their journey for the competition, both band leaders crossed paths once more and began their usual banter. But things ended more differently in this exchange where Carrie suggested to put a wager on the line at the end of the competition. The bet being whoever's band gains the most influence and recognition at the end would be the winner and they're allowed to command one request from the loser. Seeing nothing to worry about Corey agrees and becomes even more motivated to win the competition, even though he has no idea what kind of command he should give to Carrie if he wins. But for her, she had more personal ulterior motives to initiate the bet in the first place, a motive that won't be revealed until the end of the competition.

No one else knew about the bet besides the two, however in one event both Carrie and Laney had a heart to heart conversation between the themselves in a diner; recounting their upbringings and how much Corey both changed and saved their lives. At the end she brings up the bet they formed and insinuates that she would make Corey go out with her if she wins. Though this was not her real request and was made as a joke, this in turn made Laney upset and had her leave in a panic. Carrie wanted to clear the air but she left it as it was hoping to give GrojBand more motivation in the competition.

Months passed and both bands performed shows that were out of this world, whether that be on purpose or not was left to speculation from audiences. Both continued on their journey leaving bands left and right in the dust, though just barely. But it wasn't just the other bands and Trina that they had to worry about, there was also a criminal organization that threatened their well brings in many occasions thanks to GrojBand indirectly interfering with their operations. They were able to get out of dire situations mostly thanks to the aid of one Nick Mallory.

Now down to the final two, both GrojBand and Newmans stood ready and prepared to perform their last performance of the night before the final calls were made. The Newmans was called on first and their made the crowd scream like they never heard before, GrojBand was up next after a few minutes. But before any of that Corey made a decision and came clean to everything that he's done throughout the entire tour. Over the past few months, Corey grew guilty and revealed all the fraudulent and misdirected claims he's made so far; lying where all the financial expenses came from, his feelings towards his friends about their futures, his insecurities about his own future, and his wavering feelings towards music. GrojBand stood silent and felt hurt about the secrets that was kept by their leader, they didn't know what to do. But right before they were called on stage Carrie saw what was happening and came in to say her piece about the whole situation.

With her stating her disappointment in GrojBand's hesitation and expecting more from her rivals, this gave the members back some of their morale. It was obvious there's more to be discussed with Corey, but for now they'll stand ready to backup their frontman and perform their greatest show ever. With each member leaving on stage, only leaving Corey and Carrie alone to briefly talk amongst themselves. Before Corey said his thanks, Carrie stopped him and wanted to tell him her request claiming that she won the bet, even though GrojBand didn't perform yet. But with what just happened ,he didn't have room to argue and was ready to accept anything she said.

Carrie then leaned in closer so that no one else heard and whispered what she wanted Corey to do; she wants Corey to keep being himself and to always love music, from now and forever. Since even before day one of the competition, she knew that something was off with Corey. With them graduating high school, Corey's insecurities was showing more and more with each of his shows. She didn't like that he was slowly losing a core part of himself that inspired her to play music in the first place. To not only her, Laney, or the other members, she saw Corey as an inspiration to help others and express themselves that they never could on their own.

With that said she grabs him by the arm and quickly shoves him on stage where a huge massive crowd was screaming and cheering their names. With Carrie and the rest of the Newmans standing on the sides watching, GrojBand was gonna perform the last song of the night and it was their greatest time of their lives.

#total drama #total drama island #tdi #fanart #total drama fanart #grojband #newmans #carrie beff #konnie kagami #kim kagami #lenny nepp #story

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yandere-daze · 1 year

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Hello~! How are you? Congrats on reaching 3K followers, It been a wonderful ride watching you grow this much~! I hope you've been taking care of yourself during these times, drink water and sleep well, alright?

I have a silly request if you're alright with it. May I get Yan. Enstars headcanons (or just thoughts) of Madara and Yuzuru pursuing the same person? This was just a one-off thought I had because Madara and Yuzuru share the homescreen and -compared to being paired with others- rarely have lines where they are upset. They are imo similar to eachother with their caring nature and despite their very big differences would work well together after a while. Whether this is Self-Aware AU or just the general Yandere AU depends on you and how you think this works best! Congrats again on 3k! I'm so happy for my favorite Enstars writer to have grown this far! Love you and take care~!

Hi, I´ve been doing fine thank you for asking! Favorite enstars writer?🥺 That´s so sweet of you to say, thank you so much!!😭💕

Both Yuzuru and Madara are pretty interesting characters, I need to read up more about them honestly, but I hope you enjoy this nonetheless!

gn reader

tw yandere, obsession, possessiveness, mentioned violence and implied murder, implied kidnapping near the end

Yandere! Yuzuru and Madara pursuing the same darling

I think this is actually a really interesting duo of yanderes and one I haven´t thought of before? But it kind of makes sense in the way that I think they would be pretty similar as a yandere, in the general sense, so I actually agree with you there!

Both of them are very caring and devoted around their darling, wishing to fulfill every single one of your wishes without any reservations but can very quickly turn violent and cruel toward anyone they deem a threat to either your safety or your relationship

Yuzuru with his background in the military can be very terrifying and so is Madara. Doesn´t he outright say somewhere that his number 1 way to solve things is through violence? Honestly, I´d hate to be the person that has to deal with their wrath, you most likely wouldn´t live to see another day

I think both of them would be pretty quick to figure out that they aren´t the only one after your heart and I just know that all of their interactions with each other would get so tense. They´re both smiling when they´re with you but they still let passive-aggressive comments toward the other slip from time to time

They don´t want to worry you too much but you can definitely feel the animosity between them as they almost fight over who gets to take care of you

Yuzuru is a butler, he has spent his entire life serving people so isn´t he the most suitable person to be taking care of you? He already knows all of your preferences when it comes to food and he has taken the time to perfect every single one of your favorite dishes so he can make them exactly to your liking. It would be an honor if you would let him serve you

Madara meanwhile tells you that Yuzuru is way too uptight to stay around for so long. Wouldn´t it be much more fun to go on a trip with him and explore the city for the perfect restaurant to try out? It would almost be like a little date between you two~

Ah, no need to answer! Madara is already moving to pick you up and sprint away as Yuzuru´s smile looks more and more strained by the second, his voice sounding outright murderous as he tells Madara to stop touching his master

Just when did you become his master, exactly? Well, there are probably better things to be worried about when it looks like they might kill each other any second now

Them actually working together instead of fighting to win your heart would be pretty difficult to achieve, I think. More than anything, they both want to be the most important person in your life and the one to be taking care of you. They want to make sure you always stay happy and healthy and no one else is better suited for that than them, in their minds at least

After all, who else could tend to you but the person that loves you to the point of dangerous obsession? Who but the person who has dedicated their entire life to you? They´re both eternally grateful for pulling them out of their dark past and giving them this chance to redeem themselves, to do some good, that they simply can´t leave your fate up to anyone else

And this fact is both their greatest source of conflict and a way for both of them to see eye-to-eye. They understand each other better than one might think, or more than they would ever admit

They both want to keep you safe under any circumstances and so I think the one and only way for them to set aside their rivalry and work together is for you to actually be in great danger and needing both of them to get you back to safety

They´d rather save you on their own but they can´t be too selfish when something more important is on the line. So they decide to work together to get you back to safety and they honestly work together scarily well

They´re both more than willing to get violent if it concerns you and so they remove any and all obstacles in the way until you´re finally safe in their arms once again

And maybe, just maybe, they might both come to realize that working together might be necessary to keep you safe for all of eternity

So please don´t be scared, they´re both going to take great care of you from now on! <3

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plunderwater · 9 months

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TIMING: Prior to Jasper losing his face LOCATION: Driftwood Diner PARTIES: Fang (@ronin-for-hire) & Jasper (@eatdearth) SUMMARY: Fang and Jasper meet up to try the White Crab seltzers at Driftwood Diner despite their shaky "first date" at Midnight Drive-In. CONTENT WARNINGS: Innuendos, awkward date stuff, passive-aggressiveness

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was supposed to be a pretty nice movie date at Midnight Drive-In, featuring the film called The Awakening of the Jiggly Pears; it was supposed to be a pretty nice dinner at Harborside, with Jasper getting to taste those White Crab seltzers at Driftwood Diner that she had been raving about. However, as it turned out, much to Jasper’s dismay, both times were with the same girl, and that same girl seemed extremely hostile toward him. Did he do something wrong to her? Something he couldn’t even remember? Did he accidentally piss on her parents’ graves or what?

“So, uhm, we meet again, huh?” Jasper tried to play it off coolly, chuckling at his lame attempt at an ice breaker. He’s never been at Harborside, at least not recently, at least not with someone new, someone who seemed like she’d rather break his kneecaps than do anything else with him, most of all enjoy the seltzers. But Jasper at least tried. No one can say he didn’t. Especially not at the face of a scowling she-devil. “T-thanks for being here.”

Fang squinted at Jasper, her arms crossed over her chest, as she sat back on her seat, scowling. The first time they had gone out, it was to watch that weird film at that weird drive-in. It wasn’t a bad first date, err first meeting, but it could have gone a lot better. At least he didn’t try anything weird. Then again, he wouldn’t have been able to. If he had, she would’ve made sure he wouldn’t try that again with anyone else. But at least he paid. And his car was clean. “Yeah, probably should’ve made sure it wasn’t you.”

Those words might have been sharper than most people would’ve liked, but they were the only words she knew. Well, the only delivery she knew. Fang didn’t live in this part of the world. She didn’t grow up with comfort and the luxury to give strangers the benefit of the doubt. Fang grew up in the part of the world where her parents died during a car crash, thanks to a monster. She grew up in the part of the world where no other relatives claimed her, leading to the guy that saved her to take her in, train her to be a monster killer. She’s been surviving against monsters ever since. “As long as you’re paying, Professor.”

“Of course, I will,” Jasper forced a smile on his face just as the waitress arrived, greeting them both and handing them each a menu. That comment of Fang’s, the one with the whole making sure it wasn’t him again thing, made him wince inside. It was a bit hurtful, but to be honest, he should have expected it from her. For some reason, she hated his guts. Was it his fault? Or maybe that was just who she was? He’d met people like that, had them in his class. Misdirected anger, that was what he liked to call it. She didn’t have enough on him, he thought, to have all that dislike of him be truly about him. It was, most likely, something else. “Two White Crab seltzers?”

Jasper posed the question to Fang, which the waitress picked up on. The latter had said the usual spiel of the restaurant, the food place, which Jasper didn’t bother to listen to. Or he would have, had he not focused on Fang’s misguided animosity toward him. Whatever the true cause of her negativity was, her hostility, he was now determined to find out, if only to make sure she’d tone it down a bit, or more importantly, he could make her feel more comfortable and less agitated. “Or do you have something else in mind? Something more you want to try?”

Fang accepted the menu and read it in a way that kept her from seeing Jasper’s face. Heaving a sigh, she read through the items offered, finding the White Crab seltzers. As if on cue, she reminisced on the first time she got them, having been dragged to the diner by Sara and her coworkers who wanted to try the new addition. The slayer wasn’t too thrilled at the thought of being forced to try a drink with crab in it, especially after her morgue fight, but ended up relenting after Sara guilted her like an Asian mom would.

“Here,” Fang stated plainly, placing the menu on the table with her finger on the word ‘codburger’ while staring at Jasper with a playful smirk, as if challenging him to get the same dish. The slayer wasn’t much of a gambler, even though the codburger was always a gamble. Some days, the cod was delicious. Other days? She wasn’t even sure if it was cod in there. Definitely a dish she’d enjoy watching the geology professor try to overcome. “Two. One for me and you. Unless you’re scared?”

“Scared?” Jasper raised an eyebrow at Fang, utterly confused. Why would he be scared of a burger? Sure, he’s never had a burger with cod instead of meat, but he did have that tuna burger a while back. Cod and tuna… They’re basically the same thing, right? “Why would I be scared? It’s just fish,” he turned to the waitress with a warm smile, nodding at her after she clarified if that was all they wanted to have. White Crab seltzers and codburger… How could he expect anything else from a diner at Harborside.

“So,” Jasper tried to think of something else to talk about once the waitress left him alone with Fang. He tried to be careful about what topic to broach, tip-toeing on eggshells in his head. The last thing he wanted was for her to start yelling at him again. Then again, he did think she was cute when she got mad. Oh, no… What the actual fuck was that line of thinking? “...you come here often?” Smooth… As in smooth brain. Smooth brain Jasper. Gundam it.

Fang scoffed at Jasper before shaking her head, a grin finding its way across her lips. The man was walking the fine line that separated ignorance and stupidity, and the slayer was finding his stumbling a little bit humorous. She gave him a final shrug and leaned back against her seat, “All right, just fish, hm? We’ll see.”

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the final dumb thing Jasper could have said. Fang scoffed a second time in under an hour, disbelief clear on her face. “Is that a pick-up line? You know we’re not in a bar, right?”

Besides, Jasper had already technically picked her up, so there was no need for such a line. Picking up on that idea, Fang leaned forward, her lips contorting into a playful smirk. “Are you nervous, Professor?” He was a bit like this during the movie, too, though she simply attributed that to the fact that it was night time and she didn’t really give him an opening to do what he wanted, what guys on movie dates at night often liked to do.

Quietly, without words, Jasper just stared at Fang, now a little considered at the implied dangers of a “codburger.” What was it? The cod was going to be overcooked? Raw? Jasper has had sushi before. He’s not lightweight when it comes to fish. Besides, what even is overcooked fish? Just mushy sea meat that he can still gulp down. Of all the things to be afraid of, especially in this part of Wicked’s Rest, fish was not going to be one of them for Jasper.

“Oh, no,” Jasper shook his head, fumbling for a save. It was. It definitely was a pick-up line, though he may not have intended it as such. Jasper hasn’t been social lately, though to no fault of his own. He tries, but not a lot of people want to have some fun with him outside of office hours. The few that did intimidated him. The rest that he wanted to go out with, have some drinks, maybe a few burgers? Well, he’d rather not get some rumors going around at the university. Dating students was weird. “I was just trying to break the ice.”

“...a little bit,” came Jasper’s awkward admission after a few seconds of silence. The last time they were together, it didn’t really foster a good feeling between the two of them. This made him feel a bit hesitant to do anything now, for fear of a lot of things, most especially getting physical with her, and by that, getting beaten to a pulp. “Nice place…”

“Hm,” came Fang’s ice-cold reply, which was appropriate, considering Jasper was trying to break the ice. Or was that ironic? The slayer could never tell. She wasn’t a wordsmith, and the English language wasn’t her first or even her second language. Learning it took some time, as it was very weird and little all over the place. Just like him.

Heaving a sigh, Fang crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back. Maybe she was being hard on him. Maybe he doesn’t deserve it as much as she thought. First impressions were important, and Jasper had fumbled that, but Fang could surely give him a second chance? Like her late mentor did. “It is, I guess.”

Now it was her turn to try to break her own ice, as she mustered enough courage and self-awareness to soften her stance. “What places do you go to? On your time, I mean,” Fang shrugged the query as the waitress returned with their burgers and seltzers. At first, she was disinterested in his answer, but as she reached for the seltzer, eager to try it, one glimpse of him made her a little more curious. Something about him reminded her of herself, and she hated it.

“My time?” Jasper was pleasantly surprised when Fang made the effort to make their set-up a little less hostile and a little more, well, interactive. He was already munching on the codburger, having found it a little too tempting. If what she was warning him about was truly dangerous, scary, or whatever else, then he wanted to just get it all over with, done with. The first bite was a little soft, maybe too soft, but her question distracted him from delving into that concern much deeper. “Well, I don’t know… Depends on the day, or night, I suppose.”

Jasper reached for his seltzer, taking a quick sip of it, finding the taste a little odd, though it was mostly due to the fact that he had never tasted anything like it. If it was a thing in this neighborhood, then he wouldn’t have known. Jasper rarely went here, even as a kid, even though he had wanted to. Who didn’t want to go to the beach as a kid? “Friday nights, I spend the night out, enjoying my freedom…with drinks,” he opted to omit the part where he usually did that alone. On his own. “What about you?”

“Your time,” Fang reiterated the emphasis, taking a sip of the seltzer and surprisingly enjoying it. Must be a whole seafood thing. Back in Japan, she enjoyed a lot of seafood, even the stuff she didn’t know she’d like, the stuff she didn’t even know existed before then, and has since established a preference for all the white meat, and even the non-white meat, from the sea. Basically, it’s a whole thing with her.

Next, she tried the burger, almost dreading the attempt, but was surprised, again, though pleasantly as well, when the cod in the codburger was very much a cod, tasted like one and tasted pretty fresh, too. Must be her lucky day. Odd.

“Me?” Fang chewed the bite she took as slowly as she could to relish and savor the taste. It was a damn good codburger. Well, hers was. She wasn’t sure if Jasper’s was any better. Or anyone else’s in that restaurant. But she didn’t dwell on that thought. Instead, she tried to think of a decent answer to the question, delving deep into her mind. She enjoyed slaying monsters for money, that was the answer she wanted to give, but of course she couldn’t. “Sex.”

Nailed it.

Jasper almost choked on his food when he heard her reply, coughing as he desperately reached for his seltzer. His eyes were still wet and a bit red when he finally recuperated from the unexpected revelation. Jasper was no prude, so Fang having sex in her free time wasn’t anything that surprised him. What actually got him was the fact that she had offhandedly made the comment, sharing something intimate with him when she had previously only shared hostility with the geology professor.

If they were close friends, then Jasper would have just laughed it off, especially if they had such an intimate rapport where they could joke about such things, talk openly about such personal details. But they weren’t. They had already gone out twice, sure, but the most they knew about each other was that Fang wasn’t a fan of Jasper and Jasper was clearly socially inept. “Y-yeah… O-okay,” he cleared his throat, making sure the seltzer got all the possible obstruction from the burger. “Me, too, I guess. Sex is great.” He had to feign another cough to mask his own embarrassment at his final remark.

Jasper felt like teleporting elsewhere as an aftermath of that exchange, though he wouldn’t know the first thing about that. He might be a spellcaster, but he was essentially a rung below beginner. He was more like a hobbyist, and his magical affinity was more toward earth elemental magic. Teleportation, if it even was a thing, would have been under a different category, he believed, though he was also not well-versed with other categories outside of elemental magic.

Soon, his thoughts had to wander to the possibility that she might invite him over after this for some, well, great sex, but quickly shook his head to keep himself from dwelling over that possibility. It was just a stray bullet of sorts, surely, and nothing was going to come out of this second date. Surely. Jasper swallowed air, feeling his throat dry up from out of nowhere, despite the fact that he had just drank some seltzer not too long ago, finished the entire damned cup even.

Fang let out a brief chuckle, realizing that she was the alpha in this conversation. She should always be. By default. But sometimes, it was much easier and freer to not be the alpha. Sometimes, she did enjoy being the one following another, being second to someone else, someone who steered the conversation whichever way they wanted, the meet-up, the encounter.

Most of the interactions she’d had usually ended with swords drawn, which in her case, was often literally. It’s nice to be able to just chill and put her feet up. With Jasper, that seems to always be the case, even if she had to be alpha. “Yeah? You must get a lot of sex then, being a smart professor guy and all?” It was mostly teasing, as Fang didn’t really want to know. Or did she?

The rest of the “date” went better than Fang expected. At least he was too far to try anything this time, too far to reach around her shoulders and leave his heavy, lanky arm on them, weighing her down like a steel ball shackled to her ankle, too far to brush strands of her hair away from her face and behind her ear. He’s probably watched more stupid rom-coms than actually gotten on dates. To be fair, though, she hasn’t been dating either. Still, she wasn’t watching rom-coms to fill that hole in her life. She’s been slaying monsters at night for cash instead. Not an ideal replacement but still a bit better. “So, what do you think? You and me?”

Jasper blushed, his cheeks feeling hot under Fang’s scrutinizing gaze, so he immediately tried to brush it off with an awkward grin paired with an even more awkward chuckle. “You think?” He thought the question would make him look cool, even though he was subconsciously asking her to repeat her assumption.

“I mean, I am a smart professor guy and all,” Jasper began blabbering to try and find a way to make himself sound better than he actually is, though to little avail. “Professors tend to be smart guys, or smart girls, or women, since, you know, professors need their brains to graduate with their degrees and become professors…” He went on and on and on about unnecessary things, going around in circles, until Fang would stop him and they would find other topics to discuss.

When their conversation ended up with her asking him what he thought about the two of them, Jasper once again choked, this time on air, as he had already finished his meal. He stared at her with wide eyes, unsure of what to say, but slowly realized what she actually meant. Was it an invitation? Of course, it was! She wouldn’t actually ask for his dumb-ass opinion. Fang didn’t seem like someone who’d care for what Jasper actually thought. It was either he was down or he wasn’t, and Jasper would be dumber than dumb if he wasn’t.

The geology professor immediately raised his hand in the air, not moving his eyes away from Fang just in case she changed her mind. “C-check please!”

#‧⋇⊶⊰ para ⊱⊷⋇‧#jasper ✦ langston #‧⋇⊶⊰ season ✦ one ⊱⊷⋇‧#‧⋇⊶⊰ s1 ✦ canaries ⊱⊷⋇‧#date ✦ light #wickedswriting

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mysticalmusicwhispers · 3 years

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College AU revised r/ships between the Asians pt. 1

It was too long so part 2 is (hopefully) coming with the SEAsians, India, South Korea, and Mongolia

Part 2! part 3 coming soon

spoiler, all of them are not related

China still loves taking people under his wing because he’s got a Big Bro complex (consistent in every AU)

Tried taking Hong Kong (THEY ARE UNRELATED) under his wing first in freshman year (1st year) because he apparently looked like he could use a responsible brother figure

Yao is neither responsible nor a brother figure

Leon lowkey/highkey hates him but once in a while Yao drops actually good advice and it convinces him not to cut him off

Yao lowkey knows Leon dislikes him but he shrugs it off as teenage angst or something

Also Leon called him “Teach” once as an insult when Yao was lecturing him too much (trying to rub it in that he’s a fucking Old Man in his beliefs if not in looks) but Yao took it as a compliment so now they’re stuck with each other

They used to be closer but now Leon just does whatever he wants and Yao texts him about once a month to lecture him on some stupid stunt or other

Also Yao brings him food to his dorm at least once a week and Leon is keeping him around solely because of that tbh

Leon is friends with Taiwan and Macau because they got put in the same Russian Math class in middle school or something. HK fortunately got put in the back and noticed Taiwan looked as bored as him so he sent her a paper plane (expertly folded) and they became friends

Macau (Vincent in this AU) lived in the same neighborhood as Leon and one day Leon noticed he was also in Russian Math (it took a while though; he’s not really super perceptive) so they started vibing

Leon and Mei then started cheating off of Vincent’s homework

They’re still friends to this day (this day = college/university)

Because of Leon’s regular interactions with Yao he gets to know Mei and Vincent too

Mei thinks Yao’s an ass, probably because he said something rude to her once and because he gives off “I’m really successful and friendly but I’ve pretty much thrown my morals out the window at this point and would and could blackmail you and all your friends” vibes

Don’t leave them alone together because any conversation devolves into passive aggressive insults within two and a half minutes

Vincent thinks Yao’s decent but Yao also likes him the most despite interacting with him the least

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

Anyways, it’s mostly because Vincent is really good at tuning out Yao’s rambling and somehow can tune right back in when Yao drops good advice or when he states the Main Point of his lecture

They don’t talk much though

We now come to Japan my man

Kiku was pretty disconnected from the whole lot of them for a while

He probably meets Yao through Arthur or Alfred, but he’s really bad at first impressions and comes off very standoffish so Yao’s immediately put off and becomes hostile himself. Kiku tries to leave as quickly as possible because Yao is radiating animosity

However, Yao thinks about their meeting later, and comes to the conclusion that it might’ve been a fluke and that he should try talking to that guy again

The second time they meet is better but they’re still not super close; Yao’s really friendly but Kiku is confused because he thought Yao disliked him

Yao introduces him to Mei, Leon, and Vincent (he doesn’t really introduce them, more like Kiku bumps into the other three at Yao’s dorm when he goes to bring Yao some food for dinner)

Leon doesn’t like Kiku on sight, but he does better with Mei and Vincent (the first likes him, and the latter is neutral on him)

He and Mei become really fast friends (they might also date but idk)

Leon becomes more neutral about Kiku but still prefers to have nothing to do with him

Vincent vibes with Kiku and they become casual friends (Kiku was sorta disparaging towards him at first, probably because he thinks Vincent likes Yao too much)

Speaking of Yao, they’re both still very ambivalent about each other

Yao attributes it to their personalities just not meshing together

Kiku thinks it’s Yao that’s the problem, not him

They’ve grown much more distant but still recognize that the other is a good acquaintance to have around, so they’re still cordial to each other

They’re not super close though

reiteration: none of them are related, not even Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, and China

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raptured-night · 4 years

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Alright here are other ones that I had asked for to deathdaydungeon but they seem to be occupied for a while... There is a theory saying that Neville had a Snape Boggart because Snape had threatened Trevor, which represented Neville’s “proof” that he wasn’t a Squib, as he feared so. In this case, why didn’t he have a dead Trevor as a Boggart instead? Do you think that Snape expressing his worry over how James fancies Lily could be consistent evidence he wanted to date her or not?

I do believe that @deathdaydungeon has shared a few of their thoughts on Neville’s Boggart before that you may find of interest since they’ve not yet been able to respond to your ask. Indeed, the entire discussion following their own thoughts is well worth a read, and here’s another version where I share just a few of my own thoughts.

That being said, I’m going to cite from a much older and very lengthy discussion post I once wrote regarding Snape as I went into a great length and detail exploring the potential symbolism of Neville’s Boggart to Neville and some of the psychological implications. Because that particular meta covered such a broad range of topics concerning Snape and that particular bit came at the very end of what proved to be a 20k word essay simply linking you to it and expecting you to search through it all to find the sections that pertain to your ask seems less reasonable than simply quoting from that portion of the meta here (although if you find yourself with a bit of time and the interest for it, here is the link to that monster of a meta all the same). So, with that said, here are my thoughts on Neville’s Boggart, Trevor, Boggart!Snape, and Boggarts overall.

I have often challenged Harry’s narrator as one that is intentionally designed to be biased or unreliable (notably it is a limited-omniscient perspective) in order to demonstrate how it can influence reader perception of characters and even the world the characters occupy. However, the discrepancy between Harry’s perspective of how he is treated by the Dursleys and Neville’s perspective of his own family and how he is treated is revealing exactly because it is made more apparent for being presented through Harry’s narrative. From the start of HP: PS, Harry’s narrative wastes little time in painting for the reader a picture of abuse and unhappiness where Harry’s life with the Dursleys is concerned. With Dudley serving as our counterpoint to emphasize the extreme neglect, abuse and more general mistreatment that Harry suffers while under their roof (e.g. being forced to sleep in a cupboard with spiders while Dudley has a second room, being bullied and beaten while Dudley’s is doted on, even having his hair cut in a humiliating fashion while Dudley receives a new school uniform, etc.), Rowling’s narrative also expresses to the reader Harry’s awareness of the injustice of his situation and his feelings of resentment, discontent, and helplessness. When it comes to the Dursleys and their cruel treatment of Harry the narrative does function as a mostly reliable gauge for the reader to go by. Thus, when the reader is confronted with Neville’s account of his own family experiences in HP: PS I would argue that what makes it the most jarring is the fact that it goes against the precedent set by Harry and his narrative, in that Neville does not appear to recognize anything out of the ordinary in how he has been treated:

"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all- Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me -- he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned -- but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced -- all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here -- they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."

Notably, Neville joins the other first-years like Seamus Finnegan in very casually relating details about his home life to his new peers and the reader learns that he would appear to come from a family that would risk potentially killing him over the possibility that he might have been born a Squib (the way that Squibs might function as an allegory for neurodivergence and disability is, in itself, an interesting subject to explore; especially given the attitudes of Neville’s grandmother and uncle, whose behaviors might be compared to those of modern anti-vaccers, so-called “autism awareness” groups like Autism Speaks that promote an idea of autism as a disease to be cured, and those parents who treat their disabled children in abliest ways). Indeed, it would appear that Trevor was a gift from the same uncle who had constantly tried to catch him off guard (in the same way Dudley and his friends always forced Harry to be on the defensive) and held him out of a window before thoughtlessly dropping him, which does add a new dimension to his emotional attachment to his toad (a reward from an abusive uncle just for not being so inadequate that he failed to get into Hogwarts). The stark difference between Neville and Harry’s perceptions of their families and their unique responses to how they are treated does give us some potential insight into their insecurities and measurements of self-worth.

Additionally, it gives us some potential insight into the possible sociocultural attitudes of wizarding society and might suggest that behaviors like those from Neville’s family are normalized and not regarded as abusive so much as they are accepted as just another extension of the “eccentricity” of their world. It is of interest that when Harry receives his first acceptance letter to Hogwarts addressed to “The Cupboard under the Stairs” the Dursley’s appear concerned at being caught out and move Harry to Dudley’s second room. They are also temporarily said to have tried to seem “nicer” to him, likely for fear of being watched. Moreover, the Dursley’s do show some indication that they may be aware that their treatment of Harry is abusive and would be viewed negatively by most of their Muggle society when Harry joins them at the zoo and Vernon Dursley reluctantly buys him a lemon-flavored ice cream to save face when the vendor draws attention to Harry being excluded. Overall, the very fact that Neville did feel so comfortable openly discussing his Uncle Algie’s treatment of him and the low opinion his family all appear to share about his magical capability does seem to support a point of contrast between Muggle and wizard societies and their views on abuse and child endangerment.

Furthermore, the different ways that Harry and Neville react to Severus is also revealing. Especially as there have been numerous discussions about the psychological factors that may have contributed to Severus’s seeming disdain for Harry and Neville but fewer discussions seem to be devoted to exploring Harry’s own strong animosity for Severus or the source of Neville’s potential fear of him. Significantly, we can observe that for Harry the protection afforded by Lily’s sacrifice does create a scenario where he must return to the Dursley’s at the end of each school year (in some ways, one could observe that the consequences of Lily’s death bind both Harry and Severus to an environment where they sustained most of their trauma). Thus, we see where any outward defiance within the household of the Dursleys is complicated by the requirement that Harry must remain with the Dursleys even after he learns he has magic. Instead, Harry has to mostly resort to cunning acts of self-defense (e.g. taking advantage of the Dursley’s ignorance of the Underage Secrecy Laws to lead them to believe he can use magic against them) or we see that his resistance assumes a more passive-aggressive tone (understandable given the retaliation he can expect from direct confrontation) with the exception of HP: PoA, when Aunt Marge’s sustained verbal abuse and threats over the course of two weeks manages to trigger an explosion of magic in Harry.

Whereas, at Hogwarts, we see Harry buck against authority more and more each year and Severus remains the focal point of his more active resistance. His refusal to address Severus using his title or forms of respect, even in the face of correction by multiple sources, culminates in Harry openly sassing Severus in his sixth year (”You don’t have to call me sir, Professor.”). He becomes more openly brazen in working around Severus, confronting him, and defying him when challenged. As the series progresses, Harry’s enmity toward Severus grows until we see a rancor of mutual proportions between them that culminates in Harry chasing Severus out of Hogwarts throwing curses in HP: HBP. Thus, where Harry cannot so openly defy the Dursleys, in many ways, Severus becomes a figure of authority (one who seems to unfairly hate him and who is biased against him and his house) that he can more safely (i.e. where resistance with the Dursleys might result in real harm or consequences defying Severus results in detention at worst and lost house points at best) resist in their place. Therefore, where Harry may function as a less threatening proxy of James for Severus to project onto, so too does Severus potentially function as a more secure stand-in for the Dursleys that Harry can lash out against and rebel from.

In the case of Neville, I would posit that Severus may also function as a representation of sorts. Specifically, he may serve as a symbol of the deeper anxieties and insecurities that Neville formed as a result of the pressure that his family placed on his magical capability. A pressure that the Hogwarts environment and its preferencing of a culture that fosters competition between houses and depends upon a performance-based reward system may only have exacerbated. As Harry observes in HP: GoF, McGonagall wasn’t the only professor while at Hogwarts to seldom compliment Neville, rather it would seem that “...Neville very rarely heard that he was good at anything.” His first-year alone began in an inauspicious manner, as we see Neville struggle in almost all of his classes from Charms to Potions to Flying (which lands him a broken wrist and Harry a spot on the Quidditch team). While we can debate the extent to which Neville’s magical struggles are the result of him being on a different level of skill and/or learning curve to some of the other children, we can at least acknowledge that his anxiety may have contributed significantly to many of his mistakes (”But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.”), just as Merope Gaunt’s magical ability was considerably hampered by the constant criticism and abuse she sustained from both Gaunt men in her household (notably, just as Neville’s grandmother implies that he was nearly a Squib, so too does Merope’s father criticize her magical abilities by calling her a Squib).

Which brings me back to the subject of Severus and the finer points of why he may have become Neville’s Boggart, specifically. Undoubtedly, for a self-conscious and anxious student, having Severus for a teacher would be a harrowing experience and I do not deny that Neville wouldn’t have found it difficult. However, as I’ve also established previously, Severus was not entirely unique in how he approached teaching nor even the only teacher at Hogwarts to criticize, be harsh, or single-out Neville. As such, one must ask themselves why it is Neville that perceives Severus as more uniquely terrible or to be feared. For starters, we could once again point to the unreliable narrative of Harry Potter and what it tells us about the public opinion of Severus, even before Harry had his first class with him, and how that may have also influenced Neville’s preconceived notions of him as well. Notably, when Harry asks Percy (a school prefect) about Severus he’s told this, "Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to -- everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape." Thus, anxious already, it’s feasible to argue that Neville may have entered Severus’s first potions class with an idea of Severus’s “infamy” as well.

More critically, however, one might speculate as to whether Neville even consciously connects his performance anxiety and fear of being perceived as a failure with the treatment he received as a child by members of his own family. Indeed, I would submit that the true source of Neville’s fears does stem from the traumatic experiences of his childhood and what they would have reinforced for him; that is, the idea that he would be better off dead than a Squib, a magical failure who can only become a burden to his family, and the conditioned expectation that any failure his part will always be connected to harsh corrections and/or punishments (such as having your uncle constantly torment you by trying to constantly catch you off guard or even threaten to drop you out of a window). Indeed, within a society where Squibs are treated as sources of shame and second-class citizens, and where you never speak of that “second cousin who became an accountant,” (HP: PS) Neville’s fears are legitimately validated and he would be more out to view other authority figures as capable of doing serious harm to him (if only by rejecting him from Hogwarts, declaring him a near-Squib, and sending him out into the world without a magical education). Thus, he might take them at face value as a genuine threat to his long-term acceptance in the wizarding world and regard his teachers (particularly the overly critical, stern, or harsh ones) with a deeper source of anxiety rather than test their boundaries, as we see with Harry vs. Snape. As such, the boy whose family hadn’t even entirely expected him to get into Hogwarts finds himself faced with the constant pressure of not disappointing them or proving himself undeserving of his place there among the other students. Returning back to Severus, we can find evidence of an interesting symbolism in him being Neville’s Boggart and how that might lend insight into these deeper fears Neville carries.

I do not believe it was a coincidence that Rowling placed the scene where Severus had Neville demonstrate the efficacy of his Shrinking Solution on Trevor before the Boggart lesson with Lupin as the reader is shown (i.e. between HP: PS and HP: CoS Neville is only shown making mistakes in Severus’s classes that would prompt him snapping at him or we are just told Severus was horrible) in more certain terms why Neville might fear Severus enough for him to credibly be his personal Boggart. As we know, Trevor was the gift that Neville received from his Uncle Algie for “surprising everyone” in his family with his acceptance to Hogwarts, which we could argue makes Trevor a symbol of approval from a family who formerly saw him as a disappointment. Moreover, Severus also functions as a symbol in that Neville may have come to associate him specifically with his anxieties over being singled out as inadequate. Quite fitting, as Severus Snape the biased teacher and Head of Slytherin House who hates Gryffindors, fancies the Dark Arts, covets the DADA position, has exacting standards and does not suffer fools lightly is both the safe (in that it’s likely easier for Neville to fear him than it would be for him to unpack all the psychological realities of the trauma his family inflicted on him) and the most obvious candidate for Neville to focus all of the anxieties and fears he may have formed as a result of his family’s treatment of him. Treatment that his world would appear to have normalized in such a way that, unlike Harry, he may not have consciously recognized --or even want to recognize-- it to be cruel, unfair, and even abusive. Ergo, when Severus uses Trevor as his “teaching moment” the symbol of Neville’s fears (i.e Severus) is seemingly threatening the symbol of Neville’s validation (i.e. Trevor) that he is not a complete failure and a total disappointment to everyone in his family.

Ultimately, Rowling does reinforce this psychological symbolism when she has Neville’s Boggart of Severus connected to an association with his grandmother. Also of interest is the fact that prior to Lupin introducing his class to the Boggart, Severus also makes an unexpected appearance in the staff room where he seems to caution Lupin in the form of mocking Neville (something I’ve theorized before may have doubled as a veiled warning about the wisdom of exposing children, especially those like Harry and Neville, to a creature that assumes the form of your fears). So that, once again, the connection between Severus as a source of fear and Neville’s insecurities are emphasized to the reader in such a way that by that point they are very present at the forefront of the reader’s mind and it makes it very easy to accept that Severus would be Neville’s Boggart at face value and leave it there. However, upon closer examination, the symbolic connection between Neville’s fear of Severus and his fears associated with his family is also very present. Notably, when Lupin singles Neville out to lead the class in demonstrating how to handle a Boggart, Rowling makes a point to have Lupin establish the correlation between Severus and Neville’s grandmother:

"Professor Snape... hmmm... Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?"

"Er -- yes," said Neville nervously. "But -- I don't want the boggart to turn into her either."

Significantly, Neville first admits to Severus being his Boggart and when Lupin brings up his grandmother he acknowledges that he does not want his Boggart to turn into his grandmother, which might support my theory that Severus is a safer focus for Neville’s anxieties and fears than acknowledging any connection between them and his family would be. Nevertheless, his Boggart does become an amalgamation of Severus and his grandmother and it is only by confronting them together that he is able to overcome his Boggart. Interestingly, one can also observe that the majority of the forms the Boggart assumed in Lupin’s class were primarily surface-level fears that some might associate with childhood or more general phobias, such as clowns or spiders. Even Harry, who Lupin expected would see Voldemort, found himself confronted with a Dementor instead, largely because his most recent experience with a Dementor unearthed the traumatic memories of the night his parents died. As such, one can argue that Harry did not fear the Dementor so much as he feared what the Dementor had come to represent to him, which, while connected to Voldemort in a more intangible sense, had more to do with the trauma of the night when he lost his parents and was a more immediate threat for Harry to process and to fear (rather than the more distant and abstract awareness he would have had of Voldemort existing somewhere in the world, the uncertainty of when he would even return, and what that, i.e. actual war, might even be like for him to experience).

In fact, Rowling presents us with another example of the Boggart functioning as a representation of deeper fears and anxieties much later in HP: PoA, which further supports the argument that Snape was not Neville’s Boggart just because he had managed to become the sole source of trauma in Neville’s life but rather because he had come to represent the more complex fears that Neville was not prepared --or potentially of an age of maturity yet-- to be able to consciously process or really confront head-on. It is noteworthy that Rowling makes a point to draw the reader’s attention to the fact that Hermione had not had an opportunity to face the Boggart by the end of Lupin’s lesson (He seems like a very good teacher", said Hermione approvingly. "But I wish I could have a turn with the boggart --") and I would posit that it was an intentional build-up to the reveal at a later part of her book where we discover that Hermione and Neville would seem to share very similar fears:

Hermione did everything perfectly until she reached the trunk with the Boggart in it. After about a minute inside it, she burst out again, screaming. ‘Hermione!’ said Lupin, startled. ‘What’s the matter?’ ‘P-P-Professor McGonagall!’ Hermione gasped, pointing into the trunk. ‘Sh-she said I’d failed everything!’ It took a little while to calm Hermione down.

Ultimately, we might question whether it was wise on McGonagall’s part to encourage Hermione to attempt such a rigorous schedule as she did third-year. Particularly as we see the evidence of the pressure (psychological, emotional, etc.) that Hermione has placed on herself knowing that McGonagall received special permission for her to use a Time-Turner as the third-book progresses and Hermione becomes more and more frazzled and anxious. Nevertheless, one is justified in applying some scrutiny to any assertions that McGonagall was Hermione's Boggart because she was a more literal source of fear or trauma for her, so much as one might argue that she had also become a symbolic focal point for the anxieties of a student and that the Boggart merely provided a representation of those deeper, more complex fears. As a Muggle-born, one might argue that Hermione does have certain fears about being found inadequate or unworthy of belonging to the magical world and that she compensates for those fears by placing a great amount of significance on her grades and the approval of her teachers. Therefore, where Trevor may serve as a symbol of validation for Neville, for Hermione it is her grades and the approval of her teachers that similarly assume a symbolic function and help her feel she has validated her right to be at Hogwarts. Thus, just as Severus served as a representation of Neville’s fears of inadequacy when he threatened Trevor or assumed the form of a Boggart in his grandmother’s clothing, likewise, could we argue that McGonagall functioned as a representation of Hermione’s anxieties about disappointing her teachers and failing to demonstrate she belonged at Hogwarts and, more subsequently, the wizarding world.

Both Neville and Hermione might be said to be very keenly aware of their privilege in being accepted into Hogwarts and, perhaps, the most self-conscious of their right to be there as a result. As a Muggle-born, Hermione was able to discover a world of magic despite not being born into it, and we see where the impact of that does seem to instill in her a conscious desire to prove herself and demonstrate that she has a place in that world and at Hogwarts. In contrast, Neville may have been born into the magical world but the pressures and expectations placed on him by his family would appear to have made his own acceptance to Hogwarts feel less secure; as if he were on shaky ground and the privilege could be revoked from him at any moment. It’s no coincidence that in HP: PS Hermione seems to regard being expelled from Hogwarts as worse than death (even if we do allow for hyperbole) or that Neville most demonstrates his courage when standing up for Gryffindor house to preserve the points they have. Rowling could be said to have drawn some intentional parallels between these two characters as early as the first book, and the similarity of their Boggarts and the anxieties that it reveals only further validate this connection.

Moreover, it also showcases for the reader the key difference between him and Harry as two characters who came from abusive family environments. Where Harry is able to acknowledge the wrongness of the way the Dursleys treat him, Neville exists in a world where such behaviors seem to be more normalized and, as a result, he could be said to project his fears onto Severus in lieu of being equipped with the recognition that he would need to acknowledge the more complex source of his fears. In conclusion, Neville may have been socialized to accept the treatment of his family largely because he does love them and he places greater importance on their acceptance of him. Whereas, Severus is a more safe option for him to channel his fears through given he is someone who already has a reputation of “infamy” --unless you’re a Slytherin-- and could be expected to do exactly what Neville most fears; reject him and belittle his competence as a wizard (a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts). Likewise, Harry can more safely push back against Severus than he can the Dursleys, so Severus does become a more convenient outlet for his feelings of powerlessness and anger and one who can be expected to play the role of antagonist that Harry counts on (until HP: DH when he suddenly doesn’t). This is why any contemporary psychological analysis does fall short unless one is prepared to go beyond the issue of Severus being Neville’s Boggart and fairly examine the matter of McGonagall being Hermione’s Boggart and the psychological underpinnings of Boggarts as a concept overall.

In regards to Severus’s reaction towards Lily, I would argue that it could be interpreted a few ways. One could choose to read it as evidence of Severus’s romantic attraction to Lily and his anxiety that Lily might prefer James as a romantic partner over him. Canon could certainly support such an interpretation and it would be more than valid. However, given the full context of the conversation that came before Severus displayed any anxiety, one could also interpret Severus’s response more platonically. Notably, prior to Severus becoming concerned by the idea that James fancies Lily and that Lily might not mind being fancied by him so much (because she fancies him back) they had been arguing over the behaviors of people from their houses and how objectionable they might be. Lily insisted that Mulciber had used “dark magic” on a classmate (which might be hyperbole given there is never any mention to teachers responding to a student using dark magic openly enough for other students to have a conversation about it later) and that Severus shouldn’t associate with him. In turn, Severus alluded to the very real dangers that the Marauders were capable of based off his own first-hand experience.

Importantly, although he is forbidden to discuss the incident with Remus, he does noticeably try very hard to make Lily aware of the danger but she is not convinced. Interestingly, Lily also makes a point to single-out James and defend him specifically while Severus is criticizing all four Marauders. It is ultimately this that leads Severus to the issue of James and provokes his flustered observation about James’s infatuation with Lily. Thus Severus’s anxiety and his relief when Lily denies having any interest in James could also be interpreted through the lens of Severus’s experiences with the Marauders as bullies who only recently escalated the situation between them with Sirius’s prank to new and much darker levels of malice (and that they were able to do so and received no apparent consequences from any of the authority figures at Hogwarts; in fact, one could argue that from Severus’s perspective it would have seemed Sirius nearly killed him and Dumbledore responded by protecting the Marauders by enforcing his silence). Ultimately, the anxiety might also be read as Severus’s fear for a friend who has ignored his warnings about people he has a legitimate reason to believe can be dangerous and he does not want Lily to get involved with James for that reason. So, there you have it, two different ways of interpreting that scene from the book.

Once again, thank you for your ask!

Regards,

Raptured Night

#severus snape #snape meta #pro snape #snapedom #snape community

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lillithenettix · 4 years

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Flower Kid was attending the customer that was browsing the shop and inquiring about flowers and bouquets. They did notice Boris becoming quieter since he is usually such a chatterbox around them. Sometimes he still had little mood-swings that like that come and go though. They thought it best to let him be for some minutes and check in with him when they close the shop. Maybe it will blow over, or he will untangle whatever he is mulling over by himself. He’s been doing that in the recent months. Handling whatever problems he has in a healthy manner. Granted it took him some time to get there, but they were proud of him nonetheless.

Read the rest of the fic under the cut!

There’s ten more minutes until closing time. The last customer just left so they started closing up for the day, doubting any more people will be in need of flowers for today. There wasn’t lots to do, really- cleaning the floor, putting the money away, and watering the flowers in need of it. As they finished the chores, they locked the shop up. Boris still looked to be in a sour mood, with his back turned towards them. When they put the keys away they turned to check on the former dentist but before they could take a step towards Boris, a silent figure slightly taller than them passed by, directly towards the mulling man.

Ah, Trencil!

Wait, Trencil? He came by just yesterday to buy some flower seeds and purple hyacinths. What brings him here today? Well, judging how he completely ignored them and continued forth towards Boris who is directly in his line of sight it probably has something to do with him. Oh no, did Trencil come by for a casual visit only to see the ex-villain hanging around?

They can imagine most of the ex-habiticians harboring some animosity towards the guy. They never really asked. They spoke about Boris only if others initiated the topic, actually. Maybe they should’ve tossed in a ‘Boris is doing so well these days, he’s so nice’ and ‘He cried watching the animal planet and spent the next day feeding all the stray kittens in the area, what a thoughtful guy’. Okay, maybe that would make them seem like they’re trying too hard, but still. It would’ve been better than saying nothing.

Trencil’s fast-paced walking made Flower Kid feel a bit uneasy. He wasn’t about to go one-on-one on a seven foot four giant dude, right? They quickly dismissed the thought. If anything, Trencil would give him a stern talking to, perhaps in a passive-aggressive manner, and Boris would run and cover rather than fight back anyway. They shouldn’t underestimate the vampire, he didn’t live all those centuries to not gain some wisdom.

Trencil was just a step away from Boris when Flower Kid decided to intervene anyway. Better safe than sorry. Before they could open their mouth Trencil paused and turned towards them as if sensing their distress, extending one finger up to his lips with a mischievous smile painting his face.

Well that was something new. The purple hyacinth he bought yesterday was adorning his ear. They knew he liked flowers but this was a first. Before they had time to react Trencil spun around and silently took the step remaining to reach Boris. He slowly and gently put both hands on Boris’ shoulders, as if to not startle him which didn’t stop him from flinching anyway.

Boris did hear Flower Kid locking up the shop. He wasn’t completely unobservant, but what he didn’t hear was someone approaching him. When he felt two hands land on him in what almost felt like a soft embrace, he was surprised to say the least. What he did know though was that it wasn’t Flower Kid. The hand was too big, with what felt like pointy fingernails lightly poking him through his shirt.

Before he had the chance to turn his head and see who the mystery person was he felt something pressed against his cheek. It was a delicate touch, but pleasant. Only when he felt and heard the faint smack of lips against his face did he realize it was a kiss. He wanted to melt into it. It’s been so long since he received his last kiss. Instead, the confusion kept him grounded for the moment.

Wait, a kiss? Not that he didn’t love those but who in the world would give one to him. While stunned he felt the other person letting him go and moving away with Boris lightly following their movement, not quite wanting to lose the touch just yet. He heard the person lightly fiddling with something.

When he finally turned his head to face the mysterious figure he felt something being pushed behind his ear, lightly tangling into his curls. Saying that he was shocked to make eye contact with Trencil of all people would be an understatement. They looked at each other for just long enough for Boris to make out a playful smile of the others face.

Without waiting for Boris to break out of his stupor, the vampire turned back towards Flower Kid and walked away, his cape fluttering behind him.

--------

To be honest, Trencil found the Habitat sketchy since the very beginning. The website for it was… unique, to say the least. Either this ‘Habit’ guy was barely literate, or he thought broken English was a cute way to be endearing. The whole stay is also free. Nothing is ever free. He lived long enough to know that. None of these things inspired him to seek happiness in a place like that but alas, his daughter insisted. Maybe ‘insisted’ was a strong word for it. She aggressively implied that she will go there no matter what and if he really wants to go too he can join her. Though the way she said it felt more like a command. So of course he came with her.

Checking in was an experience by itself. Escorted in by a decent fellow named Kamal, he started feeling a bit better about coming here. The boy was a bit too talkative for him, but at least Nat enjoyed the short chat she had, and he was pleasantly professional. Just like he expected from a doctor, or rather a doctor’s assistant. He brought them into a waiting room with colorful walls, posters, and graffiti. Some minutes later he announced Dr. Habit was ready to see them.

When they both stood up to enter what Trencil assumed was an office, something inside grabbed Kamal’s attention. He gave a thumbs up pointed into the office, and turned to address Trencil and his daughter.

“One at a time, ‘kay? ‘S just to fill out a simple form before I show ya to your rooms.” He gave a polite smile, as if to show there is no need to worry.

That was unusual. Nat is clearly a child, barely thirteen, so far he was always there to help her fill out with any forms if she needed it. Maybe it is a doctor thing. He decided to enter the room first. That way he will be able to check the waters, see if he should just take his daughter and leave. He’d rather his daughter is annoyed with him over it, than putting her in danger.

Meeting Habit left him dumbfounded. When you live for as long as he does, becoming speechless is something you think you can not experience anymore. Yet here he was, about five minutes into what felt like an interview, not being able to say a word to the sobbing man behind the main desk.

It started pretty normally. They exchanged greetings, Habit asked how he was, then they went on to talk about ‘how’s and ‘why’s. Somewhere along the line of explaining to Habit his reasons for checking in and how it is because of fatherhood, the doctor took over the conversation. With each sentence it turned more into Habit pouring out his life story, talking about his family, and his father. Towards the end he was crying and, frankly, all Trencil could do was watch and listen.

This was not a man that could help anyone. He was in need of help himself, if anything. He should just take Nat and go back home. He really should. No more of this nonsense.

As he was about to stand up and leave Habit turned his gaze to him, and Trencil froze. He felt like he could see through his eyes straight to his heart. So much sadness for such a young person. Maybe not young for a human, but for someone as old as Trencil? The doctor did not seem much older than a child.

His legs suddenly felt heavy. He felt no responsibility for him, yet he felt that leaving the man to suffer by himself would eat away at his conscience. He has his daughter’s love to worry about, not the mental health of some stranger who he met just minutes ago. But his heart did not let the low whimpers leaving Habit be ignored.

So he ended up staying. Pitying the doctor enough to stay, but not enough to do anything about it himself. Maybe Trencil was not as great and amazing as he hoped with his plenty years of experience.

Now, a year later, he and Nat each received a letter. They wondered who it was from, but as soon as they saw the drawings covering the letters they figured it was from the big green guy himself.

Honestly, he had half a mind to just throw it away. While his teeth were still intact, it wasn’t a secret among the ex-habiticians what went down on the day of the big event. But thinking back on everything- Habit crying, his diary, the pain he saw in him whenever they came across each other before he started hiding away in his office… Maybe he should at least give it a read.

The doctor did apologize in the chatroom Kamal invited everyone to. He said he was doing better, backed up by Kamal and the Flower Child. If those two who were wronged the most by the man forgave him, even vouched for him, then surely it would not be fair to not give him a chance at redemption.

Reading the letter, Trencil made up his mind. He will give him a chance.

-----

the fic is kinda split into two parts, i hope it isnt confusing! the first part is what going on right now, the second part is basically how trencil checked into the habitat and how he reacted to the letter :’)

anyway, i like to hc boris as a big softie who is touch-starved

#my art #my writing #boris habit #trencil varnia #sfm #smile for me #smile 4 me #smile for me game #dr habit #flower child #honestly this is turning out much longer than expected. i might throw this on ao3 if it reaches 10k+ words

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cornyregans · 4 years

Text

Relationship with the Rivals

Word Count: 3,965

I have been planning on discussing the birth orders for what I call the “Lear” generation and “ABC” Montys for more than a year now. As I was compiling my entries, however, I thought it would be fun to look at how the ages of these sims might have contributed to each of their eventual roles in the feud. As such, I wrote this thing to show pieces of evidence that might explain where each sim fits on the feud spectrum, and how their ages might have something to do with it.

Roles in the Feud

Before we dive into the main body of this essay, we should first look at the different categories where each sim might fit. In my opinion, these sims can fall into one of six categories. Each group is rather self-explanatory once you see what they’re called; however, there are some nuances to these roles that I believe should be acknowledged.

The first group is what I like to call the “major players.” These sims play a large role in the feud as a whole; whether it be due to their role in starting it, or because none of them are all that willing to befriend anyone on the other side. In addition to their unwillingness to cross the canal, so to speak, these sims are also loathed by one or more sims in return, though the animosity the other sim shows them is not always mutual.

Within this group of “major players,” there are two subsections that I like to call “passively major players” and “aggressively major players.” Both groups are uninterested in burying the hatchet and don’t care for making amends with the other side. That said, their approach to the feud differs.

Aggressively major players are sims who take an active role in initiating disputes between the families, and who will probably hate on someone based on their last name alone. Also, aggressively major players not only hate sims on the other side, but their aggressive nature has likely earned them some enemies in return.

Passively major players, on the other hand, are more reactionary than their aggressive counterparts. While these sims don’t think too positively of sims on the other side of the canal, they will have an additional reason for hatred other than just the whole last name thing. Finally, passively major players do not need to have anyone on the other side hold them in contempt since, as stated previously, much of their disdain is more reactionary than anything else.

The second main group is the “minor players,” these sims are more willing to befriend people on the other side than the major players; however, some also consider one or more sims on the other side to be their enemies. Another kind of minor player is one who does not consider any rival family members to be enemies, yet one or more members of the rival family do hate them for one reason or another.

The third main group is what I like to call the “anti-feuders.” These sims do not consider any members of the rival family to be their enemies and they are more than willing to befriend them as well. Unlike what I mentioned above regarding minor players, anti-feuders are completely free of enemies on the other side. That said, given the nature of the feud, anti-feuders are probably more likely to be found outside the two feuding families, though there are some exceptions.

The fourth category is what I call the “undecided” because there is no way for us to say how they feel about the feud since they lack relationships with the rival family. That said, the fourth category will not come up in any capacity later in this essay since the game either strongly implies or outright confirms that all seven of these sims had an opinion on either the feud itself or the sims from the other family.

There are two other categories I will not be covering here that deserve a mention. Both groups are exactly what you would expect upon seeing their names, “Capp allies” (sims from auxiliary families who display loyalty towards the Capps), and “Monty allies” (basically the same as Capp allies, but their loyalties lie with the Montys instead). Given the dearth of premade families in modern-day Veronaville, these final two groups no longer exist in the neighborhood unless the player decides to incorporate townies into these factions or create some new families to fill some empty houses.

Premade Roles at Capp Manor and Monty Ranch

When it comes to categorizing the individuals living at the Manor or Ranch, it is probably safe to say that Consort, Patrizio, Isabella, and Tybalt are major players. Consort and Patrizio are self-explanatory: both of them were essential in starting the feud, and neither of them seems to have any intention of letting bygones be bygones as far as the narrative is concerned. An argument could be made for Isabella being more of a minor player due to the implication that she’s getting tired of Patrizio’s anti-Capp ways; however, she doesn’t seem very willing to befriend any Capps herself, so it’s hard to categorize her as anything but a major player as a result (though, I would place her in the passively major subsection). Tybalt, whose biography highlights his Capp pride, considers both of the Montys he knows enemies, so there’s no way he could fit into any other category when the game begins. All four of these sims have a few individuals on the other side who consider them to be an enemy, so they really can’t fit anywhere else on this spectrum.

Romeo, Juliette, and Mercutio are more minor players in the feud since they have both friends and foes on the opposite side (though most of the hatred is one-sided). Romeo and Juliette are friends, which is practically a necessity for a romantic relationship in TS2. As for Mercutio, he considers Hermia and Miranda Capp to be his friends, in addition to having a crush on the former and being crushed on by the latter. When it comes to the enemies they have on the other side, Romeo is considered an enemy by Consort and Tybalt Capp, Mercutio is enemies with Tybalt, and Juliette loathes Bianca Monty. Mercutio and Juliette also aren’t all that fond of each other, though not to the point of considering the other an enemy when the game starts. The same can be said for Romeo who, while loathed by Consort and Tybalt, lacks enough animosity towards either sim when the game begins to reciprocate their feelings of hatred.

Hermia is the only sim living at either the manor or ranch to be an Anti-Feuder since she isn’t enemies with any of the Montys when you first play the manor, nor do any of the Montys consider her an enemy in return. She considers Mercutio Monty to be a friend and also reciprocates his crush on her (though, the fact that she also reciprocates Puck’s crush on her slightly complicates things).

So with that out of the way, let’s begin by looking at the five-generation four sims still alive when the game begins.

The Living Capps and Montys

Given that they consider all of the living third and fourth generation members of their respective rival families to be enemies, it seems safe to say that Goneril, Regan, and Antonio are all involved in the feud in some way. That said, only Antonio’s bios (both personal and household) and Regan’s household bio reference their thoughts on the feud. Rather than touching upon her opinion of the feud, both of Goneril’s bios instead focus on her marriage and motherhood.

Antonio’s personal bio references the feud by stating:

“…what will be his role in the family feud that may have cost him his one true love?”

By taking this quote into account, Antonio’s involvement in the feud is more of a recent development. Either that or he wasn’t much of a player until he lost his wife. His household bio says the same thing as his personal bio so there’s no need to go into detail about it.

Regan’s household bio refers to the feud here:

“…Bianca Monty’s affections for Kent have the family on high alert.”

Regardless of how you interpret Bianca’s “affections” for Kent (I’ll probably cover that at a later date), this biography is rather interesting. Though this line from Regan’s household bio doesn’t reference her specifically, the implication is definitely there when it comes to her involvement in the feud. The fact that Regan is concerned about a Capp/Monty friendship makes her a strong candidate for being a major player in the feud since such a concern would be considered silly for minor players and anti feuders.

Even though neither of Goneril’s bios specifically reference her thoughts on the feud, they may be subtly alluded to in her daughter Miranda’s personal bio:

“Miranda’s cynical and rebellious — and wants out of her parents’ crowded house. Could that explain her sudden interest in Mercutio?”

By combining Miranda’s interest in Mercutio with her being described as “rebellious,” we can probably conclude that her attraction to him might be, at least in part, due to Goneril and Albany’s views regarding the Monty family. Also, when comparing her relationships with her parents, she starts the game closer with Albany than she does Goneril. As such, her interest in Mercutio may have started to get a rise out of Goneril in particular. If this is the case, then Goneril would most likely be a major player in the feud.

Kent and Bianca are also involved in the feud, but to a lesser extent. Kent is mutual enemies with both third-generation Montys, considered an enemy by Antonio, and friends with Bianca. Conversely, while Bianca is friends with Kent, she hates Consort, Goneril, and Regan. She’s also not super fond of Tybalt either, but her negative feelings towards him are one-sided since he doesn’t seem to acknowledge her existence.

How did Claudio and Cordelia feel about the feud?

While we can get a general idea regarding their siblings’ opinions on the feud, the fact that Claudio and Cordelia are deceased when the game starts makes it difficult to decipher their feelings on the matter. That said, it’s not impossible to form a hypothesis by looking at two bios that are not immediately accessible to the player.

This line from Claudio’s personal bio implies that he was involved in it:

“…will he be able to reconcile his son’s romance with the enemy family?”

Conversely, this line from Contessa’s personal bio implies Cordelia was against it:

“…Will [Contessa] let go of her anger at the Montys and do her daughter Cordelia’s memory justice by allowing Juliette to pursue her true love?”

Additionally, there is an image of Cordelia reacting negatively to Patrizio and Consort fighting, further reinforcing the idea of her being anti feud.

Of course, it could be possible that I’m completely wrong about these two. However, the textual evidence is hidden inside those two biographies, as well as the picture of Cordelia, which are things I cannot ignore due to the lack of evidence to the contrary.

Their Ages

Goneril, Regan, and Kent’s age bars all line up with Consort’s memories. On the other hand, Antonio and Bianca’s age bars do not line up with Patrizio’s memories. While I do plan on looking into this more in the future, I will be going off of age bars here since that’s really where the crux of this argument comes from.

According to their age bars and SimPE, Antonio has eighteen sim days left until elderhood, whereas Bianca has twenty-three. Should the player use a rotational play style, then the only living Capp who would be close in age to both of them is Goneril, who would be four sim!days younger than Antonio and two sim!days older than Bianca. Not only that, but there is also a possibility that the age gap between Goneril and Claudio is small enough that she would have had ample opportunity to interact with him as well.

Regan is three sim!days younger than Bianca and eight sim!days younger than Antonio. As such, it would be easy to assume that Regan’s antipathy towards the enemy family would be weaker than her older sister’s. Despite this, two factors may have ended up making Regan a bigger player than her age would suggest.

The first factor involves the late Claudio’s age. Of the two living Montys, Regan is only really close in age to Bianca, who seems like a fairly minor player in the grand scheme of things. As mentioned above, Claudio’s bio implies that he was involved in the feud as well. If he was younger than Antonio, then Regan would have had a greater opportunity to interact with him than if he was the elder Monty brother. The other factor is Regan’s relationship with Goneril. A look at both of their relationship panels shows that each sister considers the other to be a friend when the game begins. If Goneril and Regan were close back when they were growing up, then it wouldn’t be too farfetched to assume that Regan being close to Goneril may have influenced how she saw the Montys and could have made her a bigger player than she otherwise would have been.

As stated above, even Kent’s not entirely immune to Anti Monty sentiments. According to his relationship panel at the start of the game, he considers Isabella, and Patrizio Monty to be enemies, so Bianca is more of an exception than the rule since those three Montys are the only ones present in his relationship panel. As such, Kent’s hatred towards those two Montys (possibly three if he considered Claudio an enemy as well) is likely more reactionary than due to family rivalries. A case of “I don’t hate them because they’re Montys, I hate them because they’re jerks.” Bianca is also closer in age to Kent than Antonio is when taking age bars into account. As such, their bonding over their mutual disdain of the feud would be easier than Kent possibly doing the same with Antonio provided the latter also has (or had) his misgivings about it.

Taking Cordelia and Claudio into Account

If Cordelia was the eldest Capp child, then we know she would have been closer to elderhood than Bianca before her death. That said, it is unknown whether she would have been older than Antonio and/or Claudio (at least according to their age bars).

Speaking of Claudio, SimPE states that he had twenty-three days left until elderhood when he died. If this is the case, then we know he would have become an elder sooner than Bianca in rotational gameplay. While we cannot say for sure when he died, his sons’ ages point at it being a relatively recent event. Should you use both SimPE and this timeframe in determining Claudio’s place in the birth order, then he would likely have been somewhere around the same age as Goneril.

Most people who I’ve seen interpret Cordelia as the eldest Capp child also interpret Claudio as the eldest Monty child. This is likely due to their children’s ages when the game begins. That said, their ages concerning each other is something that I’ve never seen discussed. I’ve never seen any argument stating whether Cordelia was younger than both of the Monty brothers, sandwiched in the middle of them, or older than both of them. As a result, I can’t analyze a possible dynamic between the two, let alone if one existed in the first place.

Claudio’s Age and his Role in the Feud

Claudio, the Eldest Child

The way I see it, Claudio’s involvement in the feud correlates with how much older the player considers him to be than Antonio. If he’s too far ahead of his brother in age, then his interactions with the enemy Capps would have been somewhat limited throughout the years. This would be problematic since the oldest Capp to be involved in the feud is Goneril.

While the player could view Cordelia as the oldest Capp child, the evidence we are provided with paints her as being anti feud. As such, Claudio only being close in age to Cordelia would somewhat isolate him from his generation’s major players on the Capp side. That said, this would not be a problem should the player view Claudio and Antonio as twins, since he would have had as much opportunity to interact with the rival Capps that Antonio did when growing up. If this was, in fact, the case, then Claudio would have eighteen days at most until elderhood if he were still alive.

Claudio, the Middle Child

Claudio being the middle child means that he would have anywhere from eighteen to twenty-three days until elderhood if he were still alive. As such he, like Goneril, would be sandwiched between Antonio and Bianca.

As you have probably already figured out, Claudio being the middle child would have meant that the Capp he would have likely interacted with the most would be Goneril (and possibly Cordelia, should you consider her to be older than Goneril but younger than Antonio). Claudio being close in age to Goneril could have easily played a role in the latter being involved in the feud. Of the two living Montys, Goneril is closer in age to Bianca, a more minor player, than Antonio, a more major player. If the player considers Claudio to be a major player in the feud, it may explain not only why Goneril could be a major player, but also why Miranda’s interest in Mercutio (Claudio’s son) might upset her.

Claudio, the Youngest Child

Claudio being the youngest means that he would have had at least twenty-three days left until elderhood if he was still alive.

If Claudio was the youngest Monty child then he would have been more likely to interact with Regan and Kent than either of his siblings, at least while growing up. Should this be the case, then Regan’s involvement in the feud might not be entirely due to being close to Goneril. That said, Claudio might have also had ample opportunity to interact with Goneril as well, though to what degree depends on how much younger the player considers him to be than Bianca. Should the player consider both Claudio and Cordelia to be the youngest in their families, then Claudio most likely would have to be older than Kent. The reason for this will be explained in the next section.

The Isolation of Cordelia Capp

There is a possibility that Cordelia being anti-feud could have been a result of her being somewhat isolated from the Montys of her generation. As mentioned above, Goneril being sandwiched between Antonio and Bianca (and possibly Claudio) could have played a role in dragging her into the feud. As such, Cordelia’s aversion to the feud may have been because she might not have been all that close in age to any of the Montys.

This is a theory that only works should Cordelia be either the oldest or youngest Capp child. That said, some layers to it should probably be analyzed further.

Cordelia as the Oldest

As mentioned above, for this argument to work there would need to be a considerable level of isolation between Cordelia and the three Montys. As such, Cordelia would likely have to be older than all the Montys to keep her interactions with them to a minimum while growing up.

Also, there would probably have to be a pronounced age difference between her and the oldest Monty since them being too close in age might have had the potential of dragging her into the feud in the first place. The only real exception to this rule that I can think of would be Bianca, whose Anti-Capp sentiments seem quite a bit weaker than those of her brothers. That said, the fact Bianca’s age bar lists her as being younger than Goneril makes this seem unlikely should you use the age bars to determine the birth orders.

Of the brothers, Antonio’s personality seems less confrontational than Claudio’s, so of the two brothers, Antonio would be the safer option as the oldest Monty for this theory to work. That’s not to say it couldn’t work if Claudio was the oldest, just that his two nice points might have made it a tad more difficult to pull off.

Cordelia as the Youngest

If Cordelia were the youngest Capp child, then the isolation argument is pretty self-explanatory since she would have been younger than all three of the Montys (at least as far as the age bars are concerned).

Also, the Capp who would be closest in age to her is Kent, who is less involved in the feud than either Goneril or Regan. Not to mention, Kent is on good terms with Bianca, who is the youngest living Monty as far as age bars are concerned. If Bianca is younger than Claudio, then that would further limit the negative interactions Cordelia could have had with the Montys because Bianca herself is probably the most anti feud among the Montys of her generation.

Final Thoughts

Since there are a variety of ways one can play Veronaville as far as the ages of these seven sims is concerned, the bits regarding the correlation between age and role in the feud will not be universally agreed upon. This is an idea that works better with some birth orders than others, and I will be the first to admit that.

The individuals you are exposed to during your life play a role in determining the person you become, whether you choose to associate with them or not. There are some people who you meet and become close with who you may never have known had you been any older or younger, and the same can be said with people you meet and try to keep your distance from. I know for a fact I wouldn’t have become the person who I am today had I been born a year earlier or later, so I believe that it’s worth talking about when it comes to this topic.

_______________________________________________________________________

Thank you so much for reading, it’s been a while since I posted one of these essays. This was originally part of a larger project where I look at the birth orders for the gen. 4 Capps and Montys, but I thought it worked well enough to stand on its own. Most of the other entries in that group focus more on looking at programming and Shakespeare inspirations with multiple perspectives in mind. This one, on the other hand, looks more at character dynamics when taking one perspective (the accessible age bars) into account.

Outside of that, this is the essay that I mentioned in my 100 followers post (sorry it took so long). While I have plans to start the Great Veronaville Genetics Project, I still haven’t found a way to extract Damon Featherlight and the Bramble couple for it. I tried installing neighborhoods, but all of them seem to be improperly deleted. The only option I have left, other than asking if anyone has BodyShop templates of the three, is to make them myself (something I will admit I’m atrocious at). So, if anyone has BodyShop templates of these three sims, I would appreciate it if you would share them with me (don’t worry, I will give you credit for sharing).

Thanks again for reading, and for those of you who followed my simblr, thanks again for following, I sincerely hope you enjoyed.

#sims #sims 2 #veronaville #capp family #monty family #antonio monty #bianca monty #claudio monty #cordelia capp #goneril capp #kent capp #regan capp #veronaville vault

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eriisaam · 4 years

Text

Past Queens, Present Loves

Initially, Queen-consort Katerina was a captain of a pirate ship. Also, Queen-consort Ikona was a lady of fine arts the more vicious of Hoshidans would’ve dismissed as a “lady of the night” instead. Before Garon and Sumeragi, both were close enough to be more than friends, and simultaneously met either kings while not only formally marrying off to either of them respectively, but informally, remaining close between each other and keeping the peace with either husbands. It was a complicated friendship with benefits, but one that worked quite well into either of their favors, up until the deaths of either queens.

Katerina commanded a band of pirates to travel across the vast seas and make port around Cheve. She has a strong, assertive voice, an air of confidence that commanded respect, and yet she knew when to remain serious and poised, and when to snark off otherwise and be casual. She had a sharp tongue, and even in her marriage with Garon, she was the one who was firm of keeping everything in order while securing such with only a sharp glance. Everything about her directly defied Iago’s claims in Conquest that a Nohrian queen holds no power or place, which he made efforts to enforce after Katerina lost her life in the fields of battle, and whose death set off the chain reaction of the concubine wars and every other disaster leading up to the beginning of Fates. She was the original owner of Bölverk , whom Garon took up the axe as his own when he himself became so far and heavily degenerated that Siegfried no longer resonated with him otherwise.

Ikona was a nekomata, another beast unit much like kitsunes and garous/wolfskins, but who are far more reclusive that led to why they were alluded to more in folktales than seen outright. That side to her was why the Hoshidan royals have leanings toward cat themes (like Halloween Sakura), or why Ryoma’s dragon form was mammalian and kitsune-like despite the Dawn Dragon’s more snake-like appearance. She is a healer first, and an archer after, having originally used Fujin Yumi before it was taken up by Mikoto, and then Takumi. In her hands, it had a more floral appearance that takes on a lilac tint in its Skadi mode when she fights with a vengeance, a side that is usually tucked away under a gentler, calmer, sometimes mischievous personality otherwise. She held Mikoto to just as high regards as Sumeragi, and was often her pillar until she suscumbed to her ailing health and illnesses that plagued her down to the soul. This curse-like illness would unfortunately be inherited by Takumi, though he fortunately had better constitution than she had.

While Takumi and Xander initially had some animosity with one another up until the events of Revelations, the sight of a future of what could’ve been (in Birthright or Conquest) shown through Kamui’s and Teru’s talks over their respective experiences in their own worlds and projections brought about by Celebi of either times led the two to eventually come to terms with their fates enough to finally bond as s-supports, though the two already had settled their differences and had their own crushes well before. There were some level of amusement for the few people (like Yukimura) who were aware of Ikona and Katerina’s kinship, and some amusement that Takumi turned out to be as bold and aggressive as Katerina, while Xander turned out passive and level-headed like Ikona, rather than mirror their respective mothers. That amusement was heavily marred by the war and tensions (not to mention the context of why Xander was so passive and Takumi so aggressive), but better realized the closer the two grew until they (among many others) finally started a relationship.

Katerina and ikona are still laughing over the two and all their other wives and husbands still from the other side.

#My kiransona things #My OCs Headcanons

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shawnsruins · 6 years

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take action | pt. 1

THIS WAS PREVIOUSLY NAMED “do something about it”

whats up ladies im back with pt 1 of a series (ion know how long it’ll be yet but lmk if you wanna be added to the taglist!)

summary: shawn’s a little too late and you’re a little too tired, but maybe it’s not too late for things to change?

“She has a what?”

Geoff sighs exasperatedly at his friend, who’s eyes look like they’re about to burst out of his head.

“A boyfriend, Shawn. She has a boyfriend.”

The poor boy looks like he’s run a marathon, his hair unruly from the countless amount of times he’s ran his fingers through them. His usually rosy cheeks are noticeably more flushed, although Geoff can’t tell if it’s from anger or stress. Both would be a safe bet, he thinks.

Honestly, he wasn’t that surprised when Y/N casually mentioned a new boyfriend during their little catch up a few days ago. She and Shawn had history for sure, if you could even call it that. It wasn’t exactly a friends with benefits situation—no, it was more a “I’m not ready to commit but I want love” kinda thing. At least on Shawn’s end. Geoff was certain that Y/N was ready ages ago, but Shawn just never bothered to go beyond whatever strange relationship they had.

“No, no, you’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding. I swear to god, Geoff, if you’re messing with me...”

Geoff meets his gaze sympathetically, “You guys were never even officially together, were you? The poor girl probably got tired of waiting around.”

Shawn glares at his friend, huffing, “No, but I thought we both knew, you know? You don’t see me going out with random girls!”

“Maybe you should’ve done something about it to make sure she would continue not seeing other guys. It’s really your fault if you think about it,” Geoff points out. He’s being a little harsh, he knows, but it’s what Shawn needs to hear. He’s in deep, but he’s got absolutely no clue what to do with himself. Shawn doesn’t respond to his observation, however, instead opting to chew on his lip and sulk in silence.

“What are you scared of? Commitment?” He probes. Shawn looks up at him frustratedly, eyes tired.

“No, it’s not-it’s not that!”

“Then what?”

“…I don’t know,” Shawn admits, voice low. Geoff feels bad for his friend, he really does, but he can’t help but sigh. There’s nothing he can do if Shawn wasn’t even ready to accept that he needed to figure out his own problems before confronting Y/N about…whatever it was between them. He licks his lips, choosing his words carefully before he speaks.

“Why don’t you ask yourself what it is, then? Figure it out, understand why it never worked out. Then maybe you can sit down and talk to her about it,” he offers. Shawn meets his gaze resignedly and he nods slowly. Geoff stands and pats him on the back, checking his pockets for his phone and keys, “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

Shawn isn’t sure what it is about her that’s gotten him so hooked. She’s pretty, yes, but she’s not the model type that he so often finds himself surrounded by. Regardless, he finds her beautiful in a different kind of way that was just so uniquely her, and it draws him in in a way that he just can’t seem to escape. It isn’t just her looks that he finds attractive, though—he isn’t that shallow, his parents raised him better—but who she is. They just click together so well, balancing each other out where one runs a little short and the other has a little too much. (That’s what couples are like, right? They match each other.) He supposes it’s only fitting that he’d want someone like her so bad; no one understands him quite as well as she does and there was certainly no one else that had been there for him through thick and thin. She had seen both the worst and best parts of him (and he can say for sure that the worst parts were truly bad), just as he had seen the best and worst parts of her (he can’t quite say the same for her, but maybe he’s just biased?). Sure, sometimes they argue because she’s just a bit too closed off and he’s just a bit too angry, but he honestly wouldn’t change a damn thing.

Well, maybe not a damn thing except for the fact that she was dating someone who wasn’t him.

Shawn groans in annoyance, tugging at the roots of his hair for what must’ve been the umpteenth time in the past hour. Ever since Geoff left he’s been sitting and thinking, just like he told him to. ‘Figure it out,’ right? Sounded simple, but with his luck, it turned out to be just that much harder. He thought it’d be easy for him to sort out his feelings; for someone who so often wore their heart on their sleeve he didn’t think there would be so many conflicting thoughts bouncing around inside his head. At this point, he can’t even distract himself with anything. He’s tried writing, he’s tried picking at his guitar, and he’s even tried stress baking (ironically, that was an idea he got from Y/N, so he figures there’s really no point in trying to avoid thinking about her since it’s clearly not working out), despite knowing that he can’t bake. At all.

So here he is, moping around by himself in his dirty kitchen with a disaster that could barely pass as a meager attempt at sugar cookies. He’d say the silence was suffocating, but truthfully, he just wants his brain to shut up because his thoughts are getting too damn loud.

“I need to get a fucking grip,” he mutters.

Decidedly done with sulking in his condo, Shawn brushes off as much flour as he can from his clothes and hair before grabbing his keys and making his way outside. Thankfully there don’t seem to be any stalker fans waiting for him today (He still didn’t understand—how did they even know where he lived? And didn’t they have better things to do than camp out just so they could jump him? It gives him the creeps just thinking about it). Starting up his jeep, he begins the short drive to that little cafe he always seemed to frequent. Caffeine probably wasn’t going to help his situation at all, but he needs to be somewhere that’s not his apartment.

He rolls the window down a little, the cool breeze a welcome change. Shawn loves tour life, really, but there’s just some things about being home that can’t beat tour life. He absolutely adores driving, and that’s something that he just can’t do on tour. But at home? No one gets to drive his jeep except him, and he’d be damned if he didn’t drive everywhere. Relaxed, he hums along to the radio, John Mayer blasting through the speakers at nearly full volume. Soon enough, the recognizable sign falls into view. The spot he always manages to park in is empty as usual, and he’s glad that something seems to be going his way, at least. Unfortunately, Shawn finds that he’s a little quick to say anything, given that he nearly does a double take when he sees someone he’s a little too familiar with inside the cafe.

There’s a girl inside that’s undoubtedly Y/N, except she’s not alone. The other guy—the other guy looks familiar too, although he can’t quite place it. Wait…

“Nathan?” he says aloud, confusion lacing his tone. For a second he completely blanks out, not even believing what he’s seeing. There’s no way, he thinks, no way in hell this was happening. He’s sure his expression is nothing short of comical at the moment, but he’s just so fucking perplexed. Was it really Nathan, as in Nathan from high school? The very same Nathan that had a fling with Y/N before moving away to Vancouver? All the way across the fucking country? Shawn rubs his eyes a little harder than he should’ve, in hopes that he was mistaken and Y/N really wasn’t with her high school sweetheart (Did it even count if it only lasted a month?). He really, really hopes that he saw something else. But no, when he opens his eyes and squints through the window into the small shop, there she is, with Nathan fucking Sawyer.

He’s quick to park his car, not even bothering to pay the meter. Stumbling hurriedly out and pushing the door to the cafe open a little harsher than necessary, the ringing from the bell atop the door seems to stop him in his tracks. Luckily, the patrons inside don’t bother paying attention to his strange entrance, which he’s grateful for. The one person Shawn cares about does look up to meet his gaze, however, and he catches himself smiling and walking towards her before he even realizes what he’s doing.

“Shawn?”

“Hey,” he greets, a grin on his face. Her eyes are bright and surprised, and he’s relieved that there doesn’t seem to be any animosity lingering in them. He holds his arms open for a hug, which she readily accepts. She feels right in his arms, he thinks, and he tightens his grip just a little. The hug lasts a bit longer than what any two, 100% platonic friends should share; fitting, since he knows that they’re far from just a platonic relationship. A cough interrupts their little moment, however, and Y/N is quick to pull away after that. Shawn’s eyes shoot up to the culprit, who, as he dreaded, is indeed who he thought he was. He plasters a fake smile on his face, not wanting to appear rude for no apparent reason.

“Oh, Shawn, you remember Nate right? From-“

“From high school, yeah I remember,” he cuts in. Y/N furrows her brows and gives him a weird look, but doesn’t say anything about his strange behavior. Nathan on the other hand doesn’t even seem to notice, and instead offers a brief smile.

“Hey man, what’s up? You’re like, famous and all now aren’t you?”

Shawn shrugs, though his shoulders are tense, “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” There’s something about Nathan that just pisses him off, even though he hasn’t even done anything outright (Deep down he knows it’s because he’s here with Y/N and he’s not, but he pushes that thought aside because it’s easier to pretend it’s not the case).

“Never woulda thought you’d turn out like this. The Shawn Mendes, huh?”

Shawn only shoots him a tight lipped smile, the other boy completely oblivious to his hostility towards him. Granted, Shawn’s passive aggressive response is uncalled for, but nonetheless his not so subtle body language seems to fly over Nathan’s head. The same cannot be said for Y/N, however, who knows Shawn like the back of her hand and is quick to try to defuse the situation.

“So, what’re you doing here?” She questions, inserting herself into the conversation, “Are you on break?”

“Yeah, I’m back for two weeks. I don’t wanna talk about me, though. How are you? Anything…new going on?” Shawn raises a brow at the end, almost as if he was daring her to deny that she and Nathan were back together. Y/N eyes him curiously for a moment before tilting her head and grabbing Nathan’s hand, their fingers interlacing. Shawn can feel the jealousy pool in his stomach, his heart dropping. The tips of his ears burn in an unfamiliar mix of embarrassment and anger—a combination he finds he does not like. There was a small part of him that had so desperately clung onto the notion that maybe Nathan just happened to be in town and they were catching up as friends, but clearly that was not the case.

“Nate moved back to Toronto recently and we decided to catch up. See if that old spark is still there, y’know?”

Her reply is innocent enough that he can’t find it in himself to be angry at her specifically, but the very idea of Y/N dating someone that wasn’t him—especially Nathan of all people—leaves a sour taste in his mouth. He thinks back to what Geoff told him earlier, about how he should’ve “done something about it” and that “it was his fault.” He was right, it was his own fault and he should’ve done something.

And Shawn knows, that at this point it’s really not his place to interfere. It’s really, really not his place to do anything. A part of him is screaming, telling him that if he does something it’ll just end up fucking over any remaining chances he had with Y/N. That it’s one hundred percent the absolute shittiest move he could pull on anyone, much less the girl he holds so close to his heart. But the larger, irrational, angry, jealous monster that is the rest of him has been whispering in his head nonstop ever since Geoff broke the news, and it just won’t shut up no matter how hard he tries to quell it.

And of course Shawn knows that he should listen to that rational voice, the one shouting at him from the recesses of his mind to just back off, to just deal with it and suck it up. But right now, in the moment, he can’t help but listen to the voice hissing, “take the goddamn shot, coward.”

So he takes it.

“Yeah,” Shawn narrows his eyes, gaze burning into their intertwined hands, “I get what you mean.”

#shawn mendes #shawn mendes imagine #shawn mendes fic #shawn mendes fanfiction #shawn mendes fanfic #shawn mendes x reader #shawn x reader #shawn mendes x you #shawn x you #my writing

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wetwellie · 7 years

Text

Pacific Rim AU where Bitty is the cook who holds the morale of the entire population of the shatterdome on his shoulders.

Initially he had trained to be a pilot, but flunked out due to a lack of drift compatible partners, and instructors saying they’d fear he’d chase the RABBIT while drifted with someone in a Jaeger and endanger himself and those around him. Bad Bob and Alicia Zimmermann bounced between the shatterdomes from Seattle to Anchorage making a name for themselves as THE team that gives any kaiju an ass-whooping. That is, until they quietly retired a few years back. Publicly, the reason is due to a training exercise going wrong and injuring them. The true reason has to do with the radiation poisoning caused by the Alpha I’s finally getting to them. Almost immediately after their retirement, their son Jack rose to take their place with his Drift Partner: Kent Parson. They were the golden boys until a very, very public failure while fighting a Kaiju off the coast of Vancouver. A combination of the mental strain of the PONS unit while also abusing his medication proved catastrophic. They barely made it out alive. Jack was Grounded and works as a LOCCENT operator. Kent was reassigned to a Shatterdome in Panama City.

I wonder who is gonna be Jack’s new partner??? I wonder??? No one else is drift compatible with him except this dude who makes really good pie come out of no where??? Where does he get those kinds of ingredients in Alaska????

It is a mystery

Anyways if you wanna know about where all the other characters fall in this AU...

Lardo is J-Tech Chief and LOCCENT operators. She oversees all operations of Rangers and Jaegers. She gets to be a living legend among the locals of every town she’s stationed in. (”One time Lardo and I went to a pub in Hong Kong during our shore leave. It ended with her taking me to get my eyebrow pierced and then she belched for three minutes in my face. It was awesome”) Johnson is a custodian, but everyone knows him because he seems to be more accurate in predicting Kaiju emergences than the War Clock. It annoys the scientists to no end. Ransom works on the Med Team. He specializes in keeping the Rangers in tip top, fighting condition. It was a great job when he was a part of a team, and the Jaegers were a can of Kaiju Whoopass. But after a wave of budget cuts, staff cuts, no new equipment, and Kaiju getting stronger, his job is getting a lot harder. In his spare time he could be found -- ha ha what spare time? You can find him on his lunch break curled under his desk in the fetal position.

Holster is the nice Ranger who runs a Jaeger with his older sister. He has every episode of Golden Girls on VHS hidden under his bunk with an absolutely ancient old TV with a VHS player built into it. According to a certain Medic named Justin Oluransi he makes the best smoothies, hot chocolate, and cocktails. No one else, however, can verify that. Since Ransom is the only one he makes them for. His sister teases him to no end. Shitty is the liason between the PDCC and any “political fucksticks” that try to shut it down. He graduated Harvard about 5 years after K-Day, so he knew that negotiating for the PDCC is what he wanted to do. But god can he rant about any of the social justice issues surrounding the breach. From the gentrification and pricing out of Middle America (Not only are the poor forced to stay in the safe zones, those that lived in those flyover states are being priced out of the place they lived for centuries! Not to mention how it’s fucking up the agriculture), to THE WALL( “A wall isn’t gonna stop these giant lizard dicks from busting in and taking what they want”).

The only time he is seen wearing clothing is with the Marshal when he has video calls with Leaders of the Free World, and when he negotiate with certain...notso wholesome folk over obtaining kaiju specimens not so legally. He only wears a full suit for the latter.

Chowder and Farmer are a Jaeger duo born out of loss. Both were both witnessed Trespasser attack California firsthand. They both lost everyone close to them. Caitlin has a cousin she visits in Nevada as much as she can, though. The cousin was just outside of Oakland when the nukes came, and they were exposed to a lot of radiation.

They met each other in a makeshift refugee camp outside of Yosemite, and they gravitated toward each other in their grieving. As soon as they were old enough, they enrolled in the Jaeger Program. Upon graduation and assignment to a nifty little Mark III, they were married in a swift but heartfelt ceremony.

Dex is a officer in J-Tech in charge of keeping Chowder and Farmer’s Jaeger in fighting condition. It is a perfect combination of his programming skills and his striking ability to fix any machine placed in front of him. Well, except for the dryer in the laundry room. There’s only one and it can’t dry even one sock. He’s dedicated as much time as he could, but it just won’t work. Everyone is forced to dry their clothes on the roof.

Dex’s paths cross with a certain drivesuit technician named Derek Nurse constantly, much to his chagrin. The first time that they meet is during Dex’s offtime. He got a call from the dome’s radio station asking to tinker with some malfunctioning sound equipment. It ends with a shouting match between the two having to be broken up by none other than Lardo. Dex learns that he shouldn’t make enemies with the man who is second to only Bitty in boosting morale. It’s a sucky world without social media, and radio is the only way to really keep up with petty gossip. For the next couple of days, Radio LOCCENT hosted a Roast of William Poindexter.

After that, they kept bumping into each other in the worst places: parties of mutual friends (Chowder), shore leaves into town with mutual friends (Chowder), the laundry room where Dex passive aggressively dumps out Nursey’s clothes the second that they’re done. (”There are 13 other empty washers what the HECK Poindexter?”) And you can bet your bottom dollar that Nursey would talk about it during every break between songs. They only called a truce when the burden got too great to bear alone. No one except for LOCCENT could really do anything after the Jaeger was sent out. The only thing to do was listen to the reports being broadcast over the intercom. It’s been 2 hours since deployment and Dex is working on that damn dryer when he hears announcements that the Sharkpulse had gone dark. Last reports were that there was massive damage to Jaeger and, if the other Jaeger sent out 35 minutes later doesn’t arrive in time, is likely to be completely destroyed. Nursey finds Dex in the laundry room beating the absolute shit out of the dryer. He grabs him and tries to comfort him the best they could. Sharkpulse is still dark, the Kaiju is inching closer to the miracle mile. Dex lets himself, if only for a moment, collapse in Nursey’s arms. And then the moment is over, and they both wish each other luck and make each other useful. When the Kaiju is killed and the remains of the Sharkpulse is recovered, they both stop holding the breath neither of them knew that they were holding. Somehow, both of them were alive. They kept working. The animosity between them was gone and replaced with what could be called amicable tolerance with each other. After the eventual shutdown of Anchorage, they both volunteered to transfer to Hong Kong. There they would be forced to share a tiny room.

ANYWAYS. WHO ELSE IS THERE?

Until K-Day, Whiskey was satisfied with studying economics and going into a cushy Wall Street job. Seeing tens of thousands killed in California by a giant alien changes things. Maybe he should join the PDCC after graduating college. And then they hit Manila. After that, Whiskey applied himself to the very fullest. He graduated high school a year early, and enlisted. He worked in Panama City as a drivesuit technician. For a couple years, he just kept his head down and focused on the work at hand. He made friends with the Rangers he met, and even was invited to spar with a couple of them. After quickly defeating many of them, he was recommended to join the Jaeger program. There, he met his inquisitive partner in crime, life, the Jaeger, etc: Anthony “Tango” Tangredi. He absolutely loves drifting. It’s like every question that Tango never even considered asking gets answered in a split second. Unfortunately for the scientists, Tango cannot drift with them. He has to ask all the questions the old fashioned way. Most of the time, they are happy to explain what they are doing, but not when they are running on approximately 15 minutes of sleep that they got maybe 3 (??) days ago. Foxtrot is the Marshal of the Shatterdome in Anchorage. She’s one of the youngest, but still as capable as ever. People will follow her to the ends of the earth.

Tater is was a Jaeger pilot in Vladivostok until his partner was killed in combat. It really shook him. He used his status to build affordable housing for the poor inland, so that they could be safe. After that, he spends all of his savings on a one way ticket to the Hong Kong Shatterdome to help finish this once and for all in any way possible.

#omgcp #check please #au #pacific rim au #bruh i really like pacific rim you don't even know #and this will be a fic someday but if you guys want something...to tangibly see #yeah here you go #and its kinda more of a crossover because all the kaiju are canon?#and some characters?#god why can't things write themselves???#like it just...needs a plot #which i have #but still #there's a lot of worldbuilding i'd have to explain #drug abuse cw

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captainofthetidesbreath · 7 years

Text

Over the past few days (ETA 9/26: this post was written September 2, 2017), a year long, passive aggressive dispute I’ve been involved with has come to a head. This dispute, which has originated in the Star Wars roleplay community here on Tumblr, has been with someone I’m referring to as Vik, the name I believe she’s going by.

What follows is, yes, a callout post, but one that, in my feeling, has been previously explicitly invited by the other party. At this time, as Vik has indicated that she is closing down most of her roleplay blogs, I’m posting this to give a better overview of the dispute as I have personally experienced it and in an attempt to head off at the pass accusations that Vik was treated overly harshly this week.

It is, primarily, a document of the entire history of the dispute as it seems to me from where I am standing. I feel it disingenuous for Vik to characterize the dispute as solely over her not accepting a headcanon into her own interpretation. For me, I've settled into an animosity with Vik due to her bigoted patterns of behavior over the past year, and any attempt to recently adopt LGBT headcanons for certain characters or dress up her statements in pseudo-progressive language cannot adequately mask that.

ETA 9/26: with the newest iteration of Vik’s blog, probably worth noting that she has read this post and she does not refute any of the accusations I put forward. Though, it is equally worth noting that the page in which she notes this is written in a somewhat tongue in cheek manner, interpret as you will (trackaflitnat, webcitation)

Who is involved?

Well, there’s a lot of people involved, if you define involved as referenced or addressed at any point during the feud. But, the major players are:

Myself, Gena. I blog from ordowennen (formerly cassiansfuzzyjacket), roleplay from nullclass, and maintain an aesthetic blog at knifeedgekindofman.

Vik, also referred to by others as Merlia. Runs a plethora of blogs, but the following are the relevant: roleplay blogs merliaseidon and nullarc6 (which was located at null-6 until August 30, personal blog andriktheunsmiling (now deactivated, later moved to rc-6666), and finnessential. On September 26, 2017, she started her Kom’rk blog again at trackaflitnat. New personal as of April 2018 at sharkbitch. Here is a list of her blogs, as provided by herself.

Izzy, who blogs from izzovercoffee and roleplayed from tapcaftogo. Izzy is one of the parties with whom Vik disagrees, and I believe that Vik addresses many of her vagueblogging to Izzy in addition to myself. For the purposes of this post, and because I can only speak to myself, I will refer to most vagueblogging in reference to only myself.

What is the dispute?

For me, my animosity towards Vik comes out of her bigotry, and I’ve observed behavior that I’ve felt to be racist, transphobic, and misogynistic or that I’ve felt to be implicitly supporting such bigotry.

Vik recently characterized the dispute (original version of August 30 post), as over headcanon interpretations of Kom’rk, in which she feels that myself and others are upset that she does not wish to incorporate our headcanon of a non-cis Kom’rk into her own interpretation and she feels that posts about such headcanons should not be put into the “#Kom’rk Skirata” tag. She also felt that the headcanon was done to make Kom’rk “a punching bag” and felt that the headcanon was more regressive than progressive (archived version of her August 30 regs page).

Previously, her characterization of the dispute, in my understanding, was a difference in interpretation over Etain and Kal. I view Kal as an emotionally abusive father and believe that Etain was subjected to emotional manipulation and coercion; Vik views Kal as a flawed character but not abusive and believes that Etain is an active player in a storyline where she selfishly gets pregnant and manipulates her lover.

Where each of us stand on the differences in character interpretation is somewhat better detailed in a later section “On my vagueblogging”

How did this start?

When Vik came to resent my interpretation of Kal and Etain, I cannot answer. However, I can say that the bad blood between us began on June 4, 2016. Vik and myself were both in a Skype group chat for a while by then. On June 4, 2016, I asked the chat if they had any suggestions for nonwhite actors because I was fancasting Republic Commando. I emphasized that I “aggressively” interpret every human character in the novels as nonwhite. Another member of the chat, whom I will refer to as S—, accused myself and the others of being racist toward white people. This person had a history of trolling in the chat, but despite our efforts to ignore them, the situation escalated. After this person was initially called out for their racist behavior, Vik left the chat.

The Skype logs are located here, from the beginning of the conversation to Vik’s departure.

Though the following situation in the chat did not strictly involve Vik, Vik continued to support and even enable S— long after June 4, and the situation in the chat very much framed how myself and Izzy reacted to Vik. The situation escalated to open aggression after Vik’s departure, and S— became very angry that myself, Izzy, and a third person continued to discuss nonwhite people, particularly Fo Porter, and booted us from the chat saying we needed a timeout. S— readded us to the chat, but Izzy and myself left shortly after.

The Skype logs for that portion, from Vik’s departure to Izzy and my departures, are posted here.

Immediately after, I learned that Vik had blocked me and made a small statement discussed in the next section. In response to S—’s reaction, and to the general silence it was met with from others in the chat (that, or dismissal of it as petty drama), Izzy made a post regarding this incident generally addressing the response from the group, which Izzy (and myself) generally felt to be implicitly supporting the actions of an aggressive racist (S—) through their silence and refusal to cut ties with them.

At some point, Vik added to her Kom’rk guidelines page referencing this schism (nullarc6, webcitation dated to April 2, webcitation dated to August 26). I added a similar section to my own rules page on April 2 (nullclass). Izzy added a similar section to their own rules page as well (tapcaftogo).

On bigotry

She dismissed this dispute, in the name that having such a debate was ruining other people’s fun (merliaseidon-archived, webcitation):‘#sorry guys but i come on tumblr to have fun.#[x0x0:// ooc]’ I generally find it unsavory the recurring implication in fandom that people need to keep their mouth shut and avoid causing so-called drama by calling out racism when they see it, and I find it unsavory here. Many of us are instructed to suffer bigotry aimed at our identities in silence so as to not ruin the fun of others, but our own fun and our own desire to have fun in a space that isn’t bigoted is not allowed to exist.

Twice afterward, she brings up the whiteness of both Karen Traviss, writer of Republic Commando, and George Lucas as a sort of trump card against any criticism, explicitly as a response to headcanons: in April 2017 (nullarc6, webcitation) and in August 2017 (nullarc6, webcitation). This is especially insidious as myself and Izzy, both the ones she has much of the dispute with, are persons of color. This aggressive reiteration that the creators of a piece of media are white as a response to headcanons are difficult to interpret in any way other than a forceful attempt to make fans of color feel unwelcome. Please note, the Skype dispute was over fancasting the humans of Republic Commando as nonwhite.

Generally, Vik gives the impression of one who feels upset or threatened at the idea that people who are nonwhite, queer, or both exist in her space and mocked their desire to feel represented in media she enjoys.

In August 2017, (nullarc6, webcitation), in response to headcanons that Kom’rk was not cis, not straight, and presents in a traditionally hyper-feminine manner, a headcanon held mostly by queer fans, she stated: “It must be a sad world you live in when your only out is to come up with increasingly non-viable HC in order to warp a character to your own wants in the name of ‘representation’.” She also said of people searching to see themselves represented through these headacanons: “What’s worse is that you make these HC’s that literally transforms the character into even less of a person, it’s not representation it is a sad take on a background character that turns them into a hollow shell to appeal to your kinks and fetishization. These choices you’re making aren’t realistic, you’ve literally reduced the character down to their sexuality and gender and nothing else.”

This is a sentiment she’s expressed at least once before, in April 2017 (nullarc6, webcitation), saying that this headcanon was a “over the top gay trans Kom’rk”. This aggressive response to this headcanon is difficult for me to interpret in any way other than she believes queer people have no right to headcanon characters to search for representation of themselves.

She stated this twice more: once in a post in August 30 (webcitation, current version of the post retracts much of this) and again in an August 30 update to her regs page (webcitation, current version retracts much of this). I don’t intend to unpack here the argument that Kom’rk as not cishet is being used as a punching bag (we’ve written about Kom’rk well beyond a relationship with Kal and beyond Kal’s discontent with this identity), as a promiscuous stereotype (none of us have written anything about Kom’rks sexual activity), or inconsistencies in what we interpret Kom’rk gender identity to be (Izzy, myself, and other adoptees of this headcanons have different interpretations). What is important here, for me, is that despite this pseudo-progressive language, it is the latest in a long line of attacking the headcanon on its face and an unwillingness to understand how queer identity works. At any rate, sgtbossman ha already written a good post addressing some of the issues with the recent posts Vik has made.

On Vik’s personal attacks

I might’ve made some unsavory comments about Vik’s ability to interpret material, please see the end of this post “On my vagueblogging”, but at the very least, I kept all comments to the realm of fandom, and I never made personal attacks on the basis of her personal life. Vik, on the other hand, made a personal attack on the basis of my personal life and the personal lives of others. This, I believe, is most damning in this dispute. And, despite Vik’s statement that she’s only ever commented on what crossed her dash (webcitation), these personal attacks based on information that can’t have possibly crossed her dash speak otherwise.

She made comments regarding my hope to work in the film industry in February 2017 (andriktheunsmiling-deactivated,webcitation); I began film school only after the Skype dispute and began my second semester of film school in January 2017. She seems to have made a personal attack on Rev, thesummerstorms, in April 2017 (merliaseidon,webcitation); Rev was student teaching at the time and was hoping to begin teaching full-time. She made a personal attack on the traumas and difficult paternal relationships myself and those associated with me have had in July 2017 (nullarc6,webcitation), saying that our criticism of Kal and“dismantling [of] his general character” comes entirely from“daddy issues”.

In August 2017 (nullarc6, webcitation), she also accused myself and those she has a dispute with of having“alienated, abused, and bullied other people in the fandom that didn’t bend to their will” and of expecting others in the fandom to“to bend to [our] will and follow along like a good little sheep with everything [we] say”. This is a hefty accusation. I’m not at all sure what behavior Vik is characterizing as alienating, abusive, and bullying. Is it our arguing against the claims of reverse racism when creating an entirely nonwhite fancast? Is it our vocal belief that Kal is abusive and manipulative and our vocal belief that Etain is put through intense misogyny in both canon and fandom? Is it that we would rather not form close online relationships with people who fundamentally disagree on these two interpretations that mean greatly to us? Is it that we argued with one of her friends about his statement that “all clone troopers are immune to PTSD” because of our belief that it played into the dehumanizing belief that nonwhite men do not feel pain or stress? She has not clarified, so I do not know.

On trolling

The first post Vik created while roleplaying as Kom’rk was on June 6, 2016 (nullarchived June 2016 archive, webcitation), two days after the events in the Skype logs in the previous section. She continues to maintain a Kom’rk roleplay to this day. Her having a Kom’rk roleplay blog is something I have no issue with, and in any other context, this would be a silly and irrelevant detail. However, Vik created her Kom’rk blog for the purposes to trying to prove at point to myself and others due to the fact that we have differences in interpretation.

She has explicitly stated this in November 2016 (nullarc6, webcitation):‘#Why the fuck do you think this account exists. #Not because I have a particular interest in playing a clone at the time. #but because he doesn't belong to you and as such can be interpreted however I damn well please #and your headcanon is just that headcanon #[Rainbow fuck you between hands.] #L O L O L O L O L. #AHAHAHAHAHAA #Control Room [OOC]’

She also made two statements framing her holding of the null-6 and komrk-skirata URLs acts as its own trump card, once in April 2017 (now at nullarc6, webcitation) and once in August 2017 (nullarc6, webcitation). On April 15, 2017 (same link), she seems to have believed this gave her better leave to spam the“#Kom’rk Skirata” tag, especially in response to variative posting about a headcanon that Kom’rk does not identify as male (variative). Please note that by April 18, 2017, there was only one post in the tag at the time mentioning Kom’rk as trans or non-straight: archive.is,wayback.

Here, I admit, on April 17, I posted two quotes from the novels featuring Kom’rk into the‘#Kom’rk Skirata’ tag in response to her threat to spam the tag: one quote, second quote.

Vik did later attempt to spam the tag from her komrk-skirata blog, on April 18, posting six tags from the novels involving Kom’rk (komrk-skirata, webcitation). The attempt was unsuccessful. To this date, none of those posts from komrk-skirata appear in the tags: link to #Kom’rk Skirata, link to #Komrk Skirata, link to #Null 6.

She later again openly stated that she was indeed writing Kom’rk for the pure purposes of making people angry (August 30 webcitation of her regs).

On hypocrisy

In November 2016 (andriktheunsmiling-deactivated, webcitation), she decried that my experiences affected how I read and viewed Republic Commando and its characters, saying that I was “butthurt about my life experiences”, believing that “people interpreting fictional characters different is an attack on my person”, and putting “gold stars on the ‘world is evil and out to get me’ report for the week”. In February 2017 (andriktheunsmiling-deactivated, webcitation), she criticized me for allegedly not understanding that“people will read or view media in different ways because our perception and understanding of things is tied to life experiences.” In July 2017 (nullarc6, webcitation), she belittled the extremely difficult at best, traumatic at worst paternal relationships of those she is in disagreement with, decrying them because she felt their perception and understanding of Kal is too much tied to life experiences. She accuses me of refusing to allow that she interprets Kal differently because her life experience is different from mine, and yet when I interpret Kal different because my life experience is different from hers, it’s something worthy of ridicule and it’s unfairly clouding my judgment of Kal.

In November 2016 (andriktheunsmiling-deactivated, webcitation), she insists on her right to tag her blog and her headcanons as she pleases, but in July 2017 (nullarc6, webcitation), she mocks others when they see it fit to tag their own headcanons about Kom’rk with“#Kom’rk Skirata”. Note: osik means shit in the constructed language Mando’a, spoken in Republic Commando by many characters including Kal and Kom’rk.

Her general antagonism toward a queer Kom’rk headcanon makes her sudden adoption of a(n inconsistently worded) queer Mereel headcanon feel disingenuous (nullarc6, webcitation, nullarc6 second post, webcitation second post).

On my vagueblogging

Since I’m not above vagueblogging and often I’ve even openly stated that I was vagueblogging, I’ve made about twenty posts in which I’ve vagueblogged at Vik or vagueblogged directly in response to Vik’s vagueblogging. It’s condemnable that I’ve engaged in a long vagueblogged dispute—though Vik herself seems to have no issue with vagueblogging as a concept, to quote her, “You don’t get to pissy about the vague blogging though, we all do it. Sometimes we get salty and make questionable blogging choices, that is why we all have our own blogs.” (webcitation)—however, I tend to believe that the manner in which she and I have conducted ourselves while engaging in that behavior is quite different. Additionally, this record generally illustrates our stances in this dispute.

Most of these posts are truncated and leave out tags that include more comments directed at one another, the quotes are for identification:

November 5, 2016: “I’m not about people spewing misogynistic crap at Etain...” in response to Vik’s November 5, 2016 post: “...[Etain] is a self centered child who took away Darman’s choice. Left him to accept the fall out of her personal decisions...” (nullarc6, archive.is) Vik later apparently made three posts in response to mine: “IT’S MY BLOG AND I’LL TAG HOW I WANT TOO TAG HOW I WANT TO TAAGGGG...” (andrikthesunsmiling-deactivated, webcitation) and “I’m not going to argue about it because arguing with you is like arguing with a brick wall...” (merliaseidon, webcitation) and “Nuh uh. You gotta change ur blog to fit muh opinion...” (merliaseidon, webcitation). Yes, I’m accusing her of sending the anon to herself on the basis of this post on finnessential (webcitation) being apparently referenced two week later on nullarc6 (webcitation). (Update, April 2018: Still convinced she sent these anons to herself, as I now have proof she consistently sends anons to herself. Too lazy right now to upload such.)

January 11, 2016:“Listen, I understand. Kal is a flawed guy, and characters should be flawed...” referencing Vik’s November 13, 2016 post: “Kal Skirata. Has flaws.Things that make him human. Imperfect...” (andriktheunsmiling-deactivated, webcitation)

February 28, 2017:“Male Character: *fucks up 100 times* Fans: “No one is perfect...” reblogged in reference to Vik’s interpretations of Kal and Etain.

March 30, 2017:“Talk about misconceptions about Kom'rk?” posted in response to several posts Vik made to state my own differing interpretation and headcanons of material.

April 17, 2017: posted two quotes—first quote, second quote—into the‘#Kom’rk Skirata’ tag in response to Vik’s April 15, 2017 post:“Keep posting ur osik in the tag. It’s funny.#I still own the URL. B) and I can very easily spam it” (nullarc6, webcitation)

May 19, 2017:“Kal’s tendency to assume the worst of strangers and outsiders” referencing the same as the January 11 post.

June 17, 2017:““Kal wouldn’t give a shit about how his children identify or present!”...” referencing Vik’s April 15, 2017 post: “#Because I'm not your over the top stereotype gay trans Kom'rk and I never will be. #And Kal wouldn't give a shit.”(nullarc6, webcitation)

June 20, 2017:““Kal is flawed! Like characters are supposed to be!”...” referencing the same as the January 11 post.

June 28, 2017: “It’s always funny people think I hate on Kal because he’s a white dude. Like, where did I say that...” in response to Vik’s June 27, 2017 post: “Yes I would- so long as you don’t play him as a horrible monstrous strait white man who single handily ruined the entire galaxy...” (nullarc6, webcitation)

July 6, 2017: “Nobody goes “poor Etain” purely because she’s a female character. Like, that’s absurd...” (please see this reblog where I stated ‘ #Lmao and also the original post was actually a vagueblog at a very specific person #In response to a long-running vagueblogged disagreement about Etain’) in response to Vik’s July 6, 2017 post: “A CHARACTER BEING FEMALE DOES NOT EXCUSE HER SHITTY BEHAVIOR. HER VAG/INA DOES NOT GRANT HER A FREE PASS TO DO WHATEVER SHE WANTS.” (merliaseidon, webcitation)

July 6, 2017: “Gotta love it when people say “you hate Kal because daddy issues”...” and “Frankly, I feel like if your response to your fave getting harsh criticism is...” in response to Vik’s July 6, 2017 post: “Listen folks, Kal Skirata may not be a saint but he deserves better than you dismantling his general character so you can apply all your daddy troubles to him.” (nullarc6, webcitation)

August 6, 2017: “To say that Etain knowingly got pregnant during the war entirely ignores the whole back half of the quote...” in response to Vik’s August 4, 2017 post: “Oh, For the love of- stop trying to make Etain into a saint by saying she had no choice and Kal controlled everything...” (finnessential, webcitation)

August 14, 2017: “Frankly, the only thing stopping me from making a lengthy comment on…” and “Funny how a character who is assumed cis male in the source material being headcanoned as trans...” in response to Vik’s August 13, 2017 post: “It must be a sad world you live in when your only out is to come up with increasingly non-viable HC in order to warp a character to your own wants” (nullarc6, webcitation)

August 23, 2017: “Anyway, Ordo, once he starts on the dawning realization he isn’t actually straight but bi...” in response to Vik’s August 24, 2017 post: “...Ur hc is hc and it will never be actual canon. xoxoxo...” (nullarc6, webcitation)

August 26, 2017:“If the best argument you have to defend your racism, misogyny, and transphobia...” in response to Vik’s August 24, 2017 post: “I think it’s time to put up the friendly reminder that...” (nullarc6, webcitation)

August 30, 2017: “In narrative development, we talk a lot about how people can tell when you’re being disingenuous...” and “Also, well, what? Are we supposed to handwave past transphobia...” in response to the original version of Vik’s August 30, 2017 post “As of this moment I will not accept anything except the fact that Mereel Skirata is transgender...” (webcitation) and in response to a August 30, 2017 change to her . Vik later updated the post to remove much of its content (nullarc6, webcitation).

#sharkbitch #rc6666 #merliaseidon #trackaflitnat #Anyway. Like. I've been kind of quiet on this this week.#callout post for ts #But I'm tired. And the entire history of the dispute hasn't really been properly represented publicly so far.

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itshaejinju · 7 years

Note

38-45

So I’m doing this both Morana Tarda and Lenore Graves.

Morana Tarda (Mafia AU)

38. What do they admire in others? What talents do they wish they had?

Hardworking attitudes, she doesn’t approve of slacking. Morana wishes she could cook, she watches Ignis sometimes and feels like watching him cook is like magic.

39. Do they like letters? Or prefer emails/messaging?

Morana prefers text messages because she has a special ringtone for everyone and likes to hear the sounds.

40. Do they like energy drinks? Coffee? Sugary food? Or can they naturally stay awake and alert?

Coffee, though she’s has a good state of being alert at all times due to the way she grew up (both game and mafia timelines). Morana knows how to make coffee pretty much the only food like item she has mastered, she learned how to make it to apologize to breaking a pair of Ignis’ glasses. She loves coffee with a bit of cream and sugar. She’s never tried energy drinks before.

41. What’s their sexuality? What do they find attractive? Physically and mentally? What do they like/need in a relationship?

Morana is bisexual despite her animosity towards most women. Sex to her is just a release of stress. (Well until she meets and deals with Gladiolus and teddy-bear gladio sex gives her a different thought on that matter) She is not really attracted to a person physically it’s more emotional if they click she will want to have sex with them. If you can put up with her she’ll feel obligated to lay you. In a relationship she needs someone who can tire her out, who can put up with her issues with herself and people in general, her attitude. A patient person who can handle her physical aggression.

42. What are their goals? What would they sacrifice anything for? What is their secret ambition?

Her goals is make the Caelum Family a success. She would sacrifice anything to make sure it is attained, Morana does not know when to give up. Her secret ambition is to learn how Prompto is so “well adjusted” for growing up in the orphanage and not having such mental problems like herself. (In Mafia AU instead of the Empire Facility it’s a Orphanage)

43. Are they religious? What do they think of religion? What do they think of religious people? What do they think of non religious people?

Morana is not religious at all. She doesn’t go to the Sunday Mass that Regis deems “mandatory” she shows up for the headcount, “I need to pee!” sneaks out the window and has her relaxing Sunday to herself. Morana does not understand or care for it at all, she believes she can stand on her own two feet and does not need a invisible friend to help her in her “time of need”. She doesn’t have a opinion on highly religious people, if they try to force religion on her she will shut them down in any form. She is fine with non religious people as long as they don’t go bashing on religion. She doesn’t feel the need to shit on people’s beliefs if they are being polite and passive about it all.

44. What is their favorite season? Type of weather? Are they good in the cold or the heat? What weather do they complain in the most?

Fall and Winter are her favorites, she likes to play in the leaves and snow. She also likes rain because it makes her think the world is crying, so it reflects how she feels most of the time. She works best in the cold, as she moves around a lot and it takes a lot of effort to use her weapon due to her height her weapon is a bit troublesome to use. (She needs a shorter chain) She gets hot easy and fighting in the summer like that a lot of sweating then passing out. The humid heat she bitches like no tomorrow, it’s quite annoying and she’s ruined a few missions because of it.

45. How do other people see them? Is it similar to how they see themselves?

Well Gladiolus sees her as his personal Goddess.

Ignis sees her as one he wants to worship but also wants to show her who is boss. (he wants to try and dom her.)

The others?

She her as this manic bipolar bitchy woman, who is like a poisonous cactuar to deal with.

Morana sees herself as a small black cat who is trying to protect her loved things and herself from the big bad dogs.

Lenore Graves (Mafia AU)

38. What do they admire in others? What talents do they wish they had?

The ability to be in a room and be quite, that you don’t need to always fill the silence with talk. She wishes she could speak her mind. (Like Morana does)

39. Do they like letters? Or prefer emails/messaging?

Letters she likes her handwriting so she likes to see it.

40. Do they like energy drinks? Coffee? Sugary food? Or can they naturally stay awake and alert?

Red Bull and AMP, she’s not a huge coffee drinker. Loves sugary foods to death. (Think of Gintoki for that…) She takes a lot of cat naps and never actually sleeps.

41. What’s their sexuality? What do they find attractive? Physically and mentally? What do they like/need in a relationship?

She classifies herself as pansexual but she’s more bisexual. She’s attracted to tall people, nice hair, strong jaw lines, ample figures, can actually hold a witty banter back with her and understand she doesn’t like being touched. She needs someone that can understand that she can go days without talking, touching or actually doing anything but work. (Lenore is detached and aloof a lot of the times)

42. What are their goals? What would they sacrifice anything for? What is their secret ambition?

To make sure that Ardyn gets control over the Caelum family. Yes she will, without flaw she will sacrifice anything. Her secret ambition is to have Ravus love her.

43. Are they religious? What do they think of religion? What do they think of religious people? What do they think of non religious people?

She is, going to Mass each Sunday to worship the Deities of Izunia Family. She finds a lot of comfort in it and appreciates all of the teachings coming from it. She doesn’t like it when other religious people try to force the religions on others it makes her uncomfortable, if you want to learn about it and ask her she’ll be happy to show you the books. She’s okay with non religious people.

44. What is their favorite season? Type of weather? Are they good in the cold or the heat? What weather do they complain in the most?

Spring and Fall, life and death. Breezy, cool, overcast. She prefers the cold but she’s okay in the heat as long as it’s not humid. Super humid and rain but her complaining is, a grimace and glare at the sky, she won’t voice it.

45. How do other people see them? Is it similar to how they see themselves?

It is not similar to how she sees herself, most see her as a robot but she sees herself as a caring older sister to the Family. She doesn’t quite understand that her sarcasm is not so well loved and that her glare is permanent on her face.

#detailed oc asks #Morana Tarda #lenore graves #jin replies

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kacchanns · 7 years

Text

[Fic] No Need for Two Kings

Another fic for BNHA Fest! I'm a couple days late with this one though... orz The prompt this time was for Overhaul and Shigaraki, "chaos; there's no need for two kings" (I HATE COMING UP WITH FIC TITLES OKAY). I had a LOT of fun with this one, writing villains is always one of my favorite things. :D I can't wait to see where their relationship is going to go in canon!

Shigaraki’s nails bit into his palms as he stood and tried not to give in to his anger. He could already tell he was losing. “Looking down your stupid mask at me like that, you’re convinced that no one can be on the same level as you.”

An innocent shine glazed across Overhaul’s eyes as he reached up to scratch absentmindedly at his mask. “Well, no one is ever equal to the king, are they?”

Shigaraki swore he felt a vein in his forehead burst.

[Read on AO3]

Their second meeting was supposed to be a simple affair, where they would go over each other’s ideals and motivations, and find out how each could benefit from the other. It was clear to Shigaraki however, from the very moment he and his group stepped into the room, that Overhaul still very much considered himself the superior. Vehement red eyes narrowed behind a disembodied hand, but the man showed no outward aggression.

“I’m glad you came to your senses,” Overhaul greeted them, though his tone seemed stiff. “There’s a lot to discuss.”

“Don’t get any premature ideas,” Shigaraki replied dangerously. “I’m not just blindly hopping aboard your bandwagon.” Overhaul outstretched his arms and shrugged lightly.

“I wouldn’t expect you to. Our goals and methods of reaching them are in direct conflict with each other. But you’ve agreed to meeting with me again, which means you at least recognize that your system is flawed.”

Anger began bubbling up inside Shigaraki. He knew this was a bad idea. Why had he let Kurogiri talk him into this? It was pointless; they would never be able to come to an understanding. As if to establish his displeasure with the situation, he threw a cold glare over at the swirling mist of a man standing to his right. Kurogiri stepped forward almost instantly.

“We are seeking to expand our numbers, and thought that if we could settle our differences here and now then perhaps there would be a possibility of our organizations joining,” he said as business-like as always. “We would like to avoid any further bloodshed if possible.”

“As would we, of course,” Overhaul agreed, sounding awfully passive.

“You should start by not looking down on us then,” Shigaraki hissed. “View us as equals, or this isn’t going to work out.”

Overhaul slid his gaze back to Shigaraki, and the two took a short moment to study each other. Neither backed down from the other’s intense glare, although Overhaul was the one to break the silence.

“I don’t think that’s entirely possible,” he said. “I want to teach you and show you how to bring out your full potential. I want you to learn from me. With that in mind, the teacher can’t exactly view the student as on equal ground with them, can they?”

Struggling to keep his voice even, Shigaraki responded, “My sensei’s choosing me for his succession still means nothing to you, huh?”

“I’m trying to make you see that your so-called “succession” has no merit when you refuse to acknowledge the fact that, with All Might being no more, the darkness will only grow thicker and thicker. More and more Villains will begin cropping up, and who knows how many of them will also be aiming for the top. You have no plan for dealing with this, and simply think the throne will wait patiently for you. If you cannot drop this mentality and begin preparing specific measures to meet your goals, then it won’t matter whether All For One chose you or not. Because you will fall short no matter what.”

“You’re not only questioning me, but my sensei as well…” Shigaraki’s nails bit into his palms as he stood and tried not to give in to his anger. He could already tell he was losing. “Looking down your stupid mask at me like that, you’re convinced that no one can be on the same level as you.”

An innocent shine glazed across Overhaul’s eyes as he reached up to scratch absentmindedly at his mask. “Well, no one is ever equal to the king, are they?”

Shigaraki swore he felt a vein in his forehead burst.

“Kurogiri!” Shigaraki ordered, his enraged voice echoing throughout the room. The man in question appeared beside Shigaraki in an instant, and Shigaraki thrust out his arm towards him. The purplish miasma that constructed his being quickly engulfed Kurogiri’s body, and Shigaraki’s arm plunged into the darkness. Across the room, a small portion of that miasma appeared behind Overhaul, and Shigaraki’s arm shot out, hand outstretched.

Sighing, Overhaul stepped to the side, causing Shigaraki to grab at air. The masked man turned a disapproving eye towards where Shigaraki was standing, and then slowly began slipping the gloves off his hands.

“Mediocre attempt,” he murmured just loud enough for the other group to hear. “I thought we were in agreement that we wanted to avoid-”

His words cut themselves off when a grunt of pain rose from his throat. A strong stinging sensation had erupted across his right forearm, and when he looked down he noticed a pale, bony hand wrapped around his arm. He whipped his head towards the other side of the room and saw Shigaraki’s other arm inside a second portal. Furiously, Overhaul yanked his arm free and tried to retaliate with his ungloved hand, but Shigaraki’s arm retreated and the portal disappeared. With eyes like fire, Overhaul glared across the room while cradling his right arm.

“Overhaul!” one of his minions yelled out, approaching him.

“I’m fine,” Overhaul barked. Glancing down at his arm, he saw that a good amount of skin had cracked and chipped off, revealing some of the muscle and tissue underneath. The slightest touch sent pain shooting up into his shoulder. Grinding his teeth, he lifted his gaze once again towards his opponents.

“That was unwise,” he growled, taking a step forward and tossing his gloves to the ground. “I hope you’re prepared for the consequences.”

“I will become my sensei’s successor,” Shigaraki said in response, flexing the hand that had made contact with Overhaul’s arm. “Your challenging of that reality is what’s truly unwise.”

A few quick strides were all it took. The two leaders didn’t notice the chaos that erupted around them when they clashed. The only thing that seemed to matter to either of them was asserting their dominance and making their place known. Both were entirely focused on eradicating the other.

With eyes ablaze, both men viciously thrust their hands at each other, only for both to dodge the other’s attack. They didn’t waste a second, going in for the kill a second time and again coming away unsuccessful. It was like some kind of chaotic dance as they continually swung at each other and spun out of the way of each other’s blows. Neither of them lost their concentration for a second.

The first to make contact with the other was Overhaul, although what he managed to grab was one of the inanimate hands that clung onto Shigaraki’s arm. There was a cracking noise as the hand burst and sprayed blood over the two men. Overhaul staggered backwards, repulsed by the sticky substance, and Shigaraki made his move against him with an angered roar. Without a proper reaction, Overhaul’s dodge was a little slow, allowing Shigaraki to grab a handful of his coat. The material immediately began decaying away and disintegrating into the air. With a harsh twist, Overhaul tore his coat from Shigaraki’s grip, threw off the man’s balance, and, seeing an opening, swung out his leg and rammed it into Shigaraki’s side. The force of the blow was enough to send the man sprawling to the ground, but before Overhaul could get another hit in, Shigaraki had rolled out of his range and jumped back to his feet all in the same motion.

As the two stood and surveyed each other, Shigaraki gripping at his side and trying to regain the breath he had lost, the members of each of their organizations continued to brawl around them. There were sounds of Quirks being used without hesitation mixed with shouts and crashes of destruction. A thin layer of dust that had risen from the conflict stood stagnant throughout the room, creating a hazy atmosphere. Red eyes bore into brown, but for just a moment, neither leader jumped at the other.

“You say you’ll succeed All For One,” Overhaul began, “and yet you’re still going about things mindlessly. I’ll give you one last chance.” The masked man held out his arm in a beckoning way, never once breaking eye contact with his opponent. “Come under my wing, and let me show you the true pathway to success.”

Shigaraki’s eyes narrowed dangerously and his teeth crunched together behind the severed hand that adorned his face. His hands started to tremble and a low growl built up within his throat. Before he was even aware of it himself, he was digging his nails into his neck, groaning and grunting in animosity.

“You…” he hissed through his teeth. “You think… you’re so goddamn perfect… and more worthy of my sensei’s throne than me…” Shigaraki’s whole body was shaking by this point, and the tearing of his skin had grown harsh enough to draw blood. The daggers he was shooting at Overhaul became even sharper and deadlier than before. “I’ll show you…”

Abruptly, Shigaraki leapt forward, closing the distance between them before Overhaul had a chance to think. His hands were outstretched, skin and blood buried under his unkempt fingernails. The crimson of his eyes shone with a murderous intent.

“…Why my sensei chose me!!” he screamed.

His hand came down on Overhaul’s mask before the latter had even taken a step backward. Cracks immediately began sprouting up the beak-like object and it started crumbling into nothing. Overhaul’s eyes widened in something like terror as the tip of the mask opened up and the dust in the air invaded his breathing space. With a shriek, he blindly swung out his arm. Unprepared for the sudden retaliation, Shigaraki was unable to dodge the blow, and Overhaul’s fist cracked into his jaw. He was sent tumbling to the side, tearing off the brittle remainder of Overhaul’s mask as he went.

A sudden coughing fit shook Overhaul’s frame, and he immediately thrust his hand into one of the pockets of his coat. After momentarily fumbling, he pulled out a pair of disposable medical gloves and quickly put them on before covering his exposed mouth with his hand. His eyes had gone bloodshot and sweat covered his face as he took several steps backward from where Shigaraki was regaining his bearings.

The disembodied hand that usually stayed attached to Shigaraki’s face was lying discarded on the ground. Shigaraki was carefully rubbing at his jaw while also trying to conceal his features. His unoccupied hand probed the ground cautiously for the dropped object and tentatively picked it up, holding it in his grip as he glanced over towards Overhaul’s direction. Although the man had backed up considerably and looked to be in a state of panic, Shigaraki refused to let his guard down for a moment.

As if sensing Shigaraki’s gaze, Overhaul turned his attention back to him, his reddened eyes enraged and his gloved hand still clutching tightly to his lips. The hellish expression on Shigaraki’s revealed face didn’t seem to faze Overhaul at all. Even still, he took another step backward.

“So it’s war you want,” he muttered behind his hand. Shigaraki barely heard him. “So be it.”

With one quick yell, all of Overhaul’s subordinates abandoned their fighting with the League members and grouped up behind their leader. The young yakuza gave Shigaraki a sharp glare.

“This is only the beginning,” he proclaimed between coughs. His breathing had become rather erratic. “When next we meet, you’ll be sure to realize how mistaken you’ve been.”

“Your threats mean nothing to me,” Shigaraki responded, standing up straight. “There’s nothing I want more than to turn you and your ridiculous crusade into dust. Besides…”

With a malicious grin splitting across his face, Shigaraki placed the severed hand back over his face. His flaming red eyes gazed out from between the fingers, and the look of discomfort shaking throughout Overhaul’s entire being as he tried to deal with no longer having his mask only brought Shigaraki mirth.

“The underworld is a rather dirty place, you know?” he said, not quite containing the levity in his voice. Overhaul’s eyes narrowed, but he made no move to make a rebuttal. Instead, he turned away from Shigaraki, still keeping his mouth covered. Before taking any steps to leave however, he turned his head halfway back towards Shigaraki, his brown eyes piercing.

“I look forward to your inevitable destruction,” he said simply, but his tone was sharper than ever.

With that final statement, he and his group began to leave. A few members from the League began trying to stop them, but Shigaraki lifted his hand into the air.

“Let them go,” he ordered, some amusement still leaking into his words. “We’ll see them again soon enough.”

And I’ll be looking down on you from the top, Shigaraki thought to himself. And his cracked lips turned up further.

#boku no hero academia #bnha #bnhafest #shigaraki tomura #overhaul #league of villains #fanfiction #myfic

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tsultrimpawo · 4 years

Text

Namaste is a deeply meaningful greeting that does not require physical contact.

NEVER SHAKE HANDS WITH GOD

"Shake hands and come out fighting." It's the referee's final counsel to two pugilists about to beat each other's brains out with clenched fists. Even outside the ring, a handshake can be a little off-putting. When one returns to the West from an extended sojourn in Bharat or elsewhere in Asia,the hand suddenly thrust forward can seem more ominous than friendly, especially if the hand offered is that of a stranger. Of course, one soon acclimates and the menacing aspect of this salutation subsides.

Perhaps that moment of intimidation derives from the history of the handshake. According to one anthropologist, the handshake evolved in medieval Europe, during the times of knights. It seems not all were laudable Lancelots or gallant Gallahads. More than a few would approach opponents with concealed weapons and when within striking distance do the needful, driving dagger or striking sword into the unguarded paladin. To fend off the fear of a foe's foul foil, knights took to offering their open and visible empty hand to each other. It was a kind of surety, a gesture of trust which said, "See, I am unarmed, so you may safely let me approach." As the story goes, soon the gesture itself took on meaning and the less noble, less lethal man on the street adopted the handshake as the proper way to greet others.

In much of the world today, people do not shake hands when they meet. They may hug formally or kiss one another on the cheek, as in eastern Europe and Arab states. They may bow softly, eyes turned to the ground, as in Japan and China. The Hawaiian greeting, termed "honi," consists of placing the nostril gently beside that of the person greeted, a kind of sharing of breath, which is life and Pran(a).

For, Hindu(s), of course, the greeting of choice is "Namaste," the two hands pressed together and held near the heart with the head gently bowed as one says, "Namaste." Thus it is both a spoken greeting and a gesture, a Mantr(a) and a Mudr(a). The prayerful hand position is a Mudr(a) called Anjali, from the root Anj, "to adorn, honor, celebrate or anoint." The hands held in union signify the oneness of an apparently dual cosmos, the bringing together of spirit and matter, or the self meeting the Self. It has been said that the right hand represents the higher nature or that which is divine in us, while the left hand represents the lower, worldly nature.

In Sanskrit "Namas" means, "bow, obeisance, reverential salutation." It comes from the root Nam, which carries meanings of bending, bowing, humbly submitting and becoming silent. "Te" means "to you." Thus "namaste" means "I bow to you." the act of greeting is called "Namaskaram," "Namaskara" and "Namaskar" in the varied languages of the subcontinent.

Namaste has become a veritable icon of what is Bharatiye. Indeed, there must be a Bharatiye law which requires every travel brochure. calendar and poster to include an imageof someone with palms pressed together, conveying to the world Bharat's hospitality, spirituality and graceful consciousness. You knew all that, of course, but perhaps you did not know that there can be subtle ways of enhancing the gesture, as in the West one might shake another's hand too strongly to impress and overpower them or too briefly, indicating the withholding of genuine welcome.

In the case of Namaste, a deeper veneration is sometimes expressed by bringing the fingers of the clasped palms to the forehead, where they touch the brow, the site of the mystic Third Eye. A third form of namaste brings the palms completely above the head, a gesture said to focus consciousness in the subtle space just above the Brahma-randhra, the aperture in the Crown Chakr(a). This form is so full of reverence it is reserved for the Almighty and the holiest of Sat Guru(s).

It is always interesting, often revealing and occasionally enlightening to muse about the everyday cultural traits and habits each nation and community evolves, for in the little things our Big ideas About Life find direct and personal expression. Take, for instance, the different ways that American and Japanese tool-makers approach the same task. A saw for cutting lumber, if designed in the U.S., is made in such a way that the carpenter's stroke away from his body does the cutting. But in japan saws are engineered so that cutting takes place as the carpenter draws the saw toward himself. A small detail, but it yields a big difference.

The American saw can, if leaned into, generate more power, while the Japanese saw provides more control and refinement in the cut, requiring surprisingly less effort. Each has its place in the global toolbox. each speaks -- like the handshake and namaste greetings -- of an underlying perception of man's relationship with things.

In the West we are outgoing, forceful, externalized. We are told by Ma bell to "reach out and touch somebody." We are unabashedly acquisitive, defining our progress in life by how much we have -- how much wealth, influence, stored up knowledge, status or whatever. Every culture exhibits these traits to some extent, but in the east Mother is there to remind us, "Reach in and touch the Self." here we are taught to be more introspective, more concerned with the quality of things than their quantity, more attuned with the interior dimension of life.

So, there you have it, the whole of Eastern and Western culture summed up in the handshake which reaches out horizontally to greet another, and Namaste which reaches in vertically to acknowledge that, in truth, that there is no other.

As a test of how these two greetings differ, imagine you are magically confronted with the Divine. The Paramatma, Almighty, walks up to you on the street. What do you do? reach out to shake His hand? Probably not. Though suitable between man and man, it seems an unseemly expression between man and Paramatma. We never shake hands with paramatma. I mean, what if your palms are sweating?

So you namaste instead. the reason it feels natural to namaste before Paramatma is that it is, in its very essence, a spiritual gesture, not a worldly one. By a handshake we acknowledge our equality with others. We reveal our humanity. We convey how strong we are, how nervous, how aggressive or passive. There is bold physicality to it. For these and other reasons, Popes never shake hands. Kings never shake hands. Even mothers don't shake hands with their own children.

Namaste is cosmically different. Kings do namaste, Sat Guru(s) namaste and mothers namaste to their own family. We all namaste before the Almighty, a holy man or even a holy place. The namaste gesture bespeaks our inner valuing of the sacredness of all. It betokens our intuition that all souls are divine, in their essence. It reminds us in quite a graphic manner, and with insistent repetition, that we can see Paramatma everywhere and in every human being we meet. It is saying, silently, "I see the Deity in us both, and bow before Him or Her. I acknowledge the holiness of even this mundane meeting. I cannot separate that which is spiritual in us from that which is human and ordinary."

And while we are singing the praises of Namaste, it should be observed how efficient a gesture it is in an age of mass communication. A politician, or performer can greet fifty thousand people with a single Namaste, and they can return the honor instantly. In such a situation a handshake is unthinkable and a mere waving of one hand is somehow too frivolous.

There are other, more mystical meanings behind Namaste. The nerve current of the body converge in the feet, the solar plexus and the hands. Psychic energy leaves the body at these junctures. To "ground" that energy and balance the flow of Pran(a) streaming through the nerve system, Yogi(s) cross their legs in the lotus posture, and bring their hands together. The Anjali Mudra acts like a simple Yog(ic) Asan(a), balancing and harmonizing our energies, keeping us centered, inwardly poised and mentally protected. It closes our aura, shielding us psychically. It keeps us from becoming too externalized, thus we remain close to our intuitive nature, our super consciousness.

Here are some insights into Namaste from a number of Hindu(s):

o Namaste elevates one's consciousness, reminding one that all

beings, all existence is holy, is the Almighty. It

communicates, "I honor or worship the Divinity within you."

Also it draws the individual inward for a moment, inspires

reflection on the deeper realities, softening the interface

between people. It would be difficult or offend or feel

animosity toward any one you greet as Paramatma.

o Namaste is a gesture of friendship and kindness, also of

thanks or special recognition. Mystically it is called

"Namaskara Mudra" in the Agami(c) Pooja, and it centers one's

energy within the spine.

o I've heard it means "I salute the Almighty within you." The

true Namaste gesture is is accompanied by bowing the head and

shoulders slightly. This is a gesture that lessens our sense

of ego and self-centeredness, requiring some humility to do it

well -- whereas shaking hands can be quite an arrogant event.

o Touching the hands together puts you in touch with your

center, your soul. namaste puts you forward as a soul, not an

outer personality.

o The gesture has a subtle effect on the aura and nerve system.

bringing focused attention and a collection of one's forces,

so to speak. It also protects against unnecessary psychic

connections which are fostered by shaking hands. This might be

called a form of purity also -- protecting one's energies.

o This form of acknowledgment is so lovely, so graceful. Just

look at two people in Namaste and you will see so much human

beauty and refinement.

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teamrnbw · 6 years

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RNBW v CAPA: The 4v4 Tag-Team Battle. (Part 3/3)

In an attempt to close the distance between herself and Aurelia, Rusty decided to use her Semblance to charge right at her. Aurelia used her Tommy gun to take a few potshots at the giant Faunus girl, and when she concluded that Rusty was nigh invulnerable when charging, simply gracefully sidestepped away to evade Rusty’s attack.

Exiting the Charge mode of her Semblance as fast as she could, Rusty took a swing at Aurelia with her ax, but the golden-haired young woman dived right under it with ease. Slashing at Aurelia more and more with as much power and speed as she could muster, Rusty grew more and more frustrated as Aurelia dodged them all with ease, reading all of Rusty’s movements before she could even make them. In between Rusty’s attacks, Aurelia struck with a mixture of punches, kicks, blocks and gunfire, slowly chipping away at Rusty’s Aura.

“Aww, looks like you’re too slow to keep up with me, Redwoods~” taunted Aurelia “Can’t you even do anything right? I guess not, since you didn’t have to do anything to get in here, while the rest of us actually worked for what we have, huh?!”

Angered, Rusty slammed her ax into the ground, sending rubble flying. Aurelia quickly jumped out of the way and fired several more rounds at Rusty, driving her back a bit.

“I don’t need you to like me- I’m only here to be the best Huntress I can be- to protect my friends and family! Why is it so important for either of us to be better than the other?! What matters is that we’re all here to learn how to help people and help each other to do that!” shouted Rusty.

Slightly shaken by Rusty’s words, Aurelia’s tone softened up a bit.

“Alright then, Redwoods. Let’s give each other a challenge we can learn from!” she responded.

With that, Aurelia ran back into the fray, continuing to dive under and jump over each of Rusty’s attacks, delivering more and more counterattacks each time,

“For starters on being a huntress, let’s see if you can even touch me! That’s your benchmark on whether or not you can handle things in the real world!” boasted Aurelia.

“Ohoho, you’re on, Allum! At least I’ve actually lived in the real world, rich girl!” joked Rusty.

“Ooh, sassy! Nice one!” laughed Aurelia, as she sidestepped past another ax swing and delivered a kick to Rusty’s chin. “Think you can put your money where your mouth is, then?”

At this point, the atmosphere in the arena was buzzing with the excitement of all the students present, and their teacher, no longer focusing any animosity towards each other but instead now completely caught up in the fight between Rusty and Aurelia. Hunstmen and huntresses on both sides were cheering as loud as they could for their friends.

Rusty hurled a grenade from her ax at Aurelia who somersaulted over it and landed behind Rusty, just barely using her shield to block the followup ax swing Rusty delivered.

“Ahaha! Almost got you that time!”

“You wish!” Aurelia laughed back.

However, as the futility of her situation progressed, Rusty’s mind was brimming with thoughts on how she was even going to beat Aurelia.

“Uggh, it’s like she knows what I’m going to do before I do it!” thought Rusty. “How am I going to beat that?? Unless- I try doing something she can’t dodge! Alright, let’s try taking a page out of Nappa’s book…”

Sensing that she wouldn’t be able to last much longer, Rusty decided to pull one last all-or-nothing gambit, using her Semblance to charge straight upwards until she reached the very top of the arena. Then, she kicked off the arena ceiling to gain momentum and charged back down to the ground at top speed, going into a power dive and plummeting to the earth like a bright orange meteor aimed right for Aurelia.

As the giant sphere of cracking orange Aura grew larger and larger as it headed right for her, all Aurelia could do was stand there helpless, like a deer in the headlights, her face frozen with fear of the inevitable.

Just before Rusty hit the ground, Ms Star put up a bubble around the battlefield to shield everyone else as the resulting explosion from her impact filled up the entire bubble, even almost popping it. Even bigger then the explosion Brandeis caused earlier, all that could be seen inside this one were flames and storms of debris swirling around amidst an ear-splitting crash, as the very foundation of the school shook from the impact.

This time when the dust settled, to no-one’s surprise, they found Aurelia had been defeated, with Rusty just barely able to stand herself.

“Aurelia Allum is unable to battle!” announced Ms Star! “Team RNBW wins!! Whoo!!” she cheered.

And with that, the rest of Rusty’s team excitedly dashed onto the field to congratulate her, with Rusty giving them all a huge hug once they reached her, happily jumping up and down while the whole team gleefully thanked each other for their good work.

Meanwhile, the other three members of Team CAPA walked over to Aurelia, with Agnes helping her up but then letting go at the last minute, dropping her older sister on the floor.

“Whoops~ Sorry!” said Agnes as passive-aggressively as she could.

Getting up on her feet by herself this time, Aurelia joined the rest of her team to give their two cents to Team RNBW after their victory.

“That was... impressive...ly adequate. I must thank you for the match. You were all worthy opponents.” stated Cutter, awkwardly.

“Thank... thank you very much.” replied Brandeis, bashfully.

“Yeah! It was fun! Sorry about earlier, Billy! No hard feelings~?” giggled Agnes.

“Well-” started William.

“- Thanks, Billy!” she finished.

“But anyways guys, seriously. Great job out there! And Will! You wanna know what Ironwood’s up to, just come to us any time. You’re cool in our books now. But just know next time we won’t be going easy on you, ‘kay?” added Ptolemy.

“Thanks, man!” said William.

Looking directly at Aurelia, who was shying away at the moment, trying her best to avoid the conversation, Nappa coughed sarcastically to assuade her into talking.

“... Look. Don’t think this means I like any of you now.” said Aurelia, semi-frustrated. “It just means I’m willing to see you guys as good enough to be rivals to us, okay? And if any of you want any sort of commendation from me, I’ll just let you know that... you all fully deserve to be in this school- far from the best team here, but still. And one more thing- Umm... how should I say this... I- I mean, we-”

“-We decided to let you guys go ahead to try and catch Marion again.” finished Ptolemy.

“Whoa, really!?” asked Rusty and Nappa simultaneously.

“Yeah!” replied Agnes. “She’s your bad guy, you’ve already had experience fighting her and figuring out her plans, plus you all just showed us that you can totally get the job done! So yeah, you got this, guys!”

“We are relatively confident in your completion of the mission.” added Cutter. “We wish you all the best.”

“Thanks!” said all of Team RNBW together.

“It’s so wonderful that you children have learned the importance of understanding!” said Ms Star. “Best of luck on all your future endeavors!”

And with that, Ms Star sent the two eagerly chatting teams on their way out of the arena, while she used her Semblance to send out hundreds of small Aura bubbles from her wand in order to absorb and carry off the massive piles of rubble left on the battlefield, tidying it up.

“Loca!! What is the meaning of this?!” a voice shouted from behind her.

The white-haired woman sheepishly turned around to see a furious General Ironwood standing in the doorway, arms folded defensively as he stood amidst all the many debris-filled bubbled floating around the room.

“Oh! Sir! Um, well the thing about that is-”

Before finishing her sentence, Loca willed away all the bubbles that were right in front of Ironwood, sending a large wall of rubble crashing down in front of him to cut him off as she quickly escaped through another one of the Arena’s exits.

EPILOGUE

In the dim lighting of another one of her hideouts, the indigo-haired cyberthief known as Daisy Marion finished up the enhancements on some of her latest contraptions, most notably a stolen troupe of security robots, now all armed with Dust lasers.

In the few short weeks of her crime wave, which started ever since her very first attack on an Atlesian robotics laboratory, Daisy knew she would have a very limited amount of time and resources in order to complete her plan. And Team RNBW’s attack on her last base had only pressured her further into speeding up her preparations.

“I won’t have much longer left before they finally get their hands on me and imprison me again. And what’s worse, the strength my body possesses currently has proven to be... insufficient. Damn it! There’s just far too many idiots out there halting my plans!” she ranted to herself.

“Although...” thought Daisy. “If that team of Hunters shows up again to try and catch me, I may be able to... befriend one of them, in order to get the extra firepower I need.”

“Doesn’t that sound like a wonderful idea, Ms Ole? If I were to persuade one of those Huntsmen or Huntresses to join me, I would no longer require your assistance.” Daisy said aloud in the dank, echo-y room.

Tuning out the terrified screaming and sobbing in response to her question, Daisy simply chuckled to herself “Oh, come now. I was sure you'd be happy to have their lives exchanged for yours, no? Oh well. I mean, it’s not like you have any say in the matter anyways.”

#rnbw #rwby #team rnbw #rusty redwoods #brandeis cygnette #rwby oc #nappa springs #william wulfric #rwby fanfiction

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