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kariachi · 2 years ago

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So, pretty sure it’s that time over by @angelo-gray, which means birthday fic is upon us! Hap birth, we’re all glad to have you!

He hadn’t even done anything wrong, and this was a claim Garfield would take to his grave.

It wasn’t often a kingdom experienced both a plague of crop rot and a drought at the same time, and somebody had had to do something. So, he’d done something- packing a bag in the dead of night and running to the lands of the Fae Lord in search of a boon. There had been a challenge to pass, of course, and he had done so, perfectly well and in good time.

And alright, maybe he had cheated a bit (a lot) and for that maybe there should have been consequences. But ‘my hounds tear you apart in the form of a stag’? A bit extreme. Enough so, apparently, that once he’d pleaded the tense circumstances the Lord had deigned to forgo the ‘hounds tear you apart’ portion. Not the stag thing though. He couldn’t be so lucky.

At least the bastard had been kind enough to fix things for his people anyway.

~~~

All Kevin had wanted was to be left alone.

It was a sad fact of life that to be a young royal was to be seen as a commodity first, and he had plenty of experience with that. Between the wealth of his brother’s kingdom and his grandmother’s handsome features, by twenty he’d had three engagements fall through for various reasons and seen enough suitors come and go to make his eyes about roll out of his head. All the same as well, looking for riches and power and seeing him as nothing more than a trophy at best and a puppet for their own ambition at worst.

That was enough to worsen anyone’s temper, and so he felt he could be excused when a potential suitor- too old, too forward, too ambitious by miles- had sidled up in a corner of the palace grounds and been rebuffed more fiercely than was polite. He’d already made his disinterest plain twice before, it should have been the end of it. But no, of course he couldn’t be that lucky. Of course, this relative newcomer to the court would have some trick up their sleeve.

And so suddenly he was a monster.

~~~

The sad thing was, it wasn’t even the fact that he couldn’t go home that had made Gar take action to fix the situation. It had burned in his core, but he’d figured losing everything that’d mattered to him was a fitting price to pay for the lives of his people. Even the fact that, talking stag or no, nobody seemed to have any problems hunting him, hadn’t made him take the effort.

But the day he’d gotten his antlers stuck in a bush, that was the day he’d decided he needed to talk to an expert.

~~~

The first few days after his transformation had been sort’ve a blur. Guards had run up, driven him from the palace grounds. He’d found an old cave to hole up in while he had an episode about the situation. The next day the bastard had shown up with promises of fixing him in exchange for silence and his hand and been summarily eaten. Soldiers had come armed, refused to listen, and been killed as well.

The court thought he’d taken, eaten, himself. Wanted him dead, as a threat to the kingdom. Much as it’d stung his pride, he’d known he needed to do something.

~~~

“Well,” Raven, the young witch who had originally pointed him toward the Fae Lord, said when he returned, giving him a look that said ‘I’m really not surprised by your circumstances’ better than words ever could, “True Love’s Kiss generally clears these things right up.” Gar blinked slowly, images rising unbidden of a community packed with former suitors unwilling to take in a deer no matter who he said he was.

“And my other options are?”

~~~

Gwendolyn, who owed him damnit and so shouldn’t have been spouting that sort’ve bullshit, raised a nonplussed brow as Kevin glowered her down.

“If you’re going to be that way about it,” she said, magic filling the air around her. “It’s a long journey, over a year, but if you head to the north-west you’ll find the answer to your problem.”

~~~

“If this works,” Gar said as she slipped the compass around his neck, “I’ll owe you my first born.” Snorting, Raven rolled her eyes.

“Promise me a room in your home and we’ll call it even.”

~~~

There was, it turned out, a plus side to being a monster, and that was that when one was following a magical compass to who knows where, you at least didn’t have to worry about finding food. It could come in the form of anything from pre-emptive offerings by terrified commoners to knights and soldiers who won’t take a ‘leave me alone I’m just passing through’, but food would find you.

It wouldn’t, however, come in the form of a talking stag, because he’d see the compass around your neck, and you’d see the compass around his, and both of you would be smart enough to go “you too, huh?”

~~~

He was willing to admit that at first sight he’d been more than a little scared of Kevin. Even not taking the size of him into account, he was more than a lot to take in, and when you were shaped like a prey animal anything with that many teeth set off alarm bells. But he’d turned out to be reasonable enough and they were heading in the same direction.

Far be it from an extrovert like him to refuse company on the road.

~~~

His name was Garfield. He’d been cursed by the fae and abandoned by the very people he’d suffered to save. Had given everything only to be rebuffed in his own time of need.

He also had a kind and honorable nature, even towards someone like Kevin as he was now, and that just made his anger on his behalf burn brighter.

~~~

Kevin wouldn’t tell him much. He was transformed by an unwanted suitor and hunted by his own kin, a pain Gar could relate too just a little too much.

A foul cloud sat over him that Gar tried his best to lift. It took over a week of every joke he could think of before he laughed, really laughed, and told one of his own. It was horrible in the best way.

~~~

He’d never thought himself a thief, no matter what the kitchenstaff, librarians, and anybody who’d ever met his mother’s father had to say on the matter, but Kevin quickly found himself getting into the habit of slipping into places someone his size had no right to be to grab essentials. Hairbrush, books, treats for Gar so the poor man didn’t have to live off twigs and leaves.

After a point the ‘poor man’ in question demanded to be taught the tricks himself, spouting some nonsense about a deer breaking into someone’s house being far less conspicuous than a beast the size of ten men going the same.

~~~

It took far longer than he’d like to admit for Gar to realize Kevin’d been going around naked this whole damn time. In his defense the man’s, situation, made things inapparent, and it wasn’t as if he was rude enough to look anyway. Still, the next village they passed he snuck into a house and stole a length of cloth for him.

Neither of them knew how to turn it into clothes, Gar wouldn’t be able to even if he did, but still Kevin thanked him and, with a good bit of fiddling, folded, draped, and tied it into something approximating a skirt.

~~~

“Okay, Garfield, here’s one- Why do illuminators always draw snails?” Kevin’s tails flicked in amusement as Gar heaved an overly dramatic put-upon sigh.

“Why did I ever get you started?”

“Because the centipedes won’t sit still.”

~~~

Kevin’s hair was thick, draping for seemingly miles, when they met, and the less said about what happened when Gar’s antlers inevitably found it the better.

~~~

“-so what does she do? She starts talking about ‘True Love’s Kiss’, like I’m not a fucking deer.” Clicking his tongue, Kevin shook his head. Some people.

“Do you know if she’s into women? Because I know a fae she might like.” Gar snorted, stepping close enough to brush his shoulder against him.

“Gave the same talk?”

“Yeah, like I’m not this.” Kevin gestured at himself as he said it, then shook his head again. “Also, she still owes me five books and a desk, which shouldn’t be legal.” He’d entreated Kay about the matter years ago, but been damn near laughed from dinner. Gar laughed too, ears flicking back and forth, but he found himself less aggravated by his amusement.

“Not even a little bit.”

~~~

Something Gar noticed, as they traveled, was that as fierce as Kevin’s temper could be- and it was a force to be reckoned with- and as many people as he’d eaten, he didn’t try to kill. Even when it was people out for his blood, he tried to scare them off, disarm them, wound them into retreat, before going for the meal.

He wasn’t sure under the same circumstances, hated and feared with a predator’s gnawing hunger in his gut, he’d have fared so well.

~~~

Kevin was fairly certain they weren’t going to get to wherever they were going on time and he blamed Gar entirely. After all, it certainly wasn’t him running around insisting they scare off every band of brigands they came across within a few days walk of a settlement. Or who kept wandering off to find and deliver home missing children. And had to be carried away from the homes of unjust lords before he got himself turned into a trophy.

He hadn’t realized people like that even existed outside of storybooks.

~~~

It wasn’t much, but Gar was still proud of his accomplishment the night before. The better part of a pie, a hunk of salted venison, and a small bowl of crab apples. A sparse meal between the two of them, and having venison even present given the circumstances felt odd at best, but the stark difference from wild forage and game made it all the sweeter.

“Garfield,” Kevin laughed as he looked at what was hardly a bounty, “you’re a marvel.” With a pleased little grunt, Gar let himself preen under his smile.

“I do try,” he said. “Just do me a favor and don’t get a taste for the meat.” Kevin just laughed harder.

“The day you’re on the menu is the day I’m lost forever.”

~~~

The fifth time somebody tried to kill Kevin since they began journeying together, the would-be-hero turned out to have a belt buckle shaped like a stag. Gar huffed about it, swearing up and sideways that he would never threaten him and that anyone who would bearing an item even tangentially related to him was an offense to his own honor, but Kevin just laughed and stole it off the corpse. A bit of broken metal pieces and some finagling later and he had a fine pin to replace the knot of his skirt. One he’d shown off to the only person there to see with a wide and teasing grin.

“In honor of my deerest friend and companion.”

Gar didn’t talk to him the rest of the day, but the fond amusement in his eyes was more than worth it.

~~~

“Kevin, what happens,” Gar asked, “if we get to wherever it is we’re heading and only one of us can be turned back?”

“Then I keep looking,” Kevin answered without a moment’s hesitation, and Gar immediately knew he couldn’t let that happen.

~~~

Creeping as quietly as he was able along the wall of the little canyon, Kevin watched his target with a hunter’s eye. His tails quivered with the effort to stay in line, wings drawn in close to minimize drag. His prey was seemingly oblivious to his presence, carrying on like nothing was watching, and certainly not predators from above. As deep eyes turned to the side he tensed and pounced.

Soaring over his back, Kevin twisted in the air to land facing him, lips pulled back to expose too many teeth in what could only be a grin. He hissed as threateningly as he could manage without a hint of malice as Gar reared back and bared his antlers playfully.

His laughter would echo in his chest like bells for hours afterwards.

~~~

“You know,” Gar half-joked one evening, as they curled up around their fire, Kevin’s bulk keeping the chill from his back, “if you’re going to be wearing my face, then it’s only fair I do the same. When we’re turned back the first thing I’m doing is commissioning someone to make me a pin featuring, whatever you are.”

“Generic unholy monster,” Kevin answered with far too much ease for his tastes.

“You’re not a monster, Kev,” he countered before he could think, “whatever you look like, you’re a wonderful man.”

Kevin’s eyes went wide for a moment, before his expression slipped into something so soft it felt like it stamped itself, warm and gentle, in Gar’s gut.

Even as the night wore on and sleep and morning came, that warmth stayed.

~~~

They were sat on the side of a mountain, curled up and watching from safety as a man and boy ventured out to hunt, when Kevin spoke.

“My first-time hunting,” he said, the memory as clear as if it’d been yesterday, “my brother took me out, just the two of us. Told a joke about how that would be when the younger brother would kill the older in a ‘tragic accident’ to take his place. So, I took a potshot at a tree off to his side.” He chuckled. “The shot ricocheted and got him in the foot. His wife laughed her ass off when we got back, once it was confirmed Kay'd be fine.” Gar laughed as well, though there was a distance to it that Kevin yearned to ask after.

He didn’t, but he did stick close the rest of the day, trying to lift his mood.

~~~

“My uncle actually tried it, once,” Gar said nearly out of nowhere the night of Kevin’s first story, after being notably quiet the whole of the day. “My parents had died, and he was my next of kin, so… You know how it goes.” He didn’t look at Kevin when he said it, instead focusing on the stars in the sky outside their little cavern, but it was impossible not to notice and appreciate the comfort of a clawed hand running down his spine.

“I’m glad he failed,” Kevin said plainly. “The world would be a lot dimmer without you, Gar.” If Gar’d had the ability to smile he would have done so, instead he had to settle for lifting up into the warmth of his touch.

“Thanks.”

~~~

They were halfway through the mountains before the question of ‘what then’ got Kevin right between the eyes. He knew what he wanted- to go home, see his family, hope for forgiveness for the lives he’d taken, the faces he saw when he closed his eyes. But where Gar would go, when they were themselves again, hung in his mind. No doubt he would want to return home as well, but the thought burned in him. They hadn’t appreciated him there, not enough, and he deserved better. He was too bright, too kind, too good for fair weather friends and no family to be mentioned.

‘Maybe,’ he thought, watching him pick his way through the rocky terrain, ‘I could get him nicely settled in court.’

‘He deserves at least that.’

~~~

“You could always come home with me, if you wanted.” Gar tried to sound as nonchalant as he could, like his focus was really on the fruit they were stealing and not the way Kevin’s footsteps faltered.

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” It was a stupid offer. For as bad as things had been when he left, Kevin loved his family and of course would want to go back to them. Just, as much as Gar loved his home, he couldn’t help but feel like it would be too quiet without him. Fuck, even silence felt bright and warm with him there, and a crowd would surely feel empty and quiet with him gone. But it was a selfish thought, one Gar was almost ready to retract when a soft laugh came from the other side of the orchard.

“I was gonna tell you the same thing.”

~~~

Nightmares weren’t new to either of them, not with what they had been through. At first they’d tried to keep them to themselves, but as time had gone on it had seemed, foolish, to bother. Near every hour of every day was spent together, they knew each other better than anyone ever had by now, and suffering alone had begun to feel pointless. So, they had opened up. Not completely, but enough. Neither discussed the looming dread of death against their backs, but Gar spoke of memories of friends and family lost to accident and famine, and Kevin of old friends’ blood on his hands and kin taking up arms.

It was one of the latter from which he woke. He didn’t know what Gar had looked like before, and even in his nightmares there was no shape to him, just a man he knew too well with his sword raised. And like with his kin, what could he do against such an attack? Always his eyes opened before the killing blow, always it was more relief than he cared to say to see Gar calm and quiet against his side, but this night was different, just a touch.

“I’m here, you’re safe,” Gar muttered, hardly loud enough to hear, his head lain across Kevin’s neck. “Nobody will hurt you.” The words were like a balm on a wound and drew a million responses to sit uselessly on his tongue.

“Gar,” sighed like a prayer was the best Kevin could manage, his tails curling around Gar, pulling him closer as he let the warmth that radiated from him lull him into a fitter sleep.

~~~

It became ridiculous, the more time passed from their initial meeting, for Gar to think that he’d ever feared Kevin. Even now, a bloody mass of teeth and claws and too many parts, all he could see was a worried and wet puppy. One who cared enough to sit there in the rain, wing raised to keep Gar dry, and tend to his leg with all the gentle care something his size could manage.

“Kevin, I’ll be fine,” Gar told him for the third time, nudging his shoulder until he looked up from triple checking his bandaging work was snug but not damaging. “The dogs hardly got a grip, and I’m pretty sure those hunters aren’t going to enter this forest ever again.”

“Still,” Kevin huffed, pulling away from his work with a look like he didn’t trust it. He heaved a deep breath as he met Gar’s eyes and reached to carefully stroke his cheek. “Somebody should take care of you.”

It wasn’t a new concept, not even a little, but the way he said it, like there was a silent ‘properly’ in there, like there was something he deserved and wasn’t getting, was enough to make Gar indulge his concern.

~~~

The fight was a bad one. It had been too long since Kevin’d eaten, the weather had been atrocious, and they’d been walking nonstop for two days, day and night. He hadn’t been able to sleep, and so had seen no point in stopping when he could simply carry Gar when he had to. Simply enough, he wasn’t in his best shape, and up against an opponent who, though not the best equipped he’d fought, was certainly the most experienced with fighting beasts like him. Both had landed good hits on the other, and Kevin had just managed to take out a chunk of the man’s armor before his spear went down past his shoulder and into his chest, grating along the inner edge of his ribs.

He hadn’t even had time to react before a good 400 pounds of deer had collided with the man antlers first. Somehow this struck him worse than the wound. Even people hunting him specifically Gar was loathe to see hurt if it could be helped, and watching him back away with antlers covered in blood and gore- It wasn’t right.

Gar stood and stared as the man hacked up blood, the barest tremble visible across his back.

It was on instinct that Kevin yanked the spear from himself and cast it aside, no worry about his own wellbeing in face of the burning need to get Gar as far away from this man and this scene as he could. Biting back a whine of pain, he scooped him up with ease and bolted in some random direction, running until his legs gave out under him. Even then, with grey at the edges of his vision, he clutched his shaking stag to himself like he might keep all ills away.

“Shh, it’s alright, everything is fine, I promise…”

~~~

“Be okay, Kev, please, you promised-”

Between how long he’d gone without sleep, the fight, the bleeding, there had really only been so long Kevin could stay awake. Still holding onto a smile and handing out reassurances even as he slumped and passed out. There had only been so much Gar could do about it. The lack of hands was a killer and even with them he had no idea how to heal a wound like that. He’d had no choice but to lay beside him, covered in blood (god, he’d never killed a man before, he’d never wanted to, but the spear had sunk so deep and all he could think-) and wait for what felt like forever to see if he woke. He had to wake.

“I can’t lose you too. I’ve lost everything else, not you too…” And not so close, they couldn’t have been far off from their goal, they just couldn’t, and Kevin deserved it. Deserved to continue with his stupid jokes and thirst for books and fiddly things, to find somebody who could properly appreciate him for the wonderful man he was. Not to die here-

“…m f’n…” Gar’s heart stopped a moment at the sound and he drove his head forward to press it against Kevin’s throat, feel his heartbeat as he forced a chuckle. “‘m not dead.”

“Please stay that way,” he said, shaking as Kevin managed a chuckle and smile, hand settling over the back of Gar’s neck.

“‘course,” he said, “I promised,” and turned his head with a tired blink to carelessly brush his lips over Gar’s muzzle.

He couldn’t have described what happened next to you. Only that he had gone warm, like that night by the fire when Kevin had looked at him so softly but all over, and all he’d been able to see was him. Then, as suddenly as the first change, Kevin had managed to be larger, glorious in full color, and Gar’s fingers- Neither of them breathed for a long minute as it sunk in.

“Damn,” Kevin said, mostly awake now, “and he’s pretty too.” Gar sobbed a laugh, all the tears he hadn’t been able to shed since the Fae Lord’s realm bursting forth as he glanced down at the compass around Kevin’s neck. The needle was spinning lazily. With a deep, shuddering breath and a hopeful grin he threw himself forward and kissed Kevin like it was the only way to live.

He could see light through his eyelids, feel him changing, and was overjoyed for him even as he relished being able to bury his fingers in his hair. Within heartbeats Kevin was kissing him back, with the same passion and adoration that was beating in Gar’s chest. It was like magic, it was magic, and the only reason he didn’t try to stay like that forever was so that he could see him again. He’d never actually thought about it, what he’d looked like before, and even as he pulled away found his eyes first going to the wound, now sealed with a fierce scar because he had to get lucky at least once in his life.

Kevin was looking at him with that same old soft gaze, the loveliest thing Gar’d ever seen, bringing his free hand up to untangle and grasp Gar’s. He took a good, long moment to just stare, both of them needing the time to just take each other in.

“How,” Gar finally said the first thing that popped into his little head, “are you still so much bigger than me?” Kevin’s snorting laugh was even sweeter now.

“Blame my grandmother, supposedly I’ve got maybe three inches on her.”

~~~

The next twelve hours consisted of savoring each other’s company, huddling against the night’s chill beneath what was the only piece of cloth between them, savoring each other’s company, and putting together some sort’ve makeshift clothing for the two of them until they could figure out how they were going to get a hold of anything presentable with nothing but their good looks, two ‘true love’ seeking compasses, and a pin Kevin would lose a limb over between them.

~~~

“So, now would probably be the time to mention that I’m a prince, huh?”

“I’m sorry, what? You’re a prince and you didn’t tell me?!”

“It never came up!”

“For fuck’s sake… Oh god… Please tell me this doesn’t mean your brother is a king.”

“My brother is a king. I’m fifth in line after his kids.”

“Oh, thank god for that, at least. I don’t think I could survive a throne.” Chuckling, Kevin drew him close and pressed a kiss to his hair.

“We’re lucky to have them then, huh dear?” Gar glowered at him, though he couldn’t manage to put any heat behind it.

“You are not calling me that the rest of our lives.” Kevin’s grin was bright and sharp.

“Oh, I think I am.”

#fanfic #and then they lived happily ever after

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the-hopefulpenguin · 4 years ago

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Cause and Comrades

A snippet from when I started trying to write the Battle of Ba Sing Se, featuring a very tired and sad Kuvira. Title is taken from James McPherson’s book, ‘For Cause and Comrades’ about the American Civil War.

The headquarters were nowhere near the front, and yet Kuvira reckoned it was louder than the fiercest battle, communications traffic and running messengers striking their own percussion. She strode through Aerial Forces Command, boots clacking on wooden floorboards. To either side, radio operators blurted out messages. Fragments caught and stuck to her.

“Bison 4-2-Actual this is - “

“ - take evasive action now.”

“Roger, vectoring Lightning-3 - “

She would have been proud if she hadn’t been so tired. This was the largest battle in eighty years. At least. Ninety thousand troops under her command from a dozen states, militia and Kingdom Army and security forces in one. Her leadership was the only thing holding them all together. Baatar had joked, on the march to Ba Sing Se, that it was strange; an army of immense disunity, fighting for unity. It hadn’t been a very funny joke. Baatar wasn’t good at them. An endearing quality.

The guard swung the door open ahead of her and saluted. She returned it automatically and went in.

It had been a noble’s retiring room before her army had come. He and his family had fled after Hou-Ting’s death, running for estates in Republic City rather than staying to piece his country back together. Elegant mahogany furnishing and a thick green pile carpet - oppressed under boxy cartographs and trodden flat by countless boots.

If the setting was evidence of military uniformity, the personnel, her generals, weren’t. Shan, her old second in Zaofu, still in gleaming metal armour. Jiang, a militia leader in homespun and an outrageous red scarf which almost distracted from the scar carving her face apart. Tsu, fresh from the front, every inch the mud-spattered military professional.

She shook his hand in the north-western style.

“Brief me,” she said, shortly.

“Tough fighting,” he replied, sounding as tired as she felt. The 15th Division had been grinding forward in the Lower Ring for close to a month. House by house, courtyard by courtyard. She’d had to rotate in more earthbenders to keep up the advance, and they were leaving precious little in their wake. “We’ve pressed them back almost halfway to the Middle Ring at the furthest point, but they’re bringing in more Dai Li and actual soldiers - no offence, Jiang.”

Jiang smiled without humour. “None taken.”

He went on. “So, its slowing. And they’re pushing back now, properly. The 31st was almost overrun this afternoon.”

“Understood,” she said, eyeing the map spread-eagled in front of them, metal unit markers and pinned in string showing positions, routes of march and supply, staging areas. Land vivisected and turned over to war. “And the north? Shan?”

“We’re holding steady,” he said, that calm baritone unchanged from Zaofu even when everything else was. “Minor engagements along the line. The 59th Infantry got the worst of it, but the enemy was driven off with air support.”

“They’re still massing for a major offensive?”

Shan dipped his head minutely. “Yes. At least two divisions of armour.”

“Must be damn near everything they’ve got left,” Jiang said. “None of that good stuff in the city, I tell ya.”

Kuvira decided to ignore her. Jiang was capable where it counted and aggravating in all else. “We need to accelerate our schedule,” she said, hand starting to rise so she could rub her brow. She stilled it deliberately and went on. “I spoke with Chief Tonraq an hour ago. The world leaders plan to convene and offer official backing to a warlord of their choice soon. Perhaps within the week.”

“They don’t have the right!” Tsu exclaimed.

“They have the power,” Kuvira said, bleakly. That was the essence of it. They didn’t want an Earth Kingdom in ruins or chaos. Not for the nation’s benefit, not of any sense of altruism. Just a political expedience. Suyin had refused to be that expedient. The hunt for another tool was on, with ponderous inevitability. If she wasn’t their chosen implement, for all it stung, she’d lose and so would the nation. “Tonraq’s on our side. I don’t know about the others. We need a fast and decisive victory.”

“If the Avatar - “ Jiang began.

“Assume the Avatar is dead,” Kuvira said. Too harsh and too far. She saw it in the expressions. Spirits, but she needed sleep. “We can’t rely on her intervention. We have to solve this one on our own. Tsu, how soon will the 15th be ready for a major push?”

He blinked and stiffened at the word of command, then paused to assess. “Two days. Perhaps three at the outside.”

“Make it two.”

“But, we’ll be overextended. Can the 22nd - “

“No,” she said. A wave of her hands shifted the map markers. “The 15th will advance further. Make it look like overextension. We’ll put the 22nd in as well, but in dribs and drabs. Regiment by regiment. Best opportunity they’ll get for that attack on our northern flank to work.”

Shan peered down at the map. “You’re contracting the position in the north? Like at Second Omashu?”

“Yes.” She nodded briefly, and explained to Tsu and Jiang, too frazzled or incompetent or both. “I’m going to peel troops off the northern lines and dig in around Achase - “ she indicated an agricultural town sitting at a crossroads which commanded much of the traffic to the wall breaches. “The 17th Armoured and our Si Wong cavalry will hide to the north-east - I’m pulling earthbenders from the 15th to make concealment. Once they’ve spent themselves against Achase, our reserves take them from the rear.”

Jiang snorted and stifled a half-born chuckle at Kuvira’s glare.

“Our attack will be much costlier without earthbenders,” Tsu said.

“I know,” Kuvira replied, sharp and brittle like frozen glass. Too few men and too few options. “You understand your orders?”

A round of nods, the courtesies of farewell, and Kuvira was left alone in the command room. The armchair in the corner was a plush, green silk affair. She wanted to sit. To sleep. To play a round of pai sho with Baatar. Any number of luxuries. But there was no time. There was simply no time.

She cursed the heavens and the spirits and the vicissitudes of world leaders. And went back to work.

#kuvira #baavira #lok #lok fanfic #kuvira probably needs a hug #and at this stage it would not be unethical to give her one

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josefavomjaaga · 4 years ago

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Some more letters from March 1814

March 1814. The French empire has four more weeks to go. Murat weather forecast for Northern Italy: still unsettled and changeable.

From the memoirs of Colonel Maceroni, Volume II:

On the occasion of Lord Bentinck's applying to Murat for the cession of Leghorn and Pisa, as above stated, it was through the remonstrances of the Austrian Count Mier, and of other diplomatists of the allied powers, that Lord Bentinck withdrew his demand, and appeared quite reconciled, friendly and respectful towards the king. This induced the latter to give implicit faith in the victories of Napoleon recounted in the bulletins, and exaggerated by the French officers who still remained in our army, and about the king's person. The king having now had so many evident proofs of the insincerity of the allies, which it is not necessary for me to recapitulate, now made a last attempt to join with Prince Eugene. He therefore deputed to him the Marquis Livron and Colonel Desmolands, but the Prince, more influenced by his personal animosity towards Murat, than by a desire to serve the Emperor, who has since said so much about his fidelity, not only refused to listen to the proposal, but found means of acquainting Marshal Bellegarde with the occurrence!

***

From DuCasse, Memoirs and Political and Military Correspondence of Prince Eugene, Vol. 10

Eugène to Murat, Borgoforte, 3 March 1814

Sire, Your Majesty is informed of the setbacks recently suffered by the corps of General Nugent; they are considerable.

This is the moment when I desire more than ever to know the definitive intentions of Your Majesty. I must adjust my movements accordingly. I therefore beg Him to tell me what I have to hope or to fear from His army.

I will not permit myself to put before him the reasons which he has for declaring himself frankly for the cause of the Emperor, I limit myself to asking him to be so good as, at least, to have his army take positions which do not impede my undertaking for the interests entrusted to me.

A certain number of troops belonging to Your Majesty have been found in Parma. I ordered that they be treated well and that they be set free; they were to be sent back to you the same evening.

The three divisions which operate on the right bank of the Po have orders to put themselves in communication with me through Borgoforte. I flatter myself that Your Majesty will want to put no obstacle in the way.

I hope for a favourable response from Him. I dare to ask for a precise answer. The estrangement with the Austrians must finally allow Your Majesty to listen to his interests and his heart and to reveal himself as that which, I have no doubt, he has not ceased to be.

***

From DuCasse, Memoirs and Political and Military Correspondence of Prince Eugene, Vol. 10

Murat à Napoléon (sans date)

Sire,

Votre Majesté court des dangers ; la France est menacée jusque dans sa capitale; et je ne puis défendre ni l'un ni l'autre, je ne puis mourir pour vous! et l'ami le plus affectionné de Votre Majesté est en apparence son ennemi! Sire, dites un mot, et je sacrifie ma famille, mes sujets; je me perdrai, mais je vous aurai servi, je vous aurai prouvé que toujours je fus votre meilleur ami. Je ne demande dans ce moment autre chose, pourvu que le vice-roi vous fasse connaître ma conduite... Les larmes qui remplissent mes yeux m'empêchent de continuer ma lettre. Je suis ici seul au milieu d'étrangers; je dois cacher jusqu'à mes larmes; cette lettre vous rend entièrement, Sire, le maître de mon sort. Ma vie est à vous. Aussi bien avais-je fait le serment de mourir pour Votre Majesté; si vous me voyiez et si vous pouviez vous faire une idée de ce que je souffre depuis deux mois, vous auriez pitié de moi.

Aimez-moi toujours. Jamais je ne fus plus digne de votre tendresse; jusqu'à la mort, votre ami.

Murat to Napoleon (undated)

Sire,

Your Majesty is in danger; France is threatened even in her capital; and I cannot defend either of them, I cannot die for you! and the most affectionate friend of Your Majesty is apparently His enemy! Sire, say a word, and I sacrifice my family, my subjects; I will lose myself, but I will have served you, I will have proved to you that I was always your best friend. I do not ask for anything else at this moment, provided that the Viceroy makes my conduct known to you... The tears filling my eyes prevent me from continuing my letter. I am here alone amongst strangers; I must hide even my tears; this letter makes you, Sire, the master of my fate. My life is yours. If you could see me and imagine what I have been suffering for the last two months, you would feel sorry for me.

Love me always. I was never more worthy of your tenderness; until death, your friend.

This is heartbreaking. And I fear, Napoleon did not get it at all. Judging from his reaction below, he probably assumed Murat was faking it.

***

From DuCasse, Memoirs and Political and Military Correspondence of Prince Eugene, Vol. 10

Napoleon to Eugene. Soissons, 12 March 1814

My son, I am sending you a copy of a most extraordinary letter I have received from the King of Naples.

At a time when I and France are being assassinated, such feelings are truly inconceivable. I also receive the letter which you write to me with the draft treaty sent to you by the King. You can see that this idea is madness. However, send an agent to this extraordinary traitor, and make a treaty with him in my name. Do not touch Piedmont or Genoa, and divide the rest of Italy into two kingdoms. Let this treaty remain secret, until the Austrians have been driven out of the country, and 24 hours after its signature the king declares himself and falls upon the Austrians. You can do everything in this sense, nothing must be spared in the present situation, to add to our efforts the efforts of the Neapolitans.

Afterwards, we will do what we want; for, after such ingratitude and in such circumstances, nothing binds. Wanting to embarrass him, I gave orders that the Pope be sent, by Piacenza and Parma, to the outposts. I let the Pope know that, having asked as Bishop of Rome to return to his diocese, I have allowed him to do so. Take care, therefore, not to commit yourself to anything in relation to the Pope, either to recognise him or not to recognise him.

I assume this undated letter by Murat also is the »note« Eugène was so furious about in an earlier letter, when he called Murat “totally nuts now”, but which he still sent on to Napoleon. Apparently, it did not go over too well with that one either.

***

From Helfert, »Joachim Murat«

Mier to Metternich (postscript)

Bologna this 6th of April 1814.

My Prince! I have been informed by a reliable source that about mid-March the Viceroy had made proposals to the King of Naples for an arrangement between them concerning Italy.

The King listened to them but took no action on them. Some Neapolitan generals, who had taken it into their heads to reunite Italy and put the King of Naples at the head of the Italians, continued to haggle and used all possible means to get the King to adopt their plan. They argued that for its realisation it was necessary to come to an agreement with the Viceroy.

Things remained as they were until Bentinck arrived in Livorno. A few days before the King had received a letter from Campochiaro announcing the refusal of England to accede for the moment to our treaty of alliance, and the difficulties of Russia and Prussia on the same subject. His whole report was so stitched as to inspire H. M. with great distrust of the views of the Allies in His regard. At the same time His Majesty was forced to ask Marshal Bellegarde to recall and replace General Nugent in the command of the Austrian division, in order to put an end to the continual gossip and harassment.

This unfortunate combination of circumstances, all designed to annoy His Majesty, was not lost on the Viceroy, and he rightly considered the moment favourable to renew his proposals. Bentinck's conduct served him wonderfully, and the King, pushed to the limit, believing himself to be sacrificed, decided to enter into talks with the Viceroy. The Duke of Gallo spoke out strongly against this step, but he was not well supported by the other people surrounding His Majesty. M. Generals Carascosa and Livron were sent on several occasions to the Viceroy's headquarters. In this time I had been near Marshal Bellegarde; we were not unaware of all that was going on. Lord Bentinck maintained by the positive data of the bad faith of the King of Naples the necessity of treating him as an enemy; but Marshal Cte Bellegarde knowing the position and the state of our army, foreseeing the unfortunate consequences which would result if we had the Neapolitans against us, and not wanting and not being able to take upon himself the decision of an affair of such importance, was firmly opposed to it, and we decided that it was necessary to prevent by all possible means that the King should throw himself on the side of the French.

The arrival of General Balascheff to sign a treaty of alliance, the reassuring statements Lord Bentinck was authorised to give in writing to the King about the British Government's feelings towards him, of which he had hitherto made no use, and more than all this the certainty I had that the Queen, whom I had warned of the turn affairs were taking here, would make up her mind to come and rejoin the King, gave me hope that S. M. return to himself, return to his commitments and duties, and that everything would be arranged amicably. The state of the Queen's health and the position of affairs in the kingdom of Naples did not allow her to come to Bologna, but she sent two persons of confidence to her august husband with letters and verbal declarations so firm and energetic, threatening Him to leave Him, to separate His fate entirely from hers, and to make the Neapolitan government take the course which its true interests required, if He ever dared to dishonour Himself by failing to keep His engagements with Austria (which would bring upon His kingdom inevitable misfortunes), that they produced all the effect that could be hoped for. The King acknowledged His wrongs, was ashamed of them, cut off all communications with the Viceroy and declared himself firmly unwilling to hear any more about them.

From that moment on things took a different turn here, and it is to be hoped that all will go well. On the 7th of this month the King will have an interview with Marshal Bellegarde at Revere, where the plan of operation will be discussed and decided. He is in the best of spirits; I hope that this time we will be able to make the most of it. For more than a month I have been endeavouring to persuade him to hand over the command of his troops to Marshal Bellegarde, and for his own sake to return to Naples. It was the only means of putting an end to all the mistrust, all the cabals, of ensuring us of Him to provide a unity to the operations of the two armies. I had asked the Queen to assist me in this respect. She entirely approved my project and made it agree to the King who is decided to give the command of His troops to Marshal Bellegarde as soon as the Viceroy will have been forced in his position on the Mincio. Once the King is in Naples, under the supervision of the Queen, we can be at peace about His conduct. I have the honour etc.

Mier.

Calling in the cavalry on the cavalry general: Caroline. Not trying to be disrespectful but Mier does sound a lot like a nursery school teacher running out of steam and patience with a toddler in his care. »That’s it. I called his mom.«

#italy1814 #napoleon #joachim murat #eugene de beauharnais #caroline murat #helfert murat

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newsnerd-ooc · 5 years ago

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Blogroll Summer 2020

Latilda Rommel @latilda-rommel

FC: Jodie Whittaker

One of my oldest characters in the WoWverse, Latilda Rommel is an enigma in her own right. Originally a journalist for her own paper, the fates drew her elsewhere to another adventure. Now she has found herself wrapped in the adventures of forces beyond our world, of Watchers and Fighters, of demons and darkness. As of June 2020, she will begin her biggest challenge yet, in facing what it means to be an Eternal Traveler. And yet she rarely loses her playful, friendly energy among the average man. If you are looking for adventure, look to her.

Looking for

Adventure! If you are wanting someone who can offer a small DMed adventure, Latilda is a reliable character for that. I have a few things I can toss at those wanting such a challenge.

Friends: something she and I need to do better is bother people. So we’ll be attempting to do better in coming weeks and months.

Rivals: Lat is chaotic good. So if you are looking for a challenge, she is happy to help.

Elyza Morrowbranch @morrowbranch

FC: Stephanie Beatriz

A Warden of the Kaldorei, Elyza Morrowbranch has lived and breathed war for nearly 10,000 years. It is who defines her. As a former operative of SI:7, Elyza has played human political games as well as those of her people, and does her best to offer a protective blade and shield to her kin, no matter the cost. She is looking for

Service: Elyza serves as a lead officer among the Wardens, both training and guiding those who need guidance. Whether you desire training or a blade at your side, she can be amended. Plus points for Kaldorei

Contacts: Elyza has mixed feeling about most races from the Eastern Kingdoms, seeing their actions as ignorant and stupid. She is willing to communicate with those who will listen. But it will be a tense moment

Horde opposition: Elyza despises the Horde, despite the opposition. She would prefer to see them burn. So if you want some conflict? Happy to oblige

Lethea Netherstrike @netherstrike

FC: Tessa Thompson

A former Warden herself, Lethea has served in the Outlands as a gun-for-hire since the fall of the Black Temple. A flirty fighter, she offers a light-handed approach to those who will listen. As of late, she has seemed off, in part due to the torture and modifications that came at the hand of another. She is seeking:

Contracts: need something hunted? She is your gal. Or perhaps you are the prey. We can arrange a reason for you to be hunted.

Contacts: we all need these.

Coping mechanisms: maybe you offer illicit substances, or ways to refixste on what matters in life. Alcohol. Drugs. You name it. She has an increased interest due to some recent changes in her body

More alts below:

Dr. Iris Plaguebloom @iris-plaguebloom

FC: Ruth Negga/Jodie Comer

A reclusive Ren’dorei medical official in her own right, Iris once specialized in poison and plague for the Sin’dorei. When her work was found legally questionable, she departed and joined the void elves as a street surgeon and plague doctor for hire. She lives in the back streets of Duskwood, offering a blade of a needle for the right coin. She desires

Employment: having vagrants pay to have scars sewn up is little coin in the grand scheme. She needs real money. If you would appreciate a private surgeon, she is available.

Experiments: poisons need a warm body to be tested on, as do experimental techniques. Perhaps your abrasion is the perfect tool for such an expression?

Exploitation: Iris is designed explicitly to have zero magic badass powers. But I would love to see her magically corrupted or taught to use her Void abilities. Maybe by someone with less than pleasant intentions.

Anaanke @holy-anaanke

FC: Chloe Grace Moretz

Once a young Lightbound Draenei under Exarch Yrel, her actions found herself severed from her own timeline and placed in our own. A sister of battle in her own way, she offers a challenge and abrasive personality in a world tainted by the dark. She is looking for:

Guidance: how must a holy warrior act in a world where the shadow is allowed to coexist? This is what Anaanke must learn to cope with.

Greatness: the warrior wishes to make her name for herself; in the name of the Light. Will you ally with her? Or stand away.

Anaanka @fiery-anaanka

FC: Chloe Bennet

An MU Draenei driven from her home in Outland; the young Draenei summoned the elements to guide her and defend her home. She became a fiery personality, mixing the martial arts of the Pandarens with the fury of the elements. She now has to deal with the fact that her own self ended up coming to her, except as a light-infused crusader filled with zeal. (Anaanke and Anaanka are the same character, for the record. Just two contrasting timelines) she seeks:

Drinking buddies

Sparring buddies

Employers

The mun: @newsnerd-ooc

A 27 year old male writer, Nerd works consecutively in the field of sociology and journalism for their employment. Nerd is a huge fan of roleplay, whether in private stories, community DnD campaigns, or large public WoW-based roleplay. He drinks far too much Diet Coke, tends to be particularly isolationist, and has way too many nerdy interests to count. He is Roleplaying with the particular interests of:

Discord roleplay: this is a preferred format, in part due to the flexibility of the medium as well as time restraints. Post when you can, of course!

In-game roleplay: starting in August, Nerd will be far more free for roleplay in-game, whether it is guild shenanigans or other things. The writer will be around.

Fixating on Mains: Latilda and Elyza both have the most RP history and will get priority if offered. However, if any specific character will work for your story, do not hesitate to approach.

Long-term arcs; several of nerd’s characters will play a significant part in driving toward Shadowlands, and would love to discuss crossover interests or how to make fun stories. There is an overarching storyline that involves many of Nerd’s alts, but that does not mean other stories cannot be pursued.

Thanks for reading this far. Any questions? Nerd can be found here on this blog or at News Nerd#4200 on Discord.

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ardentaislinn · 4 years ago

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Yuletide Letter 2020

Hi! I am also ardentaislinn on AO3. Thank you so much for volunteering to write one of my chosen fandoms! I really can’t wait to see what you come up with. Most importantly, I hope you have fun writing whichever of my fandoms it is. Any suggestions I make here are optional.

Here you’ll find:

My general likes

My DNWs

And prompts for the following fandoms:

Peninsula: Train to Busan 2 (2020) - Jung Seok, Min Jung, Joon Yi, Yoo Jin

Stranger | 비밀의 숲 - Hwang Si Mok, Han Yeo Jin

Kingdom | 킹덤 - Prince Lee Chang, Seo Bi

Illang: The Wolf Brigade | 인랑 (2018) - Im Joong Kyung, Lee Yoon Hee | Kim Seo Hee

A quick note on the Korean names - I’m fine with however you choose to transliterate them. Hyphen/no hyphen, Shi Mok/Si Mok, etc. Just do what you are comfortable with and I’ll adjust no problem. No need to add the honourifics, though

My likes:

I love getting together fics most of all. I love almost every kind of trope (fake dating, slow burn, rivals-to-lovers, “unrequited” pining (that is really requited), found families, etc.) Also, casefic, epistolary fic, consent, forbidden pleasures, beta heroes, bed sharing, masquerades, military kink, physical imperfections, ladies being badass and female relationships (whether romantic or friendship), relationships that build tension before exploding, equal relationships, trapped together, competence, communication, U/RST, positive endings.

You may notice from the below that my ships mostly involve sweet and occasionally broken men being head over heels for awesome ladies, (and usually not feeling worthy). So that dynamic is strongly encouraged.

I also like smut, but it certainly isn’t a necessity. For smut, I’m (sadly) fairly vanilla. But I like light bondage, cunnilingus, shower sex, and accidental/consensual voyeurism, (Particularly guys taking matters into their own hands when they think they can’t be with their lady, and the woman stumbling across him mid-act. Possibly my favourite kink ever? Writer’s choice whether the woman joins in or gets embarrassed)

Happy endings (or at least hopeful endings) are preferred. Like, super, super preferred. I don’t mind angst at all, but it kinda has to be on the way out of the darkness by the end.

Dislikes/DNWs:

Miserable endings. Major character death. Baby/Pregnancy fic. Humiliation. Drug use/drug mentions/addiction. Self harm/abuse. Non-con/rape. Heavy kink. A/B/O. M-Preg. Incest. Bestiality, animal harm etc. Underage sexual content. 1st person POV (unless for epistolary). Not big on high school AUs or Rock band AUs. Unbalanced power dynamics in ships without acknowledging/exploring that. (This effects one particular ship below, which I’ll discuss in more detail in the fandom section).

I think that’s it?

And so, to the fandoms, in no particular order:

Peninsula: Train to Busan 2

Jung Seok, Min Jung, Joon Yi, Yoo Jin

While maybe objectively not as good a film as the first one, I still enjoyed the hell out of it. Given that it was essentially a cross between Escape From New York and Mad Max, what isn’t to love? I loved the expansion of the world and the clever uses of zombies in the chase scenes. And I loved that the message was that being logical and self-sacrificing isn’t always the right choice - sometimes you should be driven by heart and empathy. And I really liked the idea that anything can mean happiness when you love and are loved in return - particularly in regards to Joon Yi, but also Jung Seok (and his found family?).

What would interest me the most in this fandom is post-movie fics. But if you wanna do a canon divergent/au thing, I’d be cool with that, too. Some prompts:

Joon Yi struggles a lot more than her sister to readjust to a “normal” life

In order to stay together after being rescued, Jung Seok and Min Jung have to pretend to be married

After four long years of loneliness, Min Jung just wants to be touched

Jung Seok isn’t surprised to find himself in love with Min Jung - and wanting to be a father to her girls - but is he good enough for them? He’s left them behind once - can he forgive himself? Can Min Jung?

The zombie plague escapes from Korea - and Jung Seok, Min Jung, and her girls are the closest thing to experts on how to fight back and contain it that the authorities have. Will their nightmare never be over? Or is this a chance to end it once and for all?

With Min Jung in hospital while her leg heals, Jung Seok suddenly finds himself a surrogate father to two very unruly girls.

Stranger | 비밀의 숲

Han Yeo Jin, Hwang Si Mok

This show is just so good, and Si Mok and Yeo Jin - and their relationship - is a big part of that. He’s logical and doesn’t feel things the way most other people do, but that doesn’t mean he’s given a free pass to be an asshole. He’s a good man who always does what’s right. And Yeo Jin is just as smart as he is, and equally committed to doing what’s right, but in a different way. They make a perfect team.

I love how much they absolutely, completely, trust and respect each other. Si Mok cares about her as much as he is capable - probably more so than he cares about anyone else. There isn’t any drama or jealousy or anything like that in their relationship. They are both practical adults. But it doesn’t mean they don’t have a deep bond. I do ship these two - and would love getting together fic if you can!

Prompts:

Yeo Jin will probably have a tough time of it from now on. How will Si Mok support her through it?

How will Yeo Jin and Si Mok keep in touch now that he’s moved away again? Late night phone calls that slowly become more intimate? Texts or emails (epistolary style)?

In the last episode, there was a hint that Si Mok had a prophetic dream. What if he really did develop a power? And Yeo Jin was the only one he trusted with the truth?

What if Yeo Jin and Si Mok had to travel somewhere for an investigation - and there’s only one bed…

Si Mok isn’t incapable of noticing when a woman is attracted to him. But what if that woman is Yeo Jin? Do they try to make a friends-with-benefits arrangement work? Or do they like each other two much for that?

Everyone already knows Yeo Jin and Si Mok are close - but why do their friends suddenly think they are dating? What’s changed? And how do they stop the rumours - without disappointing all the friends who were hoping they’d finally become a couple?

Yeo Jin had drunk one too many shots of soju and thought she might never see Si Mok again - so she’d jumped his bones and snuck out before he woke, full of regrets. But what happens now they have to work a case together again?

Feel free to bring in the other characters, too, as long as Yeo Jin and Si Mok remain the focus! I love the various dynamics they have with the people around them.

Kingdom | 킹덤

Prince Lee Chang, Seo Bi

Like with Si Mok and Yeo Jin above, so much of what I like about these two is that they are great characters separately - but work so well together as a team. They trust each other. He has great faith in her abilities and respects her so much. And she is loyal to him and respects him in return because she knows he’s a good man and a good leader.

I also love how the show uses both politics and horror elements, both to best advantage. It’s so well-written and compelling.

Now, I can see how this ship skirts close to my “no unbalanced power differentials in relationships” DNW, since he’s a prince, and she’s very much not royalty, so I thought I would clarify my position on this. I would most like fic set after he gives up his place in the royal family, since I think that mitigates basically all the issues. Even though I don’t think he would have intentionally abused his power over her, and Seo Bi was never particularly deferential to him, it still would have effected the relationship. Now that they are on more equal footing, there may be some lingering, residual issues surrounding this, but I feel like it’s at the level of bringing some interesting angst into the equation without feeling icky, if that makes sense.

Prompts:

Lee Chang and Seo Bi are somehow transported into modern day Korea. How will they adapt?

Both Lee Chang and Seo Bi have seen horrifying things - and they have the nightmares to prove it. How do they help each other through?

I feel like there are a million stories you could tell within the time jump at the end of the second season. Seo Bi and Lee Chang are travelling together, but no doubt keeping their mission to find the resurrection plant a secret. Are they pretending to be married? Is there anything Lee Chang has to adjust to now that he’s no longer, technically, the crown prince? How are they making money? Is Seo Bi hiring out her medicinal knowledge, while Lee Chang sells his sword? How far will they go to find the answers they seek?

The properties of the resurrection plant are still largely unknown. What horrors will they have to face next, now that another outbreak is looming?

Lee Chang decides that Seo Bi needs formal fight training - and takes it upon himself to teach her.

What moments of levity can they find together amongst the horrors?

Lee Chang knows he shouldn’t think of Seo Bi in that way - they are colleagues, and despite everything he is still from a royal family. He needs her too much to risk everything because of his desire. But oh, how he wants her…

Illang: The Wolf Brigade | 인랑 (2018)

Im Joong Kyung, Lee Yoon Hee | Kim Seo Hee

So much about this movie is absolutely my jam. The action scenes, the exploration of what desperation can drive people to, the unclear loyalties that are slowly revealed. That whole sequence when they first meet and spend time together is like a distillation of so many of my favourite things. He sees her and is just instantly gone on her. And she for him. And from then on it’s just a quiet, intense longing between them. They are so aware of each other, every sense drawn towards the other. But he’s so broken, and he sees himself as more animal than man. And it’s revealed that she has equally deep wounds, too.

An argument can be made that at least some of it was an act, of course. They were both trying to deceive each other after all. But I think it’s pretty obvious that there were real feelings there, particularly because she tries to warn him that he’s walking into a trap, and he comes back to save her. Maybe even they don’t know how deep their feelings go, or the other’s feelings, but the audience knows.

And yet...I’ve seen it twice now, and the ending is still no clearer to me. Like, is he dead? It doesn’t seem like it, since both she and her brother saw him at the train station. But maybe he’s like a guardian angel now? And if he’s not dead, where did the shot come from? A hidden gun? The sniper? And most importantly of all, if he’s not dead...why aren’t they together??? Like, aren’t all the potential impediments to their relationship gone by that point?

So, I guess most of all I would like fic that makes more sense than that ending - preferably by giving them the happy ending they deserve.

Prompts:

Joong Kyung watches over Yoon Hee from the shadows - but she always knows he’s there. How can she convince him to come into the light, and back into her life?

Yoon Hee’s brother gets himself into trouble, and the only person she can turn to for help is a man she hasn’t seen in too long - Joong Kyung.

Joong Kyung now walks the line between the living and the dead, but he can’t stay away from Yoon Hee. (Paranormal/magic AU?)

Has there been too many lies between them to make a relationship work? Neither think they are worthy of the other, but when they are pulled back together (to give evidence for an official inquiry?) they can’t quite keep their distance.

Joong Kyung is on the run, and he doesn’t know who to trust - except the one woman he’s never forgotten.

Misunderstandings and lies abound between them - but what happens when they are trapped together and must wait for rescue?

If you don’t want to do a post-canon fic, how about canon divergence? What would have happened if the phone hadn’t rung in that warehouse at that moment? Might Yoon Hee have told herself that she could use her body to prove her loyalty to him? And might Joong Kyung have told himself that it couldn’t hurt to succumb - that it didn’t mean anything?

I think that’s everything. Thank you so much!

#yuletide 2020 #yuletide letter 2020

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precuredaily · 5 years ago

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Precure Day 178

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 30 - “Milk’s Resolve and Everyone’s Power!” Date watched: 5 April 2020 Original air date: 2 September 2007 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/bzG8Kza Transformation Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/6k6SzS0 Project info and master list of posts: http://tinyurl.com/PCDabout

when all their brooches glow you know you’re in trouble

You should know by now that episode 30 correlates to a fairy-driven powerup of sorts.

FWPC: Porun and the Rainbow Braces

Max Heart: Lulun and the Heartiel Brooch

Splash Star: Moop & Foop and the Crystal Communes

Well, this is no different. Sure, they technically already used Precure Five Explosion once, to defeat Girinma, but they didn’t fully understand their abilities at that time. In this episode, we get the first full combining sequence of the Symphony Set and Milk to create the giant saucer that they fly on.

The Plot

Nozomi and Milk are squabbling as usual, this time because Milk ate some chocolate that Nozomi bought for herself. Which is rude, by the way, don’t do that. Nuts has everyone sit down and try to work things out. While they’re there, the other girls ask Milk what being an apprentice caregiver entails, and she explains that she had to learn about the Palmier Kingdom’s politics, economics, culture, history, and everything else about the kingdom. After some potshots from Nozomi, Milk fires back by saying she doesn’t want to entrust the future of the Palmier Kingdom to someone with no dreams and therefore that Nozomi fails at being a Precure.

Nozomi is stunned by this.

Over in Nightmare, Arachnea confronts Kawarino and demands a black mask like he gave to Girinma. He warns her about the side effects of losing her free will but she insists, and he gives her one, commenting on her impressive resolve. After she leaves he has a horrifyingly evil grin on his face, and Bunbee, who saw the whole thing, looks on with concern.

The next day, at Natts House, the others explain to Coco that Nozomi went straight home from school and he confirms to them that Milk is still hiding in her room. Karen decides to go talk to her, and admits to Milk that Nozomi is able to allow people to be honest with themselves and inspire the best in them. She really admires Nozomi’s skills at bringing people together and is grateful to her for pulling her out of her loneliness. She goes on to explain that she herself has no dream for her future, and neither does Rin, and that she admires people like Urara and Komachi who have already figured out their dream, as well as Nozomi and Rin, who are living in the moment while they figure it out. She encourages Milk to be more honest with herself and make amends with Nozomi.

Meanwhile, Nozomi shuts herself in a room and takes off her Pinky Catch, thinking maybe she really does fail as a Precure.

On a rooftop overlooking Natts House, Arachnea is preparing for her attack when Bunbee shows up and asks her not to use the black mask. She ignores him and charges in with ferocity. When Rin, Urara, Komachi, and Karen realize Arachnea is outside, they confront her and transform. They try to fight her but she turns their attacks back on them, grabbing Rouge and Aqua as they try to charge her and throwing them into Lemonade and Mint, knocking them all over. She steals the Dream Collet from Nuts and brags about how simple this was. Milk latches onto her arm, like she did at Nightmare HQ in episode 24, but Arachnea just pulls her off and begins to lecture the Cures about their ineffectiveness against her. At that moment, Nozomi shows up, being alerted by the glow of her Pinky Catch. She quickly apologizes to Milk and then says that although she may be a failure as a Precure, she wants to keep fighting to make Coco, Nuts, and Milk’s dream come true and therefore she wants to continue being a Precure. In a powerful moment, she holds her Pinky Catch out in front of her, it turns back into a butterfly, and then it lands right back on her wrist, reaffirming her worth and her place in the team. She transforms and her mere presence is enough to reinvigorate her teammates, as they turn the tables on Arachnea and overpower her, proving they’re more than the sum of their parts as they recover the Dream Collet and pushing her into a corner.

Left with no other options, Arachnea finally pulls out the black mask and puts it on, mutating into a giant, monstrous version of herself.

Once again the tables turn in her favor and she throws the cures around, tossing them into buildings or the ground. The fairies stand between Arachnea and the fallen girls, who are too weak to move. Nozomi begs them to move but Milk gives a speech explaining how she trusts and is thankful for the girls’ hospitality and friendship, and that she loves Nozomi. She then says that Dream is a precious Precure to her and she wants to join her and the others. They stand up and their brooches start to glow as inspiring music starts to play. Milk latches onto Dream’s left arm and transforms into an armband, and then the glow from Dream’s brooch extends down her right arm and her Dream Torch appears. (note: when she summons it normally, it goes down her left arm) The others let the glow travel down their left arms but instead of summoning their weapons, instead they launch them into the air and they combine with the Dream Torch to form a larger baton. Dream places it on top of Milk as an armband, who infuses it with her power, and it shoots into the sky in giant size. From there, they perform Precure Five Explosion, flying straight into Arachnea and destroying her. The full sequence is below.

vimeo

Back inside Natts House, Nozomi and Milk apologize to each other. Nozomi proposes they split a chocolate bar that Milk brought to make up for yesterday’s incident, and Milk agrees, but then she quickly snatches it back at the last minute and leads Nozomi in a chase around the store. For some reason, nobody calls her out on her rudeness and instead they laugh it off as we close out on a still frame of Nozomi chasing Milk.

The Analysis

This is a fantastic episode, and despite similarities to previous Milk episodes, it actually does take her in a new direction. I had to go back and double-check. Her major character beats so far have been learning to adapt to this world, wanting to help out in battle, and now, actually wanting to be friends with all the girls (especially Nozomi). She does make progress at being sincere about her feelings.... although the ending shows she still has a lot of innate selfishness to overcome. She loves to torment Nozomi and it makes me sigh. But, she’s making progress. I gave crap to Porun and Lulun during their early days and I’m starting to think I was too hard on them relative to her, but, again, she’s getting better. When Milk is being sincere and earnest she’s nice to have around, and she forms an especially strong bond with Karen. We’ll see that explored in greater depth in a few episodes.

One aspect I think was CRUCIAL to both Milk’s development as a character and advancing the core theme of this show, which is dreams, is outright stating that several of the team actually do not have dreams they’re working towards right now. Really only Urara and Komachi know what they want to do. Milk says she can’t trust anyone who doesn’t have a dream to be a Precure, before Karen turns around and tells her that she herself has none, yet, and neither does Rin. Nozomi became a Precure to help Coco fulfill HIS dream, Rin joined to protect Nozomi, and Karen joined because she wanted to help. None of them have ambitions of their own, they’re still working that out, Not knowing what you want to do but doing your best at what you can do is a really important and powerful message for the audience, and it helps Milk resolve a conflict within herself about how much the girls fight for her wellbeing without having their own ambitions.

On the literal front, Milk turning into an armband for Dream is certainly an.... interesting way to incorporate her into the sequence. As far as alternate modes for fairies go so far, it beats the laptop computer that Porun turned into but it’s not as practical as the cell phones of yore, or the human forms that Coco and Nuts can take (but she’ll get there eventually). A toy of it exists so I assume this was Bandai’s idea first and the show’s staff had to figure out how to make it work in animation.

To their credit, it looks a LOT better in the show than as a toy. It’s still kind of silly looking but at least it directly incorporates the mascot into the attack in some way rather than simply dispensing the powerup.

Alas, poor Arachnea. She wasn’t my favorite villain in the show, but of the remaining crew, she wouldn’t have been my first choice for elimination (that would be Gamao). It’s unfortunate to see her go, but it was time to change things up. I like that Arachnea went to Kawarino rather than being given the black mask due to poor performance. Not that her job performance has been any better than Girinma’s was but it’s just an interesting direction. Ever since Girinma’s defeat she’s acted overconfident, like she sees this as an opportunity and has a plan. She hasn’t really acted on that idea until now, but being a go-getter and asking for the mask is a welcome change. What’s really interesting to me is that she almost doesn’t even need it. During the fight she pretty much has the girls on the ropes and considering she had the Dream Collet in her hands she could have just left right then and there, but her pride demands she defeat the girls, and that’s when Nozomi arrives and turns the tables, forcing Arachnea to put on the black mask and go full monster.

Interestingly, despite Kawarino’s apparent indifference to Arachnea’s plight, Bunbee seems genuinely concerned for her. He’s an okay boss who looks out for his employees sometimes, and having seen what the black mask did to Girinma, who he considered an old friend, he doesn’t want Arachnea to suffer the same fate. She ignores his concern but it’s a rare moment of honor among villains, and a seed for Bunbee’s eventual pseudo-redemption at the end of GoGo.

I love the genuine concern on his face.

The villains have actually had their hands on the Dream Collet several times in this series, and each time their arrogance results in it slipping through their grasp. This somewhat annoys me if I’m being honest, but on the other hand it shows how ill-managed Nightmare is. Even Kawarino himself has had it in his clutches but a couple of fairies are able to steal it back with a coordinated effort. There should be an administrative review about this, everyone is doing it and it really undercuts their company’s objective. However, it shows the resourcefulness and resilience of the girls and fairies to be able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, as we’ve seen them do over and over.

On the animation and art side of things, this episode is great. I love this shot of the spider shadow darkening the shop sign, even though Arachnea doesn’t turn into an actual spider.

It’s a moment of ominous foreboding and it’s wonderful. Also, when she first makes her appearance in the fight, Arachnea’s eyes are glowing and she looks ready to kill. The fight is fluid and the action is well-choreographed, and has an important moment of mirroring before and after Nozomi’s arrival. Arachnea uses the same web attack on them both times, but before Nozmi shows up they get hit by it, while afterwards they effortlessly dodge it and run on the webs to knock the Dream Collet out of her hands. It’s the little things that make me smile.

Interestingly, I noticed a lot of Dutch angles in this episode.

A tilted camera is a film trick designed to make the audience uneasy, and it’s used very well here. I don’t often notice camerawork but this stuck out at me.

Now, on the other hand, there is a small animation error that I feel compelled to point out. It takes place during the stock animation for Precure Five Explosion, specifically the point at which the four supporting components are flying in to attach to the Dream Torch. For a few frames, the Lemonade Castanet is incorrectly colored green like the Mint Leaf, instead of the proper yellow. As it gets closer to the camera, this is fixed.

(These are subsequent frames, one right after the other.)

I’m surprised that this made it into the stock footage, and wasn’t fixed for the blu ray releases I’m using for my reviews. I’ll have to see if it gets fixed in future uses.

Of course there’s also some small moments of merchandise pushing in this episode. Aside from the obvious Symphony Set, the box to hold the Pinky Catch makes another appearance, and I had to point it out because it’s very detailed.

None of these points detract from the episode in any meaningful way, I just feel obligated to document them. This episode is fantastic from start to finish, it reinforces the strong bond the characters have and Nozomi’s role on the team, builds on Karen and Milk’s relationship, and moves us into the next stage of the show. It’s a great cap to the first 2/3 of the show and I can’t wait for more.

Next time, on Precure Daily: Coco is getting love letters and Nozomi doesn’t know how to feel about this. Look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 0 Kettei!

#Precure #Pretty Cure #Yes! Precure 5 #YPC530 #PCD178

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daughter-of-water · 5 years ago

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My Star Wars avatar au Ben - water (blood) Rey - avatar Finn - water Leia - water Luke - air Poe - Fire Palps - Fire (lightening) Vader - avatar (since turning to the dark side he couldn’t enter the avatar state) Padme - water (healing) Han - nonbender Rose - Earth Obi wan - air Thoughts?

I’m sorry. This is going to have to be under cut. I have a lot of feelings on Avatar AUs.

I think you may have way too many benders. Han shouldn’t be the only non bender of the cast. Bending in ATLA is strongly implied to be a recessive gene and influenced on the individual’s spirituality. Nonbenders equal if not outnumber benders and any Avatar AU I think should probably reflect that. As George Lucas draws inspiration for the Force from the Chinese concept of chi (qi), which in ATLA powers bending, it’s probably safe to define who is a bender along the lines of who is force sensitive. As for the individual characters:

Ben: He probably would fit fire best of all. His fighting style is aggressive and fairly reckless like a firebender as opposed to graceful and fluid like a waterbender’s. The people of the Fire Nation to paraphrase Iroh are willful and driven to achieve their goals. I don’t think anyone would argue that Ben is a determinator. His personality and narrative arc furthermore is very similar to Zuko’s, ATLA’s most famous firebender. On the surface it might seem that Ben would align with Water because he seeks to move away from the past and water is the element of change but his means of doing it, is through destruction (”killing the past). That’s very Fire Nation. The philosophy of the Knights of Ren even evokes fire. Like Fire, “The Ren doesn’t stop to worry about what it’s burning or the right or wrong of it”. It just consumes everything.

Rey: The power up sequence where she hears all the voices of the Jedi before her is definitely akin to the Avatar state but unlike Anakin, she’s never had an actual Avatar like prophecy attached to her. Most people I think make her the Avatar in Avatar AUs simply because she’s the protagonist so if you want your AU to be unique, you might want to take that into consideration. In terms of personality and values, Rey could go either Earth Kingdom or Water Tribe. She’s persistent and enduring like an earthbender but yet shows hallmarks of a waterbender in the way she’s adapted to survive on Jakku. She longs for a sense of a family, love and a community to belong to which is also very Water Tribe. Her fighting style does not involve enduring attacks from an opponent until she spots a moment to strike like an earthbender does. Her style is a bit acrobatic. She often jumps away to avoid attacks like an airbender but when she deflects her opponent’s attacks they are all pretty lethal. She never restrains herself in a fight which pretty much rules out airbender entirely. But even as aggressive as she can be in a fight, firebender seems to be a poor fit for Rey’s personality. She’s not goal orientated nor does power even interest her in the slightest. Waterbender or Water Tribe Avatar probably makes the most sense to go but if you are going to pay lip service to Rey Palpatine then you are probably going to be locked into whatever element you make Palpatine for Rey.

Finn: Finn’s natural inclination from the start was to run and be free from the First Order. That’s textbook airbender. If you are going to go with Finn being force sensitive, then airbender probably makes the most sense.

Poe, Rose and Padme are not force sensitive so I’m not as inclined to see them as benders but I think the elements you associate with them are spot on for those characters.

Leia: Like Ben, I favor Fire for her. She’s an extremely driven, energetic woman. In Claudia Gray’s Bloodline, her politics are marked by a desire to return greater power to the individual planets within the Republic. This suggests a more individualistic character over one that is more community orientated.

Anakin: The “chosen one” prophecy makes him the natural choice for Avatar and like his daughter and grandson, I see him as Fire Nation. At his core, he’s an extremely ambitious person driven by a desire for power as much if not more so than by a fear of abandonment. Unfortunately if you are following the avatar cycle as outlined by ATLA whatever element you chose for Anakin is going to impact whatever element you choose for Rey or Palpatine if you make Rey an Avatar. If Anakin is a Fire Avatar then Rey as an Avatar is going to have to be a Air which frankly doesn’t fit either Rey or Palpatine’s characters. In this case you might want to ignore the Avatar cycle as it normally is ordered all together or kill off how many Avatars it takes until you reach the element you think fits Rey best.

Obi Wan Kenobi: The element of air that you chose for him probably is not a bad choice. He certainly does strive to live out the Jedi concept of detachment from worldly concerns which is very airbender. Soresu, the dueling form he utilizes, lacks much in the way of offense and is focused on tiring out an opponent which is essentially what an airbender does during their fights.

Luke: In the original trilogy, I got a very strong sense that water was Luke’s element. Initially it might seem when he laments about being stuck on Tattooine for want of adventure that a desire for freedom is at the core of his being but it’s actually stemming more from a desire for change which is associated with waterbending. Family, furthermore, is of paramount importance to him. It’s what prompts him to initially refuse the call to adventure. His uncle told him he was needed on the farm so Luke doesn’t go until the Empire forces his hand. It’s what causes him to abandons his training with Yoda. He fears that his newfound family, Leia and Han, are in trouble and he rushes to their aid. It’s what drives him him to assume the mantle of the Jedi like his father before him and reach out to his father on the Dark Side. It’s really in the sequel trilogy that Luke starts to act more in line with an airbender. He detachs from his nephew even before Ben falls never allowing him to call him ‘uncle’ then absconds to an island rather than own up to what he did to prompt said Fall. I don’t think it is a natural part of Luke’s personality to evade. I think this is a result of poor writing or at the very least poor character development.

Palpatine: This guy seems to be pretty much the most firebender of firebenders to ever bend fire. He cares solely about power and achieving his goals. He has no room for anything else. In terms of fighting style, he’s extremely aggressive though I’ve seen people remark that his form seems to switch based on his opponent which suggests he’s extremely adaptable like a waterbender. Waterbending villains (Hama, Yakone, Noatak, Tarrlok, Unalaq) are particularly manipulative and cold blooded like Palpatine. They tend to present a pleasant face to the world to mask the true cruelty inside whereas firebenders seem to be pretty upfront about their evil. Bloodbending, the subset skill of waterbending, in particular fits the Emperor’s personality to a tee. He’s the ultimate puppetmaster. I think you could go either Fire or Bloodbender with him.

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longif · 2 years ago

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Queen elizabeth iword search

I want to suggest she say to him, “Prime Minister - you really shouldn’t have had those Downing Street pandemic parties when everyone else was locked down watching ‘East Enders’ with a grumpy relative or two. If I could meet the Queen today, I would tell her how worried I am about Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s behavior. As a politically neutral part of Britain’s governing machinery - allowed by custom to advise, warn and be consulted - the Queen is the people’s best shot at a highly-placed person who might, just might, drop a timely word in a powerful ear. The Queen is like a sympathetic ear, a court and a listener of last resort. We were Black and White Brits, relics of the old empire, who acknowledged a connection-with each other, and with the woman who had succeeded her father King George VI before we were even born.Īt 96, Elizabeth still holds her often fractious subjects together and puts the “United” in a “Kingdom” where Scotland, England and Northern Ireland can periodically threaten to part ways. We joked, but with affection and respect. “She worries about everybody,” he said, and we both laughed as he waved me through the barrier. “I do love the Queen and I know she worries about me,” I said, tongue in cheek. When I confessed that I did not have it, he replied, “What’s the matter with you? Don’t you love the Queen anymore?” passport that I had been born in England, asked whether I had my British passport with me. A middle-aged immigration officer with a strong Jamaican accent, upon seeing in my U.S. Much more recently, a telling exchange unfolded upon my arrival at London’s Heathrow Airport. Years later I basked in reflected glory when my mother was presented to the Queen in a group of people being honored for their community service. As a child, I saw her once: she was being driven down Prince’s Street, in Edinburgh. Why do I care about this anniversary and the Queen and the monarchy?Īs an expatriate Englishwoman, I admit regretfully that I have never met the monarch. During the long Jubilee holiday, the British are planning street parties, concerts, countless loyal addresses and presentations, and the enjoyment of the family’s “balcony wave” from Buckingham Palace. Like Hamlet’s father’s ghost, Her Majesty could a tale unfold, private and public, some of which at least might harrow up the soul and freeze the blood.īut the Platinum Jubilee is a time for celebration of one woman’s consistent devotion to her duty and of the nation’s own 70-year story. My mother is long gone, but that new young queen, then just 25, lives on and celebrates her Platinum Jubilee this summer. Thus the new reign of Queen Elizabeth II began. A window cleaner called to her from his ladder: “Have you heard? The King is dead!” Professor of English Rosemary Haskell In February 1952, a few years before I was born, my mother was wheeling my older sister in her pram along a street in suburban London.

#Queen elizabeth iword search

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thong-in-the-twist · 7 years ago

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Persona (non) grata

Summary: oldie but goldie - police&criminal!AU

You’ve learnt not to talk about certain things at a pretty young age. You didn’t understand that back then. Children don’t understand why they are not allowed to say some things. They take the censorship at the face value – it’s just another thing that parents impose on you, like wearing pants and washing your teeth. Another stupid rule to make your life a little more boring. To make you more like them.

But then you’ve learnt that you are one of those few whose censorship is stronger than the rest.

Take the simple question: what your parents do? It’s an easy question, that is being asked a lot at a certain age. It’s greeted with smiles and proud answers, and follow-up questions whether you want to be like your mom, your dad, your whoever.

Your answer was usually greeted with small oh and awkward stares. If you were lucky.

If you weren’t, it resulted with parents forbidding their kids to play with you.

That’s what you get when your parents are criminals.

They weren’t bad parents. You were fed, and loved, and clothed, and scolded, and raised – but the money supporting the family came from various sources, none of them totally white, totally legal.

Up till the end of the primary school you even had a permanent place of residence, your parents, though shady, part of the community.

Until the big job came around, and with it big money, and pretty nice wanted poster, which your parents still keep as a weird family photo. They were proud.

They were loaded and proud, and you were loaded and lonely. Except for constant police surveillance. As if you parents were stupid enough to appear in front of you. They left you with squeaky clean laundered money, and arrays of house ladies to cook, to clean, maybe even to raise you.

But you didn’t go around answering questions like: who are your parents? Why they never come to see you?

You met him for the first time in front of the building of your high school. Half of the kids came with their proud parents, and you passed them indifferently. Even if one day you felt a pang at that, it wasn’t there anymore. And your mom called you in the morning to wish you good luck on the secured line.

You weren’t dysfunctional family – just – different.

And there the boy was, all smiley and happy, kind of embarrassed to be driven to school by the parents, waving them away. His father patted him on the back, mother kissed his cheek – looking smart and professional in her fitted suit. She sported high ponytail, that made you kind of want to replicate that.

Your eyes locked with boy’s father as you were passing them, and you bowed politely, and he narrowed his eyes at you, while mother squeezed her son’s shoulder. The boy himself spotted the sudden interest of his parents behind him, and he turned around to look at you.

You winked at him, earning yourself an uncomfortable cough from the cop that used to be part of your surveillance team, and detective that is probably still on the force trying to catch your parents (as soon as they are back from the non-extradition country that are currently at).

The boy takes to eyeing you. In the beginning you only met on corridors, since you were in a different classes, but every time you saw him, he was looking at you with a curiosity chiseled into his futures – soon enough everyone believed he had a crush on you.

But you knew better.

Either he didn’t know why would you greet his parents, and he was dying to find out, or he knew and he saw you like this curious specimen, the abandoned child of thieves.

This changed in the second year, because you ended up in the same classroom. It took him three days, before he was sliding on the chair in front of you during a break, chin resting on the backrest. He looked at you until you looked up.

“Yeah?” You asked, trying to sound as withdrawn as possible. He narrowed his eyes at you, but then he smiled, relaxing his face.

“So… What’s the deal with you?”

You didn’t answer back then, and you didn’t answer hundred questions that came after the first one. And he kept trying. He kept pestering you day after day, week after week, month after month, apparently deaf to all the kids’ teases about his helpless crush.

And boy, was he persistent.

You told your mom about him, and she laughed and laughed, and then called your father to say how hilarious it would be if their son-in-law was son of the cops.

You didn’t join in with the laughter.

He stopped pestering you in the third year. After vacations he came back taller, way taller than you remembered him, and his face lost most of his childish appeal – making way for sharp angles and pronounced bones.

His eyelashes were always dark and nice, but suddenly they started catching your interest.

But he no longer came to slide on the seat in front of you, or next to you, whichever was empty to ask you who you were. Now he was sitting down at his own desk, with open book, studying as hard as he could. It wasn’t weird – he wasn’t the only one to do that, you were seniors after all.

You didn’t make much out of it – you weren’t that keen on studying, that’s the only thing your parents couldn’t force you to do. They were making more money stealing than 90% of university graduates.

So while your classmates were studying you found a new group to hang out with. With fake id in your hand you were learning the hedonistic ways of life. Clubs, karaoke bars, even your own house. All was the place for debauchery.

But you quietly attended your classes, more to make sure that they didn’t have a reason to call for your parents (because it would be a hell to pay for you if they did) than to receive the education. You had to suffer through countless consultations about your future, what you should study, where you should study. It took one outburst of my parents are criminals, no need for me to study for your teachers to never take you on one of those again.

Somewhere in the middle of the year you overheard your room teacher talking to your math teacher about how curious the life is. To have in one class the kids of both cops and criminals, with both of them wanting to follow in their parent’s footsteps.

That’s how you learnt that Haein was studying to become a cop.

His parents came to the graduation. Yours didn’t. You greeted them just like you did back on the first day of high school, and Haein looked at you, old curiosity sparked anew. His parents were as taken aback as they were those three years before, but even you couldn’t spoil their day.

After taking pictures with parents and friends he ran after you. He asked for a photo, and it was a first time he asked you something different than what’s your deal, so you said yes. You smiled and raised victory sign to your face as you looked into his camera.

He smiled brightly, head tipped to your side, took picture and thanked you afterwards.

You saw him again two years later, while out in the club. The night wasn’t any different from those countless before. You didn’t know why he happened to be in this club, but at the same you didn’t know why you were in this particular club either. It seems like things like that just happen.

You saw him, or rather he saw you, when you pushed in next to him at the bar, laughing with a random guy you met a moment before.

You waved the bartender and turned to the guy, when you heard your name spoken with a note of doubt. You turned around to face the caller, Haein, whose face lit up when he saw you.

You did the talk. How are you, how is life, what have you been doing? Your answers were short and brisk, but it didn’t put him off. It seemed like he genuinely wanted to know how you were.

You learned that police academy was coming along quite well.

Your dancing partner for the night ordered shots, and forced one into your hand. You took it as a rescue it was. You downed it, and threw a short see you around, and drugged the guy back to the dance floor.

Next time you saw him it was a rather awkward meeting.

Your car was hit by another car, while Haein was out on his patrol, and he happened to see it – so he forced the driver to wait for the owner of damaged car (you), since it seemed to be really luxurious. Because it was.

Nearly five years passed since you graduated high school, but neither of you changed. His face lit up when he saw you, and the sheer wonder at your car made you uncomfortable. Maybe it wasn’t best money could buy, but it was pretty close.

It’s been really long since your parents’ money started making money. At the same time your money, were making money as well, all in legal investments. You were managing the legal part of your parents’ empire – not being allowed to touch anything that wasn’t perfectly legal or squeaky clean.

You settled with the other driver quickly, and he drove away as soon as he can, leaving you with Haein. He looked like a model citizen in his uniform, reminding you of boy scout. He eyed your car long enough for you to grow uncomfortable.

“I know it’s been years…” He said suddenly, turning to you while you drank vending machine coffee on the street, leaning against street railing. “But seriously, what’s the deal with you?”

You shrugged, not answering, and you downed your coffee, ready to hit the road.

You father slipped. It was bound to happen, sooner or later, and you were surprised it lasted so long. Most of the empire came tumbling down, your mother fleeing on her own, but you didn’t worry. Not much anyway. Your mother would be fine, settling in a new place, forming her new kingdom, your investments were safe, and your father… At least you knew that for the first time in years you’d be able to see him anytime you wanted.

In prison, after a fair trial. Obviously. He joked that it was his retirement.

But he could still be acquitted. Things like that did happen too.

But you got called in for questioning. It was something you couldn’t just skip and even if you considered it unnecessary hassle, and you still had to go.

You were prepped half of your life for this to happen, so you didn’t flinch when they led you to interrogation room. You sat at the table on the uncomfortable chair, not having to try to look bored. You were bored.

And you knew that they were trying to shake you up by leaving you alone for prolonged period of time – probably looking at you though the mirror.

When the door finally opened and detective came in, you were in for a surprise. Or maybe you expected that?

Haein looked a little shaken, and though his face did not lit up, his eyes looked as if they did. He sat down in front of you, his eyes snapping to the mirror, and it made you wonder whether his mother was behind the glass. After all her team was the one to catch your father in the end.

Which made you wonder where in the force was Haein’s father right now.

“Congrats on your promotion.” You said, and he looked up surprised, and he smiled a little, before he schooled himself realizing he shouldn’t have done that.

“Well, thank you. I would like to ask some questions, if you wouldn’t mind?” He said, trying to be serious, and you smiled.

“Ask away, but you do know, since, well, we’ve known each other for quite a long time, that while I don’t mind you asking, I am not about to answer anything.” Haein snickered a little, his eyes jumping to the mirror, as if checking if people behind it saw him lose control.

After that he was all professional. Asking questions, one by one, and you refused to answer every single one of them. It was a dreary and dull process, but finally you were done.

“Well, at least now, I know what was the deal with you.” He said as he walked you out. You said nothing, but at the main entrance you stopped, and asked the very first question of your own.

“Was my family a frequent guest in your family’s dinner discussions?” Haein smiled apologetically.

“Yeah.”

Courtroom is filled to the brim. Reporters, reporters and reporters, with miscellaneous crowd thrown in the mix, they are all here to see your father, and usually – to see the justice be served.

Your father looks old. Older. And tired. Way more tired than when you saw him for the last time. Was it junior high? High school? You don’t remember really. You exchanged photos, and they did contact you on a weekly basis, but to see him in real life – that was first in ages.

And people gawked at you as well. The daughter of the criminal. Filthy rich daughter of the criminal, still walking free, but probably she’s next in line. How bold of her to come here. How bold of her to be in this sacred place, where the justice will be served.

You’d like to say that it bothered you. That you feel the modicum of shame. The truth is – you don’t. You are not ashamed of your father. You are not ashamed of being in the courtroom.

To see the justice be done.

Although you are not sure that it will be done.

Police with prosecutors froze your father’s assets. But they didn’t froze neither yours nor your mothers (and it’s not like they found all of your father’s accounts anyway). So your family, in the world where money is power, wasn’t powerless.

Of course he had the best lawyer. Not in town, no. Your mother flew him into the country, to ensure that your father would be back with her in less than a year.

And you came to see if it was possible.

You notice Haein sitting in the first row, probably to serve as a witness.

Sure enough somewhere in the middle of the pre-trial, he is called to the witness stand, and your father sends you a surprised glance. You shrug, even though you are surprised that he remembered about the boy that used to pester you in high school.

Haein catches up with you after the trial. You don’t greet him, but you allow him to fall in step with you.

“You saw your father.” He says, hands in his pockets.

He looks nice in the formal uniform. Better. Taller. More responsible. You still remember him in the fluorescent traffic vest.

“I did.” You answer, moving your bag to your other arm. You have no idea why, but you didn’t like it being between the two of you.

As if he could steal something from you.

“You’ll be able to see him more often now, I guess.” If it wasn’t Haein, smiley, clueless Haein, you’d consider the sentence offending. You’d stop, and you’d put on your sassy attitude to put down the person trying to undercut you.

“I will enjoy it, while it lasts.” You say, because that is what you plan to do. His hand suddenly grabs your arm and he jerks you to stop.

“What does it mean?” He asks. You are taken aback, and you brush away his hand, and he seems embarrassed when his hand drops to his side.

“It means that you are not going to put him away, Haein.”

You stop going to see your father trial after the third day. It’s a sad play really.

They try, oh boy, do they try. Evidence after evidence, expert after expert, witness after witness, and the lawyer throws them out one after another. It’s methodical, meticulous, and really, sad to watch. The frustration in the court is palpable, judge pleading the prosecutor to bring something undefeatable. Reporters ceasing stopping with their stories, because of the unsatisfying plotline.

It’s never fun when the bad guys win.

Money. There is nothing more powerful than money.

You are being cynical, but it’s hard not to in the world that you found yourself in.

Haein comes to you. It’s surprising, really. You don’t remember if he ever reached out to you on his own. He usually came to you when you were in the vicinity anyway.

But you don’t show how surprised you feel, when you assistant leads him into your office. Office which looks like CEO’s office.

Because that’s who you are.

“Haein.” You greet him, as you never did, and his eyes snap to you, and he nods. He looks like detective, but it shouldn’t be surprising – he is one.

You sit in the armchair, and he sits on the couch. He says yes to proposed coffee, and you sit in silence waiting for your assistant. He looks out of the window in the meantime, clearly impressed with the view.

You look at Haein.

He is fidgety. Not like him. He doesn’t want to be here. Or he doesn’t want to say what he is about to.

Coffee comes, and he finally looks at you.

“Did your mother send you?” You ask before he gathers himself enough to speak. He blinks and takes a sip of your coffee. Your own blend.

You take the cup in your hand, but you don’t drink. You warm your hands.

“Yeah.” He says, when he realizes that you are not going to let him avoid the topic.

“To talk me into testifying against my father?” You pose it as a question, but it is a statement.

“Yes.” He answers after a moment of silence. His voice is quiet, when he does it.

You exhale, you put the cup down on the saucer and you stand up, Haein looking after you as you walk through your office.

“Does she know that we are in no relationship, that would justify this kind of plea?” You ask, rhetorically, and you stop at the doors, opening them for him.

He looks taken aback and shaken, and you don’t understand that. What did he expect after coming to ask to snitch on your father. He gathers himself and stands up.

“I think she realizes that I’m open to the idea.”He says, as he walks to you.”Maybe it’s her way of punishing me for that.”

He walks out, and turns on his heel.

“Goodbye, Haein.” You say flatly, closing the doors, not addressing the confession you just received.

Come to think of it, it’s not surprising. Not surprising at all. You should have expected it sooner. Maybe even back in high school.

Maybe he had a crush on you back then, and he tried to get over it after you graduated – but you were constantly appearing in his life. For a moment, with long periods of not existing in his life, but often enough to throw him of his track.

Or maybe that was his trick to somehow force you into testifying against your father.

Which would be really futile.

It isn’t only about you two being family, and you being loyal – you actually know nothing about the crime he committed. It happened years ago, before you went to junior high, and the statue of limitations is only few years from now. You know nothing.

But it’s still inappropriate for him to even consider asking.

To national outrage, your father goes free. For the first time in years, he can freely walk on the land that belongs to your country.

At least until they find some new evidence. Or he commits another crime and gets caught. Which is unlikely at this point.

In his own words, which he utters to you before flying back to reunite with your mother, he won’t do anything that would jeopardize him walking you down the aisle during your wedding.

Which would be lovely, if he didn’t ask about Haein back there.

You don’t know. You saw him briefly during the last day of the trial, looking pale while sitting next to his fuming mother.

He still looked dashingly handsome.

It’s weird how easy it is to fall back and live your life the way one used to.

Except is not.

Haein’s confession wasn’t explicit or romantic in any way, but it is all that occupies your mind, when you go out clubbing, when you went go out on dates, when you work, when you shop, when you rest.

It’s there. Constant maddening reminder of… What exactly?

A person that sees you in you, despite coming from different family.

Or so you explain to yourself.

But you don’t seek him out. You are in no position to do so, and your pride wouldn’t allow you to do so. And now, with nearly two decades of you living on your own, having a company is not high on your list of priorities. It seems more like a choir.

Your parents take on asking about Haein with every call. They are still using the secure line, your father got away with not-murder, but no one is about to push your luck to check whether your mother could repeat the trick.

It’s like high school all over again, with your parents being as persistent as Haein once was.

Another criminal was caught. Embezzling money, bribes, black market. One arrest shook the world of others like him.

He is a businessman. Owner of his own company.

Company that you used to deal with – sometimes.

The moment you see the news, you call your legal department to leave some special instructions – because search and seize warrant is a possibility.

But you are a gambler, and you are quite sure, it’s not going to happen.

Haein comes. With few police officers and another detective. Your assistant leads them in, except for the officers – no reason for you to entertain the pawns. You are drinking coffee when they enter, already sitting in the armchair, and you refuse to stand up to greet them.

Not when they arrive hostile.

“I’m willing to cooperate.” You say, putting the cup on the saucer. Haein and the other detective exchange glances. The stranger looks wary, but Haein, smiley, clueless Haein doesn’t.

He smiles, and comes to sit down on the couch, asking if he could get a cup of the amazing coffee he had here last time. The stranger approaches slowly, as if not understanding what was happening.

You call for your assistant and you decide for the other detective and you get two coffees for them.

This time you exchange empty pleasantries with them, while waiting for their coffees.

You allow them to take a sip of the beverage, before you speak up.

“How can I help you?”

The other detective sputters, and he immediately puts his coffee down, while Haein seems to enjoy it.

“Ma’am…” Starts the stranger, but you don’t really want to listen to him.

“Before you say anything, I want you to understand, that, by default, I am quite distrustful of the police force. Which I hope is not surprising.” You say, Haein seems thoughtful as he analyses your words. The other one seems just taken aback.

But before he says anything, Haein turns to him slowly, and subtly shows him the doors.

Even if the detective feels insulted, he doesn’t show that.

“So…” Prompts Haein, after the doors behind the spare one closes.

“I prepared all the documentation regarding my company’s dealings with the defendant.” You say, fixing yourself in the armchair, your body turning more to Haein.

He blinks, once, twice, and then smiles.

“How about preparing the documentation regarding your dealing with feelings for me?”

You blink, once, twice, and then you laugh.

You kissed him right there, back then. The thing itself wasn’t new. You kissed and fucked fair share of men in your life, and the basics felt pretty similar.

But having Haein be the one to stare at you, when you pulled away, forehead against forehead – that was new and exciting.

Soon enough information is out that you and your company is clear, nothing illegal in your documents. You know that, and you knew that before – because you stayed clear of anything illegal in your life.

Except for your parents and their money.

But what was yours in paper? It was legal.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Whispers Haein, and you ignore him, like you used to do so many times back in high school.

However, for the first time in your life, you probably should acknowledge him. But with all your respect (or lack of thereof ) to armed forces there are things that you always wanted to do.

And detective boyfriend is your… Permit.

“Really not a good idea.” He whispers, looking around his shoulder.

“The more you talk the longer it takes.” You whisper back sternly, and he turns back to stare at you, and you stare back at him. It last long enough for him to deflate a little, obviously realizing that you are not going to change your mind.

But when he rolls his eyes you can see the shadow of a smile on his lips.

“Ok, let’s get on with it.”

As if he’d really be able to say no to you sucking him off in a cell.

“Are you into roleplay?”

That is not an appropriate question to be asked in your office, so you look up from your computer screen. You are sitting at your desk, and Haein is sprawled on one of your couches with cup of coffee in front of him. His notebook and pen are laying on the coffee table, and there is also an open file, but you refuse to look at it.

Haein’s head is resting on the backrest, and he looks at you quite thoughtful. You don’t answer, trying to show him that it’s not a question to ask in your office.

His head rolls back, and he looks at the ceiling.

“I guess you are.” He mumbles, and you raise your eyebrows. You say nothing focusing back on your work. “You did get me off in the cell.”

“That doesn’t mean that I’m into roleplay though.” You say dismissively.

“Yeah.” He agrees. In the silence that follows you manage to write an email, and you nearly forget about the topic, when he follows: “that would be awesome, though.”

“Oh, really?” You ask, suddenly interested in the conversation.

“Yeah.” He says, and his eyes are sparkling, a smile tugging at his lips. “Cause I thought about officially introducing you to my parents, and that would require us playing role of upstanding citizens.”

Through the mirage of emotions, the most baffling one is your appreciation of him using the pronoun “us.

“Are your parents flying in?” It turns out Haein likes to ask you questions when you are in no mood to answer them. It was true years ago, and it’s true now.

You turn the page in your book.

“Well, my father is flying in.” You answer. Which should be obvious – it’s not like you are going to walk yourself down the aisle. Haein, smiley, not so clueless anymore, Haein, grabs your hand and kisses the engagement ring. You know that his way to show that he understood what you tried to imply.

“Is your mother flying in?”

Your mother is flying in. She would never skip your wedding, that’s for sure. But the thing is, with half of Haein’s department, and half of yours city police invited, it’s not like she is going to be sitting at one of the tables at the reception.

But you’ve worked it out. Your family has means to do weird shit.

“Nooo…” You say, and you actually look up from your book. Haein laughs at you.

“Oh my god, you used to be a better liar.” You close the book on your thumb, and you hit him with it.

“Well, I’m not going to tell you that!” You say indignantly.

“C’mon, that’s unfair!” He says, but to be sure he grabs the book out of your hand and puts it away. You are not happy with that, since you don’t know the page, but then he is hugging you, and bring you close, and you hit his arm, annoyed. “I want your mother to be there! She is going to be my mother-in-law!”

“I am pretty sure that your mother wants her at our wedding just as much.”

Haein doesn’t have to consider that even for a moment.

You both know that is one hundred percent true.

“One, two, three, and… smile!” You smile, but as soon as the photo is taken, you look to the side annoyed. Your father shrugs apologetically.

You had no idea that your family is so big!

And that half of them are criminals just like your parents (which horrified Haein informed you about, as soon as they started gathering). It is going to be one hell of a wedding, really. One half of the wedding hall filled with cops, the other with not-so-upstanding-citizens.

Haein’s head appears in the doors, and he pauses for a second when he sees you. He saw you in the wedding dress few times already, but the pure admiration does wonders on your ego.

He came to tell, that it’s about to start.

Well, sure as hell it won’t start without you, but you nod, feeling the adrenaline strike. Haein doesn’t go immediately, opting to stay a second longer, biting his lip, and you smile at him, brightly, feeling how happiness bubbles in your gut, and you wave him away.

In like half an hour he is going to be yours.

Your father offers you his arm, and you look at him in need of reassurance.

He pats your hand on his arm, and together you leave the room you’ve been confined in for the last few hours, and you walk together down the empty corridor. You need to stop yourself from fidgeting on your heels, but it’s really exciting and nerve-wracking to be standing in front of the double winged doors, knowing that there is Haein waiting for you at the end of the aisle on the other side.

The moment you the doors open, you realize that you were right about having one hell of a wedding.

Your mother decided to just show up. Wanted criminal sitting at the close family places, just next to the aisle, across from Haein’s mother. The top detective trying to catch your mother.

But the music is playing, and you go down the aisle, with your father at your side, and Haein looking at you with eyes bright, and broad smile, and that’s all you wanted to see.

Although you can still see your mother waving smugly to Haein’s mother and you realize that it’s not going to be good.

Hell breaks loose after the vows. The moment the rings are on, and Haein and you (now husband and wife) kiss, Haein’s parents stand up – probably to clap, but that alarms your mother and she bolts upright and runs out of the building.

Immediately half of the Haein’s part of the wedding hall jumps to their feet to go after her, to what your own family reacts by standing up to stop them.

In seconds you and Haein are left alone in the wedding hall. He is still holding you, and your hands are still on his nape as you look at all the empty space. You can hear people shouting outside, and you can here running and cars, and police sirens, and that is just ridiculous.

You turn your head to look at Haein, and he was just waiting for that.

He kisses you, slow and deep, tongue sliding along your teeth, lips pressing hard against yours.

“It’s been years since I asked that, but seeing what happened here…” He says when you finally part, and you realize that you no longer care what happened with your family (and Haein’s). From this point onwards, you two are the family. “What is the deal with you and your family?”

#jung hae in #jung haein #jung haein scenario #jung hae in imagine #jung hae in scenario #jung haein imagine #kdrama scenarios #kdrama imagine #kdrama scenario #kdrama imagines #kdrama

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thisweekingundamwing · 7 years ago

Text

TWIGW February 11 - 17th

Happy Sunday Gundam Wing Fandom!

We have some super awesome things for you to check out this week! Many many thanks to those who submitted and tagged us in content - it makes our job so much easier! Especially with the archiving happening on AO3! If you’ve created something we missed, please feel free to let us know so we can feature you too!

Remember, if you find something you love, please please make sure you let the creator know how much you enjoyed it! Every little comment/like/reblog goes a long way towards fueling their desire to do more!

Thank you for all that you do, and keep submitting your great content to us!

-Mod CB

Fanfiction:

A Little Piece of Gundam Wing

The archive is being ported to AO3! Check it out!

@ahsimwithsake

Fickle Faithful

Heero-centric, implied future 1x5x3. This might grow into something more.

Late entry for @gwblockparty Rewrite the Romance

Rated T for swearing

Amberly

Knife in Hand

When Duo learns there's a hit out on him, he turns to the only person in Chicago he believes capable of helping him. But will the cost of the Broker's help be too high?

Pairings: 2x3, past (underage) 6x2, past 1x3

Warnings: Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Consent Issues, Organized Crime, Assassination, child trafficking, Past Abuse, Federal Agents, Abuse of Power, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Gender Issues

Amberly with @yourbloodlikewine

In This Light

Duo spent the last semester working in his older brother's coffee shop. He's resigned himself to a boring spring when a stranger appears, shaking up his entire life. Eli left home last fall, choosing to spend the last six months living out of his van on his travels from the Midwest to the East Coast. By the time he arrives at Ink's, the novelty of traveling alone has started to wear off. Still, the last thing he's expecting is to meet someone who's going to change all that for him

Pairings: 2xOMC, 3xOMC, Solo x OMC,

Warnings: Rape/Noncon, Original Characters - Freeform, Alternate Universe, child abuse mention, Sexual Assault Mention, homophobic parents, Re-Written Characters, Drug Use, Violence, off screen murder, gratuitous author indulgence

@anaranesindanarie

Cocktail Friday

Cocktail Friday drabbles.

Pairings: 2x3

Warnings: bar, diplomats, Russian accent

Death Unspeaking

What happens when a Gundam Pilot is mute? What happens when the other Pilots look down at him because of it? Will he overcome the odds or will the odds overcome him? For Manny who encouraged me to work on this.

Pairings: 2x3

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage

Designation01

War Tactics

Heero's perception leads to an interesting discovery: Duo Maxwell avoids mirrors. An introspective ficlet that aims to explore using BDSM and possible lack of body autocracy to overcome self-image issues.

Pairings: 1x2

Warnings: Mirrors, Body Image, Body Horror, Hand Jobs, NightmaresComfort, Emotional Discomfort, Control Issues, Complete

@duointherain

To Be Human is to Love

Duo and Heero are working a damaged part of their new colony, things go wrong.

Pairings: 1x2

Warnings: Spaced

EclipseMage

Broken and Bloodthirsty

Duo is terrible-awful at coping. Quatre gets the brunt end of it after a reckless mission-gone-wrong.

Pairings: none

Warnings: Pilot angst, Physical fight ensues, Underage Drinking

flamingofics (hey @idkmybffflamingo is this you? let us know!)

Will You Have Me?

Duo returns from a Preventers mission on the fourteenth of February. Trowa takes the opportunity to attempt to confess his feelings for him.

Pairings: 2x3

Warnings: Fluff and Angst, Confessions, Misunderstandings, Gundam Wing Valentine's Day Fan Exchange

Gift fic for @claraxbarton from a GW Valentine’s Day exchange in 2016

Ginnybag

Past Tense

'Milliardo.... I'll be waiting on the other side....' A quarter of a century after the fight at MOII, the Epyon System follows the last command given by its maker, returning him to where he will, once again, be needed. But 25 years is a long time and the world he left behind is not the one he wakes in, and fighting to be more than the ghost that he has become to his friends and family may be one battle Treize Khushrenada really cannot win.

Pairings: 6x13, 3x11, 5xMariemaia, 4xR, 2xDorothy, 13,OMC

Warnings: Newtypes, POLITICS!, Sanc, Past Heero/Relena, Past Treize/OFC, Past Treize/OMC, Dysfunctional Family, Family Issues, Parents & Children, Discussions of Politics/War/Abuse/Sex, References to Drugs, Romefeller Foundation, Mentions of Past Nastiness, ZERO System, Canon - to a point

Poison Seven - A Thousand Words

Part 7 of Poison

Pairings: 6x13

Warnings: none listed

Wild Roses: Cold Comfort

December AC 191: Six months after creation, Treize's new Wing is rapidly gathering a reputation as the best of the best. A routine patrol in space cements Zechs's status as an Ace and leaves Treize injured, revealing the depths of his religious beliefs. As the 10th Anniversary of the Fall of Sanc combines with the fallout, Leia begins to doubt her husband, Lady Une summons the Zodiac to form, and Noin earns her wings. On Christmas Eve, Treize marks his 21st with a mission he did not expect, culminating in professional triumph and personal revelation for both men.

Pairings: 6xOMC, 6xOtto, 13x11, 13xLeia Barton, 6xOttoxOMC, 13x6, 6x9

Warnings: Nuclear-powered suits, The Duchess of Richmond's Ball, Medical Euthanasia

JunaAzumi

Aún existen los príncipes azules

Trowa sabia que habia separado a los 5 pilotos pero no se arrepentia de nada.

4x5

Bailemos hasta que se acabe el mundo

Quién puede tener una cena en medio de una guerra? Quatre y Heero te darán la respuesta

1x4

Quatre vs Duo

Los chicos se van de vacaciones a Playa del Carmen, Quatre y Duo compiten por las atenciones de Heero ¿Quién ganara?

1x4

Quiero Acordarme de ti

Resumen: Quatre encontró a Trowa, estaba preparado para cualquier cosa menos menos para lo que encontró 04x03 escena perdida del capitulo 38

3x4

facetiousfutz

Short Oneshot Requests

Occasionally I open the floor to short fic and drabble requests on my personal Dreamwidth account (same username, if you want access), and these are the fills I've deemed worthy of lurking eyes. I have a ton of fandoms. This will focus heavily on humor pieces and M/M and F/F ships, with some exceptions. If any archive warnings ever apply, I will make a note of it in the beginning.

Multiple fandoms/pairings, please see chapter specific warnings

All characters underage in canon are aged up accordingly in smut fics

@kangofu-cb

If You Let Me

If Trowa could give the new residents one rule for surviving the ICU, it would be ‘Don’t Touch Anything. (Especially The Patients.)’. In reality, he’d actually give them a lot of rules, possibly with diagrams for clarity. But his main rule essentially covered the bases. When you worked in one of the largest ICUs, in the biggest medical center in the country, at a hospital known for taking on unstable patients for the most complex and risky surgeries that were performed no-where else, new residents were a menace. Until he meets Dr. Maxwell, the newest anesthesia resident.

Pairings: 2x3, background HxD

Warnings: Alternate Universe - Medical, Doctor/Patient, Nurses & Nursing, Fluff and Smut, this is literally my feel good thing guys ok, I mean I'm not saying there won't be any angst, but basically this is all WAFF

@ladyjstruth-blog

Going Home

Quatre has a secret that comes out unexpectedly and now everyone has to deal with the fallout. The news is hardest on Trowa, who still loves him, even after years of breaking up.

Pairings: 3x4

Warnings: Drama and Romance, Post-Canon

Lil_1337

2018 Comment Fic_Feburary

Drabbles and short fics written for the Live Journal community Comment Fics which can be found here: http://comment-fic.livejournal.com

Multiple fandoms/pairings, please see chapter specific warnings

Maldoror

The Source of All Things

Center, a planet where magic and technology blend. Or more accurately, fight tooth and nail. A planet of Sources, holes in our boring dimension letting through arcane power, chaos and pseudo-deities. In this hot-house of myths and very real dangers, Trowa and Quatre find a mysterious man at the end of a shamanic voyage. Portents suggest this Heero Yuy is crucial to Center’s survival. He’s important enough to have some interesting enemies after him, at any rate: a devious killer and thief called ‘Shinigami’, and a very irate Dragon. Beyond them looms an even greater threat. Indeed, the greatest of them all.

Pairings: 3x4, 2x5, eventual 1x2x5

Warnings: alternative universe, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Plot Twists, fairly graphic depiction of sex, Mild description of self-harm, Mathematical Magic, weird science, crones - Freeform, Magic and Technology brawling and eventually screwing, Eventual Threesome, Kinda, Insanity of arcane origin, The universe is a pile of marbles and other dubious allegories

Two Halves

The two kingdoms of Sanq and Lin were at war for years; a conflagration involving magic, armies and political murder. The conflict left both nations devastated and strewn with refugees. The king of Sanq finds his infant son, lost at birth, among the death and the ruin, a miracle he barely dared to hope for. But there isn't just one boy, there are two, clinging together like two halves of a whole that cannot be separated. Decades later, the truth behind that second child’s existence will put a hole in the world, or possibly save it.

Pairings: 1x2

Warnings: Fantasy AU, medieval setting with magic, starts with our heroes as children, Cousin Incest, sort of, eventually, being royalty this is in fact the norm and rather expected of them, Canon-Typical Violence

Shinohoshi13

By Demons Be Driven

For years she struggled to live, burdened by a long-forgotten past, an unclear present, and a non-existent future. War consumes her life, forcing her to live as if every day is her last. Fate has seen fit to gift her with unnatural abilities far beyond the normal human capacity. With those abilities, she leads a daily game of tag, putting her life on the line over and over again. Will a chance meeting with a young man give this tired young woman the will to keep fighting? And with the war escalating higher and higher, will she have the time to find out who, and what, she really is?

Pairings: 5xOFC, background 1x2, 3x4, 6x13, unrequited Rx1

Warnings: Relena bashing, Adult Content, Graphic depictions of violence - Freeform, Crude Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Strong Language, Torture, Violence, Psychological Horror, Magical Realism

Sol1056

Tetractys

In a reality where Kushrenada won, the five gundam pilots live a half-life, effectively prisoners. An unexpected chance at freedom may let them regain what they'd lost, but it also means a return to battle. Some things, once lost, cannot be regained. | Significant rewrite of original version.

Pairings: 4x5, 1xR

Warnings: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Multiple Universes Colliding, Post-Canon, Mecha, Alternate Reality, War, Politics, Rebellion, Slow Burn, Accelerated humanity, Paranormal skills, Butchered scientific theory, Global warfare, Significant battle scenes, Mecha reduxes, Multiple Pairings, Female gundam pilots

Thai_Tea_Addict

Wolves and Lambs

On the cusp of war, Remus Lupin discovers he has a son. Facing a prejudiced wizarding world unwilling to believe Voldemort has returned, Remus must now navigate his duties as both a member of the Order and as a father to one Duo Maxwell. Duo doesn't know a lot about families, but he knows war. HP Fifth Year, Post-GW main series

Pairings: 1x2, 2xHP, 3x4, Romione

Warnings: Harry Potter crossover, Family Reconstruction Act, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Politics, Wizarding Politics, War, Disturbing Themes

@vegalume

Ellion - Book 1

Set in a world where one mad man tries to rule all and destroy the last traces of magic, one young man must overcome a life filled with war and death in order to save those he holds dear.

1x2, 13x11

A/U, Fantasy, Angst, Mpreg, Character Death

Snippets:

@chronicwhimsy

WIP Wednesday - Post-canon 2xR snippet for @gwblockparty Rewrite the Romance

@kangofu-cb

We Won’t - AU RxH snippet for @gwblockparty Rewrite the Romance

@lifeaftermeteor

LAM!verse snippet featuring Relena on the Warpath

@remsyk-blog

Thrill of the Chaste - AU 2x3, HxR Amish Romance for @gwblockparty Rewrite the Romance

@terrablaze514

Flu Aftermath Writing Prompt

@thefallenstar-treizekhushrenada

Valentine’s Day drabble about cake, 13x11

Photo Edits/Manipulations

@zechs

Incorrect Zechs Quote

Headcanons / Meta / Discussions:

Multiple Contributors

Self-Destruct suit discussion

@gundamwing-ellesmith

Otakon’s Gundam Wing Panel thoughts

Fanart:

@arubees

Heero and Duo

@cree8ions

Dorothy Catalonia

@hainekoken

Heero Yuy

@hasuyawwn

Duo Maxwell

@noelleian

Quatre Raberba Winner

Trowa Barton

Sally Po

@outofworkshinigami

Duo twin commission for @anaranesindanarie

@oxymoronicidiosyncrasy

Heero Yuy

Duo Maxwell

@rockmandash2

Duo Maxwell

Duo Maxwell sketch

@vegalume

Taste the Rainbow

@versari-arts

Hilde Schbeiker

@xan-drei

Heero and Duo from LAM!verse, commission for @lifeaftermeteor

Cosplays:

@18thcenturylove

Duo Maxwell

Calendar Events:

Cocktail Friday

https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/

A new prompt every Monday!

Submissions should be posted Fridays between 3 and 5pm EST, and tagged with @gwcocktailfriday

Interview with a Creator by @remsyk-blog @interview-with-a-creator

Remsyk has created an online interview for fandom creators to fill out and then she features one each week so that everyone in the fandom can learn a bit about each other.

If you haven’t filled out her interview, go! do! now!

Honorable Mention:

@kangofu-cb was mentioned by AO3 Admin as a winner in the 2018 Feedback Fest Challenge, and won a prize! Thanks to everyone who recc’d something on their post as part of the challenge! Over 500 fanworks (in total, not just Gundam Wing) were mentioned as part of the challenge! And special thanks to @terrablaze514 for bringing this to the attention of the mods!

#twigw #this week in gundam wing #february 11th - 17th

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differentnutpeace · 4 years ago

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COVID Cases Are Surging In Michigan. Should It Get More Vaccine Doses?

If you look at a heat map for cases of COVID-19 in the United States, Michigan stands out. Its alarming spike in cases has fueled calls to flood extra vaccine doses to the state, but the Biden administration isn't sold on the idea. หวย บอล เกมส์ กีฬา คาสิโนออนไลน์

The White House said in a briefing Friday that it is offering a "set of additional tools" to help hot spots like Michigan, but that toolbox does not include extra vaccine supply.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in her own briefing Friday that she has been speaking with the administration "regularly" and is "grateful for what they have offered." Still, she renewed her call for a surge in vaccines to combat a spike driven by the B.1.1.7 variant initially found in the United Kingdom.

The Biden administration allocates vaccines to states each week based on the number of adults who live there. It's a simple formula aimed at equal distribution and it is watched closely by governors, including Minnesota's Tim Walz.

"Anytime they announce how many vaccines there are, I do my math," said Walz. "Minnesota gets 1.74% of what that national number is."

Article continues after sponsor message

SHOTS - HEALTH NEWS

Coronavirus Cases Are Rising Again. See How Your State Is Doing

Every week, it's the same share of doses, a level of predictability that allows states and providers to plan and schedule appointments. The administration isn't holding doses back, so for one state to get more than its allotment, another state would likely have to get less. Aside from the public health questions, changing allocations would be politically difficult, too.

But Walz said he and other governors have been texting about the idea. If the science says it would help areas struggling with the more contagious variants, then "I think governors are open to hearing that," said Walz, adding that it will surely be easier to share when supply is less of a concern.

A number of prominent infectious disease experts are calling for Michigan to get more doses. "I've been calling for it for a couple of weeks now, because you could start to see the uptick in cases," said Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at the Scripps Research Center.

Topol said the best defense against the "superspreader variant" would be to inundate the state with vaccines.

"And just do 24/7 campaigns. Drive around. Just whatever it takes," Topol said. It could suppress the surge, he argued.

This idea prompted Josh Schwab at the University of California, Berkeley, to run a couple of scenarios through a COVID-19 forecasting model he works on. He found that if Michigan got a double allocation of vaccines for two weeks, it could prevent 1,200 deaths by July. Even more effective would be coupling a vaccine surge with two weeks of shutting down restaurants and bars for in-person dining. That would save 2,500 lives, Schwab said.

"It would be a different situation if we didn't have these vaccines," Schwab said. "But we actually have a long-term plan now. We just have to get through this next short period."

SHOTS - HEALTH NEWS

How Is The COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign Going In Your State?

Soon, there will be more than enough vaccine doses to go around, enough supply for every adult in the United States by the end of May, President Biden has said.

It takes time for someone who has been given a vaccine to develop immunity, so a vaccination today would be preventing an infection several weeks down the line. And there's an active debate about whether surging vaccines into Michigan is the best tactic, or whether there could be unintended consequences.

"Mother Nature is going to drive this pretty much, and if we try to respond with vaccine targeted to a given area, it's just another two days before it's in another area," said Michael Osterholm, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Minnesota, who advised the Biden transition.

SHOTS - HEALTH NEWS

How Herd Immunity Works — And What Stands In Its Way

Osterholm has advocated for delaying second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines so more people can get at least some immunity from a first dose, an idea the Biden administration has resisted.

Osterholm said a lot of humility is needed when it comes to predicting where the virus will go next and where cases will spike or fall.

"I could see easily in the next six to eight weeks we would have to be triaging the vaccine to all 50 states, and at that point, there's no such thing as triage," he said.

There's also some value to keeping the formula consistent, said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers. The current system is efficiently getting vaccine doses into arms at a rate of more than 3 million a day.

"We have a cadence, we have a rhythm," Hannan said. "I think we are doing a good job and I would not mess with that right now."

SHOTS - HEALTH NEWS

A 4th COVID-19 Surge May Be Starting. How Bad Could It Get?

White House officials aren't putting it that plainly. But when COVID-19 coordinator Andy Slavitt was asked about this, he said they haven't reached a point where any state has enough vaccines for everyone who wants them. He said the administration isn't ruling anything out, but he has resisted adjusting the formula now.

"By and large, we are still allocating vaccines based upon population," Slavitt told reporters this week. "Clearly we will get to a place where more targeted strategies will work."

On Friday, White House coronavirus czar Jeffrey Zients said the current strategy remains the only "equitable and efficient" way to allocate the vaccine. He said the administration would not shift vaccine to surge it in areas where there are currently large outbreaks of the virus, saying that the virus was "unpredictable" and could surge anywhere, making it important to keep a steady supply to states.

The Biden administration has worked hard to avoid pitting states against each other, scrapping for a finite resource. But it has sent teams to Michigan to help the state make the most of the doses it is getting.

That assistance includes identifying hot spots, increasing testing, and crunching the data to see if the vaccines the state is getting could be more effectively deployed.

Community health centers can now order vaccines directly from the federal government, and retail pharmacies in underserved communities as well as federal mass vaccination sites also help address the greatest needs, Slavitt said.

And it isn't just Michigan. The CDC and Biden administration are offering technical assistance to other states facing challenges, too.

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captaingondor · 7 years ago

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Character Solidifying: Aderyn-1, 2, 9, 21, 50 Dommil-6, 12, 19, 37 Heysu- 4, 17, 29, 35 Zeg- 3, 14, 34, 38, 49

*cracks knuckles*

Aderin

1. How does your character think of their father? What do they hate and love about him? What influence - literal or imagined - did the father have? - Aderin comes from a large, loving family, which she’s quite close to. I admit I have very little previously established on her father, but that’s what this is for, no? He’s perhaps more ambitious, more driven, but she gets some determination from him. And she admires his focus on family and community. Is there anything she hates about him? Hate seems too strong. But of course all parents and children have disagreements.

2. Their mother? How do they think of her? What do they hate? Love? What influence - literal or imagined - did the mother have? - Aderin gets her work ethic from her mother, I think, and maybe some of her tough love. Maybe not in the same form - I’m envisioning her mother as a firm but warm household manager. I know she had quite a few kids to wrangle. (spoiler, one day Aderin will as well. so undoubtedly there’s a good bit of influence there as well.) I think her father’s more smarts and her mother’s more common sense, and Aderin got a nice blend of the two.

9. What about political beliefs? - Aderin is Not A Fan of the Emperor, and has mixed feelings on the empire her homeland has become a part of. On the one hand, it offers protections and privileges Alefor has never enjoyed before, and holds their historical enemies at bay. But she really wishes they had the capabilities to take care of their own affairs, and fears the Empire wishes to erode their culture in the name of hegemony.

21. What are your character’s manners like? What is their type of hero? Whom do they hate? - Aderin can sometimes be a bit blunt but on the whole she does her best to be considerate of others. She likes local or national folk heroes, but her hero would be… those who stand up for what’s right even if they aren’t the ones being hurt. Someone who listens to others, and cares. Someone like… well, like someone. ;) And she hates those who exploit others.

50. What are the prevailing facial expressions? Sour? Cheerful? Dominating? - Determined, I’d say. She’s got a good determined look. A get to work, take on the world if needed look. But she’s also got a playful side, so plenty of smiles too.

Dommil

6. Did they feel rejection or affection as a child? - Yes. But, to elaborate. His mother is very affectionate. Very busy, and depended on him a lot as he’s the oldest, but never let him doubt she appreciates him, and loves on her boys well into adulthood. Maybe he felt some affection from his father as a young child. Maybe his father liked that he was big and strong, or that he was responsible, or that he was a good kid. Maybe he never appreciated him enough. I have, by conscious choice, never developed him as a character. But Dommil certainly felt rejection when his father left the family when he was thirteen.

12. How does their education and intelligence – or lack thereof - reflect in their speech pattern, vocabulary, and pronunciations? - Dommil isn’t unintelligent. And he isn’t uneducated - he’s literate, he can do enough math to do business, he knows some of the history of his kingdom and its religious teachings. But he didn’t take his education any further than he needed to (he stopped going to the local chapel school after his father left.) Anyway, all this to say his manner of speech is certainly what would be considered ‘common.’ Not country bumpkin, he’s a city kid, but certainly no refinement to it. That said, he’s also a soldier - an officer - so he does know how to be… professional, I guess.

19. What were your character’s deepest disillusions? In life? What are they now? - His father leaving, of course, kind of shattered his world - he was used to having someone to depend on, and now his brothers depended on him. I think he might be a little disillusioned with the military. He joined to provide for his family and keep his kingdom safe, and now all of a sudden they’re conquering and maintaining an empire. (and he doesn’t believe for a moment his promotion to officer is on his own merits.) But he’ll keep doing his duty.

37. How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Worried most of the time? Living in memories? - He’s more of a straightforward guy. The past is in the past dwelling on it won’t help - what are we going to do now? That’s what you need to think about. That’s his mindset.

Heysu

4. What type of discipline was your character subjected to at home? Strict? Lenient? - Heysu’s a farm girl, so they can’t be too lenient of course because they have a farm to run. There’s got to be a certain amount of discipline to get the work done. So strict, maybe, but reasonable.

17. Did they travel? Where? Why? When? - the very first time she has traveled any real distance is to enroll in Edefana and learn how to be a soldier.

29. What is your character’s weaknesses? Hubris? Pride? Controlling? - Heysu is none of these things. Her biggest weakness is probably a severe lack of self-confidence, but she’s working on it. She doesn’t trust to her own strengths, so when people have an accurate read on them she fears they’re asking too much. She’ll undersell herself.

35. Do they always rationalize errors? How do they accept disasters and failures? - no, she’s pretty irrational about errors, more willing to take blame than she should be. But she doesn’t let those feelings just keep her down in despair. She has to keep trying, has to do something, no matter how bad the situation seems. She’s a lot braver than she realizes.

Zeg Amyu

3. Brothers, sisters? Who do they like? Why? What do they despise about their siblings? - He has only half-siblings, and he despises all of them, largely because they despise him, which in turn is because their father (his stepfather) despises him. And his mother certainly prefers them, her trueborn, fullblooded, children she can be proud of. It’s not a great family situation. When his oldest half-brother got old enough for his bounty to wake, he spent a lot of time putting curses on him, even though it’s generally considered petty and mean-spirited to go after those so much younger than you, so that fueled the hate. Basically, he hates them because they had what he wanted. He wants different things now. Maybe.

14. Were they involved at school? Sports? Clubs? Debate? Were they unconnected? - in Edefana, the student body is too small for clubs. There are six of them. okay to be honest by the time he comes there are probably more but he’s still part of and trains, studies & works with the core 6. With Tomiv he’s part of the two with the Something, training for the Twelve, so that’s a group. When he was with his mother’s people, though, he was mostly a loner. Not entirely by choice.

34. Does your character feel self-righteous? Revengeful? Contemptuous? - All of these things. Everyone else, they just don’t see, he’s better than all of them! He’s better than the clans, better than the People, better than the Twelve, blessed with double measure. They’ll see, they’ll have to respect him when they realize what they can do, how great he is! They’ll pay for the way he looked at him! They’ll step aside for him, all of them, those wide inferior masses will bow before his might. How dare they think they can equal him! Don’t they know what he is? Well, they will, oh, they will.

38. Are they basically negative when facing new things? Suspicious? Hostile? Scared? Enthusiastic? - Not enthusiastic, exactly, but… undaunted. He’s always prepared to rise to new challenges.

He’s also quite perplexed, while he’s getting used to the culture of the People. What do you mean you can just change my name by public consensus at the drop of a hat?

49. What about voice? Pitch? Strength? Tempo and rhythm of speech? Pronunciation? Accent? - He certainly has an accent, on account of the fact he was raised in a different people group than the one of the rest of the main characters of the story. But since all these people groups are not real-world I can’t put a name to his accent that means anything. His speech is somewhat refined, clear, but with a sharp edge to it. Deliberate.

#my ocs #aderin #dommil #heysu #zeg amyu #eddis-not-eeddis

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hermanwatts · 5 years ago

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Fantasy New Releases: 28 September, 2019

In this week’s fantasy new releases, two litRPG heavy hitters team up, Orson Scott Card plays with micropowers, and a classic of wuxia makes its English language premier.

Bibliomancer (Completionist Chronicles: Wolfman Warlock #1) – James Hunter and Dakota Krout

The vaunted power of the Mage’s College. Unbounded freedom among the Wolfmen. The best of both worlds.

Recent college grad Sam King was hoping for a backpacking trip across Europe as a graduation present. Instead he’s going to get a different kind of trip: a three-month stint in the ultimate immersive gaming experience. As a lifelong geek, gamer, and outsider, it’s a better gift then he’d ever dreamed.

But when he jumps feetfirst into the world of Eternium, run by CAL, the Certified Altruistic Lexicon, it’s not exactly what he expected. All he wants is to quest, game, grind some levels, and get his hands on awesome loot. You know, have fun! But the Mage’s College seems to have a very different definition of fun, one involving study, blisteringly strict regulations, aristocratic hierarchy, and tons of pay to play.

Sam crosses the College and finds himself running for his life with a back-talking book that is far more than it seems and a class that no one has even heard of. If he can navigate the deadly College politics and the looming war with the barbaric Wolfmen, he might just find the fun and adventure he was looking for.

Born of the Shade (Viventium #1) – D. O. Thomas

West London has always been known as the quieter part of the city. That’s true… for a human. But in reality, the streets are home to those that rule over the supernatural world.

Werewolves have their gated communities. Vampires reside within a subterranean utopia. And the magic-wielding wizards, witches, and warlocks study their arts right under the noses of general public. It has always been that way, and because of this, there has always been peace.

But when a rare blue moon settles in the sky, everything changes.

Noir, a West London information broker with his fingers in every supernatural pie, sets out to discover what the blue moon means and finds something beyond belief. With his discovery, comes the realization of a prophecy that spells disaster for the supernatural world.

He must do everything in his power to stop the actualization of this dark future that might mean the end for the peace between species that keeps his world intact.

Cirsova Magazine (Volume 2, Issue 2) -presented by Cirsova Publishing

The newest issue features eleven new tales of thrilling adventure and daring suspense.

Seeking out the Burning Fish for a client, Mangos and Kat instead find a strange cult of folk devoted to a simple life—who would kill before giving up their secrets!

An anthropologist seeks to solve the mystery of Chalchihuitlan’s “grinding woman.” What’s her significance? What is it that she grinds? For what does she wait?!

Slayer-Of-Wolf’s hunting party is alarmed when a mysterious fire falls from the sky—stranger still is the mysterious blue woman he finds where the fire has landed!

The colonists of Titan have been a fierce and independent lot since breaking away from Earth—some with a grudge might even resort to murder to stay independent!

…and more!

A Hero Born (Legends of the Condor Hereos #1) – Jin Yong

A fantastical generational saga and kung fu epic, Jin Yong’s A Hero Born is the classic novel of its time, stretching from the Song Empire (China 1200 AD) to the appearance of a warlord whose name will endure for eternity: Genghis Khan. Filled with an extraordinary cast of characters, A Hero Born is a tale of fantasy and wonder, love and passion, treachery and war, betrayal and brotherhood.

And then a hero is born…

After his father, a Song patriot, was murdered, Guo Jing and his mother fled to the plains and joined Genghis Khan and his people. Loyal, humble and driven, he learned all he could from the warlord and his army in hopes of one day joining them in their cause. But what Guo Jing doesn’t know is that he’s destined to battle an opponent that will challenge him in every way imaginable and with a connection to his past that no one envisioned.

With the help and guidance of his shifus, The Seven Heroes of the South, Guo Jing returns to China to face his foe and carry out his destiny. But in a land divided by treachery and war, betrayal and ambition, he’ll have to put his courage and knowledge to the test to survive.

The Last Templar: The Blood of the Martyrs – Steven Savile and William Meikle

The Brotherhood is endangered, the Templars betrayed.

Their only hope lies with two twins, separated at birth and raised worlds apart, each with an unbreakable will to discover the secrets that have been kept from them. One is destined to wield the dagger of the martyrs, the blade of an ancient order of assassins, the other the last templar.

An epic tale of betrayal and loss, of sacrifice and commitment.

And of ties that, once forged, can never be broken.

The Last Templar is an epic historical fantasy novel in the grand tradition of David Gemmell’s Rigante and Troy novels, steeped in war, tinged with magic and wonder.

Lost and Found – Orson Scott Card

“Are you really a thief?” That’s the question that has haunted fourteen-year-old Ezekiel Blast all his life. But he’s not a thief, he just has a talent for finding things. Not a superpower—a micropower. Because what good is finding lost bicycles and hair scrunchies, especially when you return them to their owners and everyone thinks you must have stolen them in the first place? If only there were some way to use Ezekiel’s micropower for good, to turn a curse into a blessing. His friend Beth thinks there must be, and so does a police detective investigating the disappearance of a little girl. When tragedy strikes, it’s up to Ezekiel to use his talent to find what matters most.

Master storyteller Orson Scott Card delivers a touching and funny, compelling and smart novel about growing up, harnessing your potential, and finding your place in the world, no matter how old you are.

The Truth of Shadows (The Nightfall Wars #2) – Jacob Peppers

Three strangers chosen by the gods.

A castle-servant who can bend fire and light to his will. A musician whose song can soothe even the wildest of hearts. And a nobleman with the gods’ own luck.

Three strangers gifted with powers beyond that of normal mortals stand against the armies of shadow. But there are other gods, other powers lurking in the darkness, and they too will find their champions.

Hunted by mortal and immortal enemies alike, Alesh and his companions flee south to the Ferinan lands. There, they will search for help they desperately need, those who might stand with them against the coming darkness.

A nobleman without hope.A musician to whom every song sounds like a funeral dirge. A castle servant at risk of being consumed by an evil greater than any he has faced.

They have set themselves against the coming Ever Dark. But shadows are not easily conquered, and no matter how many are cut down, more rise in their place.

For the truth of shadows is that they are not born.

They are made.

War of Men (The Buried Goddess #5) – Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle

As men squabble amongst themselves, the Buried Goddess makes her move.

Torsten Unger marches east in the name of the Glass Kingdom to put an end to Drad Mak, eliminating the Drav Cra threat once and for all. But can it be that simple—or is he just another pawn in the Buried Goddess’ game?

After discovering that Nesilia has possessed Sora’s body, Whitney Fierstown has a plan to get her back. All he needs to do is find a way to contact his old friend Kazimir, who as an upyr, knows the secrets of existence between worlds. It won’t be easy, but when has it ever been?

Having won the Tal’du Dromesh, Mahraveh is now an afhem, and with her new fleet, she has the power to save her father. Muskigo has been cut off and surrounded by the Glass Army, but the time has come to bring the fight to them and for her to win this war between men.

Fantasy New Releases: 28 September, 2019 published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

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purplelizardman · 7 years ago

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GM's Easy Creation Kit (G.E.C.K.) - World Creation Kit (make vivid worlds, quickly)

As a GM, one of the most fun and daunting tasks you can undertake is the creation of worlds.

New gods, myths, legends, artifacts, heroes, villains, history, kingdoms, cultures, religions… there’s infinite room for creativity and no shortage of fun to be had!

The problem is that there’s literally infinite room for creativity.

Knowing where to start can be tough and when rushing in head-first it’s not uncommon to find that you’ve wrote yourself into a corner. When this happens it’s easy to lose enthusiasm for the world you’re creating.

It’s a problem I’ve encountered many times during my 7+ years of GMing. For each campaign I would create a new world and eventually I developed a set of methods that makes the world creation process fast and fun while producing vivid, consistent, and imaginative worlds.

It all begins with the first step:

Choose the Gameplay

Worlds in RPGs (both tabletop and otherwise) are not stand-alone constructs: they are meant to be played in.

The first step to creating a vivid and interesting world is to decide what type of game you want played in that world.

Ask yourself the following questions:

What does the typical session look like?

Is it straight combat? Very little combat? A mix of puzzles, riddles, combat, and social encounters?

Are the players classical, good adventurers or are they mercenaries, space pirates, or planar pillagers, etc..?

Where do I see these encounters happening?

In dungeons? In cities? In spaceships? In temples built out of bones of decaying gods?

In locales that span a wide range of heavy metal album covers?

In all of the above?

How do I want to guide story progression?

Is the game entirely player driven or will NPCs and world events drive most of the plot?

Do the players exist within a command structure, fulfilling orders? If not, are they free agents on a mission, mercenaries for hire, or a rag-tag bunch of outcasts that gets into mischief?

Is the progression driven primarily by exploration, social encounters, or pre-determined events?

Choose Central Conflicts and Environments

Once you’ve answered the previous questions you should have an idea of how you see gameplay and plot unfolding in a typical session, in other words: the assumptions of your game.

Now that you have a clearer idea of the assumptions you’re working with it’s time to build a world around them.

Worlds are meant to be played in, so start with the environment: create a reason for the environment to be the way you envision. Give the players incentive to explore the environments that you’ve chosen.

This ties in closely with the central conflict or theme of your world: if it is a war time campaign, the environment should be blistered with the signs of battles, cities will be impoverished, nature will marred by weapons of war. If an eternal winter has spread across the continent, everything will be cold and harsh, but nature may yet struggle on.

If the primary method of story progression is exploration, define a few interesting locales with good backstories and a home base, for example:

The material plane has been shattered to thousands of pieces. The players begin on a shrinking shard of the plane (a single kingdom), drifting through a dark sea of stars, gradually breaking into smaller pieces. On their journey they will likely encounter the Volcanic Stronghold of the Fists of Hextor, the Sunken Kingdom of the Drowned God, The Impossible Tower of the Mad Mage, etc…

In 3 short sentences we have defined: a central conflict/theme (the material realm being shattered), provided the players motivation for exploring (their realm is literally falling to pieces), and formed an idea of 3 interesting places for the players to visit.

A second example:

The gods could never agree on how the world should be, so they made two worlds and separated them by a thin veil. Now the veil is weakening and new, bizarre cities, towns, and kingdoms are popping up everywhere along with dangerous monsters in unexpected places. If it’s not stopped the players will lose everything familiar to them and their entire world. The players will probably visit the Crag of the Crab King, the Industrious Imperium of the Formic Hive, and the Brain Bakery run by Granny and Grandpa M’Flayer.

We’ve outlined a central conflict/theme (two worlds colliding), provided player motivation (anything they know and love could be destroyed or swapped with something at any moment), and 3 interesting places.

Entire articles can (and will be) written on how to flesh out interesting locales and encounters. Once you feel you have enough interesting locales and a strong enough central theme to create new environments throughout the campaign, it’s time for the next step.

Create NPCs and Flesh out the Backstory

The environment implies the backstory of your world as your descriptions of the environment reveal the world illuminated in the light of the central theme. Yet it is the NPCs who will ultimately become the face or even the very personification of your world, it’s backstory, and its central theme.

When writing NPCs it is important to flesh out the backstory of your world. The central conflict of your world is going to have 3 main facets:

Cause – How did the conflict come to be? i.e. creation myths, political events, a wizard did it, etc…

Resolution – How is the conflict resolved (the ultimate goal)? Gather artifacts, dethrone a mad king, etc…

Factions – Who’s on what side of the conflict and why? Doomsday cultists, angry gods and their followers, bellicose Kings, devious dragons, the merchant guild, a rogue sect of angels, etc…

Define the factions you’d like to see in the world and the cause for their conflicts, then create the NPCs that will be agents and eventually faces of the faction.

Most important of all: make your NPCs interesting! Not every shopkeeper needs an important backstory or a quirk, but important NPCs do. Make the backstory related to the central conflict, but keep it personal so that your players will be motivated by it.

Define a few NPCs for each faction that the players will interact with early on. At a minimum you should define a leader, a high-ranking officer, and one or two low ranking people.

You can get by with a short description of a name, personality/mannerism, and a sentence or two describing them and how they act.

For example:

Iara Tsun, the unusually tall dwarf who owes a life-debt to the King. She is never seen outside of her formal armor and never uses a word when a nod will suffice.

Zorc the Mad, a half-elf mage with a dragon facial tatoo, obsessed with the summoning of demons. He wears a cocky expression to match his attitude and truly believes that summoning a powerful demon may allow him to free his son’s soul from hell.

Auren the Keeper of the Gate, an immortal former-human who is mostly made of glowing blue stone; his former knightly robes hang off him in tatters. He speaks in a loud booming voice that sounds like it comes from far away; he has guarded this portal for ages and will allow only the worthy to pass and receive the truth contained beyond.

Rog Horf the disgruntled half-orc cultist in charge of new recruits. He keeps his cultist robes pristine and is mindful of prejudice, choosing to annunciate each word carefully, but feels he is woefully underappreciated for his talent and intelligence.

The best part about using the short description method is that NPCs can be inserted into nearly any role we need on the fly: their role in the game is only set in stone once they make an appearance on the stage.

This saves prep time and makes the game flow smoother, giving you a pool of NPCs to work with for when your players do something unexpected.

After you’ve defined the key factions and some interesting NPCs, spend some time fleshing out the myths and lore: this will make your factions and NPCs more believable.

CAUTION!!!

A lot of GMs fall into a trap at this point and end up developing extensive lore, legends, religion, etc. While this is fun, you should finish out the “party facing” aspects of your world first i.e. develop the starting local, it’s NPCs, factions, and environment. The PCs will definitely see this part of your world, but there’s a chance they will never delve deep enough into the lore to learn the deeper and more obscure parts of your world backstory.

Focus on the parts the players will see first then, if you have time, feel free to circle back around to lore and flesh it out even more.

Finishing Up

At this point, you’ve identified your assumptions about the game, you’ve defined a central conflict, a motivation for players, the environment with several interesting locales, NPCs, and the backstory of your world.

All that’s left is the quests, plot hooks, and encounters.

By now these should flow very naturally, but if you’re having trouble just look back at your NPCs and factions and ask “How would they get the party to help them? What would they do that would harm/hinder the party?” For example:

Would Zorc the Mad use an alias to post a reward for the retrieval of a magical artifact from a dangerous dungeon?

Would Rog Horf send the PCs out on his personal errands where chance encounters will surely alter their fate?

Would Iara Tsun require the PCs to prove themselves against an encampment of orcs that suddenly appeared in the lower quarter of the city?

Start with at least 3 potential plot hooks and get a feel for which one you think will be most impactful to your group (which one they will like or at least remember best).

At this point: you’re done!

You’ve made a consistent world built around a central conflict, interesting locales, memorable NPCs, and enough plot hooks to start the adventure. Add more interesting NPCs, locations, plothooks, and factions as needed.

If you enjoyed this article you may also like Active Player Agency – A Crash Course or A GM’s Guide to Communication

GM’s Easy Creation Kit (G.E.C.K.) – World Creation Kit (make vivid worlds, quickly) was originally published on Friendly Neighborhood Lizard Man

#5e #D&D #d&d5e #dnd #DnD5e #Dungeons and Dragons #dungeons&dragons #fantasy #finlam #PurpleLizardMan #sci-fi #ttrpg #world creation #writing

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mymayasmelanin-blog · 8 years ago

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Black Women - The Foundation

It is often said that the black woman is the most hated and least protected person in America. In the same breath, it could also be said that the educated black woman is the most feared person in America. Truthfully, it has been this way since the European colonization of the United States. While the black woman’s history does not start at slavery, it is easiest to use this point in history as a starting spot. As thousands of black women were transplanted from their homes and lives in West Africa, and brought to America, they were forced to adapt to oppressive living conditions and lifetimes of slavery. They were separated from their families and children and ultimately lost any form of familial comfort. In her article about Freaks, Gold Diggers, Divas and Dykes, Dionne Stephens writes, “traditionally women of African descent were viewed through a social darwinist lens of human development. Social darwinism is based on the survival of the fittest model, stating that the African “race” is the lowest on the on the hierarchy of humans in terms of intelligence, health, civility, and basic reasoning.” She goes on to write “essentially those of African descent are presumed closer to the animal kingdom than to the highest living beings, white males of European descent.” However, history tells us that black women were never a group of people who accepted oppression without any resistance. Black women were never complacent or oblivious to their talents and worth. After all, white slave owners capitalized off of Black women’s talents, skills, and knowledge in many ways. My visit to the museum truly verified this for me. Reflecting on my experiences now, I realize that I spent the most time on the “Women and the Movement” exhibit. Stephens also writes that This was no coincidence, and I could not ignore just how compelled I felt to really honor all of the women, famous or not, who were featured in that section. Most of the women were not “celebrities” but just every day women who dedicated their lives to paving a way for the Black women who would come after them.

Black women are solution-based. By the natural course of history’s events, we have been pitted at the very bottom of the totem pole. This position, while absolutely oppressive and detrimental to our well-being, has also given black women the opportunity to see everything happen in the world from the outside looking in. This perspective has essentially forced us to think strategically and to think of ways to resolve issues. While other groups of men and women are in the crux of life’s happenings, black women have been at the bottom and on the outside assessing situations and making the best of their circumstances. I would argue that this is the best and worst quality about us. Surely this is a generalization and we all have separate identities, but as a whole we have been at the foundation and the forefront of every major social revolution for that very reason - we are solution-based because we have to be in order to survive. It is most unfortunate that despite the significant and irreplaceable role we’ve played in all historical events, we are hardly ever given credit. Black women maintain this place of silence and invisibility in society no matter how loud we scream. It would appear that there is no way out and that it would be better to just accept our place in society, but of course that is not what black women have done in history. They have proven time and time again that no challenge is too big, and two women in particular really exemplified these traits for me- Shirley Chisholm and Madame CJ Walker. These were two of the women featured at the National Museum of African American History and Culture who really stood out to me. Of course I had learned briefly about them in secondary school, but their displays prompted me to want to continue my research on their journeys to success. I was most captivated by the idea that they were both pioneers in their fields and literally created a path for themselves because there was no one who had done it before them.

Shirley Chisholm became the first African-American congresswoman in 1968. She represented the state of New York for ten years. She later became the first African-American woman to make a bid for presidency in 1972. She was also one of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus (Shirley Chisholm). I first heard about Shirley Chisholm when I was a young girl because she was half Guyanese, so my Guyanese father was always extremely proud to claim her. I then heard a little bit about her when I got to high school in my US History course. Essentially, I learned that she ran for presidency and lost because of the obvious racist and sexist sentiments of the United States. Before seeing her featured in the museum, I never knew that she was first a teacher and an advocate for children’s access to education before becoming involved in politics. I also never learned about her experiences with death threats and having to constantly live in fear. Nevertheless, she persevered. I absolutely love her quote, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” She was the definition of a goal-driven, strong, and empowered Black woman.

I have also always had extreme admiration for Madam C.J. Walker. She is known for her place as the first female self-made millionaire in America. She, too, found her purpose based on a societal issue that she found a solution to. After her own personal experience with hair loss from a skin issue, she decided to create her own hair product company specifically to cater to African-American women. While there have since been many debates about the impact of the products themselves, there is no question that her story was unprecedented and absolutely inspiring. The museum also highlighted that she used her platform and status to advocate for political engagement in the black community and also for anti-lynching legislation.

Like any other prominent black figure in history, these women’s stories were diluted just enough to mention their accomplishments without divulging too much of their struggle. Visiting the National Museum of African American History and Culture really brought this idea to my attention. Much too often when we learn about African-American history in school and in the media, we are given a convenient sound byte or summary of an African American’s success. We are told about Harriet Tubman leading slaves to freedom or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. leading peaceful protests. We are taught just enough to accept that they were successful, but not too much that would lead someone to question their struggles and the defeats they faced. This is usually because the backlash they encountered was often the result of relentless racism and sexism and direct and indirect violence. These stories don’t make it to the pages of our textbooks too often because it would counteract the false image of post-slavery African American history. I appreciated the fact that the museum was set up in a way that heavily detailed the struggles of all African-Americans no matter what role they played in society. From the mile-long slavery exhibit to the many motion-picture films of the civil rights act, the museum did not sugar coat the horrors of the African-American experience. I admired that the museum took the time to include every single detail like the names of all of the slave ships that crossed the Atlantic and the numbers of slaves that each European country translocated. These details expose just how expansive the slave trade was. These details put the numbers into a much more real perspective, one that impacted me more than just reading a set of numbers in a textbook ever did. I admired that the museum also included African slave women who were mothers. They featured passages describing the ways that African women felt being separated from their children. One quote said, “many times while my hands were at work, my spirit was carried away to spiritual things.” For me, this is the essence of black women; we do what we have to do no matter how hard it is, but we persevere keeping in mind that we are serving a greater purpose.

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