#but since militaries use very similar words in different ways all over

[shadesofmauve]

Fire the headcan(n)on: Problems with long-term management of biotic resources for maximum strategic potential in the Alliance military

It is obviously not ideal* for a ship's CO to be running risky ground missions, but the issue demonstrated by Commander Shepard actually brings to light a larger dilemma that's been discussed within the upper echelons of the Alliance military for years. Biotic personnel are a huge asset as front-line troops, and any still able-bodied biotic moving off the front lines is considered a net loss. This poses a potential retention problem, since the usual route for advancement would remove them from where they're considered most valuable.

A trail of internal communications dating back over a decade (recently acquired by Westerlund News) documents how the Alliance instructed recruiters to push biotics to enlist (with exorbitant sign-on bonuses) rather than attend school for a commission.

It's worth noting that when faced with a similar recruitment-and-retention problem for pilots, the Alliance chose to offer commissions, while technically-skilled Specialists can be brought in as officers or warrant officers, depending on their pre-military career and level of education.

Alliance military doctrine suggests preventing a "Shepard Problem" not by restricting a biotic CO to their ship, but by making sure they'll never command a vessel in the first place. If at all possible, biotic personnel should not be given the opportunity to advance to senior command positions until they are physically unable to serve on the front lines.

*Understatement

[novafire-is-thinking]

Speculative Analysis: Why TFP Soundwave is so Terrifying to His Fellow Cybertronians

Time for an essay on why I think TFP Soundwave might have chosen his current cryptid form—electrical tentacles and all. There’s a TL;DR at the end, so feel free to scroll down first and then decide if you want to read the full thing.

This will involve cross-continuity speculation, centered around TFP / Aligned but with some IDW / MTMTE lore thrown in. This could also loosely apply to Bayverse Soundwave, but I won’t be focusing on him. I’m confident you all can infer the potential implications for that version of his character by the time you reach the end.

Okay, so I’ve seen several fellow TFP fans speculate about why Soundwave went from beefy gladiator to bonafide cryptid. Some say it could have been due to the loss of his horde of “minicons” (the term used in ‘Exodus’ by Alex Irvine). Others think it was just Soundwave’s way of adapting to the direction of the war by taking on a form that would give him the best strategic advantage in his position as Megatron’s communications officer. I agree with the latter, but I think there could be more to it than that.

As we see in the flashback for Ratchet’s story and the TFP Titan comics, Soundwave had his current frame type, armor, and alt mode back on Cybertron:

[Sarcastic Soundwave: Superior]

In the real world, Soundwave’s design is based on the MQ-9 Reaper military drone—an earth-based aircraft, but I’m not going to address that small discrepancy since it’s not relevant to this analysis. Skinny, cryptid drone Soundwave existing prior to his arrival on earth supports my theory anyway.

“Can’t we throw a tarp over him? He’s creepin’ me out.”

-Bulkhead in Minus One

On the surface, Bulkhead’s comment and Smokescreen’s subsequent response seem like an interaction between a couple of Autobots who are unnerved because they’re familiar with Soundwave’s reputation—Bulkhead more so than Smokescreen since the latter had probably not seen Soundwave up close in action before coming to earth. However, I think some of Bulkhead’s fear might have been due to an entirely different reason: Sparkeaters.

While reading MTMTE #3, my eyes were met with this lovely sight /s :

[Hey, wasn’t the energon eater in Rescue Bots called “Sparky” too? I guess it’s a cross-continuity tradition to call life-sucking parasites “Sparky” at least once.]

Terrifying? Yes. But I stared in horrified awe at this abomination and thought, “Wait. One. Fragging. Minute. I’m having a galaxy brain moment.”

Mind. Blown. Their overall sharp, jagged appearance, their thin, but formidable frames, their prehensile cables extending from somewhere inside (fuel lines for the sparkeater; multipurpose tentacles for Soundwave). I was—and still am—fascinated by the uncanny resemblance.

[Now who’s Sparky?]

It’s true that sparkeaters aren’t confirmed to be canon in the Aligned continuity, but their existence isn’t denied either. We got something similar with the zombie Terrorcons, but those were a new phenomenon produced either by Megatron’s blind ambition and stupidity or Knockout and Starscream’s lack of forethought and scientific restraint. For the sake of where I’m taking this, let’s assume that sparkeaters, as defined by IDW, do exist in the Aligned universe. What would this mean for Soundwave’s disturbing choice of frame/body type? Why choose a visual motif so strongly associated with death and disease?

One word: Mimicry

Mythologically, historically, and medically, sparkeaters are inseparable from death and disease. Their very existence instills fear in most Cybertronians. What better way for Soundwave to strike terror into the sparks of his enemies (and potential enemies) than to take on a physical form that resembles the sparkeater—something that has been known to kill normal Cybertronians using a deeply disturbing, painful, and even sacrilegious method? Even though the initial shock of seeing a “sparkeater” show up during or around a fight would have dissipated once the Autobots realized it was mostly cosmetic, an impression would have been left. Coupled with his spy capabilities and gladiator-style prowess in combat, a message would have been sent: Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.

And there you have it, folks! Another reason to love Soundwave’s design.

Bonus:

I could see Soundwave being called a few things by allies and enemies alike: “The Decepticon Sparkeater,” “Soundwave the Sparkeater,” or just “The Sparkeater.”

An interaction between two Autobot scouts:

Scout 1, over comms: “You there, kid? Who is it? Who did Megatron send this time?”

Scout 2: “It’s The Sparkeater! He’s here!”

1: “You mean Soundwave!? Do you have a visual?”

2: “How many ‘Cons do we see walkin’ around looking like sparkeaters??? Of course it’s Soundwave! And yeah, I’ve got a visual.”

1: “Aw, hell. Things just got a whole lot more complicated.”

TL;DR: Soundwave may have put more thought into his appearance than is obvious. He may have opted to look like a sparkeater as a way of sending a highly effective warning.

[clumsybriar]

Keegan Russ x Reader - Righting the Wrongs

Keegan Russ x Reader

Notes: I have a tendency of being able to see my own mistakes so there might be mistakes!

Word Count: 12,690

Warnings: Bullying, cuss words here and there.

_________________________________________________

“Congratulations.” Was what the bride and groom heard every few seconds as people talked to them at the ceremony.

“Congratulations,” Keegan nudged (Y/n) as he teased. “Mrs. Russ, Mr. Russ.”

“Shut up,” (Y/n) giggled as Murray stood beside the two looking confused. She was only 10, and (Y/n)’s little sister. Keegan bounced Ryker in his arms, Murray and (Y/n)’s baby brother.

(Y/n) held Murray’s hand as they progressed further in the line.

“Oh,” the bride smiled as she saw the four of them. “I’d say what a lovely family but I know Thomas wouldn’t let his daughter marry just yet.” The bride laughed as Keegan and (Y/n) flushed red.

“How old are you two now, I remember when you were young kids running around.” The groom teased softly.

“19,” (Y/n) hummed softly flustered.

“23,” Keegan patted Ryker’s back as the baby gurgled. “We’ve aged since.” He chuckled.

“Marines serving you well?” The groom asked.

“Plenty well,” Keegan hummed.

The conversations started to drift in two different ways.

“So, has he asked you yet?” The bride asked giggling. She was so in love with the idea of love and being loved. She was a giddy bride from the beginning.

“Oh, asked me what?” (Y/n) cocked her head to the side as Murray looked at the bride's pretty dress taken aback by it. It was gorgeous, (Y/n) could agree to that.

“Dating! You and Keegan!” She giggled while (Y/n) got flustered.

A similar question was occurring on the other side.

“So, did you ask her on a date yet? You guys have known each other for quite a while.” The Groom hummed to Keegan. Keegan was clearly flustered and blushing.

“Oh with the military it’s been on the back burner, I don’t feel it would be right to do her like that, leaving always maybe not returning.” Keegan said softly.

“Her father is Thomas Merrick, I think they are used to it, Keegan, all of his kids. So, I don’t think she’d have an issue.”

Yet for years Keegan had yet to ask her out, or vice versa. The two clearly had a thing going, so much so Merrick would set Keegan down and ask him what his plans were. Hesh and Logan would tease the man any chance they got talking about (Y/n) when she was on base visiting her father with her mother and siblings.

Instead things took a strange turn and Keegan had met a woman who was very beautiful, (Y/n) always thought she was prettier then herself comparing her to the gorgeous woman Keegan had settled on. It tore (Y/n) down but she couldn’t blame Keegan for going straight into a relationship with her and not (Y/n) herself.

But ever since he started to date the lovely Lindsey, she didn’t turn out to be so lovely…

Lindsey despised (Y/n), despised how close Keegan was to her, how he would hug and kiss her cheek when he greeted her, tell her at get-togethers and parties that she was pretty. It was a whole fiasco and one (Y/n) had started to split herself away for Lindsey’s sake and the sake of her relationship with Keegan. (Y/n) wasn’t a Homewrecker and she wasn’t about to be.

The friendship between her and Keegan started to take a toll as he noticed how she would clearly avoid him and Lindsey after the last party. It was not a good experience for (Y/n) needless to say.

“Seriously, stop trying to take him from me, he’s mine!” Lindsey shouted as she poured wine all over (Y/n). The only reaction the oldest Merrick could do was gasp and nod her head. She didn’t even try to explain because Lindsey would never understand or try to understand. (Y/n) just glanced at Keegan and turned around with tears in her eyes as her pretty yellow top was ruined and so was her dignity.

“(Y/n)!” Keegan called to try to go after her.

“Seriously Keegan,” Lindsey huffed, rolling her eyes. “She’s an immature young girl.”

That night (Y/n) spent at home crying in her bed.

From there on out (Y/n) knew she needed to improve her life to bring in some happiness. So, she bought the house beside her parents which was a two story very spacious house and purchased a new vehicle upgrading from her first car to a better car. These small upgrades improved her mentality knowing she could provide for herself and didn’t need anyone’s help.

“Okay, uncle Elias birthday party,” (Y/n) hummed in the jeep as she drove Murray and her to the party.

(Y/n) was now 24 and Murray 15. The two had become so close but all the Merrick kids were close even Ryker who was 5 and very much energetic.

“Chalking this up to be worse than it will.” Murray smiled softly.

“I just know Lindsey and Keegan will be there.” (Y/n) uttered as she looked at Murray. “Can you blame me, I’ve avoided those two for two years ever since Lindsey dumped that wine on me.” (Y/n) said softly.

“And Keegan should have set her in place then, yes, but…” Murray trailed off. “You should have stayed back and defended yourself.”

“Murray I’m not like you, sadly I am very docile.” (Y/n) pulled into the venue as she saw her mother and father unbuckling Ryker from his car seat. He carried his kangaroo toy as he was greeted by Hesh and Logan happily.

(Y/n) pulled her recon up beside her fathers hummer as she and Murray got out wearing beautiful dresses.

“Oh darling, you helped Murray with her make up.” Beth, their mother hummed as she cupped Murray’s face. “My gorgeous girls.”

“Very beautiful.” Their father, Thomas Merrick kissed their foreheads.

“Thank you,” they said in unison as (Y/n) smiled and Murray got bashful.

They walked into the venue with Hesh and Logan as (Y/n) chatted with the men.

“Hey Keegan and Lindsey just made it.” Hesh hummed as he watched the two walk towards the venue.

“Great,” Logan hummed, rolling his eyes.

(Y/n) and him were bringing the same energy it seemed.

The only difference was (Y/n)’s heart hammered in her chest when she thought about Keegan, she knew for a fact Logan’s didn’t…or maybe it did. The walkers and Keegan had this bro-mance going on, so maybe there could be some heart hammering going on there.

She glanced back seeing Lindsey in a bubble pretty chiffon dress. It was surely Lindsey’s style. (Y/n) couldn’t help but look at her backless satin cowl dress. Was it appropriate for a birthday? Lindsey looked good and she felt she was now not appropriate.

“You look gorgeous sweetheart.” Uncle Elias hummed to her.

“Thank you uncle,” she hugged him. “Happy birthday.” She smiled brightly.

“Happy birthday uncle.” Murray smiled as she laughed. “Getting older.”

“I’m afraid she’s not wrong.” Elias laughed, it erupted deep from within his belly. It was contagious as well as the girls laughed with him.

“50 looks good.” (Y/n) teased gently.

“And 40 looks good on your father.” Elias teased.

“Yeah.” Murray rolled her eyes as she walked off to go torment their father.

“Enjoy the party your mother insisted we throw.” Ellis laughed as he greeted other guests.

(Y/n) looked around taking a deep breath as she tried to stick to the buddy system. She didn’t want to give Keegan the ability to approach you. But it was too late when she could hear his soothing voice.

“Hey you,” his hand rested on the middle of her back as he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Looking great.” He whistled quietly. His icy eyes looked her up and down as he smiled at her.

The flirting confused (Y/n), was he interested or was he just teasing.

“Oh…” she stammered, “thanks.” She nodded as she held the bottle of wine in her hand and gulped the glass of wine down quicker. “How are you…two?” She corrected herself shifting nervously as she looked for her 15 year old sister. Maybe Murray could help her escape.

“We’re…good.” (Y/n) heard the same hesitation she had in his voice. “We’re doing good.”

The two made some small talk as they caught up. More like, Keegan catching up and (Y/n) trying to devise a plan to escape. She couldn’t escape though yet.

“So…um…are you seeing anyone?” Keegan asked as you glanced at (Y/n).

She felt her heart stop beating. Why was he asking? Why did it matter? She tried to formulate a few words in her head. Yeah she talked to a few guys here and there, but she didn’t actually talk to anyone. It never went further than texting, no dates no nothing.

“Oh…” this was awkward and she knew it. She licked her lips and fixed her gaze to the bottle of wine she just finished in her hand. As a waiter came around Keegan grabbed two glasses, handing her one and taking the empty one from her, placing it back on the tray. She was about ready to down it again and maybe get a good buzz going on. Uncle Elias entirely went out too much at this party, waiters…what the hell? But then again they did have a big house in Los Angeles. “Thank you,” she uttered as she held the glass. She was cringing when she thought about her lack of dating. “No.” She shook her head. “No,” she confirmed again.

“Oh that’s good—I mean…” he looked away as he rubbed his neck nervously. “Oh there’s no fixing that.”

(Y/n) chose to blatantly ignore that comment. “It’s okay.” She said quietly.

“Listen,” Keegan started as he took a sip of the wine, finding it to be entirely not sweet enough, not like (Y/n) in this cowl dress with her whole back showing. He wanted to take a taste and see how sweet life with her could be. “Can I talk to you about something?” His hand rested on her back. “Preferably alone.” He whispered closer to her ears.

She felt the goosebumps form and her heartbeat erupt with giddiness in her chest. She closed her eyes and thought about it for a second knowing it wasn’t the best idea.

“Sure?” She said calmly but gave him a questioning look.

He gently took her arm as he guided her outside the venue to a set of benches.

The wind had a nice breeze to it as the hottest time of the year was upon them. The flowers around them bloomed creating an aroma that was delicious and calming. The two took a seat as they looked at the flowers, finding them to be more interesting then one and another.

“I need to talk to you about…” Keegan paused as he thought about how he wanted to say this. “Lindsey…” Keegan said softly as he fiddled with his hand.

(Y/n) did a spit take as she looked at Keegan holding her wine in her hand. To say she was surprised was not the words. Why was he asking her about Lindsey? The two weren’t close, anything far from close. They were like enemies who kept distance, like give them at least 20 feet in between each other. They did not want to be near one and another at all.

“What about Lindsey?” (Y/n) looked down at her clothes making sure she didn’t spill the red wine on anything she was wearing, It had all safely made it back into her cup which she was now disgusted to even look at so she dumped it in the grass and sat it aside. Needless to say she was more than embarrassed now that she had spit all her wine out.

“Just wanted your opinion,” Keegan wiped her cheek with his thumb taking a little dribble from her cheek. She flushed red as her eyes focused her gaze on a single budding flower.

(Y/n) picked up how quiet his voice was, as if he was afraid Lidsey would be right behind them listening to the two chat about the monster of a girlfriend she has become. (Y/n) didn’t like to define people by harsh words such as toxic, or monster…or asshole…but Lindsey deserved those titles with how she behaved with almost everyone…actually everyone. (Y/n) was pretty sure she didn’t even like Keegan just kept him around for the money and the other attributes that were favorable.

“You don’t like her do you?” Keegan broke the silence as he glanced at (Y/n).

Was it obvious? Was it? (Y/n) hoped not.

“My opinion doesn’t matter.” (Y/n) said calmly as she glanced at Keegan trying to gauge where he was with this relationship or with herself. She knew if she spoke her opinion she would either offend Keegan or who knows what. She couldn’t ever tell if his relationship or his thoughts with Lindsey were positive or negative. He often made her feel like they were negative, but she wouldn’t judge. “At least I feel it is irrelevant. Why? Are you planning something?”

“No, I am not,” Keegan shook his head as he fidgeted on the bench. “And your opinion does matter. That's why I am asking.” He paused as he almost looked exhausted. “You know I care about you and your opinion.” Did he? Did he really care about her opinion, did he care about her? If he did, she was sure after that wine being dumped on her two years ago would be the end or if not close to the end. The berating from Lindsey should have ended too, but here she was still getting slandered by the drama and insecure queen.

Slay girl, slay your enemies with your harsh words you poet.

His pause ended as he glanced back at (Y/n) fixing his tie. “I guess…I want to know why you don’t like her, honestly?”

Why (Y/n) didn’t like her? Seriously?…seriously! (Y/n) was about to lose her mind.

Slay, girls, slay dumb men who don't realize their agitating girlfriends were the problem. Now she was wondering who the fault landed on for her avoiding the two of them…Probably (Y/n)! Unbelievable! Was this gaslighting at its greatest or was Keegan just that dumb.

“This is seriously the opinion of a matter you wanted?” (Y/n) scoffed, getting a little hurt by the accusations when she had tried too many times in the past to become that…witch’s…lovely woman's…friend…leave it at that. It’s better that way…right? Maybe at this point she was gaslighting herself.

Keegan sighed as he ran a hand through his dark locks. His icy blue eyes landed on her as he looked at her carefully. “Yes.” he uttered quietly, eyes locking on hers as he appreciated her opinion. Not like he didn’t just assume she hated Lindsey…not that his assumption was wrong. But that's beyond the point! Gasp! How dare he! A man assuming, terrible! The mockery! “I want to know your opinion on Lindsey. I want you to have an open mind here, and tell me honestly why you don't like her.”

“Well Keegan,” (Y/n) felt like she was stuck in a tough place between two rocks. Honestly she wished the rocks would mash her and leave her a flatten bloody mess, but she wasn’t that lucky. Honesty…best policy…sure. Scoff!

She fiddled with her hands as she had a lot of trauma when it came to lindsey. The woman had a vendetta against (Y/n). (Y/n) was sure that if she and Lindsey lived during the Salem witch trials, Lindsey would be the one pointing at (Y/n) screaming "Witch!” and acting out like a buffoon possessed by a demon. (Y/n) at that point probably wanted the escape that trial would bring her…sinking…hanging…all just to get away from Lindsey. Heaven, whoo-hoo!

(Y/n) took a deep breath as she prepared to answer the question honestly. “You have to understand,” (Y/n) started slowly. “I have tried to connect with Lindsey, even tried to get her to like me, we just aren’t compatible Keegan.”

Keegan raised an eyebrow confused. (Y/n) saw and she knew he was about to make a comment and she was going to get upset. “What do you mean you've tried ‘to get her to like you’?” His brows furrowed.

Female rage was making her want to shave them off and ruin his attractiveness. The thought was there and so was the motive.

“You have never even given her a chance…” Oh that was it! That was a ticket to manhood without eyebrows.

“Excuse me!” (Y/n) stared at Keegan flabbergasted by his assumptions and accusations. “I beg you to repeat that one,” (Y/n) shifted to face him with a look of absolute disgust on her face. She was about to walk away and say this was a waste of her time…don’t let her fool you, she was too nice. Her ass stayed where she was.

“You haven’t ever given her a chance.” Keegan said shifting so his knees touched her. If the two weren't about to enter an argument they would have been giggling like schoolgirls, but this was war now. “When have you made an effort?” His voice was soft but firm. She watched as he crossed his arms giving her a stern look.

What was this, her father disciplining her? Hell no, he did not just do that!

She was putting her foot down and being firm. Yep, it was happening.

“No, nope.” she shook her head. “Sorry, but I am not doing this here, and I’m not doing this at all.” (Y/n) nodded. The freedom of saying what she felt was freeing. “I don’t feel comfortable and I am not having this discussion.” (Y/n) nodded as she took a deep breath letting it out. “You seem to think I have never ever welcomed Lindsey, but I have.” she stood up as her words were deep rooted with honesty. “I am not going down this rabbit hole, nope.” she shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

Keegan stayed quiet for a few seconds as he tried to decide what to say or how to proceed with this information. If (Y/n) knew Keegan—and she did—she knew he would choose to voice his anger rather than reason with her and see her point.

“I never said you didn’t welcome her, I just said that you never made an effort to get to know her.” His voice was firm and she knew he was trying to make up an excuse for his girlfriend. She could tell she was borderline frustrated with this conversation. She started to text Murray for help, she needed it fast too.

“Keegan, I have tried.” (Y/n) defended herself, but she knew if this conversation continued this friendship would be even more fractured if there was a chance of saving it.

“Got your emergency text!” Murray trotted over and paused looking at Keegan and (Y/n).

(Y/n) felt doomed. She wanted to hide in the bushes. The whole thing about an emergency text was not to announce it to the person who she was trying to run from.

“Thank you Murray,” (Y/n) sassed. “You're not supposed to say out loud, to him, or I, that the text I sent you was an emergency text. Now he knows I am trying to escape this conversation.” (Y/n) groaned. “Thank you.” she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

Keegan let out a quiet scoff as he looked between her and Murray. “So you do plan on avoiding this conversation…” he said in a low, firm voice that leaked frustration and anger aimed right towards (Y/n).

(Y/n) knew now this friendship was dying. Something no one ever expected. She wanted to cry so badly but as a queen she was—she never shed a single tear in front of him.

“Why are you so hellbent on never letting me know your true feelings for Lindsey?”

(Y/n) blew a breath out her lips as she felt the frustration seep into her emotions as well.

“I am so hellbent on not trying to ruin the last little bit of this friendship we have left!” she let the frustration show. “Because, newsflash—” she raised her hands in the air in despair. “You won’t ever listen to a single word, a single ounce of what I say. You act like it matters, but it doesn’t.”

“Not that I have a say,” Murray shrugged. She was so chill and nonchalant while the two friends argued. “She has tried to be friends with Lindsey, but Lindsey wants nothing to do with it.”

Keegan’s eyes narrowed as he scoffed at the two siblings. “A little biased, Murray.”

“My bad,” she rolled her eyes.

“It’s just biased ‘cause it's the truth and you don’t want to hear it.” (Y/n) scoffed.

“Alright, okay,” Keegan stood up abruptly, getting a bit more irate. It was becoming a bit threatening now. “What do you mean she wants nothing to do with a friendship? Hmm?” Now he was just being an asshole. (Y/n) wasn’t going to take it and she wasn’t going to let Murray see it.

“Nope, done.” (Y/n) said as she put a hand on Murray’s shoulder guiding her out of the little garden area. “Sorry for ruining your night Keegan.” Her words were bitter as she shot him a glare. Murray slipped out of (Y/n) grasp as she stood back for a second looking at Keegan as he glared at (Y/n) walking away for the betterment of herself.

“She has tried, Keegan, but if anyone is the problem, it’s lindsey.” Murray nodded as she shrugged.

Keegan let out a little huff as he shook his head, clearly agitated. “And what do you mean Murray? What could Lindsey possibly have done to stop a friendship from happening?”

“How about…” Murray paused for sass and dramatics. “Not even wanting to be friends with my sister.”

“I don’t understand,” Keegan just didn’t want to believe it. He wanted to refuse, because if he believed it that meant Lindsey lied every single time. “Lindsey hasn’t done anything like that.” his confusion turned into annoyance towards Lindsey. “She would have told me if something like that would have ever happened.”

Murray scoffed as she shook her head. She found out he was blinded, that was the only answer she had. “Believe the peanut gallery, I believe my sister because I've witnessed it.”

Keegan scoffed as he glared at Murray. “Are you telling me that Lindsey lied to me and is continuing to lie to me?” Keegan asked, bewildered and clearly annoyed.

(Y/n) rushed back as she got behind Murray and started to push her back to the venue. “Sorry, so sorry.” She uttered a quick apology as she marched Murray away from Keegan.

“Wait! Hold on—” Keegan tried to keep you there for a second longer but you were good at escaping and evading and you had successfully done it the majority of the night since the argument.

Keegan knew you were avoiding him, he knew it right away when you left in the middle of a conversation…actually a sentence with Logan.

“She can’t avoid me all night…” Keegan mumbled with annoyance as he watched you in the distance talk to Ajax and his fiance, Sarah. His irritation was starting to turn into disbelief. How could you have avoided him every single chance he made to speak to you. He clenched his fists as he watched you laugh at something Sarah said.

He had eventually found himself staring at you all night from across whatever room he was in.

“She's really pretty,” Murray stuck her tongue out as he walked by with a cupcake in her hand. “Take a picture and put it on your shrine. It will last longer.” Now Murray was just pissing with him because she had the upper hand.

“Shut up,” Keegan huffed as his eyes watched you like you were the prey and he was the hungry predator.

“What was that about?” Lindsey asked as she sneered her lip at Murray. “She looks tomboyish like always.” she rolled her eyes clearly judging Murray for her physic and love for comfy clothes.

Keegan tensed up as he noticed Lindsey’s glare. “Leave her alone.” Keegan quickly defended. The Merricks had always been family since he grew up with (Y/n). “She’s just being an idiot, as usual.” He didn’t take his eyes off of (Y/n) as Logan asked for a dance making her laugh and nod her head in approval. He could tell she made a joke like she always used to with him.

“Now just understand, I may step on your toes. My father taught me, not my graceful mother.” And then she would giggle and smile with that pretty smile she had.

Logan had no right to see that smile or hear that giggle, the jealousy was forming. Not just in Keegan but also in Lindsay when she saw what Keegan was staring at. A sneer formed on her lips. She was jealous and (Y/n) brought it out the most knowing Keegan and (Y/n) had a form of something in the past.

“Are you serious, Keegan, seriously!” Lindsey scoffed as glared at Keegan. “Stop staring at (Y/n).”

Keegan’s eyes momentarily opened as he realized Lindsey had caught onto him staring at (Y/n). He averted his eyes from (Y/n) and glanced at Lindsey. It just wasn’t the same. There was no spark, no flutter. “What?” he asked feigning ignorance to his glanced to (Y/n) and Lindsey’s questioning glares.

“You seriously stare at her all the time!” Lindsey showed her frustration with Keegan. “Why don’t you go date her.”

Keegan blinked, caught off guard by the comment and accusations he was receiving.

“That’s not true, I don’t stare at her all the time.” He knew this would be a start to a new relationship feud between Lindsey and him. They argued all the time. He was trying to sound sincere to reassure her, but truly he was doing it to avoid a feud on the drive home…or before that. Lindsey had no qualms when it came to fights, she’d start them in the store, family events, or like this a party. “I don’t just stare at her all the time.”

“Sure, whatever Keegan.” she stood up as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I’ll just call my Ex. He was better than you in so many ways.” she rolled her eyes.

Keegan sighed, the constant comparison to her hunk of an ex…he was in jail. That's all that needs to be said for that one.

“Listen to me,” Keegan said with a soothing voice. His tone was soft and his eyes shifted to meet Lindsey’s. He was trying to just ice this over and hold the fights and the nasty comments off. “I don't stare at her all the time. I've done it maybe once or twice, that's all to it.” he shrugged as he gave her a charming smile. “You're overreacting.”

“I’m getting a drink,” she glared at him and huffed.

“And smoothing things over with her is no longer working.” Keegan uttered. “Why do I stay?” he shook his head. Keegan closed his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh, he was getting exhausted.

“Keegan,” a little quiet voice called out to the man. He opened his eyes and looked down seeing Ryker, the youngest of the Merricks. He was holding his little Kangaroo that Keegan had bought him when he and (Y/n) had taken the kids to the Zoo.

“Ryker-roo, and how is Rooney-roo?” Keegan cooed to the boy as he leaned down, coddling the boy with his thumb rubbing tenderly on the boy's neck.

“Not good,” Ryker uttered as he looked nervous.

“Oh, buddy,” Keegan cooed softly. “What's wrong Ryker-roo?” He tugged the kid closer as he kept him from the view of other people knowing he was fragile when he felt something was wrong.

“Can you help me clean my shirt,” Ryker pointed to the chocolate stain on his nice white dress shirt. Ah yes, the chocolate fountain had beaten the young toddler. “Mama bought me this shirt, it's nice.”

Keegan smiled as he picked the boy up. “Sure thing buddy.” Keegan patted Ryker’s back and then rubbed his thumb soothingly on Ryker’s back.

They walked to the family bathroom where Keegan sat the toddler down on the white sink. “Let me see the stain.” Keegan tickled Ryker.

The little toddler squealed and wiggled slowly, falling back as Keegan took advantage of the situation and blew raspberries on his little round belly.

“Kee-kee!” the toddler squealed.

“I've got you,” Keegan cooed sweetly. “What are you gonna do now!” Keegan tickled and then knelt down to blow more raspberries on his belly.

The door slid open as Keegan looked up seeing (Y/n) walk in shaking a tide stain remover pen.

“Eh?” she looked confused as she stopped shaking the pen. Her face flushed red as she thought about the many daydreams she had of having kids with Keegan. She looked away with a bright red blush on her cheeks. “Sorry, I heard ryker had a stain, I figured this would be easy to get rid of the stain.” She tried to calm her running thoughts. “Rumor mill said he would be here.”

Keegan rubbed Ryker’s chin as he chuckled. “Any help is welcome.” Keegan smiled.

She wasn’t avoiding him for some odd reason this time. It made his heart pitter in a special way.

He was quick to take Ryker’s stained shirt off as he handed it to (Y/n).

“Mama is going to be mad.” Ryker held onto his kangaroo.

“No she won’t ryker-roo.” (Y/n) cooed as she dabbed the pen to it.

“Mama gets mad when daddy has stains?” Ryker rubbed the kangaroo on Keegan’s shirt as he uttered something to Keegan.

“Oh, rooney-roo likes the smell of my cologne,” Keegan chuckled as his eyes crinkled in pure happiness. “Thank you Mr. Rooney-roo.” he made sure to tell the Kangaroo.

“May he have a bit of the man-perfume?” Ryker asked.

(Y/n) tried to hold on a laugh as Ryker called cologne man perfume.

“He may,” Keegan glanced at (Y/n). “Do you still have the travel one in your purse?” he asked, looking at the young woman.

“Oh yeah, I do.” (Y/n) reached into her clutch and handed it to Keegan. “I keep forgetting to give it to…Lindsey,” she hummed.

Keegan gave her a glance but shook it off as he didn’t want to start another argument like earlier. He took the perfume and grasped onto Rooney-roo as he gently sprayed the kangaroo down with his cologne. It was all the boy ever smelled when he was near Keegan, so Keegan knew it had become a comfort thing for the boy.

Keegan smiled as he knew it stemmed from the many nights of rocking him in his arms as they sat by the campfire or the sleepovers at the merricks house as the boy was snuggled up into Keegan’s side.

“Rumor mill spreads fast,” Keegan looked at (Y/n) as he handed her the cologne back. “Keep it.”

“Well, when it has Rykers cute little face behind it, it will spread fast, yes.” (Y/n) said softly smiling. “Thanks for trying to clean him up.” Her eyes twinkled as she had a sincere smile.

“Well…” he chuckled as he looked at Ryker taking the shirt back and helping the boy put it back on and tuck it in. “As for that…I tried.”

“That’s all that matters.” (Y/n) hummed, but the silence grew and the awkwardness kicked in. She looked at her nails as she tried to find something to occupy her mind.

“So,” Keegan started as he tried to make small talk. (Y/n) glanced at Keegan as she raised an eyebrow. “Enjoying the party?”

“Oh—yes.” She nodded her head. “Yes, yes.” She gulped hoping he would avoid the garden moment. “You?”

“It’s been decent so far.” Keegan nodded. He shifted his weight leaning against the counter. His eyes landed on you as he opened his mouth to say something, but stopped as (Y/n) spoke first.

“About earlier…” she trailed off as her eyes glanced at the stalls. “We have privacy here, with Ryker-roo.” She nodded to the toddler. “He keeps all my secrets.” She said smiling softly as she reached out with her pinky making a pinky promise with the toddler. “I wanted to explain about it earlier, I feel like you deserve some form of answer.” She paused. “Especially with the whole you thinking I never tried to make a bond between Lindsey and I.”

Keegan’s facial expression shifted slightly, a mix of mild surprise and curiosity, as he saw (Y/n) pinky swear with Ryker. He listened intently as she mentioned the earlier conversation. “I’m listening,” he said.

“I did try, for your sake, for a whole month.” (Y/n) uttered feeling ashamed for earlier. “I added her on social media and invited her out with the girls and she never did anything…never met me in the middle. She ended up taking my friends away from me.” (Y/n) said softly. Her eyes glanced at Ryker then slowly directed to Keegan. “It’s whatever, but I don’t want you to think I’ve always hated her, I tried for your sake…she just won’t budge.”

Keegan’s facial expression softened as (Y/n) explained her attempts to connect with Lindsey. He didn’t realize the extent that she tried to bond with his girlfriend.

“I never thought you hated her,” he said, his voice sincere. “But I guess I was still too caught up in thinking she was making an effort just like you were. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” (Y/n) uttered as she shrugged. “Though I should be honest with you. A month after you two started dating, she asked me to stay away, so I don’t try to step on her toes. So, if you see me less and less I’m just being respectful.” She felt she needed to be honest about that with Keegan, so he had an answer if anything ever happened.

Keegan’s expression changed to a mix of surprise and disbelief. “Wait, what?” he exclaimed in a surprised tone. “She asked you to stay away?”

“I cause problems,” (Y/n) nodded slowly as she pushed hair from her face. “Her words, not mine.” She laughed bitterly. “But it’s okay.”

Keegan furrowed his eyebrows, his expression turning into a mix of confusion and disbelief. “Cause problems? How in the world would you cause problems?” He asked, his voice carrying a hint of protectiveness.

“She’s insecure, but I get it.” (Y/n) hummed. “I’m a threat since she thinks we had a thing before her and you. My personal opinion, like you asked…earlier…” she puffed her cheeks out. “She’s not good for you. But that’s my opinion.” She waved her hands in front of her body to clarify things. “But in no way is it right for me to expect you to just end things, I would never ever ask for that. If you're happy then that’s what matters the most.”

He wasn’t happy, he was far from it. But how does he just come out and say it? It was something he struggled with and still don’t have the answer to.

Keegan’s eyes widened slightly as (Y/n) revealed her opinion of Lindsey to him. He was taken aback by how upfront she was with her thoughts.

He leaned against the counter and looked at her for a moment before speaking. “What exactly makes you think she’s not good for me?” He asked, his voice soft but firm, wanting to know the reasons behind her opinion.

“You're not the same person.” She said softly looking at him.

Keegan stayed quiet for a moment as he processed (Y/n)’s words. He could feel his heart sink slightly at the thought of him being a different person because of Lindsey. He knew one thing for sure: he was easily agitated since the start of his relationship with Lindsey.

He let out a soft sigh, his expression turning a bit solemn. “How so?” He asked in a softer tone, genuinely wanting to know how (Y/n) saw the change in him.

“Quick to anger, not happy…” she paused as she looked at Keegan. “The list can go on.”

Keegan’s expression softened as (Y/n) pointed out the changes in him since the start of his relationship with Lindsey.

He took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking softly and with a slight hint of guilt and remorse. “I guess I have been more irritable and less myself lately…” he admitted quietly. “But I thought it was just the stress from work getting to me.”

“Can I speak up?” Ryker asked as he clutched the kangaroo in his hands.

“Yeah buddy?” Keegan said softly.

“I don’t like her either.” Ryker spoke up.

“It’s not that I don’t like her… I’m not even going to try. It’s fallen on deaf ears with Ryker it seems.” (Y/n) giggled as she scratched her cheek.

“Why don’t you like her, Ryker-roo?” Keegan asked as he smiled.

“Ryker,” (Y/n) hummed softly, reminding him of an important factor. “Just remember our opinions don’t matter, maybe she’s the most amazing woman when they're at home together.” She booped Rykers nose.

Ryker fiddled with his tie before Keegan fixed it for him.

“She doesn’t like kids and doesn’t like me,” Ryker said. “Said little kids are annoying. Am I?”

Keegan’s eyes softened as he heard Rykers reason for not liking Lindsey.

Ryker was practically Keegan’s best friend. When the two were together they were hardly irreparable.

“No bud,” Keegan leaned forward. “You're not annoying at all, you're amazing!” Keegan nodded his head. “You and Rooney.” Keegan rubbed his thumb over the boy's cheek smiling. “She’s wrong for saying that.”

“Keegan’s my best friend.” Ryker stumbled with his worlds.

“Yeah Ryker-roo,” (Y/n) giggled. “Looks like I've been replaced.” She nodded as her eyes twinkled looking at Keegan.

Keegan chuckled as he heard Ryker declare him as his best friend. “I wouldn’t say you’re replaced,” he said, his tone lighthearted. “It’s more like a shared first place.”

“I’ll just buy him more ice cream and more trips in the rubicon.” (Y/n) snorted.

“Oh,” Keegan’s smirked widened. “Bribery with ice cream and jeep trips, that’s not fair.”

Their teasing continued until they heard Rykers soft little sniffles indicating that the toddler was crying. He had Rooney-roo, snuggled close as he cried into the kangaroo plushie trying to take comfort in Keegan’s cologne that was on it.

“What’s wrong?” You asked softly caressing Rykers arm. “Buddy?”

“Ryker, buddy?” Keegan added as his thumb wiped away the young toddler's tears.

Both of their heart strings were pulled. They could clearly tell something was bothering the youngest. They just weren’t sure what it was.

“What’s bugging you?” Keegan hummed.

“Lindsey,” Ryker uttered as he pouted. “Please break up with her.” The waterfalls happened faster as Keegan winced.

Keegan froze momentarily as Ryker voiced his wish for him to break up with Lindsey. Hearing those words come from Ryker tugged at his heartstrings. He crouched down to Ryker’s level and looked at him with a mix of concern and understanding. “Ryker…” he said softly, his voice gentle. “Why do you want that?”

“You don’t come around anymore…” Ryker fiddled with the kangaroo.

Keegan’s expression softened further as he realized the root of Ryker’s wish. He reached out and placed his hand comfortingly on Ryker’s shoulder. “You miss me, huh?” he asked gently. “I know I haven’t been around as much lately, and is that why you want me to break up with Lindsey?”

(Y/n) watched carefully as she kept an eye on Ryker to see if he got any more distraught.

“Yeah and she says mean things and I think she’s terrible for you.” Ryker continued. “And you don’t play with me anymore…and I don’t want you to marry her.”

(Y/n)’s eyes softened as she realized Ryker was having a hard time with that fact that Keegan just stopped coming around.

“Ryker, we don’t have a say on Keegan’s relationship.” (Y/n) cooed softly. “We don’t have a say, that’s his decision and his life.”

Keegan looked at (Y/n) as she spoke to Ryker, her words filled with understanding and calmness. Then he looked back at Ryker, his expression a mix of compassion and reassurance.

“You know I would never marry someone who’s terrible for me, bud,” he said softly. “And I’m sorry I haven’t been around as much. But I promise, things will get better.”

He ruffled Ryker’s hair affectionately, a small smile on his face.

(Y/n) wasn’t sure what that meant, but Ryker took it as Keegan wasn’t going to marry her at all.

“So you're not going to marry her at all!” Ryker exclaimed.

Keegan chuckled softly at Ryker’s sudden perk up. “No, I’m not going to marry her,” he confirmed, his voice gentle. “We’re not at that point yet.” He reached out and gently pinched Ryker’s cheek affectionately. “But I wouldn’t marry someone my best friend doesn’t like, right?”

“Right!” Keegan scooped Ryker up in his arms and held him against his chest.

He smiled warmly at Ryker, his expression filled with affection and reassurance.

“You’re my best friend, remember?” Keegan said softly, giving him a gentle squeeze. “I wouldn’t do anything without your approval, bud.”

Keegan held Ryker in his arms, his focus solely on the young boy. He was determined to reassure Ryker and make him feel better.

He began to walk out of the bathroom, still carrying Ryker. “Alright, champ, let’s go get some ice cream and forget about all these worries for a while, yeah?”

(Y/n) left having a subtle feeling deep in her stomach that was far from over.

She wasn’t wrong. This was far from over.

Months passed and they were heading to Ajax and Sarah’s wedding. The ceremony was gorgeous and now the reception was almost as perfect.

Maury’s favorite topic to discuss right now was Keegan’s love life, since Lindsey was still around.

(Y/n) slowly helped Ryker out of the jeep as Murray hoped out of the front. Ryker had on a cute little tux with dinosaurs on the tie. Their mother had found it at the store and had to have it for the wedding. Ryker was too adorable though and a good model it seemed.

“Ten bucks he proposes.” Murray hummed as she fixed her hair. Her dress was silky and long enough to keep her warm in these slowly chilling temperatures as fall started to settle in.

“Mmm,” (Y/n) gave her a stern look. A warning telling her sister not to speak about that in front of Ryker.

“He promised me he wouldn’t.” Ryker hopped around like a kangaroo.

“Ryker-roo, no jumping around too much.” (Y/n) giggled. “Mama and papa don’t need your suit messy. We’re celebrating uncle Ajax’s wedding.”

Keegan was standing near the entrance of the wedding venue, engaged in conversation with some other guests. His sharp eyes scanned the area, and he spotted (Y/n), Murray, and Ryker approaching.

As he listened to your conversation, his lips curled into a small smirk. He chuckled softly to himself, amused by the ten-dollar bet and the fact that he was the subject of it.

“Ten bucks you’re gonna upset Ryker and I’m gonna make you pay.” (Y/n) teased Murray.

Keegan chuckled softly as Ryker scurried over to him and grabbed onto his pants.

He looked down at the young boy, his expression warm and affectionate. “Hey there, bud,” he said, his voice filled with affection. “Are you excited for the wedding?”

“Yeah,” Ryker showed Keegan his tie as he had Rooney-roo clutched tightly to his grasps.

“Look what I have for Rooney.” Keegan knelt down. “Gotta make sure he smells very spiffy.” Keegan held his cologne out.

“Keegan’s man perfume!” Ryker said excitedly.

“Man perfume,” Murray scrunched her face up.

“Cologne, it’s too hard for him to say…or remember.” (Y/n) smiled at Murray as the two girls laughed.

“Wish this was a no kids wedding,” Lindsey huffed as she walked past Ryker. (Y/n) heard the comment and knew, she kept her cool and smiled at Ryker. “Uncle Ajax wants you here, that’s all that matters.” (Y/n) reassured Ryker.

Keegan’s gaze flicked up as he saw Lindsey roll her eyes and walk off. He let out a soft sigh and looked down at Ryker, who was cuddled up to him. He tried to push away any irritation he felt towards Lindsey and focus on Ryker. He was trying to have a good night tonight. Not a shitty one.

“Still with her?” Murray asked as she stuck her tongue out at Keegan in a teasing manner.

Keegan chuckled softly at Murray’s comment. He shot her a playful eye roll and stuck his tongue out at her in return. “Yep, still with her,” he replied, his tone light-hearted, but a hint of resignation in his voice. “For now, anyway…”

“Save yourself some happiness.” Murray looked at Ajax. “Who do you look at like that, that’s true love.” Murray hummed watching Ajax look at his now wife.

Keegan glanced at Ajax and his wife as Murray spoke. He watched the way Ajax looked at his new bride with so much love and adoration. It was undeniable, and Keegan couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.

He let out a soft sigh and turned back to Murray, a hint of longing in his eyes. “Yeah…that’s what true love looks like, isn’t it?”

“And who do you look at like that?” Murray teased. Murray knew the answer and the answer was (Y/n).

Though this came from the same teenager that thought Keegan had a shrine in his home for (Y/n). Honestly she still thinks Keegan has a shrine for her sister. Keegan in her eyes just seemed like the dude to have a random ass shrine. Yeah…sure, Murray.

He wasn’t…he didn’t…it was just Murray’s lovely imagination…and maybe a tad bit of creativity and anime.

Keegan chuckled softly as Murray teased him, knowing full well what she was getting at. He looked down at Ryker for a moment, a small, affectionate smile on his face. Then he looked back at Murray, playfully rolling his eyes again. “It’s a secret,” he replied, his tone light, but holding a hint of seriousness. “And it’s none of your business.”

“Ten bucks it’s big sister!” Ryker nodded as he held his hand up to Murray telling her to pay up and she did.

“You didn’t bring cash? Where did you get that twenty dollar bill?” (Y/n)’s eyes widened. She opened her clutch seeing her dollar bill missing. Her eyes watch the transaction occur as Ryker starts to show off his twenty dollar bill to Keegan. “That was my twenty dollar bill…” she frowned, looking at Murray then at Keegan. “…well not anymore.” She grumbled.

“They were very confident that you were the answer.” Keegan chuckled.

“Were we wrong?” Murray sassed.

“No,” Ryker said confidently.

“The confidence in these two.” Keegan hummed.

“I know my best friend!” Ryker nodded as he crossed his arms.

“That you do little man,” Keegan smiled.

“I’m gonna act like I didn’t just lose twenty dollars and I didn’t hear that.” (Y/n) said smiling as she walked off.

She went over congratulating Ajax and Sarah hugging them as she laughed and smiled in the conversation. The way her face crinkled up and her eyes sparkled was something Keegan couldn’t ever get used to. It made his heart beat faster. He couldn’t help but observe, especially when she was just that beautiful, along with her friendly attitude and her charismatic behaviors. Keegan had known from the start that (Y/n) was something special.

So much so that she had bought an engagement ring as soon as he graduated, having it sized to her ring finger right away. And if her finger changed sizes he’d size it up as soon as he could. That ring stuck right to his dog tags on a gold chain close to his heart knowing exactly who that ring was meant to be for.

It was always on him, Ryker when he was young and even to this day when Keegan held him the boy was playing with the ring fumbling with it in his hand. Ryker was the only one who knew who the ring was for.

Ryker was a good secret keeper, (Y/n) wasn’t wrong when she said that months ago in the bathroom as they cleaned Rykers white dress shirt off.

Keegan was awestruck by you, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed by Ajax or Sarah as they glanced over at Keegan smiling. He had to rein it in returning to his more neutral and casual expression as Ryker demanded to be picked up.

“I slept over at big sissy’s,” Ryker said as he grabbed the gold chain playing with the ring. “Sparkly.” He uttered.

“Yeah, buddy.” Keegan heaved the little toddler up closer as he smiled. “Don’t lose it, that’s sissy’s ring.” Keegan kissed Rykers cheek smiling. “Pretty girl deserves something if I can work my nerve up.” Keegan hummed.

He wasn’t ever going to get to work the nerve up…

Why?

Keegan—to keep Lindsey happy—proposed to her a week ago, and man was his gut swirling for it. He knew it was an instant mistake, but he just couldn’t take it back or change what he did. He felt like this was the right thing to do, but the worst thing to do all together. It was this constant back and forth.

He wanted to marry (Y/n) but here he was trying to marry some girl who only made him miserable. He knew there was no logic to explain this. There was none he could come up with.

The only thing that did make sense was he feared he’d be a terrible man for (Y/n) like she could do so much better, and that was wrong and everyone knew that.

“Why weren’t you at the sleepover,” Ryker asked as Keegan frowned slightly.

“Well, buddy,” Keegan tried to find the words for this. “Sometimes grown ups have other things to do.”

Murray rolled her eyes as she knew Keegan was avoiding the actual reason.

“Ryker, he’s still with Lindsey, she’s not gonna approve of something like that.” Murray was straight to the point.

Keegan felt a pang of annoyance at Murray's comment, but he tried his best to keep his expression neutral. He was trying to avoid making the boy in his arms upset.

He glanced up at Murray and gave her a firm yet subtle glare, silently signaling her to drop the topic. He didn’t want to have this conversation in front of Ryker, especially not here at Ajax’s wedding.

“Murray,” (Y/n) chided softly. “Sorry Keegan.” She shook her head and hummed. “Don’t want Ryker crying.” She reminded Murray. “That means Keegan’s relationship is off topic.”

He gave (Y/n) a small nod, silently thanking her for steering the conversation away. He knew that talking about his relationship with Lindsey would only upset Ryker, and he didn’t want to ruin Ajax’s special day. Not with his drama.

Ryker and Keegan made their way congratulating the newly wedded couple.

(Y/n) and Murray stayed back as the two looked at Ryker. “For Ryker’s sake,” you said softly to Murray. “Please leave Keegan’s relationship out of the conversations today.” She pleaded. “I know you don’t like Lindsey, none of us do, but if Keegan’s happy that’s all that matters.”

“But he’s not!” Murray huffed. “Don’t you see how he looks at you?”

“There’s nothing there, Murray, nothing.” (Y/n) shook her head. “We don’t live in a fantasy.”

“There’s something but you won’t even fight for it!” Murray uttered, exhausted.

“Nothing has led me to believe…” (Y/n) paused when you saw Keegan’s eyes on you.

Was there something there? No there couldn’t be, if there was he would have said something sooner…right?

“There’s something, because I’ve never seen a man look so madly in love like he does when he’s looking right at you,” Murray said softly, “like you're the stars to his moon.”

“It’s ridiculous.” (Y/n) tried to shake it off. But deep down she knew there was something brewing in those cold icy eyes. Something that wasn’t anything but a deep rooted admiration and love for something he wanted to hold close for the rest of his life. “Enough Murray, he’s with Lindsey.”

“But for once, go for your happiness.” Murray uttered.

“Murray,” (Y/n) chided. “Come on, enough. No teary eyes for Ryker today and if we keep having this conversation he’ll cry.”

"Yeah,” Murray sounded defeated. “Ryker adores Keegan," she said, a hint of sadness in her tone. "They have a special brotherhood bond that goes beyond just friendship. But it breaks my heart seeing how sad Ryker gets whenever Keegan’s relationship with Lindsey comes up. It's like he can sense the wrongness in it."

“I know,” (Y/n) hummed softly. “Nothing we can do.” She nodded.

Murray nodded again, her expression sad. "I just wish Keegan would see the truth for himself," she said gently. "He’s a smart guy, we both know that. But he’s being stubborn about this. He’s settling for something that’s not right for him, and it’s hurting everyone involved, especially you…and ryker-roo.”

“It’s not our life.” (Y/n) said softly. “I’m sorry Murray.”

Murray let out a soft sigh and nodded in agreement. "You’re right," she acknowledged. "It’s not our life, and we can’t force Keegan to make the decision that’s best for him. But it’s tough seeing him trapped in a situation that’s clearly harming him and the people he cares about."

“It’s something he has to figure out or deal with.” (Y/n) cooed. “He’ll figure it out.”

Murray nodded again, admitting the sad reality of the situation. "Yeah," she sighed. "Sometimes, people have to figure things out for themselves. But it doesn’t make it any easier watching.”

“I know.” (Y/n) said softly.

As the night progressed. Things took a turn no one had expected.

(Y/n) heart shattered as she stood bagging in a discussion with her parents and someone they knew.

“We heard the news, Keegan’s engaged.” The couple said as they talked to (Y/n)’s father and mother. “And here we thought it would be (Y/n) he would marry.”

She felt her lip wobble as she looked away quickly. She kept herself put together as she bottled her emotions up. Murray glanced at Ryker who had a deep set frown on his face.

“Ryker,” (Y/n) said, quickly getting down closer to his level. “Hey, it’s okay.”

“It’s not okay!” Ryker started crying uncontrollably.

(Y/n) quickly scooped her little brother up as she rushed out of the reception heading straight to a quiet garden.

“It’s okay,” (Y/n) cooed as Murray followed. It wasn’t long before their mother and father had slowly walked to where (Y/n) and Murray were trying to console their little brother.

“He promised!” Ryker wailed.

Their mother quickly swooped in picking the toddler up and rocking him.

“Shh, shh,” their mother soothed them all as they listened. “Mama is right here.”

“Ryker knows he’s losing Keegan if he marries Lindsey.” Murray furrowed her brows. “That’s Ryker-roo’s apparent best friend.” She said bitterly.

“Murray,” their father said softly. “I know you're upset too, honey. You two have to understand that sometimes promises are broken when you love someone.”

(Y/n)’s eyes showed the hurt as Murray looked at (Y/n). She winced as she saw the look on her older sister's face, a heart clearly shattered into a million pieces is what it reminded her of.

“Love,” Murray scoffed as she was bitter.

(Y/n) sat down a fair distance from everyone as her body just felt like a lump of flesh and bones. Heart break, it’s as painful as it sounded. (Y/n) watched the people in the venue dance and be happy while she mourned the thought of a wedding. At one point she wanted to be a beautiful bride, but now she wasn’t so sure she ever wanted to love again, scorned by the loss of the person she truly did love, but apparently never returned it.

(Y/n) watched as Keegan trekked across the path that brought them underneath the big maple tree.

“Oh honey, why don’t you like Lindsey, she’s…very sweet.” Their mother hummed.

“Sweet.” Their father was sarcastic.

Keegan had heard as he slowed down. Even Thomas and Beth didn’t like Lindsey.

Keegan sighed quietly as he looked at the Merrick’s. He knew this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation.

“Doesn’t matter what they think, right?” (Y/n) laughed bitterly. “Right, all that matters is your happiness.” She hummed as her words almost didn’t sound true. Keegan could see her hurt, could see her anger, her own feelings of Betrayal. He could see the fake smile plastered on her face and the forced words to make it sound like she was happy for him.

“Yeah,” he muttered. “I’m happy all right.” His own voice lacked conviction.

“Convincing.” (Y/n) rolled her eyes as she glared at Keegan. He felt cold, that look had never been aimed at him that often but now he felt like he was getting it more often.

Keegan heard (Y/n)’s sarcastic remark and winced slightly, knowing he wasn’t fooling anyone, especially not her. Her ability to see through his pretense was both irritating and admirable. He tried to maintain a neutral expression, but the tension in his jaw betrayed his true feelings.

“Cut me some slack, would you?” he muttered, his tone laced with a hint of defensiveness. “I’m trying here.”

“Trying?” (Y/n) scoffed. She was broken, and so was her happiness, “that’s what you call this? Keegan, Rykers trying harder than you and he’s crying like the world is about to end.” She huffed. “Oh and for god sakes, maybe don't make promises you don’t plan on keeping.”

Keegan clenched his jaw as she called him out. He knew she was right, and her reminder stung. Seeing Ryker’s distress felt like a knife in his gut, and he hated himself for being responsible for it.

“Oh cut me some slack, Lindsey.” Keegan snarled. All eyes were on the two of them now as Thomas and Beth paused. (Y/n) and Keegan were snapping. Both of them were finally having a meltdown it seemed.

“Excuse me!” (Y/n) scoffed. “I—“

“Enough!” Her father shouted as he glared at the two of them. “Enough, just kiss or something?” He huffed. “Just don’t get Ryker all in a tizzy like he already is.”

Keegan and (Y/n) gulped as they uttered quiet apologies. They were both unchecked and soon reminded they were here for other reasons too, not their own.

Lindsey walked down the path with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

“Of. Freakin’. Course.” (Y/n) sat down on the bench, her eyes watching Ryker avoiding Keegan’s and everyone else’s eyes.

Lindsey rolled her eyes as she looked at Ryker scoffing. “He’s still crying, tell him to grow up or something.” She uttered, looking at Keegan.

“Really sweet, ya’know Beth, I can’t imagine any reason as to why our baby boy is crying.” Their father was sarcastic.

“Thomas.” Their mother chided.

“Good thing our wedding is a childless wedding.” Lindsey rolled her eyes.

“Why are you even here,” Murray looked exhausted as she shook her head.

“Maybe instead of being so cold, you could try having a bit of empathy.” Keegan retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm and anger. “It’s a wedding, not a heartless corporate event. It’s supposed to be a celebration not a funeral.”

“A funeral to your happiness, six feet below Keegan.” Murray shrugged. “Get used to it.”

“Murray, zip it!” (Y/n) looked surprised at her sister.

“Excuse me,” Lindsey paused as she looked at Murray. (Y/n)’s eyes widened knowing this wasn’t going to go well.

It was all silent as everyone looked at Murray. Some were proud looks, others were surprised.

(Y/n) felt her soul leave her body as Murray’s very defensive attitude showed its front. She wasn’t afraid to tell someone off, and here was the sass that came with it.

“When did little girls get a say in my relationship.” Lindsey snarled as she pointed a finger and then jabbed it in Murray’s chest. “Do you have any friends, little girl?”

“Alright hands off,” (Y/n) got in between the two. “Stop getting pissed because she's got a point.” (Y/n) rolled her eyes.

“You have a bitch of a sister, a crybaby of a brother, and what are you?” Lindsey had a bit of a sting to her words as (Y/n) looked at the woman a little pissed off that she had said those things about her siblings.

“Listen here,” (Y/n) started as she scoffed at Lindsey’s words. “You better stay in your lane or veer off the road here, you're barking up the wrong tree.”

“Yeah bitch!” Murray peered around (Y/n).

“Murray!” (Y/n) warned.

“Are you a crybaby like your little brother, look at him.” Lindsey mocked as she laughed.

“Lindsey enough,” Keegan pulled Lindsey back. He gritted his teeth at Lindsey’s comment, his eyes narrowing in anger. He knew Ryker could be sensitive, but calling him a "crybaby" felt like a cruel and unjust attack on a child. "Watch it,” he warned, his voice low and dangerous. "He’s a child, and he’s dealing with emotions he's never had to face before. Cut him some slack, for Christ’s sake."

“Oh Keegan, grow up.” Lindsey scoffed.

“Listen here, you better get her in check.” (Y/n) warned Keegan. “I don’t ever want to hear that shit coming from her mouth again.”

“And what would you do?” Lindsey mocked again. (Y/n) was feeling the ice breaking and Lindsey about to plummet into the frigid waters. She was ready to snap, these were her siblings.

“I’m gonna—“

“Enough!” Keegan snarled at the two of them.

“You listen here Keegan,” (Y/n) snapped as she glared at Keegan. “Get your dog on a leash, I don’t want to ever hear anything about my family from her mouth again, I don’t want her near, my siblings, I don’t want anything to do with her.” You were set in stone. “I’ll handle this peacefully, but after that, she’s not allowed anywhere near us,” (Y/n) was cold and collected which was more fearful than her being angered and raising her voice. Which might I say, no one has ever seen because this was her anger, cold and collected.

“I don’t want this family at my wedding, they're freaks and clearly assholes.” Lindsey said to Keegan.

“Didn’t want to be there anyways.” (Y/n) scoffed. “Seeing two idiots get married.”

“Don’t say anything more you’ll regret,” Thomas was in front of his oldest as Keegan looked at (Y/n) surprised. “Enough.”

“This is ridiculous.” Murray stormed off as she threw her hands up in the air.

“Oh please!” Lindsey scoffed. “You started the fight and can't handle it.”

Murray turned around as (Y/n) and Thomas quickly caught her from starting a brawl.

“To the car now!” (Y/n) pointed to the parking lot. “Go!” She barked orders as Murray froze and nodded her head rushing off as she wiped her eyes. “Keegan, stay away.” (Y/n) was cold. “Don’t ever come around, not if you're sticking with her.”

“(Y/n),” Keegan said quickly. “(Y/n)! Listen to me!” He shouted. “Don’t you walk away!”

“I said stay!” (Y/n) turned around as she had tears in her eyes. “I mean it.”

Keegan’s heart shattered in a million little pieces as he stopped walking after her.

“She'll cool off Keegan,” Their mother hummed as she held Ryker.

“I’m not cooling off,” (Y/n) turned around. “I’m tired, I’m tired of this drama she starts.” (Y/n) pointed at Lindsey. “Yeah, Keegan, here you go.” She jabbed her own chest. “I don’t like her, newsflash, she’s toxic as hell! No I don’t want to be her friend, and no I don’t want to try and be her friend.”

“Your being—“ Keegan tried.

“Don’t start!” (Y/n) glared at Keegan. “Don’t start.” She nodded her head. “I don’t care who you pick over who, I don’t care if you hate me, but don’t you think what you ever did was right. I hate who you have become.” With that being said she stormed to her Jeep.

The first thing Thomas and Beth noticed with Keegan is how broken he looked. His eyes glanced at Ryker and then to (Y/n) as she walked off. It was almost like a bit of light from his life was leaving as she walked away.

“Keegan,” Lindsey uttered as she looked at her fiance. There was a storm brewing in her eyes. Keegan could tell.

The thing about Lindsey is she was emotionally abusive, and it started to take its toll on Keegan. It started to affect his well being. At this point he wasn’t even sure he wanted to do this anymore, and that was understandable. He didn’t want to constantly be compared to the ex boyfriend who wound his way up in prison. He didn’t want to be compared to every other man Lindsey found attractive, playing a manipulative game. He was just…done, he was at that point.

Beth and Thomas just watched, noticing the woman grip the silver ring on her finger and threw it at Keegan. The cold metal made a twinkling sound as it was tossed onto the brick getting lost in the bushes behind them. It wasn’t an expensive ring, it didn't have an expensive stone in it. Not like the one that was around his neck. It had an expensive stone set in an intricate design.

It was clear from Keegan—as he didn’t go searching for the ring and left it there while also watching Lindsey storm off—that he didn’t want this relationship, he wasn’t one hundred percent into it from the beginning. It was just to appease the emotionally abusive girl he did not know how to escape from.

“Keegan,” Beth uttered as she held Ryker.

“I didn’t love her,” he uttered. “A lot of things you two don’t know.” He said. “A lot of things no one knows.” He uttered.

Both of them stared at Keegan seeing the man almost relax but stay on edge. It was an odd thing to see, almost like one thing of stress left but another formed.

Thomas knew what was swirling in those icy blue eyes.

“Go talk to her,” Thomas nodded as he looked back at the parking lot. “She’s stubborn, but if I know my oldest, she’ll listen.”

Keegan stood there for a second contemplating whether he should or not. His feet started to move in that direction and soon enough he found his way to where (Y/n) was sitting on a bench watching the trees blow in the breeze. Keegan could see her shiver as he took his jacket off gently setting it around her shoulder as he knelt down securely wrapping it around her.

Her eyes glanced at him. He had taken his tie off at some point and his dog tags and a gold chain with a ring on it dangled in her view.

“I’m an asshole,” he started softly.

“No, you're just a daft idiot.” (Y/n) said as her eyes finally met his,

He chuckled as he nodded his head agreeing with her. “I know.” He smiled. “I am, no doubt about it.” He paused as he swallowed quickly. “I need to explain something.”

“You don’t have to.” She said quickly.

“No,” he shook his head, “I have to.” He nodded his head as his eyes showed all his emotions, he had to be open with her, open about everything.

“Keegan I—“

“Please let me,” he cupped her face, wiping the tears away. “Don’t cry,” he cupped her face with both hands now as he rested his face against hers. “Cause I’ll cry, knowing I caused your pain.” His voice wavered a bit.

She felt her heartbeat pick up as she wrapped her hand around his forearms unsure of what this conversation held. In her mind he was still with Lindsey, what fixing could there be.

Keegan had this whole thing rehearsed in his head, but let’s be honest, nothing ever went the way people wanted it to. Rehearsing did nothing because life oftentimes was unpredictable.

The reality of the situation weighed heavily on him, reminding him of the choices he had made and the consequences that came with them. The ache in his heart was undeniable, and the guilt weighed heavily on his conscience. He had an ache for her, he needed to make them right, he needed to fix this and marry the woman he loved so much it hurt.

He swallowed hard, pulled his hands away and took the gold chain off around his neck, slipping the ring into his hand.

(Y/n) watched, not entirely sure what was going on. This wasn’t Lindsey’s ring, hers was silver and basic. This was intricate, had words on the inside of the ring that said forever and always. She had noticed the birthstones on the side of the ring, one hers and the other his. She stared wide eyed at him. How long had he owned this? Why did he even have it? Was this what she thought it was?

His words pulled her out of all her questions that were running a mile a minute in her mind. They were surprising and quite frankly unpredictable, but Keegan could always be unpredictable at times.

“Marry me,” he uttered as he held the ring up between his index and thumb finger. The gold ring twinkled in the light. He looked up at her as she looked deep into his eyes. She took note of the tears in his eyes and the way he bit his lips keeping his emotions held back for a bit longer. She saw that his lips were wobbling and he wanted to cry right there and then, but for her sake he held himself together, if she answered either a yes or no, he knew he would cry either way.

He wanted to be happy, and she was his happiness.

“Keegan,” she uttered. Her eyes flickered to the ring and then to him. She had her worries like Lindsey. “Aren’t you…Lindsey?” She couldn’t finish the sentence very well as it was chopped up.

“No,” he shook his head. His voice quivered as his eyes set on her. “No Lindsey, should have left her a long time ago.” He nodded as his lips wobbled. “I messed up but at some point I would have woken up.” He sniffled. Keegan's icy blue eyes pleaded with (Y/n), silently begging for her understanding and acceptance. The vulnerability and determination etched on his face were clear as day.

He took a crouched closer to her, his voice trembling with a mixture of emotions. “Please, (Y/n). I know I messed up, and I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but marry me, please. Make me the happiest man alive.” He paused as he looked at her. His voice cracked even worse as he spoke. “I love you."

Keegan's large hands cradled her face tenderly, his touch gentle yet protective. His eyes searched hers, pleading for her to understand his sincerity.

(Y/n) lips wobbled as emotions raged within her, torn between the love she still harbored for him and the pain of his choice to marry someone else. Despite this, her hands instinctively intertwined with his, holding onto them tightly.

“I had this ring sized a long time ago…to fit your ring finger .” He had to pause as his voice cracked showing his emotions as the tears fell softly into his cheeks.

“Mine…”she stuttered, surprised at the ring.

Keegan smiled warmly at your attempt to lighten the "Yes, yours," he confirmed quietly, his voice filled with sincerity. "It's always been for you. I got it for you years ago, intending to propose when the time was right."

Keegan noticed the way her lips trembled, a clear indication of the tumultuous emotions within her. He could see the pain and confusion etched on her face, and it tugged at his heartstrings.

He gently caressed her cheek with his thumb, his touch tender and caring. "Please say something," he murmured softly, his voice laced with vulnerability. “Tell me you hate me or love me, that you’ll marry me.” He begged a quiet sob escaping his lips.

(Y/n) could see his own rough waters going on within himself. The two were struggling at the moment with words and emotions it seemed.

“Yes.”

Keegan's eyes widened when he heard the word "yes" escape (Y/n)’s lips. He had hoped for her forgiveness and understanding, but he hadn't dared to hope that she would consider saying yes to him. He knew he didn’t deserve it, but he was so grateful and happy to have it.

A mixture of emotions washed over him - from relief to disbelief to elation. His heart pounded in his chest as he looked at her, his voice barely above a whisper. "Really?" he asked, hope glimmering in his eyes.

“Yes really,” she cried.

Keegan's heart soared as he heard (Y/n)’s confirmation with her tears of joy. The weight of guilt and uncertainty that had been weighing on him was suddenly replaced with a sense of relief and happiness.

He pulled her into a tight embrace, his arms encircling her with a mix of tenderness and protective strength. He held her close, as if afraid to let her go, and whispered in her ear. "I love you," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion.

“I love you too, you big idiot.” Her voice wavered.

The sudden outburst of cheers from wedding guests and (Y/n)’s family took the two of them by surprise. For a moment, they had forgotten that there was the possibility to have witnesses to this intimate moment between the two.

"You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear that," he confessed, his voice filled with vulnerability. Keegan slipped the ring onto her finger, but as soon as he did that she wrapped him into a deep hug as she kissed his cheek.

Keegan returned (Y/n)’s embrace, wrapping his arms around her in a warm and comforting hug. He held her close, feeling a surge of happiness and contentment wash over him. He nuzzled his face into her hair, inhaling her familiar scent. “I’m never letting you go,” he whispered quietly, his voice filled with a mix of tenderness and possessiveness.

“Don’t want you to,” she said softly.

Keegan’s heart skipped a beat at her words, his smile growing even wider. The simple acknowledgment that she didn’t want it any other way meant the world to him.

He gently caressed her face with his hand, stroking her cheek tenderly. “You’re my everything,” he murmured quietly, his voice filled with sincerity. “I can’t imagine my life without you.”

“Well then,” (Y/n) giggled softly as she leaned in closer to his lips. “It’s a good thing you woke up.”

He chuckled as he leaned in and kissed her softly. “A very good thing.”

[langernameohnebedeutung]

So I noticed something interesting linguistically during my Spanish lessons but then I couldn't find a reason why and thought maybe you would have an idea?

Why does the word 'German' change so much from language to language? I mean you said Deutsch but we say German. But then in Spanish, it's Alemán. That's a massive change across three language. And I know they're from different language families but it still seems like a big change, I wonder why

I mean...yeah, it's kind of a situation

The thing is, Germany was only united as a single country in 1871. Before that, it was really a conglomerate of many different small cities, dukedoms, and kingdoms under the Holy Roman Empire (and before that: Tribes)

Modern-day Germany was just beyond the edge of civilisation during ancient times - Everything to the west and South, including France and England, was conquered and named and cartographed by the Romans but Germania was what was on the "other side":

The beige part was where civilisation ended for the Romans. Everything beyond the Limes was barbarian woods and most attempts to conquer there ended in military disasters like the battle of the Teuteburger Forest so ...not much progress was being made.

The name "Germania", that was used for EVERYTHING beyond the Limes border was apparently adopted from the word the Gauls used for the peoples they knew were living right there on the other side - and which meant something like "people of the forest" or possibly "neighbours" (which means the Romans might have done that ancient thing where they asked the Gauls: "Who lives over there?" and the Gauls were "Oh, yeah, those guys are our neighbours who sometimes come to our markets and that we fight with sometimes and who talk a little weird" and the Romans were like: "Ah, so the name of everyone living in the great beyond is 'Neighbours' and just stamped that name on a large chunk of the continent full of people who had never met a Gaul and had never heard of the word "Germania")

And because that area wasn't centralised the way the former colonies of Rome were, this pattern continued - when "states" (there was no modern-day statehood then, I guess the closest word would be "Reiche" but that would be Empires in English but that also doesn't describe it accurately and Reich has a Connotation in English and kingdom suggests a kind of continuity that didn't exist yet...) interacted with the people who lived in these lands, they often falsely assumed a level of social cohesion that didn't exist. One example is when Charlemagne pushed East, he would often make deals with the pagan Saxon tribes to please stop raiding all the nice monasteries he tried to establish - but it happened again and again, and people at the time concluded that the Saxons simply didn't honour their word. The problem was, that the Saxons were not united under one ruler and were not one cohesive tribe - so just because one of them made a deal to stop raiding monasteries, this doesn't mean anyone else got the memo or felt obliged to stop plundering those monks.

Even today, this kind of happens: Like "teutonic" being used for "german" because Teutons were a German tribe or people identifying Germany with Bavaria bc they hear a lot about the Oktoberfest or "Prussian" and "German" being equated because between 1871 and 1918, the Hohenzollern, being both the royal House of Prussia and the Kaiserhaus, largely dictated Germany's foreign policy and impression to the rest of the world, and even before that posing the biggest counter-weight to the Austrian/Austro-Bavarian role on the German-speaking playing field and often symbolising the different cultures (e.g. protestant vs catholic) existing across the German-countries-minus-Switzerland.

And this is also how the name thing happened: "Deutsch" just means "of the people" and was largely used for the language (hence "Dutch", being a very similar language to German, also having that very similar name, except, since they were the "Low Countries" (flat as a pancake land) of the Holy Roman Empire, they eventually took that name for themselves and their language when they became independent - the Netherlands speaking nederlands, while Belgish dutch-speakers speak "vlaams" after the region "Flanders") But since Germany never "separated" from the Holy Roman Empire but is largely considered its successor, there was no reason to make a regional name the name for a new nation. It just remained "the nation/the people".

Over the centuries, the other countries usually took whatever name there was for the regional tribe of Deutsche/people they dealt with and applied that to the whole thing: If you dealt primarily with the Alemanni people, you would use a word like the French "Allemagne", the English lived on an island and mostly kept using the Latin name "Germania" - which became "Germany". In Finland and Estonia it's "Saksa" and "Saksamaa" because being in the East, they mostly dealt with Saxons.

This also turned into an international game of telephone eventually: People who didn't have much contact with different kinds of Europeans would just pick up whatever name the people they dealt with used for Germany. If you had a lot of contact with the French or Spanish, you would pick up a variation of "Alman", if you dealt primarily with the English or Italians, it would be a variety of "Germania"

Then you have countries like Japan, which entered international exchange very late and had a lot of contact with Dutch and German speakers - which is why they say ドイツ - "doitsu". In Mandarin it's "Déguó" - guó meaning "land" and "Dé" for Deutschland.

Then there is also the language barrier: The modern nation-states of Germany and Italy both were once part of the Holy Roman Empire and neither had a standardised language (even today, on the European continent, Germany and Italy might take the prize for the most variations of their own language on the home continent) or considered themselves "German" or "Italian" until very late. So they distinguished between the people who spoke all the variations of their own language and those people above/below the Alps who were absolutely incomprehensible to them due to speaking an entirely different language family - so the Italians also spoke of "tedesco", which is related to the word "deutsch". (Italy cleverly spared itself most of this chaos by not having a lot of neighbours to begin with).

Another language barrier issue was in the East, because that's where Germanic languages and Slavic languages meet. This meant that while everyone who was part of the German(ic) dialect family could communicate with their neighbouring towns and tribes and everyone on the Slavic side could communicate with their neighbouring towns and tribes, they were also faced with those weirdos from the other side of the language barrier who were speaking absolute gibberish (or maybe just stared at you like an idiot and said nothing when you asked them a basic question) That's why in many Slavic languages, the name for "Germany" is a variation of "Niemcy" or "Německo" - which means "mute" or "non-speaker" or "foreigner" - because those were the people they couldn't talk to. Vācija, Vokietija, and Vuoceja also work this way)

Meanwhile, in Germanic languages, it's often names that also incorporate the word "deutsch & land"- Duitsland, Tyskland, Deytshland, Däitschland, Þýskaland etc

(I think to do the language diversity and mutual communication argument some justice, I think it's also important to point out that there wasn't a lot of personal mobility for the average person at the time, so they probably also identified themselves by what little they saw of the world. If even today there are German-speakers that don't understand each other, that issue was bound to be amplified by 1000000 at a time with no standardised writing, no mobility, a thin population, small towns etc. So even if everyone between the furthest North-East of the Germanic language continuum and the lowest South-West could maybe somehow communicate with their respective neighbouring towns and tribes in pre-nation times, if you had snatched two peasants from the respective ends even of what is today Germany and sat them down on the table in the middle, there probably would have been to have even the most basic conversation or know that the other person spoke a variation of the same language - there is an old saying that "a language is a dialect with an army" - and for German, it's more "a dialect-continuum with a bunch of armies fighting each other until eventually, they got 1 army 2000 years late". Meanwhile for the educated, the lingua franca at the time was Latin.)

Now, a lot of countries ...well, eventually became countries. Which meant they could do some marketing of their own and establish their own name for themselves - but Germany, as I mentioned, was only united in 1871. Even if they considered their language "deutsch", they didn't consider themselves "deutsch" for a long time (and when they did, it was considered a radical idea) and as such, there was no centralised government saying "We are deutsch" the way the French kings said "We are French" or the English kings said "We are English" - in fact, the central authority until the early 19th century was the Holy Roman Empire. Their rulers considered themselves the successors of the old Roman Emperors - this was called the "translatio imperii" according to which Charlemagne was the first "new" Emperor" and the Empire continued until Franz II was forced to abdicate bc of Napoleon. Eventually, it was officially considered "Das heilige römische Reich deutscher Nation" - "the holy roman Empire of the german nation" - but that wasn't really a central aspect of anyone's identity.

The average person just identified by whatever colour their personal patch on this map was:

#InOurFlickenteppichEra

So no one really challenged to disagreed with someone speaking of them as "Saksa" or "German" and that's pretty much why everyone has a different name for Germany.

[gatorbites-imagines]

Hi, you're getting Call of Duty orders right? I have two requests.

1- where (Y/N), Alejandro and Rodolfo are a trisal, where Alejandro and Rody are jealous of (Y/N) and Soap, as they are very close.

2-where (Y/N) speaks three different languages ​​(Spanish, Portuguese and Russian) and loves to flirt with Alejandro, Rudy and Soap using her ability to speak other languages, like: "Hey, can I do an exchange at your place because I would love to learn your tongue". sorry, I know it was awful.

I apologize if I said something wrong, English is not my native language.

Alejandro Vargas, Rodolfo “Rudy” Parra, John “Soap” MacTavish

Headcanons

I hope it’s alright I only did the second one, as it would be pretty confusing to do 2 requests at the same time ^^

Alejandro Vargas

-          Alejandro seems like the type to also be as big of a flirt as you, he would also speak to you in Spanish though it doesn’t have as much as an effect since you also speak Spanish, but he sure does try.

-          He finds it charming when you speak Portuguese and Russian to him, and he probably goes out of his way to look up ways to flirt in those two languages too so he can at least flirt back.

-          It ends up with the two of you just flirting over the comms during missions, even in serious situations you two can be heard flirting in Spanish.

-          Alejandro would chuckle when you make the comment about learning his tongue, grab your chin between his thumb and forefinger and lean in close, and purr something about how you don’t even have to ask before kissing you.

-          Poor Rudy who has had to put up with the two of you for who knows how long, who can understand every word and hear the noises you to make in the other room, he is tired.

 Rodolfo “Rudy” Parra

-          I think Rudy would find it sweet and interesting that you speak multiple languages, he would especially be happy you spoke Spanish since its his first language, and it means the two of you can talk much easier.

-          When you start flirting with him in the other two languages he just chuckles and shakes his head and walks off even though he’s a little flustered.

-          Hes not as much of a flirt as Alejandro but he’s got nothing against flirting back in Spanish if he has too, I don’t think Rudy is as innocent as people like to imagine him as so watch out.

-          Its always the quiet ones they say.

-          When you make the comment about learning his tongue, he would just chuckle a little, tell you “Maybe later” with a heated look in his eyes and walk off. Later you find yourself pulled into a storage closet or similar and end up learning more than just his tongue.

 John “Soap” MacTavish

-          Soap finds it both hot and sometimes confusing that you speak so many languages, he’s been learning Spanish ever since working with Alejandro and Rudy, but he’s not fluent.

-          One of the first things he learned, besides military lingo, was how to flirt with you or talk dirty. Hes got a major accent when he speaks Spanish but it’s the thought that counts.

-          I think Soap peaks Scottish Gaelic, so when you flirt with him in the two other languages, he just lays it on thick with Gaelic, getting in close to your ear to mutter all kinds of dirty things.

-          When you ask about learning his tongue, he at first thinks your asking to learn Gaelic, but when he sees the flirty look in your eyes he grins and says something about how that can be arranged.

-          Lets just say you learn some Gaelic and he learns more than a few words of Portuguese and Russian before the night is over.

[picturejasper20]

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Kid Kree/Mel-Varr character analysis

Kid Kree/Mel-Varr is a character that gets introduced in the Season 2 episode ¨Kid Kree¨ as a semi antagonist to Lunella and later becomes an ally and friend on the long run. He is a character that is original from the comics, having some differences in the way he is characterized in the series.

In this post i’m going to talk about his character, how he develops in this part of the season and his relationship with Lunella, which is important for his character growth.

Let’s start:

As i previously mentioned, Mel-Varr/Kid Kree gets introduced in the episode ¨Kid Kree¨. In this episode Lunella and Casey first meet Marvin scanning and acting strange with other people on the street. All this time Marvin is seen wearing his human disguise, which makes him pass off as a regular teenager. Later Lunella is asked by LOS to show Mel-Varr the school around. Since Mel-Varr is an alien there are many earthly traditions he doesn’t understand yet. He laughes too loudly when trying to imitate Lunella and mixes up words. He is pretty awkward when it comes to human interactions, still trying to get used to them.

During gym class, he approaches Lunella, who is working on some formulas she has, and brings up a small correction she should change in her math. Lunella quickly realizes that Mel-Varr is into science and math like she is and asks him if he would like to hang out later. Mel-Varr agrees but says that he has to receive a call from his father first.

It gets revealed that Mel-Varr is on a secret mission to capture Moon Girl, explaining why he is passing off as a student at school. He got sent to Earth by his own father,Pad-Var, to prove his worth as kree soldier and as punishment for having failed at the military academy. He explains to his father that he assumed Lunella was Moon Girl but the tests he ran didn’t match the results. He doesn’t know that Lunella is Moon Girl and visversa.

The reality is that Mel-Varr doesn’t enjoy being a warrior. It is something that was forced by his father, who sets very high expectations on him. Kree’s society puts emphasis on its people to be soldiers, or at least the social circles Mel-Varr finds himself in his species. He mainly follows what his father tells him because that’s what is expected of him and he really wants his approval.

Mel-Varr is into science and math, something that Pad-Var heavily disapproves of when they interact. Their relationship is very strained because of this, as Mel-Varr feels like he can’t be himself around his father and he is forced to be someone he doesn’t want to. Pad-Var acts pretty distant towards his own son, more often refering to him as a soldier rather than his own family.

There are implications that Mel-Varr didn’t have any friends before coming to Earth as he mentions that he was bullied in his previous school by his peers for being a ¨nerd¨. So not only he has a complicated relationship with his father, there is the chance that he is rejected by other people from around his age as well.

This is why Mel-Varr doesn’t take time in befriending Lunella: She is someone he feels like can be his own self around. He doesn’t have to hide who he is. They both bond over having similar interests and ways of thinking, something that Lunella herself appreciates since she was interested in finding someone she could talk about science as well.

As Mel-Varr helps Lunella with her inventions, the two become closer and hang out very often. On the other hand, Moon Girl and Kid Kree develop a sort of rivalry between the two, trying to Outsmart the other on each encounter they have. During this time Mel-Varr and Lunella are unaware that Mel-Varr is fact helping Lunella to come up with weapons to defeat ¨Kid Kree¨.

During the same day Lunella invites Mel-Varr for dinner and to meet her family, Moon Girl and Kid Kree have another encounter in which Mel-Varr loses his communicator-phone that he uses to contact his father. Lunella grabs it and takes it to her lab to examine it.

Along with Casey, they both learn that Kid Kree is Mel-Varr by checking a visual-audio recording saved on his communicator. This makes Lunella very upset, jumping to conclusions about Mel-Varr instead of talking to him and calls Pad-Var to provoke him.

During dinner Lunella reveals to Mel-Varr that he knows his secret identity as Kid Kree by giving him his  communicator back. This leads to Mel-Varr to realize that Lunella is Moon Girl too. Lunella also tells him that she called his father, making Mel-Varr get very nervous at the mention of it.

When asked by Mimi about it, Mel-Var explains to the Lafayette family that his father is forcing him to do things he doesn’t want to and be someone he isn’t. He was happy to meet Lunella because he could be himself around her. For the language and expression Mel-Varr has when talking about Pad-Var, it gives the impression that their relationship is abusive to an extent. He gets scared by the idea of having to talk to him and the mere mention of him. He leaves the department, not before clarifying to Lunella that he didn’t know that she was Moon Girl.

Realizing her mistake, Lunella goes after Mel-Varr as Moon Girl and followed by Devil behind. They find him on top of a buiding, where Pad-Var’s ships arrives to pick up Mel-Varr. Pad-Var sees Moon Girl and Devil and fights them to capture them. While the fight is happening, Lunella apologizes to Mel-Varr for jumping to conclusions and causing trouble for him. She wants for the two of them to be friends and asks him to tell his father how he truly feels about him.

Mel-Varr decides to help Lunella fighting against Pad-Var and gains the courage to tell him that he can’t be what his is expected to be and that in reality he prefers to study science, even if Pad-Var doesn’t approve of it. Instead of being dissapointed, the commander shows interest in Mel-Varr’s inventions, seeing that they could be useful in battle. He asks Mel-Varr to come back so they could put his science skills on use.

After the fight, Lunella and Mel-Varr still remain friends and Marvin gives Lunella a communicator, so they can keep in contact with each other. Mel-Varr goes inside the spaceship, saying goodbye to Lunella.

Kid Kree retuns in the episode ¨In The Heist¨. He is first seen when Lunella calls him using the comunicator to ask him about the crystal that she and the kids are shown to in the museum. Mel-Varr is doing what resembles a military obstacle course while talking to Lunella, indicating he was able to rejoin his previous school, mentioned in ¨Kid Kree¨. This means he is still trying to be a soldier or that kids in his planet are trained to be soldiers from a young age.

He shows to be deeply concerned about the crystal being inside the museum. He tells to Lunella to take out of there since it has special powers that, when exposed under direct sunlight, it generates horrible weather conditions, which in Kree society are used for a tradition called ¨Bloodvember¨. This demostrates that while he wasn’t on Earth for a long time, he cares about it enough for people to not get hurt by the crystal’s powers.

Mel-Varr shows up near the end of the episode to retrieve the crystal that Lunella and the STEAM kids took from the museum. He hangs out with Lunella and laughs at her retelling of the heist she and others carried out to get the crystal. They both act a bit awkward with each other, making Mel-Varr almost forget taking the crystal with him in the process. He gives a side hug to Lunella and says goodbye, going back to his home planet.

Mel-Varr shows up one last time in Season 2 A in the episode ¨Dancing With Myself¨. When Lunella is talking to Devil about how she doesn’t have anyone that could be her date for the school dance, Mel-Varr drops from the sky near them and explains to Lunella that the Zargarian (an moth like alien race) are after him because they are sworn enemies to the Pad-Var and they are trying to capture him (again). He asks to Lunella if she knows any place to hide, specially if it is dark to not attract the Zargarian.

Instead of taking Mel-Varr to a more secure place to hide, Lunella asks him if he could try hiding inside the school dance. She persuades him into believing that it is safe and could help him with ¨fitting in¨ with other teenagers to go unnoticed. Lunella’s true motive is that she is the only one at the dance she doesn’t have a date and takes the opportunity that Mel-Varr is   here to have someone to ¨date¨ and that way fit in with the others.

Mel-Varr quickly goes along with it, probably because he believes that he is going to be safe from the Moth men while hiding in the school. He is still unaware of human culture as a whole, so he trusts that whatever Lunella is telling him is safe. Another point that could be made is that Mel-Varr was in part interested in being Lunella’s date considering he really likes her romantically speaking. Perhaps he wanted to know how dating worked for humans and wanted to try it out.

In the school dance, they both try imitating what other couples do but it ends up with both of them feeling very awkward and uncomfortable while doing so. It isn’t a situation they enjoy, they feel pressured to do it just to fit in with their peers (mainly from Lunella’s side). In a moment they start talking about science and Lunella stops Mel-Varr, telling him that they should ¨act¨ more like the other couples.

Some time passes when Mel-Varr asks Lunella if they could go elsewhere to hide from the Moth men. Lunella promises they’ll go after a slow dance and Mel-Varr agrees to it if they leave the place after that. They both seem to be having fun dancing until the spotlight light turns on and Lunella asks them to stay a bit longer.

Finally Mel-Varr snaps at Lunella, telling her to stop. He then explains that the whole dating thing makes him feel uncomfortable and that he ¨is still a kid¨. He doesn’t feel ready to get involved in romantic things even though he admits he really likes Lunella. The spotlight light falls on them, attracting the Moth men who take Mel-Varr.

In the middle of the chaos, Lunella learns that the rest of her friends were dating other people because they thought that that’s what they were supposed to do for a school dance and in reality they feel the same as her when it comes to dating. This make her realize her mistake and goes to look for Mel-varr. Lunella apologizes for pressuring him into being her date, admiting that she was also uncomfortable and if they could stay as friends instead. Mel-Varr happily agrees to the idea.

Lunella frees Mel-Varr and they both take their identities as Moon Girl and Kid Kree to fight against the Zargarian. Eventually Devil and the rest of the school join the fight, helping with chasing the Moth men away. Mel-Varr and Lunella go back their non-superhero identities and return to inside the school. The episode ends with Lunella and Mel-Varr having fun dancing in the school dance, not as a couple but as friends.

Another aspect that is worth of bringing up from this episode is that Mel-Varr still struggles with standing up for himself. While what Lunella taking him to the school dance was wrong, he admits that he could have said something sooner about it. He could have been more clear with Lunella that they had to leave the school earlier. It seems to be an issue that he is trying to work through ever since the episode ¨Kid Kree¨.

As for what direction his character arc could take next, it is possible he starts living on Earth since he that’s where Lunella is and he seems enjoy being more on Earth than his own planet overall. It could also be that he moves in out of safety reasons, having in mind that he seems to be the target of plenty of his father’s enemies.

In all, Mel-Varr/Kid Kree is someone who starts as a somewhat enemy of Moon Girl until he realizes that he has a lot of common with her and they become friends. He becomes someone close to Lunella as well as an ally. Thanks to her, Mel-Varr gets inspired to stand up for himself and stay true to who his is as a person.

[voids-colourful-creations]

1.5 Meters and 100+ Years -- A Shiver and Marina Fic

[Read on Ao3!]

Rated: G Relationships: Marina & Shiver Splatoon 3 Content Warnings: Mentions of Octarian Military Words: 3.1k

Summary: It'll be Off the Hook's first performance in Splatsville, and the debut of Suffer no Fools, so Marina's just a tad nervous. It doesn't help that her feelings on Suffer no Fools are… complicated, to say the least. The only person in the green room with Marina is Shiver… and despite how similar they are, Shiver's much too different from Marina to understand this.

---

By this point in her career—what was it now, 7 years in?— performing didn’t give Marina nerves so much as it did excitement. The comfortable rhythm of performing alongside Pearl never got mundane, not with her energy. Not with the chaos she sought to bring to everything they did. Now, Marina was grateful for it! Each day she got to perform on stage, Pearl beside her, was a gift. Every recording session was a rush, the thrill of creating something, creating music … Marina wouldn't have it any other way.

So waiting in the green room, it didn’t scare her anymore. This would be Off the Hook’s first show in Splatsville, but Marina only found that made her more excited. The anticipation of the stage was just a spark of enjoyment, before the thrill of the lights, the vibration of Pearl’s voice so close to her.

Knowing this, Marina could be certain that it wasn’t the oncoming performance making her hearts beat this quickly. It wasn’t the setlist causing that tiny jolt, a touch of anxiety no matter how she tried to hide it.

Though Pearl herself could make Marina’s heart race… well… she was with Frye now, running over their pre-show banter for possibly the dozenth time that day. Well, that was what they were supposed to be doing, but knowing Pearl and Frye, the conversation had probably long since spiralled off track.

So without Pearl, waited Marina, in the green room of the performance venue, alongside Shiver. And Shiver alone.

It was a small room, one perfect square. Two doors, two couches. The door to Marina’s left led into the hallways leading out to the stage, a small ticking clock above the door the only indication time was really passing. To her left, the hallways leading back out, a maze of hallways until their back exit.

On the other walls, each couch, and an accompanying side table. Marina sat on one couch, tucking herself into the corner. Opposing her, Shiver. She sat, one leg over the other, idly tapping her fingers across the couch's arm.

Neither looked at the other.

Dark brown walls surrounded them on all sides, broken up by a few advertisements for the venue’s services, and a tv screen above Marina’s head displayed a visual feed of the currently empty stage. While she couldn’t see it, the anticipatory chatter of the crowd's voices was more than loud enough.

No one within the room made a sound. The ticking of the clock was merely an audible record of each moment passed without a word.

Tension filled the room, at least to Marina’s view. With Pearl around, conversation flowed easily. Some question or barb would be thrown, and a quick retort. Of course, for Marina, anything was made easier if Pearl was by her side.

She was a grown woman now, a professional, and more than capable of representing her half of Off the Hook calmly and gracefully, without or without Pearl.

But sitting alone with Shiver still put Marina just the slightest bit on edge.

“Are you nervous?” Shiver asked, cool voice cutting through Marina’s thoughts. There was no emotion there, or nothing that Marina could pick up on at least. If anything, an idle curiosity.

“Oh, no, no,” Marina responded, maintaining the polite and friendly tone she’d practiced, “I’m looking forward to the show very much, and having you both open with us is an excellent opportunity. I’m very excited to have Off the Hook collaborating with Deep Cut, if only in part.”

Shiver nodded, raising her fan to her face.

“Thank you. The feeling is… mutual. However, that wasn’t what I intended. You seem… anxious.”

Part of Marina felt like this was the same song and dance she’d seen before. The way fingers that weren’t stilled were seen as nervous, that wandering eyes were afraid. She was far too experienced for any of that, no. It was simply the joy of it, and that won’t fade no matter how many years she performs.

But Marina gave Shiver a long, hard look. That wasn’t what she’d meant.

“I might be a tad… starstruck? Is all.” Marina settled on.

Shivers eyes widened before she could conceal her surprise.

“Naturally,” she responded as though Marina hadn’t noticed her prior shock, “Although I’d wondered if it was that and… that alone.”

Shiver was the trickiest of all of Deep Cut to talk to. Marina could never quite tell when she was still performing as part of the band, or the Hohojiro clan, or whatever part of her. Maybe she just never stopped.

But then, wasn’t Marina much the same? Trying to figure out how much of herself to show, which parts… Which facet of her looked best in their light? 

Taking a sharp breath and raising a gentler, honest smile, Marina took a gamble.

“Really, I’m totally fine. As bright as a floodlight.” She let the words come to her in Octarian, spoken out for once instead of sung.

Shiver seemed frozen, for a moment. Then her reply, Octarian in kind:

“I am glad to hear it. …But I must apologize, I am afraid I do not know what you might be referring to in regards to the phrase “as a floodlight”?”

Hitting Marina full force came the acknowledgement of what she’d already known.

Shiver had never lived underground.

The twin pupils in Shiver’s eyes analysed Marina, as Marina’s own did the same. They were so similar. The same pointed finger tips, where Pearl, Frye, Callie and Marie’s were blunt. The way her tentacles would curl up on their own, the cups facing towards the sun, instead of inwards.

But Shiver’s Inkling never had the lilt of accent Marina’s words did. Everything Octarian about her, from ears to hair to shape, were displayed proudly. Another worthy successor in a long line of great Octolings. Octolings who’d lived on the surface for generations. It really was so glaringly obvious looking at Shiver, how different they were. It was almost overwhelming, how stark the contrast.

“Marina? Might I call your attention?”

Even by Octoling standards, and by Shiver standards, Shiver’s speech was absurdly formal, and Marina almost wanted to laugh at the sound of her. She spoke much older than herself, drifting out of even elderly speech and into archaic.

Their roots were the same, a central pillar they were both moored to. But the distance between them had to be miles, for Shiver’s shape in the distance was nearly unrecognisable.

“It is nothing.” Marina replied, tucking her head down, “Do not trouble yourself.”

Nearly subconsciously, her language shifted into something more formal, befitting of someone of her station. Former station. Nearly.

“Please find yourself forgiving me, should I be so callous as to have insulted you.” Shiver said.

Marina bit her lip.

“Really it’s… please. You don’t have to speak so formally to me. We’re just… colleagues, yeah? Fellow musicians.”

Shiver ducked her head down and nodded.

“Ah, yes. I thank you greatly. However, I must request a kindness from you once more. This is the only manner in which I know how to speak. These words, they are what has been… gifted to me, by my family.”

One of Marina’s heart’s twisted.

“I’m sorry. I-I shouldn’t have assumed—” She shifted her speech; Inkling words she’d worked so hard to master flowing off her tongue like water, “You can speak however, whatever you like. Not that you… need my permission.”

Shiver raised an eyebrow.

“Very well then, this is the manner in which I will continue to speak.” Came her reply, Octarian as before.

Marina breathed a soft sigh of relief.

“Rather then, it is my place to thank you.” Shiver added, raising her fan over her mouth again.

“How so?” Marina asked, letting herself speak in Octarian again. It felt right, to match Shiver. A conversation flowing freely, words borrowed and returned. 

“I appreciate the opportunity to speak in this way.” Shiver said, “It is rare I do, and on the occasions in which I am… Forgive my bluntness, but you are perhaps more relaxed about the correct usages of grammar than my family is.”

Marina laughed, awkwardly covering her face with her hands in a desperate attempt to hide it.

“Please, it’s nothing. It’s nice for me too.”

Shiver raised an eyebrow, peering up over the tip of her fan.

“Hm? But you are always singing in this language, are you not?”

Marina straightened slightly. It was much easier now, years later and having made many more Octoling friends out in the sunlight… But sometimes it made her nervous to be reminded. For the first few years of her career, singing in Octarian was her way of calling to her friends and family. Her inkling was still a bit rough around the edges, but in Octarian she could express herself in full vibrancy. Not only that, but a little part of her hoped that somewhere down there, another Octoling would hear her. Hear her and have something click, like it had for her. The connections down in the domes could be hit or miss, but there was always someone fiddling with radio signals to intercept music from the surface.

No matter what song it was she was singing, no matter the lyrics, she always hoped they’d understood what she was trying to say.

I made it, I’m safe, I’m happy . You can be too.

Eight confessed to her once, a few months after their journey to the surface, they themself had heard her. Once or twice, only a few times from below, through the static and fading signal strength. Her message had been received. There was no need for Octarian singing now, with Inkling language mastered and more and more Octolings coming to the surface by the day.

By that point though, it was tradition. Marina was all for mixing up genres and switching up her style but this was special. A sort of singing totally unknown to Inkopolis when Marina had first started, and now one she could display proudly to Inklings and Octolings alike.

…but when she’d started, she was always a little scared that someone would realise what she was singing wasn’t just Not-Inkling, but Octarian .

“I am…” Marina said slowly, “It just… it felt right when I was starting out, and I never stopped.”

Marina glanced over at Shiver, trying to gauge her reaction. To Marina’s surprise, Shiver only nodded, quietly.

“And you?” Marina asked, ever so slightly hesitant, “Your singing…”

At this, Shiver grinned, pulling her fan down so the corners of her lips could be seen peeking out from behind.

“For Deep Cut, I am singing in the Inkling language. My voice will reach as many people as possible, thus I should sing in the language most people speak. It is our music, still. The style, however. That is from my family. No matter how well your haunting voice may imitate it.”

Marina grinned, “Oh, so that one you meant, hmmm~?”

Shiver barked out a laugh, pointed teeth bared wide.

“I do not lie about such things!”

Marina leaned forward, tentacles brushing against the edge of her couch.

“Awww, now you’re going to hurt my feelings. You say such terrible things in our song~!”

Her voice lilted at the end, singsong as she teased.

“This is a surprise,” Shiver replied, equally as amused, “From your lyrics I would have believed you were unaware I was even insulting you.”

Marina shrugged.

“What can I say, I like to play nice.”

Before either one can say another word, one of the PA’s, an inkling in all black, sticks her head in the door.

“Ladies, 5 mins before we need you backstage.”

“Oh, thank you very much!” Marina replied, startled slightly.

“Thank you.” Shiver said in unison, both girls switching back to speaking Inkling on a dime.

Marina sighed as the Inkling nodded and exited, quick as she’d appeared.

“Right then… are you ready?”

Shiver nodded, quick and sharp.

“Always. Are you?”

It was a simple question, really. The baggage Marina had tied to everything was invisible to Shiver, so there was really no way she would’ve known. Even if she’d cleared the air with Shiver, to say the tension had been all because of her wouldn’t be right, exactly. The tight feeling in Marina’s hearts remained.

Marina shifted slightly, tentacles bobbing up and down as they curled and uncurled.

“…Yes, I’m ready.” She replied, a beat too late.

Shiver scoffed, waving her hand dismissively.

“You’re a worse liar than Frye.”

Marina shrugged, avoiding eye contact in lieu of elaboration.

“If you’re going to have some issue with our performance, make it known now,” Shiver said, “There’s no time for it once we’re onstage. Spit it out now or else I expect nothing less than a perfect show. I won’t have you embarrassing us.”

Marina bristled.

“I’ll have you know I can perform just fine. I would never give anything less than my all at any performance, let alone one debuting a new song!”

“Then what’s your problem?” Shiver asked, collapsing her fan and jabbing it out towards Marina.

Caught between defensiveness and uncertainty, Marina leaned back, creating a touch more distance between her and Shiver.

“Suffer no Fools.” She said after a moment, not looking towards Shiver. “You’re proud of it, yes?”

Shiver raised an eyebrow.

“I refuse to release any song if it isn’t perfect .”

Marina smiled, her eyes wide and a touchy watery. 

“Then you wouldn’t understand.”

Shiver crossed her arms, “Try me.”

There was that air of superiority to her, a statement made bluntly, backed heavily by the weight of confrontation. But with the weight of her words came a release as silence– sans the clock– filled the space. A relaxation of sorts, in that lull. So Marina spoke.

“Pearlie’s never cared about her image, not as long as I’ve known her. She does whatever she wants, when she wants, regardless of who’s looking. It’s… one of the things I love about her. And Frye, well she’s kind of the same way, right?”

Shivers grin was sharp, stretching wide past her fan.

“Naturally. No one can contain our Frye. Her power and drive are unparalleled.”

Marina smiled softly, directing her gaze towards the ground. “I admire that more than you could possibly know. But for me… I can’t do that. I worry about what In- what everyone will think of me. I want to be me , but even now I also want to be the me that… that people like. At least, not someone they would hate? And I don’t… Even if it’s not real– I don’t want to be…”

Marina bit her tongue, trying to find the way to convey this, a way to describe all her hang ups and fears. In any language, she couldn’t find it.

“Shunned.” Marina finished, words still not quite right falling flatly to the floor. Shiver remained silent, taking this in. She nodded, hummed slightly, but there was no verbal reply.

“So then… you?” Marina prompted, “You’re like the others, aren’t you. You don’t care if people see this and get the wrong impression? And think you’re… mean?”

At this, Shiver threw her head back, a barking laugh echoing around the room.

“Oh no, no, no! Of course not. I am mean.”

She said it so plainly that Marina almost wondered if she’d misheard at first.

“Wh- No, you aren’t!” Marina cried, snapping her focus up towards Shiver. She didn’t look upset, there was no hint of self deprecation lingering in her eyes. As always, Shiver’s gaze was piercing, matter of fact.

Shiver shrugged. “To each her own, I suppose. But optimism doesn’t change what I am, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Marina kept silent. What could she even say?

Shiver continued for her.

“Maybe in Inkopolis it’s better to have a squeaky clean rep, but that’s never really been Splatsville’s style. And a messy, chaotic town needs music to suit, no? Playing it safe and sweet doesn’t fit this place, and it certainly doesn’t fit me. Besides, some sugary sweet pop star isn’t what Splatsville needs.”

“What Splatsville needs?” Marina echoed.

“Someone like us.” Shiver answered, “Someone mean and sharp and who loves Splatsville as it is without trying to sand down its edges. A hometown hype squad, loud and vicious and ready to strike first. Sharks don’t scare you when you know they’re on your side, after all. We ought to make a show of defending our territory.”

Marina looked over Shiver. Her proudly displayed ears, her jagged teeth and pointed finger tips. Everything about the way she carried herself, her family crest emboldened against her fan… In so many striking ways, they were so different—

“‘Cause it’s mine to protect.”

—But in the end, quite the same. This time, Marina thought she could say she understood. Despite the distance, it all came back to home. 

Marina blinked heavily, clearing her throat. No time to get choked up, not when there was an audience anticipating her, not with Pearl awaiting.

“I’m sure the 40/60 profit split doesn’t hurt either, no?” Marina added playfully.

“My, you do catch on quick!”

Snapping her fan shut, Shiver began to straighten herself, preparing to be called to stage.

“Still,” Shiver mused, adjusting her shark bite earring, “If any pop group had to invade Splatsville, I’m glad it was Off the Hook.”

It’s far from the highest praise Marina’s received, but something about the way Shiver said it filled Marina’s hearts.

“I’m glad,” Marina said, “Coming from you, that means a lot.”

Shiver rolled her eyes– “Don’t read into it too much” –But Marina didn’t miss the tiny smile she let slip.

“I mean, with the devastating insults you’ll be slinging at me on stage, I was so worried you really hated us!” The sarcasm was so thick in Marina’s voice it could’ve been used for soundproofing.

“Oh no, if this’d been a real threat you’d be long gone.”

Marina giggled, “I’m glad you’re so… confident in yourself~!”

Shiver threw her a side eye.

“Bit late to be switching up our lyrics, but I’m more than happy to bring our fans a more authentic experience.”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!”

The roar of the audience could be heard in the distance, through the soundproofing and distance. Thousands of cheers as Pearl and Frye take the stage, arguing as planned.

By the time the PA came in the door, Marina and Shiver were already standing, heading out to join them.

“Ah, you’re already prepped?”

The fluttering feeling of anticipation lingered in Marina’s hearts even now. But she heard the echoes of Pearl’s voice rebound in the hallway, bouncing against Frye’s. At her side, Shiver gave her one last nod, and a small smile.

So then, she could be certain she meant it to say,

“Yeah, we’re ready.”

Because when Marina stepped out onto the stage she could hear it, alongside the cheers of a thousand different voices and the faux arguing of her friends. That sound, of everything connecting where it should.

[End]

[petermorwood]

Hi!

I see you know things about sword and armour and such as it comes up on my dash and I thought I’d bother you with a question.

I like to draw, though i tend to ignore characters with weapons as I don’t know much about them. If I was drawing someone, they don’t really have a backstory I’m just doodling - but someone who would travel with a sword; where’s the best place to carry it? At the waist? Or carry it separately? And I mean a sword someone can carry in one hand. I know there’s loads of different swords and types and each might have a different answer, but I thought I’d ask you anyway, any advice is more what I know at the moment XD

Thanks!

Since your question is about research for drawing, this answer is going to be image-heavy. (What a surprise...) ;->

TL;DR - A one-handed sword was usually worn on a waist-belt, or attached to one by extra straps.

I'm not bothering with back-carry, a modern fantasy. Look up my tags "back-carry" and "back-scabbard" for plenty more info on that topic.

In the mid-14th century the belt dropped to hip level because of Fashion, as shown on the Black Prince's tomb.

Less often (though Vikings, Roundheads, pirates and Scottish Highlanders all did it, they weren't medieval) swords were also hung from a shoulder-belt (baldric - no "k" unless you want Blackadder)...

...which may sometimes have been strapped down with a waist-belt, Sam Browne style, to prevent the sword from bouncing around too much.

Japanese katana / tachi are used two-handed, but I'll include them because they're no longer than a European one-handed sword and are also worn at the waist.

The tachi, a old-style military and court sword, was suspended edge-down from a belt while the katana, a newer-style and mostly civilian sword, was pushed edge-up through a waist sash (obi):

Period art of Renaissance Irish warriors - kerns - often shows them carrying their swords in one hand...

...but while assembling pics for this post, I only found four instances of medieval men-at-arms doing a similar hand-carry. Two are here...

...and the other two are here, at extreme right and left - you can tell the sword's not belted in place because the fastening-flap is hanging loose with no laces through it.

In art from the early Middle Ages, this lace-and-flap arrangement seems far more common than a buckle. This carving shows how it works very clearly - NB that the over-shoulder belt (guige) has nothing to do with the sword and is attached to the shield.

The following pics illustrate various ways European one-handed swords were worn, usually with armour.

Despite what movies and fantasy fiction suggests, swords (daggers were another matter, nearly everyone carried those) were so rarely worn with civilian clothing that the word "rapier" may have evolved from "espada ropera", a sword worn with "robes", i.e. just clothes, not armour.

Here's one of those rare examples. There are a couple more at the bottom, but they're from the mid-1500s, when armour had started falling out of use except (usually) as a badge of rank for VIPs.

All the rest feature armour from the early to the late medieval period.

Hope This Helps! :->

[panda-writes-kpop]

A/N: there are elements of this that you won't understand, but that's alright because I still working out of the kinks of these moving bits and pieces. all you need to know is that reader is a very eligible royal, looking to mingle with court members and royal staff alike.

After this piece is posted, I will be going on a hiatus for a couple weeks in order to finish my semester as best as possible. I've also developed a minor cold, so I think this will be good for me. I'm planning to make a return with another series, so you'll know when I'm back. :)

TW: Attempted first person from most of the girls

Summary: You receive seven letters, written to the same person, about the same topic - a proposal. The question is - what do you do now?

♡ Masterlist ♡

To a dearest friend,

I hope all is well within the kingdom walls. It has simply been too long since you, Handong, Dami, and I have gone for tea and scones, like the old days. I know you have much to worry about, especially with the rising uproar within the Court of Sagitta, but I wish for you to unburden your load with me, at least for a moment.

I, as representative and ambassador from the Court of Pictor, wish to see my court thrive along with the kingdom as a whole. I suppose this seems quite strange, as my court is known to be quite peaceful, but I do not mean for this to be seen negatively. I assure you my intentions are pure. You will assume the best of me, right? Of course you will. You’ve always been so much better than the petty squabbles and dangerous drama that the court system is about.

What I am about to suggest will come off as bold, and I am well aware of that. As the oldest court ambassador, I must set a precedent as I assume I will not be the last to say such things to you.

I am offering you my hand in marriage, with no price or deal or string attached. You and I could rule side by side. Would that not be something great?

I feel I may be pressuring you, so I will back away now. I fully support your decision to choose whoever will be the best fit for you and for the kingdom. I know you will make the right choice. We are all counting on you, remember?

Perhaps we could chat about this over tea sometime? It feels quite informal and stifling to be speaking to you over such a medium, let alone something of this importance. 

Please respond to this letter as soon as you feel compelled to. As my founder once said, matters of the heart cannot be decided overnight. You must take time to decide, even if my feelings are harmed in the matter.

I care for you, my dearest royal. I can only hope that you feel the same.

Yours truly,

JiU

 ~

To the Ruler Themselves,

Listen, I am no literary genius like Dami, or sweet and caring, like JiU. I am not creative and unbiased like Handong or hard-working and truthful like Yoohyeon. I suppose I share similarities with Siyeon above all, but she and I are different in many ways as well.

This is simply too formal for me, I tell you! Why does such a matter need to be inscribed with ink, quill, and parchment? Why can I not express my desire, my want towards you?

I wish for your hand in marriage, your highness. I believe that my military genius could be of use to the crown, as I am your highest ranking royal guard. 

As your personal guard, however, we have developed a close and sincere relationship. You are someone who I can freely be beside without caring about formalities or kinship. I hope I am the same to you, as you are a person of value and great importance to me, and I cannot lose you.

Will you at least consider my offer? I know I stand little chance against those stuffed coats who sit in the courtroom all day, but I figured that I shall throw my hat into the ring if everyone else is going to do the same.

Tomorrow, can we meet by the water fountain when the bell tower tolls midnight, like we used to do when we were younger? I have something to show you, but my words are unable to describe the greatness of what I hold for you~

Come and see me then before I drag you out of your bedchambers myself.

SuA

~

Your Highness,

Letters have never been a strength of mine. My charms are much stronger in person, but you would know so little about that.

I find it intriguing that you are the one person in the world, not considering other court members, that have not fallen for my charms. What, then, is your weakness? 

You never swoon over other people, but you can make people fall for you without sparing another breath. How can you bewitch others so easily? How have you managed to bewitch me?

It shall forever remain a mystery, and that is quite fine with me. I enjoy this coy game that we are playing, and I shall make a move that you would never expect from me.

I am asking for your hand in marriage. I know you may cross me off of your list, considering my antics and ancestry, but I ask for your grace and mercy. I will try to improve my attendance and effort in court-related duties. I shall do and be anything you ask of me, whether or not you chose me to rule by your side.

All I ask is for you to think of me kindly. You will do that, right? Other court members speak highly of you, and I can only hope that what they speak of is true.

Come meet me next week for a party you shall never forget. Bring your best attire, but make it something that you are not afraid to spoil with wine and food. We, at the Court of Delphinus, will make sure that your attendance is worth your time.

I apologize for my bothersome behavior in the past, and I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me. You must, otherwise this letter is for naught.

Sleep well, dear royal, and I look forward to seeing you in the future in my future.

Best of luck,

Siyeon

~ 

To the Royal Household,

If this letter is not being read by the royal heir themselves, I ask that this letter be sent to them swiftly. Do not read any further unless the royal has received my correspondence.

Dearest Royal, I hope that all is well within and outside of the kingdom walls. I understand that there has been turbulence with certain factions, but I hope that you have been sleeping well. We need a ruler who has been taking care of themselves, and I hope that you have been following that guidance as well.

I suppose this is not the first letter that you have received about this, and I doubt that mine will be the last. Instead of offering you a proposal, I offer an opportunity: a trip through the history of the Court of Corvus.

There is much history within the walls of the building that Corvus sponsors, and I am sure that you will enjoy going through all of it. We have much artistic talent, both in written word and visual masterpieces. 

I do not wish to pressure you into one decision or another, so I offer you an alternative. Come and spend a day with me, and we can go from there. Maybe some jewelry is involved, but I assure you, the Court of Corvus will treat you finely.

Thank you for everything,

Handong

~

From the Esteemed Court of Sagitta,

Our Yoohyeon, as the ambassador for the Court of Sagitta, would like to make her bid into the competition for the Royal Heir’s hand in marriage. We will do as the Kingdom requests of us, including forgiving the heir of their trespasses against us in the past, present, and future. 

We have but one noble request of the heir. As you are probably aware, the Court of Sagitta has traditionally held a trial from members of our Court to prove themselves in numerous ways. We would like the heirship to adapt this format for choosing a partner for the heir, and if so, the Court of Sagitta promises to forgive all trespasses that other courts have done against us, and we will pay reparations for any possible transgressions that we may have committed in the past.

Thank you for your consideration, time, and patience, Our Future Ruler,

The Office of The Court of Sagitta

~

To The Dearest Future Royal,

I hope this letter finds you in good health, and in a position well enough to receive a letter of such importance. I do not wish to urge or rush you, but rather, I want to inform you of my wishes regarding our relationships.

As future heir to the Pearl Kingdom, I know that you are required to choose a partner to reign beside. I have heard whispers from other courts and how they wish to earn your favor. I must be honest, the urging of my own court, along with certain members, has prompted me to do the same.

I must be honest with you, my dear royal. Although the motivations of my court may be muddled, my heart’s intentions are as clear as they can be. I want to provide you with nothing but the best for you and your kingdom.

And, if I may say, the motivation from Wonyoung and Ryujin has forced me to reveal my hand. Wonyoung especially, but Ryujin has done her part in keeping me on my toes. I think you appreciate their company as much as I do, so you know what I mean.

The New Year is approaching soon, so you know what that means, right? The Pyxis New Year is a celebration for the ages, and I hope you will accompany me there.

Sincerely, ever in your favor, grace, and honor,

Dami

~

I apologize in advance for the informality of this letter, your highness. There is only so much formalness that you can format into a small napkin that you did not use for dinner service.

As many before me have probably said, I wish for your hand in marriage. I know that I do not have much to offer, but I can promise happiness and lots of love in the future.

Thank you for all that you do for me, your highness, and I look forward to our next meeting.

Gahyeon

[wanderinginksplot]

Refuge Chapter Three

Eventual Delta Squad x fem!reader fic (no use of y/n).

Full disclosure, I'm still not happy with this chapter, but it's been months since I posted chapter two, so here you go!

Word Count: 4,600

Warnings: homesickness, sneaking around, hints of political intrigue, mentions of disobeying orders.

Previous | Next | Masterlist

---

Curious

“Stay here.”

It had been the last thing Delta Squad had said to you before they left the ship. Every one of them had said the same thing, the sentiment varying only slightly between the different speakers.

They had to go 'make a report' to their superior officer. That had confused you, since they specifically told you that they hadn't been called into action in the mission they had just come from, but you weren't going to pretend that you understood the intricacies of the Republic's army. Or any army, really. Voubos hadn't had one, and your only exposure to the military at all had been occasional brushes with Separatist droids and the night Delta Squad had bunked down at your house.

Abruptly, as if you had thought too much about home and filled some unknown emotional quota, a wave of homesickness crashed through you. Your stomach tightened and your eyes began to water, but you bit back the tears. You refused to weep for a place that could not be saved. Doing so would be too close to mourning.

You weren’t ready to mourn your comfortable life yet.

So you puttered around the small ship. It had taken a little over a day to travel from Voubos to Coruscant, and you had found yourself staring out into passing hyperspace with the fascination of a small child. 

Scorch had laughed and told you that the streaking light of passing stars didn’t change over time, but that made no difference to you: it was something new and different. You had never left Voubos before, let alone traveled in hyperspace, and you were determined not to miss a moment. Well, between trips to the small refresher onboard the ship. You were having a fair bit of trouble adjusting to the intense speed of traveling this way. Dizziness and a mild headache were easily ignored, but your stomach was more vocally disagreeable.

When you had finally looked your fill at hyperspace - or, more accurately, when Boss had ordered you to sit down so you would stop stumbling through the cabin - you had explored the contents of the ship. Most of it was military technology and commando gear, both of which were too dangerous to mess with. There was a lot of wiring and machinery powering the ship, and you couldn’t even begin to fathom the intricacies of that. And then there was survival equipment for use in unexpected situations.

You had made the mistake of asking Sev what kind of situations would warrant use of the prepackaged foods, emergency blankets, and spare power packs. The commando had snorted and told you that you would never use the survival equipment. If something went wrong with the ship, you would most likely die in the initial incident. 

The trip became a lot less fun after that.

But the ship and all of its occupants had landed safely on Coruscant. You were inside the headquarters of the Republic’s army. More specifically, you were inside of a hangar. Scorch could complain about the monotony of hyperspace all he wanted, but it was nothing compared to the monotony of looking out through the narrow windows to see nothing but metallic gray walls and the occasional other ship. 

The most entertaining part of your surroundings by far were the white-armored troopers that occasionally rushed through the hangar. The design of their helmets was far more familiar, having been prominently displayed on every piece of Republic propaganda you had ever seen. Though the troopers mostly looked identical in the armor and looked very similar out of it, there were distinct differences in their attitudes and bearing.

But they worked efficiently and left, then you were alone in the hangar once more. The isolation quickly became a bad thing as thoughts of Voubos started to rise unbidden.

Your home was gone. There was no fighting that fact. You had watched the fire engulf the door you had lovingly painted yellow. Your windows had shattered as you stared into the shimmering light behind them. You had left before you had to watch your gardens wilt and die in the face of the incredible heat, but you could picture the curled remains of the year's crop.

You had planted squash last summer. There were a few plants you had been very proud of, and you had made plans about the recipes you would make with them. One recipe for spiced squash cakes had sounded particularly promising.

Before you knew what you were doing, you rose from your seat and started pacing a tight circle around the inside of the ship, taking deep breaths all the while. You weren't going to cry over squash. You refused. Yes, you had made plans for the way you wanted your life to be, but plans changed all the time. Life changed. At least you were alive to see it.

But you needed to get out of this ship or you were going to do something dramatic.

So you found the right button - half terrified that you were going to start some take-off process by mistake - and lowered the ramp before cautiously peeking out. You were just as alone as you had suspected you would be. 

A shiver went through you, and you hurried across the wide open expanse of the hangar.

When you had nearly reached the closest wall, you picked out a small detail that you had missed: there were control panels beside every door. You likely needed a code or an identification badge to get inside. It made sense - this was the military headquarters of a system actively at war. Security would be important.

Fortunately, the solution came in the form of a group of clone troopers. Not Delta Squad, of course. They were still in their meeting. These were ordinary troopers - as ordinary as any man could be after being literally created to fight a war. Their armor was painted in individual patterns, just like Delta Squad. Unlike Delta Squad, however, these men all wore paint of the same color: a dark, hunter green.

They stepped into the hangar, pausing when they saw you. You sent them a winning smile, hoping the quick sonic shower you had taken aboard Delta Squad’s ship had buzzed the mud from your hair and face. 

“Are you headed this way, ma’am?” one asked, politely pressing the button that would hold the door open instead of allowing it to close.

“Yes, I am,” you said with a nod. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” he assured, shrugging before he fell back into conversation with his fellow soldiers. 

You quickened your pace slightly to get through the door before it did start to close, reaching the interior hallway with time to spare. As the door hissed softly closed behind you, cutting off your view of the hangar and Delta Squad’s ship, you took a curious look around your new surroundings.

They were… well, ‘gray’ wasn’t very descriptive, but it was the best adjective you could come up with.

Everything around you had been built in the spirit of function over form, and it showed. The hallway you were standing in was wide and painted a utilitarian gray, the floors black. The hallway stretched quite a long distance in both directions, a necessity if it wrapped around the hangar bay. The unmarked doors that lined the opposite side of the hallway were a slightly darker gray for differentiation against the gray walls, but you really weren’t sure if you would be able to find your way back to the hangar bay if you left. 

You glanced back at the door you were still standing in front of. It looked just like the others, but it was roughly twice the width of the rest of those in the hallway. What’s more, there was a number pad embedded in the wall to your right. Clearly, you wouldn’t be able to access it again until you were accompanied by someone else.

Maybe it was just the stress of having lost your home and having no real place in the galaxy, but you didn’t feel you had very much to lose at the moment. 

With one last look at the door, you started venturing down the hallway, making a left turn out of a sheer, baseless whim. You didn’t see anyone until you turned the next corner, where a group of troopers stood gathered in an intersection between the hallway around the hangar bay and one that cut off in a different direction.

This was going to be your true test, you felt. The troopers looked like they belonged there. Their white armor - not painted any other colors this time - worked with the gray and black of the hallways in a way that your clothing clearly did not.

As you approached, the troopers’ conversation trailed off and they watched you expectantly. You had decided not to stop walking, but you still made regular eye contact with the troopers simply because you were watching for their reaction to your unaccompanied presence. When you were ten paces away, their conversation dropped altogether and your heart began to race.

With only five paces between you, the troopers straightened. 

Three paces and they lifted their arms.

One pace and they offered you a neat salute.

You were so tense that it took a moment for that to settle in your mind… not soon enough. Surprised by the salutes, you glanced behind you as if to look for who they were saluting. Even as you made the ill-advised move, the truth of it hit you and you wanted to sigh at your own stupidity.

After far too much time had passed, you saluted them as well. The gesture was unfamiliar, and you ended up touching your fingertips to your temple as you stared at them in hope that you had done it correctly. Even then, your muscles automatically turned the motion into an attempt to smooth back your hair.

You smiled wryly at the troopers, who didn’t stop you as you passed. You wanted to offer a witty and well-worded comment about your own slip, but you didn’t dare speak. The few people you knew who had traveled off-world reported that most Voubosian accents were considered thick, and there was little you could do to hide yours if you spoke to the troopers.

Somehow, you passed without incident, though you heard one of the troopers scoff behind you. “Someone needs to take a few minutes to teach the jetii how to do a proper salute.”

Jetii? Was that an obscure reference to the Jedi? The ones that old spacers talked about performing miracles and magic across the galaxy? You smiled to yourself. You had never believed those tales, even when you were young enough that it would have been forgiven. You had been a naturally skeptical child, more concerned with the wonders of everyday life than the hypothetical tales of things that you had never seen yourself.

As you continued down the sterile white hallway, leaving the troopers to their superstitious tales, you were engrossed with the sheer size of the building. Big enough that it held a full hangar and - presumably - enough rooms to make all of these doors necessary. You knew that Coruscant was large and heavily populated, one of the most densely populated places in the galaxy, but you had never even pictured anything on this scale.

By the time you were starting to feel nervous, trying to remember how far back the troopers had been, a group of three people turned the corner and started moving toward you. One of them was a trooper carrying his helmet under his arm, his white armor heavily painted with dark green. It was the same green the troopers in the hangar had been wearing… and the same green of the other two figures’ skin. 

They were both female, garbed in dark robes with flowing scarves covering their heads. Both had skin of a similar hue - though not exactly the same, and you couldn’t trace any real resemblance between their facial features. They weren’t related then, not that you could see, though they had similar tattoos: simple diamonds done in a flat black. The markings trailed down the older female’s chin while they draped across the younger female’s nose.

You were nearly vibrating with excitement. Voubos had been populated almost exclusively by humans - the popular joke was that Voubos was the overflow for the rest of the galaxy’s population and, since humans were the most prevalent species in the galaxy… Perhaps it was only funny to Voubosians, now that you thought about it.

Still, you drank in the sight of the fascinating trio approaching you, remembering halfway through the space between you that they could see you as clearly as you could see them, and you needed to look like you belonged in this strange, labyrinthine building.

As you passed the females, the younger one gave a polite nod, one you returned readily enough. The trooper and the older female were deep in conversation. You heard the trooper refer to her as, “General,” and had to fight back another wave of awe. She was a general? You had never met a general before. What would it be like to command an army? Likely stressful and overwhelming, you reminded yourself sternly. You didn’t envy them their position, but it was fascinating enough to give you momentary pause.

By the time you finished processing all of that, you had passed the group by several paces. It was only when your footsteps echoed back at you from the walls that you realized the conversation had halted behind you.

“Excuse me?” a lilting voice asked.

There was no doubt she had been talking to you. You drifted to a stop, glancing back over your shoulder to find that all three were watching you curiously. Reluctantly, you turned, offering another nod and a friendly smile. It had sounded like the female had an accent… maybe you could get away with talking if you only did so in short sentences?

“Yes, uh… General?” you asked politely. 

The trooper and the younger female instantly frowned and you tried to keep your panic internal. What had you said? Was she not a general after all? Surely mishearing something like that was an innocent mistake. 

The maybe-general smiled kindly and took a few gliding steps toward you. “You seem to be lost. May I help you find something or someone?”

“I- I’m waiting for someone,” you told her. “A group of someones, actually.”

Stars, that had been too much speaking all at once. They would know you didn’t belong here. You cut yourself off, giving a self-deprecating smile.

“Where are you from?” she asked.

“Uh…” you trailed, knowing you sounded suspicious. Really, though, what would be worse? Pausing to think of where you were from? Or telling them you were from a planet that was occupied by the Separatists? Even if you told her you had been rescued from Voubos, you would get Delta Squad in trouble. Boss had told you specifically that recovering you wasn’t their mission and was a secret of sorts. “I’m sorry, I need to-”

“Wait,” she entreated, holding up a slim hand. “You have nothing to fear from me - from us. I wish only to help.”

“Help?” you repeated, frowning openly. “I’m sorry, I-”

She shook her head, somehow managing to convey both amusement and reassuring pity. "Come with me."

You eyed her for a second, well aware of the second female and the armor-covered trooper behind it. Then, because it didn't seem as though you had a choice, you went with her.

---

"As expected, the ARCs were able to complete the mission," Boss explained. "We waited nearby, but were never called into action and returned to Coruscant without incident."

Boss hated briefings like this. Delta Squad was capable of more, had done more in the past, but that was the way some missions went. For every mission that let a squad be heroes, there were half a dozen where they played a minor role or offered support to other squads.

It just made him itch to stand with those other squads and recap a mission when nothing had been done.

General Windu stroked his chin, doing his best to look like he was carefully considering what Boss had said. "Is there any reason to suspect that anyone noticed your presence outside of Zebitrope?"

"No, sir," he reported. It wasn't technically a lie. They had been noticed, but there was no reason the Seppies would tie their presence to a stealth mission that had taken place several planets away. Especially if it had gone as well as the ARCs had reported, Boss added sourly to himself.

The chiming of a comlink cut through whatever the general had been about to say. He glanced around the room, signaled for everyone to wait, and answered.

"Windu."

"Hello, Master Windu," a female voice greeted politely. "Master Luminara has requested that you join her in the council's chambers."

Windu's brow arched, though the caller clearly couldn't see it. "I am finishing with a briefing, Padawan Offee."

"My apologies, Master, but there is a bit of a situation and the Council is gathering."

"Situation," Windu repeated. "One moment."

When the general dropped his arm, it was to glance around the room. "Thank you all for your efforts on this mission as well as your timely and thorough reports. You are dismissed."

Delta Squad - having been the furthest from the door during the briefing - were the last to leave, which gave Boss enough time to hear General Windu resume his communication. 

"What is the situation, Padawan?" 

"Master Luminara found a strange woman wandering through the hangar area. She brought her to the Council's chambers to learn more about who she is and-" 

"I believe I am beginning to understand," General Windu said, shooting a dark look in Boss's direction. "I will be there shortly."

"But Master, you don't understand-" 

The padawan's explanation was cut short as the general disconnected the call. When he spoke, his voice was deliberately calm in the tense quiet of the briefing room. "I assume your secondary objective was achieved."

"Yes, sir," Boss agreed. "We didn't have time to drop her anywhere else on the way back."

"You had to have known that bringing a civilian into the GAR headquarters - a civilian from a Separatist planet, no less - was a poor choice."

"She has nowhere else to go, sir," Fixer added from behind Boss.

"I understand," General Windu told him, not unkindly, "and I commend you for your charity, but she cannot stay here."

One of the others shifted his weight and Boss recognized it clearly enough to cut off either Scorch or Sev, knowing that their responses wouldn't help your case. "Yes, sir. I would vouch that she's no traitor, though. With your leave, we'll collect her from the Council and find her a place to stay. We'll be back in a few hours, no more."

The general sighed. "I believe we might be able to help her get back on her feet. For all intents and purposes, she's a refugee from her planet, and the Jedi have systems in place to help refugees from the war. Now, we are expected at the Council's chambers."

"We, sir?" Scorch asked, the excitement in his voice inappropriate considering the tone of the situation. "You're letting us come along?"

The general gave the entire squad a knowing look. "If I told you to stay away, would it make a difference?"

No one had an answer to that - at least, not one that wouldn’t bring someone up on charges of insubordination - so the commandos followed General Windu out of the GAR headquarters and to the Jedi Temple.

By the time they arrived outside of the ornate doors leading to the Council's chambers, the squad was fascinated with this look into the Jedi's inner world. Fixer was subtly recording everything, Scorch was practically vibrating with excitement, and even Sev would study a particular detail as it caught his eye. Boss was interested, but most of his focus was on getting you back. As far as he was concerned, he had lost a man, and that was unacceptable.

When Delta Squad trailed into the room behind General Windu, they passed a confused-looking Mirialan female. She didn't speak, but she was far from the only one in the room. You were standing in the middle of the chairs that lined the room. An older Mirialan held a datapad with the screen facing away from you. Several other chairs were filled, the occupants watching you with interest.

"It's a flower," you said slowly, your accent even stronger than normal. Boss realized why when you glanced back over your shoulder at him, eyes bright with nerves and confusion.

"And this?" the Mirialan asked.

You frowned. "A battle droid."

"All correct," the female said, and only then did Boss recognize her as General Unduli of the 41st. "Master Yoda?"

The diminutive leader of the Jedi Order was impossible not to recognize, especially when he began to speak. "Likely it is that found someone sensitive to the will of the Force, we have."

General Windu stepped into the conversation without hesitation, though he had only recently arrived. "Did your parents ever mention someone speaking to them about the Jedi Order?"

"No, never," you admitted. "To be honest, I thought the Jedi were just a legend until an hour ago."

“Master Nu?” Yoda asked. “Have light to shed on this matter, do you?”

"I have searched her name in the records of past Holocrons," an elderly human woman said from an unobtrusive place in the corner. "It does not appear on any of the lists, even when I expanded the age range five years above and below the correct one."

Yoda gave a thoughtful hum and the rest of the room’s occupants seemed content to sit in silence. You cast another look back in Boss’s direction, and he felt a flush of guilt that he was unable to help you. 

"Have we performed a Midichlorian test?" Windu asked.

"That was our next and final step," General Unduli said. She rested the datapad on the wide arm of her chair, picking up a smaller, round device instead. After getting your permission, she lanced your finger and let the machine soak in the small drop of blood that had been produced.

The machine whirred for a few moments, then made a small beep. Unduli glanced down at it and gave a nod. "As we suspected: the numbers are high, but they fall short of the range for a Jedi."

That seemed like a definitive answer to Boss's untrained ears, but it did nothing to cut the tension in the room. Instead, the air grew even thicker. 

You had picked up on it, too. Glancing around at the Council, you asked, "What does that mean, exactly?" 

"Have a mystery on our hands, we do," Yoda explained unhelpfully. 

"The Jedi Order only accepts students at or above a certain percentage of Midichlorians in their blood," General Windu told you, turning just enough that Delta Squad felt included in the explanation. "It has to do with how well they can connect with the Force. Those who aren't strong enough are left alone, and their abilities eventually fade. On the rare occasion that they retain a small connection to the Force, they are known as 'Force sensitive'. Most Force sensitive beings cannot use or direct the Force, but they are more susceptible to understanding its will."

"So I'm Force sensitive?" you asked, frowning.

"Not exactly," General Unduli denied slowly. "You… If you'll forgive the imprecision of the language, your Force signature feels like that of a Force-user. Your connection to the Force is strong. That leaves you in a unique position. Your abilities cannot have faded over time, or you would have started off powerful enough to have been on the Holocron list for your birth cycle. It is unheard of, but perhaps your abilities are growing."

"Can you remember consciously affecting your surroundings?" General Fisto asked, speaking for the first time.

You shook your head. "No, never."

Boss made a disagreeing noise. Windu asked, "Something to share, Sergeant?"

Boss nodded to his general, but did you the courtesy of speaking directly to you. "When we rescued you on Voubos, we didn't know where to start looking after we saw that your house had been burned. It felt like we were being pulled toward the river and that's when we saw you. Even when I was on the tree, I wasn't fast enough to have caught you… but it was like I was being pulled to the right spot so I would get there fast enough."

"Really?" you asked, sounding awed. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Boss shrugged. "It would have sounded unbelievable. And besides, when you're in an intense situation like that, it can seem like you're being guided by someone else when it's really just instincts."

"That is true," General Unduli conceded. "Is there anything else? Perhaps a way you've been influenced by the Force?"

"Not that I can think of."

"What prompted you to let four strange men stay in your home?" General Windu asked abruptly. “You had never seen a commando before, correct?”

You froze for a moment, thinking over the question. Boss could feel the way Fixer, Sev, and Scorch had frozen as well, the whole squad's attention sharpening as they waited for the answer to a question they had been asking themselves.

“I… had a good feeling about them,” you admitted eventually, your voice soft. “They needed a place to stay - the forests on Voubos aren’t safe at night - and… my gut told me that no one in Delta Squad meant me any harm.” You gave a self-deprecating smile and shrugged. “I wish I had a better explanation, but I don’t.”

"Sounds like a connection to the Force, you have," Yoda said and you frowned at him.

"No, it's just… a gut feeling. Instinct."

"And how often do you experience these instincts?" Master Nu asked.

You shrugged. "Not at any certain intervals. They just happen, especially when I'm in situations that are new or feel dangerous."

Privately, Boss thought you may have a point. That didn't sound like Jetii stuff to him, just instincts, like any good soldier formed over time. The next moment, he corrected his own thoughts. You weren't a soldier and you hadn't had the time or cause to form instincts through experience. Maybe it was some kind of mystical power.

"Barriss, was there something you wished to add?" General Unduli asked, speaking to the young Mirialan.

"If I may, masters," she started respectfully.

General Windu made an encouraging gesture. "Go on, Padawan Offee."

The female, one Boss had only just realized was Commander Offee, inclined her head and said, "I have been trained to be aware of my surroundings, as has Commander Gree. Neither of us recognized that anything was amiss. Further investigation of the GAR headquarters found that she had passed at least two other groups of seasoned troopers. None of them were suspicious of her, either. I believe she may be able to manipulate her signature to pass unnoticed by most."

"A useful talent," General Fisto remarked, "particularly in wartime."

General Windu glanced around the room and, when no one made any further comments, nodded. "We will need to discuss this matter further. Padawan Offee, escort Delta Squad and their friend downstairs. See if you can find her some clothes and then a hot meal for all of them. Wait for us to contact you." 

"Yes, Master," Commander Offee agreed with a graceful nod, leading the group out of the ornate Council chambers.

---

Author's Note - I know this seems like the most basic, self-indulgent, time-worn premise for a fic, but I promise I'm going to try to put an interesting spin or two on it! Feel free to let me know what you thought or take me to task for waiting so long to update - dealer's choice!

Thanks for reading, have a great day!

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If you aren't on the taglist for this fic but want to be, please follow the link above! If you're on the taglist for this fic and DON'T want to be, please PM me and I'll remove you from it! 😊

[likesunsetorange]

ema hizuru au i posted this on twitter but forgot to post it here too!

After what felt like forever of standing still, Hajime guided Eren to a mirror stationed outside where he helped him get dressed. Eren stumbled as he walked, the selta sandals and socks a stark difference from the boots he was so familiar with. The black haori jacket and kimono contrasting the grey striped hakama��a stark difference from his usual clothing of choice. The silky fabric felt luxurious in a way that he couldn’t fathom, his normal clothes military issued or on the brink of being tattered from years of use, feeling fancier than even the clothes they wore in Marley.

He eyed himself in the mirror, his reflection feeling unrecognizable while adorned in the linen robes, but also because he recognized a difference in himself. Where his face once felt round, still clinging onto layers of baby fat, was now angular and sharp. He was taller and wider, no longer skinny and small, his boyish features had changed to that of a man. 

“You look very nice sir,” Hajime complimented him from where he stood behind him, the creases near his eyes from the upturn of his lips signaling his genuineness. 

“O-oh thank you,” Eren’s face flushing pink, unused to compliments from anyone. 

Armin’s appearance from the changing area saved him from his flusteredness, the blond bouncing with an excitement that radiated off him. The design of his robes was fitting of his mood, the yellow and orange hues of his haori jacket bright and cheery. 

“See Eren, I told you it would be fun to try on the kimonos,” Armin said excitedly. “I’m glad we were finally able to come to Hizuru.”

Eren nodded in agreement, a soft smile lighting up on his face. “I am too, there’s still so many things we can do while we’re here. Although I still think that we look bad in these,” motioning to their kimonos. 

“It doesn’t matter if we look good or not, it’s just to experience it. But even if we look bad, don’t you think Mikasa will look nice?” He teased, his teeth visible from how hard he smiled. 

Eren fumbled with the ties of his haori, his face feeling warm at the thought of it. Mikasa had always looked nice, and if he was being honest, more than just nice, but he stumbled over his words, too flustered at the implication to explain himself. 

“Well Mikasa—I-I mean she—“ Eren stuttered.

“What about me?” The all-too familiar, soft and sweet voice chimed in from behind him. 

Eren turned around to face where her voice came from, the redness on his face stretching down to his neck. He felt his mouth go agape at the sight of her, feeling himself understand what people meant when they said they looked at someone in admiration. 

She stood before them adorned in a kimono more grand than both of theirs, the silk looking more expensive than even some of Historia’s dresses. Pink and white flowers decorated the entirety of the light blue fabric, and part of her hair was pinned back with an intricate clip decorated with flowers similar to that on her kimono. 

Armin gave Eren a knowing glance, before turning to face Mikasa, giving her his full attention. “We were just saying how we were sure you would look much nicer than us in your kimono. Isn’t that right, Eren?”

Eren felt like he choked on the little bit of remaining air in his lungs, a cough escaping his mouth while he tried to regain his composure. “Y-yea Mikasa, like I said, you would look nice in a kimono—you do look nice,” his voice growing soft as he spoke. 

She glanced down to hide her face, the apples of her cheeks tinting pink. “Kiyomi had this one and a few others made for me as a gift, since she didn’t leave one with me the last time she was in Paradis,” she responded, finally looking up to meet their gaze. She fumbled awkwardly with the sleeve of her kimono, a tell-tale sign of her being nervous. “I feel a bit silly wearing this—it’s nothing like what we wear back home.” 

“I’m glad you finally accepted the kimonos Kiymomi wanted to give you, you should take them home as a piece of Hizuru. And like Eren said, you look  nice, right Eren?”

Part of Eren wished that they still had their titan powers, so punching Armin would pose no real threat to him, but he’d have to settle for only doing it in his head—repeatedly. 

He ignored Armin’s obvious looks in his peripheral, turning towards Mikasa, his gaze softening as it always did when he looked at her. “Yea Mikasa, you look… you look really pretty.” 

[hussainrazadigitalmedia]

Academic Blog #6

Representation of race and culture in Video Games

In this blog, I will emphasize the importance of Representation in Video Games.

Analysis:

I grew up playing video games. My elder brother introduced me to this game called “Commandos”. I loved playing that game. It was a game in which we play as US commandos and go on fighting Russian military. Growing up playing “Commandos” always made me think that the Russian flag was the enemy flag. Whenever I used to see the flag, I instantly knew, that in this movie or video game, they are the enemy. Which is quite disturbing for a 10-year-old to be thinking.

Just like commandos, there are many other games that follow the similar trend for example, The Call of Duty series, The Hitman series and most famously, Metal Gear Solid series. Metal gear Solid series are one of the most famous games alongside Call of Duty. In every metal gear solid game, Russians are portrayed as villains. If growing up playing 1 commandos game can program my brain into thinking Russians are villains, then imagine the damage a whole series dedicated to it can do.

It is a way to program kids to think Russia is the enemy and the US is the hero of the story. They grow up believing that which gives a very bad representation to Russia and its people. This is not limited to just Russia. Call of Duty and Counter-Strike have repeatedly displayed Muslims and Arabs as the villains. They bomb, use Arabic words and negatively impacting their religion. This made a lot of western people to believe the Muslims are people of violence and hate.

As mentioned by John Berger, “Depiction, picturing and seeing are ubiquitous features of the process by which most human beings come to know the world as it really is for them” (John Berger, 1972). He is pointing out how watching and playing these games effect people all around the world, misguiding them into thinking people on one side or religion or race are different than the other.

Many games in the recent years have addressed these issues can created a game with cultural diversities but the one most prominent one is Overwatch. Released back in 2016, Overwatch is a first-person shooter game where player pilot a hero and uses his power and ability to shoot along with 4 other teammates and win by completing objectives.

Representation Done Right:

The reason Overwatch is a prominent mention is that, it has one of the most satisfying cultural and race diversities. The game has Heroes from all over the globe. Ana and Pharah (mother and daughter) from Egypt. Zarya a Russian. Sombra, the cool hacker, from Mexico and so on. Their voice lines are also done from people from their respective region and they show their culture in the game, like how Symmetra, an Indian architect, wears sarhi (traditional Indian dress for ladies) and dances in traditional Indian style. According to Breevoort, "Overwatch has been a forefront of celebrating culture diversity and representation since its inception" (Breevoort, 2019)

Conclusion:

I think we need more games like overwatch to represent culture diversity. Young gamers do not need to be forced to hate on any particular religion, race or group of people. Let them enjoy and feel better about the world and play the game where they feel represented and their people highlighted.

References:

Berger, J. (2008 [1972]) Ways of seeing, London, Penguin.

Blizzard Entertainment (2016). Overwatch [Video Game], Blizzard Entertainment.

Activision (2003). Call of Duty [Video Game], Activision.

Pyro Studios (1999), Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines [Video Game], Eidos Interactive & Kalypso Media.

Breevoort, A. E. R. (2019, January 1). Heroic diversity: A study on cultural diversity of the heroes cast of the video game Overwatch. Utrecht University Student Theses Repository

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Writing Advice #?: Choose your descriptive details wisely.

To start, I’d like to share my favorite phrase in the entire English language:

Coffee the temperature of piss

I know it’s no “cellar door.”  But it’s wonderfully evocative on several different levels.  First of all, the obvious: the temperature of piss is also known as... perfect drinking temperature. Coffee slightly less warm than human body temperature is coffee optimal for drinking.  But the choice of comparison has immediately put us off that coffee.

Second, the phrase is viscerally gross: it’s comparing a beverage to a bodily fluid.  And it’s crude: “piss” is rude slang, not childish like “pee” or technical like “urine.”  Third, it’s a great metaphor: pee is acidic and has a strong smell; bad coffee is acidic and has a strong smell.  But the narration didn’t come out and say “the coffee had a strong acidic odor similar to the smell of piss”; it simply evoked that comparison indirectly.

Fourth: I first encountered the phrase in a since-deleted fan fic, in which the narrator was sitting in a hospital room waiting for his son to wake up from surgery.  (A fic about John Winchester on a Supernatural LJ, if anyone cares.) So the phrase worked on several other levels.

We’re in a hospital setting, you’re comparing something to pee: ick, we can guess why that’s on the character’s mind.

The narrator is former military, so the use of profanity fits.

The narrator knows that his son is in this situation because of his own decisions; the self-disgust is evident in comfort (hot coffee) being turned to contamination (urine).

Hospital coffee is famously bad, so anyone who has ever tasted it will get to feel their gorge rise at the image that evokes it so well.

The thinness of the paper cup and the sickly warmth of the liquid within also come through, to readers who know hospitals.

However, like I said: coffee that temperature is good coffee.  But the writer has managed to thoroughly put us off it with the extremely specific word choice for that scene.  “Piss” is about the grossest thing you can compare a beverage to except maybe blood, and drinking blood comes with a whole other set of implications that the author obviously doesn’t want.

Another example done right: Homecoming describes an overpass where cars “hurtled over that bridge as if the devil himself was chasing them. He’d be chasing them from both directions then; he’d catch you either way.” Why?  It’s a bridge that the main characters, on foot, have no way to cross to safety.  This description comes at the narrator’s lowest moment of despair.  It’s just a bridge, with traffic moving at normal speed, but it’s also not.  The circular nature of the description, the sense of fleeing but being unable to get away, are exactly the right details to be evoking then.

An example done wrong: Vampire Academy opens on a sequence where the guy kidnapping the main characters is described as “He was older than us, maybe mid-twenties, and as tall as I’d figured, probably six-six or six-seven. And under different circumstances—say, when he wasn’t holding up our desperate escape—I would have thought he was hot. Shoulder-length brown hair, tied back in a short ponytail. Dark brown eyes. A long brown coat—a duster, I thought it was called.  But his hotness was irrelevant now.”  This paragraph brings the story to a screeching halt.  Instead of the action advancing, it’s dwelling on the “irrelevant” “hotness” of a character’s face.  Why would the narrator notice the physical attractiveness of this person right now?  Why would she wonder whether she has the name of a designer coat correct?  It’s distracting, it’s confusing, and it verbally moves the scene from a desperate shaky cam to a sparkly slow-mo long enough to get a very long pan over this character’s hair and outfit.

It would be easy to describe him as “menacingly large” with “a long dark coat” and keep going.  Then the focus of the narration matches the focus of the characters.  If it’s important for the reader to know that he’s attractive and long-haired and wears leather, then add those details later when the narrator has already been kidnapped and has time to sit around and study him.

So, yeah.  If you have a self-loathing former Marine waiting in a hospital room with a hot drink, “coffee the temperature of piss” evokes worlds of implication in just five words.  If you have an upbeat kid eagerly caffeinating, that same cup can be “coffee with the warm zing of a hug.”  If a third-grade teacher is sucking it down to stay alert, it’s “coffee as tepid as my soul.”  If you’re writing a doctor who sprints past the coffee because their patient is going tachycardic in that same room, don’t mention the coffee at all.

[writingwithcolor]

Desexualized Mammy & Strong Black Woman, too busy for “frivolous love”

“Alyse” (Anon Submission) asked:

My science fiction story includes a black woman (Talia) who raises two children that aren’t her own and takes on two young adults as apprentices. One of the children she is raises has Arabic background and was taken into her home upon his father’s death (his mother’s whereabouts are unknown). She was a close friend of his father and the closest thing he had to a relative. The second child has mixed French-Latinx background and was taken in after becoming shipwrecked with no means by which to contact her people. Talia was the first non-hostile individual she encountered and one of the few who would so openly embrace a stranger. Since Talia is Master Medic (the highest medical authority in her community) she is training two apprentices (think residency) and eventually mentors the second child as well. She was once married and passionately in love but lost her husband to illness. In this setting, some technology we take for granted is inaccessible and violence against their people is commonplace. Most have experienced sudden loss. This particular loss was the catalyst that drove Talia into medicine- a desire to protect her loved ones and prevent others from experiencing similar tragedy. She is usually kind (though businesslike) but sometimes succumbs to a frigid, furious depression when, despite all her knowledge and determination, she can’t save someone. 

I worry that her maternal association with the two children (one of whom is an outsider) mires her in the mammy trope. On top of that, she hasn’t pursued romance since the death of her husband. I’ve considered giving her a romantic subplot but there are already so many characters to keep track of. Furthermore, I just can’t see her engaging in the frivolous pursuits of new love when she’s dealing with kids, students, and an extremely taxing career. 

In terms of race and culture in this story, practically every character can trace their ancestry back to populations displaced through war. Even Talia’s second child was shipwrecked during a botched evacuation from a military science lab. The people who live here have been isolated for generations and no longer have a real concept of their ancestry. Cultures have blended, new religions have formed, and many of our familiar racial/ethnic issues are forgotten. However, new and different but equally toxic ones have replaced them. In this way, Talia’s blackness doesn’t carry the same associations in her world as it would in ours. However, readers may still make these associations. Do you see any issues with her character that I could amend? 

So! You have:

A highly educated Black-coded woman (the highest medical authority in the community)

She raises two kids alone 

She also looks after two apprentices

She is widowed (not sure the race of the husband, was he Black?)

Having experienced heartbreaking love, Talia's drive to look after, protect and save people through medicine is a great motivation for the way she is. Her experiencing depression and taking losses seriously is also very human and is dynamic characterization. 

However, such characterization with Black women is prone to brush across several tropes. You have a Black woman who gives and protects, but what does she get in return? Who cares for her? 

Prioritize your Black character’s happiness

"I’ve considered giving her a romantic subplot but there are already so many characters to keep track of. Furthermore, I just can’t see her engaging in the frivolous pursuits of new love when she’s dealing with kids, students, and an extremely taxing career." 

Priorities, priorities. Is love a frivolous pursuit in her eyes, or yours? Because I strongly disagree. You probably don't mean to but you, as the author, having an excuse to NOT give the Black woman romance is showing that you do not think she's worth being loved. TV viewers and stans who are uncomfortable when Black women characters have relationships find similar excuses to explain away not wanting BW in relationships.

"She's too strong and independent for a man/relationship" 

"I liked her better alone." 

"It'll take away from her character."

“A romance doesn’t feel right for her”

These sorts of statements above are grounded in racialized misogyny. 

Relationships do not lessen the woman.

Relationships does not lessen Black women. 

Love

Whether that love is romantic, familial, or friendship, it can come in many forms. Give Talia love. Because Black women characters deserve it! Either one or all! 

Let her have a loyal best friend, a cat, and a girlfriend. Because why not? And not to downplay the love of children to parents, but please provide her love beyond what she gets on a maternal level from the children she looks after. 

The stories that Black women are in today severely lack love for us, so why add to the narrative of Black women being all work and no play, and too [insert excuse here] to be loved? 

Of course, you didn't provide all the details from your story, but I'm not seeing much of a balance from the struggle. She is a caretaker, teacher, doctor (or doctor-like figure). 

Her position and background in itself is okay. It's the Strong Black Woman being presented with seemingly no commentary that strikes me. 

Where is her team to help balance the weight of the world? 

Who takes care of her when she's depressed from another loss? 

What does she get in return from taking an emotional and physical toll to heal her community? 

Do those around her recognize all she does for them and offer their friendship? 

When does she get to relax and turn off the need to be everything for everybody?

Fitting love into a book with many characters

There are many books with several characters to keep track of. People tend to manage. Also, I'm sure some of those characters are in and/or out of relationships. Even stories that couldn’t be classified as romances have relationships of some sort. It’s unrealistic to have a ton of characters and none of them be in relationship(s) of some sort. Not when there’s so many forms of it and many sexualities. 

Friends, frenemies, enemies, romance, affairs.. Relationships make stories (and life) interesting. By no means do I think adding these dynamics harm your tale. And what’s one more for a hard-working Black woman who sacrifices a lot and clearly deserves a shoulder to lean on? And, if you use an existing character to be that friend, family, or lover, then you won’t need to pencil in another character.

For romance specifically - I think a misconception when it comes to including romance in stories is that they have to somehow take over the story. Romance does not have to bombard the plot nor be described in lavish detail. Not every story is a romance and those sort of details aren’t everyone’s style or things they’re comfortable with. A sentence or two establishing relationships does not take away from the story.And how those relationships look and affections expressed will vary based on the characters, sexuality, etc.

Not every character needs to have a deep level of detail. 

“Katie and Lisa, a newly engaged couple, walked into the meeting.”

“Jack and Jamie are a married couple in their 40s.” 

“The two met in college. After two months of blissful courtship, they eloped, eager to start their happily ever afters. Twenty years together, they were still blissfully in love and never too far from one another.”

Sentences like the above are enough for some characters. You don’t always need to put in paragraphs worth of relationship-establishing details or plot. 

When it comes to the characters whose love you would like to highlight, at least a bit, you still don’t have to go over the top.

Use subtle details. 

“As soon as Talia’s back was turned, he gave her a longing look before shaking his head and getting back to the patient.”

“He squeezed her hand before taking hold of the stethoscope.”

“She kissed her wife goodbye before racing out the door.”

“You mean the world to me.” he had said, holding her face. Those words stayed with her all day, making her heavy load light as a sack of feathers.

“She soaked his shirt with her tears and he just held her tight, saying nothing, silently holding her together.”

As for Talia specifically…

Talia having the mindset you described, as love being frivolous and not a priority, is understandable knowing her background (I just don't agree with you as the creator using this as a means to keep her alone. Whether she’s romantically alone or without close friendships). She has lost so much, and continues to experience loss with patients. This can be extremely traumatizing. I gave some examples of being subtle, so perhaps that will help with the burden of feeling a thick subplot of romance doesn’t fit in your story. 

And as Talia doesn’t strike me as someone who would go looking for companionship, what if she stumbles upon it without trying? Is there someone on the medical team that can offer her friendship? Someone who admires her and feels the urge to care for her that she feels the same for, or has pushed feelings down for? What happens when she can’t hold those feelings down anymore?

Takeaway

Talia deserves healthy love, even if she doesn’t believe it or feel she has time for it. That love can come in any and many forms, not necessarily romantically required, although it is a plus. A struggle-ridden novel is balanced by love, support and rest for characters that hold the weight of the world. If you do not, evaluate why you want to write Black characters in these struggle roles without at least a social commentary. 

~Mod Colette

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Request: Imagine being Lin Beifong’s daughter and having a crush on Iroh II

Tags: @tincdraws

Growing up as the daughter of Lin Beifong metal and earth bending were your whole life. You learnt to earth bend by the time you could walk and your mother had you in training from a young age so you graduated from the earth bending school at the top of your class with your eyes firmly set on following in your mother’s footsteps whilst also trying to emulate your grandmother’s success. You had a sharp focus and nothing else really caught your attention. You had friends but training came first and dating seemed something superficial you could live without. Republic city was your life and you would never dream of leaving it but your mother had other ideas.

Your mother thought you needed more worldly experience before you joined the police force so she sent you to the fire nation to gain some training as an officer. She claimed the fire nation had some of the best officers in the world and that they would help you learn invaluable real-life experience. You did not agree and protested the whole thing. All your training had revolved around the needs of Republic City specifically and you couldn’t see how you’d learn anything new about how to protect your city by travelling all the way to fire nation but your mother refused to change her mind and that was that.

So you were shipped off to the fire nation fresh out of the academy. Your mother had spoken to Firelord Izumi and it was agreed you’d be staying at the palace so not only would you be unfamiliar with the environment, you’d be in a place where every small look, word or action had large consequences. You didn’t know much about the fire nation and couldn’t really recall the royal family. You were aware your grandmother was very close with the late Firelord Zuko but since then things had changed. Although your grandmother’s friends (mainly Katara) had tried to keep the group close it was hard with everyone scattered across the four nations and so with each generation the group had drifted further and further apart. You knew Firelord Izumi had a daughter older than you and a son around your age called Iroh. You recalled meeting Iroh when you were younger at some event in the south pole but couldn’t remember much more than a serious fire nation child. So you arrived on the steps of the palace utterly out of your depth determined to see these three months through so you could return to your beloved city. You were shown into the palace immediately, your belongings taken by maids who refused to let you carry them yourself as you were a royal guest. You weren’t used to finery so proceeded through the palace partly in awe and partly in utter confusion why someone needed this many paintings of old men everywhere. You were finally shown into a large room. “Ah you must be y/n Beifong” a voice called and you turned to see someone who looked vaguely familiar. You knew he wasn’t Firelord Zuko or Firelord Izumi’s husband as he was too young so figured by his royal outfit this was Izumi’s second child the prince. “Prince Iroh, it’s an honour to see you again” you said bowing and he chuckled “I bet you thought that would be a winning line with any fire nation citizen didn’t you? Because we’re still all obsessed with honour like we were centuries ago?” Iroh asked and you hesitated. “If I caused any offence...” you started but Iroh cut you off breaking out in a large smile “no I was only kidding, it is a winning line we are still obsessed with honour”. You watched as Iroh laughed at his own joke surprised, you didn’t expect the prince of the fire nation to be like this. You figured royalty lacked the ability or the clearance to have a sense of humour but apparently not. “So have I really not changed since we were eight?” Iroh asked and when you frowned he elaborated “you recognised me but the last time we met was just over ten years ago”. You paused “ow no I didn’t actually recognise you, you were young, dressed in fine clothes with royal hairpins, not to mention you’re in the palace...you had to be the prince”. “Good deductions officer” Iroh said saluting you before he grinned “i’m in training too”. That piqued your interest “really? for the fire nation army?”. He nodded “yep! I’m an officer but my hope is to be general one day and to fully earn it, rather than just get it because of who my family is...hopefully in a few years i’ll get there”. “I’m sure you will” you agreed and Iroh led you into a large dining room. “Are we dining alone?” you asked confused and Iroh smirked. “Why? Not pleased with me?” he asked and you rushed to assure him that wasn’t the case when he laughed again “I’m joking again y/n, I know my grandfather told you the whole family would be dining with you in his letter to your mother but he, my parents and sister were all called away to an urgent matter and asked me to fill in as we’re similar ages”. “Ow” you nodded “that makes sense...is everything okay?”. Iroh nodded “everything’s fine just boring fire nation stuff...so shall we?” he asked holding out his arm to you. You weren’t sure if this was appropriate so averted your eyes and only took his arm lightly. Iroh smirked at your caution and led you into the room.

The meal with Iroh was nice. He was friendly, hard-working and interesting. You soon got used to his humour and learnt not to take him too seriously. You hadn’t met many other people your age who shared your passion for a military career and found it was nice, a sentiment Iroh apparently shared. He enquired what you were doing the rest of the week and when you replied nothing as training didn’t start for another week he soon had several of your days planned out with fire nation sights to show you. Iroh seemed to understand you didn’t know much about the fire nation so planned to take you to all the important sites as well as areas relevant to the army to peak both your interests. You enjoyed the prince’s tours greatly and even when training did start you continued meeting with Iroh regularly. You liked his company and were surprised that didn’t fade the more time you spent with him, if anything it grew more and more. You thought he’d be a spoilt entitled prince but he was kind and considerate pleasantly surprising you.

You didn’t become aware that you liked Iroh as anything more until one of your friends at the academy pointed it out. Since starting training you were progressing well, you achieved high grades and were held in high esteem by your fellow recruits. You had made some friends and often trained with them after the academy retired for the day. After a long training session you were heading to the palace when one of your friends called out to you “hey y/n some of us were going into town to celebrate our class’s good progress, do you want to come?”. You smiled pleased they wanted you to come when you remembered you couldn’t go “I’d love to Shani but sorry I can’t I have plans”. “Of course you do” she smirked as your other friend Aizori grinned “is it with Iroh by any chance”. “Actually it is” you said frowning at their shared look “why?”. “Ow nothing just it’s not every day your friend is dating the crowned prince”. “Me and Iroh are not dating!” you cried “our families are old friends that’s all”. “Uh...hu, if that’s true then what are your plans together may we ask?”. “We’re attending a party at the palace”. “Together?” Shani asked and you blushed “yes but he only asked me because it’s a formal event that’s apparently really boring so he wanted a friend there, trust me we’re not dating”. “But how can you resist?” Aizori asked “I’ve only seen the prince a handful of times but he seems to get better looking every single time! How don’t you get lost in those golden eyes and that chiselled jaw? The royal family has some amazing genes not even a Beifong can resist”. You paused considering it. For you looks weren’t very important so you didn’t tend to notice them. You held work ethic and determination as much higher priorities and Iroh scored very highly in both but in looks...you honestly couldn’t say. “I’m not sure I’ve noticed” you admitted and the girls rolled their eyes not believing you.

When you arrived back at the palace your friend’s words were ringing in your head and when you next saw Iroh something felt different. You took note of his looks and were surprised by what you’d found. Iroh was attractive, very attractive, how had you missed that? You stared at Iroh wondering if his eyes had always been that bright? Was his jaw always that sharp? His hair that good regularly when he frowned “why are you staring at me?”. “Nothing” you cried and he paused before shrugging “Are you ready to go?” he asked “the party has already started” offering you his arm. You nodded and took it cautiously following Iroh into the ballroom.

You could see why Iroh had wanted to invite you, everyone in the room was at least 60 years old or some stiff nobel person from an ancient line of fire nation families. All they seemed to want to discuss was old family bloodlines, territories or ancient traditions. After your fifth boring ambush by some old fire nation man Iroh pointedly headed for the gardens. You frowned as he exited discreetly, closing the door behind him, and headed away from the hall. “Iroh I’m pretty sure the party is inside” you commented and Iroh grinned “I know but I can’t take another second in there so humour me? One lap of the gardens then we’ll head back, please? I know you haven’t seen them properly yet so how about a tour?” Iroh holding out his hand to you. You rolled your eyes but took his hand happily. 

Iroh led you around the gardens explaining the different flora to you and their history. “I spent so many parties hiding in here as a kid” he grinned “this place is so huge they couldn’t find me for hours”. You smiled at the thought “my mother would’ve killed me if I did that”. “Mine did” Iroh chuckled “but I’d honestly rather face her wrath than some boring commander who wants to lecture me about our family’s history and why it’s so important...they’re literally my own family and even I don’t care” Iroh cried making you smile. “I see why you escaped out here so often, I’m very grateful formal parties were not a part of my childhood”. Iroh smiled and went to comment when the smile was wiped from his face and he grabbed you, quickly pushing you behind a large fern. “Iroh what are you...”. “Shhh they’ve come for us” he hissed and you frowned when you heard a voice. “Prince Iroh?” a man you recognised as the palace coordinator called “Are you out here? You’re needed inside”. You smirked and Iroh rolled his eyes “they’re relentless”.  “Master Iroh if you’re out there please return to the ballroom, your mother’s orders”. There was silence and then the sound of the butler coming closer. Your eyes widened and Iroh put a hand over your mouth pushing you further into the bushes. “Prince Iroh?” a voice called literally right beside you and Iroh smirked as you grabbed his arm in surprise. You heard a sigh and the sound of the man retreating. When the footsteps died away Iroh dropped his hold on you and you both burst into laughter. “I thought we were going to be caught and then royally punished...literally” you added and Iroh smirked “I wouldn’t let them punish you, it’s not your fault I dragged you out here”. “True but I didn’t try hard to stop you”. “You did encourage me” Iroh nodded thinking “okay it’s all your fault”. You gaped laughing “I never said that! You are such a liar” you cried pushing him and Iroh laughed grabbing your arm “okay okay maybe we share the blame 50:50?”. “No way” you smiled and Iroh paused “60:40?”. “I think 90:10?” you said grinning and Iroh sighed “fine, i’ll take 10% of the blame”. You shook your head at how wonderfully infuriating he was and smiled at him fondly. Iroh grinned back and you realised suddenly how close his face was to yours. Iroh seemed to notice too, he glanced down at your lips and you panicked moving away from him suddenly. There was an awkward tension in the air and you broke it with a cough “so want to show me more of the gardens then?”. Iroh nodded “right this way my lady” the awkwardness gone and led you further into the garden.

When you were safely hidden from the ballroom Iroh stopped walking, explaining this was one of his favourite spots in the whole garden and you gratefully took a break sitting down. “I can’t believe you’ve already been here a month” Iroh commented and you nodded “I know only 2 more to go then my mandatory 3 months work experience is done”. Iroh frowned “mandatory...so you could stay longer if you wanted to?”. “Hypothetically” you agreed and Iroh hesitated “do you think you’d extend it? Hypothetically?”. You paused “I’m not sure, I have enjoyed the fire nation far more than I thought I would but I’ve always wanted to complete my training as quickly as possible, I hope to be chief of police one day and I’ll need many years of service for that...”. Iroh frowned “isn’t the youngest chief like 41?”. You nodded “yeah so i’ve got time I guess, maybe i’ll stay for longer...is this just so you have someone to skirt your royal duties with?”. Iroh laughed “maybe...I like you being here, it’s nice not being the only person under 30 in every room”. You smiled “well i’m glad my presence isn’t displeasing to you...you’ve been pleasant as well” you added blushing and Iroh grinned. “Wait did I make a Beifong blush? That’s like a legendary occurrence, this is amazing!”. “Stop it” you cried but Iroh wouldn’t let you turn away “no, this will go down in history, Beifong blushes are rarer than dragons so I’m soaking up every second”. For the second time that day Iroh stared at you closely and you blushed more under his gaze but this time you didn’t move away. Iroh continued gazing at you before he lightly moved his hand to your cheek “y/n...” he said softly leaning in closer when a figure appeared. “There you are!” a voice cried and you both jumped away from one another. Your jaw dropped when you realised who it was and you dropped into a bow “Firelord Izumi...i’m so sorry I didn’t see you approach”. “Rise child you did nothing wrong” she said warmly “my son on the other hand...” she trailed off glancing at Iroh who paled. “Hey mom” he frowned and she raised an eyebrow “really? That’s all you have to say? No apology or grovelling”. “Erm I’m sorry for ditching?” Iroh offered and Izumi sighed. “Y/n would you please excuse us, I want to have a word with my son”. “Of course” you agreed bowing and you rushed away.

Iroh returned not long after with his mother and told you he had to stay in the ballroom for the rest of the party. You agreed to stay with him and he smiled gratefully at you making you blush and look away rapidly. The night passed and neither you nor Iroh spoke about what happened in the garden. How he’d almost kissed you and how you were going to let him. You couldn’t believe your own recklessness. What good did you think would come out of kissing the prince of the fire nation? You were obviously not an appropriate match and so there was nothing to be encouraged there. You resolved to never find yourself in that situation again and decided to just stay as friends no matter how much you got along or how attractive he was. Getting involved with a fire nation prince was not responsible behaviour. So after that night you made sure to put distance between you and Iroh. You didn’t stop seeing him you just made sure to emphasise it was a friendship. You didn’t let yourself get caught up in him the way you had in the gardens and always kept a level head. Iroh never tried anything or mentioned that night either and you supposed he picked up on your not so subtle hints. You carried on as before but there was definitely an unmentioned barrier between you which you never let fade.

You left the fire nation 2 months later. You didn’t extend your stay as with your feelings for Iroh you didn’t think it would be wise. Iroh saw you off and hugged you tightly before you got onto the airship. “It’s been nice having you around Beifong, I’ll miss you”. Iroh’s words made you hesitate and you hugged him tighter. For that time in Iroh’s arms you imagined what would have happened if you’d kissed him in the gardens that night. Iroh didn’t strike you as someone who flitted from person to person taking what he wanted, you think if he wanted to kiss you he must have felt something for you too and perhaps would have suggested dating. You imagined all the things you’d have done together but as a couple and wondered if you’d made a mistake, maybe you should have just gone for it? But then reality set in. If you really wanted to be chief of police then you couldn’t have short relationships with high ranking members of the fire nation. Other candidates could use it to show you had compromised morals and there was no way it would be a long term relationship due to your lack of fire nation heritage. Sure the fire nation was pretty progressive but that didn’t really apply to royalty. They had thousand-year-old traditions to uphold that couldn’t be broken easily so Iroh was never a long term option for you. Therefore all logical signs said you’d done the correct thing not persuing something with him...so why did it feel so shit? You finally pulled away from Iroh and he noticed your expression. “What’s wrong?” he asked and you shook your head looking away “nothing i’ll just miss it here...promise you’ll keep in touch?”. “Cross my heart” Iroh smiled “you’re not someone I intend to let slip away, expect a visit every time I come to republic city”. You pushed away the rational voice in your mind telling you to keep a distance from him and smiled “you’ll always be welcome and I’m very much looking forward to it”. Iroh blushed “thank you y/n” and you nodded back, just looking at him in admiration before catching yourself. “I should go...” and Iroh nodded “safe travels” and with a final look you walked away.

2 years later

After your departure you and Iroh stayed in regular contact and your letters only halted when he was deployed by the military but the second we was out he would write and arrange to come visit you in Republic City. You still thought about him and your feelings for him regularly and every time you saw him you knew your crush hadn’t lessened. You loved Iroh’s visits and soon they became the thing you cherished most. You told yourself all of this was fine because you’d never act on your feelings but sometimes you wondered if Iroh felt something too? You’d catch him staring at you or he’d blush if you smiled at him in a certain way. The very idea of Iroh liking you made you very excited but you also knew it would only lead to heartache. He wouldn’t be allowed to settle down with someone outside the fire nation so it didn’t matter if he liked you too. So you settled for his friendship which was more than enough for you. When Iroh was posted in republic city when he became general you were thrilled and you only continued to grow closer.

However republic city wasn’t as peaceful. There had been multiple attacks on the city from Amon’s chi blockers to Vaatu’s take over and you and Iroh were constantly pushed into the fray. Multiple times you’d faced staggering odds and every single time you wondered if you should confess your feelings to Iroh in case the unthinkable happened but every time you chickened out. You and Iroh had been safe every time but there was only so much you could push your luck.  

You’d been wary of Kuvira’s take over of the earth kingdom from the very start. Your aunt Su Yin had told you all about her so you weren’t surprised when she set her sights on Republic City but that didn’t mean you weren’t terrified. The avatar and her friends informed you what you were facing and you weren’t sure how you could even think about facing a giant mecha suit with spirit cannons. Iroh shared your sentiment but as general of Republic City’s army he was forced by President Raiko to lead his troops out there. Watching Iroh take to the front line you were swept with the desire once again to be honest with him, to tell him how you felt before it was too late. You decided three was too many times to chance it and so decided to finally tell him how you felt. You made your way to the general’s tent and found Iroh with Korra discussing strategies. You greeted them both warmly before making your way to Iroh’s side “could we please talk? I have something to tell you”. You knew Iroh had a hundred things to do but he nodded warmly squeezing your hand “of course just give me one second to...” when the radio sprang into action. President Raiko had surendering to Kuvira’s demands. Republic City was hers.

The avatar was furious and you matched her sentiment. You and Iroh joined her as she met with other leaders in the city like Tenzin and your mother and they all agreed something had to be done to stop Kuvira. A plan was quickly assembled, it was agreed that airbenders would attack the suit from the sky and earth benders would attack from the ground. You didn’t actually expect to damage the suit, you only had to distract Kuvira long enough for Korra to get inside. You were agreeing fervently getting ready to leave with your cousins when Iroh grabbed your arm. “Wait Y/n are you sure you want to do this?” he asked nervously “that mecha suit is dangerous there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to stop it”. I know but it’s my home, I swore to protect it and I won’t break my oath. I have to try and help”. Iroh sighed thinking and you watched him wondering what he’d say. “I understand why you’re doing it and I want to come too”. You paused pleasantly surprised “You do...but I thought President Raiko told you to retreat and surrender?”. “He told me to surrender the army not that I couldn’t personally engage in fighting, i’m not fighting as a general but as plain old Iroh” he announced proudly and you smiled “there’s nothing plain about you even without your titles”. Iroh beamed at you “Does this mean you agree? We can fight this giant together!”. You nodded your head “okay let’s go meet up with the others”.

You and Iroh rushed after the others and found them all suiting up. “Finally” your mother said spotting you but she frowned when she saw Iroh with you “y/n tell me you didn’t bring the general who is also the prince of the fire nation into this”. “She didn’t, I volunteered” Iroh spoke up “I’m not here as a general or as a prince but as a civilian so, where can I help?”. “You know your mother won’t like this” Tenzin commented and Iroh nodded “I know but some things are worth facing her wrath for” he said shooting you a smile and you blushed.

So it was agreed Iroh would stay. Your mother thought it would be best to place him on the roof with the airbenders, she ordered him to shoot lightning at the joints to try and cause some malfunctioning. When you’d all suited up the teams said their goodbyes and Iroh appeared in front of you. You didn’t have long, Kuvira’s giant suit was already in view and the ground shook whenever it took a single step. Iroh stared at you and sighed heavily “Y/n...”. “Don’t say it like that, we don’t have time and we’re both going to be fine okay?” you said faking a smile but Iroh saw right through it. “What did you want to tell me earlier?”. You froze caught off guard and blushed “I...I just wanted to...it doesn’t matter”. The ground jumped and Iroh looked at it nervously before stepping closer to you “I think I can guess what you were going to say”. “You can?” you asked nervously and Iroh smiled “yeah...you had another Beifong blush moment and I’ve noticed you do them around me a lot”. You went bright red and Iroh chuckled “yeah like that...”. You looked down embarrassed but Iroh took your hand gently “don’t, I blush a lot around you too”. You smiled blushing more and Iroh chuckled softly. “Y/n are you ready?” your mom asked and Iroh gripped your hand tightly. “Wait I want to tell you everything before you leave” Iroh cried but you squeezed his hand gently. “It’ll be okay” you smiled “you can tell me everything later and I think I can guess too”. Iroh grinned blushing “later then...just got to get through this”. “We’ll be fine, this is what he trained for” you smiled confidently “I promise I’ll see you on the other side”. Iroh nodded and stared at your lips, he went to move in when your mother called “y/n are you coming or are we leaving you behind”. “I’m coming!” you yelled and stepped away from Iroh “mothers” you commented and he smiled “go, i’ll see you after” and with a last look you both rushed off to your assigned group.

The battle

The fight went about as good as could be expected. The suit swatted the air benders away like flies and your group’s earth, metal and even lava bending barely slowed it down. But it didn’t matter, all that mattered was the avatar and her team managed to find a way into that thing and your team cheered when you saw she’d done just that. Now the fight was Korra’s so you let your guard down when suddenly the machine began malfunctioning. Your mother yelled for you all to take cover but you were too far away from the building. The suit exploded with a blast and you saw a blinding light and then black.

After the suit exploded everyone assumed the battle won. Half the air benders went after Korra to help her with Kuvira and the other half went to the ground to make sure the others were okay, of course Iroh went with the latter. He saw Bolin, your aunt and cousins but no sign of you or your mother. They told him they were all searching for you and he rushed to join in. With each street he passed his heart began to sink when finally he spotted you! In the arms of your mother unconscious. Iroh ran forward dropping to his knees beside you. “What happened?” he cried and your mother clutched you desperately “that thing exploded and she was too far to get into cover, it hit her sending her flying through the street and now she’s...she’s...”. Iroh saw the blood seeping through your mother’s hands where she held them against you. “No” he said viciously “y/n won’t...she can’t! We need a medic” he yelled loudly before taking off his jacket to wrap around your wound. “Maybe I can cauterise the wound?” he asked “seal it to stop her losing so much blood?”. Lin paused “I think the wounds too big but it’s worth a shot”. Iroh nodded and Lin lifted the bottom of your uniform. Iroh saw a large gash across your stomach and winced. He lit his hand on fire and pressed his hands against the wound. You gasped suddenly and your eyes shot open. “Y/n” your mother and Iroh cried in unison and you blinked trying to make sense of the situation before you groaned in pain. You tensed trying to get away from the burning but your mother held onto you “please y/n just hang on Iroh is trying to cauterise your wound”. “It’s not working” you grimaced resisting the urge to scream “Iroh stop! Please!” you cried and he yelled in frustration moving his hands away from you. “No it has to work if it doesn’t then you’ll.....we need a medic down here” he yelled again but he knew everyone else was spread out and there were no healers in the group. “It’s okay” you said breathing heavily as the situation dawned on you “Iroh it’s alright”. “No it’s not” he cried sinking onto his knees beside you “it’s not y/n, you can’t...you have to fight this, you can’t leave me”. You nodded “trust me i’m trying but Iroh if I do...”. “No y/n don’t even think about it! I won’t let you go it’s not going to happen”. “I don’t think we have a choice” you admitted trying to smile but Iroh just shook his head “but we never got our shot, we never got to talk, I never got to tell you...I love you y/n” he said simply “I have for years, that’s why I never found anyone from the fire nation because the perfect person for me is you. I know there’s traditions and rules but I don’t care, I don’t want anyone else but you. I’d give up anything for you and we were finally heading in that direction and now that stupid spirit cannon”. Tears leaked down Iroh’s face and you reached out a hand to him shakily. He took it and you stroked his face “it’s okay, i’m sorry for being too scared and cautious, I’m sorry for wasting our time together but I love you too, I hope that’s enough”. Iroh nodded “It’s more than I ever hoped, you didn’t waste time you have nothing to be sorry for y/n Beifong, do you hear me?”. “I do” you smiled before coughing in pain and your mother clutched you tighter. “Y/n” your mother cried and you smiled up at her “it’s okay mom, don’t worry. It’s all going to be okay”. You clutched her hand against your chest and took Iroh’s other one. “I’m with the two people I love the most, I’m happy. This is the best way for it to...”. “Stop” Iroh said crying but you just gripped his hand tighter “Iroh look at me”. He blinked through the tears but looked at you. “It’s okay, I promise you everything will be okay”. Iroh just said your name softly and rested his head against yours. Your mother wrapped her arms around both of you and you held onto both of them the best you could when you felt the world fading away. You heard sobbing and your mother faintly saying your name until everything turned dark and it was over.

Epilogue

Following your death the fire nation, earth kingdom and republic city all paid their respects in their traditional fashions. A statue was raised by your mother in the spot of your death and every year on the anniversary of your death both her and Iroh would visit it. Iroh and your mother supported one another following your death being the only one’s who understood how monumental the loss of your life was. They managed to get through it together and although neither of them ever stopped loving you they found a way to carry on. Iroh never married, he couldn’t even consider the idea and his family never pushed him to. He still lived a long and happy life. He was very involved with his sister’s children who he loved dearly and his family never stopped supporting him. If he went quiet and got a teary look in his eye or if he struggled serving in the earth kingdom they understood. Your family also treated him like one of their own, with Lin even calling him her son on a few occasions, and he was invited to all your family’s events in recognition of your love for him. Your memory never faded and when Iroh’s life eventually ended he passed on to find you waiting for him. He knew all the suffering and heartache was over, you were finally together at last. 

____

So initially I was going to write a happy ending as well but then I thought screw it, I want to cry so I killed off the reader...but I can release the happy ending as a part two if anyone wants it. 

Edit: For the happy ending version click here

[not-wholly-unheroic]

Favorite Images of Hook (Part Two - Disney’s Return to Neverland, 2002)

1. Image in the Clouds - This was SUCH a creative way for Disney to recap the first film without using any words, and I LOVE it--the star in place of Hook’s eye and the smaller ones that trace the line where the edge of his cravat would be are perfect. Even Tink’s trail of pixie dust forms the shape of a hook!

2. Hook in Jane’s Room -  One of the things I love most about Hook is his grandiosity, and this image shows that part of him perfectly. He looks so proud of himself. The mustache twirling seems to be a habit of his when he’s either thinking or feeling rather smug. Definitely the latter going on here.

3. Hugging Smee - This is another scene that I really like because of the vulnerability it shows as well as further highlighting his relationship with Mr. Smee. Hook seems to seek out physical touch for reassurance when he is afraid both in the first film and the sequel. Heck, here he doesn’t even wait for Smee to come to his aid but reaches out in desperation and drags Smee into a hug. This man is so clearly touch-starved that it breaks my heart. 

4. Dinghy in the Mist - This shot...y/all, this looks like it belongs in a Pirates of the Caribbean film. The lighting and the mist give it such an eerie, mysterious mood as Hook slowly comes into focus.

5. Hook’s Close-Up in the Forest - This is probably my absolute favorite shot of Hook from either film. It would be a hard choice, but if I had to pick just one, this would be it. Some shots of Hook look rather silly, but this one feels very human. His eyes are soft and warm. His smile is charming. And while he might be acting in the moment, we see who he COULD have been if he’d chosen a different path in life. 

6. Giving Jane the Whistle - This is sort of cheating since it isn’t actually an image of Hook himself but rather a close-up of the claw and his hand as he passes off the whistle to Jane, but I think it holds a lot of significance. Jane is drawn to Hook because of their similarities and, quite possibly, the similarities she sees between him and her own father--a military man. This gesture of handing over the whistle is done so tenderly that it might well have reminded Jane of Edward giving her something special to hold onto as he went off to war. Again, I recognize that Hook is using this connection to his advantage, but I think it also offers another glimpse of the man he might have been.

7. The Bosun’s Chair/Dead Man’s Cave - I love everything about this shot--the  elegance of his perch on the bosun’s chair, the little smirk on his face. My only question is...what the heck are the ropes attached to???

8. Hook Laughing - I’m sure by now you’re probably sensing a theme... Look, I know this is supposed to be a villainous laugh, but I just like it when Hook smiles, okay? 

9. Jane Tries to Get the Key - This scene is almost upsetting to me because let’s be real, Hook NEVER stops moving for very long. He’s a super active character, and seeing him laid out on the deck in the midst of battle, well...quite frankly, it looks like he’s dead. It’s unsettling and unusual, and while I don’t like the thought of Hook dying, I like the image because it brings a bit of gravity to his potential plight. 

10. Final Showdown with Jane - There are honestly several scenes from the final showdown that I really like, and it was hard to choose just one. This Hook is far more dangerous than the one we see in the first film. When he first pops up from being knocked unconscious, he has the hook around Jane’s wrist and nearly lops HER hand off, then quickly makes a stab at her (barely missing) and eventually ends up pinning her to the past with the claw around her neck. This is pretty intense stuff for a Disney film. But I think my favorite moment is when he’s up on the spar, drawing his sword as he slowly backs Jane closer and closer to the edge. His hair is blowing across his face in the wind and he has this wild, dangerous look about him that too often we forget exists in the moments of comedy.