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phoenixyfriend · 4 years ago

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Fake Sith TCW Trio

I have another fucked up time-travel AU! Who’s surprised? (Nobody.)

So like. Have you guys read that one fic where Luke and his students go back in time and pretend to be Sith Lords and are super hammy about it? (Sith Lord Swell by AMournfulHowlInTheNight)

This AU has contributions by @atagotiak, @the-lunar-system, @purronronner, @gelpenss, @creepingthroughthistidalwave, and @thisarenotarealblog.

I want TCW trio (plus Rex and Cody) to go back to several years pre-TPM and, since the Council DEFINITELY won't believe them about the Sith being back... they'll force the issue.

Anakin is weirdly excited about things and building up their backstory.

Anakin: Okay so I can definitely be a Maul type, with the unhinged ranting and manic laughter, Obi-Wan can be the whole Refined Rich Guy type like Dooku, where you can't even tell he's evil until he starts talking about getting out the eyeball scoops, maybe toss in a bit of mad science stuff? Ahsoka could play up like Ventress OR, oh oh, she can be the Light Side Child we need to PROTECT who's publicly begging us to return to the Light after our big dramatic Falls where we murdered like eighty people to save her, and-- Obi-Wan: Why are you never this enthusiastic about actual undercover missions. Ahsoka: Did you just have all this ready to go, or...? Anakin: WE COULD GET YELLOW CONTACT LENSES FOR ME.

Obi-Wan: How's my evil laugh?

Anakin going “Okay.. so if any of us need to murder someone to sell the bit it should be me, I think I could handle it the best. Why? No reason.”

Obi-Wan: I'm not sure a complete Fall could come from protecting Ahsoka, really-- Anakin: No, no, it could.

Obi-Wan: Surely you’d hold back because you realize neither of us want that for you. Anakin: Uh. Sure. Definitely.

Obi-Wan points out that none of them can channel the dark side to Prove they're Sith and Anakin just goes "Okay, give me like two seconds to stew in my negativity and--right, you can stop staring in horror, please."

Anakin rambles on that they can TOTALLY make the galaxy a better place while playing at being Sith! He's got a whole LIST of slave empires to "take over" and disassemble!

Anakin has a whole excited spiel about how EVIL soldiers and assistants are minions, in this case partly because Cody and Rex are too good at what they do to be mooks. Cody could pull off evil minion very well. Facial scar? Looks good in black? Quietly competent and sarcastic?

He also pushes for Obi-Wan to lounge in a fancy throne with a glass of wine while Anakin stalks the shadows and Ahsoka hangs out on the window ledge. The disaster lineage is dramatic, okay, Anakin’s just leaning into it, he’d appreciate it if everyone stopped looking at him like that.

Qui-Gon, surprisingly, ends up a skeptic about all of this. Everyone is freaking out about the Sith and he’s like “y’know I’m not even sure they’re darksiders.”

Some Jedi, possibly Qui-Gon for his conspiracy board, gets in a real risky situation and one of the Fake Sith saves them, but also panics and kinda drops character for a bit.

Jedi: You saved me! Why’d you do that? Anakin: I uh... just wanted the pleasure of killing you myself?

"You saved me. Why?" "Mmmm. Jedi." [walks away]

Qui-Gon: [trying to figure out what is up with these people semi-competently (from his perspective) pretending to be Sith] Dooku: [trying to protect Qui-Gon from Sith influence]

The gang is the most successful at pretending to be Sith to Dooku. Sure, they’re not gonna punish him for something he hasn’t done, but it’s not hard to act menacing and angry around him.

(They really do have so much fun irritating the heck out of Dooku. He hasn’t Fallen yet, but they want to keep an eye out.)

At some point, future Obi-Wan definitely drops that little tidbit of "What, you didn't think the Banites were the only Sith running around did you? You... didn't even know about the Banites. How... disappointing."

They REGULARLY use Ahsoka as an excuse to be marginally less terrible. They claim that if Ahsoka pouts, they stop. ‘Soka also uses them as an excuse for why she’s a lil feral. (To be fair, that one is accurate. She was already a lil feral before but it’s not like they did anything to stop it.) Ahsoka gets her "breaking into people's offices" jollies by bugging Nute Gunray's office.

The Jedi keep trying to Rescue Ahsoka.

Rex and Cody end up in real beskar, there's a whole Thing with Mandalore and Jango and Satine.

Obi-Wan is CONSISTENTLY worried about Anakin Falling for real, which... hey, at least he knows to be worried about Anakin Falling. Step up from canon, really.

Anakin is WAY too into killing the Hutts but like. It does... technically sell the bit.

Obi-Wan: Sure, I’m not sad that they’re dead, especially because we’re not connected to the Republic, so we don’t need to worry about starting a war and all that. But. Anakin is disturbingly cheerful about this. Rex: Wasn't he a Hutt slave? Obi-Wan: Well yes, but-- Rex: I'd kill Nala Se if I could get away with it.

Cody and Rex are very supportive of Anakin's murderous intentions.

Obi-Wan does understand anger, even killing someone in anger. Like Maul (the first time at least) and D’nar and a few others. All the same, like... y’know. The level of bloodthirst from the others is a little off-putting.

At one point, Anakin accidentally addresses young Obi-Wan by name, despite never having met before, and to cover it up, he... panic-flirts. He panics, and so he flirts, with young Obi-Wan.

(He will later blame this on old Obi-Wan, because he had to pick up the habit of flirting with the enemy from somewhere.)

Anakin vaguely implies that he's a wee bit obsessed with young Obi, and that the padawan should "get used to being the target of a dark-sider's interests," because he’s scrambling for Ominous Shit and, well, future Obi-Wan was pretty frequently a fixation point for darksiders, right?

The second he gets out, he just starts screaming into a bucket while Rex pats him on the back.

For the next however many terrible months, possibly years, he has to keep up the act while having an ongoing meltdown about how That's My Dad As A Twenty-Something.

(It doesn't help that young Obi-Wan reflexively flirted back.)

Old Obi-Wan, meanwhile, is just very "you dug this hole yourself, padawan."

There is an argument at the beginning about Obi-Wan’s outfit. If he’s gonna be a Sith, he can’t just go around in beige, but he’s like “I like this and it’s comfy.” Sure, he’s changed clothes for undercover stuff, but that’s always been temporary, y’know? He likes his beige.

We have a number of options.

My first instinct? Beige linen three piece suit, like a southern lawyer. "Now I may just be a simple Outer Rim force adept--"

And, of course, you can TOTALLY make the beige sinister: he’s impersonating a Jedi! Jedi impersonation would also explain why nobody has a red saber.

“Sure is good that the Jedi don’t seem to realize most of the galaxy doesn’t know red sabers are different and bad.” “Shhhh, stop poking holes in our story where a Jedi might overhear.”

Like.... if you do enough doublethink, it works! How would a Sith hide? In plain sight. Also, it’s a GREAT way (if they were actually assholes) to try to slander the Jedi name.

(Anakin and Ahsoka still think he could stand to put a little more effort in. Add a splash of color, for pity's sake!)

Though tbh part of me is like “What if Old Obi wore, like... a split skirt suit...” Victorian womenswear inspired because he misses his robes, but he has to look Professional, and like he's MOCKING Jedi instead of BEING one, so he wears a vintage-y split skirt thing over his leggings. Ends up looking a lot like what Ventress had for a while, but Beige. I also keep wanting to put him regency menswear.

Anyway. Obi-Wan’s wardrobe aside...

Anakin builds up his Tatoo accent again. It helps him with the (mostly true) "slavery helped me fall" backstory.

Either Cody or Rex offhandedly mentions being made to serve them (the Fake Sith) and now the Jedi are somewhat concerned about brainwashing. Are these Mandos the victims here?

“No like. Literally made for this. In a lab.” This is even more horrifying. So...

On the one hand good! The Jedi should be scared about Sith! On the other hand... it makes the Jedi more determined to stop them, specifically. They keep on getting in the way, just, all the time, and they’re not investigating the actual Sith problem, which is decidedly not great since the Team doesn’t actually know who’s a real Sith right now, except Maul, and who even knows where that guy is.

Obi-Wan, at some point: Do you think we've succeeded at this ruse... a little TOO well? Anakin: I don't follow. Obi-Wan, gesturing at the truly obnoxious amount of wealth they've collected, including "trophies" of their kills: Really? Because I'm a little worried! Anakin, planning out a battle to take on Nar Shadda: ...I'm not.

"How many people do we realistically we need to take over Hutt Space? Apparently... five."

(Mostly because Anakin is ridiculously op.)

ANAKIN AND YOUNG OBI GET KIDNAPPED BY PIRATES TOGETHER. It's tradition.

Anakin: Okay, so, I need to get really angry about something to pass as a Sith... time to think about my WIFE and how I'll NEVER SEE HER AGAIN.

Since Anakin’s life never goes as planned... this does not work. Instead of getting properly angry, he makes himself sad. There are tears. There is wailing. There’s a distraught rant or two. Young Obi ends up awkwardly trying to comfort him.

“Oh no, this… Sith?? Is crying on me. What do I do???”

Later on, when the Council wants intel: "So... one of the Sith cried on me about his wife. I think she's dead? He wasn't very clear about it but it, uh... it sounded like it might have contributed to his Fall. Also the relationship was a little unhealthy? He basically worshiped the ground she walked on and kept ranting about how he would have given her the galaxy on a platinum platter of she'd only asked, but that might be new and inspired by the Dark."

One of the random Jedi is REALLY good at detecting the truth Through The Force, and asks Anakin how he Fell...

Anakin just. Tells the Tuskens story.

They don't get pinged as lying, but oh boy does old Obi have a LOT of questions for Anakin once they're in private.

There are other things happening to help sell the ruse. Some of them are necessary! Some of them are... not.

Obi-Wan: What's the best way to show we're rich and kind of evil, but like... classy about it? Anakin, immediately: I sit on the floor next to the throne, leaning against it, and you call me pet names while stroking my hair, and then when you need something killed I get to do it for you and then I go back to the floor and you thank me for the directed violence, and then you go back to Negotiations with criminals while I’m sitting there covered in blood. Obi-Wan: ...is there something you want to TELL us, or...?

"You're all going to get a glimpse of something normally kept hidden about me." "Anakin, you don't have to do that." "No, I'm gonna."

(Anakin has decided hes going to peel his kink tomato to sell this ruse, and the others are slightly uncomfortable with that.)

Anakin: Okay, I cannot keep flirting with you. Young Obi: Wait, what? But that's the best part of any time we run into you! Anakin: You look WAY too much like my Master did when I met him. Obi: O...kay? If someone looked like my master when HE was young, I'd-- Anakin: My Sith Master half-raised me. He's basically my dad. Obi: ... Anakin: What's that look for? Obi: I mean, you spend a lot of time lounging at his feet, and, like, given how much you hate slavery, I... kind of assumed it was a kink thing? Anakin, brightly: Oh no, I just have a LOT of trauma. And neuroses. Snips says they’re neuroses.

Young Obi is a little upset because he was actually getting REALLY into Flirting With The Enemy and was hoping it would go somewhere. He mopes to Qui-Gon about it. Qui-Gon isn't sure whether to be proud about Obi breaking rules, or worried over Obi-Wan falling for a Fake Sith.

(As Tia put it: "You enjoy making young Obi-Wan have a completely unrequited crush on Anakin, don’t you?")

Fortunately, one of those attractive Young Mando boys very kindly helped him tape up his ribs this one time, and has thus caught his eye...

I feel like having Cody date Young Obi would court an entirely different kind of (internet) drama because clone ages, but whatever.

Also please imagine an element of "so I'm dating the genetic identical of my boss... who's dating the man I'm a genetic identical of..."

(It's probably not actually Jangobi but man would that be funny and also stupid.)

Somehow Young Obi figures out that the "Sith Master" is a future him before he realizes that they're not actually dark. In his defense, Anakin was pretty convincing. Especially with the wife rant. It makes HIM more obsessed with Anakin, in a reversal of the implied earlier dynamic, which is all kinds of weird. Less romantic but like. Still weird.

"Future Me Scares Me" with Extra stupid. "Future Me Annoys Me." "Future Me acts like grandmaster Dooku, but more sass." "Future Me raised a really hot evil guy that refuses to bang Present Me." "Future Me might be a Sith, but I'm getting more and more convinced he's just fucking with us all." "Future Me is really rocking that beard, and I can't BELIEVE we figured out a way around the babyface."

"I’m kinda concerned about the whole evil thing, but I’m also glad that I know I’ll stay hot as I get older."

Quinlan approves of the priorities.

Also a lot of interactions with older Obi are very Anakin: [does/says something deeply unhinged] Obi-Wan: So, do you want to…. Talk about that? Maybe? Anakin: What’s there to talk about?? I’m fine, everything’s fine! Anyways how about those plans for tracking down Maul?

Anakin later, like way after the ruse is lifted, just blankly tells everyone that he did Fall, once, and Older Obi made him get therapy about it after the truth came out between the two of them a few months into the Fake Sith thing.

Where'd they find a therapist? I'm sure there's one SOMEWHERE around. Denon and Herdessa are close enough, and they've done enough "your criminal empire now belongs to me" that they can pay well. They make sure to find one that takes confidentiality real seriously.

It's all very "we need some more time to unpack all that."

Therapy helps get Anakin to figure out Sheev’s whole deal. They don't necessarily figure out he’s a Sith from it, but they figure out he’s sketchy and they need to look into that more. Obi-Wan probably already thought he was sketchy, but the whole active gaslighting campaign was a little surprising. They realize that he kinda benefited a lot from a lot of Sith plots and they still probably don’t think he’s a Sith but Obi-Wan is definitely starting to think he’s working with one.

"Okay, we're already bugging Gunray, should we bug Palpatine just to be safe?"

They get away with a lot of slicing because Anakin is a technical genius from twenty years in the future.

The reasons they're so good at Taking Over Hutt Space: 1. They know parts of the future. 2. They have superpowers and FAR less reason to not use them, now that their actions aren't going to reflect on the Republic. 3. They have Cody and Rex, who are two of the greatest military minds in the galaxy, and know EXACTLY how to wage a war that covers a solid third of the galaxy, starting from a position of relative weakness. 4. Anakin's charisma is scary high, and his knowledge of slave culture means they gain a lot of trust from the people they free, and they just... keep acquiring volunteers for the army they didn't plan to have. Obi-Wan doesn't know what to do. He thinks they might have started a cult?

In his defense, Dooku sort of started a cult, and Komari got kidnapped by a cult, brainwashed into joining it properly, and then took it over as head figure of said cult. It's practically tradition!

Comics Vader is the central figure of like three different cults, it was really just inevitable.

Anakin: Aw, don't worry master, it's not a cult, it's a revolution! Ahsoka: They're worshiping him, though. Anakin: ...it's still a revolution! Just... with some misunderstandings.

Also, if they got wind of people trying to keep people from being able to leave and other culty stuff like that, they’d probably put a stop to it pretty damn quick.

Names! Time for names. As per usual, it's easiest to keep track of Obi-Wan's alternate Older Self by just calling him Ben.

Darth Ben.

Ahsoka: You should be Darth Boring. Obi-Wan: I can still make you run laps, you know.

Anakin: The Force is telling me to call myself Darth Vader. Obi-Wan: ...why? Anakin: I dunno, but it sounds cool, I'll run with it.

Someone: Ben has all the answers; we shouldn’t question him, ever. Ben: One time I lost a planet, and a five-year-old found it for me.

More options: Going with the "evil word with the prefix 'in' chopped off" that we get with Sidious and Vader: Darth Surrectus (as in insurrection) Just random Latin words: Darth Temporus (time) Darth Commenticius (fake)

Anyway, back to Nonsense:

Maul goes after young Obi early, because the Fake Sith are really invested in this one random Padawan (Sidious is saying he might be a cousin of the false Sith Master? They do look similar enough) so someone needs to investigate. Naturally, Anakin shows up with some wild screeching to fight Maul, and when someone questions why he got involved it gets very "Kenobi is MINE!" and like. Okay. So.

Anakin means it in a very Sith "to toy with" and "to torture" way, or the ‘my chosen opponent!’ way, just the same kind of Obsession as Maul had with Obi-Wan in the original timeline. Unfortunately, Anakin’s a weird-ass person who flirts with Young Obi against his own better judgement, so there's some awkward "Like... your boyfriend?" from young Obi. Anakin just screeches in SOME emotion that nobody wants to interpret, and couldn't even if they wanted to, and starts whacking away at Maul again.

(Anakin hasn't explained the "you look exactly like my dad, sorry, it's just too weird" thing yet, and he is HAVING MANY REGRETS.)

There's definitely at least one instance where a person asks Anakin if he's planning on dating That One Jedi Twink, or at least banging out the tension. At that point in time, Anakin doesn't actually know who the fuck they're talking about, because "Obi-Wan + Twink = Does Not Compute" for dear, dense Ani, and instead he just ends up ranting about how he is LOYAL TO THE MEMORY OF HIS LATE WIFE, how DARE anyone so much as INSINUATE that he would TARNISH HER PERFECT MEMORY and UNWAVERING KINDNESS and WHOLESOME BEING, and the person who asked doesn't end up lightsabered but they do end up with a LOT to tell whoever they're reporting to.

Young Obi-Wan definitely hears Anakin mutter the phrase “something to discuss with my therapist later” a few times, and he’s a little bewildered because darksiders definitely don’t seem like the type of people to go to therapy. They’re the type of people to need therapy, sure, but not the type to go to therapy.

I think it would be very fun for Young Obi to continue sighing over Anakin (who's pretending to be fine with it and even flirting back because he's in too deep to stop and hasn't worked up the courage to explain the elephant in the room) while Anakin is covered in grease and infodumping while having a slightly manic hyperfocus on engine repairs while the two of them Somehow got stranded together in the middle of bumfuck nowhere (it's Plagueis's doing, he finds the interactions between THESE two in particular to be the most informative regarding the fake Sith).

Anakin, at some point while stranded with young Obi-Wan, and having actually started unpacking some stuff in therapy, though he’s def still got a ways to go: I’m pretty sure Ben cares about me. He acts like he cares, like he’ll do stuff like put extra blankets in my quarters in the spaceship because I get cold real easily or track down those droid parts I need for a project and he always has my back in a fight but y’know it’d be nice to hear him say he loves me once in a while. Especially because we kinda had a rough start and idk I don’t think he wanted me around at first.

And uh. Obi-Wan definitely relates to that a bit too much, y’know?

I want to say that Young Obi ends up mentioning All That to one of the clones or Ahsoka later, because they seem probably invested in Anakin's well-being, even if Ben is, well, a Sith, so Obi-Wan's a little worried the man's affection really is fake, but at least Ahsoka...

(Ironic, given what Anakin's actual eventual Sith would-be-Master was like.)

Young Obi mentions Anakin’s most recent rant to Ahsoka, and she just goes "Wait, is that why Skyguy likes to sit by the throne and get called pet names?" "Uh... I don't... know... but it sounds like all of you have a LOT to unpack there, Miss Apprentice."

Later on: "Master Kenobi, you need to tell Skyguy you love him 'cause apparently he's been having a lot of emotions about you not telling him you care and he's been talking to mini-you about it whenever they get stuck together and--"

Young Obi-Wan is just constantly the "Now we don't have time to unpack all of that" John Mulaney gif. Anakin in particular is a mess, and young Obi-Wan slowly goes from "I want to date that" to "I want to study that" about him.

Obi-Wan gets stuck somewhere with Ben, tries to small talk, gets on the topic of Vader, and spills the drama. He gets an awkward “Thank you for bringing that to my attention.”

It’s followed by a fairly frustrated “I try, but Anakin refuses to communicate his needs to me, and it feels like I’m always falling short.”

At least one member of the group is in therapy, probably all of them, but they’re still using young Obi as a sounding board for all this stuff. On the bright side, this is probably good for impressing the importance of good communication on Obi-Wan.

Good for Obi-Wan! And... whatever Padawan he eventually has.

As for baby Anakin, who is approximately age four, I want to go with "Anakin decides to be his own uncle, and Shmi just rolls with it because fuck it, she’s not a slave anymore, and a Fake Sith is a solid defense against anyone trying to re-enslave them."

[This is a backstory I've had them use before (see here and here).]

Seeing Big Ani and Little Ani in the same space might be what finally pings the "oh shit, that's future me" thing for Obi-Wan... you know, if he’s ever allowed close enough to see Little Ani in the first place.

Little Ani stays with the fake-Sith and is sorta jointly trained by all of them, and young Obi-Wan teaches little 'Soka at the Temple. Ani and 'Soka still end up friends somehow, but it is fairly different.

Every time little Ani addresses Old Obi as "Dad," it's just like ten kinds of awkward. The one time someone tried to explain that Ben wasn't his new dad, Shmi glared them down. She is of the opinion that, all the gods be damned, Ani deserves to refer to the most mature man in his life, who raised another him in another timeline already, as a father.

Ani doesn't NEED a father, Shmi herself is more than enough, but he does deserve to have this if he wants it.

An alternative conclusion to the time travel is uh. So the Mandalorians are genetically identical (give or take a hair gene) and really resemble Jango Fett, though whether anyone notices that is up in the air. Then the three ‘Sith’ (two fake Sith and their morality chain tag-along) have three younger, identical copies show up….

It could be really weird cloning shenanigans. Now, it makes no sense that they’d make clones, and stagger their production like that, and leave them as babies on various planets for Jedi to find. IDK what reasons Obi-Wan would come up with for that, but it’s a fun little detour before he gets to time travel.

There's a really painful moment (for the audience, who know about canon Vader) where someone tries to convince Ahsoka to leave the Sith and she's just like "no way, they'd never hurt me!” Then she clarifies that “someone has to keep them from doing stupid Sith shit whenever they get bored, you know?"

A bunch of Jedi probably think she’s delusional, but the few that have seen her get into trouble that is legitimately too much for her, which isn't often, have then seen Anakin show up like the devil himself to save her, and it's like. Oh. This is why she isn't scared of them hurting her.

We’ve discussed how Anakin does get concerningly in character with the fake Sith thing. However, Anakin and Ahsoka are, just once in a while, surprised by how Ben gets sometimes when playing the bad guy.

After all, he stabbed a dude with a fork and threatened to eat him during his time as Hardeen…

He has the same dramatic streak as all the rest of the lineage. He can be vindictive and creepy and scary as fuck.

HOWEVER:

Obi-Wan: I know I'm supposed to be playing at evil right now, but how do we feel about me making that evil a little... fruity? Ahsoka: Fruity, master? Anakin, who knows where this is going: [buries face in hands] Obi-Wan: You know, the... [limp wrist] Ahsoka: ... Obi-Wan: I mean, I'm already bisexual and well-groomed, I can play it up.

What’s the point of being evil if you can’t be flamboyant?

Anyway, I had to put in a lot of thought for what to do with Rex and Cody, because there's a solid place for them in terms of strategy, but it doesn't do much to give them independent narrative arcs, and 'young Obi-Wan has a crush' isn't much of an arc, you know?

So, basic info first: Cody, Rex, and Anakin all hold the rank of General in this AU because, like... who else is gonna. Ahsoka remains a commander because everyone declares her Baby, and also to keep up the "I'm a morality chain" ruse.

Cody maintains a very stern and unyielding public persona, but the second they're behind closed doors, he's roughhousing with his little brother.

Rex has some fun pretending to be a sadist whenever he and Anakin have to team up, because hamming it up as an evil bastard in front of Jedi is actually really fun... but usually, he's a competent fucking professional.

Because here's the thing: someone has to be.

They both kind of hate the army they've gotten, because these people don't even have proper trigger discipline, let alone any actual discipline.

This army? Tragic. They hate it. Give them the clones.

They have to be drill sergeants for months before they have anything worth sending onto the field.

I think that might be how/when they end up reaching out to Jango. Like, the first inroad is absolutely "we're your clones from the future and you were a Shit Dad so you owe us," but then they actually talk him around into letting the Fake Sith hire him. He brings along all the Mandalorians he can get to answer his calls, and on suggestion from Those Mando Twins, joins the army Ben doesn't even want.

Darth Boring doesn't want an army! Unfortunately, Cody thinks that's stupid as hell, and is overruling Ben so they can actually work on this 'cleaning up the galaxy of slavery' thing with actual resources.

Cody and Rex are super competent, and it shows in their horrified disdain for the state of their troops.

Rex: Fucking natborns. Anyone who isn't in the know: What's a natborn? Rex: [leaves without answering] People: WHAT'S A NATBORN???

(I'm assuming that the word smush is harder to parse in Basic.)

I think young Obi-Wan's new crush on Cody should also be unrequited. Cody's just like... bemused. Very "Okay, then, that sure is an Affection you've decided on."

Cody and Anakin both: Sorry, it’d just be too weird. Obi-Wan: Why would it be too weird? Cody and Anakin: Reasons.

Rex has to deal with the "whyyyyy" from both his brother and his (former?) General.

Young Obi-Wan just likes cute boys that fight good! Is that so wrong???

Ahsoka: So since we're not officially Jedi anymore-- Obi-Wan: We're still Je-- Ahsoka: Can we date? Can I date now? I want to date someone before we go back to the Code. It's a classic life experience for most teenage girls, and I want to Have That Experience before we're back at the Temple. Obi-Wan: You're not... you can date, Ahsoka, that's not actually banned by the Code. I mean, you'd have to keep it casual, but-- Ahsoka: I CAN DATE!!!

(Great priorities, Ahsoka.)

An idea I'm toying with is that one of the clones ends up Legally Engaged to Satine for political reasons, and young Obi-Wan is just like ???? because not only can he not date the hot boys, but one of said hot boys has become Mr. Steal Yo Girl.

Young Obi-Wan is suffering, and Quinlan is the worst friend ever because Quinlan is laughing at him.

There is obviously the question of

"How would Satine ever end up agreeing to that, given what their public personas are like and all that? She puts duty ahead of personal feelings but all indications are that it’s a terrible decision both ways." (as stated by Tia)

Which, yes, I forgot to actually say that I was imagining Jango had declared "those twins" his heirs after telling people they were his younger* cousins. Because reasons.

* Jango is about 27 when they land in the past, and I’m going to say the accelerated aging ended after hitting physically twenty because no, I don’t want to deal with that. As far as anyone knows, Cody and Rex are about five years younger than Jango. They’re less than year apart, which isn’t very visible, and most people assume they’re identical twins (except Rex’s hair), and that Cody just looks slightly older because of the scar.

Darth Boring had convinced Satine that the way to keeping Mandalore peaceful was to work with Jango (because Darth Boring, which is not his actual title but it is what Ahsoka insists on calling him in private, has a vested interest in keeping Mandalore and all interested parties calm), and he... maybe accidentally set up a political marriage between her and one of the clones.

It wasn't on purpose! Satine never married in his timeline, okay, he didn't expect her to ever get married here, either! He didn't even suggest it! This just happened!

(I want to say that Cody would be more competent at having a political marriage? But IDK.)

Do I do the Satine thing? It has potential, but also it's a bit of a cop-out. Do I have Cody be a diplomatic representative for their pseudo-Sith empire? He could be, but I think he'd hate it. Do I have Rex date one the Chaos Entities (Anakin or Ahsoka), or is that too repetitive with my other works? THERE'S JUST TOO MUCH GOING ON.

Part of me wants Quinlan to get a crush on Cody, and the crush gets bigger specifically in response to the fact that Cody refuses to take him seriously and/or just doesn't give him the time of day.

Based on their one interaction in TCW, they probably let get along ok. Cody maybe likes him back, buuuuuuut internally he's just a little "you were tolerable at almost-forty; early twenties you is obnoxious."

Just imagine the absolutely puppyish attempts at gaining approval and Impressing The Hot Mando General. Quinlan keeps having vague daydreams of seducing someone to the side of the Light. He really leans into the bodice ripper fantasies of saving someone evil with the power of love! (And also the power of really good sex.)

Bant looks at Quin and Obi and wants to throw them both into the nearest pond because they're idiots, but on this topic they are the same flavor of idiot. She considers calling up Reeft and Garen to help her knock some sense into them.

Quinlan: Can I volunteer to go undercover to the Sith? The Council: No. Quinlan: ...what if I-- The Council: No.

Tholme tries to get Qui-Gon to commiserate over their Padawans getting obsessed with Hot Sith Boys, but Qui-Gon just finds the whole thing funny. He knows from the chats he has with Ben that Anakin feels so completely, utterly, incredibly awkward about all of this.

(Ben continues to hold to "Anakin brought this on himself.")

(Ben also “kidnaps” Qui-Gon a lot.)

Also, hey, at least Quinlan isn’t actually into hot Sith boys! He’s into hot Sith minions which is... probably a step up. At least Cody’s not a Sith himself!

It's a step in some direction but Tholme has no idea which one.

(Quinlan sees Cody in dress uniform once and just keeps the mental image for Ages. It’s in his dreams. Sometimes said dreams overflow to Tholme via Force Mind Magic and Quinlan wakes up to someone smacking his face with a pillow.)

Arguably, Quin's also a lot more romantic about his crush than Obi-Wan is, in this case. Quinlan: I want to save him... Obi-Wan: Hey, hey, cute boy. Look at me. Let’s bang.

Cody: There are currently two future Jedi generals having some form of absurd romantic fixation in my direction. I don't know how to feel about this. Rex: Bed them. Cody: ...I'm not saying that's not eventually an option, but one of them is the younger Kenobi, and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that. Rex: Pat him on the head like a tooka and then bed his friend, it'll be funny.

I think the Quinlan thing and also general exasperation of leading an absolutely useless army can function pretty solidly as the basis for Cody, but I have another idea for Rex now.

Komari is currently brainwashed in a cult, yes? So.

I keep bouncing around back and forth on what to do with Rex, but part of me suddenly really likes the idea of, after Team Fake Sith finds and dissolves the cult (as one does), and takes Komari into custody (because she's dangerous and deeply unwell), Rex kind of ends up her touchstone to being a decent person. He’s not a morality chain, and it’s not really a redeemed-through-love thing, just This Is A Solid Dude who doesn't pity her or thinks she's irredeemable (however you choose to define such a thing), but actually relates to the kind of conditions living like that can involve, and just kind of...

I don’t know. I think Rex's arc in this AU could be very heavily grounded in something to the effect of "You're not the worst darksider I've met. You're not the only person who was in a cult. You're not even the only former Jedi I know that's committed awful, horrible crimes. My question is just this: What are you going to do moving forward?"

Later Anakin: Wait, who do we know that was in a cult? Rex: What did you think Kamino was?

(Rex isn't as chill as he'd like her to think, but he's trying, and she's fairly reliant on the Force to understand emotions, and is currently in nullifying cuffs, so he can bluff.)

Komari needs someone solid and dependable to rely on for at least conversation, and I think Rex needs to feel needed.

I’m not sure if it’d be romance or friendship, but I think there's a solid basis to work with, potentially.

Per Tia:

One thing about Rex and shipping is like. If you want to do Rexwalker again that's fine, but if you're worried about repetitiveness but still want to like. Ship him in a non-political-convenience way. Rexsoka here actually would be different than your other stuff.

I'm trying to figure out if I can make it work because Ahsoka thematically fits very much into a little sister shaped hole here? She feels younger than in other works, despite not actually being younger than she is in, say, Commander Buir. In those other fics, she has some time alone to function and prove herself independently of Anakin and Obi-Wan.

I usually pluck Ahsoka out at sixteen if I'm pulling her from TCW, so she's got most of her competence but hasn't gotten quite all the trauma yet. Commander Buir, in particular, also has baby-shaped Anakin for contrast.

That said, I can see a decent source of narrative conflict in her wanting to experiment with romance and all that, and Anakin trying to tell her she's too young.

A year into this whole time-travel mess, she wants to give the dating thing a shot, and it spirals into "You were only two years older than me when you got married!"

I think I could build a plot out of Ahsoka wanting to do these things, and Anakin as an audience insert not quite processing that she's old enough to make these decisions. If she's choosing to date Rex, whose age works out as being close to hers when one takes into account Kamino fuckery, and whom she trusts absolutely, it’s arguably extra weird for Anakin to be upset with it.

"Senator Amidala was five years older than you, and you married her when you were nineteen and had only really known her for a week! I can go on a date with a guy we both know is one of the most trustworthy people alive if I want, Skyguy!"

I can definitely see Ahsoka getting annoyed with Anakin being overbearing and controlling at some point before that unrelated to romance, too. It’s not exactly a new fault of his.

My god, just imagine someone snidely asking Anakin "where's your little shadow?" and Anakin, being Himself and also a Fake Sith, has an emotional breakdown about how Ahsoka yelled at him for micromanaging her and not trusting her to make her own decisions in life and so she got herself a multi-month solo mission from Ben that Anakin isn't allowed to know any details about, and--

It's another one of those "oh, you have PROBLEMS problems with your mental health" incidents for the Jedi to add to the file, because Anakin having emotionally charged rants about his issues at seemingly terrible times is how they get a lot of information.

Some of the rants are planned.

Many of them, actually.

They want the Jedi to know these things.

Just, well. Anakin.

He really is a little Like That.

On that note, I'm low-key imagining that Anakin gets put on mood stabilizers by the therapist in this context, and he's doing good! He's handling his issues! He's--been captured with Obi-Wan the Younger again and his medication was confiscated.

Anakin is... not great. He's a little out of practice managing his unmedicated self, and when adding withdrawal symptoms onto that... poor Anakin.

(Poor Obi-Wan.)

I think it would be best if Anakin makes a bunch of ominous blustery comments at their captors about how they won't like what's coming to them if they take his belongings (AKA the fanny pack that has his backup pills), and then Obi-Wan just gets to watch Anakin get more and more erratic, because like. Yes, Anakin is using the Force to compensate, but unfortunately he's mostly cut off, and the stress of the situation is pushing him away from depression and into the beginnings of a manic episode.

Anakin is aware of his issues to the point where he's mostly managing, and he keeps asking Obi-Wan "would it make sense for me to [slightly deranged, very impulsive action]," and Obi-Wan realizes he's being the morality sounding board for the Hot Sith because ??? reasons?????

Eventually, Anakin does flop back in bed and dramatically throws his arm over his eyes, and says he needs his meds back, he's absolutely going to lose it, and Obi-Wan tentatively asks what kind of medication. There are levels to worry about. Mild allergy medication is one thing, but heart medication that needs to be taken every four hours is another, you know? He wants to know how much panic is appropriate.

Anakin lets him know that it's Psychiatric In Nature. Obi-Wan suddenly realizes that he really, really, really doesn't want to know what a properly erratic, unmedicated Anakin is like.

(An unmedicated Anakin really isn't nearly as bad as Obi-Wan fears. Anakin's been dealing with this for a while, and knows what his issues are and some of how to deal with them. He'd need to be running on no sleep and higher levels of stress, or to have been drugged with something meant to increase his aggression, to really lose his shit and do something worthy of Vader. RotS levels of stress and sleep deprivation is required to pull RotS levels of manic paranoid delusion.)

Tia asked:

How long does it take the Jedi in general to catch on to how like. They have opportunities. But these Sith never seem to harm any Jedi. And it’s not just like, the past timeline parts of the disaster lineage. They probably get opportunities to hurt other Jedi. Ones that are less skilled at saber work. And more importantly ones that they don’t seem weirdly interested in."

I'm not sure, really. The Jedi don't spend as much time in the Outer Rim as they could, and that's where the Team operates, so actually running into them by accident is unlikely for anyone other than Shadows.

Fortunately, it's really easy to toy with Shadows with the excuse of "I want to see how long it takes before you Fall with us."

I do want like... okay. Here’s the mental image:

Qui-Gon calls them out on being Fake Sith pretty quickly, so Ben just sort of eyes him, dramatically, and orders out "Leave us" to all non-team people. The threat of torture is implied but not stated. He gestures with wine to keep in character. He definitely makes sure Young Obi-Wan is ushered out, so it's just five time travelers, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Ahsoka's immortal force birb.

"...so, what's the reason for the farce, Obi-Wan?" "How in all the hells did you figure it out so quickly?"

(Qui-Gon cheated a bit. He could feel the broken training bond that was never properly severed due to Traumatic Death Of A Master on Ben's end)

Ben didn't realize he'd feel it! Young Obi-Wan can't feel his older self or a training bond with Anakin or Ahsoka, so why could Qui-Gon?

IDK if there would be anything on the level of crying and hugging it out, but I think it would be very funny if, every time young Obi and Anakin are getting captured by pirates or something, Ben and Qui-Gon are just having a nice afternoon tea and checking their watches to see if their respective walking bundles of neuroses are done with their adventure yet.

The Council is So Done, because Qui-Gon continues to insist that they're Not That Bad, but every time anyone other than Qui-Gon brings up the friendship, Ben laughs and makes a comment about how absolutely gullible Master Jinn is.

Obi-Wan is skeptical of his own experiences with Anakin, at least, if only because he's skeptical about Anakin's everything.

"I don't know if Vader is telling me the truth. I don't know if he's telling himself the truth. I don't think he's a great source of information even when he thinks he's being honest."

Anakin could tell Obi-Wan the full and complete truth, and Obi-Wan would worriedly put a hand to his forehead and start doing tests for hallucinations and paranoid delusions. In his defense, this is a very reasonable assumption to make with an individual like Anakin. It's just also not accurate, this time. I don’t know if Anakin hallucinates in canon without a weird inciting incident like Force Nonsense or getting drugged by the enemy, but paranoid delusion is pretty much all of RotS.

"I’m your time-traveling padawan who’s pretending to be a Sith to catch some other Sith who’re going to start a galactic civil war and those Mandalorians you like are from a clone army based on a template of Jango Fett made to serve the Jedi (because that’s totally something he’d sign up for), and one of the Sith is your grandmaster but he doesn’t seem to have fallen yet, it’s probably fine," is hard to believe.

Honestly, even if he seemed stable before saying that, which he doesn’t, it’s all real far fetched. There's a lot going on and Obi-Wan wouldn't even begin to believe it without evidence.

I've had it in my head that he and Bant and Quinlan have been gossiping about the mess for months if not years about these idiots, and at one point it became common knowledge that Ben was a Kenobi, and Bant convinced them (since the two were among the most likely in the entire Order to encounter the Fake Sith) to get a DNA sample, probably hair or blood since that's easiest so they can figure out HOW these two are related, if they are, and then there's a whole big thing.

Bant: No, no, this must be contaminated, it's coming up as Obi-Wan! Are you sure you didn't accidentally grab some of your own hairs? I know it's a little long for most of your hair, but the braid-- Quinlan: Wait, they keep claiming stuff about cloning, right? Maybe someone's a clone? Check for artificial telomeres! Bant: ...okay, so, there aren't any artificial telomeres, but the ones from apparently-Ben are... a lot shorter... um... I don't know what to do with this. It's like I have two samples from the same person, twenty years apart. Quinlan: Obi-Wan, what's that face? Why are you-- Obi-Wan: Vader told me he was a time-traveler. I thought it was the fever talking, but...

That’s how he finds out that Ben is future-him before finding out about how he’s not evil!

"Master Jinn... I think... I think the Sith controlling the Outer Rim is me from the future." "Oh, you finally figured it out?" "I AM HAVING A CRISIS HERE."

Obi-Wan, after a few hours of dazed realization, runs screaming to Quinlan and Bant like 'GUYS GUYS THIS EXPLAINS WHY VADER KEPT SAYING IT WAS WEIRD AND THAT I LOOK LIKE HIS MASTER AND THAT IT WOULD BE LIKE DATING HIS DAD.'

You know, the important stuff.

I think Qui-Gon tells him that Ben isn't evil because, like, That Sure Is A Crisis Obi-Wan's Having. He could hold off for shits and giggles, sure, but Obi-Wan’s on the edge of something Really Concerning, mentally. Best help calm him down on at least one or two things.

Obi-Wan’s maybe still a little skeptical until he confronts them over it. Because their Sith act was real good and also like. Maybe Qui-Gon just wants to believe the best of his Padawan, y’know?

Quinlan runs into Ben before Obi-Wan does, after this whole mess, and gets to observe as money changes hands and people act like sore winners about bets made for When Does Obi-Wan Figure It Out.

Anakin was saying 'soon' because he really didn't think the fever-fueled rant would be discounted as easily as it was.

Cody was of the opinion that it would take at least a few more years since they're actually pretty damn good at this whole schtick.

Quinlan: Wow, he's... going to be really disappointed that you have such a low opinion of his intelligence. Cody, gesturing at Ben: Experience. Darth Ben: ಠ_ಠ

Cody just rattles off some of the Extremely Stupid Shit that Ben's done in their time working together.

Rex cheerily offers up "You didn't even realize General Skywalker was married, sir! And they weren't subtle!" "I knew they were together, I just didn--" "Everyone knew they were together, sir. Everyone."

(Rex had the lowest opinion of their deductive capabilities. He claims it would have taken until Baby Ahsoka showed up at the Jedi Temple.)

-Once Obi-Wan accepts that they're decent people after all- Obi-Wan: Wow, Anakin, you're real good at acting unhinged! Anakin: Haha. Yeah. Thanks?

2K notes · View notes

loving-daisy · 4 years ago

Text

Cry For Me | George Weasley x Reader

Masterlist | Cry For Me Masterlist

Chapter 3 - Break Your Heart In The End

Words: 7.8k

Warnings: Small spaces, Bullying, name calling, underage drinking, truth of dare, jealousy, scheming

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Stay by your side and break you heart in the end.

____________________

“Icestone, about last weekend…” George began as sat beside his potions partner from the Slytherin house, the ginger fidgeting his fingers as he attempted to recall last night’s rehearsal of the speech of apology he constructed with his brother.

“I’m sorry about how me and Fred acted. We knew none of it was your fault, you weren’t even a part of the quidditch team! We just thought that since you’re the Slytherin queen you would…” The Gryffindor sighed, his eyes giving Icestone a sincere look of guilt. “I’m so sorry, Icestone. Let me make up to you.”

The girl beside the ginger snapped her head up at him, turning her attention away from her half empty parchment as she raised a brow towards the Gryffindor. For a minute or so, the atmosphere between the two students from rivaling houses was quiet. Unlikely for a Gryffindor, George lost his confidence of gaining the forgiveness of the Slytherin, thinking that she had enough of him and Fred’s continuous distrust towards her. I mean, it’s not like they trust her. They really don’t. That’s why a plan was generated from the minds of the ginger pair. Take the queen down is what they said. And that’s what they’re planning to do.

Meanwhile, the Slytherin had a few battles on her own. Mainly with her head. Do I accept his apology as simple as that or should I make him put an effort to earn my forgiveness? In all honesty, her head was telling her to do the latter but her heart was saying to do the first option. Should she listen to her heart or should she listen to her head? But then she thought that everyone deserves a second chance and from the look the Gryffindor has been giving her, she couldn’t resist but to simply say “Apology accepted.”

As if the Weasley boy saw a ghost, he looked up from his fingers, eyes wide as his mind and face was enveloped with disbelief. “Wait, really?”

Y/N plastered a small smile on her face before turning her attention back to her parchment. Shrugging as she directed a small nod.

The disbelief from George’s expression did not falter. Placing a hand on top of the girl’s parchment to gain the attention back on him. “No kneeling, no crying, no cleaning your shoes?”

Y/N scrunched her nose from the statement. “Excuse me, what?”

George gave her a shrug. “Don’t you do that when someone does you wrong?”

The Slytherin dropped the quill she was holding, crossing her arms and fully facing the ginger with an amused look on her face. “Is that how people these days pertain to me? Brainwashing the system now, huh?” Y/N scoffed. “Don’t let them get into your head, George. I’m nothing like that.”

George Weasley, was once again, in disbelief of the Slytherin’s personality. Just a few weeks ago he and his twin were turned into cats for accidentally pranking the girl and then suddenly she’s been following them everywhere and has been endlessly flirting with him. And then she bullies some 1st years, gets lashed out but accepts their apology anyways. Now, they got even more furious at her for assuming that she was behind Slytherin’s foul play but she accepts George’s apology like he didn’t do her wrong at all. She could have turned me into a cat again George thought.

George flopped his elbow on their shared desk, his chin letting it rest on a hand as he stared at the girl with a knowing smirk on his face. “You know what, Icestone? You’re not so evil like people describe you to be.”

Y/N dropped her arms, mirroring George’s actions as she rested her chin on her palm, rivaling the Gryffindor’s smirk with her own astonishing one. “Well that’s because I’m much worse.”

____________________

“Ms. Icestone.” A tall man with long platinum blonde hair muttered as his eyes as blue as the winter sky pierced at the next heir of the Icestone wealth. Y/N turned her attention away from her thoughts, feigning a small smile before doing a small curtsy as a sign of respect.

“Mr. Malfoy. Lovely to see you here.” She greeted politely, hopeful for the man to not say another word and just leave and ignore her like what he does with the other students he encounters. However that would be less-likely, seeing as the man greeted the girl, a thing he does not usually do.

“Likewise.” Lucius answered, nodding as he examined the girl from head to toe. “Say, how have you been?” He inquired, which resulted in the girl to raise suspicion as to why senior Malfoy was suddenly curious about her well-being.

Of course, with the Icestones being a wealthy pureblood family that has been present since the ancient times, respect is greatly handed down to them. Not to mention how the family runs a consistent bloodline of successful wizards and witches from the house of Slytherin, one would kill to be a part of it - whether letting their daughter marry an Icestone offspring or ordering their sons to sweep the feet of the current Icestone princess for their family to get involved.

The Icestone family runs as early as Dionysus Icestone, one of Salazar Slytherin’s outstanding students. Married to Coraline Velvet, who bore Athena and Anthony Icestone, one of the most well-known healers in the wizarding world with their invention and contribution to the field. Generation to generation, wizards and witches coming from the name Icestone has been nothing but utterly successful. Not only in the field of healing, but in the ministry as well. Edward Icestone, one of the appointed ministers, the first ever Icestone to be so and definitely not the last, who governed for more than 8 years, maintaining peace and order in the magical world. A few more years later, John Icestone was conceived by the love of Alice and Cyrus Icestone, who then was married to Aurelia Phoenix, Y/N’s mother.

There must be something going on. She mentally scoffed at the thought. At least other families don’t make it so obvious, I’m just not stupid enough to not notice.

“Aurelia, I am beyond delighted that you and your family could make it today.” A woman who looked like she was in her 30s, greeted. The woman was wearing an all-black outfit, covered in finest silver jewelries, as she gave Y/N’s mother a small hug. Breaking away, she turned to Y/N’s father, shaking his hand as she muttered his name with a smile.

Retrieving her hand, the woman looked down at the young Icestone girl, giving her the biggest smile as she offered a small flower, in which Y/N gladly took. “And you dear, must be the lovely Y/N Icestone. Ecstatic to finally meet you.” She said.

Y/N feigned a mirror of the woman’s smile. “It’s so nice to meet you. Thank you for inviting us to your lovely home. Congratulations on your birthday.” She remarked, obtaining words from gratitude from the woman before turning her attention back to her mother.

“Aurelia, you raised your daughter so nicely. She’s beautiful.” The woman complimented. Suddenly, a young lad who resembled the appearance of the woman showed up, announcing his presence to who seemed to be his mother through a kiss on the cheek.

“Great! You’re here!” The woman exclaimed. Directing her attention back to the young Icestone, she grabbed the boy’s hand on her right one and gently reached for Y/N’s using her left. “I would like you to meet the lovely Y/N Icestone.” she spoke, bringing their hands to rest at each other.

The boy gladly held the young Icestone’s hand, raising it to his lips to give a small kiss. “It is an honor to be in your presence tonight, Ms. Icestone.” He declared, causing Y/N to mentally roll her eyes with the formality and with the act. Reluctantly retrieving her hand, she spoke with feigned kindness. “Please. Call me Y/N.”

Uninterested with their building conversation, she eyed father, who was giving the boy a stern look. Meeting his eyes, she immediately caught onto what her father was thinking.

Another one. Another one trying to slide their way up the family tree. The young Icestone thought.

“Y/N.” The boy pronounced. “Lovely name for a lovely girl.” He continued.

Great. Another one of those overused lines. Where is the originality? Y/N thought.

Throughout her encounter with the boy, the noise in her head was loud with her ranting and complaints. She was tired of being attempted to be used like this. She has had enough of these families' constant effort to pursue her for other intentions.

“My name is Ethan. Say, would you be delighted to be offered some cake tonight? It is my mother’s birthday after all. We have chocolate cake. I heard you a-”

“No thanks.” She answered, giving a charming smile like she always does that would hurt her suitor’s ego.

It was basically normal for her to encounter elite pureblood families that try to get on her good side but it was not normal for the Malfoys to join her list. Throughout her life, not once did the Malfoys befriend the Icestones. Mainly because John and Lucius were best friends turned rivals, even if they were sorted into the same house during their Hogwarts years.

Clasping her hands in front of her, she eyed the tall man, trying to read his body language to know his real intentions. Not that it worked though, Lucius Malfoy was just standing there like an old creepy statue.

“Splendid, sir. Are you here to see Draco?” She answered, deciding to ask another question in hopes to see some sort of emotion. “No. I’m here to see Severus.” He muttered.

“Oh…” Y/N trailed off. A few moments into the awkwardness of the silence, the young Slytherin decided to bid her farewell. ”Take care then, sir.”

Giving one last glance, the blue-eyed man nodded, tightening his grip “Likewise Ms. Icestone. I’ll see you soon.”

“Soon?”

____________________

The same evening, the Slytherin found herself situated inside the Great hall with Daphne Greengrass surprisingly seated across the table, joining her for supper. Prior to digging on the plate her fairy prepared for her, she chirped a short teasing towards her friend as to how it's been so long since Daphne sat with her that she thought that her best friend forgot what a proper meal is for snogging the same boy every night at the same hour. “Got tired of tasting the boy’s lips after a few days?” She snickered, earning a piece of bread to be sent flying towards her face.

Traveling her eyes passed her best friend’s figure, she slowly examined the Gryffindor table, seeking for a certain tall ginger amidst the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff table blocking her full view. Finally spotting two fiery redheads beside each other, she narrowed her eyes as she examined their faces, slightly being challenged to determine which is which because of the distance. Directing her eyes from the Weasley on the left to the Weasley on the right, she met eyes with the ginger who then gave her a wink with a knowing smirk on his face.

Getting flustered at the interaction, on impulse, she gave the boy her signature ice-cold glare before reluctantly grabbing her goblet to quench the sudden drying of her throat as heat creeped into her frame.

Daphne examined her friend, her eyes narrowing as she watched the interaction unfold. Sighing, she dropped her bitten muffin, drank on her goblet and set it down before resting her elbows at the Slytherin table, her hands clasping one another. “What now, Y/N?” She bursts out.

Y/N pried her eyes away from her plate, turning her attention towards her best friend, confusion enveloping her features by the sudden question. “What do you mean?”

Daphne sighed, her chin leaning against her clasped hands as she was dying to know what her true best friend’s intentions towards the Gryffindor were. “You’re acting really weird these days.” She began. “It’s getting really suspicious. You told me that you’re just gonna play with the weasel’s heart but it seems like you’re the one being played!” She exclaimed, earning a small “huh?” and a confused look from Icestone.

“I heard about your quarrel at the halls!” The black-haired girl retorted.

“Oh.” Icestone answered casually with her realization. Shrugging, she continued to divulge in the feast prepared for her, muttering a short “Which one?” before taking a sip of her pumpkin soup.

“Both of them! The one with the little Hufflepuffs and the one after that quidditch game. Especially the one after that quidditch game! That was crazy! How dare they accuse you of being the reason for their loss? Blimey! I would punch them if I could.” Daphne indirectly threatened, causing Y/N to giggle at her overprotective best friend. “Calm down, Daphne.” She encouraged.

Daphne Greengrass was irritated at the thought of the Weasley twins crossing Y/N. She knew how that isn’t how Y/N is to be treated. Although her best friend built an ice-cold hard stone aura around her, she knew that all of those were just an act to protect herself. Past the icy stares, she knew Y/N Icestone’s heart was soft and fragile that should be handled with the utmost and proper care.

“But they did you wrong!” She blurted out. “Remember when you told me about those little Slytherin blabber mouths that crossed you? You tortured them at the great hall the day after!”

“Torture?! I did no such thing! I just warned them! Unless you think that asking for Weasley’s information was torture, then fine!” Daphne groaned at the response, earning a small chuckle from Y/N. She really wasn’t taking this conversation seriously.

“You know, for someone who’s younger, you do nag me a lot.” Y/N piped, earning a small glare from Daphne.

“I’m only a year younger than you, Icestone. Besides, we’re literally in the same school year! I don’t know why you suddenly care about age. You’re 15, I’m 14, we’re in 5th year, and most of the students in our class are 16 but so what?” She sassed, earning laughter from the Slytherin queen. This resulted in the students around them turning their attention towards the sound. It’s not everyday you hear Y/N Icestone laugh. This was a rare occasion! For once, she was actually in a good mood and she projected it, which was favorable to the Slytherins because they knew they wouldn’t get lashed out anytime sooner.

Once Icestone’s laughter died down, Daphne did not hesitate to fire another question. “But why? Why do you still act so nice towards those Gryffindors when they have crossed you for like….too many times?” She asked, earning a knowing smirk from Y/N.

“Daphne, you can’t have a plan if you don’t know how to execute it despite the challenges you may face.”

____________________

Two uneventful days later, as Y/N made her way towards her Charms class with Professor Flitwick, her arm was hastily grabbed as she was forced to mirror her kidnapper’s running pace.

Finally being enabled to process what was happening after the heart-dropping shock, she found herself in an alcove, face to face with no other than George Weasley, who looked and smelled like someone who survived a small explosion.

“What did you do?!” Y/N inquired, George immediately shushing her by covering her mouth. The boy had his eyes fixated on the entrance of their hiding place, a plan generating in his ginger head in case their cover was blown. Meanwhile, the Slytherin was glaring at the boy for bringing her into their mess.

After the passing of a few minutes, George finally retrieved his hand, facing the girl as he offered a sweet smile.

“How exactly did you know about this place? This is like...one the hidden spaces in the castle.” Y/N questioned, amused by the small secluded place.

“Me and Fred know every hidden space in the castle, Icestone. We know every single corner, every single room, and every single shortcut!” George answered. Y/N nodded, however still not satisfied with the reply. “Yeah, but how?”

“Well, that’s for me to know and for you to find out, Icestone.”

“That’s why I’m asking you, Weasley. To find out!”

“Touché.”

Y/N suddenly remembered that she was supposed to be in her class a few many minutes ago. Growling before facing George with raised brows, she questioned. “So are you gonna explain why I got dragged to this?”

George gave her a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his neck to think of a reason. “Because I want you here with me?”

“George Weasley-”

“Fine! Fine! You were blocking my way and I figured that if I was stalled by your presence, Filch would have caught me!” He deducted, causing the Slytherin to look at him in disbelief as she crossed her arms around her chest.

“Then you should have avoided me then. I have a class in like...10 minutes!” She exclaimed. “I couldn’t avoid you. You’re Y/N Icestone! You would have turned me into ice!” George reasoned.

Y/N rolled her eyes at the response. “Haha, very funny, Weasley. I don’t have superpowers that could turn you into ice.”

“Correct, but you have a wand that could turn me into one, ice queen.” George sneered, shooting a teasing wink towards the girl.

“Stop calling me that.” Y/N bellowed, unamused. “Why not?”

“Just....stop.”

“Fine. I’ll call you sweetheart then.” He mused, causing Y/N to drop her hands in defeat and sighing. Eyeing the entrance to the alcove, Y/N gave the boy another glance before declaring her leave. “I’m gonna leave now…”

“Aww! You don’t want to stay with me any longer?”

Y/N grumbled, her hand massaging her temple as she thought about the boy keeping her longer away from her class. “Why would I even? I’m already running late for class because of you!” She exclaimed.

“Alright, alright!” George confided, Y/N finally letting herself turn away and exit the small space.

“See you this weekend?” The boy suggested, unsure if the girl heard him.

____________________

The next weekend, Y/N Icestone found herself being dragged by a certain female redhead towards the hospital wing. The Slytherin was confused. The hospital wing is not the place she wouldn’t want to be after the quidditch match. It was always full of injured players and their loud and obnoxious friends. Loud and obnoxious. Some of the things she really despised.

The week’s quidditch match consisted of Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw to which Gryffindor succeeded in getting their victory. It was no match actually. Everyone knew that the team of lions would win anyway. They were the most promising team in the school afterall.

Unfortunately, George was accidentally shoved off his broom by Fred as he dodged a bludger, which is why Y/N found him laid on one of the beds in the hospital wing, his eyes closed as a cast on his head and some bruises in his arms are visually seen. Right beside him was his twin and another familiar redhead who Icestone is yet to formally meet.

The older Weasley twin caught the emotionless eyes of the Slytherin, his thoughts slightly clouded with disbelief and amusement as to how his sister managed to convince Y/N Icestone into dragging her here. “Surprised to see you here.” He stated nonchalantly, earning a small shrug of the girl.

“Well, Ginny here told me that she was about to show me something really urgent. I didn’t expect it to be this.” The Slytherin explained. “What happened to him?” She asked, pointing her finger to the direction of the younger Weasley twin.

“He went out of balance.” The older twin answered briefly, pushing to shrug off the question to satisfy his curiosity. “I didn’t know you and Ginny were close.”

Y/N shrugged. “I guess you can say that me and Ginny are friends.”

“This boy went out of balance?” She questioned, scoffing as she stared at the unconscious boy. “I thought he was the great George Weasley who is the master of Quidditch? Bragger.”

“Actually…” The boy who Y/N knew was another Weasley boy that was friends with the famous Harry Potter spoke, turning his attention away from the snack that he was divulging and meeting eyes with the Slytherin. “Fred accidentally shoved him off his broom during the quidditch match earlier.” He informed.

Y/N put her hands on her waist like a nagging mother who scolded her child for being mean to his siblings. “Oh…so it was Fred’s fault.”

“Hey! I don’t even know why you’re asking me what happened with him when you should have known! You weren’t at the stands earlier!” Fred pointed out, crossing his sweaty arms around his chest.

“Yeah and that’s because Slytherin had no match!”

“But Gryffindor does! And me and George are there!” Fred exclaimed, causing Y/N to raise a brow and cross her hands on her chest. She really didn’t like it when someone raised a voice on her but it was technically her who started it and seeing George lying unconscious on the bed worried her, even if she didn’t want to admit it. Inside, she wasn’t really feeling herself. Outside, she tried to mask it. She wasn’t really keen on picking another fight with Fred today. Not to mention how the boy hasn't even apologized to her yet.

“So?” Icestone questioned.

Fred placed his hands on this chest, feigning hurt as his face portrayed a look of hurt and offense. “Ouch. Show some support, Icestone. I thought we were friends?”

“Icestone? Y/N Icestone? Like THE Y/N Icestone from Slytherin?” The younger Weasley boy spoke again, the second sentence he has ever given since the Slytherin arrived at the hospital wing. This caused Y/N to turn her attention towards the younger redhead, the thoughts of cursing the older Weasley twin slipping out of her mind.

“Uh...yeah.” Y/N answered awkwardly. She examined the boy from head to toe. “And you are?”

“That’s Ronnikins. Our brother.” Fred cut in, earning a glare from the Slytherin for speaking when not consented and another glare from the young Weasley boy for bringing up the twin’s made-up nickname for him.

The 3rd year Gryffindor turned his attention back to the girl, opening his mouth to speak. “I’m-”

Once again, the boy was interrupted but this time, by an entering pair of students who was known to be ⅔ of the Golden trio. “Ron! There you are! What happened with George?” The curly-haired girl asked, eyes full of concern.

The redhead sighed. “Ron. My name is Ron.” He said, making the Gryffindor girl turn her attention towards the Slytherin. “Oh, hi. My name is Hermione. This is Harry.” She introduced, earning a small nod from the 5th year. “Y/N Ice-“

“Icestone?” A hoarse voice called, making all 6 people who were surrounding the bed turn their attention towards the boy laying there.

“Georgie!” Fred called. “You’re alive!”

“Congrats.” The youngest Weasley muttered, gently holding her brother’s bandaged left hand.

“Wow...you wake up and the first person you call among us six is Y/N.” Ron stated, shaking his head as he made his way back to his chair, grabbing another snack from his pocket. This earned him a laugh from Harry and a smack on the head by Hermione.

“Quiet down, Ron! You’re not as special to George as you think you are.” Fred teased. “You’re not so special either, Fred. He called Y/N even before you!” Ginny clapped back, bringing realization upon the tall ginger.

Once again, Fred placed his hands on his chest, feigning hurt. “Wait, that’s right! How dare you, George! I thought I was your best friend.”

“Can you guys leave us for a moment?” The lying Weasley requested, earning a grunt from his twin who in the end, was pulled by Ginny to leave with the others.

Y/N made her way towards George’s side, extending her arms as she gently caressed the boy’s bandaged head. “What did you need me for, George?” She whispered softly.

“I just…” George began, looking directly into Y/N’s eyes. “...wanted to see your face as soon as I regained consciousness.”

The brave Gryffindor’s cheesy remark caused Y/N to snort, partially not believing what just came out of George’s mouth. “You get shoved by Fred and fall off your broom, get brought up in the hospital wing but the first thing you wanted was to see me?”

“...yeah. To heal myself.” He reasoned, causing confusion to flood Y/N’s mind. “What do you mean?”

“Seeing your face makes me a lot better.” George recited.

Y/N looked away, muttering a stern “Shut up.”

“But it's true!” The ginger convinced. “Besides, I didn’t see you on the stands earlier. I was expecting you’d watch our game against the Ravenclaw.”

The girl raised her brows in return, crossing her arms and interrogating the boy. “And why in Salazar Slytherin would you look for me?”

George smirked. “For good luck.”

____________________

“Hey look! It’s the ice queen!” A group of Gryffindors teased as Icestone passed by them. She gave them a glance, shooting icy daggers but the group just mocked her even more. “Ooh I’m so scared.” One said teasingly.

Suddenly, a group of Slytherins made their way towards the teasing Gryffindors, staring them down, their actions being fueled with hate and disgust as they dared hurt Y/N Icestone. “Leave Icestone alone you git!” One threatened.

“Or what? Is she gonna turn me into ice?”

“If you don’t stop, I’ll be the one who’ll do so. I-”

“Icestone!” George beamed as he called, him and his twin suddenly bumping into the Slytherin as they turned to the next corner. Expecting a reply, George was disappointed to only get a small glance and a shove on the shoulder.

____________________

The boys’ dormitory was enveloped in light snores coming from young individuals who conquered another day and are trying to recharge their empty batteries. It was dark, but not pitch black as the bright moon that illuminated the dark sky, shined beyond their window.

George laid on his bed as he stared into his room’s ceiling, failing to fall into a deep slumber no matter how he stretches his feet, no matter how he closes his eyes. He was completely wide awake on a Thursday night. The Weasley boy has had his own episodes of insomnia. This was not new to him and it frustrated him because no matter how tired he is, he couldn’t bring his mind to shut down.

Looking at his side to see a sleeping Fred, he eliminated his warm blanket, got out of bed, and quietly picked up his wand. He tiptoed towards the door, his steps gentle to not wake anyone up and get caught. He made his way outside the Gryffindor common, illuminating his wand as he roamed around the halls of the wizarding school.

Somehow, George found himself climbing up the steps of the astronomy tower, suddenly wanting to find a secure place to capture the stars with his eyes. Upon entering, he saw a figure of a girl sitting on the ground, her arms snaked around her legs, her chin rested on her knees as she quietly stared at the sky.

“Surprised to see you here.” George began, completely startling the girl.

Y/N did not fail to recognize the boy as his shadow was all too familiar for Y/N Icestone. Not to mention the deep voice the Slytherin has got to know for a while now. “Weasley.”

George quietly entered the girl’s territory, sitting next to her own the cold wooden floor as the stars burned right above them. Silence was in their atmosphere. Silent, but no hints of awkwardness. Just peace and quiet.

George eyed the girl, noticing how she showed no hints of slumber nor hints of falling into one, as she stared at the night sky. “Can’t sleep?” He questioned, whispering to retain the mood both were in.

“Too many thoughts.” Y/N answered. The girl not taking her eyes away from the million sparkles the universe has to offer.

“Care to share?” George suggested, finally earning the girl’s attention as she stared deeply into his eyes, contemplating whether to open her heart out and let the boy inside. She shrugged, shook her head from side to side before answering “I think I’m good.”

But as the boy reciprocated the doe looking eyes of the Slytherin, he knew that the girl needed some sort of consolation despite her decline of the offer of a listening ear. Y/N Icestone’s eyes shined under the moonlight like a light illuminating the black lake. It shined like melting ice, with waters threatening to fall.

Almost immediately, the Slytherin felt a pair of arms snaked around her figure, warmth enveloping her as the Gryffindor pulled her into a tight embrace. She blinked once. She blinked twice. She blinked multiple times to evaporate her ice-like eyes before seeking an answer to her head full of questions. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She croaked out.

George moved a hand to the back of Y/N head, straightening, patting her hair as he pulled her head into his big chest. “Shush, Icestone. I know you want this too.”

Y/N had her cheek planted on the Gryffindor’s chest, her ear directly above his heart as she heard the calm beating of the organ. She closed her eyes, focusing on the beat which washed all her worries away with the cold wind.

“I didn’t ask for a hug.” She muttered. George had a grin plastered on his face, though Icestone couldn’t see as she still had her eyes closed. “Warmth, Icestone. It seems like you were asking for warmth since you were shivering like a wet kitty.”

Y/N fluttered her eyes open, giving a glance towards George but not breaking away from their intimate position. She gave him a smile. “Thanks.” She whispered, her voice full of sincerity, earning a soft smile from the ginger.

The Slytherin snaked her arms to the waist of the Gryffindor, reciprocating his warm hug, which made the boy feel cold sweat as he felt the familiar butterflies enter through his stomach. The girl once again shut her eyes out, unable to catch the reddening face of the redhead boy.

“You know when I can’t sleep, I think of good memories. It makes my mind calm. Makes me feel a little bit better.” He began.

“Well, I like to count stars whenever I can’t fall asleep.” Y/N answered.

George looked at her in disbelief, huffing as he thought that it would be impossible to count something like that and for what? It’s not like you’re gonna get A+ on Snape’s class when you managed to count all the visible stars in the sky. “You know it's useless to count stars, right?”

Offended by the statement, Y/N pulled away from their warm embrace, sitting straightly as she crossed her arms around her chest. “You know it's useless to count freckles too, right?” She began.

Y/N raised a hand, moving it towards the ginger’s face as she gently poked a cheek. As light as a feather, she used her finger to trace the outline of the boy’s face. Cheekbone to cheekbone, to his forehead down to his nose then to his chin, and finally his jawline.

“But you have 41 on your face.” She stated, breaking the moment of silence as she retrieved her hand.

The Gryffindor felt sudden heat at his cheeks, getting flustered at Y/N’s statement. “Am I too good looking that you always stare at my face, sweetheart?” He covered up.

Now it was the Slytherin’s turn to feel heat creep at her cheeks. “Shut up.” She growled, earning a light chuckle from the boy.

“You’re so cute when you’re red. It matches my hair.” George further teased, poking the sides of the girl.

“Weasley, it’s like you're inviting me to punch you in the face. Do you have a death wish?” The Slytherin threatened.

“How brutal you are!” He exclaimed. “Speaking of invitation...are you perhaps busy this Friday?”

“Are you asking me on a date, Weasley?”

“...yeah” George confessed, the floor suddenly interesting to look at.

Y/N raised her brows. “Well? Then spill the details!”

“That incident during one of McGonagall’s class where you accidentally opened Malfoy’s invitation...the ones me and Fred sent to the rest of the class was an invitation for our party this Friday for the holidays! I was hoping you would want to come with?”

“I don’t get a handwritten invitation?”

“That’s why I’m inviting you right now.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?!”

“Yeah.”

“Wow.”

Y/N slanted her head with the comment. “What’s wrong?”

“I did not expect you to actually agree on going on a date with me.” George beamed.

“Why not? We’re friends. Friends go on dates too.”

“But sweetheart, I’m not asking you on a friendly date” He teased, turning his head to mimic the girl which earned him a glare. “I have a name, and it’s certainly not sweetheart.”

“My apologies Icestone, it must have slipped my mind how your heart isn’t as sweet as I thought it would be. Ice queen.”

“Right now, I’m not so sure whether I want to push you off that window or kiss you.”

George smirked, crossing his arms against his chest as he raised an eyebrow at the glaring Slytherin queen. “Can I pick?”

____________________

Friday night came, wizards and witches invited to the Weasley twin’s holiday party began making their way to the portrait of the fat lady. This included Y/N Icestone. Who carefully sneaked out the Slytherin dungeons, dodging anyone who would suspect to know her whereabouts. Reaching the next hall to reach the Gryffindor common rooms, she was met with a line of students, which she assumed was the line for the entrance. Making her way at the end of the line, she kept on looking towards the portrait, in hopes to see George and let her enter without having to wait any longer. Besides, the one handling the entry duty was seeking for the student’s invitations. Y/N Icestone didn’t have a handwritten one. She was just invited by George.

“I can’t believe the Ice queen was invited.” Spoke the student behind her.

Y/N turned her attention away from the portrait, turning around to eye the student who dared to talk to her like that. With her famous icy expression, she glared at the boy, shooting daggers. If it was any other boy, he would have whimpered like a puppy but this boy didn’t because it was no other than Draco Malfoy.

“And you’re here because?” Spoke Hermione, who came to fetch Y/N with Ginny, as per George’s requests.

“Here to stop Icestone from entering your stupid friend’s party.” Draco began, his expression sour as he started to fume. “She doesn’t belong here. And she definitely should not be hanging around with blood traitors and filthy little mud-”

“Shut it, Malfoy. Or I'll turn you into a white ferret once again.” Icestone threatened, her wand at the tip of Draco’s throat as Y/N trapped him against the wall. She placed her left hand beside the blonde’s head, leaning her face closer to the boy. “You are to leave this place unless you want me to curse you. You do not ever tell me what to do and what not to do, Malfoy.” The Slytherin girl glowered. Draco smirked, raising both his hands up in surrender, before escaping Y/N’s grip and walking away.

____________________

The crowd trumpeted as the spinning bottle landed on Fred Weasley. Hours after their holiday party began, the sneaked firewhiskeys were finally served, but with a twist. In a game of truth or dare through spin the bottle, one is to choose between the two after taking one full glass of the said spirit.

“Fred, truth or dare?” George asked with a full blown grin plastered in his face, placing the full glass in front of his twin. Fred smirked, grabbing the glass and gulping it in one shot, earning more and more cheers from the crowd. Once empty, he put it back down, stood up and boasted. “You think I’m a coward, George? Where’s the thrill in picking truth? I’m all in. I pick dare!”

“Of course, he’s gonna act like he’s the star of the night. Typical coming from one of the twins.” Ginny muttered beside Y/N, causing her to spat a small giggle.

George spinned the bottle once again, this time to decide who would be giving the dare to Fred. As the bottle came into a halt, it was pointed to no other than Lee Jordan, who gave the twins a knowing glance.

“Fred, have you ever kissed a girl before?” He questioned, earning a cackle from Ron. “I picked dare, not truth!” Fred huffed, pouring himself another glass to consume, obviously tipsy now.

“Well, then I dare you to kiss…”

Y/N rolled her eyes at the statement, thinking that it was another attempt of the twins and Lee at helping Fred make a move on Angelina.

“Y/N Icestone.” Lee called.

This caused the crowd to go wild. Some gasping for not satisfying their expectation of calling Angelina’s name, some murmuring at the thought of a Gryffindor calling out Y/N’s name, and some disappointed for their name not being called. Y/N gave the boy a stone cold glare. Beside her, Ginny gave the same look Fred and George, who she was really suspicious of.

“Excuse me, what?” The Slytherin asked, confused. Lee turned his eyes back to his tall friend. “Fred, I dare you to kiss Y/N Icestone.” He repeated.

Y/N eyed the younger Weasley twin, the grin on his face no longer there as he blankly stared at his brother. Fred, clearly caught up in the moment with all the drinks he took, didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he made his way towards Icestone, kneeling down and grabbing her hand.

The Slytherin stared at him with wide eyes, not believing that Fred agreed to perform the dare Lee gave him. Trying to get out of the situation, she gave the boy a glare, to which he was unfazed with.

“Well?” Fred mocked. “What do you mean, ‘well?’” Y/N inquired, causing the ginger to chuckle.

“Well, pucker up, Icestone! I’m going to kiss you now.”

In another attempt to avoid the unwanted rumors of her snogging a Gryffindor, more or less rumors of her snogging the twin of her controversial ginger friend, Y/N tried to flee but the grip of Fred on her hands was too strong. She then eyes Ginny, who was only giving her an apologetic look until the Slytherin decided that she would have to wake up to new rumors of herself being spread around the castle.

Closing her eyes, she froze on her spot, waiting for Fred to lean in until she heard a “Ow! Hey, George! What was that for?!” Fred exclaimed at his twin, who gave him a glare, before grabbing the Slytherin’s arm and pulling her outside the Gryffindor common room.

In the mask of Y/N Icestone, her form was confused as to why George Weasley would pull her away from his twin. Y/N knew that George was also on Fred's side for his crazy shenanigans. Fred was a troublemaker and so was George. Y/N did not understand what crossed George’s mind to not agree this time. But behind the mask of Y/N Icestone, she knew. She knew that the plans she told Daphne one night were coming true. However, she didn’t want to continue on what she was planning to do if ever her thoughts of what is to come next actually happens.

With the couple swiftly arriving at one secured and quiet hall, she retrieved her hand to cross her arms, deciding to interrogate the ginger in hopes to unfold what the future holds for the both of them. “What has gotten into you, Weasley?”

Almost immediately, the boy in question answered “George.”

“What?” Y/N mused.

George sighed, running one of hands in his lustrous hair. “My name is George. Call me George.”

Slightly confused at the answer, the Slytherin nodded slowly before continuing. “Okay, George. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong!” The Gryffindor claimed.

“If nothing was wrong, you wouldn’t have shoved your twin away from me.”

“Merlin!” The ginger exclaimed, “Are you that oblivious, Icestone?” he challenged, earning a knowing smirk from the girl. “Of course, not. But I want to hear it from you, George. Tell me.” She demanded.

Silence enveloped their shared atmosphere with George having a conversation on his head and Y/N watching him quietly. Getting impatient, the Slytherin scoffed, opening her mouth to say another word before she was cut off by George's confession.

“Alright, fine. I’m jealous, okay?” He revealed, his heart beating 10x faster than it usually was because of the drinks he had or because of the situation he was in. It definitely was the lather.

“And why would you be?” Y/N quizzed.

George sighed, dropping his shoulders as he motioned for the Slytherin to come closer to him. Y/N obliged, thinking that the boy was probably being shy to say it out loud so he opted to just whisper it instead.

In a swift motion, the Gryffindor placed his hands on the back of the Slytherin, pulling her close for a quick touch of the lips.

When he pulled away, he suddenly felt his stomach drop, butterflies filling in as he stared at the wide-eyed girl who looked at him in shock. George feigned a smirk, hoping to hide his nervousness. “Does that answer your question?”

Y/N’s face went from shock to disbelief to confusion to questioning, in a span of seconds. She raised a brow, examining the boy before her before narrowing her eyes in interrogation And crossing her arms against her chest. “I told you, George. I want to hear it from you.” She demanded.

“I fancy you, Icestone.” George croaked out. “Y/N Icestone, you have managed to steal my heart.” George declared, his eyes showing a glint of hope and his voice sweet and sincere like a lullaby.

With George’s sudden confession, the Slytherin dived deep into her thoughts, carefully examining the ginger that’s in front of her and contemplating on what her next action would be.

Under the moonlight, Y/N Icestone looked like a red rose full in bloom. Beautiful but hard to grasp. George did not understand Y/N Icestone. One minute she’s cheerful and the other she’s as cold as ice. He did not understand what Y/N was feeling.

With no answer coming from the Slytherin, he felt as if her thorns were snaking around his neck like a serpent, prickling him as he waited with anticipation. “Well?”

“Well, what?” She asked.

“What will you do about it, Icestone?”

“Y/N.” She answered.

“What?”

The girl’s face was plastered with a charming smile before taking two steps back and finally turning her heels away from the confused ginger. Walking away to retrieve back to her house dungeon, she gave the boy one last glance before saying “My name is Y/N. Call me Y/N.”

____________________

“Be honest with me, Icestone. What is your deal? And don’t you dare give me one of those reasons on how I’m making this such a big deal. This is a big deal!” Daphne criticized as she paced in front of a sitting Y/N who was cuddling her pet cat.

“Nothing, Daph! I have a plan, remember?” Icestone advertised, earning a grunt from the dark-haired girl.

“Oh quit it with your stupid plan! You said you’re going to make him fall for you and rub it in his face that he’ll never have you. But now you tell me that he was able to kiss you?!”

“It’s not a big-“

“Oh yes, it’s a big deal! He’s your first kiss! And you kissed back. Now tell me, Icestone. What. Is. Your. Deal?” Daphne repeated, a speculation already crossing her mind but she ought to confirm it with the proper words from Y/N Icestone.

Y/N contemplated for a second before calling her friend. “Daphne….”

“Go on.” Daphne pinned.

“I think I’m having feelings. How do I make it stop?”

____________________

Fred claimed his place beside his twin after bidding Angelina a sweet good night kiss. The Gryffindor common room was finally calmed as guests made their way back to their dormitories. It was 5:00 in the morning of Saturday with George sitting by the fireplace around the Golden trio, as well as the youngest Weasley.

“Nice acting skills, George. I didn’t expect you to push your face against Icestone.” Fred commented, breaking the silence. The statement caught the attention of Ginny, who sat straightly, praying that she misheard her brother.

“What?! You did what, George?” She questioned, causing Fred to exclaim “He kissed her!”

“You kissed Icestone?!” Ginny repeated.

“Bloody hell!” Ron cursed. “Have you really developed feelings for her, George? A Gryffindor and a Slytherin, huh? You’d be the talk of the whole school! Not to mention how Icestone is literally labeled as the Slytherin queen and George is just...George.” He stated.

“Hey! What do you mean I’m just George?! Just George?! I am George! One of the greatest pranksters in Hogwarts history!” George claimed, unamused by his brother’s statement.

“And what is so great about that?” The Weasley girl challenged. “Ginny! Why can’t you ever let your own big brothers have some fun?” Replied Fred. “Besides, what are you even blabbering about, Ronnikins? It was all part of the plan!”

“The bottle was secretly enchanted by Fred to make it land on Icestone on purpose!” George confessed.

“And George was to pull Icestone away before we got to do so!” Fred continued.

“To act jealous, that’s right.” George gloated as he nodded. “And to finally confess my non-existent romantic feelings!”

“Georgie here has been doing really great with the execution. She must be mad for him right now!” Fred broadcasted, giving a proud pat on his twin’s shoulders.

“I don’t know Fred. I don’t think it's such a good idea to mess with Y/N Icestone to this extent. You’re going to break her heart after this stunt!” Ginny protested, not really amused with her older brothers’ plan against the Slytherin.

George smirked. “She has a heart?”

____________________

tag list: @abrunettefangirlnerd @gloryekaterina @lilypad-55449 @memekingofwwiii @leovaldez37

Author’s note: Hello~ it been awhile since the last chapter~ My apologies for taking too long to update. I was caught up with university work that I had to use my free time to accomplish requirements as well. To make up for it, here’s a longer chapter compared to the first two. Hope you enjoy <3 Thank you so much for reading!

EDIT: I’m so sorry :’< This was meant to be posted earlier as this was supposed to be a scheduled post but I think something was wrong so it didn’t push thru aaa my apologies!

62 notes · View notes

save-the-spiral · 4 years ago

Note

PLS PLS LIST THE SWAPS!! TELL ME ABOUT THE SIBLINGS AND ALSO HIFUMI BECAUSE I LOVE HIM (IF YOU WANT!) I will also send more questions in the morning too, excited to see what you’ve been working on!!

OK OK OK !!!!! AHH! So, before assigning talents, I swapped the pools, so for the first game, I use the talents from the second game, and vis versa! For some i listed gender, sexuality, or neurodivergencies, though this isn’t all of them, and I haven’t developed them all to the same level!

This is SO long. I didn’t even bother mentioning things like my plans for the killing games. (I have DR1 planned out in full, but only parts of DR2 and the v3 anime)

THANK YOU FOR THE ASK MY HEART SKIPPED A BEAT IN HAPPINESS WHEN I SAW I HAD NEW ASK NOTIFS!!

LIST:

Trigger Happy Havoc (first game)

Kyoko Kirigiri- Ultimate Luckster- Mastermind (: Sometimes lesbians can be evil okay! was trained as a detective like everyone in her family and didn’t get the ultimate :) she’s definitely not mad about that :) her luck cycle depends on how far she plans things ahead. her good luck is when she’s spontaneous! She hates when ‘normal’ people are accepted by ultimates.

Makoto Naegi- Photographer (Mostly wildlife and nature photography, with Sayaka helping him for some animal photography (: trans and bi <3 One of sayaka’s birds nests in his hair like all the time)

Kiyotaka Ishimaru- Ultimate Swordsman (AUTISTIC ICON, has trained in kendo since he was a kid, then was essentially given away to the Fujisaki clan by his very stressed dad. Semiverbal, rarely speaks.)

Chihiro Fujisaki- Ultimate Yakuza (Taka is her bodyguard! His family is in debt to hers, the Fujisaki clan is the most powerful in Japan. trans icon, of course, dates Sayaka! Very direct, though she’s far more delicate and polite when talking to taka, her best friend)

Sakura Oogami- Ultimate Nurse (Works as an EMT- her clan still is in martial arts, so she’s still very buff, she assists in injuries at the family dojo. Autistic Icon)

Asahina Aoi- Ultimate Gamer (ULTIMATE ADHD. streams and has a ton of fun, will ramble while breaking records, demigirl who loves her girlfriend sakura :)

Mukuro Ikusaba- Ultimate Chef (Works best with ‘cheap’ food, and making them taste good. a byproduct of growing up on the streets with junko, and junko being bored of the same old food they dug out of the trash. now works closely with junko for her teams’ nutritional needs! autistic and sapphic.)

Junko Enoshima- Ultimate Team Manager (there are SO many sports she can never get bored, and the professional scene is always changing! prefers coaching womens’ teams, because being an ultimate brings them more publicity and usually higher pay :)

Mondo Oowada- Ultimate Prince (OH MY BOY. trans adhd icon. now the crown prince of Novoselic, with a reagent in his place until he comes of age. His service dog Chuck is a maltese and an absolute sweetheart. Chihiro takes him under her wing to teach leadership. also dates taka later OF COURSE, though they’re poly and I may add more ppl to their relationship later.)

Celestia Ludenburg- Ultimate Musician (specializes in violin, most strings, though she can play any instrument. grew up poor, dedicated herself to an instrument and persona to cope)

Byakuya Togami- Ultimate Musician (Yep. two musicians. two catty trans gay icons about to throw down. they HATE each other and grew up as rivals. specialize in classical, they literally tore a professional orchestra full of grown adults apart trying to make them side with who was the best musician. they’re so good that they’re matched, and Hope’s Peak accepts them as one student and combined ultimate. they room together. they fight. Literally if one of them gets expelled, the other does too, so they’re STUCK. eventually they become literally inseparable and insufferable together like the WORST siblings. I love them.)

Sayaka Maizono- Breeder (animal handler) (Specializes in birds!!!!!! has songbirds on her shoulders all the time. will give unsettling animal facts without realizing they’re unsettling. sends her songbirds to serenade chihiro when they start dating <3)

Yasuhiro Hagakure- Gymnast (you see this tall goof who acts like an older brother to everyone and wonder HOW he’s a gymnast. he’s completely different in competitions, though still lighthearted. becomes a big brother figure to mukuro and junko especially <3 also trans bc i say so.)

Leon Kuwata- Traditional Dancer (he just. kinda hates it. it takes SO much work and effort but he takes to it naturally. his cousin kanon is NOT like in canon, instead she’s helpful. he’d literally rather be doing anything else. doesn’t know how to do anything like... basic either. can’t cook. cant do his own laundry. everything was dedicated to traditional japanese dancing before he attended HPA.)

Toko Fukawa- Engineer (writes schematics and is very good at it. gets VERY upset when her plans go wrong. her notes are orderly and perfect. host for their system!)

Syo- Mechanic (a factive of genocider syo, NOT an actual killer. she’s a protector mainly, and also is more adept at hands on skills when it comes to fixing things, her hands are less shaky. Her notes are a disaster and she does it to spite Toko.)

Hifumi Yamada- (???) (reserve course) Protagonist! My BOY. HIFUMI IS GOOD OKAY. He’s autistic and loves anime and gaming! he’s not particularly ultimate-leveled at them, or anything else! Attending Hope’s Peak as a reserve course student! At one point he joins the student council as a reserve course representative even if he’s only a freshman :) He’s also a moderator in Hina’s livestream chat, under the username of JusticeHammer, fastest ban hammer this side of the internet. He's internet friends with hina and sakura, and doesn’t realize Oh We Go To the same SCHOOL until he bumps into them. and realizes hina doesnt know what he looks like. but sakura does. its hilarious. he’s aroace, and during the year they’re locked in HPA, is in a queer platonic partnership with Hina and Sakura, while they’re dating each other. it’s great.)

Goodbye Despair! (second game)

Peko Pekoyama- Lucky student (ohohoh. her luck relies on her conviction. if she has doubts her bad luck strikes HARD. trans!, was taken in by Fuyuhiko’s family when she was a baby, grew up as just another kid in the family. They all expected Fuyu to go off to HPA on his own and then BOOM acceptance letter)

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu- Programmer (He. gets so angry while coding. He has an array of rubber ducks to talk to and work through his coding issues with. trans of course. Very protective of Peko when people say she doesn’t have a ‘real’ ultimate. ADHD and Autistic)

Sonia Nevermind- Writer (Literary Girl) (Her family immigrated to Japan when she was young! She writes a lot of serial killer novels, murder mysteries and horror and all that! Trans and bi :)

Gundham Tanaka- Detective (YEAH my guy is a detective. still talks Like That. Trans and bi and he and Sonia were kinda-dating (t4t autistic power couple in the making) when things started happening. He spends some time with his cool older sister who he looks up to a LOT. He and Sonia talk through things together a lot, they both have those red string walls, one for murder cases, another for a fictional plot lmao.)

Mahiru Koizumi- Moral Compass (my GIRL. autistic. Her morals rely a lot on people taking responsibility and being reliable, and she ends up having to work through some biases she didn’t realize she had when she arrived at HPA. Is still protective of Hiyoko, though that protectiveness is spread a bit thinner to extend to the rest of the class.)

Hiyoko Saionji- Clairvoyant!!! (HI YES I COULD TALK ABOUT HER FOR DAYS. Has actual visions in dreams and when she suddenly faints, but doesn’t really realize they’re uhh Real Visions for a WHILE. uses her status as an ultimate clairvoyant to trick and bully kids when in school for a LONG time, though her homelife wasn’t great with her grandmother trying to find ways to make her visions more consistent. SHES ALSO 12 WHEN SHE JOINS THE 77TH CLASS. she’s just so advanced in academics and her ultimate is so interesting hope’s peak cant HELP but scout her early. she has SO many issues guys no one appreciates hiyoko enough, autistic gifted kid hiyoko my beloved.)

Akane Owari- Gambler (started gambling to help out her family and Got Good at it. is very very conscious of money and food like all the time. Runs the hope’s peak betting pools once she arrives. these ultimates bet on a lot of things. she ALWAYS wins. until she doesnt!!!)

Mikan Tsumiki- Martial Artist (ohhhh Mikan. Still anxious and clumsy (though not like THAT in canon) and literally no one looks at her and thinks Oh The ULTIMATE martial artist?? it isn’t until you see her in the ring that you understand. She started learning self defense as a kid because her (bad) parents essentially said she had to rely on and protect herself and no one else would help.)

Kazuichi Souda- Pop Idol (OH TRANS ICON? he’s nervous and paranoid about Everything still, though now it’s like. oh the entire world is always watching my every move this is Okay (: has the brightest neon album eras. he literally keeps up a like. weird chad persona when interacting with people because he’s masking how hard he’s constantly just internally screaming.)

Nagito Komaeda- Soldier (AHAHAH my mans got issues problems disorder he’s a messssss, this trans guy, this absolute gay. this boy leveled a city of thousands of people with his own hands and some bombs. Still has medical issues, but most of his like. treatments and medicine is hold hostage as long as he stays in line. believes the ends justify the means and anyone who dies to him is obviously weak, because look at him! he’s weak, but that doesn’t matter because he doesn’t have to be the strongest, he just has to be stronger than the weakest scum.)

Chiaki Nanami- Heir (OOF. Agender, uses any pronouns. Doesn’t really. enjoy being the heir. grew up with Byakuya in the same circles. she treats the economy and stock market and stuff like games. enjoys gaming but isn’t good at them. collects so many things. has halls full of collections. Her parents stopped controlling her once she was able to prove she had more money than them and could literally bankrupt them if she wanted.)

Hajime Hinata- Baseball Star (Chiaki’s best friend, his family was upper middle class until he hit it BIG as a baseball star. wants to do BIG things and wants to attend hope’s peak more than anything!! Doesn’t really think of baseball as his THING, just a means to an end! trans :)

Teruteru Hanamura- Biker Gang Leader (started with shaking down some jerks who didn’t pay their food and drink tabs at his mama’s restaurant. now he RUNS their tiny town. His siblings are essentially gang mascots, he works hard to keep them out of trouble (while bringing them to like. meetings where he ends up beating a dude almost to death. its fine). most of what he does it to get more money to keep the restaurant afloat and care for his mama with her health conditions.)

Nekomaru Nidai- Fashionista (the drama. the CHAOS. most people are like ohhh we can never understand this artistic genius when he’s literally just. vibing and has ADHD and a love for coffee. Works a lot on accessible clothing lines for disabled people! Also he and Kazuichi work together sometimes, Nekomaru is good at calming Kaz down and seeing like, the root of whatever problem and making it better. ALSO A TRANS ICON and just flaunts it.)

Imposter- In the hope’s peak days they are impersonating Ryota Mitarai, as a part of the 77th class. In the Killing Game they impersonate Mondo Oowada as the Ultimate Prince. They’re doin’ their best.

Ibuki Mioda- (???) (Izuru Kamakura) Protagonist! Gundham Tanaka’s older sister (though they’re in the same school year). Nonbinary and using just. an array of pronouns alongside she/her, and jokingly fights with gundham for neopronouns like MOM said it’s MY TURN on the rawrself pronouns. She attends the reserve course to stay at her brother’s side. She dresses loudly and acts even louder because !!! she wants to stand out!! in the middle of this drab reserve course hell!! but when things go down, she wants to be someone, to be worthy of being her amazing brother’s big sister. so she accepts some offers.

NON-KILLING GAME:

Ryota Mitarai- Ultimate Analyst (stays in his room. He’s terrified of the outside world but fascinated by it. watches hope’s peak academy through security feeds, picking up on little details. he just wants to understand things but never looks at the big picture.)

Chisa Yukizome- Ultimate Boxer (Homeroom teacher!! She’s working really hard and believes in everyone! Some are intimidated by talent, but she’s never hurt anyone outside of the ring! Dating Kyosuke)

Juzo Sakakura- Ultimate Student Council President (Has anger issues, though his work at reigning them in assisted in becoming an Ultimate. Was responsible for security and the Hope’s Peak student council. Dating Kyosuke)

Kyosuke Munakata- Ultimate Housekeeper (Meticulous, works himself to the BONE even if he’s good enough to not have to do that. Is working on establishing another Hope’s Peak! Dating Chisa and Jozu!!!)

Seiko Kimura- Ultimate Blacksmith (GIVE MY GIRL KNIVES!! She’s an anxious gal, always wearing a facemask that filters the air in her forge because she has some respiratory problems. she prefers making more decorative pieces like an artist, but sometimes can create utilitarian pieces or tools to fit specific needs. Still a doormat)

Ruruka Ando- Ultimate Pharmacist (She constantly asks Seiko for new tools for her developments in medicine, saying its all for the advancement of humanity, so Seiko denying any request is SELFISH, though she never thinks to make anything for seiko’s health issues. Dating Izayoi. Specializes in medicine for mental health. Not Doing Great :)

Sonosuke Izayoi- Ultimate Confectioner (He loves sweets. LOVES them. Creates things that look plain, ordinary. but taste so GOOD you CRY and maybe ascend for a little bit. sometimes Ando makes cool new drugs to put in the sweets, who knows! It’s a mystery! He always has like. a huge refrigerated case of fresh cakes, and constantly has a lollipop in his own specialty recipe in his mouth.)

#ask #former-champion #danganronpa #danganronpa trigger happy havoc #super danganronpa 2 #I could tag every character but consider this: ITS 3 AM IT TOOK ME OVER AN HOUR TO WRITE THIS #not wizzy #dangan ronpa

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were-all-just-stories · 4 years ago

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Drunk Wonderland Squad on a Night Out Headcanons

idk this is weirdly specific but they won't leave me alone till I've written them out

(just gonna put this here- mentions of underage drinking, if you don't like that. x)

Peter — everyone thinks he's the guy you'd want to stick with (on account of him being such a mom friend in general day-to-day life) but he literally cannot hold his alcohol and after one/two drinks, you've literally lost him the entire night. He'll dance with everyone, ending & staying with Jason and will whisper musical theatre references back & forth with Ivy the entire evening. Gets incredibly giggly and is lowkey an amazing dancer, even when drunk. He loves a vodka and coke and can usually be found drinking one - Ivy introduced him to this. He's the first one to pass out (usually on the way home) but almost never gets hangovers which makes the entire squad super confused & jealous. Jason basically follows him round the entire night bc he's lowkey kind of worried and has to make sure he's alright. He gets extremely clingy (especially to Jason but also to everyone) and goes around offering everyone a hug (while Jason's following, acting all exasperated bc he wants to dance with him but lowkey loving it.)

Tanya — the person you'd actually want to stick with on a night out. Life of the party and will always make sure you're having a good time. She keeps everyone well stocked with alcohol and makes everyone join in dancing - even Matt. Can hold her alcohol much better than Peter but gets awful hangovers the following day. Really, really loves peach vodka - Peter is the only other person who'll drink it with her. She gets very loud when drunk and will start belting out off-key ABBA songs, Lucas will join in bc that's my girlfriend. She and Lucas have a tradition ever since they started dating of dancing together whenever an ABBA song comes on, anywhere, Lucas has almost broken a leg in an attempt to find Tanya when he's heard the music start.

Matt — lowkey kind of a buzzkill. Turns into your literal mother in Peter's absence (but, like, your strict, paranoid mother not the caring mom-friend) and is constantly checking the time/the people around him/where his friends are. Gets super paranoid that he'll lose his wallet or keys or phone and is constantly checking. Lucas always steals the keys to freak him out. He (Matt) spends the entire evening keeping a tally on who is where and is def the one you want to be with at the end of the night because he will get you home safe. Acts almost like a teacher counting the children: does head counts and is all "meet at the van at half twelve. If you're late, we'll leave without you." Of course, Lucas is always purposely half an hour late or something and bc Matt's not actually going to leave him behind, the rest of them just collectively watch Matt lose his mind as Lucas saunters over at one o clock. Doesn't drink too much at parties/raves so is the designated driver and prefers getting drunk in the comfort of St. Cecelia's where he doesn't have to worry.

Nadia — lowkey scarily good at holding her alcohol. It's really hard to realise she's drunk and she'll often sit calmly to the side, watching the carnage her friends unleash. Gets super intense when actually drunk - tho bc she's quite intense anyway, it can be hard to notice. Will often tag-team with Lucas to steal something of Matt's. She and Lucas have an escalating bet to steal something bigger/more noticeable each time. Once, she accidentally punctured the church van's tire while trying to steal it and they had to hike back instead. Only she and Lucas know what really happened. She and Ivy get really competitive whilst playing drinking games and often have to be stopped, otherwise they'll carry on drinking bc no way are they loosing to the other. At the end of the night, she is usually found sitting at the side bitching to Peter, who is half asleep and nodding along like he'll remember it in the morning.

Jason — similarly to his sister, he can hold his alcohol pretty well, contrary to popular opinion, which is that he's a complete lightweight because the first time he ever got drunk was on two beers and he threw up on Tanya's shoes. But he's evolved since then. Likes going to parties/clubs with dark lights so he can dance with Peter - he lowkey likes drunk Peter who can't stop hanging off him. He likes to play drinking games with Tanya, though Lucas has been banned from joining in ever since he attempted to shave his own eyebrows off when he lost. Lucas and Jason often end up daring each other to do increasingly ridiculous things, tho Jason is better at cutting things off when it gets too intense. Jason's love language is definitely touch and this is even more apparent when he's drunk. Like him and Peter literally cannot stop holding hands - luckily for him, it's dark so nobody can really see and, if they do, it's just played off as a buddy system to stop the other getting lost. Watching Peter sleep in the van on the way home makes him super sleepy so it's all he can do to help Peter inside and into bed before he's asleep too. Often gets really bad hangovers so Peter will bring him breakfast and they'll eat together in bed, maybe make some excuse for missing church so they can stay there longer.

Ivy — signature drink is a vodka & cranberry and it's always the first drink she gets. Usually ends up in the bathroom vomiting at some point bc she loves to mix alcohol with different outcomes - with varying results. She invented her own cocktail when extremely drunk one night which consists of vodka, lemonade, tomato juice, and raspberries. It is absolutely disgusting and nobody else but Lucas (who got such a bad hangover when he tried it, he thought he saw God) will go anywhere near it but she will attempt to convince everyone every time. Giggles a lot when drunk and often gets super emotional. Once cried because Peter spilled his drink on the floor. She gets really loud and is def the one person you'd find on top of a table dancing - Peter would be cheering her on from the floor. The best at placating Matt (even before he started liking her) and persuading him to stay an extra hour or so at the party so the rest of the squad always send her in to convince him. Often wears heels when they go out and is scarily good at keeping her balance in them even while drunk.

Lucas — off the rails. You go out on a night with him and you could wake up with no shoes in Quebec in someone's swimming pool with no memory of what happened. He will literally try any drink you offer him and is always up for dares - to the point where Matt has to intervene bc he's straight up about to jump in the lake with a plastic bag on his head. Extremely fun and you'll def have a good time with him but, if not restrained, the good time could end with a visit to the police station. Has no impulse/self control when drunk and loves to wind Matt up by stealing keys/something that'll freak him out. Will always show up late to their prearranged meeting time to go home and will pretend he's serious about wanting to drive them home to wind Matt up even more. Gets awful hangovers and, if they have class/church the next day, can usually be found either in bed or sitting in class/church with sunglasses and a hoodie pulled right over his head. Last one to fall asleep, he could probably keep going all night.

General —

* The squad usually have one night out a week/two weeks depending on what's going on/where it is

* They can't use church van often as it'll get noticeable so seven times out of ten they'll go somewhere in walking distance or else Lucas will somehow know these lowkey kinda sketch ppl who'll give them a lift (Matt will be freaking out the entire time)

* they'll usually spend Friday nights out somewhere and then Saturday in the common room/someone's dorm/the grounds if it's warm enough

* Peter and Jason attend about 85% of these nights and will plead homework or illness at least once a month so they can spend the night together instead

* Nadia attends about 60% of these and is less likely to go when Peter and Jason don't go but Lucas always tries to persuade her so they can annoy Matt & play drinking games

* Ivy, Lucas, and Tanya literally always go, Matt tags along most times with them bc 'someone's got to make sure they get home'

* Once or twice, Matt has stayed behind and gone to pick Lucas, Tanya, and Ivy up at one instead

* Nadia and Matt sometimes hang out when the others go - they watch scary movies together in the common room - Nadia keeps picking increasingly scarier/gorier ones to see how long it'll take Matt to ask to turn it off but he hasn't cracked yet

Super long post so apologies for that lol, again, feel free to add on/let me know what you think!

#i don't think this makes any coherent sense #but here we are anyway #rip my formatting lol #bare a pop opera #bapo #jason mcconnell #peter simmonds #ivy robinson #nadia mcconnell #tanya garrett #lucas carter #matt lloyd #headcanon #bare a rock musical

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dbtskills · 6 years ago

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Psychiatric Hospitalization 101

So you’re about to save your own life by going to the hospital- here’s what you need to know:

~disclaimer: I am not a healthcare professional nor have I worked in a hospital. I am simply someone who has been hospitalized multiple times. This is about acute, short-term psych hospitalization. My word is not law~

The Truth

First off, let me tell you the truth. The truth is that being hospitalized is one of the bravest things you can do. You have chosen (or perhaps you haven’t) to save your own life. Not to beat the physical vs mental illness comparison to death, but conceptually this is like going to the hospital with a broken leg to get a cast. You’re treating an acute wound, going to get a tune up, going to a safe place to heal. Unfortunately there is a stigma involved. It’s been decreasing recently and I think you’ll find psych hospitalization is a lot more common than you imagine. But it still exists. You can be proud of taking this step. It will be hard, but you’ve made the right choice.

When to consider hospitalization

Being suicidal is one of the most common reasons for hospitalization. Psychosis, panic attacks, and substance abuse are others. The main factor for choosing to hospitalize is whether you think you can survive the episode you’re having. If you’re even questioning it, hospitalization is probably a good idea. If you’re choosing between your life and the hospital, the hospital is always the right answer even if it doesn’t seem that way at the time.

The process

There are two ways to be hospitalized: through the ER and straight to the unit. The ER is the most common way. Occasionally your therapist or psychiatrist or other healthcare provider will be able to bypass the ER for you and get you straight into a bed on a unit. If you have this opportunity, definitely take it.

If you go the ER route, you arrive and explain why you’re there. You’ll then be taken back into a room- sometimes a private room, sometimes a communal psych room. Sometimes your phone will be taken. A guard will be stationed near you to ensure you do not hurt yourself or try to run away. You may wait for hours. You’ll see a psychiatrist who will determine whether to commit you to the psych unit or send you home. If they decide to commit you, you’ll be wheeled to the unit.

For me, the worst part of the process is the ER. You’re often helped by healthcare professionals who are judgmental of mental illness or are too busy to enact kindness. It can be a very dehumanizing experience. You may regret coming to the hospital, but you did the right thing. Saving your life is always the right thing. It’s okay to regret it for a bit as long as you follow through.

What to pack

Your belongings will be confiscated upon your arrival but if you have a chance to pack or if you have someone to bring you stuff, consider these:

A warm comfy outfit like sweats (but without a string at the waist!!!!!! take it out or they won’t let you have them!), SOCKS, pjs. Loungewear basically. The hospital provides basic toiletries, socks, and gowns/scrubs/paper pants. They can provide underwear and pads as necessary. Pack a hair brush if you’ve got tangly hair bc whatever they give you will NOT suffice.

You may want to bring your medications just in case the hospital doesn’t have them in their pharmacy but you will not have access to them, all your meds will come from the hospital itself.

Books! Some hospitals have a small library but you can bring your own if they’re deemed appropriate by the staff. They provide stuff like coloring pages, puzzles, games, etc but it can get p boring.

BRING A WRITTEN LIST OF IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS. YOUR PHONE WILL BE TAKEN.

You will have to ask to have items you arrived with brought to you from your belongings bag. Occasionally they will be reluctant, but you can self-advocate your way through it.

On the unit

If you came to the hospital in the evening you may get little sleep that first night. You have to do the intake where they ask you all the questions and you sign a bunch of forms. You must be up for breakfast the next day. That first day you won’t get to choose your own meals but you will fill out a meal card for the next day.

Most of your day will consist of shuffling between different mental health groups. Mental Health Professionals (often social work masters students) run groups on addiction, coping skills, community resources, gratitude etc etc in addition to your stereotypical group therapy. There are 3 meals a day, snacks available, and lots of downtime. There’s also activity hour where you do crafts or play games. During activity hour in my last hospitalization I painted a cackling coffin (it was October). 10/10.

You will have a roommate. My experience is that you both mind your own business while being kind and it’s generally okay.

They will take your blood pressure and vitals at least once a day. It’s annoying but necessary. They may do labs and draw your blood depending on your circumstances. If you have a physical illness as well, it may be a battle to make sure you are seen and treated for that too. All I can say is be your best advocate.

You will not have your cell phone. This will be stressful at first but hopefully nice after a bit. You can call whomever you want using the hospital phones that are on during downtime. You may have to ask the staff to dial if it’s out of the hospital area code. People can also call you if they know where you are. Do what you need to do but also don’t be the Phone Hogger bc we all want to use it too.

Visitors are allowed during certain hours. It’s not like a regular hospital visiting situation where they can just sit by your bed for hours. It’s like once a day for an hour you can get a visitor, no more than two at a time or whatever the rules are. No one can visit or call you without your permission. Visits by loved ones are so so nice and make you feel human again. I would encourage finding someone you trust who can visit you. It can make a world of difference.

"How can I get out faster?”

This is a hack question tbh. I know everything sucks but you are there to heal first and foremost. Generally they release you when the psychiatrist thinks you’re ready to go. The average stay for something like an acute suicidal episode is 3-5 days. That’s enough time in the dr’s eyes for you to stabilize and receive any medication changes. If you are on the unit voluntarily, you can technically leave at any time. I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone insist on it though. Ask your doctors when they are considering releasing you so you can plan. They may change their answer so casually check in now and then.

Go to groups and participate in them. If you're hiding in your room all day the nurses will notice and they do write that down. There may be many people on the unit, but the nurses are keeping track and taking roll. If you can, be open, honest and compliant with your treatment team. Now there’s a part of me that goes “Fuck The System!!!! Fuck being compliant! I am my own woman and my illness is Me and not something to be stigmatized or hidden. Take me to Bitch Planet, bitch!!!” This is totally valid. You just have to decide what is more important to you- being noncompliant in the face of a judgmental system or getting back to the world. As much I want to rebel, my perfectionism and people pleasing tend to kick in by the second day on the unit.

The aftermath & “what do I tell people?”

When you are being prepped for release, you must have appointments with your outpatient treatment team set up. If you don’t already, the hospital will schedule them for you. If there’s someone who can pick you up, utilize that. Otherwise they may set you up with a cab or something depending on the location. You will be given the bag containing your phone and other belongings upon release.

It is up to you to decide what to tell people about your stay on the unit. You can be honest with whomever you choose, but you don’t have to be. You can say you were out of town or had a family emergency or whatever you want. It is not your responsibility to break the stigma. If you can and want to, go for it! We will all appreciate it. But you don’t have to advocate if you don’t feel comfortable. I tell many of my friends and family the full truth and then tell others that I was “in the hospital.” If they ask questions I say I don’t want to talk about it. This works better than you might think. (It surprised me how respectful people are when you say you don’t want to talk about something.) Most people won't even ask, tbh.

It's not all garbage

It’s not all drugged up zombies and Dissociation Time: my last experience was pretty lit. We had morning “stretches” to ‘80s bops. We played Wii bowling. We discussed aliens and conspiracy theories. In a place with such a heavy stigma on it, it was a surprisingly Shame-Free environment. It was comforting to be in a place where everyone Got It. At night we would get our meds and then drift off to bed one by one as the meds hit to goodnights of “ope, the Seroquel’s kicking in.” The variety of people on the unit proves that mental illness affects everyone, from the college student to the 75-year-old retired man to the soccer mom with 3 kids. And they each have different ways of coping, different perspectives on their situation. These other perspectives can be inspiring, even helpful and you may pick up as many tips from your peers as the actual professionals. Respect your peers, don’t be that person who’s like “why am I, Normal Person, locked up with all these Crazy People?” If you’re in there, you’re all in the same boat. Crazy is a slur and no one there is crazy unless they choose to reclaim the term.

The staff can be quite kind as well. I once had a nurse go down to the gift shop to get me a tiny hair brush for my waist-length tangled hair. He didn’t have to put in that effort but he did. This past time I had an MHP sit with me after a session and develop personalized affirmations that she wrote in my journal with her gorgeous, swooping handwriting. It’s small things like these that end up mattering most in an environment that can feel harsh. There can be great kindness there, under all the rules and regulations, you just have to be open to it.

I’ve made a wide range of friends in hospitals. Ones I’d never have even encountered in real life. Even though we haven’t kept in touch, I think of them often. My roommate with terminal kidney failure who got ECT twice a week but took the time to ask how I was. A recent immigrant from Nepal who didn’t speak any English but with whom I communicated anyway. Sandy, my homeless roommate who gave me all of her toiletries instead of taking them with her. Trevor, a young heroin addict who guarded my chocolate cake when I had a phone call. Curtis, a retired professor deep in psychosis whom we taught to Wii bowl. There are so many different lives that tangle with each other on the unit. In this way I consider it a gift, to have a window into all these different worlds that are connected by this one string. I’ll never see these people again, but I’ll never forget them either. I hope they’re all still out there, getting by.

Getting hospitalized can be one of the scariest and hardest experiences but it is also one of the bravest. You saved your own life. Even if you didn’t bring yourself in, your participation saved it. It is a chance to reorient yourself to life, to recovery. It is a second, a third, a 15th chance. It’s like a terrible mini vacation. Responsibilities are lifted so you can focus on yourself. Utilize it if you can.

Again, my word is not law, it is based on my own experiences on the inside and outside of psych units. Please please reply or send asks with your own information. I know I’m not the only one on here who’s been hospitalized. We are legion. We survived. We survive.

**Note from Kat: I am trying to learn graphic design (is my passion™) but the struggle is real and it does NOT come naturally so if anyone wants to help hmu!!!!! Can’t pay obvi but can link!**

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belliesandburps · 4 years ago

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Non-Kink: Top 12 Best Stealth Action Games

I was inspired by my dear pal, @twistedtummies2, to share a lil bit of non-kink related stuff about myself with’chall. One thing to know about me is I’m a huge lover of video games. I may not have as much time to PLAY ‘em much these days, but dammit if they aren’t one of my biggest joys beyond writing and the great outdoors.

And my favorite genre in all of gaming is the stealth action genre. Anyone who knows me knows that I adore the Metal Gear Solid series, but I also love a whole bunch of other stealth action games because, to me, this genre is the one with the most meat to come back to. Stealth action done right is you being put in a room or outpost or whatever with a bunch of bad guys, and trying to carry out an objective without engaging with the enemies. OR, it’s picking off the bad guys one by one, quickly and quietly. Oooooor it’s you try to be sneaky, get caught, say fuck it, and wage war with an armada of Russians because isn’t it always Russians. XD

I love that so many stealth action games can play out so many different ways. And the feeling of escalation, like trying to be sneaky, and being overwhelmed when you’re caught and having to escape a hectic situation? That, to me, is more thrilling than ANY set piece or scripted, linear mission from any game I’ve ever played. It’s why I’ve replayed many of these games time and time again, and haven’t even THOUGHT about most of the biggest AAA blockbusters upon beating them.

Now, this list is subject to change. I have a few games I need to play and they may beat out a few on this list. But for now, here’s my Top 12 Best Stealth Action games because on top of being a thirsty old bastard, I loves me some espionage and bandana action. :P

12) Batman: Arkham Origins (2013)

This game gets a lot of flak, but believe it or not, it’s actually my favorite in the Arkham series. It’s City with a new coat of paint and a few more bugs, but City was still awesome, and so is this game. It had plenty of clever predator stealth sequences, with more enemy variety to shake things up, that always made wiping out the bad guys swiftly and silently deeply rewarding. AND it had more stealth action boss fights. City had Mr. Freeze and a single predator fight rehashed twice with Two Face and Harley. Origins had Mr. Freeze again, but with new additional options, and a pre-fight stage where you had to stay outta sight. It also had Deadshot, the best of the three basic “predator boss” types, as well as TN-1 Bane as the final boss, and damn if it wasn’t intense. With more gadgets and clever ways to mix and match, I think this game would be higher, but it’s still a great one for lovers of more approachable stealth action paired up with excellent brawler combat.

11) Assassin's Creed (2007)

The other AC games may be better, but AC1 is the only game in the series to stay consistent and simple with its design philosophy. Here are targets for you to assassinate, here are bolstering crowds with beautiful cities to Parkour across or hide within, and at every turn, there are hiding spots but also enemies, making situations escalate organically and entertainingly with each assassination. Hence why, despite most people regarding AC1 as the weakest entry, it's my personal favorite. It's the one I replay the most and the one that just stays consistent with what it advertises. No more, no less. 10) Hitman (2016)

I've yet to play the other Hitman games, and by accounts, each sequel is better than the last. But you've seen the Jackie boy vids. What more need be said? :P

9) Death Stranding (2019)

Death Stranding's kind of a jack of all trades in the stealth action. On one hand, you have conventional stealth action where you're infiltrating enemy camps and can either pick off all the bad guys one by one or go nuts and fight everybody head on. On the other hand, you have BT's, whom you sneak around by holding your breath and moving slowly, lest these ghostly monsters drag you out to a tarpit for a boss fight. The stealth is fairly simplistic but functional. Combat as is would be fairly shallow, were it not for the sheer quantity of options you have in any given battle. Seriously, you have a sticky gun that lets you snatch cargo straight off a bad guys back then immediately bludgeon him unconscious with it, and snatch HIS cargo to smash his BUDDY out cold with that in one fell swoop. The way situations can organically just bleed from stealth to action and give you options for both makes it a blast. And the boss fights against Cliff and Higgs are almost all I could ask for from stealth action battles. 8) Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020)

I DO wish the game had some stealth action boss fights, but far as superhero games are concerned, no game has better stealth action than Miles Morales. It hits fast and is deeply gratifying. You have corridors with as much as twenty plus bad guys, and you can clean it out in minutes thanks to being able to hide in plain sight through invisibility. Venom Takedowns with let you wipe out a chain succession of enemies all at once. Corridors have TONS of environmental advantages to wipe out a bunch of bad guys with one move. And unlike Spider-Man or Arkham, if you're caught, just go invisible, flee, and go right back to picking off baddies in seconds. It's like playing a predator sequence in an Arkham game on steroids...and in fast forward. And the sheer volume of enemies you're often up against keeps it from feeling too easy. 7) Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (2019)

This game SUCKED at launch. Like, it was actual trash that became a chore to finish when it first came out. But fair's fair, Ubisoft stuck with it and the end result is one of the most customizable experiences I've ever had in gaming. Like, this game is straight up now designed to let you change the entire experience simply by pausing the game and flipping a new options on and off and have it immediately go into effect.

I hated the injury mechanics of the first game because it slowed you down and led to a lot of random, unfair deaths because you could never predict which attacks would be critical and which wouldn’t. So now, I can turn them off. I thought bad guys were brain-dead. So I can make them smarter. I thought constantly slowing down when I'm running from bullets was detrimental, so now, I can make stamina limitless.

I thought some areas had way too many guards to viably take out without co-op buddies...soooo I can activate an entire squad of AI partners all throughout the game with me and there's a lot of coordination you can do with your team for really covert missions...and you can even customize their look to create a team that looks as cool or goofy as you want. It’s a really dorky thing, but I LOVE customization in shooters and being able to fully customize, not just yourself, but your team to look however you want in missions is really fun.

And if you think the enemies are too easy to take down? Turn on Terminator mode and have T-800's storming the place. Yeah, freakin’ Terminators. XD

The game gives you literally all the options you could ask for to have an experience perfectly tuned to what you WANT to have. And the options you have make it so the game can feel like an entirely different, borderline strategy game instead of a solid third person shooter. You can activate a drone now to coordinate your three AI buddies to stop and go where you want, mark targets for them to eliminate and have your eye on the entire battlefield. It's honestly staggering how many options this game has. And were the missions not so boilerplate and were the boss fights actual boss fights and not just reskins of basic enemies, this would be one of the best games ever. As is, it's a genuinely impressive comeback story! 6) Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016)

Mankind Divided is the game Cyberpunk WISHES it was (Spoiler Alert: Cyberpunk isn’t very fun or responsive yet). It's a game with some spectacular level design where there are dozens of ways around any given enemy and tons of options for any mission. You have a wide assortment of augmentations to let you sneak or fight your way through any scenario and they give you the tools to use your robot powers in really clever ways for navigation purposes. This is a game where even the simplest side mission has about a dozen different outcomes, and most of them are wholly organic. What it needed was more...well, GAME. After all, MD is a third of the game it was meant to be. But it IS a marvel of stealth action goodness. 5) The Last of Us: Part 2 (2020)

I have a BUNCH of issues with this game, but on the subject of stealth action, TLOU2 is one of the best in the genre. Every single encounter is highly difficult, but has dozens of variations. The levels are all designed with tons of varied cover spots and hidden paths to let you navigate as you either pick off the bad guys one by one, or sneak past them. The enemies range in their weaponry, but possess self preservation, so they aren't just standing around shooting aimlessly.

And on top of that, combat is brutal. Every bullet counts, and you feel the impact of every shot fired. The melee system is simple but complements gunplay fantastically. So if you wanna save bullets, you can shoot someone in the leg, and as they stagger, you can bumrush them, grab a hammer or brick you find on the ground as you're running and bludgeon them to death to save bullets. The game also has a great lil "MGS4 Battlefield Stealth" system. Several encounters have humans and infected, and you can pit the two against one another and either sneak around the carnage or use it to pick off the harder enemies.

The game also has a FAR better predator fight that's basically David's fight in the first game, but with way better mechanics. The boss increasingly upgrades their weapon each time you attack them, the environment is perfect for this fight, and if you're caught, you aren't just dead, you have a means to escape a hairy situation. TLOU2 may have been deeply polarizing, story-wise, but as a GAME, it's terrific. And best yet, once you beat the main game, there's an encounter mode that lets you skip all the BS and just jump right into every single stealth action encounter and boss fight throughout the whole game risk free. What's not to love about that? 4) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater HD (2004 / 2010)

MGS3 is the first really great linear MGS game. It ditches that terrible fixed camera, simplifies the controls, and has more than ten rooms where you do any sneaking. Its best moments are proto-MGSV outposts, where you have an area with tons of guards and multiple paths to your objective, and a whole lot of opportunities to get creative. It was also the first MGS game that made combat just as viable as stealth. You CAN actually just punch your way through the bad guys now, and the end result is shockingly fun thanks to all the weapons and more intuitive controls. But the real star is the boss battles. MGS3 has some of the best bosses of any video game I've ever played in my life. And MOST of them incorporate stealth beautifully. To the point where you can eliminate half the bosses with any of 'em ever even knowing your location, and giving you a plethora of variety in the bosses themselves AND the means in which you fight them.

3) Splinter Cell: Blacklist (2013)

Splinter Cell's an odd series. The story is nonsense yet also pretty drab and simplistic. Sam Fisher REALLY isn't an interesting character, none of the characters are except the villain and anti-hero scumbag. But as a VIDEO GAME, Blacklist is the peak of linear stealth action. MGS3 had boss fights, and THAT was the biggest mark for the game. And Blacklist only has a single boss fight, which is basically a slightly elongated version of Deadshot's "fight" in City.

But the moment-to-moment gameplay is out of this world good. You have brilliant level design that makes sneaking from A to B deeply gratifying, but you also have insane mobility that makes you feel like the biggest badass when you play. There can be a room full of guards. And like a game of chess, with the right moves, you can end them in seconds, which requires skill to pull off, rushing the first guy and taking him down, shooting his buddy, then using execute to auto-kill up to three guards you've marked who were in range. It's about using the systems the game gives you to maximize efficiency on the field. And you can pick off bad guys using your environment, or climbing a plethora of terrain.

The game almost plays like Arkham half the times when you're climbing walls or pipes and dropping down on bad guys or shooting them from overhead. It has a huge variety of gadgets to aide you as well, and combat is incredibly difficult but doable. Sam can only take a few hits before he's dead, but the means to shake off enemies is fair, and recovering from a slip-up is more fun than it is frustrating. The campaign has several excellent missions which would satisfy a person as is. But it also comes with over a dozen bonus missions you can access from your allies, each one taking place in entirely new settings with new enemies and storylines, each one with simpler and more streamlined objectives (perfect stealth, predator missions where you kill all the enemies, and survival waves where you have to fend off increasingly harder enemies). AND it has the best kind of co-op. Like Peace Walker, you can play any side mission with buddies. But it also has missions exclusive to co-op, designed to be fully embraced with a buddy you can play with on the couch or online. It's a game with tons of content, and all of it is mostly excellent. 2) Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)

MGSV is the best game I've played. That's because it's a game that hits all of my buttons. The outposts are examples of perfect level design. Each one is designed with a huge array of cover spots and multiple paths, direct or secret, to an objective area. As a result, every mission allows you to get in, carry out your objective, and get out without raising a stink. And when you screw up, it doesn't feel like punishment, because the combat of this game is fantastic.

Everything is highly responsive, so your inputs happen with no delays. You can go from diving to shooting from the ground in a tenth of a second. And combat lets you seamlessly go from shooting, snatching guns from bad guys and blowing away with it, to taking breathers behind cover or with a human shield. The enemy AI is the best the series has ever had. They have way more self preservation, they're liberal with grenades, have way more variety in their weapons, and actually use turret guns and mortar cannons now.

The missions themselves can be resolved tons of different ways. Assassination missions play out like small-scale Hitman missions, without the frustration of screwing up and restarting because missions are so short, you just roll with the punches. And the overall feel of a mission changes dramatically, depending on your loadout, the paths you choose in the level, your playstyle, and the time of day you select when you start a mission.

There are only a few major downsides to the gameplay. The bosses lack variety, like, I REALLY wish MGSV had more XOF assassins like Quiet to confront along with the Skulls and MoF. Some missions are a bit too samey, and there aren't enough larger scale outposts. Some more enemy variety wouldn't have been remiss. And finally, the open world itself is pretty lifeless. It works to complement the missions, like giving you a whole stretch of land to carry out ambushes or battle the Skulls anywhere you please. But open world games are best when they have more to react to and engage with, or secrets to find. Oh yeah, and the main villain should've had a boss fight, a stealth action shootout at that because that’s what the OG plan was until Kojima decided to be slightly more pretentious than usual.

But beyond that, this game is a freakin' masterpiece.

So why is number 2 on the list even if it's the best game I've ever played?

Because this game exists... 1) Deus Ex (2000)

Deus Ex isn't as mechanically good as MGSV. It's even that good mechanically, like, playing it now, it feels pretty clunky and not the least bit smooth. Still fun, but you feel the age. So why is it number 1? Simple. Deus Ex is the most open-ended video game ever made. It's a stealth action RPG where every, and I mean, EVERY single level has dozens upon dozens of different paths to choose and make your own. It has class specialization, meaning the build you create gives you a whole ton of new paths and strategies to use for hacking or flexibility.

Every single mission takes place in a sprawling area. You have an objective, obstructions blocking your way, and a whole bunch of guards. You can blaze right to a solution, resolving a situation in minutes. Or, you can take your time and find any number of different paths to your goal. And all throughout each mission, there's tons of things to find as you explore. There's entire other side missions with their own plethora of options. Lots of really clever flavor text. Upgrades to bolster your augmentations. And really ominous messages you can find that'll come into play later.

The bosses may lack variety but each one is a perfect stealth action battle where you can choose any number of options against the bosses, right down to running away from them and the game outright acknowledging that the boss enemies weren't killed. Best yet, it's a game designed to be broken. Unlike Human Revolution, all the bosses are recurring characters you spend plenty of time with. But you can outright blow them away WELL in advance and the game will acknowledge their deaths and keep going anyway. If you engage in a boss battle during a designated boss fight, but avoid them or run away, then that boss will turn up again for a rematch later.

This is a game where you can create your own cover spots or platforms by gathering vending machines and dumpsters and piling them on top of each other. Where specialization changes the entire feel of the campaign and incentivizes repeat playthroughs just to come up with different builds and experience missions in whole new ways. And best yet, this is a game where when you're in a hub, whatever you see around you, you can interact with. If you see buildings in the distance, you'll be able to go in and explore, and there's always something to find. Deus Ex is number one because there will never be another game like it. It's debatable that no other game will ever be as FUN as MGSV, but no other game will ever be as open ended as Deus Ex because it's literally impossible. The game is clunky and cheap looking because the engine it was built on was a low-memory one. They traded in graphics fidelity and more impressive flow for the sake of creating a vast video game with an impossible amount of content to constantly stumble upon. And unlike all the other games on this list, that open endedness actually DOES translate into the story, giving you dozens of different branching paths to the story, and sadly, only three fairly weak endings, but damn, if the journey up ain't a blast.

I have a whole slew of other lists I’ve been meaning to post for the better part of two years, and honestly, they’re fun to write. So, who knows? Don’t worry though, they won’t get in the way of bellies or burp content either. XD

#non-kink #bnb lists #video games #gaming chat #stealth action #metal gear solid #splinter cell #assassin's creed #hitman #deus ex #the last of us #ghost recon breakpoint #cyberpunk 2077 #syphon filter #that game is really good too #but it's honestly not a stealth game #it's like the reverse of MGS1 #MGS1 was a stealth game with clunky forced action #Syphon Filter was an action game with clunky forced stealth #dark mirror was great #it's the single best psp game I've ever played #and hey James Horan is the final boss #i can always pretend that was the final fight with Skull Face I didn't get from MGSV #fucking kojima...#honestly I think that's why Higgs had so many boss fights in his chapter #it felt like an apology for screwing Skull Face #so he gets three really great bosses back to back #his second MAIN fight is basically a perfect stealth action battle #Cliff's boss fight I swear is exactly what I HOPED Skull Face's would've been #*Should've been...Kojima...

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sadwsocc · 5 years ago

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Talent [Oikawa Tooru ]

Word count: 3, 302 words

warnings: none i think

genre: fluff i think but oikawa shows up in the latter half

a/n: idk what else to say i’ve had this in my drafts for a while i can’t remember what i wrote nor will i reread

—

You hated sports, even when you were young, it was a dread that you had to run a mile for p.e. or even doing anything that requires you to go outside. And it didn't help that you had to play volleyball that day, that one dreaded day back when you were in middle school.

Your teacher thought it would be great fun for your class to play an 'exciting' sport so volleyball came to be, it was actually the first time you would be playing it, you had been complaining about it to your friend, Mira for the whole week.

"You know I really really really really hate sports right?" You whined to her the fifth time that period, repeating those very same words every few minutes like clockwork and she was starting to get annoyed.

"Oh just suck it up already, all you have to do it just hit the ball and maybe receive it once or twice. How is that any hard?" After being fed up your whines, she finally said out loud. You were taken aback for a second but eventually you gave in and grunted, slumping back down on your seat as quietly accepted your fate. It didn't felt fair thought, coming from her as Mira was actually one of the most athletic person you know and was part of the schools volleyball team.

Wanting to continue your conversation with her, you thought of the most generic question one could ask, "hey, what talent did you get from your soulmate?" You looked up at her whilst placing your hands on you jaws and elbows on the table. She looked at you for a second and with her eyebrows scrunched up said, "Didn't you already ask that there first time we met?"

"I did?" She nodded. Good lord did your memory not serve you justice. She then continued on, "they're good at playing the piano."

"How'd you find that out?" You asked, to which she flicked your forehead with her fingers and chuckled, "what is this an interview? Never mind me, I don't even know what's yours!"

When she took her fingers off your forehead you pouted and sighed. "I don't even know myself, maybe I'll never find a soulmate,,, maybe they're just talentless" the two of you stared longingly at each other and started chuckling, yet deep down you feared you might be right.

When the laughter between the two of you died down, she turned to you and promptly said "you do remember that we have p.e. next period, right?"

And then you froze, oh god. You've already been complaining about it for a whole week. A weeks worth of complaints about how much you dreaded this very day yet you somehow managed to forget toDAY WAS THE DAY. You stared at her blankly and felt like the biggest dumbass of all time. Mira saw your expression and laughed, patting you on the back. The bell rang right as she lifted her hand away and motioned you to get up and change to your gym attire.

Oh.God. You really hated this.

First, you forgot that you had gym today so you didn't have time to think up a masterful plan to escape. Then, you realised the thing your class was going to do today was volleyball. Good lord, you hated volleyball. Why so? Because you always had this odd fear of breaking your arms with them, you once had a ball hit your back while walking back home from the park, and it was not fun at all. You felt like your back was breaking, your spine in half, you felt like the impact had pushed you off balance. But Mira who was walking with you told you that you had just stumbled and your description of that experience was such an exaggeration, but you did end up with light bruising for a week. That was enough proof to you that volleyball should be considered an extreme sport.

After trying to waste your time by slowly changing your clothes to avoid going to the gym, you were dragged by an irritated Mira whilst your pants were still halfway up your legs. You were fumbling with your pants the whole trip to the gym, all the while complaining about the dread of p.e. class, the fact that you had been practically dragged out and the fact that you physically do not think you could do this.

Once everyone was in the gym, your teacher had everyone do some basic warm ups to prevent yourselves from causing any unnecessary strains towards your bodies. Warm ups might not seem so bad until you realised that this particular time, your teacher made everyone run two rounds in the gym — did you mention you hated running? You hated running. After an excruciating torture of running and then stretching, came the actual sport. you couldn't believe this, the warm ups to you already felt like the entire exercise was done, wrapped up, you felt like you've went to the gym and tried out all of its equipments.

You really wanted to sit it out but when the teacher was counting the number of students there were, it was just enough to split into a team of two, each consisting six players, the amount needed for a team according to Mira. You were standing near the line of the court and somewhat near your teacher, you thought that maybe if you were standing there, you would be fine seeing as you're not anywhere near the actual game. A light tap on your shoulders made you turn your head to your right and you saw your teachers hand holding up a volleyball stretched out towards you. You made eye contact with her for a solid ten seconds, dumbfounded until she finally spoke, "(y/n), take the ball, you're supposed to serve,"

Taking the ball with confusion, you wondered what in the world a serve was, was it giving it to someone in your team? Does it have anything to do with waitering? Mira, who was next to you, saw your dilemma and inched closer towards you and whispered, "you're supposed to go to the back, outside of the court and throw the ball up and then hit it to over the net".

You blinked at her and nodded slowly, stepping back outside of the court and behind her, you threw the ball up in the air, and then something came over you.

What came next felt odd, you couldnt really describe the sensation, it was like you were suddenly possessed, a switch in your system that suddenly got turned on, you took a step back and ran up while the ball was still midair, when it started falling down, you hit the ball hard, the sound from the contact with your hand and the ball was loud, making you wide eyed when you realised what had happened. The next thing you knew, the ball you hit was sent flying towards the other side of the court, almost at the very edge but not quite and no one was there to receive it. The sound of it hitting the ground was a scary one, a very loud thud which ended with the ball bouncing up really high and slowly slowed down after a few bounces and a roll.

Everyone —yourself included— stood frozen in their spot, then slowly turn to stare at you, completely surprised and taken aback; you, yourself looked down on your hands to see if any of your bones were broken as the hit felt like it would break someone's bones. Even though it stung like hell, you were pretty sure nothing broke whereas it was very very red. There was a slow clap coming from Mira when you finally looked up, you gave her a wry smile and turned your attention towards your teacher, expecting something from her. She stared at you for a second before gesturing one of your classmates to take the ball back to her. When the ball was in her hands, she passed it back to you and told you to serve one more time but not before asking if you were in the girls volleyball team.

"Uh,, no, ma'am. I'm not,," you replied awkwardly, catching the ball she threw at you.

Mira turned to you and said "(y/n)! And you said you hated volleyball," while you were walking to the back of the court as she continued ," we have got to have a talk about this later." You gave a confused nod and went back to your position to serve the ball.

You looked to your side, making eye contact with Mira and whispered, "I... think it could be my soulmates talent,," she gave you a "we'll talk about this later" look and proceeded to face front while you then followed suit.

The teacher made everyone try out every volleyball position each round and when it came to your turn to set, not only did your classmates but you also found out that you were surprisingly incredibly good at that. Mira, whos position that round was the same as the one she played on the school team which was the winged spiker told you that your sets were accurate and it felt as you quoted "comfortable and right where I wanted it to be" or in other words perfect. You made the conclusion that this was definitely your soulmates talent as his kind of skill definitely wasn't from you.

And that was the day you were dragged into the girls volleyball team, as the starter setter.

——

And as for Oikawa,, while he really liked the concept of soulmates he just didn’t understand why it had to be like this, wouldn’t it be easier for the whole system to just tell you who they were and not leave out small hints and clues like talents? What if they didn’t try out something new or different? Then wouldn’t they never be able to find out what their soulmates talent was? And what if they had the same talent? It was simply too mind boggling for him.

With a sigh escaping his lips, he stared onto the ball he held up wondering if he’d ever find them. Whoever they were, he knew he’d cherish them. Finding out his soulmates talent turned out to be pretty easy for him as all he had to do was attend art classes that were mandatory back in middle school.

The whole fiasco went about something like this:

One day during art art class the teacher told them to draw their best friends portrait with oil pastels, normally she’d just go on and on about explaining art mediums with the textbook but that day was different for once. Everyone was pretty much shocked to say the least, Oikawa on the other hand doubted that he could even draw Iwa-chan the way he wanted to. The first thing he did when he grabbed the pencil was to sketch, much like everyone else but only this time, the sketch came out surprisingly well for a middle schooler. When the teacher passed by and caught a glimpse of it, she showed a delighted face and praised Oikawa.

Iwaizumi who was sitting next to Oikawa stared at his sketch and whispered, “i didn’t know you could draw,”

“Me neither”

There was a moment of silence before the two of them realised what was happening, Oikawas eyes widened in disbelief, a smile making its way onto his lips and Iwaizumi was frozen in his seat.

Huh, so this was your talent. He liked it, and he liked it very much.

“Iwa-Chan you know what this means !” He said out in a cheery voice. “Is that a question or a statement?” Iwaizumi retorted. Oikawa leaned on him and stretched out his arms to hug Iwaizumi, “yES!”

He was then smacked by Iwaizumi for being so dramatic. (Why does this sound so much like an iwaoi fic h. I’m so sorry I think i lost the ability to: write)

That was how Oikawa discovered your talent and whenever he got bored and doodled something he would always be reminded of how great of an artist you are and would be. He hoped that he’d meet you someday.

And that someday would be soon unbeknownst to either of you.

——

Much to your demise, even after you graduated middle school, you still somehow found yourself being dragged into the girls volleyball team. Maybe it was because Mira was by your side the whole time but it volleyball gradually felt bearable to you, and you could almost say it was fun.

It was just like any other day during practice but this time, none of your teammates were actually doing such. Instead you found yourself and the other first years only doing the actual warmers beforehand. And when you consulted about it to Mira during your break, her, being your amazing yet somewhat loud mouthed friend decided to straight up ask your captain why none of them seemed too focused on what they should be doing. Your question was answered with a simple, "Oikawa-san promised that he would be coming in to see us practice today,"

Was that name supposed to ring a bell within you? You weren't sure but you were sure that you weren't the only one not understanding what was happening. You suddenly piped in on the conversation and asked who this Oikawa was and why was he so important, which you were then bombarded with a bunch of praise about how good looking he was and how great of a volleyball player he was.

Amidst your conversation with your captain, Oikawa came into the gym, greeting all the girls he knew and introducing himself to the ones he didn't (ie the first years) your captain whipped her head around with stars in her eyes and started skipping towards Oikawa, greeting him and also fawning over him, asking about his day and other trivial questions which Oikawa answered back politely.

Staring at this guy that all your seniors were gushing over and your fellow first years were shyly blushing over made you realise why they'd act like this. They weren't wrong, he was undeniably attractive if you do say so yourself and he seemed like quite the nice guy, whoever his soulmate was, was definitely a lucky girl.

When it was finally time for practice, everyone did their usual thing and after a while, your captain decided to do a match between each other. You were placed in the team with your captain and Mira which to you was quite convenient. By the time it was your turn to serve, your team already had quite the lead, you wanted to lay it off easy and serve a quick and easy one but your captain pressured you to "go all out" and "help her impress Oikawa since you were teammates" and being the amazing and nice (lmao) person you were, you begrudgingly did so.

The serve you made never failed to woo (is that how you spell I can't remember omfg I'm so sorry) everyone around you. Oikawa who had been watching the entire match fell silent and wide eye. The serve seemed oddly familiar to him and so did you.

Your team had scored yet another point from your service ace when a sudden loud burst from the gym doors emerged. The match was momentarily halted from the distraction and everyone stared at the doors anticipating someone to barge in. And barge in they did, you whipped your head and saw a buff tanned spiky haired guy who was irritated by something, you scrunched your brow trying to figure out who he was but concluded that you really didn't know anyone beside from your teammates and classmates.

"I...IWA-CHAN!!" You heard Oikawa squeal out. You figured his name was probably that but that still didn't make you less confused.

"Shittykawa- hOW MANY TIMES DID I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO NOT SNEAK AWAY FROM PRACTICE AND LEAVING A DRAWING OF SOME CHIBI VERSION OF YOURSELF WITH A NOTE IN MY BAG AS A WAY OF INFORMING US?" Iwa-chan scolded. Oikawa seemed to pout from that statement.

"But I did tell you- and at least it was cute !! Iwa-chan pleaseee, the girls kindly invited me to see their practice match— how can I not?"

He doodled? That was unexpected from you.

Iwa-chan sighed and went over to drag Oikawa back to practice when he glanced over one of the bags that were left on the side and saw a somewhat familiar drawing next to them. Dragging Oikawa with him, they went over to observe a painting you made for your art class.

Oikawa looked over and nonchalantly said "hey it kinda looks like what I'd draw," you whipped your head at the statement. Your mind immediately went 'aHA what?' Mira who was by your side too had the same look on her face yet the two of you remained silent. "You mean what your soulmate can draw?"

Oikawa nodded happily, proud of the fact that his soulmate was artistic. Oikawa leaned in on Iwaizumi and whispered, "hey uh speaking of soulmate and talent the girl over there with the (h/c) hair seemed to have some killer serve. And not to brag but it kinda looks like my style"

Iwaizumi was taken aback by this statement, turning his heard around and saw you and Mira staring back at them and replied in disbelief when he turned back, " are you sure?" Oikawa nodded.

With a silent nod of agreement between the two they grabbed your painting and went over to where you were, Oikawa was the one holding onto it while Iwaizumi stood beside. When they finally reached you, Oikawa pointed to your painting he was holding up and cleared his throat asking, "this... you... made this, right?"

You nodded in confusion, how'd he know it was you though. You were about to inquire when realisation hit you,, he wasn't called a talented setter for nothing, and the doodles and- and then it hit you. With a soundless agreement the two of you realised what this meant and what was happening. You still had to double check yourself so you asked how he knew it was you and when he said the play style you had was eerily similar to his everything fell right into place.

Damn. Your his soulmate. The lucky person you were talking about was... you.

"You're my soulmate?" You rhetorically asked as if you were trying to convince yourself this was just some odd dream.

Iwaizumi chimed in and complained about how much Oikawa flaunts his soulmates talent by drawing and painting every time he gets to try to get rid of this odd and semi tense atmosphere.

You stared at Oikawa then to Mira and laughed softly in disbelief, this was such an odd way to find ones soulmate. As if reading your mind, Mira started giggling, making everyone else feel confused and awkward. You looked back up to your soulmate and finally said, "hi, I'm (l/n) (y/n) nice to meet you,"

"Oikawa Tooru" he replied chuckling slightly.

Mira piped in and said, "wow way to find out your soulmate in the middle of a match,, you two didn't even know one another's name come on! Do this later or set a date or something we still have a match! Come one (y/n)!"

This was queue that Oikawa and Iwaizumi had to leave and you to resume your practice match but before he left Oikawa handed you his phone number and said "come meet me after practice." With a wink that made everyone in the gym swoon over.

#haikyuu!!#oikawa #oikawa tōru #haikyuu oikawa #oikawa imagine #oikawa fluff #oikawaxreader #oikawa tooru #oikawa tooru x reader #haikyuu fanfiction #idk what to put here pls dont judge me #hi dian if youre somehow seeinf this #best boy #soulmatexreader #soulmate au

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glgaming835 · 4 years ago

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How much money is spent on gaming

Major 20 Gaming Blogs You Should Be Following

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dwkinternational · 4 years ago

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DWK Podcast - recap

Mika Braun is the costume designer since the very beginning. She created the Look of the wild soccer bunch in the first, second, third and fifth movies. Her costumes influenced and even changed the book covers and the Illustrations of Jan Birck. When it came to the creation of your own world, she was a great teacher for Joachim Masannek.

She basically created the whole look of the wild soccer bunch, according to Masannek

He distinctively remembers their trial and error while trying to get a hairstyle for Leons character, because they wanted him to look like the real Leon and he and Jimi didn’t really look alike (They even tried to colour his hair blonde)

Joachim Masannek and Mika Braun first met at Samfilm

She originally was there for a meeting to talk about a different Movie that was going to be produced, but the people in charge didn’t think she was capable enough, she hadn’t brought her portfolio with her because it was all very rushed

When she met with Joachim however they instantly clicked, they got along great and knew what they wanted to make was going to be Mad Max for Kids. She did bring her portfolio with her this time but he didn’t even want to take a look inside

Because she had worked on a lot of projects regarding TV and advertisements he had a lot of respect for her previous work and felt like he couldn’t judge it as he had never made a movie before, only short films

To him it only mattered that they got along and that he had the feeling he could trust her since they were making something new that may have been made before, but not in that way

She also felt that they were eye to eye as she had also never done a movie for cinemas before. The whole process was not about her experiences and what she was capable of or not capable of, but about him developing this Idea and how they were adapting that together. To her that was so special about these movies, that you could see that everyone put their heart and soul into it

At least you saw it with the german crew. When they were shooting in Prag, they had a few problems. One of the Camera assitants just forgot that the camera was running and when Masannek reviewed the footage (back then it was on VHS) the take was 20 Minutes long.

Another example is one Woman in the costume department who always called people “Darling”:

They were searching for the kids helmets one time and the Woman kept saying the helmets are props and the backpacks are part of the costume, darling until Masannek got so fed up that he took the helmets once they were found and said “Look, darling. I’ll take your darn helmets now and put them into the darn backpacks and then its your problem where they are”

Braun says that that happens quite often during shooting in foreign countrys, because they have differently distributed teams and work with different systems

It just happened to Mika that she was baffled that the crew she was working in had no Parasols for the actors even in 40 degree heat or if it was raining, they didn’t care and said that its not their job. Even though in america for example they have a position (personl assistant) just for that. Or you have someone for directing assistance or Script or Continuity. But to her suprises like that are whats so nice about the job

During Masanneks last Movie Luliane Susewind they were shooting in Aachen but also in Belgium and he also had to learn a few things:

the first one was that the Makeup artist didn’t do the hair of the actors, they found out two to three weeks before the shooting started and had to hire an extra Hair stylist

the second things was that part of the crew just take three weeks of vacation unannounced and their replacement doesn’t have a clue about anything and Masannek showed up at the set one day and his costume designer was nowhere to be found and when he asked where she is he got told “Uh...shes on vacation”

Mika was very glad that the second wild soccer bunch movie was shot in Bavaria, not in the Czech Republic, because she was able to bring her team with her.

To the kids the shooting of the second movie was the most fun, but to Masannek it was the most exhausting to the point he thought he never wanted to make a kids movie again

He was like, well, the first movie was so exhausting and complicated and he wouldn’t have to work as hard with the second one.He worried that that movie wouldn’t be as good because he felt like he wasn’t putting enough effort into it and it didn’t seem as complicated

but then Mika Braun invited him to a flea market in Braunau and he thought it would be great to do something else than the movie for a day, he would find something nice to buy and she showed him a lot of nice stuff

that day Masannek found out what making a movie does to someone because he was going through the flea market but couldn’t see anything other than the movie and couldn’t focus on anything

although he did buy something that he found ten years later in his basement when he moved (it was around a 120 Whistles although he does not remember why he bought them)

They mentioned their Vision of Mad Max earlier and Sascha Heimanns asks them how they get from an Idea to the finished product, like the helmets they talked about or the necklaces

Mika answers that there is a whole development process behind everything. It starts with her reading the script and getting an Idea of what something looks like, she discusses that with Joachim who tells her about how they are basically all in black and have these logos, but everyone has their special thing and they search together for what fits best

She will never forget the discussion about Staraja Riba. Originally she thought that the witch was supposed to be big and terrifying like the thunderbolt giants, so that the kids would feel small next to her or no one would be afraid of her

Joachim insisted that she should crawl over the ground like a spider and in the end she thought it was good that they did it his way because it was the scariest thing in the whole movie series to her and that was one instance where they didn’t have the same opinion

The Staraja Riba thing was overall difficult to get righ tin the end

Because Buena Vista didn’t want the director to attend the test screening ( although he was present during the screening of the first movie and that went pretty well) Masannek was offended and they hired a different director who went to cut the scene differently. The producers said that the scene with the witch wasn’t believable or scary anymore and Joachim got to fix it

He thinks the bravest thing they did was the scene with the love letter and the glowing hearts, he originally wasn’t allowed to do that scene because it was a “boys movie” and the audience wouldn’t like it

They did a test screening for an audience that only consisted of boys without approval of the producers and the feedback was good except for the love letter scene which the boys didn’t like

Another thing that was difficult was the paint the actors had on during the scene where the bunch plays against the SV 1906. That originally took too much effort and time to do (because drawing the markings for everyone took 4 hours and taking it off took 4 hours also Sarah was allergic to the paint) but Joachim just decided they were going to do it anyways

Mika said that she appreciated the fantastical aspect of the movies, to try something that hasn’t been done before and that that was probably what the kids found so fascinating and fun

To her it was very special to work on it even though it was relatively low-budget

because of that for example they spent whole nights painting Logos on T-Shirts

Joachim said that she played a huge role in the evolution of the Logo itself, the first thing she put the minimalistic Logo on was the black shirt Maxi wears at the beginning of the third Movie

It was her idea to only put the eye and the teeth on there and that has been adapted for Merchandise ever since

Sascha asks why Mika hasn’t worked on the fourth and sixth movie

When they were shooting the fourth movie in Mai 2006 she was in Kenia to adopt her daughter and because she spent 7 Months there she wasn’t able to work on the movie

But she said Susann Bieling did a great job with that movie

She shared the 5th one with Andrea Spanier because her daughter was still so small that she felt like she wouldn’t be able to do it alone

These are some of her costume designs for the 5th movie, for Leon and Klette

They worked so well together that Mika sais she was spoiled afterwards and when she went on to another production it didn’t go as smoothly anymore

That production was Gangs, for which they also asked Joachim Masannek if he wanted to work on it, but he was in contract with Constantin Film for Wildernacht

For the sixth movie Mika was also unavailable due to another production she had already agreed to

Question:

Sibille 24 years old: She grew up with the wild soccer bunch and because they talked about the new series in the last podcast episode, she wanted to say that she thinks the idea is great. The bunch has been inspiring to her back then and thinks that the bunch is a great role-model with their creativity and bravery. She would be thrilled about a new series.

Answer:

The Procuders originally wanted to retell a story in the vein of the first and second movies but Joachim said he is sick of writing that fight against fat Michi over and over so they decided on something new

The story will take place in Berlin

The Kids will come from different social backgrounds

One boy will be the son of a Maori Woman, who came to germany when she was 17 years old and pregnant

His dad was a german tourist but he dumped his Mom

She currently lives in Marzahn and has her own Tattoostudio

The boy wants to become the best Goalkeeper in the World

hes very stubborn but a great guy overall

Then there is a girl whose Mother is a turkish Policewoman and she lives in an allotment garden

they hear about this hidden world of the wild bunch in which Kids can fight to do what what they believe in

The series will be called “Forever wild”

Its still rooted in what has already been established

there will be some characters from the movies but they will appear in a different way than how we know them

He said that the girl that asked the question is over 20 and that generation is exactly who they want to do the series for

Mika chimes in to say that back then the movies created a boom and more girls started to play soccer

She said its never wrong to challenge society and gender stereotypes

Joachim says that to him its very fascinating that times are getting more conservative and we are not living in a world anymore where little boys have to be raised by a woman

He said that the perspective of society is different right now with metoo for example and that its an exciting challenge to define what a role model is

To question what is a boy, what is a girl, what is a man or woman?

One family in the series he is planning consists of a native american father and a mother who is a descendant of the Aborigines

They live in Spandau and have an indian daughter and a son who is african

The parents take turns on who is leading the company and who is taking care of the kids, to them every job is equal and everyone has to take on some responsibility

Masannek says he notices even with his little Kids (his 9 years old daughter and his 2 years old son) that they already want to know what exactly a woman is or a man is

He wants his kids to develop freely and once they know what the stereotypes are they can decide to not support these stereotypes anymore

Mika Braun agrees that these topics are very important right now and that it is a responsibility of all creatives and all the tolerant folks to take on these kinds of topics so that the conservative ideals don’t take root

And thats it for Episode 29!

#die wilden kerle #Podcast recap #dwk international

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crappyimagines · 5 years ago

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don’t do anything brave - steve rogers

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Female Reader (with powers)

Summary: he specifically told you not to do anything brave yet you being you, you did something brave and caused steve to suffer major heartbreak

Warning/s: fluff, angst, death, steve is kind of an asshole, not proofread

A/N: don’t ask me why i keep making fics where the reader dies because i don’t know either LMAO. this is a oneshot btw. the cuts are gonne be annoying but whatever. hope you enjoy!

You’re partially human and you have potential.

You have what it takes and everyone sees it. That’s why everyone was shocked to see you fall and cause yourself injuries. It’s a surprise that you could even get injured.

You’re strong and powerful but apparently, you’re not invincible.

A simple bullet caused you to stumble down a building and fall meters down to the ground. You weren’t too weak to die from the impact, though. That showed off some of your not-so-mundane skills. You survived the fall but it left you severely injured.

Your lover, Steve Rogers keeps pacing back and forth just beside the hospital bed where you lay, biting his tongue to prevent himself from telling you off about being reckless and not being careful.

“Go ahead.” You smiled cheekily at the soldier. He looked at you with a frown.

“I’m ready for your lecture” you snorted, wincing a little. Steve immediately rushed to your side, asking what was wrong or what was hurting.

“Relax! I’m fine. Just a little sore.” You teased him as he scoffed and straightened his posture.

“You need to stop joking about everything, Y/N. ” he frowned.

“And you need to stop being so uptight, babe” you slurred jokingly. Steve shook his head and chuckled.

“I would chastise you but I don’t think you would even listen.” He joked.

“You’re damn right, I won’t!” you laughed.

“Language, doll. Now take some rest and heal up.” He kissed your forehead as you smiled at him.

“Okay, okay. I know how much you’ll miss me in bed.” You winked and laughed when you saw him reddening.

It didn’t take too long for you to be able to go back into doing missions. It took a lot of vexing and begging for the Captain to say yes but he came through.

You weren’t completely back to normal but you could manage.

Being stuck in that bed was awful and going on a mission will be refreshing.

“Now, doll. I expect you to be careful this time. You’re not fully healed yet so be extra cautious and-” he paused to grip your frame and made you look at him.

“Don’t do anything brave”

You gulped at his serious tone and nodded.

“I will. I promise you that I will. Now just relax and let’s kiss some ass!” you cheered and ran towards the aircraft.

Steve shook his head at your choice of words but smiled at your cheerfulness and followed you.

_________________________________________________________

It was supposed to be basic. It was supposed to be an easy mission. It was elementary. All you had to do was infiltrate the base, get the information that Fury tasked you to take, and then leave. Three easy steps. Three easy steps that you all could’ve done but hindrances were presented.

The mission only consisted of you, Steve, Sam, Nat and Bucky. Enough to do splits. You were obviously with Steve on this one. Sam went solo, and Bucky was with Nat. Sam was assigned to keep eye from above, watching the entrances to see if you got any companion. Nat and Bucky were assigned to collect the files which leaves Steve and yourself to be the guards that makes sure no casualties were to happen with Nat and Bucky.

Everything was going well. Nat and Buck got the information and went out to meet with you and Steve. The four of you were about to leave when Sam spoke.

“Cap! It’s a trap! They knew we were coming! We’re outnumbered! I’m coming in!” Sam shouted in your earpiece.

Steve stiffened and took a deep breath.

“No, Sam. It’s too dangerous if we’re outnumbered. Call for backup.” Steve commanded.

“Alright, Cap.” Sam does as he said.

The doors busted open and suddenly, you were surrounded. There was a long pause filled with heated staring contests before the fight started. Nat, Bucky, Steve, and yourself fought of every HYDRA agent and didn’t have second thoughts in killing them.

It’s either kill or be killed.

Back up came. Tony, Rhodey, and even the kid, Peter Parker came for back up. They came and everything go easier. Every HYDRA agent was down and all were good. Everyone was walking out when you saw it from the corner of your eyes. A shimmer.

A HYDRA agent holding a dagger, limping towards Peter who was conveniently the closest one to the rogue so she went for him. You were faster, though. Before she could even jab at the kid, you pushed Peter away and held the woman’s hand that was holding the dagger. She looked at you in shock but that expression turned into a smirk.

You tilted your head in confusion and that’s when you felt a sharp pain shoot through the right side of your abdomen.

You looked down to see a needle stuck to your right side and the liquid went into your body when the woman pushed the end of it.

“Got you.” she whispered.

“Ms. Y/N!” Peter yelled as he webbed the dagger from the lady’s other hand. Everyone turned to look at the both of you with shocked looks and a few gasps. Steve ran as fast as he could and was beside you in a flash, holding you up. He looked at the needle poking out of your right side and frowned.

Natasha went ahead and took care of the rogue.

“What happened?” Steve’s voice boomed.

You only winced in response, feeling your body being weaker by the second.

“The lady went out of nowhere. She was about to stab me when Ms. Y/N pushed me away and stopped the lady. The lady suddenly injected her with that when Ms. Y/N was occupied with the dagger in her other hand. I’m sorry, I didn’t m-mean to-” Peter blabbered when you did your best to reach out to him and pat his shoulder.

“It’s not your fault, kid. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” You assured him.

Are you?

Are you really fine?

Steve held you tighter which made you look at him.

“I told you not to do anything brave.” He whispered, anger and worry seeping through his tone.

You chuckled and shook your head when you started feeling faint.

“Are you okay? Doll?” Steve shook you as you blink dizzily.

“I feel weird”

“Get to the plane, now! Get Banner or Cho!” Steve barked out orders, worried about you. Steve carried you to the plane and then placed you on a small bed. A doctor came towards you and started checking your vitals and such.

You were unconscious.

You were unconscious for too long.

To say Steve was super worried is an understatement.

You’ve been unconscious for three weeks now and everyone started getting jittery.

Everyone was affected. Steve was the most affected but so was Peter.

Peter was blaming himself and Steve wasn’t helping him with it. Steve was almost implying that it was indeed, Peter’s fault. Steve became cranky as hell and everyone was either annoyed or scared. Annoyed because he’s traumatizing poor Peter and scared because no one’s ever seen the golden boy this mad. They were also worried for Steve as they were for you. Steve wasn’t handling your situation well. You needed to wake up.

You have to wake up.

As if the universe was playing tricks with everyone, the doctor announced that if you don’t wake up with in the next two weeks, it’s over. Your vitals were low and your heath rate was to low. You were only alive because of the machine. The news wasn’t well received by the team. Peter was devastated and guilty as fuck while Tony tries to cheer him up. Steve was horrible.

Steve was the most affected by this but he wasn’t giving up. He will wait. He’ll give you time. You’re a fighter. You’ll fight through this. You were always stubborn. You wouldn’t let this killer serum end you. You wouldn’t.

Steve waited. Steve was patient but then you just stopped.

You stopped breathing. Even with the machine on, you stopped.

Flat line and that deafening sound clouded Steve’s senses as he was pushed out of the room as the doctors worked on you.

‘This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening.’ Were the words that kept replaying in Steve’s mind.

You can’t leave him. You can’t. You promised.

You promised.

But that was it.

You were gone.

There was a funeral.

You were buried because that’s what you wanted.

You were gone.

Peter cried at your funeral, feeling responsible for everything.

The other avengers mourned.

Steve was devastated.

What was his purpose now?

How could he move on?

Why did you have to be so stubborn?

“I told you not to do anything brave.” He whispered; pain laced in his voice.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It’s been three days since your funeral and everyone was still in shock.

The Y/N that they knew was gone. She was always someone who was looked up to. How did it happen to be just a serum that killed you? It doesn’t make any sense but nonetheless, it killed you.

Life is full of surprises.

Life is full of surprises indeed.

That night was specifically different. The night was cold and wet. The rain was nonstop and it’s like the god of thunder himself is unleashing his wrath but Thor denied that it was him.

The night was eerie and the avengers sat in the living room, having a cozy night while Steve isolated himself in the kitchen. Everyone was drinking something hot when the A.I., Friday spoke.

“System breached. Someone is trying to enter the building.” It said.

Everyone ran down, Steve leading the group.

Like Friday said, there was indeed someone trying to break in. Pounding on the glass door was a body covered in wet mud all over.

“What the fuck? Let me in! I live here. Guys?!” the figure screamed.

Steve stiffened. Everyone stared.

“Umm. Guys what the fuck. Is this a prank?” the figure shouted.

Steve quickly went to the doors, opening it and grabbing the figure.

“Y/N?” he asked as he wiped your face with his hands.

“The one and only” your voice sounded unsure, finding the whole situation weird.

Steve didn’t waste his time as he embraced you, not caring if he got all dirty from your mud.

“Are you real? Are you really here?” he whispered. The others were just staring in confusion and in shock.

“I think so?” you answered, then added;

“I feel weird”

Steve was alerted and started to guide you inside.

“Bruce! Check her up, please?” Steve was pleading, he didn’t want to lose you again. You just came back.

You stopped Steve. “I feel weird but in a good way.” You say confusingly.

Steve nodded and led you to your shared room to wash up.

It looked the same. It was untouched. Steve slept in a guess room because he was too scared that he would sniff all you remaining smell away, as weird as that sounds. He couldn’t bring himself to sleep there so the room was left untouched.

You took a shower for the first time in a while and you savored it.

Steve got worried because you were taking too long. Maybe something happened?

“Y/N? Doll?” he knocked.

You opened the door and looked up at the super soldier.

“I’m fine, Steve. Gosh you’re still such an uneasy person, geez.” You joked.

Steve looked at you, you were wrapped in a towel and so was your hair.

“I can’t help it. I lost you once and I won’t let that happen again.” He said as he pulled you in for a heartwarming hug.

“Which reminds me. You mind telling us what happened?” Steve looked at you and you sighed.

“Yeah. Let me just put clothes on.” Steve nodded and bit his bottom lip.

“Easy, Captain. I just got back.” You joked and laughed as Steve shook his head in annoyance yet laughed at your usual cheekiness.

_________________________________________________________

“I saw everything” you started as everyone listened to you.

“Everything flashed before me and yeah. I thought that I was still in a coma but apparently, you all buried me because I have to crawl my way up to the surface.” You joked as everyone eased at your playful tone.

“So, like, there was this weird dude who claimed to be a God. Probably good friends with your pops, Thor.” You nodded at Thor as Sam snorted. Bucky elbowed the man, making him shut up.

“Apparently, I’m not human. Well, I was human until I died. Which made me what I am now.” You tried to explain, hoping that they would get the point.

“Yeah? And exactly, what are you now?” Tony questioned.

“I don’t know. I’m not boasting but apparently, I’m a demigod now.” You bit your lip as you looked at everyone’s expression. Some were confused, some were amused, some where dumbfounded. Thor was smiling as he stood up and approached you.

“Cheers to that, lady Y/N” you high fived him as everyone started bombarding you with questions.

“Look, guys. I don’t know much but it is what it is. I’m just thankful that I’m back because I’m not yet done annoying the hell out of you.” You joked and went over to Steve.

“Especially this one.” You hugged him sideways.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but I miss your stubbornness.” Steve joked which caused everyone to laugh.

The night went on with all of you just talking and the next day came. Peter Parker was in the tower and by what Tony told you, you have a lot of parenting to do and you dragged Steve with you.

“Peter!” you called. The kid looked at you in shock as you laughed.

“Missed me?”you joked.

“Ms. Y/N!” the kid couldn’t help himself and launched towards you, hugging you. Only pulling away when he sensed Steve’s presence.

“I-I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to get you killed. I’m really-” you cut him off with a pat on the head.

“Peter, it’s not your fault. Really!” You elbowed Steve on the stomach as he groaned like a teen.

“Right, Captain?”you asked him. Steve sighed and nodded.

“That’s right. I’m sorry if I blamed it on you. I wasn’t aware of my emotions when all that happened and I took it out on you.” Steve looked down at Peter as Peter stared at him with wide eyes.

“It’s okay, Captain. I-I understand. We’re cool.” Peter stuttered.

“We’re cool” Steve repeated and glared at you when he heard you let out a laugh.

“Look at Captain America being so hip!” Y/N teased as she laid an arm around Peter’s shoulder.

Peter looked at you, feeling relief and happy for the first time in weeks.

______________________________________________________

Steve looked at you as the both of you laid in bed. You were facing up and he was facing you. You turned your face towards him and chuckled.

“What?” you asked.

“I just like looking at you.” He smiled.

“Okay, Mr. Weirdo” you joked causing him to let out a hearty laugh.

“You scared us. You scared me.” He whispered. You turn your body towards him and sighed,

“I know. But I’m back and I’m not going anywhere.”

He nodded and wrapped an arm around you, pulling you closer to him so your head was against his chest and you can feel his chin on the top of your head.

“I love you.” He says as you feel his lips press on your head. You looked up at him and smiled.

“I love you more” you replied and pressed a kiss on his nose.

“Well, I love you most.” He chuckled and placed a kiss on your lips.

In that moment, everything was perfect. Ups and Downs were faced. Mostly downs but for now, everything’s perfect. Your love was perfect.

-end-

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers oneshot #steve rogers angst #steve rogers #captain america #captain america imagine #captain america x reader #captain america angst #mcu x reader #mcu imagine #peter parker x reader platonic

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itissadbutitsmy-life · 5 years ago

Text

the funniest jokes in bfdi

flower’s announcer crusher that she just. has, and everyone else just uses it too

trying to put out a fire by holding ice cube’s recovery center over the fire so she just falls into it endlessly

every single one of yellow face’s products, including but not limited to

fork attractant, for when you need a fork but don’t have the cutlery on hand

headphones you cannot change the volume on or remove

money slips, you just write an amount on them, and it counts as legal tender

“thats a pentagon!” “yeah! like if you took my name and added ‘Tagon’!“

in like episode 2 when they all run away from something and a second later flower casually power-walks away from it instead of running

when balloony deflated and a while later cloudy flies over and goes “i cannot believe it! this is a dead body!!”

“he’s not dead, he just needs a little help thats all! (starts reinflating him too fast) but i agree, he is a hindrance when he is deflate- ohh noooo”

hollow jawbreakers that sound can come into but can’t go out of

when they stuck loser in a jawbreaker they inverted it, so they can hear him talk to himself but he cant hear anything around him

no one seems to know that thats why they can hear him

one time they all ended up in space. because of budget cuts.

actually every time budget cuts lead to something that seems way cooler than their previous stuff, like sparkly purple lasers instead of a mechanical arm to eliminate people with

the consistently bad cake at stake prizes. one time it was just a block of ice cut into six pieces. one time it was dirty shovels.

the magical die of judgement

when freesmart drove across the ocean in their van and they managed it by holding their breath and each time one of them died they just recovered them and threw their corpse out the back

golf ball messing up naming her team by saying things like “we need to be another name” and ending up on teams called Another Name and A Better Name Than That

one team was formed entirely around learning to not kill people. pillow overhears them say “youre against killing?” and goes “:D did someone say killing??”

tennis ball admonishing rocky for not knowing how to write: “no arms is no excuse”

they had to find a needle in a haystack and needle just turned herself in, successfully

when they started using a board with the points written on it on flaps of paper instead of a computer screen, but due to budget cuts, it could only display two digits per contestant, so anyone who went over 100 started immediately dropping to the bottom of the rankings

when ice cube was sleeping at the cake of stake podiums and got shot up into the air at like 3000 mph

2763

when the eliminated contestants tried to escape the loser chamber and they just rolled it off into the ocean

theyre saved because the sun rises and picks them up out of the ocean

also apparently the chamber opens for like five minutes a day for sunlight, but instead of just climbing out during that time, which they seem to be capable of doing, they do a much more convoluted thing

they were sick of four so they got rid of him by multiplying him with donut, and it worked

ruby has some really weirdly specific ideas of beauty and coaches flower

the line delivery of “killing a bubble is as easy as one, two, th(pop)” “i just learned two things about bubble: she can be su i c i d a l and she’s S O D U M B she CANT even count to T H R E E!”

a few episodes later bubble angrily shows them she CAN count to three if she lives long enough to do so, and pencil and match are both like :O :O

bubbles first line in season four is her rapidly counting to ten before getting popped

the way each team breaks their jawbreakers

8 ball just goes “MNYAH” and bites it in half

"okay black hole, do the thing”

leafy tries to use woody’s tongue to lick it open even though rocky and balloony were doing just fine using acid

iance just going ‘bwehbwehbweh’ all licking the same one

team ice cube was doing a mix of bwebwhbehbbwehbw and loudly drilling it open with naily

when four loved so hard he shot eraser off over the horizon

when they’re discussing team names in season one and theyre all talking over each other so you cant hear what theyre saying, except match, who grabs a megaphone and screams “SMOKY HOT FIERY BUNS”

when needle made a cake and put so much yeast in it that it breached earth’s atmosphere and astronomers apparently began classing earth as part of a three planet system (”consisting of the earth, the moon, and something called ‘needles cake’”)

“it’s ice cube! and she’s shrinking?” “she’s falling”

saying “(x character)! wake up!!” when it’s unclear (to the audience) why a character looks silly or apparently isnt responding

blocky’s sleeping pose is him with his eyes wide open, sporting a big goofy grin and hugging his legs

david’s sleeping pose is him with X eyes

one time the contest was to fill a tank with water from crying, and golf ball immediately ordered tennis ball to cry. he couldn’t do it on command, so golf ball tried, and cried her first ever tear, just... her first one

when the prize was fortune cookies, the fortunes were bracelety’s notes about how much she loves ice cube

“four, where’d you get these fortunes again?” “dumpster!”

“lightning always forgets to fly, so he had to be the fake”

when they were flying paper planes and stapy accidentally stapled his teammates into theirs, and he just hovered next to it while he was talking to them before they all started to plummet

the entire scene where liy tries to use ice cube to force teardrop to talk

“i’ll hold teardrops jaw open and you wiggle her vocal chords”

“i hate you” “yeah i hate her too!” “no. i hate you.”

“ice cube will only stop when she WANTS to stop!” “i want to stop”

“YOU SAID YOU WOULD HELP ME! YOU SAID YOU WERE COOL!” “so r r y (starts wiggling)”

“ICE CUBE! I AM APPALLED!!!!!”

ice cube gets bitten and starts screaming while bracelety is yelling “YEAH ICE CUBE! I CANT HEAR YOU, LOUDER!!”

apparently everyone who hates golf ball gets physically sick when they get near her (or at least, ruby does and snowball did once he knew she was there)

blocky got eaten by a monster in episode two but it turned out the monster missed him by a bit so he was fine

taco’s teammates thought she was dead forever and wrote eulogies for her, and once they found out she was alive lollipop threw hers away, but saw kept hers because in her eyes they’re still valid!!

when things started to get dramatic in the s1 finale, and leafy called announcer on the phone and he was in a ball pit

loser’s trapped in a jawbreaker and the only thing with him is donut’s diary. the next time you see him he’s reading it furiously and it’s filled with color-coded sticky notes

pillow decided if you wave your arms it means all your “care spirit” is getting sucked out your arms and sent into space (”a true indicator that person doesn’t give a fluff”)

remote got hacked and her FIRST INSTINCT is to send the hackers a bomb

“if theres an announcer recovery center now, that means we can kill the announcer as much as we want and he’ll still come back to give us dream island!”

they ask black hole to push them in their swing and he says he can’t push, but he can pull like there’s no tomorrow

“no i can literally warp space time so that there will be no tomorrow” “yeah,h don’t do that.”

when they have a tiebreaker announcer pulls out a silk tie and goes “first team to break this tie wins”

the second time, almost before he finished speaking, snowball just reached over and ripped it in half effortlessly

“proves you don’t need frills to make a feast for the eyes!” “more like taco doesn’t need to be dead to be deceased in my eyes!!!”

they had a race where everyone on each team had their legs tied together (like a three-legged race, but with like six people on a team)

pen’s team was doing fine but he wasn’t, so they just dragged him along behind

snowball tied his team into a ball and dragged them himself, to predictable results, and wouldn’t stop until he got to the finish line even though it took him until after the sun went down

he failed, actually, and him and his team plummeted down a ravine when he passed out

“the opposite of dream island! night...nightmare moon!!”

donut stuck his arms through a one way camera to the moon (it transmits matter as well as light), and to fix the fact that his arms were on the moon and his body was on earth, he pushed the entire earth through the camera

the moon is smushed up against the earth now. it has not been resolved yet

“gelatin and firey tied their legs together and fell off” “ya, seems like the kind of thing they would do”

pencil got caught by a monster and couldnt get away, so they had to kill her so they could recover her somewhere else, and they let her pick how they did it, which lead to everyone just sawing her in half while she grinned ear to ear. she was singing too. iconic

but first, match, her best friend, started waggling a big butcher’s knife around at her going “hoohoo hoeheehee im killing pencil loookat me” and pencil said “match put your butterknife away, you have to ACTUALLY kill me”

and when they were sawing her in half bubble had the BIGGEST, most BLISSFUL grin, with her eyes half closed like a happy cat

bell asks for help making people stop climbing her string, and snowball assures her he can do it, but he’ll have to climb her string to get to them

then like twenty people followed him up

when writing utensil characters use themselves to write with

sometimes they have tiny versions of themselves (sans limbs), but sometimes they just like, pull their caps off and write with their heads

(the same scream noise they use every time a group of people screams) “HONESTLY! (grabs a new can of fork repellent from hammerspace) are you guys going to scream like that EVERY time i use up a can?”

dodecadangit

OH THANKS AN OCTADECILLION, MATCH

they were basically playing hot potato where if you look at someone who was glowing you’d catch the glow, and most teams ended up just chilling with their eyes closed, but golf ball yelled “EVERYONE GET ON MY ROCKET” and she and her team just left earth entirely

this did not stop them from catching the glow

someone’s like “the communicator dish still works” and book goes “oh,” dips a chip into the communicator dish and splashes dip everywhere, “THATS what this is?”

the, like, five minute long end-credits scene of ice cube falling off a cliff eternally

pencil tells ruby which button to press and she keeps getting it wrong, partly because NEW BUTTONS KEEP APPEARING

the poison antidote that has the side effect of making the recipient eat one other contestant

pencil coaching her teammates on how to jump higher

“MMR? I love measles, mumps, and rubella!”

“golf ball knows how to do, like, everything!” (cut to golf ball) “i don’t know how to do, like, anything”

basketball invited 8 ball to be on her team cuz they’re both balls, then 8 ball said “sure, and let’s adopt these three” in reference to three other ball characters

loser said when he was younger he used to play with a toy that was apparently only just invented an hour ago, and everyone, like 60 characters, immediately disowned him and started a turf war over the situation

“black hole, you’re strong! open this jar for me!”

(as the world is literally ending) “FLOWER! WHATAVE YOU DONE??” “i got this jar open!!!”

whenever a host dies or is otherwise put out of commission and the contestants just keep trucking along until they remember no one can get the prize if the host isn’t around to give it to them

that time announcer used like ten negatives in a sentence

the way announcer says “wow!” with more emotion than anything else he says? idk if it’s intentional, or even a joke, but it’s the best thing

(slow mo) “i want to cry now, i really do”

“and i cry acid”

ruby died of sadness and book made it big by selling her remains

when they say some line that’s just regular words in a slightly unique way, and then the line gets repeated throughout the series

announcer accidentally-on-purpose got everyone killed, except david (who’s immune to bugs), and he had a david cloner, so he just went ahead and replaced everyone with davids in costumes

halfway through cake at stake, the original contestants show up unexpectedly and explain that they “faked their deaths! obviously.”

“ive decided to not cancel bfdi!” “aw, seriously?”

the noises david and dora make when they do things, like clattering, or sprouting leaves

bubble and match pretending to be trees

“NO BUBBLE! TREES DONT SAY THAT!” “OH, RIGHT! FSSHHHHHH! FWWWSHH!!!!”

when nickel and coiny get close together bad things happen

“how’s the tree-climbing going?” “it’s okay, but it’d be easier if you helped. (swoop) okay, just got to the top”

“yes! I am the first one up the tree!” “that’s NOT true, I was here FIRST”

i guess we’ll just have to use this trebuchet tennis ball built before he died

“wha! yhad this the HWOLE TIME, I DIDN EVEN HAVE TO CLIMB THE TREE?” “physical exertion builds character :)”

when everyone’s begging four to bring back their dead teammates, especially saw, who lost her entire team, and four is like okay I’ll bring back one (1) person, and saw very reverently starts to ask him for her dead team leader, but grassy says “tennis ball!” and four listens to him instead, and everyone immediately starts nagging four again to bring back more important people

leafy, about to melt ice cube down for metal scrap: “ice cube, come on down! you can be my alloy!”

they met a new character and they’re like “who is that?” and pie’s like “I dunno, try squishing it”

“theres another one? whoa! it totally has a different texture from the first one!”

8 ball beginning every single statement with things like “although I don’t have a favorite number...”

“I do this!” (grabs pin and turns her, screaming, into a squiggly pile of lines) “pretty cool, dontcha think?”

“can,,,, you bring her back?” “no” (five seconds later) “HEY CHECK THIS OUT! (brings back pin)”

pen high fived black hole and his arm spaghettified

“what are you doing?” “im going to die!” “hi needle! he’s not going to die.”

iance was trying to dig their way up out of the ground but they couldnt because golf ball kept blocking them from the surface

“maybe theyre trying to communicate with me?” “yeah they’re telling you to stop”

“they raise a very convincing argument. BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH!” “OH what a pain!!”

she accurately guessed the fact that there was a group of people underground running from some lava who “clearly value avoiding [golf ball] more than their own safety”

“ohhhh so THIS is golf balls idea of fun!” “(sigh)... yep”

they looked through a camera and couldn’t see donut (the zoom wasn’t adjusted) and marker went “donut’s a vampire too?”

too???

“meh, I’ve still got other evidence”

one time the eliminated contestants got to vote who to eliminate and snowball was like “ice cube, cuz it’s really hot in the TLC and I can’t be the only one cooling it off”

like four other people were like “oh man he’s right” and did the same thing

“wouldn’t it be cool if the last word of the last episode was the same as the first word of the first episode?” “yeah :)”

“take. a deep breath. you know. A DEEP FRIED BREATH”

at the end of the episode he shows up with some boiling oil and is like “LIKE THIS! ONE, (sizzling and screaming noises)” “COINY NO”

leafy was about to throw a knife at them but watched this happen offscreen with horror and then left them alone

david’s human, and that’s just weird

“im still mad you killed bubble” “youre one to talk, you were about to impale TWO WHOLE teams” “yeah, but bubble’s life? is special”

pen’s like “okay we three need to stick together while we’re picking teams!” but then eraser hears some other team has free food, so he runs off and pen very flatly goes “okay, we lost eraser.”

“well let’s not pick pen, he’s still two hundred bigintillion dollars in debt” which is mostly hilarious without the first three seasons of context, but even with context it’s hilarious. he looks so shamefaced when they say it too. i love pen

once someone finally picks him he IMMEDIATELY perks up and takes charge

the hphprcc went into self destruct mode and everyone started frantically trying to figure out what to do, and book’s like “okay it’ll either just disappear without a trace, or blow up and kill us all, 50/50 chance” and then of course, it exploded, and ruby started screaming, and then book was like “ruby, stop hallucinating! see? it just disappeared, without a trace!”

“YOuuOURE HalLUCINAATING!!” “DON’T do that!! it is K-R-E-P!”

pin tried to knock everyone off the eiffel tower by shaking it and book was like “who does she think she’s kidding? it’s the eiffel tower we won’t fall off”

“name ONE! name ONE friend you haven’t gotten extremely angry at!” “thats not fair,! there isnt even any of them!”

8ball was saying the opposite of everything golf ball was saying, up to and including calling the members of their team, a better name that that, “worse namers”

“is this because i killed you last episode?” “what?? no, i dont care about that!”

“life is CHEAP! get me a BANANA!!!”

flower bit off half of announcer’s head and he couldn’t make the K sound anymore

“have this -ashew” “bless you”

“no i said -ashew. -ashew. -ashew. -ashew.” “wow you must be allergic to something”

“maybe announcer’s allergic to this cashew? here bubble, you can have it!”

pencil won the staring contest because david’s allergic to sunrises

freesmart was making video diaries during the three year hiatus, but apparently did absolutely no editing or even rewatching of the videos, because they found out three years too late that ruby left the lens cap on every time she used the camera

when four played the cake at stake song in the classroom he played it on a low-quality portable tv instead of cutting to a fullscreen video

“iknowafasterway!” “NORUBYYOULLDIE!”

pin said she didnt want to halve the votes she got because she hadnt done anything that would make people want to vote for her, and it immediately cut to a series of old scenes of her throwing people under the metaphorical bus

literally nothing is funnier than “i mean, i havent done anything to make people vote for me” (cut to flashback) “there’s too much weight on this sinking ship!!! we need to throw someone OVERBOARD!!!!”

one team got stuck doing their nine-piece puzzle for a MONTH because all the pieces were the same dark brown color

the pieces were upside down

a month

“the finish line! it’s only twenty or so yards away!”

two people talking and using the word “needy” twice and pausing to throw their hands up protectively and go “HNnnnynGH”

“why do i have filling, but also a hole?” - donuts diary

in 5b theyre talking to some npcs and theyre like “well dont hurt us, because we just got finished being punished in lego brick’s dungeon” and the npcs were like “oh yeah he does that. he’s a great guy, but he does that.”

also in 5b when book met lego brick the FIRST thing she asked is if he’s “safe to look at” which,???

they did a trivia contest and multiple questions were in complete gibberish

presumably this is an actual language in canon since like three other people answered correctly, also in gibberish, but still

“you’ve got this, bubble, you’re great at mental contests” “question one: ooba grooba, grooba shmooba?” “HUH?”

“but tennis ball -- oh... tennis ball....--”

team naming, especially in season four

“we’re not ALL in the alliance!” “well, if you take ‘the all’ out of the alliance, you get...”

“and what is your name?” (everyone says their own actual names at once)

ice cube is not on team ice cube

Death Prevention And Creating Trust

“let’s be called The Losers!” “awww! you didn’t have to”

wheel ooze a hole bunch. WOAH bunch!

“but then it sounds like youre saying free-DUMB!” “and we are so like totally not dumb!”

when the losers decided to use iance’s idea to win the swing contest and it was styled like an overenthusiastic science video

“WHOA!!! iance just had a RADICAL idea!!!”

“TREASON! TREASON! TREASON!” “im in what?”

“seriously why are so many people drowning? it’s not even quicksand, or anything” - announcer, responding to five people drowning in a basket of bread

they were whispering with “susuusus” noises and cloudy whispered “zuzuzuzzuz”

the spaceship with the sign that says “this spaceship runs on big squishy contestants” or whatever and after the credits it slowly flips over to say “this spaceship runs on VOTERS”

“stop shooting at me!” “no way! i got these cannonballs on sale and IM GONNA GET MY MONEYS WORTH!!!”

eggy and cake’s argument over who has a deeper spiritual connection with loser

“my connection is so strong that when i crack, i bleed loser’s COLOR”

playing catch with a star they plucked out of the big dipper, and leafy’s horror over it

adding “ey” to people’s names (personal favorites are announcery, fourty-four, flowey, treey, and belly)

blueberries are EXPLOSIVE, including the ones inside pie, so sometimes she just explodes

“but over a year ago, four said you dont need frills to make a feast for the eyes, so that means hes okay with trash!”

the anti-advertisements advertisement!

four ate a whole team and they just sort of stood around inside him sticking their arms out his mouth and laughing hysterically

“again! again again again !!!!”

“we could be leaving!” “yeah, but when’s the last time you saw remote this happy? this is good for her!”

book, three episodes into season 3: hey, what is it we’re even battling for?

(iconic voice): dwream island,??

when they had a beauty contest and firey speaker box and flower speaker box just immediately chose firey and flower to be the winners without a second’s hesitation

“book! come help us catch a criminal!” “no thanks, im good!”

donut tried to punish people for getting the wrong answers when he was hosting, but it turns out a recording of four screeching doesn’t work... quite as well as the real deal

four zapping gelatin

ok ok ok this is insanely long but please add more if u have any favorites i missed

#honorable mention is 'pen island all caps no spaces'#its so stupid and i lose it every single time #and the reanimated 1a and 1b map when leafy icy and coiny were on their boat and inexplicably dressed as pirates #its the CUTEST Thing and i think about it a lot #bfdi #long post #o

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urlology · 4 years ago

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How Netflix Reinvented HR

https://hbr.org/2014/01/how-netflix-reinvented-hr

Patty McCord

From the January–February 2014 Issue

Sheryl Sandberg has called it one of the most important documents ever to come out of Silicon Valley. It’s been viewed more than 5 million times on the web. But when Reed Hastings and I (along with some colleagues) wrote a PowerPoint deck explaining how we shaped the culture and motivated performance at Netflix, where Hastings is CEO and I was chief talent officer from 1998 to 2012, we had no idea it would go viral. We realized that some of the talent management ideas we’d pioneered, such as the concept that workers should be allowed to take whatever vacation time they feel is appropriate, had been seen as a little crazy (at least until other companies started adopting them). But we were surprised that an unadorned set of 127 slides—no music, no animation—would become so influential.

Netflix culture slide deck

People find the Netflix approach to talent and culture compelling for a few reasons. The most obvious one is that Netflix has been really successful: During 2013 alone its stock more than tripled, it won three Emmy awards, and its U.S. subscriber base grew to nearly 29 million. All that aside, the approach is compelling because it derives from common sense. In this article I’ll go beyond the bullet points to describe five ideas that have defined the way Netflix attracts, retains, and manages talent. But first I’ll share two conversations I had with early employees, both of which helped shape our overall philosophy.

Crafting a Culture of Excellence

The first took place in late 2001. Netflix had been growing quickly: We’d reached about 120 employees and had been planning an IPO. But after the dot-com bubble burst and the 9/11 attacks occurred, things changed. It became clear that we needed to put the IPO on hold and lay off a third of our employees. It was brutal. Then, a bit unexpectedly, DVD players became the hot gift that Christmas. By early 2002 our DVD-by-mail subscription business was growing like crazy. Suddenly we had far more work to do, with 30% fewer employees.

One day I was talking with one of our best engineers, an employee I’ll call John. Before the layoffs, he’d managed three engineers, but now he was a one-man department working very long hours. I told John I hoped to hire some help for him soon. His response surprised me. “There’s no rush—I’m happier now,” he said. It turned out that the engineers we’d laid off weren’t spectacular—they were merely adequate. John realized that he’d spent too much time riding herd on them and fixing their mistakes. “I’ve learned that I’d rather work by myself than with subpar performers,” he said. His words echo in my mind whenever I describe the most basic element of Netflix’s talent philosophy: The best thing you can do for employees—a perk better than foosball or free sushi—is hire only “A” players to work alongside them. Excellent colleagues trump everything else.

The second conversation took place in 2002, a few months after our IPO. Laura, our bookkeeper, was bright, hardworking, and creative. She’d been very important to our early growth, having devised a system for accurately tracking movie rentals so that we could pay the correct royalties. But now, as a public company, we needed CPAs and other fully credentialed, deeply experienced accounting professionals—and Laura had only an associate’s degree from a community college. Despite her work ethic, her track record, and the fact that we all really liked her, her skills were no longer adequate. Some of us talked about jury-rigging a new role for her, but we decided that wouldn’t be right.

So I sat down with Laura and explained the situation—and said that in light of her spectacular service, we would give her a spectacular severance package. I’d braced myself for tears or histrionics, but Laura reacted well: She was sad to be leaving but recognized that the generous severance would let her regroup, retrain, and find a new career path. This incident helped us create the other vital element of our talent management philosophy: If we wanted only “A” players on our team, we had to be willing to let go of people whose skills no longer fit, no matter how valuable their contributions had once been. Out of fairness to such people—and, frankly, to help us overcome our discomfort with discharging them—we learned to offer rich severance packages.

With these two overarching principles in mind, we shaped our approach to talent using the five tenets below.

Hire, Reward, and Tolerate Only Fully Formed Adults

Over the years we learned that if we asked people to rely on logic and common sense instead of on formal policies, most of the time we would get better results, and at lower cost. If you’re careful to hire people who will put the company’s interests first, who understand and support the desire for a high-performance workplace, 97% of your employees will do the right thing. Most companies spend endless time and money writing and enforcing HR policies to deal with problems the other 3% might cause. Instead, we tried really hard to not hire those people, and we let them go if it turned out we’d made a hiring mistake.

Adultlike behavior means talking openly about issues with your boss, your colleagues, and your subordinates. It means recognizing that even in companies with reams of HR policies, those policies are frequently skirted as managers and their reports work out what makes sense on a case-by-case basis.

Let me offer two examples.

When Netflix launched, we had a standard paid-time-off policy: People got 10 vacation days, 10 holidays, and a few sick days. We used an honor system—employees kept track of the days they took off and let their managers know when they’d be out. After we went public, our auditors freaked. They said Sarbanes-Oxley mandated that we account for time off. We considered instituting a formal tracking system. But then Reed asked, “Are companies required to give time off? If not, can’t we just handle it informally and skip the accounting rigmarole?” I did some research and found that, indeed, no California law governed vacation time.

So instead of shifting to a formal system, we went in the opposite direction: Salaried employees were told to take whatever time they felt was appropriate. Bosses and employees were asked to work it out with one another. (Hourly workers in call centers and warehouses were given a more structured policy.) We did provide some guidance. If you worked in accounting or finance, you shouldn’t plan to be out during the beginning or the end of a quarter, because those were busy times. If you wanted 30 days off in a row, you needed to meet with HR. Senior leaders were urged to take vacations and to let people know about them—they were role models for the policy. (Most were happy to comply.) Some people worried about whether the system would be inconsistent—whether some bosses would allow tons of time off while others would be stingy. In general, I worried more about fairness than consistency, because the reality is that in any organization, the highest-performing and most valuable employees get more leeway.

The company’s expense policy is five words long: “Act in Netflix’s best interests.”

We also departed from a formal travel and expense policy and decided to simply require adultlike behavior there, too. The company’s expense policy is five words long: “Act in Netflix’s best interests.” In talking that through with employees, we said we expected them to spend company money frugally, as if it were their own. Eliminating a formal policy and forgoing expense account police shifted responsibility to frontline managers, where it belongs. It also reduced costs: Many large companies still use travel agents (and pay their fees) to book trips, as a way to enforce travel policies. They could save money by letting employees book their own trips online. Like most Netflix managers, I had to have conversations periodically with employees who ate at lavish restaurants (meals that would have been fine for sales or recruiting, but not for eating alone or with a Netflix colleague). We kept an eye on our IT guys, who were prone to buying a lot of gadgets. But overall we found that expense accounts are another area where if you create a clear expectation of responsible behavior, most employees will comply.

Tell the Truth About Performance

Many years ago we eliminated formal reviews. We had held them for a while but came to realize they didn’t make sense—they were too ritualistic and too infrequent. So we asked managers and employees to have conversations about performance as an organic part of their work. In many functions—sales, engineering, product development—it’s fairly obvious how well people are doing. (As companies develop better analytics to measure performance, this becomes even truer.) Building a bureaucracy and elaborate rituals around measuring performance usually doesn’t improve it.

Traditional corporate performance reviews are driven largely by fear of litigation. The theory is that if you want to get rid of someone, you need a paper trail documenting a history of poor achievement. At many companies, low performers are placed on “Performance Improvement Plans.” I detest PIPs. I think they’re fundamentally dishonest: They never accomplish what their name implies.

One Netflix manager requested a PIP for a quality assurance engineer named Maria, who had been hired to help develop our streaming service. The technology was new, and it was evolving very quickly. Maria’s job was to find bugs. She was fast, intuitive, and hardworking. But in time we figured out how to automate the QA tests. Maria didn’t like automation and wasn’t particularly good at it. Her new boss (brought in to create a world-class automation tools team) told me he wanted to start a PIP with her.

I replied, “Why bother? We know how this will play out. You’ll write up objectives and deliverables for her to achieve, which she can’t, because she lacks the skills. Every Wednesday you’ll take time away from your real work to discuss (and document) her shortcomings. You won’t sleep on Tuesday nights, because you’ll know it will be an awful meeting, and the same will be true for her. After a few weeks there will be tears. This will go on for three months. The entire team will know. And at the end you’ll fire her. None of this will make any sense to her, because for five years she’s been consistently rewarded for being great at her job—a job that basically doesn’t exist anymore. Tell me again how Netflix benefits?

“Instead, let’s just tell the truth: Technology has changed, the company has changed, and Maria’s skills no longer apply. This won’t be a surprise to her: She’s been in the trenches, watching the work around her shift. Give her a great severance package—which, when she signs the documents, will dramatically reduce (if not eliminate) the chance of a lawsuit.” In my experience, people can handle anything as long as they’re told the truth—and this proved to be the case with Maria.

When we stopped doing formal performance reviews, we instituted informal 360-degree reviews. We kept them fairly simple: People were asked to identify things that colleagues should stop, start, or continue. In the beginning we used an anonymous software system, but over time we shifted to signed feedback, and many teams held their 360s face-to-face.

HR people can’t believe that a company the size of Netflix doesn’t hold annual reviews. “Are you making this up just to upset us?” they ask. I’m not. If you talk simply and honestly about performance on a regular basis, you can get good results—probably better ones than a company that grades everyone on a five-point scale.

Managers Own the Job of Creating Great Teams

Discussing the military’s performance during the Iraq War, Donald Rumsfeld, the former defense secretary, once famously said, “You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.” When I talk to managers about creating great teams, I tell them to approach the process in exactly the opposite way.

In my consulting work, I ask managers to imagine a documentary about what their team is accomplishing six months from now. What specific results do they see? How is the work different from what the team is doing today? Next I ask them to think about the skills needed to make the images in the movie become reality. Nowhere in the early stages of the process do I advise them to think about the team they actually have. Only after they’ve done the work of envisioning the ideal outcome and the skill set necessary to achieve it should they analyze how well their existing team matches what they need.

If you’re in a fast-changing business environment, you’re probably looking at a lot of mismatches. In that case, you need to have honest conversations about letting some team members find a place where their skills are a better fit. You also need to recruit people with the right skills.

We faced the latter challenge at Netflix in a fairly dramatic way as we began to shift from DVDs by mail to a streaming service. We had to store massive volumes of files in the cloud and figure out how huge numbers of people could reliably access them. (By some estimates, up to a third of peak residential internet traffic in the U.S. comes from customers streaming Netflix movies.) So we needed to find people deeply experienced with cloud services who worked for companies that operate on a giant scale—companies like Amazon, eBay, Google, and Facebook, which aren’t the easiest places to hire someone away from.

Our compensation philosophy helped a lot. Most of its principles stem from ideals described earlier: Be honest, and treat people like adults. For instance, during my tenure Netflix didn’t pay performance bonuses, because we believed that they’re unnecessary if you hire the right people. If your employees are fully formed adults who put the company first, an annual bonus won’t make them work harder or smarter. We also believed in market-based pay and would tell employees that it was smart to interview with competitors when they had the chance, in order to get a good sense of the market rate for their talent. Many HR people dislike it when employees talk to recruiters, but I always told employees to take the call, ask how much, and send me the number—it’s valuable information.

In addition, we used equity compensation much differently from the way most companies do. Instead of larding stock options on top of a competitive salary, we let employees choose how much (if any) of their compensation would be in the form of equity. If employees wanted stock options, we reduced their salaries accordingly. We believed that they were sophisticated enough to understand the trade-offs, judge their personal tolerance for risk, and decide what was best for them and their families. We distributed options every month, at a slight discount from the market price. We had no vesting period—the options could be cashed in immediately. Most tech companies have a four-year vesting schedule and try to use options as “golden handcuffs” to aid retention, but we never thought that made sense. If you see a better opportunity elsewhere, you should be allowed to take what you’ve earned and leave. If you no longer want to work with us, we don’t want to hold you hostage.

We continually told managers that building a great team was their most important task. We didn’t measure them on whether they were excellent coaches or mentors or got their paperwork done on time. Great teams accomplish great work, and recruiting the right team was the top priority.

Leaders Own the Job of Creating the Company Culture

After I left Netflix and began consulting, I visited a hot start-up in San Francisco. It had 60 employees in an open loft-style office with a foosball table, two pool tables, and a kitchen, where a chef cooked lunch for the entire staff. As the CEO showed me around, he talked about creating a fun atmosphere. At one point I asked him what the most important value for his company was. He replied, “Efficiency.”

“OK,” I said. “Imagine that I work here, and it’s 2:58 PM. I’m playing an intense game of pool, and I’m winning. I estimate that I can finish the game in five minutes. We have a meeting at 3:00. Should I stay and win the game or cut it short for the meeting?”

“You should finish the game,” he insisted. I wasn’t surprised; like many tech start-ups, this was a casual place, where employees wore hoodies and brought pets to work, and that kind of casualness often extends to punctuality. “Wait a second,” I said. “You told me that efficiency is your most important cultural value. It’s not efficient to delay a meeting and keep coworkers waiting because of a pool game. Isn’t there a mismatch between the values you’re talking up and the behaviors you’re modeling and encouraging?”

When I advise leaders about molding a corporate culture, I tend to see three issues that need attention. This type of mismatch is one. It’s a particular problem at start-ups, where there’s a premium on casualness that can run counter to the high-performance ethos leaders want to create. I often sit in on company meetings to get a sense of how people operate. I frequently see CEOs who are clearly winging it. They lack a real agenda. They’re working from slides that were obviously put together an hour before or were recycled from the previous round of VC meetings. Workers notice these things, and if they see a leader who’s not fully prepared and who relies on charm, IQ, and improvisation, it affects how they perform, too. It’s a waste of time to articulate ideas about values and culture if you don’t model and reward behavior that aligns with those goals.

The second issue has to do with making sure employees understand the levers that drive the business. I recently visited a Texas start-up whose employees were mostly engineers in their twenties. “I bet half the people in this room have never read a P&L,” I said to the CFO. He replied, “It’s true—they’re not financially savvy or business savvy, and our biggest challenge is teaching them how the business works.” Even if you’ve hired people who want to perform well, you need to clearly communicate how the company makes money and what behaviors will drive its success. At Netflix, for instance, employees used to focus too heavily on subscriber growth, without much awareness that our expenses often ran ahead of it: We were spending huge amounts buying DVDs, setting up distribution centers, and ordering original programming, all before we’d collected a cent from our new subscribers. Our employees needed to learn that even though revenue was growing, managing expenses really mattered.

The third issue is something I call the split personality start-up. At tech companies this usually manifests itself as a schism between the engineers and the sales team, but it can take other forms. At Netflix, for instance, I sometimes had to remind people that there were big differences between the salaried professional staff at headquarters and the hourly workers in the call centers. At one point our finance team wanted to shift the whole company to direct-deposit paychecks, and I had to point out that some of our hourly workers didn’t have bank accounts. That’s a small example, but it speaks to a larger point: As leaders build a company culture, they need to be aware of subcultures that might require different management.

Good Talent Managers Think Like Businesspeople and Innovators First, and Like HR People Last

Throughout most of my career I’ve belonged to professional associations of human resources executives. Although I like the people in these groups personally, I often find myself disagreeing with them. Too many devote time to morale improvement initiatives. At some places entire teams focus on getting their firm onto lists of “Best Places to Work” (which, when you dig into the methodologies, are really based just on perks and benefits). At a recent conference I met someone from a company that had appointed a “chief happiness officer”—a concept that makes me slightly sick.

During 30 years in business I’ve never seen an HR initiative that improved morale. HR departments might throw parties and hand out T-shirts, but if the stock price is falling or the company’s products aren’t perceived as successful, the people at those parties will quietly complain—and they’ll use the T-shirts to wash their cars.

Instead of cheerleading, people in my profession should think of themselves as businesspeople. What’s good for the company? How do we communicate that to employees? How can we help every worker understand what we mean by high performance?

Here’s a simple test: If your company has a performance bonus plan, go up to a random employee and ask, “Do you know specifically what you should be doing right now to increase your bonus?” If he or she can’t answer, the HR team isn’t making things as clear as they need to be.

At Netflix I worked with colleagues who were changing the way people consume filmed entertainment, which is an incredibly innovative pursuit—yet when I started there, the expectation was that I would default to mimicking other companies’ best practices (many of them antiquated), which is how almost everyone seems to approach HR. I rejected those constraints. There’s no reason the HR team can’t be innovative too.

A version of this article appeared in the

January–February 2014

issue of Harvard Business Review.

#Business #work

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giveamadeuschohisownmovie · 5 years ago

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Hypothetical plot outline for Ace Attorney 7:

Title: “Ace Attorney: Unsolved Cases”

1. The False Turnabout

Our tutorial level. To jar the player, we play as a new defense attorney, Gail Rherring, who is defending the CEO of a major record label. Her assistant is Bethany Algernon, whose personality is along the lines of Maya Fey.

Most of the case is standard Ace Attorney fare; you kick Winston Payne’s butt, you learn the cross-examination process, and so on. However, there’s a twist at the end of the episode. Gail and Bethany return to the office and, just as you think all is well, Bethany shoots Gail in the back. Bethany laughs and says, “Thank you for your services” as she heads out of the office.

Just before Gail dies, she notices that Bethany somehow changed faces..a bit similar to another Ace Attorney villain...

2. Turnabout Vacation

It’s been one year since “Spirit of Justice”. Although Khura’in is still adjusting to the change in legal systems, Apollo has become famous as the country’s top defense attorney. Phoenix, Maya, Athena, and Trucy visit him for vacation, although unbeknownst to everyone, Phoenix timed the visit. Around the same time for their visit, Thalassa Gramarye / Lamiroir will be holding a concert in Khura’in’s capital. The plan is for Apollo and Trucy to attend the concert so that they’ll finally know the truth.

Of course, things go to shit when, just before Lamiroir can tell them, her manager is murdered. She’s put on trial, forcing Apollo to take the lead. Phoenix and Athena want to help but Apollo says that due to the change in legal systems, they’ll need to pass the bar exam in Khura’in in order to take part in court.

Nahyuta Sahdmadhi is expected to be the prosecutor but, much to everyone’s surprise, he says he let the case go. Apparently, someone at the prosecutor’s office made a special request to take the trial. Someone who has the same international privileges as he does. We are then introduced to the main prosecutor in the game; Alexandria Allegretto, an Italian prosecutor who studied in America.

She was also Apollo’s best friend back in law school. Phoenix, Maya, Trucy, and Athena wonder if she stepped in to handle the case specifically just to meet Apollo. When they ask him what their relationship was like, Apollo only says that they were close and then they weren’t.

Apollo and Alexandria battle it out, resulting in Thalassa being declared not-guilty. We finally get the moment where Apollo and Trucy learn they’re siblings. At the same time, Apollo and Alexandria awkwardly catch up, with their dialogue hinting that they had a falling out around the same time that Apollo joined Kristoph Gavin’s law firm.

3. Turnabout Prisoner

A few weeks after their vacation in Khura’in, we see Phoenix and Maya back at the office. Much to Phoenix and Maya’s surprise, they watch a news segment that reports that Redd White was murdered in his holding cell. Maya coldly says that he deserved it but then wonders who could’ve been responsible. Curious, Phoenix heads down to the prosecutor’s office to find out.

At the office, Alexandria tells Phoenix that Diego Armando/Godot (still serving his sentence for the murder of Misty Fey) is the defendant. She says that Diego did it to avenge Mia Fey’s death, which bothers Phoenix since Diego has been in prison since 2019 and has never made an attempt to kill White until now. Alexandria suggests that maybe Godot has changed but Phoenix doubts it.

Phoenix and Maya visit the prison. Godot says that he’s innocent and that even though he’s thought about murdering Redd White multiple times, he never acted on his urges as he felt that White’s punishment was adequate. Basically, why kill him (or put him out of his misery) when he’s gonna suffer for the rest of his life in prison. Phoenix says he’ll defend Godot in court but Godot says it’s pointless as he’s already serving a life sentence. Phoenix insists, saying that there’s something bigger going on behind the scenes.

Phoenix and Maya investigate and, during their investigations, find out that Redd White’s death is tied to a bigger conspiracy. White may have been assassinated and that he had ties to a larger organization. Something along the lines of a secret society that consisted of the world’s most powerful people. This ties the case back to the first case because we learn that the record label CEO was also part of the organization.

At the end of the episode, Phoenix and Maya successfully defend Godot, although he’s sent back to prison anyways. Then...the twist.

Phoenix finds Godot in his apartment, badly wounded. Godot says that he escaped the police van he was in. Phoenix asks why and Godot says that the officer in the van tried to kill him and he fought back. Godot says that they may have angered a monster...and it all goes back to the phantom from Dual Destinies.

4. Turnabout Love

Athena and Simon team up to defend a computer programmer who was trying to expose corruption in the company he was working for. While working the case, Athena tries to get to know Alexandria better in order to figure out why she had a falling out with Apollo.

Alexandria pretty much says what Apollo said; they were close friends in law school and that they cut each other off some time afterward. Then all of a sudden, Alexandria drops the bombshell revelation that she was in love with Apollo. And that Apollo may have been in love with her as well.

Athena says that Apollo didn’t have any girlfriends in college and Alexandria clarifies that they weren’t together. They were never sure how to act on their feelings. Then, for reasons she won’t disclose, Alexandria left to become a prosecutor. She just cut Apollo out without even telling him why. Athena senses distress in Alexandria but doesn’t pursue.

During this case, we get another bombshell revelation; the computer programmer was trying to expose the phantom’s employers, which is why he was “framed” for the murder he’s on trial for. Also, Athena’s mother, Metis, may have been part of the same organization. Athena is pissed at this accusation but the programmer points out that the police never found out why the phantom sabotaged the HAT-1 launch. The programmer theorizes that the sabotage may have been “punishment” for Metis going against the organization.

The trial ends abruptly when, during the programmer’s testimony, he suddenly dies from poison. Upon examination, Simon finds a poison dart in the programmer’s back. Horrified at what happened, Athena runs from the courthouse.

5. Turnabout Memories II

Taking place during Apollo Justice’s law school years, we follow him in a mock trial with Alexandria Allegretto. This is a trial-only level, meant to highlight Apollo and Alexandria’s relationship. Although it’s not explicit, just based on the dialogue, it’s heavily implied that Apollo and Alexandria really like each other.

We then see that the “prosecutor” for this case is none other than Bethany Algernon, the same Bethany who killed Gail Rherring in the first episode. Also attending the mock trial are two attorneys; defense attorney Kristoph Gavin and prosecutor Abraham Murdock.

Apollo and Alexandria win the trial and are approached by the senior attorneys at the end of it. Kristoph offers both of them a place in his office while Abraham proposes the same for his. Apollo and Alexandria are both excited at the job offers.

We then get an Apollo Justice voice-over in which he says that Alexandria took Abraham’s offer without telling him and then just disappeared from his life. This left him in a deep depression and as a result, he stayed away from the dating scene (put this in context with Apollo and Athena’s discussion about his love life in Spirit of Justice and...sadness)

6. Turnabout Father and Daughter

So like Turnabout Storyteller, this is the filler episode of the game. This is also a trial-only episode and it features Phoenix and Trucy working together to solve a crime also involving another father-daughter pair.

Although we don’t get significant story development, we do get character development as this a case where Trucy Wright is Phoenix’s main assistant. Also, this case is meant to lighten the mood as the previous 5 cases have all been pretty dark, especially going into the finale.

7. The Phantom of the Turnabout

Finale time! This is the longest turnabout in the game (possibly in the series as I pictured it longer than Rise from the Ashes). We start off with Apollo Justice returning to America. The phantom, who has been in police custody since Dual Destinies, has finally agreed to confess to his crimes and will name members of his organization on the promise that he’ll be protected. And among the names of his organization is...Alexandria Allegretto.

This leads to a huge scandal, with the public wondering if Alexandria had ulterior motives to her actions. Apollo doesn’t believe the phantom and urges Phoenix and Athena to take the case. However, both of them are hesitant to get involved. Athena says she wants nothing to do with the phantom, saying that she’s too scarred from her previous trial. Meanwhile, Phoenix introduces Godot to the team and says that the phantom’s organization tried to kill Godot to cover their tracks. He says that if they aren’t careful, they’ll be next to go.

Apollo says he doesn’t care and that, as defense attorneys, they need to defend Alexandria. Although still hesitant, Phoenix and Athena follow Apollo’s lead. Meanwhile, Abraham Murdock volunteers to be the prosecutor for this trial. This puzzles Apollo as Abraham was Alexandria’s mentor. Why would he want to prosecute his protege?

For the first third of this case, the Wright Anything Agency are forced to fight an uphill battle against Abraham Murdock. Apollo is forced to concede that even if he successfully defends Alexandria, she still has to pay for her crimes as she actually was part of the organization. What Apollo then hones in on is figuring out why Alexandria decided to work for them in the first place.

The case forces Apollo to reexamine the past, back to when Alexandria walked out on him. He discovers that she was blackmailed into working for the phantom’s organization. If she didn’t do what they said, her family and friends (namely Apollo) would be killed. Apollo proves this in court and that her blackmailer was none other than Abraham Murdock.

However, the case takes a turn when Abraham is murdered in his holding cell. Reluctantly, the Wright Anything Agency agrees to look into Abraham’s murder. Things turn to shit when the accused is none other than Phoenix Wright. The main evidence is footage of Phoenix entering the holding cell to shoot Murdock dead.

In this next third of the case, Apollo and Athena have to defend their mentor in court. With Alexandria still in police custody, Simon Blackquill takes over as prosecutor. This section is pretty straightforward, with the both of them trying to figure out what really happened. They eventually discover that the “Phoenix Wright” who entered the holding cell is a phony. It’s another person using the same disguise-technology that the phantom used.

Phoenix claims he’s real and everyone in the courthouse becomes paranoid over who’s real and who’s the fake. This leads to Godot taking drastic measures. He takes the courthouse hostage and forces the doors closed in order to draw the assassin out. We get a cross-examination minigame in which Apollo and Athena have to cross-examine everyone in the gallery to determine if they’re real or the fake.

(People in the gallery could include anyone from the series, like Ema Skye, Larry Butz, Pearl Fey, Juniper Woods, Klavier Gavin, etc.)

Eventually, they stumble upon the fake. Phoenix takes the fake down and, upon reveal, they discover that the fake is Bethany Algernon. Bethany laughs, confessing to the murder of Abraham Murdock. Bethany says she killed him to keep him silent and that the phantom is next on her kill list. Also, now that she’s exposed, she’ll off herself next, showing just how dedicated to the organization she really is. Bethany then says that they’ll never learn who the leaders of her organization are. When Phoenix says that the phantom is giving people up, Bethany says that all the people who the phantom named were low-level members of the organization. The phantom doesn’t know any of the leaders.

Unsatisfied with that answer, Godot takes the prosecutor’s stand and says that they’ll have one last “trial”/interrogation. This time, it’s not for solving a murder, it’s just to get a name on one of the organization’s leaders. Phoenix takes the defense’s stand but with the intention of working with Godot to get a name (this trial is obviously meant to be a callback to Trials and Tribulations). Bethany laughs at the two of them but decides to play along.

Although it takes a while, Phoenix and Godot eventually manage to trip Bethany up and get her to slip out a name. Something along the lines of “the current CEO of Bluecorp”. Bethany has a breakdown, realizing that she’s given up one of the leading members of her organization, and tries to kill herself. Before she can do so, she’s knocked out by Maya Fey. Bethany is placed under arrest while the judge issues out a warrant for the Bluecorp CEO’s arrest.

As the episode ends, we get the following developments:

1) Godot is sent back to prison but with several years taken off his sentence for his help in the war with the phantom’s organization

2) Apollo says goodbye to Alexandria but promises to keep in touch with her. Alexandria says they have a lot to catch up on after her short prison sentence.

3) Apollo goes back to Khura’in. Trucy and Thalassa go with him so they can have quality family time.

4) Athena says that she wants to forge her own path and decides to leave the Wright Anything Agency. Simon says he’ll help her set up her own law firm.

After the credits roll, we get a post-credit scene in which we see Phoenix talking to someone. Based on their dialogue, we learn that he’s talking to Franziska von Karma. She says that her brother has gone missing again, although this time, he disappeared without warning. She asks Phoenix’s help to find him.

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davidmann95 · 5 years ago

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Velvet's battle is a great choice, though I'll always have a special place in my heart for the fight against the Grimm Deathstalker and the Nevermore in Episode 8. That said, what do you think of the individual members of Team RWBY?

I decided to wait on this until I caught up on the series thus far, which I just finished doing the night before last in pretty much the only time in my life I’ve ever really properly binged anything other than comics, and…wow. I knew RWBY was a thing just as a matter of course from being on this site and Youtube, and from watching Death Battle, so I picked up some major beats by osmosis. But my main impression was that it was a charming pseudo-anime online thing of decent quality that unsurprisingly got heavier as it went along as such things tend to do, with extremely rad fights and music along the way; figured it’d be more than serviceable to watch while I was on the treadmill as a disposable distraction from the agony of propelling my wheezing, sweating, loathsome meat-scaffolding forward.

I did *not* expect it to eventually end up after growing pains a - while far from flawless - intensely engrossing story of all-consuming personal and generational pain and people who choose to love and do the right thing in defiance of that trauma and loss and hopelessness, where also occasionally a corgi gets fastball specialed at mechas. Though once it became clear that’s what it is, it pretty clearly sat at an intersection of a hell of a lot of my favorite things, especially when characters copped in-universe in both the main series and spinoff material that this is basically a superhero thing. My initial impressions re: the fights and music were on-point though.

I actually have quite a few thoughts on pretty much all the protagonists of note at this point (other than I suppose Oscar and Maria. Like them both though, and I do hope that nice boy’s brain somehow doesn’t dissolve into the blender of Ozpin’s subconscious), but I’ll just stick with the core four here as requested for now unless someone asks otherwise. Weiss is the simplest to get at the core of, I’d say: her arc is learning that fuck rich people, actually. She’s a seriously difficult character to get onboard for at first - especially if you’re watching those first episodes for the first time in 2019 - as the mean unconsciously racist rich girl who learns to be less mean and racist but still kinda mean. But after you’ve extensively seen the hideously toxic environment she grew up in, and fully understand her efforts to grow past the empty values it inculcated in her in favor of everything she was raised to think of herself as above, she becomes a hell of a figure to root for. Assuming RWBY is gonna go, say, a respectable 10 seasons given it was just renewed through 9, I could easily see the upcoming 7th be the climax of her arc with her return to Atlas and likely further reckoning with the consequences of her families’ actions beyond how they’ve hurt her personally.

Yang is also, in a certain abstract narrative sense, simple, in that she’s built around the very oldest trick in the book for characters whose main deal is ‘can punch better than absolutely anyone’: give them problems that cannot be solved by punching. Except in her case it’s less a material “well, this person is invulnerable to punching!” or “well, actually this other person can punch most best of all” issue blocking her path than “punching cannot solve depression, abandonment issues, questioning whether what she considers her purpose in life is one she’s truly pursuing for noble reasons or if she even has the resolve for it anymore after what’s happened to her, or PTSD”. Yet, while it may not be the kind that manifests in the form of punching people with a smirk and a bad pun anymore (much as she still definitely does that all the time) what ultimately drives her and defines her is still her strength: to move forward, to forgive, to let go, to do the right thing in spite of the risks. Which could easily come off as some unpleasant “you just have to get over your moping!” dismissal - there’s a bit with her dad that means it saddles riiiiight up to the edge of that - but there’s a weight to how her traumas remain a consistent factor in her life and have shaped her outlook even as her circumstances and day-to-day disposition improve that makes it feel thematically like it’s coming from a place of acknowledgment and endurance rather than denial, even if it’s not handled perfectly. Great to see her apparently recapturing some more of her joie de vivre based on the trailer for Volume 7, and how that’ll interact with how she’s grown should be interesting.

Blake is…tough, because you fundamentally cannot talk about Blake without getting into the Faunus, which is maybe the biggest aspect of RWBY that leaves it in the realm of Problematic Fave. It really, really wants to have something substantial to say about the proper response to racism, and every now and then it pumps out a “capitalism greases the wheels of systemic oppression and vice-versa” or “it’s perfectly reasonable for the oppressed to seek to fight back directly against their oppressors, and even the pacifist in the room can recognize that’s a defensible approach that deserves its place”. But then Abusive Boyfriend Magneto literally murders nuance in Vol. 5 episode 2, and it descends into some borderline “but what about black on black violence” respectability politics shit. It’s the classic X-Men setup - this persecuted race of often superpowered folks torn between pacifism and efforts to prove themselves to their oppressors, and those who think they should rise up and annihilate the flatscans - with most of the same pitfalls, but also we haven’t had over 50 years to get used to that just being how it works here, and it doesn’t have the excuse of having to expand as best it can on a metaphor that was originally devised before most of the people currently handling it were born. All of which would be rough enough, but given I watched this right as Jonathan Hickman’s been completely refining the entire X-Men paradigm outside that outdated binary, it especially grates. I’d love to be directed to any solid counterarguments - I’ve heard it might actually be an analogue, and a well-done one, for The Troubles, which I am one million percent unqualified to evaluate - especially since apparently one of the writers grew up in a mixed-race household, and at the end of the day I’m a white guy who may well be talking completely out his ass. But it sure comes off at a glance as some well-intentioned dudes stumbling through stuff that’s not their business, and that’s inextricable from Blake’s character when so much of her story is her navigating through that metaphor. Hopefully with new writers coming onboard this is something that can be navigated more insightfully in the future.

On a purely personal basis however, Blake’s a standout in terms of relatability when her story comes down to a pretty universal shared horror: how to climb back from having fucked up. She tried really hard to do the right thing, was taken advantage of and led into doing things she eventually realized were wrong, was so shaken that she couldn’t tell who to trust, and then the situation spiraled out of control on every possible front just as things finally seemed to be stabilizing. The way a single mistake - enabled and exacerbated by an abusive past relationship in her case - expands into a self-loathing far beyond the bounds of anything she could possibly be responsible for is brutal and completely understandable, and seeing her start put her self-esteem back together with the help of those closest to her and the power of her original convictions is arguably the single strongest, most clearly conveyed individual character arc in the series. I’m very curious where it goes from here: Adam’s finish represents a logical climax and the setup for a happily-ever-after with Yang (or Sun if they end up going that way after all) for her to coast through the remainder of the series on, but the way emotional consequences have played out in the series thus far I doubt her demons are going to be put to bed that simply.

Finally there’s Ruby, and I am contractually obligated to note up front: she is clearly not a Superman analogue. There is precisely zero percent chance that she was conceived as such or was ever deliberately executed in such a way that mirroring him was kept in mind. Though she IS a super-powered idealist raised in the middle of nowhere with a significant deceased parent who wears a red cape, flies, gives inspiring rallying speeches, has black-ish but primary color-tinted hair, and has a mysterious birthright that involves being able to shoot lasers from her eyes, plus she has a dog who also essentially has superpowers, plus she tells someone they’re stronger than they think they are, plus Yang basically quotes a bit from Kingdom Come regarding her in Rest and Resolutions. But it probably goes a ways in explaining why she works so well for me.

There’s more to it than that of course, though it does bring up the closest way in which she relates to the superhero paradigm: she doesn’t go through an arc in quite the same way as the others, instead being an already solidly-defined character who is simply illustrated by how she interacts with the people and situations around her. She learns and grows and matures, but her most basic motivations and goals and outlook haven’t really changed since the day she enrolled at Beacon. She’s a good, caring person, a leader archetype who still has more than enough personality to spare to keep from falling into the genericism that can often plague that role. A big part of the key I believe is that she’s the audience surrogate in a profound way beyond the obvious touchstones of her frequent awkwardness and self-doubt: the reason she does this is because she was inspired by stories. She’s a fan, ultimately, but one who learned all the right lessons, whether recognizing from day one the way reality falls short of the tales she was raised on but still believing in the ideals they represent, or openly holding up Qrow as a role model while being willing to call him on his shit when push comes to shove. It’s a romantic, hopeful perspective that stands out sharply from even our other heroes even as it mirrors their struggles, but as of yet there’s little to suggest it comes from a place of naivete so much as a belief that it’s the only way to bear the pain of the world and continue to believe in it. Bit by bit it’s clear she’s heading for a breaking point, but all signs point to that being a matter of her ability to withstand what she’s been through, rather than any doubt that it’s necessary, and should that time come she’s inspired plenty who’ll be able to help her back onto her feet the way she has for so many others. So while I understand her speeches apparently grate on some, as far as I’m concerned keep them coming, they’re the beating caring heart of the series and often the sole respite in the eye in the storm.

#RWBY #Ruby Rose #Weiss Schnee #Blake Belladonna #Yang Xiao Long #Mental Health #Racism #Superman #Analysis #Opinion

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bigskydreaming · 5 years ago

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Hi! I'm new to your blog but found a few posts that were about a JayTom ship, and I was wondering who Tom was? And also you've mentioned in a couple of posts the idea of Jason having a lineup of Titans in his age range and you talked about the Ray and Damage in one. Do you have a whole lineup in mind for them and if so, is there a post on that somewhere?

LOL man, I really need to start pulling all my posts about JayTom and Jay’s lineup of Titans together for some kind of a masterlist, so thanks for the reminder haha. Like, I saw this ask and thought of various posts to point you towards but ugh, I don’t know where any of them are.

Anyway, so. The Tom of JayTom. Aka my ideal ship for Robin!Jason in the series of one-shots about an AU where Jason doesn’t go to Ethiopia in ADITF and thus never dies, that’s kinda grown out of that of a one-shot I started as a writing commission a couple months ago, if anyone else remembers that….the one that was like ‘what if Jason called Dick after the Garzonas incident and Dick sided with Jason’…that one.

Which then snowballed into ‘well, then I could give Jason his own lineup of Titans who are in the same age range as like a younger gen learning from Dick’s generations of Titans but still older than Tim’s generation of YJ and then eventual Titans.’

Sigh. Oh, me. Right! So! Anyway! Tom in JayTom is Thomas Bronson, the son of JSA member Ted Grant, aka Wildcat.

Tom and Jason have never ever interacted in canon as far as I know, as I don’t think Tom’s ever appeared outside of JSA and Jason never appeared in that book either before or after his death. BUT by the magic of winging it and Canon Has Not Definitively Contradicted Me, I think the two of them are feasibly in the same age range, so I’m going with them both being fifteen when they meet here.

Tom’s a scrappy, street smart, attitude throwing teenager with daddy issues of his own, lol, thanks to Ted’s general non-existence in his life, for most of it….and he’s also tiny, like, 5′6″ and 135 lbs even at the end of his teenage years. LMAO, I honestly don’t remember, but I think that might be the whole basis of this ship for me, or where it originated. Like, I happened across Tom’s stats as listed on one of the DC wiki sites, and was like, lol oh, he and Robin!Jason could be pint-sized punks together! And then from there, I had the inevitable thought “okay but now make them gay” and then from there I fell into my usual trap of “oh no, it was supposed to be a joke but now I’m taking it seriously and seriously pondering how it could seriously work.”

And then from there it consumed my brain and devoured my life. I swear, it was Dick/Kyle all over again. Ugh, my brain is so problematic.

So anyway, this is Tom:

He’s a werepanther, he can shapeshift into a panther form to fight, which brings up an interesting facet of his character and something I think could be really fun to play off Jason and his own issues…because Tom hates fighting. HATES it. Will run from a fight at any given opportunity rather than engage….but its not because he’s a coward, or doesn’t have heroic instincts of his own, and its not even because he’s not GOOD at fighting.

Its that he’s scared of himself, and scared of hurting whoever he’s fighting…at least more than he means to. Because he has trouble controlling his shift when in fights. His panther form just comes out in response to his own amped up levels of aggression. The fight or flight response for him is actually more like “flight or turn into a raging whirlwind of clawed and fanged fury that can’t stop won’t stop until he’s definitively won his fight….which by extension, usually means his opponent is currently bleeding out on the ground from a few dozen deep claw marks because Panther!Tom’s claws and fangs are SHARP.”

Now pair this fear of his own power with Tom’s natural belligerence and problems with authority at certain points in his life, AND his desire to follow in his hero father’s footsteps as well as his resentment and giving himself grief every time he realizes he even has that desire, because he doesn’t owe his deadbeat dad shit and can’t stand that he nevertheless admires him in a lot of ways and still feels a desire to prove himself to him…

Then pair him up with Jason during his Robin years, going through similar issues and emotions as well as a comparable dynamic with Bruce as him not dying in Ethiopia nevertheless changes nothing about the two of them likely clashing more and more over their views on how to deal with criminals and the appropriate levels of aggression when dealing with them….

And that right there, IMO, is super strong potential for a dynamic couple with a lot in common and yet occasional clashes of their own due to different opinions on which direction to go in so as to address those shared issues…but who likely would never hesitate for a second before backing each other up and presenting a united front against anyone else who tried to give one or the other shit for any reason whatsoever.

Also, I have vastly amused myself with the thought (and the occasional post here and there) of Ted and Bruce continually glowering at each other and blaming each other’s son for being a bad influence on their son, who has never done anything wrong in their life ever, CLEARLY (even if Bruce had actually just grounded Jason the day before. Whatever. Ted doesn’t need to know that).

Anyway, so that’s the JayTom I reference now and then. I’ve always maintained that Jason could really benefit from having a stronger support system of friends distinct to him and not sharing similar dynamics with any of his siblings, so then I was like, well if Jay doesn’t die, and I have him and Dick closer in this AU than they’re usually written as being, plausibly Jason would spend a lot of time at the Tower to get away from Bruce and his own fights with him.

With Dick being more than able to relate to trouble dealing with Bruce and thus happy to lend a sympathetic ear….and eventually maybe express to Bruce that it might do them both some good for Jason to make more friends his own age and have some normal routines that took him out of the house and Gotham enough that he and Bruce don’t constantly feel like they’re breathing down each other’s necks and keeping tension a constant thing between them. A little space now and then could benefit them both, give them chances to cool off after their fights and actually MISS each other before readdressing the issues.

So then I could see the Titans kinda sending out invitations/recruiting various teen heroes around Jason’s age that they’d all maybe had their eyes on for awhile as kids who could benefit from the same kind of team unity/group support that helped them so much when they were that age just a few years ago themselves.

Which leads me to where I am now which is….I still haven’t settled on a solid lineup, because I came up with too many choices, lol. Basically, my parameters were I wanted characters who could feasibly be said to be in the same age range as Jason and Tom, and didn’t have super strong associations with any other characters that would create any kind of conflict with them being on a Titans team at this point in the timeline instead. And because I’m all about my thematics, I wanted them all to have certain root issues in common that they could all bond over and actually, y’know, support each other with and through.

(The same way I think Dick’s generation of Titans actually has certain distinct themes and issues that almost all of them share and can relate to in varying ways, which I think has a lot to do with how quickly and fully they all bonded and why they created such lasting friendships and teams between them. But that’s a whole other post, lol.)

So the central shared issues I decided to focus on for Jason’s age group of Titans were: teen/young heroes from abusive homes or runaways, ones with issues and fears stemming from and regarding their own powers or tempers, etc, and misfits who were regarded warily by other or older heroes and considered potentially able to end up on either side of the hero/villain line in the sand.

Which Dick’s generation of Titans, which of course includes Raven, Kory, etc, would not be in agreement with that last part, and thus be all the more likely to recruit these specific teen heroes and be like nyah, nyah, watch how with our help and oh yeah, SUPPORT, they all become the best damn heroes that ever did heroically hero. Suck it, JLA-holes!

(And then Donna would be like, not you Diana, you know we’re cool, its just I gotta do the team solidarity thing and Dick, Garth and Roy are still being Displeased with their mentors/dads at the moment, and also we’re all kinda ticked you guys stole Wally. Btw, we’re stealing the new Green Lantern kid, because Revenge and stuff. He’s ours now, you snooze, you lose).

So, Jason’s lineup of Titans will consist of some of the following, I’m just not 100% sure which yet, because I have to whittle down the list.

1) Jason (nominally mentored by Dick, but the latter just calls it an excuse for brother bonding time and neither of them make much reference ever to having any kind of actual mentor/protégé relationship like I see the rest of Jay’s lineup having. Plus, Jason unique from the rest already has a mentor in Bruce anyway, so his situation and reasons for being part of this team aren’t quite the same from the others, especially as one of my reasons for this AU was always addressing the issues I have with Bruce’s parenting before the canon event point of Jason’s death, and like…..so like, Bruce does get better once Dick calls out some of his shit with Jason based on his own experiences with Bruce and then later Jason returns the favor by calling out Bruce for taking Dick for granted and no longer putting in the same effort connecting with his eldest and being an actual PARENT to him like he used to).

2) Tom Bronson/Tomcat (who else would act as his personal mentor other than Gar aka Beast Boy aka Changeling, the shapeshifter extraordinaire?)

3) Grant Emerson/Damage (recruited by Roy and his personal protégéand likely BFFs with Jason IMO, as I think their temperaments are complete opposites but Grant’s the kind of kid who would roll his eyes and dolefully follow his troublemaking best friend Jay into likely danger, because his power to blow things up really comes in handy with the kind of scrapes Jason gets himself into and this in turn is a really handy thing to point out in the aftermath of pulling Jason’s butt out of a scrape and then gloating but in the totally mature and “I’m much too nice to actually be gloating, you must be mistaken about what’s happening here” manner in which I see that going down. And in terms of the parameters I mentioned, Grant grew up bounced around abusive foster homes, is watched like a hawk by various groups and heroes because of the huge catastrophic potential of his powers, which he has his own fears about, and also he has no idea who his parents are either, and I imagine him and Jason going on a ‘find out who our real parents are roadtrip’ after graduation or something).

4) Ray Terrill/The Ray (potentially recruited by Kory and her personal protégé. He was briefly a member of Tim’s Young Justice team, but part of the reason he was never that close with the other members was he was a little bit older, just a couple years or so, but enough to put him squarely in Jason’s age range. Also comes from an abusive home, and spent the majority of his childhood living in complete darkness because his asshole uncle told him he had the same powers as his father which meant sunlight would be harmful to him and make him dangerous to be around. When in reality, like his dad, Ray’s powers are fueled by sunlight and he’s like a living solar battery, keeping him afraid to leave the dark was just meant to keep him passive and powerless. Even knowing his uncle lied now, Ray still has long had fears about his own powers, unable to totally shake the fears his uncle instilled in him).

5) Todd Rice/Obsidian (potentially recruited by Raven and her personal protégé. He and his twin sister Jenny-Lynn Hayden are probably a bit older than the rest of this team, but their ages aren’t definitively linked to any points in the DC timeline, so there’s no real conflict between handwaving them as aged down to be right around the same ages as the others. Todd and Jenny-Lynn are the twin children of original Green Lantern Alan Scott aka Sentinel, and the DC villainness Thorn. They grew up in separate foster homes though with Alan unaware of their existence for most of their childhoods. Todd’s childhood was notoriously rough, with him having several abusive foster parents. He’s canonically gay and mentally ill/neurodivergent, which several of his foster homes targeted him for. In addition, his shadow powers are tied to a dark dimension that’s said to prey on his mental state and led to occasional times where he’s been a villain briefly, and at all times his powers are regarded fearfully by most people and with him shunned and avoided because of them. All of which I think makes Raven an ideal mentor for him).

6) Jenny-Lynn Hayden/Jade (Todd’s twin sister, even though they didn’t grow up together for the most part. Honestly, she doesn’t share in a lot of the issues the rest of the team prospects do, and had a relatively good childhood before her powers developed and she found her brother and they started operating as heroes together. But upon learning who her brother and dad are, she’s always been committed to growing closer with them, so I think anywhere Todd goes in this AU, she’d definitely follow, and its not like the team can’t benefit from a heavy hitter like her, let alone more girls. Not totally sure who I picture as most mentoring her in specific, probably because I don’t see her as being recruited per se, so much as just going with Todd when recruited….but I’m thinking maybe Garth, actually. Garth has a lot of range and versatility with his powers and magic, which makes him ideal for mentoring someone who not only has the same powers as a Green Lantern, limited only by her imagination…..but who also might benefit from being mentored by someone who ISN’T a Green Lantern because she doesn’t share their traditional weaknesses and thus she’d be best off training with someone whose own techniques and instincts aren’t geared around weaknesses that are literally irrelevant to her powerset).

7) Courtney Mason/Anima (A metahuman runaway who was almost sacrificed by a cult before her powers kicked in….she’s also right in the same age range as Ray, Grant and Jason, and has briefly been a member of a couple Titans lineups but never for long and usually only for big event stories. But she fits the runaway/rough home environment parameter as well as fear of her own powers….she absorbs life energy from people and animals and can potentially kill them by draining too much. She also has a separate power that’s basically a connection to an other-dimensional spirit called the Animus that she can summon forth and unleash on her enemies. I’m thinking she’d make a good recruit/protégé for Jericho actually, for a number of reasons).

8) Cynthia Reynolds/Fantasia (? Maybe? Not sure yet. Not her actual codename, but her actual codename is a slur, so I’m def gonna make up a new one, I just haven’t 100% settled on what it is yet. Suck it, DC. She’s most known for being a member of Justice League Detroit along with Steel, Vibe and the Ray, but she’s the right age range to end up recruited to be a Titan here instead, like Ray. Also is a runaway from an abusive home, and often deals with mistrust and suspicion due to her illusion powers. Perfect recruit/protégé for Lilith, IMO).

9) Cisco Ramone/Vibe (Also created as a teenage hero to be part of the Justice League Detroit lineup, which makes him the right age range and he’s another runaway. The nature of his powers makes him a good fit to be a recruit/protégéof Mal Duncan/Herald).

10) Amy Allen/Bombshell (Totally self-indulgent on my part given that I basically would ignore the vast majority of her storylines and writing, which I think suck. She was in the Titans stories revolving around Tim’s generation of the team, but she was always stated to be a few years older than the rest, like in her late teens when the majority were probably sixteen, so I think she’s a good fit for this age range. Also had a crappy home life and parents, and her powers are hugely destructive in certain applications…she basically has the same powerset as Captain Atom, though she’s never had any kind of official mentor or sidekick relationship with him. Also, I think Captain Atom is an asshat and a dillhole and he sucks, but I do like his powers, so reinterpreting Amy as a character who doesn’t suck and playing around with her powers instead is solid decision making on my part and renders Captain Atom irrelevant now. I think I shall kill him. Because I can do that. Anyway, I think she doesn’t need him as a mentor but could make a good recruit/protégé for Leonid/Red Star).

11) Carla Moretti/Cinder (Odd choice, given that she’s only ever really been used as a villainous member of Deathstroke’s anti-Titans team and was easily in her twenties at the time. Pyrokinetic who happily makes bonfires out of her enemies but written with zero attempts at nuance, like a total one note villain framed as having long since abandoned her own humanity….which bugged the crap out of me, as she was given a super angsty backstory of childhood sexual abuse and that’s just ‘why she’s like this’ and I have a deep seeded loathing for asshole writers writing survivors as villains and just blaming their casual homicidal ways on their abuse while serving up said villains to just be punching bags or dominoes for the heroes to knock down on their way to the Boss Fight. So I do have inclinations towards making an actual Titan out of her, like with Amy, because surprise surprise, both these characters being written shittily and one note was the work of the same writer, shocking. So I’d just handwave her down to the right age range and have her recruited/mentored by Donna, probably…more due to me thinking Donna would be the best person to help her deal with stuff because she’s mastered the art of avoiding avoidance via having Dick Grayson as a BFF. So with them its not really because Carla needs mentoring with her powers specifically. Idk, Carla anyway you slice it I think has a lot of rage, and Donna knows what to do with that. Written right, Donna’s not a character who judges or shames a victim or survivor for being angry…she gets angry with them, and helps them find options for what to do with that now.)

12) Hero Cruz (Lesser known Titan, has a device called the Dial H device that lets him turn into a different hero with different powers depending on the setting he puts it on. Basically Ben 10, but Hero came first. Doesn’t really fit most of the parameters, other than being around the right age range, and not even sure who would make a good mentor for him though I wanna say Vic, but not totally decided yet. Mostly I just like him and think he’s underused, so whatever).

There’s also a few other candidates that I have mostly ruled out but not totally. I thought about using the aged up version of Chris Kent, and just introduce him earlier than he showed up in canon. And then Kara/Supergirl could be his mentor because I kinda handwave her into Dick’s generation of Titans anyway, even though it was the alien Matrix version of Linda Danvers that was the only Supergirl ever on the team. Whatever. She should have been a Titan all along anyway. But also Chris would fit the team well as he had an abusive childhood as well, at his dad General Zod’s hands, and again, I just like the character.

Thought of including Virgil Hawkins/Static too, even though I think he’s closer to Tim’s age range. And again, just another character I’m a fan of and think is underused, but he would definitely be an odd man out in this group because like….he comes from a happy, healthy, loving home and family, and he loves his powers. So he would constantly be just like nodding his head along while his teammates talk and like ugh that sucks, but 10/10 absolutely can not relate, my parents are awesome. Same with Natasha Irons/Steel, who really would have to be handwaved to even be in the right age range, and again has a happy loving home environment and a superhero uncle of her own so its not like she needs a Titan mentor…..but I kinda wanna see Karen Beecher/Bumblebee take her under her wing anyway, and have them be science nerds together.

Also pretty much the only reason I ruled out Connor Hawke too, as he doesn’t really match the rest of the team in any of the parameters except for feasibly being right at the upper edge of the same age range. But again, I just love the character.

So I’m probably gonna end up throwing at least one of these other characters in there anyway, lol. I do know myself).

Anyway. So that’s Jason’s lineup of Titans, or at least the candidates as they exist bouncing around in my head now. Also, they’re pretty much Team “Everyone is Gay Except For When They’re Bi.” Which, granted, is basically how I view Dick’s generation of Titans, but with them I have to be like Make It So, in my brain, whereas with this group like….canon’s actually done the work for me for the most part lol. Ray is gay, Todd Rice is gay, Courtney is bi, Hero is gay. And I can’t actually find anything confirmed Tom was stated to be gay somewhere in canon, but I SWEAR he was, like, ugh this is bugging me.

But anyway. That’s that about all of that.

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