#// so they never knew he risked their well being otherwise i think this would've really shook them to their core

[hopefromadoomedtimeline]

Random, maybe you've been asked this before but if Trunks were in the hypothetical position where HE had to be the one to hold Majin Vegeta back to allow Goku to help Gohan during the Buu Arc. Not taking into the consideration what would have to happen for it to take place but what would think Trunks would say to him? Would seeing the side of Vegeta, the real him if I were go a step further. What would Trunks think? Would he actually fight? Did Future Bulma ever share any of what she knew of Vegeta's past to him?

A personal headcanon (though honestly I think it's heavily implied) is that Future Bulma and Gohan told Trunks next to nothing as to what Vegeta was like or what he did. Anything they did tell him was either heavily filtered or vague where Trunks couldn't actually pick up on how much of a bastard gremlin that man truly was. Otherwise, if Trunks knew about how bad Vegeta was at that point, he'd have no interest in getting to know the man, he might even have been glad he was dead upon hearing how incredibly cruel and selfish the Prince actually was.

Of course, this is also part of the reason that Trunks doesn't expect Vegeta to just listen to Cell's talk of a better fight for the sake of his pride. He literally didn't know Vegeta was that prideful of a person, and while he knew Vegeta was certainly selfish and apathetic towards the plights of others, he had no idea it was to the point he was willing to risk the well being of the entire world. If he knew any of this, he likely would've prepared himself to either fight his dad first or kill Cell without letting his dad showboat and then fight his dad afterwards.

Anyway, while I think the others would tell him about some of Vegeta's past as he stays in the present timeline, he'd be disturbed to know about how vicious the man he wanted the approval of truly was. Though I don't think they'd tell him how he like... slaughtered a Namekian village, Or maybe they would. idk. And while some of the others might brush it off like it never happened, I believe he'd really reevaluate how he viewed Vegeta from that point on.

Now, onto Majin Vegeta.

I think the trickiest part of this would be a situation where Trunks and Vegeta fight. Like you said, we're ignoring the conditions because Vegeta would NOT want to fight Trunks, it was a fight between him and Goku and no one else could interfere. But in this hypothetical, Trunks would be furious with his dad. He would call him out on sacrificing the life he built up the past few years for the chance to surpass Goku, and how it was a betrayal to both also Present Trunks and Bulma. He'd be disgusted and do his damnest to knock some sense into Vegeta.

Of course, Vegeta would be stronger and beat Trunks here, but he'd actually experience some genuine, actual hatred towards his dad. And since this would be the second time Trunks would feel betrayed, he'd hold onto this instance for a while, deciding that he can't really afford to trust his dad anymore.

[nqmonarch]

hihi! I want to say that I really LOVE the way you write Blade <33 and also what do you think about Blade with a reader who was part of the hcq in the past being reincarnated and joining the stellaron hunters in the present timeline but they don't remember anything from their past such as being Yingxing's lover

Yeah! Of course :) Didn't know if you wanted Yandere Blade or normal Blade assuming the former because it's the only Blade, it's not anything hardcore tho, I've written so far but let me know if this doesn't suit you, and I'll try again :)

Warning: High Cloud Quintet Spoilers,

TW: Kidnapping, Yandere

Note: Reader is a vidyadhara (think that makes the most sense in terms of reincarnation)

You knew everyone fairly well but you knew Yingxing the best. The two of you spending evenings next to each other in the same bed and days by each other's side. You weren't much of a fighter but he made you a weapon nonetheless and you carried it everywhere.

You would laugh as you saw Jing Yuan and Yingxing train while Jingliu would make them run laps every time they messed up their stance. You would stare at the skies with Baiheng and speak about worlds you'd only heard of in stories. Dan Feng was the one you knew the least but as everyone else became rowdy the two of you would stand in silence, both of you smiling with equal understanding of each other.

Then Shuhu, an emanator of abundance, attacked and those happy moments drifted off as dandelion seeds in the wind. You focused on evacuating citizens, fighting off mara struck with the knowledge you'd gained from watching Yingxing train. Your eyes were always on his body. Jing Yuan had been with you initially, the two of you had been talking about what to do for Yingxing's birthday. Beneath Jing Yuan's aloof exterior there was still a child, he was young after all.

You weren't sure where everyone else was but you only hoped they'd be okay.

Baiheng died. Dan Feng and Yingxing committed a sin, which would lead to both of them being banished. Jingliu returned but was struggling with mara. Jing Yuan was left to deal with the consequences as you left. You couldn't leave your lover on your own could you?

So you followed the mess that Yingxing was, making sure he never got hurt too much, trying to keep him safe. He didn't look the same, white hair turned to a blueish black and cool gray eyes turned a burning hot red. You still loved him, he didn't remember you, and whenever he did it was followed by a bout of pain. Part of you didn't want him to remember, if it was that terrible.

For the majority of the time you stayed by his side he was in and out of it, struggling to even move at points. You weren't around to see when he was able to fight time and again, when he went and hunted after Dan Heng, and how every time he was slain he came back stronger anew.

You had to leave, otherwise you likely would've died. You did it while he slept, otherwise he would've realized and maybe you would've felt too guilty to leave. But you had to go through the rebirth process. You left behind a journal for yourself to read and so you would go back to Yingxing but you never got the chance. After all if anyone else read it, why would they want a Vidyadhara leaving and risking their life, when population numbers already dwindled? Especially if they were risking their life for someone who almost ruined everything.

You were told you took a hundred extra years to hatch. You learned everything anew, deciding to pick up a weapon, it felt comfortable in your hands. Sometimes you'd dream of fighting mara struck off with it, sometimes the weapon was idly by your side as you felt joy course through dream you's body as you spoke to a friendly white haired male.

The thing was throughout a hundred years of living you'd never found a reason to live. The only thing you longed for were your dreams. You'd heard of a land called Penacony, where you could live in your dreams, and you'd smuggled your way in but it wasn't what you thought. You wanted to live in your memories, not some idealistic world. So you wandered planet from planet in search of something, anything. Your only purpose became finding a reason to live.

Everything changed when a woman called Kafka recruited you, she was all smiles and charm, and promised you the thing you were looking for. You'd been skeptical and challenged her but when she elaborated that you'd be able to live within your memories, you decided to join her. Whether Elio's plan worked out or not mattered naught to you, so long as you were able to live in your memories again.

Your dreams got fuzzier harder to reach with time, as if your past life was slipping away from you. This wasn't supposed to happen. But things improved slightly when a man with long navy blue hair eagerly joined the Stellaron Hunters. He looked at you with a strange longing gaze, it was honestly rather pathetic. Pathetic looked good on him though, well he looked good in general.

"Blade," Your voice held no extra emotion to it as he walked over to you, he felt strangely familiar, as if existing by his side wouldn't be that bad.

So you hung around him often, you weren't sure why he hung around you but he didn't speak much to you. It wasn't that there was nothing to say but too much to say, to the point he couldn't say anything. Instead he often clung onto you like you were his lifeline, in bouts of mara, his grip hurt but it wasn't the worst pain you'd experienced. Being a Stellaron Hunter meant you'd faced your fair share of fights. Now that Blade was here, you got hurt less and less, he'd tank blows for you and annihilate whoever you were against. There were always large stains of blood left in the place of your battles but you never got dirty.

You wondered what he would do if you died, go insane? From the little sanity he had left, "What would you do if I died?" You asked a slight smile on your face before returning to your usual silence.

You didn't have a moment to speak before you felt your back crash against the cold, hard floor knocking the air out of you. Normally you'd be able to keep up with Blade while sparring, although you doubted he had the heart to go all out against you. Now he gripped your biceps with no regard for your feelings, yet, it only lasted a few seconds as he loosened his hold to remove the pain yet keep you still. His knees rested next to your hips, and you could feel the heat of his skin through your clothes.

"...You don't like that question?" You spoke with a grin on your face, was he really so attached to you?

Hot red eyes glared at you, as if you'd just committed a sin, "No. You... don't understand anything now. You... you've done far more than you should've." He forced himself to let go of your arms, standing up and walking away as stiff as a board. It was as if the very process was agonizing.

You stared at his back in puzzlement, "...Blade did you know me?"

He didn't answer.

Which led to your turn to chase Blade, always a step behind. When you weren't following him, you knew he was nearby, somewhere you couldn't see him. You could feel his gaze rest on your head, it felt very unique. You'd beg Blade for any clue about your past but he would remain quiet, as if ignoring you. He'd still step into all of your fights, blade itching to be used.

You only made progress on the mission where you'd been ordered to go to the Xianzhou Luofu, as someone who'd been raised there you happily snuck along even if it wasn't your mission. You were sure Elio knew anyway. Blade was on his own mission and for once you were alone. On the Luofu you met a man that gave you the same familiar feeling as Blade, a young fellow by the name of Dan Heng. He didn't recognize you at all though, so you assumed you didn't know him. He was the only one to catch a glimpse of your face without your cloak.

You traveled with him, Luocha, and Sushang for fun before dashing off to the streets, cloak covering any distinguishable part of your body, to buy some snacks. You ran into a short dragon girl, who felt somewhat familiar, but you doubted you knew her too. But then there was the general of the Luofu, a well spoken man, who put on the appearance of a slacker.

Did he sleep because he could no longer stand life? He felt familiar as well but you also empathized with him and that was why you went up to talk him. Putting on the act of a fortune teller, you saw a hint of recognition when he heard your voice. He agreed to let his fortune be read, and you did so staring at him for any other hint of your past. He looked at you very sorrowfully.

You weren't sure what compelled you to say it but you shared some thoughts with him, "I sleep a lot too," you suddenly remarked, uncaring that it gave away you having watched over him for a while, "Less now. But in the past the only place I could live was my dreams, memories of my past life. I yearn for them, dearly."

The general looked at you his smile waning, "Then perhaps one day we can discuss them." So he did know you. Who... exactly were you in the past? How did you find so much happiness, in the simplest things? How could you do that now?

But the two of you were never able to discuss that as the final act of Blade and Kafka's plan came into fruition you found yourself between a mournful Jing Yuan and Blade, who'd reappeared. You didn't mind Blade's company, he just got in the way sometimes.

Especially when he was holding the blade of his sword to the only person who'd been willing to help you recover your past. Jing Yuan didn't put up a fight, it was rather strange, instead he spoke in a wistful tone, "The two of you found each other again." Perhaps you'd been closer to Blade in your past life than you thought.

You'd unceremoniously been brought back to the ship the Stellaron Hunters were currently using. It was not by choice. Blade held you in his arms as you kicked and bit and scratched. He didn't mind in the slightest. He may have even liked it which dissuaded you a bit from continuing. You didn't scream, he'd probably kill any bystanders who cared anyway.

It was annoying. Even once you were back on the ship he was always by your side, literally. One part of his body had to be touching yours at all times, otherwise he'd begin to panic.

"...Tell me about my past." You demanded, glaring at him, concerningly more upset over this matter than him kidnapping you and his constant clinginess.

"Of six people, three must pay the price... why did you waste your time caring for someone like me? You love me..." then in a pitiful voice, seeking for confirmation he asked, "right?"

You looked at the mess of the man before you, had you loved him in your previous life? If so, then wasn't he part of your happiness... So you'd have to learn to love him again, "Right," You lied with a smile, resting a hand on his back as he embraced you burying his face in your neck.

The moment Blade couldn't see your face the smile dropped from it.

Imo Blade would hide his own sinful past and actions from the reader and not want them to have to embark down the road of pain, since he knows how terrible it is.

Reader is also lowkey a two faced person, don't know how much you guys noticed, but they put on one of those facades but inside they're like i'm dying inside yay... ._. i like two faced characters :) they're so fun to read in stories, haven't really written one before though

I honestly think reader is more unhealthy than Blade like yeah he's kind of obsessed with you but at the same time reader just concerning like highly fucking concerning. Did not mean for reader to be so concerning just happened.

Anyway as much as I love like that I waited 800 years for you troupe! I'm not a big fan of it, personally, with Blade's character just because he's a very big red flag for a relationship even as a non yandere. Being in love with someone from the past can turn out good but I feel like with Blade it would turn out so horribly and he would just see a memory as opposed to the past, present, and future of the reader.

I like the idea of him falling in love with someone while he's Blade because Blade feels like a very different person from Yingxing.

That being said the idea of reincarnated lovers always has its own kind of charm :)

[servenas-inner-fangirl]

Watching Black Sails 3x8

Oh, is that the "Is it gay living in a house" moment that I heard so much about??

Hahaha, it really is Vane at the piano, annoying the hell out of Flint in the process.

"I can't understand how you cannot understand." Ugh, I love the way these two are so similar from the outside, but so different in regards to how they see the world and what they value - except that right now, their goals are aligned anyway.

"You want your partner back, he wants victory" - oh, I think Vane wants Jack back as well, if maybe not quite as badly. He could've taken the cache back last episode, but he didn't, at least partly because he feared what the English might do to Jack in return imo.

I love these little nods between Flint and Vane, the way they work together like they've never done anything else, ugh.

So Jack is not on his way yet. - Hahaha, him talking up the rat like it's destined for greatness!

Also Jack being incarcerated in his own fort is some bitter irony.

Oh, so Rogers is going himself.

"She left the transaction unscathed." That should tell Jack something was up. Anne would've fought to the death for him otherwise.

"You have my word." Your word is not worth shit right now, Rogers.

So the walrus is waiting for a signal out there?

Sure, Madi, that's the only reason you're concerned.

Goddamnit, Flint isn't there for five minutes and already things are starting to fall apart.

The porn is truly back, and I do not mind one bit, for it is better porn than most. - But also, bold of that whore to try to play Max' own tricks on her. Did the madam set this up? - Yeah, and it didn't work.

Eleanor in the whorehouse visiting Max, what a blast from the past. - Oh, that's a nice dress! Max is truly dressing very different from when Eleanor was in this position.

Max truly is upset about Jack, to her credit. Oh, and she realizes immediately that letting the cache go was very unusual of Anne. She's gonna figure out there's something going on... but is she going to say anything? Aaargh, yes.

"Eight? You could have sent a thousand men." My thoughts exactly.

But is it to late or can they still send a rider or backup after them? I know something's gonna go wrong...

So Jack doesn't speak Spanish, but Vane does. Huh.

"I'm sorry. 'If'?" Rogers is catching on fast. And Jack has so much faith in Anne. ;_;

Noooo, so do they have the right route or not?? How good is Featherstone's intel??

Haha, the governor won't be warned just because an idiot in a uniform doesn't listen to two women. Misogyny is gonna make their plan fail and that is divine justice.

"I know the route." Max, I love you.

Ugh, Eleanor and Hornigold, isn't that a match made in hell.

Now Silver knows exactly how Flint feels all the time as captain of this crew.

So what's the solution? Kill all of them? Oooh, Silver is going to bring in Madi, isn't he? Yes!!

Oh fuck, is she going to kill her own man?? Ah no, she's just cutting the rope.

She truly is a future queen.

"When I speak, my men listen." Ooof, the shade.

"Plenty of people know about it, just not you." Hahaha.

Oh, and she doesn't even know Vane is back on the island, right?? For all she knows, he's miles away right now.

Dammit, Hornigold isn't as stupid as he looks.

Rackham sure does know how to tell a story. And now I get why his name is so important to him.

"But Jesus, did I make up a lot of ground to catch you." Daaamn.

But also, are Rogers and James McGraw actually very similar people, except James had a rougher start? "If people knew what you were capable of when pushed"...

Yes, Jack using his opportunity!!

And now to the question I always wanted to ask - can Charles Vane ride a horse?

Is that Flint up front on the white one? Oh, and there's Anne!! Oh, shooting the carriage, smart, but risky.

Hah, whoops, that's Charles! Mistook his hair as red. But that answers my question. And also explains the risk-taking.

Yeees, the two of them are reunited! ;_;

Love the close view we get of Anne's earrings.

"We'll be right behind you" is the really the sentence I do not want to be hearing in a situation like this!!

"Got worried you two'd be lost without me." ;__;

Oh, so that's Jack's chain he's working on, not another chest. That makes so much more sense, and is also much more tragic.

Noooo, Charles!! - But that explains how Rogers could ever defeat him, shooting him from behind like that.

Ugh, the way Anne hesitates and looks back at Jack, before riding off! ;_; I can't take this, make it stop!

The fact that Charles even gets a hit in in his condition... truly impressive. Oh fuck, he really almost had him! It's the backup that saves Roger's life. That fucker.

Does Rogers even know who he just fought? But I guess Eleanor gave him a description...

Love that shot of Madi and Silver side by side from behind.

Madi truly is so mature for her age.

Ah, so Silver didn't let Dobbs off the hook after all.

Oh no, there comes Hornigold.

Love to see how much damage Charles did to Rogers. I am a petty bitch like that.

Awww, Flint is actually going back for Charles!! <3

"Charles Vane swinging over Nassau is a statement we cannot afford to be made" - isn't that exactly what Vane said back at Charlestown?

I really do not know if I trust Billy with this mission. But he doesn't have a bone to pick with Vane, right? I mean, apart from the Man o'War thing...

I don't think Eleanor is listening to the rest Rogers is saying right now. She's still hung up on Charles - as she should be.

How come a character I do not like at all gets the whumpiest of scenes? It is not fair.

I wonder if Eleanor would have a harder time resisting that temptation if she didn't have all cause to believe the man she once loved wants her dead - and that this is completely justified.

Ah yeah, and then there was her father's murder, I guess.

Aaaaaah, why does it have to be this way, WHY.

But she still goes to see him.

And THIS is where you end the episode?? GODDAMMIT.

So now they have the cache, but exchanged one prisoner for another. I wonder if this was Jack's cell. I wonder if the rat said Hi...

[thelreads]

And now, let us debate over Mirko, since there's a lot of posts let's tackle them all together. First off

Now okay, it might be that you all are knowing something I don't know yet, but sure, she was wearing a middle school uniform in the flashback panel I suppose

Although they never refer to her as being from middle school, they just say "schoolgirl" which is not exactly telling much

Because the MC of the arena calls her that as well, but okay, all points to that being the case. Fair. She wasn't a hero student, just a regular one

Because she wasn't even training to be a hero. They can't even brush that under the rug, she was literally commiting a crime, and one that was made quite public at that.

Because Japan is known for being so forgiving with misdemeanors, even more on this setting I suppose?

Remember Gentle? Remember how he got fucked over doing something far more understandable than that?

I don't think a record like that is something she can keep hidden, and going by what those people said, it seems like it made the news because otherwise, if nobody but the police knew, why would they need to expell her?

I mean, I think that even a less prestigious school would have second thoughts about bringing in someone that is willing to get them bad publicity. Sure, she may be talented, but is it a risk they are willing to take? Being the school that is teaching a delinquent?

Excuse me, Bakugo never did anything remotely similar to her. He was a top student that followed all the rules, the only thing he did was bully Midoriya, which the school don't really care about. If he had went out and got into a illegal arena like Mirko he would've been expelled and he would've never got into a hero course

And even in U.A. Bakugo and Midoriya almost got expelled after their midnight "friendly spar" regardless of how talented he is

And if she had continued down that path they would arrest her- Bahahahah alright that was funny, like Vigilantism is a crime that warrant jail, right Phelps?

(image limit, time for pt2)

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

I actually feel bad for Harry re acting. I kind of get the sense that he got himself into a tough spot.

I mostly agree with your assessment of his strengths and weaknesses, and I think he did a good job in Dunkirk, but it was always going to be a big leap to go from that limited role to a lead. We know from interviews that he pursued the My Policeman role, but I've always wondered what exactly the thinking was in getting involved with DWD. I mean, Shia Labeouf doesn't seem to be a particularly good person, but he's a good actor. Stepping into his shoes to be a lead, acting opposite Florence Pugh and Chris Pine, joining late, and filming under the difficult COVID conditions... I just never saw that going particularly well for Harry, which is why I'm so curious about the reason he would've taken the job anyway. I suspect it was some combination of economics, of course (especially with tours cancelled indefinitely for COVID and no sense of when that would change), maybe some thinking that he'd improve his skills on set being around the other actors, and honestly the idea that he didn't have to be great, the movie just had to sell.

But unfortunately the impression I think that people got from both DWD and MP was that Harry is not a good actor, and so now I think both he and Marvel are in an uncomfortable place. Marvel's got their own issues, but I don't think either they or Harry want to terminate the project and have it seem like they saw Harry's performances and changed their mind about him, even if both of them might otherwise feel like it'd be better to walk away from the project. Anyway, of course, that's all speculation, we don't know what Harry actually wants from his acting career and we'll just have to wait and see, but I'm with you, I do hope he doesn't wind up going forward with Marvel.

As I said to the other anon, I don't really agree with the idea that Harry was any worse in DWD than My Policeman. I also disagree that DWD was a riskier choice than My Policeman

I doubt that acting in a mid-budget movie that has that much money on screen and was filmed during the pandemic good pays well enough to make much difference to the economic situation Harry faced with a lack of touring.

I totally disagree with a theory that suggests that Harry, or anyone else, knew he wasn't going to be good in the movie. I think it was a risk, but I think everyone thought he could do it.

If I was going to pick things that maybe weren't fully factored in I would say that the attention on Harry and therefore the question of whether he could act heightened in a way that was pretty unexpected from shooting DWD to release. The other is that if people are skeptical about your ability to act playing two characters who are not what they seem back to back is a high risk strategy.

I also think that this shows a basic fan fallacy of thinking everyone looks at it like a fan. I don't think Harry's acting and how it is understood is particularly high on the list of Marvel's concerns right now. Starfox the character and how it develops is entirely optional and will take place over time.

[the-orion-scribe]

I don't think it really would have "left a bad taste in his mouth," since even before he got kicked out, Stan never expressed any particular respect for rules, but otherwise, that is a reasonable perspective. It does not, however, justify what looks a lot like stage fright. Even if he's trying to be honest here, Stan has 30 years of life as a showman to have gotten over that.

For your other point, Soos isn't just some random person. He's a close friend the twins have literally risked their lives and/or existences for on multiple occasions and also gave up a time wish that can do basically anything. It doesn't make sense for them to suddenly become so callous toward him. If they wanted his help to stop Gideon, they could've just asked and explained about the tie, and I'm sure Soos would've gone along with it, even the possession thing, since I'm also sure he knows (or at least thinks) he wouldn't do well onstage.

I would also say that Ford, while a morally-ambiguous person, would not also so easily give away his tie to two children he only knew for a couple of days. Ford knew (or thought he knew) Bill for somewhere in the neighborhood of two years before the possession thing, and it was Bill who made the offer. That means it took that long before Bill thought it a certainty that Ford would accept something like that. And even as messed up as the whole situation with Bill and Ford was (because anything involving Bill is always messed up), Ford still agreed to it willingly. He accepted to be possessed before he knew who Bill really was. That's the whole point. In that sense, the tie is even worse than Bill, because it doesn't require permission or even manipulation.

And besides, Ford was horrified when he learnt Bill's true nature and took further measures to prevent re-possession by Bill. Not least the metal plate in his head and later on right after in the subsequent episode he helped Dipper to "Bill-proof" his mind.

Ford during The Stanchurian Candidate doesn't know jack about the twins, at least not their personalities (given his early rather inaccurate assessments of them in Journal 3). He spent most of his time holed up in the basement not talking to anyone, the only exception being DD&MD with Dipper, during which I find it hard to believe he gained an accurate picture of what Dipper would do with a mind-control device.

The Stanchurian Candidate is more messed-up than we thought

I think the majority of the fandom is unaware of or often overlooked two major plot holes for this episode, which I think are best highlighted here. If anyone were to think deeper, this episode is actually super messed-up with many out-of-character moments.

Major Plot Hole #1: Why is Stan both insistent upon brutal honesty and somehow completely unable to handle himself in front of a crowd during his mayoral campaign? Public speaking and being a showman, often to these very people, was literally Stan’s entire job description for over half his life, so he should have no reason to be that awkward and incompetent. Suddenly insisting upon brutal honesty is also completely out of character for him. (Seriously, if Stan managed to not spill anything about Ford during the Truth Teeth episode, how is he suddenly incapable of lying here?) But even this massive break in character pales in comparison to…

Major Plot Hole #2: (This one is deeper than the Bottomless Pit.) How are Dipper and Mabel just completely OK with using the mind-control tie on Stan, without even seeking his consent first? Especially given that Dipper was possessed by Bill (and, based on the events of the very next episode, definitely traumatized by the incident) not more than two weeks prior? I am positive that such an incident could be never forgotten so easily by either of the twins, but particularly by Dipper. Yet he raises no objection beyond “that’s… ethically ambiguous!”

Even when Soos was very visibly frightened after having the Tie “tested” on him, Dipper and Mabel just laughed at his pain and fear. Keep in mind that just a few episodes prior, the twins risked their lives and/or existences just to fix Soos’s issues with his birthday. I hardly think they’d be inclined to laugh at his pain and distress for any reason.

And, because I know someone will suggest it, the twins’ memories of the Sock Opera could not have been wiped by the Society of the Blind Eye, since 1) the Society was destroyed less than a week after the Sock Opera, and 2) in the Journal 3 entry corresponding to s2e11: Not What He Seems, Dipper directly references his being possessed by Bill, meaning he remembered the experience at that point (after the Society was gone), and would therefore also remember it during the events of The Stanchurian Candidate.

And also quoting from a conversation with @detectivejigsawpines, The twins literally overrode their uncle’s autonomy and took over his body without his knowing consent. And Ford should have known better, considering he was doing the same thing Bill did.

But I’m not being entirely fair. Though it pains me to say it, The Stanchurian Candidate does still have good points, despite all these faults. It is, of course, still an episode of Gravity Falls, and was, according to the credits, written by the same people as the rest of the series.

In actuality, the episode is quite good when viewed completely in a vacuum. Were this the first episode of the show that someone ever saw, they would (probably) not think it was bad. Without the greater context of Sock Opera and the personality traits the main cast has firmly established throughout the first season and a half, there would be nothing amiss about any of their actions.

In addition, the selfless love of Grunkle Stan still shines through in this episode, when he doesn't hesitate to break off his campaign speech and rescue Dipper and Mabel who are in great danger.

When viewed from that mindset, it’s alright. There are good jokes, fun moments, and the villain-of-the-week is soundly beaten in a satisfying manner. Still not the best episode in the series by a long shot, but not the worst either.

Of course, since Gravity Falls is a very story-based cartoon, you can’t consider this episode in a vacuum, which is where all the problems come from. Even the initial premise of the wacky mayoral election and why Stan wants to participate in it don’t make sense unless you understand something about Gravity Falls as a town, and Stan as a person, respectively.

Idea for a fix: My head canon has become that the majority of the episode (basically everything after they get back from the town hall) was a dream Stan had, since I think the writers may have intended for it to be an episode addressing the “stuff” Stan mentions he has been dealing with later, in “[Twins] vs the Future.” I feel this makes sense because, stylistically, the bulk of the plot appears less like a standard episode and more like the stories Stan sometimes tells throughout the series (such as those in the non-canon s2e06: Little Gift Shop of Horrors), which tend to feature exaggerated behavior and a slight sense of ‘unreality’ (compared to the baseline). Therefore, him having a vivid, all-the-negative-emotions-fueled dream that distorts his family members in somewhat disturbing ways makes a lot more sense than “and then Dipper and Mabel were randomly and - most significantly - gleefully supervillainous (and surprisingly, given their personalities, competent politicians) for one episode.”

Thoughts? Opinions? Soundly reasoned rebuttals?

(Above written with assistance from @callipraxia and Theory Of Weirdness)

[waheelawhisperer]

Just got a bit mindblown by this take on 'Heroes & Monsters' claiming...well, that once Blake knew Yang was coming she dropped her aura & *let* Adam skewer her so she'd have enough juice left to clone 'em both out of there once shit totally fell apart. While that seems great for narrative serendipity milking, I dunno if Blake would've had the mindset for such a ploy at that point in her nightmare come true. Plus...Yang went nuclear *because* the first thing she saw was that stab. Sheesh.

what the fuck

I rewatched the scenes. Blake's first response to Adam's appearance is terror and disbelief. She tries to back away at first and only engages when another student is in danger. She's scared the whole time Adam's talking to her, and I think this is when she realizes the depths of Adam's obsession with her, personally, and starts to understand how far he's willing to go to hurt her specifically. Based on her facial expressions, she's freaking the fuck out when Adam has Yang in his sights. Her lines after Adam fucking stabs her are basically begging Yang to leave her and Adam to not hurt Yang, to no avail. There's no way she's deliberately tanking damage just so she could run later. If she had the Aura for that, she'd just... use her clone to escape to begin with, have Yang cover her escape, and then bail. She's too scared for that kind of coldhearted plan, and it's stupider than just using the clone to get away in the first place. What I think is far more likely is this: we know that people with Aura can recharge it through sheer willpower (see Hazel, Jaune). There aren't many situations more conducive to heroic willpower than this one. Keeping that in mind, I'm pretty sure Blake pushed herself beyond her limits (depleted Aura) for just long enough to get herself and Yang to safety. Seems more in character than fucking letting herself get stabbed, at any rate.

I'm gonna use this post to talk about something that I've wanted to discuss for a while, actually: Yang did nothing wrong in this situation. Yes, blah blah, she was reckless and hot-headed, and every other stupid thing that Taiyang and the fandom likes to say about this scene or whatever, but... no, not really, even if her response had an emotional component (because she's not a fucking robot that Never Does A Wrong Thing, Ever), she actually made the right choice here. She just got stuck in a shitty situation with a near-infinitesimal chance of victory and, predictably, did not win.

Let's discuss the tactical situation. Here's what Yang knows (not thinks, not can reasonably assume, knows):

An unknown assailant just stabbed Blake in the torso, specifically, the abdomen. The abdomen contains lots of blood vessels, organs, and a little thing called the spine. A puncture wound can easily be fatal, and even if it isn't immediately fatal, it can develop lots of complications and kill you slowly and painfully. From Yang's perspective, Blake could be bleeding out. She could be paralyzed. She needs immediate medical attention.

The existence of this wound means Blake's Aura is down. She does not have the innate protection that Huntsmen and Huntresses rely on at this point. She has already been hurt and is vulnerable to being hurt again.

Blake is not moving. Blake is not attempting to get away.

The man who attacked her is armed and demonstrating threatening posture. He is clearly displaying an intent to engage in further aggressive action.

Here's what Yang can assume:

The worst case scenario is that Blake's wound is fatal or crippling. She must assume that Blake needs immediate medical attention because doing otherwise risks leaving her partner dead or paralyzed.

Blake is not moving because she can't move, otherwise she would have done it while Adam was turning to Yang instead of lying there helplessly. Blake cannot escape under her own power.

Adam will continue to hurt Blake if not prevented from doing so.

Adam is stronger than Blake, because he hurt her.

Reinforcements are not coming. White Fang, Grimm, and compromised Atlesian hardware are running around the school. Most of the students are in full retreat. There are few professional Huntsmen or Huntresses on the scene. The protagonist teams have already split on multiple occasions because they can't stay concentrated and still accomplish their objectives.

Here's what Yang needs to do:

Get Blake away from Adam/get Adam away from Blake. She needs to do this, and she needs to do it now, because Blake could be mortally wounded and every second counts. She must make a play that forces Adam to withdraw his attention from Blake, physically separates Adam from Blake, renders him unable to pursue them, and is as close to guaranteed to work as possible,

Get Blake medical attention.

Here's what Yang, crucially, does not know:

The severity of Blake's injuries. She doesn't know if any vital organs have been hit, but she must assume they have because not making that assumption risks not getting Blake to a doctor in time if she truly has suffered damage to her spine or vital organs. She does not know that Blake will be able to get up and carry them both to safety. She must assume that Blake is helpless.

Adam's capabilities. She doesn't know how his weapons work or how his Semblance functions. She doesn't know how he fights or what he wants. She only knows that he has hurt Blake and must be prevented from hurting Blake again.

Yang must process all of this information and make a decision in a split second, because Adam is getting ready to attack either her or Blake, depending on what she does, and has, from her perspective, no interest in waiting for her to work through what she's seeing.

Here's what Yang can do in this situation:

Leave. Some people unironically think this is what she should've done, because abandoning your partner to someone who has already severely injured her is exactly what you should do as a heroic character. I should not have to explain why this is not an option.

Wait for help. There's no guarantee that help will arrive, and the fact that the student teams have already split up means Yang must assume that there's no one to send. Even if someone might show up, Yang does not have time to waste.

Try to talk him down. Risky, because, again, Blake is potentially bleeding out and every second counts, but Yang does try this, in a way, when she warns Adam to get away from Blake. Adam does not get away from Blake. Adam's posture in this situation is threatening. He clearly intends to continue the fight. Continuing to try to deescalate the situation ticks down Blake's timer and there's no indication he'll listen.

Try to distract him or draw him off. Also risky, because she doesn't know what will trigger him to chase her, he can turn around and attack Blake at any point if she isn't interesting enough, and Blake still needs medical attention and can't move under her own power, to the best of Yang's knowledge.

Shoot at him. Reasonable on the surface, maybe, until you actually think about it for a moment. Yang has two types of ammunition: rockets and shotgun shells. Neither are precision weapons. The explosions from her rockets or the spread from her buckshot could easily catch Blake in the blast radius, and Blake, again, has no Aura to protect her. On top of that, she lives in a universe where trained fighters deflect bullets as a matter of course. Nothing is preventing him from just flicking her own rockets/buckshot into Blake's unprotected face. This choice runs the risk of getting Blake killed.

Shoot at something else. Yang has an established tactic of attacking the terrain around her to give herself an advantage, but doing so here, just like shooting at Adam directly, runs the risk of getting Blake caught in friendly fire. She cannot afford to put Blake at risk.

Attack Adam directly in melee. This is her best option. Engaging Adam in melee forces him to turn toward her, to take his attention away from Blake, because if he strikes at Blake while Yang's attacking him, her attack lands uncontested. Engaging Adam in melee allows her to strike with precision and avoid harming Blake. Engaging Adam in melee gives Yang a chance to physically move him away from Blake. She can either press her attack or grab Blake and run if her opener works out. I've spent hours thinking about this, because I need better hobbies, and I still can't come up with a better play for someone in Yang's situation with Yang's toolkit to make after all that reflection and with the benefit of hindsight.

Again, Yang must consider all of this in a split second: the whole exchange, from Adam stabbing Blake to Yang losing her arm, takes 13 seconds of screentime. There are 3 seconds between Yang realizing Blake is hurt and her telling Adam to get away from her. Adam has assumed his threatening posture by 4 seconds after that at the latest. Yang activates her Semblance and commits to the attack 2-3 seconds later. 10 seconds after seeing that Blake is hurt, Yang is in the air, aiming for Adam. We've had literal years to come up with a solution at this point and I still haven't seen a single post that convincingly argues that what Yang did wasn't the best choice she could've made. The only possible alternative I can think of is Yang committing to the attack and then demonstrating the sort of lateral mobility she displays from Volume 5 on, but even that runs the risk of exposing Blake to attack because Blake is behind Adam and to his left (Yang's right). If Yang jukes toward Blake, she's moving directly into the path of Adam's attack. If she goes the other direction, she's put Adam between her and Blake and the momentum of his attack can easily bring him back around to threaten Blake. The only way I can see this working is if Yang pulls off an extremely technically precise move (sliding low under a sword slash that comes out so quickly she canonically can't react to it in time) to put herself down by Blake so she can grab her and flee, but this still doesn't solve the problem of Adam's position: he's still right there and able to threaten both of them. She needs to move him, which means she needs to strike him, ideally with her opening move, which means she has to attack him head-on.

tl;dr: Yang did the best she could in a terrible situation and the writers, the fandom, and her own father have been calling her stupid for it ever since.

[eremiie]

broken promises

❥ angst | 3.9k words | eren x armin

❥ content: none. just pure heart break.

❥ the moment you’re born your soulmates words are etched into your skin, and the moment you meet them they disappear just as fast. so when eren meets armin why don’t his words go? and why does armin have to carry the weight of a wretched life on his shoulders? surely his fate is his fault.

this fic is a rendition of chapter 139! read at your own risk

this fic is for @mikaberries 4k collab event! my word was ‘broken promises’ and my ship was eremin! enjoy<3

ty to @arlerted for beta reading this fic!

"hey, why don't you put up a fight?"

those were the first words muttered to him.

"you're wrong! i'm not losing because i don't run."

those were the first words that made the black mark sprawled on eren's wrist begin to fade away, seeping from the tan skin and sprawling like dust onto the concrete he stood on.

the first words that made the blue of armin's eyes dazzle with interest, peering over his shoulder almost tumbling over to get a fresh look at what was holding eren's interest so well.

he knew what was holding eren's interest, he's seen it before with so many people close to him, he's heard stories from his grandparents. it couldn't be happening to him though? happening so soon? i mean he was just a kid, he—

"you're my soulmate..."

so if eren was his soulmate, why didn't the words disappear?

so if eren was his soulmate, why didn't the words disappear?

so if eren was his soulmate, why didn't the words disappear?

why were his first words to him not the ones scribbled on his skin?

nevertheless, armin wanted to grasp any hope presented to him. if eren was his soulmate he'd try his best to believe him. surely it was just a glitch in the system, maybe a phenomenon never discovered. but even then it didn't matter, because how eren's eyes gleamed at his bare wrist, eyes flicking from armin to his arm, to armin, it was all the confirmation armin needed.

still, on sleepless nights, when only the moonlight would beam through the window of the barracks leaving enough light for armin to peer down at the bare skin of eren's wrist and the words i promise on his own, he couldn't help but wonder if eren was really his.

his pale hand engulfs with eren's as eren drapes his arm over armin's waist. it was so welcoming. that same hand wraps him in blankets, it cups the soft skin of armin's cheek, it adjusts armin's ODM gear, it was the hand that armin, just by the way it moves so lovingly, would've suspected belongs to his soulmate.

it couldn't have been a mistake, mistakes with things like this just didn’t happen.

"i'm yours." eren's voice would grumble against the nape of armin's neck, breath fanning over the new goosebumps formed, and hand squeezing armin's a little tighter.

armin's breath hitches, swallowing his spit before adjusting himself until he was facing eren.

his eyes were so beautiful in the dim light. armin could admire every speck of blue that would dance across the green canvas, every slight glimmer of gold that reminds armin of eren's mother. it reminds him of the same glimmer that dropped onto the cold concrete when eren was deemed his.

eren blinks, once or twice, armin can't remember because his mind drifts farther than he wants, and untangles their hands, bringing one up to armin's cheek.

it's wet, a fresh tear falling from the corner of armin's eye that eren brushes away with the pad of his thumb.

when armin leans back to give eren a one over, he doesn't remember when eren’s hair got longer, when his eyes became so dull, or when his smile became a permanent pout.

his soulmate isn't supposed to be his and he lets the thought pull him away from reality more often than not. no matter how many times eren could repeat how they were meant to be it would never feel right.

there was a barrier in between them that kept armin farther away from eren than he wanted to be. a barrier that armin pounded against, aching to break and release him from the solemn thoughts that clouded his brain.

when eren wipes another tear that shines against armin's cheek, he pushes forward on the bed, pressing his forehead against armin's and closing his eyes so armin can't see them anymore.

the simple touch, the simple gesture brings armin back to reality and he can feel that familiar longing in the pit of his stomach, the furrow in eren's brow, and the newfound wetness of his cheek.

he doesn't mean to press his forehead so hard against eren's, but the closer he is to him, the more he can feel the warmth of eren's skin. he can silence the storm inside of him. maybe if he tries hard enough and sticks close to eren that barrier would break, at least crack.

eren's palm brings armin as close as possible by the back of his head until he can feel armin breathing on his chin. armin could tell eren that he wasn't meant for him over and over again, but there was no mark on his wrist anymore, no sign that screamed armin wasn't his in his eyes. as long as his skin was a clean slate, as long as he could spend restless nights with his lover, days laying in each other's arm's under the tree as they stared at the wall longing for freedom, armin belonged to him.

"will you still be mine when you leave for marley?" he cuddles closer to eren, hands sat against his lover’s chest as he takes pleasure in his presence.

eren reluctantly nods his head and presses armin closer, a soft press of his lips to armin's nose.

"i'll still be yours."

"and you'll—"

"i'll still be yours. until we see the rest of the world together; the flaming water, frozen plains, and snowfields of sand."

armin stifles noise and sinks down from where he was against eren’s forehead until his head is in the fabric of eren's shirt, hands grabbing at the cotton so tight that eren's afraid he might tear it.

eren's shirt is getting wet but he doesn't mind. he wants to cry too.

instead, he lets his thumb smooth over the same strands of blonde hair he plaits while sitting in a field of campanulas, and lets his hand lightly ruffle the tresses he watches armin toy with, contemplating if he should cut them or not.

the next time he sees armin they're cut.

the next time armin sees eren, his eyes are duller than that night they were tangled in each other's arms.

armin barely says a word to eren on the airship, there was nothing to be said. nothing to be said when sasha died, her blood staining the wood of the ship. nothing to be said after the conversation at the table, armin's blood being wiped away by the damp cloth in mikasa's hand.

he never had a voice like eren, but when he screams at him on the floor where he sits around shards of broken glass and spilled wine as mikasa tries to get him to stand, he uses eren's own voice against him— words so passionate and spat like venom at eren that he has no choice but to turn around for a mere second.

someone who could kill so plainly and drag his loved ones along, not shedding a single tear as he goes, didn't seem like the soulmate set for armin.

but the way eren turns around, a snarl on his face that juxtaposes the gloss of a limpid tear in his eye— for a second, just for a second armin thinks otherwise.

and when he looks down at his wrist, "i promise." still haunting him, he wishes the world was kind.

ᝰ

armin slams the door behind himself, leaving mikasa alone in the gloomy storage room.

it was his fault a darkened cloud was hanging over the room, his outburst at mikasa wasn't her fault— but how could she even think about eren with all the peril happening?

his breathing is heavy and the sounds of titans are right next to his ears, pounding and stomping their way across the ocean, across the world. it was so noisy, the screams outside, people running from falling debris. he wishes the noise would cease for only a moment so he could gather his thoughts.

armin wipes at his eyes in hopes that it would stop the way his vision begins to blur. he stumbles backward using his free hand to steady himself once he hits the brick wall behind him.

truth being, no matter how little the thought was he was thinking about eren too.

he pulls at his sleeve to further hide his wrist, teeth-gritting as he fails to hold back tears that slip from his eyes and onto the floor he stood on. they decorate the stone floors in lovely splotches, darkening the grey and creating spots that'd disappear with time. but, as long as armin kept crying the least likely the evidence would simply "disappear".

"i'm tired." his voice cracks and like a broken dam tears begin to flow free, sliding down his cheeks as his skin begins to flush. he knows he can't stop them now. he can't stop the thoughts in his head or the tears staining his cheeks. he wishes to relax and be at the ocean again, staring across the waves where he finally got a taste of what freedom was before it was snatched away again. "i hate this."

no matter how hard he wipes at them, they're never-ending. why does he have to be the boy whocries? who can't defend himself, the boy with the burden placed on him, the boy with no soulmate. "i hate this, i hate this."

his knees buckle and he allows himself to slide down the wall, ODM gear clinking as it hits the floor, the wall rough as it scrapes against the material of his shirt. it's easier to block out the cries of terror outside and instead bury himself in his hands to cry for someone to release him from this stress.

he's tired of the wrenching in his heart, thoughts being solely on the one he thought was destined for him. no matter how hard he tries to think of what was most important his mind can't help but wander back to calm nights with eren. what could've been and what he wished became.

how did he fall in love with someone so wretched? and how did they make him so wretched?

his sniffles are the only thing he can hear and his tears decorate the sleeves of his shirt— just like he decorated eren's the last night his arms cradled him close.

"i hate you. i hate that we have to kill you— you're," a sob breaks his sentence, but he's thankful for it because he didn't want to finish it anyway. the next words to come out wouldn't have been true. they would've just been a fit of anger and sadness that clawed at his heart, twisting it between its grasp and trying its best to break the little hope armin had left.

"we have to kill you." is what he says instead.

what was he doing? there was no time to sob, no time to cry over someone like eren. he would heed the words he told mikasa— there was no time to think about eren, he was a lost cause.

armin unsteadily picks himself off the ground, adjusting the gear around his waist and using the back of his hand to wipe stray tears. he's lucky no one came through or went out the doors— it would've just been another open performance of his weakness and it'd be proof that erwin was the one who should've been chosen that day.

he would let eren go and he would do what he had to do to save the people around him, it was the least he could do after erwin's death.

ᝰ

when his titan is standing in front of eren's colossal titan those words mean nothing.

it's the adrenaline that tames the pull on his heart. he's so close yet so far— his soulmate, no eren, is right there but here he was doing all he could to stop him.

there's no time to relish in the past, although it flashes in the back of his head. loose memories of what eren was and the monster he’s become.

he wants to remember eren's rough palms against his cheeks again, his natural warmth he radiates while he pulls armin close as possible. but he pushes the memories to the back of his head— they were nothing but an echo now.

he has to give it his all because he's sure eren isn't thinking the same way as him.

the mosaic of him holds pieces of eren in it and it was evident by the flicker of eren's passion in his eyes when he stares him down, fists raised and only a murmur of "why did it turn out this way?" leaving trembling lips.

when he throws a heavy arm at eren it's like it all happens in slow motion; first, a pounding in his skull, causing him to close his eyes at the twinge, then a burst of light flashing over his eyes, and albeit how they stayed close a blanket of white drops over his vision.

he loses his balance and wonders if eren has knocked him out yet, until he lands on a hard surface. the pale sand is grainy under his hands and for some reason, his mind is blank. the soft whirring of what sounded like wind whips past his ears. he's calm.

armin flutters doe eyes open, adjusting to the brightness of the light in front of him. it was oddly familiar. purples, blues, and greens surrounded the striking light— and the longer he stares forth, the more it reminds armin of a tree whose branches reach for the sky. he's mesmerized. this must be what space is— stars adorning the black mural, as rays of colorful light burst over the top of armin like pops of fire being sent into the sky.

it's beautiful, and armin's reminded of earth, of the comfort of life— even in the walls. maybe this was what he believed was on the other side of the walls when he was younger, and if he sat in front of his younger self and explained the sight in front of him, telling him this is what was out there, he was sure he would've believed it.

"armin."

the blonde whips his head around, meeting a face his memories know so well.

eren's skin is illuminated by the light of paths, a gleam in such familiar green eyes that he only ever thought he'd see in his dreams. his hands are pocketed and his hair is free, laying gently against the side of his face. bags pull at the skin below his eyes and a tired smile graces his face as he puts a hand out for armin to grab.

armin wants to grab it but he recoils, scrambling to stand up on his own and dusting the sand from his hands. his eyebrows are furrowed and he's scowling at eren as he crosses his arms.

he doesn't know what to say— he doesn't know where he is. he's still mad at eren, he can't just take him to a dream-like place and think everything is okay. he's killed so many people, he's dragged his friends into what could only be described as hell, and eren didn't know the toll he put on armin's life. he couldn't just waltz into it, destroy everything, and expect armin to just talk to him again.

armin seems to always be too caught up in his thoughts because when eren's palm– that's still as warm as he remembers– presses him to eren's chest it takes him a moment too long to realize. the ends of eren's hair that graze armin's nose is something he'd never thought he'd feel again.

eren shouldn't be hugging him, but he can't push him off— it hurts.

it hurts when eren's stray tears hit the top of his head and it hurts when eren clings to armin like he'll disappear if he lets go. the cries of "i'm sorry," are all armin can hear as eren sinks to the floor in front of him, weeping tears of agony and years of pain that he was never able to share.

eren knows he caused everyone pain, and he knows what he's done is unforgivable, and although he's caused everyone so many tears, eren needs to be the boy who cries this time.

armin shudders, impending sobs trying to wrack his body. his hand cups his mouth as he drops to his feet as well. when eren glances up at him with woeful eyes, he can paint a picture with those blue flecks and glimmers of gold that he finally gets to see again. he sighs shakily and turns his head away from eren in fear of the tears he was trying to blink back from falling.

armin lets eren explain himself.

he lets eren reduce him to a complete sobbing mess. all these months of asking himself why was all summed up to him, the only question being left unanswered being why he still had words slapped across his wrist. he doesn't dare to ask about it— he's sure he already knows the answer.

"so... you're going to die?" armin asks hesitantly, scrunching particles of sand in between his hands.

"i have to. i have to atone somehow."

it's the words armin knows would slip from eren's mouth but not the words armin wants to hear. leaning forward he places his hands on eren's shoulders, a pleading look across the ocean that was his eyes. at least that's how eren would describe it.

"but maybe there's a way we can fix this!"

eren gives armin a small smile, placing his hands over armin's so gently. "armin... you think i'll be free like you once all this is over?"

armin's pleading expression fades and is replaced by a dejected one, his lips falling and his eyebrows turning upwards. "eren..."

eren pulls armin close to him, hand in his hair once more, tangling through the blonde strands and burying his nose into them. they smell just how he remembered, even with how short his hair was now— like fresh linen and the smell of the ocean that lingers even after only one visit.

"eren," his eyes screw as he bawls into eren's shoulder while wrapping his arms around him. "but you promised."

armin pulls away just as fast when the thought hits him. he grabs eren's wrist and pulls it from his hair. "you promised! you said we'd see the flaming water... the... the frozen plains and the snowfields of sand! you promised!"

eren shakes his head profusely, more tears being shed as his hands come up to cup armin's own wet face.

armin's vision is obscured by his own tears and he rests his head in the palm of eren's head, indulging in the feeling because he won't get to feel it again.

he'll remember the intimacy he shared with eren from hearing his heartbeat in his ears as he laid against his chest to tracing the skin of eren's arm to lull himself to sleep. it wasn't fair that it had to be like this. that it had to be a mere reflection of what was, but it was his fault for being so gullible.

from the day he was still left with such a taunting mark he should've known that if his mark was still etched on his wrist, eren being his soulmate wasn't tangible. he should've left well enough alone and accepted his fate, met his soulmate years from that day and lived the life he was meant to live.

maybe then he wouldn't be stuck in what was a cruel form of torture, a life that lead to show him his karma of being so greedy— of trying to hold onto whatever was sent his way. he wasn't even supposed to be here right now.

yet, here he was, eren pressing his lips to armin's forehead, both of his cheeks, his nose and then a last tender one to his lips. although armin struggles to reciprocate them, eren can understand that they were received.

"you go, and you see all of those things without me because even when i'm not here the freedom you're granted is proof of me."

shaky hands reach to place themselves over eren's. "you promised."

"i'm sorry."

"eren, you—"

"i'm sorry."

to armin, it was confirmation that him and eren weren't meant to be. soulmates just weren't like this. he wouldn't have his mark, there wouldn't be so much hurt, and the promise eren shared with him would've been fulfilled.

armin refused to believe that his soulmate is eren.

he couldn't wonder who would come after eren when someone like eren existed. he couldn't fathom who else would put their life on the line like eren did not only for him but for everyone around him. who else would fight like eren did, all for selfless reasons.

whoever was eren’s true soulmate has to be the saddest yet happiest person on earth, to have a destined one like eren yet never be able to acknowledge him.

he'd come to terms with eren's fate, and he'd move on— after all what he thought was his fate was never meant to be.

eren pulls armin to a standing position and using the sleeve of his coat he wipes both him and armin's faces.

"i love you."

armin takes in eren's features, noting them down so he'd be able to remember them forever— even after he's gone.

"i love you too."

stepping forward, eren takes armin's hand in his own. "i'll be with you every step you take away from those walls and i'll be with you everywhere you visit."

it's hard to hear, but armin still manages to nod his head.

"i promise."

eren and everything around him begins to fade. he's trying to piece him together in his mind— create a solid memory to cherish forever.

the world around him fades and he's back on a sad dirt ground, palms stabling him as he begins to get up, mikasa walking towards him with the remnants of eren in her hands.

when he reaches for eren's head, it's only then he notices the words that his eyes used to linger back to every few hours are gone.

armin didn't realize when the words on his arm began to faintly glow and bleed because at the same time he was picking pieces of eren up and placing them together to create a firm picture that he wouldn't forget.

pale skin was the only thing left in its path— and when his eyes flit back to eren he sees his soulmate. for the first time he's sure of it.

“paths...” armin mutters to himself as his hand smooths over the cooling skin of eren’s face.

this eren existed in paths where time is nonlinear— speaking armin words for what could have been the first as long as he continued to reside in them. “he said it in paths…” he says shakily, and he winces at his own voice.

time wasn’t linear in such a void, and eren had spoken the short sentence on his wrist into existence long before armin knew.

eren was his soulmate.

his soulmate who he was supposed to see the world with; flaming water, frozen plains, and snowfields of sand.

his soulmate who set him free yet he'd rather be chained to for the rest of his life if it meant he could wake up with him everyday.

his soulmate who he doubted so heavily, transfixed on two words that plagued his whole being.

his soulmate who didn't even know broke his heart, broke their promise.

"you promised."

[writerkatsblog]

It strikes me as really interesting that in the bad timeline, Master Fung was never rescued from the Yin-Yang world.

It's hard to imagine, because Omi consistently gets reckless and emotional and very willing to put his life on the line whenever he sees Master Fung in distress, which is why Omi didn't stop to think before he took the Yo-Yo and went into the Yin-Yang world despite not knowing anything about it. I think he still would have jumped in even if Dojo had told them the risks, just because Omi couldn't leave Master Fung in what he thought was immediate peril. None of the other dragons-in-training could talk him out of it, because that's how protective Omi is over Fung.

So I wonder if in the bad timeline, Chase and Omi must have been *really* close if Chase managed to convince Omi to stop and wait until they could somehow, in some point in the future, get both Yo-Yos and make the trip to retrieve Master Fung safely.

Well there's a couple of factors in there that I think would go to explain why.

In the original timeline, everyone basically had little to no idea of how the yo-yos worked because a part of the scrolls with that vital information was missing. So none of them knew the potential consequences until it was too late and Omi came back evil. But since Chase was there as well, and may have had a better working memory on the Shen Gong Wu than Dojo tends to, he would've been able to warn them about the dangers of using one yo-yo without the other. Deterring them from making reckless moves like using a yo-yo without having the other to keep from losing one's chi.

Additionally, going by how the story is told, Master Fung seems like he was sent Into the Ying-Yang world the same way he was in the original timeline. Guan "wrangled" him into the Yin-Yang world, so presumably, like Evil Chase in the normal timeline, he wrapped Fung up in the yo-yo string and sent him through, trapping Fung in the Yin-Yang world.

We do still have Good!Jack, however, which makes me think that there was still some world hopping going on. So I would like to outline this potential scenario as such.

1) Bean, knowing there's a risk of the Yang yo-yo being retrieved from the Yin-Yang World if the Yin yo-yo fell into the hands of the Xiaolin warriors, sends Jack Spicer into the Ying-Yang world with only the Yin yo-yo. Knowing full well that even if he loses all his bad Chi, it's not going to be an overly great loss. Plus if he dies in the process then both yo-yos are permanently stuck in the Yin-Yang world anyway so 100% success rate either way. 2) Jack returns with the Yin and Yang yo-yos in tow, losing all evil chi in the process and becoming Good Jack in the process, since he was never informed of the caveat that you have to use both at once (or what happened in canon happened and he had the Reversing Mirror while using both yo-yos, the exact process doesn't matter so long as the outcome is the same). 3) Bean intends to safeguard both yo-yos or otherwise wait for an opportunity (such as the appearance of a Shen Gong Wu like the Kuzusu Atom) to destroy one or both to permanently block access to the Yin-Yang world. 4) At some point in the time period after this, the Xiaolin Dragons manage to get the Yin yo-yo from Bean and co (also possibly when Jack joins the group). Leaving the Xiaolin side with the Yin yo-yo but not the Yang yo-yo, rendering them unable to rescue Fung without turning evil, hence they don't do so.

Additionally, I do imagine that Chase had a much bigger part in Omi's upbringing in that particular timeline. While Fung was more relegated to teacher or mentor. Omi still Cares about him and woul want to rescue him, but not to the same level of blind desperation that he does in the normal timeline. Thus Chase would be able to talk him down much easier.

[lovelivingmydreams]

Family and identity

And so we have arived at a new chapter in the Paper Flowers au. This one complete from the start. I promise. For those who missed it, previous instalment can be found here.

All the chapters can be found in the pinned post t the top of my page.

In this chapter Patton takes Roman's unintentionally given advice and it goes as well as you could expect. Enjoy!

Virgil was lying on his bed listening to music. He was feeling pretty okay. Not great, but all things considered he was having a good day. Usually that thought would make him panic and try to remember what he was doing wrong. But right now, he wasn't going to question it. He had a list, he checked it twice, today was just going to be nice.

Roman was really getting to him. Here he was once again being optimistic. And rhyming on top of that.

A sudden knock on his door had him confused. Hardly anyone knocked on his door.

Princey wouldn't knock on that one. The field had become their hang out spot. They watched movies, talked, listened to music or brainstormed together. It was nice.

So it wasn't Princey.

Janus and Remus were out too. Both tended to invite themselves inside if they wanted to bother him. One more reason to be happy with the field. He'd spent some alone time in there truly at peace knowing nothing could harm him there. If he didn't have to look after Thomas he'd probably move there permanently. And he supposed he couldn't leave Princey to deal with the specs on his own...

Speaking off those two. At least one of them was at his door.

The knocking was back. “Kiddo? You in there?”

Virgil frowned confused as he got up and walked to the door.

"Patton?" He said in surprise as he opened it. Sure he'd figured it had to be him or Logan. But between the two he would've put his money on Logan. Patton usually just announced that dinner was ready and left before Virgil could even respond. Then Virgil would go down to collect a plate and leave for his room right away. He'd been tempted to stay and listen to Roman's stories once or twice since they became friends. To gang up on him with Logan, pointing out holes in the grand tales and laugh along as Patton made a joke, making them all forget what they'd been talking about. But he figured he better not intrude on family time and risk messing up. They tolerated him when they were working. If he forced his company on them in their free time they'd probably send him back down. And as much as he cared about his fellow outcasts, he couldn't go back there….

Would his key work if he did? He should test it out, just in case…

He was getting of track. “What's wrong?” he asked. Trying to sound like he couldn't care less. He leaned against the doorframe to sell it better. Inside he was terrified.

Patton smiled at him nervously, leaning back and forth on his heels, wringing his hands. Why was he here? He clearly didn't want to be.

“Nothing wrong kiddo… just… dinner will be ready soon. Why don't you join us?”

What? “Better not,” he huffed looking at his fidgeting hands with a raised brow. He planned to turn around and close the door to freak out in peace, but then…

Patton balled his hand in fists at his side and stopped wiggling. “Sorry, but that wasn't really a request Anxiety. You live with us, so you join in for family dinners. I make Roman come out of the imagination, I drag Logan away from his work, up until now I’ve given you time to adjust and join us on your own time. But I’m done waiting. Pizza night is family dinner night. I expect you at the dinner table in 15 minutes.” And before Virgil could respond he turned and went downstairs.

Virgil went back in and shut the door. What was going on? Should he go ask Roman if Patton said something? Should he go to the others? Maybe this is a weird joke from J?

Or maybe this is a test? Or maybe Patton is looking for a good reason to send him back down? Proof that he doesn’t fit in with them? No, that doesn’t sound like Patton at all… what should he do?

“Dinner is ready!” Patton’s voice pulled him out of his panic. He’d been worrying for a full 15 minutes and now it was too late…

He took in a deep breath. He would not mess up. He just had to get trough dinner. And Roman would be there to distract Patton right? Right. He could do this.

When he arrived downstairs Roman and Logan were already seated and served.

Roman saw him enter and paused his recollection of his latest adventure to look at him.

“Evening Seymore Krelbore,” he greeted with an elaborate gesture.

“Likewise Bummertime,” he replied as he loaded his own plate and, to the surprise of both Roman and Logan went to sit at the never before used chair. Patton looked pleased at least.

He didn’t think he could handle a conversation though. Luckily he didn’t have to. Roman continued his story as if nothing had interrupted it and Virgil got away with just eating his pizza, thanking Patton for dinner when he was done, putting his plate in the dishwasher and leaving for his room.

Roman watched Virgil going up the stairs. He wasn’t surprised that shortly after he disappeared from sight he could feel a swift, but urgent pulsing from the key in his pocket.

He wanted to join Virgil at once, but then Logan said something that drew his attention.

“Patton? What’s the problem?” Roman looked at the paternal side and saw that he was looking up at the stairs with a frown.

Patton sighed and slumped in his chair, letting his head fall into his hands.

“It worked, but I don't know if I can keep doing this,” Patton explained.

“What worked Padre?” Roman wondered.

“Tough love… patience didn't get him to open up to us, but you seem to get him to at least talk to you for more than a minute nowadays. So I thought… maybe if I pushed just a little? I'm sure there is a wonderful kiddo hiding under that eyeshadow. I thought that making him join family dinner would help?” Patton explained. Roman felt a little guilty. One, he had given Patton this idea that had put both Virge and the moral side through a tense dinner for their troubles. Two he had all the answers to make Pat feel better… no. It was not his place to tell. Patton would understand.

He laid a reassuring hand on the eldest side’s shoulder. “If you wish I shall retrieve the pumpkin king in the future,” he promised.

Patton thought about it for a bit. “Are you sure Roman? Will he even come if you ask?” he wondered.

Roman chuckled and bowed. “No worries Padre I will ensure his company won't be lacking on pizza night ever again,” he vowed though he wondered if he'd have to break that promise.

He'd cross that bridge when he got there. He used his key to get to the field. The others never questioned his doors. He was the prince of imagination after all. Things like this were expected.

Once he closed his door, he looked around. Where… he spotted an empty spot in the otherwise smooth sea of origami flowers. He smiled as he walked over and sat down next to it. One leg straight in front of him, his other bent at the knee. He leaned back to look up at the clouds passing by. Supporting his weight with his hands.

“They do look lovely today,” he started casually.

“Still not doing it Princey,” Virgil replied to a question Roman had yet to start building up to.

“He meant well, he just wants…”

“Me to be part of the family, I know!” Virgil groaned as he sat up hugging his knees to his chest. “But I’m not and I’ll never be. You didn't see him when he told me to join dinner. He thinks that I’ll turn into one of you. All soft and optimistic. And he wont have to be scared of me anymore. That can't happen, for everyone's sake. I have to make you guys cautious. So we can't tell him.”

Roman could tell the subject was over. He'd tried to encourage Virgil to let the others in as well a few times. Normally he'd probably push harder, perhaps even until he crossed a line that wasn’t meant to be crossed. Ruining their friendship in the process. But the field was so relaxing, and their friendship was comfortable and safe enough that he felt he could fake his time considering his words. He'd found himself realizing that he kept parts of himself hidden from the others as well. Parts that he feared would make them loose respect for him. Virgil knew about some by now. He had very quickly picked up on how stressed the spotlight made him sometimes. He knew talking about Remus made him feel guilty and terrified though they hadn't talked about the why yet. Anyway, Roman would be a hypocrite if he made Virgil tell the others about his true self if he wasn’t willing to do so himself.

Roman sighed under the heavy atmosphere.

“Hey Virgil?” he asked, a small burst of pride exploding in his chest as he said Virgil's proper name. He was still getting used to it. And he was glad for their battle of the nicknames or he definitely would have slipped in front of the others by now.

Virgil looked up, curious what Roman wanted.. “Yeah?”

“Did you actually listen to my adventure? Cause it gave me a few ideas…”

Virgil chuckled. Roman was probably just looking for an excuse to tell it again. Knowing this Virgil nodded. “Yeah I heard you.” Roman's face fell a little, though he tried to play it off and Virgil grinned teasingly. “But best to make sure I remember all the important details right?”

Roman lit up, not even caring that Virgil just messed with him. He jumped straight into story teller mode.

“So there I was…”

 __________________________________________________________

The Prince found himself once more locked in combat with his arch nemesis.

Theirs was as rivalry written in the stars. An ancient battle between the heavenly lights of goid versus the dark depths of evil.

And he couldn't have asked for a better opponent.

“How long have we been doing this dance? Surrender! You know you cannot win!” he bellowed readying his sword.

“Never! And 5 years today! Don’t pretend you don't know that,” his opponent growled.

The prince gasped, moved. “You remembered!” he exclaimed in awe. He hadn't been sure if the lord of evil cared enough.

“Of course you nitwit,” his foe grumbled a bit flustered before regaining composure. “Now die!”

Both men raised their weapons and charged with a battle cry.

 __________________________________________________________

You are browsing tumblr.

Thomas's latest vine was hillarious. You are probably way too attached to the villain character though. He's existed about 18 seconds. You take comfort in the fact that you are not the only one. There is art and fics about him and the prince popping up everywhere.

And boy do people ship it. Suddenly you see a thread that catches your eye. You start reading.

"Considering how well liked he is, Prince's nemesis should have a name if Thomas isn't going to at least give him a title. I vote Marcus. It sounds badass and it is. It comes from Mars, God of war. All hail to our future overlord."

You chuckle. But Marcus does sound good. The thread continues with another fander stepping in.

"He should have a name. But knowing Thomas I'd think it's Kevin."

If you'd been drinking you would have choked on it. Kevin?

A reply from yet another user. "Let me guess you are one of that idiot Prince's squires? I'm with OP. The dark lord is called Marcus."

Oh this is getting spicy.

"Well you are clearly a henchman. Just look at how the guy is dressed! He looks like a 2000's emo kid. Defenitely a Kevin. XD"

There were more replies of people proclaiming themselves as either squires or henchmen. It's all in good fun. Plenty of laughing emoji's made that clear. You hit reblog and take a moment to consider who you are going to join.

Thomas has no clue what he's started.

Next chapter: By any other name

[acertainsomeone]

Finding us- EdSer one shot

If he had any doubts before, this incident cleared them altogether. Eda Yildiz had not only taken over his holding and life but his dog as well. He couldn't come to terms with the fact that his best friend, his dog, whom he had brought up since he was a baby, had turned his back on him. Ever since he proposed to Selin, Eda had asked Seyfi bey to get Sirius back to Bolat place. Not that she didn't love him anymore, she found it appropriate that the dog was returned to his rightful owner. She didn't wish anymore for Serkan to treat her worse, if fate planned, his memories will come back otherwise she was not going to desperately beg him to choose her over Selin. It wasn't about pride. Her love was much more than self-respect. She realized that Serkan was scared of her because she managed to strike chords of his heart that were nonexistent for him. If she pushed him further, if she hovered over his head, he would be irked and god forbid if something serious happened to his health, she won't be able to forgive herself.  

Sirius wasn't home, this was twice in the last three days that he had managed to escape. Serkan's pride was too much to call Eda and ask her to pay a visit to Sirius. Usually, he came back wagging his tail, it wasn't hard to spot him around but this time Serkan panicked. He checked the entire neighborhood and every possible place where Sirius could've gone. He had lost his memories; he couldn't afford to lose him.

"Where are you oğlum ?" He drove across the seats of Istanbul in apprehension. His heart skipped a beat thinking of a much worse possibility. Sirius wasn't among those dogs who get along with people, forget strangers.

What if somebody tried to harm him?

It wasn't hard to come across such crackheads, who would hurt animals for their pleasure.  

"Alo" Serkan answered his phone in panic upon seeing Eda's name on the screen. She was going to chide him enough for being so careless.

As if he wasn't to be blamed in her eyes already

"No need to wander around the streets, Sirius is with me. I'm sending you the location. Hadi gel." Her voice was devoid of any emotions, she didn't let him speak and hung up asap. 

 Did he make a mistake?

What was this place? And why would Sirius come here? He wondered while climbing the steps of the apartment. He entered and found a wounded Sirius lying in Eda's lap. He was asleep, and Eda was caressing his head.

"SIRIUS!" He cried in panic, and Eda glared at him for being so loud. 

"Shhhh you're gonna wake him."  

'What happened?" He asked incredulously. Sitting beside Eda, caressing his only best friend with affection.

"I think he ran from your place - to find me. He would've expected me to be at the park. Few children hit him there. Thankfully, I was there for a walk and spotted him immediately."

"What park? I checked all places where he could be."

"There are places that became Sirius's preference, if not yours." She rolled her eyes

"Anyways Serkan, tell me in all honesty, can you take care of him or not? I can't risk his life like this."

He was about to fight back with a 'he's my dog' but he knew that would've turned into a nasty conversation. He owed a thank you to Eda.

"Teşekkürler Eda."  

Eda looked at him plainly. It was hurting him to see her eyes without that love he was used to seeing ever since he came back. Why was it bothering him?  He pushed her away, that's what he wanted.

"You stay with him tonight. He needs to rest."  

"What is this place?" Serkan asked

"Home." She sighed in reverence. "I mean your home, you shifted here."

"Neden."

"I'll leave that story for your fiancé to tell after all she had been telling you everything, and you only believe her."

Eda picked her bag and stood up. "There's food in the fridge. Sirius's food is by the coffee table. And-        your room is upstairs."  She seemed in a hurry. He felt she was only telling him this to fulfill an obligation. He could feel her restless. But why? He had no idea

Serkan examined his room carefully. He was amazed Selin hadn't told him about moving out. The bedroom screamed that he was in a relationship with her Eda Yildiz.

Yok, the bed was made and broken lamps were fixed.

It had their memories. Her memories and belongings. Belongings that he would've never allowed in his premises.

Her clothes and undergarments were piled up along his. Her toothbrush and other toiletries were neatly placed in the bathroom. It didn't seem that they were placed there recently.

A weird sensation was pulling him towards those things. He ran his fingers through her belongings, having flashbacks. They were vivid.

For the first time, he heard her cackling voice too. It was blurry but even his bones could tell that they were in bed, and – he was doing things to make her laugh.

It can't be me

He shook his head in denial.

Serkan opened a drawer and found a USB. It wasn't the USB that grabbed his attention but the flower and note attached to it. That was his handwriting

"For us to remember all the good times- just in case."

***  

"Serkannn!! Would you stop? Look at my state." A sleepy yet annoyed Eda shrieked at Serkan, who was prolly filming a video. He chuckled at her words, not paying attention to whatever she said.

"Eda I know how you look like without clothes." She threw a pillow at his head, and the video disrupted. "Watch out!"

"Are you filming us naked in bed?"

"Hayır, I'm filming this for us to remember that you can't stay mad at me for long." He replied in amusement. This was one of those nights when she had been mad at him but they made out in less than a moment.

"You think too highly of yourself Serkan bolat."

"I've got the brightest star for myself. Shouldn't I?"

"Can you stop this? I have to get up Serkan!"

"How about first you record a message for an 80-year-old Eda, who might've forgotten me?"

"How are you sure that it can't be you."

"I love you way too much to forget you. More than you could. We can bet on that." He winked at her shamelessly

"Tamam." She wasn't going to fight him on this. Eda moved forward cautiously wrapping her naked self with the duvet and kissed Serkan on the tip of his nose.

"This message is for old, yet madly in love Mr. and Mrs. Bolat! No matter how hard the times are, no matter how grave misunderstandings can be, no matter how bleak the road of hope is, we will find our way back, together." 

"Always." He said with a smile and pulled her into a kiss. The video was for them so it didn't matter if it was all being recorded in that state. 

*** 

We don't choose our parents, we don't choose our family, and at times life doesn't allow us to choose our partner as well. He would've never in his right mind made an illogical choice of falling for Eda Yildiz.

Yet he did

Did he make a mistake?

Because all that he had given her in this relationship was pain, so far.

The video brought back a bunch of memories. Their first kiss, first fight, first night, and the last goodbye.

Serkan was mercilessly driving on the empty roads of Istanbul. It was raining heavily and he was drenched. This rain could've made him sick, terribly

But did he even care anymore?

He had hurt the most important person in his life. He ruined everything

How could he forget her of all people? Serkan always claimed to love Eda more than she could. His love was fragile

He sobbed mercilessly, wishing to hit the car somewhere and end this pain. Events of the past few weeks circulated in front of his eyes. The way he was indifferent towards her. The way he resisted her touch and broke her heart all over again.

I never deserved her

He smacked his head against the steering wheel. His tears blocked his vision and he had no idea that he was driving beyond the speed limit with an absolutely insane state of mind.

Suddenly it grew all dark. He couldn't see anything. It felt that the steering wheel was moving in its own direction

All he could hear was noise. Eda's cries and his broken promises.

He was sitting in the police station absentmindedly. Eda was completing the formalities. They hadn't had any eye contact so far else he would've started crying right there. She took him by his arm as if he was lifeless.

"Serkan noldu? You were absolutely fine when I left." She asked him apprehensively, careful not to touch him. "Do you want me to call someone? Selin-"

She stopped immediately. He looked at her for the first time. 

The gaze

Eda caught her breath. It was him. 

It was really him

She knew that man 

Those eyes, they weren't of a stranger. Those eyes recognized her, and she had seen love for her in them. But why was she seeing something stronger than love right now? Anguish

"Serkan!" She gasped unbelievingly. Her hands wrapped around his face possessively as if he'd leave this time if she didn't hold him tight

"I-" he was struggling with words. Should he tell her how scared he was when the pilot told them that the plane was going to crash? How he cursed himself for leaving her behind? Or how much he loves her? Where do I begin

Eda sobbed with happiness. She did not know what to say anymore. He was there, right in front of her. Her Serkan. Her robot bolat

The man who loved her

They were sitting at the shore. Looking blankly at the sea. The waves were calm but their hearts weren't. He had held her hand, and the grip was so strong that it was hurting her a bit but she didn't complain۔

"Eda" he broke the silence

"I don't even have words to ask for your forgiveness. I made another mistake, I broke your heart once again, didn't fulfill my promise, and became the reason for your tears." He was stuttering۔ words weren't leaving his mouth easily whereas Eda kept on looking at him with tears in her eyes

"What I did in the last few weeks can't be forgiven. I've hurt you. I won't beg you to return back to me. I can't make mistakes repeatedly and expect you to stand by the road waiting for me. I-" He stopped and his voice broke further

"Eda you might not want me back in your life but can you please forgive me? One last time? I won't be able to live with the fact that you hate me. Just don't hate me please"

He was begging her, his hands joined together in front of her pleading for forgiveness. His eyes were screaming in pain. He won't be able to bear that hate in this heart. If she stopped caring for him, he won't even bat an eye, but accepting the fact that she despises him? Serkan Bolat would die.

He knew he was being selfish. Yet again, he was thinking of himself. But he was selfish, he never deserved someone as selfless as Eda Yildiz. He disgraced their love, he ruined their relationship, and now if she wished to discontinue this fragile relationship, he won't subject.

"I failed our love Eda. I failed you." She could tell that he was not able to breathe properly. Eda's heart sunk the moment he adjoined his hands in front of her. With each pleading, it felt as if someone was squeezing her heart mercilessly.

"Fate failed us Serkan." She sniffed between her sobs. Her hands cupped his face immediately. She wanted to protect him, she wanted to curl his masculine self among her soft frame. She wished to provide him that comfort and safety his heart seek for the last few months.

He was asking her to forgive him. He feared that she hated him now. How could she?

Serkan had become more than a partner for her, he was a part of her. We don't detach ourselves from what lies within us.

He looked at her disbelievingly. Eda wiped his face with her palms. No more crying. They had enough, more than enough. The pain they had endured was enough for a lifetime.

"We'll leave. Somewhere far away, nobody could find us. Away from this mess, this hate, this chaos. Serkan we have each other. We are not going to let them ruin our happiness."

Was she for real?

"Tamam?" Eda pestered. He nodded in return, unable to say something.

"Seni cok seviyorum." Serkan mumbled only for her to hear as she adorned his face with delicate kisses.

"I have so much to tell you." She sighed in between.

"Where are you taking us?" He did not know why he was asking this. It didn't matter, the question came out of his mouth involuntarily.

"We are going to look for phoenixes." He did not know what that meant but he need not ask. As long as she was there, he didn't have to worry about anything. Eda embraced him protectively like a child. He was in his safe haven.

He was finally saved from the crash. 

[buddha-in-disguise]

A full of fucking swearing long post about the shitstain that is Dominic Cummings. Plus where I can find them, at the end I will link fucking sources, just in case anyone wants to try and say otherwise.

Also, if you do start @ me over him, I'm blocking your fucking cunt of an arse. Clear enough?

Good. Then let's begin.

As a nation, we can be a fairly mild mannered lot. At least collectively. But as of now, the majority of Britons are a mass of anger. So much so, I've even agreed with pundits like Piers Fucking Morgan! That alone is distressing enough, but Dominic Cummings has pissed off just about everyone.

But first a little background on this heaping pile of shit.

Dominic Cummings was one of the main instigators of Leave Campaign in regards Brexit. Now for those who don't know or haven't cared until now, not only were they found to be in breach of the electoral law, Dominic himself was also found in contempt of Parliament when they tried to find out if Vote Leave used fake news to help achieve their goal.

To add to this, he took around 200k of subsidies from the EU for his properties. So a known lying fucking hypocrite.

Even before that, he was advisor to Gove, that spineless fucking weasel who has been out today spouting even more fucking bollocks over this. Funny that.

Don't think for a minute being Gove's Special Advisor meant Cummings was liked by others in the Tory Party. Cummings was pretty much despised by a lot in Government at the time. David 'Pig fucker' Cameron called him a career psychopath.

Fast forward to 2019. Cummings is now Special Advisor to another spineless fucking cunt known as the Prime Minister Boris Johnson. BJ was never in control. Anyone watching what was going on knew that the moment Cummings had Javid's one aide uncermoniously marched out of her job, using armed police no less.

Only problem was, he had no authority to do that.

But never fear, BJ decided to change the rules, so lo and behold, he didn't break any rules (seeing a pattern here yet?)

So fast forward to the last few days. Now newspapers were reporting that Dominic Cummings drove his COVID-19 symptomatic wife, with a 4 year old in the same enclosed vehicle, some 260 miles to his parents location in Durham.

Oh now comes the fun part, and why as a nation we are all beyond extremely miffed, and fucking pissed off!

The offical guidance was anyone in a household with someone displaying symptoms (tested or not) was to stay the fuck at home. There was one exception to this rule. One. Extreme risk to life.

So Cummings took the decision to go and drive for fucking childcare reasons.

A man with his wealth, privilege and even with family in fucking London, couldn't do it at his home, but had to drive (thus risking his own child because of viral load you're going to get in an enclosed vehicle), himself and others (because he had to stop. Tell me of anyone with a 4 year old in the car they wouldn't be stopping anywhere?)

So anyway, they take a fucking jolly jaunt up to his parents.

But hold on, a Minister recently resigned for breaking lockdown rules. So why in the ever loving fuck was Cummings not resigning or being fired?

I don't know what Cummings has on BJ, but I suspect it makes wanting to fuck a dead pig seem like child play. Because not only isn't he fired, good old Jolly BJ comes out and fully defends and supports his senior advisor (who is unelected as well, just to add salt to that wound).

So by following his fatherly instincts (the fucking laughable defence given, when BJ couldn't even say how many fucking kids he has) and acting with integrity, (someone please give these fucking morons a dictionary), Cummings was given a free pass.

And then a load of fucking MP's including cabinet ministers all piled in saying how great a father he is, how it was exceptional circumstances that made him do it, you're all overreacting you terrible ingrate you, blah, blah, more horse shit, blah!

So, now all of those families who actually followed the fucking rules, and did what the government said are now being told, oh sure. You could've attended the funeral of your loved ones. Gone halfway across country to get child care for your kids, and so on and so fucking forth.

So basically saying, hah the jokes on you.

A few grumbles came out from the odd Tory, who might not have grown a spine, but were looking less like jelly (jello) being nailed to the wall, and more like thick fucking custard. A little more substance to them, but still slopping around with no spine.

We have a bank holiday coming up, and unusually good weather forecast, because as every Brit knows, Bank Holidays are normally shit weather wise. And a lot of people saying, fuck me if Cummings can do this, so can we. And all pile into cars for days out as if nothing had changed! No masks, no social distancing. Zilch. Great innit.

No it fucking isn't! The virus doesn't take a holiday you fucking morons!

So back to the other mess. Cummings now gives a press conference in the fucking rose garden of No.10. Also likely in breach of the rules, but as we know, he really doesn't give a flying fuck about rules now does he.

First of all he was 30 minutes late (you would've been sanctioned , therefore getting no money, for weeks, probably months if on benefits and did the same thing thanks to this government). But he eventually rolls up, looking slightly less like he's been dragged through a hedge backwards, but still looking like a dogs arse. Actually sorry dogs, you don't deserve that comparison. I'm really sorry!!

Anyway, here he is, about to fill us with more bullshit.

The shit now isn't just hitting the fan. In the immortal words of Terry Pratchett, The Midden has now hit the Windmill.

Cummings is trying to explain why he did what he did, oh and now we have the added delight of him being caught going out to a location some 30 miles from the family home, which is another breach of the law!

He sat there, and said, the public aren't angry at me, they're angry because of how the media have reported it. Woe is me, they're making me out to be the bad guy in all this .... blah fucking boo hoo blah.

This was supposed to calm us down.

Dear reader.

It. Did. Not.

So journalist after journalist (Beth Rigby gave a fucking masterclass) actually didn't let him get away with it.

These weren't just questions or accusations. They threw proof at him! Despite the collective rage, it was glorious to see them do it. If this was when stocks were still in use in the town square, Cummings would've been covered in excrement and anything else to hand. That shit was blown back so fast, it was hard to keep up.

Anyway, without going into too much here, his excuses ranged from he didn't feel safe because of demos outside his home (unverified and strangely enough, no neighbours reporting any disturbances either. Funny that),

Then, having gone to great lengths to say he drove up to his parents to keep his kid safe, he explains the additional trip he got caught out on was taken to test his eyesight, which had been affected because of being unwell with Covid19.

So not only is it highly fucking illegal to drive while impaired (including if eyesight is impaired) in this country, you decided to take your wife and kid, who you wanted to protect, not for a little jaunt down the road, but on a 60 mile fucking round trip.

Oh, and he hadn't stopped on the 260 mile trip up there, but his kid needed a stop on the way home, so a less than 60 mile trip required a stop. Yeah. Strange how that works.

He still kept blaming the media. Still kept up the woe is me, it was exceptional circumstances, and so on. Must get sore lips there Cummings, with the amount of smoke you try to blow up peoples arses.

So, to end it all, he has flatly refused to resign. No need to even consider it. The public will be jolly good chaps in all of this and see my side of things.

No we won't, you motherfucking cunt!

So this morning, various people including Gove are still making excuses for this fucking shitstain.

I now wish Cummings is fired, but better yet, thrown out of our universe, so he can never ever be seen again. But I've seen more spine on a fucking snake that I have Boris Johnson, who is just as much to blame in all this.

Before I end, we also had an infamous Tweet from someone in the Civil Service, who knew they were torpedoing their career. I'm including a screen shot. It was taken down, but it was genuine. Whoever they were, you deserve all the applause and a fucking medal!

Oh and a few sources for this and the cuntface Cummings. But you know, just Google the fucker. You can find this and much more.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-44856992

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47712040

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/10/dominic-cummings-owns-farm-got-eu-subsidy

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jun/18/david-cameron-dominic-cummings-career-psychopath

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/dominic-cummings-boris-johnson-cabinet-minister-aides-civil-service-sajid-javid-a9109836.html

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52782913

[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52553229

https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-52792200

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52793991

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/dominic-cummings-trip-county-durham-18306147

https://www.gov.uk/driving-eyesight-rules

[sunsiac]

king and queen / jaehyun [2]

genre: murder mystery, romance, angst

member: jaehyun

word count: 2k

warnings: none

summary: a young prince and a knight's daughter are an unlikely pair, but nonetheless, these two were attached at the hip as children. Without any royal duty or stress, it proved to be an unexpected yet beautiful friendship. even as they grew up together, they only developed to be more inseparable. they proved this when she, hakyeong, turned 16, and he, jaehyun, gave her one of the most precious gifts he could; both of their first kisses. but it was bad timing. their respective responsibilities dawned on them quicker than they would've imagined, forcing them to grow apart. 5 years later, the both of them 21, meet again after jaehyun's older brother who is about to be crowned king is found dead. A string of murders throughout the castle force them to come together and find the one behind it before one of them is next.

—

JAEHYUN :

There was a certain point, I don't know how long ago, that I couldn't bring myself to face Hakyeong anymore. Though I can't remember my exact reasoning, I remember thinking heavily about the fear of change.

'change isn't always a bad thing,'

I was told this the first time I was denied going out to visit her. And I didn't believe them, because, well, why would I? Back then, change was the only thing standing in the way of me seeing my best friend; my secret lover.

So, for a good time, I resented change.

But, as time went on, I began to fear it. I began to fear the possibility that she had changed. I was afraid to see the girl I fell for a completely different person.

And though I knew change was inevitable in both of us, I couldn't help but be afraid. I didn't want everything we'd been through together to be swept away by all the things we'd gone through separately.

But, soon enough, she stopped trying to reach me too. We cut off all contact, and though I did regret it for a few years, I had no time to myself to act on it.

We never officially separated after that, but with the way we both acted, it obvious that it probably wasn't salvageable.

And eventually, my sadness faded. Change was another normal part of life again, and I condoned it with no extra thought. And after that, it seemed like she had done the same. We went through years of exchanging glances across the room, or small conversations when needed.

Though I could tell there were still a few things hanging in the air every time we spoke, we said nothing about it every time.

But, seeing her now, her hands to her mouth as she stared, I realised that maybe she hadn't changed as much as I thought. Her eyes were glossy as they filled quickly with fat tears. She looked completely wrecked, the sounds of her sobs reaching even where I stood.

That's when her tears began to spill, and, god, I would be lying if I said that didn't make me cry a little more too.

--

HAKYEONG :

I hated going through the whole next day with the feeling of tears in the back of my eyes, the risk of them spilling over growing every time I spoke. I felt too vulnerable in the unusually empty halls while I was on guard, Hyeonsik missing from the spot he usually occupied next to me.

Because of that, I felt depressingly lonely the entire day, seeing almost no one as I stood on guard constantly. All day, there was only one person that came up to me, or, more fittingly, tried to. Jaehyun was, understandably, surrounded by other guards at all hours of the day. So, when he tried to come up to me, it came as no surprise when someone held him back, telling him he shouldn't talk to someone like me. Someone that he didn't know if he could trust.

I wanted to think that he did trust me, that he knew I would never hurt Hyeonsik, much less him. But, the look in his eyes said nothing. So, I just watched as he nodded.

Though I did wish they wouldn't have stopped him. Because, at this point, I was almost aching for someone familiar, for anything to help lift my mood. But somehow, at least seeing him looking fine after everything, had undeniably lifted my spirits a little bit.

The rest of my day was bland. I had nothing else to do but wait for the sun to set, so that way someone else would come around and take my place for the night. After that, even though I wanted to, at that point I was too burnt out to do much else. So, I decided to just let the entirety of my thoughts encase me and keep me still, ending up in hours spent sitting in the courtyard outside.

It was a strange time to feel homesick, but at that moment, the red roses growing nearby reminded me strangely of the white ones in my mother's garden. God, how much I wanted to go home. Back to my own bed and even Yuta's tricks. I think I would do anything to hear his laugh right now, even if it took a few bruises or bad jokes.

But, I swallowed those thoughts and went back inside, careful to walk quickly through the dimly lit halls before falling asleep in my room in the dorms.

I was on guard for only half the time the next day, but it was still almost dark when I went back to my dorm. And thankfully, besides all the expected things, today was mostly a normal day. Except, there was something I was left to wonder about. Throughout the day, people were being pulled from their posts, returning silently around half an hour later.

It was most likely just questioning about Hyeonsik, so I didn't worry about it much. At least, not until I got a knock on my door.

I was greeted by someone I didn't recognise, a higher-up knight, I guessed. Their uniform was different than a standard knight's; being made a little stronger and a deep red rather than a dark green.

"Lee Hakyeong?"

After my parents had passed away, my adoptive mother had made the choice to let me keep my given surname instead of becoming a Nakamoto. Which, I had probably thanked her for at least one thousand times since then.

I nodded. "Is something wrong?"

His expression was a strange mix of exhaustion and alertness as he spoke, no doubt less than thrilled to say, "Please follow me,"

I should have known he wouldn't have told me.

But, I had no choice but to just follow him. It was an awkward walk, stiff as uncertainty radiated from both of us. But the thing was, I knew why I was nervous, but I didn't know why he was.

We stopped a few minutes later, in front of a door I'd no doubt passed at least a million times before. I'd never thought much about it, but walking in, I realised that maybe I should have.

Though it had the same overall structure of the rest of the castle, it also had a little-personalised flair that really made the room look beautiful. Shelves lined the walls where windows were absent, giving the room an old-fashioned charisma. There were stacks of papers strewn neatly across the desk that veered the left side of the room, and there was even a little glass sculpture of a crown laying near the edge of it.

The rest of the space on the walls was filled with paintings and maps, adding colour to the otherwise brown and gold accented room.

"Miss?"

I looked up, expecting to see the person who had brought me here, but it seemed that in the time I had been distracted they'd left. Now, I was left alone with someone that I did recognise

The royal supervisor was a relatively young man, not too young, but definitely younger than you would expect someone of his position to be. Besides a uniform that was unique to him, he wasn't really visually stimulating in any way, only otherwise adorning smooth black hair and eyes of a similar colour.

Despite his simplicity, he was a powerful man. He was in charge of almost everything the king wasn't; events, training schedules, you name it.

He walked over from his previous spot by the window, dropping what looked like a checklist on the desk before he turned to me expectantly.

"Ah," I let out a soft apology as I sat down in the chair in front of his desk.

He gave me a polite smile as he stuck out his hand. "Hello, I don't believe we've met. My name is Hyunjin,"

I took his hand, shaking it. "Hi. I'm Hakyeong, it's nice to meet you,"

He nodded, not bothering to make any other small conversation as he reached for his paper and a pen.

"I'll assume you know what happened to Sir Hyeonsik?" He asked, his eyes flitting up to meet mine.

I just nodded, looking away.

He let out a soft apology. "I'm sorry. I'm told you were close,"

I didn't know what to say to that.

He cleared his throat, seeming to handle the silence badly as he moved on almost immediately. “I only have some questions for you. So, if you would, please answer them as truthfully as possible,"

This just made me more nervous, as he was obviously just trying to ease me into whatever he was going to ask. But, I agreed as I subconsciously shifted around in my seat.

I knew there was no reason to be nervous, seeing as I really had nothing to do with what happened. But, his impending gaze as he looked at me from over the paper made me feel as I did something wrong.

"Hyeonsik has a fiancée, but you two were also close. Did you two have," he paused, giving me enough time to take in what he was saying. "Anything besides that?"

"No, god, no." I sighed out, almost repulsed as I admitted, "He was like a brother to me,"

He just nodded again, marking something down as he moved on.

"Alright. Now I'll move on to simple questions. Where were you the night when it happened?"

"I was sleeping." I answered, being completely truthful as I added, "My roommate is a chamberlain, and she had gotten back a little before then. So, she woke me up when there was noise,”

A few more pen strokes.

"You were also at the scene quickly, someone said. How?" He asked.

"I asked someone what was going on when I went into the hall," I explained. "I was there so quickly because I ran as fast as I could,"

He squinted slightly at my explanation, seeming a little skeptical, but still kept writing.

"Do you know anyone that would want to hurt him?" He asked, looking up at me expectantly.

I shook my head. "Never. He was everyone’s favourite instructor, and got along with just about everybody he came across. Everyone loved him,"

For whatever reason, he seemed to be slightly disappointed at my answer.

"Okay," he leaned back in his seat and let out a breath. "Last question. The younger prince, Jaehyun, are you close with him?"

I hesitated.

"No. We haven't spoken in months."

He rose a brow. "In months? Are you implying that you had talked more before that?"

"We used to, yes, but what does this have to do with Hyeonsik?" I asked, my brows knitting.

He didn't answer me, making what seemed like last adjustments to his paper as he said, "Thank you for your cooperation. Hopefully, with more information, we'll discover who's behind all of this,"

I didn't know what to say to that, but it seemed like at that point, he just wanted me to leave.

After that, my eyes wandered to his windows where the skies had since melted down from a faint blue to a pitch black. I wasn't exactly looking forward to walking to the dining hall alone when it was it was dark, but I was too afraid to ask for anything, just saying,

"I'm happy to help,”

—

<< previous - next >>

[abstract-apocalypse]

tagged by @mojave-musing!!

answering as kerry long, my ghoul oc whomst i only have one picture of

1. What is your name?

Kerry Long.

2. How old are you?

245 years old. All things considered, I think I look pretty good.

3. What do you look like?

Crispy, mostly. Tall, kinda lean, no hair, beef jerky complexion.

4. Where are you from? Where do you live now?

I'm from Cambridge, and now I live in Sanctuary Hills. The Commonwealth, Massachusetts, whatever you wanna call it, it's my home.

5. What was your childhood like?

Not too bad. That was before shit really started to go downhill for America.

6. What groups are you friendly with? Are you allied with any factions?

I'm a Minuteman, I take care of repair work and engineering for them. The Railroad aren't bad, I like their commitment to equality. We could've used some of that in the years before the War.

7. Tell me about your best friend.

There's so many important people in my life, it's hard to name just one. Audrey Anderson was frozen in Vault 111, so she gets me on the level of being from before the War, and she's a lovely person. Anytime I'm in Diamond City, I have to go see her. Lynn is an amazing woman, and such an inspiration-- without her the Commonwealth might still be a lawless wasteland.

8. Do you have a family? Tell me about them!

My parents are long dead, and I don't have any siblings, but Nellie is basically my daughter. I love her to death, she's an amazing kid and I'd do anything for her. Gwen too, see above photo.

9. What about a partner or partners?

Sturges. He's pretty great.

10. Who are your enemies, and why?

The Institute, they're terrorizing the Commonwealth and the Minutemen won't stand for that shit. And on a more personal level, the Brotherhood bug me for ghoulish reasons.

11. Have you ever heard of the Brotherhood of Steel? What do you think about them?

I'm pretty familiar. Can't say I'm a fan, what with their superiority complex to the common people, their attitude towards ghouls, synths, and anyone who's different from them, their technology obsession... They remind me of all the worst parts of Pre-War America.

12. What about The Enclave?

I remember back when they were the actual government, and they started out evil and only got worse. I'm glad they're gone.

13. How do you feel about Super Mutants?

Mixed. Obviously I'm not a fan of the ones who kill humans, but I get that it's tough to be an ex-human as it were, and some are nice. I wish FEV had never existed, though, that stuff is a crime.

14. What's the craziest fight you've ever been in?

I do my best to avoid crazy fights, but once I happened to be at Sunshine Tidings, on the roof of one of the buildings working on a turret, when some raiders decided that was a good time to attack. So I had to try and not get shot in this extremely visible position, while shooting at a way longer range than I'm comfortable at. I still don't know how I managed to get out of that alive. Not the craziest story ever, but I try to avoid that kind of stuff.

15. Have you ever fought a Deathclaw?

Hell no. I like being alive and having all my limbs attached.

16. Do you like fighting?

No. I hope someday we can forge a world where people won't need to kill each other anymore, until then it's a dirty chore.

17. What's your weapon of choice?

I don't like to fight directly, does a turret count? If not, then I guess just my 10mm pistol.

18. How do you survive? Your wits, your charm, your skills, brute force, some combination? (a.k.a. what's your S.P.E.C.I.A.L?

At the risk of tooting my own horn, I'm smart as hell. I can build and repair just about anything. I'm pretty lucky, too, as evidenced by not being dead.

19. Have you ever been in a vault? What do you think about them?

I have. They're definitely a mixed bag. It's good that people survived to rebuild and move forward, and the vaults helped with that, but they were very exclusionary about who got in. That means only "great Americans," wealthy, obedient, willing to toe the line and not question anything too hard. Heck, I only got in because they knew they needed an engineer to take care of the vault systems, otherwise they never would've accepted anyone Chinese.

20. How do you beat all the radiation around here? Has it affected you?

Well, I didn't exactly "beat it." I was late getting to the vault, and we were far enough from the blast that it didn't kill me, but I got to be a firsthand study on ghoulification. Now radiation's not a concern for me at all.

21. What's your favorite wasteland critter?

I like dogs, do they count? If it has to be something new, then I'd say brahmin. They're useful, gentle, and some of them are downright cuddly if you give them a snack.

22. What's your least favorite wasteland critter?

Bloodbugs are just annoying, and don't even give a decent amount of meat.

23. How do you feel about robots?

They're a tool, and how I feel about them depends entirely on who's using that tool. The government before the war used them to oppress people, so those robots are bad, but the Minutemen use turrets and the like to protect the people, so those ones are good.

24. How many caps do you have on you right now?

200. I don't travel much without warning, so I usually leave my main stash in Sanctuary.

25. Nuka Cola or Sunset Sarsaparilla?

I haven't had a Sunset Sarsaparilla since before the war, so I'm gonna go with Nuka Cola.

26. Do you do chems?

Never. I've fought long and hard to stay alive, I'm not ready to risk that for some short term benefits.

27. Do you ever think about the Pre-War world?

All the time. Mostly what we can do this time around to avoid falling to the same fate.

28. What's your deepest regret? What would you do differently?

Hard to say.

29. What's your biggest achievement? Or what do you hope to achieve?

My biggest achievement so far is the work I've contributed to building the Commonwealth. Lots of the turrets, generators, and utilities you see around Minutemen settlements are my design. In the future, I'd like to keep working towards a better world-- one that won't make the same mistakes as before the War.

30. What do you want for the future? For yourself? Your friends? The world?

How ambitious can we get? Ideally, I'd say an end to violence, universal prosperity, everyone just being safe and happy. I probably won't live to see that happen, and maybe it never will, but I can try and get us a little bit closer.