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rynnaaurelius · 3 years

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Titan’s Curse But Make It Time Loop: Nico di Angelo Edition

-Okay so I’m at work and not doing much and who wants to actually edit your shit drafts for your actual WIPs so that they’re less bad? No one, that’s who

-So I had an idea: The Titan’s Curse. Also known as the book where people start to die. It sucks to be a demigod in this book--for the first time in the original series, it really does.

-Not everything is fixed, not everyone is saved, and people start to have to make really tough decisions.

-So we fix it. Not by throwing Percy, or Annabeth, or Thalia, or, hell, even Bianca or Grover into the mix.

-Throwing the marginally more grown-up, more trained, and more knowledgeable demigods into the fire, who’d get everyone alive and safe by the third time ‘round? Nah.

-We’re making Nico fix this.

-Because here’s the thing about Nico di Angelo: Sure, he grows up to become a major badass, the Ghost King, so on and so forth. But not yet.

-For now, Nico is baby, a ten-year-old whose experience with any kind of fighting consists of one (1) Capture The Flag game and who’s still half-reliant on Mythomagic to explain what the fuck is happening.

-He’s also got the worst knowledge makeup possible! He knows he’s a son of Hades, which is bad, he knows to stick monsters with the pointy end of swords but nothing else, he knows that Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace are Very Big Deals (But also doesn’t know why beyond parents), and he’s, at best, vaguely aware that there’s some kind of bad prophecy hanging around.

-Also by the end of the book, he’s just been told his last immediate family who isn’t Hades is dead in one of the worst ways possible, and he--pretty irrationally IMO, but Nico’s a kid who has been through a lot recently, so we’re not holding that against him--blames Percy Jackson.

-Literally, you probably can’t pick an angstier or worse choice to run through the time travel trope. I love it.

-We’re making this kid save Bianca’s life via time loop, which happens due to. . .hmm, we’ll say the Fates did it.

-So, Loop 0 = Canon, only at the end of the day on December 21st, after the conversation with Percy, Nico falls asleep only gods know where only to wake up the day he meets Percy Jackson:

Loop 1:

-Nico doesn’t actually change anything meaningful at first.

-Spends most of it shellshocked and not unconvinced the last week (For him, anyway) wasn’t a horrible nightmare; shellshocked and staring at Percy Jackson, anyway.

-(Percy’s wondering what’s up with the silent kid his sister had talked up as a cheerful chatterbox)

-It’s only when Bianca agrees to join the quest for Artemis that he starts kicking up a fuss; demanding to go, screaming that she can’t leave him even more, not again.

-(Bianca hesitates; briefly, enough to remind Nico that she loves him. But she’s not their mother, and she needs this)

-Bianca still dies. Percy comes back pale and guilty. Nico doesn’t yell at him when he returns--he already knows. He accepts the Hades figurine so that he can throw it into the lake.

-He slinks off back into Cabin Eleven and falls asleep, hoping desperately that he gets a third chance.

Loop 2:

-He does.

Loop 3:

-After a very painful death at the hands of Dr. Thorn, Nico, generally being a straightforward person at this stage of life, takes the obvious path this time around: He tries to tell Bianca--who brushes it off as a dream.

-Annabeth still goes over the cliff when Nico takes the initiative of attaching himself and his sister to Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace at the dance. He tries to tell Percy and Thalia when Bianca still joins the Hunt, promising Nico that whatever he saw, she’ll be extra careful.

-(Bianca’s fearful of what Nico's saying, and thinks that if these sworn sisters can’t keep her safe, who can?)

-Artemis gives Nico a speculative look but agrees when he begs her to protect Bianca at all costs.

-He doesn’t get on the quest. Being a reasonable demigod of questionable parentage, he sneaks out of camp.

-He gets caught, because despite being aware of his awesome new powers, he doesn’t know how to use them, and is still a ten-year-old who can barely hold a sword the right way.

-He gives Percy the puppy dog eyes and shows off said awesome new powers. Percy forces him back.

-Nico follows him.

-Repeat until Percy dies saving Nico from the Nemean Lion in Washington, DC.

-Nico can’t find it in himself to be terribly sad--especially when he doesn’t make it much longer.

Loop 4:

-He’s really stuck like this, huh?

-Oh, Di Immortales.

-(Before Percy gets his chest ripped to shreds by a lion and Nico meets skeleton cats, he learned how to hold a sword properly and curse fluently in Greek. Percy probably only meant to teach him one of those things)

-In unrelated news: Having a big crush on a guy who thinks he’s only known you for a couple hours? Terrible.

-Trying to hate the guy who let your sister die when he’s that stupid and nice? Even worse.

-That stupid lion.

Loop 5, 6, 7, 8, 9:

-Nico repeats: That stupid lion.

-Somewhere in Loop 7 he starts to steal supplies out of the camp store when he follows Percy following the quest.

-They forcefeed the lion enough trail mix and frozen ice cream in Loop 9 that they don’t die this time.

-At least until someone called the General shows up and Nico’s dead before he can raise his sword.

Loop 10:

-Nico wakes up in his and Bianca’s room in Westover and starts crying. Bianca tells the headmaster they’re both sick and Nico lets her hold him all day.

-They fall asleep and Nico swears he won’t let her die again.

Loop 11, 12, 13:

-He wakes up and he still can’t get out of bed without feeling that blade cutting between his ribs, burning like it’s on fire.

-Gods, he’s so sorry, Bianca. Dispiace tanto.

Loop 14:

-He can get up without feeling like he’s about to die again. Bianca fusses but assumes it was just a bad dream.

-Nico is caught stealing and can’t follow Percy until it’s too late.

-Everyone assumes this means he’s a son of Hermes, however, and Nico can’t correct them without opening his mouth and letting the sobbing laughter out.

-Figuring he’s about to get another chance next round anyway, he takes Travis and Connor Stoll up on their offer to learn a thing or two so that he doesn’t get Cabin Eleven slapped with kitchen duty from now until Doomsday.

-He likes the Stolls. He spent most of the time, pre-looping, actively avoiding everyone at camp as he waited for Bianca and Percy to come back, but they’re not that bad.

-Percy comes back with the figurine and no sister and Nico remembers why he’s stuck.

Loop 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23:

-After Loop 12 and being killed in Washington DC again, Nico realizes: He needs to learn how to fight.

-Unless he gets killed early or refuses to leave Westover, the loop resets after seven days. So, he has seven days to train each time.

-He gets to camp, finds the arena, and meets Clarisse La Rue. He demands she teach him how to kill monsters.

-She laughs, and tells him that attitude in his size will make monsters easy to kill, they’ll laugh so hard.

-Clarisse teaches him how to swing a sword each time--but only after mocking his unamused face.

-Somehow, Percy coming back with news of Bianca’s death only hurts more each time.

Loop 24:

-Nico wakes up before Bianca this time. He looks over at her bed and knows. He’s got to try this time.

-It’s disturbingly easy making friends with Percy Jackson after the last loops.

-Bessie’s new. Cute, but new.

-Nico wonders just how much he’s missed in the past--he thinks of Annabeth Chase, and hopes she hasn’t been dying each time.

-Percy doesn’t even argue when Nico shows up in the stables with a bag slung over his shoulder, and the sword he’s been stealing out of the shed strapped to his hip.

-Nico suggests the ice cream--again--to Percy in DC before

-Nico might be getting the hang of this.

Loop 25:

-Nico is not getting the hang of this.

-Zoë Nightshade’s refusal to accept Percy and Nico on the quest--violating a prophecy, and gods, Nico’s curious if that prophecy ever mentioned this--has so far gotten them attacked and killed by spartoi once.

-And again. As Nico bleeds out on the floor, he watches a panicked blond man--a demigod--plead for mercy.

-Isn’t he on the other side?

Loop 26:

-His name is Luke Castellan and he apparently wants the gods dead.

-Nico can relate at this point.

-The General is Atlas, and Nico knows enough about Greek mythology, real and wrong, at this point to know that is bad.

Loop 27:

-Twenty-six tries, but they finally make it out of DC. Threatening the questers with Atlas killing them all is more than enough.

-For the first time, Nico doesn’t know what happens next. He glues himself to Bianca’s side and glares at anything suspicious.

-With help that Percy refuses to name, even when Nico tries his hardest, they go to New Mexico.

-There’s a boar and it’s so close, they make it to what the others are calling “the junkyard of the gods”.

-Nico sees the Hades figurine on the ground.

-Bianca grins in delight and picks it up, calling for him.

-He can’t help it.

-Nico starts screaming.

Loop 28:

-His sister’s murderer was never Percy Jackson.

-His sister’s murderer was a force of mechanics that makes Nico fully understand, for the first time, what the gods are, beyond stats on a card.

-Talos.

-Nico is going to destroy him.

Loop 29:

-She dies.

Loop 30:

-Again.

Loop 31:

-Again.

-Loop 32, 33, 34, 3536373839FortyFo r t y O n e--:

-Again. Again. Again. Again again againagainagainagainAGAIN--

Loop 42:

-Nico gets out of bed. He finds Percy Jackson at the dance, hugs him, and tells him he’s sorry.

-Nico walks outside and waits for Dr. Thorn in the snow. He can feel the shadows curling at the edge of the wood like a sixth sense, now. Waiting for him to summon the restless dead out of them.

-So many attempts to save his sister, ranging from sacrificing himself to sacrificing Percy--not that Percy needs the push, Nico has found--to any and all members of the quest.

-She dies. Always, always dies. Whatever Nico does, that junkyard is full of the death of Bianca di Angelo.

-He tried avoiding it. Once. Loop 33. Nico threw such a fit he’s surprised he wasn’t sent back to Camp Half-Blood by the Hunters, but it kept them out of the junkyard.

-He tries not to remember how little was left of his sister’s body by the monsters that time.

-Son of Hades. After all this time, Nico’s beginning to wonder if this is what it means. Death and death and death.

-Dr. Thorn walks outside, and Nico can feel a ghoulish grin crossing his face that has no place on a ten-year-old.

-One of them is going to die, this loop. And Nico will not go to New Mexico.

Loop 43:

-Nico wonders if there was a past life of his he needs to remember. Who could he have made this angry?

-He lies to Bianca and they stay in Westover again this time. Better than death, anyway.

Loop 44:

-Nico tries a different tack this time. A more roundabout way of things.

-He takes Bianca and throws the two of them in the way of the battle with the manticore.

-After all this time, he still doesn’t know much about Annabeth Chase. She gets kidnapped and returned safely to Percy every time, to the best of his knowledge.

-Nico dies holding up the sky, but at least Bianca lives, under the protection of Artemis.

Loop 45:

-Nico looks in the mirror and studies the new grey streak with fascination. And, maybe, some hope.

-Things can change.

Loop 46, 47, 48, 49, 50:

-Nico gets kidnapped a few times. Once, he’s killed in a rage by a Titan with horns, but it’s quick. Mostly, he holds up the sky to get Artemis out.

-She looks at him strangely each time and Nico wonders if she can see what he’s done.

Loop 51:

-They figure out he’s a son of Hades. They offer him Olympus. Olympus and Bessie--the Ophiotaurus, rather.

-Nico says no.

Loop 52:

-Nico says yes.

Loop 53:

-Being on the verge of overthrowing the gods and keeping everyone he’s grown to care for--in the case of several Hunters, against his will; in Percy Jackson’s case, Nico loves him as much as he hates him at this point--doesn’t do much, apparently.

-Nico stays in Westover again. He resists the urge to tell Bianca that would-be destroyers of Olympus don’t need to brush their hair, whatever she says.

Loop 54:

-Nico goes over the edge of the cliff again, but with Percy Jackson.

-This isn’t the first time; in Loop 46, Percy had taken the sky for both the sake of Artemis and Nico until it killed him.

-What’s different, is Nico’s in the middle of what’s become the usual panic attack when he’s about to die for the hundredth time, and his powers react.

-Percy holds him close and calls him cousin. Tells him he’ll never leave Nico.

-You have no idea, Nico whispers. You can’t leave me.

-You think I want to? Percy whispers back. You’re not alone, Nico.

-Nico’s sobbing sounds like laughter.

Loop 55:

-Nico tells Percy the truth for the third time. This is the first time he hasn’t told Bianca first.

-They’ve just found the Erymanthian Boar, Thalia’s told Nico his goth needs work--whatever that means--and Nico’s bracing himself for the junkyard again.

-Getting kidnapped by the Titans really gets old after a while.

-He still has the grey streak, and no number of excuses will fully soothe his sister, but the Hunt’s a good distraction from it.

-Nico doesn’t blame Bianca anymore for it. He thinks.

-Nearly a year into this loop and Nico’s finding it hard to blame anyone for much of anything, anymore. Especially when he sees what she’s faced. Again. And again.

-For now, this time, Percy Jackson is staring at Nico with wide eyes at what Nico’s told him--through these loops, Nico’s starting to wonder if he now knows more about Percy than Percy’s own best friends--and says he believes him.

-Once, Nico would’ve exploded from joy. Now, he just sighs and nods.

-Percy tells him how to condense the conversation for the next loop. He advises Nico to research Talos, “like Annabeth would.”

-He advises Nico to warn Percy’s next loop self about Annabeth’s kidnapping. Nico wonders if he’s gone insane that he’s considering it.

-Bianca dies.

Loop 56:

-Nico makes the executive decision this time to try and befriend Annabeth Chase. As such, he takes Percy’s advice.

Loop 57:

-It takes him two tries to befriend Annabeth Chase and learn about Talos.

Loop 58:

-Three times.

-But the nail. The nail in the ankle of Talos.

Loop 59:

-He hangs back at camp again this time and meets Charles Beckendorf, head of Cabin Nine, and son of Hephaestus.

-Nico figures that short of finding the god himself and committing temporary suicide--not that it hasn’t crossed Nico’s mind--his son will have to do.

-(He’s tried his hand at summoning ghosts, but Daedalus refuses to show, for some reason)

-Beckendorf frowns and tells Nico he would have to see Talos himself.

-Nico hadn’t realized just how much cursing he had picked up off of Percy and Thalia until that moment.

Loop 60:

-Nico knows what the prophecy says. One shall be lost in the land without rain.

-He knows it’s why he’s been failing so much.

-The trouble is, he no longer cares.

Loop 61:

-It took him a try, but he gets Beckendorf on the quest, prepared to defeat the Talos prototype.

Loop 62:

-Strike that, two tries.

-Nico really hates the Nemean Lion.

Loop 63, 64:

-Nico has solved half a problem: How to defeat Talos without putting someone inside the robot.

-The other half of the problem is now that they are all electrocuted by a dying automaton for their efforts.

Loop 65:

-Beckendorf’s crush--girlfriend? crush, they’re both insisting--Silena Beauregard comes along this time. Nico won’t complain over the extra manpower, even if he’s positive that eight campers and Hunters are patent overkill for one quest.

-Silena pulls Bianca out of the wreckage. Nico’s heart stops.

-Silena’s crying when she mentions that if they had been a bit earlier, she could have been revived.

-Nico wonders if Thalia’s going to stab him as he starts whooping. And takes notes about where Talos falls.

Loop 66:

-Nico swears, if Percy Jackson tries to sacrifice himself for Annabeth Chase one more time--

Loop 67:

-Bianca.

-I found you, he sobs. I found you.

-Gods damn the Hoover Dam.

Loop 68:

-And again.

-Despite having the distinct inkling at this point that he doesn’t much like like girls, Nico could kiss Silena Beauregard and Thalia Grace when they manage to revive his sister each time.

-She’s shaky and leaning on him and was dead, he could see her soul floating away--

-But she’s there.

-Nico refuses to let his sister out of the sight at the Hoover Dam and Percy befriends the Naiads this time.

-At least, until the Titans--who Nico made the very big mistake of taunting at DC--sends monsters he can’t control.

Loop 69, 70, 71, 72, 73:

-They keep dying in various combinations at the Hoover Dam now that Nico’s figured out how to save Bianca.

-At least, until he gets separated from Percy in Loop 73 and he meets a redheaded girl with a penchant for calling Nico pint-size.

-Athena dislikes Percy, Nico, Bianca, and Thalia in equal measure. Having learned of the Great Prophecy in Loop 16 and Percy’s mooning over Annabeth in. . .well, every loop, Nico can’t quite blame her.

Loop 74:

-Her name is Rachel Elizabeth Dare and Nico likes her. She takes none of their shit and if it weren’t for the fact that they already have eight people on the quest, he’d want to take her along.

-Bianca gets in a fight with the Old Man of the Sea. Thalia electrocutes him when he throws Bianca in the bay.

Loop 75:

-Nico wakes up in Westover with the distinct feeling that he was drowned on dry land.

-He stays in bed shivering, that day.

Loop 76:

-Atlas is the father of Zoë Nightshade. Nico learned this around Loop 50. He had realized around five loops ago that this probably meant she was going to die “by a parent’s hand.”

-He hadn’t realized that it was going to hurt to watch.

Loop 77, 78, 79, 80, 81:

-Now that he’s figured things out to about San Francisco, it seems the world is out to get him. The number of fights or mistakes that he either makes himself or has to head off are ridiculous.

Loop 82:

-Nico is so very tired. And wishes he felt ten years old again.

Loop 83:

-If Thalia gets in one more fight with Nereus, Nico's going to walk into the sea.

Loop 84:

-He wanders off, in this one. Grover had been killed in Hoover Dam, so Nico’s waiting for the reset at this point.

-In the meantime, Nico figures there are worse things to do than enjoy a good afternoon in San Francisco. He even meets a boy in a purple shirt.

-His name is Jason and he has hair like the sun.

-If he ever fixes this, Nico wants to find him.

Loop 85:

-Nico’s not fast enough in the junkyard.

-In San Francisco, he tries to find the ugliest, biggest trouble he can find.

-He finds a pair of teenagers in armor who yell Latin at him instead.

Loop 86:

-There’s a dragon that will attack them in the Garden of the Hesperides if they make it angry enough and Nico is so tired.

Loop 87:

- Zoë Nightshade is dead. They’ve won.

-Funny definition of “win”, considering they’ve all almost died this loop about a dozen times each, and Nico can’t explain why he’s crying on the body of a Hunter he only met a week ago, in their eyes.

-She hates him, some loops. More loops, she looks at him with ghosts of old grief in her eyes and hands him a knife.

-The gods execute Bessie, and then, Nico watches as his father turns to him and Bianca with sorrowful eyes.

-Nico should’ve figured, after almost ninety loops.

Loop 88:

-Luke offers one of them the entrails of Bessie again.

-Nico takes them.

Loop 89:

-For all the good it does. Nico wakes up as he does every time now: Powerless, in bed, and with only a grey streak to show for his efforts.

Loop 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98:

-Nico doesn’t know how to save Zoë Nightshade. Bianca, he could trick and fight his way into it. Beckendorf and Silena and Percy and a loophole in lost could save his sister.

-Her, she just. . .dies. Sometimes in DC, sometimes in San Francisco, sometimes on the hills of Mt. Tamalpais. Always at the hands of Atlas.

-Always, being murdered by her father.

-It’s not as gutting as watching his sister die, but it aches more in his chest, somehow.

Loop 99:

-He sticks close to Zoë this time. Same as he’s done with Percy, Annabeth, his sister, Thalia, and Grover, time and time again. But not her, Nico is realizing. Not the clinging he’s achieving now.

-Hoping for. . .something.

-He knows better than to tell the immortal Lieutenant of Artemis the whole truth. The loneliness is enough.

-She’s less frosty to him from the start than to, say, Grover or Percy, after Annabeth goes over the cliff again. When he shows up in DC, she’s much less angry than he’s seen her.

-Along the way to New Mexico and then San Francisco, he listens. He’s grown better at it, this far in. When the others are asleep, when Bianca is being fussed over after Talos, when everyone but them is asleep by the fire, he listens.

-And she tells him about her sisters. About her father, when the world was young and Atlas had looked on every daughter of his with pride. She tells him, pride glistening in her eyes, of the battles she has seen, the hunts she has overseen at the command of a goddess, the monsters she has killed, and the epithets she has been given.

-He doesn’t ask anything of her. Not until they’re in the house of Annabeth’s father, drinking lemonade the night before the battle, and Nico knows she is about to die again.

-What do you want, he asks. You’ve done everything. What’s left?

-She stopped, ice seems to creep over her again, and Nico wondered if he’d hit some sore spot.

-He’s opened his mouth to make his apologies when she answers, so quiet and quick he thinks he’s imagined it.

-To be remembered. When my lady has taken another lieutenant, as she must, and I have gone to where all gods go when they die, I wish for my memory to remain. And. . .

-Nico waits, and ignores the sudden, terrifying thought that he no longer knows what he wants.

-I wish to see the stars again. I was born a nymph of the sunset; starlight is precious to me. I want to see it again.

-Nico dies to preserve the memory of Zoë Nightshade.

100:

-Nico di Angelo wakes up in Westover Hall. He hopes for the last time.

-He does everything right: Annabeth goes over the cliff, his sister joins the Hunt, Percy is soon his friend, and he convinces Silena and Beckendorf to join the quest.

-The Nemean Lion never stands a chance, and Nico is glad to be rid of it.

-His sister lives.

-Nico watches Percy watch Rachel Elizabeth Dare go, looking like he’s just taken a frying pan to the face, and fights the urge to snicker.

-Thalia doesn’t start a fight with Nereus, but Percy certainly does. Nico could’ve sworn he saw the boy with sun-hair again, watching with curiosity.

- Zoë Nightshade dies in the arms of Artemis and is made into the stars she loves so dearly. Nico promises her soul that he will remember.

-For, he has found, the dead have a tendency of remembering things they shouldn’t.

-Annabeth and Percy now have grey streaks to match Nico’s, and Nico can’t wait to spend the rest of his life trying to explain that.

-It’s closer than he would like, but much less close than other lives with Olympus. The Ophiotaurus is alive and safe, and they are all alive.

-As Nico walks out of the council, he looks off to the side. By the fire is the familiar girl with red eyes--the Lady Hestia, looking much closer to Nico’s age than that of the Olympian she is.

-Besides her are three old ladies. Nico’s heard about them from Percy, in Loops 26, 53, 61, and 62.

-One lady holds a ball of string that is the color of a warm umber. The other is knitting what looked suspicious like socks. The last. . .

-Scissors, in one hand. Just as expected. Nico swallowed.

-In the other, was a knot of burnt string, tied to the socks. Behind her, Nico could see discarded string of all colors: an electric blue, a stormy grey, a black that seems to glisten with the promise of a storm, string the soft, hopeful pink of love, yarn run through with bright copper.

-Glowing threads that Nico could only describe as the color of starlight.

-As he walked out, firmly between Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace, the Hunt of Artemis behind him, Nico hears one last promise:

It is done, Nico di Angelo.

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stressisakiller · 3 years

Text

The Sunflower and His Star

Bucky Barnes x Reader Soulmate AU

(Hello Sunflower Part 13)

Summary: What happens when you and Bucky are framed for the murder of a Wakadian King?

Warnings: mentions of death, interrogation and a couple of cuss words

Word Count: 3k

A/N: Ok guys this is the final chapter of the main storyline. I have a couple of Ideas for some offshoot chapters that are more like drabbles, but otherwise, this fic is done. Well after I add the Wanda and Vision chapter. I will be going back and making some changes, especially after watching The Winter Soldier tonight and seeing some inconsistencies.

Please let me know if you have any drabble requests. I will probably put them under a different heading just to keep it all clean and clear.

Thank yall for reading!!!

Series Masterlist

<< Previous

It’s been 2 weeks since the trial, you and Bucky have spent the majority of that time within the confines of the tower, with the small exception of running to your favorite coffee shop a couple of blocks away. The morning starts off like any other, you wake up way too early and go for a run, leaving Bucky to sleep in for once. You are walking to the kitchen passing through the common room when your attention is caught by the headline of the TV. You freeze, Wakanda’s King and other dignitaries are dead after an explosion at the Vienna international center. You see the photo that shows the suspected culprits and you collapse into the chair behind you. The two people running from the scene look like you and Bucky because of course, they do.

“Friday, could you please ask Tony to come here.” your voice is shaky as you call out to the AI. “Tell him it’s urgent.”

“Yes, ma’am”

It takes Tony all of two minutes to come rushing into the room.

“Friday said you called for me and that it’s important.” He speaks between deep breaths, showing just how quickly he ran at your summons. You just point at the TV and the breaking news displayed.

“Fuck,” is the first word that comes from his mouth after a moment of stunned silence, “wait, wait wait. That’s not possible, you were here that day, we watched Lord of the Rings with Cap and his girl.”

“Right,” you agree, “since neither of us had seen them before. Although I’m pretty sure Bucky read the Hobbit when it came out, cause he’s ancient.” you allow yourself a small amount of humor in the face of this news. If you didn’t have humor you would have given up a long time ago.

“Then it’s fine you have alibis. And Friday as proof.” He says as if it were the simplest thing ever.

“But will anyone believe us? Our alibi is that we stayed in our room all week and then had a movie marathon with three people who would probably lie for us anyway. Nat was there with the new King and she texted me and told me he’s pissed and will do anything to find his dad’s killer, which as of now everyone believes to be me and Buck.”

You are trying to keep your hands from shaking, you couldn’t have one fucking day without some new bullshit popping up, could you? At that moment Tony’s phone begins to ring, he looks at it and then at you with a grimace. You just wave for him to answer it, you knew this was going to happen. Once he finishes the call he looks at you.

“That was King T'Challa, he said he would like to speak with you both in person.”

“Fine,” you answer, keeping your voice firm, “but he has to come here, I’m not going somewhere I don’t know to speak with someone who wrongly believes that I killed their dad. I’ve had enough torture to last a lifetime.”

He nods at your words, agreeing. “That’s what I told him, he said he would be here in 30 minutes.” You shake your head at his words.

“How the fuck will he be here in… you know I don’t even care right now. Let me just go wake up the grizzly bear and we will have a calm uneventful talk with the Monarchy.”

You trudge to your room and open the door. The sight of Bucky sprawled out across the bed relaxes you enough to smile. You step up to him and sit on the edge, tracing his face lightly to wake him up. He’s used to you waking him up like this so he doesn’t freak out.

“Morning,” He gives you a dopey smile with his eyes closed before immediately sitting up at the look on your face, hands coming up to cradle your cheeks, “What happened?”

“We’ve been framed for a crime and now the king of Wakanda wants to talk to us about whether or not we killed his father.” You whisper.

“Fuck.” He wipes a hand across his mouth, “When will he get here?” You hate how resigned he sounds.

“We have about thirty minutes so I’d get dressed if I were you, I’ll go make some breakfast.”

You leave him to get ready and walk to the kitchen to start making some eggs and bacon, might as well have a good breakfast since the rest of your day will probably be shit.

There is an alert from Friday that an aircraft holding the king and his warriors has landed on the roof. You take a deep breath and continue to drink your coffee, there is no reason for you to be anxious you did nothing wrong. The guests march into the room, straight to where you and Bucky are sitting.

“Come we need to speak with you.” Says the man at the front of the group. You immediately realize that he must be the King. You are surprised by how muscular he is, Wakanda must value strength in their culture.

“I’m not going anywhere, whatever you want to ask us you can ask us here. We agreed to answer your questions, not to be taken away and interrogated.” You speak as evenly as you can, looking straight into the angry eyes in front of you. You can see his hand clench and the warriors behind him grasping their spears tighter. Tony steps in between the two of you.

“I invited you here for a civilized conversation, not an interrogation.” He speaks calmly yet firmly.

“Screw that, these two soldiers killed my father and countless others. I will have justice for their crimes.” He is practically vibrating with anger at Tony’s words.

“I will admit that we have done terrible things, but I swear that this isn’t one of them,” Bucky says standing and placing his hand on your shoulder.

“Do you have proof of that?” One of his warriors steps forward to speak.

"Well-” You turn towards her as you speak “-for 3 days ago we have the witness of a priest, a judge, and about 20 others."

"A priest?" The King’s voice is full of confusion.

"Yes, a priest, we got married 3 days ago and since then have stayed confined to our room for a stay-in honeymoon, other than a movie night last night with three other people that Friday will be able to provide you with a record of." You are calm as you speak, you have been through worse things than this.

“Who is Friday and who are your witnesses for this movie night?” The Warrior demands, obviously, the King trusts her, or else he wouldn’t let her interrupt so often.

“Friday is Tony's AI and the witnesses are Tony, Captain American, and Cap's soulmate.” He isn’t going to like that, honestly, if you were him you wouldn’t like it either, it’s too convenient.

“Well, how can I trust them? One is your brother, one is the Winter soldier’s best friend and the other is Captain America's soulmate, she will say whatever he asks her to.” he spat, you couldn’t help but snort at his words.

“You obviously haven’t met her.”

You finally agree to go into separate rooms and speak with one of the warriors, but they were not allowed to keep their weapons. After being asked an insane amount of questions you finally decided that you are done, you had done nothing wrong and Bucky needs you.

“If you are quite finished asking the same 5 questions worded differently over and over, I would like to see my husband.” You are over being patient with them, it was getting you nowhere.

"Your husband? You and the soldier are married?” She looks at you incredulously.

“Yes I believe we mentioned this when you all got here, it is known to happen between soulmates. We got married 3 days ago in the tower, not that it is any of your business, and considering neither of us have done anything against you or your country I would like to see him.”

“You and the Winter Soldier are soulmates? Why haven’t you told anyone?”

“Yes we are soulmates and all the important people in our lives do know. We don’t make things like that public knowledge since Hydra can and will use it against us. Now I am going to go see my husband. And his name is Bucky”

Without waiting for an answer you walk out the door and head down the hallway towards the raised voice of the person questioning Bucky.

You step through the door without knocking and the sight before you almost breaks you. The warrior is yelling at Bucky while he stared blankly forward, you had only seen him like this a couple of times before. He is stuck in his memories and is accepting all blame for something he isn’t responsible for. You walk straight to him and place your hand on his shoulder, letting him know that you are there for him. The lady's yelling stops as soon as you step forward and she instead begins to glare at you.

“What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the other room?” She doesn’t hide the malice in her voice. You can understand if you thought that someone had killed someone you loved you too would do anything to catch the killer.

“Well considering that we did nothing wrong and I am the one who lives here I decided that we are done being interrogated.” Speaking quickly and firmly to the warrior, you defend your soulmate. “You see my husband and I were here at Stark tower when this tragedy happened. We decided to have a couple of days at home to relax since 2 weeks before I had been kidnapped and tortured by a man I believed to be my father for the first 25 years of my life.” The volume of your voice slowly increases as the ridiculousness of the situation and your life sink in. “Then I was questioned in front of the entire United States about crimes that I was forced to commit when brainwashed by HYDRA. Which most people believed was destroyed during WWII when in fact it was hidden inside of SHIELD. We decided, as many soulmates do, to get married and we haven’t left the tower in 5 days, if you won’t take my word for it, Tony’s AI Friday has full records of everyone coming and going from the tower as well as surveillance. But for now, you have done enough and I would like to take my husband to our room. I don’t care if you insist on surveillance in fact I expect it from you at this point. But we are done here and you can speak with Tony for anything else you may require."

You don’t allow her to interrupt, you are so fucking done at this point. You turn to Bucky, who still hasn’t moved once you had thoroughly reprimanded the woman in front of you and the King you knew to be watching through Friday. You crouch in front of your soulmate and gently place your hand on his cheek.

“Hey Sunflower, I need you to come back to me. At least walk with me to our room.” he nods at your request and you both slowly stand and walk out of the room.

You gently tug Bucky into your room, pulling him to the bed and having him sit. You crouch back down in front of him and take his hands.

“Bucky,” your voice is soft and you try to pull him back, “Sunflower, please come back to me. The sun is up and your dreaming is done, my love. You aren’t there, you haven't hurt anyone, and no one here will harm you.” You can see his eyes start to focus back on you, pulling him out of the memories that he had been caught up in.

“Sorry.” His voice is raspy from being so caught up in his memories, he sounded as if he had cried for days.

“No need to apologize to me my love, we are ok." As soon as you say this there is a knock on the door. You look over Bucky who gives you a nod before heading to the door. Clicking the button on the inside a screen pops up showing who is on the other side. You sigh and open the door.

"King T'Challa, is there something we can do for you?" Exhaustion seeps into your voice, it truly had been a long day.

“I wanted to apologize for how we have treated you both the past couple of hours. We received word that they caught the Hydra operatives that actually caused the explosion. I apologize for any harm we may have caused to either of you.” His eyes strayed to Bucky as he spoke.

“Apology accepted, I understand why you did what you did, and I hope that we can work together in the future. Goodnight, your majesty.”

He nodded at you and took his leave. You step back over to the bed where Bucky is sitting still a little out of it.

"Did you hear him Sunflower? They caught the operatives that caused the explosion. We are safe again love.” He nods at you, eyes glassy, voice soft as he speaks.

“She brought up something from my past and I couldn’t stop the flood of memories taking over. All the terrible things I’ve done, how can you stand to look at me?” He finally looks at you, his eyes swimming with guilt. It had been a while since you had seen Bucky look this vulnerable.

“I have done terrible things too, my love, there is nothing that you have done that could ever make me love you less. You should know that by now.” You take his face in your hands and gently kiss his forehead before straddling him and pulling him close. You both stay this way for a long time before finally laying down and falling asleep.

You are awoken in the morning by a knocking on your door. Padding over you are greeted by T'Challa standing in a pair of black robes.

“Hello,” you say, your confusion obvious, “what can I do for you?”

"I wanted to speak with you. I spoke with Tony and Steve and they explained what happened to you and to Bucky. I think I may have a way to make this up to you and to help you both." You stare at him in confusion,

"How?"

"My sister. Shuri has discovered a way to erase the trigger words that Hydra programmed into you. She has asked that you join us in Wakanda so that we can help you as means of apology in our treatment of you both."

You can’t hear his next words over the blood rushing in your ears. They might be able to erase the words? Your head starts to spin at the thought.

"You can get rid of the words? They wouldn't be able to brainwash us again?" you finally get out after a moment of stunned silence.

"We believe so."

"Ok let's discuss this over breakfast. I’ll get Bucky and we will be there in a moment."

You decided after a month in Wakanda that you really liked Shuri, she was wicked smart and took no shit. She explained to you both how the treatment would work once you arrived. She admitted that it may be painful to which Bucky stated that you can both deal with pain. The treatment included testing the words and the effect that they have on you. Bucky would talk to you at night about how it was going for him and he told you something interesting about it. He explained to you that when Shuri used the words it felt different, and since she didn't immediately give him orders he was in a bit of a limbo where he was able to speak with the soldier. It was strange for him, it made him realize that the soldier had no choice either and that the soldier was and is a part of him. In between sessions you would both go and train, occasionally with T'Challa, but mainly alone. During these sessions, Bucky would practice bringing the soldier forward without letting him take control. You watched as Bucky changed, he was no longer as lost as he had been, he was more confident, more sure of himself. The words began to affect him less and less and you found yourself enjoying the time in your little hut out of the way. Life was more peaceful than either of you had ever experienced.

Six months later you and Bucky are sitting in a hut with Ayo as she tells you that you are both free. Free from the control of Hydra. You almost can’t believe it, you haven’t been free a day of your life, not with the constant fear of Hydra remaking you into their puppet. She said your trigger words to you and you felt nothing, you could both still access the soldiers, they are and always will be a part of you, but they can no longer take control. The winter soldier can no longer take control of Bucky. You stare at him, the unfiltered joy and disbelief on his face breaks your heart. This man, who so completely holds your whole heart is finally free of the hell that he has been living for over 70 years. It is true that neither of you will ever be truly free of the horrors that you have seen and the ones you committed but you will never again be forced into doing things that you don't agree with. You are free. Bucky Barnes is finally free. The Sunflower and his Star are free.

Tagged users: @calwitch @writerwrites

#hello sunflower #winter solider x reader #winter solider fanfiction #James Buchanan Bucky Barnes #james buchanan barnes #Bucky Barnes #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #marvel #soulmate #avengers fanfiction

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brelione · 4 years

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The Surfer And The Siren

Chapter Three:The Conspiracy Blog,The Investigation and The Shitty Sister In Law

Chapter One Chapter Two

Warnings:Mentions of racism,homophobia

S0rry that this chapter is kind of short.The next one will be longer.

You didn't understand how you had never found out about this.The article was from 2012 by a conspiracy blog.There were dozens of photographs of you,a bright red circle showing where you was in group photos that were taken in the fifties and more from the seventies.There were a few photos of your large scales the size of quarters that had been found on coral reefs and posted on facebook with captions asking for someone to tell the finder what animal the scale belonged to.Another photo showed a photo of your fluke splashing out of the water.In some your hair had been tucked into your old red hat so the mess of blue waves wouldn't be seen.But somehow those photos had been linked to others from the bridge of your nose and the color of your skin.You kind of missed the old days before all the facial recognition technology.

You went through the photos to see paragraphs and paragraphs with quotes from the interview with Linden. “Linden Sislip,sister of poet and former pawn shop owner claims that her brother was in love with the sea monster of Outer Banks.For decades a murderous mermaid-like creature has haunted the waters and supposedly lured multiple men to painful water related deaths.Outerbanks is known as Paradise on Earth and is home to countless millionaires AKA the sea monsters preferred prey.Some think the creature has migrated elsewhere because of a string of similar deaths closer to California.What do you think?”That article had to be the most bull shit thing you had ever read.Luckily most of the comments agreed,calling the photos fake and saying the scales were that of a tuna’s.

That was pretty insulting to say the least but at least they didn't actually believe you were a serial killing sea monster.That made you feel better but knowing how much Linden hated you definitely hurt a bit.She had hated most people though.She hated the poor,people of color,lgbt+,cats and babies.What kind of sociopath hates cats and babies?You couldn't wrap your head around the fact that somehow she was raised by the same parents he was yet she ended up like that.He was ahead of his time.He was respectful and kind and he loved everyone regardless of social status,race or sexuaity.That’s what made you feel so close to him.Linden had always stared in disgust when he bought extra newspapers to bring to people who couldn't afford them or when he saved his food to bring to children whose parents worked three jobs and still couldn't pay for a decent meal.

You pitied Linden,you couldn't even imagine being that closed minded and ignorant.Things were much worse in the South for sure but you tried your best to get to people.After he had passed away Linden had forced the rest of the family to completely shut you out.You couldn't go to the funeral or even go into their home to grab things that you could remember him by.She blamed you fro his death when she should have blamed herself.It was a terrible thought because in reality there was noone to blame but he had spent so much time in his life trying to convince her to be a good person and convince her to respect people.It had been a waste of years trying to wear her down and make her good but you cant help them all.

The interview didn't really shock you that much.She had always been bitter about you and your origins bit what did shock you was the fact that she had a son in 1950.A son named Bellamy Maybank. “Shit.”You whispered under your breath.Richard waited for you to explain your shock but when you didn't say anything he grew impatient. “What?”He asked.You just nodded,trying to form words.This was real life.This wasnt some weird dream or a conspiracy.This was actually real.This article was published 8 years ago and you had never seen it.

How could you have never seen it?You wondered if Richard knew and had hid it from you but that couldnt be.He knew just as little as you did. “You were right...but theres a time gap.How good are you at investigating?”You asked.A wide smile came across his mature,wrinkly face. “Are you forgetting about how I sunk Ward Cameron’s boat and completely trashed his plans in like...two hours?”He asked.You laughed quietly.Richard had always been so proud of that. “God,how could I forget?”You grinned,looking back up at the TV. “So what do you need me to find out?Make me a list in my notes app.You know which one the notes app is,right?”He teased.You rolled your eyes,opening the app and making a new note.

Close the time gap (after 50-now)

Learn about JJ,Pope,Kiara and the other one.

Check up on Ward’s plans

It had been a hot minute since you had Richard investigate someone.Last time had been nearly 20 years ago.Turns out Ward Cameron was hunting you down in attempt to kidnap and sell you.he was a fucked up son of a trout and you would most definitely say that to his face if given the chance.You placed the phone down,looking back up at the tv.The main character was threatening a rude looking blonde boy with terrible fashion sense. “Could we drive around for a while?”You asked.He nodded,standing up from his chair.His feet were sore but he always pulled through for you.You two went back out to his car.He turned on your favorite CD that belonged to Billie Eilish.So much had changed since just a few years ago.Someone like Billie would absolutely be an outcast back when you were her age.

Something about the way that cars moved made you happy.It was strange to see the world shifting around you.How poor people rode horses and the rich had cars and how the tables had turned.You had seen so many wars and so many deaths yet you had watched multiple births.You watched segregation end and witnessed people of all races and ethnicities get the right to vote.You had seen the day that the lgbt community finally got rights.And you had helped with it all.You had experienced the life of the poor and of the filthy rich and you were only a quarter through your life.You had been a friend to Marilyn Monroe and saw the day that JFK was assassinated.You had seen so much that no one else had experienced.

You had heard so many old folks complain about the music of today and how it had been so much better back in their day but you could not disagree more.There was no reason to bash the modern ones music.All music is good music except for country music,of course.Richard drove through figure 8 so you could gaze at all the houses.It was quite disgusting that there were only an average of three people living in huge mansions with six bedrooms that they didn't need yet there were families of eight suffering in tiny houses made for three people maximum.The rich were greedy,bitter and overall selfish and annoying.

The poor were generous and grateful for everything they did have and were more likely to be kind and understanding.It was really just a sad place but you didn't want to go anywhere else.A lot of other areas had water that was far too polluted but definitely had better people and a better atmosphere on land.It didn't really matter how great the land was when you could only see it once a month anyways.Plus OBX had a great cave system and pretty nice weather.Richard turned his car,going back to The Cut.If you were to live anywhere in Outer Banks it would most definitely be The Cut.It had an all around better atmosphere,friendlier people and better hiding spots. “So how are the naiads?Have you heard from them?”He asked,purposefully driving slowly.You sighed,turning down the radio.

“Not really,the only river entrance got blocked off by a ton of fallen branches.I haven't gotten any calls from them though so thats good.Its not that I don't like them or anything but they're just….god,they're so annoying.”You leaned back in your chair.He chuckled. “Does Esmerelda still have a crush on you?”He asked,turning down the dirt road.You nodded. “She’s just….she’s cute but she’s annoying,you know?”You asked.He nodded. “That ones always been kinda strange in the head.”He agreed.Once you got back to the house the sky was lightening up which meant you had such little time.You sat in the backyard in one of the camping chairs with your paper bag in your hand and the drawstring bag hanging off your shoulders.Blue sat with his head on your knee,staring up at you with his big shiny eyes.

He knew the drill by now,his drool making a dark puddle on your jeans as he whined for attention before you had to leave again.Richard had tried to bring the dog out to see you before but it never worked out.Blue got eager and excited and walked to fast for Richard and it wasn't safe for a dog to walk along rough and bumpy rocks.It wasn't exactly safe for an elderly man either but it sucks to suck.You stared up at the sky,wiggling your toes while you still could.As the sun began to come up over the horizon a similar aching pain spread from your heels to your thighs,your body feeling heavy. “I’ll see you next week,(Y/N).”Richard stood up to hug you.You hugged him back,tears pricking at your eyes.

Blue pawed at you,licking your jeans.You kissed his forehead lightly before limping down to the water.You dragged yourself into the water,collapsing when you were at your knees.Your legs tingled,your head slipping under the water as your legs knit together in a painful mess.From below your hips your tail grew,your hair falling in your face as all evidence that you had been human left you.Your hend clenched the deteriorating paper bag as you swished your fins,gaining control over your body again.The sun was now reflecting off the water,nearly blinding you.You ducked under the water,going deeper and deeper.

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possessionisamyth · 4 years

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i know the ending had to be rushed because instead of the usual 13 episode seasons AS decided to drop genndy to 10, BUT i started thinking about the daughters of aku and boy do i have some things to say writing wise, and no this isnt about “realism” but just how to make their presence as a unit more impactful or how to make ashi’s character development better as a temp antagonist to jack, spoilers below if you havent finished watching samurai jack

Option 1: Have the daughters of Aku be raised by Aku.

Some people have already suggested this as a cute AU, but to be honest that would strengthen the daughters bond with Aku more than just having hearsay through their mother. And since Aku does have emotions, isn’t afraid to spread propaganda onto children (the fairytale episode), and is building a kingdom that encompasses the universe, that would’ve been a great alternate to Jack’s stance, where instead of fighting just some assassin troupe he’s technically fighting an assassin troupe of princesses when he was once a prince whose own kingdom was destroyed by their father.

The bonds between the sisters would be tighter in that they respected their father both out of fear and the time they spent with him because he would’ve told them all the lies they needed to hear for them to trust him, he would’ve taken moderately good care of them(basic provisions), and he would definitely let them wreak havoc where ever they wanted without suffering consequences as long as they didn’t fuck up his own shit. “Mindless drone sisters except for one” doesn’t stick for long when it comes to guilt about murdering them, but “rebel girl gang who trusts their father and has many reasons to think you’re genuinely the bad guy” definitely would.

To not just have Ashi yelling at Jack, but all of the sisters shit talking him out of vitriol. Throwing his guilt back into his face. “If you’re so great, why couldn’t you save them? If you’re so good, why did you kill them?” Have Jack have to deal with his guilt inside and outside from a group of women who were indoctrinated to believe everything their father said just like Jack was and then really make him question what’s the difference between him and them? His father could’ve done all the same things telling him what’s evil and what isn’t. Yes, he still knows Aku is evil, but this train of thought would be humanizing them even further to the brink where Jack isn’t sure he can kill any of them. Cause it was “easier” when he could believe they didn’t have any emotions except for one (Ashi) but much more impossible when he has to accept that they all do. “They’re just robots.” No, they’re not. They’re just like you, Jack.

Option 2: Some sisters don’t die.

Make the killing blows accidents. Going with their canon way of being raised, have Jack still understand that they’re people, and make the killing blows reactionary instead of functionary. He doesn’t want to kill them, but he’s so used to fighting, he’s so used to defending himself that the weapons he grabs and the attacks he does manage to hit the vitals of a few of the sisters while the rest he leaves mortally wounded or physically incapable of fighting. If they’re really raised as machines to kill him, this would leave them useless to complete the task.

Then have Jack, as he’s leaving the scene of carnage have to witness the sisters who can move crawling towards their fallen sisters, trying to hold back bleeding wounds, scraping through the reddening snow in an attempt to show compassion for the one’s whose lives are fading away.

And then have Jack make a choice. He could leave them there. Some of them might make it, but probably not. Even if they all did, they wouldn’t be able to chase him any more. The wounds he inflicted on them would prevent them from fighting as they used to unless they got a fuck ton of physical therapy and/or robotic prosthesis. Or, he could do the same as he did with Ashi in canon and take the survivors. Teach them about the world. About Aku’s lies. About what he’s really fighting for, and let them make the choice on their own. Because they never had a choice before, but now they do, and let it be overwhelming and confusing. Let them make mistakes, but let them learn from it. They don’t all have to make the right choice at the end, but they shouldn’t have to die for it. Show the conflict and correction from sisters who did make the right choice and let them be.

Option 3: None of the sisters die by Jack’s hand.

Same as option two, but Jack doesn’t kill any of them. He saves the ones who need immediate medical attention, teaches them, and lets those sisters go back to the ones he only inhibited. The saved sisters try to pass the rhetoric they learned only to be deemed weak and now they all have to fight each other. It can be to the death. The evil sisters who refused to change or learn would die, Ashi wouldn’t be by herself. They’d all have to come to terms with what they’ve done as some either go to fight Aku with Jack and Ashi, while the others leave so they can stew in their guilt of killing their sisters.

Option 4: Get his ass!!!!!

Have Ashi actively resent Jack for killing all her sisters. No, I don’t care what half-assed explanation Ashi gave to her mother, you don’t get raised with 6 other people and some of them NOT form of bond between each other when you’re all working towards the same goal. Especially when they had to function as a unit! Her mother wasn’t Aku, she didn’t see everything they did as soon as it was bedtime for 20 something years.

I want this to be a chip on her shoulder, I don’t want her shifting the blame of everything onto her mother. Yes, Jack was going to kill everyone and only Ashi survived, but why didn’t he do the killing blow for her? Why didn’t he try harder to save any of the other sisters? Why did he go for the kill shot every time instead of just mortally wounding them to prevent them from fighting if he knew they were humans and not robots? Isn’t he supposed to protect people? Isn’t he supposed to save people? Like yes, still have her learn the world is a wonderful place and Aku is making it worse, and still have her go to fight Aku for the sisters she’d lost, but don’t have her fall in love with the man who killed the only family she’d ever known before being thrusted into an unknown world and then have a sexual awakening on top of that??????? WHAT???????

Would've been better having Ashi see things and think of memories of her sisters that connected her with them through said images or objects, and then going through the process of mourning for each one before the confrontation with her mother.

Option 5: Have Ashi fall in love with Jack first. (Best One for Romance)

Can we say scouting missions? The daughters of aku were displayed as being curious through scenes when they observe unusual behaviors to the new environments they’re scouring through. Have them hunt Jack without the efficiency of the imakandi, and learn about the world on their own. Ashi is the leader so she’s responsible for finding Jack first, but that leaves the other six to sharpen weapons, get supplies,etc. They do need to eat and sleep as they’re still human. Then they have to interact with people, and animals, and nature and learn on their own. Have them hear stories about how great Aku is, and how awful Aku is from a variety of the people they have to meet from these supply runs or leads towards Jack that turn out to be false.

Make them argue with each other about what’s true and what isn’t from what they’ve heard of Aku. Show a struggle of acceptance when the strangers they talk to present proof of how “Great” or “Awful” Aku has been. Let them make the decision on what being human actually means WHILE Ashi is scouting and watching Jack do all these good things for innocent people, and then have her come back to settle any confusion ready to say their mother is wrong only to be interrupted by their mother telling them Jack’s location before Ashi can get the words out.

Even sweeter if you have Jack notice when he’s alone versus when he’s “alone” (ashi is watching), and he talks to her. It starts with things like “if your intent is to kill me, I ask you to reconsider” then changes to “if you’re hungry, i’m leaving the excess here, help yourself” until its “your killing intent has long since vanished, do you wish to speak to me finally?” because Jack is already used to randos turning into traveling companions (blue totoro, da samurai, scotsman, ikra) he can accept the stalking to an extent as long as it doesn't escalate negatively.

After their mother’s message, the sisters find Jack, but they struggle to fight him not out of lack of skill, but because they know so much about the world now, and they’re not sure what to believe anymore. Let Jack see their hesitation and capitalize on it with his words, until Ashi puts her foot down by taking Jack’s side. Since she’s the leader, and with all they know now, they choose to follow Ashi’s word. They then proceed to travel together and tease tf out of Ashi about her feelings for the samurai.

Final thoughts:

Any of these options excluding 4 since it’s more canon streamlined, could be much more easily done by having the first half of the series being about the sisters development flanking Jack’s turmoil plot, and the second half being about the daughters making mistakes and learning from them as they build towards the final fight which becomes much more badass in that Jack’s friends are fighting anywhere from 2-7 daughters of aku in that cool evil form with all the evil robots.

The relationship of the daughters of aku was more of a pacing issue than a writing issue, but I think if they focused more on the fact of we’re going to watch a family die over a lie instead of “they’re all mindless and only ashi has emotions” their deaths would’ve hurt A Lot more. Ashi’s development would’ve been more meaningful, and Jack’s guilt would’ve been much heavier. However someone wanted their hashed in romance so I guess this would’ve stuck a sword in their well-made plans.

Not to mention the idea that the daughters were the only people Jack killed over the span of 50 years makes it ring more out as shock value killing. As if there wouldn’t be non-robotic aliens or non-robotic humans or non-robotic human-alien hybrids who wouldn’t 100% follow Aku of their own violation? Nah, we’ve seen them, and we can see what privilege does to people. Plus if they had privileges that would be taken away by Aku’s downfall...well...I don’t think Aku was the only one asking for Jack’s head on a platter.

#samurai jack #daughters of aku #ashi #jashi #meta #i do like jashi i just wish it was executed better #long post of alternatives

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marvelgbt-posts · 4 years

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you’ve changed

i thought the song goes well with the scene (sw: peter cries) where peter cries so if you wanna play it there, you can :)

Request: Hi I hope your having a good day or night depends on the time your reading this. How about a Peter Parker x Male chubby reader were they dated before thanos snapped his finger and the reader didn't get snapped away and spent the next 5 years living out his life and when peter comes back he finds the reader but their in their 20's and divorced with a kid. Then they try to work things out. It could have angst but have fluffy ending. Maybe the reader waits till peter is olderand ask him to marry

i absolutely l o v e this idea, ty for requesting ^^ it's somewhere after homecoming, but mj already knows about peter, in the first part. The second one would be uh after endgame lol

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You weren’t popular amongst your peers. Hell, no one really knew you or your friend group of four. You didn't mind, nothing like that really bothered you all. Michelle was currently using Ned as a reference for another one of her art pieces that would bring some sort of “revelation” to those who viewed it, like the ones you see when browsing your Instagram feed about global warming or species endangerment.

Peter, on the other hand, was working on his new suit upgrades. Behind Mr. Stark’s back, he wanted to make his suit more powerful, especially since his parental lock was taken off - also behind Stark’s back, but he didn't have to know (though, of course, he already did). You were working on school assignments since there was nothing better for you to do anyways. Both you and Peter worked on the floor while MJ had Ned sat on the bed in a position where he looked as if he were murdered.

You glanced over at Peter; he peeked over at you simultaneously, the two of you smiling as a bit of pink made it to both your cheeks. You went back to your respective work, as did Peter.

…

“Peter?” you whispered, careful not to wake MJ and Ned up; MJ next to you on the ground and Ned, snoring on the top mattress of Peter’s bunk bed with an arm and a leg slung over the edge. “Yeah?” he whispered back, equally as cautious. You sat up a little, “I can’t sleep…”

“Yeah, me neither..” he responded.

“Can I, um.. Sleep next to you? Maybe?” you asked shyly, before shaking your head, “nevermind.. That sounds stupid, just forget it.”

“No!” Peter winced, looking up to Ned dangling over the edge of the bunk, before lowering his voice, “No, it’s fine. You can come up here, I don’t mind.”

You carefully slipped out of the blankets you shared with MJ and hopped into bed next to Peter. He was at least a head taller than you, if not half. He awkwardly shifted to the wall, and you felt like cringing. You were always a bit.. soft.. You weren't obese; oh no, you were the average healthy weight, and you could complete the mile somewhere in its required time. It wasn’t like you were unhealthily big, it was just your body shape. You had big thighs and a tummy that would show through shirts that were too tight (for your liking, anyway). Compared to Peter’s secretly toned body, you were like a marshmallow, and you disliked it very, very much.

However, Peter loved it, though he’d never admit it. Sure, you took up a little over half the space, but Peter honestly could care less. You felt him nudge your side, moving to come a bit closer. He was just in boxers and a t-shirt. You had pants and a hoodie, and Peter could just barely feel your body warmth. He looked at you, and you could just barely make out the shape of his eyes, how they looked; begging, big, puppy-like eyes. You bit your lip, suppressing a giggle, “Careful Parker, that’s pretty gay..!” you joked silently. He let out a breathy laugh, “Nothing’s gay about cuddling with your best friend..!” You chuckled, opening your arms for him to come into. He rested his chin on top of your head, wrapping his arms around your upper body while you wrapped your arms around his slim waist.

Like magic, you both found the sleep you’ve been craving so much.

~~~

You watched in fear as half of the people around you began to vanish in clouds of dust. You looked over to MJ, who was accompanying you to a bookshop that had just opened a few days ago. She looked down to her feet, which began to slowly fade away, before looking up at you in fear, “y/n, i–” but she was gone. You tried to grab her hand, her shirt, anything, thinking it would somehow stop what was happening. But you couldn't, if anything it sped up the process. You cried, trying desperately to grasp some of the ashes of one of your best friends before she was gone– to no avail.

Crying there in the streets of New York, watching as people screamed for their loved ones, you curled up into a fetal position, tears streaming down your cheeks. You knew Peter had skipped a school field trip to join Iron man and the other well-known Avengers in whatever was causing this, but you had no idea where Ned was, if he was alright... And, well, you already knew MJ was long gone.

What about your parents? Were they disappearing as well? Quickly, you ran back in the direction of your small Queens apartment, praying to whatever gods were out there that they were safe and unharmed.

~~~

The hallways of Midtown high school were crowded as those who had disappeared from the ‘Snap’ reunited with their friends. No one realized that, for five years, they had all gone missing. Sure, they remembered the process, but for them, it was like taking a five-minute nap rather than a five-year-long one. Peter was almost breathless as he saw MJ and Ned on campus, a wide smile on his face as he jogged up to them, surprising the both of his friends as they all had a moment, hugging, shaking hands, glad that everyone was safe.

Well...

Almost everyone.

“W-Where’s y/n?” Peter asked, looking around to try and find your small and round frame that he missed since he’d left Earth. MJ and Ned shared a look, and Ned bit his lip. “He-... he’s not here..”

Peter choked on his breath, “He died?!”

“What? No, no,” MJ was quick to confirm, waving her arms almost frantically, “He wasn’t uh, what do you call it? Snapped? He stayed here, he grew up.. He’s like, twenty now.”

Peter couldn't believe it. You would’ve been way older than him now! “Tell me you’re kidding, is this a prank?”

MJ shook her head, as well as Ned. No. No, no, no, that can't be true. If it was, were you lost from them? Did you know where they were? He was scared for you, imagining your chubby, short form frightened and worried for everyone's sake. He looked desperately at his two remaining friends, “Do we.. Do you know where he is? His location?”

Ned beamed, “I’m your guy in the chair, of course I know where he is!”

…

Peter was hesitant to knock at your door, knuckles moving towards and then away from the wooden surface. He had to admit, your place was nice, on the outside at least. He could judge the inside once.. If… you answered the door. Once Peter got the courage to finally make his presence known, a few seconds later a child peered through the window. He was surprised, but smiled and waved to the kid. She smiled and waved back, before looking behind her. Peter assumed that was, hopefully, you. The door opened, and Peter had to look up, like, wayyy up. You had gotten taller, and slimmer. Peter noticed you were more built, and he had to stop himself from lowering his gaze and letting his mind melt into the gutter. “Peter..?” you asked, almost dumbfounded at the sight of your high school crush. The little girl from before wrapped her arms around your leg, looking up at Peter with wide eyes, “Daddy, who’s this?”

“Daddy?!” Peter blurted out without thinking. This was all happening so fast. “y/n?” he looked up at your face again, and you nodded. While much had changed about you, he was glad your smile remained the same. Soft and bright and infectious.

“Yep, this is my daughter, say hi honey,” you looked down at your daughter, who shyly waved and grinned at Peter. She has your smile, Peter thought to himself.

Wait, if this was your kid, that meant.. You were married? He couldn't imagine it, the thought of it. The life he imagined so many times over and over in his head, about what life would be like with you in the future, ruined because of some giant purple alien with a lack of brain cells and the face of an avocado’s backside, and a woman he didn’t know of.

“Peter, would you like to come in? I bet you have questions..?” you asked, and Peter shook his head to get out of his thoughts, before nodding, “Yes, please.” Here you two were, speaking formally as if you were business partners. You invited him inside, and your daughter moved to the couch, taking a small, pink, fluffy bunny into her arms as she sat down. “Emily,” you said sternly, making Peter flinch, “What did we say about shoes on the couch?”

The girl, Emily, promptly removed her velcro slip-on shoes before looking to her father, who smiled in approval, “Good girl!” She smiled, and Peter giggled as he sat himself on the couch. You sat on the opposite side of him, your daughter moving from next to Peter, to your lap. You sat her on your knee as she played quietly with her bunny stuffed toy.

“So, you, uhh, grew up?” Peter asked awkwardly, and you chuckled bitterly, “yeah, haha.”

“You’ve changed,”

“Five years does that to you, I guess,”

“This your daughter?”

“Yep. Emily. She’s three.”

‘That means you had her around, what, junior year? y/n, I didn’t know you had it in you…!’ Peter joked to himself in his mind. But there was a burning feeling in his stomach. This domestic lifestyle; a quiet house, a child, and later on he found out you had a german shepherd named Skittles (Emily had named him). He wanted this life for so long, ever since he realized his feelings for you, with you. But you had lived a life without him, not that he blamed it on you.

After an hour or two of recalling the last five years of your life to Peter, including meeting Amanda, your ex-wife, and having Emily, it was time for him to leave.

“It was nice talking to you again, Peter,” you said shyly, another thing that hadn’t changed, thankfully. He bit his lip, lingering on your porch a bit, “Uh, hey.. y/n..?”

“Yeah?”

“So.. you aren’t with your ex-wife anymore, right?”

“Yep, no contact, nothing,” you were holding Emily in your arms, resting her on your hip. You could see conflict in Peter’s eyes, so you let her down and shooed her off playfully to go entertain herself with toys. She obeyed, and you turned to Peter, who looked up at you with glossed eyes. You felt your breath hitch, “Peter.. What- are you okay?”

He nodded, biting his lip, before shaking his head, “no, no I’m not okay! You grew up, you have a life now.. I didn’t even get the chance to be a part of it.. You– I loved you! I still do..” he cried, wiping his tears as he sobbed. You looked down at him, and you couldn’t help but sigh. He was still a child, of course. He hadn’t matured at all, since he’d basically been frozen in time. He was still the same childish teenager you knew five years ago. “Peter..” you whispered soothingly, wrapping your arms around him. It was now your turn to rest your chin on his head like he would do all those nights in freshman year. You held him in a protective embrace, and he just held onto your back, gripping at the fabrics of your t-shirt. You shushed him, “Peter, it's okay, I’m here..”

“But you’ve outgrown me! You’ve lived your life, you have a daughter, you got married, all without me! I wanted to be the person you could count on, the one you would go to sleep and wake up to at night, someone you loved, but instead.. I-.. you…” he didn’t know how to finish his sentence, instead crying into your shoulder. “Peter, I understand..” You whispered, “I loved you, too, I still do.. It’s just.. Our age gap now, I don’t think we can make it work now..”

Petr let out a shaky breath, nodding, “Yeah… I’m sorry,” he said, and you shook your head, “You don't have to apologize, none of this is your fault…”

Peter looked to your chest, still holding tightly onto you, before he perked up, looking up at your eyes, “Wait, y/n, I think.. Could you… What if I graduated? Wait no, that didn’t come out right.”

You chuckled. Peter shook his head, “no, listen to me. I know I’m five years younger than you now, but.. If I came back after graduating high school, when I’m older, would you be willing to, I dunno, make it work?” You thought for a minute, biting your lip, “Maybe… it would give us enough time to.. Catch up, fully…” the look on Peter’s face, it made you melt.

~~~

Ever since that day, Peter had been visiting you and Emily almost every day. Emily became used to him a few weeks in, now looking forward to her favorite visitor to knock on the door. She would open it and squeal, “Uncle Petey!” and Peter would always carry her when he walked in, without ail, and lift her up and make her giggle. The fact that Peter was treating your young like one of his own, it made you fall even more in love.

One day, you and Emily were in the kitchen, finishing up homework for her first-grade class. She huffed, “This English stuff sucks! I’d rather do math, and be super brain smart like Uncle Peter,” she said, crossing her arms. You sighed, and a giggle came from the doorway of the kitchen. You looked behind you to see Peter leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed, “English is important too, kid,” he said, sitting next to Emily, across from you. He was eighteen now and on his way to a promising college. He had a lot of responsibilities already, with his senior grades coming to an end and taking up half of Stark Industries with Pepper. You were proud of him, to say the least.

“In order to be super smart,” you said, “you have to be well-rounded. That includes English, young lady. Come on, it can’t be that hard,” you took a look at her paper, “Oh shit, wait this is hard.”

Peter and Emily gasped, “Language!” they said at the same time, making the three of you giggle. “y/n, I have something to ask you,” Peter said, glancing at Emily, “privately.”

Emily sighed, exasperated, “What?! Why can’t I know?!” she whined, kicking her legs a little. You chuckled, ruffling her hair a bit, “Get to finishing that homework, kid, we’ll be right back.” Emily pouted but got to work regardless.

“What is it Peter?” you asked once the two of you made it to the living room. Peeter looked into your eyes, he had grown taller, almost as tall as you now. “So, uh, I talked with Mrs. Stark, about things… I uh, I think I’m gonna move into the Stark Tower, focus on my studies there, help Pepper with running the Industry and prepare Morgan. She’s seven now, you know, just a year younger than Emily... They’d be great friends.. Emily likes math, Morgan is a science buff, like her dad.. Uh,”

“Peter, what are you getting at?” you asked, a small grin forming on your lips. He rubbed the back of his neck, “I’m getting at- uh, what I’m trying to say, what I’m asking is if, you and Emily would like to stay with me in the Tower? It would be easier for us to see each other.. And Morgan would love Skittles, and Emily, she wouldn’t be lonely when she comes home. Morgan is homeschooled at the moment, they could both be homeschooled together so they aren’t lonely, you know? A-And–”

“Peter,” you cut him off as he began rambling. He looked up at you, clearly shaken and desperately awaiting your response. You smiled, “Of course, I'd be happy to move in with you. But I might reconsider the whole ‘homeschool’ thing. I want Emily to be raised normally. She’s smart, sure, but she still needs school. Homeschool, we can think about when she’s older.”

Peter grinned, hugging you, “Of course! We can do that!” he giggled, and you heard a cheer come from behind the two of you. You turned around, a scowl on your face as you saw Emily, not doing homework. “Emily! Why aren't you finishing your English homework?”

She blushed, “The kitchen and the living room are right next to each other! How could I not overhear..?” she paused a moment before speaking up, “Are we really gonna live at Stark Tower..?” You sent Peter a look, and he smiled and nodded, “Mhm! Right next door to Uncle Pete!” Emily was ecstatic, and that was an understatement.

~~~

An eleven-year-old Morgan and ten-year-old Emily were playing Wii Sports in the lounge, Morgan purposefully losing to Emily since she had been winning too easily the last few rounds. She was treating Emily exactly like a younger sister, and it warmed your heart as much as the coffee you held warmed your hands. Emily cheered, having won another Tennis match. Morgan faked sighed, “Huff, that doesn’t make sense, you’re cheating!” she playfully shoved Emily, and they both giggled. Eventually, Pepper came into the room, “Morgan,” she called sweetly, and both daughters looked up, “it’s time for you and Emily to head to bed.” The girls groaned but nonetheless followed directions.

You nodded over to Pepper, “I’m gonna head to my room now, got some work to do,” to which Pepper responded with a nice, “alright, sweet dreams y/n.” You waved goodbye and made your way to your room.

…

You were covered in your bedsheets, warm and on the verge of falling asleep when a knock came from your door. You sat up, a groggy and sort of annoyed “Come in,” emitting from the depths of your throat. Peter came in, a little embarrassed, you could tell, that he had disturbed you at this hour, “y-y/n, can I come in? I.. can’t sleep,” he admitted, looking at his bare feet. You yawned, not being able to stay mad at him, and nodded, patting the space next to you. No longer had you filled up more than half the space in the bed like you had 5 years ago, Peter noticed, beginning to miss those times when you did and feeling a little bitter that he had missed so much time with you.

You took initiative and wrapped your arms around Peter’s shoulders, bringing him into your now toned chest. Peter went red; you could feel the heat of his face against your skin. Peter wrapped his arms shyly around your waist. He was twenty-two now, and you were twenty-seven. It didn’t seem like much of an age gap now as it had seven years ago. He bit his lip, should he ask now?

After a few minutes of conflict, Peter opened his mouth to speak, until he realized you had… already fallen asleep.

‘Great,’ Peter sighed, ‘The one time I manage to muster up the courage to ask, and he’s asleep.’

…

Another few months had passed. You were in the kitchen, going through your phone while making another cup of coffee for yourself, before you felt Peter wrap his arms around you from behind, resting his head in between your shoulder blades. “Good morning, handsome~” you teased, to which earned a groan in response. You had been dating for around four or five months, but it honestly felt like longer. Well, of course you were dating before making it official, you yourselves just didn’t know it yet, but pepper sure knew, as well as morgan, Emily, May, Happy, and everyone else you knew.

‘Today is the day,’ you thought to yourself, handing Peter a cup of coffee as he opened up his tablet to begin working on lab assignments. He thanked you and you kissed his cheek, before leaving the kitchen to the lounge, sitting on the couch while waiting for Peter to join you. ‘Today’s the day,’ you repeated the thought, ‘I’m going to ask him, today’s the day.’ Peter eventually joined you and you cuddled for the whole day, Peter finishing his assignments all the while.

You checked your watch, sighing, “Pete, I gotta go pick up Emily,” you said, kissing his cheek and nudging him off you. He whined, “If we homeschooled Emily, you wouldn’t have to worry about picking her up!” he whined, and you had to hold back a laugh. Peter had picked up Emily’s habit of whining. You swore she was becoming more like Peter’s child every day.

…

Peter began sleeping with you since you two began dating. It helped Peter with stress from work and his recurring nightmares of Tony’s death. It also helped you, since you had trouble sleeping as well. One night, however, as you both were staying up late talking and kissing, a hesitant knock came at your door. You looked to each other before Peter sat up to allow whoever was knocking to come in. It was Emily and Morgan. “Hey girls,” you sat up, voice calm and soothing, “What’s wrong?”

Morgan spoke up, “Mom’s out of the tower right now and the storm outside is scaring us,” she admitted, and Emily nodded her head. You cooed, and Peter opened his arms for the two children to come into. They climbed into bed, sleeping in between you and Peter. Emily had her head against your chest, listening to your heartbeat as she hugged you. Morgan had her back against Peter, who was sleeping on his side, petting her hair gently. The two of you were shirtless, but warm from the blanket, and the girls loved it.

A loud crack of thunder scared them both, and Emily clung onto you. You looked at Peter, who had the same look of sympathy as you. You sighed softly and began humming a tune from a song you’d heard once, calming the kids down until their eyes began to droop closed. Eventually, they were sound asleep against the two of you. You smiled, seeing as Peter was beginning to look a bit tired as well. “Pete,” you whispered, careful not to wake the girls, “Mh?” he responded tiredly. You played with Emily’s hair lovingly, running your hands through her h/c locks, the ones she inherited from you. “Emily really loves you, y’know?” Peter smiled, “That’s good to hear,” he said with a yawn.

“Yeah, she really looks up to you, kinda makes me jealous,” you admitted. Peter leaned forward, not wanting to crush Morgan. “Hm? Yeah.. I can tell she wants to follow in my footsteps, but it’s scary. If I mess up, she might too, you know what I mean?” Peter looked down at Emily, “I don't wanna be the villain in her storybook.”

You brushed Emily’s bangs out of her face, nodding, “Welcome to my life. It’s been hard ever since I divorced her mother. I don’t recall ever telling you this, but her mother was an alcoholic, which is why I left her and took Emily with me. She was never physical, but yelled at Emily a lot, even though she was only two years old.” Peter nodded in understanding, “That.. I’m sorry about that,” he said, looking up at you. You shook your head, “Don’t be. It’s in the past, and Emily hardly remembers any of it now… but, her looking up to you, reminds me of how she’d normally look up to a parent..”

Peter flushed red, “But, I’m just her uncle…”

“You don’t have to be,” you said immediately after, and Peter looked as if he would cry, “y/n, don't tell me y-you’re..”

“Peter, I think... I think I want to marry you, have the life Emily and I never got to have with Amanda. I know it won't be exactly the same, seeing as we’re both men. But I know Emily won't mind, and honestly, that’s all that I think should matter..” you looked up at Peter to see him crying, “Oh, god, no Peter don't cry..!” you said but he just shook his head, before biting his lip and nodding, “If you’re asking what I think you’re asking, then yes,” he said, a little choked.

…

The next morning, you broke the news to Pepper, who was a little more than excited. You then told May, who threatened you with your life, going on about how if you ever broke Peter’s heart she’d blah blah blah. You laughed at Peter's embarrassed face. Happy could have cared less, mumbling an “It’s about time, jeez”. Then, you told Emily, who took a second to process it before she jumped up and hugged you both, kicking and jumping around and just being a happy little ray of sunshine. You and Peter could say– without a doubt– her reaction, her happiness, that was what was most important, what made it all worth it. Time really has changed you and Peter both, and it was safe to assume you both wanted to keep it that way.

#peter parker #peter parker x reader #peter parker imagine #peter parker mlm #x male reader #gay imagine #marvel #spiderman #marvelgbt-posts #peter parkerr x male reader

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im-a-space-gay · 4 years

Text

Our Own Normal AU Notes-

(In case you didn’t know, OON AU is what I came up with while drawing the one drawing. Y’know... the one)(I’ll add it at the end of the post just in case)

Virgil Blacc:

14 years old

Human ??

Always wears a mask

Mostly silent

Despite being the most physically normal, he is anything but

Basically the glue of the famILY

Was the one to find everyone in the famILY and adopt them, despite now being the youngest of everyone

Patton Blacc:

18 years old

Werewolf

Ages very slowly

Can become a wolf at will, not including full moons

Anger issues depending on who or what’s happening around him

Still acts like a pup most of the time

Somehow the only one convinced Virgil’s not a human

Many centuries ago, his pack was brutally killed by hunters when he was still a young pup, not even being old enough to transform into anything but a wolf

When he was two, Virgil found him; a starving wolf pup in the forest, staying far away from the kind that murdered his flesh and blood. Virgil, somehow knowing he was more than a wolf, immediately adopted him, and Patton trusted the kid wholeheartedly, as this boy didn’t smell like the species known as humans.

Needless to say, they were best friends right from the start

Logan Gale:

16 years old

Y’know the stories about Frakenstein’s monster? Yeah, he was what they were inspired by

Does not age

Very insistent on wearing Virgil’s T-shirts over his long sleeve. No one knows why this is

If he’s ranting and your not listening, consider yourself dead

The smartest of the famILY, but everyone sees him as the emo kid for some reason

Many centuries ago, he was brought to life with electricity dancing through his veins. When he woke, his creator celebrated until he realized that Logan could only make random noises, and deemed him unintelligent even as Logan tried to prove him wrong. Logan’s creator died from a town riot not three days later

At least fifty years passed before someone dared to enter the laboratory where Logan spent every day, trying to make sense of the notes his creator left him with. A Virgil Blacc with a wolf pup in his arms

When Virgil found Logan, he knew again to not judge from appearances, and stayed to help Logan make sense of everything even if the four year old pup kept growling at the taller (how could someone that smelled like a dead human be alive? No thank you). He even helped Logan do surgery on himself in order to correct the many mistakes in his communication area.

He became part of the family after that, whether he liked it or not

Roman Kingsley:

20 years old

Ghost

Does not age

Wails dramatically at random. He says it’s instinct, which yeah, only two of them believed

For the most part see-through, and he can become more solid and look human at will, but can only hold that image up for a couple hours

Seems harmless, is relatively harmless, but if he’s mad, you need to run for the hills

Many centuries ago, way before Patton was born, Roman hit his twentieth birthday as one of the princes of his kingdom. However, a curse had befallen his other half on that damned day, and if he couldn’t cure his brother, he would actually die

Okay, turned out, trying to help his brother is what would kill him. Roman still didn’t know what drove it to this day, but his brother killed him in a rage. He woke up as a ghost just in time to see his brother realize what he had done before running into the tree line crying. Roman had tried to follow, but he couldn’t keep up

Forward a few centuries found him crying in despair in a cave, wishing for things to have turned out different. These cries would grab the attention of a five year old pup named Patton, which would drag a curious Virgil Blacc and a reluctant Logan Gale behind him. It didn’t take long for Roman to follow them everywhere, even if it did take him nearly three decades to like Virgil

Janus Blacc:

23 years old

Snake Witch

Ages very slowly

A literal wine mom, no joke

Couldn’t care less about anything, but if you hurt one of the others then oh boy are you in for a bad time

Roman for the longest time called him a dragon witch, which is just, no

If you asked anyone else, he is totally the mom of the group

Many centuries ago, he was a seemingly human orphan that was left on the doorstep with nothing, not even a name. The orphanage called him Deceit, for the many lies he told and the fact that nobody wanted such a horrid thing. However, as he grew, scales started to grow, and his ears became sharper, and his left eye had started turning into a snake one. He was chased out of the town by a mob, barely making it out alive

A few centuries pass where he hides, discovers his magic, and runs. Until of course, he got caught in barb wire when he was nineteen, which he had no hope of getting out of on his own unless you counted death

Enter; Virgil Blacc. The boy was all alone this time, appearing out of thin air before cutting the barbed wire, even as Deceit hissed and thrashed, which resulted in him getting a huge gash from near the corner of his mouth on his snake side and almost reaching his ear. Virgil paid his rude actions no mind when he got Deceit out of the wire, and started treating his wounds which Deceit calmed down about, even as a worried trio of interesting creatures found their clearing and started mother henning the masked boy. The boy in the mask would quietly name him Janus Blacc, which okay, yeah no this was Janus’s child now and anybody who told him differently could actually f*ck off

Remus Kingsley:

24 years old

???

Ages very slowly

A lot of tenticals on his back, and where the whites of eye would usually be there was black, and don’t forget the VERY sharp teeth and snake like jaw in the fact it could unhinge way too easily

Sometimes can’t handle looking at Roman without breaking down

Sometimes has fits of rage, and the others know to either leave him be until he’s cooled down or send Roman after him (they refuse to send Virgil after the first time despite his insistence)

Has very pretty patterns on his tenticals

Many centuries ago, way before Patton was born and Janus was chased out of his village, Remus hit his twentieth birthday as one of the princes of his kingdom. Unfortunately, on the same day he was cursed to be a beast, the only cure being simply unattainable no matter what time era he found himself in

His brother, his great, stupid brother tried to help, but he fell into one of his fits of rage and murdered his dear brother before he could even process he was there. When he fell out of it, he was so devastated at what he had done and had run, not ever wanting to return to their home

After centuries upon centuries of isolation and the occasional murder, he found himself enraged. This is where Virgil Blacc came along, attracted by the noise. Once again he was all alone, but he tried to calm Remus down despite it. Needless to say, that ended with him wrapped in multiple tenticals upside down in the air, Remus glaring at him with the intention of squeezing until all of Virgil’s bones became dust

Until of course, four equally enraged creatures burst through into the clearing with the intention to kill Remus. At least, at first. Roman calmed down immediately when he recognized Remus, and when Remus saw him back he just, dropped Virgil head first onto the ground, which the other three most certainly didn’t like. They talked it out, and while Roman, Janus, and Virgil forgave him, it still took a long while for Patton and Logan to trust Remus to even be around Virgil (can you blame them? Virgil raised one of them while he was the first friend for the second)

General stuff:

After not finding another odd creature for three centuries, they found themself living in a giant house in the middle of the forest surrounded by a brick wall

They now live in the same house, well into the twenty-first century where they live as the strangest famILY

Of course, they are their own normal

This is the drawing, for anyone who didn’t see it

#sanders sides #virgil sanders #logan sanders #thomas sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders #remus sanders #janus sanders #sanders sides au #our own normal au #oon au #drawing #traditional drawing #monsters #monster

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dyscrasia-eucrasia · 4 years

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Part 8

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Demie stared at the phone in his hand for a minute, utterly bewildered. The mentions of the Goatman had made him angry, but he hadn't expected Angel to just hang up on him, for a couple of reasons.

First, if Angel had actually suspected him of being the Goatman, he would've thought Angel would ask more questions. He'd never actually talked to any of the cryptozoologists that came poking around the woods, but from what he could tell about them, they didn't give up easily.

Second, even though he'd only known Angel for a few days, he could tell that Angel was talkative, and very interested in what Demie had to say. It didn't seem like him to just suddenly hang up.

Which left Demie wondering if he'd said something wrong. He knew he didn't have the best of social graces - he could blame it on the isolation he'd grown up in, but Marius didn't have any problem with being social, so that couldn't be it - but he thought he'd been doing well with talking to Angel. He was angry, and a little nervous about being exposed as non-human, but not so much that he wanted to stop talking to Angel. But maybe he had sounded too angry? He couldn't tell - the only person he talked to on a regular basis was Elaine, and she was a complete asshole, so maybe she'd rubbed off on him.

That was about as far as he got in that thought when Elaine started shouting for him.

"DEMIE!" She called from her room on the other side of the trailer.

"WHAT?" He shouted back.

"DEMIE!"

"FUCKING WHAT!?"

"COME HERE, JACKASS."

He frowned. There she went, being an asshole. She could just tell him what she wanted, but no, she had to make him come to her. He got up off his couch, grumbling, and ambled out of his room and across the living room.

"HURRY UP!" She yelled as she spotted him through her open door. She was sitting at her desk, in front of her computer. It and the TV in the living room were the most modern pieces of technology in the trailer, and even they were a few years out of date.

"What?" He asked, stopping at the threshold of her room. He never went in there. There wasn't a rule against it or anything, he just didn't like going in there. She had a ton of anime posters all over the wall, and they gave him the heebie-jeebies. Something about the big glossy eyes were just so creepy and alien.

"Come over here, there's something you need to watch."

"What is it?"

"Just get your ass over here!"

Demie grumbled again, but walked over to the desk. As he did, Elaine got up from her chair and patted it. Demie took a seat.

"Ugh, gross, it's all warm," he said.

"Oh, I'm the gross one? You don't fucking wear pants."

"It's not like I don't wash my ass or something," he shot back.

"Shut up and watch this fucking video," she said, leaning over and moving the mouse, clicking play on the Youtube video she had pulled up.

"WHAT'S UP, CLAYKIDS," an athletic white guy in his early 20s with perfectly coiffed hair shouted. "WE'RE IN WEST VIRGINIA, ON PART FIVE OF OUR QUEST FOR CRYPTIIIIIIIIDS!"

"This guy is way too fucking loud," Demie mumbled. Elaine shushed him.

The camera zoomed out of the guy's face to show him standing in some woods. "AND TODAY, WE'RE ON THE HUNT FOR THE GOATMAN!"

A chill crawled up Demie's spine, and his blood went cold. He watched in horrified silence as the man continued to shout about the history of the Goatman and how it was said to shapeshift and terrorize campers.

The camera cut and Demie gripped the arms of the chair. The man - joined by a crew of five other, almost identical white guys - now stood in the middle of a crumbling asphalt road. To either side of them were short brick buildings, only about eight in total. Demie recognized it instantly as Billy Brook, West Virginia - the town about twenty minutes from the trailer.

The video spent a few minutes on the crew ambushing various townspeople, sticking microphones in their faces and asking them about the Goatman.

"Oh yeah, that Goatman, he killed my dog," an old man said.

"Everyone knows you stay out of the woods," said a middle-aged woman.

"Yeah, I heard about the Goatman," a man in his twenties told the camera, "my buddy Mike at the video store has seen him."

"WHOO!" One of the crew hooted, pulling the camera around to get an extreme close-up of himself. "Eye witness, baby!"

Demie shivered. Please don't go to the video store, please don't go to the video store, he thought.

Immediately, the video smash cut to a small, whitewashed building with a hand-painted sign that read: 'Video Store - VHS - DVD - XXX.'

"This video store has been in operation since 1985,' a sleepy-sounding voiceover said. "No movie theaters in town, most people don't have internet, so we stay in business pretty easily."

The video cut to the inside of the store, the camera slowly sweeping over the shelves.

"This place is LIT, fam," one of the crew said. "Yoooo, check it out, this place has porn!" The camera fixed on a shelf in the back of the building, though the covers of the videos had been pixelated out.

"So tell us about the Goatman," the first white guy said, the video cutting to a strung-out young man in flannel with a name tag that read 'Mike' standing behind a counter.

"Oh yeah, the Goatman, he comes in here like once a month," Mike said.

"Does he buy any videos?"

"Oh yeah."

"What kind of videos does the Goatman buy?"

"Uh, y'know, splatter gore horror stuff. Sometimes he gets some musicals. Oh, and a lot of porn."

"What kind of porn does the Goatman buy?" The guy asked, laughing.

"GOAT PORN!" Someone shouted off screen.

"Nah, man, he gets like… big titty blonde chicks."

"What does the Goatman look like?" The main guy asked.

"He's like… seven feet tall, man. He's got like really long hair and a beard, and these big ass curly horns."

"That doesn't sound like any Goatman I've heard of," a different person said from off camera.

"Nah man, he's real. He like, lives out in the woods and shit."

Demie sank into the chair, lifting up his hands and covering his face, though keeping his fingers open to watch the video. "Shit," he murmured.

"I told you going to the video store was a bad idea," Elaine said, words dripping with vitriol.

"Mike is always high out of his fucking mind," Demie said, words muffled by his hands. "I didn't think he'd even remember that I was ever there."

"Keep watching, it gets worse," she said. He moaned in horror. How could it possibly get worse?

The video cut again, this time showing the crew out in the woods. The sun was beginning to set.

"Check it out, no trespassing," one of the crew said, pointing to a piece of sheet metal nailed to a tree. The words had been hand-painted on. Demie sank lower into his chair. He'd made that sign himself.

"Trespassing in the Goatman's woods, yeah boyyyy," another member of the crew said.

"So, where's the Goatman?" Another asked. The main guy tried to shush them, but they kept talking as they stumbled through the woods, jumping and then laughing at every snap of a branch or rustle of leaves.

And then, out of nowhere, a crack of gunfire interrupted their buffoonery. The entire crew became silent. A few moments passed, and another shot could be heard.

"OH SHIT!" The main guy shouted, and the camera work became a dizzying blur as the crew began to run.

They came out of the woods onto a dirt road, where they began to laugh.

"Jesus, we almost got murdered by fuckin' hillbillies!" One of them shouted. The other hummed a few bars of 'Dueling Banjos'.

"Alright, well, that was a bust, but we'll keep looking," the main guy said, grabbing the camera and pointing it in his face. "Be sure to like, comment, smash that subscribe button, and buy our merch, Claykids!"

The video ended and Demie sat there in silence, eyes glued to the computer screen. "We're so fucked," he mumbled.

#writing #writers on tumblr #original characters #original fiction #lgbt fiction #gay fiction #wright's writing #w:demie and angel

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saltyfilmmajor · 5 years

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AN EVEN DEEPER DIVE™ INTO THE THEMATIC SYMMETRY IN MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE.

A Breakdown of the character relationships in Rogue Nation and Fallout

For: @not-too-tall-for-trick

Y’all, I literally spent four days of my spring break working on this Rogue Nation Analysis Video and I also made this post a while ago touching on this subject, but I really can’t stop thinking about this. So here we go diving deeper into the implications of the characterizations of Ethan, Ilsa, Lane, and Benji.

Ethan Hunt will always do good no matter the cost. He disregards his own wellbeing if it means that the world will be safe. This is consistent in his characterization throughout the franchise. Which leads to the tragic implications that Ethan and by extension Team Hunt aren’t fully realized, elf-actualized people. They are tools for the government they work for, even if they are not loyal to that government.

Ethan’s loyalties despite everything he has gone through has always been on the side of protecting human life and the innocent. And he has remained able to keep a steady head on him, unwilling to sacrifice the needs of one over the needs of the many. Hunley even says as much to him in the beginning of Fallout. But never once throughout Rogue Nation and Fallout does the audience ever see Ethan being concerned with his own wellbeing.

When The boat scene in Rogue Nation occurs, Ethan already has made a decision to send Benji away: “I can’t protect you, that’s why I NEED you to leave.” The dialogue here is very significant. It’s not a want, a selfish desire. No. Ethan needs Benji to stay safe which is want informs a majority of the decisions he makes in Rogue Nation especially. The entire plot of Fallout kicks off because he was unwilling to let Luther, his oldest friend, die.

Ethan can never choose between the needs of the few and the needs of the many, at that includes himself.

Ethan, having done this for like some 20 odd years now, understands this. Ilsa however differs, but they go through similar circumstances that parallel and make them interesting to analyze closer.

Ilsa is not a bad character, (morally speaking anyway, her character in the narrative is fucking amazing and I love her and so do all my other film major friends) She has different priorities than Ethan, yet they strive for similar things, making them thematic mirrors/parallels.

Ilsa is put in a similar situation of having to go rogue in order to bring down the syndicate, she is forced to be disloyal to her government in order to live. Ilsa still holds on to her personhood and does not accept that she must be loyal to Lane or Atlee. She and Ethan agree that Lane needs to be stopped and no one will believe them, but she still believes she can walk away from the spy world and become a free woman.

“Lane, Atlee, your government, my government, they’re all the same. We only think we are fighting for the right side because that’s what we choose to believe.”

She is ideologically more aligned with Ethan than she is with Lane. She does not agree with his methods, but she understands why Lane is opposed to his government. She is concerned with survival above all else, which is why in Fallout she must kill Lane. Otherwise, she will never again be able to live in peace.

So, both Ethan and Ilsa experience similar character arcs, but they go about it in different ways making them not foils but parallels of each other. They are on equal standing in the narrative but can’t see eye to eye in a few things.

Contrast that between Lane and Benji. The narrative between both Rogue Nation and Fallout posits them against each other and are in an odd position of being mirrors of the other, as well as being highly antagonistic towards each other to quote my friend @Snovyda

“Which is peculiar, because usually, parallels are drawn between the main villain and the main hero. Not between the villain and the hero's friend.”

They aren’t exactly mirrors, but they are linked thematically, they are connected

See, they are both competing for Ethan’s attention (not in a ship or romantic way, I just don’t have a better way to say that, the English language can only take me so far.)

It’s inferred that Ethan was to be turned to Lane’s side after that whole torture sequence, in which Ethan looks like a whole ass snac (rip sorry it’s just Tom Cruise’s Arms Make me feel safe, amongst other things) Vinter even says “What does He [Lane] see in you, I wonder?” Lane saw protentional in Ethan to become a terrorist (That’s what he is be we don’t really have time to unpack all that.) And Lane was attempting to manipulate Ethan by whichever means to get what he wants, which is ultimately the disk. To him, human nature is something easily manipulated, which is somewhat proven right when Ethan unlocks the disk in order to keep Benji safe.

Lane sees no other way to becoming his own person than through terroristic acts. He also is definitely the leader of The Syndicate; he shoots those he deems have outlived their usefulness and the audience is never shown if he ever takes any advice from those around him. He is violent, cold, calculating. Contrast with Ethan who is caring and compassionate and only managing to get by, but because he values his team’s input, because they are all equals, he prevails.

Benji is competing for Ethan’s attention in that, he wants Ethan to know that he does not need to be alone on his mission to stop The Syndicate. He wants to be seen as just as capable. He and Lane are both monitored intensely by their government, and how they react to this informs the audience of their character’s and make them appear as thematic mirrors of the other. They both rebel against their government, in order to achieve their goals. Benji wants to help Ethan and take down The Syndicate even if he does not come to believe that the syndicate really exists at first.

Lane from the get-go seems to know about Ilsa’s mission to infiltrate his group but still believes in her potential, it is not until he realizes the disk is empty, that he truly turns against her.

In Fallout, Lane who is far more concerned with revenge, states this to Ilsa: “Ethan Hunt will lose everything and everyone that he ever cared about.” And immediately after that, the audience hears Benji’s voice coming from the off-screen space. The editing is very intentional in setting up that Lane is not referring to Ilsa, but Benji. The dialogue choice is very deliberate here. Because first off, the laymen will take “everything” to include “everyone”. The way Lane does this is very reminiscent of their conversation in the graveyard in Rogue Nation. “I’d like to see who you blame for what happens next.”

He is making it clear that whatever is to happen in the following encounter, it is her fault. If Benji dies his blood will be on her hands. This also makes it clear to the audience that Benji, is the “everyone” that Ethan cares about. Which is quite telling and functions on two levels in the narrative.

Firstly, Benji serves as a metonym of the entire conflict that Ethan has throughout the course of the narrative. His Team vs The Mission. Secondly, it reinforces that idea that Lane and Benji are forcibly connected.

Lane attempts to hang Benji, not shoot him or any quicker means of murder. No, he ties a noose around his neck and forcibly hangs him. Benji is the one that got away, the one who lived. Benji is the one Ethan’s attention was on, and how perfect it would be to kill him now that Ethan’s attention lies elsewhere.

The reasoning Lane has however also extends in his logic for tying Ilsa up. While it seems that His revenge is sole focused on quite brutally killing Benji, it isn’t.

Ilsa refuses to kill an ally or any innocent person. Her final test was based on killing both Ethan and Benji after Lane got the disk. Yet she refused. Because he has known her for a longer period of time he is able to use this knowledge in order to enact his revenge.

Vinter says something quite apt in Rogue Nation, that is “People break in different ways” and so the same logic applies here. Lane’s aim here is for Ilsa to be made to feel helpless, making her complicit in Benji’s murder. That’s why Lane gives his whole revenge speech to her. She is not meant to be included in the “everything and everyone”, she is just an observer, forced to watch Benji die, She is apart from them, and Benji, whom Lane knows Ethan would sacrifice anything for, is the one he sets his eyes on to be more brutal.

The Character dynamics between these four are very connected and reinforced through the narratives making them, if not mirrors of each other, then thematically linked at the very least.

#Mission: Impossible #Salty Film Major™#benthan #ethan hunt #ilsa faust #solomon lane #benji dunn #supergeekytoon #rogue nation #mission impossible fallout #this took me less time than i thought #i guess cause i am so used to if by now #anyway let me know what y'all think #i always love feedback

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palestinianliberator · 6 years

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Story of our family’s blood curse

OKAY SO I didn’t realize how detailed this was until I actually sat down to try and write about it...but I’ll try to keep things juicy and concise.

It’s important to preface this by saying that in my village, there are three major families, or “clans”. There’s Manasrah, which my family hails from, Saramah, and Awowda. These clans supersede the immediate family units, and are incredibly unified and caring of one another.

The story starts with my grandma Mohdia and her three brothers, Musa [also known as Moses], Yousef, and Tawfik.

My grandmother spent her whole life in Palestine, very rarely leaving, while her brothers moved around the world to find work - Tawfik and Yousef moving separately to the US, and Musa moving to El Salvador where he started a family and became known as “Moses al-Arabiy” [Moses the Arab].

Yousef had 5 sons and and 4 daughters, one of his sons were Waleed and one of his grandkids was Khaled. Waleed was a good kid, working with his father and helping to support both his family, while Khaled was a gambling alcoholic who would beg friends and family for money. Yousef’s wife [who hails from the Saramah clan] had a daughter from a previous marriage who herself had a son, Mohammad. This daughter and son were not a part of their new family [my family basically], as they were loyal to her biological father of the opposing clan and remained with them. I KNOW THIS IS PROBABLY CONFUSING BUT BEAR WITH ME!

One day in the mid to late 1960s, Khaled went up to Mohammad, who was a wealthy man, and asked for money. Mohammad denied him and apparently chastised his behavior and inability to support himself. Khaled, drunk and furious at the slight, gunned Mohammad down and ran off, going into hiding.

Now my village is INCREDIBLY strict when it comes to dishing out justice, and they take family honor and alliances very seriously - when it came out that Khaled was responsible for the murder of Mohammad, our family offered up his life to make things even, knowing that he was guilty of murder and should face punishment for what he’d done. Not everyone agreed with this, but it was seen as the best way to keep things from escalating. Khaled was then executed, and after a period of mourning for both victims, things went back to normal.

Except that the mother and uncle of the family friend that was murdered weren’t satisfied. Keep in mind, my grandma’s brother/my “uncle” and my family are of the Manasrah clan, while the murdered man and his bereaved family were from the Saramah clan.

The mother, distraught at the loss of her successful and beloved son, went out into the village declaring that God had not allowed true justice to prevail, and that she would cast a blood curse on Yousef [her mother’s new husband], his family, and his entire lineage, and that she would seal it with blood so that nobody will ever forget the crime committed against her, her family, and her clan. Think of how serious and committed someone must be to go out and publicly speak of blood magic in a relatively conservative village like this - she wasn’t joking around. Not long after this, she disappeared completely.

Things remained somewhat tense, but overall okay.

Several years later, however, one of Yousef’s kids was killed under “unknown circumstances”, his body dumped in the street. The general consensus was that the family of Mohammad, the man killed previously, was responsible, but otherwise nothing solid and things eventually moved on.

In retrospect, that was the “blood” that sealed her curse.

Now switching gears and going back to Moses al-Araby, my grandma’s other brother living in Bolivia. He was involved in leftist revolutionary movements and opposed the US backed government that took over following the coup in 1964. I don’t know too many details about his life, but I hope to learn more as I reach out to family still in Bolivia in the future. Anyways, after the collapse of the organization Moses was involved in, he went into hiding.

Several years later, sometime in the mid to late 60s, Tawfiq [the last of my grandma’s brothers] travelled with his son to Bolivia to meet with Moses, not knowing ANYTHING of his involvement with leftist revolutionary groups, and not being involved in any sort of political movements himself. Tawfiq was falsely identified as Moses, and was assassinated along with his son by a hit squad. Moses used this as an opportunity to flee the country, going into hiding in the Middle East for a period, before he himself was eventually killed by Israeli forces in the late 80s.

Now back to Yousef, who in the late 70s was living in Idaho with his wife and some Waleed, where they owned a jeans and fashion store. One day, both Yousef and his 25 year old son Waleed were assassinated in a case that, to this day, remains an “unsolved murder”. The funny thing is, we know who did it, and we know where this individual currently lives.

Anyways, it was made well known that the assassination of both Yousef and Waleed was still part of the mother’s payback, and she followed through with her threat to murder her biological mother’s new husband. This entire time, however, she remained missing. She was never seen again after her initial threats of a blood curse. The building where Yousef and his son was assassinated is know known as a “haunted location”, a building in which future tenants have claimed to here voices and shouting, and where a man eventually hung himself. You can read about some of that bit here. So it’s great to know that if I ever want to visit my distant uncle, I can find his spirit in that building.

The body count at this point is 7, including the original murder and murderer.

Given this brazen attack on our family, and given that we knew the two men responsible for the murder, our clan decided to strike back. One of the two murderers was killed and his body hidden in a dessert in Las Vegas. you can read about that in the link above^. I don’t know who was responsible exactly, but it’s common knowledge that it was all in connection to the assassination of Yousef and his son.

Man there is so much more that I’m glossing over, but I’m trying to keep this from turning into a novel x_x.

There’s an ENTIRE other story about how this back and forth killing led to a feud so big that the IDF had to storm Deir Dibwan to resolve things, all sparked by two more killings tied to clan relations with this blood curse/feud.

By the end of the initial killing spree, each of my grandmother’s brothers had been murdered, with people at this point blaming the blood curse, and hoping it was the end.

Well...it wasn’t.

In the years since - two of Yousef’s sons died in car accidents, and a third was gunned down in a random attack. One of his daughters died with her family in a house fire.

One of Moses’ kids was gunned down in Bolivia under unknown circumstances.

Two of Tawfiq’s kids lost ALL of their money in different ways, leaving their families in shambles. One of his daughters committed suicide.

One of Tawfiq’s grandkids, the ~rapper~ Mally Mall [who is my cousin lol] had his house burn down, killing his pet wildcat.

Another of Tawfiq’s kids just went missing one day, and was never found.

One of Tawfiq’s grandkids also went missing, but he was eventually found in his car, which had been set on fire with him inside.

My grandma’s sister, who had been through enough shit with al-Nakba and some stuff that had happened to her due to Israeli forces, ended up losing her eye.

Then you have my immediate family & immediate aunts and uncles - I don’t want to divulge THEIR personal details here, but suffice to say......things are pretty messy. My grandma lost two of her children, and three of my aunts and uncles lost 4 children between them. My aunt had her San Francisco store burned down in an arson attack and lost a child to drowning. I came into this post fully intended to discuss some of the personal details with my family/uncles that more recently reflected manifestations of ~the curse~, but I realize now that I don’t want to share that info publicly...sorry x_x.

To this day, the curse and this entire ordeal is pretty well-known throughout the village, and two clans have since made amends. There have also been multiple “attempts” to tackle the blood curse, but.....you know, HOW do you know when one has been lifted? Especially one cast out of such malice. And sure, you can just go and blame any negative occurrence on ~a curse~, but given that the body count is well over 20, given the extreme unlikelihood that so many houses in my family have been burned down, given that my uncle’s goddamn spirit is said to still haunt the building where he was assassinated.......you know??

At this point, any negative major event that happens, we joke about as being the result of the curse~ [and those that know me..............well.. (: ]. At this point I’m going to stop typing, because holy hell this is long.....and I should probably proofread it first, but I just want to post it before I lose everything.

#Blood Curse #Personal

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day0one · 4 years

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They thought COVID-19 was a hoax until they fell ill “The mindset that people have is that it’s not real until it gets close to home."

Ruben Mata, a fitness trainer in Stanton, California, who has traveled the world as a motivational speaker, was adamant in the early days of the epidemic that the coronavirus was not real. Most of what he had heard about the virus he’d gleaned from his friends at the gym he attended religiously, even as the pandemic raged across the U.S. But just a couple of weeks after the Trump administration declared a national emergency on March 13, Mata, 53, was diagnosed with COVID-19. He subsequently spent five days in a medically induced coma; at one point he was given less than a 40 percent chance of survival. Now he wants others to learn from his missteps.

“Before I contracted it I thought, ‘It’s just made up, it’s all fabricated’,” Mata told NBC News “Global Hangout” this week, adding that he figured his six-day-a-week gym habit and healthy eating regimen would spare him even if it did exist. “That’s what prevented me from getting help sooner, when it went really bad.”

Mata is not alone.

Eight months into a global pandemic that has infected more than 18 million people and killed more than 700,000 people worldwide, there are still those who are deeply skeptical about the dangers the virus poses. Others simply don’t believe it exists at all. One recent Pew Research Center poll found that, between late April and early June, the proportion of Americans who said the coronavirus pandemic had been exaggerated had increased from 3 in 10 to nearly 4 in 10. An earlier poll conducted by Survey 160 and Gradient Metrics indicated that Fox News watchers were more likely to believe that the threat of the virus had been overblown. And in recent weeks, there have been reports of Americans on their deathbeds confessing they thought the virus was a hoax.

It all underscores the enormous information battle that’s running concurrently with the war againstCOVID-19. Though the news is filled with stories of death, lockdown and quarantines, President Donald Trump continues to paint a rosy outlook about the nation’s handling of the virus and to downplay its severity. This week, Facebook and Twitter removed videos posted by the Trump campaign’s social media accounts that the two companies said contained misinformation about the coronavirus. The offending video included a clip from Fox News on which the president erroneously claimed that children were “almost immune” to the virus. Coronavirus, like the debate about vaccines, has become political.

That polarization is exacerbated by another issue: where Americans get their information. An analysis conducted from October 2019 to June by the Pew Research Center found that 55 percent of adults in the U.S. “often” or “sometimes” get their news from social media. That reliance on social media has been a concern for years.

With COVID-19, public health experts trying to keep Americans informed say social media simply cannot be one’s sole source of information.

“You must look beyond your social bubble to get better information and verification,” said Lindsey Leininger, a public health educator and researcher at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business in Hanover, New Hampshire. “Our brains are bad at decision-making under uncertainty. So the way we can best protect ourselves is to trust our social networks, but verify with news sources.”

In June, long after the virus' hold on most of the U.S. had been widely reported, Tony Green, 43, held a small family gathering at his home in Dallas. He had been getting frustrated by state and federal government guidance about social distancing. “It’s family. You know we haven't seen each other in a few months, and to think that you can’t embrace each other, hug my mum? Give me a break. Of course I’m going to hug her,” Green said.

Green, a self-identified gay conservative, quickly regretted the get-together. Just days later, 14 members of his family had fallen ill with the coronavirus. His partner’s grandmother died. Green himself was hospitalized, his central nervous system attacked by the virus, his bed in the ICU just one floor below his father-in-law, Rafael Ceja. Ceja remains on life support, almost two months after the gathering.

“I really want to put some of the blame on the federal government and President Trump, who I actually voted for back in 2016,” Green said. “I think that he has really failed to lead in this area because he’s not really not practicing the social distancing and the mask, and he’s downplaying the severity of it. I mean, I'm sitting here and I'm listening to my leader.”

Green said that until the family gathering, he had gotten most of his information about the virus online, via a large network of friends from around the country whom he describes as “keyboard warriors,” “armchair doctors” and “conspiracy theorists.”

“The bubble I was in online made me think it didn’t add up,” he said. “To think that I went down that rabbit hole, it’s embarrassing.”

But distrust of the virus transcends the geographical, and professional divide; even people in the medical community have underestimated the virus and its impact. A Gallup/Knight Foundation poll of more than 20,000 adults published this week shows how deeply entrenched American distrust of the news media is. A majority of Americans currently see “a great deal” (49 percent) or “a fair amount” (37 percent) of political bias in news coverage, according to the study, and more Americans see bias in news reporting that claims to be objective, with three-quarters calling it “a major problem” (73 percent), compared to 65 percent three years ago.

This media distrust, combined with national leaders playing down the virus’ seriousness, is arguably resulting in more confusion among Americans, and more American deaths.

David Vega, 27, now in medical residency in Miami says he thought he was “invincible” before he caught the virus in March, when he was still a medical student. In his case it wasn't a question of believing the virus was real — he knew it was. But he also believed his youth and general health would protect him from the worst possible outcomes.

After all, that was the messaging everyone repeated: The most vulnerable were the elderly and the immune compromised. Not a robust 20-something. Yet even as stark warnings began to appear in and outside medical communities around the world, with news reports in late February on the closure of schools, universities and public events in Italy, Vega continued to socialize and attend parties — until he fell ill.

“It’s the sickest I’ve ever been,” he said, adding that he lost 10 pounds.

For people like Vega, admitting that they had underestimated the severity of the virus can be a humbling, uncomfortable and frequently embarrassing experience.

"My response to people thinking I might have known better: I'm still a person, I'm still a human being," said Vega, who now works on a COVID-19 ward. In March he wrote about both his pre-COVID bravado and the painful experience that followed for his medical school, the University of Indiana, to try to educate others who may still think the way he did.

Mata, the California-based trainer, is also trying to use his conversion from coronavirus skeptic to realist to change the hearts and minds of those who still underestimate the virus. He’s been speaking out on social media forums and says the responses to his story have been positive. People around the world have reached out to him to thank him for coming forward.

“The mindset that people have is that it’s not real until it gets close to home,” says Mata, who sees his experience as offering credibility to the virus’ virility. “Till it hits a family member, then it’s real.”

Not all skeptics turned evangelists have received such positive feedback.

Green, who hosted the family gathering, wrote an op-ed in July in the LGBTQ newspaper the Dallas Voice. Since then, he has received considerable backlash online. “I was called everything from ‘negligent’ to a ‘murderer.’ I was told I should commit suicide,” Green said. “There were some really hateful, nasty responses.” Indeed the comments to his piece are unprintable here.

In his own social circles, Green says conservatives he knows have been surprised about how passionate he’s now become about talking about the dangers of COVID-19, despite having heard his personal story. Some have questioned his motives, accusing him of aligning himself with liberals on the issue.

Still, for Green, it’s important to get the truth out about the virus, even if it comes at a personal cost: “I’m not about to lie about what I’ve been through.”

0 notes

svtmafia · 7 years

Text

No Other Options - Back Stories

Information to go further in depth. From the boy's POV.

Words: 6992

Warnings: Violence, Gambling, Guns, Just a lot of mafia stuff

S. Coups

It was just another day, another job, another deal.

Mingyu and I were in a squad with a bunch of associates. The associates were all around the building as back-up, because you don't need hundreds of people to do a drug deal. Though, things don't always go as planned.

Every surrounding mafia knew that today was special, due to the fact that we had a new boss, Mingyu. Of course, I would've preferred to have the position, but Mingyu is just as capable of being in charge.

That being said, there's a huge target on our backs. Everyone is going to think we are weak and unable to handle whatever they throw at us. Well, they have another thing coming. I will absolutely not let us fail.

Anyway, Mingyu's father is also here, making sure everything goes as planned. My father was also supposed to come along but it seems like he's chickened out, as per usual.

Even as a child, I would see him come home questionably early. I thought nothing of it, since we received great items and housing. When I grew older, he introduced me to the mafia. At that point, I had already figured out that he was involved with it, and that I would have to be too. It didn't take long for me to get adjusted to the harsh reality of the mafia. I found myself working harder and later than my father ever did. As I talked to more people, I found out my father was a lowly person who backed out of almost all jobs. They weren't sure how he maintained such a steady life.

I started speaking with him about his ranking and he slowly revealed that is was because he was close to the boss. He told me that if I got close to his son, Mingyu, that we would be easy living. Not thinking much about it, I told him that his idea was cowardly. His idea still popped up in my head from time to time, though.

I ended up befriending Mingyu anyway. Not so much for any benefits, but for the reason that he was one of the few people relatively close to my age here. We talked and all that for a while, getting along real well. A few more younger people joined the mafia, and we had our own small subdivision, kind of.

And that brings us to today. I watched Mingyu doing the deal, from a few feet away. The air was really sticky due to the days heat. This wasn't an ideal building for doing business, but it's what we got to deal with. I pulled at my shirt's collar, getting tired of this atmosphere. After another moment, Mingyu turned around and gave a thumbs up. I began walking towards him to assist with the boxes, when I saw him falling to the ground.

"Shit!" I ran to him quickly, catching him, before he hit the hard concrete. All around, armed men came pouring out of hiding spots. I sent the signal for our men to come out as well.

Mingyu's father came rushing over to us, and I saw the absolute disappointment in his eyes.

He couldn't possibly be blaming this on Mingyu?

Together, we dragged Mingyu to a safe area, being covered by the associates. I pulled out my own gun, charging into the action, leaving the Kim's to tend to themselves for now.

It was a while later, after returning to our base. Mingyu ended up okay, he was shot with a tranquilizer. However, we lost a good amount of associates. In the end, the other group retreated. We couldn't call it a victory though. Mingyu's father was definitely upset. Once Mingyu woke up, his position was immediately retracted, leaving the boss open. Mingyu, his father, and I all sat in silence in a room, after he revealed the retraction. I had no idea why I had to be there.

But when Mingyu's father spoke up again, I wish I had bailed on this job like my father had.

"This was a real hard decision, son, but this was all due to your shitty excuse of leading." He stood up and walked over to me, "This boy here, you should be more like him. And that's why he'll be the boss from now on." He patted my back as I choked from the sudden announcement.

I'll never forget the deathly stare Mingyu gave me when we looked each other in the eyes. He, of all people, should have known that I was given no other option but to do this.

I have to show him that I'm strong, and that I can do this. For him.

Jeonghan

Seungcheol and I had been friends since we were 5. We were always close and spent a lot of time together.

At 10, we hung out more often, he said he had a lot of problems. He never spoke to me in detail about them, though.

When we were 15, he started going by S. Coups. Then he finally let it all out. His father was in the mafia, and he was in-training currently. I wasn't sure how to respond so I pulled him into a hug. Without thinking, I told him I would join him. He pulled away and looked at me with wide eyes.

"Never."

Seungcheol was fully invested at 20. We moved in together but he didn't come home much. I also let the other younger mafia members stay here often as well. I saw them more than I saw Seungcheol. They would tell me he was coming home soon, but he wouldn't show up until 2 in the morning.

The next year he became the boss. That's when he stopped coming home totally. He would show up every other day, but he was rarely happy. He tried smiling when he was around me, assuring that everything was okay. I still insisted that I would join him. I even thought about it. He would never say yes.

One year after that, we were closing in on 22. Soon after he became the boss, I sent myself on my own jobs. I had no other option but to help him, to make everything better for him. Seungcheol came home more often, with a smile on his face. He noticed my new found fatigue, and has been questioning it. I just tell him I haven't been sleeping well.

As long as he's happy, I'll be happy too.

Joshua

In America, there's a large following in the mafia. It's hard to stay out of it for some people, but then there's the people that are looking for that type of life.

And I would say I'm one of those people.

I'm not particularly looking for trouble, but I don't wanna live a life of just learning pointless things. That's why I've been taking up a lot of language classes and hunting the streets late at night. I've already gotten involved with a few deals here and there, but none of them have seemed right.

That's when I decided I need something more than America. I had recently heard that mafia action was quickly growing in South Korea. I figured I'd have to go and show them who will be running this mafia world.

Except it didn't turn out that way.

Once I arrived, I immediately found a group to infiltrate.

They were different from anyone I've ever met. Most mafias would contain people of older age, but they consisted of young adults. They actually cared for me as a person. When they found out I was homeless, I was moved in with the boss' friend, Jeonghan. The other younger members lived there as well.

For the first time, I didn't feel like I needed to be better than everyone else. I had so many options in life, but this is where I needed to be. I just knew.

They're my home.

Jun

Never in my life had I been a "good child". I didn't really care much for good grades, or even going to school, for that matter.

I prefered staying alone, in the comfort of abandoned buildings. Of course hanging around these areas brought me into bad things. While there would be an occasional old lady looking for an shop from her memory, most visitors were retiring gang members and runaway criminals. I didn't really mind until they started getting feisty with me.

They would try to force me to leave so they could complete deals and possibly murder. Of course I never left and I ended up having to fight a little bit. I also met my best friend through one of these fights.

I was having a little trouble with a trio, (who are now surprisingly my close friends) when a lanky boy came up behind them. He started playing around with the nunchucks in his hands and the trio decided to leave.

The boy started coming around often and I found out his name is Minghao. Minghao didn't come to visit me one day though, but the trio came back.

They decided to introduce themselves today. Soonyoung. Seokmin. Seungkwan.

They were here to make a deal.

With me.

Join their gang or die. Well they said fight, but they made it pretty clear that they would kill me if I declined. So, according to them I had no other option.

But, I was just a boring kid with no life; what reason did I have to say no?

They took me to Seungcheol, their brand new boss. He took me in quickly and I got adjusted to the group. Though some days I skipped out on them to visit Minghao, they weren't too happy about that.

That's when I decided to force him in with me.

Hoshi

I was just a normal teen boy in my last year of school, playing around with computers and all of that junk. I got a little too involved with technology to the point where I stopped worrying about my grades. The only time my parents spoke to me was when I had bad grades. I'm not sure why my mother was so concerned with me getting high grades while she was busy getting high off the luxury life my father gave to her, through the mafia. When they weren't busy on cruise ships or traveling to popular vacation areas, they were home yelling at me. I got tired of their nagging, but I decided to fight back with more technology.

I learned more about "hacking" and how I could get through to the teacher's grade books.

I started off slow, bringing it up a point or two at a time. It only got hard when other students somehow found out about my skill. They started blackmailing me into fixing their grades until I decided I had enough.

Dropping out may not have been the best idea, but it's the only idea I had at the time. At that point my parents stopped caring about me totally. I found my way to some new friends, Seungkwan and Seokmin.

They dropped out recently as well. They became the only people I have left. I could hang out with them often. Or I could spend more time working with computers. So I did.

Seokmin still dragged me out on weekends to go to the gym but that's the only time I saw light. He told me it was for the best, so that I don't turn into a "zombie". I still question why Seungkwan got to boss us around instead of working out but whatever.

I got pretty interested in the gym though, and I decided to go more often by myself.

The rest of my life all came down to one cursed day. I spent a few hours at the gym when I decided to take a break in the bathroom. I didn't realize someone had been watching me.

"You remind me of someone I've heard a lot about." I was sure the statement wasn't directed at me, so I continued splashing my face with sink water.

"You're just gonna ignore me?" I looked up at the mirror to see a muscular guy standing behind me. He couldn't have been over a year older than me, yet he had such a strong presence.

"Oh, so I've got your attention now?" He paused and looked at himself in the mirror, then back at me. "Good. I've heard you're quite a computer genius. I happen to know some people who could use your type."

"Who told you about me? Who are you? What are you talking about?" Maybe I asked too much, but this man could potentially have been my stalker.

He spun me around so we were facing each other, finally. "Hey, settle down, I'll answer all your questions but we gotta go somewhere else."

"We can go somewhere, after you tell me your name! This doesn't seem safe, you know."

He seemed as if he were getting frustrated but I should have been the frustrated one. "Alright. You can call me S. Coups. Let's go."

'S. Coups' grabbed my arm and dragged me. I thought I should tell him my name as well though, "Well Mr. S. Coups, you can call me Hoshi."

"Ah, I won't tell you my real name so you won't tell me yours? I get it, but I already know a lot about you, Soonyoung." I wanted to run away but he had a tight grip on my arm. I had no other option but to submit to him.

"Don't worry Soonyoung, you should already know about the life you're gonna live from now on."

Wonwoo

I was casually sleeping at my friend Mingyu's house, in his room. It's a lot larger than what I was used to, but I spent so much time there that it became normal.

Since I was only about 16, I had no idea how Mingyu's father supported such a house. Well, 16 was the age I actually found out how. It turned out to be... definitely not what I expected, but something I had thought about.

"Sooo... I'm in the mafia." I heard Mingyu calmy say as he shook me awake. I must've looked like a mess, because of the look he was giving me. I gave him a look back, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I mean, maybe you didn't cause you were sleeping but like, okay. Yeah, I joined my father's gang. You know, the mafia." Mingyu paused but continued, not seeing my face of disbelief. "Well you don't know, seeing as I never told you about this before. I knew though, I just didn't think I'd get involved so soon too. He told me I had to, so wanna join with me?

What?

"Mingyu, I have a life." I stared him straight in the eyes. He was looking around, trying to find a response. He pulled away from the bed and walked over to his drawers, searching all through it.

I sighed as I looked out his window, only focusing on him again as he got in my face. With a metal object.

"What the hell, Mingyu! Why are you pulling a gun on me?!" I tried to hold my composure but I fell further back onto the bed in fear.

"Got an answer for me?" He grinned. He's actually grinning while holding a gun to his best friend's head. Mingyu has already gone insane.

I had no other option, "Ok. I'm with you on this, all the way. Just, please, put down your weapon."

"Oh, this?" He threw it onto the ground. "It's just a model, can't do any harm. Probably." Mingyu laughed to himself while I was trying to regain control of my emotions.

"Wonwoo, come on, you know I'd never actually hurt you. I didn't have any other way to tell you that you have no choice. My father said the mafia knows about you due to being my best friend. Sorry about that." He sat next to me on his bed and rubbed my back.

I can't believe that's his mindset now. "You should've just told me that."

"I guess you're right, oh well!"

We immediately started my training. Many young people going into the mafia drop out to keep focus on it, but I decided to do both. It was hard and tiresome.

Hopefully worth it in the long run.

Woozi

Dealing with a harsh family is hard. Dealing with a harsh family in the mafia is like hell.

Since I'm young, they expect me to do everything for them. Especially the hardest jobs.

My parents have gotten into deep debt due to gambling and failing to go through with their jobs. They expect me to infiltrate another gang and somehow take the money they make.

Which is hard.

I met with Seungcheol in his office. He is the current leader of one of the largest gangs around. I expected him to ask me a lot of questions but he just stared me down. To a normal person, he'd seem like a hard-ass. He doesn't scare me, so we just ended up having a staring contest.

He broke the silence as his glare intensified, "Who put you up to it?" Damn. "I don't know what you're talking about." I tried to keep focused on him but I had to look away.

I heard Seungcheol laugh as he moved in closer to me, "I know I don't have much use for you, but there's no way I'm letting you go. Especially when you aren't gonna have anyone to go back to. So, I suggest you get comfy, little man."

It took everything in me not to immediately punch him.

Yet I still stood up and threw my chair at the wall.

"Woah, woah, alright. I'm gonna call in Jeonghan to come get you. Stop trying to break my shit, though. If you don't, I'll break your arms." I held my head as he grabbed the chair off the floor. Seungcheol roughly grabbed my wrist and pulled handcuffs out of his desk drawer, attaching an end to my wrist, and the other to the chair. Then he walked away from me.

He walked halfway out his door before he turned back to me, "If you still aren't here when Jeonghan arrives, just know, you'll never escape me." He licked his lips and smiled before shutting the door after him.

So I stayed, having no other option.

The8

I was happy with my normal life. Good grades, great health, no trouble. The mafia was an avid topic in town, but I think that's what kept me away from it. If I were completely normal, I wouldn't be thinking about what it's like to live the mafia life. I find myself daydreaming about it, though. I can't help it.

Anyway, staying out of that life meant staying away from a lot of people. I generally spent time in cafés or at home doing work. I spent weekends at the gym with my father. Where he would complain about me not having any friends to go with.

One day when my father had important business, I left the house on my own. It seemed like a good time to practice with my old nunchucks, so I stuck them in my pocket and headed out.

As I walked around town I reminisced to the time when I practiced my nunchucks daily. My parents were always big on physical strength and health. I had trouble gaining the amount of muscle they wanted me to achieve, but I was still young.

They didn't understand that my small body couldn't grow like that yet, so they asked a friend of theirs to give me lessons in weaponry. He took one look at me and said I look like I would enjoy nunchucks. I had no objections so we started immediately.

I kind of regret not continuing my lessons but I also don't really need them. My memories stopped flowing through when I realized I ended up in the old part of town. It was a pretty ideal place to practice due to the fact that no one would complain about something breaking.

Or so I thought.

Every building I went into, there was some kind of shady business going on. I didn't wanna get in the middle of that. It wasn't until I saw a group of boys my age that I decided to stay in one of the broken buildings. They seemed to be friendly, but as I approached them, I found that was untrue.

"You think you run this area or something? Huh, pretty boy?" One with thin eyes spoke, directed at a tall boy with medium-length hair.

A smaller boy with chubby cheeks cheered beside them, "You tell him Soonyoung! Your turn now, Seokmin!"

The last boy had a wild smile stuck on his face, I assumed he was Seokmin. "Seungkwan, you know you're supposed to call us Hoshi and Dokyeom in public." His smile disappeared as he spoke. Seokmin moved in closer to the "pretty boy" and grabbed his shirt.

"Ooh, oh! Can I beat him now?!" Soonyoung sang out and Seungkwan began shouting out words of approval.

Just then, the boy in the middle of it noticed me. He looked at me, his eyes shining like the moon. My instincts took over and I pulled my nunchucks out of my pocket. I really didn't want to hurt anyone so I ended up just swinging them around quite sloppily because of my lack of practice.

The three boys turned around as soon as the clanging of metal echoed throughout the building. Soonyoung and Seungkwan started clammering around while Seokmin stood and stared at me. I tried moving in closer but couldn't go too far without hitting him. Seokmin stumbled back into the pretty boy, who in turn pushed Seokmin into Soonyoung. Seungkwan took charged again and started pushing them both out the door.

I walked to the pretty boy and fixed his shirt for him. I tried to sneakily look up at him but he was looking down smiling at me.

"Hello~ I'm Junhui, but you can just call me Jun." Jun sat down and patted the floor next to him.

While I did have plans, it couldn't hurt to sit with him for a while. "I'm Minghao. What was the deal with those guys?"

"Ahh, not even a nice to meet you?" Jun sheepishly smiled and looked at the ceiling, "They were just messing around. People do that a lot here, I've gotten used to it."

"Sorry but... you didn't really seem used to it." Jun and I just spoke like this and other various topics for hours. Eventually I had to go home but I came back to visit the area often; he was always there. There were a few days I had to skip out on visiting him, and throughout those days, he changed little by little.

I wasn't sure what was happening to him but it was easy enough to ignore. It only got unbearable when he started flirting with me every two seconds and also acted like a hard-ass.

I confronted him about it. I asked him what's been going on in his life lately and what's changed.

Jun didn't tell me about his problems, instead he dropped a bomb on me.

"I told the mafia about you. You have no other option but to join it." He smiled widely at me. I wasn't sure what to say, time kind of just stopped for me. I mean, I thought it did until Jun started shaking me. "Look, I know it's heavy but-"

"So how'd you come up with this plan?" I asked him, trying to sound as unphased as possible.

He laughed, "I was talking to the old boss of my gang, Mingyu, he told me about how he forced his friend Wonwoo into the mafia with him. I don't think I would be able to do this without you, so I did what he said he did." Jun's smile faded away, "Just don't hate me, please, Minghao."

I looked into his eyes, much like the first day I met him. Once again, I fell for the moon's trap.

"I could never hate you. What happens now, though?" I sighed and tried to force a smile for him.

"We go start your training lessons! I'm sure you won't need much." Jun joyfully grabbed my arm and started walking me to our destination.

Basically, what they all call Hell.

Mingyu

I don't have much of a story. My life has always been about one thing, and one thing only.

The mafia.

I didn't ask for this life but I was born into it. Some might say I had no other option. I say that it's the option I would've chosen no matter what. At this point, I could care less about the life I'm living. Mostly.

In fact, I would be completely fine if I were what I was told I was going to be from a young age. Ever since I could understand words, my father has told me about living the mafia life. I never had to fantasize about it because I was told exactly how it was. He told me one day, it'd be my empire. I would rule it all.

And now I'm sitting here pretending like I don't care that Seungcheol is the boss. Don't get me wrong, he's very fit for the job, but this was a family gang. The boss role has been passed down through every generation. Yet, here I am, being bossed around.

Anyway, time to get back to business.

Dokyeom

The mafia life.

All my dreams revolved around it. You could call them nightmares, but they seem so amazing to me. The thrill of gambling. The sensation of murder. Things I had only experienced while asleep.

I had been trying for years to find a gang to join. Clearly, I was never successful. The mafia action was supposedly avid around this area, it just never found it's way to me.

Soonyoung and Seungkwan have been my long time friends. Mostly because we all dropped out at the same time. We weren't in the same year but people make a big deal when you drop out at a young age, so we found our way to each other.

It really wasn't legal either. I guess you could call that our start to the life of crime.

Often I would spend my nights at one of their houses, in an attempt to become closer with them.

At Soonyoung's house, I got quite bored. He was always a fun guy, but he's not very good at staying concentrated for long. He was always going off finding something new to do, while I sat and waited. I got tired off the waiting one day and decided to go through his desk drawers. After sorting through it all, I found a fancy looking book. Something Soonyoung normally wouldn't own. I opened it up to reveal some sort of schedule... or logs of some sort? There was a phone number at the bottom, labeled "Seungcheol". I wrote it on my hand then put the book back.

At Seungkwan's home, we messed around a lot. He's a fairly loud guy so it was always a fun time with him. Somedays he let me stay over, but he stayed out with his friend, Vernon, instead. He left spontaneously one day and told me I could use his laptop if I got bored. I powered it on and started playing online poker. Which definitely got boring after a while. I started playing around in the files he had and noticed one that was labeled "Logs." Since it was Seungkwan, I expected pictures of logs, but they weren't. It was something similar to the book I found at Soonyoung's house. One thing stood out to me, "Gambling with Seungcheol|Mingyu".

The next night I invited them both to my house. I was going to get to the bottom of this.

As they walked in, I immediately went for it, "So, who's Seungcheol?" They looked at each other for a moment, then at me. I flashed a smile at them for dramatic effect.

Soonyoung started, "Just... just, uh, a friend. Of Seungkwan's. I... met him once and... seemed like an important guy so I-"

I had to cut him off. "Don't strain yourself, Soonyoung. Tell me the truth. Now." "Well you see... I mean actually, how much do you know?" Seungkwan asked.

"I know about your new gambling buddy. I'm not sure what "logs" are for, but you two have been up to some really shady business." I paused and looked at them intensely,

"I want in and you have no other option but to let me in on this." Soonyoung and Seungkwan looked at each other again and nodded.

"Oh? That's all? I'll call Mingyu immediately, then." Soonyoung pulled out his phone and dialed.

I let him do business and spoke to Seungkwan, "Who's Mingyu? Isn't Seungcheol in charge?"

"No, no, no, Mingyu was the boss' son and just got promoted. Seungcheol is a higher up but he deals with a lot of the business. Also, it's best to call Seungcheol "S. Coups" in public, so remember that. Call Soonyoung "Hoshi" too." Seungkwan sighed and sat down as Soonyoung finished his call. He gave me a thumbs up, "I guess you're in, they just gotta put you through training and see if you're ready!"

So after years of pushing on this, all it took was a little bit of snooping and a short phone call. Amazing.

Seungkwan

As a child I always spent my time at my parent's casino. They told me to stay safe in the backroom but I would always explore. I always ended up around the heavy gamblers because they were only focused on their games.

"Come on, that was a bullshit move!" One man complained to another. Bickers like this went on until the game was over. They were just signals they sent to the each other. They did this along with hand signals. The men that did this always seemed to win.

While they did that, I walked around the tables collecting anything that seemed of value. By the time they came back to their tables, they were too happy or drunk to notice anything missing.

Sometimes younger people snuck in, and I let them pass. No one really noticed if they were under age because of disguises I helped create Because of this, if they won, they had to share their profit with me. My old friend Hansol disapproved of my new hobby, but he would never try and stop me.

My business was booming by the time I was 14. There were kids all throughout the casino, all doing my bidding. I got 50% of their earnings and no one complained, because they wouldn't be getting anything without me. Seokmin, a friend of mine, was one of my top earners, but he gave me 65%. He said he wasn't in it for the money. He was also another thing in my life that Hansol didn't approve of.

I was having a pretty good business day when I noticed a new guy. Somehow he got in without me seeing, and he was basically owning the game table. I had to get him out. I called Seokmin over and sent him off to put in his ante. I watched him intensely and it seemed like he was doing well. The other players folded as the game went on. The new guy had a look of defeat on his face as Seokmin raised his bet.

Just then, the guy flashed a grin in my direction. I stumbled back in surprise and took my eyes off their game. I held my head as I sat down on a barstool. It was an overreaction but he really scared me.

It took me a minute but I returned to my previous position. The game was over though.

The guy won, with a royal flush. It was nearly an impossible hand, but he had it. I couldn't believe it. This was Seokmin's first loss, he must've felt broken.

I was unconsciously walking over to Seokmin when someone pulled my arm back. "Hi there, you must be Seungkwan." I turned around to see the guy. How'd he get over here so fast? "My name is S. Coups. I know what you've been doing here."

"Ok and? It may be illegal but you being here isn't legal either. So get out right now, or I'll notify my parents of your presence." Honestly, I was terrified. S. Coups could easily crush me, but there I was, mouthing off to him.

He laughed at me, "Look, kid, I'm not here to bust you. I'm here to give you... an offer. You're not quite old enough yet, but training will take a few years anyway."

"Training? What are you talking about? I don't want any of your offers!" I walked away from him, trying to escape to my mother's office. I was only able to walk for a minute before I was shoved into the nearby bathroom.

Before I could turn around, I heard the click of a door-lock.

"Let me rephrase that. You have no other option but to accept my offer and follow any directions that you're told. I've already spoken to your parents and they're... lets say 'fine' with you coming with me. Understood?" S. Coups voice was now full of power. There was no more resisting. I had to give in.

"Understood."

"Welcome to the mafia life, kiddo."

Hansol definitely won't be happy with this.

Vernon

Family and friends. That's really all that's important to me. I didn't really have too many friends, though. That being said, I treated the one friend who always stuck by me like a god.

Seungkwan supported me, no matter what I did. I tried to always support him until he stopped caring about what he did. It got harder when I found out more about his personal life. Seungkwan ran an illegal gambling business in his parent's casino. He dropped out of school. He started hanging out with an idiot and a psychopath. (Thinking about it now, I turned into them, so I have no right to insult them.) Then he became part of the mafia.

I would've been fine if he had just stopped at making the bad friends. I could've dealt with it. Him joining a gang is just... unthinkable.

He'll never make it.

The moment he told me, we were hanging out in his room. I nearly freaked out on him. Seungkwan needed to step out for a moment, so I used it as an advantage. I grabbed his phone off his bed and unlocked it.

I tried looking through his notes, but he had nothing there. I easily found what I was looking for by going through his messages.

"Boss' Son" was the first contact. I guess they aren't very close yet. I decided on not reading the messages, for Seungkwan's privacy. I was going to call whoever this was, though.

I pressed the phone button and waiting for them to pick up.

"Um, Seungkwan? What do you need?" He doesnt sound happy to be answering this call.

"Uuuh, hello. A-actually... This isn't Seungkwan. My name is Chwe Hansol and I'd like to apply for your father's gang." God, I probably sound like an idiot to him.

"Apply? What the f-" He paused. "Why do you have Seungkwan's phone?"

"Well... He's my friend. He told me about him being in the mafia, and I can't let him do this alone. I need to be there for him. Please, sir." I sound too desperate. He'll never let me in.

"Alright, chill out man, I didn't need your sob story. Considering Seungkwan pulled a dumbass move and told you, you have no other option but to be recruited. Congratulations." I heard him sigh through the phone.

Meanwhile I was throwing myself a small party, it normally isn't something to be celebrated, but it's for Seungkwan. "Thank you so much, sir!"

"Don't thank me or call me sir. My name is Mingyu. Just make sure you go with Seungkwan tomorrow when he comes to our building. Seungkwan will be punished for this, though." Mingyu was preparing to hang up.

"But I have school tomorrow, and I'll take all of Seungkwan's punishment!" A statement that I would regret.

"Wow, you're a bold one. I guess I can respect that. And don't worry you won't be going to school much anymore. At least not if you wanna keep your boyfriend safe." Seungkwan walked in as Mingyu finished speaking.

"Hey, no, he's not m-"

"-y boyfriend." He hung up.

"Hansol, what are you doing?" Seungkwan raised his eyebrows in question. I handed him his phone, "I'm your new gang buddy! So don't forget me tomorrow when you go in for work."

"Gang buddy?" He shook his head in disapproval, "I should've known you would pull something like this."

I regretfully smiled, "Yeah, you should've."

Dino

Just like Mingyu, I was born into a mafia family. I was born into a specific gang, with a future as a boss. There was no other option for me, or so I thought. I was only 15 when my father said I would be promoted. At that age, most people would've just gotten into a gang. I started my training when I could walk. My father was very big on preparedness.

He told me he was already getting too old for this, and that there was no one better than me. It was all very fishy considering he loved the life he was living. He never complained about gambling or tough jobs. He only started worrying when a harsh rival gang popped up.

I guess he just wanted me to deal with the hard stuff. I don't blame him though, I can handle myself pretty well.

I went in for work the next day, and expected a ceremony. I was only brought disappointment.

In what was supposed to be my new office, there were three guys speaking to my father. Two looked only slightly older than me.

"New recruits?" I made sure my presence was recognized. The guys just looked at me with disbelief, or maybe disgust?

My father seemed more timid than usual, "Oh, no. Chan, these men are from our previously rivaled gang. It's the boss, his son, and a friend." He pointed to each one as he gave them a label.

The boss eyed me up and down. "Why don't you young boys go out and do something?"

I was reluctant to leave the room but the two boys pushed me out the door. I took a last glance back and saw a look of defeat on my fathers face.

"Who are you guys?" I questioned as they pushed me around the building.

"He's Wonwoo, and I'm Mingyu. Soon to be boss of all of this shit. Whoop-dee-do." The boss' son replied with a twirl of his finger.

"Wait, what do you mean boss of all this? This is my building." I stopped and turned around, "And where are you even taking me? You seem to know where you're going."

"Don't worry, Chan. We're taking you to your new, new office! An up and coming boss should know where his subordinates are going to be working." How did he know my name? Boss? Subordinates? What the heck?

Mingyu walked forward, "Come on Wonwoo, just carry him, it'll be faster." The silent boy picked me up before I could even move. "Hey! This is not what I came to work to do!"

Mingyu started running down the hallway and Wonwoo followed in suit. I kept my eyes closed so I wouldn't get sick. I heard multiple doors open and close before we came to a complete stop.

I opened my eyes and realized I was being held in the air, above a dumpster. "ohmYGODPUTMEONTHEGROUNDRIGHTNOw!" I was panicking a bit and start wiggling. I fell into the trash.

"That was your fault, man." Wonwoo shook his head as he held out a hand for me, "Let's go get you cleaned up."

"Oh yes, I have the perfect thing for this. To my office, boys." Mingyu walked away while I was still getting out. I hurriedly fell out and started following after him, Wonwoo close behind.

We had to go up a few flights of stairs, and it wasn't very fun covered in filth.

"Here we are." Mingyu said. He held open the door for us and I looked around in astonishment. This room was completely different yesterday.

"How did you do this?"

Mingyu chuckled as he pulled things out of a drawer, "I don't sleep often. I've gotten used to being busy after hours."

I turned away to look at some of the posters on the wall. "It's amazing here but... this shouldn't be your building. This was all supposed to be-"

"Shut up and turn around." Mingyu's voice had a lot of force in it, I immediately obliged.

To my dismay, they were both pointing metal objects at me, "Holy sh- Those are guns?!" I backed into the wall that I was previously staring at.

"Yes. Very real, scary guns." Mingyu moved closer, "Put your hands up!" Clearly terrified, I threw my hands in the air.

"Now, Wonwoo!" I closed my eyes and braced for impact but all I felt was... wet? I opened my eyes and saw streams of water exiting out of the guns. "That was so not cool!"

Wonwoo shot me a little smile, "Welcome to the club, kid."

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andromedahawking · 7 years

Text

NaNoWriMo Day 7

One week! One whole week! 11667 words! I’m doing a thing!!

(Apologies again, sleep-induced weirdness may occur here...)

Things progressed smoothly over the next week. The project moved swiftly, Maria made sure to keep up on all her other classes, and work managed not to drive her crazy. All in all, she’d had worse weeks.

But then, it was Tuesday, the 7th of November, 2084.

Election Day.

She woke up that morning briefly ignorant of this very important fact, and for that moment, it was a very blissful ignorance. But then the bubble popped, right as she was about to get out of bed, and suddenly she decided she wasn’t feeling up to going to school todayy. She would just stay home and sleep. Yeah. Let’s not think about the outside world today.

Group Chat

Maria: Someone tell Monaca I'm sick, won’t be in today.

Tatie: I’ve got you, sweetheart.

Maria: Thanks.

She let her phone fall out of her hand, and buried her face in her pillow. Why today, of all days, to exist on this mortal plane?

At around 9, she heard the front door slam shut, and she let out a small sigh of relief. Thalia was taken care of. One less thing to have to think about now.

She tried to go back to sleep, but her mind was swirling with thoughts about the election. It was going to be a very big night, and a lot of the hubbub would probably have her name tossed out way more frequently than she would ever like it to be. Why did she have to be a dumbass? Why did she have to try to make a statement? And why did everybody else decide to listen?

John had said it was looking close this time. Herald and Andrews were easy losers, anybody could tell but Alighieri and Waters… that was where the real battle was gonna play out. It was going to go to Round 3 voting, without a doubt, and the margin would be incredibly thin when it was all said and done. And of course, tomorrow would probably be worse than today, because the result would be known and everyone with half an opinion would be rushing around to tell everybody what they thought about the whole ordeal and what it meant for the future and yadda yadda ya, just thinking about it pissed her off.

She moved her head under her pillow, and clamped it down around her ears in a futile attempt to drown out the noise in her head, and slowly managed to drift off into a very unstable sleep.

—

She woke up multiple times: 11, 13, 17, and then finally got up at 19 to get a couple pieces of toast and some milk before going back upstairs to crash again, telling Thalia, “Lemme know who wins before you leave tomorrow, m’kay?”

“Thought you don’t give a fuck.”

“Would that I could, sis, would that I could.”

“You gonna actually get up tomorrow?”

“Not if I can help it.”

—

The next morning, Maria was awoken by a sharp knocking at the door.

“Wh’d’you wan’?”

“Alighieri won. 220 to 215.”

“Ah, sweet. Make sure to kick anybody’s ass who gives you any grief at school, tell ‘em I told you to.”

“Buddy, you don’t gotta tell me twice. I was planning on kicking ass anyway.”

“Attagirl, Thal. I’ll see ya later.”

“Don’t spend the whole day being dead, okay? You look like shit when you do that.”

“Thanks, Thalia, I already knew that. Now get to school.”

“Roger dodger, sis…”

She listened to her footsteps thunder down the steps, then the front door slam. Then it was very, very quiet.

So, Alighieri, huh? President Alighieri. That was not gonna go over well for a lot of people. Having a Democrat snatch victory out of Progressive jaws after everything that had happened this year was something that was considered a bit of a worst-case scenario in the eyes of the liberal establishment. So that also meant Maria had to keep out of the public eye again, to avoid getting pulled back into the blame circle and being picked apart again by all the media pundits.

God, couldn’t she just lead a normal life? Somehow?

Ping.

Tatie: You going to call in sick again today?

Well, kudos to you, Tatie, for being very observant and also very up-front.

Maria: Something like that.

Tatie: Hope you know where to find the homework. And make sure you show up on Thursday, otherwise four out of four groupmates will murder you!~

Maria: Don’t worry, I’ll be in tomorrow. I don’t like the idea of being drawn and quartered any time soon.

Tatie: Haha yeah, generally speaking it’s good to try and avoid death. We would prefer you alive.

Maria: Me too. I’m going to be passed out most of today so don’t be surprised if I don’t answer any of my messages until tonight at some point.

Tatie: Enjoy your sleep, then~ I’ll leave you alone.

Maria: See you tomorrow.

—

Maria did manage to extricate herself from bed on Thursday, although to be perfectly honest, it was mainly because she didn’t want to be the one to flake out on the group project first. If she did that, then she was screwed on a school level as welll as a national one. Thankfully, school was also a lot easier to repair, so on balance, probably not the worst thing in the world if she missed today. Just bad.

Adrien and Hannah were chatting outside the History room when Maria got there. “Hey, Maria!” Adrien said, waving. “How’s it going?”

“I am so tired,” she groaned. “The last two days just had me wiped out.”

“Yeah, we missed you on Tuesday,” Hannah said. “You just catch a bug or something?”

“Mm-hm. Nothing too serious, just sorta took the energy out of me. I’m over it now.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “So, uh, what did I miss, dare I ask?”

“Not much, actually,” Hannah said. “Monaca spent most of it just sort of going over the details of Teller City. Most of it’s in the reader.”

“Okay, good,” Maria nodded. “I can live with that.”

“She also was railing about making sure to vote,” Adrien snickered. “I didn’t think she could be much more high-energy than she already is, but man, that was something to see.”

“Definitely,” Hannah agreed. “You were probably smart to stay away from that if you were under the weather.”

“Oh, yeah, I can only imagine.”

“Keep it that way. It was hilarious, but also a little bit scary,” Adrien said.

“I just hope that she doesn’t use today as to follow up on that…” Hannah said.

Just then, Monaca came around the corner of the hall, Snapple bottle in hand. “Morning, guys!” she said, waving enthusiastically. “How was your Wednesday?”

They all gave her the usual spiels about "lots of stuff to do” and “not enough sleep”.

“God, you guys sound like my roommates from when I was in college,” she said.

“It’s almost like we’re in college or something,” Maria said, smirking sarcastically.

“Woooow, really?! I never would’ve guessed!”

—

“Now, today’s gonna be a bit different from the usual format,” Monaca said to the class. “That’s because the election has been decided, so as your History teacher, I’m obligated to spend a few minutes with y’all to discuss the implications this whole thing has on the future of the next four years, what it means for you, for us, all that good stuff. So let me start off by asking, how many of you followed the election pretty closely?”

About a quarter of the class raised their hands.

“Okay, and how about just the cursory stuff, like the headlines and stuff?”

About three-fourths of the class raised their hands this time.

“Alright. That’s a fairly decent percentage of you. Now, how many of you voted for the candidate on the ballot, and not the party?”

“…Um, could you explain that a little better?” Graham asked.

“Sure.” She picked up her bottle, empty now, and started fiddling with it in her hands. “What I mean is, when you voted, how many of you chose your options based on who you liked, as opposed to based on which party they belonged to? Did you vote for Terry Waters because you like Terry, or do you just like the Progressive Party?”

“Oh, man, that’s a harsh question, don’t you think, teach?” Maria asked with a small grin on her face.

“The truth hurts, what can I say?” Monaca said, grinning back. “You don’t have to answer, of course, I just thought that would be a good question to roll around in your heads for a little while today. A lot of people tend to vote for a candidate based on which party they belong to more than what the candidate’s positions actually are. Party loyalty plays more of a role than what the candidate is about. You can usually infer a candidate’s positions based on which party they’re a member of, but just because someone’s a Democrat or a Republican or a Progressive doesn’t mean they’ll fit neatly into the party platform. Heck, the Progressives and Constitutionals became major parties because the Dems and the Republicans split way back in the 20s and 30s, remember? Party is an umbrella, but candidates are usually more specific.”

“Implies politicians keep a stable platform!” someone called out, earning a lot of snickers from the class.

“You got me there!” Monaca laughed. “Yes, politicians are always notorious for saying one thing and doing another, hypocrites that they are. But hey, that’s part of how it all works. Politics is just as much about charisma and knowing how to talk to a specific audience as it is about policy. You can’t get very far if you can’t get a lot of very different people behind you.

“But now I’m rambling! Okay, back on topic. So, with Waters and Alighieri, what do you guys think the main difference was that…”

#NaNoWriMo #My work #My OCs

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thefoxholecourtrp · 7 years

Photo

THIS IS YOUR GAME

Name: Edward “Teddy” Ryker Age: Twenty-One Class Year: Sophomore Position: Defensive Dealer, #10 Hometown: Oakland, California

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT

TW: drugs, trafficking, abuse, violence, death/murder

His entire life, Teddy has been trying to get as far away from the saying like father like son as possible. Teddy is the youngest of three, and all of the Ryker children grew up with their father and no mother, his own mother having left before he could even walk. Their father was a cursed man, at least that’s what he told his children, because the women always came, spent his money and had his kids, and then left. Joel Ryker tried to love his children but he was never a good man, paying for their clothes and schooling with money he made from trafficking and drug extortion. Teddy was aware of his father’s trade his whole life, drugs and runaway girls were a constant, but he managed to keep away from both—at least in the beginning. With their father so busy with his work, Teddy and his brother, Michael, were raised predominantly by their sister, Mandy, who was 14 years Teddy’s senior, and she did a better job of raising Teddy than he thought his own mother ever would.

Teddy grew up desensitised to crime and Mandy tried to keep him on the straight and narrow, making sure he got all his homework done and making him take weekly drug tests just in case he succumbed to the family business. It was already too late for Michael, he’d become involved in his father’s various business ventures when he was 13 and he was happy with the money and the power he got from it. Mandy became more concerned for Teddy as he grew from a child to an adolescent, and his indifference turned into a bad temper and an impulsive streak that was difficult to repress. As soon as she started noticing this, Mandy was down at the school signing Teddy up for the Exy team, telling him that he was going to play it whether he liked it or not. As it was, Teddy kind of liked Exy; sometimes he watched it on TV with his dad and even he had to admit that it helped with his temper—plus, he was pretty damn good at it. Things were better for a while, despite the nature of their lives everyone seemed to be getting on okay: Teddy stayed in school and on the Exy team, Mandy got to go to night classes to become a nurse and their father and brother…well, they kept doing what they were doing.

The world turned upside down when Mandy came home from her night class and found Teddy, 14-years-old at the time, crying on the bathroom floor and tripping out of his mind. After she screamed at Michael and her father for giving LSD to a child, she took Teddy and ran. Mandy knew the risks, she knew better than anyone that her father was a dangerous man and he’d probably kill her for taking away what belonged to him. He saw Teddy as property, he was meant to turn out like he and Michael and continue the family business but Teddy wasn’t made for it, he was too quiet and clever and Mandy wasn’t going to let his life turn out that way. They barely made it to Nevada before they were caught by Joel’s contacts and they were dragged kicking and screaming back to Oakland. Mandy only survived because Teddy, on his knees, begged their father not to kill her, promising that he’d do anything if he didn’t kill her. Mandy got off “lightly” with a beating and having her night class privileges revoked. That was the last time either of them disobeyed their father.

For the next few years, Mandy tried to earn back their father’s respect and Teddy did what he was told. He was allowed to stay in his expensive school, he was allowed to play Exy and that was all that mattered to him; when he wasn’t running errands for his father he tried to be on the court as much as possible. He was becoming more and more exposed to crime every day, going on runs with Michael to collect debts and deliver girls and drugs to his father’s various clients. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen before but it wasn’t easy—it was difficult when you had girls begging you to just let them go home and when you had to watch your brother cut off a man’s hand because he was $20 short of what he owed. But Teddy had plans. Mandy barely spoke these days but he wanted to make her proud by going to real college and making something of himself. Maybe he’d get in on an Exy scholarship, maybe his father would say yes if he asked to go, maybe he could play for the Palmetto State Foxes.

He spent the whole of his senior year working up the courage to ask his father to let him go to college. Normal parents would already be pestering him about applying but Teddy was expected to go into the family business, and it bothered him that his father and his brother both said he was good at helping them and kept giving him bigger responsibilities. Teddy didn’t want that life, though. He waited until his father was in a good mood to ask him and, shockingly, he said yes. However, there were conditions: Teddy would finish college no matter what and he would join the business straight after he graduated, regardless of the offers he got as far as a career in Exy went. Teddy, not having much of a choice, accepted and his coach was more than happy to put Teddy forward for a place on the Foxes. Despite it all, despite Teddy’s background and who his family was, he was a good player and he wanted it, he wanted it more than anything else in the world.

SEIZE IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT

He immediately took advantage of being away from his family. Well, physically away—his father still kept tabs on him, ready to punish him for any slip in his performance, whether it was in class or on the court. Fear kept him from doing anything remotely outrageous until the winter of his sophomore year, when he went back to Oakland for Christmas. It started with Jewel: a close friend—and, sometimes, more than friend—of Teddy’s since childhood, both of them raised in all too similar worlds of crime and dysfunction. Due to nearly-legendary feud between Teddy’s family and Jewel’s, Teddy’s father was livid about Teddy and Jewel’s relationship, and his fury almost drove him to murder his own son. As a result, Teddy was sent back to Palmetto and banned from contacting his family or his friends from Oakland until his graduation. Teddy wished he’d listened when his dad told him that disobedience this time would not be so easily forgiven.

All it took was a lonely phone call to his sister for Teddy to destroy his own world. Jewel barely made it through January, and Teddy couldn’t help but feel like Jewel’s murder at the hands of his father was his fault—and it broke him. With the murder came an investigation, the well-known bad blood between their two families enough to draw the police close to the truth, and so Teddy’s dad let Michael take the blame for Jewel’s death and Teddy was forced back to Oakland for questioning. With one brother in a jail cell and the other so traumatised that he couldn’t get out of bed, Mandy took it upon herself to end things once and for all by turning their dad in. Joel Ryker would rot in prison, but it came at a price: Mandy had to disappear. She entered witness protection and although she’d just about saved Teddy’s life, it didn’t really feel worth it to him if she wasn’t in it. His grief translated to volatility both on and off the court and increased sessions with Betsy—and, ultimately, a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder.

However, even with all of this, there was the tiniest, most dangerous, piece of hope. When everything was going haywire at Christmas, Teddy had a secret: he’d made contact with his mom—or, more accurately, she’d made contact with him. A long awaited letter from her turned into phone calls and discussion of Teddy going to Boston to meet her and her new family. Teddy had had just about enough of parents and dysfunctional family but there was something about his mother, who managed to get out of Oakland and give herself a life, that Teddy found himself drawn to. He couldn’t help but hope that there might actually be a chance at something good there, even though the prospect of having her in his life, having somewhere outside of Palmetto to call home, was as terrifying as the prospect of being able to decide his own future and live his life outside of his dad’s authority. It still is terrifying—but there’s something about it that’s exciting, as well.

TEDDY RYKER is portrayed by SIMONE NOBILI and is TAKEN

#rp #rpg #roleplay #death tw #violence tw #drugs tw #trafficking tw #abuse tw #teddy ryker #teddybio #a #f #t #tf

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gyrlversion · 5 years

Text

Father tells of 32 years as scapegoat for Babes in the Wood murders

The father of a Babes in the Wood victim has told how the killer’s first words to him after being released by police following his initial arrest were: ‘I didn’t top the girls.’

Barrie Fellows, 69, was accused of watching a video of Nicola being raped by his lodger and killing her after her body was found at Wild Park in Brighton in 1986.

The allegations made by the actual murderer Russell Bishop, 52, were investigated and dismissed by police – and he was finally brought to justice last December.

Now, Mr Fellows has spoken out in a new ITV documentary about the case, in which he claims Bishop framed him and tried to make him a scapegoat for the murders.

He also revealed how Bishop, with whom he had played cricket, knocked on his door after he was arrested then released on bail by police due to contradicting evidence.

Russell Bishop (left, in a prison mugshot) blamed Barrie Fellows (right, outside the Old Bailey in November 2018) for the Babes in the Wood murders in Brighton in 1986

Nicola Fellows (left) and Karen Hadaway (right) were found dead in woodland 33 years ago

He told Sir Trevor McDonald in an interview: ‘Bishop knocks on my door, and the first words out of his mouth were ‘I didn’t top the girls.’ Not ‘how are you?’

‘He says ‘I’ve been arrested and I’ve been down there for ages’. Well I said ‘I’m not talking to you anymore, I’m going to phone the police’.’

The distraught father, who was reduced to tears after being cast as a suspect, added: ‘Some people won’t believe the truth until it hits them right in the face.

‘This is the truth and the truth is he murdered two little girls. He tried to murder another little girl. He is now wallowing in prison where he should be.’

The murders of Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway evolved into one of the most traumatic and challenging cases that the British legal system has ever faced.

The documentary on at 9pm tonight sees Sir Trevor interview relatives and get exclusive access to police footage to reveal the truth behind the case.

The girls were found dead in this ‘den’ in undergrowth at Wild Park in Brighton in October 1986

The 79-year-old presenter looks at why it took two trials, a law change and cutting-edge DNA science to bring the killer to justice 32 years after the murder.

He said: ‘This programme looks into the harrowing case of the murder of two nine-year-old girls through the eyes of the family and police officers involved in the case.

‘The film shows how justice finally caught up with killer Russell Bishop, 32 years after the murders in what is a real testament to everyone involved never giving up.’

He also speaks to Detective Superintendent Jeff Riley who explains what qualifies as ‘new and compelling evidence’ for a double jeopardy case to be brought to retrial.

Convicted paedophile Bishop was jailed for life with a minimum of 36 years at the Old Bailey on December 11 after being convicted of the murders at a second trial.

A Pinto sweatshirt discarded on Bishop’s route home was linked to the defendant by DNA while fibre, paint and ivy transfers placed it at the scene

A police map shows the key locations on the Moulsecoomb Estate in the investigation

Bishop was 20 years old when he sexually assaulted and strangled the girls in a woodland den, but was originally cleared of their murders.

The blunders that let the killer go free

Bishop’s first trial in 1987 saw a series of blunders which led to his acquittal.

Bishop’s sweatshirt, which was central to the case, was initially treated as lost property.

It was put in a brown paper bag as ‘no one thought it was important’ during the search for the girls.

Forensic science only allowed experts to say the jumper and the girls ‘could’ have been in contact with each other.

Human hairs and fibres found on Nicola’s body were not tested.

The ‘Pinto’ jumper was widely available in shops across the country, so may not have been Bishops.

Bishop’s partner Jennifer Johnson initially identified the jumper as his, but then denied it when she took the witness stand.

However, within three years Bishop went on to kidnap, molest and throttle a seven-year-old girl, leaving her for dead at Devils Dyke on the edge of Brighton.

While serving life for attempted murder, Bishop was ordered to face a fresh trial under the double jeopardy law, in light of a DNA breakthrough.

A Pinto sweatshirt discarded on Bishop’s route home was linked to the defendant by DNA while fibre, paint and ivy transfers placed it at the scene.

Tests on a sample from Karen’s left forearm also revealed a ‘one in a billion’ DNA match to Bishop.

The case, dubbed Babes in the Wood, shocked the nation in 1986 and blighted the tight-knit community of Moulsecoomb, on the edge of the South Downs in Brighton.

It is believed to be the oldest double jeopardy case and Sussex Police’s longest-running murder inquiry.

The girls’ families gasped and wept in court as the jury delivered its verdict after just two and a half hours of deliberation at the Old Bailey in December.

Nicola was a very friendly, outgoing girl who would speak her mind, while Karen was sensible, but could also be cheeky, according to their parents.

Michelle Hadaway, the mother of Karen Hadaway (left) and Sue Eismann (right), the mother of Nicola Fellows, link arms last December after finally seeing their daughters’ killer convicted

Both were afraid of the dark and Nicola’s father had banned her from playing in Wild Park, even saying the ‘bogeyman’ lived there, the court heard.

The long road to justice

October 10, 1986 – Victims found in woods in Wild Park, Brighton.

December 3, 1986 – Bishop charged with the murders.

December 10, 1987 – After a four week trial, Bishop is acquitted of both murders and released.

February 4, 1990 – Bishop arrested for kidnap, indecent assault and attempted murder of a seven-year-old girl at Devil’s Dyke, East Sussex.

January 19, 1991 – Bishop convicted of kidnap, indecent assault and attempted murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 14 years.

July 2002 – Babes in the Wood case subject to review and DNA profiling, but was not a success.

April 2005 – Double jeopardy laws – on people being able to be tried twice for same offence twice – are changed.

January 2006 – Forensic tests link Bishop and the Pinto sweatshirt.

Autumn 2006 – Families of both victims informed there was insufficient evidence to proceed with a fresh case against Bishop.

2011-2012 – Cold case review of the murders.

November 3, 2013 – Full reinvestigation of forensics.

May 10, 2016 – Russell Bishop rearrested.

December 2017 – His acquittal was quashed.

December 2018 – He is finally convicted of the murders.

At around dusk on October 9 1986, Bishop spotted the girls playing in the park near their home and seized his opportunity, the prosecution said.

During the attack, he punched Nicola in the face, to ‘subdue’ or ‘punish’ her for being disrespectful to his teenage girlfriend earlier that day, Brian Altman QC suggested.

The prosecutor pointed out Bishop’s violent nature, saying he slapped his partner Jennie Johnson when she was pregnant with their second child.

The day after the killings, Bishop joined the desperate search for the children, claiming his dog Misty was a trained tracker.

He was nearby when two 18-year-olds spotted the bodies and rushed ahead of a police officer.

Afterwards, he gave conflicting accounts to police and produced a series of fake alibis, including a ‘wild man’ of the woods and his drug dealer.

He described details of the murder scene which only the killer could have known, including foam around the mouth of one of the girls, the court heard.

In the original trial, the prosecution said the girls must have been killed before 6.30pm, by which time Bishop had been seen heading home on foot and the girls were spotted outside a fish and chip shop.

But in the retrial, jurors heard the time of death could have been later and Bishop simply doubled back to intercept the children, both of whom he knew.

Bishop tailored his defence to the new forensic evidence, claiming he touched the girls to feel for a pulse, even though the 18-year-olds insisted he never got near.

The former roofer denied murder but admitted attacking the girl in 1990 claiming it was because he was angry and wanted to ‘shame and belittle’ her.

The case of the murdered girls, called the Babes in the Wood, sent shockwaves around Britain

The friends were buried next to each other at Brighton city cemetery, pictured in January 2018

Acting on instructions, his defence team cast suspicion on Nicola’s father Barrie, suggesting police spent 32 years investigating the wrong man.

Bishop was pictured three years after the killings, handing out leaflets during an appeal

During the two-month trial Nicola’s father Mr Fellows had been reduced to tears over the claims against him.

Bishop’s defence also cast doubt on the forensic evidence, suggesting it could have been contaminated.

In his 1987 trial, Ms Johnson denied the blue Pinto belonged to her partner in the witness box, having previous identified it.

While Bishop refused to attend court for the verdict, mothers Michelle Hadaway, 61, and Susan Fellows, 69, sat through harrowing evidence for a second time.

Karen’s heartbroken father Lee Hadaway died without seeing his daughter’s killer brought to justice.

The Crown Prosecution Service said Bishop is an ‘extremely dangerous man’ who was convicted on ‘overwhelming and incontrovertible’ evidence.

Babes In The Wood presented by Sir Trevor McDonald is on ITV tonight at 9pm

Why was Barrie Fellows considered a suspect in his daughter’s murder?

Barrie Fellows is pictured in October 1986

The father of one of the Babes in the Wood murder victims was accused of involvement in the killings in what the prosecutor called a ‘smokescreen’.

Barrie Fellows, who played cricket with Bishop, attending the trial of his daughter’s killer, only to be cross-examined himself.

Mr Fellows denied any involvement and had to leave the court after weeping in the witness as he was accused of killing the girls.

Bishop’s barrister Joel Bennathan QC had told jurors ‘that the police and prosecution have spent 32 years building a case against the wrong man’.

Bishop’s former girlfriend Marion Stevenson told jurors how she visited the Fellows’ home with Bishop before the killings to see another man, their friend Dougie Judd who lodged there.

When she crossed the living room on her way to the kitchen for a glass of water, she claimed to have seen Mr Fellows watching a video of his own daughter having sex with Mr Judd.

Mr Fellows denied this ever happened when he gave evidence.

Prosecutor Brian Altman QC slammed the defence case, saying: ‘What you have seen unfolding before your eyes is the creation by the defendant of a smokescreen in the hope, quite literally, that he gets away with murder for the second time.’

He said the ‘common theme throughout was an effort to smear Barrie Fellows’, perhaps to bolster his ultimately unsuccessful claim for compensation years later.

Mr Altman accused the defence team of ‘scraping the Barrie barrel’ and dragging Mr fellows’ name through the mud in a ‘desperate’ attempt at sidestepping the mountain of scientific evidence against him.

Mr Fellows was questioned by police following his daughter’s death.

He told officers that instead of joining his wife, Susan, and Michelle Hadaway in the search for their daughters he had eaten his dinner at home. Officers found this explanation unconvincing.

Cold case experts rexamined the case using evidence from a bag with DNA tapings

After he was taken in for questioning, police did nothing to assuage residents suspicions and a hate campaign erupted on the Moulsecoomb estate.

Graffiti was daubed on a nearby house which said: ‘Fellows out.’

At the first trial Ivan Lawrence QC – who was also a Conservative MP – sought to place doubt in the mind of the jury over Mr Fellows’ innocence.

Mr Lawrence said Mr Fellows’ alibi that he was at home having his dinner while his wife searched for their daughter was weak.

Mr Fellows responded by storming out of the public gallery saying: ‘I’ve had enough of that.’

The tapings from Karen Hadaway’s clothes which helped secure the verdict last year

Mr Lawrence told the judge: ‘I don’t suggest for a moment that Barrie Fellows was the murderer and I’m sorry he left before he heard me say this. He can’t be the murderer because of the times.’

But Mr Lawrence went on to say there was enough suspicious evidence surrounding Mr Fellows as there was concerning Bishop.

In 2009 – now divorced from wife Susan and remarried – he was arrested at his home in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire over an alleged plot to rape Nicola before her death.

Weeks later it was discovered the allegation had been made 20 years earlier by Bishop’s former girlfriend, Marion Stevenson, and found to be completely baseless.

The 2009 claim was just a repetition of the earlier allegation and was again investigated and the case dropped but Fellows saw it as clear illustration of the police’s lack of joined up thinking on the case and an example of his continued harassment by the police.

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xavierdominico-blog · 6 years

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My review of League of Legends

We initially reviewed League of Legends at 2009, when it initially introduced. It's changed significantly since that time, so much that we chose to review it .

What can it be?

She understands I am there. She just can not see me entering the shrubbery too --nullifying her array edge and letting me shut in with my Aquaman-esque trident. So rather, the Caitlyn participant requires a potshot to the field having a skill that hurts in a direct line; no targeting demanded.

It is sufficient to kill my diminished winner Fizz in 1 hit. Additionally, it is exactly what I have been awaiting. Fizz can pogo jump on his trident, which makes him immune to these led attacks, and jump forward in a destructive slam. I utilize the momentum to dodge Caitlyn's burst and shut the space she wished to keep. One lunging strike afterwards, the contested is dead in the dirt, and a soul of gold and experience points just prepares me farther for another battle.

Such tense one-on-one, do-or-die struggles happen in each League of Legends game, however the adrenaline in these minutes makes them memorable. League is a lens which amplifies every emotion about the spectrum.

Every game is like a whole multiplayer action-RPG condensed into 20-to-50 moments. Each player begins with only control of one unit and one particular ability. They are divided into two teams of five and let loose from each other within a top battlefield. Smiting enemy components in real time makes experience and gold, which grant access to stronger abilities and a selection of better equipment. The group that wins is the group that best leverages its components' specific strengths.

Your final aim is to destroy the opposing group's headquarters. The combating largely occurs across three streets leading to every"Nexus." Each path is safeguarded by AI sentinels and individual players distressed to warrant their own use of free time.

I really don't blame them. In addition, I need my in-game announcer to yell"success" and warrant the strain and valuable life span I invested demolishing virtual warriors and towers. I would like to feel like becoming flanked and murdered five occasions in the first half hour has been worthwhile to get your own last-minute push into enemy land that cinches the triumph --because I had the foresight to decide on a late-game winner made to return from behind. The psychological investment in these strategic gambles is increased by the period of the games, raising the high of success, while creating every minimal texture that much lesser . It is a recipe for both friends and perfect strangers to flip their frustration on every other, including a private layer to each perplexing loss.

League of Legends' pay-per-character business version pushes against mastering the sport and knowing how its winners play.

Every game you re-dedicate to playing an important role on a staff, such as support or tank, attempting to accrue experience, cash and rewarding player kills quicker than another group. Nevertheless, the actual investment in League of Legends goes far beyond this. You can find 140 playable characters and climbing. That is not even such as passives from mix-and-match runes, or charms which may be outfitted in front of a game begins.Between the absolute scale of factors at play, and League's well-documented toxicity (even the match's own programmers are not resistant to it), it is among the most daunting matches ever.

League does little to alleviate any of the strain. Allowing countless gamers to become civil is a demanding, probably Sisyphean endeavor, but easing players to League's sophistication needs to be more viable eight years following launch. This is the way you pick a winner. This is the way you buy them a wonderful pair of sneakers. This type of thing. Where it's flounders, or barely even attempts to help in any way, is in describing when and why you need to apply those principles to some given situation.

League of Legends' pay-per-character business version pushes contrary to mastering the sport and knowing how its winners play. It is going to take you a few decades of grinding, the greater part of a million bucks, or a mixture of both to unlock the entire roster indefinitely. There is a weekly rotation of free personalities, also, but not one of those choices compare to on-the-job instruction. When I get crushed by Ryze, for example, I could spit over his kit beyond the match, but nothing is a true stand-in for understanding the way he manages under my index finger.

This free-to-play version remains a significant impediment into LoL's availability --and of course its'innocence' as an esports occurrence --and a few strange UI options do not help, either. You can not analyze a winner's skills from the select display, as an example. Likewise, you can not peruse an opposing player's abilities mid-match.

But if you work beyond the competitive team conversation and devote an whole lobe of your mind to memorizing movement rate and cooldown timers, League's high highs return quite lots of lost ground. I have developed the patience to just start Brand's fiery, bouncing death-ball if it is certain to ricochet off each enemy winner.

At its finest, League of Legends is aggressive, high-energy mathematics. Maintaining your attack damage take, the staff tasked with pumping out constant damage in large staff struggles, in one of 3 lanes to soak up gold and experience points may only provide you the increased amount. Then again, possibly moving them about to land the profitable killing blow squishy, defenseless affirms is your thing to do.

At its finest, League of Legends is aggressive, high-energy mathematics.

Success is not only a prefabricated strategy coming together. The understanding that reside human beings are supporting the track, inventing their own approaches to prevent me, means that I have well and truly outplayed individuals of apparently similar ability.

And thanks to League's relatively speedy action--only marginally twitchier than Dota two's yawning chess games and a hair more than Heroes of the Storm's blatantly accessible skirmishes--there is an awareness of physical domination, also. Among the most powerful jelqing in Dota, as an instance, continues for a maximum of five minutes. A very similar ability at League of Legends shirts out at roughly two-thirds of this. When I am overly fussy to step from the manner of Ashe's knockout strike in League (each time), I am back to ditching magic missiles that far quicker. If I reside.

As games advancement, things purchased with hard-won gold create player-versus-player struggles more prevalent and ferocious. The Dark Cleaver, a key in-game thing for Illaoi, among my favourite winners, supplies a wonderful cushion of wellness and a few attack power. Maybe more incredibly, the chopper also slows down its wielder's skills significantly quicker. So do a number of different products.

The consequent shorter period between spell casting raises the speed of struggle without taking away the attention from specified character abilities. I understand Illaoi summons ghostly tentacles together with her passive capability. Things like the Dark Cleaver simply call the tendrils to my help faster, and allow Illaoi reach harder in between. They seldom ask me to recall over her fundamental spells.

So while getting into League takes a lot of memorization, mastering it's much more about finesse. Every player begins every game with limited tools. The wiggle room for outdoing competitions is largely found in response time and accuracy. Or you may be playing just and your competitors, but losing anyhow.

The solution is that it does not. It is simply not necessarily the same clique of favorite children month .

That altering assortment of S-tier selections, bans, and personality builds is known as the meta, and I have always known League's to become only slightly narrow. When a specified strategy functions, it has a tendency to work really well, and the top echelons of aggressive play cling to it for dear life.

In 2017, it had been the insufferable tank . Immortal abominations such as Dr. Mundo and Maokai spent this age whomping each other with the seriousness of a Nerf war whilst dragging out every game to double its normal span.

Twice monthly spots make small but significant changes to the mathematics behind the mayhem. Each such alteration nudges optimal champion options in 1 direction or another, but there is essentially never a totally level playing field.

There is always a possibility the numbers will tell you to decide on a specific tank or support which simply does not strike your fancy. That is a simple fact of life in almost any aggressive game. However, League's often slender circle of top-tier winners restricts those choices even further. And because you do not have access to each given champ in any particular time, you might be stuck using the lemons of this meta until grinding enough humorous cash to rejoin the contest.

That should not matter much in casual sport buffoonery. Teamwork and ability are the higher factors . There is an all-random winners manner for people who would rather have silly fun with charm slinging. But if I am currently dedicating myself into League's learning curve, then I need the guaranteed payoff of a correctly tactical brawl. Along with also the'principles' of this meta that begin at professional drama finally trickle down to my degree. It is absolute candy for each armchair analyst seeking to blame for their loss on anybody but themselves.

I have been advised to not play my favourite wizards for this very reason. I have been told my triumph did not count since I was being"cheap" I have seen new players leave games since a noxious teammate always blamed their inexperience to get a ruined turret. Nevermind that everyone started someplace. As frequently, it is another crack for this notorious rust to float in.

A certain type of variety Luckily, League of Legends includes a great range of fantastical weirdos to select from. Illaoi is my existing go-to: a brawny, squid-worshipping priestess that siphons enemy spirits with a large, iron skull.

Not all the character style is that trendy.

There is nothing inherently wrong with hot personalities, but League's devotion to girls with a slender and busty body kind feels on par with these pop-up advertisements for sexy Clash of all Clans clones. It is a disappointing position quo for winners that typically play with in interesting ways. The musically inclined Sona, for example, sports a superbly challenging mixture of service abilities that vary based on the sequence she uses .

Every smart shortcut involving lanes, or tap of the key that a nanosecond quicker than your competitor feels like a triumph.

It is that variety of drama which produces LoL so intriguing. Sure, maybe not every winner or spell functions in addition to others on paper. But there is a seemingly endless flow of these to attempt . Say Fizz had neglected me contrary to Caitlyn. Maybe I could teleport from the way as Ezreal, or halt the attack from happening by magnificent Caitlyn with New (Correction: a previous version of the review misstated among Jinx's skills ). League's strong roster is among the greatest strategic toyboxes readily available now. Odds are you will never cease being amazed by the amazing ways that your human foes utilize them to slide past and creep upon you. You will surprise yourself, also.

Maybe League of Legends is becoming only a little complacent in the decades since it established. The sexed-up costumes and obstacles to entry feel as the goods of a rather major game which has not had to increase its viewers in some moment. But breaking beyond those issues finally rewards new gamers with grand, amazing complexity. Every smart shortcut involving lanes, or tap of the key that a nanosecond quicker than your competitor feels like a triumph. League makes these minutes downright ordinary, but barely less special for this. And its always changing roster means there is another suggestion simply waiting to slip up your sleeve.

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