#both of them spared from the mass sacrifice | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

booksdaydream · 1 year ago

Text

The Blind Rider - Prologue

*SPOILERS FOR HOGWARTS LEGACY GAME*

Characters: Everyone. Like, literally. MC – Magnus Agathe and You, of course.

Summary: Magnus was the new 5th year, with incredible ancient magic and the role of a hero to fulfill. He faced hardships and made friends, sacrificing his own well-being. And you will be the new 6th year, reborn in a dragon riding family, the Draggunnars.

Warnings: A bit of angst, a bit of fluff; mentions of violence (duel, end battle, blood); mentions of death (Ranrok, Solomon); rewriting the end of the game.

Word count: 2,4K+

A/N: Heya, I’m somewhat back. This is the prologue to the long fic I’m writing. I’m quite deep into it already but wanted to have some of your opinions before I continue. Sooo… I have used the game MC as another OC -Magnus Agathe- as you guys can see in this prologue. He’s an important character, but not the main one (since the pairing remains as OMINISXYOU). I had two questions, but decided to just ignore it and go with it. Hope you guys like it. I'll be posting the actual thing on AO3, because it's going to be pretty long. So here's a link to it.

AO3: booksdaydream

The Blind Rider

________________

The end of the year was the hardest part for Magnus Myles Agathe since he had come to Hogwarts in his 5th year. Not being the new student: he was fortunate enough to find friends that welcomed him with open arms. Not having to figure out his unimaginable ancient magic: his brilliant mentor, Professor Fig, had traversed his journey with him. Nor having to carry the pain of his friends’ sorrows: he learnt he was never truly alone in any step of the way. Except perhaps the end of the year. To survive it all by his own sacrifice was certainly painful.

He knew that day under the school, fighting Ranrok, had changed him forever. If not for his doubts, for his physical changes. Was silencing voices clamouring for change the correct path? He wasn’t sure defeating Ranrok was the right thing to do, but alas it had become a surviving situation. As the magic repository Isidora Morganach created with the emotions of her students and the keepers were protecting had burst. Ranrok’s search for ultimate power to free his kind had targeted that mass of energy. And it was Magnus’ job to contain it, having passed every trial the keepers presented him with.

Alongside the last-minute help from the professors, no goblin was able to interfere, and he defeated Ranrok corrupted by the ancient magic. He had turned into an impressive creature, massive and powerful. But Magnus fought bravely and won, but could that be considered something good? Yet he had no time to think, only focusing on the danger the repository was. The unruly power had dispersed upon Ranrok manipulation. Then, he had a choice. He could absorb it, accept its magic, and become stronger. Possibly corrupted such as Ranrok became. Or return it to its previous state and restrain it. Not without sacrifice as it’d require a great amount of determination.

Magnus couldn’t see himself following a similar path as Isidora nor Ranrok. He believed both had honourable intentions. In her case, trying to spare her loved ones from pain and misery, while he tried to achieve freedom for his equals. But both followed the wrong manner in which to attain them. The ancient magic without rules perverting their noble purposes. Magnus, instead, decided to contain it. Let it remain as it was, away from him. But he was only a 5th year. With limited magic knowledge and control. So, Professor Fig needed to help him. Or at least, he thought so.

With his wand raised, a unicorn hair core and cedar wood with 12cm and swishy flexibility, Magnus casted a purplish spell to return the repository to its original shape and position. Professor Fig stood next to him, following his stance. His spell was whitish, devoid of ancient magic and thus weaker. They both moaned and writhed in pain, their magic being drained as the repository was contained. Slowly diminishing and taking a roundish form as it moved through the air back to the spot it previously rested in. Professor Fig’s hand faltered, a heavy breath escaping his chapped lips in a tired sigh, and Magnus could see sideways his mentor’s light fading. And he didn’t think twice. With a rather brute shove, he stopped Professor Fig’s spell as he fell to the ground. He wouldn’t allow his precious mentor to fade away. Magnus focused on his wand and his magic, putting all his energy on the repository.

And suddenly, everything stopped. As if time had rendered still. The repository was in place and roundish once again. His wand did not cast any light upon it anymore. Magnus feel to the ground, in pain and breathing heavily. His muscles hurt as if he had run a marathon, but something inside him ached even more. He wasn’t sure what. Professor Fig quickly came to his side, his eyes focused on the boy. Magnus could barely remember, but the elder took his shoulders and held him in place as if that was the only support keeping him up as Magnus knelt down. Professor Fig whispered breathlessly, “Well done, well done.” Tired himself with the effort of controlling that enormous magical repository. Then, everything went dark.

When Magnus woke up, he was in the Hospital Wing. Poppy Sweeting sat next to him in an apparently uncomfortable chair, right next to his thin bed. She snored quietly, her head hanging low, but her hand held his laying by his body. The rebellion was over, the battle was over, the repository was safe. Magnus had barely opened his eyes and he closed them again.

It took Magnus a couple of hours to realize he wasn’t fine. Madam Blainey couldn’t tell. Nor could Professor Weasley nor Professor Fig. He thanked Merlin that Sweeting and Amit Thakkar, who kept him entertained at Magnus’ bedside with his long amusing explanations of nightly terrifying trips to observe the stars, also didn’t notice. But he could feel in his core the unsteadiness, the rumbling magic he had just spent a year learning about pulsating and shuffling inside himself. Just as if he had an upset stomach, but a little bit higher on his chest. That feeling of churning. But using his ancient magic seemed to be fine. Until it wasn’t.

While helping his friend Sebastian Sallow in his quest to cure his sister Anne, he found a relic that awoke inferi everywhere. Magnus tried to stop him as he had gone far enough thinking he could control them and control Anne’s curse with such dangerous object. But that encounter became serious as his uncle Solomon Sallow joined them, destroying the relic. And the duel that followed was not pretty. At first, it seemed standard practice for Magnus. He had fought poachers, ashwinders and other kinds of adults. His magic worked fine and seemed to alarm the older gentlemen, as Magnus destroyed inferi after inferi. Time or another casting a spell towards Solomon himself, who would protect against it with uncertainty.

However, his ancient magic failed him suddenly. As Magnus casted lightening on a group of three inferi, Solomon sent a basic cast his way which he was able to defend with a simple protego. But, when he turned to Solomon and casted a levitating spell to throw him around as he had done plenty of times before, the magic ricocheted and he was launched backwards, hitting the stony wall. He moaned in pain feeling the impact spread from his spine throughout his back. The churning feeling on his chest made him sick, more present at that moment than ever before, but he couldn’t stop fighting as more inferi seemed to continue appearing.

Magnus stood slowly, a foot on the ground after the other and scowling at the pain shooting down from his spine to his toes. Certainly, he’d have some bruises to remember that night. The fight carried on, but his magic did not fail him again. Of course, he did use it more carefully and with less frequency, which seemed to have been a good idea at the time. But did not solve the problem as he continued with unstable ancient magic for a long time after that. Yet, during the fight Sebastian lost his mind in his madness and casted an Unforgivable on his own uncle, “Avada Kedavra.” And just like that Solomon Sallow was lifeless on the catacomb floor and Anne Sallow had apparated into the room.

She condemned Sebastian’s search for her cure on the dark arts and destroyed his source, a book. Then, she disappeared with Solomon’s body. For a second, Sebastian couldn’t understand where everything went wrong, where had he failed and when had his judgement become so cloudy. But he seemed to conclude he had crossed a line he shouldn’t have, driven mad by the corruption of the dark arts. From then on, Sebastian and Magnus returned to Hogwarts devastated in their own misery. Sebastian having lost both his uncle and his sister. Magnus unsure if he had lost his ancient magic.

Unexpectedly, upon meeting the third member of their friend group, Ominis Gaunt, Sebastian took a serious tone and announced he was turning himself in. He had also concluded, upon contemplating, that he should never ever, ever, allow such a thing to happen again and, for that, he’d willingly have his friends bring him to justice. Hearing that alarmed Ominis. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to let him go, as he already felt guilty for not managing to stop Sebastian on walking down this path, the path of the dark arts, as well as for keeping a secret from him. His sister’s location.

Anne buried her uncle alone and went to live with Mr. Ndiaye and his twin daughters until she had found a better place to stay, letting only Ominis know her whereabouts and making him promise not to share her location with Sebastian as she wasn’t ready to see him yet. In truth, she didn’t know if she’d ever be ready to see him again. Anne told Ominis she wanted Sebastian to face the consequences for his actions but could not see another family member suffer. So, she left.

Ominis was utterly devastated with the situation. Not wanting to lose his friend, but thinking he had no choice but to turn Sebastian in for his actions. Yet that would destroy Sebastian as well as destroy Ominis too. So, he asked Magnus for his input. He thought Sebastian still had hope, yet if they sent him to Azkaban then they’d lose him forever. As Azkaban would consume all goodness that remained in Sebastian. So together, they decided to keep his secret.

Sebastian was incredibly touched by his friends understanding and forgiveness, he cried for what seemed like hours on both Ominis’ and Magnus’ arms on their special hidden place, the Undercroft. He couldn’t muster the correct words to show his gratitude as he knew they were both risking their reputation and future for guarding that secret of his. But they didn’t mind. It was their friend they were supporting, and their friend they were protecting.

“I’m indebted to you. Forever. This sort of kindness is… something I’ll never be able to fully repay. But I will try, every day, for the rest of my life.”

Sebastian said weakly, in a whispered shaky breath amongst emotional tears, Magnus offered him soft pats of comfort and Ominis’ could only muster some quiet tears. Sebastian shared his pain, his thoughts, his guilt, and his gratitude.

“I don’t believe I deserve your forgiveness, but I’ll never forget how good you're to me. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to earn it.”

He continued and it didn’t matter how much Magnus and Ominis quietly protested, Sebastian seemed settled in doing better. He held on tightly onto his friends as if to remind himself their forgiveness was real, that this was actually happening and he wasn’t fantasizing their compassion.

“I won’t use the dark arts anymore if I can help it. You were right, Ominis. You were always right; it makes me feel empty and I didn’t realize I was making the sort of choices no one should ever make. So… I’ll make sure I never have to do them again.”

Sebastian finished with strength to his voice, although it still sounded muffled by his tears, because he wanted to make sure they knew he meant every word. He promised he’d never forget what they’d done for him. He promised he’d never do anything like this again. He promised if he’d ever felt like going somewhere like that again, he’d reach out for them. And he apologized for worrying them.

Lastly, he tried not think about Anne. He had decided he’d never use the dark arts again, not even to save her. But he knew she had told Ominis, and only him, about her location and that stung. It truly hurt him, deeply. Yet, he also knew it didn’t hurt as much as the pain she must’ve been on. Solomon was a terrible parenting figure, but he was someone she could rely on. If Sebastian had to sacrifice everything he shared with Anne for her to get the life she deserved, he would do it. Although he hoped it wouldn't be that extreme, and he dreamed she would find in herself a way to forgive him. Even if very slowly.

Taking part in that moment made Magnus consider if he’d ever go that far for anyone, or for himself. If he’d risk everything or cross a line to save something that he believed could be lost. Perhaps the stability of his own magic that had been risked by him saving Professor Fig, the entirely opposite situation as Sebastian had been in. Magnus wondered if his regret would reach one tenth of Sebastian’s, even if he believed to have done the right thing.

And at the official end of the year, Magnus arrived at the Great Hall for the final feast with his bravest Gryffindor friend, Natsai Onai, that had previously sacrificed herself and taken an Unforgivable for him. They approached the Gryffindor table observing all the other students in a festive mood and watched as their house won the House Cup for that year.

He noticed Poppy Sweeting clap with a smile from Hufflepuff table; Everett Clopton, the troublemaker, and Amit Thakkar wave excitedly at him from the Ravenclaw table while Duncan Hobhouse, the one scared of puffskeins, seemed upset; Sebastian Sallow, Ominis Gaunt and Imelda Reyes, the toughest quidditch player he’d never play against, cheer from the Slytherin table. And celebrated with Natsai, Garreth Weasley, the potions master-to-be, Cressida Blume, one who loved flying books, Lucan Brattleby, the Crossed Wands secret club organiser, and Leander Prewett, the other Gryffindor, at the Gryffindor table.

While Professor Black, the Headmaster, gave his closing speech, you were on the Hebridean Islands returning from another successful raid. Confidently riding your beautiful dragon through the night sky, the cold salty wind hitting your face and your long braided black hair flying wildly. The poacher’s camp was suspiciously close to the coast on the mainland and the tools they carried were definitely for the hunting of dragons, so your family and you had to interfere. Your brilliant yellow eyes scanned your two companions riding their own dragons as one of them carried a heavy humanlike bag, dripping blood slowly. You were still young and mostly took care of backup, so you could only observe the others and support them from above. You were good, talented and had absolutely no idea a letter had just arrived at your home with an invitation to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Again.

–––––––––––––

*No reproduction of this text allowed without credit*

10 notes · View notes

senatushq · 1 year ago

Text

“Through me you pass into the city of woe: Through me you pass into eternal pain: Through me among the people lost for aye. Justice the founder of my fabric moved: To rear me was the task of power divine, Supremest wisdom, and primeval love. Before me things create were none, save things Eternal, and eternal I shall endure. All hope abandon, ye who enter here.” - An inscription above the gates of the Inferno

Sanguis Massa, The Blood Mass. Founded by demonic loyalists of Lucifer’s most faithful, the first of the tradition occurred in ancient times, when the first of the demons crawled from the Inferno, they did so with edicts passed onto them by the Greater Demons they served. A writ of the Infernal, dark sacrilege made in honour of the creatures that they were meant to serve. The most faithful were rewarded, those that failed to complete their writs were left without the boon of the damned.

Plus, it was just fun.

Under the stars, Lilith let her mind sink into the realm of dreams - to the wayward demons of Rome that had been lost and left without guidance for so long. Accepted by the senate in name only, subjugated by witches, by fey, and by druids: the world inherently feared them and it was her intention to show this city why and guide the demonic creatures into their true potential.

Flirt. It was a suitable name for a place rife with pandemonium, with the club the dark mass congregated. Pulsing music and the whisper of an idea planted into the hearts and minds of the city’s most debaucherous: a night of fun, let's check out that club downtown. As the club goers filtered in, the demons awaited, this unholy night brought with it gifts and promises from the Archdevils of the Inferno - the Fallen Princes and Greater Demons that inspired both fear and loyalty in so many.

Priestess for the night, Lilith gathered the blood of each species in the city: a whisper in their mind, then gone without a trace. Under the full moon of August 1st, Lilith collected her regents, then for nine nights she offered sacrifices to each of the nine circles. To limbo she spared a lamb, to lust she gave a virgin, to gluttony she fed a king, to greed she fed a bureaucrat, to wrath she fed an anarchist, to heresy she gave a hypocrite, to violence she fed a criminal, to fraud she fed a banker, and to treachery she fed a demon.

In Sanguis Massa there were no edicts or rules, there was no formal decorum and reverence for any sort of hierarchy was spat upon. There was the euphoric air of hallucinogens that were pumped into the living that attended, and there were the demons that would prey upon them for the night. The trials were simple: manipulate one person into each of the lower eight circles of the Inferno and send them there. The Greater Demons did not care for bent knees or fealty, only that their demons obeyed: slaughter everyone in your path and be rewarded, that was always their creed.

Familiars that succeed will never weaken no matter how far they are from the witch, fey, or druid that holds their contract.

Abominations that succeed will no longer have to worry about their host body and soul breaking down over time.

Cubi will still need to feed, but much less frequently: once a decade compared to once a year.

All three will be made able to walk on hallowed ground.

ooc info:

Anyone besides spirits or demons will die if they attend this event. At most, your muse can barely make it out alive.

This event will take place the night of August 11th, it’ll gradually be interrupted as the funeral for Silenus kicks off.

Muns can start posting for this immediately and continue to create starters etc until the end of August.

Within the confines of the ritual space (Flirt), Demons have access to their true forms and full power for the duration of the event: demonic physiology, telepathy, hellfire manipulation, empathy, and shapeshifting.

It can be assumed that Lilith explained the details of the night when the demons arrived, their guests started showing up shortly after.

Bloody, messy, and disgusting. They’ll be swimming in blood and viscera at the end of this so tw tw tw.

#senatus.event #senatus.vi #senatus.sanguis

3 notes · View notes

fmpnalogirlypop · 8 months ago

Text

Amnesia horror game researching part 2

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is a survival horror video game developed by The Chinese Room and published by Frictional Games.

Originally meant to be a mod, the game is an indirect sequel to Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which was both developed and produced by Frictional Games. While set in the same universe as the previous game, it features a new cast of characters and time setting.

Gameplay

The sanity mechanic of the first game has been removed, meaning that the darkness and looking at the creatures no longer cause any drawbacks. Health lost when Mandus is injured, will regenerate after a certain period of time; thereby eliminating the need to find vials of laudanum to restore health as in The Dark Descent.

The game's level design has been touted as "significantly different" from that of The Dark Descent, with larger areas and outdoor environments included. AI was also adjusted to ensure players are unable to predict enemy behavior based on their experiences with the original game.

Set in London on New Year's Eve, 1899, the game's protagonist is Oswald Mandus, a wealthy industrialist and butcher who is implied to be the great grand-nephew of Daniel, the protagonist of Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

At the beginning of the game, he awakens from a fever that has lasted for several months, after returning from a disastrous expedition to explore Aztec ruins in Mexico. He hears the voices of his sons, Edwin and Enoch, calling for him as they lead him through the different areas.

Mandus receives a call from "the Engineer", who tells Mandus that Edwin and Enoch have been trapped far below them, in the "Machine" which Mandus created beneath his house. The Machine has been sabotaged, putting his sons in danger.

The Engineer tasks Mandus with clearing the floodwaters and bringing the Machine back online, providing ongoing guidance through telephones throughout the facility. Mandus is opposed in his tasks by the Manpigs, deformed swine-like monstrosities that patrol the depths through which he descends.

After a series of puzzle-like tasks, Mandus eventually reactivates the Machine, but the Engineer betrays him, taking control of the Machine and unleashing Manpigs out into the streets of London to round up unsuspecting victims with which to feed itself.

Mandus regains his memory, recalling the recent past: after returning from Mexico, Mandus was consumed with obsession over a vision of the future presented by a device discovered in an Aztec temple by him and his children, known as the "egg,” hinted to be an Orb. In this vision, Mandus witnesses the death of both of his sons at the Battle of the Somme.

Driven mad by the vision, Mandus decided that he could not allow it to come to pass, and he built the Machine to create a godlike being via mass ritual human sacrifice to save humanity from its own carnage. He sacrificed Edwin and Enoch to the machine to spare them their fate at the Somme.

Now remembering everything, Mandus vows to finish what he started by destroying the Machine once and for all. Despite the pleas of the Engineer, who believes the world would be better off if the Machine is allowed to consume it, Mandus succeeds in recreating most of the sabotage. He reaches the inner chamber, where the Engineer himself dwells - a deranged fragment of Mandus's soul which has bonded with the machine and was given life by the sacrifices; it plans to wipe the world clean of life after witnessing even more future atrocities such as the atomic bombings at the end of World War II, and the Cambodian genocide.

Amnesia: Rebirth

Gameplay

Like The Dark Descent, the game is played from a first-person perspective. The player assumes control of Tasi Trianon, who must wander through desert caves and ancient tombs in order to find the whereabouts of her companions.

The game is dimly lit, and players must use light sources, such as Tasi's own fuel lamp, to see clearly and find ways to progress. Players can also scavenge matches, which can be used to light up mounted torches and candles.

Like the first game, Tasi's fear level would build up gradually. Fear would overwhelm Tasi when she walks completely in the dark, causing her to hallucinate and hear whispers in her head. Grotesque images will also pop up in the screen.

Solving puzzles, hiding from monsters, and managing light sources can control her fear, preventing such from happening. The game does not feature any combat system and when Tasi encounters a supernatural creature, she can either run or hide.

Plot

The game is set in March 1937, and follows Anastasie "Tasi" Trianon, a French drafter on an expedition in colonial Africa. After her plane crash-lands in Algeria, she wakes up to discover that her companions are missing, with no recollection of what happened.

Following the trail of her expedition, Tasi realizes that she is pregnant and has come into possession of a Traveler's Amulet, an alien device that allows her to travel to an alien world. During this time, she finds her husband Salim's corpse, having died from the crash.

Tasi reaches an abandoned French fort and discovers an unknown force has slaughtered its garrison. She contacts an expedition survivor, Dr. Metzier, who instructs her to head to a nearby village. Tasi travels under the fort and encounters mutated ghouls that stalk the tunnels. She makes her way out but is caught in a cave-in and falls into ancient ruins that belonged to a highly advanced, but now extinct, society.

As she studies the ruins, Tasi learns that the facility was built by an alien race dubbed the Gate Builders, who could traverse worlds and extend their lives thanks to vitae, a substance obtained by torturing humans on a mass scale.

A failed plot to end the suffering caused the Gate on their homeworld to destroy itself, wiping out the Gate Builders and spreading the Shadow, a dangerous force that manifests in red tumor-like growths.

Tasi activates a teleporter in the ruins to transport herself to the village, but finds it deserted and goes into labor. She encounters expedition member Yasmin, who in the process of turning into a ghoul had killed the villagers.

Metzier arrives and kills Yasmin. Tasi enters labor, assisted by Metzier, and gives birth to a girl, Amari. Metzier takes Amari, claiming she is needed to reverse the curse causing them to become ghouls. Tasi chases after Metzier, who uses the Traveler's Amulet to travel to the Gate Builders' world.

Tasi catches up to Metzier and kills him. The Empress warns Tasi that Amari is afflicted with the same illness that killed Alys. She pleads with Tasi to allow Amari to stay with her, as she can provide vitae to Amari to suppress her illness, allowing her to live a full life. Tasi is left with three choices.

If Tasi leaves Amari behind, the Empress commends her for making the right choice and turns Tasi into a ghoul. Tasi roams the ruins of the Gate Builders' world with fragmented memories of Amari. This ending is also achieved if the player is captured by the Empress during the final section of the game.

If Tasi decides to fight the Empress, she injects the flesh of the Shadow into the Empress' vitae supply, killing the Empress and ending the Gate Builders' civilization. While this euthanizes the humans being tortured for their vitae, both Tasi and Amari are consumed by the Shadow's growth and perish.

If Tasi decides to flee with Amari, she activates a teleporter that sends her and Amari to Paris and beyond the Empress' reach, with both of them facing an uncertain future.

0 notes

thxnews · 1 year ago

Text

Israel Government Aid: Lifelong Support for Filipino Victims

A Heartfelt Gesture in the Midst of Tragedy

In a poignant move, the Israeli government has pledged unwavering support to the families of the four Filipinos tragically killed in the Hamas attack on October 7. Ambassador Ilan Fluss, in a press conference held in Taguig City, announced a lifelong commitment to aid the bereaved families. Monthly Aid for Survival Fluss revealed that Israel would provide a base monthly aid of PHP100,000 to the immediate families of the victims. The amount, he emphasized, would vary based on the family's status, considering whether the recipient is a parent or a spouse, and the number of children. Beyond Financial Assistance Expressing the understanding embedded in Israeli law, Fluss stated that the aid is essential for the families to continue their lives. Notably, the recently released caregiver, Jimmy Pacheco, could also qualify for monthly aid following his 49-day captivity.

Commemorating Lives Lost

The Israeli Embassy conducted a Mass to honor Angelyn Aguirre, Loreta Alacre, Grace Cabrera, and Paul Castelvi – the four Filipinos killed in the cross-border attack by Hamas. The event saw the participation of Philippine government officials, including Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose De Vega, Migrant Workers Undersecretary Patricia Yvonna Caunan, and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Administrator Arnell Ignacio. A Mother's Grief Erlinda Aguirre, mother of Angelyn, expressed the unbearable pain of losing her "precious daughter" and her "source of strength." She questioned why such a tragedy had to happen to her family. Last Words of Fear Angenica, Aguirre’s sister and a survivor of the October 7 attack, recounted their last online conversation. Angelyn expressed fear, and their exchange reflected shared apprehension. Angenica's attempt to reach her again went unanswered. Tragic Sacrifice Aguirre, a newlywed nurse from Pangasinan, chose to stay with her elderly ward Nira during the attack, leading to both of them being brutally murdered.

Coping with Loss

Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum praised Aguirre for her "unbelievable humanity and loyalty." Nicolas, Aguirre's husband, shared his disbelief and the emotional struggle, expressing pride in his wife despite the painful circumstances. Long-Distance Grief Nicolas, grappling with the loss, revealed his struggle to accept reality. He described moments of waking up, unable to hold back tears, and expressed the hope that the war in Israel would end, sparing others from similar suffering.

Humanitarian Pause Offers Respite

Amidst the tragedy, a humanitarian pause has begun, allowing for the delivery of aid and the exchange of hostages in Gaza. The pause is a glimmer of hope in the midst of the ongoing conflict. Sources: THX News & Philippine News Agency. Read the full article

#AmbassadorIlanFluss #AngelynAguirretribute #Angenicasurvivor'sstory #ErlindaAguirregrief #FilipinovictimsHamasattack #FleurHassan-NahoumpraisesAngelyn #HumanitarianpauseGaza #Israelgovernmentaid #Nicolascopingwithloss #Philippines-Israeldiplomaticgesture

0 notes

the-autistic-digital-circus · 2 years ago

Note

tell us about some of your oc's!

hold on anon, i know this is an old ask but i deadass made an excel spreadsheet so let me just pick a few numbers and talk about whatever characters they corollate to. picrews/drawings, if any, will be below a cut

231.

Prince Ereson Luna is the heir apparent of the kingdom of Shadd and is named after one of their gods. For as long as he can remember, he's had the ability to see the auras of those around him. Around himself is a tar-black mass that writhes like worms. Around Prince Landon of Lyth is a white-gold aura that shines brighter than any other. Ereson's aura corrupts anything it touches, and he cannot control it. Because of this, though he cares deeply for Landon, he avoids him. This is quite the struggle considering that, as fate would have it, Landon is both his soulmate and his mortal enemy. You see, Ereson is what is known as the Nocturne, the prophesied child of the aforementioned god Erese, who is destined to drag the world into his father’s divine realm of the Endless Dream, diametrically opposed to Landon's own destiny as the Lucerene, a vessel of the god of light, who is meant to lead the war-torn world of Pandora into an era of peace and prosperity.

33.

Cedric Maximilian is the elder of the two Maximilian siblings, being 13 years old. He and his little half-sister Lucy had been out trick-or-treating when they managed to slip through the Veil separating Earth from Samhain, the land of monsters. The only one willing to help them was an antiques shop-owning demon named Monarch, who informs them that the Veil has shut behind them and offers to be a guide and guardian in their search for some other way out. Cedric is a nervous wreck to start, but as time goes on and the trio meets all flavors of monster throughout Samhain, he overcomes his fear and develops a strong compassion for those around him. When he sacrifices himself to protect his newfound friend group, the truth about how the Maximilians slipped through the Veil is revealed: Cedric is not entirely human (he's half-phoenix, to be precise) and this monstrous heritage makes the Veil especially thin for him. Lucille was only able to come through because they were holding hands when he fell.

256.

Leah Edmonds was human once upon a time, but a get-together with friends gone horribly wrong led to her and her brother Jackson becoming the sole survivors of a vampire clan's feeding frenzy. The clan leader who turned them, Arturo, claims that the two "owe" him for sparing their lives, and with the threat of that second chance at life being taken away looming over her head, Leah works as a traveling nurse to pay off her supposed debt. When she's done, and she very nearly is, she plans on making sure Arturo never does this to anyone ever again.

Prince Ereson Luna (picrew by Brightgoat)

Cedric Maximilian

Leah Edmonds (picrew by Naylissah)

Prince Landon Sol

Jackson Edmonds

(Figured I'd include images for a couple of the people mentioned, so I had a drawing of Monarch here as well but for some reason it breaks the post?? rip)

#my ocs #oc: ereson #oc: cedric #oc: leah #oc: landon #oc: jackson

0 notes

warsofasoiaf · 2 years ago

Note

American generals wouldn't like what they see. They realize that Sergey Surovikin is competent and has enough authority to impose his views on Vladimir Putin, even when those come with political cost. This would mean that Vladimir Putin wouldn't let matters of personal prestige to get in way of operations anymore. With an effective and free... [1-6]

General to act against them, they know his predecessors' mistakes won't get repeated. The campaign to destroy Ukrainian infrastructures is rapidly progressing with 40% of Ukrainian energy system getting destroyed or neutralized within a month. Vladimir Putin initially wanted to spare Ukraine and its people to focus on Kiev's oppressive government and its neo-nazi units... [2-6]

While Sergey Surovikin has imposed a war of annihilation, which will impose the true cost on the population of its blindly support for Kiev. Yesterday, Mark Milley suddenly appeared to talk of peace and the impossibility for both sides to win on the ground - These statements are intended to save time. Despite CIA's intense propaganda, Kiev is... [3-6]

Axed on the ground. For one Russian soldier lost, Kiev sacrifices seven. Currently, Kiev has eight hundred thousand soldiers on the front and couldn't hope to mobilize more. With such a rate of destruction of troops, this would become impossible to replace experienced officers and soldiers. The average quality of forces is inexorably declining, weakening the front... [4-6]

And opening the way to increasingly bloody offensives. Also, millions of Ukrainians have already fled. With the destruction of the energy system, many more millions will follow. Without a break, Kievan forces will face a severe crisis in the front and in the rear with the likelihood of significant ground losses. The peace talks mentioned by American officials... [5-6]

Are based on this reality and aim to temporize for replenishing Kiev's reserves. Washington's goal is to exhaust Moscow but what happens is its own pawn's exhaustion. Other countries will soon have to be thrown into the conflict against Moscow in a more frontal way, as the president of France implied in yesterday's speech. [6-6]

Look here everyone, this is unrefined cope, nearly fresh from the fields. The Kherson retreat has probably prompted a strategic release even of unprocessed cope. But you know what, I feel like being nice today, so let's debunk these points, one by one.

"They realize that Sergey Surovikin is competent."

That's debatable. The quotes about his competence have always stressed that he is considered competent by the standards of the Russian army. Before his appointment as supreme commander, he was primarily in charge of the Southern Grouping of Forces, which while it succeeded in taking Kherson, completely failed in its attack toward Mykolaiv and repeatedly left its air fleet vulnerable to bombardment on the ground. Kherson has been abandoned by the Russian Army, the defense of which fell primarily on Surovikin's command.

Moreover, his military career and overall strategy (mass bombing of civilian infrastructure) isn't really going to help him well. Terror bombing has so far been unable to generate calls for surrender within Ukraine. Russia is running low of precision-guided munitions and doesn't have the industrial base or components to make more at scale. Russia made significant strategic errors in overwhelmingly using Iskander and Kalibr missiles in an attempt to demonstrate their strike capability to Western observers in an attempt to prove their legitimacy. Without these, precision strikes to starve Ukrainian armies of their supplies simply will not be very effective - unguided munitions are going to wear out artillery tubes and Russian ALCM's like the Killjoy are simply too prone to failure and too inaccurate to do the job.

"40% of Ukrainian energy system getting destroyed or neutralized within a month"

This is an incorrect interpretation of the estimates, which I've found here. The actual report says that 35-40% have suffered damage or destruction, not destruction or neutralization.

"Vladimir Putin initially wanted to spare Ukraine and its people to focus on Kiev's oppressive government and its neo-nazi units..."

This is a common refrain among apologists for Russia's war. It's a transparent lie, an attempt to tie this war to the Great Patriotic War and the Soviet fight against the Nazis.

The supposed "oppression" of the Ukrainian government, either in Crimea or the Donbas, is laughably easy to disprove. The "Crimean protest" to join Russia as they were an ethnically Russian province was wholly manufactured by Russia only after they invaded, as evidenced by tapes with Glazyev, Putin's advisor, discussing it. Even as late as 2014, Crimea, the most ethnically Russian province in Ukraine, did not have majority support for uniting Ukraine and Russia into a single state, either through annexation or the Union State model that exists in Belarus. Since this sentiment didn't exist naturally, Russia used irregular forces (the "Little Green Men") to create a fictitious organic separatist movement. As early as April 2014, Putin admitted that there were Russian military operatives in Ukraine. These irregulars, however, were unable to stop the plundered and ineffective Ukrainian army from attacking their positions, and so in August the Russians had sent in regular army forces to compel Kyiv to sue for peace (the Minsk Accords). So rather than this "shelling of ethnic Russians in the Donbas," this was a response to a deniable asset war initiated by Russia.

The far-right in Ukraine has actually suffered significantly in terms of popularity from its high-water mark in 2012, where far-right parties had ~10.4% representation in government. In 2014 that number had fallen to 6%, and then to 2% in 2019. So in terms of handling "Neo-Nazi" units, it seemed that Ukraine was actually doing just fine on its own marginalizing and eliminating the influence of the far-right in Ukraine. This is in stark contrast to Russia, which has significant far-right representation in the military such as the Russian Imperial Legion which openly espouses white supremacist and ethnic cleansing rhetoric, along with complaints from ethnic minorities in Russia who suffer from political repression and disproportionately make up members of the "mobiks" to spare ethnic Russians from dying on the front lines, just ask the Crimean Tatars or Dagestanis. The deputy chief of Wagner, Utkin, actually has for-real Nazi eagle tattoos on his collar. It's unsurprising, then, that Russia has turned to "de-Satanizing" Ukraine, these are clumsy, random ad hominem attacks to justify naked imperial aggression.

"While Sergey Surovikin has imposed a war of annihilation"

It's already been a war of annihilation - Mariupol suffered extensive damages and casualties, there have been numerous categorical atrocities such as those in Bucha. Russian military doctrine is cavalier with civilian casualties to begin with, in part due to terror being a weapon of military doctrine and in part due to poor accuracy of weapons systems due to shoddy design, and this has been evidently true since the Syrian campaign.

"Yesterday, Mark Milley suddenly appeared to talk of peace and the impossibility for both sides to win on the ground"

Re-read his statement. He says that "there has to be a mutual recognition that a military victory is probably, in the true sense of the word is maybe not achievable through military means" in order to "turn to other means" and seize "a window of opportunity for negotiation." He has not explicitly said that Ukraine cannot achieve victory on the ground, it's that in order for a peace conference, both sides must come to the conclusion that battle will not achieve their goals, similar to the response I made earlier.

"Despite CIA's intense propaganda, Kiev is...Axed on the ground."

Last I checked, it's Russians losing territory, not the Ukrainians, or did you not see the latest battle maps? And if what I'm reading from Russian Telegram is any indication, the Kherson retreat isn't going well.

"For one Russian soldier lost, Kiev sacrifices seven"

This one is particularly funny. Not even the Russians claim this high of a casualty count. According to Russia's own statements (which no honest observer believes), Russia has lost 10,065 troops among the VSRF, Wagner, and forces of the Luhansk and Donetsk DPR, while they claim 61,207 Ukrainian KIA, that’s six-to-one, not seven.

"The average quality of forces is inexorably declining"

This doesn't seem to be the case actually. Ukraine is still capable of multi-theater operations and their largest operational constraint doesn't appear to be manpower or expertise, but materiel. You don't see calls for more volunteers or foreign fighters, but equipment. Contrast, Russia has severe problems with troop quality, including open-source reports of rampant drunkenness and disorder, and this is only getting worse with the arrival of the mobiks.

"Also, millions of Ukrainians have already fled."

According to most estimates, as many as one-ninth of Russians have fled to avoid conscription. Comparatively speaking, while there are Ukrainian refugees and IDP's, manpower does not appear to be the sustainment concern.

“Other countries will soon have to be thrown into the conflict against Moscow in a more frontal way, as the president of France implied in yesterday's speech.”

Macron is looking to strengthen the military and make an independent European one, that’s been a goal of his for a while (and a pipe dream). Tell me, who’s going to be thrown in there? Frankly speaking, the Russian army is so incompetent that it would probably lose a war against Poland and the Baltics.

So there you have it folks, we've got the full gamut from Surovikin becoming the next Steiner, out-and-out lies about casualty counts, and the good old-fashioned Ukraine Nazis myth. Have fun with it!

Thanks for the contribution, Vatnik. You just made my day with how hard you're trying to cope.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

#russo ukrainian war #russia #ukraine

63 notes · View notes

bokunowtv · 3 months ago

Text

Hey, first of all, sorry for not putting that wall of text under a cut. I've been away from tumblr in a while so looks like I forgot… --' And thanks for the polite reply, I really do enjoy these debates.

Loooong reply under the cut!

So, to start with, just to clarify, I think you misunderstood me on some points:

1) I'm not saying that people in the west do not visit their criminal relatives - even in Japan a lot of them do actually. But Touya is a particularly extreme case, and in extreme cases like Touya? I really do not think that "it's a given" that the father would stick with the son (let alone visit him everyday) no matter the country. And - again only talking about extreme cases like Touya - afaik they are likely to face social stigma even outside of Japan. To give a few concrete examples, in the US, the parents of mass shooters like Nikolas Cruz, Adam Lanza, Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, etc. all struggled with social backlash (blame, threats, etc.). Note that Touya is a much worst case (he's responsible of the death of many more people and displaced millions). (I do 100% agree that it's even worse in Japan though!)

2) I don't think you hate Enji, sorry if I implied otherwise. And I agree that it's not a matter of "sides" between Touya and Enji and that you can like both. On twitter I follow several accounts who are crazy about both of them and their relationship. I also find all of the Todorokis interesting personally, though I'm still figuring out my feelings on Dabi's character (the adult version) - maybe that's why I enjoy discussing him.

3) "If I hadn't misunderstood you, you wouldn't forgive a murderer. Another person can chose not to forgive an abuser, even if said abuser says he's sorry." -- I absolutely could forgive a murderer! I do not even think that murder is always bad lol. And tbh, I have already fantasized about murdering an abuser, so I definitely understand people who refuse to forgive.

------

Regarding Enji accepting Touya's death, I think I just don't see it the same way as you. First, everyone reacts differently to death and I won't judge a person for not having the "right" emotions or not entering a state of denial. I don't see it as lack of love - especially since Endeavor is a top hero who has been trained all his life to handle crisis and is hard-wired to always think about saving people. In that situation where the story didn't present him with a way to stop Touya's fire, I see Enji being willing to sacrifice his life for Touya (and atonement to the rest of his family) as love. It was at that point the only thing he could do to atone to his son.

The comparison with Rei doesn't work for me, because 1) she (and Fuyumi and Natsuo) didn't have all the elements when they jumped into the fray (they couldn't have known Touya was no longer capable of rational thought or what state his body was in, so they couldn't have known how hopeless the situation was), and 2) I think that she was doing essentially the same thing as Enji anyway - I think the story implies she went in there to die with them. When Enji tells her she'll die she doesn't deny it or say something like "I have to do my best to save him" or "it's not too late as long as he's still alive" - instead she replies with "so will you and Touya", which sounds resigned. She doesn't talk to Touya to try and make him stop, she just apologizes. She even panics when she sees that Fuyumi and Natsuo followed her even though they also have ice they could use to cool Touya.

IMO, the whole situation was different from that of a family in a hospital. In these cases, there is no urgency, no danger to anyone, whereas Touya is like a terminally-ill suicide-bomber that has completely lost his mind. Enji had to make his decision under duress: people were going to die. Idk, like, think of these stories from the Holocaust or Rwandan genocide of parents being coerced into killing one child to spare the rest from further torture or death. It's cruel to blame them whatever they chose because of how terrible it is that they have to make this choice at all.

And another difference is that the families you saw in real-life probably aren't dealing with a killer zombie as their loved one. What you wanted actually already happened with Enji the first time Touya died: he was that parent who refused to believe it, who kept looking for his son even after finding a piece of his jawbone. But Dabi isn't just Touya, the boy they loved and mourned for a decade. He's a Touya who came back from the dead but very horribly wrong, so the Todorokis don't get to feel joy at him being alive - rather horror, sadness and a sense of responsibility. It's not just Enji: all of them accepted easily enough that Touya was slowly dying in the epilogue. And it makes sense to me because I did not get the impression they were ever uber-optimistic in the first place about Touya's future (apart from maybe Shouto). Rei literally asked Enji to "fight Dabi" (knowing he couldn't do that without burning him so?) and they all talk about "stopping" him, not "saving".

------

But weeeell, that's an analysis from a Watsonian perspective, and it may be pointless to argue about it (says I after writing an entire essay on one single moment lol) because if I understood correctly the crux of your issue seems to be Enji's narrative arc from a Doylist perspective?

Personally, I think Enji's atonement (which, btw, is actually only part of his larger arc imo) is fantastically written and hit all the right notes. It worked for me, since imo Enji gave each one of his victims what they needed from him. Just to recap:

Rei needed to know that he (unlike her own family) hadn't abandoned her (that he no longer blamed her and still cared for her). He personally went to gift her her favorite flowers and accepted that they would only meet if she was ready without pressuring her. Later, he built a house for her to make sure she'd have a space where she'll be able to recover and rebuild her relationship with their kids away from him. After Dabi Dance, he kept fighting at her behest to atone for all of them, in spite of his initial resolution to retire immediately. And in the epilogue he promises he'll still take on the brunt of the consequences of Dabi's crimes, even if Rei was also his parent.

Fuyumi wanted a happy family and it's implied he made efforts to spend quality time with her. He also tried to be part of her dinner parties and when that failed he built the new house so she'd be able to enjoy meals with the rest of their family, and to take the pressure of being the peacemaker off her shoulders.

Natsuo needed to vent his anger and to be reassured that it was ok not to forgive him. Endeavor let him rage at him, validated his feelings, took responsibility and reassured him that he was still a kind person. He needed space to be able to bond with his mom and siblings without having to deal with his trauma, so again the new house was the solution. And at the very end of the last battle Enji found the strength to attack AFO one last time with his burnt and broken body because Natsuo asked him to.

Shouto wanted his help and guidance as a hero, as well as a chance to compete with his friends. Endeavor accepted to train them all together, and to train Shouto on Shouto's terms. It's in that environment that Shouto was able to master Flashfire Fist and "stumble onto" Phosphore. Even before that, Enji had told him he was proud of him and that he would strive to make him proud too - which is something Shouto thought about when he was afraid his father might die against Hood, so it meant something to him. Shouto also wanted more than anything to become his own hero, and that was basically Endeavor's entire motivation for fighting - he wanted to protect his son's future: against AFO, this was the thought that allowed him to go plus-ultra.

For all 3 of his younger kids, he of course also promised to shield them from the fallout of Dabi's reveal and make amends for the rest of his life, while freeing them from filial duty.

Your original post already went into details about how Enji atones to Touya: the public admission of guilt, his attempts to contain him without hurting him in the war, his resolution to keep visiting him every day, etc.

And there's of course the apologies.

So, at the end of day, Enji got to atone in multiple ways to each one of his victims based on their individual needs. He listened to them and acted accordingly, respecting their boundaries. In addition, the story makes it clear that 1) this is only the beginning and he'll continue to atone for the rest of his life, and 2) nobody has to forgive him and he's not doing it for a reward. It shows him making mistakes (e.g. saying the wrong words to Natsuo, misunderstanding Shouto coming to him for the internship as him opening up to him as a father) which he then tries to rectify. And the most important thing for me is that it all feels very real: it's all stuff that a father who abused his family in real life could and should do. There's never an easy way-out (e.g. he doesn't get to save Natsuo from Ending) just like in real-life you probably wouldn't get a magical opportunity to physically save your kid and call yourself redeemed.

It's consistent, it's nuanced and to me it feels complete (his atonement is not done but the arc went over all the points it needed to) - especially since BNHA has so many characters and there's limited space to tell Enji's story.

(It's actually incredible how much love and attention the Todoroki subplot got, taking the time to flesh out 3 background characters that have absolutely nothing to do with Deku or the main plot. Deku's own family got no screentime in comparison, neither did Bakugou's or All Might's or Shigaraki's or even AFO's.)

But back to the actual point of contention: did Enji, in addition to all the above, also need to save Touya to "succeed"? And here we have different interpretations of the story. If "saving" means physically saving him, then I disagree that was ever Enji's narrative role. Enji's wish that Touya could sit with the rest of the family around the dinner table was never meant to be a story objective imo (he wasn't even thinking of Dabi but a fantasy Touya who never died). Of course, it's true that Dabi is a challenge for Enji, but the text never makes that challenge "saving him".

Imo, the Todoroki narrative after Dabi Dance can be read on 2 levels:

On the surface level, their challenge, their actual stated goal, is to stop Dabi (the "family sin"). Enji's duty is to keep being a hero in spite of his broken heart but for the sake of atonement this time: atonement to society on behalf of the family. He has to shoulder the responsibility as the Number One Hero and the blame as Dabi's father.

On a symbolic level, Dabi is a ghost of the past. He's the one who's been left behind, the child whose future was taken from him, the pain nobody wanted to look at. That pain turned into hatred and came back to haunt them. So for me, their narrative challenge on this level was to face Dabi, to see him and listen to him and heal his soul - especially Enji and Rei. And since in the past they let the stress of dealing with Touya divide them, their challenge this time was to do things right, show they learned from their mistakes: to support each other and take responsibility together. The story gives them both the opportunity to do that. Enji accepts Touya's invitation to dance. He looks at him, admits his mistakes and resolves not to abandon him this time, to die with him as his father -- or after they both survive, to keep dancing with him in their own makeshift hell, until Touya can finally rest in piece.

So if "saving" means something like "soothing his anger", I think Enji (and the rest of the Todorokis) actually succeeded - or it's implied that he will eventually. Dabi's eyes reappearing after hearing his father's apology to me is symbolical of his lost humanity/love returning to him (and before that he had that moment where he finally feels seen and valued when Enji is looking at him through the fire). And in the epilogue, Dabi is at first his usual venomous self, but the rage seems to evaporate after Enji swears to keep visiting him and he visibly softens - and later even sort of reconciles with Shouto.

------

Last point regarding Enji having to "pay a huge price" to atone or the need for "negative consequence of equal value for him": I personally do not mind Enji's ending (he made honorable sacrifices as a hero and as a father and I respect that the consequences stuck). Buuuut the idea that he had to suffer to atone is a pet-peeve of mine. Who does it help, that Enji is disabled now? Is it going to improve their lives? Not even Touya seemed particularly happy about it. And like, promising abusers pain and ostracization if they try to atone isn't going to help them want to admit their sins. A message is only meaningful if its applicable to real life, and in real life, I do not believe that this is the philosophy with which we should approach wrong doers ("we gotta make them suffer as much as the victims").

(I mean, if we're thinking like that, they should be torturing Touya for his remaining lifetime instead of giving him a peaceful death - and even then he wouldn't have repaid the suffering he caused to his many many many victims. Should we wish for him to burn in hell until he pays his debt?)

Did Enji atone to Touya (and his family) and stepped up on his role as a father?

Boku no Hero Academia has a grave 'flaw'. The fact that's strongly tied to Japanese culture and Buddhism makes it a very interesting work but also makes it a hardly international work because way too many cultural things are left unexplained because they're assumed to be a given. Only they're not when the work is read by foreign readers. And this lead to confusion.

The Todoroki plotline is an example of this.

In the west many feel Enji did nothing for Touya or did too little because the little he did is a given in the west. The point is... it's not a given in Japan. In Japan is a BIG DEAL. So let's go though it.

First, the fact that he doesn't want to kill Touya even though he's a criminal

Todoroki Enji ‘Ore wa ikinobite mo... ENDEAVOR wa shinda. Tairyō satsujinsha (read: musuko) to tatakaenai.’ 轟炎司「俺は生き延びても...エンデヴァーは死んだ。大量殺人者（むすこ）と戦えない。」 Todoroki Enji “Even if I survived... Endeavor is dead. I can't fight against a mass murderer (read: my son).”

Let's compare it to these two scenes of "Death Note" and see how Yagami Soichiro, a policeman, is taking the idea his son might be a killer and how, although Misa protests, the story doesn't present it as him being crazy but as it being his duty.

That's why Hawks doesn't want to send Enji, who's on an atonement path, to face Dabi, because Enji might end up in a situation in which he would have to kill his son and he would refuse... which is more or less what happens.

Second, Enji acknowledges that what Touya said is true, Touya is his son and Enji did what he did. In such a situation many would lie. Dabi's video proves nothing. He is a Villain, they had a doctor in the team who could create Nomu, the paternity test could be fake, even if Dabi were to provide a sample of his blood or skin they could insist that's fake.

Society didn't want the truth, they don't want Enji to confess, they wanted him to reassure them, they even commented he should have lied because yes, that's what's done often.

Basically he put his honor on the chopping block. A public apology like this one is a BIG DEAL in Japan. It's much more serious than in western countries and he does it when he could have spared himself and say Dabi lied but that would have meant to deny his son.

Third, it connects to the first in a way. While Enji is unwilling to kill Touya, he's willing to die with him. It's ‘shinjū’ (心中 Lit. “Mind/heart center/inside” but more likely means “oneness of hearts”, probably reflecting a psychological link between the participants) and it’s a word used in common parlance to refer to any group suicide of two or more individuals bound by love, typically lovers, parents and children, and even whole families. People who commit shinjū believe that they would be united again in heaven, a view supported by feudal teaching in Edo period Japan, which taught that the bond between loved ones would continue into the next world, and by the teaching of Pure Land Buddhism wherein it is believed that through shinjū, one can approach rebirth in the Pure Land. By volunteering to die with him, Enji is basically agreeing to remain with him in their next reincarnation.

For us it's crazy, it's Enji giving up on saving him. In Japan it sounds like 'I love you and I want to be with you'.

Forth, he'll apologize to Touya. As said before it's a BIG DEAL, especially since Enji is the family head and, although for us most of what he did is wrong, in Japan most of what he did is well within what he can do. Marrying a woman you don't love in a combined marriage to expect the child who'll be born from it will fulfill your ambitions and not really bothering to raise it because that's a mother job, well, things are changing in Japan but none of the above is a crime. In a not so distant past it was actually the norm. Yet Enji apologizes even though normally a family head wouldn't.

Fifth it's a bit in the first point and in the second but it'll drag on through all the story, Enji won't reject Touya. He's the only one (except Fuyumi who however doesn't get to say much) who never calls him Dabi after the reveal, and he won't strike him out of the family register but will keep on considering him his son.

Look at the Tobitas instead and at how they kick their son out.

Don't think Hawks is cutting strings with his parents solely because they were abusive, the Tobitas show us how you should just cut strings with a criminal. Same as the Togas.

Have "Theseus no fune" in which a man accused to be a murderer, send a birthday gift to his son and watch the reaction of his wife.

They don't want to keep contact with a criminal. It's scary because they'll be mistreated if they are discovered to be related to him.

And, in this vein, the fact he wants to go see him, that he'll keep on seeing him till the end instead than turning his back on him, is seen as important. It's seen as him being his father.

To many of us it seems as if he's forcing his presence upon Touya. Actually, from a Japanese perspective he's instead not abandoning him like many others would.

And since Touya is dying, very likely the talking will be the talking that's done in a Buddhist culture when someone is dying. Death should occur in a calm and peaceful environment, with close friends and family in attendance. Together they should reflect on the good deeds the dying person has done throughout their life, in the hopes it will help them in their next reincarnation. Additionally, family and friends can perform good deeds on behalf of them, which they believe will be of merit to the deceased.

So, since Touya is dying he won't get a scolding like Chisaki, they'll all only tell him nice and soothing things so he'll die peacefully.

Now... in the west all this is absolutely way too little, and in some points even feels wrong. Dying together instead than insisting in trying to save him? Deciding unilaterally to show up every day? Not our thing...

We can totally say 'thanks, I hate it' because we grew up with Darth Vader who instead gave his life to SAVE his son. All this accepting that Touya instead is going to die so Enji can at best die with him or keep him company until he does... well, it's mostly not our cup of cultural tea.

In in Japan though, all Enji does is important. Enji is doing something for Touya as a father, something important many fathers wouln't do for their sons.

Does it would satisfy a Japanese audience? They'll get the message better than us... but things are changing and anyway it can still feel too little. "Death Note" is dated 2005/2006 and back in it Misa was already questioning the idea of a father killing his son and then killing himself. BNHA is more innovative as Enji doesn't think to kill Touya but he still goes for the 'let's die together' route... and Horikoshi subtly criticizes it by having the rest of the family decising they'll try to stop the fire before just giving up. They're willing to die, but not before trying.

Enji represents plenty of old theories after all, which Horikoshi acknowledges were moved out of wrong beliefs, not moved by mean intents... which, is possible, would still not be enough for Japanese readers either because among teenagers, the target audience, there's an increasing number of teen who, in Japan, are forced to leave home (the Toyoko Kids) and often ends up committing crimes to survive and the league seems to be based on all the kind of homeless people Japan has.

While for a kid at home with a loving family being told that your father will die with him if he messes up instead than just dumping him might be comforting... for a kid that was abused and forced to leave home this might feel not enough.

People want to be saved, being told it's too late to save them, might be a lesson for those who hadn't done anything wrong yet so that they won't do it, but it's surely not a hopeful message for who instead got himself into troubles.

But well, that's something for the Japanese audience to ponder.

There's also to point out that, even though the message is not hopeful, Horikoshi is seeing the homeless people and acknowledging they should be helped.

Japan in regard to the Toyoko kids is mostly like the old woman who pretended not to see Tenko but that, in the end, helps that new boy.

I think Horikoshi's message desperately wants to be hopeful even for them, that he wants BNHA be like Midoriya's final stand, something that will push people to acknowledge they exist and reach out to help them.

It just that... it gets lost in what I'll call the 'litteral translation'.

No one explains us how we should jusge the scenes and, since we lack the cultural background, to us they are perceived differently because to us things work differently.

And, personally, even when I think I figured out the author's intent and can see the positivity of it, the cultural filter is still too tick and the picture gets blurried.

It's like being beginner at speaking a foreign language and having to constantly translate it in your head. The message loses its natural beauty, get simplified and not fully grasped.

I think I understand how Enji's atonement work in regard to Touya... it still doesn't feel fulfilling to me. But enough about Touya.

'Now,' you might rightfully say, 'fine, I'll bite, let's assume what Enji has is an atonement arc for Touya. It doesn't work at all in the west but let's give it a pass. What about his other kids?'

Natsuo and Fuyumi's wishes are in conflict.

Fuyumi wants the five of them to be a family (at the time she doesn't know Touya is alive), Natsuo doesn't want to be part of a family with Enji.

Enji's solution is giving Fuyumi a house in which she can welcome her mother and live with Natsuo (and Shouto when he comes home), while he removes himself from the equation. The solution fulfills Natsuo's wish of not seeing Enji because it makes him feel bad. It only partly fulfil Fuyumi's wish because it'll allow her to have her mother back (Rei couldn't bear meeting Enji either) and to stay with her siblings... but Enji takes responsibility for it, he doesn't tell her it's due to Natsuo that he can't live with them, so, in theory, it won't be Natsuo the one who's stressed to be at home when Enji is there and the one who has to leave home because he can't stand the sight of Enji.

There are many things I can say on how this is not a good solution (it doesn't make Natsuo feel better, it just stops him from feeling worse), but there are two points to consider. The first is that Enji is getting old and it would be his children's duty, due to filial pity, to take care of him, instead he's basically giving them the means to leave and take his wife with them.

Actually, since Natsuo is now the oldest MALE, it should fall on him specifically. Yes, Enji always intended to have Shouto inherit his mantle but this doesn't free Natsuo from his duties. Instead Enji is letting all his children free.

Even with Shouto, he doesn't insist anymore for Shouto to learn Flashfire Fist as his heir but just as an intern.

I take this is big in Japan.

Here again, not so much, especially in the countries in the west that think kids should leave their parents' home as soon as possible and we don't think our children are obliged to inherit our mantles.

Note how the story implies that this was meant to be the end for the Natsuo/Enji arc.

Natsuo made clear he didn't want to meet Enji again, he does it solely because they've to stop Touya and, once they've stopped Touya, he makes clear he doesn't want to see him again.

If we want though, the fact he's leaving the family can be seen as a concession in a way.

Since apparently Rei wants to stay with Enji (and likely their old house was devasted because that's what happens to relative of criminals) Enji can now move with Fuyumi and Rei and Natsuo won't have to see him because he'll leave home... to make his own home.

As for Shouto... Horikoshi answered his request by basically showing him Enji being a father for Touya and then promising he would protect them from the fiery fallout, which Horikoshi doesn't show at all because it's another thing that's a given in Japanese culture, it'll be hell for Enji to protect them, but not for us.

Just to get an idea of the fiery fallout here are some images from "Theseus no fune" again showing you how bad is this sort of thing.

Back to Enji, Horikoshi gives us verbal confirmation that Enji is now being a father by being willing to do this, by having Natsuo, who never called him as such, calling him father for the first time.

For Horikoshi that's Enji being a father.

Again, we've no idea of which hell Enji will suffer because that's not part of our culture. I've posted above screencaps of "Theseus no fune", that's how the fallout should be so not pretty at all.

So the fact that Enji will try to protect them from it is, again, BIG.

So yeah, Enji did do BIG things to atone and keeps on doing them and if he'll ultimately get forgiven by Natsuo (the rest of his family wanted to forgive him way before he were to do something), that's up to Natsuo... Horikoshi likely left this as open ending because he wanted to let it up to readers so as not to make them feel they were forced to forgive Enji.

In the general hopeful theme of the manga and with Natsuo acknowledging him as a cool father I guess his idea is that Natsuo too will eventually forgive him because he's kind.

I don't want to say that Natsuo forgiving Enji would be a culture clash because there's people even here that forgive their horrible parents and that's valid. Forgiving is a personal choice and one has the right to make it even if said horrible parent did nothing to deserve it.

It's up to you.

But sure is, if again we take the story at face value and not in its cultural contest, we can't see what Enji does to atone, because for us is nothing big.

It's even made worse by how Horikoshi doesn't show at all the hell Enji will go through (as for him is a given) so for us IT DOESN'T EXIST. We see Enji as having it easy, talking big but not having to face anything at all.

Honestly though... I think this is a bit of a flaw of the manga as a whole.

Way too often it prefers to focus on the good than on the bad so that the bad gets sidelined to much to the point people forget it.

There were horrible Heroes who committed crimes and had no intention to repent or stop... and we never met them. Nagant killed them off but we never met them.

Mountain Lady, who became a Hero for money and fame, then sticks to the job even when it's bad. Desugoro, who left the job when it turned bad, then came back to help. Enji is on an atonement path and, anyway, on work he was always a good Hero.

In the same way Horikoshi prefers not to show Enji's hardship but focus on how he'll have the support of his sidekicks, driver and Hawks... partly also because it ties in so well with the general message of everyone reaching out.

The result is that the Midoriya plotline of everyone reaching out becomes more important of the Enji atonement arc and overshadows it.

Enji's atonement arc ends in 426, chap 430 doesn't feel the need to tell us if Enji is keeping up with it despite the hardship, nor how his family is doing. It feels the need to reassure us that people will reach out for him even if he's in hell, that even if he had to give up on his family, he now as a new found family.

It's thematically consistent with the theme of reaching out but... the fact it overwrites the atonement arc honestly FOR ME doesn't work so great.

I think it's an overall problem of the 'reaching out message'.

While in itself is beautiful... it saves nothing I was lead to care about.

In Enji's case I was interested in his atonement arc, in how he could help his kids. I wanted more of that, partly because his atonement arc is so far from my culture, partly because it touched characters I cared about, I wanted to be reassured he would keep on working on it and that his family would be well.

Yes, he should be in hell, but the story didn't really work hard on trying to make me worry for him as it established already a support network for him. The story made me worry for the kids, for Touya, who was dying, for Fuyumi, who wanted back her family and won't have it, for Natsuo, who's marrying an unknown character so young, for Shouto, who has to cope with the loss of the brother with whom he wanted to connect.

I don't really care Burnin, Onima, Kido and Hawks are willing to continue to protect Enji, to reach out to help him, I knew they would, I wanted to be reassured Enji's kids are safe, well and protected. I wanted to see ENJI reach out and help them.

In this vein I don't really care the old grandmother saved a nameless abused kid, or, at least, not as much as I cared for Tomura to be saved. It's nice she saved him, it's nice he gets to live the life Tomura was denied but honestly, he's a mob character with a super tragic backstory created deliberately to force us to emotionally connect to him.

The message he now will be saved is good, but my emotional investment to him is too little.

The same applies to Uraraka's Quirk counsueling program, we knew next to nothing about the Quirk consueling previous program beyond that it didn't work (a real problem in Japan as they have a school consueling program that didn't work... and changes are in progress) and that now it supposedly does.

To how Shouji now solves peacefully plenty of conflicts caused by Heteromorph discrimination, which Horikoshi tossed in later and never really showed how to solve (and, don't take me wrong, it's not solved even by Shouji, he just solves peacefully the conflicts, how is up to everyone's speculation).

Long story short, I think Horikoshi worked really hard for BNHA to have an optimist, hopeful message... but part of it goes lost in cultural differences and part of it goes lost in how the story didn't try to get me invested in the things it's now saving.

So yeah, I'm still sad for this little panel in chap 430

I guess I'll eventually get over it. Today though, it's not that day.

On a positive note... if we count the pages of all the chapters that should go in vol 42 they're only 132. The chapters that were meant to go into Vol 39 had 165 (which yes, Horikoshi further expanded once the volume was released).

So yeah, unless Vol 42 will be slimmer than usual or that he'll add to it some sidestory or extra story, it's possible we'll get more plot in terms of epilogue. We'll see.

(also yes, I'm not touching Rei in this post. Rei is another can of worm entirely and one, I fear, Horikoshi doesn't care about. The poor woman doesn't even get a profile while Ikoma Komari does. And really, I do think Rei is much more important than Ikoma Komari)

#my commentary #the todoroki family #enji #dabi #rei

265 notes · View notes

perpetual-help · 3 years ago

Note

If I might ask, how did you return to Holy Mother Church?

Well, the short answer would be by the graces won for me by The Blessed Mother. I owe everything to her intercession.

I was a cradle Catholic who fell away from the Church during my later teenage years. I abandoned God out of anger and also out of a growing curiosity in the occult. I studied and practiced (and eventually mentored in) witchcraft for about six years. Towards the end of the six years, my pursuits into witchcraft grew darker and more sinister. To give you an example of the mindset I was spiraling towards - back then, I was becoming more acquainted with groups who condoned human sacrifice / cannibalistic rituals / cursing for the pleasure of causing chaos and misery / knowingly working with demons. I thank God that I was spared from going any further in these groups than simply learning what they do or what they encourage to be done through text, and nothing more.

I met someone I will call “H” through a mutual friend (in person.) My first impression of H wasn’t a very good one, given that I could tell from our first interaction that H was a Christian. Back then, I could differentiate between Christians and non-Christians by the feeling of the air that would surround them, and if I found them to be Christian, there would be an immediate swelling of hatred towards them. I had a tarot reading done for H and I to see whether it would be worthwhile to humor a friendship with a Christian, and the person who gave the reading claimed that H and I were actually soulmates. I took this seriously and decided that, since H and I were apparently connected in such a way, I had to make an effort towards H’s wellbeing, even if it never led to anything romantic. H attended a small Pentecostal church that would post its service online, and I would occasionally watch some of the sermons in order to mock and laugh at the ridiculousness of it. They would “speak in tongues,” give “words” to people, run around in “the spirit,” and do other things that I found stupid but thoroughly amusing. My interest was especially piqued by the idea of “speaking in tongues” - because, when some of them would “speak in tongues,” I could understand what they were saying. (More on my present thoughts about this later)

H suffered from depression, which I considered a blight to the both of us, given that we were allegedly soulmates. One Sunday, H said they did not want to go to church because of the depression, and so I offered to go with them, knowing that they would leap at the opportunity to drag a heathen to church. On my way to the church, the voices I recognized as my “spirit guides” at the time were leaving me with strong internal impressions such as: “He is going to say that your chains are breaking, ignore him.” And “he is going to single you out, don’t fall for it.” My answer to these impressions was “fine.”

When I entered the Church, I felt an immediate repulsion. People were dancing and singing pop worship songs, and I internally questioned why I had chosen to do this. Sure enough, the pastor did single me out. Most of what he said to me could be attributed to cold reading, but it was entertaining. I was told “Your chains are breaking. You wear your past bad relationship like a scarlet letter on your forehead.” and “You’re going to meet a Godly man and your relationship will be like out of movie. When you do, cling to him.” I’m not sure how to describe some of the sensations I felt during parts of the service. At times, I felt like my skin was crawling, or like my skin was burning, and other times as though my throat were closing and I was being choked. I initially brushed these feelings off and tried to convince myself that it was social anxiety, but that experience lingered with me even after the service. H and I talked a lot after church, mostly about the Bible and different parts in the scripture. I had a lot of questions and H was kind enough to offer loving and well-thought-out answers. I went home and cried, and it was the first time I had properly cried in several years. I wasn’t sure why I cried at first, but the day’s events recurred in my mind’s eye and I recalled how horrible I’d felt while people worshipped around me. At that moment, I genuinely wanted to know the truth - I wanted to know whether God was real. And, if He was real, I wanted to know whether He would help me. So, I prayed. I asked God this: “If you are real, please touch my heart so that I know.” Immediately, I enveloped by this warmth and peace, and something I can only think to describe as perfect love and tranquility. My heart felt this so intensely that it seemed to be overflowing in and through me, and I wept. I only then was able to realize how absolutely miserable and exhausted and anxious and depressed and wrathful I had been for so long. I wept, and I promised to give myself entirely to God. In return, I asked Him to help me to become a servant pleasing to Him - to love Him more, always. The demons I once considered my “spiritual guides” and “deities” showed their true colors after this experience. I would say, for the first year of my conversion, I was tormented a lot in different ways - but especially in my dreams, and by feelings of intense anxiety and despair that would be thrown upon me out of nowhere and that coupled with the sensation that the walls were closing in. The voices and impressions I once recognized as “friends” started to say things like “you can’t be saved, you’ve already given yourself to us.” among other lies. These torments continue today, and in other ways, but they aren’t as constant as they were towards the beginning.

I threw away six years worth of junk I had acquired which left my room essentially empty, but it was a liberating feeling. I started to attend the Pentecostal church, but my time there didn’t last. They hosted a woman who called herself a prophetess who spoke in tongues, but what she would say would be blasphemies. People would shout “amen” and “alleluia” to these utterances, and I began to understand that this group didn’t know how to discern the spirit. The breaking point for me was when the pastor claimed that Jesus had to learn how to perform miracles - that, and, the glaringly obvious inconsistencies between his sermons and scripture. There was an unhealthy focus on titles of ministries and “what God can do for your health and wealth.”

I lasted three months at that church before it clicked in my head that the Catholics were right. This, was also in part due to my rediscovery of the Bible verses that referred to Jesus’ command to eat His flesh and drink His blood, and a dream that followed. So, I went to confession for the first time in probably 8 or more years. It was a frightening experience and I cried during the entire confession like the wimp I am, but the liberation I felt afterwards far outweighed it all. A couple of days after my confession, I attended Mass with my mother. During the Transubstantiation, while the Priest held up The Body and Blood of Our Lord, I smelled a strong incense. I only noticed the smell because I normally disliked Church incense for how strong it is, but this one, while it was strong and impossible to ignore, it was the most beautiful smell I’ve ever encountered. (There was more crying) After Mass, I asked my mom whether she knew what kind of incense they used, and she deadpanned “They didn’t burn incense.”

Now that I have had more time to process the beginnings of my conversion and especially my encounters at the Pentecostal church, I am of the impression that I was able to understand their “tongues” because it was demons speaking through them. I’m aware that there’s a Charismatic Movement of Catholics who also claim to speak “in the tongues” but I am always wary of such claims, and I avoid such practices like the plague.

God is so merciful and so loving, and my entire life is a testament to this. I did nothing but offend Our Lord and hate all things good and Holy, but still, He called out to me and saved me from the miserable state of death I hadn’t realized I was in. All Glory to God.

As St. Germanus of Constantinople said: ”There is no one, O Most Holy Mary, who can know God except through thee; no one who can be saved or redeemed but through thee, O Mother of God; no one who can be delivered from dangers but through thee, O Virgin Mother; no one who obtains mercy but through thee, O Filled-With-All-Grace!”

For this reason, I also attribute these great graces given to me by the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, and I owe her nothing less than my life in return for this favor she has shown me.

I hope my answer has satisfied the question without being too tedious.

God bless you, and keep you.

#catholic #roman catholic #catholic witch #christian witch #christian #witchcraft #conversion #ask

76 notes · View notes

starshipsofstarlord · 3 years ago

Text

Jim and Jody - Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary; it was one of the biggest decisions of your life, but will you change your mind before your future is sealed?

Warnings; angst, mentions of abortion (everyone is permitted to do what they want with their body, in this imagine the reader wants to keep the baby, but pro choice, as everyone deserves control over their bodies and all 🤍), brief mention of sex and threats

Masterlist Link

To see him so relaxed, so completely and utterly himself was a paradise all on its own. There was a heaviness aboard your shoulders, but as you watched him goof tirelessly about, you had no other concerns, not even as you subconsciously raised your hand over your stomach. You shook your head at the sentiment, the two of you had already made the decision to abort this child, it was unknown how the poor fellow would turn out to be; with the combination of your powers and his super everything, it was sure to be quite the complication, and not one that you supposed was to be an easy course.

A smile pried at your face, simply from viewing him with the pack of children, the wind from the docks swept your hair into your face, and in turn, you swept the locks out and away from your vision, so that you had further access to watch the man that you loved in his absolute element. Through the years, past and recent, he had lost so much, and this child was just to be another mantle on the wall of memorial in his mind, it was sad really. If the two of you were normal, with average and lives that had perceptions with no regards of being heroic, there’d be no query about it, you’d keep the baby.

That life though, to your grave misfortune, did not exist, it was merely a fantasy living painfully inside of your mind, haunting you whenever you closed your eyes, with the flashing images of a resolution and end to the errors in your lifestyle. There’d be a big house, yet nothing to prissy, just enough room for the pair of you and few children of your own, a grand garden with a swing set and sand pit, where the infants could grow up and play in once they were older. Then there’d also be a shed for Bucky to work on small projects, such as attaining some love and care to his motor bike, as well as storing the supplies that he’d need to do so.

All that is a universe away, muffled from possibility by the stars expediting through the gorgeous veil of the galaxy, corrupting the possibilities of ever gaining access to such... peace. That was the one thing that the pair of you wanted, however catching a break was rather rare within your predicament. A stifled laugh reeled from the conjunction of your lips as you simply and endearingly surveyed how the boys, specifically Sam’s nephews hung from the vibranium branch of his arm. It was all your attention was focused on, until an extra person took a seat on the picnic table beside you, his sweet yet musky scent detailing whom it was. “If your not going to eat that, I’m sure Barnes Junior might want an opinion on that.”

The underlining of the words caused an abstract grimace to forlorn your features, as you stared not at the speaker of whom you were close with, but instead the slather of cake that was planted on a paper plate before you, the icing beginning to become slightly sick from the beating of the viable son. “You’re glowing, you know? Motherhood is a good look on you y/n/n, I wouldn’t be so soon to let that go.” Your fingers pried at the dismantled crumbs off your section of desert as you looked to your new captain, a resonating conformation fo bridled suffering and hopelessness clouding your view of his attempt at making you atone before you made a sin that you’d forever regret.

He, like many others, knew that the family life was what you wanted; you wanted to be your child’s hero, tending to their each necessary (and unnecessary) need, them being your main focus and project and life. Instead, you had been handed your options on a short stick, and thus, your decision, albeit somewhat of a sensible one, didn’t make it hurt any less. “Sam.” You spoke his name, observing from the corner of your eye how Bucky paraded around the dock with Jim and Jody. It’d be nice to give him a slice of this kinda life, he was thriving as an adult around children, you could only imagine him in the case of this one being birthed into the world. “It’s not that easy.”

“No one said it was going to be easy.” Sam responded quickly, affirming your fears to your nerve wrecked face. “I get it, I do. People will be after this kid, and that is no way to live, but you two aren’t alone in any of this, nor will you be in that. You have me, along with many other old friends of ours, hell even the Wakandan’s. Do you really want to sacrifice this one life so you can continue living this one? You and Bucky have both lost so much, you don’t have to force yourself to willingly give away something else. The decision can be changed the last minute, it’s a lot to take in, I get that, but I see the way Buck is with my nephews, and how you watch them when you think nobody’s looking over at you. With your state pardon, you two can retire, and go far away, and abandon everything for this one little guy or gal, because I know that if you do, no matter what, they’ll be worth it.”

Bucky wailed a warrior’s shout as Jim and Jody playfully struck him down, his unsheathed metal hand grasping at the cloth that was tightly aboard his addictive chest. He rolled on the ground as the children ran to retrieve their toy lightsabers, leaving him to be expendable against their weapons. There was a giddy and fitting smile smouldering his usual stoic expression. It was no wander why he found calm in visiting Sam and his sister’s small, and accepting family. The kids brought out another side of him, which he had been tortured to refrain from showing, but you had seen, and were contemplating many things within your mind. You were lapping up the image, as though you were dehydrated and the sight of him appeased by the company of young ones was a source of water.

Sam was right, he always was and had been. “The decision was on both of our parts, you don’t think Buck’ll change his mind, or do you?” You were invested in getting a responsive answer, yet the man spluttered a laugh at your confused expense. He heaved for a moment, bracing his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. There was nothing stopping him from gaining it back, unlike Bucky whom had grabbed a saber of his own and lightly began to paddle against the one that was directed against him, other than another round of hysterics that abandoned him. A reasonable smile resonated a comfortable position upon the former falcon’s face, as he tentatively patted your knee, watching as you broke off a small rupture of cake and popped it in your mouth, feeding not only yourself but the inmate within your womb.

“There isn’t really much for me to say, it’s easy, look at him. He will be fine with whatever decision that the pair of you succumb to, after all, it’s your body, but it will pain him like nothing else ever has if you go through with the abortion, and if not, then trust me, we’ve both seen how hard he fights; think of that but ten times the mass in consideration of this baby, because I am certain that he’d do anything for them. He lost his entire family when he awoke from his mode of hydra assassin, this could be him getting it back. Different members, but a family all the same.” He stole a little of your cake, making you lightly elbow him as a smirk rendered a beauty upon his face.

“What’s that going to make you, the patriotic uncle who just can’t keep himself from flashing his shield?” Now it was his turn to retaliate, he lightly scuffed your ankle with a feather light tap of the toe of his shoe, causing you to promiscuously roll your eyes. “I’m joking, that was Steve’s aesthetic, this new version of cap is your baby, I have great faith in you to make this world a better and safer place. The funny thing is, when you finally accepted that shield was yours, that’s when my mind shifted to the possibility of keeping this kid. It was and has always been a sign of hope and protection to Bucky, maybe it could be the same for our little one. It was just a thought, I’m not meaning to put pressure on your or anything bu-“

“I get it, and I’m honoured. And if that is how it seems, then I want you to know that I’ll be there to protect them too. The main bump in the road for now is for you to talk to that grumpy ass boyfriend of yours and figure this sperm plus egg equation out, send Jim and Jody over here, I got somethin’ to show those two anyway.” With a nod and a grateful pat upon your friend’s head, you slowly plodded over to where Bucky was being cornered against the side of the truck by the boys. His blue orbs danced around their small and imaginative beings, until they landed on you, it was as though his pupils were calling out for help, begging for you to spare some mercy upon him.

“Jim, Jody, your uncle Sammy has something for you two to see.” They groaned lightly, having been pulled away from the narrative of their play time, but nevertheless their faces were clean slates as they expressed hyper smiles, and bolted their route towards their mother’s sibling, carrying their lightsaber replicas along with them. “Two kids beat an infamous, deadly badass with a metal arm. I think you might be getting too old for these kinda battles Buck, you were losing, and quite terribly if I say so myself.” Crossing your arms, as he came to an upright stand, hoisting himself off the ground, so that he could be more level with you.

“Yeah, yeah, rub it in. Thought you were supposed to be supportive of me and all that, as you said to Zemo, you’d quite happily cut his dick off if he compared me to the shadow that I used to be.” His brow raised, as he reminisced on the thought of you threatening Zemo; it was hot, and certainly had gotten him going, which had shortly left you in this predicament, trying to save the world and execute the one last thing that exhumed hope to either one of you. The baby. It was almost a certain and solid fact that the little one inside of you had been procreated on the Baron’s private jet, more specifically, the small and clean bathroom that had became dirty with your primal sins.

“And I still regret not doing that, he’d have had much less leverage in any sense of the word of phallic if he had it sectioned off.” Silence emitted between the two of you, although a humoured smirk tantalised upon Bucky’s graceful face. For a change, he was not prompting the expression of a grumpy cat that was refused its nip, no, instead he could be compared to a future - actually, he already was a father to the bean held in the shield of your body, having been an ample ingredient in bringing the small person into being. “So, you having fun with Sarah’s kids, sure looks like you were quite in your element before I cut in.”

“I’m always in my element when you’re around doll.” He smiled, wrapping his uncoordinated hands around the oval of your waist, and tugging you sentimentally closer, your hips bumped with his, as your eyes ogled infatuatedly up at him. “They’re great kids, makes me realise exactly what we’re gonna be missing out on.” Bucky gulped, sparks of emotion taunted the behind of his eyes, like saucers of resentful fire. “You’d be the perfect mother, you know that right? After all you’ve done for me, you’ve nurtured me close to the man that I once was, the only difference is that I want to settle, but I don’t know how to go about dropping everything. This kid is killing me, he’s making me question everything.”

“That’s what kids are supposed to do, unborn, or very much avidly attacking grown men with false lightsabers.” Bucky deeply into your frustrated and corresponding eyes, your hands reaching up to play defiantly with the smooth dip in his chin that could be seen through the shading of his light stubble. “What if we did have a Jim and Jody of our own some day? We could keep him or her, they’d be our greatest concern, we don’t have to go down this painful and longing, rusted road. We could bring something good into this world, protect them against all forces that threaten to disrupt their life, I want this with you Bucky. We could move far far away, or go somewhere close to home.”

“Brooklyn.” He stated, causing a line to crease gently in the plain of his forehead. “I want to call them Brooklyn, if I am to fight the rest of my life for something, I want it to be my home. Last time I had to leave there, but it’s my amends to never leave this child of ours, if we’re going to do this, we need to put them in front of everything, and I mean everything.” He spoke, in reference to the other avengers and other aliases that you had stood by for so long. Bleakly you nodded, grasping his jaw down for an amorous kiss, humming against the palette of his lips, as your hands entwined behind his neck, pulling his face closer to your own, prompting his tongue to travel deeper within the realm of your mouth.

“Brooklyn is a nice name. How about Brooklyn Margaret Barnes? I think that has quite the ring to it.” You offered, and he hardly reacted, instead quickly appraising a pleasant smile onto the canvas of his work of art face, as he ducked his head down, conjoining the pair of you into a passionate and meaningful collide of your lips. Sam smiled as he watched the pair of you, pointing at you two from afar, as his nephews from afar. He was giving them a man to men talk, offering them advice that they would have valuable usage of in the future.

“Now that is love. You don’t give up for the one thing that connects you, and those two, well Bucky and y/n have been through a hell of a lot. They deserve this, and when you meet a woman when you’re older, and your mum is watching on towards the two of you, I want you to make her proud by treating your girl like a princess, willing to sacrifice everything simply to create the future that she wishes for you.” He emotionally wiped his eyes, rushing to stand before he grasped a lightsaber, leaving the other to spare for one of them. “Now Jim and Jody, which one of you will be my padawan?”

212 notes · View notes