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rahuratna · 5 months ago

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Ikemen Kaisen

Chapter 1: Step into the Industry

Cross posted!

Summary: A cursed spirit develops a massive crush on the 7:3 sorcerer while he's on a mission. Trapping him in its unique otome game domain, the spirit soon discovers that it's bitten off a lot more than it can chew with this particular jujutsu sorcerer ...

Content: Humour, fluff, crack, otome game satire, Nanami has Rizz with a capital 'R', the first year trio obtaining front row seats to this absolute shitshow.

“Yes, Itadori, you heard me correctly.”

Yuuji’s eyes had widened to impossible proportions, hands clasped together so tightly, his knuckles were turning white.

“Wait, you’re serious? You’re for real, Nanamin? We’re going to -”

“A concert, yes. I don’t like repeating mission details, so listen closely.”

Yuuji snapped to attention, one hand raised to his head in a smart salute.

“Yuuji, reporting for duty, sir!”

Nanami sighed. It was Thursday, a day he didn’t particularly fancy in terms of starting a new mission. Missions that started mid-week invariably ended up incurring overtime, along with eating into his weekend on occasion. He would do his duty diligently, nonetheless, as he was expected to show Yuuji the general procedure for such investigations. Thus, he had occupied this empty classroom for a briefing. He stood before the whiteboard on which he had neatly printed the details in bullet points (a necessity for Yuuji’s attention span). Pointing to the first line, he began.

“We’ve been receiving reports for a few months now about suspicious activity at idol performances all around Tokyo. Fans of certain idols have been going missing. All cases so far showed that the victims disappeared shortly after concerts, fan-meets and other public appearances. Initially, we could not make a direct correlation to curse activity. The disappearances themselves were sporadic and presented no specific pattern, so the case was placed under revision and monitored. Recent events, however, changed things.”

Nanami pointed to a photograph of a young man, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, artfully posed to highlight his muscular torso in a hooded jacket that was unzipped. He wore tight, dark jeans, strategically ripped, and was smiling coyly at the camera. He was undoubtedly very good looking.

“This is Takashima Ryouta, stage name Ryo-ri.”

“Eh? Like RiRi?”

“It’s his concert we’ll be attending. Recent disappearances occurring after his concerts have been far more targeted and blatant. Furthermore, our windows have reported cursed energy levels spiking in the general vicinity of these events.”

Yuuji raised his hand.

“Yes, Itadori?”

“How do we know that these disappearances are even linked to idols specifically? What if it’s something else they all have in common? Like, some kinda shady fan club? Or maybe someone’s just targeting big groups of people?”

Nanami pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, expression carefully blank despite the small surge of pride he felt at Yuuji’s astute observation.

“The latest victims were obviously targeted with intent. You see, Takashima has recently been growing in popularity, thanks to his appearance on a TV show. Some of his fanbase is therefore quite intense.”

Yuuji sighed.

“Yeah, they go rabid for guys who look like that.”

“For this reason, his agency has come up with a strategy to gain interest amongst his fans, but also keep him safe. Our intelligence network has informed us that they put up a lottery for each live event he performs at, allowing one fan to join him on stage for the duration of a song. The lottery is fake, however. Girls are hired from talent agencies affiliated with Takashima’s. They are disguised heavily and every time he makes an appearance, one of these ‘lucky’ girls is the one chosen to join him on stage. This way, his fans will continue to buy tickets in the hopes that they will be chosen by lottery, but will never actually interact with him on stage.”

Yuuji’s mouth dropped open.

“Whoa! That’s … really not cool! Isn’t that kinda like false advertising?”

“We’re not here to judge the insidious marketing strategies employed by a soulless, capitalist-driven entertainment industry that consumers blindly latch onto like tapeworms.”

“Er – “

“Rather, we’re going to be investigating why all the young ladies hired from the talent agency to join Takashima on stage have disappeared shortly after each performance.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. As I said, this, along with the more pronounced spikes in cursed energy, make this a case we can no longer afford to leave to regular law enforcement. You and I will be stationed within this area,” and here Nanami pointed to a roughly circular outline on a map of Akihabara. “We have also been provided with special VIP pass tickets to the concert tomorrow and will be closely monitoring the interactions between Takashima and this week’s chosen representative on stage. Afterwards, we will conduct surveillance on the individual in question. Please remember, our presence must be kept discreet at all times and we must blend in to the crowd at the concert as seamlessly as possible.”

Yuuji tapped his chin. “Blend in, huh? That won’t be a problem for me but, uh, Nanamin, not to be weird or anything – “

“Don’t worry on my account, Itadori. I have everything planned out. I have never had trouble with creating a cover.”

Yuuji shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he waited outside the main entrance of Jujutsu Tech for Nanami to make his appearance. For once, the energetic young student had arrived earlier than his experienced mentor. He had grabbed a hot coffee from the machine in the foyer to pass the time. The caffeine was not calming in the slightest.

There was something about the current mission that both excited him and filled him with nervous anticipation. From the summarized report that Nanami had left for him to read, he knew that the number of disappearances meant that they might be dealing with a tricky opponent this time. The fact that this activity was happening in such a crowded area of Tokyo also indicated that whoever was engineering these vanishings was either unhinged or audacious, neither of which boded well.

A black sedan with tinted windows made its way around the side of the building and Yuuji hopped forward, waving. The car drew to a halt beside him and he opened the passenger door, grinning as he spied Nanami in the driver’s seat.

“Whoa Nanamin, I like the fit!”

Nanami’s immaculate suit had been replaced by jeans, a simple, but expensive-looking grey knit shirt and a long, dark overcoat. His signature shades had been substituted for designer sunglasses and the sleek band of his wristwatch gleamed from beneath his sleeve. The normally swept back hairstyle was a little more relaxed, making him look closer to his age than he usually did.

“Thank you, Yuuji. You’re suitably dressed, I see.”

The student cocked his head and Nanami nodded, anticipating his question.

“I’ll be calling you Yuuji for the duration of this mission. I’ve decided that we’ll present ourselves as uncle and nephew. I am your – “

“For real?”

Yuuji’s eyes were shining in a way that made Nanami cough and turn away. He propped up his glasses and shifted gear, the car gliding away from the main gates of the school.

“Yes. That way I can call you Yuuji and you can continue to call me … Nanamin, I suppose. I am visiting home after some time away and decided to spend some quality time with you, my nephew. And so, I’m taking you to a concert that you’ve been wanting to attend for some time. I trust you did your homework?”

Yuuji nodded proudly before pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“I downloaded all of Ryo-ri’s songs last night and learned the lyrics. He’s not bad! I can totally jam to this.”

“Good. It’ll be a long drive, so use the time to brush up on the mission details.”

Which is exactly what Yuuji did, to begin with. He pulled the folder from his backpack and opened it out on his lap. Nanami had been kind enough to summarize the numerous reports for him and provided concise profiles of the main players in the case. Eyes running over Takashima’s info page, Yuuji frowned slightly. Something was missing. He glanced out of the window at the passing scenery, trying for a while to figure out what it was, before his eyes widened.

So obvious!

Scrolling rapidly on his phone, Yuuji began to search for Takashima’s Instagram. The information in Nanami’s profile, as succinct and useful as it was, lacked … flavour. Social media would give Yuuji a more accurate idea of the image the idol was trying to put out there. Soon enough, he found what he was looking for.

Uhhh, okay then.

Takashima’s pictures skirted that fine border of what Kugisaki would call ‘spicy’. They were definitely risqué for an idol, but this was what seemed to appeal to his particular audience. Yuuji’s eyebrows shot up at the sheer number of likes one particular photo had. The picture was a mirror selfie, showing Takashima’s glistening torso, presumably after a workout, his face obscured teasingly by the phone. Yuuji nodded sagely. This image fitted in with a lot of the lyrics he had been learning yesterday.

“Ohh, I see. He’s going for playful fuckboy, but like, more tasteful.”

“Pardon?”

“Oops … I said that out loud, huh?”

“Yes, you did. Now explain.”

Yuuji scrubbed a hand through his hair.

“Sooo, like, how do I explain this? Idols have images they create, right?”

“I’m aware.”

“And those images draw fans and make them more popular. I checked out Ryo-ri’s IG page and … and you know what IG is right?”

“I’m not five centuries old, Yuuji.”

“Fine, fine! Just checking. Wait, do you have – “

“I use it to follow recipe pages and food blogs. Let’s move on.”

“So, from what I’m seeing here, Ryo-ri’s fans are mainly girls who like this image he puts out of being … you know. Like a playboy, a guy who doesn’t take things seriously, but nice at the same time. The persona is … the guy who’ll steal a girl’s heart and move on quickly, but she can’t have bad feelings towards him, because he’s not an asshole? It’s why he also has fans who are guys. They kinda want to be like him and they feel his lyrics. You get what I’m saying?”

Nanami hummed thoughtfully. “I think so. And this is what’s called … a fuckboy?”

Yuuji snorted loudly.

“That word sounds so wrong coming from you. Not exactly. Guys who get called that can be flaky and do dumb stuff, but Ryo-ri’s got the right balance. He’s got the ‘naughty, but chill’ vibe.”

“I see. And do you think this makes him more or less likely to be responsible for the disappearances?”

The words sobered Yuuji, who sat back, a warm feeling filtering into his chest. As much as he had found it difficult to get along with the taciturn ex-salaryman to begin with, his view had changed a lot over time. Nanami was the epitome of a responsible adult, his stern exterior hiding just how kind and patient he was, especially with students. There were times like these, when he would ask for Yuuji’s opinion in such a straightforward manner that it made the boy want to prove himself even more, to show that he could also be an exemplary sorcerer.

“Umm, I think it means we should watch him carefully at the concert. If he is involved, I’m not sure he’d be so … obvious about it? He’s not super high profile, but he’s getting there. If his fans are disappearing, that looks bad for him. I … I think maybe there’s something else to this too.”

Nanami nodded slowly.

“All right. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Yuuji spent the rest of the ride watching some of Ryo-ri’s live performances on YouTube and searching for the specific songs where the girls would join him on stage. In between, he did some other stalking.

“Hey, hey, Nanamin. Guess whose IG I found?”

A small chime sounded from Nanami’s pocket.

“Yuuji – “

“That’s my invite. Don’t ignore your precious nephew!”

“My profile isn’t that interesting. How did you find me, anyway?”

“I checked who Gojo-sensei follows. And, I mean, there’s only one person who’d call himself ‘Gruyère_Ghostbuster’ – “

“Don’t say that out loud.”

“And hey! Your profile is cool! It’s not just food, Nanamin. You’ve got such awesome nature photos and wait … are these videos of yourself cooking? I recognise that watch! Are you making rolled eggs here? And oooh … you’ve got puppy videos?”

The weather was perfect, the sky bright and clear, the normal obscuring fog of the city conspicuously absent. The air still carried a chill and Yuuji wrapped his red scarf closer around his neck. They had parked some distance away from the open-air venue where the concert would take place and were now steadily making their way in that direction, soaking in the sights and sounds of Akihabara.

Yuuji was carrying a bag of manga he had bought at a nearby store and chattered amiably about the recent story arc. Nanami followed a few paces behind, nodding along to Yuuji’s remarks. On the surface, they looked every bit the ordinary uncle and nephew. Only someone who knew exactly what to look for would note the way the boy sometimes shifted his body to observe people better or the way the older man’s eyes would flit sharply back and forth beneath the sunglasses.

Thus far, there had been nothing overtly suspicious in the area, besides the low-grade cursed spirits that showed themselves at intervals. After some time, they found themselves at the venue which adjoined a hotel and conference centre. The centre itself housed quite a variety of functions, with a spa, restaurants and various stores catering to a wealthier clientele. Nanami took the lead, passing through the security checkpoint at the hotel. Yuuji trotted nervously after him, half expecting a security alarm to start blaring because of what he knew was strapped to the older sorcerer’s back.

Nothing happened. Nanami turned his head slightly.

“Cursed energy can also be used to conceal things.”

“Ha. Cool. I guess I gotta learn that sometime. Where are we going, by the way? The concert will be out that way, but I know it’s still early …”

“We have VIP tickets, remember. That means we get access to any of the services here and hotel rooms close to the concert venue. I’m sure you’re hungry, so let’s get something to eat first.”

Nanami began to make his way to the upper levels of the centre. Yuuji followed, sticking close to his mentor. As confident and easy-going as the teen usually was, there was an air of opulence and rarified luxury here that was starting to make him feel small and very out of place. Looking around, he could see executives in expensive suits talking on their phones and people carrying shopping bags with hideously expensive name brands emblazoned on the front. He glanced down at his sneakers and discreetly tried to rub off a scuff mark against the back of his leg before glancing over at Nanami. The tall man showed no sign at all of slowing down, his stride elegant and assured, looking every bit as if he belonged in this setting. People parted ways to allow him to pass.

Eventually, he led them to what looked like a high-end steakhouse. The maître d’ stepped forward, his eyes roving intimidatingly over the two, and Yuuji was tempted for a minute to mutter apologies, scamper off and order a cheap slice of pizza somewhere. A firm hand on his shoulder stilled him and he felt a small sense of reassurance assert itself as Nanami’s deep voice sounded above his head, explaining that they had a reservation.

By the time they reached the table, Yuuji’s excitement was back.

“Wow! Look at the view from up here!”

“Hmm. A good view over the stadium. See that? That’s the stage where Takashima will be performing.”

“Ahh, so that’s why you chose this place.”

“Indeed. Reconnaissance. That, and the steak here is superb. We can see them work on putting up the stage props. That way, we’ll sense if anything deliberate is happening behind the scenes.”

With that, the sorcerer began to study the menu. The meal was, unsurprisingly, a fantastic experience. Nanami ordered them a selection of starters, steak for mains (with a carefully selected wine pairing for himself) and the most delicious chocolate dessert Yuuji had ever tasted. When they were done, the pink-haired boy sat back and sighed.

“How come we get to do all of this? Do the higher-ups really approve all the costs?”

Nanami sipped his wine before replying.

“Depends. If a proper motivation is provided, there’s no reason for them to refuse. Of course, this requires us to fill out a series of detailed documents that most jujutsu sorcerers don’t bother with.”

“But not you?”

“Have you forgotten my previous profession? Form-filling is my speciality. My paperwork is nothing less than exceptional and thorough. There is always solid evidence of what I need. If it is not approved, I log an official query that requires a lengthy board meeting and an extensive review of all documentation.” The corner of Nanami’s mouth crooked up in a small, rare smile. “It’s been some time since any of my requests were denied. Let it never be said that I’m not compliant.”

Yuuji grinned in return and raised his glass of juice.

“Kanpai, Nanamin.”

There had been no sign of anything unusual during their late lunch and by the time they made their way down to the concert, the lower levels were already swarming with people. Looking around, Yuuji saw, unsurprisingly, that most of the crowd consisted of young women. They were chattering and laughing loudly, and everywhere he looked he saw faces alight with excitement. Contrary to the atmosphere that was growing around them, Yuuji’s concern spiked. There was potential danger lurking somewhere, and it would be difficult to detect in such a large mass of people.

Nanami steered him through the crowd to a separate entrance where fewer people had queued. This was the entry-point for those with VIP tickets. They were soon through the checkpoint and were directed by various ushers up a winding staircase to a wide outdoor box that spanned an entire floor. Although sheltered from the elements, the box projected overhead towards the stage, offering a perfect view of where the performance would take place. They took their seats, scanning their surroundings carefully. Thus far, there had still been no sign of elevated cursed energy.

“Yuuji, remember why you’re here.”

“Oh, right!”

Springing up, the youngster made his way around, using the allowance Nanami had given him to buy some merch and snacks from the vendors that were stationed against the back of the VIP box. He began to slowly make a circuit, pausing now and then to start casual conversation with others who were also making purchases. Soon enough, his friendly and open personality had drawn a few others into his orbit, and he compared merch, exchanged contact details, introduced people to his awesome ‘uncle’ and even found himself invited to an online fan-club of Ryo-ri’s. Eventually, he made his way back to Nanami.

The older sorcerer had been casually sipping a coffee, eyes taking in the stage and the members of the audience who had been filling into the main area below. He glanced up as Yuuji took his seat.

“Anything?”

“Nothing so far. Everyone seems pretty normal.”

“All right. When the performance starts, you focus on the stage. I’ll check the audience.”

A lesser-known girl band opened the concert, the energy of their performance doing a lot to hype up the crowd. Yuuji played his part very convincingly, shouting encouragement and applauding loudly. Nanami bit back a smile when he noticed that others were taking their cue from his lively ‘nephew’. The first act was followed by another group and then there was a slight lull, a sense of building anticipation as the main performance drew near.

“There he is,” Nanami muttered, as Ryo-ri bounded onto the stage to a cacophony of high-pitched screams and thunderous applause. The idol hitched up his baggy jeans and swaggered from one end to the other, delivering a series of compliments to his ‘beautiful’ audience and blowing a kiss that made some of the girls in the front row look like they were about to pass out in ecstasy. Ryo-ri started with what Yuuji recognised as the biggest hit from his second album, a high energy dance number that really got the crowd on its feet.

The pink-haired teen threw himself into his own act, starting up a glow-stick dance routine in the front row that the people around them soon joined in. Nanami shifted awkwardly. As much as he had encouraged Yuuji to act the part of the excited nephew, he should have foreseen how it would make him look in comparison. The girls behind them were quick enough to catch on, because they were soon shoving their extra glow-sticks into Nanami’s hands and encouraging him to get on his feet too. Yuuji turned and snorted with laughter.

“Just follow my lead, Nanamin! It’s easy, see?”

As he waved the glow-sticks around his head and turned on the spot, Nanami’s profound sense of existential horror soon settled into detachment as he went through the motions. He was just glad that Gojo wasn’t here to witness this debacle. Soon enough, it was time for the anticipated lottery announcement. Ryo-ri made a show of pulling a piece of paper from a large bowl that had been carried onto the stage and read the number of the winning ticket. One of the women in the front row screamed in excitement and the crowd parted to allow her entry to the stage. Burly security guards did a quick check of her person before showing her through. Yuuji slowed down his routine, pausing to take a sip of water and munch on a handful of popcorn, his eyes glued to the stage. Nanami used this momentary lull to mutter the word “bathroom” and make his way to the end of the VIP box. Here, the sorcerer paused, eyes scanning the crowd carefully through his dark glasses.

The young woman, presumably one of the secretly vetted members of the talent agency, climbed onto the stage. Her hand was placed over her mouth and her eyes shone with glistening disbelief as Ryo-ri took her hand and twirled her around, dropping her softly into a plush seat that someone had brought up at some point. She was certainly a good actor. The idol began to sing a crooning ballad, one of his more popular slow-paced songs, as he danced languidly around her. Nanami frowned as he began to sense a change in the crowd’s mood. On the surface, people were hooting and cheering at the display, but there were undercurrents of negative emotion that had begun to rise like a miasma over some portions of the audience. There could be no mistaking the general feeling.

Jealousy. Resentment. Longing.

What the sorcerer had not expected was the strength of the emotion being exhibited. Was it like this at every performance with an idol in high public demand?

Not quite.

Ryo-ri was pretty avant-garde in his approach to gaining popularity. Nanami recalled what Yuuji had mentioned earlier in the car, about how the idol was not afraid of presenting an image that was quite risky in the Japanese entertainment industry. Inviting a fan on stage was not a common practice and it was understandable, judging from the sensations Nanami was getting from the audience. But then, this was what sold tickets and drew fans into a never-ending circle of unfulfilled desire. The sorcerer allowed his mind to sink into that meditative state that allowed him to spread his senses even further, more receptive to slight changes in cursed energy. As unpleasant as the sensation was, sickly sweet with underlying bitterness brushing against the edge of his mind, he observed the swathe of people below him with unerring focus.

Ryo-ri had upped the ante of his performance, twirling strands of the ‘lucky’ woman’s hair around his finger, gyrating sensually in front of her before dropping to his knees at her feet, one hand brushing gently across her ankle. Nanami felt distaste rise in his throat as the poisonous thrum of envy from the audience grew further. Those happy faces and the applause were so deceptive, considering the hidden depths of emotion some were allowing to fill their hearts, overflowing into the space around them.

And then, he felt it.

The swell of negative emotion grew like a wave, the spike of cursed energy at its peak so sharp and subtle, like a blade honed so fine that it passed painlessly across the skin, leaving blood blooming in its wake. Across the way, Nanami saw Yuuji mask his own reaction admirably, a tiny pause in his energetic waving as he sensed it too. Scanning the crowd, Nanami frowned as the minute trace of cursed energy was lost under the current of emotion once more. With a small signal to Yuuji to stay where he was and observe, the sorcerer made his way quickly and quietly down the stairs to the security check point. Here, people could move between the VIP box and the general area freely, as long as they displayed their pass when they returned.

He emerged into the crowd, the sights, smells and sounds assailing him, tugging at his awareness like a petulant child. Focusing ahead, Nanami began trawling, edging his way slowly and meticulously forward. Glancing up he saw Yuuji take a break from dancing and lean nonchalantly against the railing, sipping an iced drink, alert to what was happening on stage. Shoulders brushed and slid across his, Nanami’s height allowing him a fairly good view over the majority of the people around him.

And so it was that he felt it again, that sharp, tingling touch of poison, dangerous and chemical on the tongue, like the scent of paint-thinner that hung in the air of empty buildings. He turned towards the source, concealed eyes searching through the throng of people. Something was definitely here. Something cunning, something with a sinister awareness that slid away from the edges of one’s perception. Feeling the tension coil within his frame, Nanami pressed on.

Ryooo – riiiiii. Ryoutaaaaa. Ryo. Ryyyyo.

It rolls so nicely off the tongue. So sweet, so sweet. A sticky fruit candy on a hot summer’s day.

He’s up there, for all of us to see. Our eyes are crawling all over him, like many, many spotlights. How precious he is. Precious as a little pearl.

He’s definitely better than all the others. Gino was a looker, oh yes, but … there was something missing. That innocent little boy act? It got old so, so quickly. Yawn. And Kiko was great too, but then he couldn’t handle the fame and went away for a while. Ick. So uncool. But Ryooooo-riiiiii. Oh, Ryo-ri. He’s … different. He owns the stage.

His hair is shiny as tinsel under those lights, and his eyes! Oh, his blue eyes are focused and so, so dreamy. And look, look at his shirt. So translucent with sweat. Delicious.

Ryooutaaaaa. Why won’t he look this way? It’s so unfair. If he could just see me … maybe he’d be the one who wouldn’t be able to look away. Wouldn’t that be lovely?

Tiny little trickles of sweat, from his brow and upper lip. How nice if he could wipe it away and smile, right into my eyes, with that look. That look. The one in his photos, the one that makes me feel so … present. So solid. Oh yes, Ryo-ri is perfect. He’ll do.

Last month, his sneakers were orange. Orange! Imagine, such a bright, garish colour. But Ryo-ri makes it work, somehow. He always looks so tasty. Nobody can pull off orange shoes like Ryo-ri.

But, but, what’s this? Who? Who’s here?

Is someone here to stop me? I won’t let that happen. Who is it? They can try, hahahaha! Nobody has stopped me before and they won’t now.

Wait … something’s different. Something is searching. Careful now. This doesn’t feel like anything good. I feel eyes, but different. And a presence. A strong one. Who, who is it? Where? Careful.

There! I see him. He’s coming this way. I can’t let him … who is this anyway? How dare he. I want to crush him like a stupid little bug. Like that bitch on stage, that ugly, lying, cheating, stupid, stupid, stupid little bitch. Both of them.

He’s coming closer. No, no, I can’t let this happen. Careful. Don’t get angry. Don’t let him find us.

He’s here! He’s right here. Something’s not … he’s dangerous! Get away! He’s turning this way! I can see his face! He’s … oh.

Oh.

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icaruspendragon · 10 months ago

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Hi! A while ago I saw one of your tiktoks about how northern democrats typically view people from Appalachia, and it really made me re-examine some biases I had and I deeply appreciated that. I'm from New Hampshire, and basically this primary season we were completely ignored by democratic candidates because of some issues with the DNC and our primary being labeled "unsanctioned". It was weird to not feel supported or valued by my party for the first time ever, (especially when NH tends to get a lot of attention) and it reminded me of your tiktok and how you mentioned that republicans tend to reach out to people in the south while democrats tend to ignore them as a lost cause. Because I saw that happening here with an insanly disproportionate republican presence in my state leading to the primaries. I know the comparisons aren't equal, but it helped drive home the message for me and gave me just a taste of what you explained so clearly in your tiktok. I understand if you choose not to post this, but I really wanted to thank you for opening my eyes and helping me face some biases I didn't know I had.

hello and thank you (for re-examining your biases and for writing me this message). i'm gonna use this as a chance to restate some of the things i mentioned in the video you're talking about.

i'd like to start this by saying i know appalachia and the south aren't perfect. there's racism and homophobia and bigotry. being someone who is marginalized or minoritized in appalachia/the south isn't always easy. but appalachia/the south doesn't have the monopoly on bigotry. america is rife with it. it's something marginalized folks all over the country have to face. and when northern dems act like racism and homophobia and bigotry are things that don't occur in their state simply because it's a blue state, they're doing an incredible disservice to the marginalized people that live in their communities who are facing the results of bigotry.

the folks living in appalachia/the south are heavily stereotyped as nothing more than ignorant backwood cousin fucking hillbillies, and while there are people that live here that fit that bill, appalachia/the south is not a monolith.

appalachia is region that spans from mississippi all the way to new york. the south (depending on who you ask) consists of 17 different states. and here's a little fun fact about the south for ya: according to the 2020 census, out of the 41.6 million black people that live in america, 38.9% of them live in the south.

so when that entire region is written off, forgotten about, and treated as a lost cause it's not the bigots that are being left behind; it's the marginalized people that live here that are being written off. the very same folks democrats and liberals love claiming they care about are the ones being left behind.

one of the reasons republicans have such a strong hold on appalachia/the south is because they put in the work to earn the trust of the voter. work that democrats just don't do. so of course republicans are gonna get the vote, they earned it.

other reasons for the stronghold existing (that people never wanna talk about for some reason) are: gerrymandering, voter suppression, lack of state funding that leads to lack of education, general lack of education, high poverty rates, lack of internet access. i could go on and on.

there are so many marginalized people that live in this region that are working themselves to the bone and trying their damndest to make appalachia/the south a better place for EVERYONE to live and when high falutin yankees act like every single person that lives here is the racist uncle you have to ignore at christmas, they are discrediting the work being done to try and change the region for the better.

allow me to say this again: when appalachia/the south is written off as nothing more than a home to bigots, it's not the bigots being written off, it's the people affected by bigotry.

there are people fighting to make these areas better. we are trying. so please, please stop writing us off.

we are not a lost cause.

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slushiesandshowtunesat3am · 7 days ago

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Even as a pale, white, petite, always pink, and female myself which seems like all they seem to insert into these fics…. I freaking HATE reading that in a x reader fic. Because all I see then is those basic asș AI generated girls who all look the same, it becomes a joke. And the stupid description of pale snow skin and everything being pink, and I do mean EVERYTHING is freaking vomit inducing. We’re all asking for the bare freaking minimum.

1. Tag properly (Keep to who the main people are, side people not needed. That can be added to the author notes.) The goal is not to flood tags and having people endlessly scroll.

2. x Reader - No actual descriptions of what this person/character may look like (I would also say if the description of the clothes aren’t important to the scene, that can be left out. This might just be a me thing. Why the F are these people always just wearing a T-shirt, leggings, and a freaking messy bun… 🫤 cozy but EVERY SINGLE TIME! )

3. x OC / x Named OC - Go ham! Do all the descriptions, outfits, etc. No one should bother you then since you let them know in advance. It’s even super cool if you give an advance notice of what said character will look like.

4. Please edit your stuff. Even if you’re a beginner (nothing wrong with that, everyone starts somewhere) edit as best as you can. Storyboarding is so great too, to help remember things and look back.

5. PLEASE PUT YOUR AGE ON YOUR TUMBLR!!!! Especially if you write mature content!!!!!

We’re all well aware (like that racist POS, who I hope you blocked said..) that anyone can do what they want and how they want, but if you want people to read your stuff and start engaging then going about it in a smart way will do you wonders!! I think decline started once the cesspool of Twitter started coming here. People have become straight up asșholes on here. You can feel the shift. I miss old tumblr and even AO3 isn’t the same (and I refuse to ever go on wattpad… the horror ☠️).

Oh, I love you. Tens across the board with everything you said, and thank you so much for expressing solidarity with your opinion. You're amazing.

It didn't even occur to me that sometimes even white individuals can't relate to this content because not all of them identify as women, or look like the women who are often displayed or described in this content, which is very much catered to a pretty, perfect, docile, very much so male gaze esque ideology.

I really really agree with the shift. I could write a whole paper on this, but since Twitter has merged with us, I've seen a rise in dub-con/infantilization/overall inconsiderate culture. And I know it's out of left field, but I truly think this is all connected.

Almost all of the content now is not only incredibly drenched with smut, but also flooded with unhealthy dynamics where women are not only heavily degraded and taken advantage of, but made to fit this very, I had to say it, child-like dynamic. I mean, I had to block an author the other day because in the tags it literally said "sexualization of the word kiddo and I don't give a fuck."

All this to say, this archetype that more fanfics are leaning towards, submissive and cutsie, often fit this ideal of innocence and purity that people of color have never been included in.

And we're beginning to see this level of exclusion more and more. Not just in smut.

I get it. Everyone is in to what they are in to, and everyone can filter what they don't like.

But we have to face the fact that there are some serious issues effecting the fanfiction community on this app.

Still never going back to Wattpad, though.

#jjk x reader #bts x reader #bnha x reader #spencer reid x reader #skz texts #james potter x reader

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canofwyrmz · 2 months ago

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My Tourette's recently came back from "remission" (unsure if that's the right term in context, but alas) and i am so pissed off thinking about fake claiming again.

To anyone out there discrediting me off the bat, yes, I have been officially diagnosed by medical professionals. I meet as many of your bullshit little criteria as your heart could desire for who "really" has Tourette's.

The truth of the matter is that you will never conclusively know if someone is "faking" any disability, but Tourette's is a good example here. There are so many things about Tourette's that make it a perfect disorder for fake claimers to sink their little teeth into. I've been perusing the fakedisordercringe subreddit, kinda trying to bait myself into getting angry, and I've been particularly looking at the traits they claim are telltale signs of a faker.

The catch: almost all of these traits are normal parts of the spectrum disorder that is Tourette's, or very easily explained in context.

For instance:

"In this video they're ticcing every few seconds, but in their old videos they never tic."

1. Tics vary from minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day, etc. I had a year and a half where my Tourette's was almost non-existent. I very occasionally had minor facial tics, but that was it! Waxing and waning of symptoms is incredibly normal for tic disorders, in face, tic disorders very often go away with age, or at least get better. Some people's tics get worse with age though.

This isn't even to mention medication! Some people take medication for Tourette's, and this may heavily impact the severity/frequency of tics. It's rude asf to ask a stranger their medication status, but personally, I was prescribed Guanfacine for my tics. It made me sleep so much that it was a worse experience than having my full force tics. I went off the medication, and started ticcing more! It's also true that other medications not specifically prescribed in the aim of reducing tics can also have an impact on them. I have a hunch that the Abilify I was taking the last couple years is what might've put my Tourette's nigh fully into remission during that period. How medication intersects with someone's experience is very complicated and individual. You know what they say about assuming.

Another piece worth mentioning is the fact that Tourette's is a syndrome, as opposed to a disease. A disease has a known, single root cause for the condition, i.e. a bacterium, a virus, a known mutation. Syndromes are names for clusters of symptoms that occur together often enough to be recognized as their own things, but without a shared or known root cause. People have Tourette's (or any tic disorder really) for many different reasons! This is why no two people who tic do so in the same way, there are many root neurological/biological causes that are all producing the same general symptoms.

2. Tic disorders can have a very rapid onset, and they can appear at any age (although before late teens is most common). Mine started over a few days, from absolutely no tics, to uncontrollable and severe attacks.

3. Tics can be very dependent on environmental triggers. Stress, excitement, level of focus, repetitive noises (including other people ticcing!), energy level, et cetera are all common triggers for tics. One person's trigger might be another person's tic relaxant. It varies for each individual; I personally tic much more frequently at work as of late, because the environment is very stressful, loud, and repetitive.

4. If you're watching a video, you're seeing someone's curated public image. They might suppress tics for the camera. They might film on mild tic days. They might edit out tics. They might be ticcing just as often, but invisibly (e.g. right now I have several tics that involve my tongue, totally invisible to everyone else!).

"Their tics look forced though."

Lots of tics do look forced, especially complex tics (tics involving multiple muscle groups), but they are still unvoluntary or involuntary. You have absolutely zero ways to tell apart a tic that looks forced from a tic that is forced. "They tic too much."

Discussing tics is a very, very common trigger for said tics. Filming yourself talking about your tics is likely to trigger them. Some people tic a lot, or very violently, all the time! Some people only tic severely occasionally! See above for the variability of tics, even within a single person.

"They don't tic enough."

Focusing on something, i.e. speaking to the camera, will reduce tic frequency or severity for some people. For some it makes it worse. Again, see above for the variability of tics!

"They have too many common/cute tics."

You can catch tics. If someone's involved with a lot of disability spaces or spends time around other people with a tic disorder, they'll likely pick up some of those common tics. Not everyone gets contagious tics, but most people seem to.

"Their tics are too convenient."

Many people with tics are able to redirect the premonitory urge toward a different, sometimes milder tic (e.g. one of my current tics is clenching my face, and shutting my eyes hard for several seconds. Driving seems to let me focus enough to not be too encumbered by tics, but when I do feel like I'm going to do an eye-shutting tic, I'll usually redirect it to a different body part, or sometimes just one eye instead of both). Not all people w/ tics are able to redirect tics and have absolutely no control over them. For those who can, though, this may cause their tics to look "convenient" in that they're keeping the reigns on the more inconvenient tics. See above for why someone might (or might not!) tic more on camera.

(Assuming they're faking already): "If they really understood Tourette's they wouldn't fake it because it's just so awful and horrible and impossible to live with, it's a curse that ruins people's lives!"

Most disabled people don't want your half-hearted pity. For the love of GOD, do not use the severity of some people's tic disorders as a weapon against that same community. Yes, some people are significantly impaired by their tic disorder; it's a disability. That doesn't mean you should treat the few disabled people you believe like sick little wet kittens with terminal cancer, and the rest of us like we're attention seeking fakers who are an acceptable target for absolutely vile harassment and dehumanization.

And some broader ones that are often used against many other disabled people:

"They're not diagnosed."

You do not become disabled upon diagnosis. Diagnosis is descriptive, not prescriptive; your disability is no more or less real due to dx status.

"They already have sooo many disabilities though."

Disabilities are more common than you think, and tend to occur together. For example, Tourette's is heavily associated with Autism, ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, and especially OCD. Please don't give me your amateur statistics work that assumes occurrence of disability is an entirely isolated variable.

"They have blue hair and pronouns."

Queer people are more likely to be disabled, disabled people are more likely to be Queer. For instance, Queer people are especially prone to Autism, among other disabilities, which puts one at a significantly higher predisposition to tic disorders.

"They talk about their disability/disabilities too much."

Disabilities affect people's daily lives, and if they want to talk about how that impacts them, stfu and listen! If someone wants to spread awareness or acceptance of their disability, stfu and listen! If you don't want to listen, stfu and go away.

There's more. There's a lot more. I could continue writing this for the rest of the afternoon, and I'd still have more to talk about. I've been thinking about Tourette's a lot more since mine came back just recently, and I think a well organized post like this is a good thing to put out there. The takeaway is really that you can never look inside someone else's head. The convolutions of others' minds are a lockbox to which they themselves are the lone key-owners.

I feel like the least we can do for each other is give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

Yes, I'm aware that some people do in fact fake disabilities. My point is not to refute the mere existence of people faking their disability, but to say we cannot know who they are. We must treat everyone as though they are being honest, because everyone is deserving of that kind of dignity by default. This paranoia about who is and is not "really disabled" does us absolutely no good, it hurts innocent people in the process, likely many, many more than any "actual" fakers (by whatever standard you even truly measure that).

As an aside, even if someone is honest to god faking, they're probably not doing just peachy. Someone desperate for that kind of attention probably needs that attention. Something is wrong, and this is their way to express their need for help. When has it ever done any good to shame and mock people who are unwell? Some people really truly do just want to feel justified in mistreating the most vulnerable members of society.

#the seriouses #posting #Tourettes #Tourette syndrome #disability #seriousposting

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nephilimeq · 1 year ago

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Hey, I was just wondering what age you thought Derek was in season one? Cause it’s a heavily debated and unknown piece of information. Me personally I always thought he was 19 in the pilot, and this was before I had read anything about the writers wanting him to be that age in the pilot. It was just the way he acted, to me, it doesn’t seem like a mid-20s man. Also stiles says the fire happened “ like ten years ago” but then a few episodes later Peter says he’s been in a coma for 6 years. So I was just curious what you thought. Also stiles saying that is always made out to be taken as it literally happened exactly ten years ago, and people always bring it up but they never talk about how long Peter said it had been.

Sorry if this is long I just enjoy your blog and your thoughts. I wanted to share mine while also hearing it from your perspective. Hope you have a wonderful day, you deserve it!

This is a very tricky subject to handle, because the writers made mistakes in their own timeline so they switched things around.

But in the very first episode Stiles says that Derek is only a few years older than them. I always figured that Derek was around 19 in Season 1, while Stiles was 16.

The reason why they messed everything up so horribly is because they hadn't actually created a timeline for all the events when they started writing, and to me, it made the show feel like a fan fiction writer who was just making it up as they went and then all the reviewers were saying, "Hey, you have a few continuity errors," and instead of trying to make it work, they just made something up and didn't really try to go back and adjust anything.

There's a scene that happens when Stiles is asking Peter and Cora about Derek's past (Season 3, Episode 8 "Visionary"), and he is trying to find out how old they are, and this train wreck section of dialogue occurs:

Stiles: Okay, if Derek was a sophomore back then, how old was he? How old were you? ...How old are you now? Peter: Not as young as we could have been, but not as old as you might think. Stiles: Okay, that was frustratingly vague. How old are you? Cora: I'm seventeen. Stiles: See, that's an answer. That's how we answer people. Cora: Well, seventeen how you'd measure in years. Stiles: Alright, I'm just gonna drop it.

This dialogue made me so pissy when I heard it the first time because I knew that this was the writers' response to the viewers and fans. The fans are Stiles in this conversation, and the writers are Peter and Cora being purposely "frustratingly vague" in the hopes that we'll just "drop it", which a lot of us did because they wouldn't give us any straight answers.

They messed up and they know it.

In my head canon -- because it makes the most sense to me -- Derek is three years older than them. Canonically, Derek is actually only ten days older than me, as seen in this enhanced screencap right here (from Season 1, Episode 11, where Kate has him kidnapped and held up in chains):

So according to this he would have been around 22, about to turn 23 in the first season...but here's something to take into consideration. This driver's license isn't for California -- it's for New York. I have a theory that he got a professional fake I.D. so that he could do more jobs (such as bartending) while he was out of state.

Now, when Stiles mentions the fire was "like, ten years ago," I genuinely think that he was just generalizing. Derek was sixteen when Kate took advantage of him raped him, which means that the fire happened when Stiles was around twelve/thirteen (as he has a canonically April 8th birthday, so it all depends on the months).

Regarding anything Peter might have said...please remember that it has been firmly established in the show that Peter is an unreliable narrator. Stiles openly admits that to Cora in the previously mentioned Season 3, Episode 8, "Visionary".

A lot of these issues are because of the lack of consistency from the writers.

I think the biggest problem was when they cast a younger Peter and totally threw the timelines off, trying to make him only a few years older than Derek -- which he wasn't. Peter is Derek's uncle, for crying out loud! The man would have been in his late twenties, early thirties when Derek was a teen, barely looking any different than he does in the show...and yet the writers and producers thought that making him look almost like a teenager was the right call.

I do think it was a last ditch attempt to try and make Derek waaay older than Stiles because they didn't like the shipping -- but they had already established too much of their timeline at that point and simply messed up and didn't have the guts to admit it.

Simply put, I genuinely think Derek was nineteen and turned twenty during season one.

Hope that answers your questions, anon!

#teen wolf #teen wolf meta #sterek #stiles stilinski #derek hale #npheq ask and answer #teen wolf ages #derek hale age #age difference #the teen wolf writers just suck at continuity #continuity #teen wolf continuity #continuity errors

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from-izzy · 1 year ago

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that's him, that's just who he is | the boyz series introduction

"...and when I see him on my screen, no matter how things faded between us, I will always be able to put a smile on my face and tell them genuinely: that's him—that's the person who made a huge positive impact in my life. And when they ask back, "Really? How so?" I would simply shrug my shoulders and answer: that's just who he is—he's just capable of doing so."

» RELEASE DATE: as soon as possible! hopefully a week to a week and a half between each member! » WARNINGS (for this post—under 'keep reading' section): mentions of going through a tough time (not explicitly defined), healing and progress through the tough time (another warning will be mentioned if you do decide to read further! there is also a safe section after the gif) » WARNINGS (for the stories themselves): some have none, some do! but warnings according to the story will always be mentioned! navi/masterlist!! 🤍 series masterlist

ahhhh...where do i start?

i don't have a concrete idea/plan as to how this series is going to go yet. i don't have a story plan for each member yet either. all i have is the small indented idea and the sure idea that all the stories will be heavily inspired by each member's individual 'generation z' videos.

i'm pretty sure it will be a 'the boyz x reader' story series! currently, i'm settled with the idea that the reader is childhood/old friends with each member and they gradually drifted because life took them to different places. ultimately, the reader just looks back on their memories with each member. but, i don't think each story will be connected.

i was thinking of keeping a word limit of 2k for each story (we all know this isn't going to happen)

i chose the 'generation z' videos because i remember this being the videos that really 'pushed me' to stanning tbz. i've never seen these kinds of videos where idols talk openly about their feelings and i thought 'wait! i could implement this into a story!'

TRIGGER WARNING (safe after gif): mentions of going through a tough time (not explicitly defined), healing and progress through the tough time

addressing the 'personal healing project' part: i haven't been able to watch full videos and fully finish listening tbz related since august 11, 2023. today marks the 80th day that i've been stuck in the past and my own feelings.

long story short, something happened in my life and i had tbz content around me when the event occurred. unfortunately with tbz being there when it unfolded, everytime a song comes on or i see a picture of them, network of associations links me back to the event.

so i stopped listening, unfollowed tbz and all fan accounts specifically on instagram.

but thankfully for me...

i'm still able to write stories

i have seen improvement: able to see old pictures (day 18), unconsciously sung merry bad ending (day 26), consciously hummed lip gloss (day 37), finished up to the end of closer's second verse but backed out after (day 54), able to talk about tbz (day 66) etc.

it's been a hard journey but i have hope.

like changmin said in his 'generation z' video: still, i have hope. without hope, i don't think i can survive.

plus...i know that i still love and look up to the boyz so much.

because even though exposure therapy may still be too much for me now, the fact that time has done its work bit by bit, and i'm able to somewhat look at pictures of them, it means that i am healing.

this series...

is one of the topics that i wanted to 'experiment' with that i talked about in my about me page.

'generation z' pushed me into really stanning tbz and i just hope (and i hope endlessly) that maybe by going back to this video and implementing it to something i love (writing stories), that i'll be able to heal further.

tbz are having a comeback nov 20th! 🎉 i might not be able to follow them this comeback but please give them lots support!

as for this series...will you come along with me?

it's my first ever series ever since i started writing! i am so, very much excited!

i'll see you all soon!

navi/masterlist!! 🤍 series masterlist

tags (send a dm/ask if you would like to be here!): @deoboyznet 📢❤️ @k-labels 💙🤍 @k-films 🤎🎞️

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balladedutempsjadis · 1 year ago

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Ponniyin Selvan (The Book vs. Movie edition)

I've just today finished the five volumes of Kalki Krishnamurthy's epic historical novel Ponniyin Selvan, which was the basis for the two-movie series of the same name which I ADORED after I watched the first movie for the first time a couple of weeks ago. And ... I have some thoughts on the books and on the adaptation of the books. First of all, some general thoughts about the books:

I really wish I could read this in the original Tamil. In my understanding, these books are a beloved modern classic of Tamil literature, and the English translation, though perfectly fine and serviceable in terms of explicating the plot, rarely has memorable language.

Perhaps this is a function of the translation, or a different literary tradition, or the author's style (and I'll never really know which), but there is a lot of stuff that I can best describe as static. Actions and events are often described after they occur so as a reader, I felt distanced from what was going on in several scenes.

There are a LOT of coincidences (the entire Sembian Amuthan plotline is heavily based on coincidences) and repetition.

Even if I didn't know this was serialized, I would have guessed because of the repetition mentioned above, frequent flashbacks, and the padding out of some of the scenes. This isn't necessarily a bad thing (it reminds me of Dickens' novels, which I happen to be quite fond of) but it's definitely a hallmark of the novels.

I felt sometimes that Kalki was having a bit of a struggle with the historical characters having to do what they did in history versus his fictional characters like Nandini being able to do what they wanted. So sometimes I felt the characterizations were a bit lacking (and I definitely skipped some of Sembian Mahadevi's musings, SORRY!)

Now for the differences between the books and film versions (SPOILERS FOR THE BOOKS AND BOTH FILMS BELOW).

In general, with one exception I'll talk about later, I think the scriptwriters did an amazing job of adapting this immense series to film. In fact, for a number of things, I think they improved the pacing of the narrative and cut out extraneous stuff that detracted from the momentum of the main story - these were things that may have worked in a serialized novel but would have drowned even a gigantic six hour film series. All that follows is just my opinion, of course!

First of all, a fair number of characters were just cut out of the story, which I thought tightened up the narrative. (For example, Manimeghalai was completely unnecessary IMO for the story to proceed and she really detracted from the scene between Aditha Karikalan and Nandini when Karikalan dies; the intensity of that scene would have suffered from having anyone else observe it.) Poonghuzhali's brother and father (her sister-in-law Rakkamal is still there but not related) are gone in the film version. And that's all fine, I think it would have made things more confusing and I don't even think a tv series would have been able to use ALL these characters. (Also, I think I like that Poonghzhali seems more stable in the movie.)

I also liked that they cut out the astrologer. I thought the book relied way too heavily on the astrologer's predictions and while that may have been an accurate portrayal of 10th century Chola society, it also removed the jeopardy from the characters. If Arulmozhi Varman's sister would be confident that nothing terrible could happen to him because of the lines on his palm, then it was really hard to generate suspense about him within the story. (I mean obviously as readers/moviegoers we might know that he became Rajaraja Chola and therefore survived the assassination attempts, but his contemporaries and the fictional characters in-universe didn't know that he would end up being a great king.)

For me, it was more powerful to see how much the kingdom mourned him and his family mourned him than to have his sister shrug and be like "oh well, the stars don't say he dies so he's probably alive." And the way that they mourned him also helped develop their characters (To be fair, I also can't figure out what Kalki believed re:astrology either, because occasionally the author's voice is very skeptical about the astrologer as well.)

More controversially, I think they were right to cut out the whole Senthan Amuthan storyline about being the real son of Sembian Mahadevi and the previous king etc. etc. The hidden identity heir business was just way too melodramatic for me even in the book, and I don't think it would have worked at all for me in the movies. I mean, SA doesn't really even have much characterization in the book anyway (he's there a lot and helps out when he can but other than the fact that he loves Poonguzhali and has a nice voice, I couldn't tell you much about him.) Plus that would necessitate that Fake!Madhurantaka be Nandini's twin etc. and that would also have not been believable.

Now ... onto the main characters books vs. movie:

Aditha Karikalan: I honestly liked him much more in the movies than in the books. He was the tragic hero of the movie, with a clear arc, and Vikram brought oodles of charisma to his role. But in the books, he was a lot more opaque to me (his love for Nandini is not his focus - so he maybe falls in love with Manimegalai? - and that moment where he chooses to die isn't as crystal clear.) Also, Book!Aditha is a bit of an asshole towards all of his friends, frankly, which movie Aditha is not.

His chief faults in the movie are that he's ruled by his emotions (which is both why he sins against Nandini by beheading an unarmed man - Veera Pandyan - in a fit of rage that Nandini is pleading for his life AND why he tries to atone for that sin by committing suicide, which of course doesn't actually solve anything and in fact embroils innocent people like Vandiyathevan in a horrible situation).I still think he wouldn't have made a good king, not least because he would not listen to ANYONE'S advice, whether that someone was his grandfather, his friend, or his brother or his sister.

Book!Aditha might have made a better King - he actually goes to Kadambur not just to see Nandini, but partly in order to find out and allay the different Chola clans and possibly cement one of their loyalties by marriage to MM, so I thought that made for an interesting contrast. Even in the books, though, Kalki compares how the people mourned Aditha (as a great warrior whose absence threatened their kingdom's survival) and how they mourned Arulmozhi when he was believed to be dead (as a beloved son/brother even if they didn't know him personally.) The book (and movie though to a lesser degree because it's so preoccupied with Nandini/Aditha) has a lot to say about power and responsibility (so there are constant contrasts between not just Aditha and Arulmozhi but between the Pazhuvettarayar brothers and Arulmozhi - for example, over whether the Chola kingdom should supply the army in Elangai or whether they should live off the land. AMV is much more farsighted and knows how important it is to not make a conquered populace feel subjugated because they will rebel.)

Nandini: I feel like she was a lot more fleshed out in the film than Book!Nandini, and as she and Aditha were the emotional focal point of the movies, it makes more sense. Her motivations seemed clearer to me, and I also appreciated that we actually found out what happened to her, and she didn't just disappear off the page. I also liked, as mentioned above, that they didn't bother with the False!Madhuranthakan who was actually Nandini's twin etc. I liked that they fleshed out the love story between her and Aditha and gave Kundavai a role and also showed how it was Aditha's impulsive declaration that she would be THE Chola Queen that directly led to Nandini - who had done nothing wrong - being unceremoniously bundled off to wherever. (Would I also have liked a little more of how Aditha reacted to his family's banishment of Nandini? I think I would. Like we got a little bit of that in PS1 when he blames Kundavai for being jealous but not much more than that?)

Kundavai was very awesome in both book and film, but she had a lot less to do in the second movie. As I mentioned above, I loved that she actually believed her beloved younger brother to be dead so we got to see her reaction compared to Aditha's. (Aditha basically goes into beast mode and is like “I can fight whoever to avenge my little brother” and Kundavai is, as usual, a lot more rational even in the depths of grief.) I also really liked that brief scene the film gave us with all three siblings together which was a nice addition to the story. I felt there were not very many differences between Book! and Movie!Kundavai - although the book definitely played up her influence over her younger brother a bit more. She is the mirror to Nandini and maybe Nandini would have been like Kundavai if she had not had such struggles in her early life? I do like that in both books and movie, the female characters are so strong (I mean, well-characterized) and different from one another.

Vandiyadevan is just a great character! His resemblance to D'Artagnan was even stronger in the books (he had time for even more adventures) and his verbal sparring with Nambi was great and nicely translated to screen, I thought. I did think his presence in Kadambur and his (partial) witnessing of Aditha's death and aftermath was handled with more pace and worked better for me in the film (again, no Manimegalai was a great decision. And the picnic that Nandini goes on with Aditha and Vandiyadevan and MM and others (I think?) It was late at night when I was reading and I was like WTF so I might be misremembering it) dilutes the Aditha/Nandini meeting a lot. Anyway, back to Vandiyadevan - still sooooo charming. I loved Karthi in this role and am going to watch Kaatru Velliyadai (although I understand he's very different in that one!) sometime this week. But I found Book!Vandiyadevan lovely as well. I think his character translated perfectly from book to screen.

Arulmozhi Varman - I thought the books would focus more on him than they did, given that he's the title character. And I was a little surprised that he still wasn't the main focus of the books (though there's more focus on him in the later volumes), but there were some nice little character moments that I wish could have come into the movie. (Though there were a couple of things in the movie that I also really liked which showed his character beautifully.)

I read Kalki's afterword about how the pivotal scene in all of the books is Arulmozhi Varman's sacrifice of his crown, because that is an amazing thing for any ruler to do, to voluntarily give up his own power and step back. The books talk about the Chola ancestor Sibi, who was willing to give up his own life to protect a pigeon from an eagle because the pigeon was under his protection. I believe we are meant to understand Arulmozhi's sacrifice in a similar light. He is all about protecting the realm, even if it means sacrificing his own ambitions and that makes him Sibi's worthy heir. (In the Mahabharata, Arjuna is the peerless warrior prince, but his brother Yudhishtira is the Dharmaraja - the best of all; and I think we are meant to see echoes of Arjuna (and his son Abhimanyu, alone in the midst of his enemies) in Aditha and echoes of Yudhishtira in Arulmozhi.)

The books and the movie handle this immense sacrifice a little differently; in the book, we get a lot more motivation for that action: AMV is steeped in the history of the Singhalese kingdom and horrified by how bloody their succession battles were (he references fathers killing sons and vice versa more than once) and he is super clear that he doesn't want to bring that mess to the Chola kingdom or cause a civil war or anything like that. But there are two more elements as well, that I mostly got from the book: he truly loves Vanathi and she has sworn an oath that she doesn't want to be empress, so he can't have both Vanathi and the throne (but it's also a political decision, since if he's King, and marries Vanathi, then he'll be seen as privileging her clan above all others unless he marries a bunch of other girls as well). I also genuinely think he also wants to go hang out with Vandiyadevan and have adventures (while also doing the necessary jobs of fighting pirates and expanding trade and all that other stuff.)

The movies don't make that explanation as explicit, but there is this golden thread of self-sacrifice that runs through Arulmozhi's scenes in the movies as well: first of all, he refuses to take the throne of Elangai, though it is offered to him by the monks who crowned all the kings of the island. (This happens in both the books and the movie, but the books make this a more political decision - AMV says Elangai is too small for the scope of his vision, and that he doesn't want it to look like he's setting up a parallel second kingdom to the Cholas in opposition to his brother - whereas in the movies, it is clearly a matter of dharma. And the movie really sells that.)

Then Arulmozhi jumps into a stormy sea to swim to a ship full of people who want to kill him, in order to save Vandiyadevan. (I mean also some breathtaking confidence in himself that he and Vandiyadevan by themselves can defeat the Pandya rebels. He definitely does not lack for confidence :)) I cannot believe I actually forgot about this and had to come back and edit this post.I guess I am too used for Arulmozhi being awesome for this even to register on the scale?

The third self-sacrifice is when Arulmozhi is recovering from his life-threatening fever amidst the Buddhist monks at Nagapattinam. In the movie, somehow the Pandya assassins find out he's there and rile up the crowd which threatens to destroy the monastery which they claim is hiding their beloved prince from them. Although AMV is encouraged to slip away to escape the Pandya assassins, he refuses to repay his hosts by allowing their monastery to be destroyed. So he goes out to face the crowd, despite knowing that he's putting his life in danger by doing this. In the movie, he makes a choice to reveal himself and once again we see that Arulmozhi will always privilege the good of the people under his protection (the people of Elangai, Vandiyadevan, the monks, and ultimately the whole populace of the Chola Kingdom) over his own desires, and even his own life if need be. Over and over again, he shows himself to be the true heir of Sibi. (I also thought the elephant-goad plot was REALLY well done in the movie; even knowing obviously that AMV survived this, I was SO tense during that entire sequence. The book version just wasn’t as tense. Anyway …) So in the movie we keep seeing WHY Arulmozhi will be the great king he becomes but also why he will not take the crown at the end - and by not taking it, he makes himself all the more worthy of it.

In the book, in contrast, he leaves the monastery because there's about to be a devastating cyclone and it's not safe there any more. His disguise is revealed against his will by Rakammal hailing him as the prince; he's not given any choice in the matter. And he has very good and valid reasons for not wanting to reveal who he is which are also an excellent lead-up to his giving up the throne. Book!Arulmozhi wants to avoid a civil war over the succession at all possible costs. And he knows the public is fickle and easily swayed (there’s a whole subplot about there are rumors that HE had Vandiyadevan kill Aditha Karikalan so he - AMV - could be crowned, which only one character says in the film and everyone ELSE is like “Arulmozhi would NEVER!” But in the books more people seem like they are could be swayed by that thought - and giving up the throne to his father’s cousin is one spectacular way to give the lie to those rumors. And here’s also me, getting so angry on behalf of a fictional /historical character ;))

I think the movie version and the book version of this event both work really well for their respective media in terms of establishing who this man is, and what his character is, which lead up to his ultimate sacrifice.

The last sacrifice is, of course, that he give up the kingdom that *everyone* wants him to have. I think in both the books and the films, it's clear that the weird succession situation from his great-uncle Gandaraditha's day (where the throne when to the younger brothers of the king, and then to Sundara Chola - AMV's father - Gandarathia's nephew - rather than to Gandaraditha's own son) was bound to create a locus for discontent and coups egged on by the enemies of the Chola Kingdom. And that internecine strife is, from Kundavai's and AMV's perspective, what killed their brother and even put AMV in line to the throne at all. (They don't know all the backstory about Nandini and Aditha's guilt and his essential suicide. Also, I think it’s an interesting contrast between Aditha Karikalan who offers to give up the throne - once to the council of plotters where he says he’d do it if he had an army to go get himself another kingdom, and once when he proposes to Nandini that they just run off together. Arulmozhi had his chance at a kingdom won by force of arms - Elangai - and said no, and when he gives up the throne at the end of the books/movies it’s for love of the country he was expected to rule, not for love of an individual.)

The one thing I wish the movies had done was flesh out the Kundavai/Vandiyadevan and Vanathi/Arulmozhi connections. The actors did a lovely job with what they were given just from facial expressions and eyes (Vandiyadevan looks hopeless in love in the course of a single conversation when he's dressed as Krishna's uncle) and I bought into Vanathi and Arulmozhi's love for each other with nothing more than him reading her message in PS1 and a couple of times they looked at each other (so much love for Jayam Ravi and Shobita Dhulipala's facial expressions which sold the connection), but IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE FOR BOTH THESE COUPLES TO HAVE A CONVERSATION! But I realize I've seen a couple of Mani Ratnam's Hindi films (Dil Se, and Raavan - though I really want to watch the Tamil version of that) and he does doomed romance very adroitly. (Although from reading the plots of his several other films, apparently he also does do happy endings sometimes and I sort of wish we could have shifted the focus from Nandini/Aditha A LITTLE BIT to maybe just get a tiny conversation between these two other couples the I also loved. But at least I got some crumbs in terms of the full videos of the songs of "Veera Raja Veera" (for AMV/Vanathi) and "Aga Naga" (for Kundavai/Vandiyadevan. (FYI, the Veera Raja Veera video song is super hot - Rajaraja Chola is looking at his beloved while she dances as though she is an extremely tasty snack he can't wait to sample :P)

ALSO, if anyone wants to make PS3 with these actors I WOULD LOVE YOU FOREVER. In my head, it would be about Vandiyadevan doing wild stuff and flirting with EVERYBODY while Arunmozhi Varman sort of sighs and goes along with him to try and exercise some control over him* because Kundavai will kill him if anything happens to her boo, and they keep getting embroiled in weirder stuff and getting hit on the head (Vandiyadevan) and chilling out looking at Buddhist cave art and talking to elephants (AMV) and Kundavai just sits back and continues to run the kingdom (because she knows that AMV will not let anything happen to her boo). And of course, Nambi would be keeping an eye on both of them as well. Meanwhile, Vanathi is doing lots of dancing and going on some of the art tours with her husband, and also hanging out with Kundavai and rolling their eyes over their husbands. That would be totally fine!

*one of the things I loved in the books was that Vandiyadevan is influenced by Arulmozhi to be more truthful and upstanding, while Arulmozhi gets more devious after he meets Vandiyadevan. I feel this dynamic (along with the real-life bromance of Karthi and Jayam Ravi - every interview I've seen with them is the two of them having a great time!) would be AWESOME.

OK, this is insanely LONG again but I really enjoyed the novels and the movies - each medium enhanced the other for me, and in my head, the version of Ponniyin Selvan is what takes the parts I liked the best in movies and film. So Movie!Aditha and Movie!Nandini, BOTH the Vandiyadevans, Kundavais, Arulmozhi Varmans and Vanathis live in my heart :D

And I've also acquired Anirudh Kanisetti's Lords of the Deccan (which is more about the Cholas' predecessors and opponents like the Rashtrakutas and the Chalukyas) and Kamini Dandapani's Rajaraja Chola, which is about Ponniyin Selvan (but also about his predecessors and successors.)

#ponniyin selvan #Ponniyin Selvan 2 #aditha karikalan #arulmozhi varman #kundavai #vandiyadevan #vanathi #aishwarya rai bachchan #vikram #trisha #jayam ravi #shobita dhulipala #mani ratnam

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wantonlywindswept · 11 months ago

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👀 (which by the way is a genuine reaction to your "I have so many things" tag-comment)

haaah there were. so many ideas. few of them coherent. x_X

this one i do actually want to finish at some point; it's corrie guard shenanigans, SOME of them trust that the jedi might be able to fix things so uh. they try. to maybe do that.

...kidnapping may or may not be involved.

---

Jek liked to think that he was a good soldier.

He wasn't the best--he would happily leave that to Commander Fox's batch and whatever tube glitch had resulted in Captain Rex--but he was decent. A solid middle. He got the job done, he worked hard, he didn't complain. (And not just because complaining on Coruscant could easily mean a recon.)

The point was, he didn't deserve to be put on trial for treason.

"It's only treason if it's against the Republic," Rys pointed out. "This is just standard treachery. That's prison time, at most."

"For natborns, maybe," Jek mourned. "Pretty sure if we fuck up they just send us back to Kamino for a refund."

"You are both following orders," Commander Thire gritted out, "So if anyone is brought up on charges, it will be me."

That made Jek feel a lot better, actually.

"Now shut up."

"Yessir," he and Rys chorused.

They marched crisply on either side of the heavily-laden hovercart, Thire in the lead as they made their way towards the entrance to the Jedi Temple. The loading bay was relatively busy this time of day, which is why Thire chose it, and they didn't expect too much scrutiny: clones came and went from the Temple all the time.

Not Guard clones, admittedly, but this was their city. Technically they had the right to go wherever they wanted.

A thought occurred to Jek then, flitting across his mind like one of those colorful flappy insects that Mack had tattooed on his arm.

"So, what do we do if General Yoda isn't here?"

Thire stumbled over his own feet.

Huh.

"You mean you haven't already thought about that?" Rys hissed. He laid a hand atop the largest crate--the most important crate--on the hovercart, fingers spread out protectively across the smooth durasteel. "What if they want us to leave it in his room? If he's out on a mission he could be gone for months--"

"We're fucked if he's gone for more than another two hours," Jek pointed out helpfully.

"I will figure it out," Thire snapped.

Two days into his new commission and he was already able to spew banthashit like the rest of the Commanders. Incredible.

"Are there even any other Jedi we could trust?" Jek asked. They'd met Master Yoda on the mission to Rugosa, so they knew he was a good person, but none of them really had experience with any of the other Jedi.

"Sinker said that General Koon is pretty good," Rys offered.

Thire snorted.

"General Koon actually likes Commander Wolffe. There's gotta be something wrong with him if he willingly puts up with that level of crazy."

"Maybe Kenobi? Commander Fox always bitches about Marshall Commander Cody going on about him."

Rys grimaced, shaking his head.

"He's Skywalker's master."

All three of them shuddered. Skywalker was friends with the Chancellor, and Commander Fox regularly came back from meetings with the Chancellor sporting mysterious injuries that somehow never got recorded on his medical file.

They all knew better to trust anyone that was on good terms with the Chancellor.

"What about General Windu?" Rhys suggested.

"What about me?"

#tcw #tcw fanfiction #coruscant guard #commander thire #clone trooper rys #clone trooper jek #also an attempt to finally get around to writing mace #which is only like 60% because i Do Not Fucking Want to write yoda-speak

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presidentofthelipglossclub · 1 year ago

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Rescue Bots: Heavily neurodivergent vibes as someone who is neurodivergent myself. I personally see Blades having ADHD. My mech speaks and gets sidetracked often. However, he also is quite inquisitive about anything and everything.

The 'Bots overthink everything.

It usually is just because they are aliens on a planet, but rather they are not aware of how to act around certain people or even people in general.

I wholeheartedly agree that Chase seems calm externally, but in reality his Processor is aching with thoughts about every little thing. He will take an interest and notice every fragging thing, but he would never actually try them out. . . unless?

He makes lists. He makes lists of everything.

Boulder is oh so gentle. He loves and cares for everything. He has this fear that something may go wrong, and the reason would be because of him. He thinks—no, believes— if something goes wrong or someone is hurt, that he could somehow have overcome it. He has anxiety, so he draws to render his Processor elsewhere.

Heatwave is very uptight, but the 'Bot has a good Spark. He has some form of PTSD based on the war. In many different adaptations in the comics, he always seemed to have that harsh characteristic, but he is genuinely loving. He is just terrified that something may occur.

Blurr feels left out. It is the worst feeling. He thinks he is left out. That could be another form of PTSD as well, so he always attempts to get people's approval; despite the fact he cannot control his speaking patterns in different continuities. (I apologise if this offends anyone-)

thank u sm, sorry this has taken so long for me to respond!!

alright so first off blades gets very very emotionally invested/involved in little things. he cares too much about things being perfect. he also gets distracted pretty quickly.

chase takes everything way too seriously. he doesn't know how to interact with others in a calm environment without being extremely stilted/awkward. he also overthinks, but does a decent job of regulating it in most situations.

boulder has so much love and passion. he wears his heart on his sleeve, and gets hurt very easily. he's nice to everyone, and doesn't know how to react when people are mean to him. he's also very forgiving, which has lead to him getting betrayed repeatedly.

heatwave only feels emotions in the extremes, and one at a time. he can't regulate himself very well, and has a hard time recognizing self-destructive behavior. he has a disdain for authority figures (including optimus to an extent) and has gotten in trouble over that often.

blurr either tries too hard or doesn't try at all. he's very impulsive at an extreme level, which has hurt him and others around him. while he's getting better about it, the tendency to go first, think later will never really leave him.

salvage can get very apathetic. he loves being around the other bots and the humans, but sometimes he just doesn't feel anything. he has low empathy but his respect and compassion make up for it. his collections are very important to him, and he gets defensive about that.

hightide has ptsd. he doesn't trust anyone and can't express positive emotions like, at all. he's very afraid of change, and gets overwhelmed by others. it's why he tends to stay by himself, and doesn't make many friends.

quickshadow has empathy, but because of her work she has learned to repress it. she doesn't connect well with others, and similar to hightide prefers to be alone. this is mostly self preservation, as she does get very lonely.

hope my response suffices!! send me an ask whenever you wanna talk about rescue bots, or anything else :D

#tfrb #rescue bots #transformers

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faememes · 1 year ago

Text

𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒.

Feel free to change pronouns/titles as you see fit.

"Kinda thing might really catch a man's eye...say, on a date?"

"Well, don't hold your breath. Especially with tuberculosis."

"You know there's a difference between being an independent woman and a spinster."

"Is it the shoes? Clock out, pull the curtains, and sleep. _______'s orders."

"Agent ______, we just pulled a red ball out of DC. All hands on deck. Meaning cover the phones."

"_______, redirect all calls to the briefing room. Covered. Shall we?"

"I knew __________ during the war; his help was invaluable. He may be a great many things, but he's not a traitor."

"I saw him once at a U.S.O. shown in Passaic. You could eat him with a spoon."

"Yes, I understand he was quite something."

"Everything all right, English?"

"Fine actually, if you don't count work."

"Boys at the phone company giving you a hard time?"

"No more than usual, it's just... During the war, I had a sense of purpose. Responsibility. Now I connect the calls, but I never get a chance to make them."

"Now that's the _________ I need."

"When you're not humiliating him, that fellow up there is my butler, __________. He will help you any way he can."

"What now, ________?"

"Now, I go to work."

"You were trying to do something good, and I believe you accomplished it."

"But was it worth it?

"Keep your eyes open."

"But I'm coming with you."

"Where are you?"

"Just keep driving!"

"Could you be slightly more specific?"

"Just to be clear, this is pressed into your brachial artery, it may be dull but I'm determined. Keep smiling. Once you start to bleed, you'll lose conciousness in fifteen seconds, you'll die in ninety unless someone comes to your aid. Now given your recent behavior, how likely do you think that is to happen? To prevent this not entirely unfortunate event from occurring, I suggest you find another place to eat. Do we understand each other?"

"Good. Oh, and one more thing... tip generously."

"I figured you'd never have a problem finding a man."

"The trick is finding the right one."

"You wouldn't believe me, if I told you."

"We'll keep an open mind."

"I don't have long, so listen very carefully. I need you to dispose of ________'s car."

"I beg your pardon?"

"The SSR are looking into Roxxon at this very moment. That car sustained damage at the site, and it's likely to be teeming with vita radiation. Make it disappear."

"Very well. Let's see, the linens come out of the wash in thirty minutes..."

"Now."

"Fine. I shall forego the linens."

"I told you I don't need your help."

"An ideal butler provides service without being asked."

"Oh! Put it back. I need to drive this thing out of here."

"You're very fortunate that I ignored your instructions."

"Oh, you're so right. How I managed to stay alive before I met you, I have no idea."

"I can't tell if you're being arrogant... or ignorant."

"Both, I imagine."

"Your line of work requires support. People who care about your wellbeing, who will be there to stitch up your wounds."

"If I allow people to get close to me, I'm putting them in danger."

"So your solution is to remove yourself from the world you wish to protect. Where's the sense in that? There is not a man or woman, no matter how fit he or she may be, who is capable of carrying the entire world on their shoulders."

"... ______ was."

"From what ______ has told me, _______ relied heavily on you. For courage, strategy, and moral guidance. You were his support. Your desire to help others is noble, but I doubt you'll find much success unless you allow others to help you."

"Hi, Mary! That's Mary. She's a legal secretary at Goodman, Kirksberg and Holloway. Evelyn. Evelyn is a lounge singer at a club in midtown. Hi, Sarah! That's Sarah. She's a slut."

"How long do you see yourself working for the telephone company?"

"Only until I'm married, Miss ______."

"In a city filled with temptation, debauchery, and mischief, the Griffith Hotel is a haven for proper young ladies. Our code of conduct is indisputable. Attire should be demure and elegant. Curfew is 10:00. No drinking. No men above the first floor. No exceptions. Is that clear, Miss _______?"

"Perfectly."

"I may not always be truthful with _____, but I am always honest."

"What's your name, Darling?"

"Agent."

"No girl is gonna trade in a red, white, and blue shield for an aluminum crutch."

"I got a bottle of schnapps and half a rhubarb pie; let's see which one makes us sick first."

"A lot of stuff gets stolen from _________; cars bombs, death rays..."

"Actually, the death ray's accounted for. It's in Nevada, I believe."

"I haven't been in the back of a car in years."

"What brings you here?"

"My landlady gave me an idea."

"Oh splendid, now if we can get an opinion from your butcher."

"Sorry, you're counting the ransom in front of me."

"Our boss is a very precise man."

"Your manners never cease to disappoint."

"Get in."

"What? I hate small spaces. What if the chain snaps and I fall to my death?"

"Don't worry. I'll never reveal that _______'s dead body is lying, rotting in the bottom of a dumbwaiter shaft."

"You don't have to get changed with the door closed. I thought we were friends."

"What the hell do you think of me?"

"I think you're a man out for his own gain no matter who you're charging. You are constantly finding holes to slither your way into in the hope of finding loose change, only to cry when you're bitten by another snake. You're a man who says "I love you" whilst looking over a woman's shoulder into the mirror. _________ dedicated his mind, his body, his life to the SSR, and to this country, not to your bank account. I made the same pledge, but I'm not as good as ______ was. I forgot my pledge running around for you like a corporate spy. So thank you, ________, for reminding me who _____ was and what I aspire to be. For all I know, you did steal your inventions."

"If you want to get to know New York--if you want to get know any place, you have to start with the people first."

"I talk to people."

"Real people with real jobs. Not the, uh, phony, superficial ones that pervade the city. Uh, you should start with Brooklyn first."

"But I-I'd rather see the Statue of Liberty."

"Oh, she'll still be there. But what she represents, the spirit of Lady Liberty, is founded is found in its people."

"Wow. You sounded like Captain America just now."

"That's not a bad thing."

"What would ____ say if I left his best girl behind?"

"He'd say, 'Do as ____ says'."

"He can be thoughtless. Inconsiderate. Vain. Childish. Unreliable. Arrogant."

"You flatter him."

"The Germans are geniuses when it comes to beer. But, no one knows bourbon like the US of A."

"You guys are the Howling Commandos!"

"I hate that name."

"I came up with that name."

"That you did."

"Does anyone else feel a chill going up their knickers?"

"I would if I wore knickers."

"Wahoo!"

"Stop wahooing and help!"

"Not bad. For a girl."

"I hate you all."

"You sure you wanna get on that plane? Commandos could always use another good fighter. We just need to come up with a nickname for you."

"Tempting, but I think it's time I put my days on the front lines behind me. Someone needs to mind the wheel back in the States. And I suppose someone needs to convince the SSR of _____'s innocence, wanker or not. I'll miss you."

"Miss you, too, ____. Wait a second. Miss you... Miss Union Jack! Whaddya think, fellas? Huh?"

"Never speak again."

"She's a cute broad. When she's not punching me in the face. Who is she?"

"Not who I thought she was."

"How could he possibly meet this many women?"

"The Academy Awards is a very busy time... What are you doing?"

"A large portion of the women on this list are well known actresses, models and socialites. Publicly established for several years. They can be disregarded."

"Well, I wouldn't dismiss her."

"You think Ginger Rogers is a Russian assassin?"

"You should have seen her eyes when I escorted her from Mr. Stark's villa. The darkest gates to the abyss."

"_____. Don't run. If you run, I'll know it's true."

"I'm sorry, ______."

"You don't look like federal agents."

"We're with the Strategic Scientific Reserve."

"Well, I'm with the Queens County 4H. Take it down the hall."

"I think it had something to do with her sick grandmother."

"Oh, gee. Um..."

"Please don't... do that."

"She's got a grandmother who's doing poorly. And whenever I think about it, I think of my grandmother who's so supportive of my acting career. I performed for her, and she said, you belong on stage, angel. Even though I'm living hand to mouth, I just, uh..."

"Please stop."

"Could you do something here?"

"No. Actors wear their emotions close to the surface. I could no more stop her than I could Laurence Olivier."

"What's your grandmother's name?"

"Gam Gam."

"Uh, we should go... talk to some more of the neighbors. C'mon, _________."

"There, there."

"_______, how would you feel if we smashed that mirror with this table?"

"I would feel splendid about it."

"Alright, we pick it up, and then on the count of three--"

"Battering ram. Ready? One... Two... Wait. What if there are people behind this mirror that we're breaking?"

"Then they may get hurt. There'll be a spray of glass."

"I see. One... Two... Wait! What if those hypothetical people behind the mirror have guns?"

"Then we may get hurt. There'll be a spray of bullets."

"I see. One... Two... Three! No people. Everybody wins."

"I've just thought of something."

"We're still attached to a table."

Promise me you'll get the son of a bitch who did this. Say it!"

"We'll catch him."

"'Atta girl."

"To you, I’m a stray kitten left on your doorstep to be protected. The secretary turned damsel in distress. The girl on the pedestal, transformed into some daft whore."

"And I suppose the confession portrays me as what? A patsy? A doe-eyed idiot succumbed to the charms of America’s mustachioed Casanova?"

"I conducted my own investigation because no one listens to me. I got away with it because no one looks at me. Because unless I have your reports, your coffee, or your lunch, I am invisible."

"How's that look?"

"Like a nest of spiders with very short legs."

"That's good enough."

"______ ... I know you loved him. I loved him, too. But this won't bring him back. ______, you are the one person on this earth who believes in me. I cannot lose you. _____ is gone. We have to move on--all of us. As impossible as that may sound, we have to let him go."

"You were gonna shoot me out of the sky?"

"Well, I thought that was what you would have wanted."

"No! No, it's not. And for future reference, under no circumstance would I want anyone to shoot or otherwise hurt me. You got that?"

"Your point is amply made, sir."

"How refreshing to meet someone who appreciates the finer things."

"I appreciate the finer things. I just don't want to know what's happened in and on the fine things."

#rp meme #sentence starter meme #sentence meme #sentence rp meme #agent carter rp

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charliedawn · 7 months ago

Text

DEFECTIVE GOOD

PART 15:

Warning: Emotional support cat mentioned 🤣

JR was looking at Rey training and smiled to herself. She had advanced quite a lot and by what she could see, she was rapidly becoming stronger and talented with wielding the Force. As days passed, so did JR’s dilemma as she kept glancing down at the transmitter around her wrist. She hadn’t contacted General Hux in weeks. What was she meant to do now ?

She knew he would probably not understand.

She sighed and then thought about Lord Kylo Ren. She had promised him to keep an eye on Rey, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she would have to come back to the life she had left. She wasn’t meant to be here. She wasn’t meant to be free…

She sighed before her eyes and ears captured a conversation between Rey and Luke.

"Ren failed you, but I will be better. I promise." Rey told Luke whose eyes widened as he sighed and replied with a shake of his head.

"I see the same power in you. The Force is not easy to control. Anyone can be swayed by it and turn to the Dark Side by fear or anger…"

JR listened carefully and she frowned slightly before thinking about it. Ren used to be Luke Skywalker’s apprentice…When had things started to get out of hand ? Lord Kylo Ren had confided in her that he had felt as if his voice didn’t matter…that someone had betrayed him. Could that someone be Luke Skywalker ?

She shook her head.

No. He wouldn’t do that. Luke was a hero and surely trained him well, but then…why ?

Suddenly, Luke spotted her and sighed before walking towards her and crossed her arms over her chest.

"A stormtrooper shouldn’t be eavesdropping." He warned and JR gulped.

"B—But I am not a stormtrooper. Not anymore."

Luke frowned before grabbing her arm and whispering.

"Aren’t you ? Really ?"

JR’s is eyes widened at the clear doubt and suspicion in Luke Skywalker’s voice and she couldn’t say anything. Luke huffed a mock laugh before shaking his head and releasing her.

"…As long as you won’t know who you are, you will never be able to see the path the Force has chosen for you, JR-6025." Luke said and JR’s eyes widened at his words. She had never told him her stormtrooper tag name before…

She stayed there—stunned. She then reluctantly walked away. When Rey’s training was finished for the day, JR came to her and asked:

"I heard you talk about Lord Ren. Tell me. Do you know what happened ?"

Rey sighed and shrugged before looking up at her.

"Ren was getting out of control and Luke had no choice but to stop him. Lord Ren then massacred all the other students at the Jedi Temple and…left." Rey turned her gaze away. "Ben betrayed him and became Lord Kylo Ren. And now, Luke sees him in me…"

JR looked at Rey before smiling.

"Then, he is wrong. Your power may be as great as his, but your heart is nothing like his."

Rey smiled back at her friend’s confidence before looking up at the sky.

"The sun is falling. We should go and get some rest."

JR nodded in agreement.

"You’re right. Goodnight, Rey."

Rey nodded in acknowledgment.

"Goodnight, JR."

As soon as Rey walked away, JR sighed heavily. So, Kylo Ren had betrayed Luke Skywalker, huh? She would never have guessed such a thing could have occurred.

However, she couldn't help but wonder what else Luke had not told her. There must have been more to the story. Why did Ren betray Luke in the first place? It couldn't be simply because he felt his voice didn't matter.

As she walked back to her room, JR couldn't shake off her fears and unanswered questions. She would have to find the answers by herself.

A few hours later:

JR-6025 was sitting nearby the fire—staring at it. She thought of her dream...of leading the galaxy to a better future—to get the war to stop. Was it really possible ? She buried her face in her arms and even though she had the urge to look out and ask the stars for guidance—she stopped herself. She had only ever wished to help...but now, the universe seemed to tell her that the only way to do so was to betray the First Order ? How could she kill Rey ? How could she steal the galaxy’s last hope ?

"JR-6025..." She heard her name and slowly raised her head—not expecting Kylo Ren to be standing there.

She immediately stood up and looked around in a panic. She hoped Rey or Luke wouldn’t sense his presence.

"Lord Ren. You shouldn't be here. You are going to blow my cover !"

He nodded.

"I know. I will not stay for long." He looked back—as if checking that he was truly alone-before turning back towards JR. "How far is Rey in her training ?"

She frowned.

"How do you know that I am with her ?"

He chuckled—as if the answer was obvious.

"Because I know that Hux asked you to spy on her. I also know that he asked you to kill her, but I can see that you've kept your promise. I am...grateful for it."

JR nodded understandingly before she replied.

"She is very skilled. Skywalker is training her well."

Kylo Ren nodded in return before looking around.

"Good. Can you see my surroundings ? I cannot see yours." He asked and she sighed before making sure the door was locked before answering him.

"No. I cannot." She confirmed before thinking about a change of subject. She then asked hesitantly.

"How is...the general ?"

Kylo Ren looked uneasy as he confessed.

"Hux is worried. He doesn't want people to know, but I know he is worried. His mind is troubled. You have gone silent for over a month and he thinks you might be dead. I decided to come and check for myself. I am glad to see that he is wrong."

He smiled and JR smiled back before looking away. JR felt guilty for worrying General Hux, but she knew she had no choice.

"I cannot talk to him. Not now." He confessed and thought Kylo would ask her why, but his answer surprised her.

"Then talk to me." He suggested and JR looked back at him with a small frown of confusion.

"Something is troubling you." He insisted. "Let me know what and maybe will I be able to help."

JR hesitated about sharing her dilemma with him. She opened her mouth, but quickly closed it. She couldn’t tell him. He didn’t care about her. He only cared about Rey. She wasn’t about to let him confuse her and trust him when she pertinently knew the risks.

On one hand, she was terrified of telling him too much and regretting it later. But on the other hand, she found herself compelled by his words and desire to help.

She finally shook her head.

"Lord Kylo Ren. Please. Leave." JR was exhausted and the thought alone of the days to come was enough to make her wish she had never tried to join or spy on the Resistance in the first place. Kylo Ren didn’t leave however and wordlessly sat down next to JR-6025. He then looked down at her and asked.

"What is it ?", he asked and JR-6025 knew she shouldn't be talking to him—especially now. But, he was the only one who seemed to have ever been honest with her. She took a deep breath before answering. She didn't want to be a burden, but she knew she could talk to him.

"I am lost, Lord Kylo Ren." Her eyes glistened as she stared into the flames.

"I am trying to make sense of the future—of what will come." She paused and then, without preamble, she blurted it out. "But I am starting to doubt. Am I meant to be here ? Pretending to be helping Rey ? Spying for Hux ? My life was always dictated by those above me, with no regard for me, my desires, or the life I wanted."

As she spoke, she was thinking of how she was never truly free. She was always told what to do, forced to do this or that. All in the name of a good cause.

And at the end ? What had it all led to ?

"I do not have control and..." Her voice quivered as she finally realized what she had spent her life running away from. "I am scared."

He frowned.

"Is it because of something Luke Skywalker said ?"

She shook her head negatively.

"No...It has nothing to do with him...I just..." She paused and took a deep breath. "...I just don't want to suffer...or make anyone I care about suffer."

Kylo huffed.

"And you believe staying by HIS side would keep you safe ? Would keep us safe ? You genuinely think HE is the best option ?"

"I think..." She paused again as she searched for the words. "I am scared. My entire life has been filled with bad options. Death and torture seem to be the only thing the Force wants out of me..."

The thought made her heart race and she shook her head as if to ward off the idea.

Kylo Ren’s eyes hardened.

"And yet, you still believe that you should stay with the man who decided to make all the worst decisions. The man who tried to KILL me."

Kylo stared at her.

"He will misguide you." Kylo Ren scoffed and looked away. "You think Skywalker knows better ? He knows nothing. The man is a liar. He will disappoint you…like he has disappointed me."

Kylo Ren watched as JR struggled to keep her composure. Her fear of the future and the uncertainty of her life was palpable. With each statement, he felt his own anger boiling inside him. The anger he had felt all those years, with Luke's betrayal.

"He isn't the hero you think he is…He lies to hide his true intentions. He's only acting in his own self-interest."

JR smiled sadly at him before gently holding his wrist and replying.

"Rey told Luke that you had failed him. But, I do not believe it. I believe that you were both scared. I believed that he saw things that the Force showed him…things of his past. And then, he couldn’t bear to face them again. I do not think that either of you were fautive, just afraid."

Kylo looked away and sighed.

"Do you really trust him ?"

She hesitated.

"I trust him to train Rey." She said and Kylo shook his head before he sneered. He couldn’t believe that she would trust Skywalker…

"You really think he is so great ? Then ask him about the WHITE GRAVEYARD." He said and JR’s brow furrowed in confusion.

"White Graveyard ? What are you talking about ?"

Kylo Ren stood up straight and glared at her.

"Ask him. And you will see." And with that Kylo Ren was gone. His spiritual manifestation was gone and all that was left was JR and her questions. The question left JR utterly lost...She had no clue what the "White Graveyard" meant. Was it a place ? Was it a metaphor for something else ?

What could it mean ?

JR was left in a daze of confusion. Her mind raced that night as she tried to make sense of what Kylo had said. Was the White Graveyard something important ? Did it mean something that she didn't know about ?

In her scramble for answers, she felt a wave of frustration wash over her. She was sick of being kept in the dark. She was determined to find the truth about the White Graveyard, and she would start with Luke Skywalker.

The next day, she got up early to find him and found him meditating. She stood before him and Luke frowned at her interruption of his well-deserved solitude…He was about to speak when she cut him to it.

"What is the White Graveyard ?" She asked and Luke’s eyes snapped open before looking back at her with a shocked expression.

"How…How do you know about that place ?"

JR remained silent and Luke sighed.

"HE told you, didn’t he ?"

Luke didn’t even need to ask—he already knew the answer.

"Follow me." Luke said quietly, gesturing for her to follow him. She hesitated before finally following him. He seemed to be walking towards the edge of the small island...

When they arrived at the edge, her eyes widened at the thousands of stormtroopers’ helmets gathered there. She gasped and took a step back. She was taken aback and looked at Skywalker for an explanation.

"...The past..." Luke murmured, still looking at the helmets. "...It always finds its way back..."

At the edge of the island, there were thousands of helmets on the ground...All stacked on top of each other...It reminded JR of a graveyard for soldiers.

"These helmets used to belong to soldiers in the Empire...Those who refused to give up on their beliefs and devotion towards the Empire after the war." Luke eventually explained, his voice low and somber...

"W—What happened to them ?" She asked—afraid of the answer.

"They died..." Luke said, in a soft voice. "...I came here because I thought that by isolating myself...I would be able to escape the cycle..." he said, his voice still low and somber. He pointed at some of the most recent helmets. "But they still found me..."

There was a hint of defeat in his voice...

"…Y—You killed them all ?" JR came to the horrifying conclusion and looked shocked at the sheer number of them.

He didn't answer her directly...

"...I made a choice..." he replied after a while. "I made a choice. And the stormtroopers suffered the consequences..."

She felt anger in her heart.

"…How many ?"

Luke closed his eyes.

"...Hundreds...Thousands..." he counted vaguely—unable to give her a precise number.

"You…I thought you were a hero." Her eyes started watering. "…You killed them. For what ?"

"I had my reasons." Luke stated. "...I was trying to save the galaxy, to bring to it peace..."

JR couldn’t believe her ears.

She thought Luke was so righteous and good, and now she was hearing about the White Graveyard, and how he had slaughtered hundreds—if not thousands—of people. Or her people. People like her. The anger inside her boiled, and the tears in her eyes began falling, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything for a while.

She gritted her teeth.

"DOES THAT LOOK LIKE PEACE TO YOU ?!"

She raised her voice as she picked up a helmet and shoved it against Skywalker’s chest. Luke was momentarily stunned when she raised her voice at him before he raised his voice as well—tired and frustrated by her accusation.

"WHAT ELSE WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO ?!" he yelled back. Luke grabbed the helmet and threw it to the ground. "IT WAS THE ONLY WAY ! THE ONLY WAY !"

"LIAR !" She screamed. "YOU HAD THE CHOICE ! THERE IS ALWAYS A CHOICE ! THEY DIDN’T !" She pointed at the helmets and Luke’s gaze hardened.

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE REPUBLIC FELL ?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT LED TO ?! THE EMPIRE ?! THE FIRST ORDER ?!" He yelled, his voice becoming angrier with each spoken word. "THE RESISTANCE ?! THE RESISTANCE WAS LOSING ! I DID THE ONLY THING I COULD DO !"

She shook her head.

"YOU KILLED THEM ! AND THEN YOU HID ! YOU DESTROYED INSTEAD OF SAVING ! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO SAVE THEM !" She started crying. "You were supposed to save us…"

Luke was momentarily taken aback when he saw her crying, but he shook his head and his voice cracked as he tried to defend himself.

"I...I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO !" he yelled back—his voice trembling. "I MADE THE HARDEST CHOICE. IT HAD TO BE DONE !"

He felt guilty and hopeless and sad and desperate.

"I COULDN'T SAVE THEM ALL ! I COULDN'T ! I COULDN'T...NOT AFTER WHAT THE EMPIRE HAD DONE !"

JR looked at the helmet on the ground and her heart sunk, tears beginning to stream down her face. She suddenly felt so much. Anger. Sadness. Sorrow. She could feel it all building up inside of her.

"H—How did it get to this point...?" She asked, her voice cracking slightly. "How did we get to a point where someone like you had to take such a cruel decision...?"

She hit his chest and sobbed.

"How could you ?!"

Luke didn't react to the hit. He only looked at her with a sorrowful expression.

"...I-I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I am not the hero you were expecting. " He whispered to her. He couldn't stand seeing her like this. It was hard enough seeing all the helmets. But when he saw her crying. It caused him almost as much pain...

His heart was breaking...

"…Kylo Ren told me you had tried to kill Ben Solo. Is it true ?" She continued and Luke closed his eyes. Another mistake.

"...Yes..." He said, still not looking at her. But he said it in a much more quiet and resigned voice now. His shoulders slumped, and he finally looked away from the sea...But not directly at HER...He could see countless mistakes spread out before him. All his. JR stopped crying and wiped away the remaining tears.

"...Why...?" She asked with tears in her eyes. She wanted to know why the man she thought was the hero she could trust had failed so spectacularly when it really mattered to her. "Why didn't you try to save Ben Solo...? Why didn't you..."

Tears streamed down her face and she could barely muster her next couple of words...

"...I couldn't take the risk..." He confessed. "I knew what he could become...I had seen it...The darkness was too strong in him...And he hadn't shown a hint of change..."

Luke was staring at the sea, still avoiding eye contact with her.

"...So I did it...I made the choice..." He concluded and JR gritted her teeth in frustration.

"…He had goodness in him. You know that he could have been swayed." Her jaw twitched.

"...I saw that...I saw the goodness...But..." He was silent...And he looked as if he was struggling for words. "...It wasn't enough...He was too far gone...So I tried...I tried to kill him...In his sleep...I-I..."

"…If only you had just listened to him. Why is it that the Force doesn’t tell you to listen ? Listen to the hearts of those you love and those you hate ? Listen to their pain and sorrows and try to understand instead of destroying ? The Force is not a bless…but a curse." She took a step back and looked down at the helmets once more. "So many lives lost because nobody listened…"

Luke was silent. She was right, but it was too late now. He couldn’t take it back. He had been too blind to see it...Or maybe he had been too blinded by fear...Too busy trying to prevent a hypothetical catastrophe...He had forgotten the simple fact that the most powerful weapon in the whole galaxy was compassion.

"I am…sorry." He finally uttered again and JR’s eyes softened. She could hear that it was genuine. She sighed. She knew she couldn’t blame him for saving his own life. No. But, there was another reason behind her anger. She had always followed the First Order and its rules. And she knew that it could have been her down there. Both sides didn’t care about stormtroopers. Stormtroopers were simple side casualties.

And it scared her.

Her lips trembled as she heard him...Her own anger had melted away and she could barely think...He was right...She wanted to say something...Some words of forgiveness...

Some words of reassurance...

Something...Anything.

"I..." She started, though her voice sounded so choked and choked up that she couldn't even continue. All she did was look down at the helmets once more, taking in the sheer size of the graveyard...

Luke watched JR, noticing the anger in her slowly melt away as the weight of his confession sunk in. He was finally being honest with someone, and he felt relieved, but also guilty, considering the fact that the stormtroopers that laid there used to be just like her.

He watched as she looked down at the graveyard, watching as she looked at the helmets one by one. He noticed her lips beginning to tremble. He was scared that she would lash out at him again. That was why he had been avoiding eye contact in the first place.

"…I think I need to be alone for a while." She simply said.

Luke said nothing. He had been trying to avoid looking her in the eyes, but now, he couldn’t avoid it. He saw the sorrow on her face, he saw the hurt in her eyes, he saw the pain in her expression.

He stayed silent as she stated that she needed to be alone, and he didn’t try to stop her.

"Alright…" He said calmly, "I understand…Take as much time as you need…"

And with that, he was gone…She took a deep breath as her her eyes landed on the many white helmets. She took one and slowly put it back on her head. She then sat down and stared far ahead…She however soon felt a presence beside her and she didn’t need to look next to her to know who it was.

"…When I was still a student of Skywalker, he used to have the same kind of White Graveyard near the temple. It was to remember. Once I became Kylo Ren, we sent many stormtroopers across the galaxy to retrieve Skywalker. None of them came back and when we found their bodies—their helmets were missing…"

A deep sense of horror washed through JR as she heard the story about the lost stormtroopers.

She was a stormtrooper herself, one of the countless faceless soldiers that served the First Order without question. The thought that her fellow stormtroopers could be killed and left to die—without any regard for their lives—was a horrifying reality.

She continued to stare at the helmets, this time trying to imagine the faces of the stormtroopers that once wore them. She felt a sense of sorrow and regret wash over her as she thought about their death.

"I wanted you to see this. For you to see that the Force makes victims on both sides. You cannot win a war without casualties." Kylo Ren said.

She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"You have lost hope. And I am trying to keep it alive. To believe that one day I could live in a world without war."

"I cannot afford to have false hope..." He replied harshly. "You dream of a world that cannot exist."

He paused as he leaned back against a rock.

"It is far from reality. Sometimes...some people have to die for others to live. Sometimes...there isn't any hope. I am only acknowledging that fact."

"…Maybe so…" She mused. "But, I want to try."

"And perhaps you are just being naive..." Another silence. "Perhaps it is better not to hope than to hope to save everyone and...end up saving no one..."

He looked away. He was trying to convince himself. She seemed so...optimistic about things. Perhaps, too optimistic. He felt anger bubble inside him. They were on two different worlds...Two worlds that would be on a collision course soon...She was destined to pick the wrong side, and he knew it.

"Do you not see it...?" Kylo's voice was harsh—almost taunting. "You care about everyone...too much. You care about the general, Rey, and even me..."

He let that last word hang in the air.

"If it came down to you and any of us...Who would you decide to save ?" He asked cryptically and JR hesitated.

"…I would find another way. There is another way. There will always be another way." She insisted and Kylo huffed and shook his head.

"You didn't answer the question..." There was no doubt in his voice or gaze. "Answer the question."

"…Lord Ren. I…" She was stuck and she finally sighed in defeat. "I couldn’t choose between two sides of me. You or them. You are asking me to choose something I cannot poss decide upon…I would never choose to value a life over another. I just wish to build myself a better future."

"And what of my better future ?" His voice had hardened. "You only see one path...But, you cannot save everyone. Someone will have to be sacrificed. And somehow, you still haven't figured out that it will be you..."

She stayed silent and looked away. She knew he was right…If she persisted on trying to save everyone or not hurt any of them, she would probably end up destroying herself.

"There it is. You see what I mean, don’t you ?" His voice was triumphant as he spoke. "If you cannot choose between two sides...Then you will always be torn apart." He paused as he looked at her intensely. "You wish to make a difference in this war. To change the future. To change ME...But, you don't have the strength nor the skill for it. You have no idea which path is the correct one. You are only delaying the inevitable..."

She forced herself to remain calm. She couldn’t give in to anger. She couldn’t give in to despair. No matter how true she knew his words to be.

"Luke Skywalker managed to bring peace momentarily. Why can’t I do the same ? And make it last ?" She asked defiantly and Kylo Ren laughed. He laughed mockingly and JR’s heart dropped at the terrible sound. She had never heard him laugh before and that laugh made her shiver. It was such an ugly laugh, the kind that made your eyes water and your heart turn to stone…

"But, you are not Luke Skywalker."

There was finality to his words that made JR look away again. She knew she wasn’t him. And she wasn’t Rey. She wasn’t powerful. But, she also knew that she couldn’t give up. Not now.

"Luke Skywalker is a fool who tried to fight off fate itself..." This time there was a hint of disdain in Kylo Ren’s voice. "He didn't see things for what they were. And you are no different...You believe there is hope. You think that you can make a difference..."

He shook his head slightly in disbelief before huffing a little humourless laugh.

"It is admirable to see you fight for a change. But, your efforts will be in vain. Because, in the end, you will have to make a choice...And that choice will break you."

She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"…I won’t. I refuse. Why can’t you just let me believe ? Why does it matter to you if I hold on to hope ?" She retorted and looked up at him. She didn’t understand. Why did he have to be so cruel ? Try to bring her down ? Crash her dreams ?

That question seemed to take him aback for a moment.

Indeed. Why did it matter to him ? Why did it bother him so much that she held onto something as intangible as hope ? A stormtrooper ? One that didn’t matter ? One that little wishes would certainly never change the outcome of the war ?

"Because..." He sighed and clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Because I wish I could believe too."

He finally confessed and it took them both aback as the words left his lips. She stayed silent and then offered him her hand. He remained still for a moment as he stared at her extended hand. He wanted to refuse it...To keep going down this path of logic and disdain he had created for himself.

But...He took her hand with a gentle grasp. She smiled and squeezed it.

"You are right. I am not Luke Skywalker…" She agreed. "…but that doesn’t mean I cannot help you. It doesn’t mean I cannot listen and understand."

Kylo closed his eyes and retrieved his hand.

"You are not going to save everyone..." His tone was still sharp and a little harsher than before. "No one can save everyone. Someone always ends up hurt in the end. And when it is all over. I fear that person will be you."

She smiled at his words.

"Then so be it. I am but a stormtrooper anyway. I was born to be disposable. Remember ?" She said half-jokingly.

"Yet you are so much more than that..." He trailed off as he found her hand once more and his grip tightened slightly. "Your life matters."

"…To you ?" She asked as she squeezed his hand. He looked away, avoiding her gaze. He said nothing as he continued to avoid her gaze. The silence was too loud now. Too deafening.

"Yes. To me." He finally confessed and she smiled before chuckling.

"…Do not worry, Lord Ren. I intend to stay alive."

"Good. Because if it ever came down to it..." He hesitated for a moment as if debating himself internally. "...I would never let someone take your life from me..."

She tilted her head quizzically at him.

"…Because I decided to protect Rey as you asked ?"

He shook his head.

"Not just that. Because the thought of someone else having your life in their hands...It..." He paused. "...It does not sit well with me."

There was a moment of silence between them until Kylo spoke again.

"You have to stay alive." His voice was a mix of a soft, friendly tone and the harsh, cold tone he usually used. He needed to make sure she understood that that was the most important thing at the end of the day.

She chuckled and nodded.

"I will. But you better stay alive as well. You and General Hux."

He couldn't help but chuckle as well. She had the ability to make him laugh...To make him feel. And it scared him more than anything.

"We will. I have to go now. But..." He paused. "I will be back."

She smiled.

"I will be waiting…"

He nodded before disappearing.

She stayed silent and closed her eyes…

What was she to do now ?

———————————————————————

"Lord Ren."

Kylo looked over to the entrance to his meditation chamber, to see General Hux standing in the doorway. His expression darkened, the tension quickly returning to his body.

"What do you want, Hux ?" He uttered through clenched teeth, his voice bitter and cold.

General Hux seemed uncertain and uncomfortable as he approached.

"I…was wondering if…you had any news on stormtrooper JR-6025 ?"

Just the fact that he was asking made Armitage himself embarrassed. He didn’t want to seem worried, but JR-6025 hadn’t answered any of his calls in weeks…

"JR-6025 ?" Kylo repeated, his eyes narrowing in disdain. "No, I do not have any news of that...stormtrooper."

He paused, then added in a low voice. "Why do you ask ?"

"…I thought that maybe with the Force you could…" General Hux felt humiliated just asking for it and he closed his eyes as he forced himself to continue. "It has been a few weeks that I haven’t received any transmission from trooper JR-6025 and I thought that maybe you could…use the Force to locate her."

His jaw clenched tightly as he heard Hux's request. He was not sure whether it was because of his mention of the Force, or the fact that Hux would presume to ask him for such favors, but one thing was certain. His anger and his contempt were starting to rise once again.

"And just why should I waste my time doing that ?" He growled. "One stormtrooper. One singular trooper means nothing—they're all the same anyways. They are completely replaceable."

"I know." General Hux forced the words through gritted his teeth—swallowing his pride for now. "But that particular stormtrooper happened to be on a spying mission for me. She was supposed to infiltrate the Rebellion and become an ally to your BELOVED scavenger girl Rey. And so far, I’ve lost signal of my stormtrooper."

"Is that so ?" He retorted, his tone laced with contempt. "Well, if so, isn't it obvious that she's either dead...or has defected to the other side ?"

General Hux shuddered at the thought and shook his head negatively.

"Impossible."

Kylo raised a skeptical eyebrow at the general’s reaction before he sighed.

"The question remains…why would I ever do anything to convenience you ?"

General Hux turned white and his hands clutched into fists by his side.

"For the love of…FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, REN ! COULD YOU JUST PLEASE DO AS YOU’RE TOLD ?!"

Kylo Ren was taken aback by Hux's sudden eruption. His rage was rarely ever this openly displayed. His eyes narrowed in anger, his grip tightening around his lightsaber. Finally, after several seconds, General Hux's anger seemed to die down somewhat, his tone more subdued than before.

"I…apologise. But, this particular stormtrooper is of value to me as a spy who managed to successfully infiltrate the Rebellion."

Kylo Ren seemed to calm down as well as he lowered his hand from his lightsaber.

"And what should I do ? Waste my time searching the entire galaxy for one lone stormtrooper ?"

General Hux let out a small undignified snort.

"We lost time looking for your scavenger girl." General Hux reminded him. "Surely you could spare 30 seconds just locating one stormtrooper, yes ?"

Kylo Ren’s jaw clenched tightly at General Hux’s reply and sneered.

"The search for my scavenger girl was different," he spoke in a cool and collected tone. "She wasn't just a single stormtrooper...she was important."

"JR-6025 is important too." General Hux said mindlessly and immediately regretted it. He knew that Kylo Ren would take any opportunity to bring him down. He quickly corrected himself. "I mean for our plans. She is important…for Supreme Leader Snoke’s plans."

Kylo smirked knowingly, though he didn't call out General Hux's mistake. However, he saw an opportunity to dig the General deeper into his grave.

"For Supreme Leader Snoke’s plans ? Really ?" He repeated with hint of sarcasm. "But Supreme Leader Snoke isn’t aware that a stormtrooper is currently on a mission to spy on Rey...is he ?"

General Hux looked away and sighed. This had all been just a waste of time. Lord Ren would just keep ignoring him or playing with him…He knew asking him for his help was just going to be another one of his regrets…but he had to try.

"Just…could you tell me if she is alive, Ren ? Please." That last word tasted sour on General Hux’s tongue. But, he had lost all signal and even the transmitter seemed untraceable. Kylo paused for a long moment. He hadn’t expected General Hux to go to such lengths. The temptation to deny General Hux his request was strong.

Yet, despite his better senses urging him to refuse, something within him refused to allow it. General Hux seemed genuinely desperate and even though he seemed normal on the outside, something was truly different inside. There was something that seemed to be…missing. Or maybe troubled.

Kylo sighed.

"She's...alive," he finally responded. General Hux ticked at the news and he clenched his teeth.

"You already knew…didn’t you ?" General Hux glared up at him and Kylo Ren didn’t look him in the eyes.

"Where is she, Ren ?"

Kylo’s expression darkened slightly as he saw General Hux's irritation. He knew full well that this conversation was going to turn sour really quickly if he didn’t answer General Hux on her whereabouts, yet he remained silent.

"I am not obligated to tell you where the stormtrooper is." He responded, his tone remaining stoic and calm. General Hux took a few steps forward and narrowed his eyes at him.

"How long have you been communicating with her without my knowledge ?"

Kylo remained silent as he avoided General Hux's piercing blue eyes.

"Communication was not what I was doing with trooper JR-6025." He responded in a low voice, his tone growing slightly colder. "I was..."

He paused, trying to find the words.

"Helping her..." He murmured in a low whisper.

"…Helping her ?" Hux’s hands crossed behind his back. "How ?"

"She was having doubts, General. Doubts about her role within the First Order, about our methods..." A slight smile crossed his lips, though it was subtle. "So I decided to help her escape her doubts, help her see the larger purpose of our mission...You’re welcome."

General Hux rolled his eyes as he took a sharp breath.

"Ren. Tell me. Right now. Where is MY stormtrooper ?"

Kylo Ren sighed and shook his head.

"Trooper JR-6025 is thinking of defecting. To the other side." He responded in a low voice, his smile disappearing. "She is having doubts about the First Order. I am trying to remind her of her role and purpose."

General Hux’s eyes bulged out at the provocative words and it took extraordinary effort not to slap Kylo Ren right there and then.

"NO ! You are lying ! JR-6025 would never…!"

How dared he ?! Suggest that trooper JR-6025 would be thinking of defecting ?! Of betraying him ?!

"Am I now ?" Kylo Ren responded with a small smirk—finding amusement in General Hux’s disbelief. "I am sorry to disappoint you, General. But...she IS on the brink of defecting. She no longer believes in our mission. She no longer believes in the First Order."

He paused for effect, adding with an insufferable little mocking grin, "...or in you."

General Hux had had more than enough from the young Sith’s taunting and took Ren by the collar as he seethed.

"Careful about your words, Ren. JR-6025 has always been incredibly loyal to me. Why would she betray me now ?"

Kylo remained silent for a long moment, surprised by the sudden action and enjoying the look on General Hux's face as the latter tried to wrestle control of the situation back into his hands.

Finally, he smiled even wider than before.

"Loyalty isn't what's driving her away. It's doubt. Doubts about you and your mission. Doubts that I have encouraged her to embrace..."

"…She is MINE, Ren ! Or did you forget ?" General Hux tightened his hold on the Sith Lord as they were now face to face. "Supreme Leader Snoke gave her to ME."

"I am very aware of that fact." Kylo Ren responded coolly, his expression growing colder once more before continuing. "In fact, that is the very thing that has motivated me to help her escape from your grasp."

He paused for a moment, a slight smirk on his lips. "Trooper JR-6025 is not a toy that you can simply possess. She has her own mind, her own agency..."

"NO ! SHE IS A STORMTROOPER ! A STORMTROOPER ! SHE HAS NO MIND ! NO AGENCY ! SHE LIVES AND DIES FOR ME AND YOU WILL NOT TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME !" General Hux finally burst out and his grip on Ren turned almost desperate as he desired the Sith Lord to be wrong and believed that JR-6025 would never betray him. She had told him time and time again how much she believed in him. He wouldn’t let Kylo Ren doubt his trooper.

His lips curled in a predatory smile as he observed General Hux's explosion.

"I would argue otherwise." He muttered. "Trooper JR-6025 is...unique. She is not like the others. And she is certainly not the plaything you believe her to be."

He paused, his eyebrows raising slightly.

"Would you like to know something interesting ?"

General Hux remained silent and Kylo Ren smirked at his silence.

"Trooper JR-6025 is more than capable of independent thought. In the few conversations that I've had with her, she has displayed emotions, feelings and opinions that...that are not typical of your typical stormtrooper. However, the most striking thing about her..." He paused for effect, smiling slightly. "...is her ability to care."

General Hux remained silent.

"She cares, General." He continued, a hint of amusement in his voice. "She cares deeply about her comrades and friends. She cares about her mission. And most importantly..."

He paused for effect, his smile growing slightly brighter still.

"...she cares about you."

"…Shut up." General Hux closed his eyes. "Shut up, Ren."

Kylo Ren ignored his words and chuckled darkly as he added:

"Can you believe that she asked me to protect you ? You ? Out of all people ? She asked me to protect you."

He found himself unable to resist an even broader smile as he watched General Hux wrestle with his emotions.

"Is that so ?" He whispered, suppressing a mocking chuckle. He paused for a long breath before continuing. "Preposterous."

Kylo Ren ignored his disbelief and looked up at General Hux…A weasel. A parasite. And yet...

"To think...this stormtrooper cares for you. For little old you...how charming."

General Hux restrained from lashing out as he released Ren and took a few staggering steps back.

"And what did you tell her ?"

He continued to smile, allowing his amusement to overtake his composure as he noticed General Hux's increasingly agitated state of mind.

"I told her," he uttered with a faint smirk. "That I would do what I could to keep you...safe..."

General Hux rolled his eyes. That little—!

"Tell me where she is…Tell me." General Hux said and Lord Ren huffed a mocking laugh.

"Oh my, General," he uttered teasingly, though a slight note of surprise entered into his tone as he noticed the sudden burst of rage. "If you claim to be such a fan of the stormtrooper's loyalty and devotion, then why don't you trust their commitment toward their own mission ?"

He remained silent for long moment as he watched General Hux's face, the latter's eyes narrowing sharply as the emotions within him continued to swirl. But Ren was not finished yet. This was still a game for him, a way to torment the General and make him suffer.

"Or perhaps...the stormtrooper you trust so much is not so loyal after all ?" He continued, his tone growing slightly sharper.

General Hux’s fists tightened by his side as he replied:

"…If she is indeed a traitor, then she will be punished accordingly."

"And just how will she be punished ?" Kylo responded, his tone becoming more taunting as he continued. "Surely you don't mean to kill such a prized stormtrooper for betraying you ? Surely you would not punish the stormtrooper you so greatly value ?"

General Hux looked away.

"…You and I both know what is the fate of traitors and deserters, Lord Ren." General Hux regained his composure before adding. "So, I do hope that you are wrong. For her sake and the sake of the First Order."

His smile vanished as he saw General Hux's shift in composure. General Hux closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Who else have you told ?"

General Hux's question surprised him.

"No one," He responded calmly.

"…Good. Don’t. Let me handle the situation. It would be better if…Supreme Leader Snoke wasn’t warned yet about her defection. It would only fall back on us…"

He remained silent for a long moment as he considered General Hux's words.

The latter had a point. If Supreme Leader Snoke was warned of the stormtrooper's defection, it could undoubtedly result in both of their demotion or even outright punishment.

"I won't speak of this to anyone." He offered after a moment, "but under one condition..."

"…Which one ?" General Hux tensed up.

He paused for a moment as he looked General Hux directly in the eyes.

"A simple favor." He responded calmly, smiling slightly as he did so. "A small request for this favor, if you will..."

"Out with it." Hux replied shortly—wishing to leave Kylo Ren’s presence at once.

"Since Supreme Leader Snoke does not need to know about this unfortunate development, I ask that I be allowed to keep contact with trooper JR-6025...that you do not warn him for now."

"…Fine." General Hux indulged. "But, her punishment is not of your choice. She is a stormtrooper. If she is a traitor , then she will be judged according to the First Order."

A faint smile crossed his lips as he nodded in agreement.

"So long as I am allowed to keep contact with her..." He murmured. "As for the punishment...I wouldn't dream of interjecting. She will receive whatever the First Order deems necessary."

"…And Ren ?"

He raised a brow, his tone becoming more inquisitive.

"Yes ?" He murmured.

"…Do you truly think that she…cares ? About us ?"

He remained silent for a moment as he thought about the question.

"I do," he replied after a few seconds. "There were moments when we spoke, where I could sense her...care for me and for the First Order. A devotion that superseded her programming."

"I see…" General Hux nodded curtly before walking away.

Ren nodded as General Hux walked away.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction as he observed General Hux's departure. He had not intended to be so cruel to the General.

But he had also not expected a stormtrooper to be so capable of caring.

He knew that he had made the right decision in choosing to help JR-6025 escape the First Order. And he was confident that, with some time and effort, he could show her that her loyalty was best placed in him instead...

Lord Ren looked up at the stars and then started wondering if JR-6025 would join him ? Would she be willing to leave her convictions behind and take the opportunity Rey had rejected over and over ?

His thoughts turned to JR-6025 as he considered the possibility that she would indeed join him. And he would welcome her with open arms, knowing that she would be a powerful asset at his side.

And if she was also willing and able to cast aside her devotion to General Hux and the First Order...

Well, then...this could be most promising.

He walked away with a smile on his lips.

Meanwhile with General Hux

General Hux entered his private quarters and once he was inside—he stopped. His gloved hand clenching and unclenching as he thought about JR-6025 betraying him…

He closed his eyes and took a long breath.

It was not an easy thing to accept, losing someone to the Resistance, someone who had shown such dedication to him and the First Order. But, if she did truly have doubts, then there was very little he could do to keep her in the First Order.

General Hux was determined to not let this get to him. After all, a stormtrooper was simply a tool. One that could be easily replaced...

He suddenly balled his hand into a fist and let out a scream of rage as his table went flying.

The First Order was supposed to be perfect. Its stormtroopers were supposed to be obedient, loyal, and free of doubt.

Yet, here he found himself...losing control.

And what for ? A simple stormtrooper.

General Hux paused for a moment before taking another few breaths to calm himself. He would be able to replace her. He had other stormtroopers at his disposal.

After all, all he needed to do was put in a simple order request...

Suddenly, he felt short-of-breath and started panting as something seemed to be bubbling inside of himself—an emotion that caught his throat and made him want to throw up.

He was losing his composure. He could no longer keep himself at bay. His emotions were running wild, a myriad of them clashing with one another.

Anger, fear, frustration...

He gritted his teeth, trying to force himself to regain control. But it was no use...General Hux had never felt so much raw, untamed emotion before. And the fact that a mere stormtrooper was capable of making him feel this way...He clutched his hands even tighter as his chest rose and fell rapidly. He closed his eyes, trying once more to regain control.

His eyes suddenly caught glimpse of an orange blur beside him and before he knew it, his cat Millicent was at his feet—staring at him. She let out a soft meow as her paw landed on the tip of his boot. General Hux paused for a moment as he noticed Millicent's presence.

The sight of the orange feline immediately managed to quell some of his raging emotions, making them slightly easier to handle. He chuckled slightly as the cat landed her paw on the tip of his boot.

"Millicent," he muttered softly as he crouched down to pet her.

General Hux sighed as he embraced the feline.

The cat's purrs and soft fur were immensely soothing. He had spent countless hours with her in his quarters, having gotten quite attached to her over time.

With her in his grasp, his racing heart slowly started to ease. He gently petted the cat with one hand as he simply remained kneeling and cradling her in his arms. He continued to cuddle the cat, its purrs helping to pacify the emotions that still raged inside of him.

His mind continued to swirl with thoughts, with doubts, with fears...

But every time his thoughts became too overwhelming, he would simply shift his focus back onto the feline. It was his anchor for the time being, allowing him to remain centered despite the turmoil that still simmered within him.

"My loyal pet…" He uttered in a whisper. "My most loyal friend. You are right. I shouldn’t let emotions dictate my decisions…"

He chuckled softly as he ran his hand through Millicent's fur. A cat could never betray him like that stormtrooper did. Cats had no need for deception, no need for loyalties, no need for anything other than food and affection.

They were truly loyal. More so than any other creature in the entire galaxy.

"You will never have to face such a problem, will you ?" He murmured, his voice taking on a teasing tone as he scratched the feline behind the ears.

Millicent happily purred in response to the gesture, making General Hux smile to himself.

The cat was indeed loyal. Unlike certain stormtroopers who were so easily swayed by their own emotions and doubts...If only more stormtroopers were like Millicent...then everything would be so much simpler.

"Do not worry, Millicent. Your master is going to find that…traitor. And he will make sure she understands what happens to disloyal pets…" He kept petting the cat. "You will see, Millicent. You will see…"

He looked far ahead and smirked ominously.

General Hux continued to stroke the feline as he nodded in agreement with his own words. Yes, he would find the traitor and make sure she was swiftly punished. That way, other stormtroopers would be deterred from experiencing the same doubts that JR-6025 had felt. And the First Order would once more be seen as powerful and unbeatable. As it should be.

She would see what happened to disloyal pets.

You will see, JR-6025…

#fandoms #imagine #fanfic #star wars #general hux x reader #kylo ren x reader

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p-receh · 10 months ago

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There's an au prompt that I am heavily interested in. And this is also the base of what I want to write in my story. I personally love this au. Not many people dwell deeper in this au (I knew some but not know much for outdonesian people. Whereas in Indonesian fandom, this thing is quite rare... I guess. But that rarity is like find a needle in a hay stack, or find a golden in the mud.... ^^')

"These two anonymous made me overthink late at night. It made me speculate how are the elementals gonna do if Oboi is gone someday? they are immortals yet their master is a human.

But this is my favorite kind of troupe. Immortal and mortal, hahahaha. Normally the ones who couldn't move on are the immortals."

[Pict no.1]

'If we think deeper, The elementals are older than Oboi himself, right? They were born in the various Power Spheres and then founded by the kings, The Chiefs, and even mere citizens. All this time, it turns out halitaugem(Halilintar, Taufan, and Gempa) and others are already 100+ years old.'

[Pict no. 2]

'The Elementals are older than Oboi, aren't they. Imagine the 7 elementals saying their gratitude to Oboi for their safety as if he protected their lives and did not misuse them, and they will vow to guard Oboi, the purest elemental wielder of them all.'

Different tweet but still indirect to the op.

"Halilintar: "He's only a kid who just got his power, he probably will get hurt because of us."

Taufan: "What if he abuses it when he's older like a certain guy?"

Gempa: "I know, however, I want to put my trust in someone one more time."

Gempa: "You guys want to join me?"

Halilintar & Taufan: *smiling* "Definitely."

Whether if the immortals unable to move on or not. These kind of concept where the elementals passing their duty after their last master is really tempting. Imagine this could be Oboi's himself dies of old age and he left his energy to let all elementals become the real humans; or in the last battle, before he gone, Oboi use his final move to let him split into seven. And after that, all elementals lived in the future.

In my mind, the settings are a bit different.

Thousand years in the future. All planets are destroyed and Quabac is the last remaining planet. All survivors from the destroyed planet moved to Quabac and created nations based on fallen planets. The planet's names are the names of nations same with their background settings(Still in draft and a bit generic.) :

Gugura is a dumpster city.

Windara, a steampunk nation above the clouds.

Rimbara a forest wonderland for villagers.

Baraju, two military nations that became the planet's first defense system, and-

Gur'latan, a high-tech cyberpunk city and the central nation of the planet.

The people lived under control and their fate was already decided by the mighty emperor who never showed it's face. All elementals lived separately with no past memories.

Until a certain worker who lived inside the rusty house, found an unordinary watch that triggered a nightmare. The sound of pain and shout that he felt he experienced even though he was sure he never remembered any of those throughout his life. Suspicious theories occur when he sees the legendary TAPOPS logo, who supposed to be a myth in children's tales.

More mysteries arise after he sees the mirror of himself at the barter station in some city of Gugura, or so he thought. A man in all white cloth was just sent by Gur'latan authorities to collect data. Coincidentally.

That's when they meet and their nightmares have become more clear and the fact that they are not alone already tells there's something wrong with their past to this day.

...

That's all for now I guess. I got this idea during my discussion with @nerizys (Apologies for tagging your name🙏). Still trying to make it more of a proper prompt since I'm suck in english.

... Really want it to make into a full story though... :*

#boboiboy #boboiboy galaxy #bbb #bbbg #bbbglxs2 #If you got the reference. good.#tbh I swear I honestly did not notice that when I wrote this.#It all just pops up in my head instantly and immediately write it down #all I know is that I want some star wars setting with Boboiboy in it.#319 au

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shooks-stupid-stuff · 9 months ago

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one thing that's been bothering me for a few years now is how i basically have 2 types of ocs: ones that are pretty much entirely original, and ones that are very obviously inspired by media i like. it's that second category that's been bothering me, and i just... feel the need to finally put it into words.

it's no secret that i'm incredibly passionate about the media and characters i like, especially if you're someone that knows me closely and/or talks to me a lot. so sometimes when making ocs i just go 'ooh i should make one that's like this character i like', and i think that's normal. characters people like often have traits they find to be interesting, and those traits can easily be spun in many different ways.

however, there are quite a good chunk of my ocs that i think are a bit too... derivative. and i have no clue how to make them not feel that way, both because me and my friends who i do oc stuff with all already know what the inspirations were and because i feel way too attached to make any major changes.

it kinda started as a joke. a few years back when i was in an active rp community (a story for another time (never)), and thought 'hey it'd be funny if i made some ocs that were just bootleg touhou characters since all my friends know im obsessed with the series lol' (this was technically not the first time i had done something like this, but the previous characters had very rapidly separated themselves from their inspirations in all but general appearance and/or color scheme). and so i did. and it was great, i had a lot of fun taking them and spinning them in a different direction, trying to subvert the mold i had made them from.

however. i quickly began to feel just... really conflicted about these characters. i REALLY liked them, and i still do, i think some of them are some of my most fun characters, but... can i really call them my characters when they're so heavily inspired by something else? even if they're different enough, it didn't matter. you could still tell (or i could, at least). and i couldn't bring myself to massively change anything about them because... they were already cemented into my mind. it felt wrong.

even now, having redesigned basically all the characters i have that fit into this category at least once i just... can't help but feel conflicted about most of them. and i kind of can't escape doing this, even with new ocs (example: i recently made a character based off of a japanese mythological figure, and all i could think about when designing them was the touhou character also based off of that mythological figure... and it definitely shaped the design a lot).

i... don't know what point im trying to make here. or if this is even coherent, or something i should be all too concerned about at all, or something other people have even noticed.

i guess what im trying to say is i was gonna post some redesigns ive been working on for like two weeks but im kinda too scared to because i feel like all the characters are very obviously derivative and it's making me feel really... well, conflicted.

oh, and quick clarification because this just occurred to me as i was about to hit post: this has nothing to do with the thing i was doing around mid last year where i was making actual bootleg touhou/len'en characters. that's for something else, and those are supposed to be very obvious spoofs and are not actual ocs. i am still working on those i prommy, ill get around to the few in my ask box/commented on that post eventually.

#i do have some new ocs ill probabaly post in a bit but #bleh. idk maybe im overthinking this but #i genuinely would like some feedback from people on this #especially people who aren't really close friends/i didn't really tell

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midnight-omega · 1 year ago

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World Basics

Heeyyy yall I decided to kick off this blog by answering some worldbuilding questions posted awhile ago by pheonixwaller

I'm gonna break them up by heading and post them as i go!

Also this is my world and my opinions so like if ur own omegaverse doesn't follow this or you don't agree or do the things i say i dislike its all good its not meant to hurt you we're all just having fun here and we like different kinds of soda :))

Let's go under the cut !

Let’s start with the world in general.

What are the overall population ratios? Are alphas and omegas common or rare? Are the ratios stable or does your world have decreasing numbers of alphas/omegas?

I always flip flop on this question tbh

I think the three dynamics are all pretty equally balanced. I always see worlds where betas are way more common than alphas or omegas but then all the world building and all their plots focus on the alphas and omegas. Not to bash this kind of world, like do whatever makes u feel good, but it never made sense to me why a beta majority world would cater to the other two dynamics so hard. It also doesn’t make sense to me when a lot of stereotypical betas read very ace/aro to me and the only ones making babies are the other two. Like… but then how would a majority beta world reproduce? Again this is mostly aimed at the au’s overused stereotypes and obvi there are more dynamic set ups of beta majority worlds but personally I never got it.

So, I think it makes sense that there’s a fairly equal distribution. Sometimes it maybe shifts with time so one is more majority than the others but it always kind of balances back out. I don’t really like thinking about the genetics that deeply either like the whole oh a beta alpha couple couldn’t have an omega child bc blah blah blah like anyone can have anyone idc :>

I will say tho ! I do headcanon female alphas and male omegas to be rather rare with a lot of stereotypes, sexualizing, and discrimination around them. I do have a reason for this but I think that's a different post bc it has a lot to do with like fake human history and fake evolution LMFAO

Can women be alphas, can males be omegas? Can male omegas father children and can women alphas bear? Can betas have children?

Yes and yes! Female alphas and male omegas do in fact exist.

Alpha females cannot conceive in my verse and nor can male omegas father children. Once upon a time they could, but not in modern times. Again this is like a whole evolution thingy I thought up which deserves its own post lol.

Betas can have children! As long as one partner has a vulva and one has a penis :>

Are there certain physical characteristics that people associate with one secondary or another? Ex: Heavily muscled alphas or soft omegas?

Alphas are stereotyped to be tall and muscular. Omegas are stereotyped to be short, dainty, and soft. Betas get to own their bodies tbh, they don’t have many physical stereotypes. Maybe lean betas, but I wouldn’t say that it's super prominent.

However, these are not universally true at all. I personally hate the all alphas are huge and love sports and all omegas are under 5 foot and don’t move worldbuilding. Bodies of all dynamics are just as diverse as in irl. These beauty standards and stereotypes exist, however, and are just as destructive as irl ones and do just as much harm to alphas and omegas who don’t look like the posters they see trying to sell them bras or sneakers.

How often do heats/ruts occur on average? Can omegas only get pregnant during a heat or anytime?

Heats occur once every two months although it’s not uncommon for them to occur less frequently or more frequently based on diet and stress levels (exactly like an irl period tbh). Heats last 4-6 days on average, but ofc they can be shorter or longer depending on the person.

Ruts occur about once a month, but same as heats they can be less regular depending on a lot of external factors. Ruts only last about a day and it can be cause for concern if they last longer than that.

Once mated cycles will tend to sync, although it may take a few months, though they will not be shorter or less severe.

A beta heat/rut (again smth that deserves its own post lol) doesn’t occur unless they’re mated to an alpha/omega respectively. Their cycles sync to their mates, but their heats/ruts tend to be very short compared to an alpha or omega.

Omegas and vulva having betas can get pregnant at any time. Omegas are just waaayy more fertile during heat, so pregnancy is almost a guarantee, while compared to out of heat it’s just a chance depending on where they are in their cycle.

How long do heats/ruts last?

Jumped the gun on explaining that one didn’t I oops. To reiterate a heat lasts about 4-6 days with the first 2 days being more gentle preheat like symptoms. The third, fourth, and fifth days are like the heat heat you think of this is when they’re fertile and slick coated and ready to fuck and crampy and tired and sick. The last day or two is like a wind down for the body and the omega is usually just very tired and lethargic. They may also eat a lot to regain strength now.

A rut only lasts a day. An alpha will probably feel irritable and confrontational the day before, and can knot the day of. If a rut lasts longer than two days it is recommended to seek medical help as the body starts to strain and inappropriately allocate resources after too long. Alphas just aren’t built for the long haul like omegas are!

Are mating bites a one-and-done, or can new mates be taken with new bites?

I’m always a little unsure about mate questions.

I think a person can be mated more than once but it’s not a matter of like oh new person bit me old person is erased, it doesn’t work like that. A mating bite is a very serious thing as it creates a dependency to the people involved. This kind of pheromonal and chemical dependency just isn’t erased when a new flavor is introduced. In order to have one mate erased the bond needs time to fade. Unfortunately this time period can be long and extremely difficult especially for bonds that have lasted a long time. It’s like severe withdrawal that often requires outside help and medical attention. Not only can it be physically draining but it can cause severe depression and even suicide. Think irl withdrawal symptoms. It’s an addiction and you have to beat it.

That’s why it’s not recommended to mate before you’re very very sure you’re ready. It can be erased and you can mate again, but is it worth the pain?

What about kids? Do omega bodies reject sex/children for anybody but their bonded mates?

An omega can be impregnated by anyone. There’s not really… much else to say here lol. Egg meet sperm, doesn’t matter who’s.

Is there an emotional/psychic connection for bonded mates?

No.

When you’re mated to a person you can sort of…smell whatever pheromones they’re emitting to a more specific emotions (a stranger might smell upset but your mate will smell depressed or stressed or distraught). So in a way you can read their emotions much much better, but it’s not psychic and it’s not something you can feel from ten miles away nor is it fool proof!

Can bonding bites be anywhere, or are they required to be on the neck?

Mating bites must be on the neck as the scent glands here are the strongest, most sensitive ones. These ones kinda dominate all the other ones and are in charge of distributing all those good scent chemicals everywhere else. When mixing a scent with another person, aka mating, it needs to be at the control center not at one of the side branches! A bite on the wrist or thigh will feel nice and smell for awhile but it won’t create the dependency a proper mating bite on the neck will.

Is there anything special about how bonding works? Venoms? Ceremonies? Do they have to consummate within a certain timeframe?

So I kinda talked about it in the other two but to me it's an addiction to another person’s scent and the pheromones in their saliva. You will crave them. The way the smell yes, but also something very carnal that you can’t exactly place. That’s the saliva! The spit is also what will change the scent of the person to compliment their mate’s more. Scents are still unique but you can tell when someone’s been mated or not. This addiction and need for another person can be broken but it’s difficult.

Mating bites will need to be refreshed or they’ll fade and trigger a withdrawal. But healthy mates will crave the bites anyway and refresh on their own accord !

Mating ceremonies usually involve the entire pack/s. They’re large parties and no expense is spared. The bite itself, however, is a private affair. The public affairs and what they entail depend on the culture and religions of the packs involved. A pack following a paganistic lunar cult will probably celebrate under a full or new moon. A buddhist pack might partake in group meditations and light incense together. A catholic one will involve a priest and vows to god. A demon cult might shed blood! While atheist packs probably just have a big elaborate party. Since my world combines made up religions and real world ones the variety is very large!

Timeframe again kinda depends on the people, packs, culture, and religions involved. For example a more freeform relaxed kinda pack might be chill with letting their members mate before even having the ceremony! Whereas a conservative Catholic one would Not accept such a thing at all. Mate bites come AFTER the declaration to god thank you very much!

Think about anatomy. Do omegas have cloaca? Is it only male omegas who have cloaca, or do female omegas have two wombs? Do female alphas have enlarged bits to deliver seed?

Whew this is a hotly contested one.

I’ve toyed with intersex male omegas and female alphas. I’ve played with boy pussies and the idea can be very fun but for this world I think I’m gonna have to stick with the butt babies sorry yall.

Ofc it has to make sense and be sanitary tho so… they’re not really butt babies.

I am in favor of a cloaca and valve system. The vagina doesn’t open into the anus like ive seen in some mock diagrams (do yall want poop in ur vag?), they don’t even share the same entryway perse. It’s like a valve that closes one side when the other is in use. Arousal opens the entryway to the vagina, having to take a dump opens the anus. The tissue here is also way way way more elastic than your average anus allowing for birth with minimal tearing.

Female omegas only have one womb, there’s biologically no need for two.

I’m in favor of the retractable penis option for female alphas. I want them to be able to give a good dicking down same as their male counterparts :>

Are chances of being an alpha or omega random, or do alpha/omega pairs have greater chances of similar children? Can people breed for better chances of one or the other?

I like it to be random! Maybe something you’re exposed to in the womb that can change or smth like that idk. I just don’t really like thinking out the ratios and who can have what babies, it’s not fun for me personally. I mean irl sex is random so why not all these too? Maybe sperm decides the secondaries as well as primary idk!

Are birth control, heat/rut suppressants, and scent suppressants common, unavailable or illegal on a worldwide basis?

So it kinda depends on the level and what you’re trying to achieve!

Scent suppressants and blockers are very common and sold over the counter as pills, patches that go over the scent glands, or as perfumes/colognes.

Birth control is also fairly easy to get. Condoms both with and without extra room for knots are available at any pharmacy or convenience store. Female condoms and iuds are a thing for female betas and omegas (these aren’t common for male omegas due to anatomy differences). Birth control pills are also available but these are prescription and come with the typical irl side effects. I will say in conservative, traditionalist packs the pill is kinda frowned upon if taken by omegas since yk they’re supposed to be pregnant.

Heat and rut suppressants… it depends. Very mind symptom relievers can be bought over the counter, but these are very ineffective and just kinda like.. Help with cramps or mood stability. If an individual has a severe rut or heat a doctor can prescribe a suppressant to either reduce the severity/longevity of one, or reduce how often they happen. A rut or heat still occurs on these pills but they’re very manageable. Medications that completely block a heat or rut are illegal as they can have severe consequences. There is a black market for these products and it’s not as hard to find a dealer as authorities make it seem…

Is omega trafficking a problem?

I think it happens and there’s def like awareness campaigns about it the way there are about human and sex trafficking in our world, but it’s not something like extremely rampant and on the radar of most common people.

Are there power structures based on secondary gender? Are omegas oppressed? Are alphas required to do anything near ruts to prevent violence?

In a traditionalist society the alpha is the top of the food chain. They’re the leaders. Omegas are at the bottom and are expected to be homemakers and childrearers. Betas are kinda like viking women. They can move up and down the rungs as they please. Leader position? Cool just don’t usurp the reigning alpha. Wanna have kids? Cool have fun at home.

There are echos of this in some modern cultures, packs, and religions, however everyday society is slowly moving away from this kind of structure. Stereotypes still exist and are still forced on people, but perhaps not to the same extent.

Omegas are not oppressed, but if they come from a traditionalist pack they may feel forms of oppression even though they are generally okay in society at large.

Alphas were never expected to contain ruts, though sometimes radical campaigns and proposals do throw this idea out there…

Think of famous historical figures. How would they have landed on your gender scale? Was Queen Elizabeth I an alpha? What about Helen of Troy? These historical figures can lead to modern modes of thought.

Hmm… I think a lot of male leader figures were alphas. I think a lot of female leader figures were probably betas. Religious figures rarely have gender assigned to them to prevent bickering within the religion. Imagine if Jesus of Nazareth was an omega like nah they refuse to disclose that with the goal of making him relatable to all.

I think in general a lot of historical figures where the secondary gender was known (not sure if Homer would have stated that about Helen of Troy yk? Idk if anyone knew what the fuck Sejong was yk? Like history as a smth we study is very very very new and things just weren’t written down!) they followed their stereotypes. Leader and military alphas, caretaker an activist omegas, business oriented betas. There’s also the very strong possibility that some figures faked their gender to get them there. What if Stalin was an omega? Would the Soviet Union have accepted him if he was? Probably not!

So even though we are breaking down these harmful stereotypes in this modern day setting, that doesn’t mean we don’t have a long history of pain to unravel.

What about religion? How has religion handled the secondarys?

!!! Depends on the religion !! I have a super catholic character in the story I'm building this world for so that's the religion I've focused most on. I also made up a little pagan cult for another character so I know about that one too! They honestly deserve their own posts tbh.

Ultimately at least with Catholicism a lot of it remains very unchanged. Replace women with womb haver and man with seed bearer in any religious text and you basically have it down and accounted for all 6 genders! It’s not too hard to fit religions into omegaverses tbh

I’ll probably make a separate post about my religions later tho

Are/were arranged marriages the norm?

They were the norm and still are the norm in traditionalist societies and packs. Often the head omega of the pack is tasked with pairing off the children either within the pack (if it’s large enough) or with packs closely aligned to them.

Now a lot of the time it’s more left on the individuals themselves they court and mate. Some packs do pressure their members to mate but the person they do is up to them.

When do people learn what they are outside of medical testing? Are they born with a mark or secondary specific trait, or is it a mystery until they present or not?

I always go back and forth on this!!

See in a modern setting like you’d be able to tell what kind of reproductive organs your child has. Yes even between an alpha male and a beta male (there would be evidence of the ability to knot). Maybe not between omega female and beta female tho that one is harder….

But it’s also just more fun sometimes to have it where no one knows! For drama and character purposes I think for this universe I’m going to have it be a total surprise until they go through puberty at about eh like 12-14ish. I think people would have hunches though. Like smells and behaviors can probably clue at least parents and teachers in pretty quickly but kids are literally dumb and oblivious and the kid that always nests will probably be thunderstruck to be an omega even tho it was fucking obvious to everyone else.

Not to say there aren’t real surprises because I’m sure there are…

Military: Historically are any genders or secondarys not allowed to participate in the military? Are female alphas allowed? What about male omegas?

Tbh I don’t really think about this much? Just not smth that interests me but I imagine the military was an alpha only thing for awhile but included betas bc numbers. For fun tho lets say that omega’s are still not really allowed in. Like you can fight for it but they’re gonna make it hard.

#omegaverse #a/b/o #a/b/o verse #omega #alpha #beta #alpha beta omega #worldbuilding #alpha/beta/omega au #alpha/beta/omega verse #a/b/o dynamics

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