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kewpiemeayo · 4 years ago

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Cooler Than Me [Oikawa Tooru x Reader]

Summary: Chapter 1 of Thread of Fate plays out the shortcomings of a relationship between second-year!Oikawa Toruu and second-year!Reader. Track ID: Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner

[Y/F/N] — Your Family Name [Y/N] — Your (first) Name

CW: Fem!Reader, angst, swear words, implied toxic relationship (kind of), self-esteem issues (Oikawa)

If I could write you a song to make you fall in love I would already have you up under my arm I used up all my tricks, I hope that you like this But, you probably won't, you think you're cooler than me

“There goes that bastard, again,” Iwa sighs, eyes slanted at Oikawa sitting atop a desk, surrounded by a hoard of squealing girls all begging for a piece of him. You lost count after five, but there were at least a dozen others, who weren't even from your own class. It was funny and a little overwhelming to see the first few times, but dear god, you’ve seen this shit way too many times over the years for you to still think it's comedy central.

On a side note, Iwa wasn’t from your class either; he just opted to sit with you during lunch to keep you company. Something your own boyfriend should be doing if you could even really call him that… Wow, imagine your own friend making the conscious decision to spend- nevermind.

The salty taste in your mouth was not so easily washed down by the carton of banana milk you were sipping passive-aggressively out of. The little plastic straw had been demolished by the grinding and chewing of your teeth.

Iwa returned his eyes to you with a not-so-subtle roll, “Oi, eat your food, not plastic.”

His warm hand brushed at yours, tugging the sad carton away from you, your own eyes still glaring at Oikawa from across the room. You wonder if he ever caught on, the stale glances and little tuts. Probably not, let’s be honest. That selfish asshole probably wouldn’t even know what day it was if you asked.

With his head in the clouds or his head in the game, your words were like background noise to him when the two of you did spend what little time he wanted to offer. It was no surprise the girls fell for the chocolate-haired captain of Aoba Johsai’s volleyball team. With his good looks, amazing skills and charismatic personality, you often wondered if he sold his old self for this new one. This new and barely recognizable one.

“Idiot,” you fussed, angrily combing your fingers through your hair before returning to your bento box.

You got designer shades just to hide your face And you wear 'em around like you're cooler than me And you never say hey, or remember my name And it's probably 'cause you think you're cooler than me

The nonstop text alerts flooding in and keeping Oikawa’s phone a constant buzz was starting to irk you. The two of you half-heartedly decided to study together before your upcoming exams, Iwaizumi being invited but politely declined, saying something about Oikawa being a nuisance to study with sometimes. Now you understood his connotations...

At first, the buzzing against the table was what bothered you the most. The never-ending vibration turned the table into a muffled earthquake of its own, shaking the pen in your hand. You sighed and asked him to turn it off or deal with it, and ever since he picked that damned thing up, he hasn’t been able to put it down.

Oikawa’s eyes twinkled, reflecting the blue light emitting from his phone as his thumbs danced at his keyboard, probably sending off repeated messages to his fangirls.

You finished up the rest of your chapters, totalling your pages of written notes to about five and a half. Meticulously, you added them to your binder behind yesterday’s workload before sighing again. A part of you had hoped the sigh would reach his ears, prompting him to at least look at you but it had gone over his head like everything else.

With a low grumble to yourself, you pulled out your own phone, charm swinging as you sent a message to Iwaizumi, “tis “study date” became a reality show of watching shitty-kawa send out fanservice…”

You even threw in a humorously salty emoji to wrap up your discontent, clicking send. Almost instantaneously, Iwa responded with the laughing emoji followed by, “I was waiting for this msg. I need a break, try to get lazykawa off his phone and we can meet up for lunch or smth.”

Your pursed lips indicated your contemplative debate between leaving Oikawa at the table alone to get food with Iwa or to actually be a decent girlfriend and drag the fool with you.

Iwa sent another text, “Smack him, tell him I want to eat some mf curry. Usual spot in 20.”

Packing up your supplies and your books, you nudged Oikawa with your foot under the table with enough pressure to ensure his body received the signal. His matching chocolate eyes pulled away from his phone briefly, an eyebrow quirking up, “Yeah?”

“If you can retire your phone for a while, Iwa wants to meet up for lunch, let’s go,” you didn’t bother hiding the passive-aggressive tone dripping from your voice. You and Oikawa have been walking on a relatively thin thread since your second month together as if after the one-month mark, the honeymoon phase just swirled down the drain.

That was almost five months ago. What a surprise…

For the first time in the last hour, you finally smiled upon seeing Iwa seated at your usual table. You slid into the seat adjacent to him, Oikawa taking the one in front.

“I didn’t even get to study,” Oikawa whined, prompting the two of his own best friends to furrow their brows. “Too many messages to get through.”

“What the fuck are you? The president?” Iwa snorted, “Just turn the damn thing off like I always tell you to.”

Oikawa gasped dramatically at Iwa, a hand briefly coming up to clutch his cashmere vest, “And what? Ignore all the beautiful girls? That’s just harsh.”

You rolled your eyes at the menu in your hands, “What’s harsh is seeing your test grade below the average after the results come in.”

“Yeah,” Iwa agreed, looking at the menu himself. “Study or Coach will kick you off the team until your grades go back up.”

Much to his chagrin, Oikawa knew that much was true. Interhigh Qualifiers in August were a few months away, he had to be on his best behaviour. He muttered some sort of agreement or understanding under his breath just as the shopkeeper’s wife walked up to take our orders.

You got your high brow, switchin' your walk And you don't even look when you pass by But you don't know the way that you look When your steps make that much noise

It was the 2011 Summer Interhigh Qualifiers, Aoba Johsai had won 2:0 against their first opponents. It was a huge motivation for the team and the school, but everyone was exhausted. You were too, from being on the edge of your seat, eyes following the ball and the courts’ set-up. You handed everyone on the team a protein bar and their water bottles, congratulating them on their first win.

Iwa was the one to bring up the idea, for the three of you to walk off the post-match high before taking a proper seat with your lunches and the rest of the team. Of course, as if Oikawa would have taken the offer up had it come from you… Nonetheless, you followed them out of the gym and into the hallway without much of a grimace or another eye roll.

The three of you quietly ate your bars as you walked around the Sendai complex, save for a few personal critiques or notes of the game they had played; preparing what was to be brought up with the team later.

It was rowdier now that at least one of the games were over, people rushing from one side of the gymnasium to the other to catch another game. Others were probably looking for Seijoh’s team, or their captain to be exact. A small lot of girls you recognized from all the other times came dashing up at the sight of the familiar white and teal uniforms. Iwa excused himself as the three of you walked past the restrooms, prompting you and Oikawa to wait outside by the vending machines.

You had nowhere to go and the group seemed small enough to be bearable so you just stood off to the side, taking a feigned interest in the vending machine’s stock.

“Oikawa-san you played so well today,” one of them praised. Followed by another one agreeing, “Yeah those were some really good serves.”

Oikawa scratched at the back of his head, waving his free hand at the girls all slightly inching closer and closer to him, “Just doing my best to get the team to qualify for nationals.”

“We made these for you to spread the luck, we really hope you guys win!” The sound of rustling caught your attention, bright teal tissue paper overflowed out of a white paper bag. “We don’t know if your girlfriend already made some for you guys, but you can never have too many good wishes.”

Oikawa peeked inside, eyes widening before he sent them all his charming, signature smile, “Why thank you ladies, these are really nice, I’m sure the team would appreciate the tokens of good luck.”

“You mean,” one of the smaller girls gasped. “Your girlfriend hasn’t already??!”

Your face scrunched up with disbelief as you slowly turned to look at the group, head-on. First off, when did he indicate that? Secondly, you were right there. Were they blind?

Oikawa laughed, “Ah, no, she doesn’t-”

“IF YOU WERE MY BOYFRIEND I WOULD MAKE THESE FOR YOU AND THE TEAM FOR EVERY TOURNAMENT!”

Your blood started to boil at those words, oh now it was clear where you and Oikawa stood with each other despite your official titles for one another. That thin thread snapped as he continued to thank them and egg on their absolutely bat-shit crazy tendencies.

Iwa finally came out of the restroom, eyes barely indicated any surprise at the fuss in front of him. Oikawa pointed at Iwa, turning the girls’ attention to the team’s vice-captain. After wiping their drool over the two boys, they all finally left. Their absence suddenly made the atmosphere dead silent despite the ambient buzz from the lively gymnasium.

“Thanks for sticking up for your own girlfriend,” you decried, sarcasm lacing your words.

Oikawa turned his attention to you, a sour expression etched on his feature, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Iwa looked shocked at the bare start of your exchange, “Is everything okay?”

His words lost against your own emotions, you continued, “If it’s good luck charms you want from your girlfriend then you might as well take one of your pesky fangirls out.”

“Maybe I will,” Oikawa rebutted. “At least they show interest!”

Iwa took a step closer to the two of you, “Hey, Oikawa-”

“Showing interest? In your cocky personality or the team?” You questioned, inching closer to his stupid face, anger evident in your eyes. “If I wasn’t interested I wouldn’t have crammed an entire week’s worth of lessons and studies into late nights just so I could have a carefree day at a busy gym complex to warm up with you guys and to cheer the team on!”

“If you’re gonna make it sound like such hard work, then don’t bother! I don’t need your pissy attitude on game day!”

“Guys, stop-”

“Fuck you, maybe I won’t but it’s not like you’d give me your fucking time of day outside of volleyball anyways!”

Iwa forcibly wedged himself between the two of you, the heat was absolutely suffocating now with the fiery outburst from both sides, “That is enough! What the hell is going on?”

You and Oikawa both took a step back, veins prominent on his neck and your own breathing trying to catch a break from all the shouting. Suddenly, you became hyper-aware of your surroundings; some spectators had stopped their walking to watch the three of you and a few groups of students scattered by the windows and lounge chairs started to whisper.

“Nothing, I’m done,” you stated blatantly. You shifted your eyes from the hushed crowd over to your best friend, “Good luck with the tournament.”

With that, you turned around and walked off, hair billowing behind you with grace as if you didn’t just engage in a verbal argument in front of some vending machines.

“Hey, wait! [Y/F/N]!” Iwa called out, but you brushed his shout with a slight wave of your hand as you kept walking.

“Leave her,” Oikawa chided, the sour look now replaced with a peeved expression. Iwa was about to argue when Oikawa shook his head and turned to walk off on his own, “We don't have time for this, we need to win our games.”

Shh, I got you all figured out You need everyone's eyes just to feel seen Behind your makeup nobody knows who you even are Who do you think that you are

The first day back after the summer break was filled with constant chatter in passing and in quiet whispers. Everyone seemed more talkative than usual, much to your disliking. For some, it was about the happenings over the break but the others were talking about Seijoh’s boys' volleyball team. They had lost 2:1 in the semi-final match. It was as brutal as it sounded, meaning Aoba Johsai did not qualify for the upcoming Spring Nationals in a few months.

Of course, you found out almost right away. You went home after the rather public fight with Oikawa, deciding to watch the game from home rather than in person. Iwa went radio-silent for a while, dealing with the aftermath of the game with his team but he finally called you once he got settled at home, roughly going through the match and venting. You could only imagine how Oikawa was taking it, but after the fight, you didn’t think meddling over a text and offering condolences would make anything lighter for either of you.

The school’s loss wasn’t the only thing on the agenda for students to talk about; word had gotten out about the fight. In hindsight, it wasn’t the brightest idea to have gotten into the debacle when he was still in his team jersey.

“My friend said he was going to the restroom when it happened,” someone would whisper in the hall. Another chimed in, “I was there too! Iwaizumi-san tried to intervene.”

You dodged their quick side glance as you walked by, heading back to your classroom with your afternoon drink to go with your lunch. Your seat in the sun started to feel cold as you tried to shield yourself away from the looks your classmates gave you.

Fuck, everyone knew huh? Word sure does spread fast when it has anything to do with Oikawa…

You dug around your bento box, taking small bites of whatever felt enticing enough to hold for more than a few seconds. Fortunately for you, your mind was already finding itself occupied, there was not enough of your attention to dwell any longer on the Oikawa matter.

“Have you seen Oikawa-senpai, he looks really down,” a girl had whispered from behind the other row of lockers. A girl you recognized from the class down the hall from your own sighed, “Must be hard, he’s the team captain and the team lost.”

“Have you guys not heard? Apparently, Oikawa and [Y/F/N] had a fight. I think they broke up,” someone else spoke up.

Seems like escaping this topic matter for the rest of the day just wasn’t in store for you. You fiddled with the laces on your outdoor shoes, preparing yourself to dash out unseen as soon as possible when you heard a gasp.

“EH?! That means we finally have a chance, again!”

A series of shushes quieted down the girls squeal, “Not yet, it’s too early to know. I doubt he would want to date so fast.”

“Whatever…” the girl then retorted. “They weren’t that good of a couple anyways, they barely hung out.”

With the slam of your locker door, you rounded the corner of the lockers, catching the small group off guard, “Mind your own damn business, if you have something you wish to say about me, have the guts to say it to my face.”

The girl you had recognized was quick to jump back a bit, face apologetic for her own friend’s behaviour, “We’re sorry, [Y/F/N]-senpai!”

Her head was in the midst of bowing, friends about to follow her lead until their eyes widened at someone behind you, “Oh, Oikawa-senpai-”

Your body stiffened at the name, anger building in waves as you felt him raise a hand, “[Y/N], can we talk?”

A sharp exhale left your nose as you shifted your eyes with disinterest from the girls, now huddled closer than before, “I have nothing to say to you, shitty-kawa.”

Huffing, you maneuvered around his tall figure, avoiding eye contact and left the building. You had promised your mother you would clean the house a little before Iwa came over for dinner tonight, the last thing you wanted to do was have another argument with Oikawa before heading home. You can only hide so much of your anger from your mom.

'Cause it's your scene, (it's your scene) I got no doubt We all see You got your head in the clouds

A hand tugs roughly at the roots of your hair as you rubbed at your scalp. This is not what you wanted to deal with right now. It had been a few months since the breakup and with the Spring Interhigh Nationals creeping up, Oikawa was stuck in a constant reminder that he would not be playing a big stadium in a few weeks, nor did he ever find resolve between the two of you.

Oikawa sat across from you at the table, seiza-style* as if he was just meeting you for the first time. The atmosphere was far from being laid-back as it usually was. He watched you closely, eyes boring into your figure for the first time in a long while. It felt weird to you, having him watching you so closely at this point.

“I thought I told you, I had nothing to say to you,” you growled, eyes shifting to the sliding door next to you.

The kitchen was empty, your mother wasn’t home yet, but you prayed you could get Oikawa out before she did. You didn’t feel like answering her prodding questions about what was going on. You knew she loved Oikawa, slightly disappointed that you didn’t seem to put enough effort into seeing your own childhood best friend, even as his girlfriend.

Oikawa shifted on his knees, “You say that, but I know you always have more you’re hiding when it comes to your feelings.”

You chuckled darkly, oh so he knows you now, huh, “Iwa sent you, didn’t he?”

He alluded to no answer that would satisfy your intuition, not verbally at least.

“You know, ever since we got to high school and we joined our own respective clubs and teams, we hung out less. It’s normal, I mean we were so busy and caught up with our academics and extracurriculars, fuck we weren’t even in the same class-” you sighed. Pausing to collect your emotions. You rested your forehead against your fingers before continuing, “To put it into perspective, Iwa’s been a bigger presence ever since high school started and even more so when you and I got together. You’re barely here for the little things!”

Oikawa blinked, confused, “If this is about the anniversary-”

The hand on your head fell onto the wooden table with a jarring bang, “It’s not just the anniversary Toruu! You haven’t been a friend in so long, let alone a boyfriend!”

You finally had the courage to look him in the eyes, a mixture of sadness and doubt stared back at you, “You’re not here for the small celebrations, you probably don’t even know…”

Faltering, you paused, not ready to tell him the news. You sighed, moving away from the awkward drop in the topic, “Do you even remember my birthday?”

His eyes shifted slightly, you could tell his vision blurred as his brain rapidly ran through the memories trying to recall the date, “No, you don’t, yet I never failed to wish you a happy birthday. You rarely responded, perhaps too busy sorting through the swarm of wishes from your fangirls…”

He couldn’t argue, because much to his disappointment, you were right. He would see your message come through in passing, but never moved fast enough to respond before a different notification replaced yours under his fingers. You never failed to show up for his games, but he didn’t even know what club you were in.

“You’re so wrapped in your own little world, volleyball bouncing around your mind and you got your head in the clouds from all the undying attention. I don’t blame you. Must be nice to be doted on by all these pretty girls with gifts and affection. You’re a smart and charismatic guy, what’s not to like? But you’re also a real fucking selfish asshole in that sense. The Oikawa I graduated junior high with, is not the one sitting across from me right now.”

It stung him, to say the least, to hear you unload all the things you’ve ever felt. Maybe he was feeling more susceptive to your words because of the emotional vulnerability he’s been placed in since the qualifiers.

Your knuckles rapped at the table in short knocks, “Maybe it was wishful thinking to have hoped that dating would fix the empty spot you left behind as a friend. A bandaid for a cut too deep and too wide.”

The sound of your front door opening snapped you both from your sullen gazes. You both got up to respectfully welcome your mother home.

“Oh,” your mother gasps, one hand still working to remove her shoes. “Oikawa! I haven’t seen you in so long!”

Oikawa waved at your mother, a warm smile replacing the tense look from earlier, “[Y/F/N]-san, it has. How are you?”

“Busy as always,” she sighed. “Are you staying for dinner?”

You turned on your heel and disappeared up the stairs, leaving your mother confused at your quiet departure, “Oh, [Y/N]?”

“It’s quite alright, [Y/F/N]-san, I think I should head out. Got a lot of work to do,” Oikawa smiled, lacing up his shoes.

Your mother sighed, “I do hope you can come to visit once more before she leaves.”

Confused, Oikawa shot your mother a questioning look before standing up—one she didn’t quite catch as she was unloading her work bag.

“Admittedly, I’m very nervous for her to leave and move to the big city so fast, but I’m just so proud she was able to get the dual-enrollment approved despite being halfway through high school already.”

Oikawa didn’t say anything else, he just stood there dumbfounded for a split second before excusing himself. Once out into the evening air, the porch light flickered at his presence. From the sidewalk just outside of your gate, Iwa stopped short.

A sound of surprise came from his best friend, “Oikawa.”

The taller of the two shifted the weight on his feet before he walked out, stopping in front of Iwa, “Did you know?”

Iwa chewed on the inside of his cheek, a solemn look to his eyes, “She texted me about it this morning when she found out. Didn’t have time to talk about it because of school so she invited me over for dinner to talk about it some more.”

Iwa watched Oikawa stare mirthlessly at him, a little worried this might come off weird but the captain simply nodded. He placed a hand on his shoulder as he walked past, “I’ll leave you to fill me in tomorrow then.”

Oikawa trod down the street towards his house, leaving Iwa to stand under the streetlamp as he watched.

If I could write you a song to make you fall in love I would already have you up under my arm

*Seiza-style is a traditional form of sitting where one is kneeling, legs folded below with your weight resting on your heels.

A/N: I do not hate Oikawa, but the passion I had writing this came from both the song and the façade that Oikawa puts up. Ngl it's kinda frustrating to witness but I do appreciate his overall character design, personality included...

>> Series Masterlist // Masterlist >> Taglist: @subtleappreciation @weebsausage @pricetagofficial @catxsara @forzumaki

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fruitpunchninja101 · 4 years ago

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Flowers For You

After a small spat at the merchants assembly, Levi was determined to avoid Hange and her flower shop at all costs. Unfortunately, The funny thing about trying to avoid someone is that you have to have a rough approximation of their daily routine. And so, his quest began.

Written for LeviHan Eggschange 2021 @levihanweek

Link to cross-postings: AO3

Hello my dear giftee! I’m sorry if your gift took a while! I hope you'd enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed making it. Keep safe!♥

“Every plant can do this fundamental process, and we call this Photosynthesis.”

Cheery voices of kids boomed in celebration as soon as they finished singing.

Ever since summer break started, the flower shop in front of his store started a “Horticulture Camp” for little kids. At first, He didn’t really pay much attention to the cacophony of loud cheers and noises but as days passed, customers would leave little comments like “Sure does sound like a daycare in there.” or “Your neighbor sounds like they're having a lot of fun in there huh?”

The thought about confronting the owner of the flower shop did cross his mind, but there's a little problem, they had a little bit of a spat at the shop keeps assembly last month.

Okay, he'll admit it, maybe It's not just a spat, It's more like a full blown passive aggressive squabble. His memory of the event was a little hazy but he recalled raising his concern about the dried leaves that keeps blowing over his store. Something about her nonchalance about his concern and something about his word choice led to a disastrous mistranslation of what he really wanted to say which somehow escalated to a kerfuffle. "You and Hange will be the hot topic of the whole merchants block for a good while." Erwin warned him after the assembly. Tch! He certainly didn't need that kind of attention.

Since then, Levi kept his distance from that damn flower shop and focused on minding his own business. He is determined to avoid this Hange at all costs! Unfortunately, The funny thing about trying to avoid someone is that you have to have a rough approximation of their daily routine. And so, his quest began.

Hange's schedule was never consistent.

Sometimes she'd open her shop so late that her students would start rough housing by the sidewalk waiting for her arrival. Their parents would wait by her store too and they were seemingly too charmed by her to get annoyed about her tardiness. By the time she gets there the kids would immediately run towards her climbing on her limbs but she never seemed to mind. Those kids eyes would shine so bright at her , he’s pretty sure he’d go blind if he kept on staring at them.

She never seemed to eat lunch for some reason. Sometimes, the son of the deli owner at the corner of their street, Moblit , would come by to bring her food. There was a time when he thought the guy was courting her but he can tell by that sad longing stare he gives at her when he leaves her shop that Hange had no fucking clue about his intentions.

She never brings an umbrella even when it rains. She just runs across the street donning a hoodie. Which she would continue to wear all throughout the day. She’d definitely get sick if she doesn't dry herself up properly. If the rain is still pouring by the time she closes up her store, Hange would spend a good minute to stare at the night sky marveling at the little droplets like its the first time she ever saw one in her life. Nights like that , he would close up a little late to make sure she's gone before he leaves.

Observing her became a routine at this point.

During warm sunny days, she would wear a brightly colored shirt underneath her overalls. Unfortunately, the shirt seemed to be the only thing she changes regularly. He can tell it's the same overalls because it still has all the stains in the same place as the day before. Her best record was 5 days without washing the damned thing and he can't tell if that's impressive or disgusting.

When the kids aren't around, Hange would dote on her plants until late hours of the day. He'd watch her methodically arrange flowers and pour all her love and care to every bouquet she makes. All the while ignoring the fact that she haven't had food at all. ( He knows because Moblit recently got a girlfriend and since then , he only drops by the flower shop to pick up orders for his new love interest.) All he ever see her consume are cups of coffee and not even the good stuff. Just the regular instant kind from the grocery. Days like that , he hopes that she would at least stop by a convenience store to pick up something to eat.

It didn't take too long for him to consider that maybe Hange isn't an asshole at all.She's just one of those people who gets easily preoccupied with things that pique her interest is all. To hell with her health, appearance or even basic cleanliness. Its frustrating but at the same time its a relief to know that underneath all that nuttiness is a seemingly good person.

He was just closing up shop one night when he noticed her still sitting in her store as she practiced playing the Photosynthesis song on her guitar.She was surrounded by an array of beautiful flowers and in that dim light, he could've sworn she looked like a scruffy forest diety.

And it was at that point when he realized that a smile is creeping up his lip. What the fuck was that about?

As if hearing his thoughts, Hange's head perked up from her guitar and turned towards him. He froze as soon as their eyes met. She gave him a tight lipped smile and at that, Panic shot through him. He immediately turned away from her and rushed to turn off the lights and closed his store.

Days after that encounter, Levi had to resist the urge to spare even a peek over her shop. he didn't like that sometimes his mind would wander to images of her that night. He probably overdid his little investigation is all! He had to stop watching her schedule anyway , he had all the information he needs at this point.

However, her presence never seemed to leave him. He'd still overhear the rhythm of her guitar and the rambunctious laughter from her little campers. Even Eld and Gunther are starting to warm up to it. "There's something about the sound of children having fun that puts me at ease." He heard Eld reason out to Gunther the other day. Even Oluo who once mentioned his irritation with the constant singing is starting to absentmindedly hum the damn song.

He's ready to let the whole thing go but when a loud crashing sound (which is probably another pot broken by a child.) caused Petra to make a small uneven line on her work , he knew he had to do something. Even if these type of mistakes are easily fixed, precision is utterly important in his business and he can't have random nuisances ruining his reputation. He'll do it tomorrow. NO! He'll do it tonight! There's no use to delay the inevitable.

Odd enough, he did wonder if she even knew his name.

Tch.

Levi was just closing up his shop that night when he heard someone open the door. Accepting late night jobs Isnt new to him but he did commit to speaking with Hange about his concerns so he let out an absent minded “We're closed” warning before realizing who entered his shop.

It’s her.

She wore an oversized green overalls paired with battered up chucks that he bet was once white. Her brown mop of hair was tied messily up on her head. He didn’t miss the huge ass bouquet tucked in her arm as she struggled to get through his door.

“A little help?” She said, as if they didn’t had a spat that literally had them screaming at each other infront of other people. Levi paused cleaning his tattoo gun and hurried to help her. ”What are you doing here at this hour?” He asked genuinely out of curiosity than irritation.

”I just wanna give you these.” She beamed as she let go of the huge bunch for him to carry inside. “The kids got a little carried away with their flower arrangements today and I’d feel awful if I have to throw it out.” She continued.

“You think dumping this monstrosity to me is the solution?” He asked, immediately regretting his word choice.

“Monstrosity?!”Hange placed her hand on her chest playfully feigning mortification and shock.

He rolled his eyes at her and was a bit surprised that Hange chuckled at him and leisurely walked past him to take a seat at one of the stools by his register and started innocently looking around his shop seemingly waiting on him for a conversation. "Neat place you got here." She said.

"Thanks?" He said genuinely confused what she's doing here. Although, He did wonder if it has something to do with that awkward encounter they had the other night. He really hoped she already forgot about that. “What are these for?” He asked as he opened the cupboards hopelessly trying to look for a vase somewhere in his shop.

“I was gonna ask you for a favor.” She replied.

He scoffed. “what makes you think I’d help you.”

“It’s for a good cause! Plus,I was thinking it’s your opportunity to make up with that whole assembly incident we had.”

He paused and glared daggers at her. She still have that goofy smile on her face. “That dumb assembly incident was not something I want to make up with.” He said stubbornly.

Hange rolled her eyes at him. “Oh please you were angry over a few dried pieces of leaves in front of my store it’s hardly even your business.”

“Your leaves are blowing over my store front so yes it was my business.”

“You know I run a flower shop right? These things happen. I cant just wait outside my store and catch all the falling leaves for your convenience.” Her voice slightly raised as if she’s explaining something so obvious to him. Of course he knows these things happen, he’s not an idiot. All he wants is for her to take responsibility and not be so nonchalant over it.

“You don’t even...” He closed his mouth. She's starting to get a rise from him and it made him queasy. It's not even worth it. He closed his eyes to calm himself.

“Look, the favor isn’t even for me.” She started. Her tone of aggressiveness gone. ”Just hear me out please?” Her voice sounded gentle and warm this time. She’s so hot and cold it’s starting to drive him insane.

He opened his eyes and was met with her brown orbs that shone bright behind her dirty glasses. “Go ahead.” He said defeatedly avoiding her pleading eyes and proceeded to turn back to his cupboard. He should just let her say her piece and move on.

“It’s for one of my campers actually.”

“Hn.Which one? the brunette kid that shouts a lot?”

“Oh you know Eren?”

“He always sticks his snotty face up on my window how can I forget.”

“Yeah, That kid adores you you know , he asked about you and what you guys do here a couple of times before. He even threw fits because he wanted to get a tattoo from you.”

He scoffed. ”How is that my problem?”

”You see, his little friend Armin loved the camp but is a little too shy for his own good. He won’t attend sessions without Eren who sort of refused to attend til you tattoo something on him.”

“So you want me to tattoo a child? ”He turned from his fruitless quest for a vase on his cupboard to raise a brow at her.

“Not a real one, just one of those temporary tattoo stickers.”

He scratched the back of his head and let out a sigh. It would be easier to complain to her about the noise of she owed him some sort of favor. Right? "Alright." He said.

She surged out of her seat and gave out a small yelp startling him. "You'd do it? Really?" Her eyes seemed brighter now.

“Yeah sure." He said as he marveled at how expressive her eyes were. He willed himself to tear his eyes from her damn face. "Is there anything else?” He asked.

“Yes.” She replied enthusiastically.

“You are really pushing your luck here four eyes.”

She chuckled at that and pushed her glasses a bit higher up her nose. ”Don't worry, this one isn't a favor. More like a friendly advice."

He raised a brow at her. "What?"

"Put those in cold water. They'd last longer that way.” She said pointing at the bright colored bouquet at the table which certainly looked out of place against the black and gray interior of his shop.

After exchanging details about their little activity tomorrow, Hange gave him a final enthusiastic wave before taking off his shop leaving him in awe.

Ah. He forgot to mention his noise complaint.

The next day, nine little children were lined up orderly marching up infront of his store led by Hange. She carried a red flag to remind everyone where she is at all times. They all wore a silk screen printed shirt that says plants rule in front and some sort of a plant pun at the back.

Hange's shirt says. 'Someone has been adding soil to my garden. The plot thickens.'

Ah. That was pretty good...and also pretty dumb.

“Are you sure about this boss?” Oluo asked as he worked on a cover up on a customers shoulder.

"No." He answered earing a chuckle from Eld, Gunther and Petra at the back.

"Good Morning Underground Ink!" Hange enthusiastically cheered as she opened the door.

"Keep your voice down four eyes!"

“Oh! Sorry!" She mouthed at him before turning back to her campers. "Kids say good morning to Mr.Ackerman!” She beamed.

“Goodmorning Mister Ackerman!” The kids said in unison in a sing song tune. He gave them a small nod of acknowledgement then proceeded to cut out the temporary tattoo sheet into small pieces. The kids immediately scattered around the store to take a look at the reference books laid on his lounge. He glowered at Hange. "You said they'd behave."

"They would I promise! They're just a bit excited with our little expedition."

"If they break anything, I swear you're gonna pay ten times the price."

"Oh don't be such a grump!" She said slapping his arm. "Ouch! You didn't tell me you work out."

"Tch." He clenched his jaw and focused his eyes on the tattoo sheets he's cutting up. Damn four eyes and her mouth.

"Hey Kids! Gather over here Mr.Ackerman will show you how to put on a tattoo."

“Is this gonna hurt?” Eren innocently asked.

“Not if you’re brave.” He answered. The kid involuntarily recoiled at that. He can tell that Eren's starting to have second thoughts and struggled to put on a brave face. Eren immediately sought out Hange seemingly asking for help and at that, she immediately stepped up and ruffled the kids hair. ”I’ll get my tattoo done first.” Hange hopped on a chair and presented her wrist to Levi.

Levi held her hand to keep her arm steady. His eyes darted at her as if asking her if the touch was permitted and he was met with a sweet smile. He immediately avoided her eyes pushing down the thought of her playing her guitar surrounded by flowers...a scruffy forest diety. he recalled the exact words that formed on his mind that night.

He bit the inside of his cheek to ground himself to reality. Levi held the damp towel against her wrist and she let out a little yelp. He immediately pulled away hoping he didn't press too hard while his mind wandered to silly memories of her the other night. "Gotcha!" Hange teased chuckling at him. "Ass!" he said playfully throwing his towel at her face gaining another laugh from the brunette. The kids huddled around them giggled at them.

"Ms.Hange, What's an ass?" A little girl munching potato chips asked.

"It's another term for a donkey." A small timid blonde kid answered.

"Thats right Armin!Very good!" Hange said. The blonde kid blushed at her praise and glued his eyes on the floor.

"What's a donkey?" Potato chip girl asked again.

"It's like a little horse" Armin answered.

"Why are you calling Ms.Hange a donkey Mr.Ackerman? She doesn't even look like a horse" A kid with shaved head asked.

"...unlike Jean over here." Eren added and a kid with elvish features (which he assumed is Jean) stepped up and hit Eren by the arm. Eren was ready to retaliate when Hange spoke.

"Kids, we promised Mr.Ackerman no rough housing inside the store." Hange reminded them calmly and the kids immediately pulled away from one another.

There was a brief moment of silence and wondering gasps from children around them as he worked on Hange's tattoo.“So does anyone have a question to Mister Ackerman.” He immediately frowned. He said yes to tattooing kids not chatting them up. Nothing would have prepared him for the set of questions that came rushing in after Hange's open invite.

Eren is the last one to get his tattoo. He disinfected his arm with alcohol and his eyes drifted to Hange who was blushing at the sight of a kid adorably putting on a brave face.

Levi had to look away.

At the end of the session,all kids merrily walked back to her shop comparing all their little tattoos. Hange then thanked him for playing along with her little activity.

His whole afternoon was a blur. Between those kids who won't stop asking him and Hange's constant teasing smirks he was out of it. He scrubbed the side of his tattoo gun a little harder.

“I see you put my flowers in a bucket.”

Levi almost dropped his tattoo gun as Hange's merry voice boomed around the shop.

“Its the closest thing I have to a vase.” He said wondering if she’s offended that he chucked her precious flowers on a bucket, but that endearing smile she had on her face says otherwise.

“I had just the thing!” She rushed out of his shop and came back with a huge crystal vase.

“What's that?”

“Its a vase I inherited from my gram-gram.”

“I can see its a vase.”

“Well with the horticulture camp and all I'm scared this would get knocked over and you seem like an organized responsible sort of guy. Maybe you can take care of this for me for a while.”

She’s certainly getting a little too comfortable with favors now. ”What makes you think I wouldn’t knock it over to get back on you for that assembly mess.”

“Because you’re nicer than your letting on.” she says as she procured a small rose from her back pocket and gently tucked its stem behind his ear. He compelled his hand to swat her arm way but his body didn't cooperate. He stood there frozen wondering if she truly was some sort of a scruffy forest deity and she's punishing him from his insolence at that assembly.

Okay, that sounded dumb...What the hell is wrong with him?

"Did the kids asked you to give me this?" He forced himself to reply.

"Nah, That one is from me." She said. Her eyes were bright and her face were slightly flushed. He wondered if he'd never seen anyone look this gallant and handsome before.

"You don't like it?" She asked cocking her head to the side.

"No! I-ah...I'm just..." He stuttered trying to find the right words without sounding pathetic. His hand raised to touch the flower on his ear. He never got flowers before. He felt a smile coming up so he forced a frown.

“Why are you frowning? Don't tell me you're still upset about that assembly thing? I thought were past that?”

“Tch! No were not!” Levi recoiled at how loud his reply was.

”You see, I would be threatened but I just watched you spend your afternoon tattooing a bunch of kids even though you are not paid for it so...Yeah...I guess water under the bridge right?”

“Who says I'm not charging you? I thought you came here to pay up.” He smirked finding calm at her retort.

At that, Hanji laughed. She fucking laughed! The woman even clutched her arms around her stomach and doubled over. She practically radiated with warmth and a familiar sense of home. “Alright you got me, I don’t want to owe you anything so how about a cup of coffee sometime? Although, you seemed to prefer tea”

He scrunched his face. "How do you know I prefer tea?"

"You see, the funny thing about a huge glass storefront window is that, if you can see me, that means I can see you too."

”Wh-What are you on about? I don't...” Fuck! She knows. He internally panicked and wondered what would the appropriate response be.

"Oh calm down! Don't worry, I don't mind you ogling at me." She smirked evidently teasing him.

"Tch. Fuck you four eyes!"

"I wouldn't mind that too." He froze and It didn't take her too long to realize what she said. Her face immediately flushed in a very flattering shade of red. "I'm sorry I got carried away." Hange slightly turned away and tucked a little piece of her hair behind her ear.

He wanted to say something...flirty maybe? But chances are he's gonna run his mouth and say something about him thinking that she was a scruffy forest deity or how he hates that she never opens her store on time or how he knows her best record for not changing jumpsuits is 5 days. So he kept his mouth shut and let silence engulf them.

“Well, I’m next door just in case you wanna take me up for tea. I’ll see you around I guess.”

"Wait!" He called out.

Hange whipped her head to turn to him and he rushed behind the register to grab one of his spare umbrellas he keeps for emergencies. "Take this."

"What for?" She asked scratching the back of her head.

"You'd get sick running around in rain." he said plainly, hoping she didn't find him too creepy.

Levi didn't know it was possible but he swore her eyes shone a little brighter, a small smile is now etched on her face. "See you later Levi." She took one last glance at him lifting an arm to wave as she ran back to her store.

“Later, four eyes.” He whispered beneath his breath and although he felt pleasantly sunny inside, he sensed that he forgot about something...

Ah, he forgot to talk to her about his noise complaint.

#levihan #levihaneggschange2021 #levi ackerman #hange zoe #snk

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aibari · 4 years ago

Text

safe returns

a @destielsecretsanta2020 gift for @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover

notes: this fic is set after the s15 finale. there’s a bit of canon-typical grief at the start, but this is a fix-it fic :)

read on ao3

Afterwards, the world knits itself back together slowly, like broken bones healing. People come back to their loved ones, but not all at once, filing in gradually. Dean guesses they've had a long way to go. Wherever the hell they went, when Chuck had punted them out of existence.

So it's a slow and gradual thing, and it sucks. He catches himself out constantly, thinking that maybe -

And then Sam will give him a concerned look, so understanding and careful it makes him feel like he's been skinned alive.

And he knows by now what that feels like.

Anyway, the point is that while people are still coming back, he can't quite let go of the thought that Cas might, too. Even if he's in the Empty. Even if it's dumb as hell to think that it could ever -

So. The thought sits in his chest like a tumor metastasizing, like a rusty fishhook, like a birdcage. Hope is a thing with feathers, or however the fuck that saying goes.

He can't think about it for too long. If he does, he starts needing a drink, starts to feel his jaw lock up. Can't touch it, or he'll slice his fingers open.

So instead of thinking about it, he joins a pie eating competition. Goes on a series of hunts with Sam that all resolve easy. Drinks beer and sleeps in motels and eats greasy diner food, and it's familiar in a way that's both familiar and deeply fucking depressing if he lets himself think about it. He's forty-one, he's helped defeat God, and he's still doing this shit? Does he even know how to be anything else? Does he have it in him?

Six months after the end of Chuck, the stream of people showing back up slows to a trickle and then dries up. Dean takes his fragile hope and buries it as deep as it will go.

So it goes.

He dreams about Cas, which is business as usual. Dreams with Cas used to mean something, and maybe that something was covert fraternization and angel politics, most of the time, but it was Cas. Now it's just trauma. Dean sits on their bench, and Cas sits next to him, and Cas says:

Because you cared, I cared.

And Dean says:

Don’t do this, Cas.

And then he starts to choke, words and letters pushing up against the back of his throat like yesterday's dinner.

Cas is still talking, words fading in and out like a radio with bad reception, and his hand rests heavy on Dean's arm, and he says:

"Dean."

And then Dean wakes up, gasping, staring up at the water-stained motel room ceiling.

The handprint on his shoulder burns.

He stumbles into the bathroom to splash water on his face and then stands there, hands clutching the edges of the sink, staring blankly at his own reflection.

There's a pull in his chest, tethered somewhere under his ribs.

He takes a deep breath, and then another.

Then he wakes up Sam, who groans and then squints at him in the half-dark of the room. The light of the neon sign outside paints a violet streak across his cheek.

“Dean, what -?” Sam says. “What’s going on, what time is it?”

“Don’t worry your sweet little head about it, Sammy,” Dean says. “Just got a little something to take care of, so I’m heading out.”

Sam frowns at him. “What do you mean, out?”

“What are you, some kind of detective?”

“Dean,” Sam says, with the kind of heavy, long-suffering bitchiness that means he’s gonna get passive aggressive about it.

Dean doesn’t have that kind of time. “I’m going to Minnesota and I’m gonna have to go there alone.”

Sam opens his mouth to say something.

“Don’t say anything, Sam,” Dean grits out.

“I wasn’t gonna,” Sam says, like a liar.

Dean rolls his eyes at him and starts packing. It takes about a minute; it’s not like any of them ever really unpack.

There’s a joke in there, somewhere, Dean thinks, jaw clenching despite himself.

“Dean,” Sam says from behind him. Dean freezes in the middle of stuffing a t-shirt into the bag, unable to turn around and look at him.

“What,” he asks, stiff like set concrete.

“Just promise me you won’t do anything stupid,” Sam says, like he has his own ideas about where Dean is going. “Promise me, alright?”

“Sure,” Dean says. It’s a like, but he’s pretty sure they both know it.

It’s not like he even knows where he’s going, exactly.

He doesn’t even know what he’s going there for. He just knows that he has to.

He finishes packing and they say their goodbyes. Sam bitches about it when he takes the impala, but Eileen will be coming up later in the day to discuss some kind of hunt developments. Sam will be fine.

Whether or not Dean will be fine might be a different question.

He’ll figure it out.

He takes the I-35 up through Illinois and Iowa, barely stopping to take a piss. The burn of the handprint has settled into something gentler, but it still throbs in a telltale heart rhythm. He thinks about Cas, at the end, standing tall and telling Dean that he loved him.

It makes his jaw go tight.

He turns up the music. It’s Creedence, and he sings along as hard as he can stand, white-knuckling the wheel.

“That’s real healthy,” he murmurs to himself in the space between songs, but it does help to have something in the car that isn’t his own thoughts, his own fuck-ups and messes.

The closer he gets to Minnesota, the stronger the pull gets.

He’s playing with fire, not doing the research and going in solo like this. Whatever’s pulling at him could be freaking anything.

But it won’t be.

He knows that for sure, even if he doesn’t know exactly what it is.

He just has a feeling.

After he crosses state lines the final time, rolling on into Minnesota, he stops at a diner for dinner. He gets a burger and fries, and by this point he is so full of whatever thing is pulling him forward it’s hard to stop moving. His ribcage feels like it’s full of bees.

He keeps thinking about Cas.

“This is you, isn’t it,” he murmurs. “Whatever’s happening here. It’s about you.”

No-one answers him, but he’s used to that by now.

He can fill a silence like nobody’s business, so he launches into a rambling review of the music on the regional radio station, (bland enough to give Wonderbread a run for its money,) the scenery (cold and snowy), and the present company (non-existent; please, Cas, come back to me).

The waitress keeps looking at him funny. When he goes to leave, she won’t let him pay. For a second, he thinks she might be interested, but then she gives him a soft, sad look and tells him about how her partner had taken months longer than her to come back, and that she understands what he’s going through, that he shouldn’t give up hope, and then he has to go.

He sits in the parking lot for a while, hands on the steering wheel, wishing he’d paid more attention to the mindfulness kick Sam’s been on for the past month.

He can’t stop thinking about the look on Cas’ face, right before -

Fuck.

If he were in any other car, he’d be punching the dashboard.

He turns up the music again instead, and wipes his face, and gets back to driving.

So it goes.

He stops at a motel by the interstate and stumbles out the morning after to a bright winter’s day. The sky is blue enough that he has to squint against it; the snow crunches under his boots. With every breath, the cold air knifes down his throat.

He follows the pull of his invisible line.

The forest is quiet. The snow muffles all sound but the crunch of his boots, which reverberate like gunshots. Dean makes a quick mental inventory of Minnesota monsters. He’s unprepared for most of them; if any of them show up, or if this is a trap, he’ll be up shit creek. He’d probably deserve it, too, coming here like this.

He walks for hours, pulled forward, chest sweetly aching and handprint throbbing to the beat of his own heart.

By the time he reaches the field, he’s almost lost track of time.

It’s just a large, empty space. If it hadn’t been covered in snow in the middle of winter, it’d make a sweet concert space.

There’s no-one else here, but -

(something in his chest wrenches)

-then there is.

A man in a trenchcoat stumbles into the clearing, and Dean knows him. He knows him, with a bright and certain rush of heat that leaves him breathless.

“Cas!” he yells, and hears the answering, “Dean!” and then he’s running and laughing and tearing up at the same time. He’s a mess, but he can’t help it, couldn’t stop it if he tried. They meet in the middle and it’s like a scene from Love freaking Actually, hugging each other tightly and spinning each other around. Cas smells like petrichor and ozone and day-old sweat. The stitching on his coat is rough and reassuring under Dean’s fingers. He never wants to let him go.

“Thank you,” Cas says, serious as a freshly dug grave, “for meeting me.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, buddy,” Dean says. Then he leans back a little to look Cas properly in the eye. “Cas,” he says. “Earlier. I said the wrong thing.”

Cas gives him an expectant look. His hands are fisting into Dean’s coat. “What did you want to say, Dean?”

The way he says his name makes Dean shudder. He swallows thickly. “I. Back when you - I said don’t do this, but what I should have said was - me too, Cas.”

Cas tilts his head slightly to the side, like he’s confused by something. Dean had almost forgotten what shade of blue they were.

“What?” Dean asks, as softly as he can, which isn’t much. He’s not good at this. Not with Cas. Not yet, but hopefully - if he dares to hope - hopefully soon.

“You don’t have to humor me, Dean,” Cas says, stiffer than a freaking fridge magnet in a freezer. “I know I’m not what you -”

And Dean can’t stand hearing him finish that sentence, can’t stand not having them be on the same page.

“Alright, fuck this,” he says, and pulls Cas down into a kiss.

#supernatural #i write stuff #writing the first half of this felt like being mildly posessed #destiel #deancas

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horrorslashergirl · 4 years ago

Text

Slasher OC: Alexander Chirilă (Update)

Authors Note: He was supposed to be a supporting character, but my brain developed his character more and decided to make him a full on OC.

Full Name: Alexander Chirilă

Nickname(s): Ally, Alex, Sasha, Black Killer, Panther, Blackburn, Colton

Age: 38

Gender: Male

Nationality: Romanian

Place of Birth: Bucharest, Romania

Current Location: Travels all around the world to find his twin brother to kill him (formerly), Traveling alongside his brother and sister (Currently)

Occupation: Assassin

Languages: Romanian, English, Japanese, Greek, and Belarusian

Appearance:

Height: 6'8

Weight: 240lbs

Body Type: Atheltic

Skin Color: Warm Beige

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Hair Style: Short on the sides and longer on top, unlike his twin brother Decebal, his hair isn't wavy, has a spikier look

Eye Color: Pale Grey, almost white, giving the impression he is blind

Clothing: His clothes are all black, wearing combat gear that consists of black shirts and black jackets, black cargo pants, and black combat boots, black gauntlet gloves. He also wears knee and elbow protection along with a tactical bulletproof vest and utility belt where he carries his weapons. As an assassin, he wears a tactical black skull mask.

Other features: Unlike his twin brother Decebal; Colton has a much darker and scarier appearance, especially the two scars on his face that start from his hairline, down his forehead, and over his eyelids, continuing over his cheeks and neck and stopping at his collarbones.

Weapons: Twin Katana swords, throwing knives, grenades, gloves with metal claws and twin guns strapped on the holsters on his thighs.

Power/Skills:

Murderous expertise

Strength

Skilled usage of weaponry

Skill in hand-to-hand combat

Knifesmanship

Swordsmanship

Ruthlessness

Fearlessness

Marksmanship

Stealth

Superior agility

Impressive Flexibility

Overly High Inteligence

Knowledge about Bombs and Chemistry

Medical/Surgeon Skills

History/Bio:

Alexander Chirilă was the second born son to father Apostol Chirilă, and his mother, Maria Stratulat of Moldovic heritage. He was born after 20 minutes after Decebal was born, during the communist era in Romania, and because the parents couldn't support both children, they passed Alexander to an orphanage only to be sold over the country boundaries for human trafficking.

Before he could be bought for organ trafficking in America, an old lady took him in, raising Alexander, choosing a new identity for him so that he could protect him from his former life.

Until the age of 12, former Alexander, now Colton was raised in America by the old lady who quickly got sick by a severe form of cancer. Before she could die, she decided that Alexander had the right to know about his former life and she told him his story before she died in her bed.

After the reveal, Alexander researched all about the information, finding out what his biological parents did and about Decebal, only to blame his older twin brother for what happened.

As a teenager, Alexander was raised more by the streets, doing everything to survive, drug smuggling, stealing and he even killed a man for trying to steal the drug package he was carrying. That's when a hitman saw the 16-year-old boy and took him in, seeing all the hate and rage in Alexander's white eyes.

The hitman trained Alexander to be a ruthless killer, making him a master of sword fighting and hand-to-hand combat. Spending time along with assassins and hitmen, he meets Yumie Takahashi, a female assassin with prosthetic blade legs that quickly took a fancy for him, following him all around to the point where she fell in love with him, but Alexander doesn't return her feelings and used her blind love for him in his own greedy ways, her being his lap-dog.

Later on, Alexander and Yumie meet Nikita Sergei in Belarus while they tried to track down Decebal. They meet the Belarusian during an ambush between the Belarusian Police and the Belarusian Mafia, Nikita being one of the Mafias hitmen.

Nikita was almost killed during that bullet rain between Police and Mafia, only for Alexander to save him, but for that Nikita had to work for Colton, being his left hand next to the right hand, that being Yumie.

The three continued together, Yumie and Nikita assisting Alexander on his mission of annihilating his twin brother, Decebal.

After a brutal fight between the two brothers which resulted in both of them almost dead, they get on an agreement of peace between them, with the help of their third part, their little sister Nadia.

Personality:

Alexander is the complete opposite of Decebal in the matter of personality. Decebal is a happy-go-lucky, easy-going, charming, seductive, and modest guy, while Alexander is brutal, snarky, comes of as straight-up rude, blunt, and sharp-tongued if provoked, but overall keeps to himself since he has a problem with his 'intimacy'.

The smaller twin brother, unlike Decebal who is all laid-back, Alexander has a bad temper, but the type of temper that comes and goes, like the one of a child. He would be considered passive-aggressive.

Alexander doesn't know how to deal with his strong emotions and usually they manifest into a tsunami of uncontrollable feelings; especially when teased about sensitive topics, and may have outbursts of anger which would be considered 'funny' because he gets all red-faced, voice shuttering and doesn't know what to say or how to react. This part of his personality may also come off as very shy and sensitive, especially if people flirt with him because he is socially awkward and he never was one to be good at smooth-talking.

After making peace with his big brother, Alexander may open up little by little, showing good traits of his personality, but is still the opposite of Decebal.

Unlike Decebal, who is very charismatic, sensual, and opened up about his sexuality; Alexander is the very hard opposite, especially considering he had never been intimate with someone. Alexander is very shy when it comes to his intimacy and sexuality, almost to the point if someone presses him with sexual questions he will get all flustered and defensive.

This is a sign that Alexander is very self-conscious about his complete inexperience in the matter of getting intimate. It's a very big irony, seeing how on the battlefield he is very confident in his combat skills.

A good trait of Alexander is that he is a very big hard worker. He has the mentality that you cannot achieve something for free and have to work hard to earn it, since all his life he had to work to make it through life: As a little kid, he had to take care of the old lady that was his guardian until she died, then he had to do everything his Master said if he wanted to achieve the assassin training.

One thing that he shares with Decebal is the daredevil and competitive side, but Alexander's competitive side takes a very serious turn, finding himself willing to challenge his big brother at all kinds of provocations. It's the brotherly antagonistic demeanor.

His favorite drink: Green Tea

His favorite food: Ramen or Chicken and Rice Casserole

Other Characteristics:

Alexander loves fairytales and all types of mythic legends, mostly because the old lady that was his guardian in the first part of his life always used to tell him these types of stories before bedtime.

He is actually a very good cook. When he went to train with his Master Hitman, he has also signed the duty to do the cooking and clean the Masters' house as a form of payment for the training services. The Master would throw the food on the floor or at Alexander if it wasn't good enough and Alexander had to cook the dish again until it was 'perfect'.

He is an earlier riser in the morning, mostly because that's how he was raised; his assassin training started very early in the morning and before that, he had to prepare breakfast for his Master.

He loves to listen to the birds singing in the morning while he drinks his coffee or green tea.

His scent can be described as on a more feminine edge; giving off floral scents like lotus, orchid, and jasmine, with middle notes of vanilla tobacco, bergamot, and white musk.

Unlike his big brother Decebal who is a heavy drinker, Alexander cannot hold his liquor and is a sad drunk, getting depressed over the fact that he was separated from his siblings at birth, especially Decebal. When Alexander gets drunk he tends to mutter to himself 'I wish I never was born'.

Considering his personality, he would be described as a tsundere.

He is a master at chess due to playing with his Master in their free time. He can sit for hours and play chess, probably the only thing he is the most patient with.

He loves hot springs; immersion in warm water produces hydrostatic pressure on the body that results in reduced joint inflammation and increased mobility, plus it helps him relax his vulcanic mind.

He is a smoker just like his siblings, Decebal and Nadia.

Despite his scars and hard training, he has soft baby skin.

Symbolism for Alexander:

Black Panther- speaks to our soul with the shimmering energy of the Moon; this big cat is the ultimate shapeshifter and the master of disguise. Panther’s sleek black coat cloaks its true identity in the shadows. It isn’t until you are close to a Panther that their illusion falls away and who they really become visible. Alexander may seem like a very cold and harsh individual, hard to approach from the distance, but as you get closer and closer to him, pulling away all the layers that hide him, you learn that he is actually a pretty sensitive and misunderstood guy.

The Black Panther is a loner, hunting solitary. They hunt silently, seeming to appear and disappear in the blink of an eye; this means that Black Panther people can be very elusive. You may have to wait for them to find you. This means that you will have to wait and be patient in order for Alexander to open up to you, which cannot happen in one day. People who have the Black Panther as their spirit animal rarely reveal too much about themselves.

The Lotus flower- is a symbol of purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration, and rebirth. Its characteristics are a perfect analogy for the human condition: even when its roots are in the dirtiest waters, the Lotus produces the most beautiful flower. This shows Alexanders' persona, like a lotus bud, in his earlier life and so on, he was buried deep within lots of responsibilities, hardships, and struggles. We can say that once he made peace with his older brother, his blooming slowly started to take place, Decebal acting more so like the essence to Alexanders blooming. Its journey from a muddy seed to a glorious blossom offers the hope that something beautiful can grow from suffering, that we too will eventually bloom.

#Alexander Chirilă #Slasher OCs #Original Character #Assassin #Killer #Murder #Hitman

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deez-art · 4 years ago

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Oohh wouldn't it be funny if they went to the same restaurant for their dates? And since they're all taking a night off of work to indulge in some romance they agree not to fight or cause a scene, but they can't NOT address that the other pair is there, so they're just exchanging passive aggressive banter for a few minutes before they go back to their dates lol

OOOOH, I can totally see this, Julia and Brain having the most intense stare fight in history while Billie and Pinky are just trying to distract them to have a pleasant night.

This ask actually gave me an idea for a “surprise you’re in the same restaurant for a date” XD I have 0 talent for writing but I’m leaving this anyways:

Pinky and Brain arrive to a super nice restaurant for a date that they’ve been planning for months, and everything goes well until Brain notices Julia and Billie not so far from their table. He’s not happy and decides that it's best to leave to not ruin the night, but Pinky chose the restaurant and Brain promised to take him there (I guess Pinky saw a commercial of the restaurant in TV and its famous to be THE romantic place, and he’s so excited because Brain and him are able to be in THE place after months of waiting for a reservation). So Brain stays in hopes they don't see them, but obviously Julia and Billie notice, talk to them, they exchange some passive aggressive words and everyone just decides to leave each other to their own thing.

Buuuut Brain and Julia can’t miss the chance to bother the other. They start with sarcastic remarks to their partners about how bad the other is (quite loud) and it escalates, by stopping the food to get to their tables, sabotaging the bathrooms, mixing orders, making each other trip when they walk. And it finally gets out of control when Julia shouts a funny offending remark about Brain and he becomes the laughing stock of the whole restaurant. He loses it, and throws the closest food item directly to Julia, who just goes feral with rage after he ruins both Julia's suit and Billie's dress. (All this time Billie and Pinky are doing their best to keep their partner's head in the dinner and the romance but they fail miserably).

Julia snaps, deciding she has enough and she takes out a.. I don't know big destruction weapon remote controlled and starts chasing Brain with it (Pinky becomes collateral damage since he can't really leave Brain side). The restaurant goes crazy with people running and throwing food (for some reason), eventually, after an epic chase Julia finally has Pinky and Brain cornered and she's ready to take the shot.

But Billie interrupts in the last minute, very angry, because what promised to be the best night, is now completely ruined, and not only because Brain is there, but also because she can’t believe Julia put more attention to him during A romantic evening than her, she leaves the restaurant sad and angry, and guilt makes Julia go right after her.

Meanwhile, Brain is relieved they made it alive, but Pinky is far from happy, because Brain promised a happy, romantic night and they couldn't even make it to eat the food thanks to the Brain being grumpy and rude to their nice friends, so they just leave sad the restaurant back to the lab. Eventually Brain can't deal with the guilt of ruining everything and goes out of the lab to think, in his walk, he founds Julia and both of them fight again trying to place the fault in the other, until they realized this kind of behavior is what made everything go wrong, and decide (with a lot of hate) to work together to fix things.

Using their great minds, they elaborate the most romantic and amazing dinner ever existed, and after a lot of apologizing they convince their respective partners to try the date again and put their plan into action. They share the restaurant again and with inhuman will they’re able to ignore the other and have a really pleasant night with their dates. Billie and Pinky have their much dreamed romantic, magical night and everyone’s happy again.

#pinky and the brain #patb #animaniacs reboot #this is long #feel free to ignore me XD #I suck at writing btw #anyways hope its not sooo bad #thanks for the ask this was fun #deezAsk #bullie #julia x billie

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hughiecampbelle · 5 years ago

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A Garden Of Apologies (Thomas Shelby Oneshot)

Character/s: Thomas

Word Count: 1,295

Inspired By: Flowers by iyla

Tag List: @dontdowhatisayandnobodygetshurt @myriadimagines @lilyswritings @encounterthepast @death-of-a-mermaid @lotsoffandomimagines @woahitslucyylu @obsessedunicorn24 @thedarkqueenofavalon @fangirlsarah16

A/N: 1.) I love this song 2.) Sorry for the spam of fics lately!!! I always fear I'm being annoying when I post a fic every few days, especially with the tag list included!!! It feels like I'm bothering people!!! Is this a common thing or just ya gurl overthinking? Also, y'all would let me know if I was being annoying, right? :P Anyways, I'm really happy with how this turned out! I hope you like it as much as I do! Feedback is always appreciated!!! 💜💖💜

FIC MASTERLIST PART ONE. / PART TWO.

WANNA BE ADDED TO THE TAG LIST?

Spitting roots, breathing petals, dead leaves in his vomit, instead of apologies, instead of the proper words an adult should be able to say to the person he loves. With every regret, every forgotten anniversary, rushed date, ever back handed compliment and passive aggressive comment, came another bouquet. There weren't enough flowers in all of England to keep him out of trouble. There weren't enough in the whole world to heal all the wounds, your nights spent plucking thorns from your palms, tending to broken glass and spilled water, another vase gone, cleaning yourself up enough to be presentable when another bouquet found its way on your doorstep. An abandoned baby. A stray dog. Something to care for, another reminder of his failures, of your rotting relationship. One by one, taking over, taking up space, until you were sure the smell of flora would finally suffocate you. A choke, a sob, a sad attempt at crawling your way to help. What a beautiful final place of rest. Colorful. Bright. Alive. Ironic.

Maybe then he'd deliver them himself to your grave. Maybe not.

Roses. Daisies. Tulips. Chrysanthemums. Dahlias. Azaleas. Lilies. Jasmine. Blood turned pink, purple, white, dripping into the water, the roots, ruining the whole plant. Good. Your anger turned towards them, as if they were to blame. Vases smashed against the walls. No words, just screams, yells, needing to get it out somehow. Listening from bed. The same routine. He'd come home to a crime, a murder, nothing new in his line of work. Disappointed you hadn't at least used a gun. Made them suffer, suffocate, scream for help, your fingerprints all over the scene. The shine of his shoes muddied by limp leaves begging, torn petals crying. He loves you, you love him not. You love him, he loves you not. Guess you'd never know the answer. He always did keep you guessing. It used to ne so charming. Bending, cupping the glass in his own calloused hands, disposing of it without a word. He wasn't sure how to talk to you anymore, to communicate, instead holding all the things he would have said in his palms, in a pile of curse words, in shards of sorry's, and shiny little excuses. He wasn't sure how to feel anymore, what to do, what to say.

He wasn't sure what you were anymore.

Your husband, if that's what you wanted to call him. Someone you used to recognize. Vines around your finger, tightening, cutting off circulation. Purple, swollen, bloated, dying. Every time you took it off, there was relief, the lack of pain you hadn't realized was there in the first place. He left early, slipping away, as if it never happened, the rest of your home, your garden, untouched. In some ways, they were the fights you never had. Fussy, decaying, shrivel in up. Taking on the emotions the two of you emitted. All the words you left unsaid. Inhale the tension, the sighs, the cries you hid from one another. Exhale what could have been. A resolution, a rekindled relationship, the marriage you always dreamed of having. Instead there was a quiet resentment boiling, brewing, and a careful bitterness seeping into staged smiles and counterfeit kisses. It was poison, and one day it would kill you.

You used to love them. The bloom in spring, coming to life, sprouting between cracks in the cobblestone. Admiration for the fighters, the ones willing to do anything to get their way, move their way up in the world, unaware of the neglect, the lack of thought for the rest of the world. A one track mind. That's what he was, whether or not you realized it at the time. His come up was grand, and bold, blooming in the light of day after so much time spent clawing his way up. It deserved a celebration, a commemoration. Underneath the cracks, though, you were left behind. Forgotten. Abandoned. Left to drown in the downpour, to wilt, over watered. With you, your dreams of the life you'd have. A home far away, getting out of the Small Heath. A family of your own, children to raise, to cherish and love. A hope of growing old together. All of that withering the second business took off. That was when he forgot, opting to file through papers, sift through cigarette smoke and an endless supply of secretaries, instead of making time for you, for all the conversations you were supposed to have.

This can't be love.

It was never what you expected. Marrying him, it should have been a dream. Instead, you watered each plant every morning, moving them when they needed light, cursing the constant cloudy weather. Watching them grow, thrive under your care. Strong, healthy, happy, you hoped. In a home like this, without words, you doubted a child would ever thrive. A little boy, Aster, and a girl, Iris. Maybe you'd give up on flowers altogether. Name them what he really loved, what he cherished above everything else in the world; Money and Power. Re-pot them when they grew too big, outgrowing you, the small space available by the window, leaving the same way he did. A funny thought, a sad one, too. It was only you and your plants. Something to hold on to when there was nothing else. The last proof he gave a damn about you. There'd be another one for you. Wrapped snug in paper, snipped at the stems, crawling with regret, with the weight of the world on its tender leaves. The only thing you had to nurture, to love, searching for a cradle, something for it to sleep in.

Your home. Lacking warmth, security, everything you ever wanted. Grey skies, grey roads, grey people. Was this his way of adding a little color to your life? A cottage, a farm, fields of green where the flowers lived outside instead of in. Warmed by the sun through the windows, your cheeks properly kissed. Time would be slower than before. No hustle, no chasing after cars. The air would be so much lighter, sweeter, softer. You'd finally be able to breath. Your world would be honeyed, glistened in a foggy kind of yellow, the rest of the world oozing away. Nothing could touch you there, nothing would rot. You'd die in Birmingham. Family, money, business, all of it too important to leave behind, too crucial to be far from. It's what he lived and breathed. Your dream of thin linen nights and stars you could actually see with the lack of smog, of watching bunnies scurry and birds chirp would be buried with you.

This was your life. A let down.

He hadn't always been like this. Not when you were first together, not even after your wedding. Attentive, caring, comforting. He was your sense of safety, your sense of security. A gate around the garden walls, keeping the bugs, the animals, the sharpness of any pair of sheers out, away. He told you what he could. Enough to share, to plant the seeds, water them, but never enough to put you in danger, to invite a parasite in your life. That was enough for you. It would be now, if he shared that much. Somewhere, between then and now, he lost that, choosing work over everything. Business before love. Screaming fits, sleeping on the couch, maggots, all of it hushed. You shared the bed, the soil, but it wasn't what it used to be. It never would recover, too many questions, too many onlookers, dirt kicked up, stems stepped on, the hands of others wandering along the lock of the gate. It wasn't sacred anymore. Nothing between you two grew anymore. You weren't sure it ever would.

Fuck flowers and fuck Thomas Shelby.

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mistymark · 5 years ago

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nct + wayv as types of friends

this isn't ordered im so sorry

Johnny: the hot guy friend that you wish you had fallen for, you've been friends for absolute years, probably met you when you were still sporting middle school acne and braces, he knows exactly what you look like when you wake up with a hangover and last night’s makeup still on, you always have a shoulder to cry on and he’s always slinging an arm across your shoulders just cause youre the perfect height, likes driving you places, stressed if you drive

Taeil: the older brother friend that jokes around with you all the time out of love, your parents probably love him more than they love you, invites himself over for dinner a lot and pretends your parents invited him without you, gets really happy when they go along it, accompanies you on errands just to spend time with you, makes you buy things for him as a reward, ends up buying you more stuff

Taeyong: the how-are-you-even-friends-he’s-so-out-of-your-league friend that you’re genuinely still surprised he hasn’t abandoned you yet, he doesnt notice the stares from others when you hang out, holds your hand platonically, jokes about how if hes not married when hes 40 hes going to propose to you, gets flustered when you assure him hell be lucky to make it to 30 without being snatched up, wonders why you can't believe the same thing for yourself when you're the greatest person in the world to him

Yuta: the k-drama guy friend that used to make you question how you felt about him, treats you like a sister, invites you on family outings and trips with his fam, everyone thinks you’ve been harbouring secret feeling for each other, but youre honestly just very comfortable around each other, will 100% pick you up and carry you around like its nothing, doesn’t understand why other girls that he dates get jealous

Kun: the too-perfect friend that honestly just has everything under control, he’s excelling at everything it makes you feel like even more of a mess, but he’s always willing to help you out, laughs at you a lot but he really doesn’t mean to, wonders why he’s friends with you but spends 5 minutes in your company and realises how much he loves you, brings you souvenirs from countries he’s visited when he goes on holidays

Lucas: the boyfriend-but-we’re-not-dating friend that treats you like his girlfriend basically, looks at you like you’re his entire world, daydreams about moving in with you and travelling and exploring the world with you, brings you as his date to every fancy event, constantly says you deserve better than any guy you date, tries to set you up with "worthy guys" (his friends), gets offended when you ask if he means himself

Mark: the FaceTime friend that you don't always see because he's so busy, but he facetimes and calls and texts whenever he can, stays up late on FaceTime with you to keep you company while you study, always makes you laugh, invites you to do really fun and odd activities over the summer, texts you dumb memes during that day, asks to call you when it's late at night, likes to sit at a convenience store or cafe and just talking when you hang out, always gives you a really big hug before you leave

Jaehyun: the friend your parents wish you would date, sweet and charming and always brings something when he's invited over for dinner, laughs warmly when your parents ask for the millionth time why you're not together when you're both single, dedicates songs to you on the radio passive aggressively like "here's to the person who thinks Bohemian Rhapsody is by AC/DC", won't ever (intentionally) embarrass you, once said he wanted to spend every valentines with you and didn't realise the connotation until later

Jaemin: the friend that makes everyone else wish they had a friend like him, has his own shit but hides it so well everyone thinks he's perfect, brings a bag full of snacks whenever you hang out, texts you when he's away with sad faces saying he misses you, platonic PDA, says he wants to watch a movie but ends up talking through it, you end up sitting normally on opposite ends of the couches but suddenly one of you lying against the other and that's completely normal, you spend hours in each other's bedrooms alone and no one bats and eye

Doyoung: the friend you want to keep for the rest of your life, he somehow knew how to adult at like age fifteen, the one you call when your microwave breaks or you get a flat tire, you get called mom and dad by your other friends, except doyoung is mom and you're dad, you see him shirtless a lot, laughs when you throw clothes at him and yell at him to get dressed, probably has a box of his stuff at your place because he never leaves, likes going out at night with you

Renjun: probably the friend you had a crush on when you were a kid, grown up together but you weren’t particularly close back then, “weren’t you the one in fourth grade who-”, constantly steals your food but always offers you half of whatever he’s got, “it’s your turn to pay”, once accidentally stood up a date because you asked him to come over and he forgot he had somewhere else to be, falls asleep way later than you so when he stays over you always wake up to some new piece of art he did cause he was bored

Winwin: the savage friend who will not let you live, basically acts like he hates you, squirms away and looks disgusted when you cuddle him, rolls his eyes and hugs you back when you pout at him, buys you coffee a lot, likes it when you try and sneakily take pictures and videos of him because he looks good, complains that his parents like you more than they like him, actually doesn’t hate wearing matching clothes, happy to do whatever when you hang out

Jeno: basically Kun part two, he is just so good at everything you feel infinitely inferior, always trying to impress you by doing some cool new trick, likes going to the park or local playground with you, you act like children around each other, offers to buy you ice cream when youre sad, ends up eating half of it himself, tells you that youre pretty with only a little bit of blushing, regrets agreeing to go to the school dance as a group and wishes he’d just asked you to be his date

Donghyuck: the teasing friend, hes basically your annoying little brother, which you absolutely adore about your friendship, makes you feel like a queen because he wants your attention so much, asks you to come over to help him study so he can spend time with you, video game competitions are a must, lots of playful bets, he asks you to be his date to the school dance in a joking “ur alright I guess lol” way but hes also kinda shy about it

Chenle: the friend that used to have a crush on you, he got over it pretty quickly after you became friends, always doing dumb stuff so if youre not there to do it with him hes sending you photos and videos of him doing it by himself, tells you that you should come with him on family vacations and actually means it, sends you happy birthday texts at midnight so he can be the first one, interrupts FaceTime calls with “hold on I gotta take a shit”

Jisung: (you guessed it) the baby friend that you feel like you need to protect, he actually ends up protecting you most of the time, hes kind of a human shield, laughs when you hide behind him, frowns when you squish his cheeks, his favourite place to hang out is your house, likes walking to the convenience store for snacks but pretends he doesnt, lies on your bed dramatically and asks you to go without him, shocked when you pretend to leave without him

Hendery: your knight in shining armour, you first became friends as kids when a teacher was accusing you of something (you definitely did do) but he stuck up for you and got you out of trouble, has been doing it ever since, asks you why youre not in love with him yet, best moral support and study buddy, gets offended when you tell him hes not your first choice for a date to the dance, definitely is your first choice tho

Xiaojun: the platonic-or-romantic friend that you always wonder about, actually kind of romantic, plays songs for you, isn't afraid to sing for you, laughs when you mess up the lyrics of songs, lends you his jackets and hoodies, daydreams about what it would be like if you dated and wonders if it would be weird, neither of you are interested in that though, steals your coffee and screws his face up when its not what he normally gets, impromptu sleepovers

Yangyang: the childhood best friend, been your best friend for years and won't let you forget it, jokingly gets jealous when he feels like hes being ‘’’replaced’’’, likes going shopping with you, very blunt about what looks good and what doesn’t, gives you things to try on as a joke, probably has a good texting relationship with your mother, smiles with pride when his pets like you, has a list of places he wants to go with you saved on his phone

Ten: the friend that acts like a five year old, always makes you smile and laugh, tires you out sometimes because he just has so much energy, dances with you around your living room, smiles really wide when you tell him hes handsome, teases you that you should just confess that youre in love with him, makes fun of you a lot and its so funny that you laugh along too, your contact name in his phone switches between “love of my life <3″ and “bitch”

Jungwoo: the confident friend, hes not afraid to embarrass you in public, yells across stores and restaurants for you, shoves his camera in your face to get funny photos of you, likes spending time with you in parks and outdoors, complains about it though, laughs when you complain that he takes up too much room on your couch and slouches so that he takes up even more, uses you as a pillow

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rustdream · 4 years ago

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Mustache Kid makes a New Friend hee hoo

Yea! A smol story for @promisedangel‘s roleswap AU! I wrote this at night so some things may be grammatically incorrect. I hope this is good!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The air was full of tension as Mustache Kid stood infront of the ice walls that surrounded her destination. By some sort of miracle, they were perfectly intact, despite the immense heat the forest gave off daily. While it’s a neat discovery all on its own, it would mean that she would have to bust her way in. She was taken out of her thoughts when she heard a chuckle behind her. The voice belonged to none other than the Matriarch, the ruler of Subcon and the pain in the butt that’s been threatening her into doing favors for her. “It’s quite the feat, isn’t it?” The shadowy being asked, floating besides the girl.

Mustache Kid sighed in annoyance, causing the ghost’s angelic features to distort. “Now don’t take that ton with me, child. This will be different than the other favors you’ve done!” The passive aggressive tone had set in, as she feigned cheerfulness. The Matriarch clasped her hands together, “You’ll be delivering a gift to my special Prince for his birthday!” Mustache Kid turned to her as the gift box was born from red flames, the embers forming the luxurious bow. As much as she hated to admit it that box had a pretty darn cool shade of red. “Okay…but why don’t you do it? Since it’s your gift.” Mustache Kid questioned, as the Matriarch’s expression softened. “Oh, how I wish I could give him the gift myself! Unfortunately, my temper had gotten the better of me and…we got into a fight. Now the poor thing’s scared of me.” It was clear that queen of Subcon was being exaggeratingly dramatic right then, as she had no qualms about threatening children with execution twice fold. Still, the kid didn’t have much choice, as the box was shoved into her hands. Mustache Kid had a couple of moments before she realized that her bombs were gone. “Hey!”

“Oh and, by the way. The Prince is very finicky, so these,” The Matriarch held the bag of bombs in her hands with the heat threatening to set them off, “are out of the question. Now get to it.” As Mustache Kid jumped through the ice pillars infront of her, she could her the cold-hearted monarch say something about burning her if she was to break the box. But she was used to those threats, and there wasn’t much to worry about anyways. She continued, occasionally having to break the walls with the fiery fruits and Dwellers hiding around. Eventually she had made it to the other side of the labyrinth of walls and was immediately hit with the extremely cold weather. She adjusted her cape to cover herself and waded through the thick snow, in the direction of the manor in the distance. When she neared the front porch, she could see glowing yellow eyes peer at her through the attic window for a quick second, before blinking out of sight. Hopefully, this ‘Prince’ wouldn’t be as much as an immoral jerk as the Matriarch was. She went to knock on the door before the wood had turned to ice and being rendered unopenable. Mustache Girl groaned as she kicked an ice statue near, but her attitude quickly changed to fear when said statue came to life and tried to smash her head open. Running from living creatures of cold terror, she had ducked into the cellar in the back and shut the doors. While one might think this wouldn’t stop them from breaking in, it did. In fact, they seemed to leave as soon as the door had locked!

Well, she already made it in the house, might as well deliver it personally. She skidded through the cellar floor, the spilled wine having been frozen over the years. Managing to make it upstairs without busting her bust on the slippery ice, she was relieved to find that the rest of the house’s flooring wasn’t in the same state. Mustache Kid wandered down the hallways, the carpeted floors keeping her footsteps quiet. Suddenly, she had heard the sound of glass breaking coming from the room besides her. In an act of impulse, she opened the door, leading her to the library. There didn’t seem to be anyone in here. A broken vase sure, and an ice sculpture that was whispering to her. Wait. On closer inspection, it was a Wally! Though, he was frozen everywhere but his head. “Hey, Little Mustached Child, why are you here?” He asked, his voice shaky and low. Before she could answer, the air grew darker as footsteps could be heard. “Quick! Hide, Get out of Here!” Mustache Kid wasn’t about to question it, she simply slid under the low bookshelves, the gift box conveniently fitting through with her. Just in time too, as a shadowy figure entered the room. It had the same aura that the Matriarch gave off, but its figure was slightly deformed and monstrous. It was safe to assume that this was the Prince that she was referring to. His yellow eyes scanned the scene, panic present in them.

His head snapped towards the Wally as the frozen man panicked. “H-hello Best Friend! I was being clumsy and um, knocked it over-” He frantically tried to explain, as the shadow interrupted him. “You promised, you promised that you wouldn’t break any more stuff last time you broke these. You broke my things, gifts to you last week and you said, ‘Wally will fix that’, ‘Wally won’t break stuff again’. But did you live up to that? No nononono, you didn’t you just lied and lied, and you know how I HATE liars.” The Prince ranted, as the ice on Wally’s body consumed more of him. Mustache Kid watched as he was frozen completely and smashed to pieces by this raving lunatic. The shadows mad shrieks soon dissolved into tears, burying his head in his hands. Mustache Kid slowly crawled out of her hiding spot, placing the gift behind the sobbing mess. She then tried to tip toe her way out of the room before a voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Who are you?” The Prince spoke through sobs, as the girl turned to meet his gaze. She seemed to stammer quite a lot, obviously nervous. The royal’s gaze slowly drifted to the nicely wrapped gift between them, the sight swinging his mood straight into a happy delirium. “Did you bring this gift, a gift for me? I’m good enough for gifts?” He asked hopefully, pure joy blooming inside his chest when she had nodded. The Prince chuckled as he suddenly swooped both the box and Mustache Kid in his arms, straight to a bedroom. This caused the kid to become upset, not understanding why he was doing this. But, he simply placed her on a pile of pillows, as he ‘sat’(more along the lines of coiled on) the bed with the gift in his lap. As he tore open the wrapping, Mustache Kid looked around to determine her situation. Everyone but the two of them were frozen solid. Some of them are seals, cats, a lot of them Wallies. “Great, this might as well happen.” She mumbled, as she heard the Prince gasp in surprise. Well, she’s kind of stuck here, might as well find out what the gift was!

A pile of bacon. That was literally it. It wasn’t even good, all of it was charred to crispy charcoal. However, the Prince was very happy to receive this gift. He started scarfing it down quickly, as if as soon as he stopped it would be all gone. He then froze up suddenly. He could hear them. His friends, they were hungry too. They deserved this gift more than he did, and he’s just hogging it like the selfish friend he is. He doesn’t deserve such a nice thing as this, with how horrid he was being. Of course, Mustache Kid didn’t hear any of that. She just looked on in confusion as the Prince went around the room, trying to shove bacon down the ice statues’ throats. Though that went as well as you’d expect it to, as it either fell out (with the Prince eating it anyways) or it just stayed in the mouths of the frozen creatures around him. He made it to Mustache Kid, offering her a handful of burnt bacon. “Oh um, no thanks. I’ve already. Eaten on the way here you know and, snacks aren’t my thing?” She refused, thoughts of an elaborate escape plan flooding through her mind. The Prince sat back on the bed, facing away from everyone as he consumed the rest of the food on his plate. After he was done, he turned to Mustache Kid and held her hands in his freezing cold hands. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for this wonderful gift. I’ll cherish it, I’ll love it. Never forget it, thank you new friend!” He repeatedly thanked her, his breath hitching as he started to mumble incoherently to himself. He then stood upright, seeming to have snapped back into reality. “It seems like it’s getting dark! None of you, none of you are leaving, r-right? GOOD! Good, I guess that means that we can have a slumber party. You – YOU will join us, won’t you New Friend?” He asked the child, as ice started to form on her legs.

Mustache Kid sat on the pillow pile on the floor, bored out of her mind. Since her bombs are gone and this guy can freeze her in an instant, fighting her way out is out of the question. So is straight up running for the exit. For now, she just has to play along with it. However, the only entertainment right now was watching him start up conversations with the frozen people besides him. And even then it wasn’t really funny. Just sad. She would perk up whenever he spoke to her though. Mainly because he could kill her if she didn’t answer. “Oh, sure! I agree! No way!” After a long while of talking, the Prince stood up. “Okay everyone! I’ve gotten everything prepared for tonight! A nice view, snacks…wait. No, no snacks??” His head rotated 180 degrees (grossing the kid out a bit), facing the empty table meant for housing the refreshments. How could he forget? He should have thought this through! He has a new friend he needs to impress, and this is his first impression? A forgetful dumb stupid idiot who disappoints everyone he meets? He could feel the hateful stares burn up as he backed out of the room. “I’m, I’m going to go get the, snacks. Friend! New Friend, can you come with me?” He practically tugged Mustache Kid out of the room, and downstairs into the kitchen.

Mustache Kid gathered up what small amount of treats she could find in the abandoned cabinets on the table, as the Prince got ready the tea. A couple of crackers, and some preserved fruits. She turned to the Prince, who was shaking as he continuously stirred the tea. At the very least, he was a lot nicer than the Matriarch. “Not many snacks…are there?” She questioned, more out of concern for how he’s been living all this time. While she figured that ghosts don’t need to eat to live, it seemed to cause the Matriarch pain when she missed a meal, imagine living with only this. The Prince put the tea kettle on the tray, along with the cups, before answering. “Hang on, there’s more, I’ll get them.” He walked hurriedly to a hollow spot in the walls, before sliding it aside to reveal some bigger snacks, such as a bag of fish chips of the CC brand and a slice of velvet jelly cake. All of it seems to have been frozen to last, the velvet jelly was absolutely solid when he placed it on the table. Mustache Kid grabbed the snacks, as the Prince carried the tea tray upstairs. “By the way, I’m sorry for being so forgetful. It’s really awful on my part, I hope you can forgive me.” He told her, as they set the tea and snacks down. Of course she’d forgive him, it’s not like he has anything he needs to apologize for.

The night seemed to have gotten better. The two were now talking about law, and frankly hearing about this planets views on justice and law enforcement was pretty interesting. Until he got into the nitty gritty details of it. Not that it was boring, it was just the simple fact that they have all these policies and fallacies and such. But it isn’t complex! There are bad people who need to be arrested, like the Matriarch, whole there are good people who arrest the bad, like herself! Still, she listened intently to his rambles about law theory. Something the Prince isn’t used to! Usually when he rambles to people, they ignore him. It always made him feel like he didn’t matter but when he asked Mustache Kid if she was listening she actually responded! Mustache Kid took a sip of her tea, and grimaced. The tea was ice cold. Which was understandable since the person who made the tea could freeze things with his bare claw hands. But there was also the fact that she actually wasn’t a tea person. The Prince caught on to this. “Is there something wrong? Is it not good enough? I’m sorry I’ll make a new kettle if you hate it-“

“It’s good, it’s okay!” Mustache Kid assured him, almost becoming numb from the ice that had formed up to her knees. It was thin, luckily. She placed a hand on the Prince’s shoulder as he calmed down. “Oh, I’m sorry I just got worried and…” He eventually stopped talking as he leaned into her arms, humming as she petted his head. He liked this, it’s nice. She’s nice. Most of his other friends didn’t hug him like that, they didn’t even tell him nice things. He’s heard of BFFS, Best Friends Forever. Maybe people that nice are BFFs? The Prince never had enough friends to tell. He’ll need to hide her from Vanessa. She’ll come and burn him again, and maybe even burn his new BFF like everything other bit of happiness he hoarded. He didn’t want to think of that. Whenever he did his mind devolved into this dark place he can’t get out of. “So what’s the next event on our list of fun?” Mustache Kid asked, distracting the Prince from his thoughts. “A dance.”

#ahit #a hat in time #swap au #the prince #mustache kid #ahit au #ahit swap au #the matriarch

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jacksgreysays · 5 years ago

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Determined Clairvoyant, Misguided Knight brainstorm, (2020-05-29)

A/N: So I had a weird sleepless brainstorming/outlining binge last night, passed out and woke up to this chunk of nonsense...

I’ve been reading a lot of DCMK (Detective Conan and Magic Kaito) fic but also I am always a little bit thinking of DoS so my brain went:

Hey, Shisui and Shikako have very similar personalities to Kaito and Shinichi...

But Shisui is the detective and Shikako the thief.

And on the one hand, I was considering just translating it into the in Friendship Is A (Mutual) Con 'verse, such that Shisui is Interpol/FBI and ends up helping the crew because what they do is morally right even if it's not legal...

But it just wouldn’t be the same!

Also, for those who don’t know anything about DCMK, I’m not really using the Detective Conan premise (in which a famous teenage detective gets shrunken into a 6 year old and has to keep his identity secret while finding/dismantling the criminal organization that did this to him. In their defense(?) they were trying to kill him but used an “experimental poison.” They’re not going out of their way to randomly turn teenagers into kids... although there is another teenager that got turned into a kid by that same poison)

But it is interconnected to the Magic Kaito ‘verse (in which a teenager discovers that his dad didn’t die in an accident but was murdered by a mysterious criminal organization (possibly the same one as in Detective Conan? we’re not sure) because he used to be Phantom Thief KID who was searching for a magical jewel called Pandora that supposedly grants immortality because said mysterious criminal organization wants it for nefarious means. Also the teen and his dad are stage magicians and make their heists very flashy and fun)

Anyway, personality wise I was really feeling the Shikako = paranoid/logical Shinichi vs Shisui = flamboyant genius Kaito contrasting with their arguable respective roles as Shikako = chaotic neutral regular rule breaker and Shisui = lawful good believer of systems if not authority.

I was considering whether or not I wanted to transplant the characters into the DCMK setting, but seeing how that’s just (arguably) modern day Japan I was a little... the adapting would be more work than its worth when really all I wanted was thief!Shikako and detective!Shisui and I also, as previously mentioned, didn’t want to just insert Shisui into the Fia(M)C ‘verse.

So then I remembered this ficlet in which Danzo successfully became Hokage but a mysterious figure (ie Shikako) is working against him and I was like. Okay, but reluctant detective!Shisui having to try to capture insurrectionist thief!Shikako is hilarious. And I know Shisui isn’t actually KMP in canon, but Danzo is Hokage which means the situation is bleak and I kinda explain everything below anyway, so...

Enjoy?

shisui is one of the oldest uchiha in the village because everyone older than him was executed by danzo for their (supposed?) attempted coup

doesn't particularly want to be a detective, but he's the only one left

sharp-eyed shisui? it is both mocking his singular eye but also he does end up being pretty good at investigation

Itachi is clan head and also one of danzo’s busiest anbu (because danzo is creepy and weird) and he’s being run so ragged that shisui stepped up to do it since he vaguely remembers the KMP’s protocols and also, with one eye short, his combat effectiveness isn’t as reliable

He hates not being able to be back up for itachi, but until he figures out the depth perception thing, he’d be a liability

Itachi is the only one with both eyes (again, because danzo is creepy and weird)

every time one of his younger cousins activate their sharingan, they are forced to undergo surgery because danzo harvests one eye from each of them

sasuke is the next upcoming kid

hikaku/sai was the most recent

Shikako is working reverse chronologically to restore eyeballs because they’re not exactly labeled but she knows the newest eye goes to the most recent activator.

This is how she gets hikaku/sai’s immediate loyalty (he has both eyes, but still hides one under his eyepatch/headband because if you can’t passive aggressively use danzo’s tricks against him then what’s the point? )

((also, it’s a real good dramatic reveal of how shikako gets shisui to trust her because he’s like “you’re stealing my family’s eyeballs and turning my little cousin into your spy” and then hikaku/sai just flips up his eyepatch and blinks both eyes at shisui and he just. “well, that was literally the only argument i had”))

Oh, the age of graduation is lower in canon because danzo doesn’t believe in coddling kids and also “back in my day” nonsense, so sasuke is maybe around 8?

kakashi is, like, a weird sticking point. he's the only non-danzo adult that has a sharingan and, hey, he's also only got just the one, but shisui also remembers the elders being a little weird about him so :shrugs:

I should figure out what to do with him, tbh

i mean, i know Shikako helps Naruto escape/evade ANBU capture because Danzo was going to turn him into a “proper jinchuuriki weapon” so maybe she throws him at Kakashi and is like “BABY SITTING DUTY FOR YOU, SAD STRING BEAN”

and there’s also Tenzo/Yamato to consider here

at first the thefts are random but escalating: old mission reports, the sandaime's novelty(?) crystal ball, the hokage's hat, the sword of the thunder god, etc, etc

then it becomes directed: sharingan eyes

Shadow Thief Shikako is here to make things real difficult for danzo

while shisui is trying really hard not to get smitten (even though she’s stealing his family’s eyeballs! but he guesses better than in danzo’s possession? he’s very conflicted emotionally and very stressed and also a teenager), shikako is recruiting allies for her coup

She needs to make a deal with the devil… Kabuto? For the medical expertise in how to re-implant all the sharingan she’s stealing?

He does spy on behalf of who he thinks is the strongest, and shikako is v strong by this point

Although, the whole concept of “you were the first person i ever wanted to murder” “you flatter me” is kind of funny

What is going on with orochimaru in this timeline?

For that matter, what’s going on with the other sannin?

hyuuga have weird feelings about the whole one eye stolen thing, branch family in particular because on the one hand: DOJUTSU/BLOODLINE THEFT is literally their big nono. But they do like being the strongest clan in the village now.

Is neji’s dad still alive? When did danzo become hokage? Is it before or after Hinata’s near kidnapping?

Ibiki, anko, aoba -- gotta figure out what’s going on there

Does aoba not have the crow summons since shisui is still alive?

Is aoba a surprise half uchiha?

Unsure how bleak i want things to be for the Nara clan. They definitely don’t like things, but i’m not sure if they’re also largely killed off, just shikaku, or just yoshino…… unless Shikamaru has been taken as Danzo’s apprentice/ROOT?

Something also has to have happened to the akimichi and yamanaka tho, in order to justify/reflect it

Team 10 is essentially being held hostage. Shikako has to “steal” them from Danzo in order to get the ANY clans’ cooperation

they’re allowed to visit their family once a week in order to get clan training, but it’s on different days from each other so the other two are still within ROOT’s grasp and the one who is visiting their family knows not to step out of line

Shikamaru has been trying really hard to help him and his teammates escape, but he’s only eight years old. I’m but a boy. I’m just a boy

There is a war.

I’ve decided this.

It’s the only way to make sense of why danzo is still in charge without him having killed a ludicrous number of people (more than he’s already killed, that is)

There is a war and that’s where the majority of the loudest dissenters are sent (inuzuka, aburame, gai, etc) and because they are always out on the front lines they don’t know how bad it actually is at home

Mist rebellion peeps?

Zabuza and Haku are still alive at this time, i guess

Terumi Mei--is there even a mist rebellion at this time or are they too busy with the war, too?

… Gelel/Sand?

look, magical gems are the crux of Magic Kaito and I know I’ve replaced them with Sharingan eyes, but still. If there’s a magical gem I feel like I’m obligated to at least mention it

also, Shinichi in Detective Conan ends up with, like, the most ludicrous allies over the course of the series. He is a--as far as anyone else knows--a 6 year old Japanese boy with connections to the American FBI. That’s nuts! So Shikako having allies with Mist or Sand isn’t too far outside feasibility in comparison

A/N: So... in theory I would like to come back to this and actually write it--because as far as sleepless brainstorming sessions go, this one is fairly coherent--but just in case I don’t, I figure people would enjoy this mess of an outline anyway. And it’s nice to have notes for later.

Title is, unsurprisingly, my attempt to make the letters DCMK apply to Shikako and Shisui. On the one hand, I know the quote is “and angry Aburame, a focused Inuzuka, and a motivated Nara” but I kiiiinda misremembered wrong and thought it was “determined,” fell in love with Shisui as the “misguided knight” and then only after went back to check and realized that it should’ve been “motivated”

Ah well

#jacksgreyson #fanfiction #brainstorm #outline #incomplete #dreaming of sunshine #detective conan #magic kaito #shikako nara's guide to delinquency and military insurrection #determined clairvoyant misguided knight #shikako nara #shisui uchiha

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very-grownup · 4 years ago

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The Year is 2020 and I Watched Neon Genesis Evangelion for the First Time, Part 2

Episode 8.

Misato takes a bunch of teen boys out on a military rendezvous thing because she is at the point in her life where they are the only ones who think she is cool and don't judge her for her terrible lifestyle and alcoholism.

We meet a new friend, Asuka, who has red hair and is German (to contrast with Rei who has blue hair and is Japanese). She establishes her dominance by slapping teen boys and refusing to be embarrassed when the wind blows her dress over her head. She thinks Shinji sucks because he has poor self-esteem and empathy is hard and society does not have an understanding place for teen boys who manifest their issues through passive depression. She has an EVA and she loves getting in the robot because it is cool and powerful and strong. Her EVA is red which does make it objectively the coolest of the giant robots so far. She comes with her own inappropriate adult guardian named Kaji who has poor boundaries, does nothing to deter her crush on him. Kaji sabotages Misato as an authority figure by flirting with her and alluding to a sexual history. I guess it makes sense because fourteen is a prime age to begin noticing people sexually and the combination of that and the adolescent desire of the tantalizingly distant adulthood makes that one hot, relatively young teacher you have a fascinating source of fantasy.

All of the boats are named after Shakespeare plays except for the one called "Over the Rainbow". I like this.

This is the first episode where I notice Shinji is referred to as something which the subtitles have decided to call the "Third Children" so that I know these are bad subtitles that would rather be literal than good even though this is my first time watching the series!

A majestic sea pancake with teeth attacks from the water and basically all these ships are fucked and probably a lot of sailors die and Asuka gets in the robot and makes Shinji also get in the robot because she wants him to know how cool her robot is.

Asuka seems like the kind of girl who doesn't expect her peers to like her and who will pursue the approval of cool adults instead and doesn't mind not being friends with her peers as long as they fear/admire her because those are more reliable feelings than friendship.

Kaji /fucks off/ while the boat is under attack because he's not actually here to protect Asuka and these teens AND the giant robots are super disposable. Misato briefly thinks he's going to be helpful before realizing he's ditching. I feel like that's probably a lot of their dynamic - Kaji letting Misato down even though each time he shows up part of her thinks maybe he won't suck. This is probably Misato's relationship with a lot of people. There's a reason she drinks.

There's a cool underwater fight scene which is also a city destroying fight scene because the cities of the 20th century are underwater due to Incidents. They refer to the power plug and the cord Asuka's robot is attached to as the umbilical cord and hey I hate that. The only two remaining battleships get fucking jammed into the sea pancake's mouth simultaneously like hotdogs and then blow up and that's considered a win. /So many sailors are dead from this incident/.

Kaji fucking ditched to bring Shinji's dad a briefcase with some fucking space blob DNA encased in a fancy casserole dish and they refer to it as Adam and fuck you know nothing good ever comes from things named Adam. This concludes my report on Episode 8 of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Episode 9 and 10 behind the cut.

Episode 9.

Asuka hates being in Japan and all her peers hate that she's in Japan. Asuka derives her self-worth from excelling at something she is used to having no competition in (piloting a giant robot) and being homesick just pushes that need harder. Shinji is upset because Asuka's aggressive and enthusiastic approach to the thing he is most frightened of makes him feel like less of a man and also less grownup. Also she has boobs and he is fourteen and girls existing is maybe as distressing as giant robots.

Someone in this episode realizes that having fourteen-year-olds pilot the giant robots is both a stupid and embarrassing decision when Shinji and Asuka's poor teamwork cause an Angel to duplicate itself which is the opposite of giant robots.

There is a lot of giant robot slapstick in this episode and it's very good and I laughed.

Kaji has stuck around to sexually harass Misato and make her workplace awful and make everyone, including Misato, not take his harassment seriously because they used to date so it's not harassment it's just falling into an old bad habit and it's depressingly realistic.

Misato is made entirely responsible for Asuka and Shinji's slapstick failure even though Asuka is supposedly Kaji's responsibility. She comes up with a very stupid plan to help them synchronize via DDR and being humiliated in front of their peers. Humiliating teens IS funny. But it also feels cruel when you consider Misato is the closest thing to an ally Shinji has. How much of Misato's poor decision making (with respect to the kids' emotional wellbeing) is a result of Misato living her best worst life and how much is the result of Misato being stressed out and doubting herself and her decisions and so much else because of Kaji's constant negging and flirtatious presence? She's already in over her head with the Shinji situation.

Shinji and Asuka are forced to live together in Misato's tiny shitty apartment and do everything together and in tandem and it's mostly a comical training montage of how much they hate each other.

There's a night when they're alone and they steal the opportunity for privacy. Asuka sleepwalks onto Shinji's futon and she still has boobs and Shinji is still 14 and he moves in to kiss her while she's asleep, until he realizes she's crying for her mother in her sleep. He removes himself from temptation, realizing that Asuka's just a fucked up kid, too. But it's a realization that comes with resentment: he wanted that fantasy of the peer who is also a sexy, confident grown up because it makes Asuka both an aspirational power fantasy figure and a sexual fantasy and if she's just a messed up kid like Shinji she can't be either.

It's sad because the whole episode encapsulates how NERV is failing these kids as well as why. Misato makes Shinji and Asuka figure out how to synchronize and work together but in a bad shitty way where they don't really understand each other because this is the military. Misato's job is to defeat the Angels and doing that efficiently and quickly takes priority over Shinji and Asuka's well-being as individuals. So, it works in the moment, but they aren't any closer to each other or understanding each other. There is no /time/ for empathy.

Their synchronized battle at the end of the episode against the duplicated monster is visually very cool and exciting and dynamic and a great sixty seconds of animation and it's clearly mostly a light gag episode to support the resources going to those sixty seconds. But that's sort of sad too, isn't it? This concludes my report on Episode 9 of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Episode 10.

Okay so we started Beastars which has some really gorgeous use of colour that manages to echo the distinctive and striking style of the manga while being very much its own thing and we end the night with Madoka where tonight were time loop death pacts, so the Evangelion episode kind of got overwhelmed.

There's an Angel egg in the depths of an active volcano and Asuka's giant robot has to be put in an adorable space suit so as not to be crushed/melted by the pressure. Asuka's got a box to trap the egg in. I think they want to get the egg out of the volcano because if it hatches in the volcano it'll explode but they don't seem to have a plan for what to do with the egg if they manage to remove it from the volcano (they don't, obviously; egg hatches and has way too much mouth).

The main takeaway is that Shinji's dad is 100% ready to fucking nuke his son if it's necessary to stop the volcano from volcanoing with the Angel? I'm not actually clear on this point, but I am clear that Commander Ikari will nuke his son, possibly for many reasons.

It ends with Misato taking the kids to a hot spring because they couldn't go on their class trip to Okinawa (even though surely all the beaches are radioactive?). Surprisingly, you do not see the ladies in the hot spring, although Shinji gets a boner hearing Misato admire Asuka's breasts and skin. A penguin is the first creature to see Shinji's erect penis. This concludes my report on Episode 10 of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

#neon genesis evangelion report

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didanawisgi · 4 years ago

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Anatomy of a Sheepdog

Book Excerpt; Grossman, D., with Christensen, L., On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace, WSG Research Publications, 2004.

Reprinted countless times. Feel free to distribute as long as you attribute Lt. Col. Dave Grossman as the author and that it is an excerpt from his book, On Combat.

On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs (From the book, On Combat, by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman)

“Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?” - William J. Bennett In a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997

“One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: “Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another. Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million. Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep. I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin’s egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators. “Then there are the wolves,” the old war veteran said, “and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.” Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial. “Then there are sheepdogs,” he went on, “and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.” Or, as a sign in one California law enforcement agency put it, “We intimidate those who intimidate others.” If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen: a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath–a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? Then you are a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero’s path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed. The gift of aggression

“What goes on around you… compares little with what goes on inside you.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everyone has been given a gift in life. Some people have a gift for science and some have a flair for art. And warriors have been given the gift of aggression. They would no more misuse this gift than a doctor would misuse his healing arts, but they yearn for the opportunity to use their gift to help others. These people, the ones who have been blessed with the gift of aggression and a love for others, are our sheepdogs. These are our warriors. One career police officer wrote to me about this after attending one of my Bulletproof Mind training sessions: “I want to say thank you for finally shedding some light on why it is that I can do what I do. I always knew why I did it. I love my [citizens], even the bad ones, and had a talent that I could return to my community. I just couldn’t put my finger on why I could wade through the chaos, the gore, the sadness, if given a chance try to make it all better, and walk right out the other side.” Let me expand on this old soldier’s excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial; that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids’ schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid’s school. Our children are dozens of times more likely to be killed, and thousands of times more likely to be seriously injured, by school violence than by school fires, but the sheep’s only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their children is just too hard, so they choose the path of denial. The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn’t tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, “Baa.” Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog. As Kipling said in his poem about “Tommy” the British soldier:

While it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, fall be'ind,” But it’s “Please to walk in front, sir,” when there’s trouble in the wind, There’s trouble in the wind, my boys, there’s trouble in the wind, O it’s “Please to walk in front, sir,” when there’s trouble in the wind.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001, when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero? Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones. Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, “Thank God I wasn’t on one of those planes.” The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, “Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference.” When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference. While there is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, he does have one real advantage. Only one. He is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population. There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory acts of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself. However, when there were cues given by potential victims that indicated they would not go easily, the cons said that they would walk away. If the cons sensed that the target was a “counter-predator,” that is, a sheepdog, they would leave him alone unless there was no other choice but to engage. One police officer told me that he rode a commuter train to work each day. One day, as was his usual, he was standing in the crowded car, dressed in blue jeans, T-shirt and jacket, holding onto a pole and reading a paperback. At one of the stops, two street toughs boarded, shouting and cursing and doing every obnoxious thing possible to intimidate the other riders. The officer continued to read his book, though he kept a watchful eye on the two punks as they strolled along the aisle making comments to female passengers, and banging shoulders with men as they passed. As they approached the officer, he lowered his novel and made eye contact with them. “You got a problem, man?” one of the IQ-challenged punks asked. “You think you’re tough, or somethin’?” the other asked, obviously offended that this one was not shirking away from them. “As a matter of fact, I am tough,” the officer said, calmly and with a steady gaze. The two looked at him for a long moment, and then without saying a word, turned and moved back down the aisle to continue their taunting of the other passengers, the sheep. Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I’m proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs. Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, “Let’s roll,” which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers–athletes, business people and parents–from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground. “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”

“There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men.” - Edmund Burke Reflections on the Revolution in France

Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn’t have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.

If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior’s path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door. For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to slaughter you and your loved ones. I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, “I will never be caught without my gun in church.” I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a police officer he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas, in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down 14 people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy’s body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?” Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for “heads to roll” if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids’ school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them. Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?” The warrior must cleanse denial from his thinking. Coach Bob Lindsey, a renowned law enforcement trainer, says that warriors must practice “when/then” thinking, not “if/when.” Instead of saying,“If it happens then I will take action,” the warrior says, “When it happens then I will be ready.” It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up. Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: You didn’t bring your gun; you didn’t train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by fear, helplessness, horror and shame at your moment of truth. Chuck Yeager, the famous test pilot and first man to fly faster than the speed of sound, says that he knew he could die. There was no denial for him. He did not allow himself the luxury of denial. This acceptance of reality can cause fear, but it is a healthy, controlled fear that will keep you alive:

“I was always afraid of dying. Always. It was my fear that made me learn everything I could about my airplane and my emergency equipment, and kept me flying respectful of my machine and always alert in the cockpit.” - Brigadier General Chuck Yeager Yeager, An Autobiography

Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation:

“..denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn’t so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling. Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level.”

And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes. If you are a warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be “on” 24/7 for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself… “Baa.” This business of being a sheep or a sheepdog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-grass sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.”

#sheepdog #wolves #ideology #ideological possession #philosophy #sheepdog vs. wolf #the problem of violence

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taromilkmagic · 5 years ago

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Notes: Cursed Child NY 27 November 2019

My first time watching CC was in Melbourne during previews, and I had an amazing time. A few months later I absorbed myself in the cc fandom here and on twitter and I became more and more obsessed with the incredible casts and crew that are a part of this amazing production all over the world. So yesterday, I finally treated myself to a second viewing of HPCC, but this time with NY Cast 2. I was taking frantic notes in between parts because I wanted to unpack and reflect over it, but when I first saw the play I wasn’t as absorbed into the fandom, so there may be things that are obvious that I’m finding new. Anyway if you’re interested in reading my thoughts on this cast/performance and how I found it different to Melbourne I’ve dumped a rant below...

Part One

Act 1

Nick Albus looking at his family and smiling, so excitedly, when they are about to enter platform 9 3/4, is everything I need in my life. But it really is heartbreaking to watching Albus’s progression from excited and hopeful to isolated and resentful.

Everyone in the background at the station is captivated by Matt Ron’s trick. This time around, I noticed that they are all incredibly grossed out when Ron plucks Lily’s ‘nose’ from his behind (accompanied by a loud fart noise), simultaneously leaning away from the Potters and Granger-Weasleys. It’s these little extra details that really lift the comedy in the show for me.

Bubba Scorpius is anxious and tense, but in a quiet/soft way. While I remember Will having very frantic nervous energy, Bubba is much more reserved and closed in on himself—both emotionally, but also physically. He is permanently hunched over and withdrawn, and his movements are smaller—not as wild— and stiffer than Will McKenna’s (James Snyder does a good approximation of this in the Polyjuice scene). When Scorpius is being sorted, he clenches and unclenches his hands. Then, when the sorting hat declares SLYTHERIN! he slowly closes his eyes. Rather than going ‘oh, as expected!’ like Will does with his head tilt and eye-roll, Bubba Scorp seems a combination of relieved and resigned.

As a sidenote, Bubba was staring emptily in my direction at the start of third year while taking to Albus. So I was a crying mess, but I also felt extremely uncomfortable because it felt like he was looking directly at me with his sad eyes 😂

Something that struck me about Nadia’s and Jenny’s Rose and Hermione: the similarities in how they carry themselves and the way they speak. They both radiate fast-paced Type A energy and you can tell that Rose is every bit like Hermione by her brisk mannerisms and alert eyes.

Jenny’s Hermione has a mischievous streak that isn’t as obvious in Paula’s drier, authoritative Hermione (disclaimer: I love them both). In Harry’s office, the toffee line is sung in an enticing tone. Tof-fee? Translation: Are you sure you don’t want one? Apparently, Jenny was quieter than usual during this performance, but I have to say that I didn’t notice this at all. As my first introduction to her Hermione she was both vibrant and funny.

Nick Albus and Bubba Scorp are much more tactile than Will and Sean (at least compared to when I saw the Melbourne cast in previews). Some moments that stood out — Nick touches Bubba’s shoulders and back a LOT, including on the train at the start of their third year, and then at the start of fourth year when he escapes Rose’s efforts to (re) befriend him and plunges into Scorpius’ train compartment.

Another instance of cute Bubba-Nick Scorbusness in the visit to St Oswald’s. Scorpius stands directly behind Albus, turned toward the audience and away from Amos, for most of the conversation. He flinches away several times when Amos is talking, essentially sheltering behind Albus. Have I talked enough about how Bubba’s Scorpius really is adorably awkward? When Albus earnestly assures Amos that they know about the danger they’re about to embark on, Scorpius leans in to Albus and says “Do weee?” Albus turns around, and Scorpius immediately spins around and peers at the wall details—he even squeaks Oh LoOk!! (*in small twitter font). Overall, Bubba Scorp feels vulnerable—more vulnerable than Will!Scorp, who is a bit of a drama queen at times—and must be protected at all costs.

Right before drinking his Polyjuice, Bubba did his trademark forehead shzzzzap, and it was art.

Act 2

When Albus and Scorpius decide that Delphi should not travel back to the first task with them, and Delphi is storming off after kissing Albus, Sara and Bubba do that thing where they both almost run into each other and block each other, then feint/dodge in the same direction as each other twice. Bubba Scorp says “OHkay!” in an exasperated voice before going around her. It was an incredibly awkward and funny moment and you could feel the tension between Scorpius and Delphi.

The Edge of the Forest scene was beautiful, as always. I didn’t notice this but at stage-door Nick told me that he stuttered and struggled to say “Look-L-look its-look it’s Hogwarts.” And then he said that Bubba was side-eyeing him like >_> the whole time. Bubba definitely seems like the sort of person who would passive-aggressively judge you at your worst moments, but I love him anyway.

Interestingly, the lighting is different here compared to the Melbourne production. The theatre is lit up with soft golden lights which make it sort of look like golden hour, casting everything in a comforting glow. In the Princess theatre, they go for a more literal Hogwarts-through-the-trees, with gorgeous dappled shadows on vibrant blue and orange stained glass windows. Both of these work wonderfully.

In Dragons, James Romney’s Slytherin student being in the wrong House section and having to squish through everyone was very funny. Kevin Reyes as [Craig Bowker Sr?] was doing something funny in the crowd during the first task as well but I can’t remember it for the life of me sadly. But it made me realise how amazing and constantly on point every single member of the cast is, even when the spotlight isn’t on them. Sitting in row D was a massive change from being in the balcony in Melbourne, and it made me realise and appreciate the actors who are carrying out their own stories in the background.

Nick’s Albus looks both a little put out and surprised when Hogwarts’ audience has a mixed response to Harry in the first task.

Interestingly, James Brown III’s Bane is more human than horse here than Melbourne Bane (MelBane?), who would neigh and snort every few sentences. The only horse noise he makes is a loud snort as he backed away into the shadows.

Albus was having nightmares in the hospital wing during Harry’s conversation with Dumbledore. Several times, he mumbles “Dad?” in his sleep as he tosses and turns. It’s actually kind of heartbreaking.

James Synder and Nick Podany both pretend to eat the chocolate. The chocolate itself is fake and a Lie. I just thought everyone should know that.

There is a noticeable difference between Paula’s Hermione and Jenny’s Hermione in the first AU, particularly the DADA classroom. Jenny is much more aggressive and explosive, getting in Ravenclaw girl’s face with a loud nOOO??!!? Her soft, dangerously cold voice was terrifying and a different take to Paula’s terse, irritated, authoritative tone. This AU Hermione seems angry and vindictive, rather than just disillusioned and bitter. In Melbourne, Paula presented her AU Hermione as a possible version of the same person—someone who could grow more and more unhappy with the world over the years. Jenny’s AU Hermione was different; her energy simply felt so wrong and at odds with her usual character, and I think this performance emphasised how unnatural and completely off the new timeline itself is. It definitely made me empathise with how shocked and bewildered Albus would have been, and it reminded me of my experience reading the script for the first time as it gradually dawned on me how messed up the timeline had actually become.

Staircase Ballet in New York made me just as emotional as it did in Melbourne. I don’t think that scene will ever get old for me. Bubba did some incredible face-acting that I was glad to be able to see from my seat. His Scorpius really looks completely broken and despondent as he stares downwards and then, later, at Albus.

Sara’s Delphi is soft (wait what?? I know...) when she speaks to Scorpius about him and Albus. Madeleine Jones had more of a “silly billy, of course you should just talk to him, he’s your best friend!!” big sister vibe when I saw her in Melbourne—gentle, but talking down a little bit (still in a friendly way). This Delphi is much softer, which only makes the reveal more shocking and upsetting when she later reveals her real motives.

Bubba Scorp blowing Polly Chapman a kiss twice in a row to distract her from Delphi under his cloak was so LOUD and breathy and cringe that I may have died from second-hand embarrassment.

The library confrontation! Incredible! @lumoshyperion observed something about Melbourne’s Louis!Scorp in her (incredibly detailed and poetic) review/recap, where he falters and holds himself back at the end of each sentence or phrase during the library confrontation. This was definitely true of Bubba as well! He would sort of trail off and fade away as he spoke, rather than crescendoing continuously to a shout.

When McGonagall came into the library and the two boys were hiding, Nick SKIDDED across the stage and FELL flat on his face, knocking a chair over. It looked really painful and I was like 😶. I asked him about this at SD after, and he said he was okay but that he and Bubba immediately started laughing while they were hiding under the invisibility cloak. After McGonagall left, Bubba casually put the chair back up right before he sat down.

The two boys were both vigorously wiping their eyes during the library confrontation. When Nick hugged Bubba, Bubba made a 😬 and stuck his arms out straight.

When Draco said “The girls’ bathroom on the third floo...ooorwhat on earth would they be doing there.......”, it was so ridiculously deadpan and disappointed and exasperated all at once. I haven’t written many notes on him but Jonno truly is an amazing Draco.

Being from a close seat this time, I was able to see the second task. It definitely didn’t look like a projection this time and that made it feel much more dynamic and engaging.

Bubba Scorp gets immediately self-conscious after the “Consider me engorg-impressed” joke and steps quickly back from Albus and the sink (where he was casually leaning), wrapping his robes around him tightly.

Lauren Myrtle was hilarious as I assume is usual. Lauren’s Myrtle did that thing where she poked at Harry with her foot with every word she said. He flinched back every time, it was hilarious. Diane did a full flinch and staggered back four feet from Myrtle’s hISSSS.

Lauren looked upside down—DIRECTLY at Albus—when she said the “....and BOYS” line, and Albus immediately started fidgeting with his hair, with his hands behind his head. HE KNOWS THAT SHE KNOWS. In general, Lauren’s Myrtle was just as hilarious as Gillian, although a lot growlier. There was, as there was in Melbourne, a large round of applause as the second task began, presumably for Myrtle!

I realise I have zero notes about any of the 'adult’ characters but they are just all-around excellence anyway so there’s not that much to say. Matt Mueller is a fantastic Ron, but very different to Gyton. He’s just as cheesy and cheerful, but not as jolly and laidback (if that makes sense...it’s a little hard to describe). Diane Davis as Ginny is Soft™, and very clearly understanding and caring. It’s easy to see that Harry depends on her as a source of advice, wisdom and emotional support. She generally doesn’t “roar” like Lucy Goleby’s Ginny does, so when she shouts it tends to come out in one angry punch—i.e. “My son is missing!” “SO is MINE!” (as opposed to SO!!! IS!!! MINE!!!!). As for James Snyder’s Harry, his anger and frustration in the alternate timeline is scarily believable, and it’s upsetting to see how it affects Albus and Ginny. It made me think of Angery Harry in Order of the Phoenix (I’m not @ing the people who say Cursed Child Harry is OOC, but...maybe I am). His American accent popped in a few times, but I barely noticed it and he was such an incredible Harry that I did not care in the slightest. The woman next to me was marvelling at how much he resembled Daniel Radcliffe, but to me this wasn’t even a fraction of why he felt like an authentic and well portrayed Harry.

Part Two

I have much less notes for Part 2. Part of this is because I was too much of a weepy mess being swept up by the art of Bubba and Nick’s Scorbus and part of it is because my phone died. I hope you enjoy what I DO have though!

Act 3

After being assigned this investigation, I can report that I am pretty sure I saw Bubba drool (?????) in the Dark AU office scene and I don’t know why or how or what... I didn’t even know this was a thing that happened on the daily but yes, yes it did. If anyone can provide more information on this... And yes, Bubba did look amazing in the Dark AU outfit. Thank you for the warning. I was still unprepared.

Spinella Snape was great! He has the deep voice down, and the dryness was Dry. Something interesting that happened in the Snape classroom scene is after he opens the secret passage in the chalkboard, Snape takes Scorp by the shoulders and gently guides him toward it. It’s a surprisingly protective and ~mentorly~ action and it reminded me a little of Snape getting in front of the Golden Trio in the PoA movie. ~Obviously~, Snape is a terrible person. But I guess he’s also capable of looking out for others! Stephen Spinella did an incredible job at actually endearing his character to me.

Ron fumbling with the wand for ages before pointing it at Scorp in the Dark AU. Unlike Gyton (and the script), Matt didn’t point it at himself this time. But he fumbled with his jacket a ridiculous amount before finding his wand and it got a lot of laughs, including from me!

Bubba was so out of breath after getting out of the pool that he had to take a long pause between the first “Harry!!!!” And “HARRRYYY POTTERRRR!”

Fiona Reid’s Petunia, in the graveyard scene, was visibly emotional. You could hear her voice getting choked up as she thought about Lily. I didn’t pick this up the first time I watched the show, but here I got it and I even teared up a little.

The jump scare GOT ME.

During the Slytherin Dorm scene, Bubba Scorp leaned over the top of Albus’ bed and yelled directly over his face to wake him up. This was both hilarious and adorable. And Malfoy the Unanxious: this whole scene was pure gold. Bubba doing weird hip-swaying dances in the air on tippy toes. Bubba waving his hands in weird and wild gesticulations (a contrast accentuated by how stiff and closed up he was prior to this). Aaah. He must be protected at all costs.

Bubba said the ‘It’s time that time turning became a thing of the past” line very solemnly, and leaning in very close to Albus’s face (!) rather than standing (sitting?) next to him and gesturing proudly, which is what I remember from Melbourne. It’s an interesting take and a more serious one. It’s also more Scorbusy, so I’m not complaining.

When Harry and Ginny and Draco walk in on Ron and Hermione kissing, Diane Ginny said OH! really loudly and, without a pause in her stride, immediately circled around and started to leave 😂

Jonno Draco acted so disgruntled when Specialis Revelio didn’t work. It was hilarious how grumpy he sounded when he said it was worth a try

Sara’s Delphini was much more menacing than I remember from Melbourne. I think what Madeleine did great in Melbourne is make Delphini seem like Ralph Fiennes’s Voldemort — powerful, ambitious, confident, a little bit dramatic. She DECLARED her lines: it was very Shakespearean. Sara was more sneaky and sinister. You get a sense of how she easily tricked Albus and Scorpius. Also, when she was mocking Albus for being naive, she did the little leg-kick dance that she did when she was saying he was becoming quite some wizard. I don’t remember if this is something that always happens with her or with other casts, but this is the first time I was paying close enough attention to notice it and I got CHILLS at the return. Sara’s Delphini is just that sinister and bone-chillingly terrifying.

Act 4

I have a lot of Feelings about Part 4, but not many details, sadly. Mostly because I was too absorbed by the incredible acting by everyone on stage.

James Snyder jumped around a lot when he said “Clever boy left me a message!” and it was such a pure and adorable move compared to his previous Angst that the audience laughed and cheered.

Jonno was wiping his eyes a LOT in the scene in Harry’s office. Several times, as Draco spoke about Astoria and her death, he got so choked up that he had to pause and take a breath before going on. It was a teary scene for all involved and a great testament to Jonno’s acting ability.

Since we’re on Jonno, his delivery of “Look at the thatched roofs.......and......is that a farmer’s market?” SENT ME. He genuinely sounded kind of intrigued, interested and hopeful. I guess Joward Draco isn’t the only one who loves a good farmer’s market.

When Draco and Scorpius hugged in Godric’s Hollow, they hugged for a long time. He held onto Scorpius for a long time after, repeatedly craning his neck to be closer and holding him close as if afraid to let go again. Throughout subsequent scenes, Jonno kept his hand firmly on Bubba’s arm/inner elbow. You can see how shaken Draco was at losing Scorpius, and how fiercely protective he is now that he has his son back.

When Nick hugged Diane from her side, sitting on the bench in St Jerome’s, he knocked her down a little and she said oH! as she lost her balance. It was such a spontaneous moment and showcased the bond between Albus and his mum.

In the second to last scene, and perhaps most importantly in this entire recap...When Nick Albus says: “You better ask Rose if that’s the right thing to do!” (in response to “this new version of us”), Bubba keeps his hands firmly gripped on Nick’s arms, and stares at his face for a full three seconds before going “oh-ahaha...yeah!” and laughing awkwardly. Then, when he goes off and the stairs start spinning to bring Nick into the Nice Day scene, Nick keeps his head facing to the side where Bubba had exited—Albus’ gaze lingering distantly on Scorpius. Not saying Scorbus is canon (I really am), but Bubba Scorp’s last scene presented him as a very believable Confused Bisexual.

Finally: Nick and James rushing into a hug right as the lights went down.

“We almost broke like four times” — Nicholas Podany, 2019, on his scenes with Bubba. We are so blessed to have them.

#ccsquad #harry potter and the cursed child #cursed child #cursedchildnyc #albus potter #scorpius malfoy #scorbus #nick podany #bubba weiler #jonno roberts #draco the penguin #nadia brown #cursed child review #broadway #jenny jules

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anarkhebringer · 5 years ago

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hi i'm back, can i get some more modern felix stuff please? just anything you can think of would be perfect!

Hiiiii nonny, welcome back~~~

But anyway yee, you may have a lot of random modern Felix stuffs. I’m always happy to deliver. I’m gonna try to not make it too long, but it’s already a mile long now by the time I’ve made most of the main points so I might as well just roll with it a bit. This is definitely gonna be a very long read.

Living with his aunt for the number of years he has eventually led him to developing an occasional southern drawl when he speaks, since his aunt has one. It’s a very rare thing though, and almost never happens. When it does though, he HATES IT.

The influences on his speaking from his aunt mostly shows in his wording of things, since sometimes when he gets spirited about something he says “y’all” and such all the time. One time when Sylvain was just being Sylvain, and neither Felix nor Ashe could calm him, Felix just muttered “y’all’re gonna bleed me dry someday…” Sylvain and Ashe thought it was the cutest fuckin’ thing, and Sylvain calmed down after that. Neither mentioned the drawl though since they quickly learned from hearing stories that Felix will get really pissed if you tease him about it or even mention it too much for his tastes. Which is just mentioning it at all.

He’s not easily scared at all, but just walking past him wrong can make him jolt from being startled sometimes. That’s something from his traumas that’s finally starting to come to the forefront that couldn’t before, since he could suppress everything that hindered his progress in combat, but he can’t do that anymore.

He’s gotten to be a person who can really enjoy his leisure due to his really deep dive into depression that happened after he got his ability to be in combat taken away from him. He and Linhardt could have had a competition to see who can fall asleep while standing up and stay standing the longest. He has medication that helps keep him awake enough to not be able to do that anymore though, but he has really bad insomnia now as a result of his completely chaotic and inconsistent sleeping schedule. His stress wrinkles in the inner corners of his eyes are completely covered by the dark circles under them now that really shows his wear and exhaustion.

He won’t at all complain if he’s given a task to do by someone that isn’t in his household, and it’ll keep his mind active and keep his mood in a positive place if he isn’t overworked. He does get drained way easier now though if what he’s asked to do involves socializing or interacting with anyone in any way too much.

When he’s drained socially, he becomes very aggressive and unstable. He’ll get like he used to be and completely isolate, and lash out if you interrupt what he’s doing and you don’t want to actively participate. He’d still get mad that you interrupted him though, and he probably won’t let you participate unless you’re among a certain handful of people.

Ashe and Claude are the only two people who don’t mentally drain him whatsoever, and he could see them literally every day if they wanted to do that. Ashe because Felix cares for him so much, and Claude because they’re so similar. He and Claude don’t drain each other because they can go literal months without speaking, then pick up on what they left off on like they only stopped talking for a day or two. Same with Ashe, though Felix becomes slightly noticeably more down and sad when he doesn’t see Ashe for too long a timespan.

He has a secret love of cuddling, and also hides his full support of platonic PDA, cuddling, and even kisses and such if there’s enough mutual trust between the ones involved. He’s very touch-averse and sensitive to others touching him, so he only really lets Ashe, Claude, and Sylvain touch him to show affection. Only Ashe can do much, and he only really tolerates Sylvain’s occasional one-armed hugs or quick pats on the shoulder as he walks by. Ashe however can hug him (after making his desires to do so known of course), hold his arms, and even his hands, since Ashe is the kind to show affection by physical means whenever he’s allowed to do so. They even cuddle at night when Ashe stays overnight at his apartment.

He actually lets Sylvain cuddle with him too when Sylvain really needs the affection during hard times, though he never returns it unless he does so while he’s asleep. It’s become a comforting thing to wake up to, feeling the warmth of Sylvain against him and his arms wrapped around Felix’s frame, even though Felix didn’t really want it to become that. At first, anyway.

His depressive rut wasn’t all bad in some cases, and because of the isolation he went into, he’s become extremely artistic and tech savvy since he didn’t have much to do to occupy himself. Being extremely brainy as is really helped him get going with these things.

He’s also learned to hack and code on the computer from that rut too, and he could get you into anything you wanted him to. He knows all sorts of ways to hide himself under all sorts of circumstances, and clear his tracks if he’s found, so he could actually be extremely dangerous if he were to use this knowledge and skill for anything shady. The most he uses it for is to make modifications to games and explore the Dark Web as anonymously as possible when his morbid curiosities get the best of him, though.

Well, there have been times where he’s used his skills to scare people. There have been times where people have threatened his friends (namely Claude and Ashe), and to scare the bullies off, he hid himself and hacked into their devices to make text documents warning them to stay away or else there would be trouble, because they’re always being watched. That always managed to scare them off on the first try, and he’s never done anything more than that, because there was no need.

He’s super protective of what few friends he has. He’d willingly put himself in danger for them all the time, unless of course they got themselves into the mess they’re in and he feels they don’t really deserve to be helped out of a situation that’ll be them learning their lesson. Otherwise, he’s borderline obsessed with his friends’ safety and happiness. It’s hard to really see that outside of sudden outbursts from him, since he’s so averse to socialization and unable to understand/express emotions well, but if he’s really needed and he can mentally handle it, you’d best believe he’d be completely focused on doing whatever he could do to help a friend in need for as long as they needed him.

Stuff like this has his friends really knowing who he is eventually, and he doesn’t like that. He’s actually really nice, but his way of showing it isn’t exactly common. Onlookers would think he’s just indifferent unless he’s feeling particularly chipper and/or manic, but his friends get to be on the receiving end of conversation and see him do more personal things compared to others, so they know he’s far nicer than even he thinks he is. He’s become oddly patient compared to his old self, and can hold a conversation for a while longer than he used to. If you get him talking about certain topics, though, you could manage to talk with him for literal hours on end.

He’s overall pretty chill now. Depression has taken the constant explosive anger out of him. He’s still always angry and bitter to some degree, but not to the point of lashing out at every little thing that upsets him. He’s still just as blunt as he was before, but he’s become a lot more passive-aggressive and/or condescending when it shows, instead of sudden outbursts and hurling insults around at all turns. And to those who have received both from him, the current version of his aggression hurts them a lot more, since he shows so little emotion during the times he throws something out to hurt them. All they see is (sometimes) in his body language, and the bitter fogginess in those eyes from how empty he’s become. Even his tone has changed. He’s not as aggressive sounding unless he’s more angry than usual, but he’s got a bitter tone. Or worse, he sounds almost monotone, like he feels absolutely nothing. If he’s got the tone of voice he used to have before, know that he’s on the verge of snapping and lashing out, and that goes from angry sounding to yelling at any time. And he yells loud.

He tends to cry a bit more than he used to now, since he gets overstimulated really easily. He can hold it in around other people most of the time unless it’s particularly overwhelming and getting even worse. It sometimes reminds Sylvain of when they were kids, but then he feels bad thinking of it like that since Felix has more going on in his head than he did back then. He’s trying to work on stopping that association, and he’s starting to get better at not thinking of Felix when he was a kid when he cries.

He used to parade around talking about how he wasn’t one to laugh and joke, but nowadays he’s not like that anymore. He still won’t joke often, and jokes go right over his head and he doesn’t get it and may ruin it usually, but he lets himself laugh at things he finds funny. Not around other people, though. Unless it’s from something else he finds funny, like a YouTube video. His laugh is like an odd mix between Vinny from Vinesauce, Bluesdank, and FPS Diesel. He’s the rare kind of person that’ll laugh in 10 different ways in one sitting and them all be real laughter. The sound of his laughter isn’t too consistent at times.

There’s another reason he can’t do much anymore aside from his depression, and that’s because a year or so ago he had a fit of smaller seizures that shocked his system really bad because of how long it lasted. After that, his mental regression that was already happening because of what he has has gotten much faster in its progression.

Despite these new growing limits he has, he’s still doing his best to keep going and existing on doing what he can do with what he has, and he’s shifted from being solely focused on a person’s skills in battle to how much heart they have due to it. He won’t care about combat skills anymore if you aim to impress him, he cares more about what you bring to the table. Your skills with a sword don’t show what you put your heart into in life and what you do for yourself and others. If you wanna impress him, give him a gift from the heart, not anything store bought. Do something nice for someone. Draw him a picture, write him a letter, pick him some flowers you think he’d like. Maybe take him to the park? Talk to him about your interests, voice your opinions on what you enjoy. Something that you can put your heart into, and I can’t stress it enough. He cares about a person’s core more than their fighting prowess now. He’s sworn off of focusing so much on fighting forever since he got the ability to do so himself taken form him, and he refuses to still dwell on it with others, too.

Alright, that’s gonna be where I cut it off for now. Hopefully that was a good read. I’ve made Felix go through some shit in this AU, but hey, he’s one of the characters I picked to put a theme of healing and strength onto, so I gotta give him some lore to get him to the point of being so different now. Plus a softer Felix makes me warm inside, so I wanted to incorporate that in, too.

#asks #anonymous #long post #Fire Emblem AU #FE Modern AU #Fire Emblem Three Houses #Felix Hugo Fraldarius #FE3H Felix #AU info #AU headcanon

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arsenicpanda · 6 years ago

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Opinions on your top 5 Riverdale ships and/or characters

Oh man, this has been in my ask box for like…two months? And I haven’t answered because I just haven’t been up to it, but I am now! So let’s go!

Favorite Ships

1. Betty/Jughead: There’s really no contest here. The rest of these don’t really have an order, but bughead is 100% on top. The thing about bughead is that it has so many fun tropes wrapped up in it: childhood friends, one-sided pining (if you subscribe to the theory that Jughead has had a thing for Betty for years), investigative duo, poor boy/rich(er) girl, bad boy/good girl, brooding boy/gentle girl, gang member/cheerleader (which might happen enough to be a trope only on Riverdale, but whatever), dark power couple, etc. Now, I love all those tropes, but here’s the thing: it’s so much more than that. These are each facets of bughead, yes, but they’re still greater than the sum of their parts. They both have a darkness in them that I absolutely love and want more of, but they also have a devotion to the people they care about that is quite admirable. They just fit together, and they’re such equals and so devoted to each other, and it’s just maximum levels of charming. Bughead ticks a lot of boxes for me, and the only ships that outrank them (shirlulu and izanamie) do some of those tropes but to a greater degree.

- FP/Gladys: Yeah, I don’t know what it is about this exactly, but I find them really endearing? Like, they’re both such disasters and masters of neglecting their children, but I really like them together? I mean, they used to commit armed robbery together, maybe, and that is just excellent. Also, I think I just want the Jones family to reunite for Jughead’s sake, and supporting this ship is part of it.

- Kevin/Joaquin: God, I miss them. The original Southside/Northside ship, with its mixture of bad boy/good boy and poor boy/rich(er) boy, and they were just precious. Joaquin was proud to be with Kevin, and Kevin deserves that, damnit. Also! The way Joaquin just stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted Kevin even though he probably needed to escape as fast as possible and the way Kevin was like “I have to go after Joaquin” in the middle of the heist were just so cute. And omg, the way Joaquin would just fold when Kevin asked him for information was a delight. I needed more of them; they were precious.

- Archie/Josie: Short-lived though it was, I found them really cute. There was an innocence to Archie and Josie, and it was nice to see Archie pulled out of Riverdale darkness (which, as much as I love it, has always been a genre he doesn’t quite belong in) and to see Josie connect with someone and be open to something beyond just music, but without losing focus on her music. Also, they could sing together, and it was adorable. Like, their musical number was just the cutest. Honestly, if this had continued, it could have pulled Archie out of the main plot even more or it could have finally dragged Josie into the main plot and give her the screentime she deserved. I feel like this ship could have really stolen my heart.

- Cheryl/Veronica: You know, I like choni and varchie, I really do, but something about these two charms me. It’s maximum levels of rich bitch, and I love that. Cheryl and Veronica had some nice bonding back in season 1, and the way Veronica used to be the kind of mean girl that Cheryl is now is so interesting to me. Veronica would drag Cheryl into be slightly nicer in a cute but also potentially comical way. They’re two smart ladies who could combine their fortunes of shady origins and become this terrifying power couple that crushes their enemies under their stiletto heels. And it would be so funny to watch Cheryl interact with Veronica’s friends, like oh my god, Veronica dragging Cheryl, Betty, and Jughead onto double dates with just the highest potential for disaster would be amazing. I also would enjoy adding Toni to this to make a ship with maximum scary lady, I must admit.

Favorite Characters

1. Jughead Jones: Was there ever any doubt? Jughead is best boy and my second all-time favorite male character, right behind the passive-aggressive legend known as Koizumi Itsuki. He’s got layers, man. He’s a decent guy, but he has a darkness in him that I love. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Jughead’s cut from the same cloth as Lelouch Lamperouge, and I find that fascinating. Jughead is willing to do a lot to protect the people he cares about, but he has a few moral lines (although I wonder how unmoving those are). He’s got a prickly, brooding exterior that conceals a gooey inside full of love and sadness and abandonment issues (seriously, Jughead’s abandonment issues and desire for family/people that won’t leave him drive and explain a lot of his actions). And watching him interact with the people he cares about is just a delight. He and Betty are adorable at their softest and their darkest, and he’s just the sweetest to JB, and watching him investigate with FP is just the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Also! His willingness to believe crazy conspiracy theories that turn Riverdale into an eldritch nightmare amuses me to no end. I love this grumpy, loving, varying levels of crazy, weirdly smooth dweebazoid of a gang leader.

2. Betty Cooper: Oh man, do I love Betty Cooper; she is so much more than meets the eye. She looks like a sweetheart, and even is to a certain extent, but underneath lies a certain ruthlessness, as well as a darkness and a complete disregard for the law when it suits her. She’s so determined and so smart, and she doesn��t give up on the people she loves, even when maybe she should. And you just don’t fuck with Betty Cooper or the people she loves if you know what’s good for you. Like a dog with a bone, that girl, she doesn’t let up on a mystery until the end, especially if her loved ones are involved. Betty Cooper is silk, or maybe something soft and fluffy, hiding steel in the best way, and I love her for it. Watching her as she relentlessly pursues leads and does morally, ethically, and/or legally dubious things like blackmail people and bribe people is such a delight, as are her gentle and vulnerable moments when she’s not in tough investigator mode. She’s just this badass sweetheart who will hunt her enemies to the ends of the earth, drag them back, and then, after turning them in, do something wholesome like go out for burgers and milkshakes with her friends or cuddle with Jughead, and I love that to no end. For me, Betty Cooper is a very unique character, and oh, how I love unique.

- FP Jones: God, this walking disaster. FP is terrible at literally everything he does, and, for some reason, I really love that. I mean, FP is Problematic, yeah, and my enjoyment of FP is partially rooted in some personal stuff, but I also just find him really amusing. And watching him try to be an effective gang leader or a good father or a competent sheriff is just hilarious because he is so bad at all of those. I especially love watching him investigate with Jughead, by which I mean watching him stand there all “yeah, this is official police business, you have to answer my questions” while Jughead does all the talking. Also! The extent to which he is proud of his son is both hilarious and endearing, and the way he wants Jughead to keep writing and get out of Riverdale warms my heart. Look at this disaster man and his tragic backstory and his timeline that doesn’t make any sense and has always been too busy (He was in the army AND he has a chunk of priors that he must have committed as an adult because juvenile records are sealed AND he became the leader of the Serpents AND he started a business with Fred Andrews, at which point he must have no longer been in the Serpents. Where did he find the time?). I love him.

- Penny Peabody: Penny is, hands down, Riverdale’s best villain, probably at least partially because she’s used sparingly. But I just love how mean and ruthless and cunning she is. Also, the way she condescended to Jughead all “Is that what mommy told you?” about her not-death was goddamn amazing. Every moment Penny is on my screen is gold. Also, she’s largely competent. Yeah, the Joneses keep taking her down, but she always comes back as a legitimate threat. Penny Peabody adapts to whatever life throws at her, and I can respect that.

- Archie Andrews: Weren’t expecting this, were you? Honestly, Gladys could have also gone here (or in Penny’s spot), but I decided to talk about Archie today. Archie is human golden retriever, and I love him for it. He’s a sweet kid, and he means well, but by god is he a dumbass. He doesn’t quite belong in this show, y’know? Like, Jughead belongs in a crime movie/gang movie/Very Special Episode, and Betty belongs in a crime/horror movie, and Veronica belongs in a mafia movie, while Archie is just this regular kid from a nice family who should probably be in some wholesome coming of age movie or a dog movie or something. But he still really wants to help! Normally I don’t like dumb characters very much, but for some reason I find Archie really endearing. Maybe it’s his devotion to people he cares about? And, man, Archie cares pretty easily. Yeah, he’s gullible and he was a fascist for a little bit there, but he’s mostly a good kid, something season 3’s juvie arc showed off really well. He just instantly bonded with these other kids, and he kept that bond even after he left juvie. And he just took a random kid he just met into his home, and it was precious (even though it ended in him getting sliced). He’s got a big heart and an empty head, and I just love him.

And that’s it. I’ve probably repeated myself a bit, but what’re you gonna do, y’know?

#asks #Riverdale #my thoughts on Riverdale let me show you them #bughead #gladsythe #joavin #archosie #cheronica #hopefully adding these tags after posting won't make it show up in the tags and bother people #it's really just for organizing my blog #top five

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