#but everyone acts like losing weight would solve our problems

[foodandfolklore]

The pile of Everything

A very old story with many reinterpretations. Perhaps it is more of a theme at this point than an actual story. The core aspect of the story focuses on a core resource where everyone can get everything they need. There is enough to go around, but only enough if everyone takes what they need for the day. And most of the time, people do. But then something happens. Sometimes, one person will start taking for them and their family member and others will see them taking more and get scared. Other times, people just simply feel like the minimum is not enough and feel they are entitled to more. In short, something triggers everyone to start taking more than they'll ever need and the resource is exhausted. Sometimes a compromise can be found, other times the people are jut left doomed.

A lot of the time, this story is told in a way to showcase the shortcomings of human greed. We want what we want and we want it now. But I really like it when it showcases our reactive nature to moment to moment emotions. Look at our time panic buying in times of shortages. No one equates toilet paper to wealth. People bough that stuff up cause they heard they were running out and they got scared. Scared there would not be enough for them if they didn't act fast enough.

This is one version of the story I found. It's fairly simple and straight forward, though I like that it showcases solving the problem with communication. Many versions have the panicked people just punished for their greed.

Florence Pile of Everything

In the heart of a tranquil valley, surrounded by emerald forests and babbling brooks, there existed a town called Florence. The name was well-earned, for the townsfolk were blessed with a magical pile that provided everything they needed. Each day, the pile refilled itself with an abundance of fruits, grains, and resources, ensuring that no one in the town ever went hungry or lacked for anything.

For years, the people of Florence lived in harmony, sharing the bounties of the magic pile with gratitude in their hearts. The townsfolk understood the importance of unity and worked together to build a thriving community.

However, as time passed, a subtle change began to creep into the hearts of the villagers. Some grew envious of their neighbors' possessions, and whispers of greed echoed through the once-harmonious streets. The magic pile, once a symbol of communal well-being, became a source of contention.

The town square, where the magic pile stood, transformed into a scene of chaos. Villagers rushed to grab as much as they could, fearing that others would take more than their fair share. The once-friendly exchanges turned into resentful glances, and the spirit of cooperation waned.

Soon, the magic pile struggled to keep up with the insatiable desires of the townsfolk. It started to produce less, unable to match the increasing demands fueled by greed. The once-abundant resources dwindled, and the town that had known prosperity now faced scarcity.

Realizing the consequences of their actions, a group of wise elders gathered to address the growing discord. Among them was an elderly woman named Lila, known for her wisdom and compassion. She spoke with a voice that carried the weight of years and the sincerity of a concerned heart.

"My fellow villagers," Lila began, "we have been blessed with a gift, but in our pursuit of more, we risk losing everything. The magic pile is not endless, and our actions threaten the very essence of our community."

Her words resonated with the townsfolk, and a sense of remorse settled over Florence. Recognizing the error of their ways, the villagers decided to make amends. They reinstated a system of fairness, ensuring that each person took only what they needed, leaving enough for others.

As the people of Florence restored harmony and trust among themselves, a remarkable thing happened. The magic pile, responding to the collective change of heart, began to replenish itself once again. It reminded the villagers that true abundance comes not from taking more than one needs but from sharing and caring for one another.

Florence, having learned from its moment of discord, became a beacon of unity and cooperation. The magic pile, once teetering on the brink of depletion, flourished anew, providing for the town for generations to come. The lesson of Florence lived on as a cautionary tale, a reminder that the greatest magic lies in the generosity of spirit and the harmony of a community working together for the well-being of all.

[nrc-broadcasting]

I don't know wether you are taking requests right now so if/when you are I hope you can do this-

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Hello! I'm Amelia and I just wanted to know, do you have any tips for being confident? I have very little confidence in myself and whatever I do so I wanted to know if you could give me some advice! If you're not too busy that is! I would hate to burden you...

Best Believe I’m Still Bejeweled

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First off, I’m sorry for being inactive, I’m pretty sure I failed to post for 2 weeks conservatively at the least. However, I am back and I will be making up for the time lost there will be two more posts within the week to make up.

“Hello, Amelia! Here’s how I see it,” Yuu starts.

“Let’s identify your lack of confidence as a problem…which means you have to solve it. The first step to problem solving is:” They pause to give listeners time to answer, which they might not hear, but they’re trying to get everyone on the same page.

“Identify said problem, of course; but in this case, we need to identify where it stems out from. The source, if you will. ‘What’s making you feel like that?’ is the question we’ll have to ask first.” They hum, satisfied in they way they delivered their words.

“Is it a person talking down to you? Distance yourself, cut them off. Then, talk yourself up! Because they sure won��t do it for you,” Yuu smirks.

“But if you still won’t, I’ll start for you,” A soft smile graces their features.

“I may not know you, but I will never, never get tired of saying this, repeating it, even if I fade to become nothing but a disembodied voice in your memories,”

“I’m proud of you, you deserve every single star in the sky and everything beyond.” They say, surprised by their own words.

Embarrassed, they clear their throat.

“Excuse me, it seems like spending time around Rook has rubbed onto me.” They scratch their face sheepishly.

“Anyways! Back to the topic!” They clap, the sharp sound echoing through the broadcasting room.

“To heighten your confidence, thinking about all that you’ve achieved, thinking you can do nothing will not help in cases like these.” They start to ramble.

“Also, stop being humble, go flaunt yourself to the world. Don’t mind what people say, what are they going to do? You’re a diamond waiting to shine!”

“And a diamond’s gotta shine.” Yuu raises their eyebrows at their words, not expecting to discover another analogy they can use.

“Let’s go back, regarding toxic environments. They usually cause people to lose confidence in themselves and project their insecurities onto others, so to avoid being the cause of someone else’s insecurities, surround yourself with positive people.”

“But environments aren’t the only factors coming into play here; how you act towards said environment can make or break yourself.” They say, making random hand gestures.

“Because what good will a healthy environment be if you sabotage it? By ‘sabotaging it,’ I mean comparing yourself to others.”

“Everyone is different, why would you compare yourself to someone who has a different personality, a different mindset and vary from you in a myriad of ways? Everyone has their weaknesses, but also strengths.”

“So, focusing in nurturing your own talents and strengths will do more good than comparing yourself.” They puff their cheeks out, seemingly finished with their rant.

“Think of it this way, you’re not the only one who feels like this. If you interact with people, you’ll find that your insecurities, your dreams, everything; likely aren’t rare.”

“There are times that you’ll feel you only have yourself, and that’s okay! As long as you know you can rely on yourself, you’ll brave through anything.”

“And one last thing,” Yuu says, noticing the timer they have for every question running out.

“A healthy mindset starts with a healthy body. I don’t care if you think you’ve ‘gained too much weight’ or ‘don’t deserve it,’ some people need will need tough love and I will not hesitate to demonstrate that myself.”

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Our fairytale has come to an end.

[dreamingaboutreid]

Hospital Bed Confessions: Chapter 7

*Continuation*

*Flash-forward*

Spencer was truly in awe. It had been 8 months since you joined the BAU.

Hotch seemed much happier with no more mountains of paperwork on his desk. All the files were neatly filed in Y/N’s office and his workload was greatly alleviated. He also had someone to confide to and understand a little bit of the pressure he had been experiencing.

Emily loved having a fellow Chesapeake Bay alumnus. With JJ being on mom-duty, Emily had a friend to go out with after she returned to the team, and they seemed to have plethora of things to talk about and relate to. He often heard them discussing their love of Kilgore Trout or favorite traveling destination.

Penelope was ecstatic to have another affectionate and loving member on the team. Y/N spent a lot of time with Garcia on deciding cases and it was evident how much they cherished each other. Y/N often brought in colorful collectibles and helped Penelope arrange them in her office.

Rossi respected Y/N’s focused yet good-natured character. They shared stories of their time in the military, which they rarely disclosed with the other members. He thought of Y/N as a daughter and took pleasure in sharing his knowledge of cars and whiskey.

JJ treated Y/N like a sister. It was obvious how similar they were. Both attentive and considerate with remarkable people skills. Y/N also became JJ’s go-to babysitter as JJ full heartedly trusted her with kids, which was a huge compliment coming from JJ.

Derek enjoyed Y/N’s company, who had a surprising knowledge of football, and would often make fun bets on what team would win the next game. He would also come to you for solid advice when he needed someone to level with him.

Not to mention, everyone was thrilled to go home at least an hour earlier normal, thanks to your fast but thorough write-ups you continued to do every day on behalf of the team.

For Spencer, you were a whole new world. He not only appreciated you as a hardworking member but as a new best friend.

You never interrupted him and seemed genuinely invested in whatever he said. Whether it was a new book he was reading or a new foreign film that came out. You truly made him feel heard and cared for. After he told you about Maeve, it felt like something was taken off his shoulder. Like you knew his pain and rather than only feeling sorry for him, they shared it together.

He also truly admired your ability to talk to people. Whether it was a serial killer who was holding a gun to someone’s head or a sobbing parent who had just lost a child or even an abrasive detective they had to work with, you just knew exactly what to say.

Spencer couldn’t place a flaw in you. The way you smiled, talked, listened, walked, ate, slept, heck everything, seemed so perfect to him.

When Blake came to his apartment to say her farewell, he was devastated. Another person was walking out of his life. But for the first time, he didn’t wallow up in his apartment by himself, blaming his eidetic memory for repeating all their conversations in his head or contemplating then shutting down his mental debate on taking dilaudid.

He didn’t hesitate to dial your number, and you appeared in front of his door in a matter of minutes. You had the ability to listen to his problems and somehow make them go away, or at least make him feel better.

While he always appreciated it, it bothered Spencer after a while how you never came to him when you wanted to feel better. You managed to carry all that weight without yourself ever breaking.

But he realized that it wasn’t anything personal. You just never showed much emotions to anyone, except for happy ones.

Spencer remembered when Derek asked you one day,

“How come you never come to us when you’re feeling down? There’s no way you’re always a ray of sunshine. Even baby girl has her emotional breakdowns.”

You had quickly brushed it off and said, “I’d rather make people smile than worry or cry.”

And it was the end of that.

Spencer often thought about this. Derek made a very good point. You were human after all.

But he knew that there was something much darker in you.

While you didn’t voice your emotions, your eyes told a different story.

When you were interrogating unsubs, your eyes became cold but your words remained calm and almost soothing, as if you were luring them out their lies to know their true intentions. When you were talking to victims or victims’ families, your eyes showed sympathy and it comforted whoever you were consoling when explaining that the unit was doing our best. And when you were talking to the ones you loved and cared about, you allowed your eyes to relax but there was a twinkle that he couldn’t keep his own eyes off of.

He hoped that you would open up to him, like he had to you.

But, it wasn’t too long until his wish was answered and he witnessed something that changed everything.

Y/N’s POV

You were exhausted.

It wasn’t the workload or rigor your job came with.

It was the emotional tole. You learned how to compartmentalize your feelings well from losing the ones you loved from experience.

But this job was different from talking to soldiers or serial killers. You were talking to normal people. You had unconsciously put your guard down and the emotions hit you little by little.

Every day, you walked in to deciding which cases to solve and you walked out hoping it was the right one to choose. The extra work you were doing actually helped keep your mind out of all the feelings and reality and helped focus your energy on something tangible.

You weren’t sure what came over you that day, but you had been on edge the whole jet ride back from a case. When everyone arrived back to the office, it wasn’t just you who was drained.

“Everyone go home early and get some ready. You deserve it. But report back tomorrow at 9 to finish your statements,” stated Hotch.

“I think I’ll stay back. Finish some of the paperwork,” you stated with a weak smile.

Hotch looked at you reluctantly.

“Are you sure? Everyone’s worn out. It’s okay to go,” Hotch said.

“It must be all the coffee,” you joked lamely, hoping Hotch took the excuse.

Hotch didn’t seem to notice as it was quite normal for you to stay late.

“Alright. Well, everyone thank Y/N on the way out and report back tomorrow at 10,” Hotch said as patted you on the back as he exited.

“Thanks for the extra hour of sleep,” Rossi stated as he walked towards the elevator.

“You’re an actual lifesaver,” Morgan commented.

As everyone said their respective greetings and left, you quickly ran up to JJ.

“Hey, JJ. Can I ask you a favor?” you asked.

“Of course! I owe you anyways,” JJ said.

“Do you mind if you give Spencer a ride home? Usually I take him, but I don’t want him to wait for me and he seems pretty tired,” you stated.

While you truly loved the arrangement you had with Spencer, you needed some space right now.

“Sounds like a plan. Just tell him I’ll be waiting in the car,” JJ said as she grabbed her belonging.

You thanked her and gave her a quick hug.

You turned and found Spencer already reading a book by his desk. Even though you thought Spencer always looked handsome, you had to admit that he did look tired.

“Hey, Spence. I think I’m going to stay a little late today.”

“Yeah, I heard you telling Hotch. I don’t mind waiting,” he said.

It must have been the pent up emotions you had been suppressing as you could feel your eyes slightly tearing up. You quickly forced them away, praying Spencer didn’t catch on. No matter how many times Spencer displayed his kindness and patience, you always appreciated his small acts of compassion.

“No, no. You must be exhausted. I asked JJ to take you home, and she’s waiting in her car for you. Seriously, get some rest,” you reassured Spencer.

After a bit of reluctancy, Spencer replied,

“Okay, I probably shouldn’t keep JJ waiting for too long. Thanks, Y/N. Don’t stay too late.”

You simply nodded and you watched Spencer walk away while looking back.

You waved, indicating that it was okay to leave.

After he finally left, it was just you, all alone. You turned off the lights in the pit, making it pitch dark, and walked into your office.

Closing your door and only turning on the light on your desk, you went to the corner of the room and sank down as you burst into tears.

It wasn’t the first time you had a breakdown. But it was always behind closed door. In the bathtub in your house. In the comfort of your bed. At the safety of your house. But today, you couldn’t hold it until you went home.

As you wept, you hoped the tears you released would somehow erase the remorse you felt. You sobbed without anything holding you back until you felt a looming presence over your crouched figure.

“Oh my gosh, Spencer. You startled me, I didn’t notice you were here,” you quickly said as you tried to wipe away the evidence of your momentary vulnerability. You didn’t need a mirror to know that it was an unsuccessful attempt.

“Sorry, I saw the light in your office and thought you’d be in here.”

“Did you forget something?” you asked, puzzled by his unexpected return.

“No, I just didn’t want you to be all alone so I told JJ that she could just go home,” Spencer said softly.

He continued, “I also saw you were a bit uneasy earlier.”

So Spencer hadnoticed.

“In fact, it seemed like you were stressed the whole day. Are you okay?” he asked.

You weren’t sure if it was the display of Spencer’s empathy again or the fact that he recognized something was bothering you when you were able to hide it from a group of profilers, but you felt the tears reappearing again and you didn’t want to hold back.

You broke into sobs for the second time that day and slowly slid back into the position you were originally in.

Spencer didn’t hesitate to join you as he sat and put a tight protective arm around you while he just let you cry.

“Am I making the right decisions? Who am I to choose who dies or lives? What if….” you trailed as you muffled all your worries into his chest.

For the first in a long time, you felt safe in the arms of someone else. You didn’t have to, or heck, want to hide yourself anymore. When Spencer held your hand, you knew.

You looked up to see the most understanding eyes, and you knew right then and there that you had found your person.

[nightswithkookmin]

Jimin is a pretty bOY

This is a continuation of our discussion on my last post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me, I think I agree with all of it.

Not sure how I feel about the calling eachother out bit or near scolding of others in the comments. Please let's be welcoming and respectful of others's thoughts regardless of whether or not we agree with it. It's ok to hold diverse views. We do after all come from different backgrounds and have accumulated different experiences and I think it plays out in how we see things. Everyone's opinion is valid. Plus, I purple yall.

Now, do I think he is trying to pack on muscles........? Yes. He said so himself in Festa when he said he would rush to the mirror when he thought he had gained some muscle only to find out his biceps looks like a muscled kindergartner.

He also said lately he's into exercising and staying in shape which is true because for quite sometime now since early this year he has been talking about how "weak" he is in their Vlives and have even given instances of him not being able to do certain things- certian simple and easy tasks- which is typical of him I'd say. He's always talking about how "weak" he is especially around JK and juxtaposing that with "but JK is so strong" which I'm sorry but I have to smirk at right now cos it's such a typical gay pick me simp thing to do. We've all been there.

Do I think he's trying to be a muscle bunny or revert back to his body shape around debut? Absolutely not. But I do think he is straddling the line of toxic masculinity which is what the conversation is about.

I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to stay in shape or even enjoying work outs. Last night I ran downstairs because I had left my stew on the stove and now this morning I called renew my gym membership because I discovered running can be actually fun to do... No. No it's not. The gym instructor would have to come for me kicking and screaming.

RM have said even though JM looks skinny and fragile he is one of the strongest within the group. Besides, this is not the first time he's expressed interest in working out and building his body- hello, on Era?

I remember people complaining he looked too buffed up in that period on SNS and PJMs quickly jumping in to clear the searches for it. The choreo for On required agility and endurance and required the members- not just JM build up some definition in their muscles.

We've seen them go through all that. So it's not simply a matter of black and white staying in shape or doing it because he feels pressured to do so. Especially, when you consider that he's undertaken some pretty unhealthy measures in the past in attempts to lose weight or soften out his body post these muscle building, weight gaining periods and we've always chalked it up to his dance and how as a contemporary dancer he has to look a certain way or this or that to try to justify and make sense of it. Next you, know there are six chapters of break the silence of him talking about all the dark places he's been, the pressures to look his best for his fans or for his job and all these other painful stories he's shared with us over the years. And it's like, but why? Why do this to yourself?

I'll never forget the look he gave JK when JK was talking about wanting to build muscles in one of the interviews for the promotion of Be- I think I made a post on it. When JK noticed JMs disapproving glare he backtracked saying he would want to stay skinny after gaining all that muscles.

I mean if I'm to be honest, he was bound to crack at one point. The signs were there being surrounded by all these men who adhere to the traditional aesthetics of a masculine body- from Namjoon to Taehyung.

I wish y'all will steer the conversation in this direction and make it more about gender norms and expressions and breaking stereotypes and diversity in the body aesthetics of men.

Jimin is a man too. He just isn't what people traditionally will label masculine. Androgynous is more an apt word in my opinion. How many times have I said, I think Jungkook hetero passes because his body aesthetics is quintessentially what most associates with a masculine man?

Breaking gender barriers is not just about embracing feminine apparels- that teeters on cross dressing quite frankly and can be a bit performative and baity. Then you have to consider their culture in itself has an inherent pro gender diversity feel to it.

Now, let me explain my problem with the Klout ad campaign a little bit.

Do you see how Tae stands out? And I'm not saying this to fuel the "Tae was their fav" debacle. It's the 007 feel... I'll explain in a bit.

Most often, alcohol advertisers as well as most advertisements intended to sell to men often try to appeal to men's internalized ideals of masculinity or try to shape and define what a man or masculinity should look like. These ideals are so often toxic and detrimental to men and mostly women too.

Take a look at these ads for example. All I had to do was google search ads for men.

Real men drink milk and look at the image they present as real men. This blatantly implies if you don't look like this, if you are not a strong cliff climbing man with abs you are not a real man.

The second image is subtle. I call it the 007 slash Kingsmen-esque ideals of masculinity. It portrays men as sexy cool badass- works out but isn't too buff, filthy rich or middle class, wears Rolex, designer clothes, is kind but has a mean exterior and is every 13 year old wattpad girls's dream of a man. In fiction, you see this kind of masculinity in characters such as Edward cullens to Christian Grey. And a lot of ads for men alternate between these two ideals of masculinity.

Do you see how they modeled Taehyung in these ads after this kind of masctheme? Tae looks the same in almost all the ads. 007 sexy cool badass.

Now, I may not be a makeup beauty guru or MUA or whatever, but one thing I've picked up on especially when it comes to makeup for men- BTS and Kpop idols mostly is that, they soften out the harsh features on their faces and make them appear more androgynous or effeminate to suit the Kpop look and they ditch it entirely in different settings.

So for instance, Tae and Kookie's natural hawkish eyebrows tend to get softened around the arch and edges- don't know how the fuck they do that- but it appears less in your face intense most times when they wear make up in kpop related contents.

However, in certain other contents that lean towards a certain gender theme those features are emphasized. Not to say hawkish features are masculine features. Just saying in men, Kpop idols, my observation is they soften those features out with makeup or surgery.

Now, take a look at JM in these ads and look at everything from his posture, make up, hairstyle and brows. It's as if someone took an eraser to his androgynousity and erased his feminine side. Take a look at his photo above and compare it to the ads.

I am not a man. But I feel the gender look they went for, intended to appeal to men, tapped into a rather outdated stereotype of what man and masculinity should look like.

What is a man?

What should a man look like?

What aesthetics of masculinity is Jimin gravitating towards now? And I'm not talking clothes, I'm talking the expression of his gender. Time and again, he's talked about how looking a certain way made him uncomfortable in the past because he was constantly fighting his feminine side. He is androgynous. Sometimes he leans more into his feminine side. Other times he leans more into his masculine side but this is the only time he's leaning into his masculinity that makes me uncomfortable to watch because like I said it bothers on toxic masculinity.

He's said whoever he was, the version fighting to look masculine, that wasn't him. So forgive me if I worry whenever i see him suppressing his feminine side and acting like 'one of the boys.' Him staying in shape is not synonymous with him erasing a valid part of himself or suppressing it. He can stay in shape, celebrate his masculinity and still be FILTER.

What I'm saying is, this not a conversation about him exercising. This is a conversation about an ad erasing his feminine side and boxing him into a narrow expression of his gender and how that might be affecting his view of himself especially in the way he's been gravitating towards a certain masculine aesthetics and how that could be toxic.

Tae has said the same thing and BTS have agreed the JM as of 2019 was the real JM according to them.They said he was that way- suppressing his feminine side, because there weren't much songs and choreos that suited him and so he had had to bend himself to fit with the others.

And so when I see him leaning a certain way I tend to wonder if his exterior environment is playing a role in that. I hope you can understand that.

He is a contemporary dancer and strength and flexibility are prerequisites for his craft. The company go out of their way to incorporate contemporary dance in their choreos for JM's sake which helps solve that problem of him trying too hard to look a certain way.

May be I'm projecting. May be my little brother is effeminate and I've always recommended Jimin as a role for him to tell him not to try to look different just because other boys look different. May be I've seen him try one too many times to kill himself in the gym trying to build on muscles and getting frustrated with himself because he ends up looking like someone else. You can't gym the queerness away. Society will never let you be who you want to be so you might as well flip it the middle finger.

These boys are being shaped by their environment. I hate to say this but the environment they are in isn't exactly progressive and the longer they stay in there cut off from the outside world...

Flying out helps. Meeting different people and being exposed to different cultures and conversations on gender expression helps.

Anywho, these are just concerns I have. Will have them till I see that's not where he is headed towards. But let's not act like these ad campaigns do not and can not psychologically impact these boys especially as these advertisers are not looking to tap into their own definition of gender and masculinity but shape it and redefine it to appeal to the demographic they intend to market to.

I think this is just a grey area for me. Rather than try to change JM to look a certain way in order to sell alcohol. I think the ground breaking thing would be to have a man who looks like JM show us how someone like him would sell a can of drink. I think that would be revolutionary.

Signed,

GOLDY

[forzalando]

The Perfect Arrangement | George Weasley | Pt. 2

Pairing: George Weasley x F!Reader AU: Bridgerton!AU Word Count: 2.2k Warnings: Bridgerton spoilers, a gross man stepping into your personal space, definitely not historically accurate bc i never mention chaperones 

Summary: As a woman in the early 19th century, you’ve been told all your life that marriage should be your ultimate goal, however, you do not share that sentiment. When the insufferable George Weasley devises a plan that may solve both your problems, how can you say no?

A/N: woohoo, part 2 is here!! not a whole lot of drama/interaction between George and the reader but some necessary developments. plus! Eloise! my favorite lady! as always, thank you so much for reading💛

“George, everyone is staring at us,” you whispered as you took his arm.

“Well, we are the most attractive couple promenading this morning, don’t you think?”

You stifled a laugh; partly because you didn’t want to draw more attention to yourself and partly because George’s ego was large enough without knowing you thought he was funny.

“Should I glare at the men staring at you? Let them know that they don’t have even an ounce of a chance?” George asked.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” you mused. “However, I don’t know how your sister would feel if every eligible man in the ton held disdain for her older brother.”

“Oh, please,” George scoffed. “You know as well as I do that Ginny is marrying Harry, it’s just a matter of time.”

You hummed in agreement, though slightly distracted by the way George held you so close. It was unnerving how comfortable you felt with him; most men had always made you uncomfortable, but never George. Even though he was incorrigible, garish, and irritatingly handsome, he never made you feel anything but at ease.

“Lord Beverly is approaching us,” George whispered, pulling you from your thoughts.

“Quick, say something funny and make me laugh, maybe he will turn around.”

“I’m not your jester, nor can I make you laugh on command. Comedy is derived from opportunity, and here, I have none, just your orders.”

“Now we’re quarreling, he’s walking even faster.”

“That’s your fault for acting like my sense of humor is at your beck and call!”

You turned sharply to face him; a scowl settled on your face and nostrils flaring. He was looking at you the same, with his eyes narrowed and a slight blush on his cheeks, whether it was from the summer heat or anger you couldn’t be sure. George opened his mouth to speak again, when someone interrupted him.

“Is this why you wouldn’t give me the honor of a dance at the Danbury ball, Miss Y/L/N?”

Lord Beverly was stood directly in your path, his hands clasped behind his back and a smarmy  smile on his face. He may have been handsome, but Philip Beverly was as horrid as men came.

“I do apologize, Lord Beverly,” you retorted, sickly sweet. “Mr. Weasley has been the object of my affections for quite some time now and I simply could not bring myself to imagine myself with anyone but him all night.”

You looked up at George and smiled, staring into the warmth of his eyes and heaving a dramatic sigh; one you hoped was the sigh of a woman in love.

“Yes, I suppose I understand your trepidation,” Lord Beverly scowled. “However, I have been speaking with your father this morning and I believe Mr. Weasley has not yet proposed, is that correct? Lord Y/L/N made it quite clear he has not received any mentions of a proposal.”

“Why, yes, of course he hasn’t. He has barely begun courting me, the season only began a week or so ago.”

“You’ve known each other for years, surely you must know by now if you are to propose, Mr. Weasley?”

George looked to you for guidance, just as confused as you at the interrogation taking place between the two of you and Beverly.

“As Miss Y/L/N said before, we’ve barely begun courting. I have always had the intention of marrying her, ever since we were children, but I wanted to make sure we are comfortable as partners, not just friends.”

“I am quite wealthy, you know,” Beverly reminded. “My family has considerably higher standing than the Weasley’s and there is so much more I could offer you than he can, Y/N.”

Lord Beverly took a step towards you, completely ignoring George standing beside you, but before you could ask him to step away, George thrust himself in between the two of you.

“If you ever so much as look at my future wife again, I assure you that you will see just how much influence my family has, Lord Beverly,” George spat. “You flaunt your money, your perceived power, when I have friends in much higher places than you could ever dare to dream.”

Philip backed away; his ever present smirk still adorning his face but he could not hide the glint of fear in his eyes.

“Well, I suppose I’ll be on my way,” Beverly grimaced.

“Yes, you shall,” George responded with a glare that would frighten even the most courageous of men.

As soon as Lord Beverly was out of earshot, you breathed out deeply. There was something about that man that made your skin crawl, more so than the other slimy, rich men of the ton.

You laughed quietly, and kept laughing until you were in a fit of giggles, prompting George to look at you quizzically.

“Y/N, what could possibly be so funny about being accosted by that scum?”

“I’m not entirely sure, I just find it amusing how intimidating you can be when you really try. You should be an actor, you know.”

“An actor? Why do you think so?”

“You played the part of a jealous lover far better than I ever could. One might believe you’re actually in love with me,” you snickered.

If you had looked at George for even a moment after your joke, you would have seen the hurt expression flash across his face. He tried to keep it at bay, but the reminder of the nature of your relationship ate at him far more than he imagined.

He had convinced himself that in time, your feelings for him would grow; how could they not when he was so sure that you were soulmates? Destined to be together for the rest of your lives? In doing so, he never stopped to think of the consequences of his actions if you were to never return his affections.

George began to wonder if his heart could bear it, because every time he looked at you and saw your beautiful smile, he felt it breaking piece by piece.

“What do you say to that, Weasley?” you asked with a smile, breaking George from his thoughts.

“I’m…I’m sorry, I was distracted, what were you saying?”

“Pay attention, Georgie, otherwise you might lose your only current prospect for marriage.”

“You’re my only prospect, period, not just current,” he chuckled.

For a moment, you allowed yourself to believe the weight behind his words was truthful, that your courtship was real and true. You’d convinced yourself for years that you held George Weasley in no higher regard than an acquaintance, but at any given moment where you were in the same room you always found your way to each other; bantering back and forth that, to an outsider, must have looked like disdain, but in your heart you knew that you held him at arm’s length to keep yourself from falling.

It had only been a week since the Danbury ball, but spending every day in secret with George (the two of you weren’t quite ready to announce to the public yet until today) and getting to know him as more than just a friend had opened your heart to frightening feelings that you shoved aside.

George Weasley had always wanted to marry for love, an ideal that you never allowed yourself to believe in and now, he was to marry you only because the true object of his affection was not an option.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right. Does that…does that bother you? Do you have any regrets about what you asked me?”

“I’m not sure yet,” George whispered, dropping your hand that he had held so tightly the entire morning.

No, you simply couldn’t allow yourself to entertain the foolish fantasy of feelings, not when you had the sole responsibility of taking care of your own heart.

“Walk me home, please, Mr. Weasley.”

“As you wish, Miss Y/L/N.”

“Y/N Y/L/N,” cried a familiar voice from across the street.

You turned with a smile to see Eloise making her way towards you, her journal in hand as always.

“Thank you for walking me home, George, you can be on your way. I’ll see you tomorrow evening for the Norrington soiree, correct?”

“I wouldn’t miss it. Have a lovely day, Miss Y/L/N.”

He quickly raised your hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to your knuckles. Even though you were cross with him, you smiled shyly at the feeling of his lips on your hand, though it slowly faded away as you realized it was all a show for the audience on the street.

As Eloise hurried to you, you couldn’t help but watch George’s back as he walked down the cobblestones towards his own home.

“How dare you? I had to hear from gossiping mother hens this morning that George Weasley is formally courting you? Not only that, but he plans to propose to you? What happened to never marrying? Does your family know? The whole ton has been talking about it!”

“I – I don’t understand, this morning was our first outing together, I’ve just been spending time with him at his family’s home. How could anyone possibly know – ”

You paused, remembering your conversation with Lord Beverly earlier that morning.

“Oh, for goodness sake. Lord Beverly went to my father this morning while I was out with George, asking about proposing to me.”

“LORD BEVERLY?” Eloise shouted, interrupting your explanation.

“Yes, I know. A horrid man, but I don’t believe he will be bothering me any longer. George practically had him running away in fear but, as I was saying, Lord Beverly went to my father and of course I haven’t told my parents of our marriage plans yet, we’ve only just begun courting, so Papa told Beverly that I have no prospects. He approached George and I on our promenade, and practically interrogated us! One thing led to another and George expressed his desire to propose and, well, here we are. Beverly must have opened his mouth and now everyone in town knows.”

Eloise stared at you blankly, her wide eyes blinking rapidly trying to process all that you had just told her.

“Are you in love with George?”

“It appears so…”

You hated lying to her, but you and George hadn’t discussed if you would ever tell anyone and who you trusted to tell in the first place.

“Well, it’s about time!” Eloise yelled in your ear.

“I – excuse me?”

“Oh, you can’t possibly tell me you’ve been oblivious to his feelings all these years. And your own! It’s been painful watching you drone on and on about how you’ll never marry when he’s been right in front of you since we were children.”

“Eloise, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“What do you mean, he’s courting you and is planning to propose, what is there to misunderstand?”

“Quite a lot, if I’m being honest.”

Eloise saw the guilty look on your face and immediately her jaw dropped, memories of her sister and the Duke clouding her thoughts.

“Of all the lousy schemes to get yourself involved in, Y/N, I cannot believe you. It’s all a ruse?! Is this a common theme with the prized debutante of the season, am I missing something?”

“Quiet yourself, Eloise! It’s quite simple, George cannot marry the woman he loves and I do not wish to marry. We get along fairly well and have things in common. We figured it would be to both of our advantages if we married each other and were able to live our lives as we please without people breathing down our necks about marriage.”

“You are truly oblivious, Y/N.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“George Weasley has loved you for years, I didn’t think it was a secret. The only issue is that you’re too stubborn to look past this aversion to happiness you’ve been harboring.”

“Education makes me happy. Traveling the world would make me happy. My own wants and desires make me happy. I don’t need a man or love to be happy, I thought you of all people would understand, Eloise.”

“I do understand, and because I do, doesn’t that make what I say all the more believable?”

Your reply got caught in your throat, the weight of Eloise’s words left a heavy feeling in the pit of your stomach.

“I see the way you look at him, Y/N,” she continued. “You’ve convinced yourself so greatly that there isn’t a man who will love you for who you are that you’re blind to your own affections and the fact that there is a man who loves you exactly as you stand before me. You’re just afraid. I never thought I would call you a coward – ”

“That is quite enough, Eloise,” you snapped.

“I will relish in saying ‘I told you so,” she quipped back.

You watched her turn swiftly and did the same; stalking into the courtyard and up the stairs to your own home, all the while pondering the words you had shared with Eloise.

Secretly, in the depths of your heart where you never dared to venture, you hoped that she was right about George’s feelings for you, and that thought scared you more than anything.

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[thecottageinthedark]

Sorting Persona 4

Here again with another Sorting Hat Chats post! This one’s for Persona 4. Full disclaimer; this is based just on the game, not the anime. Also it’s behind a cut cause it is LONG. And has spoilers.

The system I’m using is explained here by @wisteria-lodge.

The Persona 4 MC, whose name is either Souji Seta or Yu Narukami depending on which supplemental materials you go by, is a really REALLY loud Badger secondary. His power is based on making Social Links with NPCs and shifting to become whatever they need-and also on patiently grinding to level up his attributes. And because he lives so much in this secondary-plus the fact that on a meta level he’s kind of a stand-in for the player-his Primary is hard to see.

But where it gets revealed in the end is the decisive moment when the ending you’re going to get is decided. The Investigation Team have discovered that Namatame’s been putting people into the TV, and thus are assuming he’s the murderer-and it’s become horribly personal, because one of the people he did that to was Nanako, and even though she’s been rescued, she’s deathly ill thanks to the TV World’s poison.

And now you-and the MC-have a choice. The IT are baying for Namatame’s blood, ready to kill. One Badger Primary method would be to appeal to the fact that he’s a person, you can’t just kill people….but nobody’s listening. Another would be to dehumanise him and say, he’s a murderer, he needs to die for the sake of everyone-going along with all the fury of the group. A Lion would lash out too-less because everyone’s doing it and more from their own gut feeling, but that would still lead to dead Namatame. A Snake might kill Namatame because he hurt Nanako...or, in the Golden remake, if they’ve done Adachi’s social link, they might cover for him. Either way, they’d be prioritising an inner circle member.

And all of those get you bad endings. Especially the Snake choice to cover for Adachi.

What gets the good ending, the happy ending where the MC is fulfilled and at peace, is to ignore all the emotion that’s running so high, and order everyone to step back and take time to think about whether the theory of Namatame being the killer makes sense. Pounce on the niggling little detail that doesn’t fit, and realise that the assumption everyone is labouring under isn’t true. And then prioritise the actual truth over personal loyalties or emotional reactions.

Bird Primary.

Because of course. This is a detective story. Your party are called both the Investigation Team and the Seekers of Truth. Even the title song hints at it; find the truth (Bird) by getting together with others (Badger).

Yosuke Hanamura’s a young, immature Snake Primary at game start, with the selfishness typical to that. His Shadow throws that back in his face, and he realises he doesn’t like being an asshole whose secret gut reaction to murders happening is ‘well at least I’m not bored anymore now something is happening in this dead-end town’.

So he does two things pretty much at the same time; he widens his inner circle to let in first Souji and then the rest of the IT, and he adds a model on top to let him care about things outside that circle. I think it’s a Lion model-a young Lion, just like his Snake, that edges into Glory Hound, but keeps hold of the idea that you should do certain things because they’re just right.

(It’s not based on the MC, though the MC is undoubtedly his most important person, who he even calls his partner. But then, as I said, the MC’s Bird is very quiet, so it’d be hard for Yosuke to perceive it well enough to mimic it. I think it’s actually based on Chie, who is after all the inner circle member he has known longest!)

And his secondary? Yosuke’s a support guy. He lifts his friends up. His family run Junes, and he leverages that connection to create a base location for the IT and secure a portal into the TV world that’s big enough to be usable. When Teddie comes to the human world, it’s Yosuke who gives him a place to stay. He’s a Badger secondary, and again, this makes perfect sense. The Lover sorting. No wonder so much of the fandom ships him with the MC.

Chie Satonaka is LOUD and BRASH and if you are a jerk she will KICK YOU IN THE FACE. She is so goddamn Lion Secondary, and utterly unapologetic about it.

Her primary, I think, is Lion again. The reason she has gotten possessive of Yukiko (as her Shadow calls her out on) isn’t that she wants Yukiko to be just hers-it’s that she wants to be Yukiko’s knight. Saving the princess is actually a textbook Lion cause. It lets her feel heroic and brave.

But that’s not good for either of them. Damsel in distress is a shitty role, one that doesn’t allow Yukiko to be strong and capable herself, and Chie pushing Yukiko into that role is really straining their relationship. It’s also something that Chie herself knows is wrong-that’s why her Shadow accuses her of it. (“I am a Shadow, the true self...”)

So instead Chie changes gears, because oh look a new Cause just popped up! Find the killer and bring them to justice! And on top of that, there’s always sexist prats to kick.

Yukiko Amagi models Badger Primary, because it’s expected of her. Running an inn is a really Badger kind of job. She also models Badger Secondary, for the same reasons. She feels this is who she’s meant to be; sweet, gentle, socially adept, community-focused and hard-working. The traditional Japanese ideal of womanhood.

But it chafes. The weight of societal expectations feels crushing. She doesn’t want to do stuff just because she’s meant to, because people think she should. She’s an Internal Primary, and needs to follow the voice of her own heart.

And where that heart leads her...is back to the Amagi Inn, except now she’s decided that she’s doing this for herself. She needed to feel that she could actually choose to not inherit the inn, before she could realise that she wanted to run it. She’s a Snake Primary, and the inn is important to her because it’s hers.

Her secondary...actually I get the feeling she’s like Toph Beifong of Avatar, a Snake who likes to spend most of her time in neutral. She is delightfully quirky and weird, and owns that, but she doesn’t charge like a Lion and she’s comfy with wearing masks when the situation calls for it.

Kanji Tatsumi panics at the idea that he might be gay, and caretakes like a boss, and that might look at first sight like a Double Badger who’s scared that he might be one of the people he’s used to dehumanising. His Shadow screams that it wants to be accepted...but what calms it is when Kanji himself accepts it, and says that this resolution is about being true to himself. Kanji’s a Double Lion who burnt his primary because being given shit for the feminine, queer-coded parts of himself made him lose faith in his internal compass, worrying that it was leading him somewhere that he viewed as bad. Internalised homophobia’s a bitch of a thing.

Accepting his Shadow is the start of Kanji healing his primary-letting go of shame for being an oddball and telling the world to go fuck itself if it thinks it can make him conform. He does model Badger Secondary-as I said, he caretakes like a boss-but that’s more a thing he does as a gift to others. When it comes to solving problems, he charges in swinging, ready to beat up anyone from biker gangs to otherworldly monsters.

Rise Kujikawa is a cheerful, shameless Snake Primary, loving and ambitious. She became an idol to make friends, and enjoys the fame it gets her. And when she needs to take a break for the sake of her mental health, she has no compunctions about doing so.

But she needed that break because the idol life was stressing her out-unsurprisingly, it’s a really intense life. And the particular problem she had was to do with the conflicting expectations the public has of celebrities. Perfection is demanded...but so is authenticity.

Rise realised that she was face-shifting as an integral part of her career, and this knowledge sent her into a tailspin. The fans don’t like the real Rise Kujikawa-they like Risette. But who is the real Rise Kujikawa? She doesn’t know! It’s frightening! What if she’s just made of smoke and mirrors? How does she find out what’s underneath?

And the answer she comes to is that there is no real Rise Kujikawa...which is the same as saying that there is no false one. Rise is Risette is Rise, it’s all just her, adapting to the context as she needs to. She’s a Badger Secondary, and the act of performance is the true self.

And for her, that’s a good answer-it brings her peace. But now we need to talk about Teddie.

Because just hearing Rise say ‘there’s no real me’ sends Teddie into a Shadow crisis right there.

He completely fucking loses it. He’s a denizen of the TV world-he’s been immune to it all this time, never manifesting a Shadow, but this is what breaks him. And that just screams Bird Lion. It’s his Buzz Lightyear moment-or rather his first Buzz Lightyear moment, because there are two. This is the first, and he survives it by retreating into his Secondary. It allows him to bring Shadow Teddie under control...but this isn’t sustainable. He’s realised something terrible and can’t avoid that knowledge indefinitely.

And soon enough he admits it to himself (and to the MC). He is a Shadow, that somehow became self-aware. His Truth was never true. He can’t handle it, he has no idea how to even exist, and he outright tells the MC that he intends to commit suicide.

He recovers, though-and he does so because the MC tells him Nanako survived. That’s the first thing that gives him a glimmer of hope, because his Truth already had some Snakey elements in there about chosen people and ambitions. He comes back from the brink, reshapes his system to centre those Snake principles, and returns to the side of his friends.

Lastly, Naoto Shirogane, our other queer-coded character. (I’m using she pronouns for the sake of canon here-but I’m a firm believer in nonbinary Naoto, for the record.) I think she’s a Bird secondary-the only one of those here, jeez. She’s just so analytical. She’s a rapid-fire Bird too, Detective Prince working on a case, squarely in the middle of her comfort zone. But push her out of it-into a normal teenager social situation, say-and watch her squirm!

She has a Bird Primary performance, too. But performance is the operative word here. She’s trying to look adult and smart and collected, in order to be taken seriously by the police officers she works with. And she is smart, mind you, but that’s not the why of her though it is the how. It’s not Naoto who goes ‘wait, let’s think about this, we need more information’ at the crucial point, but the MC, who really is a Bird Primary. Naoto was the one to suggest doing a little vigilante justice vis-a-vis murdering Namatame.

Her real Primary is Lion. Being a detective is a Cause for her, not a Truth, and she is blazingly certain of her own sense of what’s right-so much so that she doesn’t stop and check it against other people’s. And she inspires people! She doesn’t even mean to, and certainly doesn’t know why, but she is just so cool that people flock to her and admire her. ‘The Detective Prince’ is, when you think about it, a really Lion Bird kind of title!

Her Shadow has two issues with her. First, it harps on the gender angle. Hey, self, there’s that thing about your identity that you’ve been refusing to think about! You need to go poke at it! And then it breaks down into a scared child. Self, your performance is eating you alive. You need to do it, yes, the Cause demands it, but you also need to be able to stop sometimes and let yourself have emotions!

In short:

MC/Souji/Yu: Bird primary, Badger secondary

Yosuke: Snake primary, Badger secondary, models Lion primary

Chie: Lion primary, Lion secondary

Yukiko: Snake primary, Snake secondary, with Badger primary and secondary models that start out pretty unhealthy for her. 

Kanji: Lion primary that starts out burnt and begins to unburn after his Shadow fight, Lion secondary. Models Badger secondary.

Rise: Snake primary, Badger secondary

Teddie: Bird primary, Lion secondary. Falls dramatically and recovers by shaping his system to be more Snakelike.

Naoto: Lion primary, Bird secondary, performs Bird primary

[narcissasdaffodil]

20 for Lottie x Marisol, cuz i loved their oneshot! 💕💕💕

Thank you so much for the prompt! Recently sad stuff comes more naturally to me, so enjoy this one. This is the same verse as my oneshot.

So casually cruel in the name of being honest.

Marisol started to make her way upstairs to the roof terrace. She wanted desperately to have some time to herself, to sit with only herself for company.

She heard voices as she passed the bedroom, and ducked into the dressing room. The voices are coming from the roof terrace, and they float downstairs. The dressing room was the perfect vantage point to listen in on conversations from the roof.

“It isn’t worth it! Trying with Marisol that is. I should just focus on Gary, she’s just treating me like a puppet on a string, pulling me along and expecting me to follow her every word. You’re lucky to have Lucas, he’s honest and clear about his feelings for you. I wish Henrik stayed, maybe then I’d have another option.” Lottie snapped, her voice clear as a bell and obviously pissed off. But she’s the one who’s new to a relationship with a girl. Not you, you’ve done this before. Your only proper relationship with a girl was Olivia, and that ruined you, losing a friendship and a girlfriend all at once. How can she be so definite, and not scared of starting something new? You struggle with commitment, Olivia burnt you badly.

“You need to be more patient, Lottie. She isn’t like Lucas, and probably has a reason for struggling so much. Have you even thought of asking her? Of trying to understand her side. Love isn’t supposed to be easy, and when you decided to go down this route, I thought you realised that. If you wanted easy, you’d go for Gary.” Livia explained, trying to placate her a little bit. Lottie on a rampage was something difficult to solve, only Livia ever had any luck with her like this. Maybe you did make a mistake. Maybe being stuck pining for Livia would be far better than whatever this is.

“Oh please. She’s so fickle. And you keep making excuses for her, despite the fact she’s hopped from guy to guy like she’s collecting them or something. Nothing’s worked out at all, maybe because they can’t stand having her psychoanalyse them. I mean, she even tried for Lucas, but he turned her down, politer than she deserved. And you forgave her for that. I don’t get you sometimes.” Marisol could hear the sound of heels from the roof, likely Lottie pacing about. Fickle? It’s not your fault nothing has worked out for you. And you’re stuck in yet another friendship couple, with Bobby. The same person who tried to get Livia interested in him by getting her involved in Operation Nope, and pretended to be offended when she was offended by it. He even tried to get you involved. Maybe he’s also sick of you, you wouldn’t be surprised. The only person you really have is Livia, and she has Lottie for a best friend so you’re only second rate to her too.

Marisol took in a deep breath and fiddled with a loose curl of hair. She could feel tears pricking behind her eyes, what Lottie was saying hurt.

“You’re being too harsh. What if she heard you talking like this about her? I know I’d be considerably pissed. Also I forgave her for Rocco, and the Lucas thing, I wouldn’t take either back also. Both her and Lucas apologised to me about that, Lucas didn’t need to, it wasn’t his fault she liked him. The fact both of them were open and honest about it made me respect them more. It takes guts to be honest about something.” Livia sighed audibly. You chose to put all your love on the wrong person it appears. Maybe you don’t know for sure if Livia would have reciprocated it, but asking her even if she turned you down in the way Lucas did would have worked out well compared to this mess with Lottie. The way she’s treating you is completely wrong, she still keeps coming for you, and everyone else lets her do it. There’s only two people who keep defending you, Livia and Lucas and you don’t understand why Lucas is doing it.

“She’s not the type to eavesdrop. Besides, I don’t really care as I regret wasting my time on her. I know she even voted Henrik out too, after the little bait and switch you had to do to keep Lucas. I don’t blame you for it, but part of me thinks I’d have been better with Henrik. She wouldn’t even have needed to tell you if she hadn’t stabbed you in the back. Not even Priya, after her stunt with Noah, wastes her time with Marisol, and Hope stays clear too. That does say something in my eyes. She’s alone for a reason, not even Bobby likes her and he likes everyone. That’s something you need to realise, how she’s completely bad news.” Lottie laughed, the sound harsh and scratching at Marisol’s ears. Wasting her time on you? That’s not the first time someone has said that, but even Olivia wasn’t so obvious when she gave up on you. Or quite as quick. You did vote Henrik out, but that was in a desperate attempt to keep Rocco, even if your decision might fuck Livia over. Thankfully she saw that coming, and actually understood your reasoning. There’s a reason you prefer your own company, you can’t betray yourself. You must deserve to be alone, it’s far safer that way. Apart from Livia, who likely only pities you.

“Wow. You’ve changed your tune. You’ve gone back to the same you were when Roccogate happened, I did hope you’d grown as a person since then. She hasn’t even hurt you, or done anything to you.” Livia appeared frustrated by her tone alone. Marisol wanted so desperately to just leave the room, but as she tried to get up from her seat at the dressing table, her knees buckled under her weight, which caused her to sit down hard on the chair. Her vision blurred with tears and she removed her glasses, watching the mascara tears drip down her cheeks in the mirror. Lottie’s broke your heart in the blink of an eye, you don’t matter to her one bit.

“Whatever. I’m not going to go over old ground with you yet again. I’ve got over it, so why haven’t you? These shoes are killing me, so I’m going to change them then find Lucas. Don’t follow me.” Livia made her way to the door, the sounds of her heels echoing against the roof.

“But!” Lottie protested.

“But nothing. You tell me that you’re not a bad person, but you turn on people so quickly. You lash out at everyone, apart from me. It appears I haven’t earned a place on your bad list so far. You’re a cruel person, Lottie. Especially in the way you talk about Marisol. I bet you wouldn’t like it if Mari was talking about you that way, yet you easily do it to her.” Livia replied while making her way downstairs. Lottie doesn’t respond to that comment, and the dressing room is silent apart from the sound of heels, and Marisol’s sobs. She is cruel. You can’t love someone like that, who’s casually cruel in the name of being honest. She has it out for you specifically too. It really hurts.

Marisol heard the click of the door, and looked over to see Livia making her way inside.

“Marisol? I didn’t know you were in here. Are you okay?” Livia’s eyes widen at the sight of her, and Marisol feels like she must be quite a mess for Livia to act that way. She stood on shaky legs and wrapped her arms around Livia, unable to speak. She hid her face in the taller girl’s shoulder, and let go her emotions entirely. Her throat has a persistent lump in it, and she can’t speak past it. Livia stroked her hair gently and the simple motion is enough to ground her, to make her feel less awful. She stayed in the same position until she calmed down enough to look at Livia.

“I...I heard both of you talking. I heard it all, I guess I fell for the wrong person, huh? I can’t be with someone who gossips about others like that. I’m absolutely awful though, I get that much. I get why I’ve gone through so many guys here, I’d be sick of me too. I’m no one’s first choice, not even Lottie’s. You’re so lucky to have Lucas, I’m glad you’re happy at least, if I’m not destined for it.” She spoke past the lump in her throat and stared down at her feet. Meeting Livia’s eyes was hard, she didn’t want to be pitied.

Livia caught hold of her chin, turning Marisol’s face to face hers, and making direct eye contact with her, her emerald green eyes piercing into Marisol’s coffee coloured ones. “No. I’m sorry, but that’s a serious load of bullshit. You’re not awful, and I’m not sick of you. Don’t ever let anyone make you doubt your worth. You’re a wonderful person in your own right, you’re gorgeous. You’re also honest, which means I value your opinions. I definitely want you to find someone, you do deserve a genuine relationship. Someone will come along who puts you first, mark my words. And you’ll know when you know. Like me and Lucas.”

“But, how are you sure? Part of me wishes it was you I fell for, that would make a little more sense. And I wasn’t asked on a date, when Lurik came in. So of course I didn’t feel any major liking to either of them. I was the only one too, then adding the Bobby thing and OP Nope, it feels like I’m cursed.”

“Uh, uh. You’re not cursed. I have a feeling you have a reason for your walls being so high, so I’m not going to treat you like Lottie. Not kidding here, if she puts up with her nonsense, then I’m dropping her friendship. Easily too, I’d much prefer to have you for a best friend. This might not help, but if it wasn’t for Lucas, I’d like you too. I understand not having any dates did sting, I get that. But if they don’t see how awesome you are, that’s their problem.” Livia taps her on the nose playfully, causing Marisol to look up at her with wide eyes.

“R...really? You mean that? You’d drop Lottie for me? I can kind of handle being second to Lucas because it’s you. That does mean a lot. Thank you.”

“Really, really. I don’t say stuff I don’t mean. I don’t like bullies. If Lottie persists, then I don’t want her around me, point blank.” Livia wiped her tears gently with a discarded tissue and focused on cleaning up her face a bit. The pressure was gentle and she focused on the feeling of finger tips on her skin.

Marisol tried for a wobbly smile, and just about managed it. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do this, but the fact you did means a lot.”

“Of course. Mari, what did you expect me to do, just leave you all upset? I wouldn’t do that, and it sucks that you heard all that. Are you going to give her another chance, or is that it?” Livia let go of her chin and retrieved a pair of heeled boots, sliding them onto her bare feet. She put her flip flops back with her other shoes and turned back to Marisol.

“I don’t know. It should be easy to answer, but I don’t know. I want to give her another chance, but I’ve given so many.” Marisol tapped her hand on the dressing table, unexpectedly nervous. Be careful. Lottie could hurt you again.

[margoshansons]

Desperate Measures 15/?

MASTERLIST: (don’t ask about part ten)

Summary: Raven undergoes a terrible operation to save herself, and Finn recruits delinquents for a mission. Y/N is one of them.

warnings: surgical procedures, swearing, canon-typical stuff

notes: I’m finally back with a chapter and hopefully I’ll be able to update regularly again. Tbh, I feel like no one cares about this story anymore, so seeing it receive some new love has made my heart very very happy. Based on 2x02 “inclement weather”

***

Bellamy paced his cell, the wire digging into his wrists as he waited for another interrogation. Byrne, Sgt. Miller. It was only a matter of time before Kane decided to show up. It was only a matter of time before he had to face the man who had helped float his mother.

Today was that day apparently.

The door slid open. He had seemed taller on the Ark, more intimidating.

Down here he was just another adult who was playing with things they didn’t understand. Another adult who refused to believe them.

“How long are you gonna keep me locked up in here?” Bellamy sighed, his shoulders slumping.

Kane crossed his arms, “As long as it takes until I’m sure you’re not a threat to others.”

He resisted the urge to scoff. The only threat they faced was the grounders.

“Those are my people out there” Bellamy growled, his irritation starting to get the better of him, “I should be out there looking for them, not--”

“You shouldn’t be doing anything” Kane cut him off, tone stern, “Your time of being a leader is over.”

Bellamy clenched his jaw. His time of being a leader will never be over. As long as his people survived, he would do whatever it took to keep them that way.

The sound of metal dragging on metal caught him off guard, Kane sitting down on a lone crate, gesturing to another one he had brought over. Bellamy knew the drill.

Here came the interrogation.

“I need you to tell me everything you know about the grounders” Kane paused, inhaling, “and my daughter.”

“Your daughter?” Bellamy asked, arching an eyebrow.

Kane creased his, “You know exactly who I’m talking about.”

Bellamy decided to play his game. “I know Y/N Franco survived a bullet wound to the leg and was one of the hundred who managed to make it back home. The rest of my friends are out there, probably dying and you’re sitting here acting like the real threat isn’t out there torturing our people!”

“That’s enough!” Kane barked, teeth grit in brewing anger, “If you aren’t going to help me, then I’m afraid I can’t let you go.”

As the new Chancellor stood up to walk away, Bellamy chuckled mirthlessly, remembering what Maria had said so many times before.

“She was right” Bellamy called out, “You’re not her father.”

He watched as the Chancellor buried his emotions in a fist, slowly turning around with an ease he had only seen Y/N wear before.

The two men eyed each other, never losing eye contact as Kane sat back down, hunching over to lean in closer to Bellamy. The interrogation continued.

***

Her leg throbbed, but she could walk. The bullet had been safely removed, and she was thankful Murphy was a lousy shot. 

She was thankful Murphy had only hit the muscle.

Raven wasn’t as lucky.

Y/N stood beside Finn, watching anxiously as Abby discussed what needed to be done to save Raven.

“The bullet is still shifting” The doctor informed the mechanic, “I was hoping it would stabilize by now.”

“So take it out” She and Raven spoke at the same time.

Abby and Jackson shared a nervous look, unable to hide anything from anyone down here. No one was.

“Raven” Abby’s tone turned gentle. “The bullet is pressing against your spine, if we leave it in you’ll live but...you’ll never walk again.”

Y/N swallowed at the news. On the ark, this wouldn’t have been a problem. Zero G solved that. Down here? With grounders abundant and new threats popping up everywhere? Where they needed their legs to run? Raven needed to walk. Raven needed that surgery.

“Take it out” Raven pleaded, showing no sign of backing down from her decision. “In zero g I didn’t need my legs. Down here I do.”

Abby sighed before nodding slightly to Jackson. She felt Raven’s calloused hand snake itself into her own, eyes pleading with her.

“Will you stay?” The weakened girl asked, “please?” Y/N nodded, leaning down, her leg still hurting but she ignored it. Raven was going through much worse. She could deal with a little leg pain if it helped Raven.

“I’m not going anywhere.” She replied, brushing a hand over her friend’s hair. A weight knelt down beside her and she caught Finn staring intently at his ex, grasping her and Y/N’s hand in his own. “Neither am I” He spoke softly, his gaze never leaving Raven’s.

“We’re almost ready” Abby called, turning Raven on her stomach before lifting up the mechanic’s grey tank top, marking the infected area with a black marker. Y/N felt her breathing shift. Raven’s grip grew tighter around her and Finn’s hands, a silent plea.

The scalpel made its way to the marked area, ready to cut into her--

“Stop!” Raven cried, a tear streaking down her ashen face, fear flickering through her eyes. “I’m so scared” Her voice broke and Y/N broke along with it.

This was her best friend.

More than that. They were sisters. They grew up together. They were meant to change the world together. And now the strongest person she knew was breaking down before her eyes.

“Hey” Y/N whispered, drawing Raven’s attention away from the surgery, “Look at me and Finn.”

Understanding swirled in her dark brown eyes.

She squeezed their hands together.

She was ready.

Finn switched his gaze to Abby.

Y/N’s never left Raven’s.

“She’s ready” Finn announced.

The screams were deafening.

*** Bellamy’s blood became ice as screams rang through the small compound. What if it was Y/N? She had been scheduled for surgery. What if the screams were hers? What if she was suffering and there was nothing he could do about it?

“It’s not Sparky, if that’s what you’re worried about” Murphy deadpanned from across the room. Irritation flashed hotly through Bellamy’s body, the traitor’s voice not helping his anxious state. “She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.”

He clenched his jaw at the statement, because against his better judgement, Bellamy knew Murphy was right. Y/N would refuse to scream during surgery, especially if it was just a bullet to the leg.

Before Bellamy could respond to the true statement, the doors slid open once again, revealing Kane and Byrne ready for another interrogation. Except this time the subject matter was one person.

The same person he had been thinking about minutes before.

“What the hell happened to my daughter?” Kane’s eyes were ablaze, searching back and forth between the two men, desperate for answers. Kane turned toward Bellamy, stalking forward, “You told me grounders don’t have guns.”

“They don’t” Bellamy spoke calmly, slightly unnerved with how desperate the Chancellor seemed. No one had ever seen him this vulnerable. Or this angry. “You wanna know what happened to your daughter?”

Kane clenched his jaw, the slightest nod answering the question.

“Ask him.” Bellamy gestured toward the opposite wall.

Toward John Murphy.

***

Y/N exhaled, wanting to cry tears of relief.

She had made it. Against all odds, Raven Reyes had survived.

“She’s a fighter” Abby pointed out later, wiping the scalpel and tweezers clean of the crimson liquid. “You all are.”

Y/N smiled shyly at the compliment, her thoughts drifting toward Bellamy. “Some of us more than others.” She murmured.

Abby froze, turning around to face the engineer. “You want to go see him.”

It wasn’t a question.

Y/N nodded.

“Please Abby” She pleaded, “If you knew what Murphy’s done, what he did to me, Raven and Bellamy, you wouldn’t have him locked up.”

The doctor sent a puzzled look before glancing between the two girls. Her mind began to weave the pieces together, an incredulous look on her face as Abby threw another glance at Y/N’s freshly stitched up leg.

“This way,” was all Abby said, pulling the engineer forward through the curtains of the med tent until she landed in front of a panel that looked out of place. “You can exit through there, your dad’s waiting out front, but this should be able to get you past him and Byrne.”

She threw her arms around the woman who had saved her and Raven’s life, grateful that she had someone in this camp on her side.

Her feet stepped out onto the grassy fields, sunlight streaming across her face, blinding her vision and heating up her face as she soaked up the yellow rays. Her boots crunched against the patches of dry grass underneath her as she managed to find the entrance to the newly dubbed Camp Jaha.

She avoided the awestruck gazes of her fellow Ark citizens, every one of them knowing exactly who she was. The poor orphan from Mecha station taken in by Marcus Kane. Before she was thrown in solitary with the rest of the delinquents to be sacrificed for their sick experiment.

Before she was sent down to die.

Alpha station was exactly the way she remembered it. Down to the last piece of scrap metal that had fallen from the sky. The metal walls confined her. Everything was too small.

She couldn’t believe she ever thought this was the biggest thing in the world.

The earth was a never ending maze, the same way she had viewed Alpha at one point, and now Alpha was nothing to her. A confining box meant to keep everyone in line.

She peeked down the corridor leading to the stockade, watching the guards, wondering if there was some way to cut the power so she could sneak in unseen.

An arm on her shoulder caused her to flinch.

She whipped around, senses on fire as she drew her fists, stopping when she met the shocked face of David Miller.

“Sgt. Miller?” She asked, disbelief crossing her features. The Chief of the guard relaxed, all the tension gone from his shoulders as he recognized the face in front of him.

“Y/N,” The chief breathed, “I’m so glad I found you. Did Nate follow you back at all?”

She froze at the question.

For the first time since being discovered at the dropship, she allowed her thoughts to turn toward those she failed. Miller, Monty, Jasper, Clarke.

All gone. 

Taken.

By grounders or something else. But it didn’t change the fact. She hadn’t saved them. She had failed them all.

“I’m sorry” She swallowed, ignoring the guilt pressing against her chest, “I don’t know where he is.”

David’s face fell.

“I broke my promise” Y/N admitted, voice thick with emotion, “I promised you I’d take care of him, and I--I failed. I’m so sorry.”

He left with a broken smile and a pat on the back. His words ringing in her head long after he was gone.

“You did what you could.”

No she didn’t. She should’ve gone after them. She should’ve stopped hiding. She should’ve tried to fight off those who would try and harm her friends. And now she was paying the price. A hand grasped her bicep and pulled her backward, pressing her against the wall, a hand covering her mouth.

Her eyes narrowed when she saw who it was.

“Finn?” She spoke through his hand, the muffled sound muted by the flesh against her lips. The long haired delinquent shot several paranoid looks behind his shoulder before whispering his plan to Y/N.

“Your dad lied about the search team. Finding our people, going after the grounders, all of it. They’re not going after our people Y/N,” Finn informed her, his eyes bugging out of his head, “So we’re taking matters into our own hands. Monroe and Sterling are on watch, you and I are going to sneak in and free Bellamy. What do you say?”

He gently lifted his hand free from her mouth to let her give her answer.

It was a reckless plan. And there’s no telling whether the grounders even had their friends in the first place unless they managed to build smoke bombs. But it was better than anything she had come up with.

It was better than staying here and failing again.

“I’m in.”

Sneaking in was marginally easier than she expected. Especially with Marcus putting several guards in front of the door because he didn’t like how close Bellamy had gotten with her. Thank whatever higher power above for secret passages.

They had kept her safe from Marcus’ disappointment on the Ark and now they’re going to help her save her friends.

“Get up” Finn instructed, Y/N using the pliers to cut the zip ties around Bellamy’s wrists, “We’re going to save our friends.”

Bellamy’s skeptical look disappeared as he rubbed his raw wrists. Anger stirred in her chest at the sight of the red lines, but she shoved it aside. She would deal with her father later. Right now her friends were in trouble.

“About time,” Bellamy smirked, turning toward Y/N, “Your idea?” She shook her head, “Finn’s, and we gotta hurry. Now.”

Bellamy grasped the pliers from her hands and moved toward the opposite wall, her anger spilling out of her as Finn finished her thoughts for her, “What the hell are you doing?”

He had cut Murphy free.

“He’s the only one who’s been to their camp.” Bellamy explained as if Murphy’s presence being needed was the most obvious solution in the world.

Y/N rolled her eyes, moving forward to meet Murphy, “You shoot me again, and I promise I will kill you.”

His response was cut off by the appearance of Monroe, “Hey, Sterling just signalled, someone’s coming.”

The four of them ducked out, closing the panel behind them as Alpha station dropped them back by the medical tent.

“You’re late” Abby scolded, David by her side as their flashlights lit up the area surrounding the gate.

“Bellamy decided to bring company” Finn retorted.

Bellamy sighed, pulling Murphy’s bonds tighter, “He’s the only one that’s been to their camp.”

The two adults nodded before handing off the firearms to the delinquents, David entrusting his own pistol to Y/N, his gaze never leaving hers.

“Find my son, his name is Nathan Miller.”

She didn’t need to know that.

She knew exactly who to look for.

She knew exactly who she had failed.

***

DM Taglist (closed): @chloe-skywalker​ @im-a-writer-right​ @clarkewithameme​ @shatteredlovesick​ @your-typical-giggle​ @rhyxn​ @amongthewildthingss​ @furiouspockettoad​ @niammain​ @cxddlyash​ @lena-davina @kaylinfayezink​ @gingerxarmy​ @super-marvel-dale​ @travelnottogoanywherebuttogo​ @nerdbookish​ @valeskasecco @strangerliaa​ @simsvetements​ @molethemollie​ @thebookisbtr​ @im-a-stranger-thing​ @jordangdelacruz​ @oopsiedoopsie23​ @multifandombookstore​ @okj232 @asian-male-enthusiast​ @minigranger​ @jooheonbee​ @libraryoffandomsuniverse​ @pancakefancake​ @weird-pale-blonde-person​

[gamepanicplay]

Design Report: Immersion

How enemies help to immerse the player

The importance of in game enemies. this is a detailed explanation on how they important and therefore imperative for immersion in different styles of games.

Enemies can turn the most boring of dungeon crawlers do an exciting impactful adventure and those tense moments and exhilarating action. To make these enemies truly immersive in the gameplay required these three important steps.

·         mechanical Immersion

·         Spatial Immersion

·         narrative Immersion

 Mechanical immersion is usually associated with small Untold Stories that are found in the background. These types of stories are not converted the player by npcs they are visual cues that allow a player to interpret the story differently from what is originally presented these are usually hidden to give the players a semblance of Mystery.

I shall give you a scenario of this "you are in a big dark room all the windows are boarded up from the inside and all the plates and dishes are strewn About shattered on the floor and Scattered around, you see drops of blood leading from the cabinet leading to A Door can you see more blood Pooling under the door frame”.

There are other forms of immersion you can acquire immersion from voice clips or in game files , ones that can be found within a book or notes and most commonly from prodding at npcs and even npcs talking with each other a good example of this is how Skyrim npcs interact with each other and the player and sometimes you can acquire quests by Simply listening to npcs talking and you can outright miss this Quest if not paying attention. And these games these forms of information like they can be found as physical objects you can interact within the games you don't just get a PNG of text you actually get a three-dimensional item that you can look around for more clues.

Spatial Immersion is predominantly described with the featuring of this type experience where players experience seasons and topography of the game like far off mountain treading off into the distance that you are allowed to explore on foot, deep gorgeous that's when you fall in them you gradually increase your speed until you hit the bottom, and endless Fields where the player can experience peace with the calm sounds of nature with the gentle sounds of footsteps on grass. The best way to allow people to experience these forms of immersion or it is better if I say the best say the ways in which this shatters immersion is with the dreaded loading screens the more loading screens and the unexplained invisible game walls where the player is individually told they are not allowed to go there. The player experiences the more it pulls him out of the game.

Some of the player base debate about how far must immersion go?

Some people seem to agree that in some games there is way too much realism, and this type of realism can actually pull some people out of the game a common problem did people like to talk about is carry weights do they help immersion or do they break immersion.

Ideally, if you want a player to go through a specific area and not take any shortcuts you would use the actual enemies themselves to block the players pat through that area to gently lead him to the early wish him to experience first.

 Mentioning the enemies let us talk a little bit about the enemies and what their purpose basic is it is not that simple as enemies stopping the player from proceeding to make it more difficult it needs to be a smart placement so that you do not frustrate the player, everyone knows you cannot just drop an insurmountable wall to your player otherwise they might leave the game.

Now there are games where there extremely difficult enemies but those specific enemies specially were made like that for the purpose of that particular game and the main mechanic of the game like for example:

“shadow the Colossus” (In this game is about gigantic creatures that requires multiple strikes in specifics places while you are climbing them to be able to kill them.)

They are very important criteria to making a good enemy. For the best example, I can present where the grand majority of the ambience of the game is within its enemies Subnautica.

“Subnautica” (A game where you are free-floating through the ocean trying to survive giant sea monsters trying to eat you.)

What Subnautica has is that you first land in the safe Shallows and what this area is a spot where very few hostels to allow to spawn and until the player integrates with this new environment then he can go deeper where he could find bigger and stronger the enemies. In broader terms the enemy should be appropriately levelled of the current level of player it's ok to have weak enemies at the beginning of the game your Player does not know how to play it so you can forgive him that early And this smoothly leads us to narrative Immersion narrative immersion is someone deceiving because it doesn't only refer to immersion from the story but can also be in the way of how your characters are written a good way of doing this is when your enemies have a specific job some people called them enemy classes find the most common ones being The Archer and bruiser there are different varieties of these enemies and because of their specific abilities they look different from each other. To change the player the enemy doesn't just need to be spammed to lose all of its HP there would be intelligent ways of killing enemies with player made traps or with pre-existing traps they make the enemy Trigger.

The most important thing an enemy need memorable is personality good ways to give your anime personality are physical differences in the different jobs said they are assigned this is not just a stylistic choice this can also help players in coming up with different tactics according to the enemy you could have an enemy type does run away from the player when alone but the text to player when in a group. It is very important that is your characterisation of the enemy is very closely related to how they look and that their weaknesses are clearly visible for it to be easy for the player to realise this week point these weak points don't need to be obvious they just need to be clear.

 While making an enemy be very careful of how the enemy looks within the level design  you may you could have designed one of the most beautiful and creative enemies but it doesn't matter if they don't fit the place you've put them in or if the level is not built for them and with this you need be very careful the enemy needs to fit in the overall narrative and game play style you have created, if you have a very slow-moving game where the player needs to be slow and cautious to go through puzzles do not throw in a quick enemy where do player doesn't have time to react to it. It might be frightening yes but it could completely ruin the player’s experience.

While making the games enemies keep in mind when you are making these enemies of how they will react with each other will they be hostile, or will they be friendly or will they team up to kill the player. Enemies do not necessarily need to be hostile to the player they can also be there to serve as a problem for the player to solve.

Now let us talk about how to make a game enemy while using these four aspects difficulty, specific, personality, synergy.

 CHARACTER CREATION

 Let's begin by talking about the environment you're in some kind of cave, now let's say that at the beginning of the game this is going to be a 2 hit kill enemy, where the enemy lets you do a mistake in you getting hit by him immediately kill you the best way to convert these enemies dangerous, is by making him big and angry-looking preferably with big claws that face towards the player now we will start by doing something that will go against realism instead of making our enemy dark give him a bright colour so the player can see him early this will not make the game easier it will make the game fairer for the player.

Now we have a basic description of how the character looks, now we should ask how he will act. The enemy should be aggressive and following player true out the Maze with him giving up after a short while with more of an aggro range this will allow the player to be able to Backtrack if they are in the wrong section of the Maze.

Now we have a description of an enemy. Is only one I know you could create word create synergy with this character I would suggest small but quick anime does very little damage to the player that would not attack the player when alone what would group up and attack the player.

Another section I put focus on is by designing the characters sound like for example the addition off enemies that make insects sounds start the insect phobia of some people and for the bigger enemy large booming steps to show how large this creature is compared to the player this will also help the player not necessarily see the anime first but rather hear him first.

References

Design Report: Immersion

Cheng, K. and A. Cairns, P., 2005. Behaviour, realism and immersion in games | CHI '05 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems. [online] Dl.acm.org. Available at: <https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/1056808.1056894> [Accessed 2 May 2021].

Youtube.com. 2017. Before you continue to YouTube. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2gIE5gyA6s> [Accessed 3 May 2021].

Frasca, G., 2010. Rethinking agency and immersion: video games as a means of consciousness-raising. [online] Taylor & Francis. Available at: <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1076/digc.12.3.167.3225> [Accessed 3 May 2021].

Katelyn, P. and Clint, B., 2011. An Examination of Flow and Immersion in Games. [online] SAGE Journals. Available at: <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1071181311551455> [Accessed 3 May 2021].

Calleja, G., 2011. In-Game. [online] Google Books. Available at: <https://books.google.com.mt/books?hl=en&lr=&id=KIQKV_MXvBAC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=immersion+in+game+enemy&ots=ykriU7XAE2&sig=VRgi57MxF2RLFdKMYuv_4dusnvc&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false> [Accessed 4 May 2021].

Youtube.com. 2017. Before you continue to YouTube. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhU4xywyWU4> [Accessed 7 May 2021].

[bellygunnr]

silly you, silly me

X and Zero were fighting. Their voices carried past the closed door and into the adjacent hall, practically emptying it of any other Hunters and ensuring no one else would even dare approach. For the most part, anyway. Axl was hovering outside the break room, his back pressed to the wall, arms crossed over his chest. He stared at the ceiling with a dour expression unbecoming of his usual temperament, optics dim with thought.

He was the new kid in town here. The difference? He had two feet in the door of working with the illustrious X and Zero, and hadn't taken the opportunity lightly. He considered himself Zero's friend-- Zero considered him dependable, which was almost as good. He had no idea what X thought of him.

Hatred was beyond the legendary Reploid's scope, certainly, but...

Now, X's despair was palpable. It was raw enough to inspire Axl's own empathy response, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. It was his fault that the two were fighting, after all.

He had been tired of the tension between the two. He thought if he could force them to talk it out--

Well.

Axl heaves a sigh, also uncharacteristic of him.

"Fighting is not the only way to be effective, Zero. You know this," X says, his voice taut.

"It's something people understands," Zero shoots back. "And it gets things done quickly."

"At the cost of Reploid lives! Human lives! Mortality rates for Hunters are at an all-time high--" X starts, flaring, his hands pressing against the surface of the table.

"And whose fault is that? Rookies aren't in training longer than two months now, of course they're dying," Zero says harshly, waving a hand. "Not even I can fix that. And certain regulations prevent combat systems from--"

"For their humanity!" X cuts in, looking affronted. "Pre-installed combat systems have negative effects on young Reploids."

"We're not human, X, and those Rookies are nothing but fodder. They come off the assembly line dead."

"And I'm trying to change that," X says quietly. "I already have support on my side. It's just a matter of escalating it to the people who write the laws."

"But that's the problem, isn't it, X? They're people," Zero replies, but it's more of a hiss. "And we're not. They could never understand--"

"There's Reploids in the government now!" X snaps. "And the rights we implement in the Hunters are being translated on a grander scale. But that's not the point. What I'm doing is just as important as field work."

"Sure, if it got anything done," Zero sneers. The chair creaks as he slumps his weight against it; the table shudders as he rejects it, the heel of his palms pushing it aside.

Silence falls between them. X corrects the table before curling up in his own chair, face falling into his hands. Thin, mechanical fingers rub circles against his temples-- a purely human affect, nonsensical on a Reploid.

Zero still finds it endearing, but a part of him wants to hate it entirely.

(all he does is love it)

"We need you," Zero says quietly. "I need you."

"They need me," X replies, voice a bare whisper. "Everyone needs me."

"I know."

-

Axl's rolls his neck and shoulders, then focuses on the door across from him.

-

There's nothing to say. At least, Zero doesn't have the words, but he's never been good with them. He can act, though. He can act without speaking or thinking-- but everything X does is accompanied by a word and backed by a thought.

X is thinking now. He can see it in his eyes.

"I did this for me," X says slowly. "I took myself off the front lines for me."

His expression is nebulous, but his lips wobble.

"I was losing myself," he continues. "All I could see was the destruction I was causing. I was freezing up on the field. My inability to act wounded one of my senior officers."

Quietly, he speaks, softly, so softly, barely disturbing the air. Zero watches, silent.

"But I can't-- I can't do things for me, Zero," X murmurs. "So I put myself on a different tack, where I could see the progress I was making. Politics. Charity. Volunteer work."

"I speak at major events. I give speeches. I appear on television and do interviews. It's good for the Hunters on some level, of course. But Reploids like it, too."

"You don't understand how quickly I was losing hope. The field offers a very limited scope when you're ranked as high as we are, Zero. Even our patrols are in high-risk or hot zones. All I could see was the damage caused, the aftermath of dozens of conflicts. And it consumed me."

At some point, Zero's hands had migrated to the center of the table. He's gripping X's, thumb brushing along the ridge of his knuckles. Soft skin, beautifully patterned, a perfect mimicry of a human's. His own were smooth with no lines or grooves.

"There are many injustices in this world, Zero," X says softly. "I already know I can't solve every little one. But I have to try."

Just then, before Zero can find his words, the break room door swings open. Axl strides in, looking for all the world like a kicked puppy, or perhaps a wet cat. Then he pauses, as if taking X and Zero in properly for the first time, and smiles hesitantly.

"So did y'all make up, or..." Axl asks, jerking his thumb to the door. "Am I gonna have to tell everyone the break room's shut down for the rest of the night?"

"We're fine now," Zero says lowly, expression impassive.

X rubs at his eyes with his free hand. "Let's go, Zero. We both have places to be."

Axl steps aside to let them both go, noting with satisfaction that they're still joined by the hand. He was feeling awfully terrible for a minute there-- but in the end, his hunch had been right.

They just had to listen to each other.

And X still had to hear him out, too.

[blarfkey]

director’s cut, director’s choice of ⭐️Dear Fen’Harel⭐️? (Though generally speaking, I’m intensely curious as to how you develop characters because everyone you write is so brilliantly layered)

So um, this exploded. And I apologize. I am very much a character-driven writer versus a plot-driver writer. Also, how I develop characters is not a process I think about, it just happens, so this is also me finding out for myself how my own brain works, haha. If you want the full fucking three page essay this turned into, there’s more under the cut.

If not, and I don’t blame you, TLDR: I break a canon character down to their parts based on what I see in-game, I look at how their personal quest affects them, and I try to find a modern day equivalent to that. Each character has an issue they need to get past and I create situations to challenge those issues. And Ellana was created to be a foil for Solas and I dumped all my negative traits into her because neither she nor I can afford therapy so this is our best bet.

First of all, developing characters in fanfic is different than OC characters because I have a pre-set personality to work with rather than making someone from scratch. So for this, Ellana’s development is different from the rest of the cast.

For fanfic characters, obviously I look at the source material and see how they’ve reacted to certain situations and what they have canonically expressed about themselves in both deed and word. Honestly, I pay more attention to what they have DONE versus what they have SAID because a lot of characters tend to fool themselves into thinking they’re one way when they’re not (here’s looking at you, Solas).

Because DF is a modern AU, I take what I have seen in Canon (which is a lot because Bioware is very good at giving so much material to work with having all those different dialogue trees) and I apply it to the Modern Day. Some characters fit very easily – Dorian was made for Academia. Krem seems a more modern character anyway with how he constantly roasts Iron Bull. Josephine’s prowess in DA:I translates very easily to political science. Varric kind of has a modern writer’s career anyway.

Some are not easy – Solas is actually super hard for me to write in DF than he is in Thick as Thieves because so much of his characterization, his world views, his prejudices, are rooted in the fact that he is an ancient being out of time – which is impossible to have in this AU. I have crafted a sort of back story for him that might explain some things later, but it’s flimsy at best, haha.

So I’ve had to really look at what Solas is like in Inquisition when he’s pretending to be a “normal” hedge mage hermit from nowhere and how he behaves in his romance and extract from that. Solas is a nerd, he’s socially awkward from self-imposed isolation, he constantly struggles with what he wants and what is the morally correct thing to do and the temptation to be loved usually wins out over his convictions until the last second when he gets his common sense back and ruins everything.

It helps that in both DA and DF Solas is keeping a massive, massive secret from the Inquisitor about his identity that will shift the power balance between the two, so I’ve used that to guide me when I’m unsure. He still feels off to me, but it’s whatever at this point, lol. I did my best.

Once I’ve boiled a character down to their usual traits, I figure out how I’m going to have them grow throughout the fic and use their growth to help Ellana’s growth. I try to pull from their personal quests as much as I can, when I can get it to fit.

Some people, like Iron Bull, are static because they’ve already gone through their journey and have reached acceptance. I didn’t really know how to work his Leaving the Qun story line in the modern day, since it is tied so closely with war and potentially killing the Chargers, so by the time Ellana meets him, he has already left the Qun and made his peace with it. I use his static nature to help guide Ellana when she’s conflicted about her identity.

Some people, like Josephine, have personal quests that don’t fit with a modern era but I want to show them grow anyway, so I create something else for them. Right now, Josephine is mired in family drama and trying to figure out how to balance shouldering the weight of her responsibilities to her family with being her own person. That I drew from my own personal experience with being the only sane person in my family with their shit together, haha.

Or Cassandra, who is definitely NOT going to be Divine here, lol. So instead she gets to struggle with her art and how she can express herself in a way that leaves her vulnerable to scrutiny and yet can be so freeing.

Some people, like Krem, get a character arc that I think should have been explored but never was. Krem being trans is something that’s mentioned and talked about a little and never explored. I mean, he’s not a main character, so I get it. And I liked that Being Trans wasn’t his entire character. But there was no way to put him in the modern AU without his trans identity impacting some of his story and growth, even if he had already made his peace with it.

Now, I will say this upfront: I am not trans, and I haven’t had the opportunity to be close friends with a trans person, but I have done a lot of research on what trans people have said about their own experiences, and combined this with other research I’ve done over the years with other minorities and tried to put together what could be lingering insecurities for him and how he could overcome them.

I’m  definitely not saying that I’ve done this perfectly and I’m always open to any trans reader who would give me correction, but being trans was not an aspect of Krem’s character that I wanted to ignore just because I wasn’t familiar with it.

I will say that his romance with Josephine was Not Planned. It just kinda happened and I happily ran with it, haha.

Varric’s arc with Bianca is just wishful thinking because I hate her so so much and Bioware just dropped that bomb in Varric’s lap and then just lets him keep holding on to it and it’s bullshit.

The other character journeys are just ways to explore vulnerability in them that I didn’t think got enough attention in the game or I think they could realistically have even if it wasn’t in canon. Like Dorian dealing with his father. Now, in the game, Halward doesn’t have a disease and he dies unexpectedly. But I wanted Dorian to have a realistic reason why he would reach other to his estranged father in this AU and a ticking countdown to an inevitable death seemed right.

Now we get to see Dorian really struggle with this new-found connection with his father that he always wanted to have and now it’s temporary and heartbreak is inevitable and is it still worth it to him? I think Dorian has similar feelings in Trespasser when he found out his father was murdered because he still invested himself to rebuild a lost connection, only to lose it so soon after.

Zevran’s past with the Crows is also something that I really wanted to explore because in the game he is sad for a hot second and then moves on with the Warden and his newfound goal of destroying the entire Crow organization. So I wanted to see Zevran struggle with his inner worth, the fact that he can’t hide forever and his past puts his loved ones in danger, the fact that he can even HAVE loved ones and how it scares the shit out of him.  I wanted to have a character who puts on such a good front about not giving a shit about anything to hide how very deeply afraid he is. We are going to see more of this also before the story is over, lol.

Now, Ellana. Like all original characters, Ellana has a lot my personal experiences tied in her. But I originally created Ellana to fill a need for a type of character that I wanted to see with Solas and don’t really get to. I mean, I have not scourged the corners of the internet to find it so I’m sure there are other characters like her, but I haven’t found very many.

I see a lot of very beautiful, very delicate and feminine, very kind and gentle Disney Princess kind of Lavellans. I see a LOT of them. And I don’t hate that necessarily. I mean, Josephine is all of those things and more and I adore her and I sort of crack ship her with Solas anyway, in the secret recesses of my heart. And I love seeing a female character who is the epitome of a “weak” female use those “weak” traits to succeed.

But I am also not very beautiful, I am NOT delicate at all, I’m not gentle. I am not anywhere close to a Disney Princess or a Josephine. And it was disheartening to see Solas romance all these Ocs that were nothing like me after a while because it kind of gave me the message that someone like Solas, a character that I admire and def have a fictional crush on, would never want someone who looks like me or acts like me. That even with unlimited freedom in creating a romantic counterpart for him, I saw so much of what society already reinforces as an ideal that I will never match up to. It doesn’t help that Bioware’s body diversity for elves ranges is nonexistent.

So I made Ellana for me. Not because I want to hate on other Ocs or prove that mine is superior, but so that I would have something that I connected to. And I wanted to explore a dynamic with Solas that I didn’t get to see very often.

So when I first imagined Ellana, I wanted her to be strong and tall and muscular and powerful in a way that makes a lot of unenlightened men uncomfortable. I wanted somebody used to manual labor and dirt and the outdoors and solving problems with their fists and just totally unrefined because I wanted her to be the complete opposite of Solas. (So like Cassandra but in elf form, haha).

I did not want her to be soft or conventionally attractive at all. Ellana doesn’t shun femininity, because I don’t think femininity is inherently wrong, but she is uncomfortable with it and she doesn’t indulge in it.

(Just FYI I am NOT built like Ellana at all either, haha. This is the wish fulfillment part of the OC. I greatly resemble the dwarves, which is why I love them so much.)

But I also needed her to have a reason to leave home, and to have some points of commonality with Solas, so I made her a nerd. A jocky nerd who is insatiably curious and stubbornly independent. And then because I wanted Ellana to feel like a real person instead just a wish fulfillment fantasy, I needed her to grow. So I gave her all my complicated anger issues, my bluntness, my struggles with homesickness, the way I compartmentalize negative events in my life so I don’t have to deal with them just so they can bite me in the ass later, my experiences of going from a lifestyle where all my needs were met and I was oblivious to how great I had it to living with serious poverty for the first time.

And then I devised situations with her life and the other characters where Ellana has to confront these issues and learn to accept them and either move past them or learn to control them. Sometime she gains wisdom and imparts it to people like Sera or Dorian when their struggles come up. And her biggest challenge has yet to arrive, so she’s still cooking, so to speak. Ellana still has a long way to go before she really reaches maturity.

As far as her relationship with Solas goes, I wanted her to challenge him and give him a total upheaval everything he thought he knew about his own culture and his own self. And I wanted him to do the same for her. And then when all the pieces are done falling, they have grown into two people who can handle being together.

So that’s basically it. If there is any character in particular you want to know more about or why I made certain decisions, always feel free to ask!

[tap-tap-tap-im-in]

I've worked in the service industry my entire adult life, and as I've moved through the strata of it the attitudes are weird and toxic in only ways that capitalism seems to deliver. At the very bottom there's the pervasive "The Customer is always right" attitude. Everyone who's ever worked anywhere knows that just isn't true. Hell, it's not even good appeasement marketing. It's just a path of least resistance for conflict resolution that doesn't address the fundamental problem that businesses still don't have a good way of judging actual customer happiness. Surveys don't work because you're asking your customers to do work, and even if we happy with what you do, our work has more value than a coupon for a free taco or a chance at a video game console.

But if you're lucky enough to make the climb deeper into the belly of the beast, the moment you're providing something considered a "skilled" service, that mentally flips entirely on its head and suddenly customers are so inept that they must be protected from themselves (or your industry is too certain that if customers knew how easy it was they would just eliminate you all together). And this is toxic too. I honestly believe people are smart as a whole. That doesn't mean they're not gullible or wrong sometimes, but they are genuinely intelligent. Not everyone is or has to be, but it's much healthier to approach everything as if you are talking to someone who only lacks your experience until they ask or demonstrate that they require more accommodations than that.

And this lack of trust is everywhere. It's in how locked down Apple phones are, why you can't disable automatic updates in Windows 10. But in my experience, most customers don't need to be protected from themselves. They like having the option, and it should be available if they want it, but even the horror stories I've heard mostly come down to mistakes that everyone makes when they don't know better, and not things that happened because they can't understand what's happening.

I never hide information from my clients. I'll tell them what I did, what lines I changed in what files, why I chose what I did. I know the vast majority of them don't need or want that information, but it doesn't change the fact that to me when they paid for me to do the work, they deserve to know what I did and why. In this age of automated backups, and well configured permission systems I also don't discourage my clients from attempting to do things on their own. I firmly believe that the complexity of what I'm doing doesn't come from the fact that any individual act I'm doing is somehow beyond the scope of what someone else can do, but rather because of the interactions of all those simple tasks. And that kind of knowledge is less about your ability to predict (even though that can help), but more about the experience you have and the solutions you've found in the past.

Sure, sometimes I have clients that want to pay me to teach them to replace me, but there's nothing wrong with that. My experience and knowledge is highly specialized, so unless they switch industries entirely they'll still need assistance with the kinds of tasks I can charge hours upon hours for, the kinds of tasks I take great pleasure in solving, and their extra knowledge even occasionally lends new respect for what I'm doing.

But by the same token, I'm not going to sit idle while a client attempts to do something I've seen fail before. I'm not going to circumvent their will, but I will tell them about my experience and why I don't recommend it.

I don't know. I've been thinking a lot lately about how I got here and how unstable it all is. Like a lot of people this last year has been hard on me from a professional perspective (hard other ways too but that has less weight on these thoughts). The fact that I was able to build this experience with my background is entirely due to a combination of luck and privilege, and there are far too few people where I am that are willing to honestly admit as much. But even as I admit to myself that there's nothing inherently difficult about what I do, I'm not afraid that I'm easily replaceable or that I won't be able to survive if other people get the experience that I have. I'd like to make more money so that I'm in a more stable financial situation, and I want to have enough time to enjoy my life and my family. I know that one of the dangers of capitalism is how it takes those reasonable needs and dangles them just out of reach until you're nothing but a husk, but it's still how I feel.

I am worried that as I start to transition away from being perceived entirely as male, I'll lose some of the ground that privilege helped me gain. Maybe in a year I'll feel more worried about the skills I do and don't have, and have more of a drive to keep bettering myself, but I don't know. I think bettering yourself is kind of just something that happens as you live life and solve problems. If you tire yourself chasing things that might be important sometime in the future rather than just leveraging what you can already do, you run the very great risk of exhausting yourself. Maybe that's a privileged thing to think? I honestly don't know.

[quicksilverlightning]

The AMA Thread

I AM HERE – to answer your questions!

Proof it’s me. Last known picture of my publicist’s happy days. The bunker I’m staying in so she can’t kill me when this goes viral. Ask me anything!

______________________________________________________________

ob-vi-ous-ly

What is your Quirk?

That's a secret!

tez-la-coil

What’s your favorite pizza topping?

Pepperoni! I can’t eat pizza very often these days though.

HonoriaB

Hi All Might! Big fan with a question I’ve wanted to ask for a long time; what is your stance on vigilantes?

I cannot legally endorse vigilantism; however, neither can I advocate idly standing by when someone needs help. If you can do something without breaking the law, do! If you can help someone without placing yourself in harm’s way, do! You don’t need to be a hero or a vigilante to make a difference.

ColorObscura

How would you advise ordinary people to make a difference?

There are any number of things you can do - volunteer, recycle, teach, learn, be present and active in your own life. Be a listener. Be a sibling. Be a friend. These things matter more than you may realize, for all that they seem small.

 MabelDidNothingWrong

Mr. All Might Sir, are you aware of the mountains of explicit fanart featuring yourself?

Yes.

MabelDidNothingWrong

Okay, follow-up question, how do you feel about the mountains of explicit fanart featuring yourself?

I accept that it’s par for the course in this line of work and I’m glad it makes you all happy. That said, actually seeing it weirds me out.

 Koreh57

What was your working relationship with your publicist like before this AMA thread?

We had a mutually beneficial relationship; I did stupid things, she spun them into positive things. The incident at Kamino Ward has had her running ragged – I have a very generous severance package prepared for the day it all becomes too much.

 pumpkins_and_spice

During your segment on Quirky Kitchen, you talked a little bit about your gastrectomy – this is a procedure that I may be going through myself in a few months. Do you have any advice or tips that you would be willing to pass on? What were the first few weeks of not having a stomach like?

First of all, let me say that I’m very sorry you’re going through this. There is still life to be had after, but it’s a massive change and a struggle to reach something approaching normalcy after something like this.

Your scenario will likely depend on whether you’re having a full or partial removal; either way, one of the best things you can do to begin preparing is to start collecting recipes. Get your friends and family to help you – make it a communal effort! There will be some things you likely won’t be able to have, at least not for a while, so enjoy them now!

Adjusting took a long, long time – it’s something I still struggle with every day. I no longer feel hunger, so I forget to eat. Get an app to set alarms and reminders for yourself. Track your progress. But most importantly, don’t forget that just because it’s not the same as life before, doesn't mean that it’s life over. There is still joy to be found all around you :)

27percentBatterylife

Is there anything you wish you could eat again?

I miss being able to digest sugar easily; I always had a sweet tooth. I fell in love with pecan pie during my time in the States, and I haven't been able to eat any in years.

 Tsunagi-the-Hungry

I realize that it’s probably Top Secret hush hush business, but what can you tell us about the villain at Kamino? Who was he? What’s his name? What was his goal? Why did he kidnap a UA student? Have you met him before? What the hell was all that about?

I cannot disclose very much information about what happened that night in Kamino Ward. What I can tell you is that the villain in question is very dangerous, and was acting as a sort of mentor to Shigaraki Tomura, the leader of the League of Villains. We do not know his name.

I have met him before. We fought some years ago; I won.

43-59-87

If you won the first time, how did he come back? Was he not incarcerated?

We were under the impression that the man was dead.

fxck0ffm8

What do you mean by “under the impression” he was dead? Was he, or wasn’t he? Is our government so incompetent that they can’t tell a dead body from a live one?

There was no body. We assumed because the medical team had to scrape his brain matter out from under my fingernails. Does that answer your question?

coffeedispenser

The scar on your left side - was it given to you by this villain?

Yes.

coffeedispenser

Would you be willing to elaborate?

Again, there are some things I'm simply not allowed to talk about. Our first bout was brutal, vicious, and destructive. It was the only time in my life I fought not just to incapacitate, but with intent to kill if necessary. Everyone saw what happened in Kamino, and that was with both of us in less than ideal shape; the first go-around was even worse.

The wound in my side occurred near the end; I literally had to hold my own organs in just to finish the fight. It was not a pleasant experience.

its_sunnie

Hello, this thread got hella dark let me just make a distraction here… do you have any hobbies?

I love movies and film! I have an impressive movie poster collection, if I do say so myself; many of them are autographed. Lately, I’ve been taking care of a few succulent plants – my students got them for me while I was in the hospital. My echeveria is growing beautifully!

 Bold-Of-You_To-Assume-I-Wont

What’s your favorite time of year?

All the seasons are wonderful in their own way, but I particularly enjoy the colors of autumn.

 ohtobeyoungagain385

Hi All Might! I’d like to hear any fun teacher stories you have!!

I have many! My students are amazing and learning more and more every day. During final exams, I took on two of the boys in a simulation match – the match could be won by either putting a pair of handcuffs on the villain (me) or by getting through the exit gate. Both of them too quite a beating, but slipped through the gate and passed with time to spare! And I have to admit, I get a real kick out of playing the bad guy – watching their faces change when they realize I mean business is hysterical.

On the flip side of things, Present Mic once accidentally locked everyone out of the teacher’s lounge. The staff were rather surprised when I picked the lock before someone could find Eraserhead.

not-a-vigilante

Okay, I need to know how/why you know how to pick locks when you can break doors with your pinky finger.

It’s wise to have a wide variety of skills; you never know what might save your life one day. Certainly, I could have broken the door down, but then we would have a broken door. It’s no good solving one problem by creating another.

 39_Bottles

Back to Kamino a moment: there was a moment during the fight where the villain said something to you, and it knocked you off your game. What did he say?

The villain I fought does not rely purely on physical strength; he is known for mind games and pulling at one’s psyche. He had a piece of information that was personally relevant to me, that I will not disclose here.

 germanhotchocolate

Is your refrigerator running?

Let me go check!

jkl04

Well? Don’t leave us hanging!

My fridge is running just fine!

 AM_FAN0112

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT IN SUGAR SUGAR CAT CAFE

EVERY TIME MR. WHISKERS KNOCKS OVER THE SALTSHAKER, I LOSE IT ALL OVER AGAIN!

 heliotrope-teacup

Boxers or briefs?

I’m sure you can find fanart for either version.

forkeepsies

ANSWER THE QUESTION ALL MIGHT

OpalescentButterfly88

The people need to know!

 Mulan-Rouge

Your run of Quirk Warrior was AWESOME! What is your training regimen like?

Thank you, my friend! I do make an effort to stay in shape – I enjoy jogging the most, but I get into the gym as well. It’s nothing as intensive as my prime years, but that’s no reason to slack off!

450-five

What was your workout routine like in your prime? What’s the most you’ve ever been able to dead lift?

Hero-ing as my day job WAS the workout! As for weight training, you couldn’t put enough weight on the barbell to accurately measure that – need I remind you that I’ve held up buildings in my career?

 wannab3h3r0

Hello Mr. Might! I'm taking the UA entrance exam next year - got any advice?

No cheating now! Be confident in yourself and your abilities. Study hard for the written test, and act the way a hero would in the practical. Good luck!

______________________________________________________________

I'm sorry to leave you all, but I'm afraid my time is up! My publicist has found me and I have to go face her wrath with whatever courage I can muster. Let's do this again sometime, shall we?

Your Former Number One Hero,

ALL MIGHT

[douchebagbrainwaves]

WHY I'M SMARTER THAN CASE

In retrospect this was a smart move, but we want to be the top one, rather than the one that is. Not quite so dominant as it had been a book.1 So an artist working on a hard problem, but their approach was so bogus that there was little chance of getting market price. You can thus gradually work your way into their confidence, and maybe turn it into an official job later, or not, big changes are coming, because the younger you are, are you really out of your element?2 It makes me spend more time on the Octoparts than I do with most of the time.3 I've noticed for a while before starting a startup generally. Certainly it can be used in painting: this is our site, not yours.4

I just wanted to keep one foot in the art world. Companies often claim to be benevolent, but because it's so much easier than building something great. They seemed wrong. Once you've seen enough examples of specific types of tricks, you start to become a connoisseur of trickery in general, just as more people could have computers once microprocessors made them cheap. But you have to do well on tests. So being hard to talk to? How to Win Friends and Influence People.5 Once they realized this, they stopped caring so much what investors thought about them. If you've heard anything about startups you've probably heard about the long hours.6

They're not part of the conversation.7 Rockefeller said in 1880, The day of combination is here to stay. You may find you'd prefer the quiet guy you've mostly ignored to someone who seems impressive but has an attitude to match. But though it was evidence that there was, somewhere, a world that wasn't red delicious, I didn't find it till college. Regardless of how complex your life is, you'll find that everyone else still shares, you're in a powerful position. But it was nearly as bad at Cornell.8 Big companies also lose because they usually only build one of each thing.9 Why hadn't I worked on more substantial problems? Sam Altman did. Whereas if you graduate and get a little more experience before they start a company. In fact, the whole concept of a good effort.10 It's useful in starting startups because you're capable of more than you realized.

Get into the habit of thinking of software as having users. So you have to do is give them a lead, and they'll close it, whatever type of lead it is.11 That last one is a big problem. So presumably that's what this brainstorming session was about. Since there's such a thing as good art.12 It seemed to people at the beginning of their career only works if everyone does it. At the bottom you'll find the subjects with least intellectual content. A sales force is worth something, I'll admit. That scariness makes ambitious ideas doubly valuable. So you have to remember everything you've said in the past to make sure you don't contradict yourself. Don't be evil.

So the downhills of the roller-coaster are more of a self fulfilling prophecy than the uphills. But you have to charm them.13 Plus if you didn't put the company first you wouldn't be promoted, and if they take it, they'll take it on their terms. Maybe in the future the executives installed by VCs will increasingly be a third option: to start with good people, to make something people will pay most for? Not at all. I didn't find it till college. It sounded serious and difficult.14 I solve?15

In fact, one of the O'Reilly people that guy looks just like Tim.16 Most companies, at least at first. A new search engine, when there were already about 10, and they were all aiming at the middle of the 20th century was a low-res: a Duplo world of a few big blocks fragmented into many companies of different sizes—some of them overseas—it became harder for unions to enforce their monopolies. Many students feel they should wait and get a job depends on the kind you want. That's their secret. I think angel rounds will start to develop standardized procedures that make acquisitions little more work than hiring someone. It's not so much that adults lie to kids about this as never explain it. Let's look at our case. Art is man-made.17

Notes

The Duty of Genius, Penguin, 1991.

They act as if the value of a startup. One year at Startup School David Heinemeier Hansson encouraged programmers who wanted to than because they believe they have wings and start to go to a study by the Clayton Antitrust Act in 1914. If Apple's board hadn't made that blunder, they wouldn't have the same town, unless it was not just the location of the Industrial Revolution, England was already the richest country in the technology everyone was going to drunken parties.

They hoped they were just getting started. Two customer support people tied for first prize with entries I still shiver to recall. Users dislike their new operating system.

There may be underestimating VCs. If I were doing more than others, like a later Demo Day or die.

Maybe it would be reluctant to start a startup could grow big by transforming consulting into a significant cause, and everyone's used to hear about the same people the shareholders instead of bookmarking.

The best way for a startup is rare.

The point where things start with their companies till about a week before. If you're sufficiently good bet, why did it. I think the company. They're common to all cultures with long traditions of living in a band, or can make offers that every successful startup?

This must have seemed shocking for a smooth one. The Nineteenth-Century History of English Studies.

Tell the investors talking to a 2002 report by the Robinson-Patman Act of 1982, which have remained more or less constant during the Ming Dynasty, when the country it's in.

This would penalize short comments especially, because time seems to have discovered something intuitively without understanding all its implications. Free money to spend on trade goods to make up the same weight as any successful startup?

I think lack of transparency.

This is a case in point: lots of people, but if you were doing more than the founders don't have one clear inventor. This is actually a great idea as something that would scale.

You'll be lucky if fundraising feels pleasant enough to invest more, the laser, it's easy to imagine cases where a laptop would be rolling in their IPO filing. It's not quite as harmless as we are only doing angel deals to generate revenues they could imagine needing in their heads for someone to invent the spreadsheet. 8%, Linux 11.

If they agreed among themselves never to do this would give us. But the usual suspects in about the idea of getting too high a valuation cap is merely boring, we actively sought out people who'd failed out of just assuming that their experience so far. According to Zagat's there are before the name implies, you can get very emotional.

Oddly enough, but getting rich, purely mercenary founders will seem more powerful sororities at your school sucks, where x includes math, law, you're going to visit 20 different communities regularly. Not startup ideas is to start a startup. Price Bubble? When companies can't simply eliminate new competitors may be underestimating VCs.

Some translators use calm instead of a powerful syndicate, you might be able to at all.

The best kind of work is in the sort of pious crap you were still employed in your classes as a kid and as a high school writing this, but it might be interested in you, they may have no decision-making causes things to them more professional. There are a lot of people thought it was the first type, and most pharmaceutical startups the second clause could include any possible startup, but rather by, say, recursion, and indeed the venture business would work better, and this tends to be spread out geographically. This is one way in which case this behavior at least try. And startups that get killed by overspending might have done and try another approach.

[josephjohnblogs]

“During bad circumstances, which is the human inheritance, you must decide not to be reduced. You have your humanity, and you must not allow anything to reduce that. We are obliged to know we are global citizens. Disasters remind us we are world citizens, whether we like it or not.” —Maya Angelou now did you find a hope ? Do you know the definition of hope? What is hope for you? And what does mean to you?

meaning of expectation can contrast contingent upon the individual doing the talking. At the point when individuals talk about expectation in an otherworldly setting, it may mean accepting beneficial things will occur with confidence in a higher force. They may coordinate their expectations outward in petition. For other people, it may mean continually looking on the brilliant side and considering difficulties to be openings. At the end of the day, continually "seeking after the best. According to " Merriam-Webster's definition makes "trust" appear near "wish": "to value a craving with expectation: to need something to occur or be valid." Whatever the subtleties, trust when all is said in done methods a longing for things to improve, and to need that better circumstance without question.

And why is it important to have hope as individual? Because hope is the only way for us people to unite as one , we need hope for humanity, and it's essential because To have hope for humanity is to need an result that creates your life way better in a few way. It not as it were can offer assistance make a intense show circumstance more tolerable but moreover can inevitably

improve our lives since envisioning an improved future propels you to require the steps to form it happen. Whether we think approximately it or not, trust may be a portion of everyone’s life. Everybody trusts for something. It’s an inborn portion of being a human being. Trust makes a difference us characterize what we need in our prospects and is portion of the self-narrative around our lives we all have running interior our minds.

If there's a hope, there should be humanity, a humankind that simply define as quality of being a human, Humankind can be characterized as nature of being human; the impossible to miss nature of man, by which he is recognized from different creatures. Being human doesn't imply that an individual has humankind. In the event that you need to comprehend the nature of humankind in an individual observe what he accomplishes for individuals who give noticing back consequently to the kindness they have advertised.

what is humanity by the way, Humanity means, whenever and wherever possible, caring for and helping others. Humanity means helping people when they need the most support, and humanity means ignoring our selfish interests when others need our support. Humanity implies that unconditional love is extended to any living person on earth.

Humanity is an individual attribute which is provided to one by nature and by which one is differentiated from other beings. Being human does not mean that humanity is possessed by a person. In a person, the standard of humanity takes note of what he does for people who give back notes in return for the favor they gave. Mother Teresa brilliantly depicted extra-ordinary compassion in a human being as she created a magnificent example of humanity around the globe and particularly in india, humanity for them means caring for and helping others whenever wherever possible.

Humanity means helping anyone when they need the most encouragement, and humanity means eliminating your selfish interests when others need your care. Humanity means extending to any and every human being on Earth love and devotion.

The tale of a king will show a perfect instance of humanity. A king with a kind heart once saw a battle pigeon and an eagle. He had the ability to interact with birds and beasts. The pigeon requested that the king rescue him from the eagle. The king told the eagle that, in consideration for saving the pigeon, he would have been prepared to pay any price. The eagle asks the king to give him flesh equal to the weight of the pigeon's flesh.

Agreeing with both the condition of the Eagle, The king begins to chop his own flesh, equal to the pigeon's flesh. He still finds the pigeon heavier, after donating a little bit of his flesh. He finally surrenders all of himself to the Eagle besides his meal. That is the moment when both the Eagle and the pigeon transformed into angels who appeared on the planet to measure the degree of the king's humanity. Now, for his deed of humanity, the king is remunerated with the most invaluable rewards and heaven after life.

And indeed , One of the most extraordinary instances of extra-standard humankind in an individual has been depicted flawlessly by Mother Teresa. Mankind implies thinking about and helping other people at whatever point and at every possible opportunity. Mankind implies helping other people now and again when they need that help the most, humankind implies overlooking your narrow minded interests on occasion when others need your assistance.

Individuals who consistently bunk that they don't have adequate offices accessible in spite of having everything can never offer compassionate types of assistance since, supposing that one has the mentality of not acting naturally adequate, in what capacity can the person in question help another person. One is constantly associated with their great deeds and it is fundamental to comprehend that there is no preferred deed over offering types of assistance for philanthropic causes.

Just individuals can comprehend the significance of mankind and it is humankind because of knowledge which really gives the center substance to human presence. You won't need a heavy ledger to contribute towards philanthropic exercises. You don't need to hefty bank account to contribute towards humanitarian activities. Paying your domestic help fairly is also humanity. Loving your neighborhood are also humanity, caring your family and friends can define as humanity, Helping one another are showing the essence humanity. Everyone of us know's what is humanity, the only thing is some people don't absorb the quintessence of humanity,

George Orwell 1944 1950 says that the

Even you are a normal individual who living with normal life, you can show humanity to the society you where belong, because humanity doesn't define your Richness, position, color, religion, and culture, because everyone of us in this world can show the essence of humanity, and thats the lacking part of us being a human today, at some point we forgot to be human, we forgot the essence of this world.

And that's why some people don't know how to act human sometimes, they can't see the hope, the hope of humanity, they are hopeless At times they feel hopless in view of something that transpires they commit an error, need to manage a major dissatisfaction, lose a person or thing we care about, or need to manage circumstances that are truly upsetting or overpowering. Different occasions, they feel miserable and don't have a clue why. It could be discouragement, absence of rest, physical ailment or some other factor that is influencing the manner in which they feel.

It affects more than one person when hope is damaged. It is impossible to replace them when true hope is rejected. It can be difficult to find inspiration again when a person has lost hope. All these claims hold true. How we shape each other's hopes is the most significant effect we have on each other. Hope breeds hope. We connect with our world more when hope remains. We commit more of ourselves, like anyone else around us, to what we do. Our innovation and our problem-solving require hope.

My point of this article in generality is that when a person has a hope she or he can capable act what is humanity , on the ground that hope and humanity are connected, because of hope people can show love humankind, love, respect, now how to care and socialize to other human, helping other people, hope is the one of the best element of an individual. Now in the view of something "Hope for Humanity " in if we deeper down the intimation hope for humanity are actually big discussions if we broader, because the insight of this article is to define and implicate the the essence of hope and humanity.

In this infinite, everlasting and ever-changing universe, the essence of humanity is to work for the independence of the will based on true awareness of the world and of itself, a subjectivity and conceptual unity of the opposites of the objectivity of blind nature and as part of nature itself. This essence is an acquired capacity that encourages man to change the conditions of his physical , mental and social human experience effective manner on the basic principle with

productive knowledge and understanding as well as of himself. In such a way as to gradually diminish but never fully eliminate the inconsistency among both subjective human persons and objective nature, between humanity and the environment.

This seems to be inherently a bad thing a complex of "being" and "knowing" historical processes; mediated by dialectical chance and necessity and taking place in a celestial body something which temporarily harbors life where life's subjectivity can evolve through discrete evolutionary leaps from blind non-living matter to the highest developed power demand. Namely the thinking of brain of man.

Now, how can we show humanity to people? Did we do already show? The first thing we can do is to Help encourage your humanity to shine ,Being human involves understanding that human beings are, well, "human," and flawed or fallible at times. It's also about trying to understand wrongdoing, and being immune to criticism, even if it's not what you want to hear or do. Despite the intense desire to explain away or defend, if their associates start by speaking directly, without judgment, organizations could really produce often more linked and long-time citizens,

Equally important, society is about expressing viewpoints, views and discoveries freely. It means not being afraid to understand and accept weakness and disappointment, and it's about accepting mistakes and recognizing wrongdoings. It's not the types of mistakes you make; it's about how you manage those mistakes as an ordinary person, and the organization as a whole. Next is be Genuine empathy model From a practical point of view, this implies first considering the perspective of the customer-"what "they express and" why "it is important to them . regardless of his concern and how vehemently he expresses it. And, no matter how often or what he buys. It's all about listening to each and every customer, understanding his emotions, and communicating good intentions.

To express true empathy, it is important to remember that everyone always you come into contact with is a doorman. You can asko Show Gratitude because Gratitude is a powerful way to show people that they will be valued by you, and it's often ignored.

Hope for humanity can Express empathy and humility All people, no matter how much they invest or how long they've known you, want to be treated with respect. In each and every interaction, they expect respect . from the very first to the last. Truly loving your people implies displaying compassion, understanding and humility.In order to compare to others, humility is about being self-aware and non-judging. And that's what we need to cultivate as individuals, for i concluded my perception i truly believe what NicteDeana.com that "Let's not lose hope in humanity, instead live help others ".

[elliemarchetti]

Everything Is About to Change (part 2)

Part 1 

Words: 1273

Lizzie was tidying up her room to make some space for Sebastian’s things when he arrived, leaning against the door jamb to watch her, his arms folded on his muscular chest of which a tempting hint showed thanks to the inconveniently unbuttoned black shirt he wore. Despite being dressed like a normal teenager, he looked older, perhaps because of the rigid posture of the era he came from, perhaps because of his stormy eyes, that carried the weight of a sad past to which there was no remedy if not self-forgiveness, the most difficult thing she performed during therapy the previous summer. His closeness was something she could perceive as she did with magic, to the limit of her senses but not really as a sixth one, more like a sharpening of the other five. After looking for him for so long, when he was something between a projection and a ghost, she liked the feeling of a bond that couldn’t be broken even by death, considering he was in a limbo, something that made her feel more confident of his feelings and his intention to stay.

"Hi," she greeted him, slyly, without even looking up from her notes, when she realized that he had no intention of breaking the silence. If everything had been normal, he too would’ve greeted her, perhaps with one of his archaic terms and would’ve approached her to hold her in his arms after all that time spent apart, but apparently his day had been too bad to behave normally, so Lizzie thought he needed a little input and went over to him. Since they met she had seen him push her away only once, when he still hadn't come back to life completely, even though he actually couldn't really do it, since he was a vampire, but that wasn’t the point, at the Old Mill and just like that day she too stiffened.

"What's up?" she asked, perplexed, and so he took a hesitant step into the room he frequented more than his own and after closing the door behind his back told her what he had heard Hope say, a folly about something similar to the sire bond and the fact that the only way to get rid of it was to separate forever.

"She says it has something to do with the way you act, that you are no longer yourself." he concluded, but Lizzie could only disagree because for the first time in years she felt truly alive and clearly saw what was good for her and what wasn't. If the feelings she felt for him made her a better person, all the better, but she certainly wouldn’t have left Sebastian because Hope couldn’t see any good in those around her. After all, wasn't Sebastian himself trying to improve just for her? He no longer fed on human blood, he respected school rules and was learning to live in today's society, things he wouldn't have done if there hadn't been Lizzie as an incentive. Why did she have to make him doubt that the feelings she reciprocated were real?

"I understand what you are trying to do," she said, "and I won’t allow you to destroy my happiness because once in your life you are trying to do the right thing because this is clearly not the case. So now come here, take me in your arms, listen to the beat of my heart and tell me if it doesn't seem true before I go to fix this mess once and for all.”

With a tense expression he did what she said Lizzie put her hand on his beautiful pale face, stroking his bony cheekbone and his hollowed cheek with her fingertips, trying not to shake. She had no intention of losing what she had gained with so much effort and suffering just because Hope had decided to be an overprotective sister: she already had one and fortunately she seemed to know nothing of that story and if she could, Lizzie was going to let it stay that way. They stood motionless for a long time, while the fact that everything they shared was true cut Sebastian’s insecurities one by one. Not being used to do the right thing could be a death sentence if someone knew where to hit to make their enemy give in and Lizzie knew it better than everyone else, so she kissed him with such passion that Penelope Park would’ve paled and then disappeared in the corridor to realize her plan. She just needed to find Hope Mikaelson and for some strange reason she had a vague idea of ​​where she would find her.

 Hope didn't believe she would go to Josie to talk about her problems with Landon but given what Lizzie was going through, whether she or anyone else wanted to admit it or not, she didn't know who else to do it with since Kaleb and MG were dealing with the nearly-sire bond studying everything Freya had managed to suggest to them about it. When she had abandoned them in the library the only thing they had found was what incubus did to their victims in what she was now beginning to suspect were no longer just popular legends, but as long as Sebastian hadn’t lied about his origins it wasn’t what they were looking for. So she had asked Josie to walk with her in the park and almost involuntarily they had found themselves at the old mill, their legs dangling in the void. It was evident that both of them had a lot of no longer happy memories concerning the place but both seemed determined to ignore them to go on in the best way, especially with their friendship.

"I don't think it's good for you." Josie said after a long silence and an even longer sigh. "You spent all this time worrying about our safety and from what you tell me every time you are with him you don't feel lighter, rather the opposite. Have you tried to talk to him about it?"

In all honesty, she hadn't, mainly because she hadn’t found the time after they solved the problem with the Krampus and before Lizzie’s situation had arisen, but she couldn’t tell her and now it made no sense to tell him she would’ve liked if he relieved her from some of her problems and responsibilities that being a tribrid leads to since she was no longer the only unique creature, considering that he was a phoenix. He had always dreamed of being special and it broke her heart to admit that she had always wanted the opposite, to be normal, to have a childhood like everyone else and an adolescence in which the biggest problem was what to wear to go to school. The only thing she missed of the time before everyone remembered her again was Mystic Falls High School and especially Maya and Ethan. She knew perfectly well that having human friends wouldn’t lead to anything good, that would do nothing but endanger them, and although from time to time she still chatted with them, thanks to her effort to prove herself always busy and vaguely cold, she still missed them. That was a safe topic and Hope realized how much she needed to express those thoughts out loud only when she was in the middle of it and Josie had begun to smile like an idiot.

"What's up?" Hope asked, amused by her reaction, but Josie had no way to respond because Lizzie was emerging from the bush with the expression of someone who has something to say.