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#we need to get better at that kind of stuff (literally my JOB DUTIES) and im PISSED bc i KNOWWW i printed that shit last shift
loverofallthingssmart · 8 months
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just discovered one of my pet peeves is incompetency
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lucysweatslove · 10 months
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Almost done with my first week of med school proper. We haven’t gotten into much of the science but touched on a lot of more of the social factors. Obviously one week (albeit multiple hours a day) isn’t long enough to get all the way into social factors like medical racism and anti-racism, identity and intersectionality, social determinants of health, etc, it’s nice that my school opens up with it to really set the tone.
Last night I spent some time talking to a friend who is a peds resident who went through the program at my school (on a different campus) who used disability services. His advice was basically to fight for what you need at every step, because nobody else will advocate for your inclusion and DRS when he was going through clerkships had like no idea how to accommodate his physical disability. He has some good experiences and some shitty ones. Anyway, I felt better about applying after that. The worst they can do is say no, that accommodation is unreasonable, and then not have a suitable alternative. I’m fortunate enough that I don’t think my disabilities would keep me from filling technical standards, so I shouldn’t be kicked out, I would just have a harder time which is exactly where I’m at anyway.
The MS3 (third year student, started doing the clinical stuff recently-ish) that is doing a longitudinal clinic experience at my rural site was in town today and stopped by our lecture hall during my lunch break to say hi and chat. That was really nice. I told him a little about the experience I had with the Dean, and he was supportive of “whatever [I] want to do” (really stressed it’s a personal choice)- and when I said that I WANT to stay but feel pressured to quit, he was all “then FIGHT it, they’re looking for that.” He also said the docs have asked about how I was doing… idk. He is such a nice guy and easy to talk to and somebody I actually feel safe with (very rare I feel safe telling somebody IRL about any of my psych history). I just have such a hard time trusting that the docs there actually cared for me at all. Not that I expect them to actively hate me (hate takes energy; if you don’t care for somebody and are far too busy it makes most sense I think to just not give them any of your mind). But it’s easier for me to think that they’re asking how I’m doing/transitioning into med school proper out of like, a perceived duty due to their position. I have had some bad experiences of “forced kindness,” so while I don’t anticipate any hostile/negative intentions, I also have a hard time believing there are outwardly positive intentions towards me. Like “I’m asking because I genuinely care” seems less plausible than “I’m asking because it’s part of my job.”
Anyway, MS3 recommended I do NOT email but text the primary preceptor about finding a time to call, which has me anxious for other reasons (phone calls are the literal devil if I need to do anything as Me instead of as like, Customer Service Me, you know?). But I will also respect that- like after he said that it made more sense to me because she gave me her # and then also later said that emails get missed so easily because they get bombarded with emails. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I need to text her still, just got busy and need to get over my fear of bothering people.
Oh and I was busy because I actually applied for disability services and accommodations. Yay! I sent in my assessment documents and an application, and they said they will be reaching out to set up a meeting soon. Something I found interesting is that I’ve mentioned accommodations in passing to a few people - one in relation to neurodivergence and clerkships, they didn’t gaf which is totally fine, and the other was that MS3 (just asking if he every used it, he said no). I don’t know entirely what I picked up from them and don’t want to read TOO much into it bc neurodivergence. But I wonder how much of those answers is somehow related to stigma in med Ed. My opinion is very much “fight ableism” in the sense that like, a quarter of people have a disability of some sort and can use legal measures to protect against discrimination and get us a little closer to equity. And it’s not just for me either- I really really do want to fight the systemic BS. And that’s part of why I’m so curious about their motivations for NOT seeking services. If they really feel like there is nothing they need to accommodate and like they don’t have a disability, that is GREAT for them and I won’t tell them how to experience any diagnosis or difference from normative experiences. I’m just unsure if there’s some judgment on my end for seeking it, or maybe if there’s some internalized ableism, or if they were just heavily dissuaded BECAUSE of ableism, idk.
I do feel fortunate to have people around me that care and want to help, though.
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priestessrosery · 2 years
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Prompts:#1
Trigger Warnings:Slight Yandere behavior,manipulative themes,a pinch of stockholm syndrome etc.
About:Yandere Raizel.
An Alternate Universe where Raizel didn't like the way Frankenstein goes around flinging himself at stronger enemies and shit while staying with him in Lukedonia.
Raizel is afraid Frankenstein will leave him as well or he might need to eliminate Frankenstein because of his duties as the Noblesse.As the Noblesse it is his duty to eliminate any and all threats against Lukedonia.However,due to the years he hasn't been with anyone,the idea of a once again empty mansion is now scaring him.He never thought he would eventually be afraid of anything,let alone be obsessed,with something or someone.He couldn't imagine a world where Frankenstein isn't there to make him tea or make him worry.
So,He decided to take on a part time job of eliminating the possibility in which Frankenstein would stray away from him.
The only way he could think of,as of the moment is,to be frank,*pun intended*
To fully asume control of Frankenstein.To make Frankenstein his,literally and metaphorically.
He knows that isn't what the bond does.He knows he still doesn't have any form of control over Frankenstein's decision making.Which is precisely why he has to do this.He doesn't want to always have to use mind control.Besides,that isn't permanent.
If Frankenstein gets tired of him,gets bored because he is very mundane,something Raizel won't deny.After all,Frankenstein IS human,humans have such short lives that staying with something or someone for decades can be quite boring,especially with someone like him.
He knows that Frankenstein will seek out thrill and other 'humany' stuff he still doesn't have a good handle on.
And he is also aware that one of the things Frankenstein does to get thrilled is flinging himself at almost everyone he wants to,even darting forth the Lord,Seer.
(It's the Previous Lord's name *obviously*,he might sulk if we only use the title "Previous Lord" to address him.)
This.This will give him 100% assurance better than any leading brand of insurance companies,that Frankenstein will stay with him forever and ever.It will make sure Frankenstein won't ever be in danger,won't ever be in trouble again.He won't have to come home to Raizel bloodied and bruised anymore cuz he'll never leave the mansion anymore!Unless it's of utmost necessity.
Seer once came to question Raizel's decision,whether he actually likes this new Frankenstein.
Raizel,being lonely for ages,thinks he enjoys this.
Raizel asks if Seer plans on getting involved or plans to stop him.
Seer saying it depends if Raizel decides to cross any more lines he knows he shouldn't cross.
Raizel asking what if he does.
Seer saying Raizel will regret it if he does so.
Raizel asking what Seer meant.
Seer saying he won't interfere with anything since he believes Raizel is at the right age and condition to do so,but now he doubts himself.
Raizel says that he won't hesitate to get Seer out the way if he does,in any form or kind,makes a move that somehow oppresses or opposes his decision.
Seer says he still has to raise Raskreia so he definitely won't.
Seer leaves and never interferes with anything,like he said.
Clarifications:
Frankenstein is made to act like a doll.Frankenstein is a doll.
Frankenstein's mind is all
"I love Master."
"I'll follow him wherever he goes."
"I'll obey his orders no matter what."
"If he punishes me,I definitely did something to deserve it."
"Everything Master does is for my sake."
Lies,lies and more lies continue to seep into the mad scientist's head.Will Raizel be able to let go of Frankenstein?Will Frankenstein be able to stop clinging on Raizel's sweetly devouring embrace?
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starrypawz · 7 months
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Like on the one hand I know I kind of maybe needed to put the Fear of God (tm) into work a bit bc in hindsight they really didn't great investigating my various fuck ups well
As it took work like 2 years in of me making like so many mistakes they sat down with me and went 'Hey why does this keep happening' and they I think kind of forgot that when they hired me I went 'I have dyspraxia' and when I said that they didn't really like do much to see how I might really need accommodating
(See: The constant fight we had about 'I can't really crouch/squat well so it's easier for me to sit down if I'm working lower to the ground idc if it looks unprofessional I'm trying to like not fall over')
But also I'm hoping I didn't freak my manager out too much with this 'So this is why my brain is broken' letter I wrote
As essentially what I wanted to get across was like
'Hi so you know how we spoke a few months ago about me being dyspraxic, and then how that was probably causing some of the problems I've had, and then I made more problems and you decided to put me on reduced duties and hours things got a bit more complicated as it turns out I have adhd and autism too. And I'm going to explain what exactly these conditions are and the sort of problems they cause that I'm aware have probably come up at work, but also I'm going to tell you some stuff I've done to try and mitigate some of this'
As it's like I can do my job, but yeah I just need a bit of leeway and understanding because like a lot of the time I do manage and honestly currently I am doing a lot lot better than I was but as you have found out sometimes things just go wrong and like as much as I really want out of my job I'm trying to do my best to not be a shit employee whilst I'm still stuck here and most of the time I'm actually not choosing to be a seeming lazy piece of shit it's literally me having a slightly broken brain
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atlafan · 3 years
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a/n: hola!! So, I’m posting the first 7K here since this is just one long one-shot. I hope y’all will join patreon to continue reading the rest of the story. I worked really hard on this one, and for whatever reason I feel like this is some of my best writing. Enjoy!
Words in total: 38K
Warnings: 
TW - mentions of abortion/planned parenthood
Some angst, mostly just two people being idiots
Smut - slight daddy!kink, slight soft dom
Being the new kid in school is never easy. When you’re in elementary school, it’s exciting. Everyone wants to know you and be your friend, but in middle school…the kids judged you on day one. Orla Murphy and her family moved to Boston halfway through fifth grade. It would have been one thing if it was summer, she’d be able to slide in undetected. She could just pretend she was from a different elementary school and be done with it. But no, her father got offered a new job in the big city that he couldn’t turn down. Orla’s an only child, so it wasn’t even like she could mope and complain with a sibling. It was just her and her parents, and even though her mother was a bit more sympathetic to her daughter’s misery, it didn’t make Orla feel better. 
So, here she is, on her first day of school on February 1st standing in front of a classroom of kids she doesn’t know, being forced to introduce herself and where she’s from.
“Go on, Orla, tell us a little about yourself.” The teacher says with a warm smile.
“Um…I’m Orla Murphy, I just moved here from Vermont. I’m from a small town where the whole school is the size of this classroom.” She looks down at her snow boots before looking up at the teacher.
“Wow, this’ll be quite the adjustment. What do you like to do for fun?”
“I draw and listen to music. I play Barbies, um…that’s all I can think of right now.”
“That’s fine, thank you, Orla. You can have a seat now.”
Orla goes back to where she was sitting before she got called up to introduce herself to her home room. She slumps down into her seat and listens to the morning announcements. The bell rings and it’s off to math. The class goes across the hall to the other teacher.
By the time lunch rolls around, Orla isn’t feeling much better about her new school. She had brought lunch, and wasn’t sure who to sit with. Her class has two assigned tables, but she doesn’t want to take anyone’s usual seat. She contemplates going to eat in the bathroom until someone taps her on the shoulder.
“You can sit with me and my friends, if you want.”
She turns around to look at a boy with a mess of chocolate brown curls on his head, a pair of round glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, and braces gracing his smile.
“Oh, um, thanks.” Orla blushes and follows him to one of the tables.
“I’m one of the few people that brings lunch too, everyone should be over soon. I’m Harry by the way.”
“Hi.” She says shyly.
“What kind of a name is Orla?” He asks, biting into his apple after they sit down.
“It’s Irish…”
“Cool! Does it mean anything.”
“Golden princess, or something like that, I don’t really know. My dad’s Irish and I guess his grandmother’s name was Orla so they named me after her.”
“That’s really cool. My mom just liked the name Harry, and now that’s my name.” He shrugs. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“No.” She says, and pulls her sandwich out of her lunchbox. “Do you?”
“Mhm, I’ve got three older brothers, I’m the youngest. My oldest brother is a senior in high school, isn’t that cool? He’s going to college next year.”
“Does he drive you places?”
“Yeah! And sometimes he lets me sit in the front seat without my mom knowing. He’s the best.”
Orla felt like she was finally starting to open up, but Harry’s friends joined their table and took over the conversation. They acknowledged her, but didn’t make any effort to pull her back into the conversation. Harry noticed this and didn’t like it. She excuses herself a few minutes before the bell rings to go use the bathroom. There’s a study block after lunch where all of the kids in class could get a jump on homework, or read.
“Okay, everyone!” Mrs. Sampson, the teacher, cheers. “We’ve got a very special treat today. It’s Harry’s birthday, and his mom sent him in with cupcakes for the whole class!” Harry stands up and smiles as Mrs. Sampson places a birthday crown on his head. “Harry, would you like to pick someone to help you pass out the cupcakes?”
“Sure.” He nods and looks around the room. Many kids raise their hands with excitement. He spots Orla looking out the window with her chin resting on her fist. “I pick…Orla!”
Her attention snaps over to Harry while everyone looks at her. She stands up and walks over to him and takes a tray of cupcakes to help pass them out. Once everyone has their cupcakes, and a carton of milk supplied by Mrs. Sampson, the kids are allowed to sit with their friends and chat. Soon, some of the girls start talking with Orla, and it helps her feel more welcome.
By the end of the day, all of the kids are dismissed to go to their lockers and grab their backpacks before getting into their bus lines or go wait for their parents to pick them up. Orla sees Harry at his locker and she works up the courage to go talk to him.
“Hey, um, why’d you pick me earlier?” She asks him.
“Huh? Oh…I don’t know, I didn’t like that my friends were ignoring you at lunch. So, I just thought if you passed out the cupcakes with me more people would talk to you.” He rubs the back of his neck and grabs a card out of his locker. “Listen, I’m having a birthday party this weekend at Roller World, you should come.” He hands her the invitation. “The whole class is coming, it’ll be fun.”
“I’ll, um, I’ll ask my parents…thanks, Harry.”
“Don’t mention it.” He smiles. “Are you taking the bus home?”
“Yeah.”
“What number?”
“Eleven.”
“That’s my bus! You weren’t on it this morning.” He closes his locker and they start making their way to the auditorium where the bus lines are.
“Yeah, my mom wanted to drop me off this morning to walk me into the office so I could get my schedule and stuff.”
“Cool, where do you live?”
“I’m the second to last house on the left of Langston Ave…number twenty-four.”
“You can’t be serious. That’s literally right across the street from where I live! I was wondering who moved into that house. I’m number twenty-seven.”
“Whoa, that’s freaky.” Orla blinks.
“Well, at least you know you have a friend close by. We can wait at the bus stop in the mornings together if you want.” The two go into their line and wait as the teacher on duty keeps them at bay. “Do you wanna sit together?”
“That’s okay, I’m sure you have other friends you usually sit with.”
“Yeah, but none of them are new and exciting.” He scoffs. “Unless…uh, if you don’t wanna sit with me that’s totally fine.”
“No, I do! I just didn’t want you to think you had to offer.” She blushes.
“You’re funny, you know that?” He gives her shoulder a nudge with his hand, and the teacher lets the kids know they can go to their bus.
Orla follows Harry outside and onto bus eleven. He grabs a seat in the middle of the bus and sits down. Orla sits down next to him and smiles. The two talk the whole way home. Harry listens as Orla explains what her dad does for work and why they had to move.
“You’re gonna like living closer to the city, I think. It’s really fun to ride the trains and stuff.” Harry tells her.
They get to their stop and make their way off the bus. Orla’s mom is waiting outside on their front steps for her with a smile on her face.
“Um, thanks for being so nice to me today.” Orla says to Harry.
“You don’t have to thank me. Don’t forget to ask your parents about coming to my party on Saturday, okay?”
“Okay, bye.”
“See you tomorrow.” Harry smiles before crossing the street to his house.
“There she is! How was your day? Was that a new friend?” Orla’s mom gives her a big hug and kiss.
“Mum, stop!” She pushes her mother off of her and they both go into the house. “I got invited to a party on Saturday, can I go?” She hands her mother the invitation Harry had given her.
“Sure! I think I can make this work. I knew you’d make friends right away.”
“I didn’t make friends, I just made one. His name is Harry.” Orla sits down at the kitchen island while her mom makes up an after school snack for her.
“One is still good, Honey. I know this move hasn’t been easy for you, but I’m so proud of you for making it through your first day.” Mrs. Murphy sets down some peanut butter covered celery sticks in front of Orla. “Were your teachers nice?”
“Mhm, Mrs. Simmons is my homeroom teacher, and she’s my English and Social Studies teacher. Mrs. Rayburn is my math and science teacher from across the hall. We had a study block after lunch and we had cupcakes cause it’s Harry’s birthday. Tomorrow we have art after lunch.”
“That’ll be fun.” Mrs. Murphy smiles. “Wait until Dad gets home, he’ll be so happy to hear how your first day went.”
//
On Saturday, Orla takes a deep breath as she walks into the roller rink. Her mother is right behind her making sure she gets in safely. Orla grips the gift bag with Harry’s present in it as they walk further in.
“There they are.” Orla says to her mom, and they make their way over to the other kids and their parents.
“Orla, you made it!” Harry beams and gives her a high five. “Put that down, we can go get your skates.” He tugs her along to the counter while Mrs. Murphy says hello to Mr. and Mrs. Styles.
“Hi, Monique Murphy, I’m Orla’s mum.” She shakes both of their hands.
“You just moved in across the street, right?” Mrs. Styles says. “We’ve been meaning to come over to introduce ourselves.”
“No worries, I’m sure you’ve been busy putting all of this together. Your son has been so sweet to Orla these past few days.”
“We’ve always taught him to treat others with kindness. Um, is your husband at home, or is it just you two in that darling cape house?” Mrs. Styles asks.
“Oh, Shawn’s doing some unpacking for me. I work from home, and I needed him to put my desk back together and all that.”
While Mrs. Murphy gets acquainted with the other adults, Harry helps Orla lace up her skates. Many of the other kids say hello to her, but mostly keep to their established friend groups.
“Have you ever roller skated before?” Harry asks her as he helps her stand up.
“No.” She wobbles and latches onto his shoulders. “Maybe I should just sit this out. I don’t wanna slow anyone down.”
Harry rolls his eyes and takes Orla’s hand to help her get to the rink entrance.
“Come on, Harry! We’re gonna race!” One of the boys says.
“In a minute, I’m hanging with Orla right now.” He looks back at Orla as they both get onto the rink. “Okay, so you’re gonna glide right and left.” He spins around to take her hands, and starts slowly skating backwards. Orla looks at him with wide eyes. “I play ice hockey.”
“Oh, cool.” She swallows, and grips his hands as she follows his movements.
“There you go, you’re doing it!” Harry cheers her on. The DJ announces that cosmic skating is about to begin, and the rink goes pitch black. Neon lights turn on around the rink and everyone starts cheering. “Think you’ve got the hang of it so I can skate beside you?”
“Yeah, but you can go with your other friends. I don’t want you to think you have to babysit me.”
“I don’t think that.” He moves beside her and takes one of her hands. “It’ll just be easier to guide you like this.”
Orla ends up having a fun time with Harry, and she even warms up to some of the other kids. She learns that Logan, Owen, and Matt are Harry’s three best friends. Logan takes Orla’s other hand at one point and helps her skate a little faster with them. She laughs with all of them and gets the hang of skating on her own. Eventually it’s time for pizza, cake, and presents. Orla sits next to Sammy and Frida, two of the girls she was getting friendlier with in class. Harry starts opening his gifts. He gets some action figures, a new Bruins jersey, skate laces, and then he gets to Orla’s gift. From the few days Orla had spent getting to know Harry, she had learned that science was one of his favorite subjects. So, she got him a make your own volcano kit.
“Wow!” He exclaims as he pulls the kit out of the bag. “This is so cool! Thanks, Orla!” He smiles at her.
“You’re welcome.” She says back quietly.
After they eat, the kids go back for a few more rounds on the rink. Others go off to play in the arcade area. Kids start getting picked up by their parents, and Mrs. Murphy lets Orla know it’s time to go.
“I’m really glad you came.” Harry tells her.
“Me too, thanks for inviting me. Um, see you on Monday?”
“Yeah.” Harry pulls something out of his pocket. “I won these at the arcade, they’re just rubber bracelets, but I don’t need two of them. Do you want one?” He holds up the red rubber bracelet that has Roller World imprinted into it.
“Sure, thanks.” Orla takes the bracelet and slides it onto her wrist. She watches as Harry puts his own on.
From that day on, Harry and Orla were the best of friends. They did everything together. She’d go to his hockey games, and he’d invite her over to do homework after school. In the summer time they’d go swimming in his pool, and Mr. Murphy would grill them up some burgers. By the time eighth grade hit, the teasing started. Their friends told them to just kiss already, and they’d ask why they’re not boyfriend and girlfriend. Orla didn’t like Harry like that, as cute as he was. He was just her friend, and she liked it that way. Did they go to the eighth grade dance together and have a conjoined end of middle school party? Sure, but that’s what friends do.
High school is an entirely different ball game. They lived closer to the high school, so they didn’t need to take the bus. Harry and Orla would walk together every morning. They were put into different homerooms because of their last names, but they had many classes together. They were able to choose their seats so they made sure to sit together whenever they could. They had the same lunch period with their friends, so it was easy enough to get through the day. Orla tried out for the girls’ volleyball team, and she got on, so Harry would make sure to go to her matches. He made it onto the varsity hockey team, so Orla continued to go to his games as well. Again, people continued to ask if they were dating. This was mostly because Harry got more handsome by the day and girls were starting to express their crushes. Orla was pretty in her own right, but she was too shy to even look to see if anyone was looking back at her.
They went to school dances as a group, but they always danced to slow songs together. The summer between freshman and sophomore year of high school, the duo got jobs working at a retirement community restaurant that only hired high school students as servers. This meant new friends, and new people to hang out with after work. Most nights someone would host a fire in their backyard, and most nights this led to making stupid decisions. Orla and Harry didn’t drink, but they did smoke weed every once in a while.
“I don’t wanna smell like it, my parents would freak out.” Orla says to her friend who’s about to pass the joint to her.
“We could shotgun it.” He says.
“What do you mean?”
“I can inhale it and pass it to your mouth.” He smirks.
“Oh…” She furrows her brows. Harry isn’t paying attention to the interaction between Orla and Trevor, the sixteen-year-old boy who Orla secretly had a crush on. “Wouldn’t that be like kissing?” She giggles.
“Maybe, would that be a bad thing? If I kissed you?”
“You wanna kiss me?” Orla asks, but before she can get an answer, Harry’s hand finds her shoulder.
“My dad’s here, we need to go.” He says into her ear.
“Oh, um, okay.” Orla stands up.
“If you wanna stay longer, I can drive you home.” Trevor says.
“You’ve been smoking.” Harry says, stepping in front of Orla. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He takes Orla’s hand and tugs her along.
“Harry, where’s your dad’s car?” Orla asks when they get to the front of the house.
“He’s not here, I just said that so Trevor would leave you alone. We’re only a block away from home, let’s just walk.”
“Trevor wasn’t bothering me though.” Orla says to him as they start walking.
“Well, he was bothering me.”
“Why?”
“He was pressuring you into taking a hit off his joint.”
“No he wasn’t. And since when do you care if I want to smoke? It’s not like it would have been my first time.”
“I have some edibles in my room, we can have those.”
“Harry, you ruined something that could have been really special.”
“Yeah? Like what?” He huffs, walking slightly ahead of her.
“Trevor was going to kiss me, and I really like him.” Harry stops short and turns around to look at her. “And you know that would have been my first kiss, so…it would have been special.”
“You wanted your first kiss to be with a guy you would taste like weed in front of a ton of our friends?”
“No one was watching us.” She looks down.
“Why do you like him?”
“Because he’s cute and funny, and he always helps me buss my tables at work.”
“Is that all it takes?” Harry scoffs.
“What’s your problem? You flirt with girls all the time, you know.”
“Girls flirt with me, and news flash, I haven’t kissed anyone either. It’s not like I’m being hypocritical.” He rolls his eyes and starts walking again. Orla crosses her arms over her chest and follows behind him in silence. They don’t say another word to each other until they get to their street, and Orla starts to walk away from him towards her house. “Where are you going? I thought you were sleeping over.”
“Think I’d rather just be alone right now. I’m too annoyed to spend another second around you tonight.”
“You’re being a baby.” He follows her across the street and they both stop at the front of her walkway.
“And you’re being a jerk.”
“Why would you want your first kiss to be with someone who’s just trying to get into your pants?”
“He’s not like that.”
“Yes he is! I heard him, okay? I heard Trevor talking to Eric at the dish drop off. He…he has some bet with him that by before summer is over you two will have gone all the way.”
“You’re lying.” Orla’s eyes start to water.
“I’m not, why would I lie to you?”
“I don’t know!” Orla sprints off into her house. Harry sighs heavily and goes to his own house.
Mr. and Mrs. Murphy have already gone to bed, so Orla’s quiet as she makes her way up to her room. She washes her face and brushes her teeth before getting into her pajamas. She sits on her bed with her laptop so she can watch TV to calm down. About twenty minutes later, Harry’s climbing in through her window. She looks over at him with a pout and puffy eyes. He doesn’t say anything to her, all he does is cup her jaw and press his lips to her. Her eyes nearly pop out of her head. Before she can even do anything Harry steps back from her.
“Now we’ve both had our first kiss.” He mutters, cheeks a deep shade of red. “I care about you, and you care about me…so it’s special.”
“Oh…well…thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He goes back over to her window, ready to climb back down. “Date whoever you want…just trust me about Trevor, okay?” With that he leaves.
She touches her fingertips to her lips and flops back into her pillows. Her first kiss was just with her very best friend, what could be better?
//
“Logan asked you to junior prom!?” Harry shrieks when Orla tells him after school.
“Shh, yes. I told him I had to talk with you first.”
“Well, do you want to go with him?”
“Not if it’s going to put you in a pissy mood.” She smirks.
“Do you…like Logan? Do you think he’d be a more fun date?”
“It’s not that I think he’d be more fun, but…you know he and I make out sometimes, it’d be nice to go with someone that I could be a little more intimate with. Besides, you have a crush on Josie, why don’t you ask her?”
“Because we go to every dance together.” Harry takes a deep breath. “Go with Logan, it’s fine. As long as you and I still take separate pictures together.”
“Of course! Oh, thank you, Harry!” She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses his cheek. She’s about to walk away from him to go tell Logan, but he wraps his hand around her wrist. She furrows her brows as she look at him.
“But for senior prom, let it be known now, no matter what, you’re mine.” He’s as serious as a heart attack. For some reason, Orla’s mouth feels incredibly dry. She nods in understanding and Harry lets her go. “Go on, go tell your lover boy.”
Orla runs off to go find Logan, and Harry rolls his eyes. He ends up going to junior prom with Josie, who was overjoyed when Harry asked her to go with him. They all have a good time, and they end up having a big sleepover party in Owen’s basement. The lights are dim, and the air is a little smokey. People are drinking, others are staying sober, no one is pressuring anyone to do anything they don’t want to do. Harry can’t help but glance over at Orla every once in a while. She’s sitting on Logan’s lap in a hoodie and joggers, but her hair and makeup are still all done up. They’re kissing and giggling, and Harry feels like he’s going to be sick.
“Let’s play truth or dare!” Frida shouts. Everyone gets into a circle on the floor, and they use a glass soda bottle to spin. Owen spins first, and it lands on Harry.
“Truth or dare?” Owne smirks at his friend.
“Dare.” Harry says confidently. Frida whispers something into Owen’s ear and he nods.
“I dare you to go into the closet with Orla for eleven minutes in heaven.”
Everyone falls silent. Harry and Orla look at each other, and then they both look at Logan and Josie.
“It’s not like they’re going to do anything. I say go for it.” Logan shrugs.
“This is so stupid.” Harry huffs and stands up. Orla follows behind him and goes into the closet.
“Timer starts now! We’ll let you out when it goes off!” Owen yells to them as he turns the music up.
Harry and Orla both cross their arms over their chests as they stand face to face in the cramped closet. They don’t say anything at first, but Harry breaks the silence.
“I think this is, like, the gazillionth time someone has dared us to do this.” He shakes his head.
“Sounds about right.” She sighs. “I’m so glad no one knows we were each other’s first kisses, they’d die if they found out.”
“Yeah.” Harry runs a hand through his hair. “Did you have fun with Logan tonight?”
“Mhm.” She smiles. “What about you and Josie?”
“She’s nice enough, I’m not really sure why I was crushing on her so hard for. She’s not really my type.”
“That’s too bad, I’m sorry.” Orla frowns. “I didn’t think you really had a type.”
“Well, I do.” He snaps. “Doesn’t everyone?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “I don’t think I do.”
“Why do you like Logan?”
“He’s always been sweet to me. I think he’s cute, he helps me with my history homework. And he’s a good kisser.” She grins.
“Is that all you’ve done together? Just kiss?”
“Yeah, I would have told you if something more happened.”
“So…no second base?”
“Has he groped my boobs? No, I’m not ready for something like that yet.” She laughs.
“I thought second was, uh, blow jobs.”
“I thought that was third.”
“No, third is fucking.”
“Then what’s home plate?”
“Being in a relationship.” Harry laughs, and so does Orla.
“That’s fucked up.” She shakes her head.
“Do you think you’ll get to any of that with Logan?”
“I don’t know to be honest. I’m not really worried about it. I’m just going with the flow with him. Why do you care so much? I know he’s one of your oldest friends, but-“
“That’s not why I care. I just…” He steps a little closer to her and tucks some loose curls behind her ear. “I know how sentimental you get about things, and I’d kill him if he ever did something to hurt you.”
She looks up at him. She can feel his minty breath fanning over her skin.
“You can’t be my first for everything, Harry.” She says quietly.
“Why not?” He whispers. He’s just about to lean in when the door swings open.
“So? Did anything happen?” Frida asks excitedly.
“Nope, sorry to disappoint you all yet again.” Orla says, and brushes by all of them to go grab some water.
Harry walks out of the closet, and they all continue their game. When they finish, they all go back to just hanging out. Orla takes her place back in Logan’s lap.
“Do you wanna go somewhere private?” He whispers to her.
“To do what?” She whispers back.
“You know.” He wiggles his eyebrows at her.
“Logan, I’m really only into kissing right now. I don’t want to do anything else.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to kiss in private, though?”
“We do that in your car all the time.” She laughs. “I’m having fun with everyone right now.”
“You just don’t wanna sneak off because Harry’s here.”
“That’s not true.” She frowns. “I just know what I’m personally not ready for. I…I don’t have to explain myself to you.” Orla stands up and grabs her sleeping bag and pillow.
“What, you’re not going to sleep next to me now?”
“I never was.” She throws her things down next to Harry, and buries her face into her pillow.
“You okay?” He asks, rubbing her back.
“Why is every guy a jerk? Like, why is sex the only thing on your pea sized brains.”
“Because our brains are pea sized.” Harry smirks. “We don’t have room to think about anything else. Did Logan try to pull a move?”
“Sort of. He asked if I wanted to go somewhere more private, and I said no, and he said I was only saying no because you’re here, but that’s not the case at all. I just don’t wanna go further than kissing, and he couldn’t comprehend that.”
“Do you want me to talk to him?”
“No, I think that’ll just make it worse. It’s not like we were dating, it doesn’t matter. I just…do you think Josie will care if I sleep next to you?”
“Oh, her mom picked her up.”
“When?”
“Like an hour ago…after I politely declined a hand job from her.”
The two burst out laughing and get into their respective sleeping bags. Orla cuddles up to Harry’s side and he throws an arm around her. For the first time in a while, Harry’s able to fall asleep with ease.
//
The pair ended up going to the same college for undergrad, of course. No one expected them to go to different schools. However, their majors were vastly different. Orla wanted to be a Physical Education teacher, and Harry wanted to be a pediatric surgeon. So, while Orla was in her education courses, Harry was balls deep in biology, anatomy, chemistry, and calculus. Harry was assigned a roommate at random, another pre-med student; his name is Neil. And Orla ended up rooming with another girl from their high school who she didn’t know that well, but she figured it would be better than rooming with a stranger; her name is Katie.
During their freshman move-in, Harry got his shit settled and then went to help Orla. Their families all went out for lunch, and then it was just the two of them. Luckily, they were put in the same dorm, Harry would just be down the hall from her. Katie was an education major too, but her concentration was in social studies. Her and Orla would have a few basic education courses together before breaking off into their respective concentrations. She made it onto the women’s volleyball team, and Harry decided he’d just play intramural hockey when the season rolled around so he could focus on his classes.
Harry would go to all of his Orla’s home matches. As things got busier during the semester, they weren’t able to see each other as much during the day. They made up for it at night in the library or in their dorm rooms. The two had grown comfortable with one another over the years, so Orla had no problem just hanging out in a sports bra and spandex shorts around Harry, and he had no problem just wearing his boxers around her. One night, Harry was hanging out in Orla’s room while Katie was at work. They were laying in bed watching a movie. Orla was wearing one of Harry’s old Bruins shirts and a pair of cotton panties. Her phone keeps buzzing, and Harry’s just about had enough. He pauses the movie and sits up to grab her phone.
“Harry!”
“I’m muting your fucking volleyball group chat. I’m getting sensory overload from all of the buzzing…” He furrows his brows at the screen. “Why are they all asking you if you asked me something yet?” He looks up at her. “What do you have to ask me?”
“Nothing, it’s stupid.” She snatches her phone from him. “They’re stupid.”
“If it’s stupid then just tell me what it is.”
“Can we just watch the movie?”
“Give me your phone, I need to know.”
“No.” She hugs her phone close to her chest.
“Orla, just tell me what it is!”
“No!”
“Give me your phone!”
“No!”
Harry and Orla start wrestling on her bed. She’s not wearing a bra so sticking the phone down her shirt won’t work. She does the next best thing and shoved it down the front of her underwear. Harry pins her down by holding down her wrists.
“That’s not fair.” He says.
“It’s my phone.” She tries to wriggle out from underneath him, but he’s stronger than her. The phone buzzes again, and she grunts. “Harry, just let it go.”
“I’m literally not going to be able to sleep unless you tell me.” The phone buzzes three times in a row. Harry watches as Orla bites down on her bottom lip and looks away from him. “Oh my god, is that buzzing against your clit?” He laughs.
“Harry!”
“You did this to yourself.” He presses down against her to keep the phone even closer to where it’s effecting her. “Just ask me whatever it is and I’ll let you go.”
“You’re such an asshole!” She wraps her legs around his waist to try to flip them over, but her legs just aren’t strong enough. The phone buzzes again and she groans. “What are you gonna do, make me come you sick fuck?” She starts laughing from how absurd this whole thing is.
“I’m not the one who shoved my phone down my underpants.” He laughs. “Just tell me.”
“No.” Three more buzzes. “Fuck.” Harry’s eyes widen as he looks down at her, and she gasps. “Are you hard?!”
“No! I…my dick twitched!”
“Why?!”
“Because you’re moaning!”
“Harry, I swear to god if-“
The door opens and Kate comes in. She stops short when she sees Harry on top of Orla.
“Oh shit, I’m sorry.” Her cheeks heat up.
“It’s not what it looks like!” Orla shouts as Harry scrambles to get off of her. She takes her phone out of her underwear and takes a deep breath. “He was trying to read my texts and we started wrestling.”
“Right…” Katie puts her things down and grabs her shower caddie. “I’m gonna go take a shower. I should be back in about thirty minutes.”
“We weren’t doing anything.” Harry says.
“Mhm.” Katie scoffs and leaves the room.
“Will you go to my volleyball formal with me next weekend?” Orla says to Harry.
“What? Is that what you had to ask me?”
“Yes.”
“Orla, why were you making such a big deal about this?”
“Because the girls were making it seem like the formal is a big deal and…I know you have a lot on your plate right now. I didn’t want you to feel pressured.”
“You’re ridiculous, you know that? Of course I’ll go with you to your formal. It’s just one night, it’s not a big deal. I’m doing well in my classes, I’m not worried.”
“You got so stressed your cried two weeks ago.”
“I was overwhelmed during midterms, you know I have test anxiety.” He hops off her bed. “Don’t sweat it, okay? Just text me the details.” He yawns. “I’m headed up to bed.”
“Gonna go rub one out?” She smirks.
“No.” He blushes. “I’m gonna go play video games with Neil. Have fun masturbating with your phone.”
“Don’t need it. I have stronger devices.” She grins.
“Yeah? Need help using them?” He teases.
“Get out!” She laughs and throws a pillow at him.
Harry blows her a kiss before he leaves and she blows one back. When Katie comes back in after her shower, Orla’s put herself to sleep. Well, actually she’s watching TV on her phone with her earbuds in because she doesn’t want to listen to Katie give her shit about Harry.
The night of the formal, Orla wears a simple little black dress that’s also strapless. She slips on a pair of black flats as well. Katie helps her get her hair up into a cute messy bun on the top of her head while Orla does her makeup. (Orla had Katie help her flatiron her hair to tame it a bit. She usually loves her curls, but she’s been experimenting with different looks.) Around 10PM there’s a knock on their door.
“Come in!” Orla shouts.
“Ready to go?” Harry asks and nearly chokes on his tongue when he sees Orla. “Wow, you look really nice.”
“Don’t act so surprised.” Orla rolls her eyes.
“Want me to take your pic in front of the tapestry?” Katie asks.
“Yes, please.” Orla smiles and hands her the phone. She poses with Harry for a few pictures, and then they head out.
“Aren’t you going to be cold?” Harry asks her on their way to the volleyball house.
“Nah, we won’t be out for long.”
They make their way into the house about ten minutes later. There’s a table set up like a bar for everyone to make their own drinks at. Harry sticks with beer while Orla goes for a rum and coke.
“Hey, O.” Ben smiles at her. Ben was a junior on the men’s volleyball team, and he’s very cute. “Saw you on defense at your last match, you looked great out there.”
“Thanks.” Her cheeks heat up, and she takes a sip from her cup.
“You come here with anyone?”
“Just my friend Harry.”
“Friend, huh?” He grins.
“Mhm.” She nods and takes a step closer. “He’s off talking to Chloe and Heather.”
“Not very nice to leave his date unattended.” He steps a little closer to her. “Especially when she looks so gorgeous.”
“Ben.” She giggles and gives him a playful push.
“You guys had one hell of a season. Aren’t you only one of, like, three freshmen to start this year?”
“Yeah, something like that.” She smiles.
“Gotta look out for the short ones I guess.”
“We’re pretty sneaky.”
An hour or so passes, and Harry can’t find Orla anywhere. He’s starting to get worried so he ventures through the house to see if maybe she went to the bathroom. She’s not in the one in the main hallway, so he goes upstairs.
“Where the fuck did she go?” He says to himself. He had been in the volleyball house plenty of times for various parties, so he had a good lay of the land. He goes to the larger bathroom, and opens the door.
“Ah, oh my god, B-Ben.” Orla’s head rolls back, allowing Ben to kiss on her neck. There she was, sitting up on the bathroom counter with Ben’s fingers knuckle deep inside of her.
“Orla?” Harry says.
“Dude, get out of here!” Ben shouts.
“Oh my god, Harry!”
Harry’s face flushes and he shuts the door immediately. He quickly goes down the stairs and weaves through the crazy amount of people in the house. He had been buzzed, but what he just saw totally sobered him up.
“Harry!” Orla shouts after him, but he doesn’t stop, he needs fresh air. “Harry, wait!” He pushes the front door open and sucks in a deep breath. “Harry! Oof!” She rams into his back and stumbles backwards.
“Get someone to walk you home, I can’t even look at you.”
“I thought he locked the door! And to be fair you didn’t knock.”
“I couldn’t find you for over an hour, excuse me for worrying about you.” He scoffs and turns to look at her.
“I was dancing with Ben and then we went upstairs, I’m sorry. I should have texted you.”
“Since when do you let random guys finger fuck you in bathrooms?”
“Um, Ben’s not a random guy. I’ve known since school started, what the fuck? I…I’ve been fingered before.”
“What? By who?” He shakes his head. “You know what? It doesn’t matter.” He chews on his bottom lip for a moment. “Why wouldn’t you tell me?”
“I told Frida.” She rubs her arms up and down. “It’s as far as I’ve gone, and I’ve never taken my clothes off to have it happen…”
“Did you do anything to him?”
“I gave him a hand job.”
“Was that your first time doing that?”
“No.”
“Oh my god!” Harry runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t even know you anymore.”
“Are you going to tell me you haven’t done things? I’ve heard rumors, you know?”
“I’ve dry humped, that’s about it. No one’s ever seen my dick.”
“No one’s ever seen my vagina, not that that’s any of your business. There are certain things I don’t want to talk about with you, can’t you understand that?”
“I understand, I understand perfectly fine.” He goes to say something else, but he just shakes his head. “Come on, you look like you’re freezing.”
“That’s because I am.”
After that night, Harry let out his inner manwhore. During the spring semester, he fucked so many girls he lost track of their names. He didn’t tell Orla a single thing. He fucked all summer long without saying a word to her about it. When Orla first had sex the following school year, she slept with the same guy for the entire fall semester. It didn’t end well, though, which led to her crying into Harry’s chest for over an hour. That night they both opened up about everything, and agreed that keeping things to themselves wasn’t a good idea.
//
Undergrad flew by. Orla passed all of her certifications, and even found a job teaching phys ed at the high school level. She’d have all summer to work her ass off to save up some money and build her savings before starting fresh at her new school in the fall. Harry got accepted into all of the med schools he applied to, and was having trouble deciding.
“NYU is offering me the most amount of money…” He tells Orla one night.
“If…if you go there then you’ll probably end up working at a New York hospital.”
“Yeah.”
“Have you heard back from Harvard Medical yet?”
“No, and at this rate I bet I’m not getting in. Besides, they’re known for offering shit grants. My parents can’t afford to help. All of their money went to their lawyers.” Harry rolls his eyes.
After Harry’s freshman year, his parents told him they were getting divorced. His three older brothers had long since moved out, and with Harry gone his parents realized they just weren’t right for each other anymore. He didn’t take it well. This may have led to him fucking a lot that summer, and the absurd amount of tattoos he got.
“Then I guess…I guess you’re going to NYU.” Orla swallows. “You should do it, it makes the most sense, and you’ll get a great education.”
“Harry!” Mrs. Styles shouts from downstairs. “You got a large letter from BUSM!”
“Holy shit, I forgot I applied there.” Harry says, and the two race downstairs. Harry rips open the large envelope and gasps. “Oh my god! I was accepted in to BUSM’s MD program. Holy fuck, they partner with Boston Medical Center for their surgical residencies.” He looks at his mom, then Orla.
“Are they offering you any money?” Orla asks.
“Orla, um…do you mind if Harry and I go over this together? I’m going to need to FaceTime his father to discuss everything.”
“Oh, sure! Yeah, this is a big family moment. Come by later if you want, H.” She smiles and leaves.
“They’re offering me a decent amount of aid, Mum.” Harry says as he reads over the letter.
“Honey…don’t you want to get out of Boston? NYU could be a great experience for you.”
“Mum, BUSM is a prestigious medical school. Why would you want me so far away?”
“I don’t want you far away, I just want you to have some life experience, meet new people.” She chews on her bottom lip. “I don’t want you to stay here just because you don’t want to leave Orla.”
“That’s not why I want to stay.” Her mother gives him a look. “Okay, maybe I want to stay closer so I don’t have to be far away from her. Can you blame me? We’ve been best friends since the fifth grade. I couldn’t imagine only seeing her once every few months, and then I’d probably have to move out there full time, and she’s only certified to teach in Mass.”
“Honey, you’ve never had a stable girlfriend. Maybe being away from Orla could help you do that.”
“I just haven’t met anyone, it’s not her fault.”
“You’ve liked her since the day you met.” She laughs, astonished at his ignorance.
“No, I’m not one of those guys that’s only friends with a girl because he wants to date her.” Harry rolls his eyes.
“I didn’t say that’s why you were friends. I just think if something was going to happen between you two it would have happened already. So, stop wasting your time waiting for her.”
“I’m not waiting for her to do anything. She’s my best friend, and she’s always going to be my best friend. BUSM makes more cost-effective sense. Think of how expensive the hole in the wall apartment I’d be living in in New York would be. I could definitely find a better priced place here, or I could commute for a bit to save money.”
“If you’d rather go to BUSM, then go. But make sure you’re doing it for yourself and not just to stay close to Orla.”
“I’d say it’s about 80/20.” He smirks, earning him a swat to the arm from his mother. “I’m kidding! It’s more like 60/40.”
“Jesus Christ, go call your father and let him know the good news.” She sighs.
//
Flash forward to present day – eight years later. The pair are twenty-eight; Harry is an attending pediatric surgeon at Boston Medical Center, making absolute bank, and Orla is at her third high school in six years because budgets keep cutting funding, which means P.E. teachers aren’t exactly in high demand. She lives in a small one-bedroom apartment, she’s constantly exhausted, and she wishes she had chosen any other profession. She coaches the girls’ volleyball team for extra money, and works at a bar on weekends and in the summer.
Harry and Orla are still the best of friends. They’ve made it through a lot of ups and downs. Through it all they’ve always had each other. He’s currently seeing a girl named Bailey that he met at a bar near work. Orla is going through a dry spell, but she’s not dwelling on it.
The school year had just ended, thank god, and she has Sunday through Tuesday off from the bar. Orla takes some time to go through her wardrobe and get rid of any dingy leggings or tee shirts. She has a strict budget for clothes because she’s constantly having to replace her athletic wear. She’s chilling on the couch Tuesday evening watching Property Brothers: Forever Home when she hears the jingle of keys on the other side of her door.
[READ THE REST ON PATREON]
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Text
Letter 29: ♥️ Heart to Heart ♥️
A letter arrives in the mail. It is written entirely in red ink—as though a red pen was the first, or the only, writing utensil avaliable. The words are scribbled down hastily, as though the sender was in a rush—or perhaps emboldened.
When you remove the letter from its envelope, a playing card flutters out—the Ace of Hearts. It’s nothing fancy in terms of design, but there is a strange mystique to the lone Ace of Hearts--almost like a phantom thief’s calling card, whispering of adventure and untold tales.
***Spoilers for the main story!***
Oi, Prefect!
Alright, I’ll be real with you. I may or may not have messed up and eaten another tart that was supposed to be for an Unbirthday Party. Riddle’s making me write this letter “to repent, reflect, and learn to be thankful for what I have” or whatever... (Like, he’s literally staring over my shoulder as I’m writing this junk) So just bear with it, alright? I’ll just scribble down whatever comes to mind.
Err, let’s see. Now that I look back on it, it’s been a while since we’ve been at NRC. We had a couple of close calls in the beginning. Grim set the statues of the Great Seven on fire, and then that chandelier with the fancy crystals went bust cuz of Deuce... Geez, you guys are dumb! You got us this close to expulsion, you know? You’ve gotta be more careful than that—
(Okay, Riddle’s nagging me again... Crap, I’m not good at this sentimental heart-to-heart stuff) Fine, fine, I guess I also played a part in it, since I teased you guys and skipped cleaning duty. But hey, it all worked out in the end, right? We went to those creepy mines and found replacements for that chandelier that broke. See? We’re good, diligent students that can do no wrong!
(Aaaaah, the dorm leader just bonked me on the head with his staff and said to stop wasting ink and space rambling about nothing—)
Anyway! How is it my fault that I ate the tarts? No one bothered to mark them or anything; they were just sitting out in the open, just begging to be eaten! It was like that the first time I ate the tarts, too. Riddle’s temper was super bad back then (yikes, he’s glaring), so he kicked me out of the dorm. I crashed at Ramshackle since I had no other place to go.
I guess you’ve got that going for you: you’re stupid soft when it comes to other people.
When Ruggie-senpai was hurting Magift players, and when Deuce, Grim, and I got anemone’d I really needed to pass that class, so cut me some slack... You helped us out.
In a way, that kind of reminds me of my older brother. He gave me his hand when I needed to pull myself together again. You’ve got that same kindness, the same dumb smile.
I’ve mentioned my bro a few times to you before, haven’t I? He used to be in Heartslabyul, too. Now he’s all graduated and off working. My bro is a really great magician, and a pretty cool guy, even if he teases me sometimes and calls me a kid—he’s the one that taught me card tricks, too! He always has my back. I really look up to my bro, and I wanna be just like him one day!
Ah, but... I don’t get to see him much these days. He has his own life and a job keeping him busy. I guess my bro has moved on—and I should, too! So I can keep up with him.
But... Looking back on it, I guess I haven’t really been that reliable.
I mean... I tried, so you can’t blame me for that! By the time Deuce and I made it all the way to Scarabia by public transportation, the battle was already over. You were just partying and splashing around in some oasis. (Man, I can’t believe I went all the way to the desert for nothing.)
I thought I could show off my skills during VDC. I’ve got pretty good muscle memory, and I can pretty much copy anything after seeing it once especially homework answers! That’d definitely put me ahead of Deuce, who’s only good for summoning cauldrons and being clumsy and dumb.
Well, that’s what I thought.
“I won’t lose to you!” he told me. Deuce looked different when he said that. More sure of himself. More determined. I didn’t understand what he meant back then—not until Vil-senpai was this close to finishing us off.
I was tired. Beaten up. My wind magic wouldn’t answer my call. And suddenly, I felt small again, just some dumb kid getting in way over his head with something way bigger than him.
I seriously thought we were done for, right then and there. Then along came Deuce—Deuce, and his flashy new Unique Magic. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Him, getting his Unique Magic before me? Him, being the one to look cool and save the day? Deuce, of all people?
The guy that gets grades just as bad or worse than me? The guy that cries over shattered eggs? That Deuce?
... Damn it.
Damn it all.
I’m... falling. Losing my footing, Tripping over myself—just like Deuce was when we practiced our dance routine. He’s way ahead of me. Changing, growing up. Leaving me in his dust.
You and Grim, too. You’ve changed a lot since day 1. You’re both stronger than you were when that tanuki Grim set the Great Seven statues up in flames uh-oh, Riddle looks like he’s about to pop a blood vessel. How many Overblots have you survived by now, even though you have no magic? How powerful has Grim’s fire magic become?
... You’re all idiots. If you run that fast... I won’t be able to catch up. You’ll move on with your lives, just like my bro did. And I’ll be left behind.
I don’t want that.
I don’t want to be the only one that hasn’t changed.
... Aaaah, geez!! I get it, already! I just gotta work harder, right?! I can’t let you guys keep showing me up like that. Me, too... I can do it, too! I can be better—no, the best!! I can change.
I’ll catch up to you guys. I have to.
The shape of my soul... I’ll find it for sure.
Just you watch me, Prefect. Blink, and you’ll miss it—the cards dancing, the birth of a new Unique Magic: mine.
Look forward to it, cuz I bet you it’s gonna blow Deuce’s out of the water!
Take it easy,
♥️ Ace Trappola ♥️
P.S. Be sure to let the dorm leader know that you got my gratitude, ‘kay? That’s the only way he’ll give my head back. Sprint all the way to Heartslabyul right now if you have to. This collar’s really chaufing my neck.
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trensu · 3 years
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No worries, and thanks for the response! I’m just imagining a bunch of people who HAD run-ins with Leitners, watching that episode and cheering. Gerry won a lot of fans that day! Tim and Jon make sure to read him all his fan mail.
oh man, you don't even KNOW, anon.
Tim has an absolute blast combing through all their hate fan mail for that episode. He finds it a bit inconvenient that they're only able to receive letters? Every time they try using email or any social media, the system crashes. But spending the day sorting through the letters they receive is, like, his MOST favorite thing to do. There's just something morbidly hilarious about people losing their minds over things that don't even matter, y'know? Being exposed to the literal embodiment of various Fears really puts life in perspective so the stuff all these people get offended by is really truly ridiculous.
And while organizing all this, he starts seeing letters addressed to Gerry-Ghost. A handful are written in a messy child's scrawl. Skimming through those makes something in Tim's chest twist in muted agony. Apparently Mr. Spider wasn't the only children's book out there hurting kids. He makes sure to hand off those letters to Daisy to ha, hunt down those books. He doesn't tell Gerry about those.
The other letters, however, are marginally less painful to read. They come from adults; surprisingly there was a 50/50 split as to whether those adults had children or not. But they all were full of grief and gratitude. Tim gathers all those in a box and sends them over to Jon. Jon's got a better voice for read-alouds than he does.
--
Dear Gerry-Ghost,
I don't know if that's your real name, but it's the only one I know you by. I feel kind of stupid writing to you. I'm too old to be watching kids shows, probably, but sometimes the world's too much, too complicated, and watching cartoons and kid shows is a good way to unwind. They're simple. They're colorful. And they tell good stories a lot of the time.
Sorry, I'm rambling. You don't need to know about my embarrassing television habits. I'm writing because I wanted to thank you. I wanted to thank you because now I know I'm not crazy. I'm traumatized, sure but I didn't imagine the book that took my little sister.
My little sister was a nerd; she'd read anything she could get herhands on. And she was a smart nerd. I knew she'd be going places. My parents and I worked hard to make sure she could go to uni. She wanted to study space. He was really into sci-fi; i'd almost be embarrassed for her if it weren't for how happy going to those geeky conventions made her.
Near the end of her second year at uni, she found a book at one of those conventions. She was so excited about it. She went on and on about it when she called me, but she put off reading it until she came back home. She wanted to share it with me, even though I, as her elder sibling, fulfilled my duty of teasing her mercilessly about it.
I should've read the book. Growing up, it was my job to make sure the stuff she read was age-appropriate since our parents couldn't read English. Sure, she was an adult now but I should've read that book first. It didn't feel right. When she showed it to me, the book just didn't feel right. And I ignored that to make fun of her for losing it over an old battered paperback with bad old-timey sci-fi art on the cover.
I don't want to say what happened to her. I don't like thinking about how I found what was left of her. I don't want to remember how the book was afterward; how the cheesy sci-fi creature on the cover was distorted in a scream of agony and looked devastatingly like my sister. My little sister's face was never meant to look like that. My sister's face was made for smiling, but I can barely remember hersmile now. All I ever see is that scream.
I don't know what happened to the book. It disappeared after it finished breaking my family to pieces. My parents and I haven't spoken much since I tried to tell them what happened. They still don't believe me. This letter got away from me. I didn't mean to spill all that out. I'm not big on sharing, normally.
I just needed you to know how grateful I am to you. Even if you didn't burn that book (it wasn't at the Leitner Burning I hope maybe it was one you found in your journeys. You don't need to tell me if it was. Or wasn't. I don't think I really want to know. This way I can still hope) at least now I know for sure that I didn't make all that up.
You saved so many lives with every Leitner you burned. The world is a better place for having had you.
I'm sorry you're stuck in a book.
I wish you could've met my little sister.
Sincerely,
Sol Carrera
--
Jon folds up the letter. Gerry's book is next to him, open to Gerry's page. Gerry stares at the box full of letters. Jon pretends not to notice. When Gerry speaks, his voice is soft and cracks slightly at the end.
"...they're all like that?"
Jon nods. "More or less. That's not all of them either. These are just the ones that Tim confirmed were about Leitners that have already been secured or destroyed. He gave the others to Daisy. You know she needs to feed, and the more Leitners we have..."
"The less there are out there. Yeah."
"Yeah." A quiet moment passes before Jon tentatively asks, "Do you want to hear another one?"
"I think so," Gerry says. A teasing smile appears. "But I want Martin to read it to me. He's got a better voice for this."
"Excuse me? I have a great voice! My job is literally talking," Jon says.
"Are you saying Martin doesn't have a good voice?" Gerry hums thoughtfully. Jon flushes, eyes darting around nervously.
"N-No! Martin has a lovely voice. He, he always sounds so sweet a-and soft. I mean, well, the children love it when he reads to them, and--!" Jon stutters to a stop when he catches Gerry's expression. Jon scowls. "Oh, you're absolutely awful. You don't deserve these letters. I'm going to burn them."
Gerry laughs. "No, no, I take it back. You have the best voice, please read me another."
Jon huffs exasperatedly but gamely reaches for another letter.
Dear Gerry-Ghost,
Thank you for burning that book...
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nishiisenpai · 3 years
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punch - tanaka ryūnosuke x reader
 REQUEST: “AHHHH ok so I'm irrationally angry rn and I do this thing where I punch my thighs so I don't accidentally commit a felony. I need some fluff so could you do any one of these boys (Tsukishima, Ushijima, or Tanaka,) seeing a f!reader doing the leg punchy? Any topic I just need some fluff 😅 Thanks - @italkmyselftosleep “
A/N: i chose tanaka cause he seemed to fit this more and relate to this request more too. i apologize that i wrote this so late because again, school was pretty terrible, but I hope this works :))) 
okay this was really cheesy, so i will warn you in advance, but thank you so much for being patient and here’s this request for you!!!
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WARNING: Fluff!!! 
ADDITIONAL WARNING:  foul language will be added! and mentions of managing anger. (this request was made before my rules page got set up)
WHO:  Tanaka Ryūnosuke x Female Reader
-
Monday mornings are the worst. Let’s be honest. It was the starting of the week of school and it also could never start off right for anyone... Well for you that is. 
Your alarm rang loudly knocking you out of bed. 
“What time is it?” you cringed at the sound and the way your voice cracked. You squint your eyes while looking at your phone that stated 6:00 AM.
“5 more minutes.” as you stopped the alarm before turning to the other side of the bed.
The alarm rung 4 more times although you had slept past them all. The last one really shook you awake since the phone was right next to your ear.
“aH SHIT- I’m late!” as you pulled the covers off yourself but struggled to do so as you tossed and turned. You ran around your room scrambling to get your backpack ready while also dressing in the school uniform.
“Where is my vest?” as you searched through the piled up clothes at the foot of your bed. 
“Y/N! Hurry up! You’re going to be late!”
“I know! I’m sorry! I’m trying to look for my vest!”
“It’s in the wash, sorry hun!” your mom came in and threw in a different vest that was identical but had a small stain.
“It’s fine! Thanks for this one though!” you grabbed your stain remover stick and your backpack before fleeing to the bathroom to quickly rush your daily routine. You ran to the front door to put your shoes on in a hurry.
“Take this with you!” as your mom threw a sandwich at your head and you lurched forward. Turning around to pick up the bagged breakfast, thanked your mom before bolting out the door immediately and ran to school.
-
“Miss Y/N, you’re late to class.” as your teacher skimmed at your messy figure.
“Yes, I apologize for that, I can clean up the classroom after class to make up my tardiness.”
“Very well then, take a seat, we are on page 51 in the textbook.” You went to the back of your class and sat there placing your stuff down.
“Here’s the work sheet for today’s work.” your classmate who sat next to you said handing you the assignment.
“Thank you so much.”
“No worries... Oh, and uh Tanaka was looking for you earlier.”
“Wait- what? Do you know why?”
“Unsure, he didn’t say anything other than ask if you were here.”
“Oh okay, thanks. I’ll go find him later.”
Class continued and you barely managed to stay awake. It was bad that you had stayed up all night to play video games and you kind of beat yourself up for ruining your sleep schedule. But you as well didn’t regret it since you had just leveled up to a higher rank.
You yawned as you walked out of the classroom to go find Tanaka. He must have been with Noya though your assumption had completely disappeared when you heard yelling come your way.
“Y/N!!!!” your best friend Nishinoya came running towards you.
“Huh?” and you felt the sudden weight of Noya on your back. “Shit, when did you get so heavy?”
“Heavy?!?!?!” You laughed and shook your head while caring Noya.
“I was playing, chillllll.” 
“Mhm.” as he clung onto you still. You continued walking swaying your head side to side.
“Do you know where Tanaka is?”
“He was with me just a second ago.”
“So you ran off without him?”
“Yeah.” you smacked your forehead. “What?”
“You idiot, he’s probably trying to find you right now.”
“NISHINOYA!” Tanaka’s voice was heard somewhere on the right side of the building.
“AH SHIIIII” as Noya jumped off of your back and hid behind you. Tanaka came rounding the corner and saw you standing there in question.
“Hey babe, do you know where Nishinoya is?” you felt Noya tug on your shirt.
“Hm? Noya-san? No I haven’t, why?”
“He escaped Daichi’s meeting, and I had to bear with all the trouble he caused.”
“Oh really?” as you raised an eyebrow with an open smirk.
“Why do you look like that?”
“No reason... I will say, he might have went downstairs to the vending machines. He said he was hungry.”
“Alright, thanks babe.”
“You’re welcome.” as you saw Tanaka run down the stairs and you immediately pulled Noya’s arm from behind.
“You skipped Daichi’s meeting?!?!?”
“He was gonna yell at us!”
“Noya, that is irresponsible of you.”
“Well it was also irresponsible of you to lie to your boyfriend like that.”
“Hush- I don’t want to hear anything from you. Now you better go and run or I will drag you to Daichi myself.” Nishinoya shuddered in fear.
“Okay, fine. I will.” as Noya waved bye and you turned around and sighed.
“I forgot to ask Tanaka what he wanted earlier... I’ll just do it later.”
-
School continued and you again tried staying awake for them all. It was difficult knowing you lacked sleep which caused you to be cranky and irritated easily. Sometimes your fits would cause you to be annoying or angry. This lead you to act up more than you should have.
“Y/N, can you pass me those papers?”
“What do you want?”
“Uh, I was just asking if you could pass me those papers.”
“You literally can stand up and get it, I don’t know why you’re asking me.” you retorted back before putting your head back down on the desk.
“What the fuck?”
“I said what I said, so get up and get it. Geez...”
“Do you wanna fight or something?” your classmate raised her voice.
“Alright bet, let’s do it.” you turned to her annoyed.
“You asked for this.” as she stood up from her seat.
“Come at me bitch.” as you got up and stared at her.
“Ladies! Split it up! You both will be standing at the back of the class till the end of this period, and I do not want to hear a single word coming from both of your mouths.” Your teacher had spoken to both you and the girl as you guys headed to the back of the class and stood there.
The period carried on with you and this other classmate standing at the back of the classroom. This caused your irritation level to rise even more since your body was slowly breaking you down and begging you to lay down. 
“Alright, class dismissed. Miss Y/N, I need to have a word with you.” as your teacher insisted for you to come towards her.
“I heard that you are in the volleyball club as the manager.”
“Ah yes I am.”
“Although you are the manager, you must stay here after school for the clean up you had promised me earlier.”
“May I clean up another day? This practice is really important and I must be informed about it.”
“I’m sure the others will inform you about it later. Since it seemed that you were close with Nishinoya.”
“I am, but he’s-”
“I don’t want to hear it. You promised me, therefore you shall keep it and do it.”
“But promises can be broken.”
“Not this one, unless you’d like me to force you on cleaning duty tomorrow too.”
“No thank you.”
“Good, now get to it. The room doesn’t become sparkly clean by itself.” as your teacher grabbed her bag and left the classroom. You bowed to acknowledge her leave before heading to the chalkboard to write profanities all over the wall.
“Why the FUCK did I HAVE to play games past three!?!?!?” as you banged on the wall with your fist. You were angry at yourself. It pissed you off that your day already started bad with being late and the situation you had moments ago with that classmate of yours. It even made you frustrated at yourself that you couldn’t find Tanaka to ask what he needed of you. 
So many thoughts have rushed to your head as you walked to a desk to sit down. You had stopped hitting your fists against the chalkboard though that quickly switched to punching your thighs since you didn’t know where else to contain your anger. It was also a safer option than to accidently commit something dangerous.
After dealing with your anger, you started to clean the classroom. It was better to finish the job quicker and faster so that you would head to practice to see everyone in action. Especially Tanaka since he did mention how he practiced his serves and spikes recently.
-
Cleaning the classroom took less time than you thought. When music was being played through your headphones, you escaped the reality of cleaning and thought of wonders to help the process go by faster. This helped you calm down, though your body was aching.
You put away the cleaning supplies and rushed towards the stairs to head to the changing room in order to switch your sweaty and stained uniform into gym attire instead. You searched through your bag for deodorant and applied twice on each pit in order to securely and safely say your pits didn’t smell.
“Oh hey Y/N-san!” Hinata had shouted and you smiled.
“Hey there!” you waved back and walked to the bench towards Kiyoko.
“Hi Y/N, what took you so long?”
“I got put into cleaning duty.”
“I’m sorry to put this on you again, but you’re on cleaning duty tonight with some of the boys.”
“It’s okay, I can handle it.”
“Are you sure? I can stay back and do it instead since you’ve already done cleaning yesterday.”
“No no, it’s fine. Besides you have to study for your test tomorrow, no?”
“You’re right, but if you’d like I can-”
“Kiyoko-san, you need as much time as possible to study and get good grades. I know you are academically smart, though you like to do well, and staying behind with these rowdy boys is not what you need at the moment.” as you took off your jacket.
“WOOHOO! LOOK AT MY BEST FRIEND!!!” Noya hollered and you laughed while shaking your head.
“See.” you looked at Kiyoko before walking onto the court. ”Alright boys! Let’s start practicing on your serves!”
-
“Thank you for today’s practice!” as the boys bowed down to Coach Ukai.
“You already know what time it is. Go clean up and get home safe. Make sure to eat a well balanced meal and get lots of sleep, you hear me?”
“Yes sir!” as they all scrammed to different areas of the gym. Kiyoko had already left beforehand since there was an emergency she had to attend. Yachi was picking up her things before leaving and you waited behind for all of them to slowly leave one by one.
“Have a good night, Daichi, Sugawara and Asahi san.” as you waved them off and gave them a small smile.
“Make sure Kageyama and Hinata don’t stay back too late.” Daichi instructed.
“Understood. Good night to you three.”
“Good night, Y/N!” Sugawara said patting your head. You nodded listening to Sugawara.
“Good night, and stay safe Y/N.” Asahi said sending you a shy smile and you nodded again.
“I very much will, now move along. You guys need to be home soon.” As you turned your attention back to the boys and went to go toss the balls to them.
-
You had just locked the equipment room after cleaning the gym. Everyone had left, including Hinata and Kageyama who had to get Daichi to yell at the two to head home. The others went to change and you assumed they went home. This left you alone in the gym and no supervision.
Your body shook as the exhaustion and frustration you felt from earlier today started showing. You started getting angry and began punching your thighs. You would have slammed a volleyball but you forgot to have one saved for yourself.
The punching started getting aggressively harder and faster. You didn’t keep track of your surroundings as you only paid attention of releasing your anger through punching yourself.
“Babe! What are you still doing here??? I thought you already left.” Tanaka yawned as he walked closer to you. No response.
“Baby?” Tanaka neared closer to you. He heard the sound of skin smacking.
“Y/N?” As Tanaka stood behind you and took a full look at you, but what caught his eyes was you throwing punches at your reddening thighs.
“WOAH, WOAH, WOAH!” Tanaka jumped and hurried to step in front of you. He put his hands on the side of your arms and you looked up with tears streaming down your cheeks. Your eyes shined under the lights since the tears were welding in your eyes.
“R-ryu?”
“Baby...” as his eyes filled with concern and he held your face in his hands.
“W-what are you still doing here? I thought you went home already.” as you wiped the tears away in a rush and covered your thighs with your arms.
“No, no, I was going to stay behind to walk you home... Why were you punching yourself?” as he gently looked at you up down and rubbed a hand on your pink thighs.
“It was my version of coping with my anger... I’m sorry.”
“Oh my poor princess.” Tanaka sat down on the bench and turned your head towards him. He gave you a kiss on your lips before kissing your forehead. “Do you want to tell me what caused this to happen?”
“It was just a bad morning. I was late and assigned myself stupid cleaning duty to make up for my tardiness. Then I got into a fight with a classmate and got a punishment. After that I was put in another cleaning duty and god I just am so tired.” as you sighed melting to Tanaka’s touch. Tanaka had brought your head to rest on his shoulder as he ran his fingers through your hair.
“It’s okay princess, you did so well today. I am so proud of you for passing the day and finishing it off with me. It’s okay to be angry, though it’s not okay to commit brutal punches to your poor stunning thighs.” As he rubbed a hand over your thigh and gripped it a bit.
“I’m sorry...”
“Don’t be sorry. It was your way of controlling anger, though let’s try finding a different way to contain your anger. How about we choose a different tactic? Like writing your anger away or watching me do stupid things with Noya.”
“I wanna see you act stupid with Noya. You guys make me so happy. Mainly you though.” as you put on a smile to thank Tanaka. Tanaka clenched his heart with an exaggerated expression.
“God your smile is so pretty. How did I get so lucky?” as Tanaka gave you another kiss on your lips.
“Stop- you’re making me blush.” as you hid your face in your hands and stood up to get ready to leave. Tanaka laughed before bringing your hand to his lips to place a small gentle kiss.
“Let’s get you home, hm? We should take care of those sexy thighs.” he winked giving your bum a little smack and you playfully punched him.
“Gosh, you’re so weird.” as you walked towards the doors with Tanaka clinging onto you.
“Whatever, princess. I guess I’m just crazy in love with you.” Tanaka giggled like a little kid.
“Oh jeez-” As you guys left the gym hand in hand and casually being a cheesy couple at night.
-
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BBC's Merlin Season 1 Episode 5: Lancelot Analysis
It's Lancelot's first episode which is tremendously exciting. I remember the first time I watched this show (last year- I really make it sound like it was much longer than it is), I wasn't particularly attached to him but on my second rewatch I loved him, I loved his and Merlin's friendship and I loved his sheer nobility and decency. Lancelot is of course typically one of the most central characters in telling's of the Arthurian legend, so of course his appearance is exciting. Also excitingly an episode where I talk about someone other than Arthur! Yeah, if you can't tell Arthur's my favourite character. I'm not sure how clear my point is throughout all of this, its hard to articulate but I hope I've done it justice.
"Sir Lancelot, the bravest and the most noble of them all"
This is a quote from much later in the show but it explains something very fundamental about Lancelot's character. Lancelot is supposed to be the chivalric ideal, in most versions of the story he is portrayed as such, as the only knight who really comes close to fulfilling it. Lancelot's fault that puts the dent in him being the true epitome of the noble chivalric knight is his love for Guinevere, and its actually his son Galahad (who doesn't exist in Merlin) who achieves this ideal. However, the point remains that Lancelot is almost there, his character is typically about a person who almost achieves this ideal of chivalry, and they run with this in Merlin, out of all the knights he is the most knightly, the most committed, the one most devoted to its ideals.
Lancelot talks like our idea of a knight, its kind of hard to explain but the way he talks is straight out of chivalric romances, out of films about knights. You notice it because everyone in this show talks in quite a contemporary way, its an Arthurian legend for people of today and the characters talk like it, but Lancelot just doesn't, he talks like a knight from a fairytale. It's just a small detail, but it really plays into the perception of Lancelot as the epitome of chivalric honour.
I'd argue that he represents a knighthood Arthur believes in, before he even realises it himself, a kind of honour that's about devotion to one another and helping others and fighting injustice. Arthur and Lancelot do get on extremely well, despite the fact that Lancelot, in Arthur's own words, doesn't sound or look like a knight. His passionate defense of him to his father, as well as the fact that Arthur releases him from prison without his father's approval is because Arthur respects him and admires him and probably because he sees him as a friend. King Arthur's court is often the ideal representation of chivalry, stories like these about chivalrous knights were very important to aristocratic culture in medieval times, and Arthur's court was at the center of it. The thing is that there is a code of honour and chivalry before Arthur in Merlin, the knights of Camelot already exist, and they are often honourable. But Arthur's task will be to reset the idea of chivalry and honour on new grounds, in new ways and Lancelot in many ways exemplifies this ideal
There is a huge emphasis in Lancelot's character in serving with honour:
"It's not my freedom I seek. I only wish to serve with honour."-Lancelot
"He laid down his life for me. He served with honour."- Arthur
"He meant no harm I am sure of it... he only wished to serve."- Arthur
I'm not exactly sure how to define honour, its kind of an abstract concept but I do know what it means, its acting with integrity and respect and honesty. It's a concept central to the Chivalric code, that knights should behave with honour, so its inclusion here further cements the idea of Lancelot's character as representing the ideal of chivalric knighthood. Also the concept of servanthood comes up again, Merlin emphasises (through Merlin most of all) the honour in being a servant, you don't need to be great or noble or a great leader, the world needs people who are willing to serve and that is just as noble as leading.
Chivalry as a concept is inherently bound up in the concept of nobility. The etymology itself is from the French word for knight/horseman, of which only nobles could be. However, one of the points of Merlin through many of its characters is upsetting this class divide so prevalent in Arthurian stories, not just in also including the stories of those who aren't noble but in setting up a code of honour that applies to everybody. Lancelot epitomises this, he is the knight who most represents the ideal of chivalry to Arthur, he's also not a nobleman. Just like making Gwen and Merlin servants, making the most noble knight not a noble sets up this shift, highlighting the capability of everyone to the kind of goodness and nobility that Camelot's ideal will represent. Because fundamentally what's the point of an ideal if it only applies to some people, ideals should inspire everyone to be better, they should make everyone's lives better not just a small subset of people.
As Gwen says that in Arthur's knights "we need ordinary people like you and me."
Arthur and Uther
Importantly Arthur realises the injustice of laws in his father's kingdom and you see the contrast between him and Uther.
"The code bends for no man."
"Then the code is wrong."
Uther is stubborn, we know that, he's unwilling to admit the fault in his rules, in his ideas even when the evidence is right in front of him and that is a fundamental fault, you can see it in his treatment of those who use magic. Arthur by contrast is someone whose views haven't been set, partly because he is still young, but also because he is a better person than Uther in the ways that matter. He's not going to purposefully blind himself to the truth. For Uther he is also one with a worldview of absolutes, all magic users are bad, laws are laws there is no room for argument or nuance, and I'm sure Uther would see accepting argument or nuance as a weakness.
It is also important that in recognising that the code should bend, Arthur recognises the essential flaw in Uther's construction of society and chivalry. The idea that knights should all be noble, Uther literally says that it is the fact that all knights are noble that binds them together, and this is emphasised by the fact that Uther created the first code of Camelot (also the fact that its the first code- makes this seemingly small law much more important). This is a premise Arthur does not agree with it, this episode proves what it really means to be a knight in Lancelot, its a willingness to do your duty and act with honour and self-sacrifice. It is not confined to class, and thus plays into merlin's wider subversion of chivalry as only being for knights, its a code of honour and behaviour that all people can aspire to, and the ability to live and die for noble causes should not be the sole preserve of knights. The Arthurian ideal is so premised on nobility, for the rest of the kingdom, yes they have a just king and presumably they are protected and safe but they are kept from the dignity of being allowed to be noble, being allowed to be considered a part of the nobility and goodness of the Arthurian ideal. It's significant that the first figure to represent this isn't noble.
Other Stuff
"I owe Lancelot my life and I am paying for that in the only way I can."- Merlin--> This is the worldview of knights and debts of honour in its own way as well
Gwen and Lancelot are just awww, like so sweet
"Merlin would do anything for anyone."- Gwen--> True and I love that about Merlin, even as he becomes more jaded as the seasons go on this doesn't change that much—>he's wonderfully decent
"You're the only thing I care about in this world."- Gaius to Merlin--> That was just sweet and kind of sad He's encouraging Merlin to put himself in danger and Merlin reacts with anger because its like does anyone care what happens to him—> but the point is Merlin can help Arthur and no one else can so he has to do it because its his job and its his job because he's the only one who can do it--> Duty is doing what you have to do, doing the right thing even when you don't want to
"It's my duty knight or not."---> Similar to Merlin—> Lancelot believes in being a knight so whether or not he actually is one he has a duty to act like one—> he is a swordsman he is skilled and (theoretically- if they weren't creatures of magic) could defeat a Griffin so he has to do it—> because he can and its his duty to his worldview And Gwen's response- "You really believe that don't you. I don't think I've ever met anyone like you."
"You've already proven that to us"- Arthur "But I must prove it to myself."- Lancelot--> Isn't there just something very noble in that- In the desire to prove your ability to yourself above all others- to hold yourself to a high standard not just to expect things to come Will parallel Arthur in later seasons as he tries to prove his right to be king to himself--> It's funny the scene when Arthur pulls the sword in the stone (much later) is the moment when he proves his right to be king in every version of the story- but usually its proof to others- In Merlin it was trying to prove to himself
"Till next time then, Sir Lancelot."- Merlin- wonderful way to end the episode on an acknowledgement of Lancelot's role in the wider story- he is a legendary figure
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akisata-moved · 3 years
Text
a little bit of divine worldbuilding 🕊️
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hi everyone! i said i would make a post about my angel worldbuilding and the lore surrounding it, so here we are. let's get into this!
(as a forewarning: this got really long really fast. sorry lol)
i. at the beginning of the universe: what's the deal with god, heaven, and hell?
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you know... this guy. ...or, guys? i use they pronouns for god, not because they're nonbinary rep or anything but because the classic collection uses they pronouns for god because they are literally plural. so, multiple guys.
a. the universe's first inhabitants 🌟
we can't have angels (or anything, really) without god. so... what is god?
to put it simply, "god" is a small collective of beings that hail from a primordial race of creatures called aeons. contrary to popular belief, "god" did not create the universe as a whole.
that being said, they WERE the first beings to exist in the universe; gifted with near-immortality and the power of creation, they were essentially burdened the cosmic purpose of bringing the universe to life. think of them as... like, demiurges, really. despite being the first beings in the universe, they didn't really start popping up until ~370,000 years into the universe existing.
(whether or not there is a "supreme" being above them isn't something i've given TOO much thought to. my working idea is that the universe is quite literally a supreme being in itself.)
so, our "god" is not the only ones of their kind. there isn't a large amount of them, but considering the size of the universe and how it's ever-expanding... there's enough of them to go around, you know.
as the early stages of the universe progress, they start to become aware of the existence of each other. it's difficult to be what is essentially a god and be unaware of the presences that surround you.
the attitudes that they held towards each other varied from aeon to aeon. some of them worked in tandem, others remained solitary. some of them competed with others, and others dedicated themselves to watching over their corner of the universe and making it a home.
there weren't many "overstepped boundaries" in the infinitely expanding stretch of space they had at their disposal. in the early stages of the universe, there was no need for that kind of thing. they all mostly stayed in their own lanes.
during the early epochs, they mostly just spent their time experimenting, growing and changing, and learning the ins and outs of their little cosmic playground.
due to the nature and scope of their abilities, and their immortality, they were mostly aware that their exploits were relatively infinitesimal. they had a very acute awareness that every planet and galaxy they created would eventually crumble.
similarly to their attitudes towards each other, the attitudes they held towards their creations varied. some liked to stay disconnected, and hopped from creation to creation, moving on as soon as they finished working on their little project. others were more involved.
in regards to their abilities, they aren't omnipotent. in fact i wouldn't even really call them omnificent. if there was a way to describe what they were able to do, it would be... transmute? the universe provided all the materials for creation, and so it was their job to use their divine power to... make something with it, really. they can't create something out of absolutely nothing. there has to be something for them to make stuff.
they also don't really have any kind of set moral compass. so none of them are inherently evil, good, bad, whatever.
of course, given the fact that they mostly reside in space (we'll get to what exactly "heaven" is in a little), they aren't necessarily bound to one physical shape or form. we love shapeshifters.
b. the devilman "god", and the prison of light 🕯️
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the devilman "god" is a trio of aeons who bonded over a certainty and awareness of what they wanted from the universe. they strove to create something perfect— something beautiful. better than every other creation out there. other aeons' work was... sloppy, imperfect, and quite ugly.
as stated before, the aeons aren't necessarily physical beings. that makes it really easy for them to fuse with each other, as they aren't really bound to any kind of physics or laws governing their consciousnesses and bodies.
"so are they a hivemind" not necessarily? they're all just... fused together. the pros of fusing together like that means that one single entity now has the power of three aeons, which lets them do a lot more than if they were all separate, and on a larger scale. god is a throuple
they probably aren't the only aeon group to do this, honestly.
fun note: the devilman "god" never refers to themselves as another aeon. they always refer to themselves as a "god", and it's mainly just because they think they're better than the rest of the aeons lol. i'll be referring to them as god from here on out just because it's easier.
so, then what? god decides that they need a place for themselves. a pocket of space only for them (+ eventually, the angels). they needed a home base of sorts, a place that represented their vision as they imagined it. and so, they created heaven.
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so what even is heaven? it's essentially a sub-universe, or a pocket of the universe that god hid away just for themselves.... and for the angels, which were created afterwards.
once again, i doubt heaven is the only realm of its kind. i doubt that god is the only aeon who had the idea for a "home base" of sorts.
heaven started out as a home just for god, but as angelic society grew, it eventually turned into a whole kingdom. that being said, god still has a palace Just For Them at the very top layer of it!
people don't go to heaven. nope. that doesn't happen. mainly because it's not an "afterlife".
after god created heaven and the angels, heaven because a home for all of them. heaven was created to be perfect (in the eyes of its creator), or as close to perfect as god could manage while also having a species with (sort of) free will residing within it.
heaven is almost like a hidden galaxy, except a LOTTT smaller.
heaven is mostly made up of clouds and solid energy. there are actually five layers of heaven; one for each sphere of the angelic choir, one for the Archangels, and one for god.
that isn't to say that the angels are confined to one layer. they can freely travel about, it's just that they'll usually spend time in the layer dedicated to their sphere, unless they're stationed to work elsewhere.
the need for more and more angels became more important as time went on. god became more... power hungry, and they fell harder into the belief that they alone were the ones worthy of the universe. they eventually gained a very hostile attitude towards other aeons and cosmic societies. this wasn't unheard of, really, but considering how most of them stayed in their own lanes, having god be all... aggressive was a little bit of a shock. needless to say, this resulted in the formation of enemies... and other forms of cosmic politics.
heaven and angelic culture has a lot of emphasis on architecture! ...although, not in a way you would expect. the best way i can explain it is that it's very... suess-like.
lots of staircases, lots of columns, lots of... that kind of thing...
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while we're on the topic of sub-universes, we can talk a little about hell, too.
hell was actually created by the universe itself, not by the aeons or god or anything. it has always existed, and is sort of a universal collection all life and souls. sorta like the universe's garbage can for all dead things.
it’s less of an eternal resting place and more of an intermediary location you go while the universe works to basically recycle your soul and convert it back to its original state.
ii. what is an angel?: a little on angelic society
a. the angelic choir at a glance📜
angelic society as a whole is referred to as the angelic choir.
the main thing about angelic society is that it's split into different spheres based on how much power an angel has/the specific task they were made to do.
why do angels exist in the first place? they were made to be servants of god, and basically do everything that they do... for them. so, deliver messages, be soldiers, do tasks and chores and watch over the things god makes... all that kind of thing.
angels have free will, but were created with an ingrained sense of duty that usually outweighs said free will. or perhaps it influences their free will. hard to tell. that being said, most angels will not do anything if it directly contradicts their purpose.
also, angels are not inherently “good” aligned. like I said, they have free will, which means they have choices. angels can be shitty people! whether or not an angel “falls” has nothing to do with what their character is like, and everything to do with whether or not they are defiant to God.
not a lot of angels do defy god, either. an angel being kicked out of heaven is pretty rare.
anyways, back to the angelic choir... there are three spheres of angel, each with three types of angel in them. the highest ranking angels are the first order of the first sphere, and the lowest ranking are the third order of the third sphere. yeah.
in the first sphere you have the seraphim, cherubim, and thrones. the first sphere angels are the only angels that tend directly to god.
the second sphere is made up of the dominations, the virtues, and the powers.
the third sphere consists of the principalities, the arches, and the angels (generic term).
Archangels are above the first sphere in rank. they're the most powerful angels, and there aren't very many of them.
b. archangels and the angels of the first sphere🔥
Archangels, as stated before, are the most powerful angels and the ones with the most important duties. they're mostly angelic supervisors that manage angels with different specialties. who are the archangels? before lucifer's fall, there were eight different archangels.
jophiel (archangel of wisdom and inspiration), chamuel (archangel of divine justice), gabriel (archangel of revalation), raphael (archangel of healing), uriel (archangel of truth and light), zadkiel (archangel of healing), and, of course, michael (archangel of strength and courage) and lucifer (archangel of love and empathy).
the first sphere angels are the angels that are closest to god, and the only ones that can interact where with them directly. they're the least... replaceable angels, except for the archangels. that's why they don't really leave heaven.
the seraphim are the bodyguards of the throne, and those who directly guard and protect both god's palace and the different layers of heaven itself. they're stationed just about everywhere on the fifth layer of heaven, and then scattered about in the other layers just to keep an eye on everything. they're also stationed at the entrances and exits.
they're busy a LOT of the time. they take their jobs very seriously.
the seraphim are the angels that interact the most with god. the cherubim and the thrones do, too, but not as frequently.
the tradition when interacting with god is to cover their faces and bodies with their wings when interacting directly with them. it's a sort of humbling thing, to show that they regard themselves as lesser than them. just out of respect.
the cherubim are the celestial recordkeepers of heaven, and the ones that really hold the knowledge of god and heaven.
they're known for their wisdom, and they keep records of everything that happens in their part of the universe. nothing goes undocumented, really. heaven's historians are also cherubim.
along with keeping records of events, they also keep track of all of the angels that are created, and those that come in and out of heaven. and those who go out and dont come back. yeah.
jophiel is the archangel who supervises the cherubim.
the thrones are some of the most intellectual angels and have wonderful minds. they serve as both teachers, guides, and counselors for the lower ranks of the angels.
they're the ones in charge of receiving orders from god and dishing out duties to the lower ranks (dominations, mostly) and explaining them. celestial teachers, really. they're very engaged with the rest of angelic society, and are always willing to offer an explanation or a helping hand to other angels.
they're also the head order that deals with cosmic laws and making sure everything that god makes works the way it's supposed to. god doesn't really have time to keep everything in check themselves, so it's up to the thrones and the virtues to make sure their creation... functions like it should.
lucifer was supposed to the archangelic supervisor of the thrones...? but, uh... that didn't exactly.... uh.... work out....
after lucifer was cast out, jophiel was put in charge of both the thrones and the cherubim. it's a lot of work for one angel, really, but she doesn't mind.
c. angels of the second and third spheres☄️
the first order of the second sphere is the dominations. think of these guys as... well, management.
they're in charge of managing the angelic kingdoms, and of regulating the second sphere angels in lower orders.
they help keep everyone organized. there's a lot of things to keep track of.
the dominions get their orders from the thrones (who receive orders from god), and pass along orders to the principalities in the third sphere along with the virtues and powers. it's just a big chain.
zadkiel is the archangel in charge of the dominations rank. he also deals with some of the stuff that the principalities handles, but mostly sticks to dominations.
the second order of the second sphere is the virtues. if seraphim are the guards and watchers of heaven itself, then the virtues are the watchers of the universe (well, god's part of the universe, anyways).
they watch over everything god creates, from planets, galaxies, luminaries, and other celestial bodies to make sure the cosmos are in order. and that nothing is going wrong.
they work closely with certain thrones angels for this reason.
it's actually very important to make sure shit isn't going wrong. especially considering how their god's... hostile attitude... attracts some not so friendly faces.
uriel is the archangel in charge of the virtues, and because of the close ties between the virtues and the thrones, he quickly became good friends with lucifer.
the powers are the third order of the third sphere, and they make up the angelic army.
can basically be split into two groups— soldiers and healers. the soldiers were originally led by chamuel, but the job was pretty much taken over by michael once he showed up, and chamuel instead switched gears to deal more with strategizing after that. raphael supervises those more geared towards healing.
running an army is hard work, turns out. there's a lot that goes into it.
the third sphere is the most populous sphere; they're like worker bees. they're very easy to replace, and are very expendable.
third sphere angels actually leave heaven a lot. they deal with intergalactic relationships.
in the first sphere, the principalities are the main managers of the lower-ranking arches and angels. they're very similar to the dominations in that regard, and they actually get their orders from them. like i said before... it's a big chain.
they're the ones that are stuck dealing the most with cosmic politics.
arches are celestial envoys, while your everyday angels work as messengers, running back and forth between heaven and other places in space. angel postal service!
the angels and arches are also assigned most of the mundane tasks not given to any higher ranks.
usually the angels go out in groups, because there's safety in numbers, and space is REALLY big. at least one arch will accompany an angel group, and on occasion, a principality will come too, depending on how important things are.
that being said, there have been many, many instances where angels don't come back. sometimes they get lost. this happens more often than it should.
gabriel is the head messenger archangel. he's the postmaster. angel. guy.
d. okay i'll bite. what are angels made of. aka, angel physiology 🌠
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angels are special. lol.
they're made of photon energy (in the case of most angels) and thermal energy (in the case of seraphim).
(lucifer is an Archangel, so he is... as stated above, made of photons.)
as stated before, god can't create something out of nothing. the energy needed to create angels actually is specific to the energy emitted from dying stars. every angel comes from the death of a star.
so, this means a couple of things. first of all, as angels are created, not born, they don't actually have a functional reproductive system. because they weren't created with the intention of reproduction. the genitalia is decorative essentially tbh. also, every angel looks like this. it's definitely not a reproductive thing. it's entirely aesthetic.
"romance" is essentially nonexistent in angel culture. uh, they all see each other as some kind of equivalent of siblings, considering they were all made directly by the same creator. they all refer to god as their parents, and so they all see each other as siblings.
(that being said, it's not like they're incapable of love or anything. ryosatanlucifer retains his feelings for akira even after he turns back into an angel, so it's not like he can't feel love or anything like that. i mean, that should be obvious, but i felt the need to specify anyways)
the second thing this: angels lack all forms of physical sensation. their bodies are... kind of numb to all sense of touch, taste, smell, etc. they are, in some circumstances, intangible. what does that mean? well...
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sorry for having so much stuff from go nagai world.... we never got to see satan in the actual ovas </3
they can float through stuff sometimes. their tangibility (on earth) is actually up to them. so, for example, if they wanted to, they could float through a door. or they could open a door by turning the doorknob. though, they wouldn't be able to experience the sensation of actually touching the doorknob.
anywho. there are actual a few variations of angelic appearance depending on what rank of angel they are! i have... erm... drawn a few examples of some of the angels, but not a whole lot? ahh.... there they are anyways. some of the descriptions are a little outdated bc i've changed into since then but YEAH!!
Archangels, at the very top of the angelic choir, are beautiful with 12 large snow-white wings— two on the head, two from the shoulderblades, two on the middle back, two on the lower back, on on each arm and one on each ankle. they’re all nearly identical- though, most of the angels within each order looks nearly identical. they’re identical in the way that cats of the same coat color and breed are identical. michael and lucifer are actually identical, though, because they’re like real life twins, and are born from the same star. yeah!
seraphim are made from condensed thermal energy rather than light energy. they’re super hot. Lol. they have 10 wings (head, shoulders, lower back, arms, and ankles) unlike the Archangel’s 12. They’re warmer in color scheme than the Archangels, which are usually a sort of yellow-white color? they glow. seraphim are more red-orange because they’re… heat. They also have the ability to manifest flames out of their body, though it’s kind of just for show considering how it can't really do anything.
the cherubim are covered in eyes. or, their wings are covered in eyes- they have 8 of them! wings, I mean (head, shoulders, lower back, and ankles). they have way more than eight eyes. Also, they can open eyes up on their bodies when they get really stressed or angry! it’s a fun neat cherubim trait. all the cherubim are so tired. let them go home please.
the thrones are the third order in the first sphere of the Angelic choir, and these are our ringy-boys. they're the angels with the most emphasis on halos- they can make them spin really fast and manifest more rings around them whenever they feel strongly or honestly just when they want to. they’re usually surrounded by them, just as a sort of status thing. they typically serve as messenger angels (delivering orders to the second sphere) and bodyguards for the cherubim. they have 6 pairs of wings (head, shoulders, and lower back).
from there on out appearance is mostly dictated by sphere— second sphere angels (dominations, virtues, and powers) have two sets of wings (on the head and the shoulders), while first sphere angels (principalities, arches, and angels) have only one set of wings on their shoulders, and look pretty similar to the standard depiction of angels.
e. some more about angel culture in general
i just wanted to share some more fun little details about angel culture, because there IS stuff beyond work for these guys lol
society is really easy to be sustained when there's no need for "hard labor", and when everyone is created with a sense of purpose. and the fact that they don't really need to eat or anything.
since there isn't much of a need for extra work outside of everyone's Assigned Jobs, when there is free time, it's mostly dedicated to the arts. there's actually a LOT of focus on art in angelic culture!
though, it's a lot less... genuine? than "human art". the idea of "perfection" is heavily exalted in angelic society, mainly because that's what god wishes for, and god is the One Real Authority in their society. a lot of angelic art tries to reflect this idea of perfect beauty that they've had drilled into their heads from the beginning of their existence.
of course, perfection is unachievable for the angels. so sad.
art that depicts any kind of "flaw" is entirely unheard of. angels are the ultimate perfectionists.
since none of the angels actually LOOK at god (the archangels and first spheres cover their eyes with their wings when they come in direct contact with them), a lot of art is actually of god. it's always sort of a contest to see how perfectly and beautiful they can depict god. it's a form of worship, really.
they do have a written language. but "novels" aren't really a thing. they aren't super big on fiction. what's the point of that?
instead, they use written language to keep historical accounts, archive events, and write PSALMS. so so many psalms. they really love to write music dedicated to praising their god.
"music" in quotes, because it's... not exactly comparable to human music. it's angel music, guys. cmon.
they also like writing poetry a lot.
because of the way they worship perfection in art/writing, things end up feeling a little bit... sterile? yeah.
obviously, since they are in space, they don't use any kind of timescale similar to days/hours/weeks/etc. there's a sort of "day" equivalent in which things are a lot... brighter? but that's really it.
angels don't age, either. they have no concept of age.
they do have another consistent method of keeping time, though, and it's based on how long it takes for angels (third rank of the third sphere) to be created. lower rank angels are really being produced at a constant rate, to make up for losses, so it's easy to divide time this way. the time it takes to make one angel = one angelic "day".
they don't really have any equivalent of years, instead naming longer periods of time (ages) after whatever archangel was created last. so, the age of gabriel, or the age of uriel.
when michael and lucifer were made At the same Time, the cherubim got into a lot of arguments over who to name the age after. it wasn't like there was any way to choose between the two.
so they just decided on both eventually. lol. they called it the age of lucifer and michael.
after lucifer well, a new Age started. so the age of lucifer and michael and the age of michael are two separate time periods.
michael is sooooooooooooo cocky about that, too. what a bitch.
anyways, like stated before, the idea of perfection is super important to angels. to them, god represents the ULTIMATE perfection.
and on that same note, talking bad about god, and going against god's will, is a very big NO!!!!!!. they REALLY do not do that.
.......okay!!!!!!!! whew!
that was a LOT, but if you read all the way through... mwah! thank you so much for listening to my thoughts!!!! i might make a separate post about lucifer's history/his relationships with the other angels/his fall later on. but for now.... here's just some basic stuff about angels and how they work!!! yeah!!!!!
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kookiepredictions · 3 years
Text
Message from his DF’s Higher Self
To the Littlest One,
I was summoned by you I think. Damn boy, are you tired? Cuz you’ve been running through my mind all day. Everyday. Where do I begin? There’s always so much to say but I’m never sorted out. You want to know how I feel about you? Well it’s not a one word or one line answer you see. In my previous connections, I’ve always had some issue or the other. There have been connections where things were THIS close to being something special, and yet, I couldn’t unsee that there was still that bit missing. And I realized, I’m really looking for someone EXACTLY like me, and I knew I set myself up for failure because truly that’s impossible to have? When I saw you for the first time, I was shocked because I couldn’t believe how someone could be so much like me. It was like looking at my male version. And yet, there were so many obvious differences. I would be all excited and tell whoever cared to listen (most didn’t) that look, this guy is just like me! I think I’ve found my perfect match like they write in books and stuff. It didn’t matter to me that you didn’t know I existed. I was incredibly happy just knowing that I wasn’t wrong in believing that somewhere there is someone who is your exact match. I was O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D with you! I couldn’t get enough. You’d think my first impression about you was wrong and as I got to know more about you, I’d change my mind. But it was the exact opposite. The more I knew, I surer I got. I found a happy place in my life, everyday religiously watching you do weird stuff that convinced me more and more that yeah, he is the one. Ironically though, I never wanted to do anything about it. I thought someday we’d just meet and you’d see what I saw— that we’re perfect for each other. I had things in my personal life to take care of and I started doing exactly that, and Divine (and other) intervention got us together. Of course initially I was a little wary and thought it was all too good to be true, but that’s just me. Getting to know you has been one of the most special, life changing events in my life. So I have no idea why you want to start over again, or change anything about it. I wouldn’t want to change anything about any of it. You have been a wish fulfilled, a literal dream come true for me, right from the start to now. When I first saw you, I had a certain idea about you, the things you might say— and when you did speak to me, it was exactly how I always imagined it to be. With every word and action, you became more and more perfect to me. It was like someone made a list of everything I wished for in a person since when I was old enough to wish for things, added a ton of other wonderful things and the result was you! You have always, ALWAYS said what I wanted to hear, treated me the way I wanted to be treated. You were like this magician who always magically knew what I wanted. How did you know? How did you know what no one had ever known. And those people were so much closer to me. And so it not just confuses me but also makes me sad how you see this whole thing differently. Maybe you can do better, maybe you have better things to offer, I get that. But it was still perfect the way it was. There is no need to go over it repeatedly and wish it was different. I would never ever never want it to be any other way.
To me, you were and still are the kind of person they only talk about in fairytales. Does that mean I think you have no flaws? No. I know everyone has flaws and I have always believed that is what makes each of us unique and more special. And I have stopped buying onscreen personas since when I was like 13. Okay, maybe 15. Perfection to me is not the absence of flaws. Perfection to me is in the way I feel about someone. And I have always felt so wholesome around you, every moment spent with you was perfect. You were perfect, everything you did was perfect. If I were to sit you down and categorically tell you to do exactly as I wanted, I still couldn’t do a better job than what you had already done. Plz I’m embarrassed to admit that I have spent days, weeks, MONTHS daydreaming about you. Repeating every word over and over and over in my head and feeling every feeling it caused in me. I don’t see the “mistakes” that you see. Maybe you don’t see them either, and that’s why you are confused as to why you are being punished. Then maybe you should consider the thought that you aren’t being punished? I am not keeping away because of anything you did or didn’t do, I am keeping away for my own issues. You might think I have it all figured out, but I’m sorry to burst your bubble, I’m still a work in progress as well. You think I have over exaggerated ideas about you? Well I think you have put me up on a pedestal and don’t see how I’m struggling too. Do I absolutely need to be away to focus on myself right now? Absolutely. I have a tendency to be put who I love (there I said it, I wish it wasn’t said this way, but I guess this is the need of the hour) before me, and lose myself in the process. And unless I learn how to prioritizing another person without de-prioritizing myself, I need to be by myself. Have you ever felt like this connection was getting the better of you— that you had no control over yourself whatsoever? That’s how it has felt for me too. I need to find my own footing before getting involved in anything at all. Do I seem stubborn and difficult? Good. Because I have been easy and impressionable before and it has taken everything away from me. You must understand, this has got nothing to do with you. These problems have existed in my life before you came, and they will continue to exist unless I take care of them. You might think you can solve all my problems, if only we were together. That’s not true. The problems are inside of me. You can, at best, distract me from them. Only I can truly uproot them. Not only is this my duty here on earth, it is my right to be able to do that, and I am going to defend my right, whether or not you agree with me, and no matter how mad it makes you. It is never my intention to hurt you or anger you, but if that’s the price I have to pay, so be it. And it doesn’t even have to be about problems either. I have the right to live my life the way I want to. Always. Whether or not you are in my life. And I have the right to do so without having to explain myself. This is something I have learnt pretty late in my life— I really used to be the exact opposite. I have spent YEARS unlearning that pattern and I am not going to abandon my beliefs anymore, not even for you. And I’m not even apologetic about it. If there is any love in this connection, it will honour my freedom and my choices. Even if I abandoned myself right now “out of love”, and years later when I realize the folly in that, I’d forever hold you responsible for that and hate you all my life. That’s not going to be a very successful connection, is it? My morals, principles and beliefs are what make me who I am. Abandoning them is literally changing me, might as well change my face with surgery. They are staying with me until my last breath. Anyone who wants to be in my life has to respect and accept that. You don’t have to though. And I really want to make sure you understand this. I don’t expect you to do anything that you don’t want to do. Nothing at all. When you had no idea I existed, I liked you even then. The point is, my liking or loving you isn’t dependent on what you do or don’t do for me. It has everything to do who you are. Now, you might not see yourself that way. You might think you are nothing special to be liked or loved. You might feel the need to do a ton of things so that people like you. But you see, that’s all just you, not me. Don’t project your feelings on to me. For me, you have always been special and everything you have ever done has been special. Now, the answer to the difficult question: have I ever been hurt by you? Yes. But I have never thought it was your “fault”. For me it was always my fault that I was too reliant on someone else’s opinion of me, and a push to the direction of learning to be self-validated. And it was a huge leap in my growth! To be honest, I don’t entirely know what fault you hold yourself responsible for. I have no idea what “wrong” choices you have made. All I see is, you had prior commitments and you chose to honour your commitments. You chose to stick with the people who were there in your life long before me. Not only do I respect you more because of it, it has always been a very attractive quality about a person to me— being mindful of everyone in their lives. The only thing that makes me mad is when you fail to realize that I have the right to do the same. You can choose to fight me over my freedom and ways of dealing with things, but know that it is a fight I will always win :p
You seek my forgiveness but it is not me who hasn’t forgiven you, it is you. You want love from me but it is not me who doesn’t love you, it is you. Fear all you want, doubt all you want, but you could inquire in 10, 20, 100 years if I love you, and the answer will still be the same: yes I do. And if you ask me 1000 times what we should do about it, my answer will also be the same— this really is the time to focus on ourselves. It might seem like I’m going further away from you, but I really am coming towards you with every passing day. How and when— not everything needs to be known right now. If you are patient, everything will make sense when it’s the right time. Maybe then you would even hate yourself for not being more understanding, and wish that you had acted different right now. Just like you now wish you had behaved differently back then. The tighter you are holding on to this, the longer the wait is getting. Holding on tight to your love is an old paradigm. This is the time to be freely flying beside each other. I know because not very long ago, I had to make this exact choice. Either to let go of you and risk losing you forever or to hold on tightly to you and lose myself forever. I made the 2nd choice with a lot of doubt and difficulty, and it turns out that our connection has only gotten stronger from there. You feel like you are the only one in this journey but this is truly a journey of two. I assure you, every phase you cross, I have crossed it before you. There was a time I was addicted to you too. No matter where I went, what I did, who I was with, I was more interested in knowing what new weird thing Jungkook did today. Back then, nothing else was any more important than a little attention from my dream boy. And yet, there was so much anxiety and fear mixed with those experiences. Those were absolutely beautiful moments and everything I ever wished for, then why couldn’t I completely engage in them? Because I hadn’t learned to love myself yet. And so everything lacked, no matter how special. I can tell you for sure that me being in your life right now will do the exact same for you. So far you literally have followed all of my footsteps. And this is another reason for me needing to focus on myself. Until now, it was only about my own dreams and goals in life. But now I see how we are both almost tethered together in this connection, and I seem to be leading the way, aren’t I? For you to figure out the maze, I have to do that first. You know how you feel drawn to me, like you can never get enough? You might feel like it is your need to be loved by me, but really it is the need for you to follow in my next footsteps that is to focus on yourself. This is why you are never satisfied. Even when I am with you, you are still anxious about something you anticipate happening in the future. You are restless because you are not addressing the problems inside of you. You are trying to control this connection and this situation from outside, but that’s not where the issue is. You really think I’m some angel descended from heaven? Time to burst another bubble. I have a dark past too. I have hurt people, been destructive and done things I wish I hadn’t. The only difference? I have forgiven myself. I was young and didn’t know any better. It doesn’t help either that our society only teaches us to focus on the external things. Those mistakes didn’t define me nor will any other mistake I might make in the future. Nothing else defines me other than that I want to be happy and I’m committed to learning how to be happy and will learn and grow all my life in pursuit of happiness. You feel like you’re attracted to me because you need a loving person in your life, but what you’re really looking for subconsciously is to learn to love yourself because you see that I love myself. There is literally nothing in this world that makes a person more attractive than self love. It is the ultimate goal for every soul and someone who masters it is a veritable flame for all moths. No amount of love is enough for the person who doesn’t love themselves. Believe me, I’ve been there. You think I’m mad at you, but the thing is, the mire I focus on myself, the more I’m able to understand you more. So yes, even though you make me so mad so often, it doesn’t last at all. This connection has changed me in ways that surprise me too. In my past connections, if I was hurt, I would make sure I’d give back the same hurt back ten times so they knew what I went through. Not anymore. Very soon into this connection I’d realized that no matter how much I was hurt, I could never bring myself to do the same to you. And gradually I learnt to not be hurt at all in the first place. Because I always understand where you come from. And I always will. Not because I’m some saint, but because I have been through all of that. You are not wrong in wanting to be loved, or wanting assurance. It’s been a tough journey hasn’t it, being through situations and people that have distorted your perception of your own self? So much so that you now believe you are that person. But if you really were, then why did I see someone else when I first saw you? And after all this time, why do I still see that same person? No matter what happens in between, why hasn’t my perception changed of you? How is it that we are both looking at the same but different person? You might argue that your version of you is more accurate, not mine. Then why do you believe so strongly that your version of ME is more accurate, that you are ready to fight with everyone else over it? Why do you believe so strongly that you just KNOW me? Because as Twin Flames we are lucky to have someone designated to see ourselves in our divinity when we have forgotten that about ourselves. At this point, I don’t even care what you think about yourself. I know what I know and nothing and no one is ever going to convince me otherwise. Flaws and all, you are perfect to ME. But no one can convince you of that better than yourself. Unless you forgive, love and accept yourself, you will always feel like there’s not enough love in your life. No matter how many times we go over this, this is where it will always end up at.
Don’t get me wrong though, I feel your change and transformation. I feel your heart opening up, I feel you getting more and more vulnerable. And I know it’s scary. But this is the only way. When I had to let go, I realized what terrified me the most was if I was going to lose the “feeling” that existed then. The whole dreamy, head-over-heels, giggling like a little girl, and getting unmentionable thoughts 24/7 type of love feeling (yes is it that hard to believe it exists?) As it turned out, not only did the feeling not go, it transformed into this beautiful version where I have so much more control over it— I can feel this way when I decide to, instead of it being all over the place before. Ironically here, you feel like falling constantly when you hold on. You find your ground when you let go. Does it seem like I don’t think about you at all? The reality is, I’m just more at peace with these feelings. Instead of fighting them or trying to get rid of them, I let them stay with me with the instructions that they let me do other things like work, and they stay quietly beside me all day, and only get activated when I want them to lol. You are suffering because you are trying too hard to get an outcome, a result out of it, I’m just here enjoying the ride, wherever it takes me. If I leave you, you will be shattered, probably feel betrayed and unable to trust anyone else. If you leave, I’ll love you regardless. I have nothing to gain from this, and yet I gain the most beautiful, precious things from it every single day. All because I let go. I let go, not of you, but of my expectations of an outcome. In return, you stayed. And with you, the most high vibrational feelings that literally poets write about, singers sing about, and people everywhere spend all their lives looking for. I found them right where I was. It does make me sad to see you in pain but I know it’s only temporary and more than that, essential to get to where you must get in this lifetime. But it doesn’t have to be that painful. It took me years to understand certain things, and if I could teach just one thing, it would be acceptance. Resist less, accept more. Accept situations as they are. And watch them magically transform. The last thing, if you really, REALLY want to do something for me, something that would make me happy, and if I do in fact, have the right to ask for something from you— it is that you put yourself first right now. Independent of me. Pretty please. I know I’m kinda awesome and hard to resist lol but there must be things that you have wanted to do that had nothing to do with me. Explore yourself without judgement. And allow me the freedom to do the same. There is no one I want more than you in my life, but there are things I want to explore and do which have existed way before you came into my life. If I couldn’t do them, I would hate you for the rest of my life and I definitely don’t want that. I don’t want to rush a connection so special and rare. I don’t want to start something not knowing for sure that I can be consistent with. Whatever I start is going to be forever and for that we both need to be 100% ready without any doubts or reservations. If we’re not there yet, that’s alright, we should have enough time to prepare. Just know that no matter what happens, this connection is not going anywhere, and these feelings are not going away, cuz they never have. And IF, in the rare occasion that it has to end, know for sure that it will be decided by two people, not just one. It is the right of both people who are working towards this connection. Believe in Divine magic and timing. We’re going to be alright.
Enclosing I’d like to say: Are you a dictionary? Cuz you’re adding meaning to my life. Are you a camera? Cuz every time I look at you, I smile. Do you have a pencil? Cuz I want to erase your past and write our future. (Okay that’s enough Google search for today)
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Photograph by Claire Vogel.
EXCLUSIVE interview with Nate Weaver–director of photography on the “Art Is the Weapon” video
I recently reached out to Nate Weaver (director of photography on the “Art Is The Weapon” video), and he graciously agreed to answer some questions about the filming process. Read on to learn more about the creative process behind the launch of the Danger Days era!
1. Are there any props, characters, or concepts that didn’t make it to the video? I watching a behind-the-scenes video for “Na Na Na” and was surprised to see at least a few things that didn’t make it into the actual video. Was there anything that you guys filmed or discussed that weren’t included in the final cut?
You know, I’m a bad person to ask. I was there, but the place was literally blanketed in all these props and dressing that Jason and Gerard had come up with. All the art was carted out to the set days beforehand, and by the time I got there it looked like the Killjoys had been there for a week. I couldn’t keep track. You have to understand that Gerard was the source of all this stuff…Jason was adding and fleshing out plenty of ideas, but Gerard’s creativity was the source of everything and it was very off-the-cuff and free flowing.
2. One of my favorite scenes from the “Art Is The Weapon” video is Kobra Kid flinching and covering his ears at the sound of a gunshot. How much insight did the cast have into their characters’ personalities? Did they ever suggest certain scenes or details for their characters?
It’s really difficult for me to say, on music videos traditionally directors do not get too involved in “directing” the finer points of an artist (or their character). In a lot of music videos, what band members decide to bring to the screen is very much their decision because that character likely is on display in other ways.
That said, I’m pretty sure I remember the idea of Mikey flinching was Gerard’s idea. All the scenes we shot were pre-determined well in advance, so as far as did Ray, or Frank, or Mike come up with any of the scenes, I can’t say.
3. How and why was the Four Aces set chosen? What made the crew decide that a diner/gas station was the perfect place to introduce the Killjoys? Did you consider any other locations before you started filming?
This was a decision made by Gerard (to my knowledge) relatively early on. If I had to guess, the reasoning was practical. It’s tough to find a small geographic area that can give you a lot of different looks and places to play around in. But it was a fun playground!
4. What kind of steps did the cast and crew take to really “transform” the set, making it look like something from the Danger Days universe and not just a generic diner?
Well, I think one of the keys is knowing that we all knew that it was never supposed to look like a diner necessarily. Or a motel. Jason Fijal had a lot of ground to cover. I would guess that he was busy building gizmos like Dr. Death’s radio console and collecting props for a good week beforehand, if not more. And then at that point, it’s just him looking at a list of scenes we have on the shotlist, and dressing those sets the day before. I remember we had to have a couple discussions about how to turn the motel’s front office into Dr. Death’s radio station. But luckily for us, it was all supposed to be post-apocalyptic, makeshift anyway!
5. What was the creative process like? How did you and Gerard work together to make a video that matched his vision?
It was like holding onto a firehose? But I would mean that in the best way. I mean, I’m glad you asked, because I’ve been lucky enough in my music video career to work with some very incredible, creative people. Gerard though is one of the most freely creative people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet and work with. From the very first meeting, I quickly realized that Gerard had this world very fully realized in his head, and I’d need to hang on and just try to fill the few gaps in his plan with photography and filming approach that fit his vision. Gerard was really the director. And I couldn’t have been more happy than to just help him get all that stuff out of his head and onto the screen. It was fast, it was chaotic, and it was one of the most freely creative shoots I’ve ever been a part of. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
6. What was a typical day at the shoot like? What duties and responsibilities did you have?
(Since mine was only a one day shoot, I have to kind of breeze over the ‘typical’ part.)
I have to comment that there was nothing typical about this shoot…it wasn’t typical because we had so much to shoot in one day, because Gerard was so involved in almost everything, I could go on and on. It was the best kind of not-typical.
A lot of people might think a director is responsible for everything, but really a director is (hopefully), overseeing a lot of talented people and just letting them do their thing and making sure it all meshes to the director’s vision. So if you say Gerard was a director because it was his idea, and he was very interested in certain details of how it was all brought to life, then my job as co-director was doing all the director jobs that he was too busy to do because he was in front of the camera so much. That means breaking rough ideas for scenes into a shotlist, deciding how it was going to be lit, and “gap filling” other creative decisions that needed to be made. Where the camera goes, where the cuts will be, etc.
7. From what you’ve said, it sounds like the schedule was pretty rapid-fire. Do you think it would have turned out differently if the crew had more time, or was the tight schedule the perfect way to squeeze out creative energy?
Well, unfortunately, it’s almost always the case that if you had more time or money there would be improvements. I would have loved for it to be a two-day shoot. But I have to realize that most of those improvements would be to things like lighting, and maybe more coverage on some of the more peripheral concepts Gerard had. But the core of why people seemed to like it as much as they did…all that would have been the same. I doubt it would have been a “better” piece in the fans eyes if we had more time.
And yes, I do think the circumstances of all of it made it a little bit to the screen. It was to be a rapid fire trailer. So if by the end of the day the feeling of “getting things done” came across as urgency on the screen, it all fit together.
8. Finally, are there any fun/interesting stories from the shoot that you could share?
This may already be common knowledge, I don’t know, but when the guys are sitting in the diner eating scavenged food, all the cans were supposed to be vegetarian chili I think. Mikey wasn’t into real chili. But I think what the art department got by accident was either real chili or refried beans? Mikey was genuinely really grossed out by having to eat this stuff, but he barely said a word and at the end of the take was trying to spit it out I think. It was hilarious, but I felt bad he wound up doing something he was so grossed out by! After I called cut he’s like sputtering and trying to get this stuff out and everybody’s laughing.
Before I we finish, I just want to say again how awesome this project was to work on. In making music video, it’s not always what it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes people are difficult, sometimes the conditions are a pain. I was a late MCR fan, I didn’t get “it” until Three Cheers. But going into it, I wasn’t counting on it feeling like a bunch of people getting together and making a short movie for fun, with the added benefit of having some resources to get those fun ideas on screen. It’s so rare to have a great time on a shoot, and then the final product turns out amazing as well. Everybody involved was awesome, and I can’t stress enough how awesomely easy and low-key it was to work with Gerard, Ray, Mike & Frank. It will always be a really fond memory in my life; gratifying beyond words!
[Originally published 08.08.2018]
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priestessrosery · 2 years
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An Alternate Universe where Raizel didn't like the way Frankenstein goes around flinging himself at stronger enemies and shit while staying with him in Lukedonia.
Raizel is afraid Frankenstein will leave him as well or he might need to eliminate Frankenstein because of his duties as the Noblesse.As the Noblesse it is his duty to eliminate any and all threats against Lukedonia.However,due to the years he hasn't been with anyone,the idea of a once again empty mansion is now scaring him.He never thought he would eventually be afraid of anything,let alone be obsessed,with something or someone.He couldn't imagine a world where Frankenstein isn't there to make him tea or make him worry.
So,He decided to take on a part time job of eliminating the possibility in which Frankenstein would stray away from him.
The only way he could think of,as of the moment is,to be frank,*pun intended*
To fully asume control of Frankenstein.To make Frankenstein his,literally and metaphorically.
He knows that isn't what the bond does.He knows he still doesn't have any form of control over Frankenstein's decision making.Which is precisely why he has to do this.He doesn't want to always have to use mind control.Besides,that isn't permanent.
If Frankenstein gets tired of him,gets bored because he is very mundane,something Raizel won't deny.After all,Frankenstein IS human,humans have such short lives that staying with something or someone for decades can be quite boring,especially with someone like him.
He knows that Frankenstein will seek out thrill and other 'humany' stuff he still doesn't have a good handle on.
And he is also aware that one of the things Frankenstein does to get thrilled is flinging himself at almost everyone he wants to,even darting forth the Lord,Seer.
(It's the Previous Lord's name *obviously*,he might sulk if we only use the title "Previous Lord" to address him.)
This.This will give him 100% assurance better than any leading brand of insurance companies,that Frankenstein will stay with him forever and ever.It will make sure Frankenstein won't ever be in danger,won't ever be in trouble again.He won't have to come home to Raizel bloodied and bruised anymore cuz he'll never leave the mansion anymore!Unless it's of utmost necessity.
Seer once came to question Raizel's decision,whether he actually likes this new Frankenstein.
Raizel,being lonely for ages,thinks he enjoys this.
Raizel asks if Seer plans on getting involved or plans to stop him.
Seer saying it depends if Raizel decides to cross any more lines he knows he shouldn't cross.
Raizel asking what if he does.
Seer saying Raizel will regret it if he does so.
Raizel asking what Seer meant.
Seer saying he won't interfere with anything since he believes Raizel is at the right age and condition to do so,but now he doubts himself.
Raizel says that he won't hesitate to get Seer out the way if he does,in any form or kind,makes a move that somehow oppresses or opposes his decision.
Seer says he still has to raise Raskreia so he definitely won't.
Seer leaves and never interferes with anything,like he said.
Clarifications:
Frankenstein is made to act like a doll.Frankenstein is a doll.
Frankenstein's mind is all
"I love Master."
"I'll follow him wherever he goes."
"I'll obey his orders no matter what."
"If he punishes me,I definitely did something to deserve it."
"Everything Master does is for my sake."
Lies,lies and more lies continue to seep into the mad scientist's head.Will Raizel be able to let go of Frankenstein?Will Frankenstein be able to stop clinging on Raizel's sweetly devouring embrace?
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brinconvenient · 3 years
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Green Egg and Fam
You know what? I'm just gonna go ahead and do this...
So a few years back, I was talking to another trans woman who is very familiar with the DC Universe and we were trying to figure out who is Actually An Egg, and after a few suggestions back and forth, I galaxy-brained the answer. She heartily agreed and we talked about it a bit: 1. Artsy 2. Serial Monogamist who is a Relationship Disaster (Big "Do I want to Be With Her, or Be Her?" energy) 3. Becomes best friends with every ex-girlfriend 4. Noted Respecter of Women in Very Terrible and Awkward Ways 5. Chronically allergic to self-reflection and introspection, but also addicted to it in much the same way lactose intolerant people talk about how they can't give up cheese. 6. Just a complete and Utter Messy Agent of Chaos. 7. All too willing to adopt Other People's Expectations and internalize them as a Sacred Duty. 8. Just constantly Marked By Tragedy - both external and self-created.
It's Kyle Rayner, kids.
Torchbearer,
Honor Lantern,
Erstwhile Ion/avatar of the power of will
Kyle "I will be the Last of the Green Lanterns and yet keep trying to ressurect this entire Corps of Space Cops that I didn't even know existed until some Blue Dude showed up to give me jewelry and I guess marry me into the Corps? Because I guess that's just my job now and that will become my whole personality" Rayner.
After the conversation, this - the only fanfic I have literally ever written popped out of my head fully formed. It's intended to really be Chapter 1 of Several which are basically conversations between Kyle and one Ex-Girlfriend per chapter as Kyle finally accepts herself and transitions.
Eventually she reveals that the name "Ion" comes from her real name "ImOgeN" because she read Nevada and Was Impacted and she's just that extra.
But, honestly, despite getting started on the Alex chapter ages ago, I never have drawn the energy to go back and finish and/or write more, so I'm just gonna share the first chapter of what I am calling:
"Green Egg and Fam"
Putting the actual content behind the Read More because I've already rambled too long.
“It’s just exhausting, you know? Every few years it seems like I have to pick up the pieces of my life, my memory, my self and figure out who the hell I am! Every time I get a handle on things, someone or something comes along and shakes up the snow globe,y’know? I’ve tried to talk to Diana about it and, like, she’s compassionate and cares and offers sympathy, but most of the time, my whole relationship with her is just one more flake in the globe and I never know who we’re going to be to each other. Somehow, though, you’re always my favorite ex-boyfriend. It’s weird, right?”
Kyle patted Donna’s arm reassuringly. He glanced from Donna’s face to the view over Lake Michigan. There was no more beautiful view of the lakeshore than the roof of the John Hancock Building. He could just about make out the lights of the small shore towns across the lake in Michigan, and he could see the industrial Indiana towns along the round tip of the lake.
“I’m not positive I like that descriptor of our relationship, but I am happy to be some kind of constant for you,” he said with a rueful smile. “Donna, you are one of my dearest friends and I always want to be here for you. I know you didn’t need my help with Dr. Psycho here, but I’m glad I was Earthside to help you out anyway.”
They’d taken the diminutive psychic menace to the Chicago Special Crimes Unit, who had training and facilities for telepaths and telekinetics. They found this perch when Donna said she just needed a little bit to settle down before heading back to the Titans Tower in New York.
“No, I had him just about handled - a Lasso of Persuasion is pretty useful, after all - but I’m glad you swung through, all the same,” Donna said. “I’m glad to have a friend here. Psycho was really messing with my head this time. He kept dredging through my memory, pulling out bits and pieces of lives lived and people lost. He made me relive the loss of Terry and Robert and Jenny, over and over, replayed the tortures of Dark Angel, dragged me through that whole mess with the Titans of Myth, and I’m actually not sure which of any of those actually happened in this reality anymore.”
Donna’s breath was getting ragged and tears were falling down her face, twinkling in the moonlight.
“You told me about Terry and the kids when we were dating, so since I still remember them, they must still have existed and they still loved you and you still got to love them. I’m a little fuzzy on the Titans of Myth, so I can’t be sure about that stuff. But you’re here now and that’s what’s important right now. Just take a sec to enjoy this moment, this view, this night and see how you feel, ok?” he said.
They sat in the quiet, next to each other, watching the waves reflect and distort the moonbeams. Donna’s breathing calmed down and she straightened her back, half a head taller than Kyle even while sitting.
“Thank you, Kyle. I’ll be ok now, I think. I appreciate you listening. You have a good heart. If you’d only learn to actually fight without that ring, you’d make a pretty decent Amazon. Well … if you weren’t a man, of course.”
Kyle coughed and thanked the stars that Donna couldn’t see him blush. Suddenly Kyle felt like there was lava beneath his skin and he couldn’t sit comfortably.
He didn’t want Donna to catch on, so he stifled his squirming and whipped up a quick construct of a miniature green Kyle in an Amazonian uniform, breastplate, Spartan skirt and calf boots. For added effect he made sure to widen his shoulders and used Hal Jordan as a reference for a jaw far more square than Kyle’s real life chin.
“I’m not sure I can pull off the uniform. Guess I’ll stick with green and black for now. Ha!” he said. He hoped it didn't sound as forced as it felt.
“Oh I don’t know. You’ve got great legs, Kyle! Maybe you should start wearing shorts when in uniform. Besides, you had those over-the-knee boots for the longest time. I think you’d be just fine!” Donna said, laughing.
“Give me a hug, Dick just texted me to meet him in Blüdhaven. Take care and fly safe back to Oa!” she said.
After a quick, warm embrace, she turned eastward and flew off over the lake. Kyle watched her fly out of sight. He looked down and saw little Amazon Kyle, slowly spinning in the air. He drew the construct up to eye level and returned the shoulders and jaw back to his more slender and softer reality. It didn’t look that bad actually.
He’d been trying to make Donna smile, and deflect from … something before, so he exaggerated those features to highlight the incongruence, but he didn’t hate this more realistic image.
He continue to finesse the construct’s features. Like most artists, he never really considered a piece finished, he just stopped working on it. He smoothed the musculature, narrowed the shoulders a little further, pulled the hips out just a bit more, and left the waist alone. The ersatz Kyle’s face got softer still, the brow less pronounced, the nose narrower, the chin just a bit more rounded. He watched the chest muscles soften and breasts form to fill out the breastplate better.
Finally, he lengthened the construct’s hair to shoulder length, adding some wave and curls like Donna’s somehow-always-perfect hair.
And there she was. The woman who’d been haunting Kyle’s dreams as long as he could remember. Slowly spinning in the air was a woman who could easily have been Kyle’s sister, wearing Amazonian garb (or at least what he remembered from seeing Donna’s while they were dating so many years ago).
He didn’t know how much time had passed since he started fiddling with the image, and he didn’t know how long he’d spent staring at the final form. Sister. Yeah, right.
With an angry wave he flashed his hand through the construct, dissolving and dispersing the light particles that he’d given form. He hastily looked around the roof to make sure no one had seen him or, specifically, seen the construct. The burning sensation of shame returned instantly and he immediately flew into the sky until the buildings looked like so many light-speckled building blocks.
He took himself through a calming exercise he learned from Kilowog to help him center himself and sling his ring “like he wasn’t a complete Poozer and deserved to wear it.” Kilowog had no appreciation for just how hard it was for other people to feel calm when he was around. Still, Kyle found it helped when the pink giant wasn’t breathing down his neck.
“My will is strong enough to carry the torch for the entire Green Lantern Corps, I can stop these feelings. I can make all of these thoughts go away. I can stop this. I’ve got too much responsibility to keep indulging this … this nonsense” he thought, trying to ignore the sting of the tears fighting their way free to fall down his face, ignore the pain in his heart.
“I don’t want to lose my friends - what would Donna say? Would she think I was a pervert, or making fun of her somehow? I definitely don’t want to lose Hal’s and the guys’ respect. I don’t want to lose my whole life just because I’m some kind of freak. Get it together, Rayner. No one else is feeling sorry for themselves because they don’t fit in.”
He pulled a hand down his face and pointed his right fist with it’s gaudy, shining green ring on the middle finger toward the Milky Way and flew into space. He hoped the cold solitude of the transluminal conduits would help him regain his composure before he faced Guy, Hal, John and Kilowog for the Honor Lantern meeting. For the millionth time, he wished he could just be more like them, have just a sliver of their easy and effortless masculinity. They made it look so simple.
“Bet they don’t spend half their life trying to figure out what is wrong with them,” he thought. He tried so hard not to envy them, but it was really hard sometimes.
Especially nights like tonight where his resolve had failed him yet again and he gave in to his most hidden thoughts. He entered the transluminal conduit between Saturn and Jupiter and closed his eyes.
He traveled faster than light, but it still took time to reach Oa, so he tried to sleep and hoped that his dreams wouldn’t betray him again.
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samwinchestersgf · 3 years
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guardian angel
requested by: anonymous
request: Could you write something with Gabriel being the guardian angel of Sam and Dean's little sister?
summary: sam and dean’s younger sister is a klutz. after cracking under the pressure of living up to her brothers’ reputation, gabriel, her guardian archangel, makes her feel better.
warnings: mild language. angst. gabriel being a turd bucket, and then being a sweetheart. fluff.
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i sit around the big map table in the bunker with sam and dean. with my arms crossed, i lean back in my chair. damn, they’re insufferable at times, but, this time is worse than ever before.
“what do you mean i can’t come on the hunt with you?” i ask, outraged.
“i mean exactly what i said, y/n.” dean’s voice raises, daring me to top it.
i match his volume. “why can’t i come?!”
“because i said so, okay?” he gets up to his feet. he’s louder than me, and bigger than me. he always has been.
“this is some misogynistic bullshit.” i bring my tone up the slightest.
this really pisses him off. “i am not a misogynist for wanting to keep my little sister safe. sorry, that’s not how it works.”
“i’d be safe on the hunt!” i look over at sam for back up. he’s always been the more reasonable one.
he shrugs his shoulders and mouths the word, ‘sorry.’
“when have i ever not been safe on a hunt?!” i retry my approach.
“just about every damn time!” his voice booms through the bunker, ricocheting off the walls.
“i’ve never gotten hurt!” i look back over to sam, my eyes begging him to stand up for me.
“maybe you’ve never gotten that hurt... but you are super clumsy.” his voice is low and quiet compared to mine and dean’s.
“see, i’ve never gotten that hurt, just like, scratches and stuff.” i give him a smug look.
“you fall around so much, there’s a chance that this time could be the time that you get seriously hurt.” sam’s sympathetic with me, trying to get me to calm down.
sam has always been the level-headed sibling. he’s always the mediator. even when we were younger, the only person he’d argue with was dad, and he didn’t get the balls to do that until he was older. still, he’s 6 years older than me and has made it his personal duty to protect me. he enjoys playing the role that dean always got to play when we were little.
dean and i, though, are always at each other’s throats. it not that we don’t get along, because we do, but we both inherited our father’s stubbornness, whereas sam was blessed with mary’s mediating abilities. dean’s a whole decade older than me, so he thinks he’s all tough.
“i can take care of myself,” i reroute the conversation. i find myself saying that line a lot.
“when dad died, he made it my responsibility to take care of you and i’m not gonna let you go out and get hurt.” dean spits.
when dean brings up dad, out of respect, he knows that i’ll do what he says. that’s why he doesn’t bring him up very often. i lean backwards in my chair quickly, but too harshly. the chair goes flying down to the ground.
i close my eyes and prepare for impact, but it never comes. i feel myself being pushed up and back to the chair’s neutral position. my brothers look confused, and so do i.
“did you...?” my voice trails off, looking at dean.
“my reflexes are quick, but not that quick.” he shakes his head. “but, see? you’re clumsy.”
“dean, can i at least pr-“
“you’re not coming. i’m serious.” he says sternly.
“sam?” i turn to him, pleading with my eyes.
“sorry, y/n.”
i huff and push my hair away from the table, standing up. “fine. i’ll go to my room and be useless.”
as i whip around, my elbow bumps into the chair, which goes tumbling to the ground, charting course to land right on my feet. but, i’m yanked backwards, away from the chair.
“ow!” i yelp at the grip on my waist. “dean!”
“that’s wasn’t me.” he throws his hands up.
“seriously? i’m not stupid.” i gripe.
“it really wasn’t him.” sam confirms.
irked, i shrug it off. “whatever.”
i walk to my room and flop on the bed. what a lousy day. apparently i’m too clumsy for anything. frustration bubbles up in me. when are they gonna stop treating me like a little kid? i’m 25 years old.
i grip my pillow in my hands. stupid brothers. stupid hunting monsters. stupid clumsy feet. stupid everything. it’s not fun being the weakest link.
i groan and chuck my pillow across the room, but it stops midair. i blink, “what the fuck.”
i grab the gun from my bed side table, and when i turn back around, the pillow is gone. i stand up at the foot of my bed, holding the gun ready. something weird is going on.
something that feels a lot like my pillow smacks me in the back of the head. i turn around and point the gun at the wall. there’s nothing there. i let out a deep, shaky breath.
suddenly, my pillow is being held to my face from someone behind me. i let out a scream, and the pillow immediately falls to the ground. i turn around and with a sweep of my feet, knock the intruder to the ground. i stomp on their leg and cock my gun, pointing it at their head.
“who the hell- gabriel?”
footsteps pound down the hallway. it’s no doubt sam and dean, alerted by my scream. i look at him, absolutely confused.
“call off your attack dogs and then we’ll talk.” he says before disappearing again.
sam and dean burst through the door. dean is the first to speak, “what happened?!”
“there was a snake!” i lie. “he slithered back into the wall.”
“you scared us, y/n.” sam relaxed.
“well, the snake scared me.” i half-apologize.
they roll their eyes and leave. i shut the door behind them and cross my arms at gabriel, who has reappeared, but this time on his feet.
“why did you try to suffocate me with my pillow?” i whisper.
“just having some fun, darlin.” he smiles.
i’m not amused. “why are you here?”
“well, if you haven’t noticed, you’re a little clumsy.” he teases.
“if you’re just gonna bash me for it, you can leave.” i warn, aggravated.
“that’s not why i’m here. although, it is super funny.” he smirks.
“i will scream.”
“fine, fine. i’m your guardian angel, or whatever.” gabriel admits.
“my what?” i raise an eyebrow.
“all those times you should’ve gotten hurt out there, but didn’t? that was me.” he comes clean.
“so, you’re the prick that bruised my waist from grabbing me so hard.” i roll my eyes.
“i’m the prick that stopped you from breaking your toe.” he sasses. “let see the bruises.”
“gabriel, no-“
“seriously, let me see. i’m not supposed to let you get hurt.” he demands.
“it’s just some bruises.” i counter.
“that’s still an injury.” he points out.
i reluctantly lift my shirt up to my ribcage and hold it there, allowing him to look at the purple bruises he left. it’s an awkward moment, for sure. his eyes linger there for what seems like forever. i clear my throat, and he snaps out of it and walks toward me.
i let my shirt drop to it’s neutral position and back up, “what are you doing?”
“healing you.” he states.
“gabriel, it’s literally just a few bruises.” i screw up my face.
“it’s bruised down to the bone.” he informs me.
“what the hell?!” i lift my shirt up slightly and look at the bruises again. “all you did was grab me!”
“i’m an archangel, sweetie. we’re rough.” he winks.
“ew.” i throw my pillow at him.
“seriously, c’mere.” he beckons me toward him.
i roll my eyes and walk toward him, holding my shirt up. his large hands grip my waist, sending jolts of butterflies through my stomach. light radiates from his fingertips, and when he pulls away, the bruises are gone.
i gingerly press on my side, and there’s no pain at all. i look back up at gabriel, who is inches away from me. my face flushes red and i clear my throat, taking a step back.
“thank you.” i swallow.
“you’re welcome.” he nods.
dean’s shouts echo through the bunker. “we’re leaving now! remember to stay inside and call jody is you need anything.”
“gabriel?” i smirk.
“what?”
“you might have to protect me from my brother’s fists.” i grin.
“what? kid, don’t make my job harder. y/n-“
i take off towards the garage, taking a short cut, and hop in one of our spare cars. it’s a pickup truck. i sink low into the seat so the boys won’t see me. i hear them as they walk into the garage.
“i kind of feel bad, dean.” i hear sam say as they approach their car. “she really wanted to come.”
“so? she’ll be fine.” he shrugs.
“she’s upset.” sam reasons.
“and she’ll get over it. should we take the truck?” he asks. my body tenses up. oh god, please don’t take the truck.
“it’s too cramped in there.” sam shakes his head.
“you’re right.”
the door to the impala closes and i watch as they drive off. gabriel pops into the passenger’s seat beside me.
“this is the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. they’re gonna kill you.” he tells me.
“good thing i have a guardian angel.” i smile cheesily.
i speed off after them and follow them through the twisting roads. i wonder if they’re suspicious of me. they probably are. they’ve probably already recognized the car.
my phone rings, making me jump. i pick up. “hello?”
“is everything okay at home?” sam’s voice asks through the phone.
“yep. hey, where you guys even going?” i ask.
he sighs, “a vampire hunt. it’s not too far, but stay home. we should be back soon.”
“fine. bye, sam.” i hang up the phone. “ready to watch me kill some bloodsuckers, gabe?”
“y/n, you should go home.” he leans back in the seat.
“if you say that again i’ll make your job even harder by crashing the car.” i joke.
he scoffs. “seriously, go home.”
“listen, i don’t even need a guardian angel in the first place, much less another person bossing me around.” my tone becomes serious.
“you do need a guardian angel.” he rolls his eyes. “you’d be dead by now without me.”
“bullshit. i don’t need- or want a guardian angel. so, go away.” i huff.
“y/n, c’mon-“
“go away and stop guarding me, gabriel.” i demand.
he sighs. “fine.”
he disappears and i slam on my steering wheel. i watch as sam and dean pull into a warehouse. i wait until they walk into the building to park and get out. i walk up behind them and tap them on the shoulder with a shit-eating grin on my face.
“y/n, what the hell?” dean whisper shouts. “get out!”
“i’m here to help, there’s no reason in sending me home now.” i smile.
“i’m killing you when we get home.” he groans as vampires come running towards us.
i take my machete and start slinging, one by one demolishing the nest by cutting their heads off. i get carried away. i’m doing really good!
a pair of fangs plunge into my neck and start sucking. a sharp pain coarses through my body. i scream and writhe under their touch. i feel the blood flowing out of my neck and into their mouth, but i’m utterly helpless.
i’m pushed to the ground, away from the vampire. i look up and watch as gabriel decapitates him. he looks down at me, his face saying all i need to know. if he were to speak right now, he would say- “i told you so.”
he quickly leans down and presses two fingers to my neck, healing my injury, and then vanishes into thin air. sam and dean come running over to my side.
“are you okay?” sam asks.
“did it hurt you?” his voice is threatening.
“no, i killed him.” i lie. “i just fell.”
dean is furious with me, so he drives home alone, while sam accompanies me in the truck. after a few minutes of driving, he turns to me with a smile on his face.
“you faired pretty well.” he’s full of pride.
i know i really didn’t, and i’d probably be dead if it weren’t for gabriel. “i know.”
back at the bunker, i sit on my bed, hugging mh pillow. i was raised by one of the best hunters ever, and i suck at hunting. i’ve had every resource i could imagine to get better, and all the experience i could have, and i still suck.
i cry. the hot tears stream down my face. i’m really not good at anything, am i? i’m the worst winchester. i can’t do anything. i need a guardian angel to save my life because i can’t even handle myself with a dumb vampires nest. sam and dean were right; gabriel was right; everyone was right about me.
the bed dips a little in the corner. i look up and see gabriel sitting there, watching me. i sniff and wipe the tears away, trying (and failing) to cover up the fact that i’m upset.
“you’ve gotten stop surprising me like that.” i force a laugh.
“i’m always watching, y/n. i know you’re crying.” he’s sympathetic, but i don’t want him to be.
i deflect. “always watching? that’s creepy.”
“a little, but enjoy the show.” he laughs.
“ew, gabe.” i crinkle up my nose.
“why are you crying?” he asks, getting back on topic.
“do we really have to talk about this?” i groan.
“well, i am your guardian angel.” he shrugs.
“i’m not hurt.”
he adds, “physically.”
“it’s a story for another time,” i sniff.
“no, no. now.” he corrects.
i roll my eyes and hesitate. “i’m the worst winchester.”
“you’re all pretty insufferable, and stubborn.” he waves a dismissive hand.
“gee, thanks, but, thats not what i mean.” i press my lips into a grimace. “i can’t hunt. i need a stupid guardian angel to watch over me so i don’t die. i’m not good at anything.”
“i bet you’re good at something.” he reasons.
“nope.” i shake my head.
“hm...” his eyes flicker down to my mouth. my breath hitches.
he leans in, before i could even protest (if i wanted to), and kisses me. gabriel, the archangel, kisses me. my hands work through his hair momentarily before he pulls away.
he breaths, “you’re good at that.”
my face flushes red. maybe i do need a guardian angel.
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ok i got the aesvic out of my system now time to pick apart the letter n why i wont really be following aesops diary exactly here. literally no one asked but i wanted to get my thoughts down somewhere cos i have. a lot
just gonna put a quick rundown of aesops diary entry as a refresher (mostly for myself so i dont miss anything): he dreamt that he was helping jerry with what was probably a murder n was affirmed n he thinks its a sign congratulating him on carrying out his duty. over the years, he carries out his duties as an undertaker n comes to the manor looking for a “fresh start” aka what sounds like his first victim. according to aesop, said victim should be quiet, n potential victim number 1 is victor. something about badly needing him to become his “silent friend” n he mentions he’ll get to wick n the 2 other survivors in due time, but for now he’s very eager to start his “mission”.
im generally okay with the letter (i have seen so many fights over this aha) cos there is no surprise he wants to kill ppl (ppl who r fighting over this point. did u even read his deductions?? guy happily killed his mentor??). but i didnt quite like the fact that he still looks up to jerry (although. i guess thats valid i just. dont like it). i was also initially kind of confused about the real reason why he would want to kill ppl since as u progress through the letter it sounds less like he kills for duty (cos of the whole dream thing at the start) but more “because i want to :)”, which is an okayish edgy kinda take imo. like not that u cant characterize aesop as Kill Kill Murder Die, but i kinda find that. pretty boring in the long term.
im just gonna put what my original take on aesop was, like all of it. first off, he hates jerry. u cannot tell me a psychotic serial killer like that can raise a child without emotional trauma. like any child, this isnt even counting the extra damage done because hes autistic. (n i also hc that aesop has read his moms letter to him at some point, n he should have come to the conclusion that it was somewhat also jerrys fault, whether through logic or denial that his mom would want to leave him, so that just adds to it.) but as much as he hates him, his teachings are the only ones hes been exposed to, n its been so ingrained in him since young so even if he hates jerry he would still subscribe to whatever twisted ideology jerry was feeding him, which ill get to in a sec.
going through his accessories, he has that origami that he folds for each of his clients, n it shows that underneath it all, aesop is still kind. this isnt expected of him n its definitely not part of his job scope as an embalmer. he (still?) has the heart to wish the best for those that have departed n takes the time n effort to fold one for each n every client he sends off, which is probably a lot. so going off on that, my hc is that jerry, being the manipulative asshole that he is (who probably definitely manipulated his mom into indirect suicide) probably used his kindness against him to make him believe that by murdering ppl he is helping them, framing all of his serial kills as a sort of mercy kill (like his mom). so the thing that aesop takes away from all this is the very twisted logic that by killing ppl he is helping them, therefore being a good embalmer and a good person in general. n everyone wants to be a sort of good person, or at least for aesop that is part of his job description to be a good embalmer. n we all know aesop is very serious about his job.
i also hc that he has killed several ppl between killing jerry n coming to the manor, cos i follow the story that he took the invitation from that poor lady n thats how he ended up at the manor. surely the lady didnt come to him right after jerry died?? but anyway, the way i see it is that he thought he liked to kill. like he finally truly understood why jerry kills so much (which is interesting now that i think about it. guy really just went along with all those murders without truly believing huh), because it felt good to kill. at least thats what he thought, the revelation that killing felt good n is good, but i say its because he hated jerry, n offing someone u kinda hate should probably feel pretty gucci. n its also so much easier to pick clients off the streets than in the manor, so i would think that he has killed ppl like his mentor did, but each time he did the great feeling that came with ending ppls life just. wasnt as good as the first time round. it just became a sort of normal satisfaction of a successful embalming.
this can go two ways: 1. he keeps on killing to try to find that great feeling again, which is cool i guess (n probably what canon would want, except canon states that he hasnt killed since jerry), but id like to go with 2. he just stops because jerry isnt around to enforce it whenever he isnt feeling up to psychoing someone to their death (which is probably how jerry got his victims, n damn if that doesnt take a lot of mind games that i dont think aesop has the mental capacity for since half of it is fighting with his social anxiety n other issues. dealing with alive strangers?? no thanks?? i doubt he would have learnt properly how to lure in clients as efficiently as jerry because of this, mostly cos he was only needed for the murder afterparty aka embalming n funerals). n as much as he stays professional, there is no. professional way of gaslighting someone to their death.
(n also since ppl have pointed out that his twitter replies n other kinda informal stuff have shown that aesop does have reverent respect for life, which also adds to him not being so blindly bloodthirsty as implied in the letter. i dont really see the twitter replies as very canon, but it does make sense that he would come to revere life with his unique take and obsession over death, for one cannot exist without the other)
so this leads me to the motive that aesop brings to the manor, at least how i see it. he isnt exactly coming to the manor to kill per se (like from the very early story, he came to the manor to return the letter to a relative of the deceased lady, something about respecting her last wishes. something like that, its really been a while since i saw that exerpt), so like killing ppl isnt his main purpose of visit. its more of hes always on the lookout for weaker (or at least those that take less mind games to kill) people to mercy kill, n it just so happens that he knows the manor n his mentor almost died from there, so theres a pretty good chance he can find some ppl that fall into this category n so it just so happens that he also has a job to do there. its still counted as a Job for him since no ones gonna tell him that embalmers dont actually. murder. 
so in my version, aesop only tries to sway ppl that he knows he can convince, n these ppl would typically be those very sickly ones like his mom (andrew im looking at u) or those with an actual death wish/ very weak will to live. but here aesop is choosing his “first victim”, and the criteria for that is... quiet? never mind “not evading him” and “not cranky” being on the list too, but that isnt quite what i was expecting from someone so dedicated to their duty of murder. sure he wants an easy first kill, but like. i dont think its consistent if his motive was really to continue jerrys bastard legacy. especially when the next paragraph is essentially him gushing over victor, that... sort of implies something else. or at least in the way i see it, since i believe that canon wants us to think that aesop just really loves to kill.
aesop likes victor. very much so. so much till he wants to kill him. which i guess makes sense cos he likes death, n now he likes victor. so he just. puts the two things he likes together. whats better than victor? dead victor. anyway the rest of the letter is more like “whatever, i technically should kill the others too but my priority is victor” so like. he confuses his (dare i say) yandere tendencies with his duty since the end goal for both is a body in a coffin.
having said that. i know i have aesvic brainrot but i also know this is one sided as hell (at least from the letter alone, not counting the letter shaped cookies in his birthday art that apparently belonged to victors birthday cake aha) n lowkey alarming since. the goal is to kill victor. i kinda want to interpret it as him genuinely wanting to be friends with victor (really wanting him to be a “silent friend”, maybe cos he doesnt actually know how to be friends with living ppl n is better with dead ones? therefore victor should be dead to be friends?) but not knowing how to n throwing in his obsession with death ends up with. this minor disaster waiting to happen. but i uh. dont know if this is valid. its valid to me at least, with my original interpretation of aesop. n again cos of his ingrained professionalism, he also kinda sees this as part of his job to send ppl off, so its another plus. not for victor, tho.
idk if ill add this yandere side in my aesop. i mean my boi has technically tried to kill victor multiple times in the past HAHAHAHA. maybe like sometimes he can be a bit obsessive. as a treat. but generally nah cos thats definitely gonna end up in a murder somewhere somehow n i cant. just kill victors here on the ask blog scene lashjflkjhdlfkjhas
so yeah that kinda takes care of the last part of the letter, as for the first part. as much as aesop hates jerry, i would also think hes pretty starved for affirmation (like i said jerry isnt going to be a good parent figure ever) n i guess it makes sense if the only times jerry has ever complimented him was aiding him in his kills n hiding the evidence, which might (?) add to his desire to kill (but that probably dies with jerry aha). so the way i see it as aesop is getting affirmation n takes it as a good sign instead of. remotely liking jerry. idk if im stretching it a little but i really dont like the take where hes okay with jerry. anyway we are ignoring that he hasnt killed before entering the manor cos that doesnt quite make sense to me (i wasnt dreaming about the letter from a lady stabbed in the face 36 times or so right???? right???????)
im also not like. trying to defend him, im just trying to make sense of his diary. boi has issues n is a little too far gone (not as far as canon tho), in my take very deluded in his way of showing kindness. literally cool motive still murder (or in canon, just murder?), please get therapy. but i just dont really like the direction that the letter was originally trying to imply, with him really just hell bent on murder without like. a clear motive (at least to me it isnt very clear since the last part really doesnt sound consistent with his supposed intentions). i mean i love being edgy with aesop every now n then but i dont think it would make for meaningful characterizations in the long run so. ill still be sticking with my original take on aesop with maybe a bit of yandere for victor cos thats always fun
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