#but I can appreciate a great orator when I see one is all

[starpros-sunshine]

Thinks he's Goebbels does he I'd like to see him dead in a bunker at least Goebbels was eloquent

[bubblesandgutz]

Every Record I Own - Day 845: Jack White No Name

This is one of my favorite albums of 2024.

I've never had any strong feelings about Jack White. I won't change the radio station if The White Stripes come on, but I've never actively played one of their tunes. I own a used Raconteurs LP (mainly because I love "Level"), but that's the only music of his I've ever bought. I appreciate everything he's done with Third Man Records and I admire his dedication to doing his own damn thing, but I get a little leery of rock n' roll musicians that ascend into the mainstream. Sorry, I'm a Gen Xer and the suspicion towards successful musicians is a tough one to shake after being raised on the SST mantra of Corporate Rock Sucks.

So imagine my surprise when I Shazam'd some heavy lo-fi garage rock tune at a shop in Seattle and discovered it was a song off the new Jack White album. The next tune they played was great too. I Shazam'd that as well. Same album. Fuck. Apparently I like Jack White now.

And you know what? Every song on No Name is a banger. "Bless Yourself" could be a '90s hardcore song. The guitar solo on "Rough on Rats" gives me goosebumps. The street preacher oration on "Archbishop Harold Holmes" should drive me nuts, but apparently I've finally fallen for White's old timey charisma because when he sings "and if you are suffering a strange sickness-ah / and someone is blocking up all of your success-ah / you need to see me right away so I can fix this"... well... it just hits the spot.

So there you have it. I guess I'm a Jack White fan now. Please shoot me if I ever start wearing pinstripe suits on stage.

[dr-demi-bee]

Miri-

I don't know much about you, I'm sorry. All I heard was that you were a fighter, brave and fierce, and that Gale loves you so. I wanted to say... thank you? I suppose? I know, it's out of the blue, and you're probably completely baffled right now, so I can only apologize. But Gale is so wonderful. He is so brilliant and kind and he deserves someone who will lift his spirits.

But you deserve Gale, too. I know he wouldn't stay with someone who didn't treat him with the utmost care and affection, not anymore. So I know he's in good hands. He is my dear, dear friend, and I am so glad to see him happy. But that he makes you happy too, that's important.

You take care of one another, you hear? If he gets on your nerves, come by for a chat and a treat. I'm outside the city, near Cloakwood's edge. Left at the faerie ring. You're welcome anytime.

-Your friend

Miri’s relaxing in the late evening sun on the tower balcony when Corvus arrives with a letter strapped to his leg. She wasn’t expecting a new contract from the Confluence any time soon, so she’s perplexed when she takes the note from him. Miri offers the dire raven a series of affectionate scritches in reward for the delivery and the great bird crows happily.

Her confusion mounts when she opens the letter. Not the usual coded message - and not a note from a packmate either. Something written in Common, and in an unfamiliar hand, no less.

“Who...?” Miri squints as she tries to parse through the words. But so much of it is vocabulary she hasn’t learned yet. She recognizes her name at the opening. And Gale’s name numerous times. “Sorry...fight, brave...lo-ve...”

Miri growls tersely as her frustration trying to read mounts. Note in hand, she swings her legs over the seat to stride into the study in search of her mate.

“Fenor?”

“Over here, my love.” Gale’s voice answers from the seating around the fireplace further inside the room. She finds him reading a thick tome by firelight, but he looks up as she approaches with a warm smile and eyes glittering in the warm glow. His expression shifts when he notes her mood and the paper in hand. “From Talmeria? Something amiss?”

“No, not Talmeria,” Miri returns with a shake of her head, glancing to the writing once more. Unfamiliar, and certainly not in the Confluence’s style. “I am not sure who from.”

Miri proffers the letter to him, causing him to raise a curious brow. But when he catches a glimpse they furrow with a confusion.

“Who would write you in Common?” Gale questions with a curious murmur. Those thoughtful eyes flit back and forth quickly as they scan the note.

“I am unsure,” Miri returns, “Could you read it to me?”

“Of course, my love.”

Gale obliges, shifting the tome from his lap to the side table. Then he stands and accepts the note, clearing his throat softly.

“Hmm. 'Miri', it starts. 'I don't know much about you...'”

He reads the note aloud, in his rich, soothing voice. Miri sits on the arm of the chair as she listens, watching Gale move about the room and gesticulate as he orates. Brown eyes flit up to Miri on occasion to ensure she’s not missed any words. Her Common has come a long way, to his great pride, but there were still hiccups every now and then.

As he works through the note, a look of growing intrigue falls over the wizard’s features. He turns to her with a curious hum once he finishes the letter, eyebrows drawing up.

“It seems a stranger has written a letter of appreciation. About you and me, no less. And, rightfully, how I am lucky to have you,” he muses, lips curling up into a warm smile once more.

Miri looks back to him with a soft, but quizzical smile, her lips twisting slightly.

"What would possess someone to do that?" She wonders. "Why would they want to meet me?"

“Perhaps they’re an admirer of us both?” Gale theorizes, sounding a bit amused by the idea. He glances down at the letter, as if reading it again might provide further insight.

“Or…” Gale’s gaze refocuses, finding Miri’s bright eyes again. His expression softens. “Perhaps they’re hoping to get to know the person who has captured my heart.”

He steps closer, lifting his free hand to gently brush his knuckles over Miri’s freckled cheek. Miri leans into the contact. Her gaze softens as it meets his, though her brows remain furrowed with her lingering suspicion.

Gale’s hand slides back to thread into her hair, his fingers brushing against her neck. He gives the woven coils a soft tug - a silent request to come closer. Miri stands, winding her arms around his waist. Her hold is protective and possessive as she gazes up at him with a somewhat serious expression and blazing bright eyes.

“I can tell you’re troubled,” Gale speaks softly, as his eyes search her face. “You’ve got your ‘suspicious face’ on. What are you thinking?”

"I am unfamiliar with these customs," she murmurs softly. She takes a step closer, pressing tighter into his embrace. "I cannot help but be wary of a stranger's attention."

Gale wraps his arms loosely around her, pulling her close against his chest. His warmth, his scent surrounding her - a comfort. He can’t resist leaning in to plant a kiss against her forehead, his eyes falling shut as he breathes her in.

“I don’t blame you in the least, my love. With the way people have treated you, you’re right to be wary,” he assures her in a gentle murmur. Gale pulls her closer still, until his chin rests atop her head. “And I wouldn’t want anything to make you feel unsafe. You want me to toss the letter in the fire?”

Miri shakes her head. A small, endeared smile tugs at Gale’s lips. His hands smooth languid circles against her back.

“I understand.” He leans back to meet her gaze, his eyes full of patient warmth and deep affection. “I’m admittedly not particularly enthusiastic about strangers having an interest in us either. But I can’t help but want to know who they are. Don’t you?” Miri's hands tighten against him slightly and she huffs a sharp breath.

"They claim to be a dear friend of yours," she returns, still suspect. "I have contacts in Cloakwood... Perhaps I will send a message."

Gale huffs a soft, quiet laugh through his nose. He can’t help but love her protective instincts.

“Ah, my fierce protector, always with one paw between me and danger.” He gently pinches her chin between forefinger and thumb, tilting it up with a warm smile on his lips. “You’re adorable.”

Miri snorts a soft laugh, giving him a wry, chastising look.

"Be serious," she chides, though she can't suppress her half smile.

He feigns a pout, though his eyes gleam with a familiar mischief.

“I am serious,” he protests, gently pulling them closer together until not even a hint of space remains between them. “You are adorable. And I love you. It’s very serious.”

He leans in to press a light kiss to her forehead and against her cheek. Another, against her jaw. And lower, against her throat. His voice is a breath against her skin.

“Truly, I’m deathly serious…”

Miri looses a peal of giggles before she’s lost in his embrace for the next few hours. But in the morning, she sends Corvus off with a letter (in Elvish) to a friend in Cloakwood - another ranger faithful to Mielikki.

[chinchillasinunison]

Gonna post something cringe 👍 I was thinking about all day yesterday and I posted it in the group chat but bwaah I'll put it here too

so here's how I think the Ishimondos would interact with the Welcome Home cast

Firstly, Mondo would fucking love Barnaby so much. He is not immune to big fluffy doggi. And I think he'd jive with his chill, friendly attitude. Taka meanwhile would definitely get caught on the other end of Barnaby's punchlines and he would not appreciate it. He's a very easy target.

Mondo would also like Wally but in more of an "holy shit a little guy, must protect" sorta way. He asks Wally how he does his hair and Wally says it's always like that.

Taka and Frank are autism-to-autism communication. Could listen to each other infodump about politics and bugs respectively for hours. Also, both of them relate to the need for things to be "just so" and trying to maintain that order among the colorful personalities around them. They're so similar that Mondo finds it kinda off-putting.

Poppy and Taka get along great. I think he would help her a lot with cooking while maintaining such proper safety procedures that she's downright impressed and her anxiety is kept to a minimum, which is pretty rare. Does that thing with making star-shaped riceballs but with fuckin. bird seed. he would definitely still eat it too.

Neither of them would like Sally Starlet, I'm afraid. she's way too self-important for both of them to handle. She would definitely call Mondo "biker" as a sign of disrespect like how she calls Eddie "mailman." She actually is interested in Kiyotaka because he's clearly a very skilled orator, so she sees potential in him as a thespian.

Julie would steal Mondo's bike and ride it around the neighborhood for one of her games, giving just about everyone else a heart attack but ESPECIALLY Mondo. Her antics are the only ones that get him yelling like he usually does.

I feel like they'd both get along well with Eddie, Eddie's just a very easy guy to get along with. Kiyotaka would respect his work ethic and be very "Thank you for your service! 🫡" about it, and Eddie finds it a bit odd if endearing. Eddie would almost get hit by the above-mentioned bike tho.

If they went to Howdy's Place you'd bet your ass they wouldn't be able to buy shit. When they find out that the currency is jokes Kiyotaka tries to tell one and he gets fucking. banned for life. this is the "it'd be hard to sleep with a corpse in your bathroom" guy after all. he'd probably say the darkest shit ever that would make his jaded cop dad chuckle but would send this caterpillar puppet into an emotional crisis.

Finally, last but not least is Home himself. Kiyotaka would find a sentient house incredibly fascinating, I think. He'd probably ask Wally a lot of questions about it that Wally doesn't really know how to answer (or he keeps getting cut off by everyone else's antics before he can say it). Mondo meanwhile would find it creepy as fuck.

[azeez-unv]

UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN'S LEARNING STYLES

Learning style is a person's natural way of acquiring (getting) knowledge or skill.

It is a person's preferred mode of taking in concepts, facts or information with less mental effort or strain.

Every human being has their own unique learning styles. It is one instinct out of the several human instincts we are born with.

In every individual, there are some learning styles that are more developed than others. Some are more dominant than others.

Learning styles can be cultivated, nurtured and developed to produce maximally.

A pupil's learning style is his unique pattern of absorbing or understanding a concept, topic or lesson as an individual entity in his classroom.

Through a child's learning style, he can quickly understand an idea, a concept or skill easily.

A child's learning style often influences his/her career choice as teenagers/adults.

It could determine what profession or vocation they choose to engage in.

This is one of the reasons it can be so counterproductive when a child is compelled to study or become what he does not have a natural flair for.

It has also been observed that most intelligent and successful people have more than one learning styles.

They usually have their primary learning styles and secondary learning styles

This statement is equally through for almost all children. A child can have several learning styles but there will be one that is very dominant among others

TYPES OF LEARNERS

There are seven types of learners in our classrooms when grouped according to their learning styles.

As I mention the different types of learners, I will also give sufficient descriptions to help us identify the primary learning style of each child/pupil/student that fits into that category.

1. VISUAL LEARNERS

This class of learners prefer to learn by looking at the pictures, images, objects or symbols of whatever they are being taught.

They learn best by seeing what they are being taught.

They use the power of sight to their advantage a great deal when it comes to learning.

They like to observe things in their environment and can easily spot any difference if there has been a change to those things.

They can easily remember and describe any object or face they have seen before.

They like to use images/drawings (e.g. cartoon) to express/illustrate their thoughts and emotions.

They do well, often, in art and designs activities or tasks.

2. AUDITORY LEARNERS

This category of learners love to learn through music, rhymes or songs.

They engage their hearing faculty to get the best out of anything they have to learn.

Auditory learners find it relatively easy to process whatever they hear in their mind's eye

This quality helps them to excel in any activity that involves mental reasoning or calculations like quiz competition and mental sums.

They also take a spontaneous interest in musical appreciation.

The sound of anything attracts their attention almost instantly

They have a strong tendency to remember the lyrics of a songs for a long time.

They find it easy to mimic any sound/voice they hear

Some also like to make noise a lot as they detest quiet environment

3. VERBAL LEARNERS

They have their strengths in linguistic abilities.

They are powerful with words both in speech and writing.

They can learn different languages easily.

They have strong cognitive skills in spelling, creative writing (composition) and comprehension

They are powerful orators and they are good at delivering impromptu speeches.

They express themselves so easily with words.

They excel in extra curricular activities that involves words ( e g. debate).

4. KINESTHETIC LEARNERS

This group of learners engage their sense of touch a lot when learning.

They do well in learning activities that involve doing and moving.

They like to have sensory contacts with objects or people during learning activities.

They excel in technical skills.

They are usually energetic and tactile learners.

They have passion for sporting activities.

They find it difficult and annoying to sit still in a class for a long time without doing any activity that involves movement.

They rejoice best/most when it is break time.

5. LOGICAL LEARNERS

They prefer using logic, reasoning, systems and patterns to learn.

They are very analytical and mathematical in the way they embrace learning activities.

They are very good with numbers and calculations.

They possess fantastic thinking skills/abilities

They are good at putting things together in an orderly/ well-arranged manner.

They are good at organization skills. They can organize people, things or events very well

They are also very creative with concepts and objects (e.g.with toys, equipment, gadgets, etc. They like to assemble things.

6. SOCIAL LEARNERS

This category of learners prefer to learn in groups or with other pupils.

Lessons feel boring to them when there are no learning mates and vice versa.

They like to learn cooperatively

They also love to share what they learn or know with others.

They are very good at peer teaching activities.

They derive pleasure in collaborating with others to solve learning tasks. (e.g. solving academic exercises or studying in preparation for exams)

They are very sensitive to the emotions of the people around them.

They pay low attention during one-on-one lessons. Rather, they will want to turn the learning session into a chatting time.

They, specially, love to have as much fun as possible mixed with the learning activities.

7. SOLITARY LEARNERS

These learners prefer to learn alone.

They like to use self study to get on with their learning needs and activities.

They are independent learners.

They are usually internally driven/motivated to learn.

They prefer to learn at their own pace and time.

They need less external motivation to learn.

They don't like to be rushed or pushed to learn and may resist any attempt to be forced to learn when they are not motivated from within to do so.

Their self confidence and self esteem can easily be damaged if handled by someone who doesn't understand them

They do well in one-on-one learning sessions when they are in their learning modes ( particularly for preschool kids).

Their emotions and moods are part of the factors that influence what they get out of a learning activity.

They like to learn in quiet environments.

They have a strong sense of personal pride in their own abilty to learn independently as teenagers/adults.

Every learning style can be nurtured, stimulated and developed to produce at maximum capacity provided they are identified early and steps are taken to channel them into a productive force within the individual child.

May all our children/learners succeed excellently in their academic and life pursuits.

[demonslayedher]

Kaburamaru's real life inspiration: Iwakuni White Snakes

Images and a video are behind a cut, you can guess what you'll find below. Might I just say I was stunned not only by how cute these snakes were, but also how legit friendly and curious they were??? I went to both the Iwakuni Shirohebi Museum, near the lovely Kintaikyo Bridge area, and Shirohebi Jinja (White Snake Shrine), which was only established in 2012 but has a longer history among various Benten shrines around the area. As you might have gathered, these albino snakes are local to the Iwakuni region, and I've gone more into their real life history and what that says about how Kaburamaru came into Iguro's life on this post. I suggest reading that first; this shall just be me fangirling about these adorable snakes. I have never felt such a connection with a reptile before, but on this day I was blessed.

Like, seriously. I loved these snakes so much. Please, come appreciate these snakes with me.

THIS CHILD IS THE REAL-LIFE KABURAMARU OF MY HEART. I LOVE THIS PARTICULAR SNAKE SO DEARLY. Let me back up a moment. This was from one of a couple of large enclosures on the grounds of the shrine, which incorporated snakes into a bunch of its design. White snakes have long been considered messengers of the god Benten, and join an array of other special white animals in Shinto lore, but they are especially beloved in this region and there are active efforts to preserve them. They are basically albino rat snakes; it's a matter of preserving the recessive trait for albinism. (And being albino, that means Kaburamaru probably didn't have great vision either.)

So right away I noticed that in the outdoor enclosure, the snakes were pretty easy to spot on the ground right away. One came closer to the edge as we came by, but so close that I couldn't see its face, so I was like, "yup, that is a snake" and went on with my shrine visit. I'm going to take a moment here to say that although the museum had some charming displays about the Edo period discovery of the white snakes in rice storehouses and about the life cycles and anatomy of snakes, I enjoyed the shrine more, though there were also snakes at the museum who were pretty aware of humans too. Like this eight month old baby, "Love-chan." (The babies' scales are thinner, so they appear more reddish because you get more of the red of their insides showing through.)

Also at the museum, we interrupted this couple while they were busy. The two veterinarians who accompanied me provided analysis which is unnecessary to repeat here.

By all rights, Kaburamaru probably would had preferred to be hibernating at the time they battled Muzan. He's such a trooper. So anyway, back at the shrine, they had an area on the opposite side from the main worship hall which you could enter for 100 yen, and they had a collected of white snake related treasures and goods there (similar to how the boar shrine in Kyoto had Inosuke merch among all the boar stuff), as snake figures have often been a symbol of good luck for making lots of money. I found three pieces of Iguro & Kaburamaru merch, including a chibi that sat in front of chests of coins, contemplating the nature of riches. (My Closet Play was lame, and it's hard to tell but both my pants and my scrunchie had black and white stripes, and I wore mismatched turquoise and yellow earrings. It may look like I am gasping at all the snake treasures, but more likely I am orating.)

So anyway. Now let me come back to my favorite snake in all of Iwakuni. This little fellow noticed me come in and came straight over to say hello.

I LOVE HIM. He had his tongue going crazy a long time while trying to check me out as best he could from the other side of the class, and when I offered my finger to him, he clearly tried to get close to it--now that I think back on it, had there not been glass, he probably would had climbed right on. What struck me most was that once he locked on my face, he locked on. He stayed totally still and we stared each other straight in the eyes, practically nose to nose for at least a solid 30-60 seconds, and this little fellow probably would had been happy to stay like that longer had I not stood up and moved on. There was a connection going on there like I have never felt from a snake, nor have I seen many other animals happy to stay still so long with a curious stare at each other.

I feel so honored. I loved him. I loved him so much.

<3

[cthulhu-calling]

kill the lights and kiss my eyes : deform me to your likeness

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Summary : You never knew what love was, not until Natasha. But now that the King has his eye on you, will your perfect little world come crumbling down?

Warnings : medieval AU, smut, fluff, public smut, MISCARRIAGE, Bucky is a creep (18+)

Author's Note : This chapter is a little short and truly, not my best work (I might rewrite it someday) but I wanted to get this out. I hope you enjoy reading this. I appreciate all the lovely comments I've received. Feedback and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. This work isn't beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine. Please consider the tags before you continue reading.

Word Count : 4005

series masterlsit

“In accordance with Article 17, Act V, In the event that a consort is unable to provide a male heir following five years after the couple has been bound in holy matrimony, the King shall be free to choose another, a second wife, with the aim of providing the kingdom with a legitimate heir.” the announcer finished, leaving the whole court in silence. All eyes were either on Natasha or Lady Morwenna, the king’s current paramour. When the king declared he had an important announcement to make, this was the last thing you or anyone had expected. Your eyes found Natasha’s, her face was a calm veneer of indifference but you could see the struggle inside. He hadn’t even thought of discussing this with her. She couldn’t say anything though. No matter what, they had to depict themselves as the perfect couple, happily married and deeply in love, a perfect unit. She had to act as if this was her choice too, nay, her suggestion for the good of the kingdom. 

“I know some of you might find this unacceptable but following the tragic events that took place a year ago, I cannot put my dear queen under such stress. Hence, with your blessings, I will seek a maiden who can provide our kingdom it’s future. I urge you to understand, consider everything without the shroud of social norm and expectations. Think of it from the point of a desperate ruler,” he pleaded with the court, his speech full of passion, pausing at just the right moments to emphasise his point, the change of the air in the court proof enough of what a great orator the King truly was . The court erupted into whispers when Lady Morwenna fainted, being barely held upright by Lady Ella and Lady Sybil, her two lackeys. 

When the court was dismissed for the day and everybody was back to business as usual, the ladies were in a state of unrest, waiting for the Queen in the gardens. She had disappeared before you could even think of following her. The ladies were all abuzz with the King’s declaration. The married ones were scandalised at his decision, not wanting to even imagine themselves in their Queen’s shoes. The unmarried ones, though sympathetic towards the Queen, could not let go of such an opportunity. There would never be a chance of a more advantageous marriage, and that was everyone’s goal, wasn’t it? To secure a betrothal, that’s what they were at court for. 

“How could the King do this? Disrespect the Queen as such in front of everyone?” Lady Violet asked. 

“Oh, he had every right to. It’s not like the Queen has been able to provide him an heir. No wonder he strays,” Lady Sybil said. Lady Morwenna had been taken to her chambers, the one she shared with Sybil, Ella, Morganna and you. She had yet to wake according to Sybil who had come back, leaving Ella there. 

“Keep your voices down! Your words are seditious,” Lady Virginia, Lord Stark’s wife, hissed. 

“It is the truth. It is what has landed us here, with the King seeking another wife. What’s the point of speaking in whispers now when soon, the whole kingdom shall know?” She shrugs, leaving everyone in a stunned silence. 

Lady Virginia stalks off, followed by Lady Violet as the rest of you are just sitting and waiting, watching the chaos unfold all around you. 

*

When James enters his receiving chambers, followed by his retinue of Lords, Natasha is already waiting for him. Seeing her there, he’s quick to dismiss the Lords as he takes a seat at his desk, making himself comfortable. 

“What is it?” He asks dismissively, angering her even more. 

“Really? How do you explain yourself at court today? You have completely humiliated me!” She rages and he just leans back, fixing her with an icy stare. 

“I did what I had to do, what was best for this kingdom and it’s future,” he shrugged. 

Natasha snorts, laughing humorlessly, “We all know for exactly whom this is the best for.”

“I’d watch my tongue if I were you,” he warns and Natasha rolls her eyes. 

“Who is it? That whore, Lady Morwenna? But knowing you, it could be anyone. God, James, you’re pathetic. You disg—” before she knows it, the King is on his feet, grabbing her by the throat and forcing her against the wall, effectively cutting off whatever she had to say. 

“Do not forget that I am still your husband and your king. Don’t you dare forget, it is by my desire and my hand that you still have that crown on your head. So now run back out and join you ladies in the garden, like a good queen would,” he says with a light slap against her cheek before stepping away from her and sitting at his desk again like he hadn’t just choked Natasha. 

She’s breathing heavily and clutching at her throat, her eyes blown wide. He’d never been like this. He was unfaithful but never had he ever raised a hand on her, hurt her physically. She walks out of the King’s receiving chambers in a sort of daze. She didn’t bother with meeting her ladies, asking one of the maids to let them know they’ve been dismissed. She’s beyond the point of caring, she doesn’t care what the people think of her. First the announcement and now this? She really does not know him, this man that she has called husband for so long. 

She sends one more maid to call for you, in secret. When you come to her door, she’s quick to let you in, pulling you in and shutting the door. She has a vice-like grip on your hand but she won’t meet your eye. You gently lift her chin up, forcing her to look at you and that’s all that it takes, the catalyst she needed as she breaks down crying, dragging you to the floor with her. You hold her close as she cries into the crook of your neck, rubbing her back and urging her to let it all out. You know she’s been strong for so long, longer than anyone should have to be. 

Once she’s reeled her emotions in a bit, she declares that she should probably talk to June, she is sure to have heard the declaration by now, though Natasha doesn’t know how much the little princess actually understood. 

You fix her hair as she reapplies her makeup, something that’s a routine of sorts for the two of you that brings a sense of normalcy, and the two of you make your way towards the nursery, the Queen’s foot soldiers following closely behind. No one could tell that Natasha had been crying, her cold and uncaring facade perfectly back in place. 

She dismisses Lady McCarthy, the pity clearly visible on her face. Her personal guard waits outside and you swiftly close the door, making sure they can’t hear what’s going on inside. Natasha and June walk hand in hand to the small cushioned bench near the massive dollhouse. You just stand behind Natasha, your hands on her shoulders to offer her some comfort, some much needed support. 

“June, my love, I am sure you have heard of your father’s decision today?” She asked and the princess nodded. 

“I’m going to have one more mama, isn’t that right?” She asked and Natasha couldn’t help but smile at her innocence. 

“Yes my love,” she says, feelings relieved that this was going much better than she thought it would. But her relief is short lived when June furrows her brows, a question at the tip of her tongue as she weighs whether she should ask it or not. 

“What is it?” 

“Is Lady Morwenna going to be my new mama? I don’t want her to be,” June says, crossing her arms and pouting a little. 

“Honey, that’s for your father to decide,” Natasha says, trying to keep a tantrum at bay. June just nods her head solemnly, not knowing what to say. “But you can come talk to me whenever you feel like it, I’ll always listen,” Natasha promises. 

“Okay,” she sniffs before getting up on her feet, “will you play with me now?” she asks and you and Natasha can’t help but laugh, nodding as you all sit on the ground, surrounded by a wide array of toys, playing until the princess is sleepy and her maid takes her to bed. 

You and Natasha part ways as you walk towards the chamber you share with some of the other unwed ladies. Just a few feet away from the doors, in a tiny alcove, you hear a hushed but heated conversation. A fight. 

“And what? I am just supposed to sit by and watch as you marry someone else? Who is not me?” You could hear Lady Morwenna hiss, trying to keep quiet but failing spectacularly.

“I am King, I can do as I wish. What you do or do not do bears little importance to me,” he seethes.

“Then I will tell everyone of how you’ve defiled me, how no one would have me anymore. You’ll have no choice but to be wedded to me,” she declares and you can almost imagine the confusion on her face when the King starts to chuckle. 

“You truly seem to believe that you have the upper hand here. Well, let me tell you right now, no one’s going to believe the word of a disgraced whore over the word of the King. So I suggest you turn around and walk back to your chambers, lest you’d prefer to spend the night in the dungeons,” he says. You can hear a strangled cry as Morwenna runs off, the door slamming shut behind her. 

You’re too stunned to move. You wait around the turning, staying hidden until you’re sure the King has left. You quickly run to your chambers, closing the doors. Inside, Lady Morwenna is bawling her eyes out, Sybil and Ella trying to comfort her. You fall against your own bed, staring up at the ceiling and willing for sleep to take you. 

You’re groggy during your morning prayers with the ladies and throughout breakfast. You were already trailing behind as the ladies made their way towards the gardens, not watching where you were going, bumping into a hard chest. You scowl but it’s swiftly wiped off your face when you see the King, followed by Lord Rogers and Lord Wilson. 

“Are you alright my Lady?” the King asked and you nodded, apologising. 

“A Lady not with her Queen? Are you lost, my Lady?” Lord Samuel joked and you offered a fake smile, trying to excuse yourself when the King grabs your wrist, letting your wrist go at the scandalised look in your eyes. 

“Forgive me,” he said as he let your wrist go. 

“I must leave, my Queen does bid me. If you’ll excuse me,” you say and curtsy and leave once he nods his assent. 

“She’s something isn’t she?” Wilson wondered out loud, receiving a scowl from Steve. Bucky just nodded with a hum, watching you go. 

In the gardens the ladies are all seated and your place lies empty next to Natasha. It seems like the same scene from a few weeks ago when you were tardy, the ladies deriving their laughs at your expense. But today, the ladies are quiet. No one thinks to say much, not even the ever chatty Lady Violet who just sits and whispers with Lady Virginia. Lady Morwenna is absent still though everyone can more or less guess the reason for it. 

“I apologise, Your Majesty, I did find myself accosted by His Majesty and his Lords,” you whisper to Natasha who just nods. You haven’t told Natasha about the scene you happened to witness last night but that’s only because you haven’t yet the chance to do so. You didn’t plan on hiding anything from her. The ladies all spent the morning in an uncharacteristic silence. Not a word was spoken during the afternoon meal either. The ladies were left to their own devices post that as you and Natasha escaped to her chambers. 

You recount every detail of the scene you happened to stumble upon. Natasha listened with a blank expression. If she found the situation puzzling, she didn’t let it show. When you finish and she’s still quiet, you wonder if she just tuned you out completely. You softly call her name, prompting her to look at you. 

“I thought I knew the King. Not anymore,” she shrugged. 

*

The feast is in full swing, the band playing a lively tune as couples move around the dance floor. You are sitting alone at the table where the Queen’s ladies sit, already having declined an offer from Lord Rogers for a dance. He accepted glumly when you gave the poor excuse that you’d imbibed far too much and couldn’t be trusted on your feet. The King though, would not be so easily deterred. He ordered one of the servants to bring you a glass of water and promised to be back just in time for the next dance. Your eyes found Natasha’s nervously, wondering if you still had time to slip out without getting noticed. 

He might dress it up as much as he liked but everyone knows the true purpose of the feast. All the maidens dressed to the nines were proof enough. You wore a nice enough gown, a gentle shade of pink with your hair left down. Your eyes drift from one end of the large room to another, checking if the King is anywhere close. You push your chair back, standing up slowly when the clearing of a throat from behind you draws your attention. 

“I was just coming to find you, My Lady. It seems you were doing the same,” he says with a sly smile. You hold back a sigh, plastering on a smile as you let him take your hand and lead you onto the dance floor, surrounded by dozens of other couples who suddenly seem to be more interested in you and His Majesty over their own partners. You can feel all eyes on you, your back burning with the heat of their gaze, but the King only has eyes for you. 

“How are you enjoying yourself this evening, My Lady?” he asks. 

“It is a fine event, it truly is. The cooks have really outdone themselves,” you answer as diplomatically as you can. 

“And what about the company? Do they leave anything to desire,” he asks, his hand that was firmly maintained at your waist up until this point, slowly drifting downwards, further than was considered appropriate. 

“I’m in the finest company in the whole kingdom,” you choke out. 

“I spoke to Lord Y/l/n only recently. He is joining me for the evening meal tomorrow. I would be greatly honoured if you’d accompany him,” he asks but you know it’s not an invitation you can deny. 

“It would be untoward for an unwedded Lady to dine with the King. I should be serving my Queen,” you say but stop when he scoffs. “The Queen has enough ladies, your absence for an evening would hardly make a difference. Your father shall be present so you have no reason to worry.I do not  plan on taking no for an answer.” he declares bowing slowly as your dance comes to an end, walking away as you’re left standing in the middle of the floor. 

*

The next evening comes too soon as you meet your father in his receiving chambers as the two of you proceed towards His Majesty’s chambers in relative silence. Your father seems to know what this is about though he won’t say it outright. He had always been one to count his chickens before they hatch so it’s surprising, when he’s this quiet. You were not naive, well aware of the purpose of this meeting though you weren’t too happy at the prospect of it. Surely, you’d prefer Lord Rogers to His Majesty in a heartbeat. Natasha was aware though you’d made it clear to her, you would not accept any offer the King would place in front of you. 

In the King’s receiving chambers, the table is laid out with all types of preparations that one can imagine, a roast turkey, seasoned vegetables, breads, a platter of cheese and meats, an endless flow of wine, this is truly a meal fit for a King. It feels wrong, seeing so much food laid out for only three people, it felt wrong. 

“Your Majesty,” you and your further bow as the King smiles, welcoming you in. You’re all seated at the table, the King at the head of it as you and your father are sat facing each other on either side of him. You’re mostly quiet, observing the conversation as they both danced around the true purpose of this meal, the food on your plate forgotten long before. After a while of polite conversation, the King gathers your attention with a loud clearing of his throat. 

“I must admit, my invitation to sup was not without cause and I believe it’s time I laid it out before you,” your father looks on with a frown, feigning confusion expertly. 

“My Lord and My Lady, you and all of my subjects are aware of my plight, of the decree announced in court as of recent too,” he says with a show of vulnerability, a farce. Your father nods sympathetically. 

“Keeping so in mind, I would be honoured if you would give me Lady Y/n’s hand in marriage, I would want to proceed with your blessings,” he says. 

Your father acts like he’s deep in contemplation, as if he hadn’t already planned everything out. You make a noise of protest that’s quickly silenced by his one look, your heart beating wildly at the thought that your own father would gladly sell you. 

“I was approached by Lord Rogers for my lovely daughter’s hand in marriage too. I’d say, the wife of a Duke is much preferable to the second wife of a King, isn’t it?” He wondered out loud and you looked on, scandalised. 

“Father!” 

“Hush, girl. You do not interrupt when two men, both well above your standing are speaking,” he says. 

“I would make her the reigning Queen, not a secondary. You will have more land and holdings than any other Lord. I solemnly swear on that,” he says, almost desperately. 

“It is a becoming offer, Your Majesty but you must give me the time to contemplate, let me sleep on it,” your father says and His Majesty nods his head, “Take as much time as you need, My Lord.” 

“What about me? Do I not get a say in this?” You finally scream, your blood boiling. 

“You would refuse your King?” He asks incredulously. 

“I cannot betray Her Majesty, I serve her,” you declare. 

“Oh enough with this already! That queen of yours is nothing but an imposter. Tell me, with what pride does she proclaim herself Queen when she cannot even bear me an heir? She should be thankful that I have found a solution, or I could have just as easily have her banished,” he declares and that stops you in your tracks. 

Banished? 

“Banished? On what grounds? She’s your Queen, Your Majesty, do you not love her?” You ask, tears threatening to spill. If he truly was to banish Natasha, what would you ever do? 

“I loved her but all she has done is scorn me. Tell me, do I not deserve true love?” 

You swallow harshly, your heart feels like it’s about to beat right out of your chest. 

“Would you truly banish Her Majesty?” You ask, tears free falling as you come to accept your fate. 

“I would if you give me no other choice, I’ll have you by hook or by crook,” he promises and you nod your head. 

“Then I accept,” you say, sobbing openly now. You cannot hold it in as the King is smiling from ear to ear, no longer able to contain his joy. He had well and truly won.

The King grabs you by your shoulders, pulling you into his chest as he shushes you, rubbing a large palm across your back. “Hush my dear, this is a joyous occasion. You are finally going to be mine, only mine,” he declares with a chilling finality to his tone. 

*

You could hardly sleep that night, tossing and turning. Your bed no longer felt comfortable. Half asleep and bone tired, you made your way towards the chapel for your morning prayers when you were suddenly pulled into a corner by strong hands, one immediately moving to your mouth, muffling your screams. You looked up as icy blue eyes met yours. 

“Now I finally know why you never did consider my feelings, let alone reciprocate. You had your eyes set on another prize altogether, didn’t you?” He spat venomously. 

“I should’ve known. I always thought what could a Lady want more than a Duke? Especially a Lady with such a low standing in the peerage, the daughter of an Earl,” Lord Rogers had almost choked you now, only letting you go as somebody came looking for him. He stepped out of the alcove, straightening his doublet, acting as if he hadn’t spewed such vitriol at you, his lips adopting a saccharine sweetness as he spoke to Lord Wilson, blocking you from his view. 

You were shaken, close to tears at his words. You finally found the courage to walk out of the alcove once both the Lords were far enough that you could no longer hear them. You found yourself contemplating if you made the right choice. Should you have just accepted Lord Rogers when you had the choice? But how could you have known of your current predicament that puts bars between the owners and their rights. 

Your mind is restless, elsewhere altogether. You don’t even realise when Natasha approaches you, a gentle hand on your shoulder startling you out of your reverie. Natasha can see you’re close to crumbling so she guides you to her chambers in a bit of a daze, telling the other ladies to proceed with their breakfast without her. She closes the door gently behind her as she leads you to her bed, pulling you close as you break down. 

The familiar scent of her perfume and something that is just entirely her, brings you comfort as you’re able to reign in your tears, telling her all about the meal you shared with His Majesty the previous night. 

Natasha has noticed a pattern, she’s found herself in this position so often in the past few months and she can identify the root cause. Her husband. She doesn’t doubt that if it truly came to it, James would find a way to get rid of her. She knew what she had to do then. She knew she couldn’t escape, not truly and not without repercussions

. 

“I will marry him, if it means that you’re safe. I’ll do anything,” you swear to her and she shakes her head ‘no’.

“You will do no such thing. You will run away, you will escape. I will make sure that he shall never find you,” she tells you and you’re pleading no.

“I cannot live without you, I will die,” you cry as you realise, you were just as naive as you prided yourself for not being. You couldn’t live without Natasha, no matter how much you thought you could. “I will marry him, if it means that you are safe, and then we can be together. We won’t have to worry about June. It’s our best bet,” you say and though Natasha wants to disagree she has to admit, her husband had well and truly got all of you in a corner with only one way out : through him.

[lazykcdoodler]

Thoughts on Louie and Della's Relationship + which of the triplets is my vote for Most Likely to hold any sort of longterm grudge against their mom (and why it would be Huey)

I was looking through the Della Duck tag in my blog, when I came across some discourse about the Della-Louie relationship dynamic that I reblogged a while back. I was reading thru the comments and saw someone's HC about how S3 Louie might still hold a small grudge against Della for stealing the Spear of Selene.

And I'm like, no?? If any of the kids in S3 and beyond would hold any sort of substantial grudge against Della for taking the Spear, it would obviously be Huey.

Wait, why did I think that-

Then because Huey's not explored enough, I had to take a step back and think about why I thought of him as the most likely candidate.

First, to work thru my thoughts on Louie and Della's relationship, and why he's less likely to hold a grudge against her in the long run. To start things off, he and Della already had their big clash and make up in the S2 finale. Remember this?

Their small arc in S2 did important things for their character development. That's not to say that they'll never argue again, or that they won't ever have problems. I can certainly see Louie using the Spear as ammunition for a future fight, if things came to that. But Louie and Della have other traits in common, aside from sharp scheminess and their tendency to think that they're the smartest people in any room.

Louie and Della are communicators. Yes, they're both sly and manipulative. But their success in that department comes from their ability to understand people. Dewey might've inherited Della's impulsiveness and natural charisma- but his inclination toward dramatics, his need to be well liked by others, and his desire to stand out among his family and peers, all mean that Dewey is more likely than Louie (but not Huey) to keep secrets and his personal feelings quiet. Della and Louie? Much less so.

It took Louie less than a year to voice his insecurities about his capabilities as an adventurer to Huey. When their mom came back to the Manor, Louie voiced his personal concerns in the very same episode. Louie is a crier. He complains a lot. He's an excellent orator. By far, Louie is the easiest triplet to read as a character, because his thoughts and his intentions are made known to the audience very quickly.

On Della's side of the equation, it's strongly implied throughout the series that she served as the emotional translator between Donald and Scrooge. Don't get me wrong; Scrooge and Donald love each other very much, and they understand each other in a way that very few others do. But when wires get crossed and either of them clam up on their hurt feelings (or fight about other things to avoid the elephant in the room), Della comes in to mediate. She voices whatever the other person won't say out loud. But that deserves its own post.

Regardless of any trouble between Louie and Della, I'm sure of three things. 1) Della and Louie love and care about each other, 2) Della is trying her hardest, Louie doesn't like getting into fights, and he admires passion as a trait in other people, and 3) in spite of everything- despite how agreeable Huey is, or how Dewey's such a momma's boy- out of the boys, Della's relationship with Louie is probably the healthiest in the long run. When it comes to his feelings, Louie is the most emotionally honest triplet. If he beats around the bush, it won't be for long.

While Dewey and Della ride the same wavelength (which causes its own problems), she grounded Louie in Timephoon and said those infamous words because she's been in Louie's place before. She knows what scheming and selfishness got her and her family, and she doesn't want Louie to do the same thing. Because she knows she was harsh- and she knows she might've been too harsh, since she just began learning how to be an authority figure- Della is probably less confident with her ability to handle Louie properly. Which means she's more likely to go to Donald for help with Louie's issues, far more often than she might for Dewey and Huey. Louie will always let Della know where she stands with him. And while she won't take his shit, Della will listen and reciprocate his emotional honesty with her own.

Huey is not good at emotional honesty. Don't get me wrong, he's great at helping other people. But unlike Louie, Huey is as emotionally transparent with his insecurities as a steel bear trap.

So. Why Huey? As I mentioned above, he and Della have stuff in common. They enjoy video games and exploring. They're both outdoorsy. Della is giving this her best shot, and Huey's a kind kid. They get along fine, so obviously things must be fine. Right?

Rrriiiigggghhhhtttt. So, why do I think that Huey's the most likely of the triplets to have any residual resentment toward Della for taking the Spear?

Dewey admired Donald's commitment to his family, but he had to learn to respect him. Louie respected Donald's passion and work ethic, but he had to learn to admire him. Huey never had to learn any of that; Donald has held Huey's respect and admiration from Day 1.

Huey's uncle has a terrible temper. He's easily misunderstood by others. He's the hardest worker on the planet, but he's often underappreciated. Huey can relate. This intrinsic understanding is the root of Huey's longstanding admiration and respect for Donald's character and Donald's efforts. Despite their pre-series financial insecurities, Donald successfully raised three boys on his own while providing them with a relatively middle class lifestyle. Despite everything, Donald is rich in the love of his family and friends.

When it comes to Donald's difficulties with public society, out of his brothers, Huey is the most empathetic to their uncle's plight. He might not be a father of three, but Huey holds the best understanding of the responsibilities that Donald undertook on their behalf.

And therein lies the rub.

Huey Duck is the Responsible One. He works hard, takes his duties as the eldest triplet very seriously, and helps Donald wherever he can. Whether by serving as a vocal translator during a bank transaction, taking charge of his siblings when their uncle is away, or speaking in Donald's defense when his brothers call him boring or lame, Huey tries to makes things easier.

Della probably did some of those things for Donald when they were younger, and vice versa. I'm 99 percent sure that Donald has been teaching her how to AdultTM since she got back from the Moon.

(Because her impulsiveness got her stranded for 10 years).

Huey and Della love each other. They get along great. They have plenty in common. But Huey Duck is by-the-book, and naturally inclined toward hard work- just like his Uncle Donald. Della ripped up the book, took a shortcut, and had to learn to become hardworking the hard way. Huey Duck is the Responsible One. Della had to take a crash course in becoming a Responsible Authority Figure after Louie's scheming almost erased the family from history.

There are many reasons to admire Donald, but his ability to wrangle the three of them is probably near the top of Huey's list. If Donald wasn't responsible before the SOS Incident, he certainly learned to be. Huey has his own lifetime of trouble dealing with Louie's cons, Dewey's impulsiveness, and their collective recklessness and disregard for Huey's work and Huey's passions. They're difficult and infuriating, but Huey tries. And whenever Huey tries, his respect for Donald probably rises. Because Donald isn't their sibling- he's their uncle, their guardian, their first parent since the day the triplets hatched. While the triplets probably had honorary family in their lives long before they met Scrooge (apparently, Mouseton and Duckburg are very close to each other), Donald was HDL's only parent for 10 years.

Because Huey's mom was reckless, and got stranded on the Moon.

At least Huey knows where Louie and Dewey got it from. (It's bad enough, coming from them).

But Huey Duck is the oldest. He needs to be a figure of strength and capability. He needs to be a leader, needs to provide support, needs to be a good role model. His family relies on him for that sort of thing. Mom's been through a lot. Uncle Donald has been through a lot. Huey spent ten years watching his uncle go through a lot. Huey needs to set an example. He's the oldest- which means he needs to extend a hand, make an effort, and bury any proverbial hatchet even if it kills him a little.

(Huey wants things to run smoothly. Huey doesn't want to be a burden for others. Canonically, Huey locks away a lot of his own problems and internal anxieties...until his control slips. Huey hates it when that happens).

Let the record show that I love Della Duck. She's one of my favourite characters. I love how hard she tries, and she's come amazingly far. I'm sure Huey appreciates her efforts.

I'm not saying that canon Huey holds a grudge, or that he secretly resents his mom. I just think that out of all the triplets, he's who I'd pick as the most likely to do so. And unlike Louie and Dewey, Huey knows how to hide certain thoughts and feelings successfully. Huey can be anxious, but he can't be mean (he's already weird and nerdy, he can't afford to be mean). Huey has spent his entire life honing his control over his less...socially acceptable emotions. (Hello, Duke). If Huey has grudges about Della and the Spear or anyone and anything else, I have faith in his ability to hide those negative thoughts for a long, long time.

Until he can't.

[kjack89]

Conversation Starter

Just a little modern AU E/R fluff for your Saturday evening enjoyment.

It was like every single cliché had come to life: Enjolras’s palms were sweating, his knees were wobbling slightly, and it felt like his stomach had vacated his abdomen and taken refuge somewhere around his ankles. And all because he was walking down the street towards Grantaire so that they could go on their first date.

Honestly, it was hard to gauge whether it was the Grantaire part or the date part that had Enjolras feeling like a middle schooler again, and his mouth went dry as he finally reached Grantaire, who turned and looked expectantly at him with that little smile on his face. “Hey,” Enjolras managed, and Grantaire’s eyebrows rose.

“That’s really what you’re going with?” he said in lieu of a greeting, and Enjolras stared at him.

“Excuse me?”

Grantaire shook his head with something like disapproval. “Just...hey,” he repeated, slightly incredulous.

Enjolras’s brow furrowed. “If you’re about to make a ‘hey’s for horses’ joke…”

Grantaire barked a laugh and shook his head. “I promise you, I am not.” He squinted slightly at Enjolras as if just seeing him for the first time. Which was patently absurd, since they’d been friends for years and sleeping together for, well, awhile, and besides— “Just trying to figure out why you sound like every a-hole who’s ever slid into my DMs.”

Enjolras gaped at him. “I—what?” he managed, his voice sounding mangled to his own ears.

“I mean, here you are, this great orator, and the best you can muster for the opening line of our first official date is hey.” Grantaire shrugged. “I guess I just expected more, that’s all.”

The nerves that Enjolras had been feeling earlier had long since disappeared, replaced almost entirely by something like pure rage. “Well, I’m sorry,” he said frostily, “how do you like to start a conversation, since you’re clearly such an expert?”

Grantaire grinned, and the sight took Enjolras aback almost as much as the entire conversation to that point had. “Oh, I don’t,” he assured Enjolras, who just stared at him. “I let other people start the conversation so that I can mock them for their opening, thus establishing the tone for the rest of the evening.”

He sounded abominably smug, and Enjolras’s had to work to wrench his mouth open to splutter a response. “And has that ever worked for you?”

“Well, you haven’t left yet, so.” Grantaire had the gall to actually wink at Enjolras. “Ask me again at the end of the evening.” He paused, his smile softening, just slightly. “Besides, you’re not nervous anymore, right?”

Enjolras blinked. “Who told you that I was nervous?” he asked defensively, and when Grantaire just gave him a look, he managed a light laugh. “Ok, fine, I was.”

“And?” Grantaire prompted.

“And what?”

“And are you still nervous?”

Of course he wasn’t. Which had probably been the whole entire point, and Enjolras just shook his head slowly. “You really are an asshole,” he said, with no small amount of affection. “You know that, right?”

Grantaire grinned before leaning in and pressing a swift kiss to the corner of Enjolras’s mouth. “Maybe,” he said. “But like I noted before, you haven’t left yet. So I must be doing something right.”

Enjolras shook his head again, but when he took Grantaire’s hand, his palm wasn’t sweaty anymore. “So it would seem.”

----------

“We need to talk.”

Enjolras had to raise his voice slightly be heard over the general hubbub of the back room of the Musain, which ended up being a mistake, since as soon as he said it, almost all conversation ceased. Or at least, that’s what it felt like, which made his attempt to get Grantaire’s attention so that they could talk seem kind of pathetic.

Or something.

Grantaire’s expression was unreadable as he stood and jerked his head towards the door, walking out without waiting to see if Enjolras was following him. Enjolras, of course, did, and not just because everyone seemed to be staring at him.

He followed Grantaire outside to the alley and watched as Grantaire stopped and crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking at Enjolras with that same unreadable smile. “Well?” he said impatiently, and Enjolras blinked.

“Well, what?”

Grantaire arched an eyebrow. “You said we need to talk, so...talk.”

Enjolras eyed him warily, trying to figure out why Grantaire’s tone was suddenly so cold, certain he was stepping on to a landmine. “Now I’m not sure I want to.”

“Why not?”

Enjolras gave him a look. “Because you’re looking at me like you’re about to start swinging.”

Grantaire rolled his eyes. “I would never use physical violence against you,” he said dismissively, which Enjolras almost would’ve taken as sweet if it weren’t for the fact that, in that moment, he wasn’t entirely sure he meant it.

But whether Grantaire meant it or not, Enjolras figured he might as well try to use it to lighten the mood. “The scratches on my back would say otherwise.”

For one brief moment, it almost looked like Grantaire was smiling.

Almost.

“I would never use physical violence against you without your repeated and extremely enthusiastic consent,” Grantaire amended, a little impatiently. “But that’s not really the point.”

“Isn’t it?”

“No, the point is, if you’re going to break up with me, I’d really appreciate it if you just got it over with.”

Grantaire said the words flatly, so much so that it took Enjolras a moment to even realize what he’d said. “If I’m going to...what?”

“Break up with me,” Grantaire repeated slowly, as if Enjolras was dumb, or hard of hearing.

Which rankled Enjolras more than a little, seeing as how he was neither, and yet still had absolutely no idea what Grantaire was talking about. “Why in the hell do you think that I’m about to break up with you?”

Now Grantaire was looking at him as if he was dumb. “Because you said we need to talk,” he said, as if that was any kind of an answer.

Enjolras stared blankly at him. “Yeah, because we do,” he said. “I wanted to see if you’d mind if we pushed our flights for Thanksgiving until later in the evening.”

Grantaire’s eyes fluttered closed. “Are you serious?” he asked, and Enjolras nodded, even though Grantaire’s eyes were still closed. “And you chose to broach that topic with, we need to talk?”

“I’m genuinely not seeing what I did wrong here,” Enjolras said.

Grantaire opened his eyes. “Is it possible that you were dropped on your head as a child?”

“Grantaire—”

“No I’m serious, it would explain a helluva lot.”

Enjolras cleared his throat. “Grantaire, there’s no need for ableist jokes.”

“Fine,” Grantaire said. “But do you honestly think that changing our Thanksgiving flights merit that kind of an introduction?”

“Actually, yeah, I do,” Enjolras said sharply, and Grantaire looked taken aback. “We’re flying to your parents’ house for me to meet them as your boyfriend. It’s kind of a big deal, and I wanted to talk about it because I didn’t want you to think that I was trying to get out of it. “

He said all of this in one breath, and Grantaire looked even more taken aback than before. “Oh,” he managed, his voice small.

“Because, for the record, I’m not,” Enjolras added helpfully. “I just have a meeting that got pushed to that afternoon.”

“Ok.”

Enjolras looked at him and took a deep breath before telling him, “I know that I don’t always go about things the right way. I don’t say the right thing, I don’t act the way I’m supposed to, I’ve never been very good at this. But I’m trying, because I...:” He trailed off, blushing slightly. “Well, because I love you. And I’m in this. And I just thought you should know that.”

Grantaire was staring up at him as if he had never quite seen him before. Then he sighed heavily. “Well God fucking damn it.”

Enjolras frowned. “What?”

“You were right.”

“About…?” Enjolras prompted.

Grantaire smiled at him, all his anger from before seemingly vanished. “We actually did need to talk,” he said, and he took a step forward to lace his fingers with Enjolras’s. “And I’m really fucking glad we did, because I love you, too.”

Enjolras grinned. “Good,” he said, bending down to kiss him.

Grantaire kissed him for a moment before pulling back. “But you’ve really got to work on your conversation starters.”

Enjolras just laughed. “I will certainly try.”

----------

“Are you mad at me?” Enjolras asked, the first words either had said in each other in several hours, which probably explained why the words seemed to hang between them as Grantaire studiously avoided looking at him.

“I’m sure I have no idea what would give you that impression,” Grantaire said frostily.

Enjolras rolled his eyes. “Mostly the fact that you’ve been giving me the silent treatment and keep glaring at me,” he said sourly.

Grantaire gave him one of those selfsame glares. “That was a rhetorical question.”

“Well, are you going to tell me why you’re mad at me, or would you prefer that I play twenty questions to guess the answer?” Enjolras asked, as pleasantly as he could manage considering that he was considering throttling his boyfriend, whom he loved, with his bare hands.

“I don’t know, you were doing so well with charades,” Grantaire shot back.

Enjolras sighed and counted to ten in his head before asking, “Can you be serious for, like, thirty seconds?”

“I am being serious,” Grantaire snapped. “And I’m not the moron who started this conversation with ‘are you mad at me’ when the answer was an obvious fucking yes.”

Enjolras rolled his eyes so hard he instantly gave himself a headache. Though that could possibly also be attributed to the banality of this entire conversation. “So now you’re mad at me for how I chose to broach this conversation?”

Grantaire just shrugged. “It’s one of many reasons, yes.”

“And again, am I going to have to guess the other ones?” Grantaire shrugged again and Enjolras sighed. “Look, I’m sorry, and I’m not just saying that because I want this fight or argument or whatever to be over, because you know as well as I do that I love to fight.” Grantaire nodded in agreement, which Enjolras took as a slightly optimistic sign. “But I also love you, and this doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a fun fight for either of us.”

Almost as if against his own will, Grantaire looked over at him, a small smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. “And what does a fun fight look like?”

Enjolras smiled slightly, turning to face Grantaire, reaching out to hook his fingers through the belt loops of Grantaire’s jeans to tug him closer. “Well, it usually ends with one or both of us naked.”

“Ah,” Grantaire said, reaching up to rest his hands lightly against Enjolras’s chest and tilting his head up slightly. “Yeah, I like those fights.”

“I had a hunch,” Enjolras murmured, bending his head so that his lips just brushed against Grantaire’s. Then he took a step back, and Grantaire let out a small noise that sounded suspiciously like a whimper. “But this seems like it’s something serious, so if you’d rather we discuss whatever’s going on…”

“I never said that,” Grantaire said breathlessly. “You were the one who brought it up.”

“Did I?” Enjolras murmured, pulling Grantaire close again. “Well that was stupid of me.”

Grantaire kissed him lightly. “So stupid.” He reached up to brush a blond curl out of Enjolras’s eyes. “I really do like these kinds of fights.”

Enjolras laughed. “So do I,” he said, bending down to kiss Grantaire once more. “In no small part because it’s like we get to fight and make up all at the same time.” Grantaire murmured his agreement and Enjolras added, “I mean, do you even remember why you were mad at me?”

Grantaire’s expression soured and he gave Enjolras a look before kissing him again, a little more forcefully this time. “Maybe not so much with the conversation right now.”

Enjolras’s answering laugh was captured by Grantaire’s mouth. “Fair enough.”

----------

“You know that I love you, right?”

Enjolras said it casually, almost offhandedly, and it took him a moment to realize that Grantaire had stopped walking. “What did you do?” Grantaire asked, and Enjolras looked blankly at him.

“What did I do about what?” he asked.

Grantaire gave him a look. “To make you say that,” he said impatiently. “You had to have done something.”

Enjolras stared at him. “I genuinely have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Grantaire let out a weary sigh before telling Enjolras slowly, “You chose to start the conversation—”

“Oh my God,” Enjolras groaned. “Not this again.”

Grantaire refused to be deterred. “You chose to start the conversation with ‘you know that I love you, right’.”

“Yes, I did,’ Enjolras said, because there was really no use in denying it.

“Which therefore implies that there is some kind of reason I should have for doubting that you love me,” Grantaire told him.

Enjolras stared at him. “That is one helluva leap in logic.”

Grantaire rolled his eyes, clearly unamused. “If it is, then once again, you and I need to have a conversation about your word choices.”

“Maybe so, but do you think it can wait?”

Grantaire threw his hands up in the air. “Sure, we’ll just table it and let me have a heart attack everytime you start a damn conversation!” he half-shouted, and he stalked a few paces away. “I mean, you really think this is something we should wait on?”

“Actually, yes,” Enjolras said, pulling a small, gray box from his pocket. “Because I kind of have something else that I wanted to talk about.”

Grantaire huffed a sigh. “Like—”

Enjolras got down on one knee just as Grantaire turned around. “Like this.”

Grantaire stared at him. “Oh my God,” he whispered.

“Grantaire, I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” Enjolras said simply, unable to stop his stupid, lovesick grin. “Will you marry me?”

Grantaire was still staring at him. “Are you...are you fucking kidding me right now?”

Enjolras arched an eyebrow, though his grin didn’t once waver. “Is that a no?”

Grantaire spluttered incoherently. “Is that a – you fucking – is that a – get up here and kiss me, you asshole.” He grabbed the front of Enjolras’s shirt and pulled him up to kiss him, cradling Enjolras’s face in his hands. “Yes, of course I will marry you, but for fuck’s sake, that is not how you start a proposal!”

Enjolras laughed breathlessly. “I’ll keep that in mind for the next time I propose.”

“Don’t even joke about that,” Grantaire told him, beaming as Enjolras slid the ring on to his finger. “You’re stuck with me now.”

Enjolras kissed him again. “And you’re stuck with me and my many failures at being a conversationalist, apparently.”

“Yeah,” Grantaire said happily. “You bet your ass I am.” He kissed Enjolras once more before looping his arms around Enjolras’s neck. “Just promise me something, ok?”

“Anything,” Enjolras said instantly.

“For the love of fucking God, please do not start your vows with ‘you know I love you, right’.”

Enjolras laughed. “I promise.”

“Good,” Grantaire said, before telling him, “and for the record, I do know, and I love you, too.”

Enjolras’s expression softened, and he kissed him once again. “I know.”

----------

“Hey,” Grantaire said tiredly, pausing to lean down and kiss the top of Enjolras’s head before plopping down next to him on the couch.

Enjolras shifted automatically so that Grantaire could lean against his shoulder. “You know, once upon a time, you told me not to start a conversation with ‘hey’.”

Grantaire yawned widely. “And I stand by that statement.”

“But now it’s ok when you do it?”

Enjolras couldn’t see him, but he could feel the movement of Grantaire rolling his eyes at him. “There’s a difference.”

Enjolras set his phone down. “Ok, so then explain the difference to me.”

Grantaire sat upright and turned to face him, his expression suddenly earnest. “The difference is that I’m not starting a conversation.”

Enjolras’s eyes narrowed. “Well seeing as how we weren’t talking just a few minutes ago, and now we are, I’m not sure how else you would qualify that.”

Grantaire smiled slightly. “You’re forgetting one important thing.”

“And what’s that?” Enjolras asked.

“We’re married.”

As this was not a recent development, Enjolras just stared at him. “Ok...and?”

“And this is it,” Grantaire said simply. “This is the rest of our lives. Just one big conversation that may pause every now and then, but it’s not gonna be over until the end, which means there’s never a need to start it up again.”

Enjolras couldn’t stop himself as he leaned in to kiss Grantaire, though he pulled back just enough to inform him, “You just don’t want to admit that you were an ass about saying hey to start a conversation.”

Grantaire laughed lightly. “Maybe.” He kissed Enjolras once more. “But, uh, you know I love you, right?”

Enjolras rolled his eyes. “Hilarious,” he said dryly.

“I know,” Grantaire said, his smile soft. “Thank God you’re stuck with me.”

“Yeah,” Enjolras said, kissing his forehead. “Thank God for that.”

[cashewally-sarcastic]

It is hku’s 6th month anniversary, and it’s been a growing theme (tradition?) that I tend to write essays for said occasion, most of them being jokes. But instead, today I present a different kind of essay, one that isn’t written as a joke for once. This is an essay focusing on the grey morality of hku, and focuses on Siv as the example of said grey morality. Because of this, I do have to warn that there are major story spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t read hku or aren’t caught up to current events, I would recommend not reading this! This essay isn’t going anywhere, and spoiling yourself isn’t a very fun experience!

With that disclaimer out of the way, the essay (as per usual) is under the cut! Enjoy!

~~~

The Grey Morality of HKU

We live in a world that is not purely black and white, but instead many different shades of grey. Writing greyness into stories is difficult, especially when trying to create morally ambiguous characters, which is why most character conflicts in fiction is black and white. Moral greyness in characters is a very thin tightrope to balance on, since such characters fall in between heroes and villains, and bring layers of depth and complexity into the world. Most humans are not purely good or evil, and morally grey characters showcase this well. These characters can be incredibly complicated, and thus, it's difficult for authors to commit and stay on their tightrope. Sometimes they lean too far to one side and their intended moral greyness gets destroyed. But in Hyrule Kingdom Updates, or HKU, Quill not only walks this tightrope with ease, but does backflips on it and performs a whole circus act with their characters mimicking the same routine. One of these talented tightrope-walkers that performs in such a circus act is Asivus Hartell, better known as Siv. 

Siv is one of the main examples of the grey morality of HKU. He’s the sarcastic, pessimistic orator that serves as the role of the narrator for the story.  Introduced as a psychological egoist, or someone who believes that everyone’s actions are derived out of personal interest, his personality, attitude, and actions all reek of the scent of “villain”. He’s cynical, hates almost everyone in the castle, and is also a criminal. Over time, his egoist beliefs are slowly challenged, and when his ties to the people who challenge his egoist morals are cut, his egoism goes even further downhill, leading him to become a utilitarian existentialist.

Utilitarian existentialism is hard to properly define, as there is no clear-cut definition. It is the combination of two different philosophies, utilitarianism and existentialism. Utilitarianism is the belief that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority; if it provides the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people, it’s the right thing to do. Existentialism is the belief that there are no set morals for life and no specific meaning to life— people are free to create their own meaning and define their own existence. Utilitarian existentialism is the combination of these two beliefs, and Siv falling into this moral belief can lead to its own opportunities, both for the plot and for himself.

Siv, by the dictionary definition, is a villain. One of the core beliefs he holds, mostly thanks to his egoism, is that everyone is a terrible, selfish person except for him and Ganon. This is not only harmful to the rest of the population because of the possibility of the Calamity being revived, but it’s harmful to Siv as well. Thinking everyone is bad except for the entity that’s weaponizing your malice, or manipulating your trauma, is not the most healthy thing. In addition, as the readers, we can see things from multiple perspectives, and therefore know that not everyone is a terrible or selfish person. By seeing these multiple perspectives and knowing these things, we root against Siv and his goal of resurrecting the Calamity, for his view of the world and the people in it is flawed. Siv succeeding in his objective wouldn’t be good for anyone, including himself. If this was Siv’s only belief, it would be more of a clear-cut black and white story, and Siv would just be a villain. However, that is not the case.

The other core belief Siv believes is one that Astor leads him to: Getting rid of all the terrible, selfish people in the world is the morally correct thing to do, as the kingdom would be a better place and he’d finally be happy. “Defeating the evil in the kingdom will make everything end up good” is a mindset that many stereotypical heroes share. This is the belief in the stories of many people’s childhoods, and people root for them because it’s usually correct in the context of said story. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with Siv’s belief; he does have a point and does deserve to be happy. Furthermore, most of the problem causers in Hyrule would be gone, preventing all the hurt and trauma all the characters have to cope with from happening again. For example, getting rid of Ligero is something the entire reader-base has been cheering for since the old man was first introduced. It would be satisfying to see people such as those face consequences for their actions, and as readers, we like satisfying endings. Unfortunately, the problem is that Siv believes everyone is bad except him and Ganon, so he’d be getting rid of everyone, and effectively resurrecting the Calamity, something that devastated the kingdom and brought a massive amount of death, in the process. Taking that into account, you wouldn’t want Siv to succeed. And as a bonus, killing anyone and everyone he could possibly care about in any capacity would not be good for his already crumbling mental state. All of this creates a mental tug-of-war  in the reader’s head, because they're rooting for Siv to succeed but also hoping that Siv will fail. Is he in the right? No, because not everyone is a bad person and killing everyone by raising the Calamity isn't ever the right thing to do. But is he in the wrong? Also no, because utilitarianism isn't inherently bad, neither is existentialism, and the moral principle itself can have good intentions. Quill writes Siv to be a very complex character with no absolute right or wrong mentality. There’s no surface answer to if Siv is correct in his thinking or not, as this moral greyness goes a lot deeper than the surface level you see within the dialogue.

Siv walks upon the same morally grey tightrope that we, the readers, fight ourselves over within our own mental game of tug-of-war. His moral ambiguity is a huge part of his characterization, as well as a major highlight on the plot of HKU as a whole. The picture Quill painted is not only in multiple shades of grey, but also full of color and life. And out of all the shades of grey Quill used in their masterpiece, one of the most interesting shades is Siv. Quill did an excellent job at exploring this moral greyness and it shows well; you can truly see the care that they put into Siv as a character through how he affects the world around him. The kingdom of Hyrule is not made of black and white, but instead, is painted in multiple shades of grey that reflect our own world within itself, since nothing is as simple as it seems. 

~~~

Want to read more about Siv’s morals? Quill wrote an in-depth explanation themselves, and does a much better job of explaining it than I do, so I recommend reading it if that peaks your interest! Click HERE to be sent to that post! (also major spoilers, so be warned)

~~~

Now, since you got to the bottom of this post, and because I might be a little too polite, I need to give some thank-yous to a handful of people.

The first thank-you is to Rev (@swordlesbianss) for giving me the push I needed to actually write this thing! You pretty much kept me accountable for getting this done by mentioning your essay (which I look forward to reading when it’s ready, take your time), so thank you, Rev! You definitely got me to actually start writing the original version of this essay, and caused me to write it to where it is now!

The second thank-you is to Aura (@auroraborealis1890) who beta read the first draft of this essay! You made sure it wasn’t completely incomprehensible, thank you so much Aura! By being able to read it at all, you were a huge help to what was essentially a crazy person’s ramblings. You’re a great friend and I’m very grateful you read my first draft of bullshit <3

The third thank-you is a huge one to Bunny (@bunnywabbit229) who polished up this essay! All of the tone, spell checks, and really beautiful analogies were proofread by Bunny, some invented by them! They took a good 5+ hours out of their day and made this little rock of an essay become the shining diamond it is! I could point out so many things that they made better, but I don’t want to gush for too long. Bunny, I know I already told you this but if I could buy you a large brownie pizza, I would because you helped so much and I appreciate it so much!

The final thank-you is to Quill, the author of @hyrule-kingdom-updates, who made the inspiration for this essay. You have made such a wonderful story that’s rich with so many amazing characters and astounding worldbuilding. You made a masterpiece that inspired an essay of over 1000 words and I’m in awe. You truly deserve to know how wonderful your writing is and all the effort you’ve put into your characters and story is not going unnoticed. So thank you so much for putting your story out into the world, Quill.

[hyrule-kingdom-updates]

ALL of the emojis for Siv :D

What is the kindest thing your OC has ever done for someone? What is the kindest thing someone has ever done for them? On the flip side, what is the worst thing your OC has done to another person?

I don’t think I can point out a *single* ultimate kind act, but Siv raising and caring for his brother throughout their whole childhood is definitely one of the kindest periods of his life. Spoilers, but: Siv didn’t actually believe himself to be capable of being a knight, in fact Ligero was specifically trying to keep him out of Larc’s life, letting them grow to be more independent, giving Siv every reason to be jealous and spiteful. But Siv trained to be a knight anyways because he didn’t want his brother to be alone through it all. He would never admit it, but Siv is a really kind and soft person. He cared for everyone of LinkLink’s scars and scabs when they went shield surfing, he took Zavis to a surprise party when his mother didn’t bother to throw anything that special. He wrote Revali letters, he sewed little rat plushies for Aryll to add to her collection—and I think it all stems from his childhood, where the only thing that he was certain of, the only choice that he could without a doubt claim was a good and kind thing that he didn’t mess up on, was caring and loving for someone that he by all other means didn’t have to.

As for the kindest thing someone has done for him, well honestly I think Siv would consider anyone giving him a basic amount of respect and appreciation as the “kindest” thing. Although once, Zavis allowed himself to team up with Link to plan a perfect party for Siv, which is to say, a very notable feat.

As for the worst thing Siv has done to someone: that’s probably spoilers. :3

What does your OC do when they see others upset or in pain? An upset friend? A stranger?

If a stranger was upset, Siv would probably just think, “Sucks to suck!” and move on. Unless they were like, REALLY sobbing, to the point where it would be impossible to ignore. Then he might stop walking, chat them up and buy them a drink, maybe hear their woes, but that’s probably it.

If it was a friend, he’d be immediately on their case, but would still try to play it off as him being an apathetic, disgruntled guy. But you know, Siv didn’t become an official royal Branch Buddy for nothing.

What is something true about your OC that they refuse to admit about themselves? Is there any reason to this besides embarrassment?

Under absolutely no circumstances will Siv admit that he is shorter than anyone. He finds it completely unfair that BOTH of his brothers are taller than him. He would hate it if you told him so, but Siv without a doubt has inherited a bit of his father’s ego, so calling him short, or even complimenting his hot royal guard brother when Siv is right there would ruffle his feathers to say the least

Describe a regular day for your OC. What is their schedule (if they have one).

Pre-Orator days, Siv basically wakes up whenever he wants (usually past noon), feeds the pet rats in the alleyways, then heads to the underground. Everyday is scraping enough rupees for a hot meal and a drink by selling illegal tickets to the underground monster fights, maybe organize a rigged gambling ring or two, and obviously scam any ten year olds that were looking to enter the world of pocket monster fighting themselves. Then when the “work” day is done, he’ll pop by an adequate tavern (the only one that would tolerate letting someone like him around) and eat and drink, and...that’s pretty much it.

As the Royal Orator, Siv wakes up and immediately heads to the dining hall, then hauls all the food and drink over to his office by 10am, cause that’s when his official work hours kick in. He then has to just sit there, listen to people’s grievances and input that will promptly be ignored (by either his hand, or most certainly by his superiors) while also posting out the important announcements and rat doodles with the Quill of Roost(both pre and post consumption). He might grab lunch in between and do fuck all, but by 9pm he’s gone out and about, doing whatever it takes to get as little sleep as possible because he doesn’t really like the sort of dreams he’s been having.

Current Siv doesn’t have a schedule, but he does have an agenda.

How does your OC think they will die? Does death scare them? Is there any reason for this?

Siv isn’t thinking about death. In truth, he thought he would have died much, MUCH earlier. Maybe get stabbed or executed? Maybe have a poor run in with an ex or particularly angry victim of his scams? But hey, now that’s he’s living the high life with all this power, he doesn’t care about death! For all he knows, he could live forever as long as he sticks with Ganon! All he has to do is follow what he says, and he’ll be happy forever and never have to fear anything ever again.

What is your OC’s most traumatic experience? (If they don’t have just one traumatic experience either pick one or describe them all!)

The Asunder Incident.

Siv constantly questions himself after that, “Why would I do that? Was I really capable of killing someone? Surely not, I’m not...I’m not that bad...” but the facts obviously stated otherwise. This was basically the incident that cemented himself as the person he is at the start of hku, apathetic and broken. He wouldn’t admit it then, but this singular event basically solidified everyone’s prejudice and perception of him, and rightfully proved them correct. It was his own actions that left him hated, abandoned, and alone, so yeah, he can’t complain now, it’s all his fault.

How would your OC react to the death of a friend/family member/loved one? Is there anyone they can confide in?

If Ligero died he would throw a fucking party for the ages.

Other than that, yeah, if someone he knew and cared about died he would be very heart broken about it. I think the only person he would really confide in about it would be Larc, but if it WAS Larc that died...I can only assume he would at the very least be severely depressed. He’s his favourite, cherished, little brat brother, after all.

What would your OC be like if they were evil. Or if they’re already evil what would they be like as the good guy?

This is an interesting question given that...I’ve already shown both sides to this, haven’t I? Maybe I’ll just let the story speak for itself...

How would your OC react to somebody telling them that they love them? (+ bonus give another characters/OC name!)

Siv would first play it off as a joke because defense mechanism! “Haha, yeah, and you know what I love? The bathroom!” and he would be off escape the situation. But if they were persistent, he would be very flustered and very...vulnerable, and scarily sentimental in his opinion. It would take some time, but I believe eventually he would really, truly accept it, in the end. Although patience is certainly a virtue, it took an entire childhood for him to use the L word for his brother.

What does your OC hate about themself? What lies about themself do they believe? On the flip side, What does your OC love about themself?

He hates being a bad person. He does not believe himself to be good or worthy of anything, thus he internalizes it wholeheartedly in order to gain that sense of control. So now that Siv’s accepted he will never be truly happy, he’s like, “Great! I can just not care about anyone else now.”

Thankfully, that’s changed recently, and he now believes, “You know what? I’m NOT a bad person! It’s everyone else that’s been wronging me! The problem with me is that I’ve been way to much of a coward to take what I deserve, so now I’m gonna do it, no matter what! I deserve to not be hurt anymore, and if I can’t do whatever it takes to achieve that, then how can I say I deserve to be happy in the first place?” Be sure to thank Calamity Ganon for that pep talk.

Right now Siv loves his power. He’s had the most control and power in this one relationship with Ganon than he’s ever had with anyone else in his entire life. He’s finally on top! Number one! He has something to really be proud of about himself! The old Siv hated themselves, but now that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Does your OC have any scars? How and when did they get them?

He doesn’t have any notable scars, especially given that he’s got the power o’ malice, baby! Malice is a representation of many things, one of them being time and memory, so it’s pretty easy for it to heal and return skin, flesh, and bone to a prior state. Perfect for healing and repairing people and objects, alike! Of course, malice is more famous for doing the opposite, sucking your soul out from you prematurely, feeling yourself die rapidly, your last breath being snatched and forced out of your lungs, a thousand breaths meant for a lifetime suddenly sapped out in a few minutes. But I don’t know why I’m talking about that, that’s not relevant haha

What is something your OC blames themself for and is it really their fault? Does it keep them up at night and is there any lingering trauma?

The Asunder Incident, he blames his actions for leading him to basically abandon his brother for like fifteen years. But that’s all I’m gonna say as I have plans to talk about his feelings on it further in the actual story.

In what situation would your OC be pushed to commit an act of violence? Would they go as far to kill someone if they had to? How would this affect them and their relationships with others?

Why, I can’t answer this in detail! That’d be giving away the story :3

Ok, maybe I’ll say this: Siv tells himself that he would do anything to get what he wants, of course he would do anything, because if he can’t, well then that just means he’s a pathetic coward who doesn’t deserve happiness anyways. So of course he claims that he will do anything, even killing someone.

What would your OC do if they were given god-like powers or the ability to change anything about the world for a whole day?

Siv would eliminate all shitty parents, maybe also give revive some dead people, and also permanently have a giant neon green tattoo of a dick be on Ligero’s forehead. Assivus would do the first thing, but he might also make everyone who has ever wronged him suffer for a very long time on top of that.

Describe one of your OC’s worst nightmares.

- Oh no, made a ficlet.

The first night he was in the castle, he had a dream.

There was a man, sitting across from him, dressed in glittering gold, with a green sash wrapped across his chest and waist. He was tapping his long nails against a desk, HIS desk, the white and purple quill still in the cup of ink, and blank parchment in front of him.

The man looked very out of place, and that was ignoring the fact that he was a withering corpse.

You’re dashing, aren’t you? The man said, still tapping his fingers. That’s when Siv realized that he was just sitting opposite to him, in the seat where guests were supposed to be. He tried to speak, but couldn’t. He tried to move, but couldn’t. He tried to blink, but didn’t.

He sat there and listened to the man, attentively.

Do you know what you’re doing here, Asunder? the man asked. Asivus didn’t. Do you know why I’ve allowed you here? What you are?

Siv didn’t know, but he couldn’t exactly express as such.

That’s because you don’t need to know. At least for now. The man leaned forward like mist, disappearing as Siv felt something pass through him, he couldn’t turn to look behind him as a delicate hand was on his shoulder. You’ll know things when I want you to know. You’ll say things when I want them to be said. And you will do things when I want them to be done. Because I own you. Err...

The man suddenly stopped to think, leaning on the right arm of Siv’s chair, tapping his bony chin, as if he had made a casual slip of the tongue. Because...you owe me. Yes, that’s the word. I’ve helped you so much Assivus Asunder. Or “will?” “Have?” “Am currently?” Futures and times are a funny thing. I apologize, I’ll have my words sorted out into something more professional and proper in our future.

The man spun around, and suddenly, he was no longer a corpse, but a dashing Gerudo man, dressed brilliantly and handsomely. His eyes were no longer a hollow gold, but green, somehow familiar.

The room was no longer some dinky orator office, but the sanctum of the castle, the apex of the kingdom. The man snapped his head towards him.

Let me ask you something, Assivus Asunder: Would you rather be here?

He gestured to the grand view of the sanctum, the sunset casting striking shades of red, black, and gold across the towering walls.

Or here?

The world spun once again, and they were suddenly on a dark street. The houses of Rauru diced the stone brick pavement. Siv glanced around and saw himself, sitting on the ground. There were two knights, one of them cursing loudly, and the other laying down beside him. There was so much blood and he could feel himself floating closer and—

No. NO. Wait. STOP. PLEASE! He tried to speak, scream, anything. No sound came. He saw a sword, a dark and rich puddle that seemed to even reflect his own face and—

They were suddenly back in the office.

Which is better? What do you prefer, of the two? I’m assuming the former? The man looked at him. I will allow you to nod yes or no to the former.

Siv immediately nodded a yes.

Trick question!The man boomed. Both are fantastic places, environments that you should love and cherish. There is so much good hiding in the places you would least expect, Assivus. I’ll help you remember that.

The world was suddenly nothing. Nothing but black. Just him, in a chair, staring at this smiling, pleasant, scary, red haired man. 

Don’t you want help, Assivus? I think there’s something you want, that you need help attaining? Isn’t there something? There’s no shame in admitting.

Siv thought for a moment, then slowly nodded a yes.

Do you want MY help?

Uhh...Siv wasn’t sure what to make of that.

Perhaps you can do a favor for me?

Fuck no! was Siv’s immediate thought. Who the fuck—First off, I don’t think I really like you, actually, so— 

Oh that’s alright! The man was suddenly very close to his face. Oh shit, could he hear my thoughts? Assivus, you can do whatever you want to do to be happy. I don’t want to force anything from you. He patted his cheek with a very cold hand.

In fact, I’ve now decided you don’t have to do anything for me. I am going to help you, and you don’t need to do anything in return. The man stood back, clasping his hands together. How does that sound?

I... He tried to speak, but remembered he couldn’t even move his lips.

I’m sorry again, Asunder. Here, I’ll allow you to speak now. The man didn’t even wave a hand, but Siv could suddenly feel how hoarse and dry his throat was.

So how about it, Assivus Asunder? I want you to be in charge of your destiny, I want you to be in total control. I would never force anything from you, I will simply be here, by your side, helping here and there, as you...figure it all out. How is that? Does that sound alright?

Siv opened his mouth, but couldn’t decide the words. If I say yes can I go back to sleep? Hella tired...

The man didn’t move, but Siv someone sensed a whisper beckoning somewhere with a “Yes. We’re all tired of many things, aren’t we?”

“O-Ok...” Siv finally said. “Alright, sure. I don’t see why n—”

Before the words were fully out of his mouth, the world suddenly stopped dead, as quick as a snap. He awoke from his bed with a jolt, his heart racing like he had just run a marathon, even though he didn’t find those last moments to be that thrilling or terrifying.

Siv sat for a moment longer, trying to contemplate the dream. But as most dreams are, the memory of it fell out of his grasp like loose sand between his fingers, and soon enough, it was already gone.

He flopped back into bed with a sigh.

Whatever it was, it was probably nothing.

What advice would your OC give to their younger self? What advice does your OC need now?

Already answered in a previous ask c:

[bewitching-elizabeth-olsen]

Press: Elizabeth Olsen’s 20/21 Vision

The Marvel star takes us inside her transformation to a new kind of hero

GALLERY LINKS

Studio Photoshoots > 2021 > Session 002

Magazine Scans > 2021 > Grazia

  GRAZIA: Elizabeth Olsen is a trooper. We are in a field in Surrey on the outskirts of the Marvel studios; it’s a biting minus one and she is standing in a Chanel broderie anglaise sundress and increasingly soggy UGG boots. Her feline cheekbones face skywards, but Olsen is slowly sinking into the mud, trilling out high notes to keep herself warm (possibly distracted) and of course with spirits high. “It was the wind I think, that was worse than the sideways rain,” she jokes as we trundle back to the soundstage hangar that we are using as a studio. It’s the kind of moment that could go viral on Instagram, that is, if Olsen were on social media. Yet one of the biggest stars of our current cultural moment is completely offline – and that surprising fact might just be the least interesting thing about her. If anything, it is a sign of how Olsen has come into her own as a confident, decisive star with the power to create her own universe.

On the cusp of her 32nd birthday, Olsen is fastidious and professional, yes, but also bright, engaging, creative, and collaborative. Born and raised in the California sunshine, she is surprisingly at ease in the blustery conditions that deluge the English countryside in late January – or, it’s that she’s very good at acting. “It was one of the ugliest days of this winter – just hilarious – but I knew we wanted the shot,” the 31-year-old actress says.

Since October, Olsen’s been living in the leafy British countryside with her “man-guy-partner,” musician Robbie Arnett, just a short drive to the Surrey compound where Doctor Strange is being filmed. It’s a closed set, masked in secrecy as much as the socially distanced masked crew dotted all over the 200-acre studio. “It feels right being in a small city right now,” she says.

Indeed, Olsen is a modern-day Renaissance woman. Learned and dedicated to her craft, she studied at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, with a semester at the Moscow Art Theatre School studying Stanislavski. (Surely, no matter how much of a genius the Russian theatre master was, he never could have conceived of the Marvel universe.)

Approached with the concept of WandaVision, “I thought it was perfect for television, and a very original idea that made me excited,” Olsen says. Also, she was happy she would get to work with Bettany again: “He’s very precise, like me.”

In many ways, WandaVision is a love letter to the first American television heyday. Olsen, who stayed up late watching Nick at Nite reruns as a child, says it’s a bit of a homecoming in that way. “I was a very hammy, performative child,” she explains. “So, I do think I got to live out some sort of childhood dream doing the show.”

“The highlight was really getting to tell a story about these superhero individuals told in different decades of American sitcoms, trying to match the tone of those sitcoms in order to help orate the story,” she says. “But keep it playful and fun.” Little did she know just how much we’d need that.

Half-filmed pre-pandemic in Atlanta and half post-pandemic in LA – with a six-month hiatus in-between “until all the unions figured out to work safely” – WandaVision was released almost a year into the pandemic. In many ways, it is an artifact of its time: centered upon a yearning for the simplicity of earlier days, yet shot through with the creeping realization that such days may never return, and perhaps never existed to begin with.

Indeed, the weekly story of suburban superheroes Wanda and Vision has played out like a parable of our times: Wanda living in her chosen bubble, her trauma resonating in the world we find ourselves in today. Olsen appreciates a good metaphor, but feels people may be projecting a bit much. “I see Wanda as a victim of extreme trauma, who does not understand how to process it,” she explains. “She has been a human experiment.” (Not to belabor the point, but haven’t we all?)

Being summoned by Marvel is like being called to a parallel universe for an actor: thrilling, yes, but not without a tinge of terror and a dash of the unknown. Six years in, though, it’s become like family in some ways. As a member of two dynasties – Olsen and Marvel – family is key to Olsen. She checks in on her mom (who still lives in California) and, like many American daughters, is researching which vaccine mom should get.

The performative gene runs strong through her family, of course – and no, we don’t mean her sisters. Olsen’s mom was a ballerina. Still, when she first started auditioning, Olsen took special care to carve her own path – one far from Full House. “Nepotism is a thing and I’m very aware of it,” she says. “And of course, I’ve always wanted to do it alone.” She did just that, her acting credentials consistently rising as her sister’s cemented their fashion kudos. Olsen bears a noticeable resemblance to her fashion-designer older sisters and her sartorial DNA is similarly low-key. She loves The Row (of course) and NYC label Khaite’s denim and cashmere.

For Olsen, her day job is like playing dress-up. This time around, she walked away from WandaVision with the girdle worn underneath her 50s wedding dress, laughing, “I mean, to have a custom undergarment like that, I felt like it was necessary!” Her WandaVision co-star, Kathryn Hahn, also became her shopping cohort when filming.

“She’s dangerous!” Olsen says. “She has the most exquisite, minimal but expensive taste.” It was Hahn who led Olsen to the independent boutique where she found the belted Julia Jentzsch trench that she wore to our shoot.

At the rail of samples compiled by the stylist, Olsen gravitates towards a spacious linen boilersuit and longline cashmere cardigan. Has she always been a tomboy, I ask? “I think I felt uncomfortable being a child being told they were pretty,” she says of her early auditions at age 10, adding that her love of ballet and musical theater could leave her “feeling exposed” at a young age.

Speaking of over-exposure, Olsen is distinctly offline in a time when so many are defined by their social media presence. Among celebrities and regular digital citizens, the perfect balance of online and off is up for debate, but Olsen is clear: social media saturation is a choice for all of us, and everyone needs to draw their own boundaries.

“It has to be a personal decision, right?” she begins. “So, my opinion has nothing to do with what anyone else does or doesn’t do with it.” Her own journey began when she momentarily dabbled with Instagram (since deleted), while filming Ingrid Goes West, director Matt Spicer’s frightening and funny debut feature about a social stalker, co-starring Aubrey Plaza.

Up until that time, she says, “I had never touched it before. I thought, ‘This is an interesting social experiment for myself, to see if it is a good source to talk about charities or a good source to talk about small projects, or to share something goofier about myself.’ But I think at the end of the day, what I discovered was one, I’m really bad at creating a perceived identity!”

“I didn’t find it very organic to who I am as a person,” she continues. “I found some joy in putting up silly videos, but I think the main reason I stopped – not I think, I know the main reason why I stopped – was because of the organization in my brain.”

“Lots of horrible things happen all the time. Or, lots of great things happen all the time. Whether it’s something terrifying, like a natural disaster or a school shooting or a death, there are so many things that happen, and I love processing information. I love reading articles. I love listening to podcasts. I love communicating about things that are happening in the world to people around me. And what I don’t love is that my brain organization was saying, ‘Should I post about this?’ That seemed very unhealthy ….”

“And to then contribute to these platitudes that I don’t really love, you have to subscribe to two different ways of thinking,” she says. “So, I didn’t like that, and there was a lot of it that was just bothering me for my own sake of what value systems I have.”

That’s not to say that there’s any inherent value system – pro or con – in using Instagram. Olsen is clear that like any other method of expression, it’s up to the individual to use it as they see fit. “I do see a use of it and how you can use it well for work,” she says. “But I don’t think that I would like to use that tool to promote myself.”

She’s private for a millennial yes, but not prim. On the photoshoot, lockdown experiences were shared, and Olsen recounted her (hilarious) first at-home bikini wax: banishing her husband upstairs “for an extended chat with his therapist,” her trusted waxer on speed dial, and microwave set to ping! (Yes, Olsen is a trooper, as I mentioned.)

We catch up over Zoom a week later, her hair once again pulled up in a casual topknot, her cashmere turtleneck simmering in a dark claret, and her entire being suffused with covetable understatement. She chats buoyantly against an unexpected backdrop of pirate ship wallpaper in the playroom of a house she shares with Arnett, who proposed with an emerald and diamond ring in 2019.

“We first started to try to make it the gym, but it was so cramped,” she says of the jolly space. The home gym was instead awarded a larger room, where Olsen loves to maintain a varied fitness regime – running, yoga, dancing, more – though after all the intense Marvel filming, she jokes, “maybe it’s time to give up on my body?!” Being comic book fit does sound grueling or “time-consuming fun” as she anoints the “strenuous physical demands.”

Like most of us, she is longing for the spring, but she still takes a regular constitutional walk in a nearby Richmond park, whatever the weather. “The deer are incredible; every time I see them I feel alive,” she says. “We have been lucky to have nature around us in lockdown.” It’s a marked difference from her paparazzi-populated home in the Hills. “They know our walks, where we get coffee, work-out…,” she trails off.

Her haven in Los Angeles is her backyard, complete with a mid-century swimming pool and an edible garden. “It’s crazy the blackberries grow like weeds! I love watching a kid’s first reaction to an edible garden,” she gushes That has been the part of the pandemic travel restrictions she’s found hardest: missing her friend’s children growing up, and others who have been born this past year that she’s yet to meet. They will no doubt all be treated to her homemade blackberry sorbet on her return stateside.

Yet, her time on British soil will likely be prolonged, with a prospective indie commencing filming here when Doctor Strange wraps. Prompted for more detail, her firm charm kicks in. “I can’t jinx it!” she insists. Still, she will share that she’s heavily involved in the creative, and that funding smaller productions in the current climate has been a challenge.

Through it all, Olsen has remained determined and calm. “I feel patience is my superpower. But my weakness also,” she says. “I feel like it gets tested more than others who don’t have a lot of patience. If someone learns you’re easygoing or that you’re relaxed, sometimes it gets taken advantage of.” While she waits for the green light on that film, she is busy producing a new children’s cartoon with Arnett, “about loving and caring for our world,” and has also written a children’s book about to be published by Random House, all while the demands of Marvel life continue to surround her.

Indeed, Olsen is a superhero for the modern age: Multi-hyphenate, but fiercely devoted to the craft that she loves; instantly recognizable, yet thoughtfully protective of her private life; a woman with style, substance, success, and deep rewarding relationships with those around her; focused on a vision of a better world for us all.

Press: Elizabeth Olsen’s 20/21 Vision was originally published on Elizabeth Olsen Source • Your source for everything Elizabeth Olsen

[azeez-unv]

UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHILDREN'S LEARNING STYLE

தமிழில்

Learning style is a person's natural way of acquiring (getting) knowledge or skill.

It is a person's preferred mode of taking in concepts, facts or information with less mental effort or strain.

Every human being has their own unique learning styles. It is one instinct out of the several human instincts we are born with.

In every individual, there are some learning styles that are more developed than others. Some are more dominant than others.

Learning styles can be cultivated, nurtured and developed to produce maximally.

A pupil's learning style is his unique pattern of absorbing or understanding a concept, topic or lesson as an individual entity in his classroom.

Through a child's learning style, he can quickly understand an idea, a concept or skill easily.

A child's learning style often influences his/her career choice as teenagers/adults.

It could determine what profession or vocation they choose to engage in.

This is one of the reasons it can be so counterproductive when a child is compelled to study or become what he does not have a natural flair for.

It has also been observed that most intelligent and successful people have more than one learning styles.

They usually have their primary learning styles and secondary learning styles

This statement is equally through for almost all children. A child can have several learning styles but there will be one that is very dominant among others

TYPES OF LEARNERS

There are seven types of learners in our classrooms when grouped according to their learning styles.

As I mention the different types of learners, I will also give sufficient descriptions to help us identify the primary learning style of each child/pupil/student that fits into that category.

1. VISUAL LEARNERS

This class of learners prefer to learn by looking at the pictures, images, objects or symbols of whatever they are being taught.

They learn best by seeing what they are being taught.

They use the power of sight to their advantage a great deal when it comes to learning.

They like to observe things in their environment and can easily spot any difference if there has been a change to those things.

They can easily remember and describe any object or face they have seen before.

They like to use images/drawings (e.g. cartoon) to express/illustrate their thoughts and emotions.

They do well, often, in art and designs activities or tasks.

2. AUDITORY LEARNERS

This category of learners love to learn through music, rhymes or songs.

They engage their hearing faculty to get the best out of anything they have to learn.

Auditory learners find it relatively easy to process whatever they hear in their mind's eye

This quality helps them to excel in any activity that involves mental reasoning or calculations like quiz competition and mental sums.

They also take a spontaneous interest in musical appreciation.

The sound of anything attracts their attention almost instantly

They have a strong tendency to remember the lyrics of a songs for a long time.

They find it easy to mimic any sound/voice they hear

Some also like to make noise a lot as they detest quiet environment

3. VERBAL LEARNERS

They have their strengths in linguistic abilities.

They are powerful with words both in speech and writing.

They can learn different languages easily.

They have strong cognitive skills in spelling, creative writing (composition) and comprehension

They are powerful orators and they are good at delivering impromptu speeches.

They express themselves so easily with words.

They excel in extra curricular activities that involves words ( e g. debate).

4. KINESTHETIC LEARNERS

This group of learners engage their sense of touch a lot when learning.

They do well in learning activities that involve doing and moving.

They like to have sensory contacts with objects or people during learning activities.

They excel in technical skills.

They are usually energetic and tactile learners.

They have passion for sporting activities.

They find it difficult and annoying to sit still in a class for a long time without doing any activity that involves movement.

They rejoice best/most when it is break time.

5. LOGICAL LEARNERS

They prefer using logic, reasoning, systems and patterns to learn.

They are very analytical and mathematical in the way they embrace learning activities.

They are very good with numbers and calculations.

They possess fantastic thinking skills/abilities

They are good at putting things together in an orderly/ well-arranged manner.

They are good at organization skills. They can organize people, things or events very well

They are also very creative with concepts and objects (e.g.with toys, equipment, gadgets, etc. They like to assemble things.

6. SOCIAL LEARNERS

This category of learners prefer to learn in groups or with other pupils.

Lessons feel boring to them when there are no learning mates and vice versa.

They like to learn cooperatively

They also love to share what they learn or know with others.

They are very good at peer teaching activities.

They derive pleasure in collaborating with others to solve learning tasks. (e.g. solving academic exercises or studying in preparation for exams)

They are very sensitive to the emotions of the people around them.

They pay low attention during one-on-one lessons. Rather, they will want to turn the learning session into a chatting time.

They, specially, love to have as much fun as possible mixed with the learning activities.

7. SOLITARY LEARNERS

These learners prefer to learn alone.

They like to use self study to get on with their learning needs and activities.

They are independent learners.

They are usually internally driven/motivated to learn.

They prefer to learn at their own pace and time.

They need less external motivation to learn.

They don't like to be rushed or pushed to learn and may resist any attempt to be forced to learn when they are not motivated from within to do so.

Their self confidence and self esteem can easily be damaged if handled by someone who doesn't understand them

They do well in one-on-one learning sessions when they are in their learning modes ( particularly for preschool kids).

Their emotions and moods are part of the factors that influence what they get out of a learning activity.

They like to learn in quiet environments.

They have a strong sense of personal pride in their own abilty to learn independently as teenagers/adults.

Every learning style can be nurtured, stimulated and developed to produce at maximum capacity provided they are identified early and steps are taken to channel them into a productive force within the individual child.

May all our children/learners succeed excellently in their academic and life pursuits.

உங்கள் குழந்தைகளின் கற்றல் பாணியைப் புரிந்துகொள்வது

கற்றல் பாணி என்பது ஒரு நபரின் அறிவு அல்லது திறமையைப் பெறுவதற்கான (பெறுவதற்கான) இயல்பான வழியாகும்.

கருத்துக்கள், உண்மைகள் அல்லது தகவல்களை குறைந்த மன முயற்சி அல்லது சிரமத்துடன் எடுத்துக்கொள்வது ஒரு நபரின் விருப்பமான முறையாகும்.

ஒவ்வொரு மனிதனுக்கும் தனித்தனியான கற்றல் பாணிகள் உள்ளன. நாம் பிறக்கும் பல மனித உள்ளுணர்வுகளில் இது ஒரு உள்ளுணர்வு.

ஒவ்வொரு நபரிடமும், மற்றவர்களை விட மேம்பட்ட சில கற்றல் பாணிகள் உள்ளன. சிலர் மற்றவர்களை விட அதிக ஆதிக்கம் செலுத்துகிறார்கள்.

கற்றல் பாணிகளை பயிரிடலாம், வளர்க்கலாம் மற்றும் அதிகபட்சமாக உற்பத்தி செய்யலாம்.

ஒரு மாணவரின் கற்றல் பாணி என்பது ஒரு கருத்து, தலைப்பு அல்லது பாடத்தை அவரது வகுப்பறையில் ஒரு தனிப்பட்ட நிறுவனமாக உள்வாங்குவது அல்லது புரிந்துகொள்வது.

ஒரு குழந்தையின் கற்றல் பாணி மூலம், அவர் ஒரு யோசனை, ஒரு கருத்து அல்லது திறமையை எளிதில் புரிந்து கொள்ள முடியும்.

ஒரு குழந்தையின் கற்றல் பாணி பெரும்பாலும் பதின்வயதினர்/பெரியவர்கள் என அவரது/அவளுடைய தொழில் தேர்வை பாதிக்கிறது.

அவர்கள் எந்தத் தொழில் அல்லது தொழிலில் ஈடுபடத் தேர்வு செய்கிறார்கள் என்பதை இது தீர்மானிக்கும்.

ஒரு குழந்தை படிக்க வேண்டிய நிர்ப்பந்தம் ஏற்பட்டால் அல்லது தனக்கு இயல்பான திறமை இல்லாததாக மாறும்போது அது மிகவும் எதிர்மறையாக இருக்க இதுவும் ஒரு காரணம்.

மிகவும் புத்திசாலி மற்றும் வெற்றிகரமான மக்கள் ஒன்றுக்கு மேற்பட்ட கற்றல் பாணிகளைக் கொண்டுள்ளனர் என்பதும் கவனிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

அவர்கள் வழக்கமாக தங்கள் முதன்மை கற்றல் பாணிகளையும் இரண்டாம் நிலை கற்றல் பாணிகளையும் கொண்டுள்ளனர்

இந்த அறிக்கை கிட்டத்தட்ட எல்லா குழந்தைகளுக்கும் சமமாக உள்ளது. ஒரு குழந்தை பல கற்றல் பாணிகளைக் கொண்டிருக்கலாம், ஆனால் மற்றவற்றில் மிகவும் ஆதிக்கம் செலுத்தும் ஒன்று இருக்கும்

கற்பவர்களின் வகைகள்

நம் வகுப்பறைகளில் கற்றல் முறைக்கு ஏற்ப ஏழு வகையான கற்பவர்கள் உள்ளனர்.

பல்வேறு வகையான கற்பவர்களைப் பற்றி நான் குறிப்பிடுவது போல, ஒவ்வொரு குழந்தை/மாணவர்/மாணவியின் முதன்மைக் கற்றல் பாணியை அந்த வகைக்கு ஏற்றவாறு அடையாளம் காணும் வகையில் போதுமான விளக்கங்களையும் தருகிறேன்.

1. காட்சி கற்றவர்கள்

இந்த வகுப்பினர் கற்பிக்கப்படும் படங்கள், படங்கள், பொருள்கள் அல்லது சின்னங்களைப் பார்த்து கற்க விரும்புகிறார்கள்.

அவர்கள் கற்பிக்கப்படுவதைப் பார்த்து அவர்கள் சிறப்பாகக் கற்றுக்கொள்கிறார்கள்.

அவர்கள் கற்றல் என்று வரும்போது பார்வை சக்தியை தங்களுக்கு சாதகமாக பயன்படுத்துகிறார்கள்.

அவர்கள் தங்கள் சூழலில் உள்ள விஷயங்களைக் கவனிக்க விரும்புகிறார்கள் மற்றும் அந்த விஷயங்களில் மாற்றம் ஏற்பட்டால், எந்த வித்தியாசத்தையும் எளிதாகக் கண்டறிய முடியும்.

அவர்கள் முன்பு பார்த்த எந்தப் பொருளையோ அல்லது முகத்தையோ எளிதாக நினைவில் வைத்து விவரிக்க முடியும்.

அவர்கள் தங்கள் எண்ணங்களையும் உணர்ச்சிகளையும் வெளிப்படுத்த/விளக்க படங்கள்/வரைபடங்களை (எ.கா. கார்ட்டூன்) பயன்படுத்த விரும்புகிறார்கள்.

அவர்கள் பெரும்பாலும் கலை மற்றும் வடிவமைப்பு செயல்பாடுகள் அல்லது பணிகளை சிறப்பாக செய்கிறார்கள்.

2. செவிவழிக் கற்றவர்கள்

இந்த வகை கற்பவர்கள் இசை, ரைம்கள் அல்லது பாடல்கள் மூலம் கற்றுக்கொள்ள விரும்புகிறார்கள்.

அவர்கள் கற்றுக் கொள்ள வேண்டிய எதையும் சிறப்பாகப் பெறுவதற்கு அவர்கள் கேட்கும் திறனை ஈடுபடுத்துகிறார்கள்.

செவிவழி கற்பவர்கள் தங்கள் மனக்கண்ணில் கேட்பதைச் செயலாக்குவது ஒப்பீட்டளவில் எளிதானது

வினாடி வினா போட்டி மற்றும் மனத் தொகைகள் போன்ற மனப் பகுத்தறிவு அல்லது கணக்கீடுகளை உள்ளடக்கிய எந்தவொரு செயலிலும் சிறந்து விளங்க இந்தத் தரம் அவர்களுக்கு உதவுகிறது.

அவர்கள் இசை ரசனையில் தன்னிச்சையான ஆர்வம் காட்டுகிறார்கள்.

எந்த ஒரு சத்தமும் உடனடியாக அவர்களின் கவனத்தை ஈர்க்கிறது

அவர்கள் ஒரு பாடலின் வரிகளை நீண்ட காலமாக நினைவில் வைத்திருக்கும் வலுவான போக்கைக் கொண்டுள்ளனர்.

அவர்கள் கேட்கும் எந்த ஒலி/குரலையும் எளிதாகப் பிரதிபலிக்கிறார்கள்

சிலர் அமைதியான சூழலை வெறுப்பதால் சத்தம் போடவும் விரும்புகிறார்கள்

3. வாய்மொழி கற்பவர்கள்

மொழியியல் திறன்களில் அவர்களின் பலம் உள்ளது.

அவர்கள் பேச்சிலும் எழுத்திலும் வார்த்தைகளால் சக்தி வாய்ந்தவர்கள்.

அவர்கள் வெவ்வேறு மொழிகளை எளிதாகக் கற்றுக்கொள்ள முடியும்.

அவர்கள் எழுத்துப்பிழை, படைப்பு எழுதுதல் (கலவை) மற்றும் புரிந்துகொள்வதில் வலுவான அறிவாற்றல் திறன்களைக் கொண்டுள்ளனர்.

அவர்கள் ஆற்றல் மிக்க சொற்பொழிவாளர்கள் மற்றும் முன்னறிவிப்பு இல்லாத உரைகளை வழங்குவதில் வல்லவர்கள்.

அவர்கள் தங்களை வார்த்தைகளால் மிக எளிதாக வெளிப்படுத்துகிறார்கள்.

சொற்களை உள்ளடக்கிய கூடுதல் பாடத்திட்ட நடவடிக்கைகளில் அவர்கள் சிறந்து விளங்குகிறார்கள் (எ.கா. விவாதம்).

4. இயக்கவியல் கற்றவர்கள்

கற்கும் போது இந்த கற்கும் குழு அவர்களின் தொடு உணர்வை அதிகம் ஈடுபடுத்துகிறது.

அவர்கள் செய்தல் மற்றும் நகர்த்துவதை உள்ளடக்கிய கற்றல் செயல்பாடுகளை சிறப்பாகச் செய்கிறார்கள்.

அவர்கள் கற்றல் நடவடிக்கைகளின் போது பொருள்கள் அல்லது நபர்களுடன் உணர்ச்சித் தொடர்புகளைப் பெற விரும்புகிறார்கள்.

அவர்கள் தொழில்நுட்ப திறன்களில் சிறந்து விளங்குகிறார்கள்.

அவர்கள் பொதுவாக ஆற்றல் மிக்கவர்கள் மற்றும் தொட்டுணரக்கூடியவர்கள்.

அவர்கள் விளையாட்டு நடவடிக்கைகளில் ஆர்வம் கொண்டவர்கள்.

அசைவு சம்பந்தப்பட்ட எந்தச் செயலையும் செய்யாமல் நீண்ட நேரம் வகுப்பில் அமர்ந்திருப்பது அவர்களுக்குக் கடினமாகவும் எரிச்சலூட்டுவதாகவும் இருக்கிறது.

இடைவேளையின் போது அவர்கள் சிறப்பாக/அதிகமாக மகிழ்ச்சி அடைகிறார்கள்.

5. லாஜிக்கல் கற்றவர்கள்

அவர்கள் கற்றுக்கொள்வதற்கு தர்க்கம், பகுத்தறிவு, அமைப்புகள் மற்றும் வடிவங்களைப் பயன்படுத்த விரும்புகிறார்கள்.

அவர்கள் எண்கள் மற்றும் கணக்கீடுகளில் மிகச் சிறந்தவர்கள்.

அவர்கள் அற்புதமான சிந்தனைத் திறன்/திறன்களைக் கொண்டுள்ளனர்

அவர்கள் விஷயங்களை ஒழுங்காக/நன்றாக ஏற்பாடு செய்வதில் வல்லவர்கள்.

அவர்கள் அமைப்பு திறன்களில் சிறந்தவர்கள். அவர்கள் மக்கள், விஷயங்கள் அல்லது நிகழ்வுகளை நன்றாக ஒழுங்கமைக்க முடியும்

அவர்கள் கருத்துக்கள் மற்றும் பொருள்களுடன் மிகவும் ஆக்கப்பூர்வமாக இருக்கிறார்கள் (எ.கா. பொம்மைகள், உபகரணங்கள், கேஜெட்டுகள் போன்றவை. அவர்கள் பொருட்களைச் சேகரிக்க விரும்புகிறார்கள்.

6. சமூகக் கற்றவர்கள்

இந்த வகை கற்பவர்கள் குழுக்களாக அல்லது மற்ற மாணவர்களுடன் கற்க விரும்புகிறார்கள்.

கற்கும் தோழர்கள் இல்லாதபோது பாடங்கள் அவர்களுக்கு சலிப்பை ஏற்படுத்துகின்றன.

அவர்கள் ஒத்துழைப்புடன் கற்க விரும்புகிறார்கள்

அவர்கள் தாங்கள் கற்றுக்கொண்டதை அல்லது அறிந்ததை மற்றவர்களுடன் பகிர்ந்து கொள்ள விரும்புகிறார்கள்.

அவர்கள் சக கற்பித்தல் நடவடிக்கைகளில் சிறந்தவர்கள்.

கற்றல் பணிகளைத் தீர்க்க மற்றவர்களுடன் ஒத்துழைப்பதில் அவர்கள் மகிழ்ச்சியைப் பெறுகிறார்கள். (எ.கா. கல்விப் பயிற்சிகளைத் தீர்ப்பது அல்லது தேர்வுகளுக்கான தயாரிப்பில் படிப்பது)

அவர்கள் தங்களைச் சுற்றியுள்ள மக்களின் உணர்ச்சிகளுக்கு மிகவும் உணர்திறன் உடையவர்கள்.

அவர்கள் ஒருவரையொருவர் பாடத்தின் போது குறைந்த கவனம் செலுத்துகிறார்கள். மாறாக, அவர்கள் கற்றல் அமர்வை அரட்டை நேரமாக மாற்ற விரும்புவார்கள்.

அவர்கள், குறிப்பாக, கற்றல் நடவடிக்கைகளுடன் முடிந்தவரை வேடிக்கையாக இருக்க விரும்புகிறார்கள்.

7. தனிமையில் கற்பவர்கள்

இந்த கற்பவர்கள் தனியாக கற்க விரும்புகிறார்கள்.

அவர்கள் தங்கள் கற்றல் தேவைகள் மற்றும் செயல்பாடுகளுடன் சுய படிப்பைப் பயன்படுத்த விரும்புகிறார்கள்.

அவர்கள் சுதந்திரமாக கற்பவர்கள்.

அவை பொதுவாக உள் உந்துதல்/கற்றுக்கொள்வதற்கான உந்துதல்.

அவர்கள் தங்கள் வேகத்திலும் நேரத்திலும் கற்றுக்கொள்ள விரும்புகிறார்கள்.

கற்றுக்கொள்வதற்கு அவர்களுக்கு குறைவான வெளிப்புற உந்துதல் தேவை.

அவர்கள் அவசரப்படுவதையோ அல்லது கற்கத் தள்ளப்படுவதையோ விரும்ப மாட்டார்கள், மேலும் அவர்கள் அவ்வாறு செய்ய உள்ளிருந்து உந்துதல் இல்லாதபோது கட்டாயப்படுத்தப்படும் எந்தவொரு முயற்சியையும் எதிர்க்கலாம்.

அவர்களைப் புரிந்துகொள்ளாத ஒருவரால் கையாளப்பட்டால் அவர்களின் தன்னம்பிக்கை மற்றும் சுயமரியாதை எளிதில் சேதமடையும்

அவர்கள் கற்றல் முறைகளில் (குறிப்பாக பாலர் குழந்தைகளுக்கு) இருக்கும்போது ஒருவருக்கொருவர் கற்றல் அமர்வுகளில் சிறப்பாகச் செயல்படுகிறார்கள்.

அவர்களின் உணர்ச்சிகள் மற்றும் மனநிலைகள் ஒரு கற்றல் செயல்பாட்டிலிருந்து அவர்கள் பெறுவதை பாதிக்கும் காரணிகளின் ஒரு பகுதியாகும்.

அவர்கள் அமைதியான சூழலில் கற்றுக்கொள்ள விரும்புகிறார்கள்.

அவர்கள் டீனேஜர்கள்/பெரியவர்கள் என சுதந்திரமாக கற்கும் தங்கள் சொந்த திறமையில் தனிப்பட்ட பெருமிதத்தின் வலுவான உணர்வைக் கொண்டுள்ளனர்.

ஒவ்வொரு கற்றல் பாணியையும் வளர்த்து, தூண்டிவிடலாம் மற்றும் அதிகபட்ச திறனில் உற்பத்தி செய்ய உருவாக்கலாம், அவை ஆரம்பத்திலேயே அடையாளம் காணப்பட்டு, தனிப்பட்ட குழந்தைக்குள் அவற்றை உற்பத்தி சக்தியாக மாற்ற நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்.

நம் குழந்தைகள்/கல்வியாளர்கள் அனைவரும் தங்கள் கல்வி மற்றும் வாழ்க்கைத் தேடல்களில் சிறப்பாக வெற்றி பெறட்டும்.

[astroismypassion]

Wishing you a very happy birthday♥️🌹 Thank you for taking the time out of your special day to do this!!! I was born on September 26th 1996 at 12:11am in Lake Havasu City, Arizona 😊

Thank you, sweetheart! 

This is the precious lady who bought me coffee today, readers of this blog! She has very impressionable eyes too. It’s like they have a sparkle! 

I actually spent about 20 min just researching Lake Havasu City haha. It’s SO cool! I’m from Europe, so the closest it reminded me to was to Amsterdam, with all the colourful boats...

Anyhow, I got sidetracked a bit...

Here is interpretation of your chart: 

With your Libra Sun and Cancer Rising, you seem this ambivert, like a mix of social Libra and slightly more private and introverted Cancer. With your Cancer ASC and Pisces MC you are here to help others and heal yourself while doing this. Your written and spoken word is amazing. You possess analytical thinking skills and you are a skilled orator. You might be fond of communication and expressing yourself through written word. You seem to be inclined to write about sprititual topics, higher knowledge, travels, expanding our horizons, even health, organic foods, how food affects our mind, pets, daily routine, lifestyle, daily habits and day-to-day life. You find expressing yourself through written word comes more naturally, because you have more time “perfecting” and crafting your thoughts. You probably “obssess” a bit over how perfect you want to come across in conversation, communication in general, even to your sibilings and near environment. Though I’m not sure, you have sibilings. You might be an only child or have multiple sibilings from expanded family. You might have been quite a timid, shy child, who grew up in a reserved and cautious individual. People perceive you as a mix of Cancer and Pisces. You strive to be remembered as compassionate, giving, kind, yet serious, hard-working and diligent. You might see yourself quite hurt or healed, or both, by Libras. Especially in regards to topics of family, your upbringing, your mother, your roots, how your were raised and grew up. You might have experience bullying within your family. OR your parents divorced or signs some legal documents you did not agree with. This might have resulted in you having one on one relationship troubles. You don’t seem to function in those well. You become either too compromising or contradicting the other person a lot. You are quite indecisive in you one on one relationships, especially romantic ones. You might think “yes, this is the perfect partner for me” and not be so sure the next day. You tend to doubt yourself a lot due to your past deceivings. You might be actually pretty good in work from home or in an administration field, or somewhere highly formal and structured. You would do great in counselling, theraphy, marriage theraphy, home counselling or to young adult, teenagers who grew up in tough home environments. This would help you to resolve your own relationship with your family and to heal yourself. You have a lot of healing energy. You’d be great as masseur too, because of your Virgo on the 3rd house, which give you very healing touch and “healing” hands. Aroma theraphy, reflexology also. Anyhow, your teach is amazing and you might be complimented on it a lot. You have the power to put people to sleep. Your Jupiter is in Capricorn and you might notice a sort of “pause” in your career. Or see that it times some time for it to take off. Don’t worry it WILL happen, just grow more patience towards it. When the take off will happen, you will be twice as happy and lucky, because your Jupiter resides in Capricorn. 

RELATIONSHIPS

You might attract a lot of Scorpios and Sagittariuses at the early stages of love affairs and flings. Those might be your friends too. Along with Taurus, Gemini and Aries. Beware you might be prone to overdoing your hobbies, interests, partying, spare time. You will be extreme with those hobbies. Either all in or all out. Totally self-control or hedonism to maximum. Beware of partying, having fun with any psychedelics, weed, prescription pills, because you might be prone to those. Especially when you are in highly emotional state. At the early stage, you’d think this is the perfect lover, but in long term you will be decieved or become bored with them even. They might not be what you expected them to be. So sudden changes and rapture might happen often. If you ever get married or attached for the long run, you will become highly attached from them. Even grow more mental, intellectual in your relationship. Later on you might become more promiscious if bored or not stimulated and entertained by your partner enough. Though, in early stages you are L-O-Y-A-L to a fault even. In long term relations you might attract Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Some people who either need your saving or want to control you. If you decide to have any children, they will be intense, mysterious, might keep secret from you, they will be adventurous, spiritual and freedom loving. You might like an only child or a lot of them, no inbetween. Pregnancy would be a highly transfomative experience for you. Very life changing, you might experience completely new perspective on life, because of your Pluto in the 5th. Here, beware also of any difficulties with getting pregnant or having troubles and emotional turmoil WHILE being pregnant. You might see a lot of raptures, sudden changes, relationships which start quickly and end just as quickly. It’s because you need to learn how to be your own friend, partner first and not depend on others too much for emotional support. 

You might have had quite boundaryless relationship with your mother. She might have sacrificed a lot for you too. Or she might be adventurous, freedom loving also. You father was kind, but also sensitive or overdramatic sometimes. One of the parental figures or both were overcritical, over nit-picking when you where growing up. Your father might have been physically or emotionally not present. He might have been away a lot due to his job, work, bussiness. Either way you are not as close to him or feel like you don’t know him enough. 

You appreciate the hustle and know how to work hard. You try to make money and you are proactive about your own self care also. You spend money on beauty products, all that enhances your beauty, physical, mental image. You like to self improve and might give tips on self improvement to your siblings, friends, close environment. You will be lucky when it comes to your every day work, job, because you will be naturally lucky and respected. You might require a lot of personal freedom in your daily life. But you are also very serious and dedicated worker. With that Leo Venus, Mars in the 2nd house you demand A LOT from your relationships and have high standars. You know your worth and what you bring to the table. You dream of more practical type of success. You would like to see it materialize also. You might think about your own health a lot. But yet sometimes your oblivious to it, try to treat yourself too. Or balance both. Your family, relations and realtionships along with your finance, money, self-worth will be important topics throughout your life. 

I really tried doing my best with your interpretation. I understand how Pisces energy can be hard to grasp! 

And thank you for paying for my coffee intake, I was drinking flat white with vanilla rice milk while writing your intepretation. I thank you for that! You are a compassionate soul, who appreciates the effort others are putting in. I wish you all the bright days ahead. 

P.S.: If you have any more specific questions, message me. I’m willing to answer them. Take care, you are welcomed in this house any time for coffee and cake! ;) 

[heydisneyhiremeplease]

“You Really Can Sing!”

Word Count: 2,627

Warnings: None

Timeline: Takes place after Age of Ultron.

Imagine Key:

“y/f/c” = your favorite color

You checked your speed as you drove through the small local town, not wanting to get a ticket in Tony Stark’s car.  Since you didn’t own a car yourself, you talked Tony into letting you borrow his to go out and get groceries for everyone periodically.  He had agreed pretty easily, knowing how cautious you generally were, but had still given you one of his trademark “don’t break my toy” looks.  You were surprised he didn’t have you sign a formal written agreement.  You followed a pretty crazy list of everyone’s orders at the store, which included Poptarts for the Tower’s resident Asgardian.  You also bought vegetables and fruit, thinking maybe you could somehow convince some of the others to eat them.  Most of them wouldn’t be a problem, certainly not Steve, but with Tony and Thor you’d either have to force-feed them the veggies or sneak the healthy food into a dessert.

On your way back, you began singing along to the radio as the station played a current hit.  It was your favorite song at the moment, and since no one was around you sang as loudly as you wanted.  Your phone went off while you were stopped at a red light, and you reached over into the passenger seat to silence the ringing.  It was Tony, probably just curious about your ETA.  You were almost home, so you didn’t worry about picking up.

In truth, you loved singing and listening to music, but with the Facility so crowded with people who would probably just laugh at you for your song choices, you never did.  You felt free, and as you pulled into the Avenger Facility’s massive garage, you were sad that it had to end so soon.  Turning the radio back down, you shut off the car and carried the groceries inside.  As you unpacked the food and put it away, you were startled by sudden loud clapping coming from behind you.  You jumped a foot in the air and spun around to see the whole team applauding you.  You put a hand over your racing heart and tried to catch your breath, saying, “All I did was pick up some groceries, guys.  Didn’t even spend my own money, Tony paid for everything.”

“That is not what we are clapping for.” Thor clarified.  “You are a wonderful songstress, Lady (Y/N)!”  Your face immediately burned as red as the apples you’d just purchased.  How did they know you liked to sing?  You hadn’t so much as hummed quietly to yourself since you joined the team.  Guessing your confusion, Tony stepped forward.  “I didn’t spend as much as I did on that car for you not to connect your phone to it via Bluetooth.” he said in his usual snarky voice.  The puzzle pieces clicked into place in your mind, the great mystery suddenly solved.  You had never bothered to sync your phone to Tony’s car because you only ever took it out for trips to the store.  When he called you, you must have accidentally accepted the call instead of declining it.  You didn’t notice because the radio continued playing.  If your phone had been connected, the music would have shut off while you took the call.  The next part you assumed: Tony didn’t hang up when he realized you weren’t aware he was talking to you, but instead took his phone to show the others.

You dropped your head into your hands, wanting to hide somehow or disappear altogether.  “Oh no,” you whispered.  They knew.  They all knew.  Now they would tease you relentlessly for it.  “Why are you so embarrassed?” you heard Wanda question, walking over and lightly tugging your hands away from your face to make you look up.  “You’re a beautiful singer.  You should let me play music for you to sing to.”  You knew she referenced her guitar, for which she had little use other than to strum quietly every now and again to check if the strings were in tune.  “Oh, that would be lovely!” Vision said, in his gentle yet sincere voice.  You knew the comment was mainly for Wanda, whose knowledge of music he found fascinating.

“Okay,” you said nervously.  Maybe you’d do it, maybe not, but in that moment all you wanted was for the conversation to end so you could head back to your room and hide.  They took it as a sincere agreement, a promise to entertain them later, and clapped once more.  You were very upset by that point, and nodded uncomfortably before turning around to finish putting the cold items in the fridge.  You would get out of it somehow.  But to your chagrin, a couple hours later, Wanda knocked on your bedroom door to ask if you wanted to run through the song they’d caught you singing earlier before performing it.  She had learned how to play it and was excited to show everyone.  “Umm…” you stalled.  Wanda could read minds, why had she not seen that you were lying before?  “I know you’re nervous and that it bothers you that we know, but we enjoy your singing so much.  We honestly want to hear it.” she promised, coming over to sit on your bed with you and wrap an arm around your shoulder.  “I don’t think I can do it.” you confided, wide-eyed fear and panic present on your face.

“It is up to you in the end, (Y/N), but I would not lie to you.  And Vision would not either.  He still isn’t sure what the point of lying is.” Wanda giggled.  You were all still working on teaching Vision about living among humanity.  “Wanda,” you started, “Vision just wants to hear you play.  He likes you.  He doesn’t care what I do.”  Wanda rolled her eyes.  You had been persistently telling her about Vision’s crush, but she liked to laugh it off.  You knew that was because, deep down, she was falling for him and was too scared to become fully attached to someone she might lose.  “Well, I would like to hear you again.  Please, just run through it with me once and we can discuss the others another day.  I spent time learning this song for you, after all.” Wanda reasoned.  You knew she was right, so you sat still as she rolled through the song’s introductory chords before coming in on the first verse.  You finished the song a couple minutes later, and felt happy like you had accomplished something big.  “See?  That was not so bad!” Wanda exclaimed, nudging you in the shoulder.  You rolled your eyes, blushing.  “Maybe you will have some more confidence now.” she commented.  You doubted it, but didn’t fight her.

You both decided it was a good time to venture out to the kitchen to grab a couple of the apples you had bought, and when you opened your door, you saw the whole team standing outside of it.  The closest members nearly fell over on you as their support was pulled away.  Your joyousness faded to pure horror.  “How long have you guys been here?” you asked.  You knew the answer.  “Oh, you know, maybe three or four minutes.” Tony said.  You pushed past them, not wanting a repeat of the scene in the kitchen from a couple hours prior.  As you washed an apple, you felt tears prick at your eyes.  You felt betrayed, especially since Wanda had probably been able to tell that they were there.  Maybe she had even planned it.  “(Y/N), please don’t be mad at us.” Nat said softly from behind you.  “Too late for that.” you answered, a certain dejectedness cutting in your voice.  Nat sighed.  “Well, it was pretty.  You really are a good singer.”  You heard her retreating footsteps, and relaxed just a little.  You didn‘t want any of them coming up to you.  However, in one way or another, each member of the team offered you encouragement or an apology one by one over the course of the evening.

First, you returned to your room to find a note taped to your door in Bruce’s handwriting: “I’m sorry we snuck up on you.  I know I hate it when people do that to me.  At least you turn red and not green.”  As angry as you were, you couldn’t help but smile just a little at Bruce’s joke.  Next, Steve stopped you in the hall before dinner, and put a hand on your back as he walked with you down the hall.  “Sometimes people can be bullies.  Even the ones you least expect.  I’m sorry, (Y/N).”  You nodded in appreciation of his complete sincerity, but also in annoyance.  You just wanted the whole thing to go away, like it never happened.  But that would have been too easy, so the apologies and compliments continued until only Thor and Tony were left.

Thor caught you in the living room, where you were sitting on the couch checking your phone.  “Good evening, Lady (Y/N).” he started.  He was so amicable sometimes, with that twinkle in his eye, that it made you want to vomit.  You supposed that it came from being raised as a prince and having to impress and placate people all the time.  Not that Thor was always princely; he could certainly be barbaric as well.  But right at that moment, he wanted to get back on your good side, and he was turning on the charm.  “Hello, Thor.” you answered him, polite in word only.  Your tone was poisonous.  “I come bearing a peace offering, in hopes that you will grant me your forgiveness for my regrettable past behaviors.” he orated.  At this, you looked up, curious as to what he might have brought you.  It was a large (y/f/c) diamond.  Your eyes widened.  “Thor…is that…a real diamond?” you asked, knowing that anything was possible when it came to Thor’s shenanigans.  He seemed terribly confused.  “Well of course!  Are there fake diamonds on Midgard?”

You were stunned into silence for a moment.  Then, “Thor, where did you get that?”  He answered confidently and matter-of-factly.  “I returned to Asgard and retrieved it from Odin’s vault.  He will not miss it, there must be a thousand there exactly like it.”  He paused for a moment.  “Would you like more than one?  I might be able to slip in and out a second time to procure you another.  Or a dozen more!  Whatever you like.”  He smiled his princely smile, and you sat there with your eyebrows creased together.  That was the thing about Thor: his intentions were always good, but his actions were always over-the-top.

Because you knew he was completely serious, you answered, “No, no, just the one is more than enough.”  You stopped then, before finally realizing he expected you to confirm your forgiveness of his crime.  “I forgive you now.” you added.  If it was possible, his smile grew.  “Oh, that is most wonderful news, my friend.  I could not have lived another moment knowing I had offended you.  Shall I leave your gift in your quarters?  I fear it will be too heavy for your mortal hands to carry.” he said.  “Yes, that would be great.  Thank you, Thor.” you answered, and watched him finally walk out of the room, seemingly with a new spring in his step.  You rolled your eyes and laid an arm over your forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

You were getting a glass of water before going to shower when Tony crept up on you.  He scared you, and you had a brief coughing fit as some water went down the wrong way.  “Sorry about that.  Well, anyway, it’s too bad about the whole trying-to-get-you-to-sing-for-us thing.  I mean, most people would want that, usually the really bad singers, but hey, we’re all weird here.  Are we good?” he finished, holding his hand out for you to shake.  You looked at it, then up at him in minor disbelief.  It wasn’t a real apology.  You shook your head and turned around.  As usual, Tony didn’t get it.  “Hey, what’s wrong?” he called after you.  You debated whether or not to actually tell him.  When you heard his footsteps following you, you decided you’d had enough of being chased down for one day, and you exploded.  “What’s wrong?” you imitated.  “It was an accident that I answered your call in the car, Tony!  And when you realized it was, you didn’t just hang up like a polite person, you took the phone around and showed everyone.  I didn’t give you permission to do that!  I never sing here, why did you think that I would be fine with this?”  You had tears in your eyes, and you knew all the hurt that had been building up inside of you since the incident was written on your face.

Tony looked completely shocked.  “I…I…” was all he got out.  You locked eyes with him, allowing him to see your shame and embarrassment, which he had caused.  Suddenly, he spoke: “I’m sorry, (Y/N).  I really didn’t think it would be a big deal.  You’re a great singer, I knew everyone would be proud of you and want to hear it, I just went with my first thought.  I should’ve known.  I’m sorry.”  You were taken aback.  A real apology, from Tony Stark.  Maybe it was the surprise, maybe it was the fact that he meant it, but your response was immediate forgiveness.  “Okay.  Thank you.” you said.  “Really?  J-Just like that?” Tony asked.  Now he was the one who was surprised. “Yeah.  You apologized, so has everyone else more or less.  I’m fine.  What happened, happened.  And the more I think about it, some of it’s my fault.  I should’ve been paying a lot more attention to what was going on.  I might’ve noticed your voice coming from my phone if the radio wasn’t so loud.  So, I’m kind of sorry, too.”

Out of nowhere, Wanda appeared and wrapped you in a hug, followed by the rest of the team.  There was a great chorus of “I’m sorry!” and “You really can sing!” before you were finally released from the center of the pile.  “So, will you sing for us now?” Wanda asked, just as hopeful as before.  She was holding her guitar by its neck, and you wondered how it had avoided being crushed in the hug.  The rest of the team had puppy dog eyes, and the excitement on Tony’s face was what led you to finally concede. “Okay!  But just this once.” you said, equal parts exasperation and joy.  Yes, you would sing for them.  If it would finally get them off your back, you would sing for them.

But it wasn’t just once.  It was many times, because after that night, when you denied them a second song, the team got crafty.  They started playing music in the Facility all the time, knowing that if they left it going you would begin to absentmindedly sing along.  They let you pick your favorite Disney movie on movie night, which they had previously always vetoed, hoping you would join in with the musical numbers.  Tony bought you tickets to a concert by your favorite artist, figuring that the songs would be stuck in your head for a couple days and you’d sing them without thinking.  Wanda would strum your favorite songs on the guitar, and Nat would gently hum them, betting that once a tune was started you would finish it.  In these ways, they listened to you sing all the time.  It took you a month to figure out what they were doing, but once you did, you were never more grateful for the day that Tony Stark betrayed your biggest secret.

Note: This one has existed for a pretty good while, but I felt like it wasn’t ready to go yet.  Went over it again today and after some changes, I think it’s halfway decent.  Hope you thought it was cute.

Masterlist!

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 8: Mission Prep

When Ren woke up, she felt Morgana cuddled up near the foot of her bed. She smiled. She liked the reminder that someone was there for her. She got out of bed and got dressed for school before Morgana woke up. She decided to wake him up. “Morning sleepyhead.”

“Ugh” Morgana groaned. “Morning.”

Ren smiled. “Get up. We’re going to school.”

“Oh. OK” Morgana said, half asleep. “Wait, WE?!” he said, waking up.

“Mm-hm” Ren said. “You heard Sojiro. This a restaurant. You can’t be hanging around here all day.”

Morgana seemed displeased. “I could walk around and stuff…”

“I guess” Ren said, sitting down next to him. “But I’d rather you be close by just in case.”

“Hm. Very well” Morgana said.

“Alright, in you go kitty” Ren said, opening her bag.

Morgana gave her an uneasy look. “Do you need to call me a cat?”

Ren looked surprised. “I thought that by affirming your status it might make things easier for you.”

“You mean the more you call me a cat, the more I’ll get used to it?” Morgana asked.

“Well, if most people are going to see you as a cat anyway, it would be beneficial to get used to it,” Ren said. “Plus, you told me you don’t mind it.”

“Well, I appreciate the thought,” Morgan said, “but I’m not sure if I quite like it yet.”

“Fair enough,” Ren said. “Well, hop in anyway. I don’t want to be late.” Morgana hopped in Ren’s bag, and the two set off for school.

At school, Morgana hid in Ren’s desk. Morgana helped Ren out on occasion, but Ren was knowledgeable for her age.

In the afternoon, Ren got a group chat message from Ryuji.

Ryuji: Hey, so I uh can’t take you to that weapon place today.

Ryuji: My mom needs me to go shopping today.

Ryuji: Does tomorrow work for everyone?

Ann: Sorry, I have a photoshoot tomorrow.

Ren: You do photos?

Ryuji: You didn’t know?

Ryuji: She’s a model.

Ann: Well, part-time…

Ann: And it’s not really something that comes up too much.

Ann: In case you forgot, something happened that would have put sharing that information on the backburner.

Ryuji: Right.

Ann: Why don’t just you and Ren go to the weapon place tomorrow?

Ann: It’ll give the two of you a chance to get closer!

Ren: Are you sure?

Ann: Of course!

Ryuji: Alright then. It’s settled. Meet me at Shibuya Station tomorrow Ren.

Ren: Got it.

Ren: I think I have a lead on some medicine.

Ren: I can handle it.

Ryuji: Alright. I’ll leave it up to you then.

Ryuji: Later.

Ren put away her phone and went back to paying attention in class.

Once school was done for the day, she traveled back to Yongen-Jaya. She asked about the doctor to the street dwellers and found that the doctor was close by. Dr. Tae Takemi ran a clinic here in Yongen.

She also heard a few off-hand rumors about her. She apparently has some strangely strong medicine, but she’s also a bit dangerous. Ren didn’t let that bother her too much. After all, she knew a thing or two about being unfairly labeled. Maybe they were just exaggerating.

Ren made her way to the clinic and walked in. Sure enough, she was there, although in a doctor’s coat rather than her full punk-goth getup. “Hello,” Ren said.

Dr. Takemi looked up. “Hm? Oh, you’re that girl from before. What brings you here?”

“Um, I need medicine,” Ren said.

“Medicine huh? What for?” Takemi asked.

“Well…” Ren was panicking. However, she thought she could use that to her advantage. “I’m exhausted.”

“Exhausted?” Takemi said.

“Yeah. I’m constantly worried about entrance exams. Not to mention all of my social anxieties” Ren continued.

“Really?” Takemi said, not quite believing her. “You seem fairly outgoing.”

Ren smiled. “Well, I guess I can be.” She paused. “But there are some things that I’m worried people will find out about me.”

Takemi smiled. “Say no more. Follow me.” Ren met up with her in the office. “So, based on what you said, I think some painkillers might do the trick. Is that alright with you?”

“Well, you’re the doctor,” Ren said.

Takemi smiled mischievously. “If that’s the case, maybe some sleeping pills might be better.”

“Hey” Morgana said from Ren’s bag. “That won’t work in the metaverse.”

“You think she’s on to me?” Ren whispered.

“Well, you can’t be a doctor if you’re not smart,” Morgana said. “Dang it.”

Takemi giggled. “Do you need some metal help as well?”

“Huh?” Ren said.

“You’re talking to your bag,” Takemi pointed out.

“Oh, uh, well…” Ren said nervously.

“It’s fine,” Takemi said. “You seem to be under a lot of pressure. Both here and at the cafe. You seem like a good kid though. I’ll get you whatever you want.”

Ren was relieved. “Thank you doctor.”

“For the right price, of course” Takemi stated seriously. “I do have to keep this place afloat after all.”

“Right. For your other patients” Ren pointed out.

Takemi was surprised then giggled. “I like you. Feel free to stop by when you need something. I’ll be here for you.”

Ren nodded. “Thank you.” She made her purchases and left the office.

While still in the clinic, she saw an aggressive man barge in. “Out of the way kid” he said, pushing her to the side. He barged into Takemi’s office.

“How may I help you?” Takemi said.

“Cut the crap. You know why I’m here” the man said.

“I’m a doctor, not a psychic,” Takemi said. “Although, if you’re looking for something like that, I’ve heard good things about a fortune teller in Shinjuku.”

“Obstinate as ever” the man said. “You should have known that any rumors about you creating special medicine would get back to me eventually.”

“Oh my. You’re keeping tabs on me?” Takemi said. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have a crush on me.” Ren heard the man growl. “However, I’m not one for these grade-school antics. I much prefer a more mature approach.”

“Laugh all you want for now!” the man yelled. “But if these rumors keep persisting, I’ll make sure you won’t have a license anymore!”

There was a silence. “Is that all?” Takemi said. Ren noted the change in her tone.

“Yes,” the man said.

“Then I’ll ask you to leave,” Takemi said.

“Hm” the man pouted. He left, passing Ren by rudely again. Ren followed him out

On the streets of Yongen, Morgana popped out and asked “Did you hear that?”

“Which part?” Ren said.

“Apparently Dr. Takemi is working on some special medicine. That could be more helpful than the stuff we bought.”

Ren smiled. “You’re always focused on the job, aren’t you?”

“Well, what did you take from that conversation?” Morgana asked.

Ren looked serious. “I was thinking of trying to help Dr. Takemi out with that guy.”

Morgana got serious as well. “I know how you feel, but what can we do?”

“Well, I was thinking,” Ren suggested, “what if that guy had a palace?”

“Hm” Morgana smiled. “Always willing to help others. However, let’s pump the breaks on that for now. We don’t know if you can take on one palace yet. Taking on another might be too much. Besides, Takemi seems like she can handle herself for a bit.”

Ren seemed frustrated. “Look,” Morgana said. “I know. And I promise, we will help her. But if you keep taking these tasks, you might break. Then you can’t help anyone.”

Ren smiled. “You’re right Morgana.”

“Of course I am,” Morgana said. “Besides, I have an idea as to what to do about him But we should focus on the Kamoshida thing first.”

Ren nodded. “We should head back. It’s getting kind of late.” The two returned to Leblanc and spent the rest of the evening doing some studying.

The next day, Ren met up with Ryuji at Shibuya Station. “Hey” said Ryuji.

“Hello,” Ren said.

“So, the shop we’re heading to is in an offshoot of Central Street,” Ryuji explained. “Since you’re new around here, just follow my lead, OK?”

“Got it,” Ren said. Ryuji began walking. Ren followed.

Ryuji was fidgety. “So,um, you wanna go grab something to eat afterwards?” Ren looked at him curiously. “It’s just, we don’t really know each other that well, and yet fate has tied us up in this Persona business. I figured we should at least learn about each other.”

Ren smiled. “I like that idea.”

Ryuji was shocked. “O-OK. Cool. I, um, know a-a pretty good ramen place we can go to. If that’s alright with you.”

“Ramen sounds great,” Ren said.

“Cool. Cool” Ryuji said.

Ren couldn’t help but giggle. “Why are you so nervous?” she asked.

Ryuji’s face turned red. “Well, it’s b-because…”

“You know this isn’t a date, right?” Ren added.

“Oh. R-r-ight” Ryuji said. “So, um…”

“And nothing you say will make it one” Ren said.

“Figures” Ryuji said in resignation.

“Hm-hm” Ren chuckled. “It was a decent effort on your part, but like I told Mishima, I’m probably not the right girl for you.”

“You turned down Mishima too, eh?” Ryuji said. “Well, I guess I’ll have some solidarity.

As they passed through Station Square, the pair heard a street orator speaking to a disinterested public. “People of Tokyo! Please, listen to what I have to say! These mental shutdown occurrences are continuing. Yet the government is in disarray! The government should be working for the people! Yet they do nothing! I vow to you that I will work hard for all of you!”

Ren was curious about this man. His speeches were passionate, and he had an aura of truth about him. Like he believed what he really said. However, she also noticed that she was the person paying attention to his speech the most.

Ryuji looked back to see Ren stopped. “Hm?” He looked at the politician. He walked back over to Ren. “Don’t tell me you’re into older dudes.”

Ren couldn’t help but laugh. “No. No. Sorry. No.” Ren took some time to regain her composure. “Sorry. I was just interested in what he was saying is all.”

“A politician, eh?” Ryuji said. “Well, it’s not like it matters too much, since we can't vote anyway,” He said, continuing to walk.

Ren began following him again. “I know we can’t vote, but it’s important to learn about the world around you. And who knows? He might be up for election when we are able to vote. I liked what he had to say.”

“Yeah Ryuji” said Morgana, popping out of Ren’s bag. “You’ve gotta pay attention. You could learn a thing or two.”

“Wha-WHAT?!” Ryuji said. “That cat’s been here this whole time?!”

“Yeah,” Morgana said. “By the way, you sounded kind of pathetic, trying to ask her out.”

“Sh-shut up!” Ryuji yelled. “It’s not like you’d do any better, you dumb cat!”

“I’m not a cat!” Morgana said. “I just happen to have the form of a cat…”

“Same thing!” Ryuji said.

“Boys! We have a mission” Ren said, calming them down

“Fine!” Ryuji said. “But why is he here anyway?”

“Well, I live in a restaurant,” Ren explained. “If there was a cat just wandering about, people would freak out, and I wouldn’t have any place to live.”

“Oh, I getcha,” Ryuji said. “Wait, you live in a restaurant?!”

“Well, you said it yourself, we need to get to know each other better,” Ren said.

“Well, yeah, but that would surprise anyone!” Ryuji said. “Are you doing OK?”

“Well, I’m doing as fine as I can be,” Ren said.

“Well, good…” Ryuji said. He sighed. “If you were in trouble, I’d be tempted to invite you over to my place, but we don’t got the room.”

“I see,” Ren said. “Well thanks anyway.”

They arrived on Central Street. “OK, it’s just round that corner. Keep close” Ryuji explained.

Ren nodded. She followed Ryuji around the bend and saw the shop in view. However, she got a sensation in her mind. She looked at the corner where they turned to see a blue cell door there, and standing next to it was Lavenza. Ren was confused.

“Do not be alarmed,” Lavenza said. “No one else but you can see this.”

“What’s it for?” Ren asked.

“It is to help facilitate your mission” Lavenza said. “If you ever need anything from myself or my master, you may be free to do so.”

Ren nodded. “Thank you Lavenza.” Lavenza nodded back. Ren walked back to Ryuji, and the two entered the store.

Untouchable, the store, was packed with real-looking weapons and other high quality gear. “Wow,” Ren said.

“I know, right?” Ryuji said. “This place is pretty cool.” He handed her some money. “Here.”

Ren was confused. “What’s this for?”

“Well, you seemed like a natural back in the village,” Ryuji said. “I just feel like you might be able to make the best choices for what I should have with me.”

“Understood” Ren said. She approached the surly owner. “Um, hello.” The owner looked up. “I was wondering what kind of stuff you would recommend for a really realistic-looking model.”

The owner seemed cautious. “What would you do with such a model?” he asked. “You two seem a bit young to be gun buffs.”

“What are you talking about?! I was here last week!” Ryuji shouted.

“Hm. Don’t remember you” the man said.

“For real?!” Ryuji said.

“Well, I’m a real gun aficionado” Ren said. “Truth be told, he showed me a gun he bought from here, and I insisted he show me the place.”

“Hm. I see” the man said, a smile adorning his face. “Well, for really realistic stuff, we have a few things.” The man helped Ren pick out weapons and gear for the whole team.

“Thanks,” Ren said.

“Come again,” the man said. “Just be sure to be cool when it comes to showing those to people. I don’t want any negative press coming back to me.”

“Understood” Ren said. She and Ryuji left.

“How did you manage to win him over?” Ryuji asked.

“Well, I do like guns,” Ren said. “I’m not that much of an expert, but I really do like the detail on these guns, even if we weren’t using them to shoot up shadows. Plus, he seemed like a man who takes pride in his work.”

“I see,” Ryuji said.

“Maybe you could learn a thing or two from her as well,” Morgana said.

“Shut up” Ryuji responded.

“So, how ‘bout that ramen now?” Ren said.

“Huh? Oh, yeah” Ryuji said. “Let’s head back to the station. It’s a bit of a commute, but it’s good.” The group headed out.

They arrived at the ramen place. “So this is it,” Ren observed.

“Yeah, it’s great!” Ryuji said. “But it is a restaurant.” He gave a look to Morgana.

“...Fine. I can just walk around a bit. Besides, this does seem like a personal thing between the two of you.” Morgana hopped out the bag. “I’ll meet you back here. Don’t worry.” He started walking about.

“So, shall we go in?” Ryuji said. Ren nodded. They stepped inside. Ren handed Ryuji some money. “Huh?”

“Well, you let me pick out the weapons,” Ren said. “And you seem to know this place better than I do. I’m just returning the favor.”

“Alright! I know just the thing!” Ryuji ordered them each a bowl of their best ramen. “Kay, so while we’re waiting, I guess I can tell you a bit about myself. What do you wanna know?”

Ren thought about it. “Well, you said Kamoshida took everything from you. What does that mean?”

Ryuji looked dejected. “Going straight for it, eh?” he said.

Ren panicked. “If it’s too much, you don’t-”

“Nah, it’s alright,” Ryuji said. “Truth is, I used to be on the track team. I’m not good at much but I was second to none when it came to running! So, I figured I’d try helping my mom out by getting a track scholarship.”

“Help your mom out?” Ren inquired.

“Oh, yeah,” Ryuji said. “My dad isn’t around anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” Ren said.

“Don’t be,” Ryuji replied. “The guy was the dictionary definition of the word scumbag. He left me and my mom and I before I graduated elementary school. All he would do before that was drink and beat my mom. I think he wanted to beat me too, but my mom wouldn’t let him”

“Sounds awful,” Ren said.

“Yeah” Ryuji said. “Still, I had thought I put all that behind me. But then Kamoshida showed up. He doesn’t like anything that he can’t control, and he knew that included me. He found out about my dad, and told everyone.”

Ryuji smiled, though he looked completely dejected. “I can still remember that moment. Everyone was looking at me in horror. I didn’t know what to do. I panicked and I ended up punching Kamoshida in the face.” He sighed.

“What happened next?” Ren asked.

Ryuji frowned. “Kamoshida knew something would happen, but I doubt he was expecting that. He got really mad and broke my leg. The school took his side in it all, and the track team was forced to disband. It’s bullshit! It sucks, you know?”

Ren calmly stated “Yeah. I get it.”

“Here you go,” said the server, delivering their bowls.

Ryuji was now curious. “You get it?” Ren nodded. “Well, since I just spilled my guts, it’s only fair you spill yours.”

“Hm. Fair enough” Ren said. She ate some of her ramen. “Wow, this is good.”

“I know, right?” Ryuji said, excited. “But back to the matter at hand.”

“I know, I know” Ren said. She sighed. “The truth is, I have a criminal record.”

“For real?!” Ryuji said. “What, did somebody think you were too cute and have you arrested?”

Ren giggled. “Ann asked me the same thing when I told her. But no. What happened was there was this man trying to force a woman to get into his car. I tried putting a stop to it, and the man fell and started bleeding. Some officers came by and he told them that I had assaulted him. I was tried and sentenced quickly, and now I’m on parole.

My family thought that a kid on parole in my small town would stick out, so they sent me here. The person I ended up with asked me to live in the restaurant they run because their home situation seems complicated. But he seems nice overall.”

Ryuji was in shock. “Holy shit! What an effing d-bag! I can’t believe it!”

“Ryuji?” Ren said.

“I can’t STAND selfish adults doing whatever they want while making us suffer! It’s BULLSHIT!” Ryuji continued. “How the hell are you so calm about things?”

Ren set down her chopsticks for a bit. “Well, it’s all I can do,” she explained. “I’m always worried about what will happen if everyone at school found out about my record. But fretting about it would be pointless. So I just need to press on.”

“That sucks,” Ryuji said. “You can’t just keep all that in.” He thought about it. “Well, I know I’m not the smartest person, but if you ever need anything, I’m always willing to lend an ear.”

Ren smiled. “Thanks.”

I am thou... Thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow...

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Chariot Persona I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power.

Chariot-Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 1

“Well we should finish this ramen,” Ryuji said. “No sense in letting it go to waste.”

“Agreed” Ren said. The two finished their ramen and left to go home for the day.