#characters from the older games always seem to have a disadvantage but you never know

[mammorus-maleficarum]

bioware has a habit of making women who seem sapphic but are only romanceable my male characters for unfathomable reasons. so,

[kasey-writes-stuff]

Hello! So I made this “small” Dsmp T-word fic, and I really like the way you write, so I was hoping to maybe get some feedback? If not I understand, plus the story is a bit long, so I don’t expect you too read all of it. It’s about a deer hybrid child named Fawn, and if you want, I can send you an explanation of why they live with who they do, I can send you an explanation that I made, however I’m holding off on it, because there’s implied human trafficking in the explanation, and I want to try to make it not triggering to anyone, so I have to edit it a bit. Btw, the characters are inspired by the ones @sleey—dragon writes about! Anyway, here is the story!: Fawn: main character, they/them, deer hybrid, 12 Tom: brother of Fawn, he/him, raccoon hybrid, 13 Techno: brother of Fawn, he/him, pig hybrid, 14 Wilbur: brother of Fawn, he/him, bird hybrid, 15 Phil: father of Fawn, he/him, bird hybrid, 33 Ler(s): Techno, Wilbur, Tommy Lee: Fawn Fawn story #1: Fawn had been living with their adoptive family for a little over two years now, and they had all become quite close. They all loved spending time with Fawn, and all enjoyed their company. Wilbur and Fawn would sing songs together, as the youngest and oldest both loved music. When they were with Techno, the two would often read together, listen to a true crime podcast, or just talk. Tommy was the one who took the longest to like them, as he felt he was being replaced as youngest, but after he found out that he still acted and was treated as if he was the youngest, he loved to spend time with them, because they would always go along with whatever games he wanted to play, even if it was a game that they had the disadvantage in. Needless to say, Fawn and their brothers loved each other a lot. However, no matter what they did, over the past 7 months maybe, they seemed to always be getting… tickled by their older brothers. Especially by Techno. The fourteen year old pig hybrid and the twelve year old deer hybrid had a special kind of bond. Don’t get me wrong, Fawn loved all their brothers equally, but no one could deny that Techno and them had grown extremely close. Normally Techno has a hard time getting to trust people, but the way Fawn was so quiet and always listened to whatever story he was telling meant that he was the first out of the boys to really get to know them and get close with them. In a way, the way Fawn and Techno were was kinda how Wilbur and Tommy were. Wilbur was always protective of Tommy, and could never stay mad at him. Techno was a very powerful fighter, and was very protective of his little sibling. Him being an amazing fighter also meant he he was the one who could catch them off guard the easiest and tickle them, but to say they didn’t like it would be a lie. Anyway, Phil was just putting dinner on the table when he heard a loud but short scream, followed by hysterical giggles, and he sighed with a small chuckle following. He knew immediately what was happening. He finished up putting the food on the table for his family, then followed the loud giggling to the den downstairs. As he stopped and looked at the scene in front of him, he couldn’t help but think about how cute his kids were. His second born was holding the youngest in a back hug, kneading their side with one hand, and poking them in their ribs with the other. “Tech, stop killing your sibling, and come up for dinner” he said with a small chuckle. “Why? I can tell they like it~” he said, turning back to Fawn with a smirk and lightly poking them in the side. “Ahand how’d yohou come to tahat conclusion?”, they said, still giggling from the previous attack. “Your body language” said Techno, nonchalantly. “If you didn’t like it, you’d be resisting more then your biological response, but instead, you don’t try to get away as much as you can let yourself, and that’s how I know~” he said poking Fawn even more, getting a squeal out of them. “Ahahah, nohoho!!”, they giggled, melting into their brother. “Ohok, ok, ease up Tech, dinner time” said Phil, walking up the stairs. “Guess we we got to go up now, Fawny~” Techno teased, letting them hop on his back as he carried them up the stairs and sat them in their seat, sitting next to them. After dinner, it was civil dusk, so Fawn wanted to go for a walk or find a nice clearing to draw in (I researched for this, and it said deer are most active in the early mornings or early evenings, so a bit before civil dusk, however some deer also tend to stay up later, and while most deer don’t, this character is about 50% based on me, and I love the night, so I feel like they would as well! Sorry this was a long explanation, just a little fact about deer and me for you! :p). Phil didn’t want them going alone, but he had to stay there to clean up a few things, so he asked if anyone wanted to go with them. Wilbur wanted to work on his song he was writing, and Tommy wanted to play a new video game he just got, but Techno was up for it, so the two set off and found a nice place by the house to read or draw and just chill. They set down a big blanket they had brought and stayed out for quite some time, and after awhile, Techno looked to his little sibling, that evil looking smirk back on his face. Fawn was to absorbed it their drawing that they didn’t notice for a moment. “Hey Fawn~” said Techno in his teasing voice, and Fawn knew what that meant. “Y-yes Tech? Is everything o-ok?”, that said, trying to change the subject before it was even the topic of the conversation. “You know, I heard this wood is full of monsters! I bet that’s why dad didn’t let you go alone~” ‘oh, he had his teasing voice cuz he was trying to scare me, right? Yeah, that must be it!’, Fawn thought. Little did they know, it was just Techno trying to catch them off guard, knowing that a ghost story is exactly the kind of thing that will get their mind off of what he was actually going to do to them. “Uh huh, sure it is” they said, not believing what their older brother was saying, but still clearly interested. However, Techno was both being serious, there were tons of MOBS in the forest, and wanted to tease the little deer child a bit. “You know that mobs exist obviously, but there are other monsters then just the ones you know about, and they leark in this very forest~. They take over the mind of near by humans to get what they crave most…” “Uh huhhh, and what are these “monsters” that you’re talking about?” Techno smirked even wider. There were two things he knew meant they wouldn’t run away: 1. That they can’t go because of the mobs, so if they left, even though they could beat the mobs, they would still get hurt, plus Phil wouldn’t be to happy about them being alone and leaving him alone, and 2. Even though they can’t leave, they wouldn’t in the first place because of how much they loved it, and that’s how he knew they wouldn’t run. “Hello, Tech? You there?” “Sorry, I was thinking, what was the question~?”. Fawn knew their brother remembered the question, but they just rolled their eyes and played along. “I asked ‘and what are these “monsters” that you’re talking about’”. Techno chuckled a little in a smug but teasing way; “Tons of things…Vampires, ghosts….. the tickle monster~…”. Techno immediately noticed his little siblings demeanour shift, but in the exact way he wanted it to. Fawn was flustered, and they bit their lip to try and keep in the nervous giggles. “Oh, are you okay Fawny~? Are you scared of the monsters? Don’t worry, big brother Techno will protect you~”, and with that he quickly grabbed Fawn in the same position as last time when Phil came to stop them for dinner. “Tehechnoho!! Ahahah, dohon’t!!!”, Fawn giggled, knowing that it wouldn’t do anything, but then again, they didn’t want it to. “Don’t what? I’m helping you! I- oh no Fawn! The tickle monster, it’s-it’s taking over my body! I-I can’t stop it Fawn! “Tehenoho!!!”, they giggled, knowing exactly what came next. “I-it’s two much, I… can’t resist!”, said their older brother as he started to spider his hands under their shirt, making sure to stay on their ribs and sides. Fawn squealed really loudly and started to kick their legs out lightly, melting at their brothers touch. “Tehehechnohoho!! Ahahah, yohohou’re mehehean!!”, they giggled as their brother smirked at their reaction. “I’m not mean, I can’t help it! The tickle monster is taking over my body, it’s not my fault Fawny~” he said, moving from ribs and sides to inner thighs. How he was able to move his hands that far as fast as he did will go down in history as one of the world’s greatest unsolved mysteries, but regardless of how he did it, he was able to do it before Fawn could even think of an escape attempt. “AAAAAAHHH!!! FUHUCK YOHOU!!!” “Now nohow, easy with the profanity, I know you don’t mean it~. You know, I have to make a confession. There’s not actually a tickle monster, I just want to see you all giggly and melting into me!”. Fawn blushed from being so flustered while their brother continued to attack their inner thighs. After about ten minutes, Techno knew that since it was latter in the day, his sibling would have a sooner breaking point, as they would be more tired, so he stopped. “Do you want to play Truth or Dare?”, Techno asked in his normal tone instead of his teasing or his overly cheery yet smug one. Fawn nodded, still giggling from the attack. “Truth or dare Fawn?”, Techno asked them as they were still calming down from being so flustered. They thought about it for awhile, but them being tired made them think that even though they would normally choose dare, they probably couldn’t handle it right now. “Truth, I guess!”, said Fawn, calmed down completely now. Techno smiled. “Do you actually like being tickled? I know the answer, I just want to hear you say it~!”, he said, teasing slightly, but his words were genuine. “I-uh.. I-I… ahem, um, I…” they stumbled on their words as they tried to come up with an answer that would be the truth without being embarrassing. Techno chuckled a little, and said “Don’t worry, it’s just us. I promise I won’t tell Tommy or Wilbur!”. That made Fawn feel more comfortable with it, however, still a bit flustered! “I, uh��� y-yeah, I do…” they said even quieter then when they were first getting to know each other, however Techno knew that it was just his siblings shyness from the small smile on their face. “I knew it!”, he said, almost sounding to cheery to be Techno, poking them in the ribs lightly. “Aha!” They said in surprise. “Hey guys!!”, called a voice in the distance. Fawn snapped their head around quickly to see their two other brothers walking towards them and Techno. “Hey guys! W-what are you doing here?”, asked Fawn, clearly confused but happy to see them, but also slightly worried that they had heard the conversation before. Fawn knew that everyone in the family knew they enjoyed being tickled, but actually admitting it to them was completely different. Their mind spiralled in thinking about it, until Techno lightly placed his hand on their knee, looking them in the eyes softly. His eyes said to not worry, that they were to far away to hear, which made Fawn smile. Techno looked away to talk to the two others for a moment; “Yeah, I thought you both had things to do?” Said Techno with the same confused tone Fawn had. Tommy and Wilbur sat down “Well, I finally finished my song that I was working on for the past few months or so, so I thought I’d come and show it to you guys! As for Tommy, he did what he wanted to do in his new game, and he wanted to come with me, so I brought my guitar, and Tommy brought snacks!”. Fawn’s face lit up at the mention of snacks, as they knew Tommy had just as big of a sweet tooth as them, so they were bound to like the snacks. “Yeah! I brought marshmallows, gummy worms, some brownies dad got from Niki…” Tommy went on and on, pulling things out of the bag he was holding, and had clearly already opened some, but no one really seemed to care. The four siblings gathered around closer, sharing snacks, and after Wilbur’s amazing song, ( that he called soft boy,) they all started singing campfire songs together. They had all been having fun together for a little while, when Wilbur suddenly asked Techno “Hey, when we were walking here, we heard loud laughter that sounded like Fawn… don’t tell me you were tickling them without us?”, Wilbur smirked at the blush this created on Fawn’s face. “Oh yeah, I was… hmm, and what are you going to do about it?”, Techno replied, not making a snarky remark towards his brother, but instead conspiring with him. “Oh, I’m going to do something about it~…” said Wilbur, getting closer to Fawn. “Com’mer Fawny~” Wilbur sang while wiggling his fingers at his sibling. “Wahait, cahan wehehe talk abohout this????”, they asked, giggling from anticipation. “Nope! This is non-negotiable!”, he said, and that’s when he pounced! He started poking, prodding and lightly scratching all over their torso and back. “Ahahah, Wihilbuhuhur!! *squeak* Ahahahahah!!!”. Wilbur just chuckled at his siblings cute little noises. “Awh, you’re so adorable! I could do this forever~!”, he said as he focused his hands on Fawn’s back, bringing his wings genteelly under their oversized hoodie, carefully moving them all over Fawn’s stomach. “Ihihi’m nohohoht ahahohorahahble!!! *squeak* Ahaha, mehehannnn!!!” “Oh, yes you are! You’re an adorable ticklish little ball of giggles~!” “Ahahahhaha nohohohoho!!”. Wilbur continued with the tickling and teases, Techno or Tommy chiming in with equally as flustering comments every now and then. Eventually Wilbur stoped the attack after almost twenty minutes, and they went back to just having fun together as if nothing had happened while Fawn recovered, laying down in Wilbur’s lap, receiving little pokes and squeezes every so often. After almost an hour, they went back to watch a movie. It was Fawns turn to pick the movie since Tommy did last time, so they picked ‘Dating Amber’ which was their favourite movie (actually true about me! I highly recommend it, just keep in mind it’s rated 15+ and also, if you want to watch it, just be aware; trigger warning for suicide, drugs and homophobia). After the movie, Tommy seemed tired. “Mmf- Fawn, get the fuck off my shoulder, I want to go to bed!” He whined, making Fawn giggle slightly. “Boooo, come on, stay up with us for a little while longer!!”, they said, sounding more like a six year old then a twelve year old. “Mmmmm, get off me you bitch..” he said, slightly less tired then before. “Not until you agree watch at least 15 minutes of another movie with us!!”, they said, not giving up. “Guys, do you mind helping me~?”, the raccoon hybrid asked the two others, sleepiness replaced with mischief. “Waitwaitwaitwait!!! Can we talk about this?”, Fawn started to frantically try to negotiate with their brothers, but they weren’t listening. Wilbur sat on their arms, pinning them above the little deers head, while Techno took his favourite post, hands on Fawns hips ready to start by lifting their hoodie to their top rib, and Tommy at their legs. “Three…” started Wilbur, prepared to pounce on his sibling. “Two…” said Tommy, smirking widely. “ONE!!”, Techno yelled, as they all attacked the youngest. All Fawns worst spots were being mercilessly tickled as all they could do was just lay there screaming and laughing. Tommy had his hands on their inner thighs, where as Wilbur took his residence at the arm about half an inch above their armpits, meanwhile, Techno was lightly scratching at the top of their hip bone with his right hand while his left hand was poking all over their sides ribs and the bit of back that was exposed to his evil hands. “GUHUHUYS!!! IHI’M SOHOHORRY!!! AHAHAHAHA, MEHEHEAN!!”, Fawn managed to get out as they were just laughing from the attack. Normally, their brothers wouldn’t tickle them all together because they didn’t want to overwhelm them, however they also knew that once and awhile is okay, just as long as it isn’t every single time. “You brought this on yourself!”, Tommy said, now using his tail as well to get under Fawns knee. “AHAHAHAHAHA TOHOHOM NOHOHO!!!!”, they howled in laughter, trying to stop moving around. Just then, Techno blew a raspberry right on their bellybutton to get them to arch their back, which worked perfectly. “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHTEHEHECNOHO!!!”, they screamed as small tears of joy threatened to come out of their eyes. “Ah, perfect, a nice clear shot at your back!”, Techno teased, having the hand that was on Fawn’s hips move to the lower back, lightly scribbling there, while his other moved on from poking to do the exact same movement on their stomach as he was doing on their back, which only made them arch their back more (both out of reflex, and because they were enjoying themself). Wilbur shared a knowing smirk with Techno; “Awww, Tech, how cute is that? Our little sibling is playing right into your hands, and they don’t even look that mad about it!”, he said, now sifting his gaze to Fawn, moving from half an inch above their armpits to the very top of their ribs, and using his wings to tickle where his hands just were. To say that Fawn screamed in laughter when this happened would be an understatement. Feathers were a weak point of theirs, but the only people who are allowed to use this weakness is the people who have feathers as a part of their bodies, aka, just Phil and Wilbur. This is because, while Fawn loves to be tickled, they do have a few small but highly important and respected rules; NO touching their feet, even if you’re not tickling them, they don’t like it, and their feet aren’t even ticklish enough to make them laugh unless you nibble them (which they found out from a dog (true story about me)), which leads to rule number two: NO nibbling, they find it uncomfortable and have a weird fear of biting that it will just rip of their skin, and third, just use your appendages to tickle them, NO tools, they make them uncomfortable and if a tool is brought near them during a tickle “session”, they will immediately have a panic attack and you’ll have to stop tickling for the rest of the day, hence why only the people who are allowed to use feathers on them are the people who have them as a physical attribute. “Shit Wilbur, you make Fawny scream! I wish I had feathers, I would use it against them every fucking time I had the chance!”, said Tommy, using the nickname that they all use for Fawn when teasing them, ‘Fawny’, showing that he is just making fun Fawn for being so sensitive. “Well, at least you have your tail to tickle Fawny! The only thing I have is my long hair, and that barely does anything!”, replies Techno, letting his hair drift along Fawn’s stomach to demonstrate, getting a loud squeal out of them, about the same reaction as squeezes on their ribs, which makes it even more obvious then before that Techno is teasing them. “See!! I don’t even get a noise for it! It’s as if I don’t even exist!”, Techno said, spidering faster on Fawns back and stomach. “AHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! TEHEHECHAHAHAHA!!!!”, Fawn screeched from the sudden speed up. “I see why! You have really long hair, but the ends are spilt! You should get a small hair cut to get back to really soft fluffy hair, then it will work almost exactly like Tommy’s tail! Here, I’ll demonstrate, even though I have sorter hair, it’s pretty soft, so it should work, but I will have to go closer to Fawn with my face… is that okay Fawn?”, Wilbur said, just making sure they were comfortable with it, to which he got a quick nod from his little sibling. and so, with the ok, Wilbur started to shake his hair in the crook of their neck, getting squeaky giggles mixed in with the screaming laughter. “WHIhiHIHIHILBUHUhuHu*squeak*HUR!!!!!” “Aw, that’s so cute Fawny~ you’re all giggly, scream-y, squeaky and TICKLISH~” Tommy teased, while his brothers gave each other tips on how to better use what they have to get the best reactions out of Fawn. Tommy then bent his head down to his siblings knees and wiggled his ears on the space where the knee cap starts to transition to calf, using his hands to make sure that they don’t accidentally knee him in the face, smiling at the huge reaction he got from it, which caught Wilbur and Techno by surprise, remembering that Tommy was manning the fort while they have their conversation just loud enough for Fawn to hear, making them both smile because of how happy the two youngest were. Just then, Phil walked in, looking tired and worried, but as soon as he saw what was happening, his face immediately softened and he chuckled a bit. “Oh my gods, I thought someone was dying! I hate to ruin your fun, but it’s almost one in the morning, so if you guys are going to stay up, consider killing your sibling more quietly?”. The boys got off their little sibling, still smiling from how sweet the whole thing was, and helping them catch their breath, while everyone said goodnight to their dad, some in a more giggly way then others, but not saying who it is :p. Tommy was definitely awake now, so he took Fawn in a hug, one of Tommy’s rare signs of care that didn’t involve teasing one of his siblings to death, but every now and then, brushing his tail behind Fawn’s knees and thighs, just as a warning and to keep everyone awake. Yep, as much as they may argue and bicker, and if you asked them they might try to deny it, but the hybrid siblings all loved each other very much, and would do anything for each other to smile! _____________________________________________So, that was my story! If you did read all that, I can’t begin to explain how much that means to me, and any constructive criticism is highly appreciated, and thank you!

[mrsjadecurtiss]

Jade I had a fucking mind blown. We always see the Roose’s betrayal always to the Cat prospective but...I have a though. What if in Roose’s mind he did it because he was sure Robb was gonna lose and so acted in consequence to preserve his life? Sure he did it also to obtain the rule of the north BUT the main reason would be to save his life. That wouldn’t justify the betrayal but it would make a bit more tragic his character. And it would also explain his anxiety at the wedding, like if he had to force himself to do something he usually doesn’t do (exposing himself). But he has to do it to save his life.

Hi, thank you for the question! :)

I do not think Roose was in any danger for his life or believed himself to be in such danger prior to the Red Wedding.

Grrm himself says that even until the Jaime chapter that comes before the Red Wedding, Roose was on the fence of whether it would be more beneficial to take part in the Red Wedding or stay loyal to Robb. I have some speculation about what we can guess about his motivations in this post.

As for Bolton, if you reread all his sections carefully, I think you will see a picture of a man keeping all his options open as long as he could... sniffing the wind, covering his tracks, ready to jump either way... even as late as his supper with Jaime at Harrenhal... - Grrm, SSM August 23 2000

While Robb was a losing cause, the disadvantage this poses to Roose is mostly that he is wasting his men and ressources; after all winter is coming and he needs his men back home for the harvest. Roose’ general modus operandi during the war was to keep his own losses small, and try to gain profit when possible like weakening his rival houses (sabotaging his allies at times, for example at the Green Fork or Duskendale). On the other hand, there was a lot to gain with the support of the Lannisters (see again the post i linked above).

 " Perhaps I ought to make a wedding gift of you to Edmure Tully . . . or strike your head off, as your sister did for Eddard Stark. [...] A thousand leagues of mountain, sea, and bog lie between my walls and your rock. Lannister enmity means little to Bolton." - "Lannister friendship could mean much." Jaime thought he knew the game they were playing now. - Jaime V, aSoS

As an important Lord, Roose is not directly in danger during the war unless he decides to actually fight in battle, and we know he tries his best to keep safe:

Though Roose had been in battles, he bore no scars. - Reek II, aDwD

The only way he could lose [at the Green Fork] would be if [he] were captured or slain himself, and he did his best to minimize the chances of that. - Grrm, SSM February 2 2001

As we can see with Lords like Wylis Manderly and Greatjon Umber, the enemy prefers to take people of high status hostage, so they can be ransomed or used as political leverage. Even in cases where someone is injured in battle they are usually taken back and get their wounds treated, so they can be ransomed or otherwise made use of later.

Lord Tywin offered White Harbor full pardon for our support of the Young Wolf. He promised that my son would be returned to me once I paid a ransom of three thousand dragons and proved my loyalty beyond a doubt. - Davos II, aDwD

The Umbers have no love for the Boltons. If Whoresbane has joined the Bastard, it can only be because the Lannisters hold the Greatjon captive." - Jon IV, aDwD

One fat lordling [Wylis] haunted the kitchens, Hot Pie told her, always looking for a morsel. [...] He belonged to Lord Tywin, but the fierce, bearded young man who liked to walk the battlements alone in a black cloak patterned with white suns had been taken by some hedge knight who meant to get rich off him. [...] She did remember Lord Cerwyn, though. [...] Yet as fate would have it, he was the only captive who was never seen; he was abed in a tower cell, recovering from a wound. - Arya VII, aCoK

The lords who die are the ones who risk their lives directly fighting in battle (like Karstark’s sons who died fighting Jaime). Lords like Wyman Manderly who sit back and dont partake in war are dealt with through hostages and other political arrangements, and are demanded to prove loyalty.

"It is being common-born that is dangerous, when the great lords play their game of thrones," said Septon Meribald. "Isn't that so, Dog?" - Brienne VII, aFfC

Generally, Roose seemed to have been of the opinion that it would be smarter for Robb to bend the knee, but the way he states it is annoyance, not fear.

“King Robb must make his peace with the Lannisters. He must put off his crown and bend the knee, little as he may like it." - "And who will tell him so?" Roose Bolton smiled. - Arya X, aCoK

"Won every battle, while losing the Freys, the Karstarks, Winterfell, and the north. A pity the wolf is so young. Boys of sixteen always believe they are immortal and invincible. An older man would bend the knee, I'd think. After a war there is always a peace, and with peace there are pardons... for the Robb Starks, at least. Not for the likes of Vargo Hoat." Bolton gave him a small smile. - Jaime V, aSoS

[hey-hamlet]

BNHA FIC PROMPTS

A collection of all of the fic ideas from that ask game, as of now. I’ll throw in new ones if i get any and when I remember. Feel free to use any of them, I’d love a link if you did!

with hands to the sky, I beg (what will save us?)

Izuku is a god who asks to be reborn as a human to try and help. He is warned he can’t return to being a god and will join the mortal realm, ever reincarnated. He agrees.

Izuku is a child with faint memories of a life he never lived, who knows too much about the world but not enough about the people around him. He’s not listed as having a quirk but he’s never gotten sick, never been hurt. He scares the other children and the adults don’t like his precocious nature. Inko loves her little miracle.

 My Soul is Like a Supernova

Things happen around Izuku. Always have. Everything from earthquakes and villain attacks to miraculous healing and lottery wins. He’s always attracted big events like this - as if even the universe can see how important he is and it warps itself around him.

He sees this as perfectly normal. 1A is begining to notice a stressful pattern.

This one regret of mine

Character study of Inko and how she deeply regrets so many things she’s done in her life, from her husband, to giving up on her carrier, to telling Izuku he couldn’t be a hero and then letting him keep going to UA.

But no matter what she’d never regret her son.

Of souls and lost causes

A good ol’ Izuku sees dead people AU, focused more on his younger years when he’d wander around the city helping as many spirits as he could, only to return home at the end of the day exhausted and dirty to an increasingly worried mother who believed the doctor when he said seeing ghosts as a quirk would be impossible.

my life.your choice

Underground heroics AU (i dont think ive ever posted that au huh): Izuku is the well-known son of japan’s immortal emperor, All for One. Born quirkless, he’s been emotionally abused but violently protected his whole life by his father, his mother killed before his eyes for trying to take him away. He’s never been able to make a choice for himself save for his bodyguard - his childhood friend, Bakugo Katsuki.

Katsuki made a pledge to protect him when they were in kindergarten and he’ll be damned if he breaks it now. And if it takes the two of them joining the resistance, meeting a vigilante by the name of All Might thought long dead and Izuku receiving a near-mythical quirk? Well, that just makes it more exciting, doesn’t it?

I forgot that you existed

Izuku gets hit with a quirk that not only makes people forget him, it prevents them from seeing him as well - all but erasing him from reality for everyone he knows. He can still interact with things but all it manages to do is just UA shut down under fear of villain infiltration. They find Izuku 18 hours later when the quirk wears off - a motion tracking gun trained on his forehead.

certain uncertainties

No one can predict the quirks trapped in One for All or when they’ll show up. Anthology fic of Izuku discovering each of them, some being rather helpful, and at least one piece of merch being sent into a low orbit.

Sometimes goodbye is a second chance

Set in the same universe I wrote console reset in; during the two heroes movie: they never defeat Nine and he slaughters the whole island and his class, leaving Izuku till last. He comes back at the start of their first day on the island and doggedly makes friends with every islander he can because while it hurt seeming them die, it hurt even more knowing he’d never even learnt most of their names.

They win this time the first time they meet him, even if it’s a marathon fight of 8 hours with him and Bakugo doggedly wearing him down. No one dies. Izuku thinks it’s worth dying as many times as he has to to keep the people he loves smiling.

The immortality of the heroic spirit

One of the quirks in One for All is determination: if you have something you desperately want to do, you can’t die - no matter how much blood you lose or home many pieces your body is crushed into - you’ll just heal back to where you were before you died. All Might and Aizawa find this out to horrifying effect during a brutal villain fight they are stuck watching on the news with the rest of a terrified UA.

In hindsight this makes a lot of sense to Izuku. Aizawa wants to scream. All Might has coughed up more blood than is probably healthy and all of 1A bruised hands from where they were clutching each other’s when it got too tense.

Shine on you invincible legacy

Izuku becomes a top 10 hero before hes even out of high school, hitting No.2 the second he graduates and taking No.1 from Hawks literally the next time the ranking is counted. 1A will not stop throwing him parties each time he moves up in the ranking, even if in 3rd year it was every other week. All Might comes to ever one of them.

Shake the Dirt from Your Shoes

Izuku will be a hero and no one will stop him - an AU a fair bit like the beginning of canon except Izuku fights back, remains unending optimistic and maybe engages in a light bit of technically legal vigilantism, accidentally befriending a vast array of heroes and a student or two.

To his horror, they recognise him out of costume as soon as he speaks to them, resulting in a very eventful first day at UA.

do you feel with a heart of steel

Original Sin AU, young Izuku finding feeling emotions difficult and not knowing why. He finds a dying animal on the way home and sits with it, patting it until it passes away. He doesn’t think he feels anything, but his cheeks feel wet.

all you want is milk and honey

Villains have been trying to use Izuku his entire life, much to his annoyance and confusion (I wonder who in his family might make him known to villains? hm). He’s gotten very good at being intimidating, even as a child.

When he gets kidnapped with Bakugo on a primary school field trip he decides to hell with it and breaks out all the stops. Turns out villains don’t tend to want a 10-year-old who can describe in great detail how they would hang you with your own intestines.

Bakugo decides that fuck Izuku being quirkless, he’s kind of amazing.

Even the stars

Izuku dies young and no one but the stars cry for him. They bring him back, but his body is cold and he has a nova burning where his heart should be. A four-year-old who has known death and walked among the stars is a terrifying thing. His skin has a shimmer to it, his eyes look like planets with no visible pupil, and he knows far too much.

The stars still speak to him, and they see everything.

bitter dreams and optimistic nightmares

Bakugo and Izuku grow up good friends, until Izuku is taken by villains age 9.

Bakugo’s determined to be a hero to save Izuku, even if it hurts to be at UA without him.

Izuku hates hurting people but he’s determined to make the most of his horrible situation by leaking information to heroes whenever he can. He’s given to All for One to serve as a lab hand to the doctor when All for One finds out this rag tag outpost of his had been hiding a valuable resource.

They meet at the USJ.

Mind Games for Two Shinsou and Izuku are both gen ed students in the same class, but with Shinsou stubbornly refusing to make friends and Izuku being the vice president they are almost strangers. UA has a no quirkless students policy and Shinsou has accidentally discovered that he student in his class with an analysis quirk, doesn’t, actually, have one. Izuku is aware Shinsou knows. They both want to get into the hero course but are under the impression there is only one spot.

It’s tense.

The Melody Stuck in My Soul

Izuku has an empathy/emotional control quirk that hears other’s emotions like music. He uses this both to read people, to defend himself, and, because hes Izuku, to ramp up his adrenaline/motivation/anger to kick ass. He and Bakugo are friends because baby Bakugo was lowkey impressed Izuku managed to weaponize his tears.

Advantage of the musical element: it gives him something concrete to latch on to and change, and it was very easy to work out which emotions were which. Also he has his own theme song, even if he’s the only one who can hear it.

Disadvantage: He cant turn it off. The stronger the emotion the ‘louder’ the music (it doesn’t cover up natural sounds because its not technically there, you get me?)

Error 404, childhood not found

A Hero’s Son AU, snapshot’s of Izuku’s childhood with No.1 Hero All for One as his abusive father.

Age 4 when his quirk never comes in and All for One abandons all pretences of loving him. Age 6 when he realises his son is intelligent and has a use as a lab assistant for the doctor. Age 8 when Bakugo first realises something is wrong. Age 9 when his father is almost killed by the No.1 villain All Might. Age 9 when he’s made to work in the labs with the doctor.

Age 14 when he meets All Might. Age 15 when he makes it into UA.

Darkness Growing (The Light Ever Smaller)

Villains take over Japan after the current arc, leaving all heroes and students that don’t switch sides on the run. 1A is instantly separated with a few of them  being killed, most of the living students with Aizawa and Izuku and Bakugo by themselves, both too stubborn to leave the other.

Aizawa is desperately trying to get to Izuku and Bakugo in an attempt to keep them safe, while the two of them are avoiding Aizawa to keep the rest of their class safe(er), all while avoiding the villains, turncoat heroes and police out to get them. Public support is spotty at best with anyone found ‘harboring a criminal’ given the same punishment as the hero.

Lost soul of last hope

The first wielder has been Izuku’s imaginary friend since he can remember. He’s not very imaginary.

Featuring Izuku with the world’s strangest older brother, Inko coming to the realisation her son can see a ghost, but only one ghost and no one will believe them, Izuku’s quirk being listed as Inko’s because the first wielder can help him fake it, and Izuku wondering why first looks so much like that picture of his father on his mother’s bedside table.

The kids the system failed

100% The 1A run aways au with 1A, Aizawa and Mic being runaways kids of various ages that band together to stay alive and maybe do a little vigilante work on the side.

Izuku has All for One and uses it like you’d expect a traumatised kid to - cautiously at first but when he gets the hang of it there are suddenly no more criminals with quirks in their area, and it looks suspiciously like Uraraka can fly.

Just a second to soon? For the Fic thing?

Aizawa struggles and gets knocked out just before Shigaraki lunges at Tsuyu. She and Izuku are left horribly injured by his quirk with massive facial scarring, and in Tsuyu’s case, the loss of an eye.

Daze

An illusion/fear quirk makes his teachers look like villains and convinces him he’s in danger. They try and stop him without hurting him but it’s difficult considering Izuku is convinced he’s protecting his friends, considering he can only see them broken and bloodied with villains he thought were locked away loaming over them.

Even as Aizawa cuts out his quirk Izuku still tries to shield his friends, snarling ferally.

Morning Glories and Forget-me-nots

A memory quirk of unknown duration hits Izuku, leaving him remembering none of his life. 1A starts to fall apart without one of their pillar’s.

hopeless but not broken

The Long Con au where Izuku asks All Might if he could be a hero without a quirk - he’s really asking if he can stop pretending to be a villain, if he’s worth anything without the quirks he’s been given, if he’s worth something as himself rather than the limited use he can provide. He doesn’t know how to say all of that, so he just asks if he could be a hero.

All Might says no. And Izuku basically decides right then that the only way he’ll ever be able to help people is by being a mole for the heroes like he’s been since he was 10 - that he isn’t worth anything because he’s quirkless and to be considered just as valuable as the people around him are he needs to give his life and more.

He shows up to the bar crying because of All Might and Shigaraki moves his murder plot forward a few months.

Sunflowers and Summer Gardens

All Might starts a garden on campus and 1A like to help. He uses it as a nice place to chill and as physical therapy. He likes to give the different classes bunches of flowers when they sprout.

For Dos and For Donts

Izuku runs into some of his old bullies when out with some of his friends. Uraraka, Iida, Todoroki, Shinsou and Asui intimidate the fuck out of them, and Izuku realises hes not scared of them any more. Then they get frozen yoghurt!

your mistakes, my unbecoming

Aizawa assigns a project on quirk related issues, Izuku ends up with quirkless discrimination, Aizawa assumes his discomfort is just him being upset he doesn’t get to talk about quirks. He doesn’t realise his mistake until he finds Izuku dissociating on the roof.

one and one into the vast

Original Sin AU, All for One and Izuku seeing the vestiges together. One for All sees his brother for the first time and Izuku learns a lot about the voice in his head.

All for One has a mini-crisis about his not son learning he’s a horrific villain, especially considering he has the power to cast his soul out at any time, killing him at will. Izuku doesn’t kill him. He admits its probably not right of him to let AfO remain considering the things he’s done, but All for One is a part of him now and it would be like killing a friend.

All for One quietly decides to hold off on the villainy until all of 1A is dead, for Izuku’s sake.

between the stars of our souls

Izuku and All Might are old gods who keep getting reborn into human forms with their memories regained when they turn 4. Normally finding each other takes a while, and their last reincarnation they never found each other, so this time he resolves to make himself as easy to find as possible, all while saving as many people as he can.

Izuku, aged 4, memories fresh in his head, makes it his mission to get into contact with the man he knows is his father/mentor’s reincarnation. All Might’s agency was not expecting a 4 year old to repeatedly try breaking in to their office, and they especially weren’t expecting him to be so good at it.

you really should have thought this through

Different (and ill-advised) attempts at special moves or team up combo moves. Featuring:

Izuku managing to break Kirishima’s nose.

Uraraka sending Bakugo so high he broke the sound barrier coming back down to earth.

Kaminari and Shouto managing to electrify ice.

Izuku, Todoroki and Bakugo levelling a whole suburb (at least it was condemned???)

I'll Break Anything You Give Me

Different times Izuku desperately tried to repair his relationship with Izuku over the years and the one time Bakugo fully grasps how much he fucked up and reaches out his hand to try to fix it for the first time. Probably includes a lot of screaming, Bakugo learning how to say sorry, a field trip and them having a conversation on Aldera’s roof.

Sinking

One for All kind of possesses Izuku during a quiet night at the dorms. One for All, made of 8 people, 7 of which are dead and had their last experiences in life be rather painful and violent, breaks down, Izuku alone not enough to drown them out. They lash out at anyone who tries to touch them, their quirks tearing Izuku’s body apart.

All Might’s vestige reaches out a hand to Izuku to keep his mind from being torn apart as 1A set about both trying to protect Izuku and get Aizawa who was off campus on patrol.

Feat. Bakugo and All Might being the only people with any idea about what’s going on and getting more and more stressed each second that passes. Iida, Uraraka and Todoroki being good heroes and even better friends. Blood King deciding he’s never watching 1A for Aizawa again, and Aizawa deciding he’s never leaving 1A alone ever again.

A Long Way From Home

Shirakumo wakes up in Kurogiri’s body in Tartarus with only shadowed memories of his time as a villain. He’s scared and alone and he just wants to see his friends again, even if he’s scared they hate him because at least that’s something he knows.

Too Far Gone

The other side AU, it comes out Izuku is a villain with (knockoff) All for One and he has a showdown with Mirio. He and Izuku trained together under All Might and Mirio tries to plead with him but Izuku has to basically tell him to go to hell to not ruin his placet as crown prince of the underworld.

Of course, he’s not only doing this to save people, he’s also doing it with All Might’s blessing - taking over from All Might himself serving as a villain after he killed All for One to prevent a power vacuum.

Doesn’t mean that his friends in 1A know that.

Snowy hills and sunlit peaks

Probably an AU about All Might being a mountain spirit with a little shrine that Izuku is the only one who visits - Izuku gets in trouble and All Might manifests himself, saves him, and tells everyone to keep their hands off his human son.

Wilting

Izuku gets sick and he tries to hide it because he’s scared its something serious but he just gets worse and worse. His friends are the ones who eventually step in and comfort him.

I’d probably write two endings with one being a bad end and the other a good end.

My wish came true without me realising 

Izuku wakes up one morning, comes downstairs and just starts crying. Everyone panics and he reassures them they are happy tears and that he's just glad to be here. They all call him sappy and give him a hug. Later in the day he and Bakugo chat and Izuku reveals he never even expected to live this long, let alone become a hero. Bakugo grumbles that he’s too stubborn to die, and not to get too cocky. Izuku promises he wont.

[skribbz]

i know im sending u tons of these but ELLIE

Oh boy here we go

First impression

I actually didn’t know anything about TLoU before I played it except for it being a zombie game. Since zombies have always been a super special interest for me, I had to play it. So actually playing it was like being smacked in the face with emotions. 

But I didn’t even know about the existence of Ellie, so my first time seeing her was when Joel meets her. I thought she seemed cool, but a little abrasive. She did make me laugh though. 

Impression now

Oh god where do I even start. 

I’m not even exaggerating when I say Ellie helped me become who I am today. I related to her in so many ways. Not just in the way she's so nerdy, but also in how she treats others. She was just a kid who was let down by the world around her, yet she still wants to do what she thinks is best for everyone. She's sentimental, holding onto keepsakes from the people she's lost. She can have a bad attitude sometimes, but is just a complete sweetheart. She goes through so much, and even when Joel gives her the option to just go back home, she decides to keep going. 

Ellie came into my life when I needed a role model. The way she had gone through so much, but didn't let it break her soul, the way she always found a way to "endure and survive", meant so much to me at the time, and even now. She also helped me accept the fact that I wasn't straight. Seeing a character who I already admired so much, kissing another girl made me just break down crying. 

When they said that Ellie was going to be the main character of the second game, I cried again. I think the second game just really expands on the reasons I loved her in the first one. She still tries to do what she thinks is best. It's not always the right thing, and sometimes it's very much the wrong thing. But she has so much guilt over Joel, yet still loves him so much she's willing to do whatever it takes to give him the justice she thinks she deserves, even if she knows it's not at all what he would want her to do. (There's so much more to her thoughts and actions in the sequel of course, but I feel like this is one of the most important ones.) It's just like the first game where she's willing to go to any ends to do what she thinks is right, no matter how much it may hurt her in the process. 

I think in the end she has realized that her life means more than just being the cure. Her life matters just because she’s alive, is loved, and loves others, and that message means a lot to me, and I’m sure to many others, too. 

I think Ellie is such a wonderful character, and one of the most well written characters I've ever seen in any media. She really changed my life, and because of that she is my favorite character ever. 

Favorite moment

HOW am I supposed to choose just one. 

Does the entire winter section count? It shows much she loves Joel, and how strong she has become by that point, and how determined she is to survive. She sees just how truly awful some people in the world can be, and despite it she still wants to do whatever she can for the cure.

It’s our first look into what would become a major theme of the second game. While David’s town is an enemy to Joel and Ellie, and we as players hate them, they were doing what they thought was best to survive. Cannibalism isn’t right by our standards, but that’s because we haven’t been pushed to that point. But would we be willing to turn to it if we were pushed that far? Is it more acceptable to kill innocent people to feed a whole community that’s depending on you, or is it more acceptable to just let all of those innocent lives that are depending on you die?

I think we can all agree on one thing though. David is a piece of shit and deserved to be chopped up into teeny pieces. 

Idea for a story

I have many ideas. But I'll go with where I think her story can go from here, AKA my TLoU3 idea. 

The story starts 12 or so years later. Putting JJ around 13. Dina, Ellie and Abby 32-33. Lev around 25. Tommy and Maria probably late 50s-early 60s

Ellie is back in Jackson. She works her ass off doing whatever manual labor she can because all she wants to do is just work herself into exhaustion. She's dealt with her trauma and she’s in a better place mentally now. Now her reasons for shutting everything out is that she’s too scared to try and really reconnect. She wants companionship but is afraid of the pain of losing it all again.

The exception is when she has JJ. He is still the light of her life. She takes him hunting and camping and plays video games with him and they geek out over comics. She has taught him to draw. She wants to teach him guitar like she promised, but hasn’t been able to yet. 

The only time she sets foot outside of Jackson is with JJ.

Dina is of course doing something that uses her skills. Maybe the lead electrician at the dam. They've kept JJ very innocent. Obviously he knows of the infected, and has seen his moms kill them before, but he doesn’t know just how bad it really is, he’s never seen another human die.

Her and Ellie are amicable. They are happy to be co parenting jj but there's nothing between them (for now). 

Maria holds a lot of guilt. Over sending Joel and Tommy out that day, over not giving Ellie and Dina help in Seattle, which got Jesse killed, over letting Tommy get as bad as he did after Seattle. She blames herself for the way Ellie is. She tries to spend time with Ellie, but Ellie is very elusive when she wants to be. She adores JJ though. That's her little great nephew. His auntie is the leader of the whole town and he uses that to his advantage every chance he gets. And she lets him.

Tommy has a little guilt. He doesn’t know Abby is alive, Ellie only ever told him she “finished things” and didn’t talk to him much after that. But he sees how she is a complete mess and lost her fingers. He knows that guitar was special for Ellie, plus any kind of disability is a huge disadvantage in their world. Dina doesn’t let JJ near him. JJ doesn't understand why and no one will tell him

Tommy and Maria never worked out their differences and have stayed separated, partly because of their guilt toward what happened with Ellie. They cared about her like she was their own and they both let her down

Jackson is now huge. They’ve made contact with other settlements, and have trade routes. But Maria is getting older and the town is getting too much for her to run on her own. Tommy is getting up there in age as well, and despite his injuries he still does patrols. But alone. He’s not actively trying to get killed, but he isn’t always as careful as he knows he should be. 

Story starts out and you're playing as Tommy on patrol. He gets ambushed by a small group of people. And lo and behold Abby (and Lev) is there. Tommy is shocked when he finds out who it is, and he asks if she came to finish the job she started. She says no they tracked him since he left the town and were waiting to get him alone because she has news for him. The fireflies have rebuilt stronger than ever and now they’re back out for the cure and are coming for Ellie, because she is the only known source, but also as a form of revenge for what Joel did all those years ago, destroying what the Fireflies once were. They were able to get there first because they only brought a few people and set out before the main squad. Tommy asks why he should believe her, and she says that Ellie saved her life years ago and it's the least she could do to pay her back. (just like. Assume that there was enough info stored with the fireflies that Abby could work out who Ellie is). To keep Tommy from attacking or following him, they knock him out and untie him then leave. 

Control switches back to Ellie who is doing her chores around town. You get to nail fences, chop wood, and carry hay bales. Fun. Later that night, as Ellie is getting home, standing on her porch, Tommy rolls up and confronts Ellie about Abby being alive. They get into a huge fight and Ellie tells Tommy that he fucked up her life. It's his fault she lost Dina. His fault she only gets to see jj when Dina allows it, his fault Jesse was killed. And its his fucking fault Joel died.

He storms off. But then Ellie notices J standing on the street coming to stay the night. She had forgotten this was her night with him. He’d been told his whole life that moms had a peaceful break up, and that dad and grandpa Joel died being heroes, but now he’s upset about what he's heard so he runs back home to Dina. 

That night Ellie is woken up by fighting in Jackson. She runs out to try and find what's going on. All she can get is that fireflies are attacking. She eventually finds out that some travelers shot Maria and a fight broke out. Ellie fights through the town to Maria. She's injured with a gunshot in the arm, but alive still and kicking some ass. She tells Ellie that fireflies came asking for her, and would leave peacefully in return. She told them no and they shot her. Maria says she’ll be okay and tells Ellie to go find JJ and get him to safety. 

She fights through to the other side of town. Because of the commotion, infected have broken in so there’s humans and infected running around killing. She gets to Jesse's house and JJ is hysterical, Dina is holding him down and he's like screaming and crying. His grandpa fought off a firefly who was trying to get in their home and was shot and killed. It hits Ellie that this is all her fault. People are dying because of her again. Anyway she tells dina and robin that they need to leave. Dina says she's not going anywhere without Ellie. Ellie wants to stay and fight, but JJ is more important right now. So the 4 of them sneak out and near the gates they meet up with Tommy. He’s helping get people out and sending them to one of the patrol lookouts that is secure and can fit everyone. 

Ellie sends Dina, Robin and JJ off. Ellie gives JJ Joel's revolver and tells him to keep mom and grandma safe for her. She goes back to Tommy and the two get back to Maria. When they are very close to her, an infected ambushes them and Tommy gets bit. They get to Maria who is losing blood fast and doesn't look well. After a lot of arguing from Ellie, the pair decide to stay. They tell Ellie they’re old now. Maria wont last long with her wounds, and tommy has no chance of surviving his. They apologize to Ellie for the way things turned out and how much she has meant to them all these years. They give her all their ammo except for one bullet in each of their guns, because that's all they need now. Ellie begs them to come along, and she’ll figure something out for them. But they eventually convince her to go. Ellie leaves crying, and Maria and Tommy maybe get a cute moment before cutting back to Ellie. 

Ellie makes it back to where the survivors are and is depressed that there's way less than she was expecting. JJ has cried himself to sleep and Dina notices Ellie is acting strange and pulls her away to ask her. Ellie tells her what happened and Dina holds her while she cries. It's the first time anyone has really been physically affectionate with her in a long time so Ellie clings to her as she lets it all out

The last survivors decide that Jackson isn’t safe. It's too damaged, filled with infected, and no one can figure out what the fireflies were doing. Ellie can't bring herself to say anything about it. 

The next morning, everyone wakes up and is discussing what to do. JJ is still inconsolable. Ellie decides to take him away from the group to get some fresh air. She tells him to hold on to Joel's revolver. They chat and JJ asks what happened to auntie Maria and Tommy. She decides to be honest with him. She expects him to cry, but is shocked to see him become angry instead. He basically swears revenge for them and for his grandfather. This of course stirs up a lot of very negative thoughts in Ellie, but she decides to let him grieve in his own way for now. 

That’s everything I have written out in detail for now. But the main idea would be Ellie becoming a leader to the few remaining survivors as they make contact with the other settlements that Jackson is allied with. She would take responsibility for all of these lives. They would be her reason for fighting now. 

Over the course of the game, Abby would come back and her and Ellie would be forced to team up. There’s no more animosity between the two though, they’re both over it and don’t want to go back down that road. Over the course of the story they would come to understand each other’s actions. They wouldn’t become friends, but they can at least rely on each other. 

JJ would find out that Abby is the person responsible for Joel and Jesse’s death, and she came from the group that killed his grandfather, Tommy and Maria. He’d go into a rage and try to attack her and Ellie would have to hold him back. He wants to know why Ellie is defending the person who hurt everyone they loved. Ellie would have to finally tell him the whole story, and try to keep him from giving into his anger and sadness like she did in the second game. She won’t let her son become like her. She wants him to stay her innocent baby boy, but she knows that’s just not possible in their world. 

Other stuff that I have yet to flesh out:

More about Dina’s backstory. Or at least her last name. 

Lev being a big brother to JJ.

Dina and Ellie falling in love all over again as Dina sees Ellie doing so much for the rest of the community. It’s gonna be emotional.

Ellie teaching JJ how to play guitar, and tearfully singing Future Days to him.

Unpopular opinion

I’m not sure of what people’s opinions on her are. I know most people love her and anyone who doesn’t isn’t entitled to an opinion. 

I guess one is I’m not a fan of her farm hairstyle. Her Seattle look was just so cute. Why did you do that to your head, girl. 

Favorite relationship

Dina of course.

I feel like Dina represented what Ellie could have if she wasn’t stuck in the past. Joel represented her violent past, and her traumas. Dina represented her future, her home, her family. Ellie was so stuck in the past, that she couldn’t see the future standing literally right in front of her. 

It’s a great representation of how she holds onto the people she loves, but also how PTSD works. The past keeps coming back to haunt her. 

Favorite headcanon

I hc her as autistic! I kinda feel bad because everyone else hcs her as having ADHD. But I’m autistic so I say she is too *sunglass emoji*. 

Why I think she’s autistic: 

Obviously her special interests would be space and dinosaurs, and the way she talks about them reminds me of how I get when people let me infodump about my SIs.

The way she plays with her fingers looks hella like stimming to me. In fact, that’s one of my stims!

Her interest in art and music.

Her interest in general nerdy stuff like comics and video games. 

She collects cards, and collecting is a big autistic trait.

The way she’s sort of untidy and cluttered, yet labels all of her boxes of shit. The ordered mess is such an autistic thing.

[bigskydreaming]

Say, what's your thoughts on Dick's Harem of Morally Ambiguous Older Men (TM)?

Not a fan. Tbh, I just hate the trend of ‘surround Dick with uneven power dynamics and never ever let him interact with someone on an even playing field, and requiring every relationship in his life to be heavily loaded with advantages the other holds over him, or obligations he feels towards them.’

But even more than that, I hate the fact that said harem exists not because of canon, but because of fandom’s absolute INSISTENCE that Dick’s ‘suitors’ all be predatory and so much his better in terms of fighting, experience, strategy, that they’re usually written as more toying with him as much as they are....engaging in an actual relationship. Because, idk, that makes the relationships ‘dangerous’ and that’s sexy? Meh.

But the reason why that bothers me so much in particular, is because like.......the vast fields of difference in skill and expertise that we so commonly see in S/ladin fics and the like.....

LITERALLY DON’T EXIST IN CANON.

This dynamic where Slade is wholly Dick’s superior who has so much to teach him if only he would deign to learn from him.....like, the ONLY place that actually exists is the one Teen Titans cartoon from like twenty years ago, and its fine if people want to go with that for whatever reason, but when everything else about the fic screams “this is very much a comic-based story except for that one element”....that’s when it gets frustrating. 

Because you can do what you want of course, but I’m always gonna wonder WHY it was deemed so necessary, that Dick always be at a sizable disadvantage to Slade instead of an enemy he respects as being equal in threat to the threat he poses himself.

Because as I’ve said many times....Slade does NOT consider Dick a relative novice, still years away from being an actual threat to him in combat or capable of interfering with his plans.

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.

The entire REASON Slade started out as a Titans villain, a nemesis for the whole team, and eventually just became Nightwing’s enemy and occasional ally, but with all of Slade’s attention usually focused on him and ignoring the other Titans entirely most of the time....

Is because Slade views Dick as being personally responsible for the times the Titans defeated him or foiled his plans. He chalks it entirely up to Dick’s strategic mind and leadership abilities, as well as his effectiveness in combat when the two of them engage hand to hand.

Slade focuses on Dick not because he thinks he has so much to teach him or Dick still has so much to learn or ‘could truly be a threat someday’.....but rather, because Slade ALREADY VIEWS DICK AS THAT THREAT AND HAS FOR YEARS.

He’s compelling and frustrating to Slade in equal measure because of all the Titans, Dick is the one Slade views as an actual threat, the one he has to either get out of the picture or else get on board with him if he wants to proceed with his agenda of the moment without it being thwarted by someone aka Dick Grayson.

Like yeah, Slade’s decades older than Dick with the experiences to match that, but the Titans and Dick himself have always defeated him or driven him off ON THEIR OWN, without having to call in ‘the adults’ to back them up or be the cavalry or whatever......so how do you figure they can manage that, if their leader and strategist and the one most directly/immediately targeted by Slade each encounter.....is like.....at the same time, significantly lesser than Slade in skill, expertise and ingenuity?

IT DOESN’T WORK, LOL.

What, like Slade just ‘lets them win’ all the time out of the goodness of his heart? This is the same guy who nuked Dick’s whole city just to spite him personally!

But anyway, my point is, using Slade as my primary example here though it applies in some form or another to all of the members of the Harem of Morally Ambiguous Older Men.......

Dick doesn’t need to ‘level up’ ten or twenty years into the future before he’s finally on Slade’s level. Slade doesn’t view him like a college recruiter scouting for talent and going ‘hmm, that one could have potential after putting a certain amount of work into getting him to a higher level.’

Slade ALREADY views Dick as his primary threat and personal antagonist, and that’s 100% the reason why he focuses on just Dick off on his own doing the solo hero thing just as often (if not more) than he takes on the whole Titans. Because for all the Titans’ vast powers, Slade has a way to beat each of them. He’s studied them, he knows their strengths and weaknesses, how being dependent on a superpower rather than acquiring a broad arsenal of skillsets can make them particularly vulnerable if their power is countered or negated in some way.

Dick is the wildcard. Always has been. Right back to their very first encounter in the Judas Contract, where Slade decided the fact that Dick alone had escaped being captured was a negligible problem, because he figured Dick presented the least threat out of all of them. And was proven very definitively wrong, lol.

Because Dick’s ultimate strength is in his adaptability. In how his life has shaped him to be a fucking paramount grandmaster of thinking on the fly, reacting to changes in his situation, environment, and anything else that disrupts his own plans, and requires he adjust to a new status quo and make new plans based on that.

Dick has been doing this to EXTREME degrees since before he was even ten years old, and he is fucking GOOD at it by now.

And the ultimate threat to a meticulous planner and strategist like Slade.....is always going to be a genius strategist whose specific strength lies in thinking on his feet. Someone capable of upending the whole chess board and rendering all pre-planned moves irrelevant, and then already being ten steps into a new plan before his opponent has wrapped their mind around the fact that most of the preparation that went into this encounter is useless and irrelevant now. 

A lesson Dick taught Slade in their very first encounter, in the Judas Contract, when he was the only Titan who slipped free of being captured by Slade....and when Slade made the mistake of thinking this was no big deal, as he viewed Dick as posing the least threat, especially on his own without the rest of his team.

And its  a lesson Slade has never forgotten. 

And see what I mean, just from my phrasing there? How often in S/ladin fics is it framed as though there’s even the CHANCE of Dick having anything to teach Slade instead of just being taught? Or even just surprised and having his ego checked by the fact that this decades younger hero has just defeated or outwitted him AGAIN?

They don’t do that, in my experience. Because they’re written to DELIBERATELY be imbalanced, like the uneven playing field is basically the POINT of the relationship, given that......the authors have to reshape Slade from the archnemesis of equivalent standing to Dick, into this vastly more skilled and experienced figure who Dick has no prayer of defeating on his own, unless Slade like, decides to stop toying with him on his own, or Dick’s saved by the intervention of family and/or teammates.

And to me, that defeats the entire point of Dick Grayson. The guy who saves himself time and time again, the survivor who doesn’t NEED anyone to save him or for those with more power than him to take pity on him and stop rubbing it in his face while not changing the power dynamic in the slightest.

I mean, that’s LITERALLY the basis of my being so invested in his character, lol, so even though I’m not a fan of sizable age gaps in romantic relationships in general, in this case, SPECIFICALLY - there was never a chance in hell that any of those relationships were ever going to interest me.

Especially since, as I said with Slade.....the entire actual dynamic Dick has with the other character has to be altered specifically so that Dick is in a more vulnerable position than they occupy, in any relationship they form.

Sorry not sorry, but I will never understand why a fandom that talks such a good game about Dick’s status as a survivor, seems at the same time to be constantly fixated on finding new ways to stack the deck against him....all while continually eroding his ability to fend for himself - thus REDUCING him from a self-saving survivor who picks himself up and dusts himself off each time he’s knocked down, to a victim who is measurably less powerful/skilled/capable than the threat he faces, and thus doomed to fail if he’s on his own, meaning he inevitably needs to be saved by others.

[unchartedtrivia]

War criminal. A psychopath. A man whose crimes are unimaginable.Or perhaps a cunning, clever manipulator who knows exactly what to do to make people stop digging into the subje:readmorect aand stop “biting at his heels”? 

CHARACTER TRAITS: 

- Boldness: low fear, high stress tolerance, tolerance of unfamiliarity and danger, high self-confidence, social assertiveness. Typical character traits for a soldier. Importantly, these are considered psychopathic traits. They do not directly qualify someone as a psychopath, but they are traits that are in the spectrum. 

- He is curious of the world and his enemies. He is an intelligent man who does not believe in paranormal and supernatural phenomena that “can’t be explained” and has no evidence for it unless he is confronted with hard facts and reality. It’s visible while Nate and Flynn were terrified by Yeti - Shambhala guardians. Lazarević was the one who was calm and didn’t hesitate to kill it with cold blood, even if he didn’t meet this sort of enemy earlier. He was still aware of the threat, but he didn’t hesitate to move forward. He was the only one who didn’t believe in supernatural surroundings and paranormal creatures like the yeti. And only Zoran realized that yetis were actually human. 

- He isn’t completely lacking of empathy (it is visible in the scene of Jeff’s death). 

- Lazarević thinks long-term, looking ahead and anticipating various scenarios, more and less favorable. The advantages and potential benefits must always outweigh the disadvantages and losses. Everything must be carefully thought out. If something does not go according to plan, he can adjust quickly. 

- He knows all the psychological tricks. (more in PHILOSOPHY) 

- Patient - he looked for Cintamani stone for more than a few years. 

- Able to work with others, but only as commander-subordinate. 

- Is very sensitive to disloyalty, disobedience and betrayal. 

PHILOSOPHY: 

- Everything can be used against you. If the enemy knows anything about you, he will try to use it. If you show you care about something, others will take advantage of it. The less is known, the better. 

- Don’t show emotions, feelings, don’t care about anything. This is the safest way. 

- Violence and terror are only tools. He uses violence to show his power, terrify his enemies, influence them and pressure his subordinates. He uses it deliberately, on purpose. Violence is supposed to create his image in the eyes of others, like PR. It suggest that Lazarević is an experienced manipulator who knows all the psychological tricks. 

- He does not do anything without a reason - everything must have its purpose, effect and outcome, even threats and insults (vide the scene where he terrified Flynn with the Phurba dagger) 

- Emotions are also a weapon. He doesn’t show regret, remorse or positive emotions. Most of the time he is calm. Anger is meant to terrify or pressure others. It’s visibly in the scene with Flynn (as above). 

ORIGINS: 

According to wiki, Zoran Lazarević is Serbian; judging by his appearance, he is about 50 years old or not much older. At the time, Yugoslavia was part of the Soviet Union; there were common rules and principles, such as compulsory military conscription at age 18 and a “bachelor tax” (tax on not having children). 

Why am I mentioning this? Because it sheds some light on his character. It is likely that after the age of 18 he was conscripted into the military, with which he later associated his life. Given his character traits, he was excellent material for a soldier and later a commander. And judging by his knowledge and skills, he was gradually promoted to special services like the KGB, where he was taught to manipulate others, not to succumb to pressure and mental and emotional blackmail. He can also use other means of mental coercion - blackmail and psychological pressure, intimidation, etc. 

If we consider the English - that is, the original language version of the series - we can assume that Lazarević had a good understanding of English, not necessarily just because the language of the game requires it. His vocabulary, grammar and very strong accent prove that he knew bookish language, rather not used in everyday situations. This confirms Lazarević’s special status - he was most likely taught the language in a more “traditional” way, rather than by learning the language in an English-speaking environment. The creators even took care of such a small detail. 

DID HE HAD FAMILY - WIFE OR/AND KIDS? 

Lazarević is a man who openly shows “I have no weaknesses (PHILOSOPHY). The past, feelings, emotions - he hides everything. 

So would he start a family and have children if it could be used against him one day, especially if he was an intelligence officer? 

No. It seems highly questionable to me, given his life philosophy and lifestyle. He is a man with clear priorities and life goals, and a family would be an obstacle to achieving that plan. 

(Interestingly, the "original” Lazarević, not his skin, available in the game, has a black patch with a black hand sign instead of an emblem on his shoulder. I dare to think that this is a reference to the Serbian secret organization “Black Hand” which assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914. And going by a source from wikipedia, Lazarevic’s uniform from Uncharted 4 multi suggests he may have been a KGB volunteer). 

BECOMING A LEGEND 

The war in Yugoslavia and the division of the Republic of Yugoslavia into individual states were the first serious “test” of Lazarević’s abilities; already then he began to build his legend of a merciless man who does not hesitate to commit even the gravest crimes. Lazarević probably already foresaw that after the fall of Yugoslavia, he would become a nobody and the secret services would start hunting him down. 

NATO BOMBING 

Lazarević thinks long term, looking ahead and anticipating various scenarios, more or less favorable. The advantages and potential benefits must always outweigh the disadvantages and losses. 

Strange that he didn’t foresee the NATO raid, isn’t it? 

Why would a man of his kind, with his character traits, high intelligence and experience not guess that such an action would be carried out against him? To count on it not happening would be naive, to say the least, and not in Lazarević’s style. He is the kind of person who always has to have everything precisely planned. 

Let’s think about this: NATO obtains the location of Lazarević’s hideout and he knew it. He had time to organize equipment and people, etc. At the same time, it is a chance to give up identity and be declared dead - especially if the body cannot be identified or found. The benefits outweigh the potential risks.  

 Interestingly, it seems to me that not everything went quite according to Lazarević’s plan. Why? Because, as we see in the first scenes in the game featuring him, he is very sensitive to disloyalty and betrayal; he says “I’m surrounded by traitors and fools!”. 

It isn’t a fact, but my own assumption: “someone” has betrayed his hideout and passed information to NATO? Or - if Lazarević decided himself to reveal the hiding place - perhaps the potential “traitor” gave NATO the real, factual information? This would throw up an interesting thread explaining why he is so sensitive to lack of loyalty. It is possible that he foresaw what would happen, but NATO or the traitor took him by surprise. It would also show that despite his preparation for various situations, he never considered diversion within his own ranks. But, as I said at the beginning of this paragraph, it’s my own assumption. 

THE ARGUMENTS FOR LAZAREVIC KNEW ABOUT NATO’S INTENTIONS:

- He always has to have everything planned.

- He anticipates situations long term, thinks ahead.

- Considering him dead or missing is a benefit that outweighs the risk.

 ARGUMENTS FOR WHY LAZAREVIC DIDN’T KNOW:  

 - He never considered treachery in his own ranks (which is why he reacts so negatively to his subordinate’s attitude). 

BECOMING A LIVING LEGEND, FEAR AND MADMAN 

It wasn’t long before he was branded a madman, feared by everyone from local warlords to the common people and his own army.  It is fair to say that the tools he used - violence, cruelty, war crimes - were used solely to exert fear and pressure. Interestingly, however, Lazarević is not someone who bullies others for pure pleasure and his own comfort. 

All three murders he carried out in front of Nate’s perspective eyes were swift and intended to put the victim to death immediately rather than prolong their agony. Significantly, they were all intended to underscore the atmosphere of fear, danger, and terror surrounding Lazarević. All this was well thought out.  Let’s talk about these scenes. 

FIRST MURDER: UNNAMED SOLDIER WHO STOLE AN ANCIENT COIN 

Nate sees Lazarević in his own camp; one of the soldiers brings to him another subordinate who was caught stealing an ancient coin. 

Lazarević asks “you would betray me for this?” “Zoran, I can explain!”. “No, no need […] I am surrounded by traitors and fools!” Why did he do this?  NO PUNISHMENT: if he did not punish the subordinate, he would show his weakness and undermine his authority.

PUNISHMENT WITHOUT VIOLENCE: If he punished him without violence, he would prove to others that he has no authority, there is no serious punishment, and stealing is profitable (if you don’t get caught). 

DEATH PENALTY: Punishing a subordinate with death is an example to other soldiers, a warning. It is a message to others - similar situations will not be tolerated. Significantly, this scene is very important in several ways. People like Lazarević are only lied to once; they know very well when betrayal begins. Since this man was able to steal from him even then, it is likely that he had already committed other things that made him untrustworthy but went undetected. 

If Lazarević had kicked him out of the army ranks or left him alive, he would have had to constantly watch his back; this man could have turned him in to NATO or other organizations, especially if he was offered a large sum of money. If he was so greedy as to steal a plain old coin, what if he was offered more? His betrayal would be highly likely. 

Throwing the coin into the pond also had its symbolic aspect. It was to show that even objects of value to others are in fact worthless to Lazarević and this is not really what the whole expedition is about. The pursuit of such trinkets is extremely foolish, as is cheating such a man. 

The coin was not more important than the loss of life. The man lost his life - and therefore something priceless - in exchange for something worthless.  

 Significantly: Zoran did not prolong his victim’s suffering, he did not play with his victim’s suffering, he did not abuse him mentally or physically. The punishment was swift, without agony. 

Action: quick murder 

Result: murder in front of other subordinates, throwing away a precious coin 

Effect: a message that theft will not be tolerated; to secure one’s “back” and remove a potential traitor from the ranks; to intimidate other potential traitors; to show that Lazarević rules with an iron hand, demands discipline and unconditional obedience and honesty. Violence is a tool.  

SECOND MURDER: CAMERAMAN JEFF 

The middle of a war, the city is in shambles, mostly divided between rebels and aggressors. There are no people, no medical aid, everything is ruined - from streets to buildings. Jeff is shot in the stomach by a random soldier. 

Recall: the middle of warfare in Nepal - there is no way to get medical help. The abdominal wounds are very serious, in part fatal. If you do not get help, carry the wounded, etc. the probability of the wound becoming infected, worsening the injury and death increases dramatically. 

Chloe rightly points out that Jeff was already dead from the moment he was shot; Nate and Elena, led by compassion, gave him false hope of survival and prolonged his agony. 

Then Lazarević appears; as an experienced soldier, he knows that Jeff doesn’t stand a chance. Zoran asks a simple question - “did you carry him all the way from the temple? Shame.”, then takes out his gun and kills Jeff on the spot, sparing him further suffering. He does what Nate would not be able to do, as Elena or even Chloe. He doesn’t prolong his situation or walk away, leaving him alive and suffering. He ends things quickly. He doesn’t abuse him. 

Was it cruel? No. It was sensible and just simply human (sic!).He did what Nate, Elena and Chloe were incapable of doing. He knew there was no other way out of the situation and he followed reason and mercy.

“Shame”. 

Lazarević makes a personal assessment of the situation; he considers prolonging Jeff’s agony and giving him hope of survival to be shameful. This aspect is interesting to note - it shows that he is not without empathy and conscience, even if he does not show it more openly. It is an act of pity, which at the same time emphasizes his legend of a merciless man. At the same time, the victim’s death is a good tool - it can intimidate Nate, Elena, Chloe and Flynn. Isn’t that the perfect way out of the situation?  

 Action: Quickly kill the badly wounded Jeff Result: ending the victim’s suffering, an act of mercy, Nathan’s moral evaluation 

Effect: intimidation of Nate, Elena, Chloe and Flynn, proving he is not reluctant to kill in cold blood, even for a good cause, highlighting black PR.  

THIRD MURDER: BLACKMAILED SUBORDINATE Compassion is the enemy. Mercy defeats us.

Let’s take a look at this scene: a soldier enters a room, doing standard reconnaissance. He is caught by Nate, who decides to use him for blackmail. Lazarević enters. 

What is the biggest problem in this situation here? We have three options:

SHOWING MERCY: shows the soldiers that their commander is weak and succumbs to emotion. Nate has the opportunity to dictate terms, not necessarily possible to meet. The authority of a fearsome leader with no weaknesses is overthrown. Showing submission, feelings, emotions and conscience and taking control. Losing control of the situation. Destruction of character traits. 

Losses outweigh benefits. 

Benefits: none. 

NEGOTIATIONS: weakening authority among subordinates, overthrowing black PR built up over years. Nate’s unpredictable conditions, not necessarily possible to meet. Showing submission and taking control. Losing control of the situation. 

Losses outweigh benefits. 

Benefits: none.  

KILLING SUBORDINATE: Black PR maintained. Intimidation (terror) maintained. Giving the message that there are no weaknesses. Giving the message that Lazarević is not acting with feelings and emotions like Nate, but with his own conscience and cool logic. Maintaining control of the situation. Exerting mental pressure. Information to Nate that negotiations are not an option and he is in a weak position (intimidating Nate). 

The benefits outweigh the losses (loss of a soldier, lowering troop morale).

BLACKMAILING AND USING CHLOE AS EXAMPLE: Emphasizing Lazarević’s control over the situation and authority. Pointing out that Nate thinks with feelings and emotions and is easily blackmailed. Exposing Nate’s weaknesses. 

That shows that Lazarević knew about their relationship and Chloe’s involvement in helping Nate. Forcing Nate to give in, forcing submission, forcing further cooperation. Black PR maintained. Intimidation (terror) maintained.

Benefits outweigh losses (Nate’s refusal to cooperate, Chloe’s murder - getting rid of the traitor, Flynn’s intimidation, giving a warning). 

The murder of the unlucky subordinate was intended to emphasize Lazarević’s philosophy, to show that Lazarević has no weaknesses and is not guided by feelings and emotions, typical of an ordinary person. There is no place for emotional attachment in the boss-subordinate barrier - it is supposed to be a protection for both the one and the other. It is safer not to have emotional relationships, as they are a weak point and can be exploited. As you can see, Nate tried. 

The killing of the subordinate itself was done after a long moment of reflection, quickly and effectively; it is likely that Lazarević looked for a way out of the situation before finally making a decision (he did not act without hesitation, driven by an unconditional reflex). He did not prolong the victim’s suffering. Most likely, at the same time, he was prepared for a similar turn of events, given the fact that he ordered Chloe to be brought in and used influence and pressure techniques on Nate himself. It is worth noting how perfectly trained he was. 

At the same time, the murder of the subordinate highlights his status: the victim was a mercenary. He must have been prepared for a similar turn of events. In this profession, there is no place for mercy or loyalty. 

Does this define Lazarević as a bad person who “doesn’t care about people”? No. He doesn’t get paid to “take care of his people” when the stakes outweigh everything else. 

Action: murder of a subordinate, used as a blackmail tool, use of Chloe 

Result: killing a subordinate, taking away Nate’s argument for negotiation, taking control of the situation and being able to impose his own terms. 

Effect: to intimidate the blackmailers, to put psychological pressure on them, to prove that there is no reluctance to kill in cold blood in order to eliminate the “problem” - obstacle, to emphasize black PR, to emphasize his control over the situation. Getting Nate to cooperate. 

As you can see, all three killings were done for a specific purpose, in one case it was an act of pity (which is quite unusual for Lazarević, given the black PR he was trying to take care of). 

FOURTH MURDER: SHAMBALA’S GUARDIAN IN THE TEMPLE  

Remember the temple scenes where Nate and Flynn try to find their way to Shambala? After turning giant cylinders with Tibetan signs, the guardians appear - yeti. Humanoid, huge, not very intelligent apes. And when it seems that both men will not survive the clash, Lazarević enters the scene.  Interestingly, he is the only person in the entire scene who realizes that the yetis are not what they appear to be. 

This means that Lazarević is not only hard to fool with various tricks, but he is also a man who does not believe in paranormal beings. 

So why did such a man take an interest in the Cintamani Stone? Why did he believe in the legends but did not believe in the existence of the yeti? After all, both so far revolved in the realm of unbelievable things and were not verifiable in any way. 

There is only one explanation - Lazarević saw with his own eyes the effect of the Stone (for example, during the civil war in Yugoslavia) or reached military materials that studied similar topics. This would not be surprising - already during the war period this was dealt with by the Ahnenerbe (and Carl Schafer’s unit got very far - to the very temple with the elevator, judging by the fact that there we find German mp40s, not to mention the mp40s found in the temple with the mirrors!). 

On the other hand, it is doubtful that Yugoslav intelligence services would be involved in similar things. One would sooner expect it from the KGB, which emphasizes Lazarević’s connections with that organization all the more. 

MUSEUM HEIST: 

Compared to Flynn, who does everything the wrong way around, Chloe, who counts on others to do the work for her, and Nate, who acts rashly and without thinking through the consequences, Lazarević is the one with the clarity of mind and is the main force behind the game. 

He is most likely the one who devised the plan to break into the museum. Why do I think so? Well, an important point was made to me: Flynn was not intelligent. He is easily fooled. He doesn’t predict events. He can’t plan for the long term, as the scenes with him prove - including the scene with Nate and Elena escaping execution. At the museum, he didn’t even pay attention to the new, installed alarms - until Nate told him about them. 

And would someone like Flynn be able to prepare to carefully break into the world’s most guarded? I doubt it. I think Lazarević was behind the whole plan. At the same time, he also didn’t know about some of the security arrangements - not surprising, since he was a bystander and wasn’t there to check and inspect everything. And since he didn’t know about alarms, Flynn did not know about them either. 

Significantly, Jeff’s murder scene proves that Lazarević has heard of Nathan Drake before. He walks up to him, observes him, and says “so… this little man is Drake…?”.  He might have known Nathan from stories told by other people “in the industry”. 

So he had to know what he was like, he knew his legend. So why did he decide to choose Flynn and Chloe to work with? 

I think it stems from the fact that they both didn’t have reputations as thieves, unlike Nate. Nate had already proven on more than one occasion that he may have been able to provide someone with things that clients paid for, but he was trying to find their treasures for himself.

Example: a comic book. In the plot of the comic book, Nathan is commissioned to find a journal that belongs to the clients’ ancestors. At the same time he deciphers it before giving it to his client. He keeps the information to himself and tries to get the treasure before his principals. And here we go, here we have closer example: Uncharted 4 - Nathan and Sam take money from Rafe in exchange for finding Avery’s treasure. Nate offers Samuel a prison break with just the two of them, without including Rafe in the plan - he wants to leave his principal in a prison in Panama. 

Choosing Nathan to work with him would simply be dangerous. It would involve the risk of abandoning the assignment, of trying to get information “to his advantage,” of trying to get the treasure without sharing with Lazarević.  At the same time, Lazarević sees Nate as a freak, a person who will do anything to get the treasure. The dialogue in the coop proves this. 

(posessing Janus statue) “Well now that we have this… he will come to us.” “Why Drake would be there?” “Because like you, he is a little fool who will do anything for treasure”. Risk was too high. 

DID LAZAREVIC KNOW ABOUT CHLOE?

Of course. As we can see from his story and the facts we can deduce, he is a person who can quickly assess both the situation and people. At the same time, it should be noted that Chloe’s behavior itself was not very subtle - every time she was found, she held Nate at gunpoint. 

“Accidentally.”.

At the same time, she disappeared for long periods of time, no one knew where she could be found, and there were no witnesses confirming her presence anywhere. Too many of these miraculous coincidences, right? 

Leaving Chloe free would have a lot of benefits - among other things, she might have unknowingly led Lazarević after her.  So - since when did he know about Chloe and Nate’s collaboration?  

Although this is quite a debatable theory, I personally suspect that he knew about her participation during the search for the temple in Nepal or earlier, after Nathan and Sully escaped from Borneo. 

Why? 

Because it’s clear that the shots weren’t fired by Nate and Sully, unless Chloe dragged the bodies somewhere else and made it look like an accident. Flynn was most likely silent to save Chloe from punishment.  

All right, Nate and Sully escaped. We’re headed to Nepal. 

Chloe has a free hand again, she can move unattended, non-controlled by anyone. But are we sure? Would a man like Lazarević leave her without “care”? 

While Lazarević was destroying all the temples one by one, Nate and Chloe left quite a few bodies on their way to the right place. One would think that the rebels were the culprits, but the rebels were not particularly effective compared to Lazarević’s well-trained mercenaries, as seen in the scene with the bus or the attempted assassination of the mercenaries at one of the temples in the square. 

And the rebels were not well trained, not used to the new reality, and were not likely to have the latest equipment or numerical superiority. Meanwhile, what might Lazarević have found when checking one of the temples? A whole dead squad. 

Significantly, reinforcements arrived during the game - meaning that most likely some of the soldiers had received a call and responded to it. Two dead units and no rebel bodies nearby, even no one? Unlikely. The scene of the escape from the temple may have reinforced his belief. 

Let’s look at it from another angle: Chloe’s explanations are equally unbelievable. 

The first meeting with Nathan: Chloe catches them “at gunpoint”. Both men somehow escape. There are no witnesses, just two dead men and one armed person. Flynn stayed silent, or didn’t guess what happened. 

The second meeting with Nathan: Chloe disappears for a long time, cannot be contacted, eventually holds Nathan “at gunpoint”. And she found him “incidentally”. Highly possibly Flynn didn’t tell Lazarević anything. Perhaps that’s why he ordered Chloe to be taken from the place before Lazarević came. 

Third meeting with Nathan: Chloe kills Draza; although there are no direct eyewitnesses to this, it is clear that the fatal wound could not have been inflicted by Nate, as the shot came from a completely different direction. The only person who would know the truth here was Flynn, but he kept quiet, most likely out of fear for Chloe. 

The fourth meeting with Nathan: the dagger under Chloe’s care magically disappears literally minutes after talking to Lazarević. It’s unclear when it was realized that this had happened, but it’s not hard to guess who might have been responsible. Unbelievable. 

While Flynn would have been able to believe it, I doubt that the situation in the second meeting with Nate would have appealed to Lazarević, who had far more intelligence, both mental and emotional. This is further proven by the scene during which he took Chloe hostage during Nate’s negotiations. 

He was already aware of the fact that Chloe was very important to him, especially after situation in the train.  Importantly, I personally think Lazarević treated Chloe as bait early on in the game. Upon reaching the temple, he already knew what her proper motives were. In the end, he gave her the dagger, knowing that Nathan was on their heels. Wouldn’t it be convenient to give the dagger back to Nate indirectly and just follow his trail? 

Lazarević was aware that Flynn and Chloe would not be able to solve the mystery alone, which he clearly expresses in the scene by saying “Clearly hired the wrong man for this job."  

Interestingly, Chloe, after the scene when Lazarević terrorised Flynn by using Phurba Dagger, says of her employer, "he’s a monster!”. At the same time, she doesn’t judge herself that way by her actions towards Lazarević’s mercenaries - as if she didn’t commit the crime herself. However, this suggests something else - namely, that she suffered the punishment, or witnessed the punishment, that Flynn had to suffer for the failures of both of them. This would not be surprising, given the way Lazarević acts.

Interestingly, Lazarević respects the agreements or contracts - including during the scene where he wants to kill Chloe for being a traitor. This proves that he knew about it and her motives all along, but after a discussion with Flynn, he changed his mind. “That was not the deal”. 

COULD LAZAREVIC HAVE SURVIVED? 

Arguments for: 

- He doesn’t give up. 

- Experienced military officer. He survived the NATO bombing, the war in Yugoslavia, and was most likely a high ranking service officer. Given his knowledge and training, he also had extensive experience in combat, especially hand-to-hand combat.

- Rather, he had a weapon at hand, at short range much more effective than bare fists or mace (gun in his holster).

 Arguments against: 

- Surrounded by eight difficult to kill opponents. 

- Seriously wounded, weakened, reduced to the first floor (and thus to a position where it is difficult to get up on his feet and escape). 

- No time to react In the final scenes, he voluntarily consents to die as if he had surrendered - because he felt he had fought as an equal and been defeated. 

This is another trait of Lazarević’s that is very relevant to the scene as a whole - it tells us that he is able to acknowledge his loss in battle through the superiority and skill of others. In Uncharted 3 DLC coop Lazarevic, if he dies, tells us “Well fought, Drake (laugh) You are the better man. Still little… but better”. 

HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIO: LAZAREVIĆ ESCAPED 

Okay, maybe he would have survived, but what about the collapsed bridges and ruined city? Keep in mind that it’s likely that not all parts of Shambala were equally destroyed, as we see in the final scenes. What is even more significant is that there could not necessarily have been only this one and only one way in and out of Shambala. Most likely there was another escape route.  What is even more significant is that resin trees grew not only in this place. So Lazarević, while trying to escape - assuming he survived, of course - could have encountered another source of power, which could have given him more strength and healed his wounds. 

Does that appeal to me? Yes, it most certainly does. Personally never liked last scene. A fearless man like Lazarević killed by eight violet, mountain trolls? Nope. This character deserved better ending. 

Would I like to see Lazarevic return in some DLC or Uncharted 3 style co-op? Hell yes! 

[carryonmywaywardwriters]

One Day At A Time - Jensen x Reader

A/N: Part Two! As always, feedback is incredible. And, I hope you all enjoy <3

PSA: I am NOT a minor friendly blog. If you are below 18, please come back when you’re older. I don’t want to lose my blog because you were too eager to grow up. If I discover you, I WILL block. 

Series Masterlist

Warnings: Widower!Jensen. Grieving process. Age Gap. Character pregnancy. Unrequited feelings. I believe that is all.

Word Count: Roughly 3,200

“Jared!” You screeched just in time to find your body thrown in the air. You didn't let go, tugging the large, heavy weight in after you. The water rushed around your form. Cradling your fall. An angry cry left your lips as you surfaced. Glaring at your friend as he shook out his shaggy, dark hair. “You're such a shit.”

The sound of kids shouting out their own war cries sounded before they followed. The noise was enough to diffuse the mini war for a moment. They were careening their bodies into the water one at a time. Six cannonballs of various sizes.

“Teach you to sass,” He cackled, wincing every so slightly as you splashed at him in mock outrage. You dodged Shep as you bolted away from him; kicking your feet hard enough that Jared couldn't see well enough to dive at you until you had some distance between your bodies.

“Gen!” Before you could bring his wife into the mix, you were tackled again. Losing your shout in the liquid. Jared's unnatural length had given him the advantage. Again.

“They're going to kill each other,” Jensen muttered to Genevieve at the grill. Watching the scene from the corner of his eye. He'd refused to bet on who would come out on top. Both of you were too determined to end the mutual torture amicably.

“The kids will break it up before it gets there.” She answered with a grin as she watched your leg hook Jared's. The towering height was a disadvantage for the first time as you yanked the limb upwards with your entire strength. It slowed him down. His arms couldn't quite reach you before you threw him off balance. Crashing his bulk backwards. Creating waves that all six kids rode out. The high pitched betting on who would be winner making the brow rise towards his friend's wife. “Or maybe not,” The devilish smile on her love's face made her tsk in shame.

The hiatus-bearded forty four year old beside her stopped watching the meat for a moment. Focusing on his best friend and his nanny. You had promised yourself wouldn't leave. It had been just over two years since Danneel had passed away, and you'd kept your word.

For not knowing how to care for other people full time, you'd figured it out in a hurry. Ouchies were bandaged. Homework was helped. Food was prepared just in time for everyone to slink out of the rooms. You'd gone above and beyond. Taking up a housekeeper role, even. No one could have asked for a better person to fill what had been needed.

“He takes her out? He has kid duty.” Jensen warned; his own grin covered as he took a swig of his beer to compose himself. A recent habit he'd invested in when it came to anything involving you. Too many people found themselves asking questions. He didn't want to answer them.

“Fair enough,” She shrugged as she watched Jared toss you like you were a rag doll. “Overgrown children. The both of them.”

“Keeps life a little interesting,” He acknowledged easily. It really had. Helped keep it all lighthearted when things were anything but. It'd helped him survive the worst thing he'd ever experienced. “They're too busy pranking each other to turn their wiles on us, nowadays.” That brought up Gen's brow.

“She's given you wiles, huh?” Her own drink was brought to her lips to keep her face as neutral as could as she watched her friend turn the deadly chromatic gaze her way. Looking for a sign that would tell him to keep his mouth shut. He didn't find anything. Being in the acting business had its perks, and cons, when it came to their friendship.

“She's decided that I'm too serious, lately,” He grumbled. Finger quotes and all. Pulling on the years of playing Dean Winchester for a way to express his displeasure with adequate emphasis. He'd long ago accepted that the Winchester would pop his head up whenever he needed him to. Almost eighteen years on the job did that to a man. “She gets the kids in on the plots. Got Jared in on a few before they turned on each other.”

Jared had eagerly adopted a new victim in his favorite sport. Jensen had lost the urge to get down and dirty years ago. After an incident that may, or may not have, involved stink bombs in a trailer. He reserved his angst for Misha and other cast members. However, that didn't mean that he didn't enjoy watching his best friend meeting his match.

It was nearly as explosive as when him and Jared had been younger. The only thing that prevented a forced truce was the amount of space and time apart that you two experienced. It never had a chance to build up and become deadly. Or, that's what everyone was counting on, anyway.

“Did it work?” The Winchester's bitch face was turned her way. Two could play the acting game. She just read it better, “So, it did.”

“It's been two years. I don't need checked on, constantly,” He grumbled. Taking another swig as he flipped the burgers and hot dogs. She wasn't quite sure if he was talking about you or her nosing about.

“Jensen-”

“I'm fine, Gen...Really...I'm great.” She didn't look nearly convinced. Impatiently waiting for him to continue. He didn't disappoint. Unleashing the verbal diarrhea in a torrent after a moment of silence. He'd been stewing for too long. “She just...she's something else.” That seemed to catch her attention even more.

“Are you two fighting?” The question was carefully let out, ensuring that he knew she wasn't trying to push too hard. Simply expressing a bit of concern.

“No,” He scoffed. Despite that it's actually what he'd tried to enact more than once. You were just unshakeable. “She's just...she's always there, you know?” He sounded weak to his own ears, but that didn't stop the word vomit leaving his lips. “And she's always... on top of everything. God forbid I tell her what to do.” Every thing that had been itching at his nerves burst forth. “That's another thing! She isn't intimidated. At all. I told her to take a day off, or she's canned. What'd she do? She laughed. Laughed!” He was going to lose his mind over the saucy nanny. That much he was sure on.

“And you don't like that?” Gen's teasing tone made him mentally kick himself in the ass. His long suffering parent face came out at that. She missed the point. “Sounds like the perfect nanny if I'd ever heard of one.”

“She's not just a nanny,” He was aware that he sounded like a sulking child. It made his shoulders straighten even more. His voice deepening in frustration. “She joined the damn family. When she shouldn't've had to. Y/N was supposed to get back on her feet, and moved on.”

The lingering guilt came forward. You hadn't wanted to be trapped in role. Yet, there you were. All for his family's benefit. His benefit.

“Doesn't seem to bother her,” Genevieve noted, nodding her head subtly towards the scene in the pool.

You'd gathered reinforcements. Jensen's three helped you knock Jared under the water again while his own children simply cackled around the attack zone. All it took was a simple bribe from their chief to get them to join in on the battle. Suddenly, the pool erupted into full blown war fare.

Waves crashed over the edge. Floaties went flying through the air. But, everyone knew their limits. Tenderly, you all rode the thin line that would lead to death as you wrestled in the chlorinated pit.

“It should,” He grumbled. It had at one time. The memory of you insisting that you couldn't fill the void echoed in his brain. People didn't change that much. No, if you were okay with it? There was a reason. And there was only one he could piece together enough to make some kinda sense. “She's using us for a crutch. She should be out there. Looking to start her own family.”

He'd painted the image in his mind. Clear as day, it danced there. He could see you in a bar, taking a down night. Later, with your own family after you'd stumbled into some nice good looking chap who'd appreciate you. God knows that you'd earned it.

“Ever think that she doesn't want to?” The idea was dismissed before she even finished it. After all, what woman didn't want someone of their own? “She's a big girl, Jensen...She can decide when she's ready.”

“You don't always get to choose,” His answer was softer that time. Thinking of the turn his life had taken. “You don't always get time.”

His own lack of time still haunted him more than he'd acknowledge. Jensen had wanted forever. Instead, he'd gotten a sliver of it. Best damn sliver of his life, but still. It hadn't been enough. He wanted his wife back. Wanted the life they'd been denied.

“I know,” She would have offered him a hug if his expression hadn't turned back to the mulish expression that often resided in his character's face at the soft words.  It was his way of coping. Emotions turned deadly. He wouldn't- couldn't give into it. Not in front of the kids, anyway. Alone in his room was a different story. “Have you tried actually talking to her?”

“She treats me like one of the kids,” He muttered with a soft scowl that made Gen bite back a laugh. “Actually, that's not true. I get lower. She gives the kids more attention when they take up a problem with her.” The sulking was back in full force as he nudged at the meat, once again. It was the one trait of yours that drove him crazy. That easy dismissal of his concerns.

“I can talk to her-”

“No,” His head jerked her way in dismay. He didn't want anyone fighting his battles. Didn't want you to feel that he was forcing you out. “No,” He cleared his throat; this time speaking more calmly. “I'll figure something out...providing Jared doesn't kill her.” His eyes locked onto your form as you tried to tackle the bigger man, and failed. Laughing as you were tossed around like a rag doll.

–

“I still have water in my ears,” You grumbled back at the Ackle's fortress. Trying to dislodge the liquid by shaking your head. It was useless. You'd have to pull out the cotton balls and rubbing alcohol to try and draw it out. “Your friend is wicked.”

“You started it,” Jensen shot back, setting the dish he'd dried back into the cupboard.

They'd been discarded from that morning, before the small get together. Going to sleep with a dirty sink had turned into one of your pet peeves. So, there you were. At midnight. Cleaning dishes next to your employer and friend...of sorts.

“Fair point,” You relented, passing him the pan you'd just rinsed.

After nearly three years? You'd had no problem taunting the man who'd once intimidated you. The puppy-like beast could truly do damage if he wanted. Jared simply never had the desire to inflict permanent harm. Rather stuck to temporary discomfort.

And, you loved every bit of it. It made you feel welcomed. Placed on equal footing, despite the fact that you were the furthest thing from famous.

“I think it's time to replace this thing,” Jensen muttered as he shifted the thinning towel to a dry spot to work on the metal more.

“I can do this on my own, you know.” You pointed out without malice. After all, that's what you were paid to do. A job that you didn't particularly mind, either.

“Figured Jared kicked your ass enough, today.” The wry grin made your eyes roll before you turned away. Ignoring the way his chuckle made your stomach knot.

It wasn't a new feeling. Simply one that you couldn't focus on. He'd had that soul deep kinda connection that you longed for before. So rare that you doubted you'd ever find it. Not only was he still madly in love with Danneel. But, there was also the issue of him handing over a paycheck weekly. Even if you were willing to bend the rules a bit? He wouldn't. So, you turned back to what you could focus on. The dishes.

“I can take it from here,” You returned when you gathered your wits back to where they belonged. It took longer than you had liked. “Besides, you have a flight in the morning. You should get some sleep.”

“Sure thing, mom.” His dry tone was telling enough. You were being blown off. “You sure you can handle them on your own?”

His anxiety over the trip was both endearing and frustrating. On one hand, you understood it. The kids were his everything. He hadn't left their side for longer than a few hours since they'd lost their mother. On the other, it almost hurt that there wasn't enough trust built up to give him relief for a single weekend. To let you step in and care for his family as if they were your own. Hadn't you already proven your worth?

“I'll be fine,” You waved him off with a sudsy hand. Blowing him off as easily as he had your concern. He and Dee had raised some pretty fantastic kids before you'd stepped in. They'd stay that way over two days without their dad. You'd make sure of it. “You need some time to yourself, Jay.”

“When do you ever get that?” He pointed out, jumping on his opening. Your eyes rolled back so far that it was painful. Rehashing the now familiar argument.

“I'm starting to think that you're trying to get rid of me,” His horrified look your way was ignored as you pressed your point home. Making him understand exactly how it was coming across each time he pushed. “If you don't want me around-”

“Did I say that?” The answer was so Dean that you had to bite back the chuckle. He'd only get more worked up, again, if you did. So, you resisted the urge. The kids were out. Neither of you wanted to wake them. “I just think that you need a getaway- one that doesn't include my kids.”

“Are you kidding? What fun is it to go to the beach on your own?” You'd joined the family on their excursions. Everything from the family vacations to trips to conventions. You'd even stayed in Toronto when it came time to film Supernatural. Ensuring that Jensen hadn't needed to worry for a second about his children. Instead, he'd begun to direct it towards you. “I'm not missing much. Trust me. Been there. Done that.”

“Are you still hung up on-”

“I should have never told you that story,” You muttered before he could finish. He'd never forgotten. Or let you forget that you'd confided in him. It was the first thing that had made him give you a second look. “I have bad taste, Jensen. Notoriously bad taste.” He wasn't going to argue there. The guy in question was a douche. “I'm not bringing anything like that home with me, again. There's not enough sage in the world to get rid of that kind of energy. You really should thank me.” A sad smile lined Jensen's face. Danneel had been known to burn a bundle as needed. The tradition had lived on, even just for memories sake.

“Yeah,” He cleared his throat. Taking the hint, finally. “I shouldn't push.” The look on your face said that you agreed. Silence ensued as the nightly chore was wrapped up before you went your separate ways. The issue only held away for another day.

–

“We're good. Go have fun,” You winked over the snapchat. Jensen could see all the girls in the back. Odette had taken the place of Zeppelin for the night. The boys were all with Gen. The children's own request.

You pulled away from your face to record the dance party that was taking place to Little Mix's Salute. Makeup covered all their little faces haphazardly. Your own face carried the telling marks of a young child's heavy handedness. Boas and frilly pink pajamas filled the room. All had embraced their inner female, looking remarkably fierce as they yelled the lyrics.

You ended it with a little lip sync action and your own, half-assed salute. He found himself replaying it for the simple, wide smile on your face as you turned away in the end. You'd seemed happier than he'd expected. His fingers rubbed over the bridge of his nose. Maybe you and Gen had a point.

“Dude, you okay?” Jared's shoulder jostled his best friend lightly, making the shorter one jerk away from his phone. When he glanced back, his reflection stared back at him. A flower crown rested over his forehead. His back straightened as he locked the screen, and tucked the device back in his pocket.

“Fine,” He answered easily. His hand ran through his hair. A simple tell. “Y/N was just checking in.”

“It's hard to be away from them,” The understanding tone made Jensen's tension fall a bit. It was ridiculous to even try to hide it from Jared. “I get it, man.” The large hand clasped against his arm. “If you want to bail, I'll find a way to cover-”

“I can't do that to the fans,” He shook his head. They'd all been so patient. So damn sweet after he'd lost Danneel. They deserved more than him flaking out. Again. “No, she's got it.” A crooked side smile pulled up his face, “Besides, Gen would kill me if I left you alone. You're practically bursting at the seams.”

“Am not,” The little shit eating grin said otherwise. A look that called bull was the only response he got. “Okay, but number four being on the way is kind of a big deal.” Fatherly pride was contagious.

“Yeah, man, it is.” With a sigh, Jensen pulled himself together. Determined to fall back into old patterns as much as he still could.

Years ago, Danneel and him had said they were done. Hell, even on live TV. Yet, so had Jared and Gen. There was no predicting how life would go. What turns would come forward.

Jensen was happy for his friend. Hell, his brother. He'd be there for them and the kid. Just as they had for him and his brood. But, it didn't settle the pit in his gut.

His focus lingered on the what ifs that life had left him with. Where would they all be if that car accident hadn't happened? Would the man who'd hit her be behind bars for someone else? He even found himself wondering if he'd have a fourth baby if Danneel was still alive...

Part Three

ODAAT: @winchester-ofthe-lord

Dean/Jensen: @akshi8278 @screechingartisancashbailiff

Forever: @dean-winchesters-bacon @supernaturalginger @lilulo-12​ @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce​ @malfoysqueen14​

[thenexusofsouls]

Former Muse: Marya Maximoff

MARYA MAXIMOFF (Biological aunt and adoptive mother of twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.)

Type of Character & Fandom/Source Material: Canon-divergent character in the Marvel fandom based loosely from concepts in MCU’s Age of Ultron, some 616 influences, and a large amount of my own development and interpretation of this character. Basically, I am trying to create an MCU version of her, and since we know next to nothing about her in Ultron, I will be adding a lot of my own original elements in fleshing her out. So her background will have some core ideas taken from 616, especially about her relation to the twins, but changed to fit the teeny bit we know about her from Ultron. After that it’s just me running amok with the character and fleshing her out in original ways, haha.

FC: Noomi Rapace, specifically in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Race: Human, but a genetic mutant like the twins

Age: Currently mid 40s... exact age would depend on the ages of related muses in threads and details of background

Occupation: Usually as a baker or cook in a bakery or tavern type setting. Fortune teller and tarot card reader on the side.

Potential Triggering Material in Threads: Well... Marya deals with a hefty dose of racism, criticism, and/or mockery on an almost daily basis for her nomadic lifestyle and culture (Romani), her religion (Jewish-Polytheistic), and if she’s in the United States, her thick accent and imperfect grammar when speaking non-native languages like Sokovian or English (her native tongue is a Romani dialect). Also, other potential trigger warnings for things like severe head injuries and amnesia.

Negative Personality Traits: Haughtiness and tending to be overly forgiving of people simply because she knows/likes them or is related to them.

Positive Personality Traits: Tenacity, thick skin, but also kindness, empathy, and strong motherly instincts.

Background: Get ready for me to walk all over the comics here, haha, but as I said I’m creating my own largely movie-compliant version of Marya Maximoff. She is a Romani witch in a family in which mutant genes and the ability to successfully engage in witchcraft are somewhat hereditary, especially among females. She and her sister Natalya both had magical abilities, albeit different ones. Marya has dreams that are premonitions of the future, but they are often vague and she may not fully understand the meaning of them until it is too late. She can also glean images or emotions from touching objects or people, a talent she shares with her niece, Wanda. Although the twins believe that she is their mother, Marya is actually their biological aunt. Her sister Natalya is actually their mother, but not long after giving birth, she gave her children to Marya and her husband Django and went into hiding as Magda Eisenhardt in an attempt to throw off the twins’ dangerous father, known as Magneto. At the time, Marya and Django had lost their own son and daughter, and so they welcomed the twins readily. They officially adopted them, and the twins have never been told that their parents were not actually their parents.

Marya’s husband Django was not a mutant, but he was an accomplished pickpocket and thief. Think of that what you will, but what he did helped to support his family and put food on the table when work was scarce, and he taught his adopted son Pietro his skills. This was something Pietro continued to do well into his teenage years in order to support himself and Wanda while they were living on the streets following the bombing they believed killed both of their parents. He also used his skills to assist the poor, disadvantaged, elderly, and sick citizens of Sokovia, a community he and his sister had come to call home. Marya saw stealing in a different way than most, and there was a code to it. Never steal from those who have less than you have. Never steal from family or trusted friends. And in her mind, the Romani people had been placed at an inherent disadvantage simply by virtue of the fact that they were seen as lesser by many European communities, mostly White or at least believing themselves entitled. Because of that, Marya saw Django’s stealing as efforts towards the balancing of wealth and resources back in their family’s direction.

Marya was a kind and loving mother, but she was not afraid to set boundaries for the twins or discipline them the same as their father. However, she did her best to understand, nurture, and accommodate their individual personalities as they grew older. Wanda was shy, quiet, and often obedient, whereas Pietro misbehaved a lot, had trouble focusing on a single task, and had endless amounts of energy. Because the twins were so different, Marya recognized that they needed to be cared for and encouraged in different ways. They didn’t learn the same way or respond to criticism the same way either. Marya always thought it was very important that the twins be nurtured in ways that best suited their personalities and needs, but also helped them grow and improve as people. She did her best to do that, and to make sure Django did the same.

When the twins were six, little Wanda was assaulted by a boy her own age, and the child had cursed him impulsively in her panic and rage. Unfortunately, the budding witch had no idea her curses carried real power, and the boy had a fatal accident the following morning. The boy’s death, rumors of Wanda’s witchcraft, and rumors of Django being a thief are the main reasons why the Maximoff family had to leave Transia and the village they had been living in. They traveled alone in their vardo for a while, joining up with Roma caravans as times. Settling ultimately in Sokovia, they worked toward having a permanent home and were able to purchase an apartment. Everything seemed to be going well for them, until the wars raging around them caught up to them. When the twins were ten, a shell was dropped on their apartment building. Marya and Django fell through the floor, while Wanda and Pietro hid under a bed, ultimately being trapped for two days. Django was crushed and killed by falling rubble, and Marya suffered a severe head injury among other things. This caused her to have amnesia, not remembering who she was beyond her first name.

The twins were saved after two days, but Marya lingered in the rubble for almost four. By the time she was able to crawl out on her own, she was dazed, malnourished, and badly injured. Not remembering herself in her amnesia, she wandered the streets and was taken in by a family who didn’t know who she was. Meanwhile, the twins were taken as wards of the government and were ultimately placed in foster homes that didn’t work out. Marya, once she was at least physically healed, left Sokovia, not realizing that she had a reason to stay. She returned to the nomadic lifestyle she knew, even if she didn’t remember the people she had spent it with.

From here she can go wherever a thread needs her to. She can remain in Eastern Europe, travel to Western Europe, or even make her way to the U.S. Those are the likely places she would end up. After three years, she began to remember who she was, and did attempt to look for her husband and adopted children. She was told that her husband died in the bombing and that the twins survived, but she was never able to locate them. Not many were willing to help her, either because they couldn’t or because they were prejudiced against her way of life and thought the twins were better off in foster care. If they only knew where the twins actually ended up... It breaks her heart that they were never found, because she loved Wanda and Pietro very much, like her own children. She still holds out hope that she will find them someday.

Potential Starter Ideas:

Well, certainly finding out she was still alive would be an interesting plot for a Wanda or Pietro muse, whether before or after the events of Age of Ultron.

What if she saw video on the news of what happened with Ultron in Sokovia and recognized the twins?

She can also be a stand-alone muse for Marvel or non-Marvel muses to interact with, just in her own life. She’s an enigmatic and adventurous sort.

Fun facts: Marya’s innate mutant powers with regard to premonition and gleaning information about people and objects she touches or is near to help her a great deal with her fortune telling and tarot card reading businesses. Perhaps she misleads people doing this, but she sees it as infinitely more authentic than outright playing them without any knowledge of them whatsoever. Also, she feels that if done via tarot cards, palm readings, or other such avenues, the information she does convey to them is better received than it would be if she revealed herself as a witch. She actually does not know anything herself about being a mutant, what that means, or that her witchcraft is something genetic that she is able to do, she only knows that magic runs in the blood of her family, whether it takes the forms that hers and Wanda’s magic does, or more physical forms like Pietro’s. She believes that “the blood of the Old Gods runs in their veins,” which basically means that their bloodline is believed to be an ancient one blessed with favor by various gods of the natural world, some of the same ones they still worship today within the polytheistic part of their religion.

[wildwesternwoman]

Yeehawgust Day Three: Pony Express

A/N: I am doing Yeehawgust this year as writing prompts (and I am VERY behind). While this is an RDR blog, this is ORIGINAL fiction. There is, obviously, a lot of inspiration draw from Red Dead as well as other Western games, movies, TV shows, and books that I love. Mostly in the names of characters. All characters, however, are my own. All prompts will follow the same group of characters.

As always, feedback is appreciated.

Soundtrack: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash

“Let me have it!” Sophia screeched.

“Why, Sophie? It isn’t yours is it, Sophie?”

Mickery snatched the envelop from Len’s hand. “Why does he call you that anyway? All the time I known ya, no one’s ever called ya that.”

“Why dontcha go ask him? And give me that before you go.”

“Hey!” Andy’s voice boomed out, scaring all of them to stillness. They stared at him wide-eyed. Andy’s anger was not a fun thing to be on the business end of. “I thought I told you guys to leave that alone. It ain’t none a y’all’s.”

           Andy took the envelope from Mickey and laid it on the bed where he could see it as he buttoned up his shirt. MacKenzie had asked him to take it to the neighboring ranch. It surely wasn’t anything too important cause she didn’t even seal it. It was a large manila envelope and all she did was button it closed.

“I think it’s certainly my business,” Sophia interrupted.

“And just how’s that?”

“Well, it’s my ranch.”

           The boys laughed and Sophia stubbornly put her hands on her hips. Sometimes they all felt like they were children, merely pretending to be adults. Occasionally they would break character. This was one of those times.

“It’s your daddy’s ranch, Soph.”

           Andy did feel for Sophia. He really did. Things had been all laid out for her just the way she wanted up ‘til recently. Her sister came home from a cushy corporate law job and just waltzed right into Sophia’s job. Andy badly wanted to know why. Had Sophia done something in the almost year he had been gone to warrant her replacing? Was MacKenzie just that good at running ranches? He couldn’t see that.

           Andy wanted to ask Mr. Alder – and had it been a year ago, he might’ve. But things just didn’t quite feel the same anymore. This was still home, but it felt like the family had changed. Len and Sophia – and Mickey – they were really all he had left. The only things that had remained the same in that year. He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

“That’s Sophie,” Len teased, pulling Andy from his thoughts.

           He found himself lost in thought a lot recently. Reflecting on the changes he was seeing, on life, on definitively not being a young man anymore. He’d never felt older. At just 35. How pathetic. While the others argued on about Sophia and her new nickname, he thought about how he felt. Mentally. Physically. Spiritually. He didn’t know if he wanted to know.

           He buttoned up his shirt, put on his hat, and picked up the envelope. Paying no mind at all to his friends bickering behind him. He walked right on out, much to their shock. Was he even listening to them? No, no he was not. And ss he walked out of the house, he came face to face with another person he didn’t want to hear babble on about childish nonsense.

“Where ya goin’, Rockford? Runnin’ out on our race?”

Damn Ryan.

“No.”

“Well, it sure looks like you’re leavin’.’”

           Andy pushed passed him, not quite feeling like he owed him any sort of explanation. He knew he wasn’t handling all the changes well. Ryan was kind of his boss. But he had done nothing to cause Andy to show him any kind of respect. He was certainly not a leader.

           And Ryan was certainly not used to the lack of respect that Andy consistently showed him. Sure, he might’ve been an old hand, but he had been gone a long time and a lot of things had changed. He was going to have to be shown that things were much different now. He placed his hand firmly on Andy’s shoulder.

           Andy whirled around, face to face with Ryan. Both of the men felt angry and disrespected. It was an absolute recipe for disaster. Andy’s immediate urge to ball up his fist and punch Ryan directly in the face vouched for that.

“Ya wanna take your hand off ‘a me?”

“Ya wanna tell me where the hell you’re goin’?”

“No, I do not.”

           Ryan felt like he was at a crossroads here. If he let Andy get away with this disrespect, it would save a fight. A fight that could potentially land both of them in a lot of trouble with Hosea or Mr. Alder. But Andy would then always feel that he had a right to disrespect him. If he put him in his place, however –

“Let him go now.” His internal monologue was cut off by a feminine Southern voice. “I said now, Ryan.”

           MacKenzie Alder was her daddy’s eyes and ears on this ranch and she was out to prove she could do a better job of that than her sister. Two of their best workers killing each other would not lend itself to her favor. She was already at a disadvantage in that a lot of the older hands didn’t like her, especially Andy. They felt she had stolen the job from Sophia, even though she was immensely more qualified. Perhaps coming to Andy’s rescue would win her some point.

“Not that it is any of your business since Mr. Rockford is off the clock, but he’s running an errand for me. Taking some documents over to Green Rose.”

           Ryan looked at Andy a beat longer before letting him go and taking a step back. MacKenzie was a smart woman, she had to know that Andy had to be taught to respect more folks than just Sophia and those hands he hangs out with. They were not the ones in charge anymore.

“I expect no further issues from the two of you. Or both Hosea and my father will be informed, and that ends well for neither of you.”

           MacKenzie placed her hands on her hips – a power pose. She was in charge here. At least in this situation. No one else. Not her dad, not the foreman, and certainly not her sister. She called the shots. She wanted to get that message across loud and clear to these.

Ryan cursed. “Whatever, have a good ride, Mr. Pony Express.” And he stalked off into the house for God knows what.

           Andy looked at MacKenzie. In all the years he had worked here, he felt this was the first time he had really seen her. She looked similar to her sister in that they were both around the same height and blonde with light eyes. MacKenzie’s were a striking blue where Sophia’s were a deep green. They shared the same nose and same look on their faces when they were angry.

           But as Andy studied her closer, he realized the two could not be more different. Sophia was a cute girl-next-door type. Sweet and funny, she always looked like she belonged here. MacKenzie, on the other hand, did not. Even around the ranch, she wore dress clothes. Dresses, blazers, boots that you’d sooner see at a gala than in a pasture. She carried herself differently, too. At first, it seemed like she was more confident than her sister, but at closer look, she just expressed that confidence in her body language.

           Sophia was effortless, MacKenzie was all strategy. Andy reckoned both had their good and bad points. He just hoped she wasn’t expecting a thank you for coming to his aid. She didn’t seem to be. She just nodded at him, instructed him again to get that envelope to the neighbors, and then walked off into the house, as well.

           Andy could only ponder where that left him as he made his way toward the barn. He almost didn’t want to take his horse now after Ryan’s little

pony express

quip, but it was a faster route than the roads from this ranch to the next, so he saddled up anyway and headed off

[mrsrhys23]

The Royal Romance

Summary: You are an actress working on a show called ‘The Royal Romance.” and you’re doing an interview talking about it. 

Word count: 1,103 

Warnings: Complete nonsense..?

A/N:  All the characters belong to Pixelberry. This is apart of my series The Royal Romance, I got bored and decided to write a one shot for it. 

The cast list HERE

Permatags: @desiree-0816, @cordoniaqueensworld, @itschoicesstuff, @roisebeaumontworld21, @emilypowell001

Series tags: @bbrandy2002, @texaskitten30

The audience cheered and clapped as you made your way onto the stage and took a seat in front of the talk show host. 

“So Y/N Y/L/N is joining us here to talk about her hit show called The Royal Romance,” the woman interviewing you explained to audience both in the studio and watching at home. “Y/N, it’s a pleasure to have you on the show. Thank you for coming,” the older woman smiled. 

“Thank you for having me. It's lovely to be here,” you replied. 

She turned to you a smile on her face. “So Y/N tell us about it because I mean it has done really, really well. So well that it’s been renewed for a second series. Did you know that it was going to do this well? Did you have any idea how much people were going to love it?” 

You thought about your answer for a second, “ No, you never know how something is going to be perceived but I think all the cast had an inkling that it was going to do well,” you explained. 

“But you didn’t think It’d get the response it has gotten?” She asked. 

“No, like I said we all had a good feeling about it but you just never know,” you shrugged. 

“What can you tell us about this series? The last one ended on such a cliffhanger.”

“Yeah, We’ve just started filming again, I can’t really say much but in this season Riley Brooks comes back sort to clear her name and find out who orchestrated the photographs. We kind of see Riley trying to figure out who she is as cliche as that sounds and we see Liam trying to navigate being king and trying to fit in to his new role. I think in a way all the characters are trying to figure out who they are amongst the ‘courtly drama’ as they call it.”

“Do you know who’s behind it?” the host asked. 

I don’t. It seems to be all on a need to know basis. Daniel di Tamasso likes to say he knows but I don’t think he does,” You explained, smiling when you thought over that conversation. 

“In the first series we saw quite the friendship between your and Daniels characters,” the woman said. 

Yeah, we did. There is definitely something there, I can’t speak for Daniel but I’d dont think Drake would ever betray his friend. I think the love Drake has for his best friend holds him back pursuing anything with her. I don’t think it is all romantic between them, they did bond over both being outsiders initially and Riley doesn’t seem to have the same feelings towards Drake as he does her, but we'll see what happens. Like I said it really is about each character figuring out who they are in all of this.”

“We also saw a very good friendship between Riley and Hana, that was an interesting one,” she noted. 

It was, they’re both competitors but that doesn’t seem to affect their relationship in anyway. Riley bonded with her because they are both outsiders. Riley is an American and not nobility whereas Hana is nobility but is from Shanghai, they both have an unfair disadvantage here.”

“You talk about Riley uncovering a plot against her, but isn’t she sort of out of her depth?” She ventured. 

You nodded your head, “Yes, they all are I think. We have Maxwell who invited Riley to Cordonia in the first season and was given the responsibility in the first to sort of mentor this girl and now  he has to help her uncover this plot against her and he still  isn't really trusted by his brother. We then have Drake who is always just been considered as ‘the prince's best friend’ and had never really engaged with court suddenly is. Then we have Liam who was simply the spare and is suddenly king. Hana who has been trained for courtly life but lacks in certain areas, I think her kindness really is used against her. Then we have Olivia who is going to be more involved this season, she’s had a tough life, the loss of her parents then being raised by her aunt who was never there, then living in the palace where she was never really accepted by anyone other than Liam. We have six young adults who if you look past the titles are very ordinary, who are taking on something very big and very dangerous,” you explained. 

The host  nodded, thinking over what you just said, looking down at the note-cards in her lap then back up to you. “Is there any pressure to do better this season, do you think?”

You pondered over it for a moment. Last season had gone down really quite well, so of course there was pressure to do better this time around.  “Yes. I think there is pressure to up our game here a little and do better than we did last time. We’ve finished the first episode and we’ve just gotten the script for the second, I don’t want to jinx it but I think we’re doing it.”

The host looked back down to her notes then back up to you again, “What a lot of people don’t know is that this is a spin off from another two shows.”

“It is,” you nodded, “There’s three series’ in the same universe. We have The Crown And The Flame, Rules Of Engagement and The Royal Romance.”

“Do they ever overlap?” she asked. 

“Yeah, The Crown And The Flame is all about the five kingdoms coming together which make up Cordonia, so what takes place in that does overlap more so in to The Royal Romance. Rules Of Engagement is about a family, who essentially needed to earn their inheritance from their grandmother on a cruise  and the main character, Katie, meets Leo who is Liam’s brother. Then The Royal Romance is everything going on in the kingdom now. We have had a few crossovers with the Rules Of Engagement and vise versa. Mainly Chris Hemsworth who plays Leo, Rupert Everett who plays Constantine, Sara Stuart who plays Regina and Margot Robbie who plays Madeline go in and out of the two shows, whereas our characters are just mentioned. 

The host looked down to her watch then back up to you. “We’re running out of time now, but it was absolutely lovely to have you on the show. Thank you for coming on to talk about the show with us, Y/N.” 

“Thank you for having me,” you grinned.

[meditationsfromthethirdrail]

Credentials and Credibility

I’ve written about polarization and about empathy, rights and responsibilities in the last couple of blog posts.  I have a long list of interrelated topics to cover before the November elections and I plan to keep plowing through them.  But I’m well aware that my voice is a candle in the wind, to borrow the phrase used by T.H. White in the title of his tale about King Arthur’s dream of a more egalitarian and peaceful society.  The number of readers of my blog thus far may barely run into double digits and that may never change.  We are all drowning in information (and misinformation) unless we are either so socioeconomically disadvantaged as to be denied access or are actively disengaged from media.  People in either category aren’t reading this.

With all the competition for the attention of readers and listeners, if someone wants to be heard above the din, he or she either has to have a forceful personality and a good platform, or actually have something important to say.  I may not have either of those.  Readers will judge for themselves.  But it occurred to me that I ought to at least provide a little background about myself, which may or may not compel you to hear me.  So here it is.

My story is not one of hard knocks and resentment - it’s a success story.  There are a lot of ways to define success but I feel like I’ve grabbed a nice assortment of brass rings during my almost-seven decades on the planet.  I’ve had a long and happy marriage to an incredible woman; I’ve traveled extensively (six continents and all fifty states) and lived for substantial periods in many states; I have three degrees from a major college; I attained a modestly high position in a large, global professional services firm and was financially well rewarded for my efforts; and I have many hobbies and interests that make it easy for me to stay fully occupied in retirement.  Most importantly, I’m happy and at peace with myself and others.  One could argue that these successes may have caused me to be out of touch with those who’ve enjoyed fewer of them, but I don’t think that’s entirely true, and I’ll try to suggest why.

My parents were the son and daughter of a sharecropper and a truck farmer/itinerant salesman, respectively, in rural Mississippi.  They grew up during the Great Depression. They were married and gave life to my older brother when they were still in their teens.  My dad dropped out of high school to sign up for the Army and served in the European theater in WWII.  After the war he got a G.E.D. and served as a tractor mechanic for a while.  Around the time I was born he was hired by a prominent agricultural implement manufacturing company, which led to him being transferred from Mississippi to Maryland to Ohio to Idaho to Oregon and to Iowa in order to earn promotions, and with family in tow.  Later he also transferred to Texas, Missouri and Georgia, after I was left behind to attend college in Iowa.  In those days it was possible to rise pretty high in the ranks of a business like my dad’s, without a glittery collegiate resume, if you worked hard and were willing to uproot yourself and your family whenever it was called for.  So my dad eventually did rise fairly high in the ranks, and in the meantime my mom scrambled her way to a B.A., then taught high school English for a short time.

All’s well that ends well, as Shakespeare once said.  My parents came a long way from the dusty fields where they picked cotton for 50 cents a day.  My own road to success was much easier than theirs.  During most of my childhood our family was financially situated about in the dead center of what was then considered middle class.  My parents were not rich, although they accumulated modest wealth later in life, and they were always frugal, so I grew up with very few toys and a mostly empty closet.  My parents were not the type to devote much time attending to my personal pursuits, other than to quietly demand that I get good grades in school.  So I wouldn’t say I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, but I understand that’s a relative thing.  I certainly wasn't lavished with material things as a child, but I never went hungry or worried about having a roof over my head.

Aside from a base level of financial and emotional support and protection, the best thing my parents gave me was a solid education in a robust public school system.  This was a pre Betty Devos era.  Fortunately I had just enough innate ambition (or willingness to succumb to my parents’ expectations) and intelligence to perform in the upper tier, academically.  I could have done better but I often didn’t “apply myself,” as they say.  In retrospect I realize I had ADHD but few people understood or cared about that back then.

My college record was spotty at first, but ultimately pretty good.  I had almost no grasp of what I wanted to do with my life.   As a result, I had an abnormally extended adolescence, to roughly age 27.  Maybe I was a trendsetter; I see a lot more of that happening with young people today.  In any case I considered, at various times and among other things, becoming a Baptist minister (I was licensed and briefly attended seminary), an English professor (I have an M.A. in English and instructed freshman writing courses for three years), a novelist and poet (insufficient talent and discipline derailed that plan), and a hotel manager (nah).   A happy accident of my wandering and indecision was that I acquired a lot of knowledge that later paid off in surprising ways I’ll come back to later.  I was financially very poor the entire time, which gave me considerable perspective on what it means to be concerned about affording basics such as food and transportation.

I vividly remember the catalysts for my decision to enter the social mainstream. One was the fallout from a poker game I got into with some friends.  One of my “friends” was a notoriously unethical character who, one late evening when I was especially unlucky and perhaps too full of beer, lured me into some bad bets that resulted in a $700 debt to him.  At that time, when I was working several crummy part-time jobs to afford food and my $50 share of the rent on a slum-quality house we shared with two other guys, $700 dollars seemed like a million dollars.  I didn't realize and no one told me that on the very next evening the same group of friends gathered for another poker game as I was licking my wounds and trying to form a plan.  I was not present to witness the scene in which the guy whom I was newly indebted to suffered an equally humiliating loss - a loss that was forgiven by the victor on the condition that the loser would also forgive my loss.  My friends assumed that Bart (not his real name, or is it?) would inform me that I was off the hook.  He did not.

For the first time in my life, I devised a budget in order to determine how I could repay Bart the debt that didn’t actually exist, because that’s the kind of guy I am.  I believed, and I still do, that a person is morally and ethically responsible for meeting whatever commitments he or she enters into.  So  I scrambled for more hours working as a church janitor, a tutor and a library assistant; I ate Kraft macaroni and cheese almost every day (30 cents a box, if I recall); I stayed in my room as if I had contracted the then-undreamt-of coronavirus; and I turned over every penny that didn’t go for rent and minimal food to Bart in three monthly installments until I was finally clear.  I was six feet tall but my weight fell to about 140 pounds.  On the day I forked over the last $200, Bart skipped town, just as the news finally arrived that I wasn’t supposed to have owed that debt.

That sordid chapter concluded with me taking a job, out of sheer desperation, in a factory where I was paid a below-minimum wage to operate a machine which applied mailing labels to printed advertisements.  It was mind-numbing.  There were perhaps another 100 workers in that factory doing the same thing I was doing.  The output of each worker was measured daily by the factory management.  By the end of the first week I was the most productive mailing label attacher in the factory.  To keep myself from going insane, I approached my task as if it were a game and challenged myself each shift to beat my previous day’s output, which I always did.  During my brief lunch breaks I used to surreptitiously glance around at the other workers and I understood exactly what Thoreau meant when he opined that the mass of men live lives of quiet desperation.  I don’t know if he was right about “the mass of men,” but he certainly could have been describing that crew at the factory.

In my second week at the factory I met another newly-hired college guy whose wife and he were trying to save enough money to move to Los Angeles so he could take a shot at professional acting - this was his second job.  Chatting with him during lunch breaks, i was inspired by his desire to fulfill a dream and the difficult steps he was taking to do it.  I listened to him, I looked around at the hollow-eyed, middle-aged folks who had worked for years operating labeling machines, and I squirmed as I considered what a sap I was for racking up a poker debt and falling victim to a con man.  i abruptly abandoned the factory but I felt so discombobulated that I enlisted my good buddy John to drive out to Idaho with me so I could visit my brother and try to get my shit together.  By the end of that brief sojourn out west, the best job offer I could manage was from Roto-Rooter . . . to work in the field, as it were.  Wake up call!

If you’ve read this far you must be wondering how any of this supports the notion that I’m qualified to write about sociopolitical matters.  It doesn’t, except to demonstrate that I have at least a small measure of “street cred.”  But the best is yet to come.  When I returned to Iowa I found a better job in a hotel.   Initially I was a night auditor, which is a position that involves being a desk clerk part of the time and an accountant the rest of the time.  Only a small step forward, financially, but it gave me a taste for something I had never previously thought about doing for even one minute.  Accounting, I quickly learned, was something I had a natural aptitude for, and in some quirky way I found it interesting.  Once again I viewed my duties as a sort of game, but this was a game that lit up my brain much more brightly than did operating a machine to perform an exceptionally repetitive task.  

My whole life is a series of lucky breaks at critical junctures.  In this instance the break was that I met a co-worker - a guy who shared the hotel night auditor position with me - who had previously worked for a large CPA firm.  He had taken the part-time hotel job because he was trying to become a full-time stock trader and that’s what he was doing during the day.  From him I learned what it is that CPAs in a big firm actually do.  Let me assure you I’m not going to get into that subject, in case you were already feeling the dread.  (Thank God for actuaries - the only people who make accountants seem slightly interesting.)  Suffice it to say that I figured out how I could minimize the additional schooling I would need to become qualified to be a CPA and I decided to take a stab at it.

I kept the hotel job but started carrying a heavy load of college classes - accounting, math, economics, law, etc.  It so happened that I met my future wife, who was just finishing her Interior Design degree at the same college, about the same time I took the first tentative steps down my new career path.  That was even more fortuitous - I give her lots of credit for helping me stay the course.  The two years in which I went to college in the day, worked at the hotel at night, and struggled to get our new romance off the ground, was “character-building,” to say the least.  I can barely remember anything about that period, it was such a blur.  To give you an idea of how much of a blur it was, the major highlight I remember was driving with my new spouse to Des Moines to dine at Spaghetti Works.  $5 for beer-and-cheese spaghetti, all-you-can-eat salad bar and a glass of swill.  Heaven!

When the two hellish years finally ended and I received my B.S. in Accounting, I had already lined up a job in Des Moines as an auditor with one of the Big 8 (at that time) accounting firms.  Not long afterward, I passed the CPA exam and my wife landed a spot with a local design firm, and we were on our way.

Ok, at last I’m where I possibly should have started. In the ensuring three decades I continued to work as a CPA, becoming a partner along the way (meaning that I became one of the owners), and developing a specialization working with clients in the financial services industry - investment management companies and banking and finance companies, primarily.  This is the good part, folks.  My career soon took me from Iowa to New York City, where my background in English earned me the privilege of being a key designer and the principal author of new practice guidance for our international firm, which was just merging with another large international firm.  That put me in the spotlight for a time and gave me a leg up for promotion.  After the merger we relocated to Los Angeles, where I worked with some of the most prominent investment management companies in the world, and numerous banks, mortgage banks and other financial institutions.  Finally we moved to southeast Pennsylvania and I split time engaged with clients there and in California, and with our national financial services practice in New York.

Late, late nights on Wall Street helping to prepare financial offerings with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line.  Late, late nights at client offices in L.A., San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, New York and Philadelphia, managing teams of young accountants to deal with complex accounting problems under tremendous pressure.  Board meetings, fee negotiations, staff meltdowns, discoveries of fraud and malfeasance, financial crises in which I was an inside observer.  A 60-hour work week felt almost like a vacation compared to many weeks with even longer hours.  It was enough to give me PTSD.  I don’t want to overstate it - it wasn’t like actual life or death combat PTSD - but I still have nightmares ten years and more after the fact.

That’s a very quick summary of the 30+ years in which I obtained hard-won knowledge about global finance and economics - a period in which I also had a lot of experiences with politics, charitable organizations and other components of society I didn’t have time to get into today.  I still spend a lot of time staying informed about subjects ranging from psychology and mythology to current events and hard science.  There’s a ton I still don’t know.  But as my all-time favorite singer Joni Mitchell famously said, I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now.

[pplydm]

ePUB #32

Title: The Big Finish Author: Brooke Fossey

Commenced May 5 2020, Completed May 9 2020

My previous read employs an elderly nursing home as its setting and includes a 90 year old lead character; here I am again with conditions alike. I surmise this came across my good reads recommendations. I immediately looked for a copy as it was initially stated to be published January 2020. It wasn’t ultimately published until April 2020. From the start, a number of banters and witty one-liners made me chuckle all from a hilarious Duffy, the leading character. Overcoming alcoholism was an issue addressed in this read. I’d remark on the drastic nutty decisions tender Carl and stubborn Duffy were doing and feeling in this but reconsidered their ages. Hoped for a triumphant and blithe ending since I found myself wondering how Josie would get out of abuse and be able to fend and sustain herself. Would the budding romance of Josie and Anderson work out? 

I honestly had great expectations for this for I liked its premise. Also anticipated life lessons from this. The scene where they were on Sanger meeting Bates, made me realize the meaningful friendship of both Carl and Duffy who I’d mention to always got Carl’s back. The superb part was when Duffy literally reached his life ending by a sudden attack, he confirmed that God is alive and real. Comprehended now why it’s titled “The Big Finish”.  

Goodies of wisdom listed below:

“You sleep good, Mr. Sinclair,” said her disembodied voice. “Tomorrow is a new day.”

That stuff kills you, body and mind, and there are better ways to die.

“Things don’t go rotten unless they’re good first. Otherwise, how would you know the difference?”

“Whatever it is you’re mourning from back when, don’t. It brought you here, now, to do what you’re doing, and what you’re doing is honorable and right.”

But you had to look the loss in the eye, and if you were going to survive it, you had to believe that there were two different parts of every person: the stuff that ended up in the ground and the stuff that didn’t.

The following were my character analysis.

1. Anderson’s dedication for his job at the nursing home makes him a nice guy. 

2. Duffy sees his past life, together with his vices on the young Josie but in an opposite gender.  If I could talk to Duffy, I’d tell not to worry of his past because he need not to please others. Duffy pridefully confessed and displayed immaturity and I find that too humorous. I however approve Duffy’s manner of dealing with Josie’s major issues however not at first. It was all straightforward and encouraged being wary and courageous enough to face all of the truths in one’s life, even those which hurt.     

3. I reckon Josie wanted to stay the weeknights in the Centennial because her abuser looks for her in the nighttime. Josie’s a mess and no nice people should make of fuss of her. Arduous Josie’s putting other peoples lives on the line. Really tried to understand her and the concept of helping her go free from addiction using a geriatric’s guidance. Josie Isn’t special but Duffy and Anderson is all over her and I’m not liking that; she’s a drunk! I would like to blame Josie for everything bad happening but then there’s Carl, her grandfather. I am shifting the blame to him. 

  Book Discussion Questions

1. Though Duffy and Carl are very different men, they’ve managed to form an inseparable bond. Do you think their friendship is merely a result of necessity and proximity, or do you think that under different circumstances, they would’ve found kinship in each other? What about the other friendships in the book?

- by what I’ve read it did seem they would’ve found kinship in each other as if like bothers by blood. The other friendships definitely developed due to necessity and proximity.

2. How is fatherhood defined throughout the story? How does the absence or presence of fathers impact different characters’ lives? Though all are flawed, which father from the book would you most likely to have, and why?

- fatherhood in the book is defined as a responsibility and a heart felt duty. When one is fatherless, it may be a disadvantage in pursuing the future knowing no one will guide with matters as to being courageous. Duffy is my preferred father from the book because of the way he handled with Josie’s addiction and that he never gave up on her.

3. Consider Centennial’s daily schedule. If you had to pick one day to live as a resident, which would you choose? If you had to room with one resident, who would it be?

- I pick the August 30 Centennial schedule. I would like to room with Alice.

4. Josie‘s journey to sobriety is unfinished at the books close. How to tumultuous do you expect her recovery to be? Do you think Anderson will play a lasting part in it? Do you want him to?

- I don’t think it will be difficult, she already made a few steps and evidently more to go but she could control her vice now. I believe Anderson will play a part in it I don’t know if it’ll be lasting though and yes I want him to be in on it.

5. God’s existence is a reoccurring question that Duffy and Josie both ask. What are the pivotal moments that lead Duffy to form his ultimate conclusion? When imagining Josie’s life beyond these pages, do you think her formative week with Duffy will lead her to have a similar or opposite belief?

- I think it was the serenity prayer before he died and him remembering the dearest people in his life while dying. I personally think Josie wouldn’t be as unconvinced us Duffy because she already had advantage with Duffy assisting her becoming sober.

6. We see how age underlines the experiences and interactions of the characters. Discuss the author’s varying portrayals of society’s treatment of the elderly. Which character do you think most accurately reflects today’s culture? Which character do you think society with aspire to be?

- In this book, the owner of the nursing home is treating her clients like a money pit. Some of the nurses on duty misinterpret the feelings of the elderly in this book, also. They probably assume the old age experience is the same for every old person they tend to. The book accurately reflects today’s culture the way they treat client, Charles. Society should aspire to be like Alice when they get old while being remorseful like Carl for his deeds in the past.

7. Do the characters meet your expectations of how they should think and act, considering their age? Has Duffy, or any of the characters change your perspective about people older or younger than you? If so, how?

- I think most of the characters met my expectations considering their age. Carl changed my perspective about older people, despite the wisdom from older people’s years, they turn too immature and choose shallow judgments.

8. When Duffy speaks about the staff’s apathy toward the antique pocket pistol in his dresser, he states, “People seem to believe its age devalued its purpose.” Discuss the gun’s role in the story as an allegory. Consider its lifespan, from the time it was forged to when it fired it’s final bullet.

- I presume Duffy was comparing the gun to him being an old person. A person who once was strong and brave, alike a gun remains that attribute though aged.

9. If Duffy had more time with Alice, do you think he would’ve had a chance with her? How do you feel about Alice holding on to her husband be on the vow “until death do us part”? In your mind, is there an age limit to romantic love?

- Definitely, Duffy would’ve had a chance. Alice, at her age, had opportunity and should have jumped on it. There is no age limit to a romantic love as long as it’s not adultery.

10. Alice tells Duffy, “Whatever it is you’re mourning from back when, don’t. It brought you here, now, to do what you’re doing, and what you’re doing is honorable and right.” Do you agree with her positive outlook when it comes to playing life’s long game? What other story lines validate her philosophy?

- I highlighted the excerpt and I truly agree. However, at one’s youth, one should totally pick the right decision to avoid terminal regrets. Storyline of Carl is another example.

11. In time, Duffy becomes certain that in order to survive the loss of a loved one, you have to believe that there are two different parts of a person: the stuff that ends up in the ground, and the stuff that doesn’t. Do you agree with Duffy? If not, how does your own belief of the afterlife shape your handling of such a loss?

- I concur with Duffy. I highlighted that excerpt too.

12. What does the title mean to you? In a perfect world,at the end of your life, what does your big finish look like?

- I didn’t occur to me at first but I guess that the title’s telling me to finish the book until its ending. It’s the most special part. In a perfect world, at the end of my life, the big finish would be to not be struggling from physical pains of aging.

[ehsan-nouri]

Simple Rules Rule: A Confession of Human-Made Misery

This is real. We are stuck in our homes and breathing through our narrow windows, worrying to go out, just in case that death might give us a random visit outdoors. Corona is real, physical and probably a touchable disease. A world-wide catastrophe is caused by this nasty creature, however, we wise human beings are aspiring to show our strength in the battle. But this has just popped into sight, while there were many other diseases out there, ones we were simply unable to see. Their symptoms have been long misunderstood and been referred to other causes. Their consequent effects have been so subtle to address and you may at the end of the next paragraphs, oppose me aggressively due to calling them a “disease”.

I haven’t been able to write and to live in the past few months, or even years. So, this is my most desperate effort to alleviate the pain of resting for more than a hundred days (How dare you want to have a life-time of rest and joy! That’s unbearable). But that’s not how it looks from inside. At least, I am not relieved of a long-time working agenda by this rest. On the other hand, a futile struggle of thoughts has been constantly happening in my mind, draining all the energy and leaveing no other option for better muscles to enjoy (every other part that can feel the real touch of joy, not this imaginary, perception-constrained and deluded machine we call “brain”).

I am asking you to dive with me, hand-in-hand in the endless ocean of thought. You already have done so, sorry not inform you early on. I do it alone everyday, but a companion will probably save me from draining, or maybe we will be swallowed by the monster, which is yet another great adventure. So here we are, watching the wild waves and deep dark blue eyes of our gorgeous friend who invites us to jump off the cliff and embrace her. The charm is irresistible.

Have you ever been re-engineering your self? Have you been successful in identifying your core drives? Sadly, we have a disadvantage of not having a tablet that shows what drives our emotions, in comparison to hosts in the Westworld TV series. Just the same drives that push you in the re-engineering room, prevent you from touching them. What a misery!

The sad ones among us, are consumed by the over-thinking virus. An incurable disease as old as the human consciousness and unfortunately the most ignored one! That’s even a larger misery that we, wise human beings, have stopped finding remedies for such a terrible illness. I guess it has always been the selfish healthy who ignored the danger carried by this virus, and since it was less contagious than the Corona one, they just let it out to infect the vulnerable and bring them slow decay. Who cares? Do you care for the drug addicted up until they cause you any harm or maybe infect you? No, you don’t. Take off your altruistic masks and let your inner monster be exposed.

Overthinking is paralyzing. It’s the lamp draining all the car battery and leaving you helpless in the middle of nowhere. It’s a process that consumes all the CPU and your systems becomes unable to handle simple tasks, like writing into Microsoft Word, as I’m doing now. Happily, my laptop is not traumatized that way and we can still put a few words together. But on certain days, we are both down. He is unable to play a single music track and I am as well unable to do anything other than watching him fail! As a former engineer, I some times make comparisons of the real world entities, with electronic parts, and only my fellow engineer friends get the point. On an expert level, one of my friends, with the same super-atheist level as me, usually quotes from important Muslim figures like Ali-ibn-Abi-Taleb to clarify his points. Can’t deny I love this offensive level of humor.

“We aren’t yet drown, there is hope.” That’s a lie! Let us go deeper to see how scientists and psychologists have failed us for centuries. This is a nasty monster who offers comfort getting away from him, while he’s still breathing out there. And the only remedy offered by our fancy science has been ignorance, let alone the chemical anti-depressants that treat us like the miserable pets we are. I’m in no position to criticize their efforts and not certainly ignore them. Ignorance is their game, not mine. They have been quite successful in curing the mentally paralyzed, but the case has not been fully resolved. The symptoms are vanished by force, but the inner cause lives. Usually these treatments take a long time and there’s still the possibility of a relapse, which puts the ill no other option than taking a life-time increasing dose of pills. Let’s hope they are not changing us in unforeseen ways. The vocabulary these fellow scientists and coaches use includes certain words like “Letting go”, “Vulnerability”, “Adaptation”, “Fate”, “Belief” and finally “Hope”. The most disgusting package of the human-made world of misery!

Indeed, it should be a simple issue. Since it’s rooted in a single monster, all explanations converge. Last year for example, I watched three movies from the amazing writer Charlie Kaufman, “Synecdoche New York”, “Adaptation” and “Anomalisa”. They were truly brilliant works of art that made me fall in love with Charlie’s works and for the first time I printed someone’s picture and sticked it onto the wall.

They were passionate moments. I tried to find every writing of him, watch all his speeches and movies. That’s how love works, and please spare me a lot of your time if you’d like to know more on how it works. You’ll love the love’s way and that puts you in an exponentially growing loop of feelings. But please don’t fall in love with your thoughts because you don’t want to occupy your brain with an exponentially growing demon. Do it with your heart, which as simply as possible “denies any thought!”

The secret behind my love story with Charlie was simple. He made confessions in an honest and vulnerable way. In his movies, you do really feel how characters fail in understanding the dynamics of their lives, despite their desperate efforts to understand. Caden Cotard in Synecdoche New York for example (named after the Cotard delusion, that one thinks he’s already dead), spends a life-time to build a massive theater representing routine human lives of every actor, letting them play their own story to show the secrets of real life. He wants to decipher them in a truthful way for his own comfort and in the eyes of the audience. But he fails, and Charlie portrays his failure with the ending of his life, having lost every endeavor, every precious meaning and finally “fading into oblivion”. Caden chose titles that could represent his huge theater over and over, but could never feel contempt with any. “Simulacrum”, “Flawed light of love and grief” and “The Obscure Moon Lighting an Obscure World” were among them. This challenge of understanding was likewise presented in his Adaptaion movie, written out of Susan Orlean’s “The Orchid Thief”. The name speaks itself.

When you adapt, you surrender. There’s no radical motive left. Nothing exceptional. You realize “That’s how it should work” when there’s no other option. Brené Brown introduces vulnerability as a symptom of courage. That is stepping into the unknown with all its uncertainties and possible failures, because there’s no other way. Our rational mind is unable to assess all uncertainties and alternatives. The more you push it towards a whole understanding, you find your self more troubled and helpless. But then we invent Courage, which says “If you can’t win with your mind, win with your heart”. If you knew there were strategies in a war that can put soldiers out of the field, you would definitely do, unless you are suffering from another disease called religion, which is irrelevant for now.

Let’s sort all other wise responses of our fellow intellectuals. Letting go of thought, as prescribed in many East Asian philosophies, stands as the most naïve one. Accepting the foolish concept of fate, as the banner of victimhood. Belief and faith as the food for fantasies. And finally, HOPE, the most deceptive force, has appeared in many literary works, paintings, songs and even social movements over time. Hope is like a temporary relief, a small bondage to stop bleeding while the wound is right there. I think we play with hope and protect ourselves when fears rush through the door. That’s a good game by the way. I have been dreaming for many months now, that I can bring this deceptive force back into myself and I’ve failed. After all, if the wound is meant to be there, why not using a bondage? Let’s decorate it with fancy colors, turn it into a piece of clothing and enjoy. The idea of decorating something immovable seems familiar, doesn’t? How many societies, books and doctrines have been built upon? But surely, we know that hope has the same rotten roots as courage. We project success in the future when we have no idea what is going to happen. Yet of course, why not?

The world grows unknown as you grow older. A world-wide false expression is that the elder, given their experience, understand the world better, while they only learn their limitations over time. That’s all. As kids, we falsely believe in our knowledge about the surrounding things and aging comes with the enlightenment of limitations. That’s why the elder hesitates in making decisions while the kid makes in an instant. I envy myself in five years ago, when I bravely made decisions and stood firm supporting them. That’s braveness my friend, however foolish it might seem.

Realm of creation is the realm of god. It’s stepping into the dark, courageously, anticipating various outcomes. That’s how Dr. Rollo May defines creation in his book “The courage to Create”. Once, in a long discussion with Mr. Zia, we both agreed in the comfort of accepting the melancholy caused by fears since it was god-like to be brave. And that’s true, we all like to be gods - The omniscient and powerful creature we invented in our most profound fictions. In him, the humankind has invested his most wild and selfish dreams. But it seems that Dr. May forgot the fact that gods are supposed to be free from constraints like time and limitations of knowledge. Fear of failure and unknown does not apply to those who know the consequences of every act, and believe me, that’s super boring!

We enjoy far more than gods do. The concept of courage is coupled with the concept of unknown. There is no courageous being who knows everything. Besides, when there’s unlimited time and resources available, no penalty for failure and no vision for success, you won’t feel anxious because you can always test other alternatives in your infinite life. How many times have you used cheat codes in a game and later felt regret because infinite cash destroyed the joy of earning it? Silly gods work with cheat codes.

We want wise men who can tell us the best scenarios in our daily decision making. They should be free from feelings and emotional attachments but decide best under time constraints- Time breeds anxiety when the process of reaching a conclusion takes long, and anxiety is a weakening force, if not a stopping one. But that will neither be humane nor god anymore. We have created another fiction, a constrained super-hero. It does not exist.

Let’s finish our miserable search for role-models and take a look at our real surroundings. All we own, is a bounded rationality limited by many elements. The world is complex. Events are the same and so does the relationship between things. Yet, simple rules rule. We know joy is out there and so is sadness. We will someday experience success and fail the other day. But is it a mess? Some of the successful among us may believe so. I guess because they are a mess themselves and have won by chance. Remember, sad losers who lost by chance, never express themselves. Contents published out there are mostly coming from fool naïve successful folks, who in their own terms were gifted with intelligence and wise decisions. Only a true loser can defeat them if he gets a say out there. Otherwise winning by chance turns into a culture and idiots will be ruling us. Oh, am I a bit late to say so?

There’s much left to say but I’m tired of writing. It’s 9PM already in Tehran and we’re in lockdown. Such a terrible complicated time to write about these simple rules. I study economic complexity in my thesis, and everyone should know that most complex behaviors arise from simple rules. Bounded rationality is too one of the core concepts. Actors in a complex system are not gods, but they can feel contempt with their limited decisions. The simple rule is that as humans, we can be contempt. We can accept our boundaries and learn few universal rules about love, expectations, happiness and staying sharp. The more we try extending our decision-making logic, the more we will grow weary of time and greedy of the results. So, am I letting go of all the heavy thought process I’ve defended up to now? No. That’s a gift. A wise man’s approach that should be treated with honor and be understood, while he learns and accepts his limitations. I am reading a book called “Simple Heuristics that Makes us Smart” with a group of friends and most of these notes were inspired by that. Hopefully, I can share a lot more about how these techniques could alleviate the pain of understanding while giving us good reasons to stop endless venturing in the unknown like gods! I wish to be contempt being a human.

[tinypigeonlord]

Don’t mind me, just have had a lot of thoughts on the new Pokemon game so imma write them down. There’s been a lot of posts and videos on what people wanna see or don’t wanna see in the new game too and I wanna give my own two cents to no one in particular.

So first of all graphics. I hear a lot of shit on that. Personally I don’t really have all that many expectations? Like yeah it’s gonna be a Switch game, the quality could possibly be better than we’ve seen. But also did people look over that ‘game footage not final’? Things may still improve and be further optimized. More than that, I love the artstyle atleast? Everything looks so colorful and vibrant and alive and goooood ;w; It sure got my attention. I can’t wait to see all the new areas on my big tv <3

Pokemon popping up and roaming vs random encounters: On one hand I love how lively everything looks with pokemon showing up in the overworld, on the other hand I love the random encounters? I personally liked hunting down specific pokemon, not knowing what I would encounter. I feel like this is also more fun when you’re doing a Nuzlocke; You can’t ‘cheat’ and select a pokemon from those that are currently roaming with random encounters. Aside from that, people mentioned that the roaming aspect made areas look more vacant instead because a lot of open space is needed for bigger pokemon roaming. And finally, it makes the surprise way more fun if a shiny shows up in a random encounter, instead of roaming between the rest of the ‘mon?

Pokemon following you/walking with you: PLS PLS PLS bring this back and expand on it, for all pokemon. Also the option to select which partymember you want to walk with. That was one thing that bummed me out in HeartGold/SoulSilver. If I wanted to walk with my fave, I also needed to have it in the front of the party and throw it out in battle, even in areas where it was at a disadvantage due to type or level. And sometimes I had a pokemon in front for the sake of progression but I didnt necessarily want to walk with it, but there was no option to turn walking off in HG/SS. I believe they did add these options in Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee, but I havent played these games so I don’t know for sure what the options are. I kinda also want to have the option to pick whether I will walk with a ride pokemon or actually ride it? Like, it was hella cool that you could ride arcanine, persian, haunter or snorlax, etc. But what if I wanted it to just follow me? :/ What I also want back is the national dex once you completed the main story. Let most of the pokemon which first appear be gen 8, and after you beat the main game, pokemon from other generations show up more and you can catch new pokemon that were previously unavailable. I hated how in SuMo, I couldnt see a pokemon’s national dex number, and couldnt get any data on it if it wasnt native to Alola. 

Also this is gonna sound surprising coming from a shiny hunter, but I want the shiny charm to be a reward for filling the entire national dex again (minus mythicals/events), and make the shiny rate 1/8192 again instead of 1/4091. As much as I love my shinies, I kinda feel like they’re becoming a really common thing and way too easy to obtain? I do like there being methods to find shinies easier, such as Masuda breeding, chain-fishing, SOS-chaining, etc, but make it atleast a little bit harder than it currently is, to make all that effort worth it.

Compatibility with pokebank/the 3DS titles!! I want to transfer all my precious bbies I caught over the years to come join me in the next adventure. That would make it even more awesome if walking pokemon also returns; I can walk with my faves then, not just the pokemon available in Sword/Shield. Also Cloud compatibility. I know Nintendo is afraid of people abusing Cloud to edit save files and I can see them not adding cloud for Pokemon to prevent peeps from somehow cloning or editing pokemons, but on the other hand... Right now, I have ALL my rare, valuable pokemon stored on a Ultra Sun cartridge. Every super rare shiny legendary I spent MONTHS on to encounter, every event pokemon from events that will never happen again, and every pokemon that has nostalgic value to me. If that game cartridge breaks, they’re all gone. If Cloud storage would be a thing for pokemon, I’d have a lot less anxiety about gathering all my babies on a single game with the risk of losing ALL OF THEM. Besides, I pay for online service and cloud, and thusfar havent been able to use the feature for my games :/

And definitely compatibility with pro controller. I really do not like the feel of the joycons, nor the pokeball plus, especially not after playing for a few hours, so I’m really hoping we’ll be able to use the pro controller. Considering we seem to be getting the old battle system back instead of Let’s Go’s, I don’t see why they shouldn’t add pro controller compatibility. Besides, I spent a lot of money on this thing, lemme use it >:v

Customization. The new trainers look absolutely adorable, but being able to make your trainer fit your style more is still great and makes things more personal. On one hand I’d love even more options for customization than in SuMo, on the other hand I fear I will never even get anywhere cause I’ll be spending hours mixing and matching outfits :’D I am not at all fashionable irl, but my characters in games have to look tip top. Most importantly, I want gender-neutral stuff!! As in, the option to wear clothes or hairstyles regardless of the gender you picked at the beginning. Give me a girl and the female pronouns, but the option to get the haircut that the boys get and that flannel he wears. For example.

Minigames! Not everyone is a fan of them, but personally I love things like Contests, PokeAthlon, the Underground, Missions in the Festival Plaza, etc. Especially multiplayer stuff. Give me other stuff to do besides battling. And on that note give me fun multiplayer features; besides trading and battling! The feature where you can call for another trainer in Let’s Go seemed fun to me. Being able to connect with other players and joining them in your game to do stuff together. Like how you can invite people to your town in Animal Crossing, go to the island and take on island challenges from Tortimer.

Story-wise, it would be great to have a big long story, also post-game, which doesn’t end too soon, but with the option to skip cutscenes if you so please, and more importantly, have the freedom to also explore. In Sun/Moon, you were constantly forced to go to a very specific location, everything else was blocked, and you had a cutscene every new area. Like, it was all very linear. I love the older games in that regard, where there is a story, but you figure out yourself how to progress without NPCs constantly telling you where to go and what to do. I always have this issue where after I’m done with the story, I’m kind of... lost on what to do next, so personally I love a long story to keep me busy. Give me a serious threat for the antagonists. Team Skull was lovely and I enjoyed their antics, but I want to feel like I’m saving the Galar region or even bigger, rather than just stomping on some bullies, PETA (Plasma) or fashion disasters (Flare). Also gimme an asshole rival. Lately we’ve had a bunch of precious bbies who must be protected, now bring back a rival who deserves an asswhooping and had it coming. :v As for the new gyms with gym masters instead of leaders, I have no opinion yet. I like the good ol’ themed gyms, I liked the trials. The arena thing looks pretty neat thusfar, but there’s not enough info yet for me to have much of an opinion now. I heard a rumor that this game will also have missions you can do to earn rewards & brownie points, and that would be really cool. I always really love missions in RPGs. I’m just hoping that there will be like, a combination of one-time missions AND daily missions so you don’t run out of things to do eventually after completing a whole list.

I’m also hoping that any potential mythical pokemon will come in the form of missions. The whole serial codes giveaways suck. Just entering a code for some random delivery man to appear in the pokemon center, just casually handing you a super rare mythical pokemon like it’s nothing is just bs. Give me new story, sidequests or missions DLC for a mythical pokemon instead. Like Celebi in Crystal + HG/SS, Mew in Emerald, Shaymin and Darkrai in Platinum, and then expand the missions even more. Pokemon Ranger actually did this really well; you had to go on a mission involving the pokemon before you got it.

Finally, maybe a difficulty setting. People always complain that the games are too easy and that you have to use self-imposed rules such as Nuzlockes to make it remotely challenging. Maybe add a normal or easy mode for young kids just getting into the games, including tutorials such as the trainer school so they can get used to how everything works. Make a harder setting for veterans who like the games to have some challenge but are still in it for the story, and a Very Hard/Ultimate mode for competitive players who know every in and out of the game and are looking for a challenge where you really have to balance your team out and know what you’re doing to progress, and for people who can’t care less about the story elements of the games.

[houseofvans]

ART SCHOOL | Q&A w/ Mark Rogers (PDX)

Known for his oil paintings of extraterrestrial beings in Western backdrops, artist Mark Rogers creates quite literally some out-of-this-world artwork. Rogers’s pioneer and alien narratives started out as writings that would later evolve into his body of work, focusing on this idea that “aliens are [the] modern folklore creatures of our current time.” We’re excited to chat with this self taught artist and talk about various topics including his paintings, his sketchbook, and his sighting of a U.F.O in 2009! 

Photographs courtesy of the artist.

Tell us about yourself Hi, I am Mark Rogers. I am a painter from Portland, Oregon. I have an irrational fear of bees, I am a vegan, and I love metal. Thanks so much for interviewing me.

What is your art background and when did you first get into drawing? I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. A lot of my elementary school memories were of me drawing on back side of whatever assignment the teachers had handed out to us, and possibly getting into trouble for it.

Being self taught, what are your thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of maybe not attending art school?  Well, I don’t have to deal with the crippling student loan debt. Perhaps this is the most advantageous aspect of being self-taught. I received my degree in Political Science of all things, perhaps out of a sense of naive idealism before the grim apathy of adulthood sunk it’s fangs into my heart. I started making art seriously at an older age, (around 27) and felt that the school-thing wasn’t for me any more. Because I have never been to art school, I can’t completely attest to the advantages, but I do know quite a few other artists who have gone to art school, who also work a few shifts a week in restaurants and bars like myself. The same holds true of political science majors. It seems like I’m on the right path.    

Tell us about your current work which feature some prominent protagonist in the form of extraterrestrial beings interacting with American pioneers in the 1800’s. How did they evolve into your subject matter? Before I started painting, I dabbled in writing, but I wasn’t really that good at it.  My pioneer/alien narrative coalesced over the course of many paintings and sketchbook doodles and I am learning more about the story all the time. I feel that Aliens are the modern folklore creatures of the our current time as maybe fairies and elves were their predecessors from earlier generations. I have always loved westerns, but felt that they were sort of boring due to the lack of magic or mystery. A lot of people might say that my work is science fiction, but I am actually trying to create/explore a newer fantasy paradigm that is both magical and American. …..also I saw a UFO in 2009.

Wait, whoaaaa … Please share with us your U.F.O story. It was the early summer of 2009 and I was married at the time, living in Springfield Oregon. My ex-wife and I were walking down Centennial Blvd around dusk, headed to the corner store, when we both saw a glowing ball of orange light silently make its way really low across the sky to our right to vanish over the horizon line. We both looked at each other with huge eyes and say at the same time “UFO”. It was super weird and eerie. 

Later that summer we bought a telescope and spent a bit of time each night in the back yard hoping to see something like what we had witnessed, but sadly I have never seen anything like that ever again. That was around the time that I first began painting, although I didn’t paint aliens and such until much later. The painting that I made called, “Prayer to the Magi” depicts the actual UFO that we both witnessed. It might not be an actual ship from outer space, but it was certainly unusual, and unidentifiable.

What’s the weirdest comment or compliment you’ve gotten on a piece? I had a guy the other day tell me that if I painted an Alien virgin Mary, he would have that tattooed on his belly. Some people just message me wanting to talk about their experiences or their extraterrestrial DNA.

What were you painting or drawing prior to extraterrestrials?  Can you look back and see a direct evolution to what you’re painting now?  What was your first painting, painting? I have always done narrative paintings with characters but they didn’t have the same theme as my current work. They focused usually on something personal in my life that bothered me and I would use symbolism to create an image usually with ghosts and skulls and creepy spooky stuff. My first painting sucked and it was of a woman with branches growing out of her head and perched on the branches were crows. I recently learned from Game of Thrones that was she was doing would be considered “warging”.  

Do you keep a sketchbook or work your ideas as you go along?  What type of sketchbook do you keep – disorganized chaos or neat and clean? Hell Yeah!! My sketch book is my most important art weapon as well as a wonderfully antisocial lifestyle choice. I have used a lot of sketchbooks over the years, but my total favorite is the Stillman and Birn Gamma Series 9X12. My sketchbooks are filled with thumbnails, doodles and watercolor paintings. Some pages are organized and some are bonkers depending on my sobriety during my bi-weekly drink and draw sessions. I usually go out to coffee and draw once or twice a week too. I bring my sketchbook along with a box of art supplies with me everywhere.    

What are the current mediums you work with? What about them are forgiving and what about them is challenging if at all? I love oil painting!! It is my main medium and mega-forgiving. I have tried comic-style inking but getting all the lines perfect on the first shot really stressed me out. I love the slower drying time of oils, the rich colors you can get with glazing, and the texture of the paint. The poisons are fun too! I live in a small studio apartment and my easel is about 8 feet from my bed.  The only thing that is really challenging about oil painting is that packing in tiny details can be a little tricky, but it works for me, and I don’t ever foresee changing mediums.

What’s your specific artistic process like? Does a schedule help you? Are you a morning person or night owl? I am extremely process oriented. My typical flow goes: Sketchbook thumbnail, gather reference, better sketchbook thumbnail, draw on the panel, spray fix and cover it with matte medium, then do an underpainting and then the final layers. After that I varnish the painting and photograph it, frame it, and then usually mail it somewhere. I have a suggested art schedule, but I never stick to it. Instead, I am always kind of working or squeezing in chunks of painting time in here or there.  I am a total night owl, in fact I rarely leave my apartment unless it is dark out.

What artists are you really into at the moment? What is it about his or her work that stand out to you? I like so many artists both classical and contemporary that it is hard to really answer this question. I am very inspired by a lot of my friends and the community of people that I have met online. I feel like the person that most fascinates me currently is James Gurney because he is really into sharing his process. I have learned so much by just reading his blog. I love how he is a plein air painter as well as an amazing illustrator. I have almost all of his books.

Do you have a favorite pair of Vans (classics, sk8-hi etc)? I am currently wearing the AUTHENTIC black on black, but I also have had a ton of the OLD SKOOL and SK8 HI in the past.

What are some words you like to live by? I don’t have an exact quote, but I am very big on the idea of “Grit” as a personality trait. According to wikipedia: “Grit in psychology is a positive, non-cognitive trait based on an individual’s passion for a particular long-term goal or end state, coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective.” I feel that Grit is the most important personality trait of any serious artist.  

What are you looking forward to the rest of this year artwise? I have been working a ton with Red Truck Gallery in New Orleans, and I will continue to over the course of the year, with maybe a trip down to Los Angeles for the LA Art show and another trip to NOLA for fun. Also, I would really like to complete a very large painting with lots of characters before the year is over. Finally, it would be nice to have the Alien implant in my frontal cortex removed if possible. Thanks so much for interviewing me, Mike!

Follow Mark Rogers Website | http://www.markrogersart.com Instagram | @Markrogersart