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go-oka-wemohawe · 1 year

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Stone-Axes & Stone-Adzes Steinäxte & Steindechsel

used Minerals/Stones for Stone-Axes:

Mineralien/Steine zum Bau von Steinäxten:

DANI:

Glaukophan (Hornblende-Art) (blau) >Wang-Kob-Me<

Epidot / Chloro-Melanit (Härte 6 bis 7) (grün) >Andiba<

Kieselsandstein (schwarz) >Kä-Lu<

KIM-YAL:

Andesit-Lava (feinkörnig) (blaugrün)

EUROPÄISCHE VÖLKER:

Serpentin (grün)

Nephrit

Amphibolit

Hornblendeschiefer

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The Last Stone Axe Makers

Commentary by Benjamin Raven Pressley

This is a report on an article called The Last Stone Ax Makers by Nicholas Toth, Desmond Clark and Giancarlo Ligabue and appeared in Scientific American, July 1992 This is an article worth reading. It describes a chance encounter with a people living in New Guinea’s highlands that still make and trade stone axes in almost complete isolation from the outside world until 1984 when a German doctor met them while on an expedition in the area. These people, who call themselves the Kim-Yal, are horticulturalists who live in Langda village in the central mountains of Irian Jaya, western New Guinea. Their language belongs to one of the many Papuan families, they call Uni. The average Kim-Yal man stands about 4 feet 6 inches tall which is much shorter than populations who live in the central highlands and the southwest coast.

They cultivate sweet potato and taro root, raise pigs, chickens and supplement their diet with wild plants and small game. They clear a new field by felling trees and chopping out the residual roots with their stone axes. However, these implements are slowly yielding to imported metal axes and it is estimated that their stone implements will give way and disappear within a few short years as stores providing metal tools are introduced in the highlands and mountains and a cash economy replaces the traditional system of barter. Given that none of the younger members of the tribe are currently apprenticed in this craft, it is likely that most of this skilled axe-making technology will be lost within one or two generations. An archeologist would normally classify the type of ax they make as an adze. The blade is shaped and hafted in such a manner as we would define an adze; however, it is used to chop wood and fell trees and such implements are generally classified according to their use rather than their design.

The craft of ax making confers high status to the male specialists who practice it and to their sons who traditionally learn the work in lengthy apprenticeships. Today every man at Langda owns at least 2 stone axes and each woman at least one. Most children older than five years old also tote an ax to the fields where they work alongside their elders. This article describes very well the entire process these people use to produce their fine blades with the expertise of an experienced flintknapper. I am including the line drawings from the article below that illustrate the process very well. The article itself describes the process in detail. It was interesting to me that the entire reduction process was done with hammerstones decreasing in size and weight the finer the work became and the closer to the finishing stages, rather than using wooden or antler billets and flaking tools. Typically the Kim-Yal ax maker started with a large stone hammer 25 cm (10 in) in diameter swinging it at a boulder through their legs much like the motion of an American football center. It was noted in the article that to their knowledge this technique has never before been described ethnographically, although it could have been used in antiquity for detaching such large flakes. They also produced suitable flakes, sometimes by throwing one boulder hammer against another boulder core or by kindling a fire alongside a boulder to initiate fractures. A typical blank measures 24 cm long, 14 cm wide and 7 cm deep (about 10 x 6 x 3 inches). The final product of flaking is a long, thin ax with nearly parallel sides, a triangular cross section and a bit end having a slightly convex outline and an edge beveled at about 50 degrees. A typical ax measures about 20 x 4 x 3 cm. The time spent flaking from quarry blank to ready to grind varies from 30 to 50 minutes. Between 10 and 20% of the blanks tend to be lost to breakage. After final flaking, the ax maker grinds the working end against a wetted slab of fine grained sandstone. An hour or so of grinding turns out an ax head with a polished bit and an extremely regular edge. Grinding a tool that already has a razor sharp edge helps the tool hold the edge longer and then makes it more ready to be re-sharpened which is also done by regrinding the edge.

After hafting onto a T-shaped wooden handle at about a 45 degree angle, a Langda villager can fell a tree as thick as a telephone pole in five to ten minutes. The article also mentioned other tools used by Langda villagers such as small, flat, slate knives that are oval, kidney or subtriangular in shape, and are used to cut off leaves, or split and scrape taro root. They also used split bamboo knives for butchering pigs. They re-sharpened the latter by simply tearing off a strip of bamboo with a thumbnail or with their teeth.

I hope you get this article and read it for it has much more than space allows me to review in this short article. You can get it at the local library or purchase a downloadable version HERE.

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believemetheodore · 2 years

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Northern Attitude pt. 3

Ted Lasso x Rebecca Welton

Divorce is hard. it doesn't matter if you're the one who got left, or you're the one doing the leaving. When an unexpected blizzard puts a dangerous twist in Ted's hiking adventures he's rescued by an axe-wielding, lumber-chopping, blonde angel. Oh, and there's only one bed.

Warnings: divorce mentions, mentions of Ted's dad, implied sex, let me know if you want me to add anything.

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Ted lets himself relax. He manages to sink into his gut instinct and accept this moment in time for what it's worth. He does his best to ignore the itching at the back of his mind begging him to think about the future and recall his past.

He doesn't care to consider the could-bes and the maybes, he doesn't want to draw comparisons to mistakes and regrets where there are none.

So, he doesn't mention it when Rebecca scoots closer to him on the couch. neither of them says a thing when they catch the other staring.

And when Rebecca takes their mugs to the kitchen and says, “Ted, would you like to come upstairs with me?”

Ted replies, “would you like me to come upstairs with you?” His feet lead the way to meet her at the foot of the staircase. Her kiss is an invitation he’s glad to accept.

His first kiss had taken him by surprise. He was 12 and at sleepaway camp and an unsanctioned game of spin the bottle. Jenny Simson. She was 13 and he’d been crushing on her all summer. It was quick and on the corner of his mouth, his cheek more than anything. But, they held hands during marshmallow roasts and teamed up for travel pairs in the remaining weeks of camping fun.

He had a girlfriend in high school, Kim Banks, it lasted a couple of months but sometimes real life gets in the way. Puppy love isn’t built to last, and neither of them had been sure how to navigate the sudden death of his father. It fizzled out in silence, without any real conversation, or decision. One day they were, and then one day they weren’t. But both of them understood, and for the most part, there were no hard feelings when she dropped off his letterman jacket, and a condolence casserole her mother had made for his mom.

In college there were flings. Hook-ups at parties, and fleeting flirtations with a couple of guys and gals, but nothing stuck until he met Michelle. It’s strange, he thinks how in the moment it’s so easy to expect something to last forever simply because it’s lasted the longest. At 16 he had assumed he might marry Kim. And when he married Michelle, he thought they’d be together for the rest of their lives. That’s what he had promised her.

There’s a level of peace that comes with knowing that maybe Rebecca is really just a moment of peace. A reset for both of them. A reprieve from the anxieties they’ve both been carrying. It’s not what he was expecting when he planned this vacation, but he tries not to overthink it.

In the morning, he wakes before Rebecca. Tired, but in a good way. He’s careful to tuck the blankets around Rebecca’s sleeping form when he slips from the bed. Collecting and folding the clothes they shed between the floors. He makes her a cup of tea and insists she stays in her warm bed while he worries about fixing up some breakfast for them. Toast and omelettes. They enjoy their meal in the sunlight pouring through the window.

Rebecca wrapped up in the duvet, Ted in boxers and a wool sweater. What a pair they make.

“I was thinking--” “Oh no,” Ted smirks. Rebecca only rolls her eyes before continuing. “I feel bad that you missed out on half of your trip. So, I’ve decided to show you around for your last day here”.

It’s an offer too good to refuse. He can see the underlying nervousness in her proposition. The shadow of a fear he can’t pretend he knows anything about lingers behind her eyes as she waits for his response. Ted doesn’t leave her hanging and is equally as relieved as he is concerned when relief washes over her face.

Ted wonders silently if she might be as afraid of intruding in his life as he is of overstepping in hers. It’s a tricky line to walk, especially now that they’ve blurred it.

It’s not like it’s the first one-night stand he’s ever had. They’ve left him feeling queasy in the past, unsure of how to proceed when all was said and done. Here in Rebecca’s bed, he finds himself dizzy for the opposite reason. He wants more, and he doesn’t know what that means, or what it would look like.

What he does know is that Rebecca has allowed him to revisit the parts of his head, and heart he’d thought he’d locked the door on forever. Condemned spaces, suddenly relit. Unknowingly, she’s gifted him a new perspective; a new outlook and conclusions he might never have come to if he’d completed this trip alone. There’s a hope that’s humming in the back of his mind now. A reminder that endings are often beginnings.

It’s not love by any means. He’s not so naive as to believe in love at first sight, but he does believe that everything happens for a reason. Everything they’ve talked about has been surface-level. Cursory, and friendly. But there’s a desire to know more, and he finds that he dreads, as much as he covets, the shimmers of untold stories beneath the surface of her words. Ted wants to hear all of the stories that have been kept untold. He wants to fumble his way through re-learning how to open up, himself.

There's hope that these few days aren’t all they get. Ted feels like he’s clinging on, holding tight to the hours of daylight burning while they pretend to ignore it. Regardless of whether he sees her again, Rebecca has left a mark on his life.

Ted has no problem thanking her to the best of his abilities. Deciding that leaning in for a kiss is worth the risk. Rebecca makes quick work of his T-shirt and sweater, pulling him closer. The world can wait for another roll in the sheets.

He's never felt quite like this before, untethered from his own reality, yet far more grounded than he's been in weeks. It's easy to dedicate all of his attention to Rebecca. Learning all he can about her in their limited time. He commits every moment to memory.

There's nowhere else he'd rather be, and he feels so for wondering when the last time he found himself so affected around Michelle was. He loved Michelle, and he cherishes every moment he had with her. Even the painful bits.

But he has to admit there were days he knew she didn't feel the same. Good days started to become more routine than passion, or desire. Michelle’s affections felt more dutiful, and he could see her trying to find her way back to him. Ted broke his own heart going through the motions, too desperate to just let her go. He sees their paths clearly now, but the sting of the separation hangs around.

He won't compare Michelle and Rebecca. He's too much of a gentleman, and a firm believer in the philosophy that all people are different people. There's nothing to compare. It’s not a matter of better or worse. But, it’s nice to feel wanted for the sake of being wanted; to crave for the sake of craving. He savours it.

Freshly showered, and filled with glee, It’s bittersweet spending the day bundled up in all his layers again, his backpack heavy with all his belongings. The weight of the reminder that this is his last day in the peaceful bubble he’d stumbled upon with Rebecca. Knowing he’s got to say goodbye at the end of the trail makes his chest feel tight. It feels something like regret and a longing for more. It’s selfish and he tries to push it down.

Their shoulder bump as they walk side by side up the trail, fingers brushing, and Ted does his best to sort his thoughts and feelings, in an attempt to understand what this week means for him.

Rebecca hikes him up to the highest peak he would’ve made it to had he continued up the trail without tumbling down the hill. And she marches him down off the beaten path, showing him streams and the tallest trees. After a stop for lunch, she shows him down a detour route and they stand at the edge of a frozen lake. He squints, just barely able to make out her cabin on the other side.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” “Sure is,” Ted sighs.

Glancing to his right, through the trees he can see the parking lot in the distance. Rebecca is already looking at him when he turns to her.

“I wish we had more time,” she says. “I think you have to click your heels and say it three times for it to work, Dorothy,” Ted smiles, but he knows his eyes betray him. He doesn’t do melancholy well.

His joke makes her laugh though, and that’s good enough for him. The way she tilts her head back, her cheeks pink with the effort of grinning so big. He hopes she laughs often. “Can I kiss you goodbye? Or is that crossing some kind of boundary--” “Yes,” she says. “Because I completely understand if you want to leave this cut and dry. I’ll just skedaddle--” “Ted, I think you should stop talking and kiss me”.

So he does.

The drive home takes several hours, but it feels like ten minutes. His mind is on autopilot, floating somewhere up on cloud 9, and he can’t help but think that things are more complicated now than before he went away.

In the morning, in his own bed, he reaches out half awake for a body to hold. It’s been ages since he’s caught himself doing that. He thinks about Rebecca, rolling over to catch some more sleep before his alarm goes off. Back at work, Beard sets down his book to give Ted his full attention, “Your problem is, you’re just a hopeless romantic”. Ted sighs, slouching down into his swivel chair. “There is beggary in love that can be reckoned,” Beard quotes. “Twelfth night?” “Antony and Cleopatra. The point is you gotta stop trying to wrap your head around it. I don’t know who you met, or what you got up to, but thinking about it is only going to taint it. Let it be what it was”. Ted considers his friend’s words, before nodding. Let it be what it was.

“Now, how was the hiking?” Beard asks.

#Ted Lasso #ted lasso x rebecca welton #tedbecca #tedbecca fanfic #ted lasso fic #ted lasso fanfic #happy valentine's day

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mint-yooxgi · 3 years

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Ohh I love the blacksmith yuta and alchemist reader! What if a knight or a noble nct member tries to steal reader's attention?

Part One

***

Wiping the sweat off his brow, Yuta is nearly finished sharpening a newly forged battle-axe he's been working on for the past two days. Just as he's about to return to work, he hears an all too familiar voice right outside his workshop.

Normally, hearing your voice would bring a smile to his face, if not for the words you speak.

"I've already told you," you push the door open to Yuta's shop, being followed closely by another, "I will not become the military's bitch."

"And I've already told you," the man counters, "you wouldn't have to serve under anyone else but me. You'd be useful, and you're strong. I still don't understand why, you're wasting your talents."

A scowl takes over Yuta's features as he watches the man stand close to you. A man Yuta has never like for one second, given how close he seemingly wants to become with you. Unfortunately, due to his rank, Yuta cannot say anything.

"Colonel Kim," you sigh, turning to face the man who now wears a tight lipped expression, "I'd rather be in control of my own life and decisions, not have someone else decide those for me."

"I thought I told you to call me Doyoung," comes his blunt reply, but you couldn't care less.

Immediately, you turn around to face Yuta, rolling your eyes for emphasis as you tilt your head ever so slightly to motion to the Colonel now standing behind you with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Yuta would have cracked a smile, if not for the situation. He knows exactly what game Doyoung is playing here, and he wants nothing more than for the Colonel to lose.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, Colonel," you make sure to put extra emphasis on his title, knowing how much it will irritate him. He's been trying (and failing) to get you to call him by his first name ever since you met all those months ago. "I have business to attend to. So, unless you too need services with my trusted friend Yuta here," you shoot Doyoung a look from over your shoulder, "leave."

Doyoung scowls, clicking his tongue at your words. Turning towards the door, he stops just before he's able to pass through the entranceway, bringing a hand up to grasp the frame as he mirrors your stance, looking over his shouldering last time to shoot you a final look. "Fine. Just make sure to think about my offer. Both of them."

With that, he's gone, the door to Yuta's shop swinging shut.

"Thank fuck," you sigh in relief, "I thought he would never leave."

Yuta narrows his eyes ever so slightly, "what was that all about?"

"Oh, that?" You snort. "He's been trying to recruit me to become a state alchemist ever since I arrived in the city."

"I know that much," Yuta leans against the counter. "I meant, what is his other offer?"

"Ah," you draw out the word, realization crossing your features as you notice how tense Yuta seems to be. Almost as if he's... "jealous?"

"Of the Colonel?" Yuta scoffs. "Please. You couldn't pay me enough to want whatever he may have."

Quirking a brow, you decide to test that theory, given everything you've deduced of him, "even if he had me?"

Yuta blinks, clearly stunned by your words, "I thought you weren't joining the military?"

"Believe me, I'm not," you grin. "He's just offered me a place at his side in another sense, is all."

His eyes narrow, fear clawing at his chest, "what do you mean?"

"You're a smart man, I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out," you chuckle, though at the look Yuta sends you, you continue. "Essentially, he proposed."

"What?" Yuta asks, the shock clear on his features. He had an inkling that that was what happened, but hearing you say it out loud makes it all the more real. "What did you tell him?"

Yuta prays to whatever's out there that you laughed in that self-righteous, stuck up, asshole's face when he proposed to you.

"I didn't say no," you shrug, and Yuta swears his poor heart is being suffocated.

"So you'll agree to marrying him? Him of all people?" Yuta cannot hide the disgust in his voice, his nose scrunching as his lips turn downwards in a frown.

"Sure. He could offer me further protection with both his status and alchemic power, not that that really matters to me." You shrug once more. "I could make an exception, even if I don't trust him."

Yuta straightens, standing stiffly in front of you. Before he can stop himself, the words are blurting out of his mouth, "marry me instead."

"What?" This time, it's your turn to look surprised.

"Marry me instead," Yuta repeats, taking a step towards you and closing the distance between your two bodies as his one hand comes up to cup your cheek. "You said it yourself: you trust me. If that's all it takes, then I'll be more than happy to stand by your side, because I've always wanted you by mine."

"Yuta," the way you breathe his name sends a shiver down his spine, your eyes searching his own for any sign of hesitancy. You find none. The corner of your lips tug upwards, a smug expression pulling at your features. "I'll think about it."

#ask #yandere yuta #yuta drabble #yandere doyoung #doyoung drabble #yandere nct #nct drabble #drabbles #fantasy au #is Doyoung essentially Roy Mustang?#yes #yes he is

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joseeapologist · 3 years

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what are your favorite and least favorite ships?

I might ruffle some feathers, sorry:

Favorite Ships:

1. Jacsee - I think I've stated why so many times so I won't even bother explaining again, or else we'll be here for hours.

2. MacSanders - They're super underrated. There's no way that they WEREN'T together during RR. Their chemistry in the show seems a lot more than just friends. The way MacArthur was like, "I play nice with you allll the time" like c'mon lol they're dating. Honestly I wish there was more content of them. You can never get enough MacSanders content.

3. Nowen - When I joined the fandom I saw them as a BROtp (I used to like Noco) but then my love for Nowen grew along with my love for the fandom, it's very contagious :) I think they had wonderful chemistry and @realitytvpros has FANTASTIC artwork of them (that's another thing, the fan art for Nowen is wonderful)

4. Crimsonennui - the best canon ship of the show, hands down (I think Jashawn and Lyler are probably the next best ships) even though they are very monotonous, you can obviously tell they love and care very deeply with each other; they don't need to show this with exaggerated PDA (like some couples) and having some dramatic spur-of-the-moment kiss - it is very obvious that they're in love.

5. Alenoah - This is Larson's fault lmao. Honestly, Alenoah (the ship) has been growing on me a lot. Something that really makes me ship characters is fan-art, but especially fanfics. I'm a bookworm, so if I see someone write a story in which they bring two characters together and show them having awesome chemistry, it's very contagious and I'll start liking it, which is exactly what happened with Alenoah. Good writing really helped me enjoy the ship (check out @alenoah's fic Pretty Poisonous,you'll see what I mean)

Least Favorite Ships:

1. Gw//ody - I’m sorry, but this makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I don’t want to be mean, but this is based on personal things I’d rather not get into.

2. Co//derra - Same thing as Gw//ody, though I do like platonic Co//derra after canon (see @td-worrisometruths for their stuff, it’s great!)

3. No//co - Surprising, isn’t it? I’ve come to the realization that most ships involving Cody aren’t very good. I used to like Cody, but then my love for him sort of diminished over time. Cody just isn’t that appealing to me. Also, there was this whole drama about one of the No//co artists drawing very... fetish-y art even though they’re 16. Also, I never realized when I first joined how bait-y the Big Sleep episode was. Then I came to the realization that Noah would probably make Cody cry.

4. Tom//ques - Tom//ques is basically No//co, but Tom and Jacques are adults so people think it’s okay to fetishize mlm and write gay smut of them. Say what you want about No//co, but there had been some fics in which it was centered around building a relationship. I cannot say the same for Tom//ques. Literally the only Tom//ques fics I’ve seen were smut. Shipping the two most effeminate men on the show isn’t the progressive take you think it is. This is going to sound awful, but I can’t bring myself to like Tom//ques because some Tom//ques shippers went after me because I shipped Jacsee, calling me immoral for it, and claimed that Tom//ques was “supposed to be canon” so I’m erasing mlm. Besides, the superior mlm ship for Jacques is him and Ryan :) But I love a Tom//ques friendship. I’ve said this so many times, but platonic Tom//ques is awesome.

5. Sc//ax - I mean, it’s mostly because I see Scarlett as a lesbian (and I ship her with OC named Devin!), but even if I didn’t I just don’t understand the appeal. Someone compared them to Drakken and Shego from Kim Possible, which I get, but like... no lol (Even though I do ship Drakgo) Scarlett legitimately cannot stand Max, and Max says that “evil doesn’t date” so I don’t really see them as a couple, sorry.

#td ships #asks #answers #macsanders #jacsee #crimsonennui #nowen #alenoah #anti gwody #anti coderra #anti noco #anti tomques #anti scax

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thejakeformerlyknownasprince · 4 years

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Do you think that Animorphs could have been improved if morphing and demorphing didn't heal your original body? Firstly, it doesn't make a ton of sense, as your original form is kept in z-space, so demorphing should just return you that form without any alterations. Secondly, it would allow a couple plot points such as Tobias's wing in MM2 and Ax's sickness in #29 to be much more feasible. I'm not super well versed in the lore though, so I may be missing something.

I’m inclined to say it would not improve the series. Because without a healing factor, Animorphs would lose a lot of its realism.

Hear me out.

If the Animorphs don’t heal between battles, but the series is still about superheroes fighting aliens, then there are only so many ways the series can treat violence. And none of them are particularly realistic.

The Animorphs could face exactly as much horrific injury and very real threat of harm (amputation, disembowelment, and all) as they do in the series. But if they can’t heal, then it’s gonna be a really damn short war. Off the top of my head: Marco dies in #4 from shark bite, Jake and Cassie die in #6 from poisoning, Rachel and Ax bleed out in #7, and Tobias gets eaten by a raccoon in #13.

The Animorphs could have strictly “harmless” tactics against an enemy that uses “harmless” tactics against them. Think Kim Possible, Transformers, or My Little Pony. If it’s “laser beams set to stun” vs. “the predators that don’t do anything,” then there would be a dramatic shift in tone. Kim Possible is a great series, but it would never be classified as horror, and it never contains any real threat of characters coming to permanent harm. Animorphs would be different (more like AniTV, frankly) if the violence was never allowed to inflict damage, and it’d lose a lot of what makes it unique along the way.

The Animorphs could have the superhero Thing where they take huge amounts of damage and then just... get better. Think like Firefly, where characters get shot and stabbed realistically but then are inexplicably running around a week later like nothing happened. They get realistic short-term damage onscreen, but unrealistic insta-recovery between episodes. I personally HATE this trope because it’s low-key eugenicist in its emphasis on Macho Men Who Feel No Pain. But yes, Animorphs could do this, again at the expense of realistic depictions of bodily harm.

The Animorphs could be immune to harm sometimes and not others, depending on the tone of a scene. Again, tons of superhero series do this, and again it’s a pet peeve. In Umbrella Academy, bullets are harmless and fun when the Handler’s firing them at Lila in an upbeat training montage... and they’re horrible and deadly when they rip through the Hargreeveses two episodes later. In Batman, Robin 4.0 can be shot in the torso three times and keep right on swinging, but Robin 2.0 takes one crowbar to the head and straight-up dies. This treatment of injury drives me UP THE WALL because it a) makes light of gun violence and b) makes it impossible to know how seriously to take any given scene. So Animorphs could do that, but personally I’d hate it.

The Animorphs could inflict lots of harm, but not have any done to them. This is close to how the series does it, but without a healing factor there’d have to be practically no threat to the Animorphs themselves while they went around slaughtering controllers. Think Doctor Who and the tendency for their annihilating entire alien species to be played for laughs, while the Doctor themself remains untouchable and rarely even rumples their suit. Either the protagonists become Heroes in Name Only, or they become the villains. If the yeerks can’t hurt the kids at all, but the kids still harm the yeerks as much as they do, then we’d go from morally-grey protagonists to irredeemable-asshole protagonists really fast.

So I think the healing factor serves a very specific purpose within a series that nailed the “superheroes, but realistic” trope decades before it became a trend. The healing factor allows K.A. Applegate et al. to get way into the utter nastiness of violence and trauma. It prevents glossing over the reality of what it means to kill someone (see options 2 & 4) or be seriously injured (see option 3), while also avoiding a fight that’s entirely one-sided (see options 5 & 1). It draws attention to the mental toll of trauma through divorcing that from the physical toll. It’s what makes Animorphs so profoundly, disturbingly anti-war.

Ergo: no. I don’t think the series would improve if the healing factor was gone.

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pain-suffering-even · 3 years

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alright, but what if Jin-Woo revived the sword guild members?

what exactly would happen? he probably would've kept Min Byung-Gyu if Baek didn't ask for him to be spared, so its not a stretch to assume he'd try and revive Goto + the others. What would happen?

And more importantly... how would Reiji + those who survived react?

Jin-Woo's made humans into shadow soldiers before - Iron is one, and Byung-Gyu was nearly one. so it's clear turning or reviving humans isn't much of a moral issue to him.

i could see Jin-Woo turning Goto because he's relatively strong, and Jin-Woo has the option of making his shadow soldiers stronger, so Goto would be a relatively good investment as monsters in gates usually aren't as strong as him. i could also see him justifying turning Akari, as she's a skilled healer, Kei because they're a mage, and Ippei cause he's an assassin. the rest, while regular fighters, are also pretty strong - so, if he's already turned those four, he'd probably turn Kenzo, Mari, and Tatsumi anyway.

... but Jin-Woo is a relatively high profile hunter. and he's smart - he knows Reiji and the others think the rest of their members have died, and all hell would maybe break loose if they found out Jin-Woo was using them as his soldiers. so he'd probably just use them inside gates and such, maybe tag a few onto the shadows of others for protection.

he's not totally heartless. would he maybe eventually come clean to Reiji about the nature of their friends? it's not like Jin-Woo can let them roam free, as he's their leader/king/liege/etc but he could probably pull a few strings and allow them to protect their old friends by staying in their shadows. and i can't see Reiji getting too furious with Jin-Woo at keeping this a secret; we saw Choi, Baek, Lim and the others in the Jeju raid react to Jin-Woo's powers and ultimately think yeah, turning off the camera was a good idea, because reviving the dead is sort of... an odd power.

but then, we see how Iron/Kim still has a bit of a personality as a shadow solider; and Byung-Gyu, for the few seconds he was a soldier, had his own drive, as Jin-Woo commented on how he didn't even need to give him an order to start healing Cha Hae-In. so... would the draw sword guild members... still be the same, perhaps?

how would death treat Goto? i can't imagine his competitive nature completely dying out, but maybe he's got less bloodlust, or more of a caring outlook on the lives of his members? or, would he care less about them? honestly i like to think he'd get more mellow; a lot of his problems are gone now, and his sole purpose as a soldier to listen to Jin-Woo, whose orders mostly consist of 'kill these monsters' 'protect these humans' 'stay in this persons shadow' 'do not try to kill Beru' 'collect these mana crystals' 'Goto this is the last time i ask you to not kill Beru' and so on.

we didn't get to see much of the others personalities, but! would Kei's ability to smell mana go away, as it's a human trait? or would it become manageable in some way? because now that Kei is essentially made up of mana/shadow, i'd imagine they eventually... get used to the smell of mana? and, with Akari as a healer, could she have the ability to heal the other shadow soldiers, or would they not count as they aren't human? would Jin-Woo thus only keep her on hand for any injuries his family/civilians suffer?

also, this isn't important, but i wonder what color they'd glow as humans, and in general, how they'd look. it seems to be blue for all of them, and doesn't seem to change like Igris' color, unless their color just changes when Jin-Woo makes them strong enough... so would Goto glow purple? and the rest blue? and, since it seems Iron and Byung-Gyu kept what they were wearing when revived, it means they'd all forever be outfitted in their raid uniform for the Jeju raid, and Kei would be stuck with their gas mask as well. Akari would come with her battle axe, too. would she and Iron be axe friends? ae enthusiasts?

would Goto invisibly lead the draw sword guild, maybe? i said before they were very useful summons, but we know Jin-Woo keeps the cream of the crop on hand and the rest as fillers in his army + soldiers to keep in others shadows to swap places at any time. so would he eventually allow Reiji, Minrou, Kanae, and Atsushi to permanently reunite with them and keep them in their shadows? and, thus, would Goto somewhat go back to a normal life? is that even possible? honestly, i personally like to think so. maybe he can't eat, or not have any human needs, but Beru was an ant, yet he enjoyed history dramas; so we know it's possible for them to still feel joy and happiness. Goto might be a little different after time spent as a shadow soldier, but he'd still be a tad bit human.

... anyway. this is woefully long, but i'll end it here. this has been brewing in my mind for a hot second and i needed to get it out. i still have more ideas but i'll simply add on later.

please!!! share any of your thoughts! i tried my best to keep these things in character or so, but i wouldn't mind y'all going wild with this idea or adding your own thoughts. i really was debating adding some stuff between Reiji and Goto but for now i'll try and keep it sorta realistic. i do hope you enjoyed!

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chaseatinydream · 4 years

Text

pirate king (44) || atz

“I still can’t believe they want to parley.” Yunho whispers to you in shock, standing next to you on the main deck as you watch the little rowboat grow closer and closer to you, bobbing on the surface of the deep blue sea. There’s a growing sense of trepidation in you as you watch it draw nearer, Mingi ordering a group of men to lower ropes into the water to pull the rowboat up.

From the bulwarks, you can see six people on the rowboat, a sign of neutrality and peace, Yunho had told you. Worried by how Yeosang might react to seeing his father, Hongjoong had sent the navigator to the galley and told him to stay there until someone called him up. Wooyoung had… well, gone with him. Your captain didn’t tell you why, but curious as you were, you had sort of resigned yourself to the fact that you would never know.

“You have to eat Wooyoung’s shoe now, you know?” You mumble out of the corner of your mouth, trying to distract yourself from the terror you feel. Yunho swallows nervously, eyes fixed on the rowboat as it stops next to the Treasure.

“Don’t tell him I said that.”

“...You also have to eat your own shoe.”

“I don’t recall any of that.”

“And you have to admit the mizzenmast is better.” You end off, fingers wrapping around his wrist. You’re shaking from nerves, but you don’t have to say it, Yunho can feel it in the way your hand is as clammy a dead fish around his.

You know Seonghwa is somewhere in the rigging with a loaded musket, ready to blow a hole in the head of any troublemaker, that the crew of the Treasure outnumber the people on the boat by several times, but part of you is still worried, a sinking feeling in your chest that borders on sheer paranoia.

“We should just kill them as soon as they step onto the ship.” Mingi mutters as he strides over to all of you, Hongjoong’s expression carefully smoothed into a neutral mask in preparation to meet the man in charge. From what Yunho has told you, the enemy captain is likely to be Commander Kang Yongsun, a prominent captain of the Royal Navy’s pirate hunter force, someone who specialises in hunting down pirates in exchange for monetary rewards offered by the Crown.

He’s also Yeosang’s biological father.

Your captain sighs, gripping his cutlass tight. “They did put up a parley flag, though.”

Snorting, the quartermaster jabs a thumb at the Black Crow floating just far off enough to not be considered a threat, its jet black shape looming against the bright blue sky like a blot of ink on paper. “Has the Royal Navy ever not want to kill us?”

“That was what I thought.” Yunho mumbles uneasily, his spear in hand as he fidgets with the shaft. Your own hand rests on the hilt of your cutlass, adrenaline already buzzing in your veins as you anticipate the fight that might probably come.

“They’re likely to be plotting something. And whatever it is, it’s not going to turn out well for us. It could be a trap. We should just blow them out of the water now. I’m sure Wooyoung could do it easily.” Mingi continues to reason insistently with his captain, probably feeling the same sinking sense of foreboding as you are. But your captain doesn’t respond to his quartermaster’s warnings, instead simply gazing at the rowboat silently with his single green eye.

When he speaks, his voice is solemn.

“I’m aware it could be a trap, Mingi. I’m not a fool. But I doubt the Commander would be foolish enough to come to us without an irrefusable bargain.” Hongjoong says as he looks straight ahead, not looking at any of you. “Besides, they did put up a parley flag, and I’m not going to be the one to break the vow.”

“We did it all the time in the past though.” Mingi reminds his captain softly, his voice reminiscing of those days of long ago that they had been a merciless pirate crew, from the stories he had told you about the last time. Your eyes widen. They had ignored the white flag? Preyed on ships that had been on the verge of surrender? Destroyed vessels that had put up the universal symbol of parley, massacring entire crews without mercy?

Yunho stiffens next to you, obviously remembering their sordid past as nothing more than despicable law breakers, and you feel your heart sinking. Exactly what kind of people had the crew of the Treasure been before you had come to the ship?

You glance at your captain for a moment, wondering how he would look like with a sadistic smirk in place of his usual, soft smile, whether his viridescent eye would gleam poisonously with corrosive venom instead of burning with the eager desire to live out his life like a blazing inferno that you know.

The thought scares you more than you dare to admit.

But now, there’s a contrite, almost sorrowful expression on his face, his green eye unfocused and lost in the past for a moment, and deep inside you, you feel your heart twist in sympathy for the man who has too many regrets to count.

“We’ve changed our ways.” Hongjoong finally answers honestly, watching as his crew work to haul the rowboat up the side of the ship. Yunho and Mingi remain silent in their guilt, but you can see their captain’s words lifting a burden they never knew they had off their chests. “We’re different now.”

The rowboat reaches the bulwarks on the port side and six people step out of the small watercraft.

With those final words, your captain steps forward to meet the infamous Commander Kang.

Your first impression of the commander is one of intimidation.

Kang Yongsun is not at all a tall man, in fact, he’s dwarfed in size by some of your taller crew mates on the Treasure. He’s lithe, slimly built with nothing too daunting about his stature, but the first time he looks upon you, even if it is merely a sweeping glance over the ship, sends a chill running down your spine.

You can, without a doubt, see Yeosang in him physically. They have the same razor sharp jawline and facial structure, similar noses, identical soft lips, but that’s where the resemblance ends. For all the similar features they share, their eyes are completely different. Not so much in the physical appearance of it, the deep brown hue of their gazes are nearly identical, but Yeosang’s eyes are infinitely kinder, softer, something that you can’t help feel grateful for.

Kang Yongsun’s eyes are as piercing as those of a bird of prey, staring down his next victim with a silent, lethal confidence that you have no wish to fall prey to. Even though he’s surrounded by hostile crew mates, all brandishing all manner of weapons at him, he doesn’t seem to be the least bothered by it, and perhaps that’s what scares you the most of all.

His escorts surround him immediately as soon as they step on board, cutlasses in hand and at the ready in case of any threat. One of them though, doesn’t seem to be wearing the same uniform as the rest of them do, a hood pulled low over his eyes, hiding his face in shadow. Instead of the customary cutlass that most seafaring men carry, there’s a massive longsword in his hands that looks like it could do some serious damage.

Your captain steps forward to meet him, Mingi and Jongho flanking him. The younger battlemaster is hefting a heavy iron bar mace over his shoulder, while Mingi holds onto his double sided battle axe, the edge glinting cruelly in the sunlight. Your captain hasn’t drawn any weapons, but his hand rests on the handle of his musket, ready to fire at the first sign of any danger.

“Kang Yongsun, captain of the Black Crow and vice-commander of the Royal Navy’s Red Rose pirate hunter fleet in service of her Majesty the Queen and the Crown. State your name, pirate.” One of his guards spits haughtily, as if he can’t believe that he’s actually speaking to what society considers the vermin of the seas. Mingi scowls, grip tightening on his weapon, but Jongho lays a hand on the quartermaster’s shoulder, a silent request for him to keep his cool.

Your captain merely sighs in exasperation, completely unruffled by the man’s imperious tone. “Kim Hongjoong, captain of the Treasure. What is your business with us?”

The guard who had addressed your captain earlier scowls furiously, beginning to brandish his cutlass at your captain. “You impertinent scum, speak with respect when addressing the vice-commander-”

But before he can get any further, there’s a razor sharp blade resting against his neck.

“Don’t test my patience.” Mingi growls, his deep voice a rumble in his chest that sends a frightened shiver down your spine. You’ve never seen a bear before except in books that San has showed you, but if you had to imagine one’s snarl, it would be something akin to Mingi’s voice now. He holds the weighty axe with so much ease it almost deceives you into thinking it weighs nothing more than a toothpick, but from experience you know that you can barely lift it with both hands, let alone hold it steady like Mingi is now.

The man squeaks in fear, pupils dilated as he eyes the blade so dangerously close to his neck. One second of tense silence passes, then another, then-

“Rumil, stand down.” The commander says smoothly, and the guard, though quivering in both terror and rage, sheathes his weapon. Hongjoong then turns around to speak quietly to Mingi, and with great reluctance, the quartermaster lowers his axe as well, although his eyes never leave the vice-commander. The man turns to look at your captain with cold, carefully neutral eyes.

His next words shock you out of your mind.

“Captain Kim, I have come to offer you a deal.”

You have to give it to your captain for not reacting in the least, because Yunho’s jaw practically smashes into the deck next to you. There’s the moment of stunned shock, the crew barely able to believe what has just left the commander’s mouth.

A deal? The Royal Navy wants to make a deal with pirates?

Maybe you haven’t heard them correctly, because you can’t have heard them correctly.

Your captain holds up a single hand in the air and the entire deck falls silent in response, waiting for their leader to speak. Hongjoong meets the commander’s steely gaze with a skeptical one of his own.

“Why would the Royal Navy want to make a deal with us?” It’s small, almost completely undetectable, but you can hear the tiny note of genuine curiosity in his voice.

“We need several things that are currently in your possession.” The commander states simply, as if the two of them are not mortal enemies who’ve been at loggerheads with each other since the very beginning. You can see Hongjoong stiffen slightly and you flinch, from Yeosang’s memories, he must be talking about the navigational charts that Hongjoong took from him.

But your captain keeps his cool, folding his arms as he looks at the commander seriously. “And what would you offer us, commander, in exchange for what you want? Our freedom?”

At his jibing words, the deck erupts into nervous, derisive laughter. You almost want to follow, but you’re too tense to do so. Even then, you recognise the absurdity of your captain’s words, there’s simply no way the Royal Navy would offer the most wanted pirate crew a pardon from all the crimes that they’ve already committed. You may not know the full extent of what they’ve done in the past, but your captain is the Pirate King of the Caribbean for a reason.

“That’s ridiculous.” You hear Yunho mutter under his breath and you can’t help but nod in response. “As if the Royal Navy would ever-”

“Exactly.” Commander Kang answers calmly.

For the second time that day, you feel like you’ve gotten slapped in the face with a dead pollack.

What.

The entire crew hushes in a split second, clearly as shocked as you are. The silence rushes through everyone on board, plunging the deck into eerie silence as that one, single word sinks into all of their minds.

Freedom?

Briefly, you imagine a peaceful life for them. Yeosang as a bookkeeper in an archive, being able to read all the books he desires to, gaining the knowledge he’s so hungry for, Yunho finally being able to put down his spear, never having to fight another day in his life ever again. Your master opening a small apothecary, venturing into the forest every morning with Shiber at his heels to search for rare herbs and plants, bringing back the occasional spice for Seonghwa, who’s opened his very own eatery and comes up with creative new dishes for Hwaseong to try every week.

You dream of Jongho being the fisherman he’s always wanted to be, taking after his father’s footsteps and sailing the sea in a tiny boat, humming to himself as he casts his nets. Hongjoong sitting on a beach, overlooking the sea as he writes tales of his times as the legendary Pirate King, Mingi pointing out his spelling errors and inaccuracies as Wooyoung comes up to the two of them with cups of hot tea in his hands and a bright grin on his face, his wrists finally free of the shackles that have bound him for so long.

For a moment, that yearning is so powerful, so strong, that you would give almost anything to let them have that life. One of happiness, joy and peace, free from bloodshed and battles and running from the Navy. If anyone deserves it, you think, it’s them.

Next to you, you can hear Yunho’s sudden intake of breath. He must be as shocked as you are, because his spear nearly falls from his grasp as he stares at the commander. Even your captain’s facade seems to have cracked a little down the middle, his one green eye wide with surprise.

But then Hongjoong fights to keep his voice steady, fingers flexing on the handle of his cutlass as he eyes the commander with a dubious gaze. “And you would offer us what sort of freedom, exactly?”

“All previous charges held against you and your crew by the Crown will be completely cleared.” Kang Yongsun speaks without a trace of falsehood in his voice, as if what he’s saying is the complete and utter truth. It’s so silent you could hear a feather fall to the ground, the crew hanging on to his every word even if some part of them doesn’t dare to believe such good news. “As long as all of you do not commit any crimes against the Crown after receiving the pardon, you will be free men even in the territories of her Majesty the Queen.”

If it is possible, Yunho’s jaw crashes even more to the ground. At this point, it could probably break a hole in the deck.

Commander Kang turns to face your captain, whose mouth is hanging slightly agape in shock. “As the captain, her Majesty would like your service as one of her battle strategists against dealing with other piracy problems in the Caribbean waters. You will be paid in full for your work, with the prestige that comes with being a senior officer in the Queen’s own service.”

You almost can’t believe your ears. These words are too good to be true! This deal is almost irrefusable, and even your captain looks like he’s about to be swayed for a moment before he catches himself, rational mind whirring furiously.

“Freedom…” You hear Yunho whisper under his breath and you glance at him, only to see him with the broadest grin ever on his face, his eyes uncontrollably bright. “We’re going to be free people, Chin Hae!”

You can barely find the right frame of mind to answer him, the word freedom echoing over and over in your mind. All of you can be free! Make an honest living with your own hands and establish your own lives, normal lives, as free people, not as fugitives running from the law. But your captain’s word interrupts your train of thought.

“Wait.”

Glancing up, you see your captain’s face suddenly set in suspicion. He must feel like there’s something off, because there’s no way the Commander would offer them such a fair trade if he isn’t about to get something of bigger worth in return. Hongjoong’s jaw clenches as he looks at Commander Kang with slitted eyes.

“What exactly do you want from us, commander?”

Commander Kang shakes his head. “It’s very simple, Captain Kim. All I ask from you are four things; the maps you stole, which in the end you would have to return anyway as it is considered property of the Crown. Another thing I need is the knot around your neck with which contains the sorcery required to cause a hurricane.”

You gasp in shock. How would the commander know about this?

Your captain obviously feels the same way, because his fingers immediately tighten protectively around the short length of rope there. “How did you know of it?”

“Back in Nassau, the Head of Port Investigation, Leon Bastiville reported that his attempt of arresting one Kim Hongjoong and his crew was thwarted when you, the captain, undid a knot that caused a strong wind to blow your ship away from the harbour.”

A shiver goes down your spine at the mention of that man. You remember the heat of his breath as it ghosted over your ear, the coldness of the gun pressed to your temple, the cries of your captain as he had been flogged before your eyes. From the tightening of your captain’s mouth, he obviously remembers it too, one hand reaching up to touch his shoulder unconsciously.

San may have healed the wounds well, but his body recalls the agony of the whipping.

“I didn’t take the Royal Navy for one to believe in superstitions and sorcery.” Mingi hisses, clearly still quite unconvinced that the Royal Navy is here for an honest exchange and the mention of Leon doesn’t make him any friendlier. But Commander Kang turns to him, eyes narrowing.

“My superior commander has studied several ancient literary sources. They all state that the rope in your captain’s possession is a Legendary Treasure of the Sea, spoken about in many historical texts and containing enough power to rival that of a divine being.” Kang Yongsun then turns to look very deliberately at your captain, who is staring down at his rope necklace in shock, as if he can’t quite believe that this simple knot in his possession is capable of such damage. “However, if you do accept this pardon, there would be no need for you to have such a dangerous artefact, so you might as well give it up to me.”

You see your captain swallow. This knot is precious to him, you can tell. It’s his last link to the person who’d saved him so long ago on that deserted island when he’d been abandoned and shot in the eye by his father. But what is he to do? Exchanging it for the freedom of all his crew mates… is it worth it?

“You mentioned another two things.” Hongjoong fights to keep his voice steady, staring down the commander. “What else do you want from me?”

At that, something prickles at the back of your neck, a chill sweeping over you as the hairs on your arms raise uncomfortably. You don’t know how to describe this feeling, but the next best thing you can say is that you feel like someone has just walked right across your grave.

You soon find out why, because the Commander turns slowly, before raising a finger at the thing he needs from Hongjoong. Simultaneously, everyone’s mouth drops in sheer shock at the absurdity of his request, or they flare up in rage from the outrageous nature of his demand.

“He’s crazy.” Yunho whispers in a daze from next to you, his wide eyes meeting your own terrified ones.

“I want the woman you have on board.”

He’s pointing straight at you.

#ateez #ateez fanfic #ateez fanfiction #hongjoong #seonghwa #yunho #yeosang #san #mingi #wooyoung #jongho #w; ot8 #w; pirate king #w; fanfiction

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canyouhearthelight · 4 years

Text

The Miys, Ch. 123

It feels really good to be back writing and posting, I’m going to be super honest. Thank you again, to everyone who reads and leaves notes on these chapters. You keep me going and encourage me more than you will ever know.

This was originally going to be one chapter, but it went really really long and I didn’t have the heart to leave parts out. Even splitting it in half, each half is longer than most of the chapters so far. But I couldn’t help showing how far the Ark has come from simply “figuring out how to exist”! In my defense, @baelpenrose egged me on, too. Blame him. :P

Shout out to @zommbiebro, @charlylimph-blog, @books-and-cartoons, all the other contributors for characters in this chapter. INCLUDING @werewolf2578 for Michael Smith, who finally makes his debut here. Finally.

As Maverick and I entered the gymnasium - now larger and more finished than it had been when Arthur and Jokul’s showdown happened several years back - the atmosphere was filled with excitement. Three Terran years previous, collapsible bleachers had been constructed shortly after sporting and skill exhibitions had regained popularity on-par with Pre-End times, and today was one such occasion. Every seat was packed, and Miys was working overtime in multiple bodies, strategically positioned to keep the air filtered. Else-chicks swarmed on the floor, eagerly consuming anything that had been spilled or dropped.

Today, Jokul and Arthur were once again on the floor, in full view of the crowd. Instead of a bloody one-on-one, no holds barred fight, however, they were two of twenty participants in a weapons exhibition. Between them, Charly bounced on the balls of her feet, scanning the audience - a smile here and there when a container of neon popcorn caught her eye, but a huge grin along with extra bouncing and an enthusiastic wave when she saw our small group. She elbowed Arthur, who was deep in conversation with Tyche and Coffey on his other side. All three turned to wave.

“Where’s Conor?” Maverick asked, searching the floor carefully.

I shrugged. “He may be on his way, or in another room, stretching. You know he isn’t a huge fan of crowds this large.”

With a huff, he blew a lock of hair out of his face. “I know it’s his first one of these things, but he’ll be fine. He’s gotten really good. Even Charly and Tyche said so.”

Evania Josue took the floor and gestured for silence, indicating that the exhibition was starting. “Thank you, everyone who could be here in person, and everyone watching from other areas of the Ark, and welcome to our second Von-annual ranged weapons exhibition. As with last time, combustion weapons will not be used in any of our events, for safety reasons. We will continue with our order from the previous event, and begin with axe-throwing.”

Cheers erupted, and Tyche, Coffey, and Arthur took their seats on the sidelines. Charly, Jokul, and three other less-familiar faces waved to us as they were introduced, before drawing lots for the order they would go in. One of the people I didn’t recognize went first, and made a pretty good showing - all six axes hit their targets, regularly striking midway to the bullseye from a distance I could barely hit the floor from. Charly was second, and Maverick clenched my arm tight enough to make me wince - she was the smallest competitor in this event, but the entire crowd went deathly silent as she lined up the first target.

Thunk. Bullseye, and buried deep.

Thunk. Just left of center.

Thunk. Another bullseye.

Three more axes led to one more bullseye and two just to the right of center. The crowd exploded into cheers, only going quiet as the next person stepped forward. It was another solid execution, but not quite in the same level of skill that Charly had demonstrated.

Jokul was last, and as soon as he stepped forward, you could hear a pin drop. No one even dared breathe, lest they missed out on what they hoped they were about to witness. Sure enough, Jokul stood three feet to the left of the first table holding an axe, and started walking at a calm pace. Without breaking stride, he would grab an axe and suddenly it would appear in the center of the target. No windup, no careful lining up of his throws, just ten paces, six axes, and six bullseyes.

Screaming erupted from the entire gymnasium, to the point that Miys was covering their sensory organs. Charly was red in her face from cheering, and I honestly could not blame her - it was one of the most impressive things I had seen, and never ceased to amaze me. Even Arthur was nodding in approval and applauding.

The cheering died down to a murmur of discussion as the athletes took their bows and the equipment was removed. Charly and Jokul both took seats on the sidelines, while the other three left the floor entirely, indicating they had no other events. The next event was slung projectiles, which neither Maverick nor I was remotely interested in.

He leaned closely so he wouldn’t distract anyone. “So, I’ve been wondering this for a while now… Those axes are pretty heavy, right?”

I nodded. I had tried throwing them, but they were close to two pounds in Terran gravity - worse in Von-standard, and obviously front-heavy.

“So, to throw them that fast, Jokul has to have a lot of arm strength, right?”

Another nod.

“How did Charly get up after he punched her?”

I sighed. I’d wondered where he was going with this. “First, he pulled the punch. Second, it was an awkward hit because he was aiming for me. Third, with two cracked ribs and a whole lot of ‘Charly’ involved.”

“So necromancy,” Maverick nodded seriously.

“I can neither confirm nor deny, except that she popped up like he hit her with a pillow.” I shook his knee as something caught my eye. “There! There he is!”

Conor was finally visible, crouched and in discussion with Tyche. From the way he was running his hand through his hair, he was clearly nervous. She just shook her finger at him with a serious expression, and whatever she said made him laugh and shake his head. Probably a death threat, I figured.

He was just in time, as the next exhibition was knife-throwing. I don’t know if Evan was rigging the lots, but once again the most anticipated participant - this time Tyche - was last. Instead, someone I recognized as Michael Smith was first. Standing from beside Grandma Kim, he gave an emphatic command to the chocolate labradoodle at his feet and took center stage.

The knife throwing event was ten knives, one target, and timed as well as scored by where the knives landed. I knew from previous events that Michael preferred throwing knives with a hilt, which made the balance off center. Nonetheless, all his hits were dead-center and solid, even if he telegraphed his throws a bit much for my liking.

Next was Arthur, who made a show of his one-upmanship by finishing faster and with less obvious movement. He patted Conor on the shoulder and said something to reassure him as Conor stood for his turn.

The crowd started murmuring as Conor turned toward his target, back on full display. Rather than pulling his knives from his hip, or picking them up from a table, Conor had found it easier for him to actually keep them slung across his shoulders and drew them like arrows. I had never seen anything like it, but Coffey had suggested it soon after Conor decided to follow mine and Tyche’s footsteps. And while his display wasn’t the fastest, or the most accurate, he drew some fascinated chatter from the crowd when switched hands after the fifth knife, with no change in speed or precision.

When he finished, there was enthusiastic applause but none louder than our family. Coffey’s voice boomed out, even louder than mine, to congratulate him before they traded places. Once again, there was hushed chatter as Coffey drew over his shoulder, this time trading off hands with every single knife, and breathless applause when he finished with a tighter cluster than Conor had. He smiled, but his eyes were all for Charly, who was next.

The crowd hardly had time to focus before she started letting blades loose. As fast as she could grab one, it was flying behind the last one, covering the bullseye by the time she was done. With a flourish, she took a bow that left us all laughing and cheering. She danced over to the sidelines, sweeping one more bow for Tyche to take the floor.

As soon as Tyche stood, the air crackled with excitement. In the same way that everyone watched the axe-throwing to see Jokul, all eyes were on my sister for this event. As though she was utterly oblivious to this fact, she strode to her marker. She was still mid-stride when she brushed her hair out of her face and let the first knife fly from the same hand.

Bullseye.

Brushing off her legs saw two more knives, one after the other, hitting their marks. Then a dagger from her left hip, a tactical knife from one boot, and on and on. Each blade came from a different spot, no two the same size or shape. All hit their marks, and all without a single indication of exertion. The only indication that she finished was when she dropped her hands and tilted her head, studying the tight pattern on the target. My datapad indicated that she had matched Arthur’s time and close strikes.

When she turned to sit back down, everyone’s brains caught up and the expected cheers deafened us again. As soon as she reached her seat, Arthur and Charly stood by some unspoken agreement and made ridiculous sweeping bows to her, only encouraging the audience to cheer harder.

Evania stepped forward again, to let everyone know that there would be a twenty minute intercession. The next events needed more intensive preparation, which allowed friends and family to take some time to talk with the participants. Sure enough, the second I was in earshot, I could hear Tyche complaining.

“I got much tighter patterns than that in practice,” she moaned.

Conor, head resting on both hands, shook his head in disbelief. “If you think you were bad, I feel I’m hopeless.”

That had the exact reaction everyone saw coming, as she whirled around in righteous fury. “Conor MacMaoilir-Reid-Okima, I have been throwing any knife I could get my grubby paws on since I was four. You started three years ago. I taught you, Sophia taught you, Coffey taught you. Your throwing has an exceptional pedigree and if I hear you talk about giving up, I’ll… I’ll…”

“Let me use you for target practice,” Arthur intoned, half-joking.

“No!” she insisted. “I’ll let Simon use you for target practice!”

“I’d be safe as houses, if he was aiming for me. Poor guy couldn’t hit the floor with a knife if he dropped it.”

“She never said with knives,” I added wickedly, causing his head to snap up and his face to pale.

“Sophie. Please, that’s cruel.”

I waved him off. “Oh, as if he would ever actually aim for you. If Simon had to hunt for his food, he’d be a vegetarian, I swear.”

Rolling his eyes, Maverick stepped into the fray. “Conor, you did really well. You wouldn’t be here if you couldn’t. And it’s not like this is a competition, you were literally invited to just show off what you can do.”

“I still don’t know why… Coff over there clearly did better.”

A dazzling smile flashed as Coffey turned from his conversation with Charly. “Ah, but we are the only two who use that technique! Showing it off here means others may be interested in learning later.”

Hair flew as Charly nodded. “And besides, I could never get the hang of pulling a knife like that. My brain says ‘arrow’, and it’s just confusing.”

I was nodding in agreement and gesturing for Maverick to take Arthur’s seat, when something wet nudged my ankle.

“Sparkles. Heel.”

I turned to see Michael Smith and Grandma Kim had joined us. Unable to resist, I knelt to pet the dogs that accompanied them. “GK, Lyric II is looking more and more like her mom every day.” A muzzle streaked with white fur poked my hand. “Hey there, girl,” I whispered, blinking hard. Lyric was already ten when we were all brought to the Ark, and Hujylsogox medicine could only do so much for dogs. Permission had been given for her to have one pup, to be trained as both a service and a protection animal, in preparation.

Michael’s animal looked to him for permission before joining in the ear scratches I was dishing out. He was one of the very few certified service animal trainers on the Ark, so when Lyric II was born, so was Sparkles, with the intention that they grow up and train as a working team. Michael’s past was extremely blank and sketchy, but something about him reminded me of both Arthur and Xiomara. The fact that both of them respected him made me both at ease and suspicious at the same time.

I pushed that out of my mind and focused on the pile of fur before me, begging for belly rubs. “What events are left?”

“The security animal events have been added to this one, to allow time for the other participants to rest more, and then archery, spear/javelin, and thrown projectiles.”

I shook my head at ‘thrown projectiles’, but Charly was the one to speak. “I can’t believe we made a sport out of rock throwing.” When mouths started to open to correct her, she held up both hands and glared. “I mean ‘we’ like ‘people’, not ‘we’ like ‘the Ark’. I am well aware that humans have been killing things by throwing rocks forever. Don’t shoot me.”

“That’s a different exhibition,” Maverick pointed out, eliciting a groan from several people. “What!? It is!”

“I think she would beg to differ.” Tyche pointed to Charly, who looked like she was about to explode.

“Oh, right. Archery - “

“You are IN that event, how could you forget!?” she finally erupted, more out of confusion than anything resembling anger.

“I learned firearms first?” he begged.

Charly grunted and scrunched her face. “Fine. I can accept that as a semi-reasonable excuse.”

I shook my head at their antics. Despite years of watching the two goof around, it was always adorable to watch men twice her size cower from the feisty ball of energy.

She was still teasing him. “I still think you owe me an apology.”

“Charly, I’m sorry,” he sighed with no real sincerity behind it.

“Mmmm, not good enough.” She tapped her chin with her finger and took out an eye-scorchingly yellow candy bar - which, by now I knew was just chocolate and caramel, but was still cringeworthy to watch. “I think…. You should make me dumplings.”

“Those take forever,” he whined, kneeling and clasping his hands. “You always want them from scratch.”

“They taste better from scratch,” she pointed out around a bite of her snack.

Tyche nodded. “They really do.”

And there it was. He was defeated, as our entire family stared at him in anticipation. With a heavy air, he hung his head. “Fine,” came the mumbled reply. “What kind?”

Quiet cheers sounded, along with fist bumps and in one case money exchanging hands. “Chicken and veg, pork and veg, and seafood,” Charly cackled.

I was pretty sure I was the only one who could hear Maverick mutter “I just got so played…”

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#the miys #humans are weird #humans will try anything #humans are space orcs #weapons #skill #service animals #found family #aliens #apocalypse #post-apocalypse #science fiction #sci fi #scifi #original science fiction #original sci fi #hfy

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ladyanput · 5 years

Note

ClassSalt where Jagged does another interview in the bakery and with permission he gets to film in Mari's room. The class are watching it live, still think they're kinda friends with Mari. Surprise surprise there's no pics of them hanging only of Mari's designs, Luka, Kagami, and Felix and when asked by Jagged Mari just smirks in a way they know they fucked up and she says "the class I was in at Dupont aren't friends." and bam they're outed in public bc she's out as MDC so everyone knows it them

The class was buzzing with excitement, all gathered at Alya's place as they watched the TV. The newest designer, MDC, had become the biggest hit in Paris amongst teens and adults alike. Whoever they were, MDC just seemed to know exactly what people were looking for.

Many of the students in Miss Bustier's class wore the anonymous designer's designs, more so lately as Lila had revealed to them that she was actually best friends with the designer! She had been the source of inspiration for the Miraculous themed hoodies that were recently released.

"I can't believe we're finally gonna see who MDC is! I bet he's really handsome!" Sabrina giggled, squirming eagerly in her seat.

"Do you think he'd design us some dresses for graduation?" Rose piped up, a hopeful sparkle in her eyes. Graduation from lycée was just around the corner, many looking forward to finally be free from school forever.

"I'm sure he will, Lila will put in a good word for us." Alya grinned, her phone out, all ready to write updates on her blog about this suspenseful reveal.

The class watched in bated breath as the show's intro song played, then a pretty reporter appeared on screen. Estelle Desrosiers smiled brightly at the camera, sitting in a chair, in a very familiar room.

A familiar pink room."

"Hello Paris! This is Estelle Desrosiers, here in the room of the famous MDC and her head model!" Estelle spoked brightly, her green eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. The camera panned over to a couple sitting on a couch, and the class flinched when they heard Alya drop her phone.

"Marinette...?" She whispered out, the blood slowly draining from her face.

"That's right, Paris, the beautiful Marinette Dupain-Cheng is the one who has taken the world by storm! At the age of eighteen, she is the youngest designer to have grown to such heights!" At Estelle's words, Marinette blushed, but kept her bright smile, her hand gripping Adrien's as the camera focused on them.

"Now, Marinette, how did you manage to find the time to start this brand of yours? You're still in high school, after all." Estelle was practically bouncing in her seat as she spoke.

"Let me tell you, Estelle, it wasn't easy." A soft chuckle left Marinette as she sat up a bit more in her seat. "You see, my time was always taken up by being class president, planning parties for friends, or making those friends special outfits for dances. If my life was still like that, I still probably wouldn't have this brand going."

"What do you mean?" Estelle tilted her head slightly, looking cartoonishly confused, playing it up for the camera.

"Most of my friends tossed me aside when something new and shiny came along." Marinette's smile strained slightly, but a supportive side hug from Adrien emboldened her. "And with them ignoring me, I found myself with more free time. And Adrien here let me stay at his apartment to get the big projects done, the ones I didn't want any unsavory people to steal."

"Apartment?" Nino whispered in surprise, his brows rising in shock. "Since when does the dude have an apartment?"

"He got one a year ago." Juleka chimed in, drawing the class's gaze to her. She flinched and quickly lowered her gaze. "From what Luka told me, Adrien made money from modeling for Marinette, so he put it in a bank account his father couldn't access."

"It probably also helped that my lovely princess did commissions for a lot of family celebrities." Adrien spoke up, planting a soft kiss on Marinette's cheek. Then his sharp gaze met the camera's and his grin grew sly. "Such as Jagged Stone, Clara Nightengale, Prince Ali... She knows them all personally. Hell, she has Jagged Stone on speed dial."

As Estelle and the couple kept talking, the camera panned around Marinette's room, showing off the designer's very pink work space, with her mannequins, her sewing machine, her walls plastered with designs and sketches of possible projects.

"Wasn't... Wasn't there more on Marinette's walls?" Kim swallowed thickly as a lump formed in his throat.

Alya could only stare, realizing Kim was right. All of the pictures of Adrien was gone, so was the massive schedule, the wall of pictures of Marinette and her class. They were all gone, no trace of them seen anywhere. Not even a framed photo on her computer desk. M

It was then Alya realized she hadn't bee in that bedroom in years, not since Lila became her best friend.

The class listened in stunned silence as Marinette and Adrien went on about how they pulled this off, with the help of a few friends, how Adrien managed to get free from his abusive father (that no doubt going to greatly damage the Agreste fashion brand), and how they ended up dating.

"To be honest with you." Adrien got a bit of a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "I probably wouldn't be dating Marinette right now if I didn't grow a spine. Because of a new girl in our class, everyone kinda ganged up on her, and I watched from the sidelines like a coward. But I had a long talk with a close friend and he made me see the error of my ways."

"This class of yours, did they see the error of their ways as well?" Estelle frowned, raising a delicate brow.

Marinette smiled at the camera, a smile that the entire class felt was the swinging of the axe.

"Not in the least. But oh well, thanks to them, I got to where I am today. And I'm much more careful with who I trust."

#class salt #miraculous salt #adrinette

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laughing-with-god · 5 years

Note

QQ has me shaking in my boots ✊🏻👏🏻 but I’ve had a lingering question for the last few days; if the rest of the BTS members were in QQ, what districts would they be from? Love your work 🥺❤️

oh my god, okay here me out; an alternative Quarter Quell Fic were all past victors must play again and all the bts members are victors who come to play the quell but they somehow all become yandere over Y/n.....Lemme know if that’s something ya’ll would like to read. Anyway, here ya go;

(Btw I’m gonna base these profiles on the crackhead idea I stated up above, except I’m not going to do Jungkook and Tae bc they’re already in my Quarter Quell Fic and their games are being played right now so I don’t feel right doing profiles for them...it’ll deadass confuse me.)

BTS as Victors (Hunger Games AU)

Kim Seokjin- District One (Luxury)

Jin originates from district one, most would say that he figuratively hit the birth lottery by being from this district.

The first district is essentially the crown jewel of the capitol, it’s by far the most favored. The main job of district one is to provide the capitol with all luxury items, so most people make their money by creating jewelry and makeup. (Both of which are in extremely high demand in the capitol, so 1 is by far the most economically flourishing district.)

Jin never had to suffer food outages or abuse by peacekeepers because of 1′s good status with the capitol. To further his prosperity, Jin’s father was actually the mayor of district one.

Which makes Jins’ reaping all the more scandalous.

There was a rumor that Jin’s father expressed sympathy towards the damaged and less favored districts (11 and 12).So when Jin’s name was reaped, people suspected that the system was rigged and Jin’s name was going to get called out either way. Because after all, how would the capitol keep a loud-mouth mayor in check? By putting his son in the games, of course.

No one volunteered in fear of interfering with the capitol’s plans and getting in trouble.

However Seokjin fancied himself an actor and practically skipped to the stage with a big grin on his face, announcing his name proudly and even stating that it would be an honor to compete on behalf of his district.

His strategy was to get on the good side of both the audience and the gamemakers. Unlike other tributes who sometimes couldn’t help the look of terror they had, Jin made sure to constantly look happy and would even compliment the gamemakers in his interview by saying things like, “This game is going to be the best one in years, I could already tell.” “I caught a glimpse at the makers during my assessment and let me tell you...they’re not playing around this year.”

Because of this Jin wasn’t the target of any foul play or natural disasters bc the makers held no ill will towards him, if anything a lot of them actually wanted him to win.

He earned himself many fans and thus sponsors, mainly due to his good looks and partly due to his surprisingly goofy nature.

Jin was always sure to keep his attitude light. He constantly made jokes and did impressions in the arena, showcasting his humor bc the last thing he needed was to be painted as the bad guy. His number one rule was to always keep his fans satisfied. That kept him alive.

He stuck to the career alliance; teaming up with his district counterpart, two and the girl from four. He stuck with them because he knew he would need the numbers and the supplies. But a bit more than halfway through the games, when the careers took down all the main threats, Jin zipped up all the tents that his sleeping allies were in, took a good amount of supplies and set the camp on fire; effectively killing the career pact.

For two days after that he wandered alone but was having trouble with basic survival skills. Unlike more than half the tributes, Jin grew up in a city with no true sense of nature. He was struggling.

That’s when he came across a boy from 11 and a girl from 7. They both were rather weak and Jin offered them protection in exchange that they let him stay in their hideout with them. But when 11 and 7 were under attack, Jin fled and let them be killed.

Jin eventually had to go against the last tribute standing; a girl from 6. She was also frail and only lasted that long because of her hiding skills. Jin overpowered her and threw her off a mountain. Thus, he became victor.

He still is to this day one of the most popular victors and a really good mentor (although he mainly just advocates for having allies, using them, then killing them before they can kill you.)

because of his good looks, he is often sold off to elite women and men for a night with a handsome victor. Jin has no choice, it’s the only way he was able to make the president forgive his father. (Think of Finnick Odair).

Choice of weapon; spear, betrayal (all his allies will eventually end up killed by him)

Arena

Min Yoongi- District Six (Transportation)

District Six is responsible for all methods of transportation the capitol has. The hovercrafts, the high-speed trains and advanced cargo ships are all products of 6.

Citizens from six are heavily oppressed by the peacekeepers. Although not as poor as 11 or 12, they are one of the more rebellious districts. It’s also the largest district and the most unstable, lots of the population suffer from a morphling addiction which is party responsible for the citizen’s disobedience.

Yoongi came from a lower middle class background, raised by a single working mom who fell victim to the morphling epidemic. Needless to say she was very absent from his life.

Life at six is so bleak, when Yoongi’s name was reaped his first thought was ‘well, at least I won’t die in this shit hole.’

He was very numb due to shock so he appeared very aloof when he went up to the stage; a total contrast to his counterpart who was bawling her eyes out.

He managed to keep this stoic act up for the entirety of his time in the capitol, his thought process was that he never wanted to give the capitol the satisfaction of seeing him break.

He mainly enjoyed all the food and luxuries the capitol had to offer, thinking that he had no chance of winning and might as well enjoy his last days.

It wasn’t until his interview where even the host forgot his name that he realized that he might have a secret weapon under his belt; no one knew who he was, he was forgettable, someone who other tributes overlooked and even underestimated.

He went to his mentor with this revelation and was told to go the ‘Joanna Mason route’.

Ie; play weak and stupid until there’s only a few tributes left, then release your inner crazy and kill them all before they ever even saw you coming.

Yoongi figured it was better than nothing and decided this as his strategy.

Yoongi had no help of sponsors or allies, all he had was himself. But that’s the way he wanted it.

He hid for more than half the game, his small stature making it easy for him to hide into small nooks and crannies. He survived mainly on small plants, insects and any rainfall he was able to get.

It wasn’t until he witnessed someone die near one of his hideouts that he allowed his murderous side to snap.

It was a fight between a girl from 5 and a boy from 9. The girl had knives while the boy had an ax, the girl managed to get him in the throat and he fell over dead. After the girl searched his pockets for supplies, she turned around to stalk off, unaware Yoongi was only yards away.

Yoongi silently got out of his hideout, took the ax and ran up behind her before chopping her head off.

There was only four tributes left and Yoongi hunted them all down, tired with how long this game was taking and desperate to get home.

he managed to kill them all, the tributes being caught off guard bc of his excellent hiding skills

He became one of the youngest victors of all time, he was only 14.

As a mentor, he’s actually pretty absent.

Yoongi doesn’t like to get too close to the tributes because it becomes too emotionally crushing to eventually witness them die.

His general advice for them is to lay low and never draw any attention towards you, the factor of surprise is the ultimate weapon for those with patience.

Yoongi has never been the same since the games, he isn’t proud of it but he’s also become dependent on morphling; it’s the only thing that keeps his nightmares and depression away. (Like Haymitch, except Haymitch was dependent on alcohol and Yoongi is dependent on drugs)

He despises the capitol even more now, hating the fact that they made him a murderer and he was forced to play into the very game he promised to never have a part of.

He lives with that guilt everyday and doesn’t think he’s any better than the ruthless career kids he sees every year

He’s quite belligerent too. He is almost never given mentor interviews or screentime because he’s blown up one too many times that the hosts know to avoid him. (Think Joanna Mason and the one catching fire scene where she flips shit on national tv).

Weapons; hiding, ax

Arena

Kim Namjoon- District Three (Technology)

District three has some of the smartest tributes, and Namjoon was no different.

District Three is responsible for all the high-end technology the capitol has; the people may not be as strong as two or as flashy as one, but their intellect alone runs the capitol.

Kids from three are good at creating functional tools, codes, wires, ect. But sadly, these traits don’t translate well into the games given the clear advantage towards physical superiority over intellectual superiority.

Namjoon was determined to show the capitol how far a smart kid can go.

Like most tributes, Namjoon went into a little bit of a shock when his name was reaped.

He walked up, void of any emotion and avoided any eye contact with the district representative or the female counterpart.

When he was escorted into the room to say his goodbyes to his family is when he finally broke.

But his mother made him promise to do anything to get back home, she didn’t care how dirty he had to get she just wanted her boy to live

This encouragement/promise was enough to motivate him to become the last one standing, he didn’t care how gory he would have to get.

He utilized his mentor heavily, talking their ear off and asking countless questions. Soaking up any information/advice he could get, knowing it could very well be the difference between life and death.

His mentor advised him to choose the Beetee Latier strategy, telling Namjoon that if he just got his hands on some tools and put his mind to it he could be the most dangerous tribute in that arena.

During his training days Namjoon spent all his time in the rope stations, net stations and hook stations, knowing that his future plans would require him to be good with these skills.

During his interview, he hinted to the audience that he was very smart. He was careful to not make it obvious enough to make him a target of the careers but enough to raise the interests of the sponsors.

His personal score was also good, making the act of getting sponsors a little bit easier.

When the game began, he ran off from the blood bath but not too far. He stayed close enough to watch who left and with what supplies. With this knowledge, he began to track the people who had the tools he would need to play out his plan.

He would track these people very slyly, waiting until their guard was down to swipe their supplies.

With these supplies he would build traps and set them up for tributes to unknowingly walk into. His favorites were bear traps, snatching nets and digging up 8 ft deep holes then covering them up with debri for tributes to stumble into.

He managed to kill a decent amount of tributes before killing off what was left of the career pact.

However, Namjoon wasn’t able to avoid hand-to-hand combat forever.

When it came to the end, it was between a male tribute from 5, a girl from 2 and Namjoon himself. Both tributes had weapons while Namjoon didn’t.

He fought with them and got stabbed and sliced a good amount, but even with his fatal blood loss and fading consciousness, his brilliant mind came up with a plan.

He staggered over to one of his traps, making the tributes think he was just trying to run away when the truth was he was trying to lure them to their deaths.

They took the bait, got strung up into a net before being electrocuted to death.

The last words Namjoon heard before he blacked out was the head gamemaker announcing him victor.

Namjoon is now one of the greatest mentors of all time. Whenever it’s his turn to overlook the tributes of his home district the chances of 3 winning goes up 50%

He is very good at strategy and has even helped the gamemakers create certain arenas for future games.

namjoon teaches his students the importance of staying calm and sticking to a plan. “When kids are scared, starving and fighting for their lives they’re very easy to pick off. Utilize that.”

Weapons; stalking, traps

Arena

Jung Hoseok- District Eight (Textiles)

Hoseok was a victim of the reaping gamble. (The process in which kids will enter their names in the reaping bowl more times than required in exchange for food)

Hoseok is the oldest of four children, his mother died with the birth of the youngest child and his dad died years later due to poor health via the unlawful work conditions in the factories. (District Eight is responsible for all the clothes the capitol has, this means the vast majority of citizens work in factories. Eight is also very oppressed so peacekeepers beat citizens and hand out punishments often.)

Hoseok dropped out of school in order to help provide for his brothers and sister. He is the only one working and he refuses to let the second to oldest child drop out of school to help him. He just wants his siblings to get their education so hopefully they can end up with manager positions at the factories and wouldn’t have to suffer the awful conditions/abuse average factory workers go through.

Hoseok is used to putting his name in more times than needed. Of course it means his panic is through the roof when reaping comes but when the names are called and he’s not one of them, he walks away with a relieved heart and bags full of food for his siblings.

Hoseok depends on that food, because it saves him up to three weeks of salary and he can use that money to get his siblings some new clothes that they had to wait all year for. Along with some small gifts in order to make up for the birthday’s Hoseok wasn’t able to afford.

Since this was his last year of being eligible for the reaping, Hoseok made sure to add his name more than usual, hoping to get more food so he could spread out the money for even longer.

So in a way, when his name was called, he wasn’t completely surprised.

But he was heartbroken, realizing that in his effort to provide for his siblings he may have robbed them of yet another caretaker.

When it was time to say goodbye, he tried his hardest to be strong and promised them he’d come back.

On the train ride over to the capitol he was completely inconsolable, unable to sleep at the prospect of his siblings having to watch him die on national tv.

He went through the motions of the first days at the capitol, but it wasn’t until the training days begun that he was approached.

it was a girl from 10 and she was only 13 years old. She asked him if he had an ally and if he would be interested in working with her. Hoseok was about to say no when he fell silent, the girl reminded him so much of his younger sister that he couldn’t help but want to protect her.

They made an alliance.

And it was working rather well. Turned out the girl from 10 was very handy and knew how to keep her and Hoseok alive. The arena was a freezing arctic and she skinned polar bears in order to keep her and Hoseok warm, later cooking the meat for them to eat.

Most tributes that year died via freezing to death, very little fighting was done.

Not the career pact though.

They found Hoseok and the girl from 10, holding him down and forcing him to watch as they tortured her.

Eventually she died but he would never forget her screams for help.

This was enough to make Hoseok snap.

So he did.

Hoseok became a monster, broke free and killed the pact. There was only three (two boys, one girl), he stabbed one in the throat, strangled the other and tracked the fleeing girl down before holding her head under the freezing water till she drowned.

Hoseok won.

In a way he’s glad because now him and his family live on victor’s row and no longer have to worry about their next meal.

But his sanity will never be the same....

He is the kindest mentor, mainly because he knows that the majority of them won’t be coming back so he’s sure to be very nice and always offers to look out for their family when they eventually die.

Arena

Park Jimin- District Four (Fishing)

Jimin volunteered for the games, an act that was surprising to everyone and anyone in four.

It’s not that Jimin wasn’t strong, it was just that he didn’t seem like the type to hurt people and he was mainly just known as a really sweet local fisher boy.

People wondered how such an angel could even think of volunteering, much less actually win the games...

(Rumors even spread that he must’ve been suicidal or in serious debt, why else would he volunteer?)

But he strutted up confidently and announced his name, holding a certain benevolence that made him seem self-assured in his own ability.

Jimin was already acting like he won the games before he even got to the capitol.

He never really showed any anxiety or distress, he talked to the escort and mentors very casually....as if they were all old friends.

He also was extremely close to his designers/stylists, he allowed himself to get spoiled by the pampering and new clothes/makeup. (This also could’ve been part of his strategy. Most tributes could care less about their team but by Jimin becoming close to them, they most likely were more motivated to get him the best clothes, jewelry, makeup and overall helped him get more fans.)

Needless to say he became popular very quickly, he was by far the most attractive tribute and his laid back/flirty personality was infectious. For the first time ever a tribute’s concept was sex appeal, something that was unheard of for tributes to do because of their young age.

During his interview when asked about his strategy, Jimin just shrugged cutely and said “I’m a very lucky person, I doubt this will be all that hard.”

he buttered up the careers very nicely, they all basically just saw him as eye candy with lots of sponsors, not an actual threat.

Little did anyone know, Jimin was actually playing a very intelligent game that requires lots of manipulation.

His main objective was to stick with the careers until more than half the tributes were gone, then he would turn the careers against each other.

It would start off really slow and deliberate; going to one career and saying “This isn’t any of my business, but I heard (blank) talking in their sleep about offing you.” Or going to another and saying, “Don’t you think it’s weird how (blank) is acting? Maybe they’re thinking about killing us and winning this thing for themselves.”

He creates chaos and distrust and watches as they slowly turn against each other.

Eventually the careers would begin to kill each other, the alliance crumbling all thanks to Jimin.

Jimin would wait until only him and another career remained. At this point the career would realize that it was Jimin who destroyed the alliance...but it would be too late.

It was a girl career and although she was strong, she was no match for Jimin who dragged her to the swamp and held her head under water until the cannon sounded.

He would then kill the remaining two tributes, a piece of cake since he only kept the careers around to off the bigger threats, only weak kids remained.

Wins the game and becomes one of the most popular victors of all time. (Although it’s still a mystery as to why he volunteered, a lingering question Jimin has always refused to answer.)

Because of him a new strategy in the games was born; The Jimin game (ie; get in an alliance, use the alliance for supplies/food/protection, then when all the big tributes are gone plant a seed of deception into the allies so they all turn against each other)

Also because of him tributes began selling a more sexier side of themselves. (Esp tributes from four bc Jimin mentors them into it so that they can get more sponsors)

Jimin also frequents the capitol often, being an A-list celebrity and receiving special treatment whenever he comes around. Unlike Yoongi, Jimin fully embraced his role and is always ready to give out interviews or guest on shows.

he also sells himself to elite capitol women, not because he was forced to but because he enjoys the sex and gifts that come with it (sugar baby)

Although there is one catch to sleeping with the infamous Park Jimin.....you have to tell him a secret worth his while.

What he’s planning to do with these secrets....no one knows.

Arena

#bts

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ellasbooks · 3 years

Text

My April TBR

My goal for this month is to read 5 books. I only read 3 last month, so hopefully I will do better this month.

Here are the books that I want to read this month:

The Strange Message in the Parchment by Carolyn Keene

A sheep farmer receives a mysterious telephone call shortly after he buys a series of pictures painted on parchment. "Decipher the message in the parchment and right a great wrong," the voice says. Puzzled, the owner asks Nancy to help.

With Junie, his daughter, Nancy tracks down a kidnapper and a group of extortionists. Clues weave in and out of several puzzles, two of which are linked with Italy. Is there a connection between the message in the parchment and a boy artist on another farm? And who is responsible for the atmosphere of fear in the neighborhood?

After several harrowing experiences, Nancy begins to tighten the net around a ruthless villain and calls on the assistance of her friends Ned, Burt, Dave, Bess and George to bring his nefarious schemes to a dead end

Paper Towns by John Green

Who is the real Margo?

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew...

Rules for Being A Girl by Candace Bushnell and Katie Cotugno

It starts before you can even remember: You learn the rules for being a girl. . . .

Marin has always been good at navigating these unspoken guidelines. A star student and editor of the school paper, she dreams of getting into Brown University. Marin’s future seems bright―and her young, charismatic English teacher, Mr. Beckett, is always quick to admire her writing and talk books with her.

But when “Bex” takes things too far and comes on to Marin, she’s shocked and horrified. Had she somehow led him on? Was it her fault?

When Marin works up the courage to tell the administration what happened, no one believes her. She’s forced to face Bex in class every day. Except now, he has an ax to grind.

But Marin isn’t about to back down. She uses the school newspaper to fight back and she starts a feminist book club at school. She finds allies in the most unexpected people, like “slutty” Gray Kendall, who she’d always dismissed as just another lacrosse bro. As things heat up at school and in her personal life, Marin must figure out how to take back the power and write her own rules.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.

In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.

Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.

With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between.

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

The story is supposed to be over.

Simon Snow did everything he was supposed to do. He beat the villain. He won the war. He even fell in love. Now comes the good part, right? Now comes the happily ever after…

So why can’t Simon Snow get off the couch?

What he needs, according to his best friend, is a change of scenery. He just needs to see himself in a new light…

That’s how Simon and Penny and Baz end up in a vintage convertible, tearing across the American West.

They find trouble, of course. (Dragons, vampires, skunk-headed things with shotguns.) And they get lost. They get so lost, they start to wonder whether they ever knew where they were headed in the first place…

*All summaries are taken from Goodreads*

#reading #tbrpile #tbrbooks #monthly tbr #books #ellasbooks #nancy drew #the strange message in the parchment #paper towns #john green #the grace year #kim liggett #wayward son #simon snow #rainbow rowell

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kittae · 5 years

Text

Busan Beefcake

Pairing: Kim Taehyung x reader

Side characters: Min Yoongi

Summary: A drabble series where Taehyung is a successful artistic erotica actor but has to expand his areas of expertise in the rapidly evolving world of adult film. Lost and inexperienced in everything that doesn’t involve classy settings, flattering lighting and romantic scripts, he basically has to start from scratch to make it in the online porn community. As a highly demanded A-lister in that community, you take him under your wings (or better yet, between your legs).

Genre: Smut, fluff, a bit of comedy here and there. Maybe some angst, who knows.

words: 1335

A/N: A new rival enters the game!

« previous — next »

At nine thirty in the morning, the sun already gives you a heartfelt greeting by shining its rays down on you. You don’t greet it back, instead opting to hide behind your double sunglasses as you stumble out of your car with a disgruntled noise. If someone would ask you why you decided to drink so much the day before your first class, you wouldn’t have an answer for them. That ‘someone’ being Jey this morning, she’d made sure to make your life a living hell by making you a hangover smoothie –with the blender on the highest and loudest setting– at the ass crack of dawn. Just her way of paying you back for making her drag you home and up three flights of stairs while you clinged onto her like an outgrown koala.

To your surprise, you’re not the first one at the building this morning. A tall figure sporting blue hair and sunglasses,much like yours, awkwardly shuffles back and forth in front of the glass door, trying to peep in to see if there’s anyone inside. His colorful and richly patterned shirt could be considered cool and artsy if your head wasn’t feeling like it’s being split open by an axe. At the moment, his shirt offended you. Still, you’re strangely happy to see him– despite having to swallow down the bile rising up your throat every now and then. This is going to be such a long day.

“There’s usually no one inside this early, I got the key.” You rattle the bunch of keys hanging from your fluffy ball keychain to draw his attention. You instantly regret it, the metallic sound piercing through your eardrums and into your already pounding head.

“Oh,” Taehyung murmurs, caught slightly off guard by your voice but stepping aside to let you open the door, “ ‘morning, ____.”

You watch him adjust his sunglasses, yet miss the small smile you’ve seemed to have gotten used to in the short period of time you’d seen him. During the shoot yesterday, he was almost always smiling one way or another. Cocky, flirty, shy, sheepish,... He just seems really uncomfortable right now.

“Celebrated a little too hard yesterday?” You tease, trying to lighten up the mood and hopefully make him feel a bit more at ease.

“Ah, not really,” he softly chuckles, “I only hung out with Yoongi last night, I just really can’t drink… What about you?” He nods at your own sunglasses.

You snort as you push the door open and go to turn off the alarm, “Let’s just say I drank a little too well.”

Taehyung snickers at that, following you inside, “Is it selfish to be glad I’m not the only one feeling like a pile of shit today?”

“Not at all,” a smile finds its way back on your own lips as well, “better than suffering alone, for sure. You’re really early, by the way.”

Hesitating for a moment, he does that darned cute neck rubbing thing again as he mulls over his words. “Yoongi didn’t want to get up early this morning, so...I had to take the bus. I would’ve been late if I took the next one…”

You frown at that new piece of information. “Does Yoongi usually drive you?”

The red tips of his ears betray his embarrassment. “Yeah, except when it’s too early for him. I don’t have a driver’s license.”

“I see…”

A few moments pass in silence as you wait for the elevator to arrive.

“Are there going to be many other cursists today?” Taehyung decides to break the silence.

You purse your lips as you try to recall how many people applied for the seminar, “Not that many. It’s usually a group of around five to eight people, max. Why?”

“That’s still plenty,” he shrugs, “I just thought I was the only one struggling with the, uh, transition.”

That made you giggle, “No, not at all! Trust me, you’d be surprised if you knew how many actors have difficulties adjusting to the darker genres.”

Taehyung nods, face visibly more relaxed at your reassuring words.

“We’re here.” You announce when the elevator doors open on the fifth floor. He follows you into the hallway until you stop to open the reserved classroom with one of the keys on your bundle.

“Why did you do it? Make the change to this genre, I mean.” Taehyung asks after a few moments of thinking it over.

You smile as you let yourselves in, “You’re about to find out.”

Yoongi yawns while he shuffles his way towards the coffee machine, not even bothering to properly lift his feet and letting his slippers drag over the floor. With his robe left untied and a serious case of bed hair, it’s obvious he’s had a rough night taking care of his lightweight friend. Blinking the sleep from his heavy eyes, he adds an extra couple scoups of coffee in the machine. This morning calls for extra bitter bean juice.

He fishes his phone out of the deep pocket of his robe, meaning to send Taehyung a text, asking if he found the seminar building easily. Before he gets a chance to, though, he gets notified of a new article from an adult magazine he has a subscription with. As an adult movie actor’s manager, it’s always a good idea to keep up with the trends and monitor what’s happening in the industry. Upon seeing the headline, Yoongi all but breaks into a sweat.

★★★ Adult Life ★★★

Jeon ‘Busan Beefcake’ Jungkook: From Camboy Next Door To Your Next A-List Superstar.

He fervently taps the screen to open the notification as quickly as possible, teeth already nervously digging into his bottom lip when the article takes a few seconds to load.

‘You’ve heard it from us first: this fresh face will be all over the online platforms in no time. With his 22 years, eight inches, a body that’s been thoroughly looked after and an astounding amount of unbridled talent, he’s rapidly taking the adult film community by storm. Jeon Jungkook is bound to change the game, having decided to trade his modest background as a home amateur for a professional career as an adult film actor, producer and director. In just a week time, his first two projects ‘Pool Boy Pleasure’ (where a rich cougar wants him to do more than just clean her pool) and ‘Naughtitorium’ (where things get heated underneath the desks of a college auditorium) have gone viral and his name has been trending on twitter. Is it his youthful appearance, or just the raw but captivating style he wields? This extremely good-looking guy seems to be good at everything, many female viewers already nicknaming him their ‘Golden Boy’ as they subscribe to his channels and eagerly spend money to vote on what they’d like to see him do next. This is no flash in the pan, Jeon Jungkook is here to dominate the industry! Expect to see him all over your favorite platforms. We’re a fan!’

Yoongi swallows hard, remembering his own words. “We have to increase your online presence and we have to do it fast before some rookie with a good face and a 7 inch dick takes your place.”

This guy even has an 8 inch dick. It’s a fucking nightmare.

Yoongi squints his eyes at the photo attached to the article, a young and glowing stud with dark, long hair, showing off his juicy muscles and six-pack as he lies shirtless on a couch while smiling at the camera. His eyes look like they’re fucking sparkling or something. He has something irresistible over him. Cute, but powerful. And he knows how to direct and produce on top of acting? It’s a triple threat. ‘Golden Boy’ huh? Yoongi sighs and swipes the article away, going to the messaging app to text Taehyung like he initially meant to do.

‘Text me when the seminar is done, I’ll pick you up. I need to show you something.’

Heliotrope masterlist

#bts smut #bts #bts scenarios #taehyung smut #bts fanfiction #kim taehyung #kim taehyung fanfic #taehyung scenarios #v fanfic #v smut #bts v #taehyung fic #taehyung fanfic #bts fanfic #pornstar!bts #bts au

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