#(as opposed to. you know. *them* wanting to grow or change or heal.)

[rxttenfish]

in another case of me being biased as hell and yet talking anyways: i think i fundamentally don’t ship miranda or aaravi with any of the PCs for similar reasons.

i don’t like PC ships with miranda because all of the PCs feel too eager to please and too easily persuaded to do literally anything for the object of their affections, and i feel like not only would this dissatisfy miranda (for as much as she talks about wanting to be held up on a pedestal, i feel like all of her actual behavior suggests otherwise) but it would place the PC in a very precarious situation where their boundaries would be too easily ignored or bypassed.

and i don’t really like PC ships with aaravi because the behavior of the PCs reminds me too much of other people that i’ve known previously, where they love the idea of someone with anger issues, but neither can deal with nor wants to deal with the actual work that comes with loving and being close to someone with anger issues. it also doesn’t help that both the narration and the broader fandom reaction has been to treat aaravi being angry or having these anger issues as cute, which i can say from experience is so dehumanizing that it’s ruined entire relationships by itself.

[yellosnacc]

Welcome to a long one.

The Ciwan empire is the fastest-growing sloman power ever since the war of continents and the first to discover a form of gunpowder (thanks to their enemies being uniima lls who have been using it long before).

But even with that advantage (among slomen), the Ciwan armies are iconic for a different reason. That being the Kuiqua-trained units that Sun-cutters come from.

These units have traditionally existed for hundreds of years but are slowly just becoming a symbol for show because of the political and battling changes in the world. However, you will still see them from time to time ripping people to pieces.

Just like the majority of sloman military groups the unit relies on intense teamwork, they need constant communication and preplanned routes to deal with the opposing strategy.

The simplified average scene might look something like this:

In one unit of 30 members, three strikers (Sun-cutters) make a plan with their scholars and commanding Fire-catchers (Seconds leaders). After getting to the war zone they wait for their window in which some members spy or communicate with deeper army spies. When they know their target and best strategy they get in. The strikers use hand gestures, clicks, or whistles to save energy while the Seconds forward the orders to the rest with "ground's" (war language), wooden whistles see more use in very large units. Many times, however, often just seeing the movement of the sun-cutters is enough for the whole group to act.

Strikers will sometimes wait behind their heavies (Beasts) if their force isn't necessary (units can be as few as 5 members or as many as 50, the two extremes work very differently). Once the situation calls for it, they bullet their targets, often stabbing talons first and tearing muscles in a swift motion. This may happen multiple times as other unit members engage in direct battle with the target/s or disarm them with specialized tools. Kuiqua units both kill and capture, having healing supplies on their heavies if they need to make sure their target doesn't bleed out (or their own soldiers).

All members of the Kuiquan unit are priests of different levels but all are priests of the dead (ones that speak for their ancestors rather than gods). It's believed lands conquered with these soldiers present will flourish with life. Many former battlegrounds have turned into gardens and crop fields (hopefully they don't keep this up when landmines are invented).

To the image. What you see is a small variety of soldiers. Beasts and fire-catchers have other names and features in their armor that they are known for based on all their roles that can often switch between fights. Only Sun-cutters truly have one name.

Fire-catchers are also sometimes strikers in training and may move up if they prove themselves. Though, more often Sun-cutters rise from the ranks of regular taloned soldiers with enough talent.

-

As mentioned in the image, Sun-cutters tend to be very prideful. Their helmets are an impractical mess that pushes their ears forward. A Ciwan Sloman's ears are very important to them and if they are damaged it's a career-ending event. Still, almost no strikers bind their ears, not wanting to be shamed for cowardness.

an ex-striker

here is the whole picture if you prefer it big

Btw, Kuiqua is the city Neal lives in. He has met or been arranged to meet these units multiple times since Neal himself is stuck classified as a fancy soldier. They are also not uncommon around temples, small talk is required.

Thank you for reading this far! Next I must answer the questions of biology. This has taken me 50 000 years.

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

What Carmy wants

IMPO it's pretty obvious that what he wants is Reparation by Opposition.

In Psychogenealogy and Transgenerational Therapy this means that when you come from a family that was the source of trauma, your responses can only be 3 potential ones: Repetition → status quo that only serves to perpetuate the trauma, Opposition → breaking the cycle but in spite, not as a reparation but as defiance, again: trauma response, OR REPARATION BY OPPOSITION → the only response that includes real healing and liberation from that trauma, which entails not perpetuating the toxic cycle, not acting in spite and just to challenge the status quo to prove "them" wrong or that they don't own us, etc. It's the only mature and healthy response, although the other two do not necessarily imply a conscious conflict. Some people can lead a seemingly "conflict-free" life even when perpetuating the status quo or opposing to it in an act of vengeance, like our case study here:

He wants his legacy to be all he never had growing up:

A panic-less environment.

Anxiety-free.

Be square with everything and everybody.

To make it good, he'd have to filter out the bad.

I already went over this in terms of the show in general because I firmly believe those lines are nothing but a huge foreshadowing of the show's whole arc, and as usual, Storer hid it in plain sight:

That is why MEAT was in the background, in the frame, in the center, because what Carmy was saying was the whole "meat" of the show:

However, as for Carmy, individually speaking, those lines are ANOTHER PIECE OF HARD EVIDENCE, we, Sydcarmy truthers can and should hold onto and go by, to back up our SYDCARMY ENDGAME claims and wishes. We are not delulu. Well, not because of believing in Sydcarmy endgame anyway...

There is no way on Earth Carmy can achieve all that with the C person. Someone who represents his past and triggers his trauma to the point of causing panic attacks, someone who he associates with the "old Carmy" he wants to outgrow to get to where he wants to be and spend the rest of his life in (his purpose). Of course, she represents the status quo for him, the literal girl next door who is totally familiar with his past family trauma and all the things he wants to leave behind. She is what his toxic family wanted for him. She is in no way, shape or form a symbol of progress or healing, you can read about that in pretty much ALL my C Person meta, here ↓

The only character on the whole show that represents change, evolution, growth, and progress, is:

Every one of Carmy's breakthroughs, had her presence in them, in one way or another.

He started turning The Beef around when she came along, even when everyone was still opposing his leadership because he wasn't alone anymore:

He accepted his shortcomings and vowed to change:

He shared his dream with her because he trusted her fully, even when he had only met her for a few months at that point (he didn't even trust C with his right number even after knowing her for years)

He shared her dream:

He put everything in her hands and then couldn't live with the guilt of having let her down, which triggered ALL HIS DEMONS.

She was also there when he gathered the strength to confront his abuser:

Summing up, the only one who can bring out this Carmy we all want, including himself, is Sydney and he already knows that, he told her:

Bonus track: What Syd always wanted and still does is this ↓

The great news is that what Syd and Carmy want are FULLY COMPATIBLE things.

which is the key to any healthy and lasting relationship love story. Not wanting the same things, none of us want the same things as our partners at all times, it's impossible and or childish because we are dynamic beings and individuals, and any relationship that annuls or censors our individuality can't or shouldn't last. Now, finding someone with whom you can be yourself, NOT LOGAN:

Being accepted by them and at the same time inspired and driven to change for the better, as opposed to remaining stuck in the past, THAT IS LOVE and that is at the very least PROMISING. A relationship based on that and on trust can only be a good one, no matter how toxic or hard it gets at times, as most relationships at some point do or might because that means that all the tools to "fix" it, are there, at hand.

Remember to follow my tag #Gingerpovs 💋

[miss0atae]

Random Thoughts about High School Frenemy (EP 5 - 6):

I'm so obsessed with this show right now. I know I could get all my answers by watching the OG version, but I don't care about the OG version. I care more about this version of the characters.

Usually, I get annoyed when a situation gets drag on for too long. I feel like it makes no sense to spend too many episodes on a conflict between two characters. However, here, I'm fascinated by the love-hate relationship between Shin and Saint, especially as it is quite obvious for us viewers that the hate part isn't that big. Shin always declares that he hates Saint and he would never forgive him. Yet, there is a longing in his eyes where you can see how much he would like to start again. I'm impressed by how Saint never let any rebuff stopping him from saying how much he misses Shin and how much he loves him or how much he wants to be his friend again. The bromance is high here (so BL-coded and so sad it's not a BL too).

Unfortunately, what Saint did, certainly changed the course of Shin's life and he can't let go of the grudge. Obviously, what happened (even if we haven't seen it yet) must have been terrible to destroy their tight bond. However, many characters have already said to Shin that holding this hatred of the past will never give him peace. It will keep him bitter and sad. Forgiving Saint wouldn't mean that he would forget what happened. Forgetting is not and never was a required outcome of forgiveness. They will probably never return to what was their relationship before the "incident", but Shin should be able to rebuild trust and safety.

I feel like Shin's life is stuck or frozen in time from this "incident" time. Since then, he hasn't really been able to grow. He made new friends in his school and he still defends the same values, but he hasn't been able to heal from his "incident". He also has to suffer from the reputation of the Tsunami, a name he took for himself, despite not being his, at first. Jeng, because of everything that is associated with this nickname and what Shin did to save Chatjen, put his resentment and sadness over the death of his brother on Shin (even though he is not responsible and Jeng should have been a better brother). Jeng isn't a normal person, he is part of a violent gang. This violence can get to Shin in various forms and it must not help him have a positive view on his life. It just reinforces the idea that nothing will ever be good since Saint has been responsible for his legs' injuries and changed his life.

Now, most people know about the supposedly murder he did. Even if some are defending Shin such as Chatjen or Saint, no one really listen to them or believe in the truth. The school board, apart from Sung and Jan, are set on expelling Shin to make an example. However, we've seen from the beginning that they are so unprofessional and incapable of finding a real solution to the violence between Udon Phithak and Thep Burapha. I wasn't expecting them to actually think properly, this time either. This new threat in Shin's life will not help him be able to heal from the past. It will just convince him that things are ineluctable because he can't change anything and everything has been terrible since Saint's actions towards him. I hope the teachers and his friends will help him.

I didn't expect Sung to have a deeper role and to be partly behind the main conflict that still opposes Udon Phithak and Thep Burapha. You see how much he wants to correct his "mistakes" (sorry I couldn't find a better way of saying it) and that's probably why he became a teacher. However, this past guilt is still present in his life. He may be the metaphor of the idea that there’s No Such Thing as “Forgive and Forget”, but to heal you must forgive yourself to be able to live and do better. Memory plays a key role in supporting and managing relationships or your actions.

Two other characters made a great impression on me in these episodes. Of course we have Chatjen who has always been a positive force in this story. He is really trying his best for Shin and he is a very good friend to him. He is also supporting Saint so he can mend his relationship with Shin. Let's not forget that this character is as remarkable as he is because he is being played by Mark Pakin. The second character, I really like is Ken. I know he is supposed to be a bad guy, but I feel so much pity for him. I feel like he is the victim of his environment. You can see how much he hates following Jeng's orders. He also fears him and he doesn't know how to escape the hold Jeng has on him. I really hope he will get his redemption and that he'll find a way of escape.

I could say so much more about this series, but it'll be too long. I already can't wait to see the next episodes.

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

New Jeans Personality Reading

I thought I finally get into reading on them. I thought I read on their personality, since I feel this will not go into their drama too much. Not ready for that, but maybe looking into their personality can give some insight to how they are handling it. 

Minji (Shape-Shifter/The Fool) I am getting she is multi-dimensional. She seems to be a very adaptable person. Always willing to change and start new. I don’t see her having set ideas and standards. She is kind of a blank slate. She seems like an optimist. She can be a bit carefree and naive as well. But I see her as open minded. She is still young, so maybe her ideals aren’t set yet, but it can also be she is just a malleable person, sometimes you may not know what you get from her. She may have a different opinion every day. I do like her open-minded energy though.

Hanni (Nun/10 of Pentacles) This is interesting. This is giving me two opposing energies. On one end she seems to be focused on her own person and spiritual journey. She could be spiritual. Someone who isn’t fixated on the material things, but then you have the 10 of Pentacles, which is about material wealth, maybe she is the type that wants to bring pride to her family and build generational wealth. Maybe she is the type that wants to bring money to her family, or she comes from wealth. I say for her own personal needs she doesn’t need all those fancy things, but maybe more so for family.

Danielle (King/3 of Wands) Well, she got some strong masculine energy here. She is a leader in her own way. She tries to take charge and control of her life as much as she can. She may be the one taking the lead in all the things going on with them. She stands strong and powerful. She is a very confident individual. And she finds ways to take action on what she wants to do. She seems to be a good planner and strategizer. She seems to be good at leading others as well. She is someone who wants to expand and grow. She seems to have a strong vision of what she wants to do for the future. She is the type that wants to expand and do a lot of things. I hear reach the masses, which is interesting. 

Haerin (Empath/2 of Swords) This one seems like a sensitive soul. That feels the world around her. She is very empathetic and intuitive, and understands the environment around her all too well. It seems she has difficulty making decisions and picking sides. She may also not want to pick sides and just stands back. She can be a pretty indecisive person when it comes to decisions she wants to make. She may get stuck in patterns. She may struggle to see a problem if there is one. I hear blind to the circumstances. I see her getting emotionally overwhelmed by things. I don’t really see her as a sharp, quick thinking person. Nothing wrong with that. Although, she is a Taurus. I am getting strong Pisces energy here. 

Hyein (God/5 of Wands) So, I don’t particularly love doing minors, but I felt this reading wouldn’t be too invasive. Anyway, I'm not happy I didn’t get the best cards for her, so I am going to try to be careful here. She may feel she is protected and can’t really be harmed. She is confident and believes in her ability to do what she needs to do. She believes she is capable of doing whatever she can to get her desired outcome in life. We all should have this energy. I don’t see her being a weakling. She stands in her power. She could be the type that can get caught up in arguments and competitive energy. She may be the type that sees drama around her and knows how to rise above it. But there is a strong competitive energy she does have. I will leave it here. 

Okay, they got some interesting personalities. I am now kind of curious to read on them more. I might do a Career reading next to see what is happening there. I also feel like doing a healing messages for them too, so look to those whenever I get to them.

[harrington-love]

Steve and Nancy's story is complex and beautiful...and not everyone will understand it.

I pity the people who cannot, or refuse, to see the beauty in Steve and Nancy’s story. A story about how trauma impacts your relationships and the way in which you cope with traumatic events. A story about how in the beginning, these two teenagers were not compatible but attempted to make their relationship work, only for the shame, guilt, and blame to take over and rupture the relationship. A story about how it is crucial to acknowledge and understand your partner's pain, and be their support, their rock, their shoulder to cry on.

It is a story about a teenage boy’s fall from popularity, and finding his true self as a friend, a protector, a lover. A story about a teenage girl working to make something of herself, to establish an identity that is purely hers. A story about a teenage boy who works to rectify his past mistakes, and learns to give himself grace for being a human. A story about a girl being true to herself, trusting her gut, and believing in her capabilities without bending to everyone else's expectations of who she should be. A story about a boy who's love for a girl was so strong that it helped him change into a person she could trust and depend on. A story of a girl who sees this boy in a new light, and thinks maybe, just maybe, he can offer her a future of partnership, adventure, and love.

It is a story about how these two teenagers have worked to grow and heal (and how they will continue to grow and heal), and are in a better place now where they can be what the other needs in time. A story about a second chance at love, now that they are both in a better place to love the other. They're not perfect. They never were. Healing and growth are not linear. They will always have their faults, their flaws, and like everyone else, they'll hit rough patches along the way. The difference between Steve and Nancy then and Steve and Nancy now is how they handle the hard times, together. How they face them, together.

And the audience can see how Steve has changed, from a boy who was apprehensive of Nancy's drive to get justice for Barb, to a man who trusted her investigative instincts, offered to join her on her exploration, and told her to be careful. From a teenager who utilized avoidance as a coping mechanism, whose "go with the flow" attitude was a mask to hide his pain, to a man who confidently told Nancy that she is what he's always wanted. There was no avoidance. No shame. No fear. There was simply a boy, who has changed, telling the girl he loves that she is it for him.

And the audience can see how Nancy has changed, too, from a girl who pushed a boy away because his presence was a painful reminder of what, rather who she lost, to a woman who is slowly, slowly, learning that this boy is good, and he is safe. She welcomes him back into her life with ease. From a girl who held this boy at gunpoint because she did not want him involved, to a woman who includes him, and trusts him when he volunteers himself in the face of danger, and defends him because he is someone worth defending.

To truly understand Steve and Nancy's story, you have to be willing to see their growth. You have to be willing to acknowledge change and believe characters can and do change. You have to accept that they did change. And therein lies the problem. Many, many people are purposely choosing to ignore their growth, because it does not fit their version of what they want or think should happen. Many people do not trust or believe that these characters know what they want, or know what's best for them. You have to be able to see and accept who they are now, as opposed to who they once were. How their views have changed. Their morals. Their personalities. Their wants, needs, hopes, and dreams. If you're still holding onto who Steve and Nancy were in the earlier seasons, then you are closing yourself off to any potential understanding of who they are now. If you are intentionally misconstruing what these characters say to fit your own narrative, then you are choosing to believe you know these characters better than they know themselves. If you are perfectly content with misunderstanding their relationship and refusing to acknowledge their growth, then you will miss out on not only a delicate and beautiful relationship, but also a lesson: Second chances happen. And sometimes, people do find their way back to each other.

I don't know what season five will bring. I don’t know if we’ll get a happy ending to their story.

But I do know one thing. I pity the people who willfully choose to ignore a beautiful story about two people finding their way back to each other. That is real life. That is love. It's not always simple or easy. Second chances happen every single day. And how beautiful it is for us to witness the rekindling of two ex-lovers. That is Steve and Nancy's story.

[dutchdread]

Rebirth Update 10b

The crappiness of the Cait Sith (whom I still don't like in general btw) segment was easily forgotten though by the gold saucer date. I had refrained from listening to Aeriths song prior to the game since I didn't want anything spoiled and wanted the song in context, and now that I've heard it, man is it clearly about Zack. I can't wait to finish the game and watch different variations of certain scenes, because I don't see any way that anyone can look at a game that has this in it and still think Cloud and Tifa aren't the canonical ship. Again Cloud and Tifa are framed together opposed to Aerith, almost never is it that Aerith and Tifa are presented as being mirrorings that Cloud has to choose between. It's always Cloud and Tifa as a single unit being pitted "against" Aerith. Signaling that Aerith is helping them, and they her. Since you can essentially go on a date with everyone, and it all depends on their feelings towards you, we can say that the dates essentially tell us something about Clouds relationship dynamic in regards to the other team members. And Tifas date makes it exceptionally clear that their relationship dynamic is that of a young couple in love, come together again after years and slowly growing closer. My guess is that his date with Aerith will be more spiritual and about healing, but until I see it I can only guess. And I can't wait to see the other ones. Man, I am sure I've forgotten a bunch that I wanted to mention. It comes as I play but with 10 hour sessions a lot of it is lost to time. Will probably slow down a bit now, I've been working towards this part and man I am kinda burnt out with all the side quests and I just got a few new ones.... One thing I can't help wondering about though. How must it feel for a Clerith to play this game? I can't imagine the mental gymnastics needed to not go "...oh damn... I was wrong". I do feel a bit sorry for them though. I remember 20 years ago explaining to people that Tifa was the more valid love interest was such an uphill battle. It required so much analysis and explanation because you were just swimming up stream, going against the grain, all those nice little analogies, it was sooooo exhausting. And then for 20+ years it was just material after material confirming what Clotis had been saying from day one. And the Cleriths just had to keep moving goalposts, keep spinning, slowly driven into a corner to where now we don't just have the deeper analysis to point at, but even just the superficially obvious. As someone who always enjoys arguing for positions that are unpopular because they're not obvious, but are nevertheless true, it's honestly been a joy to watch the public perception change this much. Lets hope part 3 continues the good work, but honestly, it kinda has to, what has happened in part 2 really can't be taken back. Any romance between Aerith and Cloud after this would be....well, problematic and icky would probably be the best words. One more thing, having Cloud say very matter-of-factly "oh yeah, Zack, my friend who is totally head over heels for Aerith was satisfying. I don't see jealousy there, I don't see conflicted feelings there, I don't see a man who is thinking about trying to hit on the girl his friend loves there. Cloud knows about Zack and Aerith, Aerith knows about Cloud and Tifa, they're all helping each other with those issues, not coming between them, it, my friends, is over.

[granulesofsand]

RAMCOA Tug-o’-War

TL;DR: Explain how the term RAMCOA causes harm and why this harm justifies the effects of removing the phrase. (/gen)

I don’t like the decision to step away from RAMCOA as a term. There’s no short way to say that Ritual Abuse, Mind Control, and Organized Abuse aren’t real but also are real.

I get that it’s messy, and that some folks have been hurt by antisemitism featuring Satanic Panic themes. I don’t want to take away from that. I conceptualize it a lot like how I can’t hear the word ‘snuff’ without flinching — it wasn’t directly involved in what I was told about what was happening, but I associate it with those traumas now.

If someone has a story of theirs they’d like to tell, I’d like to hear it. Humanize the perspective, give it dimension. Right now, all I have is my community. I’m watching this change hurt my community. I’m watching it hurt me.

I figure it’s probably polite to share stories about that since I’m asking it of others.

The biggest point is that we already aren’t believed. My system told, we broke through our silence sobbing and avoiding any words that sounded too much like the media. It was assumed we were having a psychotic break, and our perpetrating family were told in detail what we’d said. It almost got us killed, and we were told by the authorities responsible that they would do it the same way over if given the chance.

These words put us on track to heal. We didn’t have any will to live growing up, only had the reinforced denial and insiders opposing each other. We had no words, just the knowledge we were irrevocably wrong. The only way out we knew was death, and we tried so hard to take that route. It was in learning there was a basis for this, people who knew and lived to tell the tale, that we started the path to do the same. We’re away from our abusers now, but just knowing about SA or DID wasn’t the breaking point. Not everybody makes it out, and not everybody survives the severance.

We use these words in therapy now. Not all of my collective, let alone all of the community, but we have a straight way to speak about what we went through. Even the really dubious words and books with heavy conspiracy theories gave us language, and we can recognize this happened before discovering this was unusual and trying to put words to it.

The survivors who spoke about Satanic Ritual Abuse paved the way for us to talk about our own. This is not to say that it was good and fine, but people were just beginning to talk about topics with no mainstream reference. It started a cycle with Satanic Panic rhetoric, and I don’t know we can separate them out. I don’t know we should. Not that ideas don’t need to change, more we shouldn’t make history pretty or pretend it didn’t lead us here.

People coming into the community for the first time have this line of history, the survivors before them and the survivors before us. We got an account on this app because we had questions our therapist couldn’t answer, and when we went looking together, the most relevant and specific anecdotes were on Tumblr.com. I wouldn’t recommend just diving in, but healing is an ugly process. It’s gonna happen, and there are arms reaching out when it does.

None of these are stories as you might want to tell them, but they all round up stories we’ve been telling. I don’t want to be only transcribing trauma as it happened, though you have permission to.

If we get rid of RAMCOA — and people already have the same problems with OEA — what do we say? Not HC-DID, not programing, not mind control or brainwashing. How much ground are we giving up before having something solid to land on? It feels more like being told we shouldn’t speak than we shouldn’t use these words.

Again, it’s important we all protect our communities. I want to hear why these reasons aren’t enough for you. Or why they are, or if this was even a topic you’ve had to think about. I’m asking mostly of people who are affected, but any voice counts. Write an essay series or a few words, the more context the better.

[clouds-by-me]

𝓡𝓮𝓭 𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽

Request; All I can think of is when Scaramouch becomes wanderer and remembers who he was and how he would react. I can just imagine him being absolutely horrified and better yet what would have happened to the winged reader?

Yan!Genshin x winged! Reader

Character; Wanderer, Xiao

Gene; Angst, Yandere

Au; Winged!reader, also implied black reader

Synopsis; being A winged creature of such purity, you'd expected to gain someones interest, but not like this, not in this horrific way.

An: I hope that you don't mind that I added some more ppl...

@owl-witch-prompts

Wanderer

•Scaramouche was obsessed with reaching God hood, it was all he really talked about. After so much time he just left...

•Not that you were complaining

•He went months without coming back, and in that time, you managed to escape. And once again you were free, as free as a bird

•Paranoia still was engraved in your bones, but you managed, living in a large tree, isolated from the world and you didn't even mind

•That was until you saw him

•And things got worse when he saw you

•Behind his eyes you could see something change, and that look so you deeply stained in your mind that instantly you ran. Your right wing was far from Healed, so that was all you could do

•And he chased you, calling out to you. Yelling something like an apology

•He tired convincing you that he'd change

•From that day he stayed close to you much to your oppose

•There wasn't a time when he wasn't around

•He stayed around, protecting you, buying things for you. He did his best you respect your boundaries, but he couldn't help it! he had to stay near you at all times! what if you got hurt? he has to be there to keep you safe

•soon you had no choice but to accept him, it's not like he would've given you that option anyway

•there were times where some of your friends just suddenly went missing however

•he claimed to have nothing to do with it but you know that hes hiding something

•he has helped you a lot, and with the help of Nahida, he healed your wing

•him being so nice to you was a hard concept to grasp but once you got used to it. that's just what it became

•it would still be best to stay cautious though

"i'm glad that you've grown to trust me, i don't know what i would've done if you didn't"

Xiao

•this man has been around for a long time, and he has met a lot of people, so when he saw you for the first time, he was surprised to find that he felt drawn to you

•whatever it was that you made him feel, he wanted more, he needed more

•you didn't meet him until after him knowing you for close to a year when you were attacked by a group of treasure hoarders

•and like the knight in shining amour he is, he came to your rescue

•he had known you for close to a year by then, but it was your first-time meeting or even acknowledging his existence

•it was like cupid had hit him with an arrow all over again. sure, he had seen you, but touching you? that was something else

•it didn't take long for the start of your relationship to start

•he'd protect you, while you provided him with your company

•when it came to you, there wasn't one foe he wouldn't kill, and to him everyone was a foe

•things between you both were great, and hiding things from you wasn't hard

•he had already kept his existence from you for about a year, so it wasn't hard to keep anything else from you

•the two of you became close, so close that you even trusted him to touch your wings, and once that happened his feeling for you could only grow

•whenever you gave him attention of any kind, he loved it

•he was so happy when you went crying to him about your friend dying after falling off one of the many cliffs of Liyue

•he helped you take care of your wings, and got you everything that you needed to keep them healthy

"i'm always going to provide for you and love you, no matter what"

[bellaireland1981]

Stubborn Hearts | 4

Summary: Reader (Firecracker, Sunshine) has been in love with Bradley since she was a young girl. Growing up the two were inseparable, apart from short periods of time when she was on the West Coast with the Kazanskys. One faithful decision by her dad to block Bradley from going to the Naval Academy resulted in a huge rift between father and daughter and left her without Bradley in her life. Now all grown up, she’s called back to the west coast at the same time as her father and Bradley. Her mission, according to her dying godfather, is to mend fences with her dad and Bradley. Can stubborn hearts be healed?

(I suck at summaries for real).

This will have multiple chapters… this is 4 of ??

Characters: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Mitchell! Reader, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x Daughter! Reader, The Dagger Squad, Shay (OC), Penny, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky

Word Count: 4584

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Death of character, TGM Spoilers, Illusions to Smut (later on ), Turbulent relationship with parent, Friends to lovers, …Please let me know if I’ve missed any!

A/N- This is my first time writing for TGM. I do not own the characters or plot lines from the movie. I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION TO COPY OR REPRODUCE MY WORK ON THIS OR ANY OTHER PLATFORM! Reblogging is always welcome! Feedback is MUCH loved and appreciated. THANK YOU to @waywardodysseys​ for all support and bouncing ideas!!

Ch 1    Ch 2   Ch 3

Tags below ! If I forgot anyone, please message me! If you want to be added, let me know!

The next morning when you came downstairs, you must have been wearing your emotions because your aunt immediately picked up on your emotional turmoil. It hadn’t taken much for you to open up and let it all spill out. After, she simply held you and let you cry it all out before reassuring you that things in life do happen for a reason, and not to close any doors. You were pretty sure that door had been slammed last night already.

You caught a ride to the Hard Deck later in the afternoon with Shay to pick up the Jeep. You made sure to go though, when you knew the rest of the aviators would be in training so you didn’t run into Bradley.

“Penny requested our presence inside.” Shay said, “She has lunch waiting.”

The two of you headed inside to see Penny had ordered burgers from your favorite diner. To your surprise, your dad was also inside. He was in his service khaki uniform so you assumed he was just here for lunch which meant it was a classroom day as opposed to a flying day.

“Hey, Firecracker.” He said gently, obviously having been brought up to speed on the night before.

You didn’t even hesitate, you walked straight to your dad, wrapping your arms around his middle and laying your head on his chest, the same way you did as a kid when you needed to be comforted. Without missing a beat, he wrapped his own arms around you and rested his chin on your head.

“Why do men have to suck so much?” You asked, “Why does this hurt so bad?”

“It hurts because you love him, my sweet girl.” He replied, softly, “I’m sorry, Y/N. I know this all started because of what I did.”

“It may have started that way, dad, but it’s been long enough now… it’s his own asshole self causing this.” You said. “I told him I wasn’t his ‘Sunshine’ anymore and gave him back the necklace.”

“Well that would explain some of today’s events.” He sighed, stepping back, and guiding you to the table. “I actually dismissed them all for the day, so they may actually be in here earlier than normal, Pen.”

“What happened today?” You asked, grabbing a burger from the pile and a handful of fries.

“Tensions were extra high as it was. Some of the perimeters of the mission have changed and we were going over the terrain again.” He said. He couldn’t give much detail due to it being classified, but you knew enough to know changes this late in the game were bad. “Then Hangman decided today would be a great day to point out that my old WSO was in fact Rooster’s dad, and it explained the issues between the two of us. This was of course, after he made known his thoughts that Rooster doesn’t have what it takes to successfully complete this mission.”

“Not that I’m defending him, because that was a shitty thing to do and say…” Shay said, “But after you left, Y/N, Jake tore into Bradley for making you cry. He was pretty angry. Jake really likes you, he said you remind him of his sister.”

“Well I always wanted a brother.” You smiled softly, trying to lighten the mood, “Tell him thank you for the thought, but not to be a jerk to Bradley please. Bringing his dad into things was a low blow. Even though Bradley didn’t seem to mind bringing mine into the argument.”

“I’m really fucking proud of you, Firecracker.” Mav said, smiling, “You grew up to be this amazing woman…despite everything… you have the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known. I love you, kid.”

“I love you too, dad.” You said, warmth spreading throughout your whole body.

The four of you ate lunch, catching up and filling each other in on funny stories you’d missed over the years. It was nice to take a break from the emotional turmoil currently filling your life. Once you were done you all made your way out to the back patio on the beach with your beverages. There was a pretty intense game of beach volleyball happening between a group of pilots. Thankfully for you, none of which looked familiar.

“Cyclone told me to build a team.” Mav said, watching the players. “But, despite my best efforts, I can’t get them to work together. If they’re not leaving their wingman out to dry, they’re being too cautious and making mistakes.”

“What about a team building game…” You said your eyes on the game on the beach. “Get them out of their jets and out of the classroom. Bring them somewhere… here maybe… get them to work together, but let them have fun and let off steam.”

“What kinda game?” He asked, intrigued with your thought process.

“What part of the mission do they need to work together the most? To really have one another’s backs?” Shay asked.

“In the event of a dogfight.” Mav replied, trying to stay vague. “They need to know they can count on each other.” You were glad you didn’t know much about this mission because you knew it would only make you worry more.

“What about a football game?” Shay suggested, “It requires the most amount of teamwork and communication.”

“Football, but both sides are on defense and offense at the same time…” You suggested. “Two footballs in play… each team having to defend their own ball and try to score while at the same time preventing the other team from scoring.”

“Dogfight Football” Penny threw in, laughing. “It’ll build teamwork and they’ll let off some of that pent up energy and tension. You may find it helps them focus better too, Pete.”

“I like it.” He agreed, “I am surrounded by very smart women.”

“Don’t you forget it either!” You laughed.

“Ok, I’m going to text them all and have them report to the beach tomorrow for team building. Then, Penny, I’m taking you out on a date tonight. You will not be working.” He informed Penny.

“Just so happens, I had already planned to be off tonight, so I guess I’ll let you take me on a date.” She teased.

“So…what time is this team building happening tomorrow?” Shay asked, “Just…out of…curiosity.”

“Sure… curiosity” You teased, “Curious about what Jake looks like without a shirt, running around a beach getting all sweaty?”

“Now that you mention it, I think I need to know what time this is happening as well…” Penny agreed, “So I can make sure to have cold drinks for everyone that is.”

“Uh huh..” You laughed, “Neither of you are subtle.”

“I’m thinking I’ll get them all out here mid morning.” Mav said, shaking his head at the other two.

“Count me out.” You said, “As much fun as that sounds and all…”

“No!” Shay exclaimed, “You have to come, Y/N! You helped develop it! And… things are still really new with Jake, so I could use the moral support.”

“I’m sure you’ll be just fine on your own, drooling over Jake.” You assured her. “It really is best for me just to stay away.”

“At least think about it, Kiddo.” Penny said, “Don’t decide right now.”

_______________________________

You ended up deciding to go check out the Dogfight Football game at the last minute. It was your uncle who convinced you to go in the end, saying it was your dad that could use the moral support.

The game was already in progress when you made your way around the building and down onto the beach. You quickly found Shay and Penny camped out in beach chairs, with one left open for you. Amelia was laid out on a beach blanket with airpods in her ears, checked out from the action.

“Y/N!” Shay said, looking up as you approached the trio. “You made it!”

“Probably not the best of my decisions, but Uncle Tommy said dad might need the moral support.” You replied, “And of course my new weakness is apparently my dad.”

“He’ll be glad you’re here for sure.” Penny said, “I’m guessing so will another certain aviator.”

“I think the sun is getting to you, Pen.” You quipped dryly. “I’m personally hoping someone tackles his ass into the sand. That would be entertaining.”

“‘I’ll try to get Jake’s attention and suggest it.” Shay laughed, “He’d be all too willing to oblige that request!”

“I don’t doubt that, but that would probably serve the opposite purpose of team building.” You replied.  You pulled off the shirt you’d had over your bathing suit top and draped it on the back of the chair before sitting down. The warm sun felt good on your skin. You made a mental note to take time to sit in the sun more often.

Penny passed you a bottle of water from a cooler she had next to her.

“So who’s winning?” You asked, eyes on the chaos in front of you. You had to admit, it looked like a mess of people running amok but it did look fun.

“I don’t think they’re actually keeping score.” Shay said, “This was definitely a fantastic idea though. I don’t know if it’s working for team building, but it’s so hot to watch.”

You almost choked on the water you’d just taken a drink of, laughter overtaking you.  She wasn’t wrong though. With the exception of Bob and Hondo, all of the male aviators had their shirts off. You took a minute to enjoy the sight of all the muscled, shirtless men running around. There was no shortage of abs in this group that’s for sure.  The fact that your eyes immediately sought out Bradley and locked on him wasn’t missed by Shay or Penny. They looked at one another and smirked while you continued to enjoy the sight of a half naked Bradley, who was now doing a little victory dance.

“It’s not fair that he’s that stupid hot but also that stupid.” You complained.

“I hear you, kiddo.” Penny replied, dryly. “I hear you.”

“Stupid maybe, but pretty to look at.” Shay said, “Jury is still out on Jake. I have a date with him though tonight.”

“WHAT?” You exclaimed, loudly, turning your body to face her. “You lead with that, Shay! Do you know where he’s taking you?”

“Sorry” She laughed, “I was distracted. He’s taking me to dinner, that’s all he’s shared with me.”

“I expect details tomorrow.” You demanded.

“I promise.” She replied.

The three of you watched as the game continued in front of you. After a while your dad opted out of the game, coming up to sit down in the sand next to you Penny.  The game continued without him, the aviators enjoying themselves.

“It appears our plan is working.” You remarked, “Nobody is trying to kill anyone else and they are working together.”

“For now” Mav agreed, “We will see if this translates to the sky.”

“What exactly is going on? You’re supposed to be training them for a mission.” You hear a voice coming behind you all. “You have them playing on a beach?”

“You told me to make them a team.” Mav replied to Cyclone. You’d never really cared for the guy. He always seemed to have a stick up his ass every time you’d seen him. Even at barbecues at your aunt and uncles. “They’re playing dogfight football. Both on offense and defense at the same time. They have to work together to score and prevent the other team from scoring.”

“Well, who’s winning?” Cyclone asked, looking at the rowdy group ahead of him.

“I think they stopped keeping score.” Mav replied.

“I expect everyone back on base and in the training room or in the sky first thing tomorrow morning.” Cyclone stated, turning to head back to his car.

“Well isn’t he just a ray of fucking sunshine.” You said, rolling your eyes. “I can see why you two do  not get along.”

“He’s… something.” Your dad replied. “I’m glad to see you here though, Firecracker.”

“It’s been entertaining.” you admitted. “Worth the trip to the beach.”

“For what it’s worth, you’re proving quite the distraction to one of my aviators.” Mav said, smirking at you over his sunglasses.

“UGH!” You grumbled, “Why does everyone keep insisting on seeing something that clearly is not there?”

“He’s not wrong.” Amelia said, taking her airpods out and joining the conversation. “I’ve been watching and Bradley definitely keeps looking this way when he thinks you’re not looking. He’s gotten tackled a couple times because of it.”

“Damn, I missed him getting tackled.” You replied, “But way to take sides, Aims.”

“Just calling it like I see it.” She smiled, “Are you still coming to dinner this weekend?”

“I sure am!” You replied.

“Cool.” She replied, “Mom, can I go down the beach a bit? My friends are meeting up there.”

“Sure.” Penny replied, “Come up to the bar when you’re ready to go.”

“Bye!” She said, wasting no time in gathering her stuff and heading off to her friends.

You could see the game was breaking up, everyone worn out from the intense competition.

“I should get going too.” You said, “I think I’m going to head over to the hangar today and get some air time in.”

“Want company?” You dad asked. Since he’d given the squad the day off after the team building, he also had the rest of the day off.

“I’d love some company” You replied, not wanting to miss an opportunity to fly with your dad. You’d always loved flying with him as a kid. You were also excited to show him the plane you were quite proud of owning.

“Let me run home and shower and change and I can meet you over there…or I can come pick you up.” He said.

“How about you meet me over there?” You said, planning on running through to grab a sandwich somewhere and talk to Frank quickly about possible charter jobs.

“Sounds good. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.” he answered, “Penny, I’m still planning on taking you out tonight. I’ll pick you up at 7.”

“Damn, everyone around here has a date tonight.” You commented, “I may need to join a dating app.”

“Who’s joining a dating app?” Jake said, coming up at the end of the conversation. He was dripping water everywhere, so he’d clearly decided to cool off in the ocean after the game.

“Y/N, apparently” Shay said, smiling at Jake. “Although, I don’t think that will be necessary.”

“Absolutely not.” Jake agreed, “Those apps are filled with creeps, not deserving of our girl. We can do better!”

“Better at what?” Phoenix asked, joining the group.

“We can’t let Y/N join a dating app.” Jake said. You hung your head sighing. This was turning into an out of control game of telephone.

“No way!” Phoenix agreed, “Not happening, Y/N. Leave it to us!”

“Actually…” You said, finally getting a word in, “I was totally joking about the app. I have zero interest in dating anyone right now. I need to figure out life first.”

“That’s an even better idea.” You dad piped up, “Not the figuring your life out part… you’ve got that, I mean the dating part. You can skip that.”

“Wow.” Penny laughed, “That was the most ‘dad’ thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

“Well, better late than never right?” Mav replied. “Firecracker, l will see you in a little bit. The rest of you aviators, bright and early tomorrow in the training room and be ready to fly the course.”

“Yes, Sir!” Jake replied.

“On that note…” You said, “I’m hitting the road too. Have on your dates tonight. Jake.. I expect you to treat my friend like the queen she is.”

“Yes, Ma’am!” He said, already making heart eyes at Shay. They would make a great couple. You were definitely rooting for them.

“Bob and I are going to catch a movie if you wanna join.” Phoenix offered.

“Thank you, you’re sweet to offer.” You replied, warmly. “I’m going to stick close to home tonight and spend time with my family I think.” While going out with them sounded fun, you really did just want to soak up as much time with your uncle as you could before it was no longer an option. Each day, his light seemed to dim a little more.

“Understandable” She said, “We can hang out another time. Maybe even leave all the guys behind and do a girls night.”

“That sounds fabulous.” You replied.

You pulled your shirt back on over your swim top and picked the sandals laying on the sand before saying goodbye to everyone.

As you approached the parking lot you saw Bradley pulling a shirt next to his Bronco. You mentally slapped yourself for not getting out of here sooner or not staying behind to talk to the others longer. Your timing definitely needed work.  Determined not to have a repeat of the past two conversations with him, you kept your head down and walked faster to the Jeep, hoping with everything you had he wouldn’t see you.

Apparently your luck really did suck because just as your hand reached for the door handle of the Jeep you heard him yell your name as he started in your direction. You felt your whole body tense up at the sound.

“Bradley, I’m really not in the headspace to go another round,” You sighed, “Nor do I have time. I’m meeting my dad to go flying this afternoon.”

“I don’t want to fight,” He replied, “I just… Y/N, I can’t leave things the way we left them. I’m so sorry for lashing out. I didn’t mean what I said. Can we just try again to talk? Third time’s the charm… please, Sunshine?”

“I’m sorry,” You said quietly. “I… can’t”

You opened your door and got in, firmly closing it, creating a barrier between you and Bradley. You nearly broke when you saw the raw emotion on his face. You didn’t want to hurt him. Even after everything, you loved him and wanted to comfort him.

He stepped back allowing you to back the Jeep up. You glanced in the rearview mirror as you left the parking lot, he hadn’t moved at all and was starting after you as you drove away.

___________________________

Being at the hangar was the distraction you needed after the more recent interaction with Bradley. You were conflicted. On one hand you were determined to protect your already shattered heart, not wanting to endure any more turmoil. On the other hand, Bradley really did seem to want to talk and to find some solid ground between the two of you. Could you two move past everything that had happened and salvage your friendship? If you could…could you settle for being his friend, having been in love with him since you could remember?

With so much swirling around in your head you knew being in the air was exactly what you needed today. You threw your purse into the pilot’s seat, then headed to the office to find Frank.

“Hey Frank” You said, walking into the office. “I’ve got copies of my licenses and paperwork for you.”

“Great!” He replied, “I’ll get this filed and then we can add you to the list of charter pilots here. We’ll need to have you fill out some paperwork so you can get paid and all that important stuff, but we can do that whenever.”

“Sounds good. I also need to file flight info for today. I’m going to take the plane up with my dad.” You said.

You handed him the flight information, planning a similar route as last time.  He entered your plane info into the computer and got you in the lineup for a runway. Once you were done, you made your way back to your plane to do all of the preflight checks while you waited on your dad to arrive.

_________

Flying with your dad as a kid was always fun and like an adventure. Flying with him as an adult with you in control, was a whole new experience. It was nerve wracking but exciting at the same time. You wanted to make him proud as flying was a huge part of him. You were happy to show off your skills. You knew you were a good pilot. Not at the same caliber as your dad, but you were skilled in your own right.

“This is an odd feeling” Your dad laughed, his voice coming through the speaker on your headset. “Now I know how WSOs feel.”

“Good odd, or bad odd?” You asked, glancing over at him. He looked relaxed in the seat next to you.

“Good.” He replied, “I’m proud of you, Firecracker. You’re a damn good aviator.”

“High praise coming from a Top of the Top.” You beamed, then admitted “Even when I was being stubborn and mad, flying helped me feel closer to you.”

“It makes me really happy that you love flying” He replied, his voice choking with emotion, “You could have become resentful of planes and flying growing up as a Navy Kid.”

“Between you and Uncle Tommy, there was absolutely zero chance I’d hate flying or planes” you laughed. “I probably have jet fuel in my blood.”

“You’re in great company then.” Mav laughed, “Feel like heading off course just a bit? I’ve got a hangar and a small runway a little southeast of here. I’d love to show you the plane I’m working on.”

“You have your own hangar and runway?” You asked, “Why am I not surprised by this?”

“It’s where I end up staying most of the time when I’m not on base.” He said, “What can I say? I live and breathe aviation.”

“Tell me where I’m going. Let’s check out this home away from home.” You answered. Once he gave you the coordinates and landing points, adjusted your direction on your plane and headed towards your new point.

The landing was smooth, the runway in good condition. You didn’t expect anything less from your dad. Once you’d taxied to the hangar, you shut down the plane, and jumped out to join your dad as he opened the large hangar in front of you.

“You have a P-52 Mustang!” you exclaimed once sunlight flooded the hangar.

He smiled at your enthusiasm and guided you in to show you the plane.

“I got this one a few years ago” He said, “She’s the one I prefer to fly when I’m not in a jet.”

You ran your hand along the side of the plane, soaking in the details and beauty. Growing up, you’d gone to airshows often, and the Mustang remained your favorite.

“I think I just fell in love.” You said, laughing. “Who needs men when there are beautiful planes like this in the world”?

“That’s my girl” Mav laughed, “Come on, let me show you the one I’m fixing up.”

He walked you over to where he had another plane partially dismantled. His time to work on it now was limited due to training at Top Gun. You  knew he’d spend all of his free time once he was done with this mission back here fixing up the plane. Hopefully he saved some time to also spend with Penny.

“That’s the part I still want to learn.” You admitted, “I can do basic maintenance on my plane but I’d love to learn more about fixing planes and being able to rebuild them.”

“Well, you’re in the right place then, Firecracker.” Mav said, “Anytime you want to come out and help me, I’d be honored to teach you what I know.”

“I’d love that, Dad.” You replied, smiling.  You looked around at the hangar noticing that he did indeed probably stay here often. There was a fridge and microwave with a heating plate to cook food, and a small seating area with a couch to crash on. On the back wall where he kept various tools he also had a display of pictures hanging. You wandered over to take a closer look, smiling as you saw various pictures of you and Bradley growing up as well as pictures of your dad, Goose and Uncle Ice when they were younger at Top Gun. What surprised you was Bradley’s service picture in his dress blues hanging on the board. You didn’t think your dad had followed his career.

“Lots of memories on that board.” Mav said, coming up behind you.

“You kept track of him didn’t you.” You asked, “Even after…”

“I did.” He replied, “He’s my godson. I didn’t pull the papers because I didn’t love him. I was honoring his mom’s wishes. I still wanted to see him succeed.”

“If you had it to do over again, would you make the same decision?” You asked, “Or would you be honest with him and let him make the choice?”

“Knowing how it all turned out and the hurt it caused…” He replied, “I would ask Carol to talk to him about her fears and I would tell Bradley to follow his heart.”

“Maybe you should try talking to him and being completely honest with him now.” You suggested, “Give him the whole truth and let him do with it what he will.”

“I don’t want to taint his memories of his mom.” He said, “It’s easier for me to bear the brunt of his anger. He already blames me for his dad’s death.”

“I don’t think he really means that.” You said, “I think that’s the hurt talking. You were his hero growing up, Dad. He loved you so much, he wanted to be just like you.”

“And now he won’t talk to me.” He sighed. “He’s respectful enough to not be insubordinate in training, but I could be any instructor off the street as far as he’s concerned.”

“Maybe just give it time.” You offered, “Then try again. You’ll eventually wear him down.”

“Time isn’t really in our favor.” He said. “After this mission, new orders will be given. They all have permanent squadrons they’re attached to.”

“Possibly…” You reasoned, “But there is this amazing new technology called a cell phone… It's really easy to use too. Even better, you can take it with you wherever you go!”

“Smartass.” He laughed, playfully nudging you with his shoulder.

“Guess that’s another trait I inherited from you.” You quipped.

“We should head back.” Mav said, noticing the time. “If you don’t want to pay for a hangar rental you can always keep your plane here.”

“I may take you up on that.” You replied, “I am supposed to pick up some charter flights from Frank as he needs me, but I don’t know if a hangar is included in that, since I’d be using his planes.”

“Whatever you decide.” He said, the two of you climbing into the plane after closing up the hangar. “Offer is always on the table.”

“Thanks, Dad,” You said smiling.

“Let’s turn and burn.” He said, pulling on his headset.

“Wrong kinda plane, Dad.” You laughed.

The flight back was just as smooth and before long you were taxiing off of the runway back into the hangar. Your dad helped with tying the plane down so you were back in your Jeep on your way home in no time.

A/N- Is Bradley getting ready to redeem himself?? We’re getting closer to this stubborn pair letting their guards down :) 

Taglist:  @gracespicybradshaw​ @memoriesat30​, @khaylin27​, @snekssss, @shanimallina87​ @atarmychick007​  @jstarr86​    If I forget anyone please message me!  

[zandiiangelspit]

Hi! I know that you are currently focusing on other Fandoms but I have a question about you human tmnt au.

I saw on your blog that despite still being human they stil have some form of mutagen in their system. And my question is how did they come in contact with the mutagen?

You're in luck!

The TMNT bug is back~ ♡♡♡♡

I'm planning to update and post more about my human!AU and the origin and lore.

But here is the shorter version of the origin of their Mutagen contact.

‘Oroku Saki and Hamato Yoshi having a feud, driven by Saki and his jealousy for the things Yoshi had that he felt should be his own, is an old story. 

Rivals in the clan, set against each other in the adoration of Tang Shen, who reciprocates that affection with Yoshi. 

It was more scorn than the fragile ego of Oroku Saki could handle, and he set his mind to levelling the playing field. 

If he couldn’t have what he saw as rightfully his, he would take it by force or leave it to no other.’

~ 

The rivalry of Yoshi and Oruku ultimately came to a head once Yoshi had discovered a substance at a forgotten shrine that could enhance the mind and soul. 

Tang Shen studied what they had found at the shrine, finding traces of it in old folklore, and eventually created a substance not dissimilar to an enhancer or medicine. Mutagen.

Its properties are told in scripture and legends of superhuman strength and abilities, giving a person enhanced reaction and intelligence, as well as advanced healing and health. 

With so much of their lives already on tender hooks, including their adoration for Tang Shen, the opposing views on this new and possibly life changing enhancement were the final straw. 

Yoshi knew that Oroku would use it for the wrong reasons, for war and creating super soldiers to command and control, a dream he had often shared which deeply concerned him. 

Where Yoshi wanted to help those in need and never take more than was needed, Oroku wanted to complete control, take before being taken, kill before being killed. Power over all. 

Sharing his worries with Tang Shen, who had fallen and devoted herself solely to Yoshi, they both agreed to hide it and keep it away from Oroku . They both agree to run away together, taking the mutagen with them. 

But, after learning of their plan, Oroku leads a small attack on the clan village, his madness growing and leads to the demise of Tang Shen, while she stays behind and tries to distract and keep him from Yoshi. 

Her death instils his hatred for Yoshi, vowing to hunt him down and destroy him and create an army to finally claim what is rightfully his. 

~

Yoshi went into hiding, fleeing his homeland and keeping the Mutagen hidden, locked away, unable to face the reminder of his loss. That was until he found his sons. 

After a year of neglect and seeing his struggles to grow and recover, Yoshi gave a small dose of the mutagen to Raphael. 

At the time, Raphael was the smallest and weakest of the boys. Yoshi hoped that it would help heal him, and later after gaining Michelangelo, gave it to each of his sons so they would all grow and share the strength equally. 

This increased day by day with their training, Tang Shen's hope and legacy becoming living proof through the brothers, with Yoshi's determination and dedication teaching and guiding them into becoming highly skilled and honorable warriors.

Part of him also wanted them to grow strong, healthy and be able to defend themselves, should Oroku ever return and challenge them. they'd be ready.  

That and so they couldn’t be taken from him as well. 

[hiso03]

Oh I'm so curious abt the story behind the titles 2, 3, 4, 10 and 12 (> A <)

Number 2

"Father, forgive me for i have sinned."

It's also for Halbarry week, he planned to use it for "Holy and Sinner" day.

Originally this story was going to be unrelated to the whole event and it was going to be a long story, but I was lazy to finish it and didn't know how to extend it too much, so I made it short.

It's inspired by a theme I saw in the couple's Hispanic community.

It's wartime, Barry is a priest who hides people in his church.

However, one day his altar boy, Wally, finds a wounded man and lets him know.

Barry heals and cares for him despite being on the opposing side.

Little by little, he falls in love with this man even though he knows that he is committing a mortal sin in doing so.

I don't have anything written yet, so I'll put the phrase from the bible that I'm drawing inspiration from.

"Therefore I say to you, All sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven" (Matthew 12:31).

Number 3.

"A date?"

It was a fic I had written as a Valentine's Day and a gift for Hal's birthday."

The idea is simple.

Hal invites Barry to dinner just the two of them under the pretext of celebrating his birthday and Valentine's Day.

Diana doesn't believe them.

"So, Hal asked you to be his Valentine?" Diana asks with an excited smile, to which Barry snorts and shakes his head. But are they going on a date? "It's not a date," Barry replies for the fifth time that night. "Hal found a place where there's a buffet on sale for Valentine's Day and he wants to go to celebrate Valentine's Day and his birthday, so he doesn't spend double." "That sounds like a terrible excuse to ask you out on a date," Diana replies, but Barry ignores her as he takes one last look in the mirror. "It's a terrible excuse, because aren't he´s inviting me to any appointments? "Please," Diana snorts, throwing herself on her bed. "We all know they've been in love with each other since the first time they saw each other in college, and if they haven't made a move, it's because they're both cowards, who still think they don't like each other when they're always flirting."

Number 3.

"I got there first"

It's an alternate universe where Hal and Barry were childhood friends. It's a bit short, the idea is that there will be maybe two or three parts.

It's about a little Hal who is upset that his brother Jack convinced his mother to get him a babysitter, he never expected that babysitter to become his best friend.

"Hal looks him up and down, the boy looks honest, but Hal doesn't know if he can be trusted. "Shall we start over?" the blond boy says, shyly approaching Hal, standing a couple of inches in front of him. "I'm Barry Allen, I'm twelve years old and I promise I'm not some kind of mini spy for your brother, I'm just coming here to keep you from getting hurt being alone." "I'm Hal, and I don't need you to take care of me, Barry; But you can stay. Barry's smile grows when he sees Hal stretch out his hand and the boy didn't hesitate to take it showing him a big smile. Hal feels a strange warmth spread across his chest as he sees the boy older than him smile at him and follow him attentively to his words. Maybe Barry can be a good guy."

Number 10.

"Pretend, Study and Love."

It's alternate universe where they're young and Barry and Hal study together.

Hal wants his teachers to believe that he has changed and decides that the best way to make his change believable is that he changed by the power of love, but he is not in any relationship, so he convinces Barry to pretend to be her boyfriend, everything is complicated by maybe Barry is not faking his feelings

"'Haven't you noticed how all the masters look at them funny when they see them together and start whispering?" she asks. "Iris once overheard them talking about the possibility that you will force him to do your jobs in secret and pretend to be friends so that no one will suspect." "But I don't do that!" he cried angrily, "I would never hurt him!" He's my best friend! "I know, silly," she says, forcing him to lower his voice. "But they don't believe in that, as do most of the school."

Number 12.

"Anonymus letter"

That was one of the first Halbarry fanfics I wrote that I didn't finish or publish. Ha Ha Ha.

It's about Barry who decides to propose on Valentine's Day to his best friend, because he fears his reaction he prefers to write him an anonymous letter that is not so anonymous because Hal knows his handwriting.

Everything goes worse than expected.

It is inspired by the DCSHG animated series.

I don't have anything handy because the draft was in my old Wattpad account, but I'm going to try to get it back as soon as possible to see when I can finish it.

[angelynmoon]

Merlin burst into the Council Chambers, normally Arthur would ignore this as Merlin had a habit of doing such, however, the Warlock seemed irritated.

"Arthur, I crave Violence." Merlin shouted as he stormed across the room, grabbing the king by the arm and dragging him out of the hall.

"Should we be concerned about that?" One of the Lords asked.

They looked at one another and then carefully stacked their notes and decided that their Council Meeting could wait. It was best not to stand in the way of a Warlock that could level Camelot, especially when he was craving violence.

Three days later Merlin and Arthur returned to Camelot, an egg held gently in Merlin's hands, the Warlock was covered in blood and dust and Arthur looked a little dazed as he trailed after Merlin, covered in the same amount of dust but much less blood.

"What happened to you?" Gwaine asked as they entered the courtyard.

"Got you an egg." Merlin said with a grin holding the white egg aloft.

Lancelot looked at Merlin and then Arthur, "It's different when he actually fights, huh?"

"He... he..." Arthur looked at Lancelot, "All this time, I thought I was protecting him and then I saw him destroy an armed contingent of bandits because they were going to crack that egg open and sell the dead Dragon parts to the highest bidder." Arthur looked at Merlin again, "There wasn't even a shard of bone left after he was done, just blood."

"Yeah, Merlin's like a Dragon that way, we don't usually leave a bit of our enemies behind lest they return stronger." Lancelot shrugged.

"You don't seem shocked." Arthur said as he looked away from where Merlin was guiding Gwaine on how to Hatch the Dragon, Percival hovering nearby.

Lancelot shrugged, "I've seen Merlin do terrifying stuff to keep you safe, things that would make your father justified in killing him, of course, I've done things that would get me killed under your father's law too, so that's not saying much." Lancelot looked at Merlin, "But I love him, and I know he does what he does for the right reasons. The question is, does this change how you see him?"

"I..." Arthur looked at Merlin as he cooed gently at the newly hatched Dragon, "I think I forgot, that Magic can be used for fighting, Merlin uses it for that so rarely."

"Magic wants to be good, it's growth and renewal, Magic is Life and connections and that's how Merlin tends to use it, he guides it to grow plants, to heal the sick, but when it comes to protecting what's his, Merlin will do what needs to be done, he'll reshape that Life giving Magic until it becomes death for those that oppose him." Lancelot explained, "It's why Nimueh had no hope of defeating him, it's what saw Freya become the Lady of the Lake, it's why Morgause and Morgana failed to keep Camelot. Merlin would never have allowed them to succeed, even if I hadn't killed Morgause myself, she still would have ended up dead, one way or another, just as Morgana would have if Merlin hadn't chosen to save her that day." Lancelot looked at Arthur, "He did that for you, you know."

Arthur looked at Merlin, "I know. What do I do with that power? That my wants might have him overthrow a kingdom if I decide I want it?"

"Make sure there's a good reason to want that kingdom." Lancelot suggested, "Make sure it's for the good of the Kingdoms' people."

"You're not being helpful." Arthur said.

"I'm just a lowly Knight, Sire, I follow my orders, I'm not supposed to pollute your royal mind with my commoner thoughts." Lancelot teased before he nudged Arthur's shoulder with his own, "You haven't done so bad, so far."

"Thanks, Lancelot, I'm glad Merlin decided to keep you." Arthur told him.

Lancelot grinned, "Me too."

--

A/n: is this me wanting Merlin to say that he craved Violence, why, yes, yes it is three guesses on who the Dragon is and the first two don't count.

Got a question, how would you feel about a Freya/Elyan pairing, because I'm thinking about having her come be an Auntie, I'm giving her and Merlin more sibling vibes than Romantic, because she deserves it.

[bees-with-swords]

I'm ethically opposed to the idea of weeding, but I'm doing it anyways cause. Money. But it's really interesting how people's perspectives change when you name the weeds.

If I say, "do you want me to take these out," it's almost always a yes. But if I say, "do you want me to remove the self-heal?" It's suddenly a different story. Is that a native plant? Does it spread? Do you think I should get rid of it?

And even when you tell them then that yeah it does spread, but it doesn't grow tall and the bees like it, they're a lot more likely to keep it. Cause "weed" is a social construct, not a real category, and evaluating plants individually creates a relationship with them. It's not even that they feel guilty about pulling up native plants, but knowing the strengths and weaknesses of a plant in your garden means you're a more effective gardener. It's really good gardening to not pull up groundcover, or relocate the self-heal under the apple trees instead of completely killing it off, there's no ground cover over there and it tolerates being stepped on reasonably well. You'll get really nice flowers in the spring and it'll suppress the tall weeds.

Conventional gardening has many flaws but I will maintain that it's not mutually exclusive to biodiversity, and a lot of gardeners can be taught that easily.

[ancientgoddessofegypt]

Hello! Hope you’re well! Thoughts on Pluto opposite mc?

omg ! so let me say this was stuck in the drafts. idk how long ago this was sent but here u go bby lmao

if its opposing the mc then its in the fourth. you have a powerful presence that you are sometimes not aware of. your attraction to the unknown propels you to go through great lengths to go deep within yourself. you're challenged by family members which has put you under a lot of pressure to be something. you could be very successful amongst your family or just better off and this could attract jealousy for some of them. you have a gift in breaking generational curses as a lot of pressure is put on you from a young age.

this placement shows a very controlling family life. you may have been put into a cage figuratively speaking, as you werent able to truly live as a child and had to face the darkness of reality sooner than most. you grew up much quicker than your peers, and as much as you want something more for yourself apart of you weeps for that childhood you were suppose to have.

could of had difficulties with family members, some abusive and maybe some traumatizing experiences that made you close yourself off to people.

even people close to you have a hard time figuring you out due to your secretive nature. it is mostly due to some crazy experience you had as a kid and it will take sooo much effort for you to open up.

this secretive nature however brings you deeper into the unknown, helping you see the reality of your family, your friends, your neighbors and just the world itself.

people might deal with you from far away because you can see through them a little too easily, and from what i notice its better for you to control it because it can be a lot for you to deal with. i feel a lot of 'kali' energy here and what i mean is the energy of kali is about death and clearly out low vibration/demon energy so when i say people decide to steer clear from you a bit its more so because you can see past their wounds, demons, lies, deceit etc.. and you have zero tolerance for it. they'll be removed quicker than they can run for it. this makes people vulnerable and thats hard for people to accept.

pluto opposing mc could also be in the 3rd, so if it is in your chart (because that wasnt clear), it would still have much of the energy of the 4th. however in the third house it would have potential in speech where your powers can shift the room through the voice. you could of had an ancestor who was a powerful speaker and could of been a healer with their words.

your voice can move mountains and can change others. the ic opposes the mc which means at some point it needs to balance itself out. you may want to hide your inner self from the world, but the world needs that to grow. be more open to being vulnerable to the ones closest to you, you may not know who you'll help heal and change.

[onyxandemerald]

Hey, I’d love a tarot reading! My question for you is: What strengths should I focus on developing right now and which fears are holding me back?

If you’re not doing questions a general mini reading is cool too! Get to this whenever you’d like. Have a beautiful day. ❤️

My first reading how exciting! I consider us friends, obv, so I got a little carried away lol. Sometimes more cards is in fact better lmaaooo. Love you! I hope you got what you're looking for! <3

Okay so we started with the three in the middle. I went with fears/current situation/strengths, in that order. I flipped the Two of Wands first. Since you're asking this question at all, I'm getting the sense that you're feeling stuck, possibly in the middle of two opposing forces. There might even be danger on the horizon; this feels like an urgent dilemma. Then I pulled The Moon, XVIII, your strengths. I did in fact notice you're a Cancer sun! And then I pulled the Four of Wands to represent the fears you are inquiring about. This kinda threw me off at first, and that's when The High Priestess reversed showed up.

From this reading, I'm getting the idea that you may be neglecting your true self, your true path, your authenticity as a way to keep the peace in your mid-world, possibly with the intention to please others. In my personal practice, I associate The High Priestess with Hekate, that spooky mysterious force that seems to guide us all. Are you saying no to her? She's ready to hand you the key, but are you ready to receive the mysteries she has in store for you? When I see the Eight of Wands, I read it as, "Do it scared!"

Your emotional power is your strength! It looks like you are so ready, so willing to dive into your emotional world. You understand balance is the key to harmony; Temperance. You are searching for something new, or a new perspective, Ace of Cups, but are your own cups full or empty?

The impression I'm getting from this whole spread is that you want to grow and to feel, and you are ready, but you might be unwilling to shake up your day-to-day to make room to accommodate the growth you're seeking. If you want your irl community to accept you, find a community where you belong! If your support system (whether they know it or not, intentionally or not) is holding you back, it might be time to make some changes to your relationships. You have the power and the intuition to succeed, you just have to take the first step and actually go do something with it.

I'll relate this to a personal anecdote- My biggest anxiety when starting down the path of witchcraft and the mystical was how it would effect my relationships and my support system. I was afraid I would get sideways glances for wearing crystals and bringing incense everywhere like literally everywhere with me, even from people who I knew loved me. But I decided hiding my intention and my truth was not worth the suffering I was going through by neglecting that it even existed; I was not praying to my spirit guides as regularly as I needed, I wasn't making offerings, I wouldn't even bring my tarot cards into the living room w me. These things were really effecting my spiritual health. So I just started doing it. I started reading tarot in front of my family, asking them if they wanted readings to help me practice, and it was really awkward and a little uncomfortable at first, but now literally everyone in my home is a witch. We have a community altar in the living room. Not only was I hiding for nothing, being authentic and true added value to my relationships! Because I had the bravery to be weird without feeling embarrassed for doing things that bring me joy and more importantly healing, the rest of my roommates finally felt the comfort to be weird back. We do yoga together when last year even I would have cringed at it.

Moral of the story is, if your people can't love you totally and fully, your wounds and weirdness and all, then they're not your people. When you are completely and wholly authentic, the people who want to be around you will find you. The people who don't will make a hasty exit. Tell them, "Good riddance." They were never serving you to begin with.