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bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture · 4 years ago

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Hmm, still thinking about character profiles… might try and do something with that after this arc, since I didn’t do it before the USJ arc. Or maybe I should wait until after the Sports Festival? I suppose I’ll have to wait and see if I have enough material…

Still, it does feel weird to try and do character profiles when there are other ones out there that are so much more detailed and really dig into things. I mean, it can’t necessarily hurt for me to do, but it’d also push back the chapters even further when I just want to get caught up, so… bleh.

Anyways, chapter.

[No. 16 - Know Your Enemies]

First off, Mineta, why. Just. Sigh.

Our first panel has izuku and Tsuyu wading towards the edge of the water, Izuku cradling his broken finger while Tsuyu drags Mineta along. Long and short, Mineta says the villains will be stuck together all day. Izuku is muttering about how lucky they were, because that move was a real gamble, and if the villains had been smart, a few of them would have been hidden under the water. He can guess they weren’t thinking ahead, but they still need to be careful…

Tsuyu tells him to stop, since what he’s muttering about is scary. She then asks him what they should do now. Izuku determines that their top priority is calling for help, and that if possible, they should follow the shoreline and make for the exit, avoiding the plaza altogether. (Meanwhile, Tsuyu asks if Izuku’s okay, which he confirms even while wincing over his injury.) Izuku’s narration recounts that their first battle ended in a win, but that he’d made a deadly wrong assumption.

Huh. Izuku is using his elbow pad as a temporary compress for his broken finger. Interesting.

Tsuyu accepts Izuku’s plan, and then notes that Aizawa is drawing a large number of villains to the plaza. Izuku is worried about their teacher, noting that there’s too many enemies. Of course, Eraserhead is holding his own out there, but it’s too much for him, and that he had to know that, but jumped in to protect the class anyways.

Mineta think Izuku is planning something stupid (which I mean, rude but fair) while Tsuyu gives a neutral ribbit. Izuku clarifies that he isn’t saying they should dive right into the fight - just that they watch for an opening and do what they can to lighten their teacher’s load. The narration from above finishes with an ominous statement - thinking that they stood a chance against those enemies was a grave miscalculation.

Then we get an overview of the USJ and where everyone was sent, serving as the ‘cover page’ for the chapter.

Interestingly, neither Aoyama or Hagakure have a confirmed location, though I am aware that Hagakure later states she was in the same zone as Shouto. And Shouji… oh, poor Shouji…

Can’t believe my good hugs boy was slandered like this… damn you Viz…

Not to mention the disrespect to our goddess Yaomomo… when will it end...

Next up, we get to see Shouto being casually intimidating. He exhales a chilled breath as his shoulder starts to steam, musing about the villains’ divide and conquer strategy. He then notes with a half-hearted preemptive apology that it’s hard to see the villains who were in the landslide zone as any more than thugs with quirks they can’t even handle.

Jesus christ where does his ice end.

Shouto approaches the closest villain - perhaps the leader of that squad - his boots crunching in the ice as his left side continues to steam. The squad leader(?) calls him a bastard and complains how he reacted the second he was warped there, as well as wonders if he’s really just a kid before complaining about the pain from the frostbite of the ice.

Shouto briefly flashes back to Shigaraki mentioning how they brought along so many playmates (which I guess confirms that Jirou and/or Shouji forwarded some of what the villains were saying down in the plaza because otherwise there’s no way they should have heard from that distance.) He thinks about how the villains want to kill All Might, and and first, they’d all seemed elite, so they could use their numbers to overwhelm him. But taking a closer look, the pawns are only there for the kids, nothing but a gang of low-level cannon fodder. As far as he can tell, there are only about four or five really dangerous individuals there.

He then sits down(!!!) as he gets the villains’ attention, noting that at the rate they’re going, their skin will rot away from frostbite. The villains are alarm, but Shouto continues on, explaining that he’s trying to become a hero, and that heroes don’t do such horrible things. As he thinks about what he needs to do next, he asks the villains what makes them think they can kill All Might, and to tell him their plan.

Shouto, my man, that is a power move and a half right there, I cannot believe he actually sits down and makes them talk to him like an unruly class of students or sommat. Just, fucking hell, I don’t even know if he realizes how effectively he just asserted his dominance.

Our next scene shift (and the last for this post) is over to Yaomomo, Jirou, and Kaminari in the mountain zone, surrounded by enemies.

Pick your fighter. I’m Birb Dude.

A lot of those enemies have weapons of zome kind and are overall fairly intimidating, though there’s also this one fucker-

I’m sorry I just cannot take this one seriously, what the FUCK is that. There’s certainly some other questionable villains in this mess, but that one just. What.

Anyways. Kaminari just dodges a heavy punch from the big villain with the weird helmet on. He yelps as he gets closer to the girls and gets into formation (back to back to back), complaining about his whole life flashing before his eyes and asking who the hell those guys are and what they’re doing there. Jirou tells him to worry about that later, with Yaomomo stating they need to figure out how to get away from that mob.

Jirou asks Kaminari to confirm he’s a ‘lightning guy’, and then tells him to just fry them all to a crisp. While she’s holding a presumably metal sword. Yeah no, I can’t see anything wrong with that plan. Kaminari is offended because why wasn’t she paying attention when were partners during the battle training?

He then goes on to explain that he can only cover himself in electricity (so he wants a weapon), then goes on to say that he can discharge it, but he can’t control it - he’d hit them as well! Kind of like Todoroki’s power. He also states that he’s still trying to call for help, but his special transceiver is being jammed. He then finishes with the statement that they can’t rely on him, so he’s relying on them, giving a thumbs up with a bit of zap coming off of it.

Jirou grumbles about how he blabs a lot for a guy, then turns and kicks him into the crowd of villains, telling him to be a human stun gun. Kaminari yelps in disbelief at the betrayal, smacking right into the huge villain who almost punched him before and giving the guy a real good zap. Jirou is unimpressed as Kaminari realizes that the adhoc plan actually worked, and that the two can in fact rely on him after all. Jirou notes that that was easy.

Two other villains move to go after Kaminari, who is STILL somehow zapping the guy (how is that villain not dead yet??), with the rock fisted guy aiming a massive bouldery fist at a scared Kaminari. However, right before it hits, it gets cracked open by some kind of soundsave, leaving the villain’s unprotected fist to land right in Kaminari’s face and get them brutally zapped as well.

The boar-masked villain with knives tries to leap in, but a net shot from seemingly nowhere catches him mid-air and sends him falling to the ground caught up in it. We see right after that it was shot from Yaomomo’s right forearm / elbow, all while she’s blocking another strike from a different villain with her staff. She tells Jirou and Kaminari to get serious, with Jirou apologizing as she lifts her short sword again.

Jirou unplugs her ear jack from the speaker in her right boot, the jack retracting to normal length as she notes that she had a good plan, but Kaminari… (something? IDK. I guess he’s in the way? Or she wasn’t expecting his quirk limitations?)

We get her full name - Jirou Kyoka - and a description of her quirk, Earphone Jack.

We also get to see her use her quirk without the speakers, directing one of those amplified heartbeats as a direct attack at some of the villains, who hold their hears as they shout from the pain. Jirou blocks another up-close sword attack with her own short sword, nothing that in her costume request, she asked for a way to focus her sound in one direction.

A question about her costume, like. Why are the speakers in her boots? I mean, I know her costume needed speakers to direct her quirk, but why not go for something like Present Mic’s costume where she could have the speakers on her shoulders and so a lot closer to her quirk???

Yeah, I need to try and keep remembering that these are first draft costumes made by fifteen year olds and not meant to be used in the field / against villains yet. Sometimes I am a dumb. Thank you discord for knocking my head straight.

Moving on, we get Yaomomo kicking another villain back as she states that ‘it’s ready’, which confuses Jirou and I guess the villains as well. The villain she kicked stumbles back as Yaomomo crouches over, her back starting to bulge as she notes that it took some time, what with it being a larger object. The back of her costume tears open in a fairly gruesome-seeming image, only for the next panel to reveal it’s some kind of huge sheet that shoot out over her and Jirou’s heads before coming down to completely cover them both.

The villains are confused about the sheet, asking if the kids are trying to shield themselves. Meanwhile, Kaminari seems done shocking the other villains, stumbling as others start to run at him with their weapons or hands poised to strike. Momo clarifies that the sheet is a 100 mm thick insulation sheet, then tells Kaminari ‘now.’ Kaminari, nose bloody, realizes her plan and let her know that. He lifts his arms, telling the villains that he’s actually super strong before bringing them down and fully unleashing his quirk, zapping all of them at once.

Pikachu, use Thunder!

As the quirk wears off, we see all the villains are in no condition to keep fighting. Smoke rises from the insulated sheet as Yaomomo lifts the edge, noting that now that that is handled, she’s worried about the others, so they need to hurry up and regroup. Jirou is flustered as she points out Yaomomo’s wardrobe malfunction (which I will not be sharing here), while Yaomomo calmly replies she can make more clothes. We also get a blurb on Yaomomo’s quirk:

As well as probably one of the most important things that Bones cut out for some stupid reason: belly rolls!

Yes, Yaomomo actually has a healthy weight in the manga. I mean, all the girls do, but still. Why do animes just ruin this stuff.

Anyways, our last two panels of the page and this half of the chapter show Kaminari totally brain dead as he cheers, with another blurb about his quirk:

Behind all three of them, we see a fist smashing up out of the ground, showing that someone managed to dodge that super-attack after all…

Anyways, that’s a wrap for now. Next time is all Aizawa and Shigaraki, and that’s gonna be… messy. See y’all then!

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alwaysbethewest · 4 years ago

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Narcos fic: Don’t Hold Your Tongue

Title: Don’t Hold Your Tongue Pairing: Javier Peña/Steve Murphy Rating: Mature Word count: 2k Content/warnings: I bullied politely asked @pajamasecrets to give me some fic prompts and she suggested Steve and Javi get drunk and play truth or dare. So. That’s what this is. No plot, no angst, no spoilers, no beta. Just drinking and kissing and implications of more than that after it fades to black. Also posted at AO3.

Javi’s never noticed before that there’s a diamond-shaped pattern on the ceiling of the ambassador’s office. Maybe because he’s never before been lying on the floor of her office staring up at it. God willing, he never will be again.

This whole thing was Steve’s idea. Javi was just dumb enough to go along with it.

Javier is senior in both age and rank but sometimes he forgets that that means he’s supposed to reign Steve in when he gets like this. Sometimes their interests align and they both want to cut loose at the same time and in the same way, and sometimes, like tonight, that means sneaking into the ambassador’s office after everyone else has gone home and drinking the obscenely expensive bottle of scotch Steve had spotted on her sideboard during a meeting earlier in the day.

It’s bordering on disrespectful to the label how quickly they’re downing the scotch. It’s one that should be savored, peaty and complex and fucking expensive. But this whole thing is a little bit not about the liquor at all and a lot about the principle of the thing and their private resentment over the ambassador continuing to block every request they’ve tried to make for what feels like the last six months.

And anyway, respect is clearly not of any concern to Steve, sitting as he is in the ambassador’s chair with his feet propped up on her desk. He’s at an odd angle, from Javi’s position on the floor, but he can still see Steve’s bright eyes and lazy-drunk mouth, how his cheeks suck in briefly as he takes a sip of whiskey and rolls it over his tongue to the back of his mouth. He watches his eyes flutter shut and Javi’s reflexes must be impaired because it takes him a second to realize when Steve’s eyes open again and are boring directly into him.

“Hey, Javi,” he drawls. “Truth or dare?”

Javi shakes his head. He’s not doing that.

“I’ll go first,” Steve offers. He takes another sip of his drink and lets out a satisfied sigh. “I pick truth. Ask me a question.”

Javi shakes his head again, giving him his best unimpressed look, and Steve swings his feet off the desk and stretches one leg out to nudge his foot against Javi’s shoulder. “C’mon.”

He’s really not doing this so he thinks of the most innocuous question he can, one so pointless it might insult Steve into giving up.

“What’s your favorite color?”

Steve makes a face but he stops and thinks about it. “Blue. But like, dark blue. Like a medium-dark blue.” He pokes his foot into Javi’s arm again. “Like that shirt you have. That blue shirt is my favorite color.”

There’s a pause. Javi doesn’t have anything to say to that. He’s trying to remember which shirt Steve means and which exact shade of medium-dark blue it is.

“Your turn,” Steve says. “Truth or dare?”

“I’m not playing,” he reminds him.

Steve frowns down at him. “You can’t do that. You already asked me a question, you don’t get to bow out now.”

“I asked you a harmless one,” he says.

“Who says mine won’t be harmless?” Steve protests. “I’m gonna kick you in the head if you don’t play. Truth or dare?”

“Truth,” he says finally, resigned.

“How many women who work in this building have you slept with?”

“Hijo de puta,” he mutters, and Steve laughs, delighted to have gotten a rise out of him. Javi pushes onto his elbows to take a drink of his scotch and thinks about how to answer. He wants to ask Steve how he’s defining slept with but he doesn’t feel like getting into the discussion that would invite. He decides not to count purely hand stuff and rounds down a little and tells him, “Three.”

“Hmm,” Steve says skeptically. “I thought it’d be more.”

Javi shrugs. “Maybe I’m more of a gentleman than you think I am.”

“Right,” Steve snorts. He rubs a knuckle over his eye and takes a breath, about to say something else.

“Truth or dare?” Javi asks, before Steve can interrogate him any further.

“Dare.”

He tries to think of a good one. Thinks back to when he was a kid, since this is an actual children’s game.

“I dare you to streak around the fifth floor.”

“That’s dumb,” Steve protests, but he’s shifting in his seat like he’s unsure. “There’s nobody here.”

“Could be,” Javi shrugs. “If you’re scared, you don’t have to do it—”

“I’m not scared,” Steve says. He pushes out of the chair and starts unbuttoning his shirt. “I’m just saying, it’s a waste of a dare ‘cause nobody’s going to see it.”

“I don’t care. You wanted a dare, you got a dare.”

Steve lets out a put-upon sigh but he’s naked by the time he reaches the door, clothes strewn across the floor in a messy trail. He’s a long, tall stretch of pale skin and Javi takes him in just for a second before looking back down into his glass. Steve sticks his head out of the door, peering down the hallway, and then he takes off in a jog and Javi chuckles and empties his glass and lies back, eyes closed, to wait.

The quiet solitude of the room makes him feel a little too drunk and a little maudlin and his thoughts turn briefly to serious questions like what are they even doing down here and is it making any difference and also, now that he thinks about it, are he and Steve going to be able to find a cab home this late since they’re both way past too shitfaced to drive. He opens his eyes again and stares up at the diamond-patterned ceiling and pictures the dismayed expression on the ambassador’s face if she were to find them passed out on her floor come morning. Almost, but not quite, funny enough to be worth it.

It’s not long before Steve returns, flush-cheeked and scrambling to get his pants back on. He stumbles a little and is laughing breathlessly and it makes Javi laugh, too, seeing how his face is glowing with the rush of this low-stakes moment of exhibitionism. Steve attempts the buttons on his shirt but his fingers are fumbling and he quickly gives up and leaves it open, fabric fanning out over his hips when he sinks down on the floor by Javi and props his back against the side of the desk. He tucks one bare foot under Javi’s thigh and chuckles again.

“Shit,” he breathes. “You know if I’d gotten caught and got fired for that you’d be stuck down here all by yourself.”

“That was my plan all along,” Javi tells him.

Steve wiggles his toes under his leg. “No it wasn’t.”

The room goes quiet again. Javi’s hand bumps against Steve’s ankle and he idly circles his fingers around it, under the hem of his pants.

“Your turn,” Steve says. “Truth or dare?”

“We’re still doing this?”

“You owe me, man, you just made me run buck naked through the office. It’s your turn.”

“I’m not running anywhere,” Javi warns him. “Truth.”

Steve is thoughtful for a few breaths, glancing around the room while he considers, before landing his eyes on Javi again. “Have you ever kissed a guy?”

“What?” Javi says, which is a mistake, because not saying no is almost as good as saying yes and now Steve’s eyes are burning into him.

“Yes or no, it’s a simple question,” he says.

Javi wishes he still had whiskey in his glass to swallow the rough feeling out of his throat. He realizes his fingers have gone tight around Steve’s ankle and he lets go and drops his hand to the carpeted floor.

“Yes.”

“I haven’t,” Steve offers. Not exactly a surprise.

“Okay,” Javi says. His brain is too fuzzy and Steve’s expression too calm for him to feel panicked, but he does feel—confused, maybe. Unsure what to say.

“Do you dare me to?”

“What?”

“It’s my turn,” Steve reminds him. “And I want a dare. Do you dare me to?”

“Sure,” Javi says, before he can think too much about it, and it still comes as a surprise when Steve shifts onto his knees and then straddles Javi’s hips and leans down to hover over his face. His expression is determined, overly serious, and it makes Javi laugh, struck by how ridiculous this all is. Steve’s brow furrows but the corner of his mouth lifts up, simultaneously amused and taken aback by Javier’s reaction.

“What are you laughing for?” he asks. Maybe trying to decide if he should be offended.

Javi huffs out another laughing breath. “Just, your face. You looked so serious.”

His face softens and Javi watches as his eyes flick down to Javi’s mouth, back up to meet his gaze again. “I am serious,” he murmurs, and leans in closer. “I want it to be good.”

He kisses him and it is good, it’s nice. His mouth is careful and softer than Javi would have expected, and Javi kisses him back, feeling the strain in the back of his neck from pressing up to meet him. He slips a hand around the back of Steve’s head to pull him closer as he relaxes against the carpet and Steve makes a pleased, surprised sound against his mouth and slides his tongue over Javi’s lips. It’s languid, a slow, easy kiss that moves like it’s got no destination in mind, just the journey of Steve’s tongue slipping into his mouth, stroking against him and drawing back again to allow his teeth to graze lightly over Javi’s bottom lip.

Steve’s body is still miles away from his, hovering over him, and it doesn’t feel right. Javi slides his hand down Steve’s back, grips onto his hip, and tugs him down to press his body into his, a comfortable, heavy weight landing over him.

“Shit,” Steve murmurs. He grinds his hips slowly over Javi’s, letting him feel where he’s starting to go hard just from the kiss. Javi’s pulse speeds up and he’s grateful for the deep breath he’s able to take when Steve drags his mouth away from his and presses his lips along his jawline instead. “Hey Javi,” Steve whispers. “Truth or dare?”

He thinks about it, briefly, and decides he still doesn’t want to risk being dared to do anything that would move him away from this spot. “Truth.”

Steve pulls back a few inches to watch his face carefully, looking thoughtful. His mouth is shiny and plush and Javi wants to kiss him again.

“Truth,” Steve says, considering. “Have you ever gotten off in an ambassador’s office?”

Javi laughs. “I came close once.”

“Yeah? What happened?”

He slides his hands under the loose ends of Steve’s shirt and presses his fingers into the hot skin at the base of his spine. “I don’t know yet.”

A smile spreads across Steve’s face and he leans down and bites at Javi’s lip again. He works his hand into the space between their bodies and rests it on Javi’s belly.

He murmurs Javi’s name in a soft, drawn-out drawl, and wriggles his fingers behind Javi’s belt. “Do you dare me?”

Javi tastes the stolen scotch on his breath and feels the rough carpet against his back and the slide of Steve’s long fingers inching into his pants, the hard length of him pressing against Javi’s hip. He catches sight of the diamond-shaped ceiling tiles out of the corner of his eye and thinks, this might be one of the top five dumbest things he’s ever done, but it might also be one of the best because sometimes life overlaps like that. And he slides a hand up the broad length of Steve’s back to his neck, pulls him in close again, and tells him, “Yes.”

#fanfiction #my fic #narcos fanfiction #pedro pascal #boyd holbrook #javier peña x steve murphy #stavier #narcos

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jalebi-weds-bluetooth · 4 years ago

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Ishqbaaz Liveblog, E14: In This Episode of Savdhaan Indian

Check out other liveblogs here

Lol, this was literally an episode of CID/Crime Petrol. I love how everything was all action packed. Like it’s the fun chill episode. IB is perfect for unwinding. Although I am getting to see some amazing Rikara (Om-Gauri) scenes that’s making me wish I saw those episodes in IPK!

E14: In This Episode of Savdhaan India

- Annika back to Finding Saahil mission. Put these two in CID.

- OK I LOVE TEJ’S BG MUSIC. It’s my dramatic crack.

- How does Tej always make sense? Like it’s weird. He told Om that it’s ok to leave the room for two mins cause its all staffed. And he’s right.

- Ah, Om, Tej wasn’t right - here we have dramatic villain leaving fingerprints and everything.

- Am I still watching IB or CID. Everywhere there’s crime!

- I love this new sidekick. Annika and all.

- Wah, we have the villain in her bright green and red saree, connecting dots, grabbing meds and killing Shivaay.

- On the other hand we have Saahil being kidnapped and Annika trying to run behind a car.

- Tej, as usual, talking about biz. That if Shivaay dies then Om needs to buck up and handle the biz. And things need to be dealt with brains instead of heart.

- I feel Tej is Arnav’s father, totes.

- Is there no security for Shivaay’s room? What does he have bodyguards for?

- And the blood the color of Rooh Afza...

- Yes Om, yell at your dad for being a stone hearted dude who’s worried who’ll handle the empire when Shivaay’s dead.

- OF COURSE DADI HAD TO SEE HER GRANDSON TRYING TO SLAP HER SON. THIS SHOW HAS BEEN TRYING TO KILL HER WITH SHOCK FROM DAY ONE.

- Like seriously, Villain Aunty is taking eternity to administer the injection.

- We have pot calling kettle black. Tej is blaming his son. Dadi yelling at her son. Cool.

- IS ANYONE GOING TO CHECK SHIVAAY’S ROOM?

- I LOVE DADI, I LOVE THE WAY SHE DEFENDED OM.

- Lol, “mum when you’re dead who’ll protect Om?”, dude Tej is obsessed about everyone’s death. This dude should endorse Life Insurance.

- He has a plan post everyone’s death.

- YESSS DADI. TELL TEJ THAT HIS SHITTY UPBRINGING AND HIS DISRESPECT IS WHAT GIVES HIM THE TERRIBLE BEHAVIOR FROM OM.

- Yes Dadi, thanks for teaching Om a lesson too.

- Lol, Shivaay is like, screw my fam I’ll try to save myself. YOLO, literally.

- Thanks Om for destroying those papers. Put a bed next to Shivaay, I’m pretty sure Tej will get a stroke any second from the amount of teeth gnashing and grumbling. He’s nearly there.

- Wait where did the random woman come from? Is there a secret passageway in this ICU cubicle? Like Arnav’s random bathroom/passageway.

- I’m surprised, the villain is smart. She got another woman to try to kill Shivaay wearing her saree. Smart. Ah, very smart, she chose the widow of the dude who burned himself alive so as to she gets a motivation to kill Shivaay too.

- Thanks Pinky for asking valid questions that if security was there then how come this random woman appears.

- Yes Dadi, I also want to ask that how did this random woman saved Shivaay. Wah, look at her MASTER PLAN. SHE IS AMAZING. SHE IS NOW PLAYING AS A SAVIOR.

- WAIT, “MAA”? TEJ AND SHAKTI HAVE A SISTER???????????? OR SISTER IN LAW? WOAH I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING.

- Annika, blocks the car full Baahubali style. OOOOOH I LOVE THE BG MUSIC. SO GOOD. YES, GO ANNIKA, LIKE YOUR NAMESAKE KILL THESE PEEPS.

- I LOVE THIS SIDEKICK!

- I just realised how tiny Saahil is. My baby boi. Ooh child please don’t cry.

- Yes Jhanvi, thanks for asking valid questions again when this woman came out of jail. I love how Pinky and Jhanvi are like WTF and don’t care about the woman.

- LOL I LOVE PINKY AND JHANVI TEAMING UP TO THINK WTF ABOUT THIS WOMAN.

- DADI DO NOT TRUST. LOOK AT YOUR BAHUS. THEY ARE BOTH LIKE EXCUSE ME DON’T TRUST THIS WOMAN.

- So Shivaay is alive after a bottle of Rooh Afza. I guess we all needed that.

- Aww, Rudy is complaining, he’s so sweet.

- Nakuul looks s0o0o0o0oo0o0o0o0o0o nice when his nose is not half in the air.

- Dude came out of life-death scenario and he’s still hung up on Annika being badtameez. *I RETRACT MY WORDS ABOUT HIS HANDSOMENESS* UGH VILLAIN WHY DIDN’T YOU SUCCEED?

- Rudy, stop romanticizing Shivaay’s obsession with Annika. IPK is literally the only show where Anjali was disturbed with Arnav’s tendency to obsess over Khushi and poked him because of his traumatic past. So please, take what worked and continue. Stop stop stop romanticizing Shivaa- making-Annika’s-life-hell as “oh he’s obsessing over her, aww”

- LOL I LOVE SOUMYA. SHE JUST RANDOMLY GOT IN AND LIKE HI BADE BHAIYYA AND SHIVAAY IS LIKE HUH? Lol.

- The End -

I really liked this episode for whatever it was. I think I like the episodes where Shivaay has just... fainted? I couldn't stop laughing that dude nearly had to save himself. I really like the villain and Soumya/Saumya is such a cutie! Also, Annika was full fire mode along with her sidekick. ALSO THANK YOU @tellywoodtrash FOR HELPING ME AND BEING MY IT WOMAN - SENDING RIKARA LEVEL LOVE (BARRING BULLSHIT) TO YOU.

- S

#ib #ishqbaaz #ishqbaaz liveblog #jalebi watches something else #tere liye ttji #shivaay when silent #is so handsome #when he talks #please go die again #trying not to get invested in rudya #I need to know which shampoo om uses

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paramedictk-archive · 4 years ago

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it’s hard to put into words how much skam france has disappointed me this year but s6 is finally over and i felt like i needed to kind of... say goodbye to this shitshow and get a few things off my chest.

s3 will always hold a special place in my heart, it came into my life when i really needed it and honestly, it was their only genuinely good season from start to finish. i will always be grateful for s3 and for eliott and lucas and for all those little moments we got to see with the grew in that season as well as in s4 and s5, when they actually acted like teenagers, when they were there for each other, when actions had consequences, when subplots weren’t abandoned just after 2 clips and when they used this show to educate teenagers and give them hope... those very few moments that actually made me feel like i was watching a skam remake.

it’s hard to make peace with the fact that this remake gave us so many good moments but also managed to completely ruin this entire experience for most of us this year. i think if skam france was genuinely, consistently trash from s1 to s6 i wouldn’t be half as angry as i am right now. but truth is, it wasn’t all bad. that’s the worst thing. we’ve seen they can do better, they just chose to be lazy and use the popularity s3 gave them to churn out mediocre and half assed plots time and time again because they knew they had devoted fans who would defend them no matter what.

when s3 was airing i actually felt like they listened to us sometimes and cared about us but something changed after s4. it no longer mattered what we wanted to see or what we thought about a scene, we were simply told what we should be feeling. and that’s a huge red flag. i don’t have to be a scriptwriter or a director to know that good storytelling isn’t about throwing excuses and explanations (and then damage control pictures) at your audience. it’s about them engaging with the content you put out and bringing their own perspective to it. otherwise, what’s the point?

and you know, this isn’t even about what’s ooc and what isn’t. it’s about the people who were supposed to finally get their representation but instead ended up being too triggered by the show to continue watching it. it’s about muslim, deaf/hoh people, people dealing with addictions or self harm or eating disorders speaking out only to be silenced by david and his fans just because their opinions weren’t always supportive and positive. it’s about us saying that they should have never used sexual or domestic abuse for shock value and then being told to shut up because a few pacifists in this fandom seem to think we’re ruining the show for them this way. it’s about david and niels flat out lying to us and promising so many things in order to get us to watch s6. it’s about being disrespected by the creators of your favourite tv show so badly that you end up having to distance yourself from it and the fandom. you obviously can’t please everyone, but the least you can do is listen to the people whose stories you’re trying to tell.

i obviously can’t tell any of this to david even though i wish i could. not because i want to rub it in or prove that i’m right, i just simply want him to know how much his childishness hurt the very people who once fought so hard to get his show renewed for him. i can’t tell him any of this because he would never read my messages since i’m not one of his certified bootlickers singing his praises all the time. because he blocked one of my insta accounts last week for a comment i posted under one of his pictures during s5. because that’s the kind of person he is. someone who would rather hide and ignore constructive criticism and let his little fans fight his battles for him. someone who stayed quiet for weeks while said fans kept sending death threats to people. and yes, you could say he’s not responsible for other people’s actions and that’s true in a way. but when you create such an unhealthy and hostile environment within your own fandom by playing favourites and silencing anyone who has a different opinion than what is considered acceptable, you do encourage that kind of behaviour.

despite all this, i still stayed and tried to put up with all the bad writing because i cared about the grew that much, maybe even more than niels himself, it seems. i don’t have a reason to stay now. the concept of having female showrunners sounds good, sure, but i know francestvslash and i know skam france. it’s the good old bait-and-switch. during the last two seasons, they kept baiting marginalized communities to earn woke points but a season that was supposed to be about arthur’s deafness entirely got turned into some cheating fest and lola’s season was pure misery porn with wlw rep thrown in there as bait.

david and niels leaving won’t solve this problem. francetvslash needs a reality check too. they used us to renew the show and then turned around and called us obsessive. they blocked my comments under the live because i asked them why wasn’t the sexual assault plot mentioned again. they joked about addictions. they don’t care, okay? not about us, not about giving people representation. the only thing they care about is money. so them suddenly hiring female directors and writers after they saw us complaining about the way this show treats women? bait. the same kind of bait niels and david used when they tried to throw all kinds of rep in s6 because they knew lgbt people want to see themselves represented so badly that they would watch it no matter what. i would love to be proven wrong, obviously. i want to believe the new showrunners have nothing but good intentions but their hands will obviously be tied by francetvslash to some extent. and i’m done being used by them and then being forced to settle for the bare minimum.

all in all, both s5 and s6 fell flat and were extremely disappointing. skamfr under david and niels will always remain a one hit wonder, nothing else. it’s a good thing they are leaving now because at least characters like max or sekou have the chance to be treated with respect by the new writers and directors. and i’m happy for all of you who decided to stay... i wish you guys the best. i honestly hope you guys will get the stories and the representation you’re looking for. i really do. i want to be proven wrong about francetvslash and the showrunners... but i don’t have the energy to dedicate so much of my life to this show again, not after them breaking my heart so many times.

and i guess i’m a petty person. the grew deserved great stories too, not just lamif. arthur deserved a great season, deaf/hoh people deserved to see themselves represented, instead they were forced to watch niels disrespect noée and camille and then act like they never existed in s6. and after everything wlw have done for this show, we deserved a great season too, not to be baited like this. maya was in 18 clips out of 83 (!!!!). if niels and david didn’t want to give the grew a chance to have a good send-off, then i’m not giving this show a chance again. why would i?

anyway. i’ll stick to rewatching s3 every now and again. and i will miss the way the grew made me feel. thanks for all the good memories and let’s hope we’ll forget the bad ones soon. this is what we’ve come to.

alt er love and all that crap i guess.

#skam france

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justahopelessssromantic · 4 years ago

Text

My Bad!

A/N: @mayans-girl I’m so sorry I lost your request as I stupidly deleted the post to resubmit it after I was having difficulties with the site. Regardless here it is for your request for another member hitting on you and Coco gets pissed. Thank you so much for the request I hope you enjoy and a big thank you to everyone for reading! ❤️

Also shout out to my twinnie @starrynite7114! Thank you so much for helping me brainstorm and work out the idea. You truly inspire and motivate me everyday! 💕

*gif not mine*

Warming: Angst and some fluff

The music was thumping around the clubhouse as one of the famous Mayans MC parties was in full swing. The place was packed with members from charters all over who came by to celebrate Santo Padre’s charter’s rise to the top.

You had just split off from your Old Man to find yourself a drink leaving him to chat with Oscar from the Stockton charter. Weaving through the people you smiled at the familiar faces when your phone buzzed from the back pocket of your tight jeans. Slipping it out you stopped and leaned against the railing of the steps that led into the clubhouse making sure that you were off to the side and out of the way.

Your phone lit up with a new message from your half brother Miles. You haven't seen him in forever and tried your best to find him throughout the years with no such luck. The two of you had been seperated after the death of your father, thrust into the system to fend for yourselves. Now after so many years later he had found you and reached out.

You practically raised him growing up. Your mother's were no shows throughout your lives leaving you with your drunk of a father. You didn't blame them for leaving him but you did always resent them for leaving their children alone with that man. You did everything in your power to protect him from your father's rage, help him in his schooling, to keep him alive. You were the mother he never had and the mother you never got.

You smiled reading the message from him saying he couldn’t wait to see you again tomorrow. You were so excited and had a day full of events planned out for your reunion. Coco knew how important this meeting was for you and was even helping you make all the arrangements. He was just as excited to meet the brother he had only heard childhood tales about but most importantly he was happy for you to have your family back. Just like him you had had it rough. If anyone deserved some sliver of real family to hold on to it was you.

You sent back a quick ‘me too’ before slipping the phone back into its resting place. Whipping around the railing you bounded up the stairs and into the building in search of that drink you were after in the first place. The room was filled with people, it seemed as if literally every Mayan was here as the whole place was just bursting at the seams with men in the leather cuts and then on top of it you had the friends and families of members all there as well. You made your way through the cloud of smoke, past the table where Bishop and Taza were involved in a round of poker blowing them a kiss and sending them a wink before sliding up to the bar. You landed on a simple beer smiling and thanking Chucky before heading towards the back hoping to sneak out where it would certainly be a little less packed and quiet to catch some air.

Slipping in and out of the crowds rather smoothly, this wasn’t your first rodeo, you were just about to your destination when an unknown man from the Spokane charter who was leaning against the wall caught your attention.

“If I knew the woman in Santo Padre were as sexy as you I would have stopped by a long time ago,” He grinned bringing his lit cigarette up to his lips inhaling deeply before blowing the smoke out towards you as his eyes raked up and down your figure.

You rolled your eyes internally giving him a tight lips smile. One of the problems with big events such as these was that not everyone knew who you were. At least at the smaller gatherings it was well known that you were Coco’s Old Lady and he, your Old Man. You were just about to correct the man opening your mouth when he practically shushed you. Now you were pissed.

“Nah baby,” he purred, “Save that pretty little voice for all the screaming I’ll be having you doing tonight.”

You scrunched up your eyebrows looking to the ground as you gathered your thoughts. Bringing your head back up you tilted it slightly crossing your arms with your beer up, “Does that line ever work? Like do some girls actually respond well to that, to you?”

“Careful what you say bitch,” he snarled, pushing off the wall as you crushed his ego with your few words. Most men were the same as him, insecure and trying to make up for their tiny packages with tough guy acts. “Do you even know who I am?”

You scuffed snickering as you kept your gaze dead on his eyes not backing down as he got in your face, “Do you even know who I am?” You asked with just as much arrogance as him, “I’m Johnny Coco Cruz’s fucking Old Lady. Yeah the man who could put a bullet through your brain even in this crowded room without you even knowing what’s coming.” You smirked as you saw the realization and fear flash in his eyes before he recovered quickly. “You’re lucky he can’t kill one of his own,” you continued with a threatening tone, “Now I suggest you call it a night before that pretty little voice of yours gets you in any more trouble.” You took a swig of your beer all while remaining uncomfortable eye contact with him before spinning around and heading out the back door as you were intending on in the first place when that jackass so disrespectfully interrupted you.

You were staring at the screen of your phone, your now empty bottle sat on a pile of cinder blocks beside you as you scrolled through your feed more annoyed than anything now. You hated when drunk assholes hit on you but it was even worse when it was one of Coco's brothers even one from another charter.

Miles saw you standing there with your back turned to him. He chuckled to himself as he snuck up behind you. He knew you'd be here as he knew you were dating a member from the Santo Padre charter but he wanted to surprise you with his new cut. You were his rock growing. Everything you sacrificed for him wasn’t lost on him. More than anything he wanted to make you proud.

Sneaking behind you, the jumper cabled your sides just like he had when you were young. You helped jumping away from the shock causing your phone to slip from your grasp and onto the hard rocks beneath you. Bending over you cursed under your breath picking it up and dusting off the screen. Straightening up you whipped around expecting to find Coco fully ready to tear him a new one. Your mouth dropped as you found your not so little anymore younger brother, not Coco, standing there before you. He had changed so much throughout the years but you still recognized those dark eyes of his and could picture those chubby cheeks he had.

"Oh my God," you gasped out, "Miles?" You instinctively pulled him into your arms hugging him tight, "What the hell are you doing here?" You asked, pulling back just enough to give yourself a better look at the man he had become, "And what's this?" You asked, pulling at his cut, "You're prospecting?" You grinned meeting his eyes once more. You were so incredibly proud of him.

“Yeah, Spokane charter,” he replied proudly, “You look really good.”

“And you look so…. big,” you laughed still shocked by the sudden surprise.

“Well I’m not that eleven year old kid anymore.” He chuckled, taking you in just as much as you did him. The moment seemed so unreal, almost as if it was a dream.

“Shit I have to pee,” you said feeling all your drinks hit your bladder seemingly at once, “Don’t go anywhere. I will be right back.” You scurried off in the direction you came from stealing one more glance back to check that he really was there before heading into the door to find the bathroom.

Coco was shooting the shit with Angel, Gilly, Creeper and various members from all over as they had a smoke. The sky above was dark, almost back with the stars sparkling like diamonds as a cool breeze blessed them with some relief from the usually unbearable heat.

One of the men from the Yuma charter approached the group directing his words straight to Coco, “Hey man some fucker from the Spokane charter was hitting on your girl hard. Being real disrespectful. She shut him down but I thought you should know. So you can set him right.”

Coco threw his cigarette to the ground stomping it under his boot. Patting the man on the shoulder as he stomped past he thanked him ready to find that asshole with Angel, Creeper, and Gilly on his tail.

He made his way into the clubhouse asking around when someone pointed him in the direction of the back. He knew that was your favorite place to go to get some solace during hectic events such as this. From what it sounded like the man was out there with you ruining your peace and Coco wasn’t having that.

Busting through the door he met eyes with the prospect from the Spokane charter. He was leaning against the fence beer in hand. Now Coco was fuming. A fucking prospect had disrespected his Old Lady. The kid had a lot of learning to do but he couldn’t do it here, he had to take him to the ring, do it right and use him as an example for any other fucker who thought they could talk to his woman like that.

“Yo prospect! I heard you were saying some real nasty shit to my Old Lady,” Coco snarled, stepping down the steps slowly Angel and Creeper close behind as Gilly stayed by the door.

Miles looked at him confused. He had talked to a lot of women during the night but couldn’t recall flirting with a single one of them. He was mostly too busy being ordered around and given chores. “Look man I don’t know what you’re talking about. I think you have the wrong-”

“I suggest you stop talking,” Creeper interrupted him standing next to Coco, “You ain’t getting yourself out of this now.”

“Come on prospect,” Coco spat out, “We settle this in the fucking ring.” Gilly came down the steps meeting up with Creeper and taking the prospect with them towards the ring giving him no room to protest.

Coco looked over at Angel, “Find my girl. Let her know what’s up,” he requested of his best friend, “She’s not gonna wanna miss this,” he smirked. Giving each other a nod Coco set off in the direction of the cage ready to kick some ass.

“Yo (Y/N),” Angel called out, swaggering up to you exhaling a puff of smoke as you excited the clubhouse to the back expecting to find your brother, “I’ve been looking all over for you. If we don’t hurry we’re gonna fuckin’ miss it.”

“Miss what?”

“Coco’s getting in the ring. Gonna show that asshole who was hitting on you his place.”

That must have been where your brother went, to watch the fight. You grinned at Angel, happy someone had noticed and that the guy hadn’t listened to you hanging around despite your warning. “Well what the hell are we standing around here for then?”

Following his lead the two of you headed towards the ring. You loved the cage, your favorite part of these parties was watching the fights, and you especially loved watching your Old Man get in the ring. Something about watching him take out another, bare chested with his tats on full display, covered in sweat and blood really turned you on. To top it off he’d be giving that asshole a good beating. Let’s just say Coco was going to be a very lucky man tonight.

The sound of the crowds cheering got louder and your adrenaline was pumping as you approached the ring. Angel shoved his way past the people gathered around making a perfect path to get you to the best spot. The fight was in full swing, you had missed the first portion of it and were a little disappointed but once you saw Coco and he made eye contact with you briefly a grin on his face you forgot all about it.

“Fuck him up!” You screamed eating up every moment, the smile never leaving your face. You turned your attention to the other guy and that’s when your smile fell as your eyes went wide. Coco wasn’t fighting the guy who was hitting on you earlier. He was fighting your fucking brother.

From what you could see Coco was in the lead, looking a little better than Miles. The two men were circling each other, arms up, waiting for the other to strike first. Leaning up against the cage you grabbed onto the metal calling out to Coco. Against his better judgment he turned to look at you expecting to find your gorgeous smiling face but instead was met with your terrifying scowl.

“That’s not the guy,” You screamed at him over the noise. He furrowed his brow looking at you.

“What the hell do you mean?”

“That’s my fucking brother!”

Turning back to face his opponent he could now see the resemblance although it was too little too late. While he was distracted your brother took the opportunity swinging a brutal right hook to Coco’s jaw the moment he turned back around.

The crowd erupted in cheers and jeers. The men who had bet on Coco clearly disappointed in the events that played out before them.

You gasped watching him fall to the ground wincing along with him from the hit. He looked up making eye contact with you glaring as he rolled his jaw spitting out blood.

You grimaced giving him your best apologetic look as you yelled out, “My bad!”

That night you ended up starting your family plans early with you patching up both men in your living room. Letty was so kind to assist you working on Coco while you took care of Miles. You all chatted getting to know one another bonding over the events of the night. Thankfully there were no hard feelings all around from the misunderstanding.

“You got quite the fuckin’ right hook, hermano,” Coco complimented Miles as he held an ice pack to his jaw.

“Yeah he really did a number on you Coco,” Letty teased as she pulled out an alcohol wipe from the first aid kit.

“Hey I had the fight up until (Y/N) distracted me,” he chuckled smiling at you, “I guess I learned where your real loyalty lies.”

You shook your head laughing lightly as you began stitching up your brother, “Blood is blood,” you teased back playing along.

Miles chuckled along hissing as you stitched up the cut on his cheek, “Thanks man, you throw a mean one yourself.” He flinched away hissing some more as you reached the middle of the cut, “Clearly.”

“Stay still,” you scolded leaning in closer to get a better view.

“What do you say next time we take down that fucker together,” Coco suggested as

Letty dabbed at his face causing him to wince.

“Deal.” Miles grinned. He liked Coco. He was a good match for you and had seen first hand just how far he was willing to go in your defence. All he ever wanted for you was someone to defend you and take care of you like you had for him all those years.

“Excuse me but I think I handled him just fine,” you said interjecting on their plans. It had already been tried once and this is where it ended, with your brother and man beating each other to a pulp.

“Of course you did mami,” Coco smirked over at you as he lit a joint taking a drag and passing it to Miles, “But just imagine the damage the two of us could cause.” He said exhaling.

Rolling your eyes you finished the last stitch to your brother’s face before perching down by Coco on the ground and settling between his legs. He wrapped his arms around you resting his head on your shoulder. Miles passed the joint to Letty as she sat next to him. Leaning forward she completed the round passing it to you and then lounging back on the sofa. You took a hit yourself giving Coco another one as well.

The four of you spent the rest of the night sharing stories and catching up. The conversation flowed easily as most of the time you all had smiles on your face. This was your happy place, just hanging out with your family, whole once more. You snuggled closer into Coco feeling his chest rise and fall with each breath that tickled your neck as you listened to your brother and Letty discussing their favorite shows. Closing your eyes you relaxed enjoying the feeling of home.

Everything Tag List: @jad3djay @fairygardenss @carlaangel86 @briannab1234 @starrynite7114 @agirllovespasta @howaboutash @gemini0410 @naytraydr @knowles-morgan

#johnny coco cruz #johnny coco cruz imagine #johnny coco cruz x reader #mayans mc #mayans mc imagine

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carpisuns · 4 years ago

Note

(I would just like to say I'm a LS shipper) It's funny how some LS shippers will be like "let people ship what they want" and then continue to make fun or act confused when a unique ship comes across. Like yeah it's not good to ship out of spite or to ship evil characters with good ones, but AUs exist and characters can change. I remember when liladrien was popular on twitter everyone was practically bashing it and the people who like it indirectly BUT when some asshole comments negatively on Ladrien everyone was all like "oMG fUcK oFf LeAvE pEoPLe aLoNE aNd LeT theM sHiP WhAt tHeY WaNt"

Not trying to hate or anything, just genuinely confused. Sorry if this is weird or hypocritical or random. Have a lovely day <3

i don’t have an issue with people creating/exploring AUs and crossovers, and im sure there are maribat/daminette shippers out there who just like the ship in a non-salty way. but from what i’ve seen of it, the majority of the shippers are pretty extreme anti-adrien/anti-alya/anti-class salters who create an OOC version of Marinette—and yeah, as a fan of both marinette and adrien (and the show in general), that just doesn’t sit right with me.

of course people are always free to like or not like whatever ships and characters they want! my biggest issue with salters in this fandom is that they tend to just...not stay in their lane? if you’re gonna be negative about something, contain the negativity by tagging appropriately and keeping it in your own circle. don’t ruin others’ fun. I’ve seen too many people hijack positivity posts just to be salty or make rude comments on fic/art because they dislike a ship or character. that’s just disrespectful :/ imho people need to learn the subtle art of “just keep scrolling” lol.

i realize this might sound a bit hypocritical coming from me since I’ve complained about maribat today, but I tagged it #maribat salt, not #maribat, so people can block my posts if they want to. I do not like maribat, so i do not go through the maribat tag. i do not read maribat fics or seek out maribat content just to talk crap about it. and i don’t do that with any other ships I dislike. if i don’t like something, i just don’t interact with it.

so yeah, although i hate the very idea of maribat lol, it really wouldn’t bother me that much if it was more contained. cause then i could enjoy my thing and they could enjoy their thing and we wouldn’t bother each other. but what’s happened is that a crossover spite ship has overtaken the ML fandom to the point that it is significantly more popular than the main canon pairing—all four sides of it. which is...not encouraging, tbh. it’s frustrating that there is practically more negative content about this show than positive. honestly i just don’t get why people who don’t like the show continue to get involved with it ;;

there’s other stuff i can say here but i’ve rambled enough so i’ll just shut up now lol. sorry for the long post; i try not to get too salty (or anti-salt salty) on this blog but today was just too much haha

#anon #ask #ml fandom salt #maribat salt #anti-maribat #answered #Anonymous

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avas-inner-demons-are-babies · 4 years ago

Text

Ohana

Ship: None (Though you may take implications as you please)

Summary: Leif has always insisted that he should be allowed to do things on his own. Well, now he’s on his own and honestly...he isn’t enjoying it. Perhaps a bit of new company can help him sort out his feelings.

A/N: Hey everyone! World’s most confused college freshman here, bringing you another MID fic that took waaay to long to get typed up. Legitimately, this has been sitting in my Google Docs for months, just taunting me. But there’s been a little less stresso in my espresso lately, so I took time to actually make myself sit down and get it done. I may not ship Ava and Leif personally, but their dynamic is just *chefs kiss*. I’ll never get over that whole “If you promise not to kill me then I won’t leave you behind.” “You’re with me till you die” scene. It makes me feel things. But anyways, this is nearly 14 full pages in G-Docs, and I hope you can all enjoy!

A/N 2.0: So apparently one of the cons of staying up late to finish a fic is forgetting to attach the actual fic itself to the post. My bad guys, here she be.

In his couple hundred years of living, Leif can proudly boast that he has done many, many things; some very common for Daemos of his age; others common to those much older than him; and there have even been a few select occasions when he has done things that even the most aged and experienced elders cannot ever claim to have done (getting exiled, befriending a prince, travelling dimensions to a world full of humans, befriending a human, living with a human, laughing with a human...the list seems to grow daily now).

However, out of all the various activities that he has taken part in throughout his life, he can safely say that people-watching has not been one of them. Back on Daemos, staring- like most other interactions, whether they be direct or otherwise- often resulted in battle; which, in turn, resulted in a lot of shouting and blood-shed. It was a silent show of disrespect and of challenge; and only idiots and warriors sought out battles willingly. And while the title of ‘warrior’ technically goes hand-in-hand with Leif’s recently earned place as a knight, the position is just that- recently earned. And despite what some may say, he is not an idiot. Considerate? Scholarly? Absolutely not. But street-smart and clever? Let’s just say he hadn’t become an infamous assassin by running solely off of reckless impulse and uneducated whims. But now, here on Earth, almost all of those skills have fallen into uselessness, and he can people-watch without any real concern for his life.

And by the Gods is he watching.

He is watching and scanning and listening and praying. Praying for a familiar face. Listening for the sound of a high voice discussing things of no importance, or for a loud, bratty complaint about anything at all; for a gentle-but-stern reprimand laced with patience, or a subtly nervous acknowledgement of some strange discomfort; even for a soft-but-proud observation of something completely obvious. Scanning for a flash of hot pink eyes or a bobbing carrot-top head of hair or a giant amidst the crowd of short humans. Watching so intensely for all of these things that the rest of the world seems to have filtered down into a watery hum.

To put it quite plainly, Leif is lost. Very lost in a very crowded place, with no idea where his group has vanished to or where he himself should (or even can) be. It had been fun at first; being able to do as he pleased; wandering wherever his whims decided to take him, stealing food from a group of small humans, kicking over trash cans, and just overall being a minor nuisance. But invigoration tends to fade very quickly when one is travelling a lot of unfamiliar terrain, and as it goes, so too does energy. It doesn’t help that they’d been at this “music festival” -as Ava had called it- for quite some time before he’d broken away from her and the others, and admittedly, he is starting to feel the strain on his feet from all the walking. In addition, the ridiculously large gathering of humans that bustle around him is beginning to leave him overwhelmed. And on top of that…

“...it’s starting to get cold” He pouts internally, suddenly rather grateful for the double-layered, long sleeve human shirt that Ava had gotten him. Ever since the Fall Festival, he’d noticed the air outside growing chillier by the day. It was starting to get to the point where their thoughtful human host unusually protective prisoner was considering going back to the Sacred Ma’all and obtaining them some “coats and hats and stuff”, to quote her specifically.

As a particularly nippy gust of winds arrives, lashing the tips of his ears as it dances through, he finds himself wishing desperately for these objects that he can not even properly picture.

Looking up at the sky, Leif can just make out the thin line of orange coating the horizon as the sun begins its lazy descent. Eyes narrowed, he decides to take a break. Plomping himself down on a nearby bench, he sighs, combing his fingers through his absolute mess of a mane.

“Ava promised.” He whispers, “She promised. They’ll be back. They have to come back.”

The city-dwelling regulars that skitter past him hardly spare a glance for the strange, mumbling man on the bench. It’s nothing they don’t already see on their daily commutes, and most would not blame them for their experienced silence. But Leif, who has no way of knowing what they know, takes their purposefully imposed ignorance as a personal offence. He feels segregated from their reality. Invisible.

Alone.

Leif hisses in a sharp breath as the word taunts him. Pressing his head into the palms of his hands, he represses a shudder. He should be used to this by now; being left to his own devices. How many times now has it been? How many betrayals and abandonments? Four? Five? More than one person should be able to count. He has been able to handle himself just fine before. So why now? Why now is he having such issues with finding his own way? He might call it ironic if he knew the meaning of the word.

“It’s because you got used to the cushy life.” A small voice in the back on his thoughts croons, “You liked being chummy with the Prince and his guard dogs. You liked that there was always food at the ready, and that you never had to worry where you were sleeping next. You liked the stability. The safety. And in time, you even came to like the laziness that this new world allowed.”

“That’s not true!” Leif barks back, not realizing how loud the proclamation was until several humans passing by wince and stumble as their paces quicken. He is sure to lower his voice as he continues to mumble to himself, “I can still take care of myself. I haven’t gone soft. I can do this.”

Taking in a long deep breath, he steels his will against the unpleasant thoughts racing around in his head. He bows his head and closes his eyes. When he opens them again a few ticks later, there’s a clear change. They’re collected. Focused.

“Yeah. Yeah, I can do this.” He reassures himself, feeling some of that original vamped-up feeling return, “I’m a Daemos dammit! I don’t need some human to hold my hand! I’ll find my own way home! And then.-then I’ll kill them! I’ll kill them for leaving me!”

The mental pep talk does great things for Leif. Now enraged and brimming with confidence, breathing heavily and nearly quaking with the emotion of it all, he puts on a sneer and glares out into the crowd. His fingers flex as he summons forth his sickles, ready to swing them out at any unfortunate soul that crosses his path. He stands, his knuckles white around their hilts. The dying sunlight has no effect on him anymore. His goal is apparent in his mind. He is prepared. Determined.

He takes one strong, bold step forward…

...and is subsequently swept off his feet by the force of a group of teens pushing past him.

Nearly losing his balance, Leif’s arms flail in an attempt to regain his balance, and he immediately bumps into a young couple. As they turn on him with vicious glares, he steps away from them. Disorientation takes this chance to rush through his system. As he fumbles about, one of his sickles manages to catch on the shirt of a small child toddling by with his mother. Leif jerks one direction while the boy jerks in the other. A shirt sleeve tears, and the little one goes sprawling to the ground. An ear-piercing shriek explodes from tiny lungs. All heads turn in their direction. Wide-eyed Leif throws away his weapons and presses his hands against his sensitive ears. While staggering away from all the attention, he runs into yet another man who- being caught completely off guard- falls back into someone behind him. As the domino effect continues, the noise and panic cause the poor Daemos to go into full flight mode. Gritting his teeth, he gathers just enough control to take a flying leap over the top of the completely bewildered mob. He lands back near the bench and grasps it tightly to keep himself from falling to his knees. As he takes a seat once more, the humans are all glancing around and shouting at each other in offense. The child continues crying.

Thoroughly defeated, Leif allows his head to fall back as he slumps down into the wooden comfort. Then, he lifts it back up only to cradle it in his hands. The unwelcome tears brought on by pure fear sting at the corners of his eyes. Releasing a shaky sigh, he finally gives into the thought that he has so far been refusing to voice.

“I’m doomed.”

***

Soaring high above the head of one particularly shaken Daemos, a careless pigeon makes its way around the festival with ease. Drifting aloof above the sea of hundreds of singing and laughing humans, it follows the breeze along the street and down towards one particular block, where a vendor has been handing out pretzels. And at this moment, it just so happens that a young woman, with flowing dark hair and vibrant pink eyes, has just dropped the remaining half of her salted treat on the ground. The pigeon is quick to join several of its other brethren in tearing at the free meal to pieces, completely unaware that shock is what delivered this wonderful treat to them. Although, they learn very soon after, as said young woman lets off a loud, horrified shout. Grey feathers go flying as the band disperses in a threatened rush.

The group of men trailing behind the woman jerk in surprise.

“Princess Ava? What’s wrong?” The youngest, a concerned looking redhead, calls out.

Ava stares at her companions with a feverish look. Pointing at each of them individually, the others can hear her counting them, over and over again.

“One, two, three, four...two, three, four...three, four, four, four! Why are there only four of you!” Her voice raises in both pitch and volume, “Where’s Leif?!”

Her words seem to settle with them all at the exact same time. The tallest of the bunch, Pierce, begins flickering his gaze from face to face, searching for the former-assassin in the horde of people around them. Rhys, Noi, and Asch all turn off in different directions, then come back and share a look. They all focus on Ava, who has turned to the ground with guilt-ridden eyes.

“How could I...he was just with us not too long ago, right? Right?” Her frantic question is only met with uncertain silence from her companions. Rhys goes as far as to look away, nibbling on his ice pop, “Oh God. We have to find him! Leif!”

Ava begins pushing her way through the crowd, crying out to her missing friend. The boys stick to her like frightened ducklings as they mimic her steps. Their screams rise above the swell of music and voices.

“Leif, where are you!”

***

As his friends begin their desperate hunt a few streets away, Leif finds himself aimlessly ambling along through the park. He has discovered that there are less people back within these tree-sheltered pathways and he is grateful for it. He is on the hunt for something, although if he were asked he would not be able to say exactly what. Shelter? Company perhaps? A sign pointing home would be nice, but he can’t really read all that well, and he doubts that there is one around regardless. For a natural-born hunter, he certainly does have an awful sense of direction.

His fingers tap against his thigh as he walks. On occasion, he mumbles curses at himself for getting stuck in this situation. The night sky is clear and bright, and more than once he finds himself staring up at it, feeling as though the stars are laughing at his plight. Gaining a little comfort in the embrace of the shadows, he sticks to them, glancing over every now and again to see a straggling human stroll by. He passes the fountain where he and Ava had encountered the threatening ‘clique’;passes a large stone statue of some long-dead human frozen in time; passes what looks to be a small garden area, where brightly colored flowers glow in the moonlight.

Eventually, Leif reaches an area that he first assumes to be abandoned. The quiet and empty wrap around him like a blanket. His only company seems to be the soft glow from the scattered lampposts. The peace here cradles him in its arms and promises him safety. He’s almost relaxed, resigning to spend the night in whatever tree provides the most cover and warmth, when suddenly-

“Heya there compadre.”

Leif startles back several feet and does a neat little twirl to face the direction of the slow and kindly voice that had called out to him. How he had missed the strange human before him in his first look around is beyond Leif, but he certainly sees the man now. He sits leaning against the nearest tree with an air of remiss and a smile on his face. Upon seeing Leif’s reaction to his greeting, he puts his hands up in reassurance

“Hwoa there! Didn’t mean to startle ya friend. Just couldn’t help but notice that you were lookin’ a tad lost.”

“We’re not friends.” Leif interjects so instinctively that he nearly cuts the stranger off. Then, catching his own tongue before he says anything truly offensive, he reroutes with, “But...yeah, I am lost. I got seperated from my group a while ago and haven’t been able to find them since. And I’m not very familiar with your kingdom yet, so I can’t just go back home.”

Thanks to the poor lighting between them, the Daemos misses how the stranger’s eyebrows quirk a little at his self-correction (and yet not the use of ‘kingdom’?). But as he makes his way over to this new human, Leif does begin to take in the man’s overall messy and unkempt appearance. His long, auburn hair is wrapped up into an extremely makeshift ponytail, the length of which surpasses even that of Pierce’s or Ava’s. The many rebellious strands held back out of his face by a thick, green fabric headband that’s stretched across his forehead. It must have been made to match the long, tassled poncho that he wears, their colors the same. Beneath it, he only seems to have a miserably stained grey shirt, and pants so baggy that Leif can not imagine them being comfortable. His skin, which at first appeared to simply be naturally dark, is actually merely a deceptive tan which highlights every freckle, scar, and wrinkle. Leif is sure that if he were to touch the stranger, he might have an almost leathery feel to him. Teeth no whiter than a well-worn paperback fill in a broad smile that brings to life the creases around the edges of both the stanger’s lips and eyes. Eyes that are brown like a healthy farm soil, and seem to hold a level of spirit and life that Leif can never recall having seen in any other person before. It’s unfiltered blatancy is surprising to him.

“Well ahh, what’cha waitin’ for?” The stranger suddenly picks up the conversation, scooching slightly to the right and patting the ground beside him, “Come’n take a seat. We can vibe while the universe carries the train of life down its long tracks.”

Leif hesitates. The human before him might be a stranger, but he emits an image that reminds the Daemos of the forest spirits that could be found back in his own world. The Earth seems comfortable around him. If one squinted, it would almost seem as though the tree’s trunk and roots had warped to form a throne around him.

“He seems like a powerful sage. I should stay. Maybe he can help me.”

Nodding to himself more so than the man, Leif takes his place on the grass. This results in a wide, toothy grin on behalf of his companion, and being so close now, Leif is able to notice how one of his canines is missing.

“Joyous day! You’ll be the first bit of company I’ve had in a long time my fellow wanderer. Say now, what’s your name?”

“They call me Leif.”

“Leaf? The name of a freelancer. A young man born for travel and change. A soul that dances in the wind, its colors ever uncertain.” The man’s smile softens and his eyes stare off in Leif’s general direction, and yet seem to be staring at something miles away, “You and I, I’m sure we’re the same. I’ve had many a name myself, but most around here know me as Jingle. It’s a pleasure to meet’cha.”

Jingle holds out a hand and they shake. Leif has seen this done enough times on the tee-vee to be able to properly pull it off, even if he doesn’t quite understand the significance. Then, glancing over his shoulder, Jingle proceeds to reach back and pull, from behind the tree, a forgeign looking object.

The thing is clearly made from some kind of light and polished earth wood. Its beige surface has been very delicately carved with a swirling, wave like pattern that decorated almost the entirety of its pear shaped body. A large round hole rests a little ways above the bottom. Stretched taut up its middle and along the long arm protruding from the top are six silver strings, wrapped at both ends around small metal nubs. At the head of the arm are six knobs all turned in various directions. None of the silver pieces shine, and in fact seem quite well worn. Nearly all of the impressive wood surface is riddled with scratches.

Jingle positions the thing against his chest.

“What is that?” Leif asks, eyeing it with unease.

“This here is my trusty guitar Taylor. I know she isn’t much compared to those clunky metal demons they’re selling out there-” Here, he nods his head out in the direction of the still-ongoing festival, “-but she does me just fine. So long as I keep her pretty, she sings like an angel.”

“It...sings?”

“As sweet and humble a tune as you might ever hear. Here, have a listen.”

With his nimble fingers already poised to play, Jingle wastes no time in coaxing a tune out from the air. From the first pluck of a string, Leif finds himself utterly enraptured. Each swift movement of the human’s hand brings forth another new wave of sound so soft and breathtaking that the Daemos doesn’t even know how to process it. It is as if Jingle’s soul is completely in tune with the instrument in his grasp. Leif sits stunned, feeling the music tempt his very heart and bring prickles to his skin. A minute passes, and he soon finds himself lying completely relaxed against the tree trunk, eyes closed, and merely absorbing.

Jingle plays for some time, and for that time the two are in their own universe. It is very dark now, and Leif can feel his mind just starting to slip off in unconsciousness. His body is heavy. Connected to the very grass he sits upon by an unnamable force that he chooses to call exhaustion. When his company eventually brings the song to an end, it takes Leif a few moments to reconnect with reality. Green eyes blink several times, and turn to find that Jingle is already watching for his reaction.

“That was amazing.” Leif breathes in as soft a tone as he’s capable of.

“Jus’ like I told ya. Voice of an angel.” Jingle hums, parroting his earlier words. He shifts to place Taylor on the ground beside him. When he turns back, he finds Leif staring into the space above them with a small frown on his face, “My friend, what troubles you? The world weighs heavy on your shoulders tonight.”

“I’m not sure. I just…” Leif trails off, searching within himself for an explanation for the crushing weight in his chest, “I think I miss my friends. I keep wanting them to be here, but they probably already left. I don’t think they’re coming back for me.”

They sit quietly for a few minutes. Jingle peers off down the park path. Leif clears his throat in a battle against the tight feeling that fills it. He jumps when a gentle hand lands on his shoulder.

“Lighten your soul wanderer Leif. Everyone leaves sooner or later, but just because they’ve left doesn’t mean they are gone. Pray tell, what doubts whisper in your ear tonight?”

“Eh?”

“Why do you assume so quickly that your friends won’t return to you?”

“Oh. The way you talk is really weird, you know that?”

The human man only smiles at him, patience and expectancy in his eyes. He makes a light gesture with his hand, urging Leif to continue. And after several seconds, he does with a tamed sigh.

“I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I cause more trouble than I’m worth.” The simple admission seems to close a giant force around his ribs. As it squeezes painfully, he finds himself emptying more words than he ever knew he had been filling up with, “I know I tend to go overboard most of the time, but I never- no, I guess just lately- I mean, I haven’t been meaning to cause problems recently. Everything is just so...so calm here, and I don’t know how to live like that. Back on- I mean, back where I’m from, peace and quiet always meant something was wrong, and we hardly go anywhere or do anything, and I just get so bored! I hate just sitting around and doing nothing, but it seems like that’s all the others want to do anymore. And I know I could probably just go out for a while on my own and burn some energy but your world is so big and I just...I don’t want to end up on my own again.”

He gives a forced and pitiful huff of laughter.

“Although I guess it’s too late for that now. I’m sure they probably already went home and forgot about me. They’re probably relieved to get rid of me.”

Leif hadn’t meant to let that flooding fear leak into his words. Or that harsh scratchiness of his throat, which left breaks in his sentences. The uncomfortable rhythm of his heart and the mild shaking must be showing through as well now. It makes no sense to him. He’s only felt this terrified once before- the day they had lost Ava at the Fall Festival. And although the circumstances now are similar, he can not imagine what it is about this strange human that seems to make those insecurities rise up in ten-folds. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have the others with him now. Maybe it’s because he really has no idea where to go from here.

The panic had set on him so fast the Leif didn’t properly notice it until it was being chased away by the strong and defendant strums of a guitar. The first twang brought him to a jerking halt at first. But as the singing notes continued, his mind returned to the harmless reality. He came back to find himself looking at the stars.

Jingle- as if noticing Leif’s inner plight- had picked up Taylor once again.

“It is not so easy to forget one’s friends.” He murmurs as he plays, “Do not so swiftly dismiss your own worth my snowy-haired partner. If the universe truly believes you were meant to be with these people you seek, then it will surely guide them back to you. And it sounds to me that affection has already been allowed to roost deep in your soul.”

The younger has nothing to say to that. He only closes his eyes, breathes deeply, and nods. Drawing his knees to his chest, he crosses his arms and lies down his head. All these new emotions are exhausting.

***

Ava slumps down against the frigid stone of the fountain, pulling her knees up and hiding her face in them.

“I can’t believe this.” The muffled moan that escapes her is full of pain, “How could I lose him? What kind of friend am I? God, he probably thinks we abandoned him.”

“I don’t get what you’re so worried about.” Asch harrumphs, doing a single lap around the structure before taking a seat on its edge, “We haven’t encountered anything dangerous since we’ve been here on Earth. Leif can take care of himself for one night. Why can’t we just go home? It’s cold out here and I’m tired!”

Despite his childish whining, he at least has the decency to look sheepish when she turns to glare at him.

“Well if that’s the case Asch, why don’t we just leave you out here tonight? You’re always going on about how you’re so much better than Leif anyways, so if he can make it out here on his own, then clearly you can too.” During her short reprimand, Ava stands and crosses the few steps between them. Her eyes hold a level of rage that the Daemos can never recall having seen on her before. And despite the fact that he could easily beat her in a confrontation- physical or verbal- he feels himself shrinking in shame before her petite frame.

With a satisfied huff, Ava walks several paces away. In the short time it takes her to regain her composure, her anger morphs instantly into guilt. Her posture slumps as she glances back at Asch, whose hurt expression is turned towards the concrete.

“I’m...I’m sorry Asch.” She sighs, “I didn’t mean that.”

“I know.” Comes the humbled response from behind her.

“I’m just really worried about him.”

“I know.”

The next few minutes are shared in silence. The other three Daemos choose not to express a word on the exchange just yet, only shuffling about in their own thoughts. There is a level of complete loss between them. No one wants to leave Leif behind-- but Asch isn’t the only one whose focus and determination is beginning to wane.

A particularly nippy breeze blows through, causing Ava’s already shaking body to jitter violently. In a second Pierce seems to simply materialize beside her and pull her sniffling form into a warming embrace.

“Perhaps Prince Asch is right. We should go for now.” He suggests quietly as she leans into him.

“But Leif-”

“-Will be easier to find tomorrow when it is light out.” Rhys jumps in, “We are all concerned Princess Ava, but Asch does have a point. It is unlikely that Leif has found himself in any sort of real danger, and even if he has, he is a trained warrior. None of us are suggesting we abandon our search completely, but we are all at our limits. Even if we were to find Leif tonight, at this rate we may all end up sick by the morning. Please, we will follow you no matter your choice, but think reasonably.”

There’s a gentle hint of pleading in his voice that prevents Ava from denying his claims outright. She looks between all of them in turn, searching desperately for some counterargument that never comes to rise. It doesn’t take long before she finally lets herself really take in the heaviness of her own body; the stinging left in her feet from walking for so long; the need to close her eyes and rest that is becoming harder and harder to fight away. The boys watch with patience as her mind wears itself down, and they don’t miss the surrender that wins over her stature. There’s a quiet breath, then:

“...fine. Let’s just go home.”

Dear reader, have you ever managed to convince someone you love to do something they don’t want to, only to be hit with a horrible wave of guilt when they give in and agree to go through with it? Have you ever wished you could travel back in time just a few minutes, if only to stop yourself from being so damn persistent? If so, then maybe you can imagine how the Daemos boys feel at this point in time. The deep disappointment they observe in Ava’s eyes as she pulls herself from Pierce’s arms is enough to make their very souls wince. Three sets of eyes meet as their minds change almost unanimously, and Rhys can tell the other two are waiting for him to come up with some sort of clever escape. And being the man he is, he complies.

“Well, ah-just a moment Princess Ava. We...we haven’t heard from Noi yet! A decision such as this should be agreed upon by everyone present, yes? And perhaps if he believes we should stay out. Noi?”

Rhys shifts, hoping to prompt Noi into insisting that they stay. But the younger Daemos- who has been noticeably absent from the entire conversation- doesn’t appear to have even noticed his name being called. In fact, he likely missed the discussion as a whole, seeing as how he stares off down one of the darkness-swallowed paths with fully focused attention. His amber eyes sparkle with wonder. In listening closely, one may have heard him humming.

Debate temporarily forgotten, Ava and the rest focus on him with quirked eyebrows and tilted heads.

“Uhh...Noi?” Asch beacons tentatively.

“Do you hear it?” Noi whispers in response, to all of them and yet no one in particular.

“Hear what?” Ava asks, frowning, “I don’t hear anything.”

Pierce steps forward and rests his chin atop her head.

“I hear it.”

“Me too.” Asch adds after a moment.

“Me as well.”

“Wait, seriously, what are you guys hearing? It’s just quiet for me.”

“It’s music.” Rhys says, “Different from what the humans at the festival were playing. It’s quieter.”

“Softer.” Pierce adds, and the scholar nods.

“Earlier there were voices too.” Noi finishes.

“Wait, voices? But who else would be out this la-” Ava’s eyes spark up wide. Before the guys can even hit the same realization she has, she’s already gone; taking off with flying feet and a new swarm of adrenaline buzzing through her veins. “LEIF!”

“Princess Ava!” A chorus of Daemos voices rise up through the night, and they sprint, one after the other, along her trail. Her voice bounces off the surveying trees.

“Leif!”

***

“Leif!”

Two men sitting beneath a canvas on moonlit leaves jerk their heads up in unison. The elder lowers his guitar and puts on a muted, knowing smile. The younger goes tense as he strains his ears for the echoes of the voice that had rushed at them in the night. His green eyes go wide as can be, quite literally glowing with hope. He places one, prepared hand on the ground…

“Leif!”

Springing to his feet faster than should be natural, he runs only a few paces forward.

“Ava?” He breathes. The sound of rushing feet pouding closer out of the darkness causes him to gasp and with the new air in his lungs he shouts out, “Ava! Ava, I’m here!”

Leif steps into the light just as his human friend barges into its threshold. He’s tossed off his already imbalanced feet as she tumbles with a football-tackle force into him. They go down together onto the rocky ground. Ava clings desperately to his shirt, as if afraid he will vanish into thin air at the impact. Before either have fully taken to their jarring landing, he finds her burying her face into his neck, sobbing almost hysterically with relief. Her sporadic hiccups seem to be contagious, and for the first time since quite possibly his toddler days, he finds himself holding onto another person like a lifeline and shedding tears that he hardly cares if others see.

“I’m so sorry.” Ava manages through uncontrollable gasps, “I’m so, so sorry Leif.-”

“It wasn’t your fault, I’m-”

“-I didn’t mean to leave you. I just turned around and you were gone and-”

“-the one who walked off. I’m an idiot for thinking-”

“-we looked everywhere for you! We almost went home-

“-I got so lost without you-”

“-I didn’t want to, but Noi heard you and I’m just-”

“-I’m just-”

“-So happy you’re back.”

The unorganized scrambling over each other’s apologies ends with synchronization. Still sniffling, Ava lifts her head from his shoulder and meets his gaze. There’s a pause. Then broad, toothy smiles replace quivering frowns, and their foreheads press together as they share a laugh.

It’s around this time that the other four Daemos reach their position, only to find their newly reunited friends on the ground, trying to hold back bursts of giggles. The picture absolutely throws them. More so because of Leif’s bubbly demeanor than Ava’s, though both are certainly a sight to behold-- with tousled hair and dusty clothes, goosebump rippled skin now detailed with red marks where they had slid against the concrete. And yet the two grin and carry on in that way that can only be done after one’s stress-forced sense has left them, their cares evaporating into thin air. Earth truly must be turning them soft, because the once strict and stone-cold warriors- upon surveying the scene- give genuine smiles of their own.

It takes a little bit of time before the pair actually settle down enough to sort themselves out and stand once again. Even then, Ava makes sure to link her arm with his, swearing inwardly to never let him out of her sights again. Leif on the other hand, does his best to recollect himself, not wanting to give the others any more reason to pester him later about the blatant displays of emotion. He hides his flushed face in his sleeve, pretending to wipe a smear of dirt off his face.

‘It’s nice to see you again.” Rhys says with only a hint of scolding behind his words, “Though if you ever run off like that again, you’re finding your own way home.”

“That’s fair.” Leif replies with a shrug of his shoulders. He doesn’t miss how Ava studies his reaction from the corner of her eye.

“Did you miiiss us?” Asch drawls mockingly, stepping forward with a smirk on his face. Despite the remark, he gives Leif a friendly knock on the shoulder- a habit he’d unknowingly picked up a few weeks ago.

Leif only scoffs, but it tells them all they really need to know. He looks downwards briefly and mumbles something that only the young Prince seems able to hear. Asch blinks in recoil, then replaces his cheeky grin.

“What was that?” He asks incentively, “I don’t think we all heard you.”

Leif growls a low growl.

“I said-ugh-thanks for...looking for me.” Then, adding on more softly, “It’s nice to know you guys actually cared enough to find me.”

“Well duh.” Ava’s response causes him to lift his head in her direction, “I made you a promise didn’t I?”

His mind flashes back to that day they were shopping for decorations. He’d almost convinced himself it was a dream.

“Yeah. I guess you did.”

“Besides-!” Suddenly, Noi appears in front of him, beaming in the friendly boyish way that used to get him mocked back on Daemos, “You’re one of us! No man left behind, right?”

“I-”

“Exactly.” Rhys cuts him off in affirmation, “Despite your chaotic personality and violent tendencies, you are still an important part of our group.”

“You-”

“Yeah.” Asch sighs, carefully selecting his next few words, “I’m not sure where we’d be without our healer honestly. And...I will admit that you’re the only one here who’s any fun to spar with.”

“Yes.” Finally, Pierce, “It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

As Leif gapes at all of his friends in turn, something new solidifies within him. See, when Asch had saved him from execution all those years ago, the Prince had earned his life. And with that, over time, there came undying loyalty. But it was always saved for Asch alone. The others had been tolerable companions at most, at least until they got to Earth.

Then came along Ava, who unintentionally became their focal point. She was important to him- to all of them. But he wouldn’t have died for her. Not at the start. That problem arose when she became fond of them, and they- in turn- of her. It only took a couple weeks after Leif had admitted to himself that she was actually rather preferable company, that he seemed to swear away to her the same things he had gifted Asch. His life. His loyalty. Fresh off the line went his affection as well. And although at this point, he was close to the other Daemos, he still felt separate. A product of his own mind and the upbringing that was so very different from their own.

It’s taken until now for that last link to click into place. That camaraderie which he’d been lacking now swarms through his morals and rearranges itself among those mental pieces. He feels some of his outlooks shifting. Most importantly, a single, powerful thought plants itself in his mind and takes root.

“They want me.”

His chest swelling, the most Leif can manage is, “Thank you.”

The sound of quiet shuffling a few feet away accidentally breaks through the touching moment. The emotional bunch all turn their attention to a man standing like a startled cat beneath a nearby tree. Clearly, he had meant to scuttle away unnoticed.

“Who is he?” Noi asks.

“Oh that’s Jingle.” Leif tips his head in the direction of the musical man, who has gathered his meager belongings in his arms. At the mention of his name, he winces slightly and gives a wave, “He’s been letting me sit with him. He's pretty cool for a human. The way he talks is weird though.”

Now, Ava, the Earth and city specialist of the group, immediately recognizes Leif’s apparent companion as a member of a nomadic homeless community that had just taken its annual place in one of the far back corners of the park. She’d never spoken to the man in true conversation, but she can recall exchanging a few words with him last year after she’d heard him playing the exact same guitar he now cradles to his chest. He had an impressive talent that convinced her to deliver him several dollar bills and whatever meager change she managed to hold onto after her sparse commutes to the mall or grocery store. She can vouch for the fact that he does say some fairly strange things on occasion. However…

“Hey, you’re that chill guitar man I met last year.” She says, hoping to spark some comfort in his cautious air, “Have you really been hanging out with Leif this whole time?”

Jingle nods, shifting into a more permanent stance.

“You didn’t have to do that. But I’m thankful that you did.” She smiles warmly, “Honestly, I was worried he might have gotten himself into trouble.”

“It was no problem young miss.” Jingle makes the effort to reply, “I’d seen you all together early in the day, and happened to catch my fellow wanderer out on his own. He looked like he could use someone to hold him steady until his world righted itself again.”

“Ah...yeah. I don’t doubt that he did.” Digging into her pockets, Ava pulls out five dollars- the sole remnants of cash that was pretty much all spent on food, “Here, please take this. It isn’t nearly as much as you deserve, but it’s all I have.”

The older human steps forward to accept the money from her outstretched hand with a grateful expression. Immediately after pocketing it, he spins back around in the other direction and walks away into the night. Ava silently determines to continue her tradition from before if she can manage to find him again in the coming weeks. But before any of that-

“Come on you guys. Let’s get home.”

#aphmau my inner demons #aphmau mid #mid ava #mid leif #mid noi #mid asch #mid rhys #mid pierce #mid fanfiction #aphmau fanfiction #there's also a sort of OC in this one #Which is really just a humanized version of Jingle from Hamtaro #because #a- childhood #and b- he was exactly the type of character I wanted for this fic #there's also a hint of dance man from Wandersong in him as well #please forgive me #I just live for vibing nomad characters #Thank you all for reading!

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seyaryminamoto · 4 years ago

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Masterpost: answering a single anon in a single post

So. I wasn’t going to answer asks today but frankly, considering what I should be writing I’d rather answer asks, might actually get a laugh out of it. Most of all, because of what I intend to answer here.

To spare y’all from the pain and annoyance of having to read through any of my answers to we-know-who, I’m going to do it differently this time. All in one post. Because frankly, filling my blog with their TWENTY asks, no less (and it’s official this time, used to be sixteen but then I reblogged that post about conflict in stories and they went wild, as usual) isn’t worth anyone’s time. Hell, it’s not even worth mine, but procrastination is overpowering.

Here we go. If you’re not the anon in question and still want to read this, I hope you have fun.

This is a free world. That means multiple things some people can’t seem to accept. One such thing is that people have no obligation to even interact with each other, let alone to do what others demand of them, especially when they don’t want to. The fact is, being harassed (because, yes, there’s no other word for it) by someone has been a pretty irritating and stressful thing for me, to the point where it has impacted my ability to write...

And the harasser doesn’t give a single fuck about it and just keeps going :’)

With such introduction, I decide to engage my least favorite person in this site once again because clearly, ignoring them, blocking them, closing asks, deleting and rewriting reviews, is still not enough to get across the message that reiterating an opinion a million times doesn’t automatically make it more valid. So let’s see just what’s going on with this very much desperate person who apparently can’t stop seeking my attention:

First of all, I asked this person, point-blank, to address their asks, if they would continue sending them, to my main blog. Let’s see how that request turned out:

Oh my, astonishing! They sent it to Gladiator’s blog instead! And what a bigger shock: they’re, as usual, trying to control and direct what I write and how I write it. While sprinkling empty compliments that don’t mean a thing, such as claiming RESPECT for me and my work when every single ask they’ve sent is an outright disrespectful act against me, considering how many times I’ve requested, directly, that they stop this, and how many times they’ve ignored me. It even is extra poignant considering my request for them to send asks to my main blog instead, and yet they deliberately sent it to Gladiator’s blog. This is what RESPECT looks like, in this anon’s head. Fascinating stuff, isn’t it?

And then comes the mad onslaught that left me facedesking for days:

... I mean. Can someone please read this and tell me the person on the other side, with their vague condition, whatever it may be, has any idea what an apology even MEANS?

For someone who’s so obsessed with alleged consistency, you’re damn bad at it yourself, Anon. You can’t send four asks in a row, to the WRONG BLOG, demanding for explanations you don’t even care to read, because every single time I’ve taken your whining seriously you’ve disregarded all my responses and gone right back to the same BS as before, and THEN pretend you’re here TO APOLOGIZE.

You don’t feel any remorse. To this day, you don’t even KNOW what you did wrong. This is NOT expressing yourself: THIS IS HARASSMENT. Need me to define the word for you to understand what it means, seeing as it’s becoming abundantly clear your reading and interpretation skills are not the greatest?

Definitions of harassment:

1. (n) the act of tormenting by continued persistent attacks and criticism 2. (n) a feeling of intense annoyance caused by being tormented

I’ve said it before: PEOPLE HAVE HAD COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS STORY, FAR MORE VALID THAN YOURS, AND I’VE NEVER REACTED THIS WAY. Care to guess why?

Because you NEVER stop. Because you keep going, constantly, never slowing down to think YOUR behavior is affecting a REAL LIFE HUMAN BEING. You’re obsessing over what happens in a fictional story that, by the way, is a fanfic, ergo, it obeys certain rules that general fiction does not. Among such rules is abiding by ORIGINAL characterization to a certain extent, and that means, hahaha, that Azula ISN’T an experienced character in any social or romantic situations because she ISN’T in canon, and there was no reason to change that, especially considering the worldbuilding I crafted, which makes it CRUCIAL for Azula to be careful with her virtue, despite she doesn’t want to be and realizes the whole notion of female virginal purity is absolute BULLSHIT.

But why am I explaining anything anyway? You won’t understand it, because you don’t want to. You claim, constantly, that you’re asking things OUT OF CURIOSITY, as if that makes ANYTHING better, when the truth is you’re just here to impose your cursed opinions on everyone else, especially me, and pretend you somehow own this fic and ship and your demands mean more than anyone else’s. Meanwhile, oh, I understand you PERFECTLY: you don’t want Sokka to ever have any experiences with any other women because you only believe in pure, untainted love of virgins who wait for each other and don’t ever make mistakes or are forced into unwanted situations. Because, again, you can’t understand that those sorts of things CAN happen. Because you don’t see there’s nuance to human beings, nuance I attempt to capture through my characters too.

I said it semi-jokingly, back in my past answers, now I say it directly: IF YOU CAN’T STOMACH THESE SITUATIONS AND CAN’T ACCEPT THEM, THIS STORY IS NOT FOR YOU.

An M-rated story doesn’t owe you any apologies for being what it is. An M-rated story, at the end of the day, is a STORY. You are a human being who should be capable of controlling not only your impulses but your reactions to things, at least to some degree, and yet you refuse to. You, in fact, continue to prove you CAN’T control yourself in the least because hey, just now, halfway through writing this post? I got THREE MORE ASKS by you. No less than three. And you finished them off, again, with a pretense that you’re going to stop pestering me...

... But hey. You said that at the end of the last ask I pasted up there. Hmm. And yet...

You came back, over and over and over again? :’)

RIGHT ON ALL ACCOUNTS! So... how do TWENTY ASKS, after claims that you’d finally stop, count as “regret”? You’re not changing at all, anon, because YOU DON’T WANT TO. You don’t, to this day, see what you did wrong. You don’t get it. And you won’t get it. So how about we just keep going with the next four?

Oh! But hey, you actually switched blogs this time. Super sweet of you to finally listen to ONE thing I said. Very nice.

I’ll just point out: I received the last NINE asks I’ve pasted here in a SINGLE DAY.

Nine. In one day.

I only ever got that many asks in a single go during review parties (admittedly, there were more than that, but still). The fact that you felt the need to send me NINE ASKS, to beg for forgiveness with a completely dishonest apology, is all the proof of harassment anyone could possibly ask for, right? If you weren’t an anon and at least had the GUTS to own up to your opinions, which you seem to consider absolutely sacred and completely correct, you’d have never gotten away with this. Ergo why you don’t have those guts, and why you keep sending anon reviews and asks too.

The fact that you’re so obsessed with this problem, to the point of believing Sokka’s best sex was with JUNE? We’ve literally finished an entire arc of Sokka and Azula banging across the Fire Nation with no restraint, with the two of them repeatedly remarking this is the best time they’ve ever had, and you’re so completely obsessed with this problem that you apparently think Sokka angrily fucking someone WHILE DECEIVING HIMSELF INTO THINKING IT WAS SOMEONE ELSE is... better? Are you FOR REAL? Are you seriously THAT BAD at reading?

Please, click here. I can’t even stand it anymore. It’s not even for my own sake but yours. You need it.

Also... you’re projecting so bad. Like, so bad. June’s teasing in that chapter is 100% intended to piss them off. The fact that she starts asking for Azula to lend her her “second boyfriend”, AKA Rui Shi, should tell you just how much stock June puts in what happened between her and Sokka: SHE DOESN’T GIVE A DAMN. She’s honestly more entertained by pissing off Azula as a consequence of it than over the sex she had with Sokka, especially considering she even lost her temper with him after he started apologizing in 28. You’re so completely beside yourself you can’t see ANYTHING clearly?

If you REALLY need it spelled out, no, Sokka wasn’t June’s best sex. June has probably done anyone and everyone she ever wanted to, and chances are she absolutely found someone, or several someones, who actually wanted HER, for HER, just as much as she may have wanted them. And that, you insecure mess of a human being, would absolutely make for a much better lay than what she got with Sokka. Why don’t I outright state this in the story, you’ll ask? Because despite what you may believe, this story ISN’T a love triangle between Azula, Sokka and June! Oh my, the horror! We’ve literally spent 198 chapters building up the story and developing Azula and Sokka’s relationship but the ONE TIME encounter with June apparently makes her that pivotal for your whole existence?

Dude, I literally don’t look at 28 AT ALL these days, because I don’t care to. Because even when I wrote it, it hurt me so bad having written it that I was crazy about getting to everything else so I could put it behind me. Whenever I reference it, I do the same way I reference ANYTHING ELSE. The only person who seems to think I’m doing it to further torture anyone IS YOU.

And yes, did I just say it hurt me too? Oh, my, what a SHOCKER! The fact is, that scene is only as intense as it is because I literally couldn’t bring myself to write it. It wasn’t until it came to mind that Sokka COULD imagine Azula in June’s place that I finally found the way to do it: it wasn’t just Sokka imagining Azula instead, it was ME. Because if it had been anything else? I wouldn’t have been able to write it at all. I basically wrote it as hatesex Sokkla because I NEEDED to in order to write it. “THEN WHY DID YOU EVEN WRITE IT?!?!?”, you’ll scream, I’m sure: BECAUSE I TREAT MY CHARACTERS AS HUMAN BEINGS WHO MAKE MISTAKES AND DO THINGS THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE. BECAUSE SOKKA WAS IN A DARK PLACE AND DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT AZULA WAS FEELING OR THINKING. BECAUSE AZULA WAS IMPULSIVE AND CONTROLLING AND COULDN’T REALIZE THAT THE MORE SHE TRIED TO FORCE SOKKA TO BEND TO HER WILL, THE MORE HE WOULD TRY TO BREAK FREE.

But all this is clearly too complex for you. Can’t even fathom understanding anything remotely close to characterization and conflict within relationships, no. You’re something else entirely.

And so, we move on to the post-apology Anon: you DO realize that forgiveness is something earned? I mean, it’s kinda funny because Sokka actually earned his own. He spent ages working for it, and even AFTER Azula told him he was forgiven, he still feels so bad about having hurt her that, to this day, he regrets it. Being FORGIVEN was not a condition for him to feel remorse. He regretted his actions because HE KNEW THEY WERE WRONG. Because he’s an actual, decent human being who, when faced with a catastrophic mistake, actually wants to amend it and wishes he had acted differently despite he can’t take anything back anymore.

But you? You can’t even begin to understand what regret means. I guess another dictionary definition would help?

Definitions of regret

1. (v) feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about

2. (v) feel sad about the loss or absence of

3. (v) express with regret

4. (v) decline formally or politely

5. (n) sadness associated with some wrong done or some disappointment

So, your attempts to beg for forgiveness fall completely flat. And I say it in plural, ATTEMPTS, because in case you think I’m daft and forgot your old reviews and asks, I didn’t: THIS ISN’T YOUR FIRST ATTEMPT TO APOLOGIZE FOR THIS BULLSHIT. I thought I should clarify that, because heh, you have claimed you won’t come back, you have claimed you’re sorry, you have said many platitudes in the past that actually had no meaning... and I could tell they didn’t, which is why I never answered them. Because there was no way someone who had exhibited such obsessive behavior would actually control themselves and get over their issues after MONTHS of persistent harassment.

And so, you didn’t disappoint, because I had zero expectations that you’d actually abide by your apologies. Empty apologies, again, because to this moment you don’t even know what you did wrong. You don’t get it. To put it in the way I did for someone else who talked to me about this mess:

You could be complaining to me about something else entirely. You could be here, demanding that I explain why I’ve been writing Sokka killing people, for instance. You could be disregarding all sense, reason, historical precedents and what-have-you as to why a warmongering, canonically genocidal nation like the Fire Nation would ever have a system like the Gladiator League and enslave other cultures to do their bidding.

And if you came back with those complaints PERSISTENTLY, FOR A YEAR, I’D BE JUST AS ANGRY AS I AM NOW.

It’s NOT about the situation you’re throwing a fit over. It’s NOT about me having it out for you. It’s about YOU not knowing limits or boundaries, going as far as you constantly, consistently have, ever seeking to twist my story into whatever warped, fucked up perception you’ve developed over it, without ever slowing down to think that your actions and your behavior are affecting someone else. I’m not just a rambling robot who can’t seem to stop talking or writing or whatever you may think I am: I’m an actual person with a FUCKLOAD of problems, who literally just had the WORST year of her life, and you just decided to continue adding to the pile, never slowing down to consider that your feelings, and your opinions, and your pain, does NOT invalidate other people’s, let alone does it make you EXEMPT of hurting others. Which, heh, if you knew how to read, you could’ve even LEARNED this from Gladiator! :’D

Because Azula, so hurt as she was, took to hurting Sokka too, in many, many ways. And Sokka, once he understood how wrongly he had judged Azula, simply let her hurt him because he thought he deserved everything she threw at him. Later on? Azula realizes all the pain she caused Sokka COULD have led him to choose the White Lotus over her. She’s in a life-or-death situation, unable to fight back, and the ONLY reason she doesn’t get screwed over and captured by the enemy is because Sokka decides she matters more to him than joining forces with sketchy people who are out for revenge. But what if she’d hurt him more than she had? What if she’d done WORSE than she did? Maybe he would’ve been so hurt too that, at this point, he would’ve chosen the White Lotus and not only abandoned her but handed her over to her nation’s enemies! :’) oh, the horror. Is it really that unthinkable? Why, it’s not to me. And why not? Because if Azula had been as unforgiving and unyielding as you are, if she had been so obsessive over whatever caused her pain and refused to move on... this story would SUCK. BADLY.

Makes you wonder what that says about your mentality, doesn’t it?

Alas, after all this digression as to why your behavior is absolutely appalling to me, let’s see what you did indeed, right after your absolutely shallow apology that was obviously not sincere, because you don’t regret having bothered me at all, you just regret that I won’t abide by your whining...

Is THIS what an apologetic, remorseful person looks like? Really, now? Honestly, if Sokka were half as bad as you are, he would’ve slept with half the Fire Nation by now while constantly coming back to Azula like “Oh woops did it again, sorry!”

Yes, I can honestly make the link pretty easily. Must be why you keep assuming he’ll ever be with someone else, because if you were in his place, you would do exactly that :’) beautiful how things just come full circle, isn’t it?

That ask came as a response to another, potentially ill-intended one, potentially sent by you too. An ask I answered with a whole list of unique things Sokka has done for Azula. Not only did you NOT understand the list’s purpose despite you may have even been the one to ask for it... but you took a line directly referencing OBVIOUS events like chapters 64, 69 and 93, moments in which Azula either put a stop to opportunities where she and Sokka might have ended up going too far, and he accepted it without complaint... or Sokka himself put a stop to them, KNOWING that Azula would be taking a huge risk if she gave herself to him completely as she does from 97 onwards. That you literally took something that was SO VERY OBVIOUS, and twisted it into chapter 28 again speaks LENGTHS of how absolutely messed up your perception and interpretation of this whole story is. You have issues. Serious issues. And I’m not saying this just to be an ass, I’m saying it because it’s clear as day that if you CAN’T stop linking absolutely everything I say or do to chapter 28, whether it’s being referenced or not (and in this case, it was NOT), the problem isn’t me, IT’S YOU.

And here we go again. You are actually trying to POLICE the Sokkla fandom at this point? An ANON? And hey, you returned to the Gladiator blog! Which means you were so pissed that I didn’t answer your previous asks and your phony apology because I KNEW you’d come back that even your teeny, tiny behavioral correction was pulled back because you were MAD. And you HAD TO MAKE YOUR OPINIONS KNOWN, AGAIN.

Do tell, are you the same ass who harassed a pretty new friend I’ve made in this fandom? An honestly solid writer who happens to feature Sokka having other, prior relationships to Azula because, haha, if you work with CANON settings, that’s basically guaranteed since Sokka already has canon relationships before even knowing Azula exists? And then, even if in those experiences Sokka ends up going “... I bet it’d be better with Azula”, you STILL take this as a slight and you consider it a reason to go around harassing writers and potentially even THREATENING to report their content because you’re mad that Sokka isn’t exclusively Azula’s in every single story you pick up?

The worst part is, I actually wrote at least 2 stories in my Saturdays’ oneshots where Azula and Sokka are each other’s first everything, absolutely so. And I got nothing from you for it, not even a teeny tiny “HEY THANK YOU YOU FINALLY WROTE WHAT I WANTED TO SEE!”. No, you only come out of your hole to ATTACK writers. To tell us what to do when you think we’re not doing it right. As if you had the SLIGHTEST right to tell ANYONE what to do.

I literally have been here for EIGHT YEARS. I’ve been creating content for this ship for that long, when nobody else was anymore. I won’t take credit for the ship’s rise in popularity, despite yes, it’s far from a major ship no matter how far we’ve come... but my story didn’t reach the heights it has out of sheer dumb luck. I worked my ass off with Gladiator in every way I could to make it a story of the scope and depth it deserved to be, and the fact that people who didn’t even ship Sokkla were interested in reading the story all the same has always been something I take pride on. A ton of multishippers read this story, and support Sokkla too: neither you nor ANYONE has any right to demand or claim or pretend that someone else has no right to be part of this fandom or to set guidelines as to what their content should be. There’s LITERAL stories out there of Sokka having a goddamn HAREM, just so you know, with Azula included amongst the women involved in it... and you’re here, throwing a fit over people featuring Sokka having one-time encounters and brief relationships with other girls before committing completely to Azula.

I’ve been here, working my ass off for Sokkla, not only in writing but literally developing my art skills to the best of my ability so I could ONE DAY create the visuals and images these two evoked for me...

And yet I don’t feel I have any right to tell ANYONE how to make their content.

If there was a set number of words in fics or artworks someone needed to make for a ship to prove themselves worthy of obtaining the skill of GATEKEEPING, I am 100% positive I have more than outdone that limit.

And yet I DON’T play gatekeeper. I NEVER have, and I NEVER will. People can create whatever they want to create, whether I enjoy it or not is up to me, and if I DON’T enjoy it, I DON’T read it. If there’s Sokkla content out there I can’t even STOMACH? I would ignore it and move on with my life. You? You make it your whole life’s crusade to attack people over anything that tickles you wrong. That’s how it works, isn’t it?

Unless you’re planning on pulling a Scooby-Doo-esque twist where you remove your mask and reveal you were a known Sokkla fan and content creator all along, which I find ABSOLUTELY unlikely, then this means you haven’t done anything, ANYTHING, for this fandom beyond sending anonymous harassment to people who are actually taking time out of their lives to create content for this ship. The main reaction I’ve seen at you from ANY of us, whether anons like yourself or actual content creators like myself, is that you have too much time on your hands and need a better hobby. And I agree, completely.

So, where people like me and my fellow Sokkla creators are actually making content that convinces people, if not to ship it, to at least CONSIDER this ship a possibility... you’re out there, in hiding, pretending you have any right to tell us what to do and going ignored on most accounts. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if I had any respect for someone, and they either stopped responding to me or started responding by telling me to leave them alone, I’d feel like such stain of garbage I’d never even try to interact with them again. While people absolutely can be different and react differently to things... I can’t see how, exactly, you have any respect for me when knowing you’re a problem for me has never stopped you and most likely never will.

I’ll admit, this one actually made me laugh. Like... you’re seriously trying to tell me that a sex scene was way too good and that’s why I have to change it. I actually disagree on every account, because the last time I revisited 28 I thought the scene was absolutely distant from my best work? I’ve written soooo much smut recently and literally any of those scenes kicks 28 out of any “best smut” contest by MILES. But... heh. This one, apparently, was too good.

I mean... thank you? For telling me that my smut skills are apparently that great they need to be toned down? Fascinating, really.

But again, “it sadly seems to be a too late to write chapter 28″. Sadly?

SADLY?

You can stick your sadness up where the sun doesn’t shine, dude:

SOMEONE WHO THREW SUCH A FIT OVER THEIR REVIEWS BEING REWRITTEN SHOULD

NEVER

TELL SOMEONE ELSE THAT IT’S TOO BAD THEY CAN’T REWRITE ANY OF THEIR CONTENT.

EVER

You can’t pretend, again, that you were EVER sorry for ANY of what you did... while still trying to tell someone they should rewrite their content. Honest to gods, you’re an asshole. You are. And if you think I’m one too, great, I own up to it gladly. But you’re the one willingly intoxicating their brain with my content, only to consistently go MAD over it, and then unleash this kind of illogical nonsense right back at me. I know art can generate a myriad of responses, but I am NOT responsible for your immaturity and inability to handle serious subjects and topics that SHOULD MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE. If you don’t KNOW how to deal with the fact that there’s a lot of questionable, dislikeable things in this world, then my damn story is the least of your concerns because you’re well on your way to leading a VERY miserable life, Anon. Better get ready for it, will you?

And again, the Gladiator blog. Again, pretending to be well-mannered, and also, again, using the world “sadly”, same as the ask above. Like... man, what on earth is wrong with you. Are you seriously this masochistic? Do you also drink arsenic for sport? What on EARTH brings you the belief that asking how far or how much was done between Sokka and his previous one-night-stands would help you IN ANY WAY, WHATSOEVER?

I think I’ll answer that question, for once, with actual quotes, taken right from some of your favorite chapters, no less:

"When you and Ruon Jian got married, was he…?" she asked. Mai only raised a confused eyebrow, and Azula had the distinct feeling that Mai knew what she was talking about, but would force her to blurt it out anyways. She sighed: "A virgin."

Ty Lee's hands flew to her mouth as Mai raised her eyebrows. To Azula's astonishment, she merely shrugged.

"I don't know. I never asked," she said. Azula snorted.

"Then you're smarter than me. By far," she grunted. Mai smirked.

And as things digress there into Azula explaining what happened, let’s skip that and go straight to Mai’s direct answer:

"I've never asked Ruon Jian about whether or not he had anything serious with other girls before me because I seriously don't care," said Mai. "If I knew about it, I'd probably have a bout of jealousy like yours, I suppose… but it's in his past, and he left them behind to make me his present and his future. So, whatever he might have experienced before, with however many women there were, isn't something I'm overly concerned about."

"You're awfully mature compared to me if that's the case," said Azula, slipping her fingers through her hair again. Mai smirked.

"You've been complimenting me quite a lot today, Azula, that's not like you…"

"Shut up," Azula grunted. Mai chuckled.

:’)

This is the only answer this ask warrants. The fact that you’re so immature and so obsessed as to want to know more about what happened with something you HATE is completely cringeworthy and absurd. If you want to get angry imagining Sokka having wild sex with every woman who crosses his path, go ahead and do it, but do us both a favor and torture yourself, and yourself alone, with those thoughts rather than coming back TWENTY TIMES to my inbox looking for MORE reasons to get angry. You’re honestly unbelievable.

You know, that reading comprehension site I linked up there? Courses, 20% off! Seriously, perfect fit for you. You need it, direly.

Like... how can someone read a story built on the premise of Azula literally defeating Sokka painfully in battle to the point he’s left unable to move, taking Sokka away from home, turning him into a slave, being objectively responsible for the WORST TWO YEARS OF HIS LIFE... and then come to my inbox asking if Azula will ever hurt Sokka?

Dude, you’re off the deep end. You can’t even pretend you have a grasp on reality if you SERIOUSLY THINK Azula has NEVER hurt Sokka. Like, seriously, it feels like you’re reading this truncated version of Gladiator that’s only chapters 28, 111, 112 and perhaps 123? Is that what’s going on?

I’ve had Sokka and Azula arguing over ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING, whether for humorous or for serious purposes, since the very beginning of the story. Their first serious falling out is LITERALLY caused by the direct conflict of their worldviews clashing in chapter 12. Their second falling out was indeed caused by women: by Azula’s discovery that Sokka didn’t want to fight women, which of course, doesn’t bother you in the least because you and I both know that’s NOT what your problem was.

I could literally run through the whole story listing every single argument they’ve had, every single time they’ve hurt each other if that’s what you want: their first time? It literally comes from a very serious argument where Sokka believed he had reached the pinnacle of his potential as a fighter and feared Azula would need someone else to achieve her goals instead of him.

AND YOU’RE SERIOUSLY HERE ASKING IF THEY’LL EVER ARGUE OVER ANYTHING ELSE.

You don’t read this story. This ask absolutely proved it to me. You only read chapter 28 and everything potentially connected to Sokka having anything with other women. You don’t CARE about anything else, simply. Because if anything actually had ANY impact on you? You’d say something about it. But the only thing that touches your weird heart is Sokka sleeping with anyone else or having any potentially romantic interactions with someone else, whether he rejects them or not.

You don’t care about Gladiator. You only care about your ego, and the validation of your worldview and puritanic morals.

And to that I say, fuck that noise. I write whatever the hell I want to write, and you’re not going to rope me into playing it safe just to please insecure harassers who don’t know boundaries and are completely incapable of empathizing with anyone while demanding everyone should understand their feelings.

Final note on this matter: you, also, have no idea what love is. You plain and simple don’t understand it. You’re even more confused by what love should be than Azula was at the start of this story. You don’t get it, AT ALL.

All you want is for them to get even on things? You literally asked me, when I was in my angry spree of deleting your bullshit, to make Azula and her future husband have happy consensual quality sex with who knows how many orgasms... because it was only fair!

AGAIN: YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND LOVE IN THE LEAST.

If you think love is about getting even, you’re seriously an asshole. If you think love is about both people being 100% equal in social regards and experiences, you don’t even UNDERSTAND human relations. Do you live in a bubble, by any chance? Maybe you do! You must have zero contact with anyone other than people with your same puritanic beliefs, right? So that means you assume everyone who’s different from you is fundamentally a bad person? I take it?

Like... literally at this point I think you’d hear about someone who was abused in their childhood, molested, and your reaction would simply be “Oh wow I hope someone molests whoever they end up marrying too, so that way they may be even in the future and been molested by the exact same number of people, otherwise it’s not really love”.

This is fucking sick. I’m not holding back at this point, it’s SICK. It’s TWISTED. It’s VILE. Your mentality is absolutely repulsive to me. You don’t know what love is, and you have the most literal, obvious change to understand it better by reading this story properly, but instead you just read chapter 28 over and over and over again, isn’t that right?

And here’s the evidence of that. You really want me to answer that last question?

No, it doesn’t bug me to read that AT ALL. Because unlike you? I don’t obsessively reread 28 while disregarding everything else in the story. Unlike you, I don’t revisit the chapter every day to pick apart every line to look for reasons to get extra angry at those developments.

Most of us, when faced with things we DON’T like in fiction? We move past it. You, instead, dig yourself into a hole and continue digging, and then pretend to hold other people responsible for whatever impact this may be having on your psyche. Because yes, you’re holding me responsible for whatever trauma or insecurity this is awakening inside you when you continue to pester me as you have: if you’re an adult, you should have the tools and brains to determine what is and what isn’t acceptable behavior, as well as to curate your own experiences with media, with fandom, with EVERYTHING to do with these communities. If you choose to look for things to hate instead of things to love, THAT’S ON YOU.

And if you’re allegedly looking for things to love but can’t find ANY that suit your purposes (which... is bullshit. Clearly, your only priority is “Sokka must be a virgin who never had anything with anyone else”, and such stories DO exist, which I guarantee considering I’ve written at least THREE of them, where it’s absolutely stated that Sokka’s first and only one is Azula)...

Well, it’s funny. Because when I got here? I was looking for some very specific fics so I could explore whether or not Sokkla made any sense. And I didn’t find them.

Which resulted...

... In me writing the very stories I wanted to see.

Oh, my. Imagine taking your impulses and channeling them into something productive rather than looking for reasons to get angry 24/7! Must be such a NOVEL CONCEPT for you!

Seriously, you have no right to dictate what anyone does. Again, worth bringing up because you INSIST on the rewriting matter. Even if you’re claiming you’re done asking for it, you somehow KEEP bringing it up. And then you act like me mentioning 28′s events here or there in the story is absolutely outrageous... but you just go right on ahead and do the same thing yourself, don’t you? Funny how much of a hypocrite you really are, isn’t it?

The fact that you’re bringing up something I have NEVER written, and have NO INTENTIONS of ever writing, as some sort of stupid, ridiculous argument to be made AGAINST the post I literally reblogged TODAY... is just absurd beyond belief.

The fact that I ever even wrote Sokka cheating on Suki with Azula, which I DID, still bothers me. Because yes, it made for a good story, but the truth is, it doesn’t sit well with me. It worked in The Reason, worked in my collab story with a friend, but it doesn’t mean I feel 100% happy with that choice. Even if the cheating only amounted to a kiss in The Reason, and then a lot worse than just that in the other story, it’s still not cool! :’) I know this!

... And yet no one, NO ONE, has ever caught me writing Sokka cheating on Azula. In fact, when my collab story with my friend seemed to start moving towards that angle I BEGGED her not to do it, and then she didn’t, and my heart was deeply relieved and blissful for it. Because not only did it mean we wouldn’t have to deal with the very controversial and unsettling notion of someone in a good relationship cheating on their significant other... but because in that story, it also showed how much he had grown, and how he was truly devoted to Azula despite he hadn’t been to Suki.

But alas, I have my qualms with that concept, of course I do. And I don’t like it. Ergo, I’ll never write it.

Which begs the question as to WHY, exactly, you’re so obsessed with the notion of Sokka cheating on Azula? Like... do you get off on it? Are you wanking at the idea of Sokka and June every single night and then wake up feeling like crap and then take it out on me, by any chance? Is that what’s going on? Because I’m seriously starting to believe it is.

You clearly don’t understand anything about storytelling, which is probably why you don’t have the guts to create your own content in the first place. But the fact that I reblog a post about how conflict in a story is GOOD, and your first thought is “THEN THAT MEANS YOU APPROVE OF SOKKA CHEATING!” actually says A LOT MORE about you than it says about me. You need help. Clearly, the therapy site I was sending you to the last time wasn’t much good, was it? I guess you just ignored it in the end. Hopefully the reading comprehension one will suit you better, right?

Fuck you, seriously, for coming to someone who has been working this hard for this long, for a ship that they’re completely devoted to, to spout this kind of senseless shit. To think you seriously ever believed I’d accept your half-assed apologies when you’ve been doing this sort of bullshit for this long... you’re a piece of work. If you have the time to write that BULLSHIT into my inbox, at the very least use that time to look INWARD and ponder just what your damn problem is, resolve it on your own, AND LEAVE ME THE HELL OUT OF IT. Someone as immature and unstable as you has no business reading M-rated fiction, and I honestly rue the day you ever clicked my story. Both your life and mine would be countless times better if you simply had scrolled past it.

And on and on we went today. The THREE MORE ASKS that arrived as I was typing this insanely long response. Which resulted in you bumping the total, successfully, to 20. MIGHTY NICE OF YOU TO PROVE ME RIGHT! :’)

Now then, getting serious here... I must say your priorities are fucked. Like. Really fucked.

You’d rather Sokka tries to KILL AZULA than have a one-time sexual encounter with someone?

Like... you’re here, condoning VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN to that extent...? :’D and then you... you actually have the balls to whine because apparently him hurting her feelings is WORSE?!

Are you EVEN LISTENING TO YOURSELF???

You know, I think I have to offer you some REALLY good advice right now: go watch Naruto. Seriously, all of it. Go watch it, and enjoy your sweet loins’ release once Sasuke and Sakura start trying to kill each other, ONLY TO END UP TOGETHER AT THE END! :’) They were both 100% faithful to each other too, in the sense of Sakura getting depicted as a girl who can’t ever get over the guy she had a crush on when she was 6, no matter if he tries to kill her or her friends once he starts to go off the deep end, and Sasuke getting depicted as a guy who treats everyone like garbage, even the people he loves, because his manpain story somehow validates him being absolutely toxic to everyone he knows, so that’s absolutely up your alley! 100% the love story you’ve been looking for! You’re gonna LOVE IT.

Man, I just can’t believe you. I really can’t believe you. You’re seriously asking me to feature Sokka trying to kill Azula because that’s more acceptable to you. There was a story out there, you know? With Azula basically using Sokka to commit suicide, impaling herself on his sword and dying? You should just go look for that too, perfect fit for you (though it may be gone from the depths of this wretched site by now, which tbh I’d be grateful for, since it was the most unsettling, disturbing read).

Also? Thank you, truly, for all the remarkably shallow compliments you’ve thrown at me to “soften” your “criticism” (which, again, is whining, not legitimate criticism). Calling me a capable writer is super NICE of you, especially after all these months of persistent harassment and constant repetition that I should rewrite whatever you don’t like. I mean... that’s definitely the way someone treats a capable writer, isn’t that right?

“The problem isn’t conflict it’s what the conflict is”, the anon says. I’ve been writing a story for 8 years, 198 chapters and counting... and I’ve had a ton of different types of conflicts for Sokka and Azula to deal with. If your problem is “I don’t like this conflict”, FINE. But... hey. There have been THOUSANDS of other sources of conflict across the story, so many I don’t think I can even promise I’d ever take my time to count them all... there’s whole ARCS with conflicts regarding world politics and the war’s consequences and both Azula and Sokka completely changing their worldviews as they realize their realities are soooo much more complicated than they ever knew...!

Ergo. There ARE other conflicts. There are SO MANY of them that there’s no point in even listing it all out.

And yet you are obsessed with the one conflict you didn’t like, outright acting like THIS IS THE ONLY CONFLICT THERE EVER WAS, as proven by that preposterous and mindless “when will Azula ever hurt Sokka” ask. The one development you were pissed at, because it tickled your loins the wrong way. Oh yes, I’m a capable writer, I could’ve done things differently...!

BUT I DIDN’T!

And aren’t you thrilled that I didn’t? You would be a complete nobody in this fandom if this hadn’t happened, because otherwise what would you POSSIBLY have to complain about?! To harass someone about?! You’d be SO BORED! You’d be so unknown, nobody would even be aware of your existence...!

Though.

Wait.

You’re an anon.

You’re unreachable and nobody really knows who you are.

... So never mind, you actually still are a complete nobody in this fandom and your only attempt to even take part in it is to be a negative, irritating presence that literally makes people facepalm, laugh and ridicule you to the extent I and many others have laughed at you.

And yes, that post I reblogged was 100% worth reblogging. Why? Because it hits the nail on the head:

I DIDN’T WRITE 28 SO YOU’D BE HAPPY WITH SOKKA.

I DIDN’T WRITE THAT CHAPTER TO MAKE PEOPLE THINK “OH WOW WHAT A WHOLESOME SITUATION”.

I WROTE IT BECAUSE IT WAS MEANT TO DETONATE CONFLICT AND SPEED UP CHARACTER GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IT DID.

And the thing is? Maybe, in the future, I’ll write other stories, just as I wrote the Saturdays’ stories, and Sokka won’t have either meaningful or worth mentioning encounters with anyone else in them. Maybe I’ll write original fiction, and there won’t be any twists like what happened in 28!

But you will never get over this.

You will never care about any other content beyond this.

And that’s your failing, not mine.

If you would rather obsess over what makes you angry, that’s on YOU. But I’m damn sure I wrote a pretty reasonable conflict, character-wise, that was not only consistent with characterization but with the slightly darker take of the Avatarverse I’ve been working with. Not only that, but I NEVER skipped the consequences of their actions. I literally had them facing those consequences for whole arcs. Sokka assumed he’d never have a chance to be with Azula and made his peace with it, WITHOUT EVER PRETENDING HIS DEVELOPING FEELINGS FOR AZULA WERE ANYTHING THAT ENTITLED HIM TO HER LOVE IN RETURN. But oh, that’s too complex for you to understand, isn’t it? The fact that Sokka actually loves Azula for her, and not for himself, that he devotes himself to her in every imaginable way, that he fights people who dare disrespect her, that he would stop at NOTHING, even coming close to killing someone, to keep her safe despite he’s completely against killing people? That all means NOTHING to you.

And again? THAT’S YOUR PROBLEM. THAT’S YOUR FAILING. THAT YOU’RE SO OBSESSED WITH 28 AND CAN’T MOVE PAST IT IS NOT MY FAULT, IT’S YOURS.

Because I damn right moved past it. I’ve moved so far past it I literally don’t ever THINK about that damn situation until your stupid asks start arriving. Heck, maybe if you didn’t ASK so much about it, I’d stop bringing it up in recent chapters of the story :’) how do you feel about that particular kernel of unexpected information? Maybe you’re impacting the story in a whole shocking manner by inception-ing 28 into my head all the time and that’s why I can’t seem to stop throwing in lines referencing it for you to go completely BONKERS over. How about that? :’)

Say... how exactly do you think this fic is special? Literally all I know is you think I’m a capable writer who can create something perfectly catered for you, and yet ALL the feedback I’ve ever gotten from you is “REWRITE 28 AND EVERYTHING ABOUT SOKKA HAVING ANYTHING WITH OTHER GIRLS I DON’T UNDERSTAND ANY OF THIS I’M GENUINELY CURIOUS THIS IS LEGITIMATE CRITICISM SIGNING OFF BYE”. Your compliments are completely devoid of meaning because they’re literally just a handful of “you’re a good writer” and you don’t even say WHY you think I’m good. You don’t ever come here to tell me how much you enjoyed a certain scene, or how happy you are with a certain development... No.

Because when Sokka and Azula got married? What did I get?

“HOW CAN YOU LET SOKKA AND AZULA GET MARRIED NOW WHEN HE SLEPT WITH SOMEONE ELSE IN CHAPTER 28?!”

I wish I had screenshots for those, but you and I both know the truth, you irksome anon, and the truth is you did exactly that. And with every new development in Shu Jing, I got yet more reviews and ask(s), persistently whining about how UNFAIR it is that now Azula apparently is locked in marriage with this unfaithful man who has been unfaithful to her a grand total number of ZERO TIMES ever since their relationship began! How DARES he even think about marrying her?! Scourge of earth, let’s murder him in cold blood because DEATH IS BETTER THAN CHEATING!!!

If you think highly of Gladiator for ANY REASON, you’ve kept those reasons well and safely tucked away in the depths of your broken heart or shared them with anyone but me. Look at all these asks, damn you, and tell me at what point in time did you convey ANYTHING beyond “why don’t you write what I want you to write?”, huh? Because hell, I don’t see it in any of them. Literally nowhere. No backwards (: emojis are compliments or evidence of how much this story allegedly means to you. All I know is that you hate 28 and everything about it.

And you see...

I don’t give a flying fuck.

I don’t.

You can hate 28 all you want.

You can hate June.

You can hate Sokka.

It is, INDEED, a free world.

But you have no right, NONE WHATSOEVER, to commit to this level of harassment as you have, for A WHOLE YEAR, and pretend the problem is that I, Seyary, the “evil super-sensitive author who writes Sokka sleeping with other people and doesn’t even break a sweat but then crumbles to pieces when “negative” feedback arrives”, can’t handle your comments properly.

I’ve said it before, damn you: NO ONE NEEDS TO REITERATE THEIR OPINIONS A MILLION TIMES. NO ONE. NOT YOU, NOT THE PEOPLE DEMANDING FOR THE PLOT TO KICK INTO HIGH GEAR, NOT THE ONES WHO THINK THIS SHIP IS GARBAGE, NOT ANYONE.

NO ONE HAS ANY RIGHT OR REASON TO COME BACK PERSISTENTLY THORUGHOUT A YEAR TO HARASS SOMEONE NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THEY’RE TOLD TO STOP IT.

Point being: HATE WHAT YOU WILL! But keep it the fuck off my blog. And if you CAN’T? Get used to these responses. Because you’re going to get them, constantly. I guarantee it.

I know your damn opinion already. I know it by heart and I damn wish I didn’t. You are perfectly free to go read all the other stories where I’ve had Sokka staying faithful to Azula, with Azula being his first, or with Azula being much more experienced and sleeping around while Sokka stays mostly chaste... but you don’t. You come back, every time, to my miserable inbox that must cry every time you show up in it, to make these demands and pretend you have any power over what I should be writing.

Again, no, I have no idea why this story matters to you at all. And at this point? I’d rather NOT know. Because I’m 100% sure the only thing that matters most to you is chapter 28. So you know, go ahead, wank to it again and cry yourself to sleep. It’s kind of fascinating to have written something that has such a visceral emotional impact on a complete and total stranger. Makes it clear I’ve made a lot of progress as a writer if I can fuck up someone’s life to this extent with what I’ve written.

Yeah. Sure. You really think I’ll buy it? You really think this is goodbye? Oh, no, Anon. You can’t stay away. You’ve been told to, you’ve been asked to, but you can’t.

So no, I’m not wishing you good luck back. And I’m certainly not wishing you any fun with my fic, because it’s more than clear that the only source of entertainment it provided you was chapter 28, seeing as it’s the only impactful thing I apparently ever wrote. And someone who’s that obsessed with one of the chapters I most disliked writing despite I knew the plot would benefit from it in the long run simply can’t deserve to have fun. So... good suffering over Gladiator, if anything? Go ahead and continue to wrack your brain while trying to unravel why, oh, why would ANYONE ever write what I wrote and still call themselves a Sokkla shipper?!

I dunno, maybe go on and write something similar yourself. Could be you’ll finally figure out what your problem is if you take to writing the cheating storylines you’re so very much obsessed with. Only, heh, I can guarantee I’m not touching anything you write, out of principle more than anything. I plain and simple don’t want anything to do with you... but as I don’t intend to close my inbox again, it seems I have no choice, do I?

Good fucking luck sticking to this alleged goodbye... but we both know you’ll be coming back very soon, won’t you? No worries, Anon, I’ll be waiting this time. Let’s see if you can break your 20-ask-streak record next time, shall we? :’)

It’s December 13th, at 2:32 PM, in my location. Let’s see how long it takes you to come back, shall we?

EDIT: I neglected to check constantly so it definitely arrived earlier than this, but officially received a response at least 2 hours after this post went live.

Didn’t I call it? Yep, absolutely called it.

#I need a name for this anon #though I guess stalker-harasser anon would work?#yep #stalker-harasser anon #there we go #honestly it feels so utterly backwards to still talk about this to this day #and yet #it never ends #:')#here we go have this dumpster fire of a post #I'm legit going to time this shit #and report right back to you all #once the stalker-harasser comes back #it's the only genuinely hilarious part of this whole thing after all

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k347 · 4 years ago

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A little note for all the wonderful people who are taking a moment out of their precious time to visit this little online space I created...

(I felt the need to write this because of some 'not so great' anon asks I've been getting ever since I started here and also because I've witnessed several of both, the good and bad fandom meltdowns in these couple of years)

From My Heart To Yours-

If it isn't clear to you by the kind of things I post or if you are new to this page, let me clarify it in one single sentence. This Is A Stucky+Evanstan Blog. There will always be mostly (if not all) evanstan and stucky content posted here. If you are uncomfortable with the ship, feel free to filter the 'evanstan' / 'rpf'/ stucky tags. I completely understand why it can be bothersome, icky for people, why some of you might disapprove of it. I acknowledge, respect and understand your views, feelings and opinions, I truly do. All I am asking out of you is to not be disrespectful, dissmissive about those of mine. Please understand that you don't have to see the things/content you don't want to on your dash. The block and unfollow buttons, options for filtering tags are there for a reason. Feel free to use them if you are uncomfortable with a blog or person (including me). It'll be taking the high road and bowing out gracefully if you make a habit of using these available options instead of passing around judgements and unnecessarily cruel critisism about people whom you've never even met/ know nothing about.

Personally I adore both of these Fandom Ships. I have for a long time. But it doesn't mean I don't support you if you love/are a part of some other fandom. I don't mean to disrespect or hinder any of the other ships even if they are regarding these same characters. I try and make sure to not intrude on anyone's creative space and expect that the same attitude & decency will be returned.

This blog is my way of letting out, expressing all that love, adoration I feel. I strive to be more creative with my thoughts, my way of expression as a person with each passing day. And being a part of this fandom helps me immensely with that. I've met some amazing people online because of this. Made good friends. It is a very dear thing to me. I have talked to folks who've experienced online hate from unreasonable, anonymous sources, I've also experienced a fair share of it myself. As someone who is a psychology-enthusiast-&-student-for-life, I can assure you the (good/casual/neutral/bad/hateful) things you say to or about people leave their impacts. Not just on them, but on you too. It might seem insignificant or small, irrelevant even; but it does change the way your thoughts work in daily life. Be careful and stop before you train your mind to naturally focus more on the bad things about other people rather than the good ones. So again, I kindly request you to not be mean or hurtful to anyone you meet online (or even in real life, actually.) Offering disrespect and negativity never made anything better in the history of ever.

Lastly I would like to give my two cents about another issue (that I feel can get really toxic if we are not careful) with the fandom culture. I have made no secret of the fact that I am a fan of Sebastian Stan and Chris Evans. Yes, I have and will always post a lot of appreciation posts about them (solo and together), their works and projects, some old tbt moments. You will even find imagines, headcanons, theories, fanfics about them along with the ones about the fictional characters they have played/continue to play.

But that doesn't mean I am going to act delusionally and ignore/ unacknowledge the fact that both of them are their own person. Two actual, real human beings. I don't mean to project any of this content that I am creating on them and their lives. Making anybody uncomfortable is not my intention behind doing this, not at all. I prefer to look at it this way- "This is a world that I've created in my own mind. For fun and entertainment. Sort of like an AU. Parallel Timeline. But please understand that the stories, theories, things I'll post and write on here are pure conjecture, a lot of speculations. Hypothesis and supposition. I don't want to lose the grasp on reality and be drawned in it too much or completely, up to the point at which violation of real people's boundaries starts to become a usual routine and doesn't feel wrong."

I do not agree with the mentality of blaming, hating on people/past partners in their lives for no other apparent reason than the fact that 'they know my favs'. I completely agree that there are actions and things which people need to be held accountable for at times. Yes, you can talk about it with me but please try and remain respectful (if not that, at least be decent enough) toward all the parties involved.

Even though we as fans have invested a lot of our time, creative efforts and emotions in these two men; It does not mean they owe us, or need to explain every part of their personal/professional lives.

Please remember and don't let it be hard for you to accept the fact that these two people are not the exact fanfic versions of themselves that you read about on tumblr, they are not some experminted and perfected, flawless personalities that you've created in your own minds. It is possible for humans to mess up at times. It is only natural. Don't judge people based only on their worst mistakes, or more precisely the negative stuff you read 'online' (which 9/10 times is pure speculation and made up. fake. not facts.) Chris and Seb do not need to cater to every whim and need of the fans, they do not need to make decisions based on what people feel about them online. They can and should do whatever they want to with their lives without having to experience judgement and public scrutiny about every little step taken. Please stop putting celebrities on a pedestal and measuring them up to some impossible, unrealistic standards. If you feel too much devastation, hurt over some action of your 'fav', my advice would be to take a step back. Relax. Distance yourself from the Fandom for a bit. Do not let the 'stanning' consume you, your behaviour, rational thought process and most importantly don't let it ruin your kindness.

I love the analogy that there lives a good and a bad wolf inside every human being. Your reactions, response to things, all of it depends on which wolf you decide to feed and empower at the given moment. Choose kindness. Choose gentler responses. Choose Love over Hatred. Always.

I think the lovely @musette22 (who btw, is one of the most compassionate, talented and creative people I've met here, because of our shared love for these boys 💙) voiced this thing better than I ever could.

My apologies, if the note got too long and too deep for your liking.

I promise I am not always this boring and 'let-me-lecture-you' kind of a person 😂

On this Blog you'll also find-

A lot of silly Ramblings, Scribbles and Rants

Lot of terrible jokes and puns (you know the kind where they are so bad that they're good😅)

Fluff and smut

Q and A with the anons.

AUs

Speculations, ideas and a lot of gushing

Reblogs from all these great, talented, amazing people in the fandom

A lot of 'Marvel' things

Incorrectly placed correct quotes

Sometimes extreme use of emoticons and gifs

😂♥️😄🔥😜👻💌💦💪😇🤷

Running commentary, discussions about newly released information, keeping tracks, meltdowns, breakdowns, again rambling! , ocassional full doses of sarcasm

Sometimes going 'too much in detail' 😉

My attempts at writing stuff

A lot of content for Evanstan and Stucky

Drawing parallels, a lot of 'connecting the dots' between Chris and Seb content. Weaving the pieces of informations together.

Headcanons and stories inspired from that.

Low key, actually at times very very high key roasting of Endgame.

Lots and lots of love + appreciation showered on the movies in Captain America Triology.

Getting nostalgic and adoring the good old memories, Celebrating the present moments and Wishing for many more happy ones in the future.

All of you are very welcome here!

My ask box is always open for anyone and everyone who is interested. Send asks, questions, prompts, requests, suggetions, your ideas, theories anytime you want.

I am always up for conversations and discussions.

Lots of Love,

@k347

💙

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nanigma · 4 years ago

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Blue Lions Translation Chapter 1

Hey, everyone. Since I am currently on holiday and finally finished my latin exam, I decided to start up something fun for us to look at. I’ll make it my mission to go through the Japanese script for the Blue Lions route and translate it as I go. May it reveal neat things small and big.

Can’t promise I will actually make it through it all, but I’ll definitely try my best.

Before we go, I’d like to mention that I am without income this month and would appreciate any bit of help you can give me through my ko-fi account. Times are rough.

My comments in italics

Some small things to note as we start out in White Clouds. I only plan on translating the Blue Lion specific lines first. It just gives me less text to work through all at once. If my stamina lasts long enough, I might go back at a later point and do a translation of all the ‘neutral’ dialogue in between.

Chapter Dialogue

First meeting with the Blue Lions

アネット: えっ、新しい先生って、まさか……あわわ、あたし、友達みたいに話しかけちゃって……▼ 同い年くらいに見えたから、つい……！すみません、気をつけますっ！！▼

Annette: Eh, you mean the new teacher is... no way.. ahh. And I even talked to you like we were friends. ▼ You look like you are my age so... I am so sorry, I will be careful from now on!! ▼

[選択:構わない]

[Choose: I don't care]

アネット: そ、そんなこと言われても……。

Annette: Even if you say so...

ディミトリ: ええ、こちらの気が済みません。

Dimitri: Yes, it is on us to apologize.

シルヴァン: 先生が言うんだし、いいんじゃないですか？つーか、それを言ったらですよ、殿下……▼ そもそも、俺たちがあんたにこんな口を利いてるのだって、不敬もいいとこでしょ。▼

Sylvain: But the Professor said they don't care, so it's fine, right? And anyway, if we are already on the topic, your highness.. ▼ Since we've been talking to you so casually all along, a little disrespect can’t be that bad. ▼

ディミトリ: いや、ここは王国ではないんだし、それとこれとはまた別の話で……▼ ……だがまあ、先生がそれでいいならありがたくその厚意に甘えるとしようか。▼

Dimitri: No, this isn't the kingdom, so how we talk there is completely unrelated to how we talk here... ▼ However, if it is alright with the Professor, we shall take them up on their offer gratefully. ▼

イングリット: あの、ですが私には…… 染みついた癖というのは、どうにも……。▼

Ingrid: Um, I myself... I am not sure if I can go against my manners like that.. ▼

メルセデス: 難しいなら、無理することないわよ～。ね、先生もそれでいいでしょう？▼

Mercedes: No need to force it, if it's difficult for you~. I am sure that's fine with you too, Professor? ▼

Byleth nods

[If Byleth is female]

シルヴァン: 先生は器がでかいなあ、素敵だ！あっ、結婚を前提に、俺とお茶でも……

Sylvain: The professor has such a big heart, how wonderful! Ah, we should discuss marriage sometime over a cup of tea and-...

I had to look up what 器がでかいなあ means. Literally it would be more like “Your vessel is big” and I suspected something sleazy at first, but it seems Sylvain is innocent.. this time.

フェリクス:……待て、シルヴァン。こいつには用がある。▼

Felix: … Wait, Sylvain. I need something from her.

フェリクス……そういえば、先ほどお前に言ったな。剣を交える日を楽しみにしている、と。▼

Felix: … Anyway. You told me before, right? About looking forward to the day we cross swords.

Whoever uploaded the Japanese script speculated this line only shows up if you talked to him during exploration before. Which would make more sense. The localization rephrases it as “I’ve heard of you and wanna fight” which either means the above showed up regardless, potentially causing confusion for Japanese players who skipped talking to him, or the localization made it non-conditional. I’ll have to boot up my game at some point to check.

[Continuing for both Blyeths]

フェリクス: 後で訓練場に来い。まずはお前の腕を見せてもらいたい。▼

Felix: Come to the training hall after this. First things first, I want you to show me your skill.

ディミトリ: 抜け駆けとは感心しないな、フェリクス。その試合、是非俺も交ぜてくれ。▼

Dimitri: It wouldn't be right for you get a headstart, Felix. Please let me partake in that match as well.

English!Dimitri just comments that Felix is right to the point. But I like him teasing a bit here.

Also Dimitri used much more polite language before this, but has now switched to a more casual style, like promised.

フェリクス:……チッ。▼

Felix: … Tch.

アッシュ: あ、あのっ！　後学のため、僕も見学させていただきたいんですが！▼

Ashe: H- Hey! I would also like to observe the occasion for future reference.

ディミトリ: アッシュ。見るだけと言わず、お前も加わればいいだろう。▼

Dimitri: Ashe, leaving out the bit about observation, it would definitely be good for you to join as well.

メルセデス; ふふっ、怪我した時は私に言ってね～。ちょっとした傷なら、すぐに看てあげるわ。▼

Mercedes: Hehe, just tell me if you get hurt. I'll look after any scratch immediately.

ドゥドゥー:……殿下。あまり羽目を外され過ぎぬよう。▼

Dedue: … Your highness. Please do not overextend yourself.

ディミトリ: お前は心配性だな、ドゥドゥー。大丈夫、自重はするさ。▼

Dimitri: You really are a worrywart, Dedue. It's alright, I'll take care.

シルヴァン: なあ……親睦を深めるのに剣を交えるって、何か根本的に間違ってると思うんだけど？▼

Sylvain: Hey... doesn’t anyone think there’s something seriously wrong with deepening our bonds by swinging swords at each other?

イングリット: あら、そうかしら。そういうことなら、あなただけ教室で留守番してる？▼

Ingrid: My, is that so? In that case, I suppose you'll stay behind and watch the classroom for us?

シルヴァン: イングリット……お前さあ、ほんっと俺に対して手厳しいよなあ……。▼

Sylvain: Ingrid... you are always so harsh when it comes to me...

ディミトリ: ……先生。青獅子の学級ルーヴェンクラッセは、見てのとおり騒がしい学級だ。▼ いろいろと苦労をかけるかもしれないが、これから１年、よろしく頼む。▼

Dimitri: Professor. As you can see, the Blue Lions are a very boisterous class. ▼ We might cause you a lot of trouble, but we'll be counting on your for coming year. ▼

Exploration

Again, sticking only to the Blue Lions for this one and leaving out the lines they have when recruited or when you are in a another house for now.

[Annette]

Speech Bubble: I could swear I saw him...

アネット: こんにちは、先生。あの、ちょっと質問があるんですけど……。▼ あたしと同じ色の髪の毛で、しかめっ面の、暗ーい雰囲気のおじさん、知りませんか？▼

Annette: Hello, Professor. Um, I have a question for you... ▼ Do you know an older man whose hair the same colour as mine, with a frown on his face and surrounded by a gloomy aura? ▼

[選択:人捜し？]

[Choose: Are you looking for someone?] +Support with Annette

アネット: ……はい。ちょっと、事情があって……。もし見かけたら、教えてくださいね！▼

Annette: Yeah... There's a bit of a situation... Please tell me, if you see him, okay?

[選択:知らない]

[Choose: I don't know]

アネット: やっぱり、そうですよね……。ごめんなさい、変なこと聞いちゃって！▼

Anette: I knew it... I'm sorry for making you listen to such a weird question.

[Dimitri]

ディミトリ: 近く、学級対抗戦が催されるそうだな。訓練を怠らないようにしなければ。▼ 先生は、俺たち生徒個人の能力を把握し、的確な指導をしてやってほしい。▼ 実りある戦いにするのはもちろんだが、戦うからには勝ちたいだろ、先生。▼ 大修道院は初めてだと言っていたな。折角だ、俺から簡単に案内させてもらおう。▼

Dimitri: We will soon be holding a mock battle against the other classes. We mustn't neglect our training. ▼ I wish for you to ascertain each students individual abilities and instruct us precisely. ▼ It's sure to be a rewarding experience either way, but of course I want to win, Professor. ▼ You mentioned this was your first time at the monestary. In that case I shall give you some basic information on it. ▼

[選択可:施設の利用]

[Select: The use of facilities]

ディミトリ: 大修道院内の施設は、士官学校の生徒や教師にも利用が許可されている。▼ 例えば、食堂では他の者と食事を共にでき、訓練場では一対一の稽古ができる。▼ ここで生活する人々の話に耳を傾けながら大修道院内を散��してみるといい。▼

Dimitri: The facilities inside the monastery are permitted to be used by all the students and teachers. ▼ For instance, you can go to the dining hall to enjoy a meal with others, or go to the training hall to have one-on-one matches. ▼ It would be a good idea to lend an ear to what the people living here have to say, while you wander through the monastery. ▼

[選択可: 掲示板とクエスト]

[Select: The bulletin board and quests]

ディミトリ: 大修道院の各所には「掲示板」がある。先生は、見たことがあるか？▼ 掲示板には、各所からの依頼や門前にある市場の情報が掲示されている。▼ こういった依頼に応えることで、使えるようになる施設もあったと思う。▼ 掲示板の情報は、頻繁に更新される。毎節、一度は確認しておいたほうがいい。▼

Dimitri: There are various bulletin boards throughout the monastery. Have you seen them, professor? ▼ On the boards you'll find requests from various places posted, as well as information on the market in front of the gates. ▼ By responding to these requests, I think you will eventually be able to use more facilities. ▼ The information of the board gets updated frequently. It would be best to check them whenever you have the chance. ▼

[選択可: 行動力]

[Select: Activity meter]

ディミトリ: 当然のことではあるが、何の施設にしろ利用すると相応の時間がかかる。▼ 一日を無駄にしてしまわないよう、計画立てて行動した方が良いだろうな。▼

Dimitri: Although this should be obvious, an appropriate amount of time passes as you use each facility. ▼ It would be best to carefully consider your activities, so that you do not let an entire day go to waste. ▼

[選択可: 指導レベル]

[Select: Instruction Level]

ディミトリ: この士官学校の教師は、極めて高い水準の指導力を求められる。▼ 生徒だけでなく教師も、分野を超えた知識を習得し、研鑽に励まなければならない。▼

Dimitri: The professors at the monastery are expected to meet exceedingly high standards of leadership. ▼ So they too, not just their student, must strive to acquire knowledge outside their field and study diligently. ▼

[Dedue]

ドゥドゥー: 殿下はお前を信頼すると��った。ならば、おれがお前を信じない理由はない。▼ お前が殿下に刃を向けるというなら、話は別だがな。▼

Dedue: His Highness told me he trusts you. Therefore, I have no reason not to believe you. ▼ If you ever turn your blade against him, it will be a different story however. ▼

[Sylvain]

[If Byleth is male]

シルヴァン: よう、先生。暇してるんなら、一緒に街にでも出ませんか？▼ まだ見ぬ美女を捜しに……。……いや。冗談です。そんな目で見ないでください。▼

Sylvain: Hey, Professor. If you are free, would you care to go into town with me? ▼ I'm still looking for beauties I haven't seen yet and... No. I was joking. Please don't look at me like that. ▼

[If Byleth is female]

シルヴァン: よう、先生。暇してるんなら、一緒に街にでも出ませんか？▼ 美味い飯を出す宿場を見つけたんですよ。これは、先生を誘うしかないと思いまして！▼

Sylvain: Hey, Professor. If you are free, would you care to go into town with me? ▼ I found an inn that serves the most amazing food. I feel like I just have to take you there! ▼

[Felix]

Speech Bubble: ...It's you.

フェリクス: ……何か用か。▼

Felix: … Need something?

[選択:剣の相手を]

[Choose: Spar with me] +Support with Felix

フェリクス: ……ふ、面白い。▼

Felix: .... Heh, interesting.

English has him explain he doesn’t have time right now. Presumably because nothing happens after this. lol

[選択:用はない]

[Choose: It's nothing]

フェリクス: なら、さっさとそこをどけ。目障りだ。▼

Felix: Then get out of my way. You are blocking the view.

Felix is extra special rude here, since you can also translate the second line to calling you an eyesore.

[Ashe]

アッシュ: あ、先生も植物を見に来たんですか？凄いですよね、ここの温室は。▼ 王国では見たこともないような薬草や、珍しい花がたくさん植えられているんです。▼

Ashe: Ah, did you come to look at the plants too, Professor? This greenhouse really is amazing. ▼ They are planting all sorts of vegetables I haven't seen in the kingdom before, and a lot of strange flowers too. ▼

[選択:あまり興味が……]

[Choose: I'm not really interested..]

アッシュ: あはは、そうですよね……僕も、教わるまで植物なんて全部同じだと思ってましたから。▼

Ashe: Haha, yeah before I was taught about them, plants all seemed the same to me too.

[選択: 詳しいの？]

[Choose: Are you well informed?]

アッシュ: 僕の養父が詳しいんです。見分け方や、調薬なんかも教えてもらいました。▼

Ashe: My adoptive father is the one who is well informed. He taught me how to tell the plants apart and care for them. ▼

[Continuing]

アッシュ: 先生も、気が向いた時に花を眺めてみるのがいいと思います。楽しいですよ。▼

Ashe: I think it would be a good idea to look at the flowers whenever you can, Professor. It's a lot of fun.

[Mercedes]

メルセデス: この士官学校に来る前はね～、王都で、魔道の学校に通っていたの。▼ アン……ええと、アネットのことよ。アンとは、そこで仲良くなって……▼ あ、ローレンツもいたんだったかしら？▼ 少し年上の私にも親しくしてくれるアンは私にとって、かけがえのない親友なの～。▼

Mercedes: You see, before coming to the academy~, I attended the school of sorcery in the capital. ▼ Ann..- I'm talking about Annette. I got to know Ann at that place.... ▼ Ah, I think Lorenz also attended? ▼ Although I am a bit older than her, Ann got pretty close to me, so I consider her an irreplacable and dearest friend of mine~. ▼

[Ingrid]

イングリット: 青獅子の学級ルーヴェンクラッセの名は、ファーガス神聖王国初代国王の尊称から取られているんです。▼ 青き外衣を翻す“獅子王”ルーグ様。多くの騎士道物語に活躍が描かれています。▼ 書庫には、いろいろな書物があるはずです。もちろん王国史や、騎士道物語も。▼ 是非、読んでみてください。きっと新たな発見があるでしょうから。▼

Ingrid: The Blue Lion's name derives from the honorary title of the first king of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. ▼ The „Lion King“ Loog, always garbed in blue. His deeds have been immortalized in various chivalric tales. ▼ The library ought to have many books about him. Historic accounts as well as chivalric tales of course. ▼ Please read them if you get the chance. I am sure it would give you a new perspective. ▼

Pre-mock battle discussion

ディミトリ: いよいよ模擬戦か。はは、腕が鳴るな。先生はどうだ？▼

Dimitri: It is finally time for the mock battle. Haha, I am eager to put my skills to the test. How about you, Professor?

[選択:楽しみだ]

[Choose: I am looking forward to it]

+ Support with Dimitri

ディミトリ: 良かった。先生の采配、期待してるよ。俺たちも、勝利のために力を尽くそう。▼

Dimitri: I am glad to hear it. I have high hopes for your command, Professor. We shall also give everything for the sake of victory.

[選択: 勝てるかな]

[Choose: „I wonder if we can win“]

There’s nothing listed in the script. I wonder if it’s a gap. Again, something to check for later.

[Continuing]

ディミトリ: 大丈夫だ。手強い相手かもしれないが、きっと勝てる。▼

Dimitri: It's all right. Our opponents may be difficult, but we will surely win.

クロード: やあ、お二人さん。作戦会議かい？　俺たちも交ぜてくれよ。▼

Claude: Hey, you two. Having a stragey meeting? Please let us join in too.

ディミトリ: 勘弁してくれ、手の内は隠すものだろ。相手が強敵なら、尚更だ。▼

Dimitri: Spare me, Claude. It's only natural to keep our hand concealed, isn't it? Even moreso if the opponent is so formidable.

クロード: そりゃあ光栄。ならば期待に応えて、俺たちも奇策を用意しておかないと、なあ？▼

Claude: Now that's an honour. To live up to such expectations, should we come up with some plans of our own, or..?

エーデルガルト: ええ、貴方たちがどんな手で来ようとも、それを上回る戦術で打ち破ってあげる。▼

Edelgard: That's right, no matter what you may come up with, we shall tear it down with superior tactics.

ディミトリ: いや、張り切るのはいいが……。あまり、無茶をしないようにな。▼

Dimitri: Uh, it's nice to see you so invested... Just don't overdo it, okay?

エーデルガルト: へえ。敵の心配をするなんて、随分と余裕があるようね、ディミトリ。▼

Edelgard: Huh, you must feel pretty confident to be worrying about your enemies, Dimitri.

クロード: おやおや戦いはまだだってのに、そんなに熱くなって……我が学級は楽をできそうだ。

Claude: My my, the battle hasn't even started and you are already fired up like that... My class should have an easy time of it.

ディミトリ: そういうつもりじゃ……いや、悪かったよ。何はともあれ、実りある戦いにしよう。▼

Dimitri: That's not what I-... No, I am sorry. Whatever happens, let us make it a rewarding experience.

エーデルガルト: ふふ、それはこちらも同じよ。そうでしょう？▼

Edelgard: Hehe, the sentiment is mutual. Isn't that right?

Okay, so this line is skipped entirely in the English script and it is Dimitri who asks the question. Maybe because it does sound weird that Edelgard would single out Byleth for this when they are on opposing sides, but I can’t be sure. Would need to find a playthrough of the Japanese version to confirm.

[選択:お手柔らかに]

[Choose: Please go easy on us]

クロード: おっと、先生の本心はわかってるんだ。負ける気はないって顔に書いてある。▼

Claude: Now just wait, I can tell how you really feel, professor. Your face has „We won't lose“ written all over it.

[選択: 負ける気はない]

[Choose: We won't lose]

エーデルガルト: そう。貴方がそう言うのなら、手を抜いてあげる必要はなさそうね。▼

Edelgard: I see. If you say so, there is no need to hold ourselves back.

[Continuing]

マヌエラ: あらあら、みんな揃ってお喋りかしら？すっかり仲良くなったようね。▼

Manuela: My my, you've already gathered for a nice little chat, haven't you? You seem to get along perfectly well.

ハンネマン: 君たちが親睦を深めるのは大変結構だが、そろそろ作戦会議の時間だ。▼

Hanneman: Although deepening your bonds with each other is quite animportant matter, it's time for the mock battle to begin.

クロード: もうそんな時間か。それじゃ、お二人さん。また後でな。▼

Claude: It is already? In that case, I'll be seeing you two later.

エーデルガルト: 貴方たちの力量、確かめさせてもらうわ。▼

Edelgard: I shall determine your abilities.

Before the Battle

ディミトリ]さて、そろそろ開戦の刻限か……。勝敗は先生の指揮次第だ、頼んだぞ。▼

Dimitri: Now then, it's about time for the battle to begin... The outcome depends on your orders, Professor. We are counting on you.

I skipped most of Jeralt’s dialogue cause it’s mostly the same every route.

[Turn one]

ローレンツ: クロード、お前の浅知恵など必要ない。僕とイグナーツ君で敵の出鼻を挫いてやる。▼

Lorenz: Claude, your shallow tactic won't be necessary. Myself and Ignatz are going to hinder the enemy's approach.

イグナーツ: ええっ、ボク！？まだ心の準備ができてませんよお……▼

Ignatz: U-uh, me!? I haven't mentally prepared yet...

English simplified this to “I’m not ready yet”, which is also correct, but it sounds a bit more adorable in Japanese.

クロード: やれやれ……向こうの先生を侮ってないか？油断すると痛い目に遭うと思うがなあ……。▼

Claude: Oh boy... are you making light of the professor we’re facing? If you're too careless, I think you'll be in for a painful experience...

エーデルガルト: ドロテア、貴方も前に出てくれる？敵を中央に誘い出したいの。▼

Edelgard: Dorothea, can you go ahead as well? I want to lure the enemy into our midst.

ドロテア: 了解、エーデルちゃん。私にお任せあれ。▼

Dorothea: Understood, Edel-chan. Leave it to me.

エーデルガルト: フェルディナント、ヒューベルト。二人は敵が来たら足止めを……機を窺うわ。▼

Edelgard: Ferdinand, Hubert. If the enemies approach, you two will stop-.... wait for your chance.

Edelgard has a weird pause in this sentence in Japanese. Like she is reconsidering something maybe?

フェルディナント: ふっ、任せてくれたま��。私一人でも役不足なくらいだとも！▼

Ferdinand: Hah, simply leave it to me. I’d say this is too simple a task, even were I alone.

ヒューベルト: くくく……貴殿一人では力不足ゆえ、主は私の名も挙げたのですよ。▼

Hubert: Hehehe... It is because of your own lack of skill, that my lady brought up my name as well.

Hubert has the most stereotypical evil anime villain laugh of all time. The only reason I didn’t translate it as “Muahaha” is because it doesn’t flow as well in English.

[Defeating Lorenz]

ローレンツ: チッ、この僕が負けるなんて……。模擬戦とはいえ腹立たしい……！▼

Lorenz: Tch.. To think I could be defeated... Even for a mock battle, this is most irritating.

This is cut down a bit in English

[Defeating Ignatz]

イグナーツ: あはは、やられちゃいました……。新しい先生の指揮、流石だなあ。▼

Ignatz: Hahaha, you got me... The new teacher's commands are really something.

[Defeating Hilda]

ヒルダ: もー！　あたしなんて、放っといてくれればいいのにー！▼

Hilda: Come on! You could have just left little old me alone, you know!

[Defeating Hubert]

ヒューベルト: むう……新任の教師の力の一端を、見られただけで良しとしましょうか。▼

Hubert: Well... I suppose I'll have to be satisfied with simply having observed the new teachers strengths well enough.

[Defeating Ferdinand]

フェルディナント: エーギル家の嫡子たる私がそんな…… くっ、もっと鍛錬しなければ……！▼

Ferdinand: To think this could happen to a son of House Aegir... ugh, I'll have to train more.

[Defeating Dorothea]

ドロテア: あら……新しい先生は、随分なやり手みたいですねえ。▼

Dorothea: Oh my... the new professor seems quite capable.

[After defeating the other Golden Deer]

クロード: やってくれるね、先生。これは本気でかからないとな……！▼

Claude: You did well, professor. I'll need to take it seriously from here..!

[If Edelgard gets close before the Golden Deer are dealt with]

クロード: ２つの学級と同時に戦おうってのか？へえ、たいした自信だな。▼

Claude: You going to fight two classes at once? Heh, that's some self-confidence you got there.

エーデルガルト: 勝機が見えたわ……。黒鷲の学級アドラークラッセ！　一気に畳みかけなさい！▼

Edelgard: I've spotted my chance... Black Eagles, go forth as one!

[If Claude gets close]

クロード: この森を利用して敵を迎え撃つぞ。みんな、援護してくれ！▼

Claude: We'll attack our enemies using these woods as cover. Everyone, back me up!

[Approaching Claude by going around the woods]

クロード: おっと、回り込んできやがったか……。こりゃ強引に迎え撃つしか手はないな。▼

Claude: Oops, you got around... Looks like I'll have to use brute force.

[Byleth vs. Claude]

クロード: 俺は戦術はともかく戦闘はからきしなんだ。だから手加減してくれよ、先生。▼

Claude: Aside from tactics, I'm not much for the battlefield. So please go easy on me, Professor.

Byleth: ….

クロード: 真顔で頷かれると困るが……。冗談ってのは、わかってるよな？

Claude: Going along with such a serious expression is quite unsettling... You do know that was joke, right?

[Dimitri vs. Claude]

クロード:……なあ、王子様。お前、実はエーデルガルトに惚れてるんじゃないか？▼

Claude: … Hey, Prince. You're actually pretty sweet on Edelgard, aren't you?

ディミトリ: 無駄口を叩くのはやめておけ、クロード。隙だらけだぞ。▼

Dimitri: Stop with the idle chatter, Claude. It leaves you wide open.

クロード: おっと、その落ち着きっぷりは外れか。動揺を誘ったつもりが、残念、残念。▼

Claude: Oops, that didn't phase you at all. I was trying to make you slip up, what a shame.

[Defeating Claude with other Golden Deer still around]

クロード: あらら、やられちまったか……。他の奴らの活躍に期待するしかないな。▼

Claude: Tsk tsk, you got me, huh... Looks like all I can do is put my faith in the other's efforts.

[Defeating Claude after the other Golden Deer]

クロード: おっと……油断しすぎたか。金鹿の学級は、これで敗退だな。

Claude: Oh... seems like I was careless. Looks like this is it for the Golden Deer.

[Defeating Hanneman]

ハンネマン: 実戦を積んだ者の指揮は、流石に違うな。我輩が手も足も出なかったよ。▼

Hanneman: As expected, having actual experience with commanding in battle really does make a difference. I couldn't hope to measure up.

(If Manuela is still around)

マヌエラ: 去年あたくしの学級が勝った時は、褒めもしなかったくせに、その態度の違いは何！？▼

Manuela: When my class won last year, you didn't give me any praise, so what's up with that change in attitude!?

[Edelgard getting close after dealing with the Golden Deer]

エーデルガルト: 隙のない見事な用兵ね、先生。こうなったら、正面から当たるしかない！▼

Edelgard: You really are a peerless mercenary, Professor. In that case, I'll have to strike from the front!

[Byleth vs. Edelgard]

エーデルガルト: 何においても貴方を倒さないと、勝利はなさそうね。行くわよ！▼

Edelgard: It seems no matter what, there can be no victory without defeating you. Let's go!

[Dimitri vs. Edelgard]

エーデルガルト: ディミトリ、勝負よ。ここで優劣を決しておくのも悪くないわ。▼

Edelgard: Face me, Dimitri. No harm in testing our mettle here.

ディミトリ: ……いいだろう、受けて立つ。君が相手であろうと、手加減はしない。▼

Dimitri: … Very well, I accept. I can't hold back with you as my opponent.

エーデルガルト: そうこなくてはね！▼

Edelgard: That's the spirit!

[Defeating Edelgard with other Black Eagles still around]

エーデルガルト: 私を撤退に追い込むなんて……。厳しくなりそうだけど、頑張って。▼

Edelgard: To think I'd be forced to retreat... Things might seem bleak, but do your best.

[Defeating Edelgard after the other Black Eagles]

エ��デルガルト: そんな…黒鷲の学級アドラークラッセが、こんなあっさり負けるなんて…▼

Edelgard: No way... the members of the Black Eagles shouldn't have been defeated so easily...

[Defeating Manuela]

マヌエラ: やるじゃない。これ以上、無理をしたらあたくしが医務室のお世話になっちゃうわ。▼

Manuela: Now wasn't that something. If I push it anymore, I might be in need of the infirmary.

(if Hannemann is still around)

ハンネマン: マヌエラ君を退けたか。我輩も心してかかるとしよう。▼

Hanneman: You took out Manuela? I should be carefull myself...

[After winning]

ジェラルト: よーし、そこまでだ！今回の模擬戦の勝者は……！青獅子の学級ルーヴェンクラッセだな！▼

Jeralt: All right, that's enough! The winners of todays battle... are the Blue Lions!

ディミトリ: この勝利は皆の活躍あってこそだ。ありがとう、よくやってくれた。▼

Dimitri: This victory was achieved by all of us. Thank you, you did well.

[After the battle]

ディミトリ: ……先生！ここにいたのか。捜したんだぞ。▼ 今日は、みんなで食事にしようと思って。反省会を兼ねた、祝勝会だな。▼

Dimitri: … Professor! This is where you were. We've been looking for you. ▼ We thought we should all go to the dining hall to eat something. A victory feast to serve as our debriefing, basically. ▼

[選択:祝勝会？]

[Choose: A victory feast?]

ディミトリ: ああ。ほら、あれだけ戦ったんだし、腹も減るだろ？▼

Dimitri: Yeah. Come now, you must be hungry after all that fighting, right?

[選択: 自分も？ ]

[Choose: Me too?]

ディミトリ: 当たり前だろ。今更、何を言ってるんだ。

Dimitri: Of course. What have I been telling you so far?

[Continuing]

シルヴァン: ほら先生、早く来てくださいよ。今日の殊勲者がいなきゃ、始まりませんって。▼

Sylvain: Hey professor, just hurry up and come. We can't well start without the most distinguished of us.

アネット: そうですよ！　私たちが勝てたのは、先生のおかげじゃないですかっ。▼

Annette: That's right! We only won thanks to you, professor.

フェリクス: ……そこの、正攻法しか知らん猪よりは、幾分かまともな用兵だった。▼

Felix: … Compared to that boar, who knows nothing but frontal attacks, your tactics were somewhat decent.

イングリット: フェリクス。あなたは本当に、隙あらば殿下に因縁をつけて……。▼

Ingrid: Felix! You’re really trying to pick a fight with his highness at every opportunity...

Bit less of a direct reprimand than in English

ディミトリ: いや、いいんだ、イングリット。事実、先生の采配は見事だった。▼

Dimitri: No, it's fine Ingrid. Our professor's orders truly were amazing.

Lacks the line about encouraging to speak freely.

メルセデス: ……それにしても今日は疲れちゃったわね。私、お��が減ってもう駄目かも……。▼

Mercedes: Either way, today was really tiring. I seem to also be quite famished...

アッシュ: あはは……実は、僕もです。そろそろ食堂に行きましょうか。▼

Ashe: Hahaha, me too, to tell the truth. Let's go to the dining hall already.

ディミトリ: ……なあ、先生。あまり、嬉しくはなさそうだな。▼

Dimitri: … Hey, Professor. You dont seem very happy.

[選択: そんなことはないが……]

[Choose: That's not the case...]

ディミトリ: そう言う割には、眉一つ動かさないから。▼

Dimitri: Even as you say that, your eyebrows aren't moving an inch.

Sounds a bit weird, but that’s how he puts it. Aka, you are as expressionless as always.

[選択: よくわからない……]

[Choose: I don't understand...]

ディミトリ: ……まあ、無理もないか。▼

Dimitri: ... Well, I guess it’s understandable.

[Continuing]

ディミトリ: 先生。俺たちはまだ出会ったばかりだし、難しいのかもしれないが……▼ 俺は、先生とも喜びを分かち合いたい。折角、こうして一緒にいるんだからな。▼ きっと、それはみんなも同じだと思う。 ……ほら、一緒に行こう、先生！▼

Dimitri: Professor, we've only just met, so this might be a bit difficult... ▼ I want us to share in each other’s joy. After all, we're finally here together like this. ▼ I am sure the others feel the same. … Okay, let us go together, Professor. ▼

#nanigma translates #3H #blue lions

25 notes · View notes

kob131 · 4 years ago

Text

https://xenodweeb.tumblr.com/post/625501428616675328/whelp-you-cant-shame-me-for-trying-but-youd

Whelp, you can’t shame me for trying, but you’d rather continue doubling down on bitching about people being mean about your precious abusive company and licking Mile’s boots on your high horse while defending incest ships and pushing someone to contemplate suicide over criticizing a character death in a cartoon and then claim there’s nothing wrong enough about that to change.

https://twitter.com/KOB13x/status/1278244097732550656

So how about this time, you DON'T overwork the creator and fuck them over?

Cool so you’re just being a shittier version of me then?

You know, considering that your points against me are ‘fake suicide attempt’ and ‘incest ship’ while mine was ‘fundamental disrespect for people’s way of life’ and ‘blatant hypocrisy.’

Kob, You’ll never be better than me because I don’t literally claim I regret what I did one post and then dismiss what I did the next and I tried to back off and try to seek for some level of actual humanity within you, something you clearly don’t have while you decided to go “U-Uh, yeah, but you did the same thing in the past so it’s cool when I do it to u.” (Nice doubling down with that homophobia BTW)

Quote: “ All without remorse, something I showed by stopping when it happened. (Even as the parent thread shows- I never tried to get them to kill themselves.)”

Showed. I rerated it back then but now i honestly I do not care because it doesn’t fucking matter as you showed.

BTW That wasn’t a ‘you did too!’ thing. It was a ‘Clearly you being bisexual means nothing here’. Also nice job saying that I’ll never be better than you the literally dehumanize me. Also also- You called a lesbian a psycho for not being perfect. I literally chose that example because I knew you were gonna pull that card so great job implying you’re a homophobe considering your statement was far more offensive.

I don’t fucking use shit from years ago against them as sick gotchas, then get mad because people are joking about how you’re basically “cancelling” them while also playing the victim when the same is done to you.

Except you literally responded to me with that. ( Didn’t you push someone to attempting suicide because they were critical of Pyrrha’s death? / #I GOT NOTICED BY THE PEDOPHILLIC SHIP APOLOGIST / #MISTER 'IT'S EPHEBOPHILIA ACTUALLY )

Ps, what the fuck is this bullshit

You DO disparage people for their political beliefs, you do it all the fucking time with RWDE, don’t lie you gaslighting sack of shit.

Disparage. Noun. ‘regard or represent as being of little worth’. I have never disparaged anyone for their political beliefs or even the blatant lying you pull. I never say you are worthless or inherently worse for those. Maybe your ACTIONS, which are separate from political beliefs, but not your beliefs.

If you don’t want to be called a bigot, don’t preach about how we should just give people who disagree with our political beliefs huggie wuggies because we don’t want to hurt the fee fees of people who still believe viruses that have killed hundreds of thousands is considered a hoax, see masks that help against said virus are oppressive, claim free health care is still considered communism in certain countries and/or continue to whiteknight for the police despite constant fucking acts of vile police brutality, you parasite fuck.

Not pictured: anything to do with bigotry.

Pictured: Disparaging people for their political beliefs.

Also pictured: Assuming shit about me.

Just as I am fine with people not wearing masks as a choice, I’m fine with businesses and companies denying people for not wearing masks. I respect their freedom.

I never said to respect people who believe the Coronavirus is a hoax. Very different from portraying them as inferior people though.

My issue with free health care is that politicians lie about it a fuckton and America is fundamentally against something like free health care due to our focus on individualism while a free health care system on average would hold everyone countable for the health of others.

And I haven’t whiteknighted the police. In fact, in the Eric Garner case, i publicly say that the police fucked up. (https://kob131.tumblr.com/post/620292630957473792/what-were-your-thoughts-on-the-eric-garner-case)

So congrats on that.

Just admit you want to pretend marginalized people don’t exist so they can’t threaten your “Centrist” safe space and go back to beating off to Ruby being fucked by her uncle and harrassing people who diss your shitty internet anime and rot, you literal piece of shit.

You say as I openly uphold that race, sexuality and gender don’t fucking matter. You know this because the post you’re screenshotting from has me outright state the similarities between us (our mental condition, race and gender) is superficial.

You say as I have publicly exploded on Nazis.

You say as I gag at incest hentai and manga.

You say as you openly do WORSE than what i did to JSWV so clearly you don’t think it’s harassment.

Then again, even after my friends have been suicide baited, my reputation dragged through the mud (at least two of my followers thought I was a Nazi before actually talking to me), I have been suicide baited despite openly saying I was suicidal, being told I’m a shit person in every conceivable way- I still don’t pull this shit. So way to go proving what I said before.

Also your a nazi for sympathizing with literal nazis over the marginalised, fuck you.

You say as my one interaction with a Nazi was to effectively tell them to fuck themselves with a white hot dildo and the point you are referring to (That Hitler was a normal person like anyone else so people should watch out) only works if I think Nazis are BAD.

Then again, you’re a coward who knew they couldn’t respond to the post in full and couldn’t let people see the full thing so you blocked me and took screenshots to refer to two points and then lie throughout the rest.

Just like I said- You do not understand me in the slightest. Nor are we alike in any meaningful capacity. Even the fact that you blocked me is proof of that, considering I am adamant in not blocking people or even turning off Anon despite the shit I get because of it.

You weren’t looking for humanity or anything like that, as my post repeatedly showed you failing to connect to m. You were trying to avoid the fact that you fucked yourself into a corner and changed the subject to salvage yourself. Evident by the fact that the stuff that shows how NOT alike we are was cut for your post.

Get it through your thick skull- We are not alike. You are, however, alike to the delusion you have of me.

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screamingatanemptyroom · 5 years ago

Text

I Can’t Eat Love 25/26

Hey everybody. Wasn’t sure where to cut it, so I’m posting both parts together!

The party is here. Bad schemes afoot.

Master post linked here.

Enjoy!

___________________________

This feels like a trap.

I walked into the ballroom of the royal palace, unable to shake a sense of dark unease that hung over me. I glanced around the room, admiring the golden decorations, and the guests enjoying themselves in small groups, each dressed in the latest and finest fashion. Despite the beautiful and jovial atmosphere, there was a tenseness, an anxiety I couldn’t shake. I was on the King’s territory, and I still had no idea as to what his plans could be.

Things started going wrong right from the beginning.

“I’m sorry miss, only servants from the royal palace may serve in the banquet tonight.” A palace steward blocked Hallers’ path as soon as we entered , explaining his actions with an apologetic smile.

I frowned. “Is there no way I can bring him in? I depend on him greatly in all matters.”

The steward shook his head. “This regards Their Majesties’ safety, and so I’m afraid I cannot compromise on this.”

Hallers looked distraught for a brief moment, before gathering his composure and stepping back. I stopped in my tracks, staring back at him, feeling unsure. Hallers was always nearby to support me, and especially tonight, with my worries… I didn’t want to be alone.

But I had no reason to be exempt from the rules, and I couldn’t defy the King’s orders. With a smile in Hallers’ direction to reassure him, I turned back towards the ballroom, preparing to head in with my family.

Mother had traveled home, making it back in time for the banquet, and now stood beside father without expression. She and I hadn’t spoke since her arrival, I glanced over at her, studying her composed appearance, beautiful in her gown, which was a blue so dark it was almost black. Mother must have sensed my gaze, our eyes met as she smiled coldly at me.

“Ready to enter? Or would you like to delay us further because you don’t want to be separated from your servant?” Her voice was mocking, the clear dislike in her eyes obvious to everyone around us.

Father shifted uncomfortably, but didn’t speak up in my defense. I felt a brief flash of disappointment in him, before dismissing his presence from my mind. Instead I smiled prettily at my mother, enjoying her discomfort at my reaction.

“Thank you for your concern, Mother. I was being too selfish. You are a shining example of nobility and faithfulness, and I can only hope to learn from you in the future.” I curtsied, carefully not letting any sarcasm escape my voice.

Mother’s face went pale. “You smart mouthed brat!” She hissed. “How dare you disrespect me…”

“But Mother,” I interrupted, my smile widening. “I only said you were noble and faithful, why would this upset you?”

She gaped at me, her face now red with anger, as she realized she had no answer to that. Chuckling, I turned away, preparing to enter the ballroom.

“Ready?” I asked Henry, who stood at my side with an uncomfortable expression.

He tugged on his collar. “Can I go back home to the greenhouse?”

“Nope.”

“Then yes, I’m ready.” He offered his arm, and we walked down he steps into the main ballroom together. Multiple stares turned in our direction as the steward announced us, and I fought to keep my expression unchanged. Between the public dissolution of my engagement, the rumors of my supposed affairs, and the even darker whispers that the Duchy of Armeny was financially ruined, I had become a target of scrutiny and speculation.

The moves Marile had made with Prosperity had quelled the worst of the rumors, but there was still quite a few who seemed to revel in the misfortunes that my family and I had fallen into. I ignored them, however, keeping our pace slow and measures as if no one was staring at me at all.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with the attention. Henry leaned over, whispering. “I feel like a piece of meat at the market.”

I glanced around, noting that many of the young noblewomen were eying Henry with interest. As the young, unmarried Duchy’s heir, many had set their sights on him as a good match. The intensity of their stares were a little much, though.

“I really want to go back to the greenhouse. The plants are a lot less frightening.” He murmured, frowning.

“Head up, eyes forward, just pretend they aren’t there.” I answered quietly. “No one will force the issue with the Queen present. Just make sure not to dance with any one girl too many times or speak with them too long. Otherwise it might be interpreted as you forming a match.”

He blinked. “I think I’m just going to hide behind you if that’s okay.”

“Suit yourself.” We stopped speaking as we reached the king and queen on their thrones. I curtsied and Henry bowed, the motion near perfect, a testament to all the practice I had forced him to undergo.

“Your majesties. Happy Birthday to the Queen.” I kept my gaze down politely, but the Queen obviously had no patience for courtesy, she stepped down off her throne, grabbing me and pulling me into a tight hug.

“Sweetheart! I was afraid you wouldn’t make it!” She sounded so relieved, I felt bad for her.

“I apologize, we were delayed…”

“None of that matters now that you’re here!” She embraced me again. “Let’s go catch up!” She tugged on my hand, leading me away.

Nonplussed, I looked up at the king, concerned for a moment that he would be upset with the Queen, but his expression was calm, looking unconcerned about his wife’s actions. His gaze met mine, and I shuddered with fear. He was smiling, maintaining a perfectly happy and content countenance. Despite his son’s multiple failures to force me back into an engagement with him, the king looked as though everything was going perfectly according to plan.

The feeling of being trapped increased.

“Dear, I’m so sorry.” The Queen lowered her voice so only I could hear. “Ronan brought along that girl along today.”

My eyes snapped up, seeing Edith standing off to the side. She was sipping from a wine glass, a superior smile on her face. Despite the Prince’s lack of official announcement of their relationship, her presence at this party alone was considered an elevation of status. Even as I considered this through, the Queen’s apologetic tone startled me out of my thoughts.

“I tried to tell him to not bring her, but he insisted that they are simply close friends and it would be rude to ignore her.” She snorted. “As if I’m that stupid. But the king intervened and said it would be fine, so I had no choice but to agree.”

I patted her on the arm. “Don’t worry about it, I have no resentment seeing them together.” And it was the truth. I felt nothing but a weary relief that I didn’t have to marry the Prince, and although I disliked both of them, I preferred them getting along. It made it less likely that the prince would come around again and bother me.

But the real question was, why had the king supported her being there?

Had he changed his mind regarding forcing our marriage? My forehead wrinkled as I thought of a worse possibility: Had he simply decided that it didn’t matter whether I was willing or not?

I felt an urge to run away. Perhaps sensing my discomfort, Queen Amerande rested a hand on my arm.

“I’m here for you. Let me know if you need help.”

Silently I nodded and she left me alone.

___________________________

I chatted with a few of the guests, avoiding the prince, Edith and my parents while carefully maneuvering around the room. A few dances had passed. I danced once with Henry, and then felt a familiar hand tap on my shoulder.

“Nate!” I found myself smiling unconsciously, and quickly hid it. He on the other hand, looked openly thrilled to be talking to me.

“May I have this dance?” With an easy familiarity, we danced together, and I felt myself relax slightly.

“How much longer can you stay before returning to Tilendria?” I asked, watching his smile falter slightly at the question.

“I can’t delay my return much longer.” He continued to lead me around the room, his steps synchronizing with my own. “My Father has already written me several times reminding me of my duties at home.”

I was startled at that. “You shouldn’t ignore that! Why have you stayed so long?”

“…” He stared at me silently, a wry grin tugging at his lips. “I had a goal I was trying to accomplish.”

“Is it not going well?” I cocked my head to the side, watching as his cheeks were stained with red.

“It’s more like I’m terrified of failing, so I haven’t made a true attempt.” He muttered, avoiding my gaze.

“You don’t seem like the sort to frighten easily.”

“I’m not. I’m just facing a powerful opponent.” He smiled, and I felt my heart skip a beat in my chest as it lit up his whole face. “But I haven’t given up yet.”

“Well, you are one of the smartest and kindest people I know.” I smiled back, curious as his face was now bright red. “I’m sure you’ll succeed.”

“Ah—um, yes, I hope so too, thanks.”

“If there’s anything I can do to help, just ask.” I chuckled. “After all, you’ve already helped me out so much!”

He finally looked up, and I was startled to see a mix of happiness, fear and sadness in his eyes. “I’m happy to have your support. But I’d rather you not feel indebted. Everything I’ve ever done for you was something freely given. Don’t feel as if you need to return the favor.”

“…” I shook my head, confused. “Don’t be too worried about it. I’m not one to be forced to do something I don’t want to do.”

“Good.” He tilted his head towards the side of the room, where the Prince and Edith stood. “Did the little prince finally give up?”

“I hope so.” I sighed quietly. “I have a bad feeling about tonight, though.” I felt silly bringing up concerns like this without evidence, but Nate simply accepted my words immediately.

“I’ll keep an eye out for anything suspicious, and if you need help for anything, I’ll be right there.”

His words brought me a small sense of relief. “Thank you.”

The dance came to an end, and we separated from each other. To my surprise, however, instead of escorting me back to the side he continued to hold onto my hand while performing a deep, respectful bow.

“Thank you, Lenora, for honoring me with this dance.” Gently, he kissed the back of my hand, before releasing it and offering his arm to escort me.

I stood there, stunned, my cheeks burning and my mind racing as I followed beside them. I almost asked him what he had been thinking, but noticed that despite his calm appearance, the arm I was holding was trembling and his ears were bright red. Thinking better of it, I followed beside him silently, smiling without fully understanding why.

As Nate dropped me off by Henry and walked away, a dazed expression on his face, my cousin leaned over to whisper in my ear.

“The prince looks angry.”

I turned in the direction he was gesturing in, and saw Ronan, standing next to Edith, both of whom were staring at me. Edith was frowning, a strange expression on her face as she glanced continuously between me and Nate. Ronan’s face was red with anger, he glared at Nate’s back before looking at me with disgust. I simply shook my head and turned back towards Henry, ignoring him.

Why would he care who I danced with?

Nervous, I looked over to the King and Queen. The Queen seemed delighted, calling over Nate to talk to him, giving him what appeared to be a lecture. Nate stood calmly, nodding at her words. The King studied Nate with a thoughtful expression, his eyes narrowed. Slowly his gaze moved over, crossing over me.

He smiled, the expression confident, composed.

I shuddered, and looked away.

___________________________

Soon it was time to present gifts to the Queen. At a larger party this ceremony could take hours, but fortunately the Queen had limited the guest list to a more manageable group. Ronan went first, presenting his mother with a jewel encrusted necklace, spouting words of affection and respect that seemed scripted.

The Queen politely accepted it, her eyes seeming a little sad as she watched her son perform for the crowd.

Edith was pushed next, brought to the front of the line by the Prince. She also presented jewelry. It as beautiful, and obviously expensive. I briefly wondered how she could afford such a gift, but watching Ronan’s expression, it was clear who had paid for it.

The Queen took the jewelry delicately, as if avoiding touching the girl, setting the gift beside her immediately with a simple word of gratitude.

Edith frowned at the Queen’s response, but still seemed excited about being the center of attention. She curtsied, wobbling slightly with the gesture, and smiled brightly as she stood at the Prince’s side, her positioning a clear declaration of the Prince’s preferences. There were scattered whispers around the room as the nobility saw this, but eventually the crowd settled down and it was my turn.

“You Majesty…” I stepped forward and curtsied, only to be halted by the Queen as she held up a hand.

“Please don’t be so formal, dear.” She smiled. “We will never be related by marriage now, but I consider you my daughter. Please, I would be honored if you would call me ‘mother’.”

The room descended into chaos at these words.

Out of my peripheral vision I could see Nate beaming and Henry laughing. My mother’s face was dark with anger, glaring at the Queen with hatred. My father was staring off in the distance, unconcerned. Edith’s face was ugly as she stared at me, her gaze seeming to be trying to burn holes into me with its intensity. Ronan seemed confused. Only the King watched calmly, his expression never changing.

I had to answer.

Forcing myself to smile easily, I stepped forward and embraced the Queen instead of curtsying.

“Mother. Happy Birthday.”

I still held onto my reservations, fear, and painful memories regarding the Queen, but for now it would only do both her and me harm to reject her kindness publically. Queen Amerande smiled broadly, looking for all the world as if her truest wish had come true.

“Ah, Daughter, now I am happier than I ever have been. Any present you try to give me now will pale in comparison to the one you’ve already given.

I grinned. “Despite that, let me present my gift.” I held out a box, which she opened with a gleeful expression. Pulling out a simple gown of a dark red color, she looked at it with a smile.

“I hope that you can forgive any mistakes, it was handmade by myself.” I started to curtsey again out of habit, but stopped when the Queen raised an eyebrow. With a smile she started to examine the simple appearing gown closer.

“It’s lovely…” She started to compliment her present, but in the audience, a loud derisive snort could be heard.

The Queen turned a cold gaze onto Edith, who had made the noise. “Does Miss Edith have something to say regarding my daughter’s present?”

The titles of “Miss” given to her, and “Daughter” given to me were obviously meant to remind the girl not to overstep, but unfortunately she didn’t seem to understand the Queen’s warning.

“Forgive me your Majesty,” She smiled ingratiatingly and curtsied. “I just felt that this simple dress is not appropriate to give to someone of your eminence.”

The Queen frowned. “This was made through her hard work and time, and is therefore much more valuable than any common jewels or baubles that can be purchased on a whim.”

Edith and the Prince flushed red at her words, obviously referencing their gifts. I smiled at Queen Amerande, stepping forward to speak in defense of my present.

“Actually, Mother, This dress has many layers. This is the simple exterior.” I reached down, releasing a tiny button and folding back the skirt. Reversed, the now revealed inner layer contained intricate silver embroidery of flowers. Looked at from further away, it would appear like a glittering garden around the Queen’s feet. “This is the hidden value.”

As I revealed the true nature of the dress there were gasps of surprise from around the crowd. I kept a calm smile on my face and stepped back without commenting further. I was the owner and designer for “Prosperity” after all, how could I present the Queen with a subpar design?

She stared at her present, smiling with tears in her eyes. “Thank you! It’s beautiful!” She reached out and hugged me again. “You didn’t have to work so hard just for me.”

“I was happy to.” I murmured, waiting for her to let me go before stepping back to join the crowd.

There was a brief uproar as people stepped forward to study the dress, but soon things were organized again and the presents continued. The remainder of the gift giving ran smoothly, almost to the end, until Nate stepped forward with a smile and a bow.”

“Your Majesty, I’m afraid I only have this small gift for you, but I hope you will accept it.”

With a small flourish, he held out a small wooden chest. It was delicately engraved, and sapphire graced the top cover, lending elegance to the object. The Queen stepped forward, examining it closely, and opened it to reveal a velvet lined interior with a small recess for a single object, although it currently was empty.

Her mouth opened in shock. “A Chest of Gratitude?”

Confused silence reigned over the party. Even I stared at him, unsure. What was Nate thinking! A Chest of Gratitude was a traditional gift a man would give his mother-in-law! It was to thank the woman for raising his true love, and she was meant to keep a lock of her daughter’s hair within that recess. It was a common practice for both the rich and poor, and often presented during a serious courtship to announce the suitor’s true and noble intentions.

But Ronan was Queen Amerande’s only child!

Perhaps it means something different in his country. The thought made sense, so I used it to explain the oddity in front of me. I felt intense stares from several different people in the room, but ignored them.

Queen Amerande threw back her head and laughed loudly. “Thank you, Nate. You have a difficult road ahead of you.”

Nate smiled, bowing again. “Some of us were born to walk difficult roads, Your Majesty. I won’t turn away from hardship.”

With that he stepped back into the crowd, his cheerful grin only confusing me further. I felt the answer was clearly in front of me, but the closer I tried to look at it, the more a sense of pain and terror invaded my chest. Feeling overwhelmed, I decided to put it to the back of my mind and not think of it further.

The King stood up, clapping his hands. “Let’s all go to the adjoining room, where a marvelous birthday dinner is waiting.”

It was the first thing the King had ever said that I had approved of. Resisting the urge to give a cheer, I followed the crowd towards the banquet hall.

___________________________

A long table had been set, groaning under the weight of hundreds of dishes. My mouth watering, I waited impatiently for a groomsman to show me to my seat. Surprisingly, he led me to the opposite end of the table, far away from the King and Queen.

I would have thought she would want me nearby. A stray thought crossed my mind and unconsciously I found myself looking towards the Queen. Her face was red with irritation as she argued quietly with her husband, a finger pointing in my direction.

Ah. So it wasn’t her idea. I felt relieved at this, before pushing the emotion away. Meeting the Queen’s gaze, I shook my head slowly, letting her know I was okay with where I was sitting. After all, Ronan and Edith were sitting on that end of the table. At least I could eat in peace here. The Queen looked frustrated, but finally nodded her assent and the banquet started.

The food was delicious. As I happily tried different dishes, Nate who sat to my right leaned over with a smile. “Which ones are your favorite?”

I indicated the preferred dishes with a quick gesture of my utensils, and he chuckled. “Noted. Next time I’ll make you dishes similar to those.”

I swallowed the bite of food in my mouth. “Really? You can even make dishes like these?” Previously, after the incident with the debt he had kept his word and made me a simple stew at my request, which had been delicious, but this food seemed much more complicated.

Nate’s confident smile didn’t waver. “I can make it even better.”

“Then I would be glad to try.” At my simple answer he looked extremely happy, barely touching any more of the meal on his plate as he excitedly discussed different foods he would like me try.

As we spoke, a servant stepped between me and Henry who sat on my left, and poured wine into my glass. Feeling thirsty I started to reach out to grab my glass…

Only to stop as Henry pinched my elbow.

“Don’t drink that wine!” He hissed quietly, not looking up from his plate.

I reached out and grabbed my wine glass, pretending to take a sip. The wine looked normal, the only difference I could sense was a slightly floral aroma. I set the wine down and continued my meal, every muscle in my body tensed.

“What’s wrong with it?” I asked quietly, pretending to eat.

Henry shook his head, his eyes filled with anger. “There’s dissolved Gentle root in your drink. I smelled it when the servant poured it just now.”

I raised an eyebrow. “A poison?”

“Of sorts.” He stabbed his food with his knife, obviously trying to hide his rage. “It will confuse the senses, simulating drunkenness, and then render you unconscious.”

“…” I thought over the ramifications of that, my face going pale.

I was staying in the palace tonight.

What was the one way the King had left to force a marriage between the prince and I, a way that would tie me with iron clad chains to his son?

I clenched my hands in my lap, so tightly I could feel the bones creaking under the pressure. I lifted the glass again, using the moment as I pretended to drink to examine the rest of the room. The Queen and Edith were talking, although neither looked happy at the moment. The King sat there silently, paying no attention to me. Ronan however… He glanced over frequently in my direction, a smirk playing across his features as he saw me drinking the wine.

My stomach rolling, I set down the wine glass once more, this time very close to Nate’s glass.

“What’s wrong?” Nate whispered, pretending to eat as usual.

He had noticed. Feeling a slight warmth at the thought, I quietly relayed to him Henry’s discovery.

“Those bastards!” Nate cursed, even as he kept his face calm and even. “What do you want to do?” He tried to smile, but didn’t quite manage it. “Any revenge you want, I’ll help you carry out.”

“I have a plan.” I whispered instructions to him, and he nodded in agreement.

I reached out grabbing the nearby glass of wine and drank it steadily through the meal. I slowly began slurring my words, and swaying slightly in my seat. My words were just a little too loud to be polite, my laugh raucous and unrestrained.

All through it, Nate’s wineglass sat in front of him, untouched.

Finally, towards the end of the banquet, I staggered towards the head of the table, fumbling through a curtsey with the Queen.

“Y-your Majesty.” I spoke slowly, as if trying to force my words to remain clear. “I’m afraid I’m a bit…” I swayed on my feet, my eyes unfocused. “Unwell. Is it okay if I go to room to retire for the night?”

Edith muttered quietly “How shameful, she’s drunk!” But I ignored her, focusing on the Queen.

Her face only expressed concern. “Would you like me to come with you?”

I felt warmth in my heart at her words, but shook my head. “No, I just need to rest.”

As I walked to leave I had to pass by the Prince and Edith, and on my way… my feet moved awkwardly, slipping out from under me, and I crashed into both of their chairs. Nearly knocking both of them to the floor, there was some unbridled chaos as the three of us extricated ourselves.

“HOW DARE YOU?!” Ronan yelled, before glancing at his father and quieting down.

Edith looked enraged. “You crashed into His Royal Highness! You should be punished!”

I looked up at both of them from my spot on the floor where I had sat after falling, blinking owlishly. “Sorry. Must have tripped.”

I got up unsteadily, almost tripping again, forcing the Prince and Edith both to stand and take a step away from me, as they were afraid of being knocked down.

“Cousin, let me escort you, so that you don’t fall again.” With a gentle smile, Henry stepped forward and grabbed my arm, helping me out of the banquet.

“Let me come too!” The Queen jumped to her feet, pale with worry. I turned reaching out and hugging her.

“Let me go, I’ll explain later.” Hearing my obviously sober voice, she seemed shocked, but quickly regained her balance and nodded, saying loudly. “You’re right, daughter. It would be rude to leave my guests so soon. I will check on you in the morning.”

“Thank you.” I meant it sincerely. As I left with Henry, leaning on him heavily, I heard Nate cry out loudly.

“A TOAST!”

Smiling to myself, we left the banquet hall, and made our way to my room.

___________________________

As soon as we were there, the palace maids took over, wanting to help me change. Henry and I nodded at each other as he left, and I let the maids help me into my nightclothes, continuing to sway and slur my speech. Falling into bed, I asked them to leave and without another word they left me alone, further cementing my suspicions about what was about to happen in my mind. Despite my obviously intoxicated state, none of the maids volunteered to watch over me.

I sighed silently, waiting to be alone.

Once the door had closed I sprang into action. Changing into a pair of loose black pants and shirt and tying my hair up in a black cloth, I retrieved all of my hidden throwing knives, securing them to my belt.

“You look like a bandit, why do you own an outfit like that?” Henry stepped out from behind a painting, where the secret passages could clearly be seen behind him.

I worked on the streets as a spy for months. I couldn’t say this explanation of course, so I simply shrugged. “I like to be prepared.”

“That’s a good strategy, given the present circumstances.” Henry smiled.

“Did it work?” I asked, feeling nervous.

He gave a nod. “It did. During the chaos Nate and I each switched out a glass. They both received the Gentle Root.”

“Good.”

Silence fell over us as we waited. He shifted uncomfortably. “Are you sure they’re coming?”

I nodded. “Once they’re certain I’m asleep, and every one else has gone to their rooms, they’ll be coming to retrieve me.”

“… I’m sorry this has happened to you.” Henry looked so grieved, I couldn’t help but smile and try to comfort him.

“At least I had you here today! Otherwise…” I shook my head, not wanting to think about it.

We waited for quite some time before footsteps could be heard outside the room. Henry and I nodded at each other, each taking a spot on either side of the door, ready to move. From the other side, we could hear two voices, complaining.

“This is taking forever, do you think it’s time yet?”

“You saw how she looked when she left the hall, the Gentle root should be in full effect by now.” The answering voice chuckled, an ugly sound. “Then it’s just a matter of picking her up and delivering her to the prince’s room.”

Both Henry and my faces were grim. I had suspected the plan ever since discovering the poisoned wine, but to hear it stated so plainly…

“Well let’s go.” The men opened the door, striding into my room quietly, waking towards the bed.

We reached out at the same time knocking the two men face forward to the ground. Before they could react, Henry stepped forward, dumping a powder onto their faces. After sneezing a few times, they were quickly unconscious.

I whistled in appreciation. “That’s some powder.”

“I made it myself. I was thinking it would be worthwhile as a self defense weapon… it seems to be fairly effective.”

“That’s an understatement.” Nate, stepping through the secret passageway, smiled as he saw the unconscious men. “Good work.”

“Did they drink?” I asked stepping away from my attempted attackers.

“I made them toast at least five or six times.” Nate grinned. “They definitely drank some.”

“Good.” I turned to Henry. “Can you dump these two in an empty room, maybe put some empty bottles near them so it looks like they were drinking?”

Henry nodded. “Done.”

“Then let’s go.” I waved Nate on, and we stepped into the passageway.

I navigated the passageways with ease, moving silently. Finally we reached our destination. I stepped into the room unhesitatingly, Nate behind me.

Prince Ronan laid on the bed, unconscious. I stared at him furiously for a moment.

Although I figured the extent of their plan had simply been to place me into his room, and have me “discovered” there the next morning, my reputation would have been damaged beyond recovery. My fists clenched, the desire to strike him overwhelming.

How dare they?

With a sigh I turned away, gesturing to Nate. “Grab him.”

A sad expression in his eyes as he watched me, Nate stepped forward without hesitation, hoisting the prince over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

We stepped into the passage again, and when we exited we were in another room.

I smiled at the surroundings, and the young woman sleeping deeply on the bed.

“Dump him on the floor.” I pointed to the floor next to the bed. Nate put him down, stepping back solemnly.

We watched the sleeping couple for a few silent moments. I felt a burning sensation in my stomach, tired of the entire business.

“Do you think less of me?” I asked quietly.

His eyes were harsh as he studied the couple. “It’s more than they deserve.”

Reaching down, I grasped the prince’s shirt and ripped it open. Leaving the rest of his clothes intact, I stepped back into the passageway, ending up in my room once again.

“Are you alright?” Nate asked, watching me with a worried expression.

“I- I don’t know.” I shuddered with fear, acutely aware of how close I had been to falling into the King’s trap. Nate reached out, hugging me tightly, a comforting warmth surrounding me.

“You have us by your side. No matter what.” He whispered by my ear, before stepping back into the passageway, leaving me alone to my thoughts.

___________________________

The next morning I stepped into the hallway outside Edith’s rooms. A palace maid opened her outer door to my knock, her face confused to see me so early.

“Miss? Lady Edith is still asleep in her room.”

“I need to speak to Lady Edith urgently. Please wake her now.” Seeing my concerned expression, the maid nodded, opening the inner door to check on her.

She then shrieked in surprise. I looked over her shoulder, giving out a surprised shout.

“Your Highness! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN EDITH’S ROOM?!”

The sound of the maid’s cries and my shouts woke all the guests and soon the hallway was filled with people. Edith and Ronan, still groggy from the drugged wine, were now staring at each other with silent shock.

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!” The King’s roar shook the walls around us, and he entered, his royal robes askew, his face red with rage.

The maid, terrified, explained what she had found. The Queen, who had just arrived, shook her head. “We’ll announce their engagement immediately.”

I smiled, watching the scene with satisfaction. I had given Edith and the Prince exactly what they wanted, at the same time ensuring that there was nothing the King could do to force me to marry his son now.

But as I met the King’s eyes, the smile slowly faded from my face. He stared at me, a small smile tugging at his lips, his eyes filled with a deathly rage. He looked ready to kill.

This wasn’t over.

#writing #i can't eat love #multiple part post #plots schemes #second life #second chance

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