#although his parents raised him and definitely contributed to who he was

[cringengl]

The foreshadowing...

[askthestans]

Hey Stan, can you tell us stories about your brother Sherman being a total square?

Stan and Ford: At the same time. You mean Square-mie?

Both of them laugh, not in a harsh way, but the kind of lighthearted chuckles that usually come from one sibling teasing another. It's obvious they love their older brother, but... like most siblings, they'll always jump on a chance to make fun of one another.

Stan: Oh, he always hated that nickname! Look, Anon, lemme first introduce ya to the official scale of Pines fun-ness. At the top, there's me, for obvious reasons. Second best is Mabel, also for obvious reasons. And... He pauses, putting his hand to his chin. Damn, I gotta say, I think Ford's next-

Ford: I am as much of an adventurer as I am a scientist.

Stan: Yeah, definitely Ford, despite his dorkiness and obsession with... He gestures at Ford's honors and trophies for grades and intelligence related successes from childhood. That garbage. Good grades and other crap. And then-

Ford: Definitely our nephew, Dipper and Mabel's father. Works in IT, very smart, has a little bit more of Mabel's fun-loving nature. But far less adventurous than you or I. You and I could never live a boring suburban life like he does.

Stan: Grinning. Then, near the very bottom, you've got Dipper. No offense to the kid, but he's Ford's smarts but minus Ford's rebel streak. Walkin' wet blanket at times, always askin' how many laws we're breakin' while we're out havin' fun... although me and Ford are teachin' 'im to grow past it, as much as his parents will let us corrupt 'im. But he at least likes to have fun, I'll give 'im that. So that leaves us at-

Ford: Way at the very bottom of the Pines fun-ness scale, you have... Square-mie. He coughs. Shermie, sorry.

Both men howl with snorts and laughter again, barely able to explain why.

Stan: Wiping a tear from his eye, wheezing a bit. Okay, okay, Anon, picture this: take Dipper and his dad's wet blanket crap and crank it up to 1000. This guy? Our brother? Good ol' Saint Sherm? Guy's never even had a parking ticket his entire life! He won't even jaywalk! He never goes even one mile per hour above the speed limit! He's like the human equivalent of white bread. Of unflavored oatmeal. Got average grades, got a boring old suburban house with a literal white picket fence, had an average job-

Ford: Shudders. I have no idea how he worked as an IRS accountant for decades.

Stan: Ugh, don't remind me. He's always barkin' at me. "Stan, you pay your taxes yet this year?" this. "Stan, you need to contribute to your civic duty.", that. Cripes, ol' Sherm is like the anti-Pines. A Pines is supposed to laugh in the face of rules and authority. This guy huffs whatever authority's smokin' like he's part of a cult. Even when we were kids, he'd always do chores even when he wasn't asked. Kept his room clean as a whistle. Barked at me to do my homework and foiled our pranks when he could. Pure goody two shoes, so much he'd make an angel blush. I think all of our Ma's rebellion genes went to us, and Pa's strictness went to Sherm.

Ford: Yes, so after I returned and we explained to him what had happened, he...

Both men fall into a snicker fest again, unsure who will stop laughing first long enough to tell the story.

Stan: Holy mackerel, he... he... Snort. Picture Dipper at, like, seventy years old, but with an even bigger stick up his ass and even less muscles somehow. Gets told this long, convoluted as hell tale about me fakin' my death and pretendin' to be Ford for three decades, Ford gettin' lost in sci-fi sideburn land for just as long, the world almost ending with Sherm's grandkids along for the ride... just mind bendin' stuff... and the first words outta his mouth... and for reference, this guy never swears, and he never has thrown a punch at anyone... he's so square he's a cube! But he just says...

He wheezes, so Ford has to finish the story.

Ford: Snort. He raises his voice a bit, likely to mimic Shermie's. "I just knew I shoulda kicked your asses more when we were kids."

The two howl and cackle with laughter, leaning on each other for support.

Stan: And then he just... walked away, out his door, down the street to the gas station, bought beer for the - and I'm not kidding - the first time in his life, and sat back down in his old man chair and faced us as we just stood there, gobsmacked, while he cracked one open and drank it with an expression like a man betrayed. And he said-

Ford: "You two knuckleheads are lucky I'm even older than you, 'cause if I wasn't, I'd plant my loafer up your ass! You're gonna sit down, shut up, and let me drink this crap while I process whatever the f*ck I just heard and how many goddamn taxes you owe. And then maybe I'll think about huggin' your sorry asses."

More laughing.

Stan: I'm not sure if he was more mad about the taxes, or the fact that I'd faked my death all those years ago, or... the world ending part where Dipper and Mabes coulda been hurt... or maybe because we drove him to drink and swear and threaten someone for the first time in his whole goddamn life, all in the same day, he... Chuckles. He never really said. All I know is, is I don't think I've ever had my jaw that close to the floor in my life.

Ford: Honestly, I think we just kind of... broke him. Even still, I think he blew our minds more than we blew his.

Stan: He laughs a bit more, then shakes his head. Pfft, can you imagine Sherm kickin' our asses, anyway? He'd probably gently nudge one of our shins and give up. He's too nice for anything worse. That's the thing with our brother: he may be boring as sin, but... he's a good guy.

Ford: He always protected us from bullies when we were kids. Carried us home whenever we sprained an ankle or broke a bone.

Stan: And bought us ice cream whenever we asked, and fixed our bikes, and patched us up, scared the "monsters" outta our closet, and taught us most of what we know. Kind of like a second Dad, honestly, and one a lot less grumpy. A bit more somber. And he helped our parents out in their old age when we weren't around, until the... well, you know. 'Til the end.

Ford: His smile fades, then he sighs, expression a bit bittersweet. And he did actually hug us.

Stan: He scratches the back of his head, a bit embarrassed, but smiling fondly. For three hours straight.

[writingamongther0ses]

Fractured and Tired

I decided to write some pre-canon The Rise of Elpis for @flashfictionfridayofficial, with main character Amarya's parents meeting! CW: mentions of gore, bit of manipulation

Rosita Mohila hated killing.

It felt ironic, given her power. Ever since it blossomed with her controlling a bully's arm and breaking it before she could hit her, people had eyed her suspiciously. The doctor had used an old reference for it when her parents took her to help understand her power- Bloodbending.

A perfect power for a perfect killer.

The ability to puppeteer a person, to do anything to them, from making them slit their own throat to making their heart stop. It was based on telekinesis, but at the moment, all Rosita could do was hurt people.

Rosita could smell the fear the minute the explanation began. Not even when she got older and realized that it could be used to heal, helped by her Abuela demonstrating her own healing power, did it really make the fear go away.

Her parents tried their best. They really did. She knew it, they knew it... It was just the kind of parenting where you wanted to do better for your future kid to make sure they didn't run away at sixteen.

At the moment, Rosita doubted ever having a kid.

She dodged another strike and aimed a punch of her own at the guy's face. It failed and she hissed. Anger was making her sloppy. But she couldn't help her anger.

She was just so sick of everything.

Of having to live in a crappy apartment with five other people who could and would shank her if she looked at them wrong.

Of only being able to do dirty work in order to get money.

Of being alone.

Of being scared.

Of being ATTACKED OUT OF FUCKING NOWHERE SERIOUSLY WHAT THE FUCK-

In that moment, Rosita felt no shame in spreading her hand and focusing. She could feel every inch of him, from his brain rushing on all cylinders to the hard coating of his bones. She focused on the bones, on the blood running through them...

First there were hundreds of cracks. Next, the man started screaming. Then, Rosita focused further.

Last was the man slumping over, hundreds of bone shards sticking out of his skin.

The smell of blood doused her rage like water over a fire.

Rosita stepped back, gulping. "Fuck." Now there would be cops and she would definitely be arrested because of course the woman covered in blood did it-

Slow clapping broke her out of her thoughts. "Well, that was quite a show, little ringmaster." Rosita whirled around, her fists raised defensively. Out of the shadows of the alleyway where the man had launched himself at her, another man stalked out.

He was tall with dark skin, his hair tied back to reveal piercing dark eyes. He looked to be between his thirties and forties, with silver tinting some of his hair in a silver fox way. He was dressed well, but she was more distracted by his smile. He smiled like he saw something he liked.

Rosita wasn't ashamed to admit that she also liked what she saw. However, she kept her fists up. "Who are you?"

"A friend," he said, his voice gentle. "Hopefully."

"That depends. Why?"

"Many of my workers have run into you, little ringmaster." He glanced at the man Rosita had just killed. "Many ended like this one, but a few came to you for treatment, I hear?"

Huh. A few people had come to Rosita a few times for medical treatment. A few worried about being arrested, while others feared that they looked too inhuman, while others just cared that she charged more cheaply. Rosita didn't care for the reasons. She had just been happy to use her power for something other than pain.

"Yeah. Never went to medical school, though," she admitted. "Stuff happened." Apparently, a stressful home life contributed to bad grades.

The man nodded. "I looked over your work." He didn't say which work, although Rosita had a feeling he meant both kinds. "You're a master at your power, aren't you?"

She shook her head. "No. It's just part of my power. It makes it so I know every inch of the human body." She had done research to help her knowledge, but most of the time her forced knowledge came first.

"But you are smart," And suddenly she felt like it. His eyes were gentle, warm, staring at her like she was valuable. He held out a hand. "I need an assistant. Someone like you, Miss..."

"Mohila," she admitted. "Rosita Mohila."

"Rosita," he said and even the way that he said her name made her feel valuable. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-four."

"Little ringmaster," His words were gentle, but they still made heat rise to her face.

"...nineteen."

He nodded and continued to hold out his hand. "If you agree to help me, I can help you."

Rosita glanced at the body. Some part of her screamed refusal, bad vibes, the works. But the other part of her was tired- tired of living like shit, of being unable to tell whether her smarts were her power or her, of being alone.

She took his hand.

They walked off together down the street.

"...you never told me your name."

"Ah. My surname's Aoki."

[aluaparelacse]

For generations we have been raised as submissive women, exposed throughout history to a submissive society that does not conceive the idea of free, independent and autonomous women. Today we wonder whose fault it is: society's, our parents', grandparents', or simply the consequence of being born a woman. We grow up with stories of princesses, impossible fairy tales, with which we dream that, someday, they will come true: to find Prince Charming who will rescue us from our tower in the middle of nowhere, who will give us unconditional love and in return we will serve him as a token of our gratitude... and if we do not find that "true love", if we do not fulfill what is socially expected of us, we will be judged in the worst way; we will have failed in the purpose that was imposed on us. As if we were not strong enough and capable of rescuing ourselves from our own problems, as if giving ourselves body and soul to the submission of a man's disposition without expecting the bare minimum in return were the whole purpose of our mere existence.

The media has an indirect contribution to fostering this culture of submission and although we do not identify it as one of the main aggressors, its impact is notable. It is well known that the film and television industry is mostly dominated by male figures, so it is normal to find productions that emphasize how women should be looked at and treated, according to their macho perspective; on the other hand, male attitudes are romanticized as a sign of manhood and are often violent and toxic.

The impositions of the media, and society, about finding true love is the key to happiness, they sell us the story that only if we find our "better half" we will be "happy forever"; In waiting for that person to arrive, we make the mistake of generating impossible expectations, reaching the idealization of a person that does not exist, so, when a male figure comes into our lives that minimally cares about us, we magnify and romanticize every little act of attention, we justify unhealthy jealousy with the excuse that they are only taking care of us, and so on. This behavior from which none of us, and none of us, escape becomes a vicious circle from which not all of us dare to get out, but is it really a social problem or are we just "crazy"?

Let's discuss the problem: we are born with labels according to our gender. Commonly we as women are required to fulfill what society expects us to be, to carry out the role of femininity, or what the patriarchy understands as such: we must be delicate, polite, loving and understanding; ready to serve our fellow men, be the perfect mom, clean the house, be an excellent cook, all while being beautiful and taking care of our figure to be liked by others... and not least, we must sacrifice ourselves for our loved one. Meanwhile, what does society expect from men? Masculinity, or what the patriarchy understands as such: to be strong, intelligent, independent, expecting his beloved to sacrifice everything for him; as they are the providers of the house, what does it matter if they are never there, they work to bring the family forward; what if they cheat on his wife or have another family, what does he have, he has the right to look elsewhere for what they do not give him at home, because of course it is the fault of the woman who does not take care of him as he deserves. If the roles are reversed, do you think we are judged with the same yardstick of empathy and justification? Of course not. We conclude then that being a woman is the obligatory definition of being-for-others and a man being-for-himself.

Sisters, how many of us have kept silent in the face of acts of humiliation towards other women out of fear, how many of us have walked down the street and been shouted obscenities, how many of us have been followed or had our pictures taken without consent, how many of us have changed our clothes because they look "vulgar" or provocative, how many of us have not been criticized for our physique, how many times have we been listened to when we say NO is NO...? Fellow men, how many of you have been labeled as homosexuals for not being with several women at the same time, how many of you have been scolded by your parents because you don't like soccer or wrestling, or for being "manly", how many of you have invented that you threw yourself on such and such to look good with your friends, how many times have you rejected a woman because of her physical appearance, how many of you have stopped at the first NO?

I hope that after today we all, and all of us, reflect on our attitudes and macho behaviors that we do not even know they are. Today the change is small, but tomorrow it will be huge. I would like to say goodbye by asking you: are you ready to deconstruct yourselves and start again?

[cursedvibes]

First I love Stitches Across the Eye, I know it's a small ship but you have such a great job keeping it sailing along with elements like Kenjaku's (and Jins) twisted personality, the queer nature of their relationship, and how you can definitely will love someone and still abuse them or not place their best interests in mind. I have read it three times and I can't wait for the final chapter! A bit a alternative scenario question, had Kenjaku chosen to " humor" Jin's request, by staying and raising Yuuji how do you think that would have affected Yuuji's upbringing and personality by the time he met Megumi as well his relationship with his hahaue and his dad

Thank you so much for the nice comment! I'm really happy that more and more people are starting to appreciate their relationship and it's crazy to think that I even contributed to that a little bit ☺️ what you pointed out here is exactly what I love about them. It's a time period that was supposedly somewhat of relaxing for Kenjaku, since there's no immediate threat, but it is still so twisted. And of course that it's a queer relationship, I can't see them in any other light, even if Kenjaku presented as a woman at that time.

I think even if Kenjaku stayed to help raise Yuuji, they wouldn't be around 24/7/365. They have to search for the prison realm and kill the star plasma vessel and scout for potential sorcerers and vessels, there's much to do. Even if that weren't the case, they give me the impression of being a person who hates to stay in one place for too long, they always need something to pick apart and work on. The difference would just be that in this case Jin (& Yuuji) would know for sure that they would come back, the trips wouldn't be quite as long aka less than a year and Jin would have an approximate date for when to expect them back. Meaning, Yuuji wouldn't have to interact too much with them, although of course still a lot more than in canon.

I think Yuuji would have a much harder time to trust and open up to people (more than he already has). Jin would be there to buffer Kenjaku's full intensity and sooth any physical or mental wounds, but Yuuji would still have to undergo experiments and examinations of his body and eat things he doesn't like. Yuuji would get used to it because he doesn't know anything else, but he never likes it and I could see him kind of resenting Jin later on too for being complicit in it (he still loves him, but hates that he doesn't do more to help him). So I think he would be a lot more reserved and study people before he decides what is safe to say or do around them because he has to worry that it could be used against him or worse that the people might be hurt because he chose to interact with them. He knows Kenjaku will find out one way or another about everything he does, which I can imagine will make him quite paranoid over time. Touch might become a difficult subject for him too. Basically, he would get to the mental state he currently has in canon much earlier in life and it would be more intense, since he struggles to find support (he meets Nobara, Megumi etc. relatively late after all) and he has no way of ignoring Kenjaku's presence and actions.

Kenjaku can actually be nice to him and treat him well, but I think especially when puberty hits, Yuuji will hate that about them even more because if they were just cold and detached it would be a lot easier to hate them and escape from them, but with these mixed signals it is difficult to master up the will and courage to take action. Without this somewhat nicer side of them and Jin's care, Yuuji probably would have run away much earlier, but like this he has to fight with the fact that he does love his parents and they love him despite what they do to him. By trying to help, Jin ironically would make it much harder for Yuuji to leave.

[vierandancer]

The environment in which one grows up shapes you in more ways than you realize, and sticks with you long after you've left home in ways that you cannot possibly comprehend. Meiko was happy in Wadewick enough to originally never want to leave prior to ARR and genuinely loved by her family who raised her, but below lists the circumstances in which she as a child was failed.

Content is under a read more BECAUSE IT SERIOUSLY GOT SO LONG OOPS.

Outside of anyone's control, Meiko was barely two summers when her birth mother Vesa attempted to find the Woodwarder she mated with. She left the safety of her village to do so and was stumbled upon by slavers. Although too young to really understand what was happening, the toddler witnessed Vesa's abuse and subsequent murder.

Meiko is kindly taken in by Mokoko Mochikoko, but the well-meaning buccaneer did not consult his wife Kokopi before bringing her home. She bonds with him enough to feel safe with him, only to be left behind with a woman who is a stranger after a few weeks as he returns to the sea. And Kokopi -- Kokopi has her own issues.

As explained here, Kokopi was originally an information-gatherer for Lolorito who fell in love with the sea and faked her death to get out of working for him. Kokopi isn't even her real name! Everything was fine until one day there was an accident that left her dependent on a cane and covered in burns, and to this day she rarely leaves Wadewick as she felt Lolorito was behind it all. Kokopi is very emotionally reserved and low-key paranoid as a result -- and her husband came back from a voyage to just drop a child in her lap. A child that was nearly her size at two summers!

As a result of the above, Kokopi did the best she could raising a child she wasn't prepared for primarily on her own. And since Meiko was easily twice her size in her youth, Kokopi did not risk the Viera throwing a tantrum and hurting her or herself. So right out of the gate, she was stern when it came to disciplining Meiko for even the tiniest bit of bad behavior. As a result, the child strove to be an obedient daughter and jumped at every opportunity to help her mother for any sense of validation or reward.

Mokoko returned from his voyages every couple of months and would, essentially, love bomb his child and be the 'fun' parent. He never actively underminded Kokopi, but he definitely convinced Meiko to try fun things -- like her first sip of alcohol when she was six. He also never bothered with censoring anything for her, or asking others to be mindful of her age as 'she would learn about it anyway'. She'd go with him to the pub and hear all sorts of things not meant for youthful ears, from the violent to the sexual.

Mokoko also went on and on about how good Meiko was for helping out at home, how proud he was of having such a responsible daughter! This pattern would continue especially so after A'kihiko came into the picture. Then when Mokoko and his crew finally retired from being pirates, he'd oft spend most of his day in the bar -- and Meiko, starting at eight summers, would be expected to carry her drunk father home on piggyback.

While none of the above is particularly abusive or neglectful, Meiko's parents' actions strongly reinforced the idea that her value and worth was based in how she could serve others -- not herself. Meiko barely had any acknowledgment of who she was as a person before A'kihiko was adopted, and then (out of love for him, and likely a connection to him being the other half of her shard of Azem) almost solely devoted herself to his well-being. If Meiko was not caring for her parents or looking after A'kihiko... what was left of her? No one. Nothing. Any personal desires or motivations were ignored in favor of how she could serve others. All of the above strongly contributed to her anxiety and minimal self-esteem.

NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT WADEWICK.

Wadewick is a fishing town full of people with shady morals. Ex-pirates, criminals hiding out from the law, smugglers, drunks, and more. It's like a weenie version of Tortuga, really. No one in this town would be higher than level 15 if we had to put a 'power level' on them. They're not all evil, per se, but they're not law-abiding citizens and generally tend to be more selfish than selfless. Wadewick isn't on official maps because it's not a place merchants or common adventurers should want to visit.

So these neighbors, albeit not particularly nasty to Meiko and her family, didn't really give a shit about preserving the innocence of the handful of kids in the town. Maybe if it was their own child they'd make a better effort, but someone else's? No. Who cares?

They swore, they fought, they drank in excess and spoke of sexual endeavors without filter. Meiko's next door neighbors were a pair of prostitutes who ran their business in their homes, and only remembered to pull their shutters shut about half the time. Most people had the same mindset that Mokoko had -- kids are gonna seat it all eventually, so why not now? Except that none of them decided to talk about what the children of Wadewick may have witnessed to help them process it. It was just Exposure Therapy Unreal up in Wadewick.

There were even a few murders, and even a body or two found floating down by the docks where Meiko and other children would swim. Was it all horrifying? Yes! But if the adults around you don't model that horrified reaction, if they just brush it off, so do the impressionable minds around it, too.

Meiko knew it was something bad, so she did what she could to distract A'kihiko from such things when they were kids. Later in her early teen years, her friend Grymwaen ( @illwinded ) would assist in this sheltering as best they could. But Meiko herself was already far too desensitized to be properly affected.

And then, inevitably, there is the issue of Meiko being a Viera. An exotic young girl who already acted far too mature for her youthful age, and later began a very generous bout of puberty in her early teens. By this time, Mokoko was retired and often spent his leisure time challenging anyone who'd dare to arm wrestling in the pub. It was due to respect for (and sometimes fear of) him that men did not make a pass at his daughter. Those who were too stupid to be diverted by that were fortunately too intimidated by Grymwaen to do more than disrespectfully look at the girl.

Of course, even if nobody dared to open harass Meiko, it was still pretty obvious when people around her were thinking about stuff. Again, though, Meiko spent a lot of her time in the local pub where sailors would gab on and on about their conquests (often exaggerated). So although she didn't really ENJOY being ogled, she didn't bother telling people off about it as 'it wouldn't stop them anyway' and that this sort of stuff was 'normal' behavior. It didn't really help that Kokopi would agree with 'putting up with shite' was just part of life as a woman, too.

This also plays into her attitude towards working with Troupe Falsiam.

Unfortunately, Meiko wouldn't always be safe. When she was eleven summers, a drunk man latched onto her and wouldn't let go, possibly mistaking her for older than she was due to her height. Possibly. He dragged her into an alley. She managed to grab a broken bottle and, in a frenzy, stabbed him with it wherever she could reach until he did let go. She didn't even see who it was. She fled and never looked back to see if he had bled out or not. But she learned her lesson to be more aware from that point on. She never really talked to anyone about it, either -- although she will if asked.

Despite her height and rough-and-tumble personality, Meiko has always been conditioned to not take up too much space. To be as helpful as possible, to take care of others, and never be an inconvenience -- because she was an inconvenience. Kokopi and Mokoko love their children, but Kokopi's reluctance to be a mother and Mokoko's absence impressed something on Meiko's psyche. It's why she is so quick to show love to children and take care of them -- A'kihiko, Rielle, the twins, Ryne, Meteion -- because she knows what it feels like to be without love as a child, and is triggered by what she may perceive as a child in a similar situation. And yes, of course, she genuinely cares, too. But there is a definite trigger in identifying with those she can see herself in.

And then there is the shame. The shame that she is inconvenient, that she doesn't come from money or that she isn't as educated. Shame for being who she is, shame for who is she not (A'kihiko). Shame in knowing that her perceived purpose isn't based in her own accomplishments, but in being a stepping stone for others. In being ogled as a woman and as a dancer and as a Viera, for being the Warrior of Light's ill-mannered sister, but not being seen or heard.

And in assuming that everyone in the world looks at her this way, she bars the way for others who would see and hear her in the process. Inevitably, no one will care when she's no longer useful. Inevitably, no one will remember her lined up among others. Inevitably, she does not matter, and her entire life will be a struggle to be relevant and remembered. And when Meiko assists in dangerous missions and accomplishes great feats alongside the Scions, she cannot dare hold onto that achievement or pride because how dare she? She isn't special. She is an impostor. A liar. She is only a Scion for selfish reasons (looking after her brother, not protecting the realm). She isn't good enough for Hydaelyn's Blessing to be bestowed upon her at birth, she is merely a convenient backup. She is only ever good enough to be a supporting character in the grand scheme of things. She isn't smart enough, she isn't strong enough, she isn't special!

In following the Dark Knight storyline, Meiko is able to accept that all of the above is unfair and that it makes her angry. That she wants a fate other than this. But her love for her brother and the Scions, as well as her sense of responsibility for what is happening in Eorzea, is what holds her back from embracing what her Esteem desires. It isn't a satisfying solution, but at least she took that step in recognizing who Meiko was apart from someone who just supports others.

It is only when Meiko has no choice but to be the protagonist in Shadowbringers that she finally begins to sort herself out. It takes having everything else stripped away from her by force to get her embrace being the main character in her own story. It takes every Scion being put in what is essentially a death-like state for her to find her voice long enough to communicate how she feels about them. It takes being ready to sacrifice her life for the First for her to truly feel significant as a person, all on her own.

And fortunately, she is a better and changed person moving forward from that. All of her misgivings and doubts are not immediately solved, and there will be times when she has lapses in confidence and bad habits. But she has come a long way, and will continue to grow with whatever the world decides to throw at her.

[watchworldlive]

Liam Costner: The Story Untold Behind a Legendary Family Name

Most people's minds will immediately conjure Kevin Costner, and his successes in Dances with Wolves and Yellowstone. But there is another Costner in the making; instead of contributing to society the same way, this version makes his mark in an entirely different manner: Liam Costner. Chastening you into remembering, unlike his father, Liam has chosen to opt out of the limelight. Still, his life is intriguing for someone who cares to know what it is like growing up with a Hollywood legend as one's father. Who is Liam Costner, and what has been his journey?

A Different Kind of Hollywood Legacy

Liam Timothy Costner is the offspring of one of the greatest Hollywood stars. His father, Kevin Costner, turned out to become the embodiment of the new wave of Hollywood film when The Bodyguard granted Kevin fame all over America Field of Dreams, and then Prince of Thieves; Robin Hood. But certainly not for Liam, it's a Hollywood story. Raised mostly out of the public view, Liam has tried to maintain his private life as private as possible. With a surname that probably is among the most reported in this world, he has mostly avoided the trajectory of the media frenzy that often follows celebrity offspring.

Life Away from the Spotlight

Unbeknownst to many, though, celebrity children are forced into the spotlight despite their wishes. In Liam Costner's case, though, his mother and father went to great lengths to keep his life private. Liam's mother, Bridget Rooney, dated Kevin Costner briefly, though they never married, thus Liam was shared without the gossip. Liam spent most of his formative years out of the public eye. He grew up in Aspen, Colorado, far from the Hollywood scene. Many had it assumed that he'll eventually join the film industry and follow the footsteps of his dad, but Liam took the quieter road, doing other things that attracted him and sidestepping all the pressures associated with the film industry. Today, Liam Costner has carved his own path away from all the expectations that come with his last name.

The Costner-Rooney Connection

Although Liam might be a bit camera-shy, his family connections definitely don't backstab him. He hails from the longest line of super-famous last names on both sides of the parents' lineage. His mother comes from the Rooney family, one of America's wealthiest and most influential dynasties; they are also the owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers and have been a major power play for decades in sports and in business. Imagine Thanksgiving dinners as sports royalty sits down to dinner with not only Hollywood royalty but also sports royalty. That's a great family tree, isn't it? And yet, despite all of this, Liam has kept his feet on the ground, in other words, been very down-to-earth, and that really says a lot about how he was brought up.

Following His Own Path

So, what have Liam Costner been up to all these years? Not something in front of the camera - unlike his father. The young boy has taken a very different approach in life, this time focusing more on business and investments. As some reports suggest, Liam is slowly stepping into real estate. Now working in an industry that is light years away from the all-glamorous Hollywood stuff. This is the choice to follow his own path, to live his life on his own terms. Of course, Liam never wants to be a part of riding on the family name of fame. He respects privacy, independence, and living a life that is all his own, even if it does mean not making headlines.

Kevin Costner as a Father

Of course, one cannot talk about Liam Costner without mentioning the relationship he has had with his father. Kevin Costner always was such a dedicated family man, and no exception is made for Liam. Though he never married Liam's mother, he was present in Liam's life since birth as one of the Costners. Kevin has talked about the importance of fatherhood several times and how his children, including Liam, helped put life into perspective. In interviews, he has said that the importance of fatherhood is the most important part of his life, more so than any award he has won in Hollywood. Kevin's approach to being a father really is reflected through how all of his children, including Liam, have grown up with an enormously strong sense of self, despite their father's immense fame.

The Costner Brothers

Kevin doesn't just have one child; he has lots of kids from different relationships blended together. Kevin Costner has seven children in three different relationships: 1. Annie Costner 2. Lily Costner 3. Joe Costner 4. Liam Costner 5. Cayden Costner 6. Hayes Costner 7. Grace Costner Although Liam did not grow up with all his half-siblings under one roof, they have held on to strong family ties. Kevin Costner often claimed he reminded himself at all times that each of his children was just as loved as the last. This closeness is reflected in family gatherings, vacations, and shared moments that Liam and his siblings cherish.

Privacy Requirements

In the midst of the social media craze, where celebrities' children have no choice but to live under a microscope, Liam Costner is one whose choice of having his life private stands out glaringly. Unlike many celebrities' children who maintain public Instagram and Twitter accounts, he hardly does interviews. In this, his privatism is not just a remarkable thing but also shows how much value Liam has for living life on his terms. Every celebrity's child cannot be in the media eye all the time, and that is Liam. Being the son of a Hollywood legend and part of a wealthy, influential family could easily have led him off on a tangential path. But somehow, Liam has sidestepped all that drama and fanfare, instead choosing a quiet, independent life.

Conclusion

Liam Costner is more than just a big celebrated surname. He is a man who has earned his own place in the world, keeping far from the bright lights of Hollywood and the weight of his family legacy. Liam had all the options to lead the celebrity lifestyle with his father being Kevin Costner and all connections that included the Rooney family. Still, he made it known that living a private independent life was never lesser. In many ways, Liam Costner's is a story of quiet ambition, family bonds, and a life lived on one's terms. In this sense, he perhaps isn't in Kevin's footsteps, but by himself, Liam has got every bit as impressive as his father.

[headshaker]

MAJOR NPCS.

Here I've compiled information on three major NPCs for Huaisang. I don’t know how often they’ll come up in threads, but they’ll definitely come up in headcanons. That having been said, I don’t expect anyone to be familiar with them, and I will be flexible with details re: them to accommodate plotting. It just helps me expand on my worldstate.

聂宗辉

Nie Zonghui, right hand [FC: He Xiang]

Nie Zonghui was abandoned outside the Unclean Realm as an infant with no indication of his identity or origins. They took him in, gave him a name, raised him like he was always meant to be there. Being four years older than Nie Huaisang, he often looked out for him and helped him train — or made consistent attempts. When Huaisang was sent to study in the Cloud Recesses, so was he. They were in different age groups but spent a great deal of their free time together.

He was at Huaisang’s side throughout the Wen Indoctrination and the beginning of the Sunshot Campaign as well. He distinguished himself early on by single-handedly defending a group of refugees until reinforcements could arrive. Despite being wounded, he insisted on escorting them the rest of the way. It was decided his skill was wasted on essentially acting as Huaisang’s bodyguard, and Huaisang himself encouraged him to accept other postings. When Meng Yao stepped down as Nie Mingjue’s right hand, Zonghui succeeded him. He held the position competently even after the war ended.

This put him at Huaisang’s side when he discovered evidence of foul play in Mingjue’s death. Although Huaisang never told him everything, he knew more than arguably anyone else, and placed full faith in Huaisang to handle the matter. While Huaisang played the role of Headshaker, they sold the lie that Zonghui was the one truly keeping the sect together, the proverbial power behind the throne. He was never comfortable with taking credit for Huaisang’s competency nor with the ridicule his sect leader faced, but his loyalty always overrode any complaints.

However, just as he trusted Huaisang would always do what was best for their sect, he also trusted that one day it would end. The scheming and lies and — hell, he didn’t want to know what else Huaisang was up to. He comes closest of anyone to understanding exactly how he’s changed, and it is disquieting. Heartbreaking. He has to believe Huaisang will turn onto a better path once it is safe. He doesn’t think he can watch him do this to himself forever.

符慧敏

Fu Huimin, Madame Nie [FC: Jin Jolin]

Fu Huimin is the only daughter of Fu Huan. Her mother, having come from one of the Qishan Wen’s subsidiary clans, understood politics well and taught her daughter to play with skill and ruthlessness. This connection meant the Hedong Fu were initially reluctant to join the Sunshot Campaign as an enemy of the Qishan Wen, but when they did, they committed twice as hard to make up for it. Thus, when Huaisang approached Huimin about acting as a spy, she convinced her parents to allow it. More importantly, she couldn’t imagine spending the war sitting on her haunches. This was the best way for her to contribute.

As she had low cultivation and was a woman, she wasn’t deemed enough of a threat to draw attention. The official story was that she only wished to take care of her grandparents in their old age. With the uncertainty of war, who knew if she’d even see them again and be able to fulfill her duty as a granddaughter? She thus spent most of the conflict across enemy lines, feeding information back. Admittedly, Huaisang only expected her to pass on low priority intel and occasionally act as an intermediary (thus minimizing the threat to her as well), but her cleverness made her invaluable. She became one of their top informants.

Her brothers were not so fortunate. Two died in the war, and the last died in the bloodbath at Nightless City. Her father entered a depressive spiral afterward, and Huimin stepped up to lead their people. Other clans perceived them as weak for this and struck at them. However, Huimin was quick, clever, and willing to get her hands dirty. She kept her people afloat.

When Huaisang sought to establish a postal service as a front for an intelligence network, some of the strings he pulled allowed her to trace it back to him. Invoking their history during the war, she made him an offer. She would keep his name clean by finding them someone to act as the face of the business and becoming one of its primary investors. It would all seem very legitimate, established for the benefit of smaller sects and the common people. In exchange, the first outpost would be built in Hedong, and she would benefit from the money and intel brought in. This gave her more ammunition against Huaisang than he truly wanted her to have, but he knew from experience how frighteningly capable she was. He deemed it worth the gamble.

This allowed her to drastically transform her sect’s fortunes over the years. By the time the novel ends, the Hedong Fu are just barely behind the great four. More than that, she and Huaisang have evolved from tentative allies to friends. They marry a few years post-canon. It’s a purely political arrangement, but they’re both happy with that. Their goals and temperaments align well, and both of their sects benefit. Each knows the other would turn on them if they had opposing goals in the future, but they would give the other a courtesy warning and try to keep the kids out of it. A bit unconventional, but it works for them.

许遠志

Xu Yuanzhi, poisoner physician [FC: Huang Xuan]

Xu Yuanzhi was born in Qizhou to a skilled physician. As such, he learned at his father’s feet with the expectation that he would carry on his legacy — a fate he never fought. However, his father lacked good business or financial sense and struggled to keep the family afloat despite his abilities. When they were on the verge of losing everything, a desperate patient came to him seeking the means to hurt rather than heal. She offered him a handsome sum in exchange for a suitable poison and his discretion. He was hesitant, but desperation won out.

He promised himself he would dabble in poisons only that once. Never again. Yet … he had to admit there was a certain appeal to toxicology. He was neither a sadist nor a killer, merely fascinated by toxic substances and potential treatments. When other supposedly “desperate” souls sought his services, he did not turn them away. The money allowed him to provide for his family, and his fascination was fueled. Besides, he reasoned that he wasn’t hurting anyone. Is the one who sells a blade responsible for what is done with it?

The law might disagree, so when an anonymous person began blackmailing Yuanzhi, he was desperate to appease them. Huaisang, having become aware of his skills, made him an offer. Yuanzhi would become the Unclean Realm’s physician and Huaisang’s poisoner. In exchange, the blackmailer would be dealt with, he would be well stocked and compensated, and he would be able to study toxicology to his heart’s delight. Yuanzhi agreed.

Yuanzhi has been an integral part of Huaisang cultivating a false reputation as a hypochondriac. He must feign a long-suffering patience for the sect leader’s fake hysteria. Meanwhile, he has been helping Huaisang build immunity to certain poisons through microdosing, ensuring he is guarded against poisoning, and supplying poisons when asked. He’s ultimately pleased with the arrangement, but he knows his survival hinges on his usefulness outstripping Huaisang’s paranoia. One day it will all go wrong.

[lupinenight]

CRAGWHISPER — leader of the River Order.

> a tall black and gray tom with dark blue eyes.

Totally, definitely a cool guy. Very well-spoken and has a good reputation; gregarious with an admirably large friend group. Known for being friendly with Ordermates, but healthily intimidating to outsiders— a quality that bridges the gap between the cats who think Sturgeonscar was too reactionary and those who thought she was too forgiving. Extremely clever with great people skills and perception, well aware of Murphy’s law and plays around it with grace.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Part of a big litter consisting of Snailsplinter and Screesmoke’s adopted kids, as well as their biological ones, all around the same age.

Raised alongside Minnowfang, Pickerel, Rocksplash, and Clayspine.

Siblings from an older litter are Frigidwillow and Sturgeonscar.

Had a brief fling with Autumnfrost, resulting in Needle— who he raised.

Nespring are Ternquill and Bloomdapple through Rocksplash, as well as Frostwhistle through Frigidwillow.

Mentor was Snakelight.

Apprentice was Leafstorm.

Close with Falconstrike, Newtsnarl, Coalspider, Swiftsight, and the late Chirpwing and Rushface.

Was best friends with Sagethroat, before “creative differences” diverged their paths.

Taken in by the River Order at around a moon old after Webstride accidentally killed his rogue mom, subsequently adopted by SnailScree because the only other viable parents were being exiled. Raised alongside their kits, either just born or born soon after his arrival, and WebReed’s kits, who were over a moon old as well.

Mentored by Snakelight, the deputy at the time, who he becomes close with Sagethroat through. Snakelight is a harsh teacher and Craggy and Sage bonded over complaining about her, unironically becoming very close. He also was encouraged outside his already large circle, meeting Newtsnarl and Coalspider. Although he would not appreciate being compared to her, Craggy knows and would not deny that Snakelight heavily contributed to his apathy towards violence, and morbid curiosity about how the Orders can break.

Bond with Sagethroat continued for years, before eventually fragmenting not too long before Sathro’s death. She knew that Craggy was up to something, because he had offered her involvement when the mafia first started– she’d declined and Craggy understood her desire for a normal life, promising to keep her out of it. However, as her daughter grew older and their actions became more extreme, Sage began to have a change of heart, caring more for the Order that now encompassed the only family she cared about. She confronted Craggy, but quickly backed down when realizing that he wouldn’t; they remained distant for the rest of their shared life and Craggy still misses what they used to have, but such is the way of the path he’d chosen in life.

Liked Autumnfrost, but never loved her. he saw their relationship as entertainment value and a way to get to know more about the Forest Order without outright spying, which was also how he justified the affair to his allies. Her desire to join the River Order using his status was unfortunate to him, as he knew that would not be the way things went down. Because she had given birth outside of the Forest Order, he adopted Needle as his own after Falconstrike killed her on his command. Craggy is just as good a father as he is a mentor, and he’s kept Needle completely out of the mafia— though he’s had to pull some strings to ensure things would stay that way.

Closest friends and supporters include Chirpwing, Falconstrike, Clayspine, and Coalspider. Falcon and Clay function as a bit of a cleanup crew, due to physical prowess and being willing to get their paws dirty; Cospi and Chipi share Craggy’s intellect and propensity towards planning. Chipi in particular was no stranger to a body count, as the one who assissinated some of Sturgeonscar’s lives and started the plague. All four of these cats have been beside Craggy since the humble beginnings, but Chipi’s ambition was what really created the spark that turned into the branching mafia when he expressed a morbid desire, and Craggy told him yes.

[loriache]

tags from @yuri-puppies: #i want to see him treating a marriage contract like he does the problem of the demon. if that makes any sense.#<- prev i am obsessed with this#the fact that this is all familiar tropes for us queer fandom people but he (they) would have to figure it out from scratch#i am chewing and chewing and chewing and chewing and chewing and chewing and chewing. and chewing.#the idea of laios having to get politically married kinda no matter what is very in line with the 'advisors' post-canon comic#and there /has/ to be a politically well-connected lesbian with a passion for statecraft out there#(or any expertise that would help the kingdom. we know about laios that he really respects and listens to experts re: their fields)#although i can also see every enterprising noble and merchant with a “weird unmarriageable daughter” try to introduce her to laios#and one of them is bound to have a special interest compatible with the golden country trio's vision for the kingdom#also can we talk about the touden parents having to have another child????#that's fucking me up#option 1: they already have another child and they either didn't tell falin or falin kept it from laios#which holy shit#or option 2: that physically frail 40something woman is about to try for a child now that laios officially can't succeed#which. holy shit.#the second one is particularly interesting to me bc afaik we don't know how laios feels about his mother#he's very hostile re: his father but i don't think we've heard a word about the woman who tried to exorcise falin which is. interesting.#either way he'd blow a gasket. like 'how can you be so irresponsible! health risks!' and 'bold of you to assume you can raise children'#but what i'm curious about is whether he'd blame both of them or just his father.#dunmeshi#dungeon meshi manga spoilers

AUGH exactly exactly you see my vision!!! there's bound to be a well-connected lesbian and/or a weird unmarriageable daughter with a relevant special interest or someone who can contribute and bring alliances and connections. and they'd have to make it work! figure it out even without any examples of other people to follow. though i bet there's scandalous literature they could use as inspiration, marcille can surely find some - especially if some form of polygamy is common in some places.

the touden parents already having another kid is so tasty.... i wonder if they didn't tell falin because they still held out hope for laios to come back and knew that if she told him that, he definitely wouldn't. and i do think that like, laios would be angry about the health risks to his mother and probably blame his dad, because it doesn't seem like he really knows how to blame his mother as an individual - that makes sense to me given he grew up thinking of her as 'fragile', and he already doesn't like his dad, so it's easy enough for him to blame him for stuff that really is as much about her. but an interesting angle is if she was the one to push for it, because she's the one crying about grandchildren in his dream...

i do like the already-existent kid rather than trying for baby because it means a slightly-older potential kid sibling, which is great for drama. for my postcanon au about the crew dealing with their family. (chilchuck wife, milsiril, touden parents, namari's dad.... god i want to draft it but next part of the touden swap au has to come first.)

honestly i'm kind of interested in the idea of laios in an arranged marriage. because obviously straight-up inherited monarchies are ...bad, to say the least! but it's what the characters are familiar with (even laios' father's extremely local, extremely minor leadership role is inherited, presumably through the male line). and it isn't just about what they think the best way to run melini is; in terms of ensuring that the other longed-lived nations respect melini's continued sovereignty, having it passed down in a manner that's close enough to their own ways for them to understand it and respect it is important. And it seems like most of the other nations have leadership through inheritance - thought that isn't confirmed for certain except with the elves.

Also, a marriage carries the potential to establish foreign allies - something melini is certainly lacking. A marriage could come with resources they'll badly need, treaties of mutual defence, money, legitimacy and political capital... not that these things can't be worked around, but if laios isn't strongly opposed, there are a lot of advantages! and i don't think he would be, because that's the framework for marriage (conferring practical advantages, building intracommunity relationships and providing a partner to do important work that he can't do) that he had grown up with. he isn't exactly a romantic and I doubt he's holding out for any sort of relationship of that nature.

Like, I don't think it's impossible that they would go with this path, because it's the most obvious and it carries a lot of advantages and it's what almost all the decision-making characters would consider normal and not objectionable. and it could be so interesting.

I think Laios would have major hangups if expected (i.e., by Marcille) to establish a genuine, romantic interest in a woman. Whether because of his sexual or romantic orientation, or just his own deep-seated trauma about rejection and being inherently disgusting and scary. And I think he'd hate the idea of having kids, too, and be very frightened of being like his father. But I don't think he'd refuse on that basis; he could cope with a marriage contract, with clearly laid-out expectations and responsibilities. And when it came to having a kid, I think he'd be reluctant to express that he doesn't want to do it, because he isn't naive and he understood when he agreed to be king it would carry responsibilities like this. It's clear from his nightmare that he already felt pressure from his parents to have children, probably magnified by the fact his father has got a position, responsibilities and wealth to pass on. Obviously he isn't a perfect martyr, so he might struggle when it comes to actually going through with it - but I don't think he'd actually, outright refuse. I think he might do it even though he doesn't want to, and I think that could be really messy in a way that appeals to me.

I don't know, there's something about negotiating these kinds of complicated situations that's interesting to me. and i love a platonic marriage. If they find a woman who has an interest in education, for example, and can work with marcille on setting up schools and universities. she'd ideally be politically savvy enough to be an able partner to laios: even though kabru can and would continue to do a lot of that, there are different spheres that a queen and a prime minister can work within!

how would their relationship work? maybe she finds laios' perspective on the world, and his frankness, unexpectedly liberating after an extremely controlled, cloistered upbringing. maybe she had a rebellious phase, has magic, or something else which makes her a relatively unpopular candidate for marriage - even as melini grows in power, i doubt that they'd be getting offers for the cream of the crop in terms of perceived value on the marriage market, because laios' relationship is a bit too ambivalent/monstrous for that, and melini too new. maybe she's a widow! an older woman, wouldn't that be cool - though they'd want her young enough that she could definitely still have kids.

certainly i think he'd be happy for her to pursue other relationships, though ideally in a manner that couldn't produce illegitimate kids. with other relationships in play, that's even more interesting. like, both kabru and toshiro have complicated emotions relating to infidelity. i think kabru would actually find it quite cathartic to be in the kind of high-status environment that rejected his mother for perceived infidelity, pursuing an affair that all parties consent to, though he'd likely be incredibly aware of the public image - since "image" is what he was rejected for. toshiro... i just really really love the way he'd feel about being the "other woman" in laios' marriage, considering his feelings about his father and maizuru. especially given how much closer he is to maizuru than his mother, being in her position...! his emotions would be so complex, it's incredibly tasty. i bet he'd make a bunch of assumptions about how laios' wife feels about it and be totally wrong, and that's so interesting. also, i think laios' wife should fuck marcille (she and falin have an open relationship).

[stratuscloudsurfer]

If the photography studio is open/unlocked while kid Emmet is in Hisui does that mean there’s a photo of kid Emmet and Warden Ingo floating around? Printed in history books perhaps? Maybe even incorrectly labeled as father and son? Time space shenanigans are so much fun.

Y E S

After Ingo disappears, Emmet does some research and decides to pay Sinnoh's Regional History Museum a visit. He hasn't really thought to look into it until now, although he's not really sure why. Mostly, he is just curious to see what he finds and if he'll discover any artifacts or exhibits that remind him of his friends back in Hisui.

It is a large, imposing building in Jubilife City. Emmet has never visited Jubilife City before but nevertheless is hit by a wave of deja vu as soon as he steps onto the streets. It looks absolutely nothing like he remembers the tiny Village looking, but. The feeling that he's returning to somewhere familiar is overwhelming.

The museum is, as the online reviews promised, very nice. It's a big enough building to get lost in, but thankfully Emmet has a map and a great sense of direction, and finds his way to the room that holds all of the Meiji-era exhibits without much trouble. He is right on time, too, as a museum worker is just starting to talk about what life in 19th Century Sinnoh was like to a group of interested kids and parents. Emmet idly wonders if its a school field trip as the man goes on about Wardens and Noble Pokemon.

As the man is talking, Emmet scans the room. There are old pokeballs that he can remember throwing a thousand of, era-style clothing ( definitely Anthe's work ) and careful sketches of ancient pokemon that could only be drawn by Professor Laventon's hand.

Seeing all of the objects in this room makes his chest ache with nostalgia, but when he catches sight of the picture on the wall behind the guy who is talking, he has to hold back a gasp of surprise.

Because he's in this picture. And so is his brother.

He resists the wild urge to shove through the group of kids and yank the picture off of its hook on the wall to get a closer look. He is pretty sure that will go over about as well as a lead balloon, though, so he forces himself to wait, fidgeting anxiously, until the man is finally finished talking and the group begins to disperse.

When most everyone is gone, he walks up to the museum worker. "Excuse me," he says, "What can you tell me about this picture?"

The man turns around to take a look at the picture that Emmet is pointing at. Emmet takes in its details with him: 10 year old him next to 30 year old Ingo, framed by his partner Sneasel and Lady Sneasler. He's grinning broadly, and Ingo wears a rare smile, too.

"Oh!" he says, brightening a little. "I'm glad you asked. This is one of my favorite pictures in the entire museum," he says. "This is a picture of the legendary Warden Ingo and his son, Emmet. They were two of the most influential people in Hisui."

Emmet nearly chokes on his own breath. "Son?" he asks, raising his eyebrows. "Are you sure about that?"

"Quite sure," responds the man, adjusting his spectacles. He chuckles good naturedly. "I mean, I did write my dissertation on these two and the way that they changed the world."

Emmet lets out a laugh of complete disbelief. "Whoa! Is that so? Awesome!" he exclaims. Noting the pleased but confused expression on the man's face, he clears his throat and tries to reign in a little of the giddy excitement in his chest. "Can you tell me more about them?" he asks, attempting to sound a normal level of interested in what this man has to say.

The man proceeds to tell him all about Warden Ingo and his revolutionary thoughts about Pokemon and battling. He explains how he was credited with starting the region's earliest known battle facility, often thought as the precursor to modern gyms. The man gets more and more animated as he talks, but pauses for a dramatic effect when he's finished detailing all of Ingo's contributions to history.

"But if you think that's impressive, just wait until you hear about what his son accomplished," he says, and Emmet urges him to "Please, do go on!"

The man tells him about the amazing "child prodigy" who, in addition to being an extremely powerful Pokemon wielder, befriended the region's Nobles and even introduced breeding. Emmet has never heard someone talk about him in a more flattering way and is completely overwhelmed by the flood of praise.

"I've even heard accounts that young Emmet even bested Ingo in battle a couple of times," the man says at some point.

"That would be true," Emmet says without thinking. "But I'd say it was more than just a couple."

The man stops talking to stare at him, and that's when Emmet realizes he's said something strange. "What makes you think that?" he asks him, slowly.

"I. Uh. Ingo is my great, great, great, great grandpa," he says quickly, hoping he added the correct amount of "greats" to be a plausible amount. "...On my mom's side. Mom told us stories about him growing up."

"Oh. That makes sense. You do seem to share a striking resemblance to him. I wonder... would you be interested in sharing some of these stories with me? Perhaps over lunch?"

Now Emmet is sweating. "Unfortunately, I cannot."

"I understand. I'm sorry to impose on you," he replies with a sigh. He turns around and stares at the picture again with a longing gaze. "What I wouldn't give to hear the stories they would have to tell..."

Emmet dismisses himself quickly, before he can keel over from the irony.

As he's on his way back to Nimbasa City, though, Emmet can't stop thinking about the picture. He wants it, he realizes. It is his picture, after all. That being said, there is no way that he'd be able to convince Museum Guy to let him take it home with him.

Well, there might be a way.

Several months pass before he returns to the museum. This time, though, he's not alone. When he finally manages to track down Museum Guy, he almost faints when he sees who Emmet's brought with him.

"Good morning," he says brightly, "You might not remember me, but I was here a few months ago. Anyway, I’m back. And, I have someone I’d like you to meet.” 

[hellomynameisbisexual]

When Nick Cipolla watches movies and television, he feels that he doesn’t have any role models to look to.

Known as “bisexual erasure,” this phenomenon is a lack of acknowledgment and ignoring of the clear evidence that bisexuals exist, according to GLAAD, an LGBTQ media monitoring organization.

Cipolla, a senior creative writing major, could only list two examples of bisexuals in mass media: the character Eleanor Shellstrop of the NBC comedy “The Good Place” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” character Rosa Diaz, a stoic, sarcastic cop whose bisexual story arc has been praised by the LGBTQ community, according to Screen Rant, an entertainment news website.

But in all forms of media, Cipolla said he’s failed to see a male bisexual character who reflects his own experience.

“I would personally love to read more books, or watch more movies or TV shows [with bisexual characters],” Cipolla said. “To put it into purely capitalistic terms, I would consume more of that media, if it existed.”

GLAAD also reported that one example of erasure is the denial of bisexuality as a legitimate orientation, dismissing it as a “phase.”

Robyn Friedman, a senior communication studies major, encountered this when she came out to her parents as bisexual after her freshman year. Although they were accepting, she said that they have yet to understand bisexuality.

“My parents have definitely implied I’m going to choose a side one day, that I can’t be both,” Friedman said. “I know that probably a lot of other people feel the same way that if they come out as bi in college, then it’s just going to be another phase.”

Friedman feels that this stigma is not exclusive to non-queer people.

“People outside of the community, even those in the LGBTQ community, want you to stick to one orientation only, and that is probably what contributes to [bisexual erasure] most,” she said.

Because Friedman is currently dating a man, she said she’s experienced another form of bi-erasure as people assume she can “choose a side.”

Cipolla said he’s experienced this as well, as he is in a heterosexual relationship.

“A person who is bi cannot be assumed to be one or the other until we see the person they’re with, and then we know,” he added.

Steve Johnston, a 2018 Beasley School of Law alumnus, created Philly BiVisibility, a Facebook page that operates as a hub for resources for the city’s bisexual community.

While at Temple, Johnston searched for a bisexual community but created the Facebook group when he found none. Since then Johnston has helped organize BiVisibility Day, a rally in Philadelphia to raise awareness for bisexual visibility, Philadelphia Gay News reported.

Visibility can combat the misconceptions and microaggressions of bi-erasure, Johnston said, adding that he endured these misconceptions in his personal and professional life.

He has had doctors profile him as gay and insist he gets an HIV test, Johnston said.

Because of these experiences, he said it’s important for bisexuals to navigate and reaffirm their identity in college and after graduation.

“You’re going to have to learn how to deal with it one way or the other, either by working to change policy through the school, or working with your peers, or working with yourself through therapy,” he added. “Just because you’re out of school doesn’t mean things are automatically going to get better, but you have a lot more opportunity to make them better.”

The best way to deal with erasure from the heterosexual and LGBTQ communities is for bisexual people to build a community, Friedman said.

“Finding others that identify is just very validating,” she added. “One of the most important things for people who are bisexual is that their identity is valid, no matter who they’re with, and no matter what the people around them say.”

[returnofaion]

Verses

I’m in the middle of creating verses for this lovely muse of mine, and since I’m in the activity crunch like everyone else, I figure I’d share some of what will eventually be on a page of Tsukishima’s blog:

TURN BACK THE PAGES

Pre-Canon/Canon-Compliant Age: Child/Teen Primary Location: Human World

Description: A verse for child!Tsukishima. 

Ages and settings can vary; however, as a general rule, Tsukishima is going to be less sadistic the younger he is. As a child with Fullbringer potential, he tends to attract hollow. His parents are killed during a particularly bad hollow attack he attracts. Following canon, Ginjo finds and saves him during this traumatic moment; however, this can be adjusted for AUs (someone else finds him; he remains orphaned; he’s adopted by other humans; etc)

In this verse (and truly in all verses), the sadism and amoral tendencies are learned and encouraged by Ginjo; Ginjo raises Tsukishima to be a loyal weapon - to survive, to fight, to crush his and Ginjo’s enemies and enjoy it. Tsukishikma’s abilities also contribute to his adult persona. Because he gains comprehensive memories of the person he uses Book of the End on, Tsukishima learns many things far too young, and because it’s easiest to learn and experiment on criminals, what he learns is dark. Eventually, he learns that even the “best” people hide dark secrets. Because these tendencies and harsh realities are learned, a younger Tsukishima has the penchant to be much more gentle, hesitant, and incredibly naïve/impressionable.

In variations where Ginjo hasn’t found him, Tsukishima may not even develop those immoral traits, depending on who becomes his mentor. However, he’ll have high spiritual pressure for a child and be able to see spirits/shinigami and hollow. This Tsukishima may also ‘imprint’ on whoever helps him and offers him the companionship that Ginjo did in canon. This will definitely impact his personality, but generally, he’ll maintain the observant, bookish, and loyal traits that Ginjo builds upon.

In variations where Tsukishima has already been found by Ginjo, he may display some taught amoral behaviors, but not have completely developed his sadistic tendencies yet. The level of conditioning by Ginjo will vary depending on the specific plot.

RUIN THE END

(Still in development) Post-Canon/Headcanon Age:Adult Primary Location: Soul Society

Basic Premise: This set of verses is set after the Shinigami win the Thousand Year Blood War with the Quincy/Sternritter. Tsukishima died in the human world and is now a soul in Soul Society; however, after being rescued from the Rukongai and trained by the Shibas, Tsukishima retains his powers.

Tsukishima has fulfilled Xcution’s/Ginjo’s debt to Ichigo, and in canon there’s not any indication where they went afterwards. These are the options that could happen, depending on plot. Although, they don’t all take into account CFYOW (yet). These verses are especially helpful for the surviving shinigami muses that may want to interact.

The Reconciliation:

Based on the premise of ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’: after the Thousand Year Blood War, Tsukishima (and Ginjo) agree to set aside differences and to work with Soul Society instead of against it. Soul Society’s leaders accept this because a) they’re all souls now b) they aided the Gotei in the war, and c) they all have high spiritual pressure and great discipline, and d) it’s just easier to keep an eye on them if they’re all with the Gotei. Reasons for why Tsukishima and Ginjo agree can vary, but generally something along the lines of self-preservation, spying, trying to learn more about Fullbringers in relation to Soul Society, or to buy time for the other(s) to rebuild. Admittedly this is the weakest verse in terms of credibility, but it’s definitely an option.

Tsukishima’s personality wouldn’t change much: he’d still be sadistic, sociopathic, amoral, and manipulative. But he’d be mostly well-behaved and/or limit his amoral activities to criminals or hollow. However, he wouldn’t be above ‘bullying’ in a psychological sense, and certain people will likely be either terrified of him (like how people were fearful/wary of Gin) or in wary awe (think Moe).

  Zanpakuto Powers To Be Determined, but obviously based around the Fullbring in some way

Variations include: at the Academy, post-graduation:in a division, defection from the Gotei after joining, etc.

The Defection:

Tsukishima and Ginjo take the aftermath of the war as the opportunity to escape and they disappear into the Rukongai. Because of their unique combination of powers, they’re able to remain hidden, except from certain individuals (Kisuke, Yoruichi, and the Shibas). They still considers themselves enemies of the Gotei, and Ginjo’s original motivations and goals still stand. However, they know they can’t fight Ichigo, so they’re waiting/planning and otherwise staying low. Being who they are, they manage to set themselves up relatively well in mid-numbers level of North Rukongai (between 55-75 or so, depending on how hard they’re trying to hide).

Alternate 1: Return to the Slums

Tsukishima and Ginjo return to the slums of the Rukongai and, without Yukio’s money, they suffer the effects of poverty. The lack of food has made using Fullbring powers difficult and/or a luxury that uses too much energy. Tsukishima survives - and helps the others survive - by being as manipulative and as ruthless as necessary, but they want to stay very low to avoid Gotei attention. Taking into account CFYOW, they’ll be trying to evade Mayuri specifically.

Alternate 2: Repaying the Debt Tsukishima ends up as lackeys of the Shibas because of Ginjo’s need to repay his debt to the Shibas for initially rescuing them from the Rukongai and giving them the training to master their powers as Souls. Tsukishima finds this particular arrangement distasteful, but follows Ginjo loyally. And so, he often absconds to the surrounding Rukongai areas to relax and read, if possible. Alternate 3: The Prisoners Tsukishima and the rest of Xcution have been apprehended after the Thousand Year Blood War and are prisoners of the Gotei. This verse can vary for roleplaying purposes: maximum confinement in the Maggot’s Nest; lesser confinement in a normal prison; confiscation of their Fullbring Items and/or forced enrollment in the Gotei; or imprisonment and experimentation at the 12th.

The biggest elements of this verse are that Tsukishima is imprisoned, he’ll likely be desperately bored, he’d probably love to escape - but only if it’d benefit Ginjo in some eventual capacity -, and he’s not particularly fond of the Gotei.

Alternate 3.5: The Specimen

Taking into account how badly Mayuri tries to gain more information about the Fullbringers and capture Tsukishima and Ginjo, this verse is for any research-oriented muses. Basically, they do get captured, and so they’re now research subjects. All the trigger warnings may apply. I’m mostly including this verse as permission to take things in that direction.

Note: Execution sentences/scenarios are also an option in this verse. However, it’ll only be used if plotting has been done to plan things out.

[tundrainafrica]

Hi, I love your meta posts.One thing that I have been thinking about since the uprising arc, was Hange Erwin's first choice as his successor? Some people(pro rumbling gang) think that they were incompetent as fuck as the commander, couldn't stop the formation of the jaegerist faction and provide any solution for centuries old eldian hate etc. While I agree that it was the role they didn't even ask for in the first place and they had too much on their plate, (1)

(2) I still think that they did the best and no one else could've done better. But I am still confused. Erwin probably knew that politics weren't Hange's forte, and only chose them because other vets were dead(Maybe Mike was the first choice) but at the same time he asked Hange to call the shots for him even when Mike and others were still alive( 57th expedition,Stohess Raid,start of COTT arc) which makes me think that Hange was the first choice. So, What is your take on this? Thank you!

---------------------------------------ANSWER---------------------------------------------------

Hello Anon, 

As always, it’s great to hear that people enjoy my internal monologues which can’t seem to get out because nobody that lives close proximity to me irl actually sees Levihan as a romantic couple. 

But anyway, enough about me. 

One thing that I have been thinking about since the uprising arc, was Hange Erwin's first choice as his successor? 

To answer your first question… YES. YES. AND YES. 

Okay first things first, let us assess Erwin’s other options for successor: 

We assume Erwin gets his successor from among the squad leaders, captains and team leaders (because who gets them from the rookies??)  which gives us: Levi, Hange, Lauda, Rashad, Dirk, Marlene, Klaus, Mike, Darius, Dita

By the time Erwin had to start thinking of a new successor though, Mike, Darius, Dita were dead so let’s cut down the list. 

Levi, Hange, Lauda, Rashad, Dirk, Marlene, Klaus.

Levi and Hange have always been considered the strongest ones in the survey corps. I actually suspect that the rest of the cast mentioned above were only raised to squad leader status in take back wall Maria because the other leaders were dead at that point. 

So the only two in contention for the commander position where Levi and Hange. But really, how is this a competition? Levi has always been more fit for handling a small squad and although Levi is humanity’s strongest soldier, he doesn’ have the eye for large scale and long term strategy, logistics, paperwork and the knack for politicking that Hange has. That’s why from the start Levi wasn’t a squad leader, he was a special operations squad captain. 

Levi had a squad of select people, at the start of the show it was only four. Hange was handling a lot more people than Levi. And if you look at the way Hange and Levi both go about combat it’s completely different. 

For example, how do they go about subduing the female titan? For Levi it’s *slash slash slash” and for Hange, she likes to prepare traps, she likes to study habits, find weaknesses and attack them. I like to suspect that Levi isn’t particularly adept with long term planning because he’s just so strong and fast he can easily just slash away his problems within seconds so really who needs long term planning when they’re humanity’s fastest and strongest soldier.

And we never see how Levi handles logistics, politicking and office work but I suspect Levi did not have the same formal education Erwin and Hange had which puts him leagues behind both of them in that field. Which makes Hange, who was shown to be adept with documentation (based on research and the way she goes about reports in the Ilse’s notebook OVA) and politicking (with how she handled the Flegel Reeves issue) the most suitable person to lead among who was left.  

If Mike, Darius and Dita though lived would they have been a better choice?

Okay, I’m gonna put Darius and Dita out of the equation because they weren’t one of the more notable soldiers from the start. 

Let’s consider Mike.

Erwin probably knew that politics weren't Hange's forte, and only chose them because other vets were dead (Maybe Mike was the first choice).

As mentioned above, I believe Hange knows her way around politics and diplomacy with the way she considered manipulating the media to help Flegel Reeve’s case. And the way to getting the technology in Paradis to catch up to the outside world in four years? Hange for sure needed some diplomacy and politicking skills for that so I don’t agree with the fact that Hange didn’t have those skills. 

Between Mike and Hange, I still think Hange would have been the first choice. Mike had two notable characteristics about him, for one he was strong combat wise, he had a good sense of smell. He basically had some of Levi’s skill and what he lacks in combat compared to levi, he makes up with leadership skill.

Hange though had more than that. She had the leadership skill (she leads a whole squad too), she has research skills, analysis skills, strategy, politicking and she’s not shoddy in the battle field either. I made a meta on Hange’s logistics skills and her contributions to battle in this ask. You can check that ask out for the details. Sure Mike had that and although he is considered much better than Hange in battle (I mean he is deemed the second strongest next to Levi), Hange makes up with her shortcomings in combat with the fact that she beats Mike by miles with her brains. 

In the ask, I linked, I talked about the fact that missions wouldn’t happen without Hange, she does all the behind the scenes dirty work which nobody really cares about. Hange was the one who figured out how to get all those barrels up to the forest for when they capture the female titan. Hange plans the bases which they were setting up and the supply lines all the way until Wall Maria. There are huge amounts of multi tasking, strategy and thinking involved in all of that. You might even say that these are types of thinking and analysis even Erwin himself wouldn’t have been able to do. 

And the raid of Marley which recently just showed in the anime is another testament to the type of role Hange tends to play on the field. Sending paratroopers to the field (like how they sent the Paradis soldiers to Marley) was a fairly common tactic in World War I  World War II but is generally dangerous for the paratroopers in question because the general strategy for the enemy here is the barricade all the exits (which they did in the show.) 

Hange’s job then was to make sure they get everyone safely back which explains the lights, the blimp and of course Armin’s explosion. That plan to save the lives of all the paratroopers was implied to have been taught up in the anime by Armin but I think this plan to recover all the soldiers that way was made by both Hange and Armin and the detail on the lights, possibly something Hange pointed out because she has always been good in logistics.

Some people(pro rumbling gang) think that they were incompetent as fuck as the commander, couldn't stop the formation of the jaegerist faction and provide any solution for centuries old eldian hate etc. While I agree that it was the role they didn't even ask for in the first place and they had too much on their plate. 

And this just gets to me… Hange? Incompetent as fuck? 

The Paradis that opened up was a completely new world. And the situation required a commander who is good in logistics, strategy, diplomacy and politicking and personally I believe Hange was perfect for the role. 

She would have done a better job than Erwin and even if Erwin did live, Hange would have played an incredibly big part and she probably would have been Erwin’s right hand man here. Because the circumstances which came after Paradis required someone as well who was research and technology-savy on top of all that i mentioned above given that they were building railways, adapting blimps, improving their ODM gear and of course their weapons and who has been improving their weapons since the start? HANGE (ehem ehem thunder spear)

So Hange was the perfect commander given the circumstances

And did you see how badly they curbstomped Marley in the latest episode given all the improvements to their armor, their gay and their plans (with the blimp etc.) I don’t think I even need to talk much about how good of a job Hange did leading them with that episode so fresh in everyone’s mind. 

But since a lot of antis want to bring up Hange’s shortcomings as commander, let’s address them. 

“couldn't stop the formation of the jaegerist faction and provide any solution for centuries old eldian hate etc. etc.”

Personally, I only see one ‘shortcoming’/’mistake’ Hange made which might have led to the fatal consequences above. 

Hange was too much more of a parental figure than Erwin to the people under her. She didn’t demand respect or exude authority the way Erwin did. Despite being the commander, she talked to the people under her like equals, she made her vulnerabilities, her dreams, her aspirations and her humanity all the more known to the people around her. 

Look at how she approaches Eren (even after all the bullshit he did). 

I’m sure Hange approaches all of her subordinates the same way. She approached them like her own children. She wanted them to open up to her. And this is fairly obvious also in the differences of their reactions when Hange died vs how Erwin died. 

When Erwin died, the people who mourned where Hange and Levi who had seen Erwin as more of a friend compared to everyone else right?

How did the 104th cadets react when Hange died?

You can argue I guess that they have known Hange for longer, of course they would mourn her like that? 

But even beyond the examples above, we have seen how Hange approaches the cadets and her subordinates. Hange was definitely more open, she definitely tried to get to know everyone, even as squad leader, among Miche, Erwin, Levi and her, Hange has always been the most approachable and I don’t find it completely out of character that she carried that part of her personality all the way until commander as seen above by how she talked to Eren and even more recently. 

How she talked to Onyakopon and Armin on the blimp

I’m counting on you Onyakopon. And even with how Onyakopon approaches Hange, you can see he sees her more than just a commander to respect. 

You came up with such a reckless plan? Were you possessed by Erwin’s ghost or something? 

This might fall under YMMV analysis already but I honestly think the two interactions above were very parental and I don’t think Erwin would have interacted with Onyakopon or Armin similarly in those two situations. Hange is much more touchy than Erwin was and with how she interacted with Armin here, she sounded like a mother lecturing their kid. 

Hange’s approach to leadership was more parental. Is that a short coming? 

Maybe,Hange deciding to approach her subordinates from a position of power as a parental figure more than a commander was a mistake. Maybe that’s one reason why the jaegerist faction manage to form under her and betray her. Maybe they were just a little too radical and were a little too not scared of Hange and hung over Eren to have thought otherwise. 

Maybe Eren just exuded more power, fear authority than Hange and the people who preferred that type of leader chose to side with Eren. 

But personally, I don’t even think Hange deciding to approach her position of power like this is a short-coming at all. In another world maybe where Eren hadn’t gone crazy and inspired such a faction, maybe Hange’s approach to leadership would have worked to unite everyone instead. 

But politics and opposing factions exist anywhere and I believe in any organization, these types of factions and these types of rebellions are bound to happen because that’s how humans are.

Hange was the best one for the job. Hange did her best. She did a great job. She was a great commander and if she weren’t a great commander, I’m sure these subordinates under her wouldn’t have been mourning her death like this. 

The cruel truth was... Hange just couldn’t please everyone. Hange was a parent to her cadets, she trusted Eren until the last minute, wanted to try to understand him. 

And she was betrayed. Eren rallied his own soldiers with his own brand of leadership which lead to a chain of events which were eventually traced back to ‘Hange being a shitty leader.’

So many things were just happening at once and suddenly everyone decides to blame her “since she’s in a position of power” 

Like yo, blame eren. The only mistake Hange ever made was trying to see the humanity in Eren.

[postmodernbeing]

Shingeki no Kyojin headcanons: 104th training corps (College AU)

Hello, Postmodernbeing here. This time I wanted to write about things that I actually know, since I’m a college student and I’m studing History and Social Sciences I found myself wondering about what would the 104th training corps focus their studies on if all of them had chosen humanities as their career. I hope you find this funny and at least a bit accurate.

IMPORTANT:  I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, only these HCs are my own. // Might contain a few spoilers from the manga. // English is not my first language and I study uni at Latin America, so scientifical terms/words/concepts may vary. Anyhow, I thank you for reading and for your patience.

Eren Jaeger

He’s passionate about Military History, not to be confused with history of army. Eren’s rather focused in strategies, weapons and semiotics involved in military speech.

First started with books about great wars in modern era. The use of certain weapons took him by surprise due the technological development.

Then he took classes about discourse analysis, semiotics and such, and felt inspired by the discourse reflected in emblems, uniforms, flags, etc.

Eren doesn’t really have a preference between occidental or oriental, North or South, Modern or Ancient settings. He would simply devour all the books that deal with military strategy and warlike conflicts. Although he has more experience and information about great wars in modern era.

He’s fascinated with the inexhaustible human desire of freedom and the extent that it can reach. This fascination might not be very healthy, he concludes.

Also, finds a cruel beauty in violence when showed in freedom and ideals are protected over one’s own life. But he won’t tell his classmates or professors. He knows is a controversial opinion for he’s still aware the implications of massive conflicts and the abuse of power.

One thing led to another, Eren is now taking classes and reading about philosophy in war and anthropological perspectives about violence through time.

He’s so into social movements besides his main interest in college: “No one’s really free until all humanity is”, that’s his life motto pretty much.

Due his readings and researches he decided it was important to develop a political stance about the world’s problems. Eren strongly believes all lives worth the same, but systems and nations had imposed over others and vulnerated other human's lives.

Yes, Eren is anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist.

Mikasa Ackerman

Asian Studies Major / History Minor.

She thinks by studying these degrees, she pays honor to her heritage. Specially to her mother. Her family is the proudest for Mikasa is also the best student in her whole generation.

Mikasa received a scholarship thanks to Azumabito family, who are co-founders of an academic institution dedicated to Asian historical and cultural research. She might as well start working when she graduates.

Although she’s passionate about Japan’s history, she has written a few articles and essays about Asian Studies themselves and the importance of preserving but also divulging by means of art and sciences.

In her essays and research work, she likes to employ tools from many disciplines since she strongly believes all humanities and social sciences serve the very same purpose at scrutinize the social reality all the same. Might as well use demographics, ethnology, sociology, philosophy, anthropology, archeology, and so on. For it proves to bring light into questions that history by itself could answer unsatisfactorily (in Mikasa’s opinion).

Even her professors wonder how she manages to organize that much information and pull it off successfully. She might as well be more brilliant than a few PhD’s students.

Armin Arlert

Prehistoric studies / Archeology

He’s so into the studies about the prehistoric humans and routes of migration.

Passionate about the ocean and natural wonders since kid, Armin believed his career would be environmentalist or geoscience related.

That was the agreement he had with his grandad since middleschool, until he read Paul Rivet’s “The Origins of the American Man” book and captured him thoroughly. The way the book explained logically the diverse theories about global migration and enlisted the challenges of modern archeology -for there are numerous mysteries- simply devoured his conscience.

He knew from the books he’d read that most evidence of the first settlements are deep under dirt or far away in the ocean whose level has risen over the centuries leaving primitive camps – and answers – unreachable. 

That’s the reason he is so eager to study and give his best to contribute both archeology and history disciplines. Also, he’ll forever love the ocean and nature, just leave him do all the fieldwork, please.

Jean Kirstein

History of industry / Industrial heritage / Historical materialism

Jean first started interested in capitalist industries and production development in first world countries. Kind of rejected other visions and explanations since he’d read about positivism studies.

His interest in such matters started when he was a just boy. He often found himself wondering how things were made and that question captured him ever since. As he grew up, he realized that machines and industrial processes were highly involved in the most mundane objects creation.

Nonetheless, he learnt that not always the best machinery was used, nor the best work conditions were available for mass production. From that moment he’d started to read about the First Industrial Revolution and his mind just took off with questions. Invariably, he learned about labour struggle and the transforming power due workforce.

Between his readings and university classes, he’d knew more about labour movements, unions. And in the theoretical aspect, he'd learned about historical materialism analysis.

One could say that Jean possesses a humanistic vision of the implications in mass production under capitalist system along history and nowadays.

Marco Bodt

Royalty's history / Medieval Studies 

I wanted to keep his canonical fascination to royalty and the best way to do that was including Medieval Studies.

Marco would study since the fall of Roman Empire until the latest gossip of royal families all across Europe.

Might get a bit of Eurocentric with his essays but in real life discussions he’s always open to debates about decolonization. He has even read Frantz Fanon books and possesses a critical thinking about colonial countries and their relations with the so named third world.

Nevertheless, Marco finds a strange beauty in the lives of monarchs and he’s interested in study from their education, hobbies, strategies, relationships, everything.

I’d say that his favorite historical period is probably the establishment of the descendants of the barbarian peoples in the new kingdoms such as the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Franks, Vandals, Huns, Saxons, Angles and Jutes (holy shit, they're a lot).

Because this would transcend as the beginning of his favorite matter of analysis.

Sasha Braus

History of gastronomy, development of cooking, antropology and archeological studies.

Sasha’s interested in the history that shows human development of food and cooking. She finds wonders when she inquires into cultural aspects from the first farming till modern artistic expressions that would involve food.

Such as gastronomy. But her attention got caught in literature’s food representation too, with its symbols and allegories, also in paintings that belong in still life movement, but also Sasha finds interest when food is used as rhetorical devices (for example: the apple in Adam and Eve’s myth).

She’s curious about primitive systems of irrigation, cultivation, food distribution, adaptation of wild species; as well as the domestication of animals, the diversification of the diet and its link with sedentary life, as well as the subsequent division of labor once the need for food was assured in humanity’ first cities.

Sasha’s convinced that alimentation is the pilar of civilization as we know it. For it involves cultural, artistic, economic, emotion and social aspects. Food is a microcosm of analysis of humanity.

Sasha hasn’t a favorite historical period or setting. But she definitely has a special fascination for first civilizations and their link with alimentation. Also, she likes to study the development gastronomy in occident world around different regions, social classes, and time.

Although, let’s be honest, Sasha would devour (lol, couldn’t help it) ANY book about agriculture, cattle raising, cooking or gastronomy. 

Connie Springer

Micro-history / History of everyday life.

Connie loves his hometown, has a deep respect to his family and traditions. That’s why he finds himself wondering about the most ordinary events that developed in his dear Ragako. 

The book “The Cheese and the Worms” by Carlo Ginzburg changed the way he used to understand history and capture him into meaningful discussions about what he learned was called micro-history.

His favorite quote from that book is: “As with language, culture offers to the individual a horizon of latent possibilities—a flexible and invisible cage in which he can exercise his own conditional liberty.”

Once deep into studying the Italian historians and their works, he decided to give it a try, and ever since he’s mesmerized with the mundane vestiges craftsmen that worked in his village left behind.

Connie’s parents are so proud of him and his achivements, but mostly because he became a passionate academic over human and simple matters, (so down to earth our big baby).

His attitude towards his essays and research works truly shows his great heart and humility. Connie is aware that academic works have no use if they are not meant to teach us about ourselves too and current times.

Empathy and hard work, that’s how one could describe the elements that integrate his recently started academic career.

Historia Reiss

Political History / Statistician

Her father’s family pressured Historia since she was a little girl into studying History just like his dad. For he’s a very famous historian that had made important researches and books about the greatest statesmen of Paradis.

She thought in numerous ways that she could sabotage her career or study any other career without her family’s consent and end with her linage of historians. But she ended up enrolling in tuition and so far, she is trying her best in her studies. Historia swears this is the right path for her.

But don’t let the appearances fool you, even thought she studies her father’s career and the very same branch of history’s discipline, she has her own critical sense and she’s so talented on her own, very meticulous with her research papers.

Definitely wants a PhD about women, power and politics. We stand a Gender Studies Queen.

Her complementary disciplines are Political Sciences. Historia also has a talent for philosophy and owns a diary with all her thoughts about them. She hopes one day she would write a book or a manifesto about an innovative methodology for research and teaching History of Politic Thinking.

Ymir 

Religion’s History / Theology

Just like Historia, Ymir was pressured into studying History. And if she’s totally honest, she still has some doubts about it. Even if she couldn’t imagine herself studying anything else.

Anyways, Ymir thought that she could build her career around topics that she enjoys. So, she finally chose theology for unusual reasons.

Her classmates had grown up in religious families or had experience studying the doctrines they practiced. But she, being an agnostic, found satisfaction in unraveling belief systems in different cultures and time periods.

Albeit she studies in Paradis’ University, she currently has the opportunity of taking an academic exchange at Marley’s University. This only made Ymir more conflicted about her future, for she wants to stay (near Historia) but she’s aware that Marley would offer her more academic opportunities for her specialization.

Nowadays she’s working in some collaborative research paper with some people from Mythological Studies from the Literature department. She’s nailing it, writing some historical studies about titans in Greek mythology and its impact in shaping neoclassical poetry. Her brains ugh, love her.

Reiner Braun

Official History / Biographies of heroes and great wars.

His mother convinced him with numerous books about great national heroes, but mostly because she knew that would mean sure job to her son. All political administration in every level requires of an official chronicler. 

When he started his college courses, Reiner felt motivated and he was actually convinced that he had the vocation. But the more he read the less sure he felt that the academic world was for him. He wondered if he made the right choice. If he did it for him or for his mother.

Stories and myths about heroes have always cheered him up. That gave him purpose and consoled him when feeling down. Or at least it was like that when younger. Reiner truly didn’t feel like himself when regretting his choices, but he couldn’t help it for he was changing in more than a way.

That’s why he decided to experiment with other disciplines and with time he would find joy in historical novels. He would analyze them just as good as a litterateur and research about historical context in the written story AND study the artwork’s context itself.

His favorites theorical books are: “Historical Text as Literary Artifact” by Hayden White and Michel de Certeau’ “The Writing of History”.·        

Heroes stories would always accompany him, just differently now.

Bertolt Hoover

History of mentalities / Les Annales

Intimate relationships, basic habits and attitudes. / Culture

Bertie has always been a much reticent and shy guy. As he grew up, he consolidated his sullen personality, but maintained a friendly attitude towards anyone who needed him. That’s why he thought that the priority in his studies was to be at the service of his classmates.

So, although he was passionate about research and was a fan of the French Les Annales current, he considered his mission to be in the Archive. As a cataloger, organizer and curator of ancient documents.

But the ways of History are always mysterious, and Doctor Magath showed him that other way of being was possible. Before Bertolt picked his specialty, he met Theo Magath, a professor who recently had finished writing a book: “The Idea of Death in Liberio’s Ghetto in Marley During its War Against Eldia (Paradis)” (long-ass titles are historians specialty btw). After Magath ended his book’ presentation, Bertolt reached him. They talked for hours and finally, he felt inspired into pursuing his true passion. Magath gifted him “The Historian’s Craft” by Marc Bloch as a way to reminding him his way.

By the time Bertolt took History of Mentalities as optional class, he already had some basic notions about Les Annales, Lucien Febvre, Marc Bloch, Fernand Braudel, Jacques Le Goff and such. 

Being the gentle giant he is, Bertolt finds joy in reading about different lifestyles in diverse cultures. He constantly wonders about the origin of social constructs and the way they shape thinking as much as identity.

This boy is a wonder, he might not be the best in oral presentations or  extracurricular activities but sure as hell he’ll graduate with honors.

Annie Leonhart

Oral history, about institutions. Particularly, police and justice system in early XXs.

Albeit she got into the same University than Bertolt and Reiner, even shared classes and hopes, Annie regularly felt disconnected from her studies. With time she realized it wasn't due her career itself but rather because of the currents that her professors had suggested her taking. Until now.

Talking with Hitch and Marlow about their doubts concerning subjects and departments it came up the topics of history and present time but also oral history. She’d never heard something like that before. So, that very same week, Annie started searching for information about that.

She ended up with more questions: is it all of this just academic journalism? Or maybe sociology? When we can talk about regular history and when it starts being present time? If she introduces interviews due oral history, then that makes it an interdisciplinary work? Which are the best systems for analyzing data? Definitely, she’ll need help from anthropology and sociology departments if she wants to keep going. 

Contrary to her initial prognostic, philosophy and history of historic writing became her new allies, and the text “Le temps présent et l'historiographie contemporaine” (Present Time and Contemporary Historiography) by Bédarida among others, provided Annie another perspective. 

Regarding her favorite topics, she wouldn’t say that she selected them freely. They were just practical preferences. For institutions own extensive archives and numerous functionaries. One way or another, she ended up tangled in judicial system and police issues.

With new tools and object for studying, one could find Annie having a blast as detective too. Even if her academic essays focus on institutions’ history and configuration, she’s also working in corruption and more. She doesn’t do it because she believes it’s the right thing, but besides, the thrill of the tea is spicy. Although she won’t admit it. 

[seungmvnnie]

Gryffindor!Jeno x Hufflepuff!Reader

word count; 4.3k words (I GOT CARRIED AWAY)

warnings; female reader, bullet point au, enemies to lovers (last enemies to lovers in this little series), you kind of need to understand quidditch to understand what they’re talking about, I expose myself as a fucking nerd in this one because I didn’t have to research anything for this fic, also somewhat of a ‘pushing people off/jumping off towers,’ joke at the end

Quidditch was your life

Ever since you could walk, your parents had put you on a broomstick

they were determined that you were going to be the next best quidditch player

You had taken to it immediately, although that was pretty much guaranteed, considering your family were entirely professional quidditch players

There was lots of pressure on you to be the next best thing, especially since your cousin Jaemin had rejected the family legacy as soon as he could

He was happy to play for fun but not as seriously as your family took it

He was kind of ‘the family disappointment,’ for a while, but that was until you both went to Hogwarts and you were sorted into Hufflepuff and he was sorted into Slytherin, which was the house everyone in your family had been in for centuries

Then you were both disappointments so it kind of cancelled out

Despite being sorted into Hufflepuff, you spent the majority of your first year with your cousin and his friends 

Which was when you met Lee Jeno, the Gryffindor puppy-eyed muggleborn and Jaemin’s best friend

It was hard not to be friends with Jeno for your first year and a half at hogwarts

He was sweet and likeable and if you were being honest with yourself, you found yourself with a bit of a crush on him in 2nd year

That was, of course, until you both became seekers for your respective quidditch team in 2nd year

You didn’t hold anything against him at first

What was wrong with some friendly competition? 

It wasn’t until the final match of the year, Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor, that everything went went wrong

the Hufflepuff team had a strong lead

your chasers were miles better than theirs

Realistically, the only reason the Gryffindor team had made it to the final was because Jeno hadn’t failed to catch one snitch the whole season

But neither had you

people had been betting on which team would win all year

You were faster than Jeno was, but Jeno was faster at spotting the snitch than you were

Maybe the fact that every student in every house was comparing which of you was better was where the cracks in your friendship with Jeno has begun

You had been idly circling the quidditch pitch, eyes peeled for any sort of flash of gold 

It wasn’t until the Gryffindor chasers finally scored a goal that your attention was drawn to the stands draped in gold and red, the Gryffindor audience’s boisterous celebration deafening everyone else on the pitch

Unbeknownst to the poor Gryffindors, their screaming was what made you spot the snitch, darting frantically above their heads

You dove into action from where you had been lazily hovering, groaning as the snitch similarly took off, zooming around the stands

Unluckily, Jeno was just behind you in spotting the snitch, but you zoned out his presence behind you and the screaming of the audience coupled with the quidditch commentators shouting and focused only on the snitch

You were so close, your outstretched fingers grazing the metal as your urged your broom to go just that little bit faster

When Jeno, who had gained on you without you even realising, slammed into you with his shoulder

The force as well as the surprise meant your grip on your broom loosened and his knock sent you hurtling about 30ft to the ground

The aftermath of the match was a bit hazy - apparently your head had slammed on the ground too hard when you fell and you had a concussion, which would heavily contribute to your difficult recollection

Not to mention a broken arm and a few fractured ribs

Jeno had caught the snitch shortly after you fell, which meant Gryffindor had won

You spent a week in the hospital wing following the match and whilst magic definitely healed you a lot faster than normal muggle remedies would, you still were banned from quidditch or flying for two months to make sure it definitely set properly

You were livid, to say the least

Jeno knew how much quidditch meant to you and your family but he seemed to care more about winning than the fact your parents would kill you for loosing the match

he didn’t even come visit you in the hospital wing when everyone else did

Needless to say, from then on you held quite the grudge against Jeno 

He tried talking to you a couple of days after you got out of the hospital wing, but apparently he hadn’t realised that he had basically declared war 

He got the message when you told him to ‘Fuck off, you cheating wanker.”

Realistically, if he hadn’t gotten the message at that point, you would have been incredibly concerned

The next year, the competition between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor was insane

Your house had supported you in being angry about Gryffindors dirty tactics and the Gryffindors were angry about being accused of cheating - contact was allowed in quidditch

At the centre of all of the competition was Jeno and you

It wasn’t long until you both had gotten the reputation of being the best quidditch players in the whole school, which your family weren’t very pleased about

You were meant to be the best, but you let someone who didn’t even know what a broom was until three years ago beat you?

And so, you started working harder

You pretty much bullied your quidditch team into training every second morning

You wanted to do every morning, but the quidditch captain at the time, a 6th year named Kun told you as nicely as he possibly could, to fuck off

The second the Gryffindor team found out about your training schedule, they were out training every morning too

When you were friends, Jeno was never as competitive as you were, or easily irritated, but apparently you had perfected getting on his nerves

Your team won that year, in record time 

Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff was the second game of that season and you and Jeno had both spotted the snitch about 5 minutes in, but unluckily for him, you were faster

Gryffindor won the year after that

Then in your fifth year, the quidditch captains for Hufflepuff and Gryffindor both left and you and Jeno got the job

The competition heated up even more 

The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teams were trained religiously and if anyone had a problem with it, they were off the team

It wasn’t as though you had a lack of interest in people joining your teams; everyone wanted to say that they played quidditch with Lee Jeno and (Y/N) (Y/L/N), especially after the article on you two came out in the daily prophet about halfway through your fifth year

you and Jeno had been dragged out of your potions class by the headmaster and some annoying reporter who had apparently heard of your reputation and wanted to write an article on the, ‘future of quidditch,’ as she had put it

You were happy to comply at first, taking pictures with the Headmaster and Jeno and answering questions

simple stuff like, ‘when did you start playing?’ and ‘What are your plans for after school?’

You got questions about your parents, seeing as your family were already well known within the quidditch world

It wasn’t until the very end when everything went wrong

She had been shoving her parchment into her strange leather briefcase as you two hovered awkwardly at the door of the unused classroom, waiting for her to leave before you could go back to class

when she looked up and, adjusting her glasses said,

“Well, it was very good to meet you two. You make a very cute couple!”

You nearly choked as your eyes widened

“We are not together!” You exclaimed

Jeno had infuriatingly said nothing, almost as if he wanted this random woman to think you’d date him

She had only smiled knowingly, and replied,

“Sure.”

The walk back to potions was almost excruciating as you walked in an awkward silence, the stupid reporter’s words laying heavily with you both, until Jeno cleared his throat

“Well that was weird.” He glanced sideways at you, but you refused to look at him

“You’re weird.” You grumbled

He inhaled sharply as if he was going to say something, but stopped himself, taking a moment before he opened his mouth again

“You can insult me all you want, (Y/L/N), but I’m still going to beat you.”

You scoffed

“Not bloody likely. Your team is terrible, the only reason you’ve won a match this year is because the Slytherin and Ravenclaw seekers are terrible. Your chasers won't last 5 minutes against mine.” You looked at him this time, ignoring how his stupid red quidditch captain badge gleamed on his chest and how his stupid perfectly styled dark hair only emphasised his stupid good looks

He raised an eyebrow at you (which was stupidly attractive) and came to a stop as you approached the door of you potions classroom 

“Well then isn’t it a good thing that as long as I catch the snitch before your team can score 15 goals, I win.”

You scoffed again. As if you would let him beat you?

You mirrored his stupid eyebrow cocking thing and, taking a step towards him, lowered your voice to a whisper

“Well then isn’t it a good thing that there’s no way I’m going to let you beat me.” 

The annoying confidence he exuded flickered as his cheeks warmed to a pinky blush and you watched as the previous competitive glare in his eyes softened to something else as they scanned down your bod- Hang on, was he checking you out?

“Eyes up here, Lee.” You sniped, enjoying how his eyes snapped back to your face flusteredly

You spun on your heel before he could retort and entered your potions classroom, leaving him in the corridor

The article appeared in the sports section of the daily prophet a few days later and caused a massive uproar at Hogwarts

You had expected a small nerdy article about how both of you wanted to play quidditch after school and the upcoming Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor match, but that wasn’t quite what you got

“ -it appears that, outside of discovering a skill which could boost these two talented teens to success upon leaving school, they have also discovered their first whirlwind romance with eachother. A regular ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ their tragically romantic relationship blossomed amongst the fierce competition between the two’ - What utter bullshit!” You slammed the paper down onto the table, accidentally spilling poor Chaeryong’s (One of your chasers the year below) orange juice over her breakfast in the process

“Hey!” She cried out, but with a quick mumbled, ‘Scourgify,’ and a flick of your wand the orange juice vanished

You preoccupied yourself with slamming your head off of the table repeatedly as Chaeryong patted your back comfortingly

“If it helps, I doubt anyone will even read it.” 

She couldn’t have been more wrong

It was all the entire school was talking about by lunch time

You couldn’t turn a corner without someone asking you if you were actually dating Jeno

What was worse was when you received a letter from your parents the next day

You thought they were going to disown you, considering they had spent the past 4 years putting great emphasis on how badly you needed to beat Lee Jeno

but somehow, their actual reaction was worse

You weren’t expecting two pages of them gushing about how your children would be the best quidditch player the world had ever seen

They were honestly more disappointed whenever you sent them a letter informing them that would never happen 

Everyone wanted to join the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teams because they seemed to be convinced that the teams knew you had some sort of affair going on that you didn’t tell anyone about

Most infuriatingly, Jeno didn’t seem to be trying to combat the rumours whatsoever

His nonchalant nature was so annoying that it only seemed to spur on your competitiveness

Which resulted in a Hufflepuff win that year

and the year after that

You had destroyed them two years in a row by your last year of school, although the last year was the most important for recruitment

There was one spot open on the best quidditch team in the country, the team your parents and aunt were on, and the team captain was going to watch your match against each other and choose one of you to join

Your team was trained harder than ever before and you made it very well known that winning meant you actually had a future when you left

you had the best team you think Hufflepuff had ever had

pretty much everyone was talented and incredibly competitive 

If one of your chasers, Zhong Chenle put his mind to it, he could definitely   go pro 

But he was more inclined to a career in music and he was friends with Jeno so you didn’t like to praise him too much

Your teams both flew (pun very much intended) through your games against slytherin and ravenclaw

The 7th year Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff match fell at the start of march, as to not interfere with your NEWT exams, which left plenty of time for preparations, and you left school for the christmas holidays content that you were ready to destroy Gryffindor

Which was lucky, considering it became the topic of conversation during boxing day dinner with your extended family, Jaemin included

“So, (Y/N), I hear you have a big match coming up.” Your aunt asked, taking a sip from her wine glass

You looked up from where you had been toying with the food on your plate and smiled politely

“Yeah, the finals are at the start of March against Gryffindor, as per usual.” You mumbled the last part of your sentence more to yourself than anyone else, but that didn’t stop the dirty look Jaemin sent your way

“Oh against Jaemin’s friend? Are you still dating him?”

You choked on your water

“Uh- we were never dating.” “Oh, that’s a shame. You would have been a very talented couple, you know. With very talented children, I’m sure.”

You were about one more comment about how beautiful or talented you and Jeno’s nonexistent babies would be away from stabbing yourself in the eye

You awkwardly laughed in response and kicked Jaemin under the table, who was positively dying laughing

“I’m sure you’ll win though.”

You perked up. Baby talk, you couldn’t do. Discussing how you were going to destroy the Gryffindor team so badly they’d be crying for years? That was right up your alley

“Oh, definitely. Their team is terrible, no one except Jeno could probably tell the difference between a Quaffle and a Bludger. He entirely carries the team. I lucked out, I have two beaters who are planning on going pro as well as one of the best keepers I think Hogwarts ever seen. We’re going to ruin them. There’s no way he’s getting that spot over me.”

Jaemin wasn’t laughing anymore, and instead made an indignant noise

“What’s wrong?” You asked, attempting to sound as though you were genuinely concerned for your cousin’s wellbeing to your parents, although you knew he was about to go off on one about Jeno

“Did you ever stop to consider maybe getting that job means a lot to Jeno too?”

Your hands halted their chore of playing with your food as you narrowed your eyes at him

“That job’s been mine since before he was even born, Jaemin.”

He rolled his eyes and you ignored the way your mum was tapping your leg in a silent attempt to get you to stop

“No it hasn’t. If it was, you’d have it, but funnily enough you don’t. Jeno needs that job to support his family, he doesn’t have any other career plans whereas you, little miss daughter of multi-millionaire quidditch players could never work again and live a much more comfortable life than him.”

“Na Jaemin!” His Mum scolded, cutting him off as he rolled his eyes and slumped down in his seat

Suddenly, the egg-shell table cloth was the most interesting thing in the whole world to you

You had never thought about what this meant for Jeno - you thought he had simply wanted to piss you off

On top of that it was important to you too! Your parents would be so disappointed if you didn’t get the spot on the team

but would living up to your parents expectations be worth what Jeno would loose if you won?

The rest of the dinner was... awkward, to say the least

So was the rest of the holidays; you just wanted to get back to Hogwarts and train the weeks away, which you did

You spent the next two months drilling your team as vigorously as you had been before the christmas break, but this time a lingering guilt panged at your chest with every exercise you put your team through

Finally the day of the quidditch match arrived and you were almost sick with anxiety

“(Y/N), you have to eat something.” Chaeryong brandished the toast she had brought you to the dressing room almost threateningly as you fidgeted with the neckline of your quidditch robes

“I’m being entirely honest when I say if I eat something right now, I will just throw up on you.” She stopped trying to force feed you pretty quickly after that

The entire Hufflepuff team was feeling your anxiety

Chenle even kicked out his friend, (they were definitely in love with each other, but no one talked about the hypothetical babies THEY were going to have, everyone was just obsessed with you and Jenos, which was entirely that stupid reporter’s fault) who usually sat in the dressing room with your team before you went out to play

Eventually the time came and you entered the quidditch pitch, for your last time at Hogwarts and maybe your last official time for the next while

The snitch was released 18 minutes into the game, at which point the score was already 50-0 to Hufflepuff

You hovered above the quidditch pitch, scanning the field as though your life depended on it - technically it did

But then you thought about it for a moment; your life didn’t depend on this snitch. Jeno’s did.

Almost perfectly timed, your eyes were drawn a golden glint just above the Gryffindor goalposts

You dove instinctively, Jeno who was behind you, mirroring your actions

You were so close, reaching out your arm towards the Snitch

Jeno was alongside you this time and you were almost neck in neck

almost

you had gotten that head start

although, your position here mirrored almost exactly the match in second year where everything went wrong which meant, if Jeno wanted to, he could slam into you again and win

but he didn’t

Maybe that was what made you purposely slow down that tiny bit that allowed Jeno to catch the snitch

You spent the entire afternoon and evening deliberating exactly what had made you let him catch the snitch

Also regretting it; the Gryffindor team and their supporters were definitely ones for rubbing their victory into the Hufflepuff teams faces

So much so, that to avoid the constant partying and celebrations of how Lee had finally beat you after a two year streak you decided to find somewhere quiet to yourself

which was how you found yourself perched at the top of the astronomy tower, legs crossed staring out at the Great Lake that wound around the castle and the dark sky which illuminated the dark countryside

If there was anywhere to lament about life, it would be here

You could hear the Gryffindor’s party from where you perched, the thumping music and screaming almost causing the whole castle to shake

You still found the space to think

Had you simply felt sorry for Jeno? You wished that you could say that was what it was, because maybe then it could save your pride

But in actuality, when you had pulled back, you hadn’t been thinking about what situation his family may be in, but instead those puppy dog eyes which lit up whenever he won

You had spent so many years determined to beat him, you had never stopped to really think about him as a person as opposed to the declared enemy on the quidditch pitch

You had been sat there for about an hour eyes closed and leaning against the wall, when a voice cut through the stillness

“You know, when Chenle said you had gone to the top of the Astronomy tower, I was almost scared you came here to throw yourself off.”

You didn’t have to open your eyes to recognise Lee Jeno’s voice

“Don’t flatter yourself, Lee. I would never throw myself off a tower because of a man. Throwing a man off a tower is a completely different story, though.” 

You opened one eye to look at where he stood at the top of the stone steps, clutching two red plastic cups, no doubt filled with firewhiskey

He had long ditched his quidditch uniform, much like you, and traded it instead for a pair of black ripped jeans, white t-shirt and oversized jacket which all looked annoyingly good on him

“Should I be worried?” He quipped, although you could sense there was no malice in his voice, but instead a joking tone

You didn’t say anything but stared out at the scenery of the castle grounds you would soon be saying goodbye to, not acknowledging the fact he sat down next to you, placing a cup beside your leg

He had taken the fact that you hadn’t tried to push him off the tower yet as permission to sit beside you

You sat in silence for a moment - although the silence was not awkward or uncomfortable in anyway, but instead comforting

“We’re still even by the way.” You mumbled, breaking the silence

“Huh?” He looked at you with those stupidly adorable puppy eyes

“We’ve been competing for six years. I’ve won three matches and so have you. Even.”

He stared down into his alcohol which he swirled in the cup for a moment, before he replied

“Not really. If you hadn’t have let me win, it would be four-two.”

You froze

“You think I’d let you win? Get a grip, Lee.” You covered. This was your worst nightmare. First you let him win, but now he’s going to ask you why you did it and realistically you didn’t even know why

“We both know if you had really tried, you would have beat me.” 

“Well, it’s not like you tried very hard either.”

“What do you mean?”

“You could have very easily pushed me off my broom again.”

“Yeah well- last time I did that I started world war fucking 3, so I wasn’t about to make that mistake again, was I?”

His words weren’t laced with hatred, but were instead playful and actually made you let out a small laugh

You lifted the cup he had handed you to your lips before speaking

“Why did you do that? In second year, I mean. You hadn’t really cared about quidditch that much before that match.”

“Honestly? I fancied you and wanted to impress you.”

You furrowed your brow glancing up at him, an amused look on your face

“Who the fuck told you breaking a girl’s ribs was a good way to impress her?”

His face flushed the same way it did that day in the corridor as he stared at his hands

“I was 12! And I thought winning would impress you which was why I went so hard, but I think I realised in fourth year that I was in the competition way too deep to give up at that point. By then I had grown to love it as much as you did.”

You crossed your arms and leaned forward, letting the silence envelope you again for a moment, the only sound the faint music radiating from the Gryffindor tower

“So - When’d you stop fancying me? Was it calling you a wanker or the fact that I literally wanted to destroy you?” You half-joked

You seriously wanted to know how long he had fancied you for

“I don’t think I ever stopped.” 

You straightened up immediately

That was certainly not the answer you had expected

“Don’t be ridiculous.” You scoffed, staring at him with wide eyes

You hated how cute the way his face had flushed was, as well as the honest look in his eyes

“I’m being serious. You hate me, (Y/N), but the hate was never reciprocated.”

You huffed out a sigh

“I don’t think I hated you, I just- I was jealous. You’re perfect, Jeno. Jaemin just had to knock some sense into me that maybe winning doesn’t mean everything.”

He faked gasped

“The Slytherin lecturing the Hufflepuff on being a good loser? How backwards!”

“Har, Har.” You said, rolling your eyes, but you couldn’t stop the real smile grow on your face as you met his eyes

The fond smile dropped from your face as you saw how he looked at you

Lee Jeno, the boy you had sworn vengeance on when you were twelve was looking at you as if you were his world - and you liked it.

“Can I- Can I kiss you?” He almost whispered, as though saying it any louder would break the spell

“If you don’t, I think I will actually throw you off this tower.” You joked leaning in to meet his lips halfway

He kissed you with 7 years worth of love and in that moment, you didn’t care about who got the spot on the quidditch team

Life was more than just quidditch, and you were lucky enough to have Jeno to show you that.