#either chasing something grand to prove themselves there's something to live for that's fun that's worth it or wanting and getting control

[veliatra]

Do I like Gortash because he means what he says, has easily readable expressions and I struggle reading such things from people

or

he's a racoon man tickling the 2013 era of wanting to BE SOMETHING GRAND and powerful, so I must love these (creepypasta) monsters, because they're just as EVIL AS I (spoilers: no, you're just a child, you aren't bad, or needy or too much trouble.)?

[aaluminiumas]

Millstones

Shanks openly relished the pirate life: he could name one hundred reasons to become a buccaneer, and that oh-so-proverbial One Piece every rookie dreamt about wouldn’t be listed among the first thirty. This man loved listening to waves rustling; he could spend hours admiring the landscape while holding the ship’s wheel and staring into nowhere – but with the same zeal he threw himself into battle standing up for his friends and crewmates. And a good fight is sure to be celebrated by a downpour of sake, a loud burst of laughter and a couple of brazen jokes around the campfire somewhere far away. Isn’t it what happiness is all about?

He long forgot the place he called home. Was it a little windswept archipelago somewhere in the middle of the Grand Line? Or, perhaps, a bustling city that never sleeps? Or, probably, a tiny village on the outskirts of the Goa Kingdom where he tended to return in attempt to remember the good old times and to order a mug of sake while singing a song unanimously with other frequenters?..

Red-haired Shanks grunted under his breath and turned the ship to the left. Out of the corner of the eye the man caught the glimpse of a sea king coming to the surface. Oddly enough, this one didn’t pay the slightest attention to them: the creature had either managed to devour another crew chasing Gol D. Roger’s treasure, or simply took no notice of the vessel. Making sure the ruthless animal swam away, the pirate consulted his log pose – and in a couple of seconds he spotted the familiar sky-line of the Goa Kingdom: a city surrounded by a thick wall with a swarm of windmills in the distance. They moved in the same fashion, clockwise, peacefully and steadily, filling the air with quiet and mollifying creaking everybody was accustomed to. Even the fragrance of this wonderful place was unique: clear, slightly salty and dusty as if abundant in flour that never trickled out of the millstones completely.

Long time ago – a whole eternity ago! – he saved Luffy from a sea king and lost his arm in the process. A ridiculous price for a funny kid who managed to create problems whenever he went naively smiling all the way. Shanks couldn’t put his finger on his behavior: how dared this child roughly as tall as his leg challenge someone much stronger! But despite his obvious paternal affection for the brave boy, there was definitely something else that attracted him to the tavern not far from the biggest windmill.

Although Shanks didn’t have his own kids, he as well as his crew enjoyed talking to Luffy days on end telling unbelievable stories about their adventures. The lad whose eyes were beaming with anticipation caught every word evincing sheer awe and reverence. Listening to the pirates, he imagined himself to be one, and didn’t even doubt he would be lucky enough to get into a bit of a scrape to fight back any offender.

But Luffy wasn’t the only one who delighted pirate tales. The hostess of the tavern, calm and light-hearted Makino, dwelled on every word spoken as if she herself were a little girl. She knew she wouldn’t exchange her settled life for the fierce and unpredictable ocean but the exciting fables soon interwove into her daily routine turning into a significant part of the world she lived in. Every evening Shanks dropped in at the tavern, ordered a whole barrel of sake for his crew – and laughed, recalling the most mind-blowing events that took everybody’s breath away. These were miraculous days, weren’t they?

The red-haired man grinned to himself recollecting the night when Makino, who just started wiping off plates, ventured to ask an odd question – he needed a solid minute to ponder over it and give her a decent reply.

“Shanks-san,” she called him quietly and put the plates on a shelf feeling sheepish, “Aren’t you…” the woman raised her eyes to audaciously look at him, “Aren’t you afraid? Aren’t you scared at all?”

He thought for a second, sipped on his drink and adjusted the straw hat that hadn’t yet made its way to Luffy. “Afraid,” he finally deduced and pushed his mug aside, “But not for myself.”

Shanks turned his head in the direction of his friends stuffing themselves with meat and arguing about mermaids. Someone began to sing – slightly out of tune, –and the rest cheerfully took up, though not unanimously at all. The woman got perplexed for a moment or two – and, amazed to a fault, kept staring at the visitor in the straw hat not fully comprehending what he meant by this.

The man laughed, “Just imagine what kind of mess Luffy can make when we sails away! He’s ready to challenge a sea king to prove his strength and audacity,” Shanks bestowed a broad smile on her folding his hands on the table, “But I believe one day he’ll become more cauti–”

At this very moment, ‘the cautious kid’ caused a huge knife to fall. Luffy was about to yell at the top of his lungs – but immediately noticed the heaven-sent hand of the red-haired man and closed his cry-contorted mouth. His orbs sparkled – the boy got charmed again.

However, it wasn’t the only time Makino asked bizarre questions: she was genuinely enthralled by his lifestyle even though she never wanted to be a pirate. He liked that disclosed interest, curiosity to the foreign world of his, and bit by bit such discussions created a tight bond of friendship between them which somewhat impelled the crewmates to shamelessly tease their captain – not unkindly, of course. His comrades didn’t mean anything bad – they simply relished the sight of the normally collected hostess who now smiled meekly and blushed slightly. Taking it as a certain sign, the captain cut the jokes short with a loud laugh and another mug of sake.

Thing ran their course.

It’s been quite some time since then… Ace died almost two years ago, Luffy is already up in arms, and the millstones are working just as steadily, turning wheat into flour. When did he visit the place last time?.. It was simply indecent on his part considering the amount of time he spent there. Is the mayor just as grumpy and meticulous as he used to be? And what about that bandit, Dadan, Luffy told so much about? Is she doing fine? And the tavern where he hung out so often with his crew, is it in the same place?..

For a moment the red-haired man yielded to a vague feeling of nostalgia: the reminiscences goaded him to squeeze out a lopsided grin, and the decision he’d recently made, got its shape: the yonko was absolutely sure of the actions he was about to perform.

“Welcome to the Goa Kingdom!” he declared in a stentorian voice turning to face his boatswain ready to comply with the ensuing command. “Time to have some fun, guys!”

This order was met by a loud explosion of shenanigans: they’d just savored a good fight, and now they were eager to live it up.

*** “Makino been at ‘ome fo’ a week already,” a sprightly old lady reported to Shanks while giving hearty slaps to presumptuous pirates. “’er boy got ill. But drop in at ‘er place anyway, she’ll be ‘appy to see ya. It isn’t too fa’ from ‘ere… Bah! Where ya goin’ bone’ead?!” the old crone quacked and hit someone with a beer mug she was holding. “So, just ‘ound the corne’… those gates. Damn you, Satan!”

The red-haired pirate grinned at the educational methods that old woman employed, gave her a golden coin and left the tavern. His feet brought him directly to the neat small house with huge flower beds in front. The man didn’t get what the bartender meant by ‘her boy got ill’ but the galvanic yearning for the past demanded new memories and Makino indeed was an integral part of the time he spent here and needed so desperately. Shanks automatically noticed that he became the center of attention: those who didn’t know he used to visit the village raked their brains as to why one of the yonkos decided to come while his friends, along with the mayor, were genuinely joyous to see him and greeted the man asking for how long he planned to stay. There were others, suspicious ones, who revealed their growing displeasure and apprehension – but they tended to avoid any eye-contact with the guest.

Makino’s cottage looked even smaller when he approached it: the house reminded him of the tiny huts he saw at the Pigmy Island but seemed solid enough to handle a powerful hurricane. Shanks couldn’t recollect whether he ever paid visits to his friends: there was no point doing it as they met at the tavern every evening to discuss recent local news And now… he felt almost embarrassed.

He knocked – and heard a clear voice.

“Wait a minute!” Makino was certainly busy, “I’m ̶ Shanks-san?!”

Opening the door, Makino froze at the sight of the man at the threshold: the young woman was holding a hefty bundle with a sniffing baby – with the free hand, she tried to do her hair.

“Are you here for long..?” she attempted to atone, her lips smiling irresolutely.

“No… I dunno.”

She adjusted her son to hold him comfortably, pushed the door open and stepped aside letting the guest in. Despite their common past where no one hid anything from the other, currently both of them felt perplexed and confused: Shanks realized he came amiss, and Makino simply didn’t expect to see the man she used to read about emerging in her tiny cottage. Since he became a yonko, she stopped waiting for his loud visits: a man of importance like him – even if a pirate, – probably had more significant affairs to deal with than singing songs somewhere in a godforsaken village.

Closing the door behind him, the young woman unswathed the parcel and made sure the baby felt better. In a moment, she placed him on the floor and gave him his favorite toy – a plush parrot which was immediately seized by a viselike grip of two chubby hands.

“How you doing?” the pirate asked nonchalantly perusing the modest, spick and span room and finally swiveling his eyes to look at the roly poly tyke crawling around. “What a swashbuckling lady replaced you,” he mentioned with a short laugh. “She’s a real smasher. Can kick anyone out of the pub!”

“Oh… Kagurumi-san… she has her own approach to problem clients,” Makino gave out a small but nonetheless genuine smile bit by bit getting accustomed to his company and his manners that didn’t change at all. “What about you? Have you seen Luffy? I’ve read something in a newspaper but… since he… since… that day I heard a number of things but I am not sure what exactly should be trusted.”

“Luffy’s fine. He’s coped with Ace’s death and is ready to make a scoop and win all front pages,” Shanks said firmly instantly getting the facts straight and calling it the way he saw it – he had to be the reasonable one even though Makino had a hard time speaking about the situation. “Don’t worry about him: he’s already striving to get in trouble.” The yonko broke into a smile, sat down on the sofa and pointed to the boy with a subtle nod of his head: the kid had been playing with the dark cloth of Shanks’ coat probably considering it a better toy. “What’s his name?” “Kenta. Kenta, don’t touch it.” Her delicate hand tenderly brushed across the plump fingers. “No.”

“Why not?” the man’s smile grew even broader, and he sat the boy in his lap. “How old ‘re ye, pal?”

“Not… too much.”

The conversation dragged. Makino clearly felt reluctant to discuss her personal life: she was either afraid of mocking and misunderstanding, or instinctively realized she had fallen in love with the man who kept her company during those long nights at the tavern filled with stories about other islands and seas. She loved his tales and his smile; she adored his laugh and sonorous voice – she even found herself enchanted by his manners sufficiently graceful for a pirate. But the woman never thought it could go further anytime soon. Don’t friends see each other as beautiful, kind people? Don’t they acknowledge the best in one another? Don’t they admire each other?..

The woman sat there, motionless and calm, but it was obvious she couldn’t ease the tension even though she tried to seem friendly.

“If I’m unwanted here, I’ll go,” Shanks spotted her nervousness and adjusted the collar of his coat, evidently about to stand up. “We happened to be around, so of course everyone was eager to remember the best moments of the past… to have a look at good ol’ Windmill. I’m sorry if I meddled in.” he said in the same light-hearted voice not holding any grudge against her.

She replied by a tender, smooth gesture – the woman put her hand onto his shoulder. Kenta, not paying attention to his mother’s agitation, examined the stranger awkwardly standing up and trying to reach the flaming red hair. The man looked so extraordinary – he never met anyone like this among his mom’s guests.

“We all were shocked when… this happened,” the smile faded away for a second, and the eyes got hazy. “I mean, Ace and Whitebeard's death. When Garp came, even Dadan wasn’t her usual self – you remember, that mountain bandit who raised Luffy and… the rest.” She didn’t dare call Ace by the name the second time. “But bit by bit everything’s falling into place, and… if Luffy did it, we will succeed too.” The woman stated in the voice laced with confidence, her bright eyes staring at Shanks. “The whole world is reconstructing, and we are not an exception, fortunately or unfortunately. We have to adapt as well. Thankfully, Goa isn’t the place every single pirate darts to conquer, so everything’s more or less quiet here.” Makino eventually managed to get rid of stiffness. “What about you? How are you, Shanks-san?..”

“Whitebeard’s death is definitely a tragedy for everyone,” he drawled pensively automatically playing with Makino’s son. “And it did multiply the number of problems to deal with. But we’re still trying to live the same way and to do whatever we did before the new era: to have fun, to fight and to drink.” He let out another laughter and brought Kenta up to his shoulder. “Look, what a rider you have here!”

The boy giggled and hugged the pirate by the neck.

Makino slightly blushed. “He… likes you. He doesn’t normally trust people so easily but you seem to make a good impression. I’m afraid he’s going to chase you just like Luffy!” she shook her head in a histrionic reproach.

“So Windmill is going to have a pirate dynasty? Our future Pirate King will be happy to know there’s someone to inherit the skills!”

All of a sudden the mood lightened by itself: Makino released herself and relaxed, cheerfully laughing at the crass jokes he always spilled. The balance restored into the universe: the woman no longer shied away from the guest and honestly replied to his simple questions; she even mentioned what she used to be doing before his visit to the village. He listened to her carefully catching every word, japed and reminisced on certain occasions that came to his mind. Sometimes, making Kenta participate in the confabulation, Shanks questioned him as well just to hear a short ‘yea’ or displeased sniff.

The day was declining, but even after lulling her son to sleep, Makino didn’t intend to part ways with the man who returned just to say hello and to check up on her.

“Have you… rented anything?” she requested quietly, taking off her bandanna protecting her head from the burning sun. “If not, you can stay over. Of course if you don’t mind.” She hurried to add wondering whether she’d gone too far.

Shanks quirked his eyebrows and scratched the tip of his nose. “Why not?.. If anything I should pay a little bit more attention to my closest friend. In fact, I was kinda scared I frightened you.” He noticed undoing the laces of his coat.

She emitted a soft laugh grabbing the outerwear off his hand and hanging it on a peg. “I’m not afraid of you, I’m afraid of the changes you’re bringing along,” she answered simply. “But now I understand that we are… protected. We have nothing to be scared of with a friend like you,” Makino said in whisper, in a barely audible tone. Not switching on the lights, she dared give the guest a bear hug – even though it was evanescent and ephemeral, she managed to express her emotions the best way she could – with innate modesty and chastity. “Thank you. If only had I known how to thank you properly…”

Shanks caught her fingers and pressed the narrow pale hand to his lips. “You have provided a shelter. A pirate wouldn’t even dream about a bigger thing.” He let go off her hand and pulled away from her, his smile friendly and cordial and yet exposing some unknown fatigue Makino had never come across before. 

“Good night, Makino. I am glad to know we are friends regardless our long separation. You know, it’s so disrespectful of us to keep each other in the dark. But we didn’t have a choice!” he made a helpless gesture with his hand and disappeared in the room she had prepared for him to immediately fall into deep slumber.

And the hostess after putting her son’s toys in the box, shook her head and covered Shanks with a blanket: the nights may grow cold, and he certainly had enough of chilling wind on board. He deserved the comfort of the settled life he willingly rejected – he would never get used to that anyway…

[buffyversefanfiction]

Buffy versus The Originals

Warnings: I do not own nor claim to own the copyrights to the following tv shows; “Buffy the vampire slayer”, “Angel”, “The Originals”, “The Vampire Diaries”. Nor do I claim to own any canonical continuation via comics, spin-off televisions and such. I do not claim to own any of the characters within either the Buffyverse or the TVDverse, I am purely doing this for non-profit as a fan of both worlds and fanfiction itself.

15 Plus: May contain medium to graphic displays of violence and torture, displays of witchcraft practice, horror elements, supernatural elements, sexual innuendos, and scenes of a sexual nature.

F/F, F/M, M/M, GEN + OTHER

Preliminary Round: Part One

Buffy Summers managed to stop yet another apocalypse not that there was ever any doubt that she would win, she always wins. Although, to be fair this time around her hometown of Sunnydale was destroyed during the big battle and what once was a beautiful Californian town looked like nothing more than a tribute to the Grand Canyon leaving Buffy and her friends homeless.

Luckily, the blonde-haired vampire slayer knew of a certain vampire with a soul called Angel who happened to live in a semi-decaying hotel located in Los Angeles, and after a quick and awkward phone call with the vampire she once loved Buffy, her friends, her loved ones, and her fellow slayers made their way to L.A. to seek refuge with Angel and his team at the Hyperion Hotel.

Angel well and truly had his hands full at the Hyperion Hotel after rejecting Wolfram and Hart’s offer, his city always kept him busy with its many supernatural creatures, but he also had the complicated mission of trying to wake the woman he loved from her supernaturally influenced coma.

So, when Buffy, his former love, called him up looking for a place to stay briefly he was more than willing to oblige, hoping Buffy and her team could help in waking Cordy up.

Cordelia Chase had gone from being a spoiled rich girl at Sunnydale High School, to the vision’s girl at Angel Investigations to a half human, half demon, hybrid that found herself getting possessed by a rogue member of the powers that be called Jasmine, the latter using a magical pregnancy to give birth to herself, sending Cordy into a coma shortly after giving birth. 

Cordelia was the heart of Angel Investigations and it was struggling to operate without her, her friends and loved ones, were struggling to cope without her and so, Angel, Wesley, Fred, and Gunn were more than thrilled to have guests at the hotel who could lend a helping hand.

Faith Lehane had also gone through many changes herself, going from being a rogue slayer pitting herself up against Buffy, to finding redemption with the help and patience of Angel. So, after becoming Buffy’s ally once again, and helping her defeat the first in Sunnydale, the brunette Boston born slayer was more than happy to check into the Hyperion Hotel and catch up with her old friend Angel, especially after hearing the tall, dark, and handsome, vampire with a soul, needed help in waking Cordelia from a coma.

Buffy, Angel, and both their teams, sure proved to be the big help that Angel Investigations needed with the night-to-night hunting, and patrolling, however, the mission to awake Cordelia Chase struggled to pick up momentum which Cordelia herself began to grow impatient about as her fragmented spirit began appearing to them all frequently, complaining, and eager to get back into her comatose body.

Willow Rosenberg searched every grimoire, book, and magic shop to find a magical solution to Cordelia’s coma until eventually she came up with the idea to cast a spell which would not only summon Cordelia’s spirit but would force said spirit to return to her body. The spell in question required a non-beating heart, horns from a near extinct demonic species, and the translation of a long-forgotten language.

Willow waited for a reasonably quiet night to perform the spells she believed would bring Cordelia back to her body, waiting until it was just her, Buffy, Angel, and Faith in the hotel and gathered them all within the grand foyer of the hotel, as they each sat down on the floor in a circle, while Willow held a book in her hands, ready to cast her magic, ready to bring Cordelia Chase back.

The first spell to summon Cordelia’s spirit was performed, cast, and executed to perfection by the brilliant red headed wonder witch, however, the second spell to return Cordelia to her comatose body went a little awry as Willow accidentally opened a portal to a whole other dimension, a portal which wound up pulling Cordelia’s spirit into, as well as Buffy, Angel, and Faith before closing itself and leaving Willow completely alone, and without any idea of where they went, or how to get her friends back.

“Way to go Wills, now where the hell did, she send us this time?” Faith wondered as she, Buffy, Angel, and Cordelia found themselves, picking themselves up off the ground within the bayou in New Orleans late at night, each of them completely confused as to where Willow’s spell had sent them to. “I think it is safe to say we’re definitely not at the Hyperion Hotel, and knowing our luck we’re probably not even in Los Angeles.” Buffy replied to her, as she looked around the bayou, attempting to piece together where they were. “Hey! I’m back to being solid again!” Cordelia screeched with excitement as she threw her arms around Angel and pulled him in for a hug, the two of them equally as excited to see and feel each other once again. “Enough of the sickeningly sweet reunion time, we all know what happens when you get happy Angel.” Faith warned Angel, as she pulled him out of Cordelia’s arms, eagerly breaking off their hug. “You’ll lose your soul, then Cordy becomes food to soulless you, and me and B wind up tossing a coin to see which slayer takes you down this time around. “Well at least Willow’s spell to put you back in your body clearly worked.” Buffy stated to Cordelia, before the questioning slayer turned her attention to Angel. “You did not store her body in the woods, did you?” “No, I never!” Angel denied nervously, as he noticed a disapproving glare from Cordelia. “Not like you can blame him if he did, I mean maybe the big man’s still a little pissed about you bumping uglies with his son, I mean did you not used to change his diapers?” Faith teased Cordelia, more than happy to stir the pot between Cordelia and Angel. “Firstly, that was some wacky super powered bitch called Jasmine who not only hijacked my body but got me pregnant just to give birth to herself. Secondly, I would never sleep with his son when not possessed…stupid rogue powers that be hussy!” Cordelia snapped back at Faith, clearly disgusted. “I swear those powers that be can go straight to hell!” “As fun as this is, how about we change the topic and find a way back to the hotel?” Angel suggested to the women, more than eager to change the conversation about his son Connor’s past with the woman he loved. “Yeah, I don’t really want to hear about my ex’s love triangle with my high school classmate and his adult son.” Buffy agreed with the brooding vampire. “Straight to hell, you hear me?” Cordelia screamed upwards towards the clouds, hoping the powers that be were listening and heard her fury. As the foursome decided to explore their whereabouts it did not take them very long to find their way out of the bayou and learn that they were in the city of New Orleans, the only thing they did not know was the fact that they were no longer in their world, they were now in the Mikaelsons’ world…

Preliminary Round: Part Two

Josh Rosza had been through a lot since turning into a vampire, going from being a club kid turned vampire to best friend to the young harvest witch Davina Claire to the boyfriend of werewolf Aiden, but the hardest change in his life that he had to adjust to was losing his first love at the hands of a wicked witch called Dahlia, a loss that at first he blamed Klaus Mikaelson for.

Josh was never particularly popular with any of the original family of vampires and neither did he want to be, knowing all too well that friends of the Mikaelson siblings tended to quickly turn into foes before winding up permanently dead at their hands but all that had changed over the last few months following the notorious family defeating Dahlia.

Following Camille O Connell’s unexpected departure from New Orleans, Josh had managed to take over her job bartending at Rousseau’s which meant dealing with all kinds of clientele including none other than the hybrid Klaus Mikaelson himself, who had become a regular while drowning his sorrows every night since Cami had left.

Fear was quickly taken over by fascination as Josh’s reluctance to grow close to any original began to dwindle as friendship quickly grew between Josh and Klaus, a friendship which had started out with two lonely hearts before developing into something much deeper, a bond truly cherished by them both.

Klaus Mikaelson tended not to make friends easily mostly due to the fact he did not want to and even when the original hybrid did make the occasional friend it was never too long before he either watched them be murdered or they displeased him in some kind of way leading to him killing them.

However, following Cami’s decision to leave New Orleans behind for good, the fact Hayley Marshall had moved away with his daughter Hope and his brother Elijah was not currently talking to him, Klaus was in need of some kind of company and he found that and more with newbie vamp turned bartender Joshua Rosza.

Klaus found himself spending more and more time with Josh as a regular at Rosseau’s until the two unlikely companions quickly found themselves developing a friendship made from two lonely hearts graduating into something deeper and before long the original hybrid would come to think of the vampire bartender as his best friend, a friendship which Klaus valued greatly and would protect at any cost.

Rebekah Mikaelson had been granted her freedom from always having to be by her brother’s side, forced to endure heartbreak after heartbreak as Klaus put his needs and wants before her own time and time again, but now she was free and yet it did not feel like it to the original female vampire.

Rebekah had been travelling the world in search of a way to bring her brother Kol back, chasing leads from her older sister Freya, hoping to find some magical remedy to restore her family, but as the months went by and the leads grew thinner the original was starting to run out of steam and her warring brothers Klaus and Elijah was doing anything but making her feel free from her family entanglements.

So, Rebekah decided it was time to pay her family a little visit to reconcile Elijah and Klaus’ brotherhood having had to step in many times before, like when they thought over Tatia then squabbled over Katherine Pierce, as the blonde haired immortal beauty just found herself being thankful that this time her brothers weren’t fighting over another bloody doppelgänger.

Elijah Mikaelson had spent a thousand years sticking by his brother Klaus’ side, cleaning up his messes, and attempting to keep the rest of his family in line but after Klaus used their aunt Dahlia to cast a werewolf curse on Hayley, the woman he loved, he was done fighting by his brother’s side and although Hayley forgave Klaus after New Orleans’ regent witch Davina Claire broke the curse, Hayley decided to move away with Hope.

Hayley Marshall still popped into New Orleans as her and Klaus shared custody over their daughter Hope but she lived there no longer and although she did not live far from the city she lived far enough away to start a new life, a life that Elijah Mikaelson was no longer a part of much to his own heartbreak.

Elijah knew he could not blame Klaus entirely for Hayley’s decision to move but he also knew the curse sure did not help things, in fact if anything he believed it determined her decision and with her now gone and Rebekah too, Elijah was running out of reasons to remain forever by Klaus’ side.

Freya Mikaelson had taken to the oldest sibling role a little far too well and she had started to feel the weight that came keeping a family like hers from killing each other. Not only did the Mikaelson witch have to play mediator between a warring Elijah and Klaus but she was also using her expertise to try and help her youngest sibling Rebekah to find a way to resurrect Kol.

Family was not Freya’s only struggle however as she tried to stop Davina Claire and her vampire father figure Marcel Gerard from declaring war on her siblings every other day, while finding unlikely common ground with Vincent Griffiths in restoring their city for the better as well as keeping her promise to her brother Finn, one that meant finding him a suitable body that would require minimal violence if possible.

Freya literally had everything on her shoulders and was trying her hardest to wear it well, so the last thing that she wanted, needed, or even expected, was the arrival of two so-called vampire slayers, a demon, and a vampire with a so-called soul.

[elopez7228]

Scenic Route 24/47

Read on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/18268208/chapters/43229774 

Start over : https://elopez7228.tumblr.com/post/620919089893933056/scenic-route-0147

***

Gripping the steering wheel, Syed inhaled deeply. Her heart was beating wildly out of pace.

I only did my duty she repeated to herself—her new mantra. Kylo was getting sloppy and it was my duty to alert Snoke.

She wondered how she was going to explain herself, to convince the others. It had been six years since she joined the Knights of Ren: Skylar, Saul, Shakti, Kelsi, and Tyra.

They were more than colleagues, more than friends. They were almost like brothers and sisters, with their conflicts, their arguments, their crazy pranks,  their terrifyingly close calls, and—if she was being honest—the occasional make out session.

Above all, they had one constant rule: Kylo Ren was their leader and they would sacrifice everything for him if needed.

It's not betrayal. I’m doing my duty. It was him, Kylo Ren, who was betraying his mentor and his mission. He put FORCE in danger for a pair of pretty eyes.

He had always been overly impulsive and capricious. Syed admired that, most of the time. They were alike in that regard. They loved passionately, hated passionately, and they lived without compromise. It was all or nothing. But this time, Kylo has gone too far.

As for herself, now that she had dared to contact Hux directly, she could no longer go back. She had crossed the point of return. Kylo Ren would suffer for his choices at Snoke’s hand, he would be humiliated...and then? Then he would shred her to pieces. He had underestimated the consequences of his actions, but she would not commit the same mistake. He would kill her. Or would have her killed.

By taking a stand against him, she had just lost the right to peace of mind. He could spend every day and night getting revenge...unless she acted first. Trying not to panic, she calmed herself enough to unlock her phone.

*

Rey gripped the leash tightly, for fear of losing BB8 as she navigated the pre-marked trails. On the other end, BB8 trotted along happily, wagging her tail with excitement.

Mammoth was an absolute tourist trap, full of geysers more than anything else. Rey had become accustomed to seeing them within the park, but they were still geological marvels in their own right, a fascinating spectacle of hot water cascading against a bed of immaculately calcified rock to form an overflowing basin. Rey took a few photos while Maz stepped aside to take an incoming call. When she returned, Rey was sure that something was wrong as soon as she saw Maz’s concerned expression.

“Rey, I just received a call from a fellow hitchhiker who is willing to split a ride with me. I’d posted a request on a travel forum online.”

“Okay?” Rey nodded, unsure of what she was asking for.

“They’re going all the way from Bozeman to Seattle but they leave tomorrow morning.”

“Oh...” Rey’s face fell even as she tried to understand. “Is this good news or bad news, then?”

“Well,” Maz sighed, a hint of embarrassment in her voice, “it’s good news for me, I’ll be able to go almost all the way up to the Canadian border. But as for the concert...”

“Oh?” Rey managed, her vocabulary coming up a bit short. “You’re going to have to leave me already...”

“It’s alright, Rey, don’t worry. I can refuse the ride. We can go to the concert together, I can see it’s very important to you.”

Rey shook her head, forcing herself to smile. “No, Maz, you have to make it to that car. Life on the road is unpredictable and you can’t afford to pass up a good opportunity like this.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive,” Rey said as firmly as she could, “you need to get to Bozeman and I can take you there.”

Maz opened her mouth to refuse but Rey interjected. “Come on, I insist. It’s not like I have anything better to do. I would rather not walk around alone for the rest of the day. You need be in Bozeman tomorrow morning so it’s best if we leave now and spend the night there.”

In the end, they finished walking along the marked trail before finding their way back to the Falcon.

Rey froze in her tracks as soon as they arrived. There it was again, the same charcoal grey SUV she had seen next to the river, now sitting motionless in the visitor parking.

It could have been mere coincidence. After all, weren’t there plenty of high-end vehicles out here in the park? Only one way to find out.

Syed jumped when Rey knocked on the driver-side window, eyes widening  in surprise when she recognized the face on the other side. But she quickly schooled her features into a more neutral expression.

“Hello, Rey. Having fun?”

Rey offered no greeting in return.

“Are you following me?” she demanded instead, staring the other woman down with flinty eyes.

It would have been a ridiculous question, even a paranoid one, had it not been the case. Syed seemed taken aback.

“Following you? What for?”

“You tell me. I saw your car at the river, and I told myself it looked familiar but it was probably a coincidence. But you were at Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Spring too, weren’t you? Either this is an incredible coincidence or you’ve been chasing me. So you tell me why.”

“Yellowstone is always worth the trip,” Syed hissed through gritted teeth. “You think I came all the way out here just because of you?”

Rey crossed her arms.

“Oh, really? You had a concert yesterday. Did you really ditch your job to come play tourist?”

“It’s a free country, I can go wherever I please. Kylo didn’t need me for a while so I took the day off.”

“Did he put you up to this?”

Syed paused to take a breath. She’d been caught red-handed, her cover blown and her mission compromised. But the tables had turned too, she was no longer on Kylo’s side even though Rey was still the target. She had to handle this carefully...no use in hiding, Rey was on to her. It was time to switch to subtler tactics.

“Okay, fine. Look, Kylo was worried about you.” She admitted, sounding sincerely embarrassed even to her own ears. “You told him a woman was following you and trying to steal your car. He just wanted to make sure nothing happened to you, that’s all.”

At that, Rey’s arms fell limply to her sides. She had been expecting more denial, or a fight, really anything but this kind of sincerity.

“No...but, I—“ she stammered, “that—that’s not a reason!”

Sensing her weakness, Syed played the ultimate card...by saying exactly nothing. She pursed her lips and gave Rey a chagrined look, wordlessly conveying the misfortune of the unintended situation in her had found themselves in.

Rey was speechless. She didn’t khnow whether to be furious or grateful. Was he really tracking her to keep her safe? Wasn’t she the one who asked for help—could she really blame him for this? She really didn’t know.

Maz placed a gentle hand on her arm. “Rey,” she sighed, “we really have to get going. Come, let’s go.”

She led Rey a little further away before turning to wave Syed off. “Sorry about the misunderstanding. Give our regards to Ben, won’t you? Bye!”

Syed watched them walk away with a polite smile on her face, before suddenly  collapsing into a boneless heap at the steering wheel. She buried her face in her hands and rerouted into nervous laughter.

Fuck. She’d come within inches of an outright disaster. Her whole plan was ruined, not that it mattered now. She had bigger things at stake. If she could give Snoke what he wanted, to hell with the other FORCE agents. She could become the new master of the Knights of Ren. She would recruit new members and start over. No way she would trust anyone who had been loyal to Kylo. All of them were unpredictable...she wouldn’t spend every waking hour of the next few years wondering which one of them would betray her next.

She was so heartbroken that she lost the battle with the bile rising in her throat. She got out of the car to throw up.

Why was she like this, wasn’t this what she wanted? Why was she cracking under the pressure now, when she had been through worse before?

Rhetorical questions. She knew exactly why. She knew that by actively going against Kylo’s orders like this that they would be through. Everything would be lost, their history, their connection, their respect. It didn’t matter how strong it had gotten over the years. After this betrayal, he would look at her only in disdain.

He wouldn’t love her anymore. The would only be hate.

Syed leaned against the car for support as another wave of nausea overtook her.

Fortunately, Rey and her companion saw nothing of this as Maz continued to lead the way to the Millenium Falcon, far from the SUV and its owner.

“Rey,” Maz began, “I don’t know what’s going on between you and this Ben, Kylo, or whatever his name is. Did someone really try to steal your car?”

“Yes,” Rey nodded. “It’s true.” And Ben asking Syed to keep an eye on her was likely the truth as well. Wasn’t she the one who called him in the middle of the night from a campsite, demanding his protection? Could she really fault him for taking it so seriously?  

Maz looked up at her with a worried expression. “I wish I could tell you that I would join you for the concert after what just happened...it’s a tough call to leave you with such an eccentric man involved. But I think I would be the last person you need if you really want to get through this.”

Rey cocked her head to one side in confusion.

“Listen,” Maz said in a serious tone, all traces of a smile gone from her face. She straightened to her full height as she continued. “You’re not a damsel in distress. You don’t need a strong man to protect you, or some sort of fairy godmother. Get out of that mindset. You are strong and brave in your own right. You’ve travelled all this way alone and you’ve even faced a bear alone. You don’t need to prove yourself to anyone.”

“But I—“ Rey began before Maz interrupted her again. “You’re feeling fragile because of the emotional trauma you’ve endured. That’s normal. It’s perfectly natural to want to be comforted, to be reassured, after what happened to you. But that’s no reason to fall for the first man who is interested. If you want someone, stay with them because you want them, not because you need them. Do you understand?”

Rey pursed her lips. It was an awkward conversation to have. She felt like Maz was undressing her somehow, seeing past her paper-thin defenses, straight into her soul, and laying bare the years of lies and self-persuasion. She hated this. Being drilled into and cracked open, being hit exactly where it hurt. She acquiesced, tears pooling in her eyes.

“Don’t make any rash decisions.” Maz continued still. “Don’t hang on to people like lifelines. That makes you dependent. Dependence leads to an unbalanced relationship. What Ben did to you, having you followed without your consent, was to put you in a gilded cage. And you played the part of the princess in need. That’s not a relationship. You deserve better than that, Rey.”

“What am I supposed to do then?” Asked Rey, her voice on the verge of breaking.

“It’s not my place to tell you. Listen to your heart. Decide for yourself what is important, what is necessary or tolerable, or not tolerable at all. And then make a decision. Act on it, and move forward.”

Sensing her friend’s unhappiness, BB8 leapt up onto her hind legs, nuzzling Rey’s leg and begging to be cuddled. It made Rey smile, despite her tears.

“An unhappy princess, a crazy adventure, an adorable sidekick...it’s all here. I guess that makes you my fairy godmother, doesn’t  it?”

Maz rolled her eyes. “Very well,” she said, holding her hands out as if to cast a magic spell, “by the powers vested in me as you fairy godmother,” she intoned solemnly, “I hereby declare you, Rey Jakku, free of your own personal prison! You may dance and shout “fuck” all night if you want to, amen.”

She didn’t know if it was the magic spell or the power of self-determination, but suddenly Rey felt a million times lighter. She couldn’t help laughing. Once again, this strange little woman had hurt her in the best way, tearing her false hopes and convictions into shreds in order to face the unknown. But she was right. Rey didn’t owe anything to anyone. Who was she afraid of displeasing now tat she no longer fit the description of the pretty little city girl she had built up for herself? It was her choice.

As for Ben Solo, what he want from her? What did he think she could bring him? If he thought she was just a fragile plaything, he was sorely mistaken.

And as for the concert...she would see.

“All aboard!” Rey announced as she carried BB8 to the back seat. “We have two hours to get to Bozeman and that’ll give us just enough time to look for a place to stay tonight.”

“I know the perfect motel,” Maz agreed. “My treat. I know this detour is for me ans it’s the least I can do. How about a real mattress, and a real shower with quality shampoo? How does that sound?”

That sounded amazing.

The Millenium Falcon soared past the northern entrance of the park, merging onto I-89 towards Bozeman.

Rey searched for Syed’s SUV in the rear view mirror, but it never appeared.

Was she finally free?

[lanceinshiningarmor]

The Blue One

This was the first time they ever left the jungle forests. It was the first time they ever met other people besides their master and their masters alpha. The people were strange. Everything about this place was strange. It was too bright, too loud, too much for them to process everything at once but their master seems to be focused on a mission at hand, so they too must push everything else out and keep their attention on masters needs. 

It wasn’t until they and master along with his companions landed on a small planet, after the big ship they had previously been in was destroyed by the large shining lights, that they had a chance to relax. Master refused to look back so they couldn’t get a good look at the explosion. Master had been quiet, so they had been quiet as well. They sat next to masters chair, carefully placed their head on masters arm. Master smiled, a crooked small and fragile thing, and scratched his fingers into their fur. Slow and steady. Almost too hard but master was careful not hurt them. Master would never hurt them. 

After they landed on the small unknown planet, master and his new companions had decided to make camp their for the night. Master had taken to taking care of a new person that evening, refusing to leave his side. They slowly walked their way towards master and this person, sniffing curiously. 

Master looked up and smiled, again that strange small thing that indicated the master was both happy and sad. 

“Hey,” he said, “Come here, it’s ok. I want you meet someone.” 

More confident now, they walked closer to sleeping human on the floor and made their way to their masters side. They rubbed their head up against their masters cheek and felt some tension steadily leave their masters shoulders. Master wrapped an arm around their rather broad and furry shoulders and said, “This is Shiro. He’s the closest thing I have to a brother. He is my brother. He.....he raised me. Kept me out of trouble, or as much as he could anyway. He--” 

Here, master turns his head to the side and made strange sound. They worried master was not breathing properly and had started to stand up, tail wagging in caution. 

Master wiped at his face and shushed them, “Sorry, sorry, I’m ok. Just got something in my eye, I’m fine, put that tail away.”

After a moment of two to make sure their master hadn’t been lying, they sat back down and looked back at the sleeping human. 

He was larger, taller than their master, and his hair was stark white. They moved their head closer to the man’s hand and licked a few times. The man grumbled but didn’t move or waken. Master gently pushed them away. 

“Let him sleep. I’ll introduce you properly when he wakes up, I promise.” 

With that, they backed away and laid next to master side, their head placed in his lap. They fell asleep with master once again scratching them between the ears and master softly speaking the sleeping human, a lullaby that quickly put them to sleep as well. 

The next few days were a blur. 

After cleaning up their encampment and bringing the sleeping human inside the black lion, a name master had taught them ages ago, they were more or less stuck inside for many solar cycles. Or they thought it was many. It felt like forever since they had seen a sun. Most planets they do land were usually dark and barren. Their master and companions rarely stayed on a planet for more than bits at a time. 

The first time he got to properly meet their masters companions, as well as their masters “brother” (they think their master means litter mate by the way the two interact with each other), was on one of the rare times they all visited a planet with actual sunlight. When they landed, they immediately sped out of the mechanical contraption and barked out at the light. Sunlight may not be their most favorite thing in the world but when you lived so long without it, one couldn’t help but revel in it when it comes back into your life once more. 

Their masters companions had the same idea, many of them began to laugh and run around in the grass. The yellow one actually laid down in the moss and immediately fell asleep. The green one sat next to him, a strange screen popping up in front of her face. 

But the blue one did not sit. The blue one stayed standing, eyes closed and teeth bared up at the sky. And then he began to run. 

The green one yelled something at him but it looked like the blue one was too far now to hear what she had said. 

They didn’t know what it was about the blue one that made them excited. Maybe it was the cabin fever of being stuck inside the lion for days on end, maybe it was the bared teeth that provoked a feeling of thrill inside themselves but suddenly they began to chase after him. 

It didn’t take too long to catch up to them, they felt that the blue one wasn’t running at full speed quite yet. But it didn’t feel like he wanted to either. They barked, catching his attention and the blue one bared his teeth again in a huge grin. 

“Come on, space wolf! Catch me if you can!” he yelled, and then he went off sprinting ahead. 

A shot of excitement coursed through their veins and began to run faster after him. 

The blue one was exciting. They didn’t know why they felt such joy doing something as simple as running but the blue one made them feel like this was the most exhilarating thing they had ever done in their life. 

Once again, it didn’t take long for them to catch the blue one and in their excitement, they pounced, knocking him down on the grass. 

They panted heavily, tail wagging in triumph and in an impulse began to lick the blue one’s face in gratitude. 

The blue one started to laugh and talk at the same time, “Hahaha! Ok! You got me, space wolf! Le--haha!!--Let me up! You win, you win! Uncle!”

After a final push, the blue one sat back up on his elbows while they bounced around him, tail wagging faster. 

More, they wanted more. This was fun. They never thought running could be fun but they wanted more of it. They wanted to go again, run with the blue companion. 

He was smiling at them, panting hard as well but then he started to look around for something. 

Something lit up on his face which only made them feel more excited. What was the blue one going to do?

The blue one stood up and walked over to something and picked up a small branch. 

“Want the stick?” he said, shaking the branch up above his head. They tilted their head to the side in slight confusion. Why would they want the stick? But then the blue one started backing away, leaping backwards, then forwards, all the while holding the stick over their head.

“Come on, get it, bet you can’t. Come on, come on!” 

Of course they could get the stick and to prove it, they were going to jump and---

And they missed. The blue one snatched it away before they could catch it with their mouths. They looked down in confusion and then back up. The blue one was laughing. And then he ran. 

“Come on! Come get it!”

They were being challenged. They do not back away from a challenge. They ran.

They don’t know how long the two of them played in the grass but it felt like hours. They noticed master and some other companions had come closer to their spot but they were too busy trying to catch the damn stick from the blue one’s hands to pay too much attention. The blue one was quick! But they were quicker, they knew it. 

After the light got too low for the blue one to keep playing, he dropped to the grass, his chest heaving up and down heavily, stick now laying haphazardly next to his head. 

If they weren’t so tired themselves, they would have made a grab for it. Instead, they laid down next to him, feet up, tongue lolled out to the side, panting just as hard as the blue one. 

Master walked up and laid a bowl of water next to them. They immediately turned and started drinking as if their life depended on it. They couldn’t be certain, but they were sure they thought they heard master say, “You traitor,” all the while petting them between their shoulders. So they paid him no mind. 

Master threw something over the blue one to which he yelped and said, “Hey!” before sitting up and then in a more softer tone, “Thanks.”

The three sat their in silence for a moment while both they and the blue drank their fill. 

They heard the blue one, “So, where’d Shiro go? Thought I saw him just now.” 

Master answered, “Yeah he wanted to see if everything was ok over here. Once he saw you guys were just playing, he walked back with Allura. He’s uhh. He’s not 100% there yet, y’know. Gets kinda tired easily.” 

The blue one hummed and went back for another sip before saying, “Sorry. That I took your dog away for so long. Didn’t mean for it but we were having a grand ol’ time, huh pal?”

The blue one placed a hand on their head and rubbed his thumb on their forehead to which they closed their eyes and relaxed. It felt really good. Their tail thumped loudly against the ground as they started to slow down on the water. 

“It’s ok. It’s actually kinda surprising. We haven’t exactly been around other people before, other than my mom. So the fact that you guys hit if off so well. I’m happy though, you guys looked like you were having fun. Though I tried playing fetch before but got the freaking cold shoulder instead.” 

The blue one laughed, “Aww poor Keith, can’t get his super cool space wolf to play fetch. I guess animals seem to like me more. I’m like the dog whisperer. Space wolf whisperer.” 

Master scoffed, “Please, you told me you couldn’t keep your fish alive for more than a week back home.” 

“Hey! We do not talk about Panchito and Francesca, may they rest in peace. I’ve come a long way since then! I’ve kept Kaltenecker alive, haven’t I? Way more complicated than fish.” 

The two continued to bicker back and forth but master always looked like he was holding back a grin. Something that they haven’t seen him do before. Master looked happy. Happier than they’ve ever seen him in the past two years they’ve known him and it was thanks to the blue one. Yes, the blue one, they decided, was their favorite companion. 

They laid down between them, letting both voices lull them to sleep once more. 

[takaraphoenix]

Hellooo I read some posts of yours under the hashtag “Riordan Critical”, and I really liked your opinions. I was curious, what do you think about Magnus Chase’s serie and, more importantly, about representation in his books?

Warning: The following text will contain high levels of salt that will make the dead sea seem sugary.

This turned out longer than intended, so I decided to shorten it here. Klick and read all of it, but seriously, I am overly salty in this, as a heads-up.

Well, what I mainly think about Magnus Chase is that it’s a cash-grab.

Riordan had one really huge hit with Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

He wrote the Kane Chronicles about the Egyptians and they were… not as popular as that. So he decided to crossover and tie-in and essentially try to convert PJatO readers into “Look, here is your Percy! Check those stories out and discover that you might like Carter so you will buy my other books!”.

Then he tackled the Romans, but straight-up went sequel to PJatO with that, because he saw that non-Percy material wasn’t working as well.

And with the Norse he essentially clickbaited.

“Magnus CHASE. Look at that name! What could it mean? Is it perhaps next gen about Percy and Annabeth’s son? But oh why would he have Annabeth’s last name? Oh, I simply NEED to know!”

That… is literally the only purpose that Magnus being Annabeth’s cousin fulfills. To make really-very sure PJatO readers would also read Riordan’s new series.

There is virtually no other reason why those two are cousins. It would have splendidly worked if it was just about Magnus Hunt, or whatever kind of alternative last name you might like. Just something that doesn’t tie it together with PJatO.

So, that was kind of a turn-off for me.

Additionally, as you did notice due to reading my other Riordan Critical posts, I’m not exactly a fan of Heroes of Olympus. It had a lot of potential, but the author didn’t feel the need to explicitely write even half of said potential. It also showed that while Riordan was great at writing kids and dealing with them, he flat-out sucks at teenagers because inexplicably all they seem to care in his mind is romance.

So the idea of a book-series where we right away start off with teenagers already gave me a mighty migraine caused by Riordan’s shipping history.

Another turn-off.

Lastly… please call back your bald eagle and roll up that star-spangled banner, Riordan, America is not the center of the universe.

PJatO was written during a time where yes, America was very centric and even respected. 90s and early 2000s, yes, I agree, America was basically the center of the world. So to have the Greek gods move there, okay. I’m buying it.

But to have the Greek gods live in New York City and then tie the Kane Chronicles also into the same universe and also have the Egyptian gods sit in Brooklyn, New York…

And then add the Romans, who - hey, wow, San Francisco and not New York! What a shock. Such surprise.

Yeah, no, that’s still the US. You could have, at the very least and to make it at least a tiny bit realistic that you’re retconning Romans in, have them be seated in Europe. Instead of also the US. Because sure, totally, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans never-ever run into each other while they all got their home-base in the same damn country.

And now, what a shocker, the Norse gods also moved to the United States of America.

Newsflash: America really actually isn’t the center of the universe and, this might come as a surprise, America is not that popular anymore either.

The sheer egocentrism of having Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Norse gods all abandon their original continents to move to the US kind of makes me nauseous at this point.

No. No, America is not that great. No, not all the gods of the entire world want to move to the country where trans people aren’t allowed to use restrooms anymore, where unarmed black people are shot by the police, where children have to march for the right to not be shot at school, where women have to travel to another state to maybe get an abortion.

No, your country is not that great, Riordan, please stop acting like it.

It’s quite frankly very insulting that Riordan treats Europe like a pesky, underdeveloped little thing that’s not worthy its own gods attention.

I could buy one pantheon moving on the US. I don’t buy four.

If you want to write US centric god stories, how about you give native Americans some rep and start writing about their gods. Who, you know, would thus also just stay in their own country for a change.

I just really can’t accept the fact that he now also moved the Norse gods up to the US and that oh my such coincident, Frey fucked the sister of Annabeth’s dad so now the Chases attracted two different pantheons.

That’s just too much bullshit, click-baiting and things that make me weary from experience with his last series.

So. Yeah. I haven’t read it and nor do I have plans of reading it, because literally not a single thing about it seems worth reading and all the things I just listed make alarm bells go off in my head.

Also, just one more salty add-on: Personally, I think that his representation in Magnus Chase is also click-bait. He realized there is a huge audience for LGBTQ+ characters when he made Nico gay so he is now focusing more on representation for popularity’s sake.

Look, I know that last part in particular is really very bitter and everyone who reads the books and is happy about the representation given in them should. Of course. We don’t get enough rep in YA novels.

Nico di Angelo was handled horrendously. In my opinion.

I loved House of Hades and the plot of Nico coming out to Jason. Don’t get me wrong, not everything Riordan does is awful, obviously I also like a lot of his stuff, otherwise I wouldn’t have read it.

I one hundred percent believe that Nico was intended as gay from the get-go, because the evidence for his canonical love for Percy is all over PJatO. It was good writing. It was a brilliant set-up.

The level of angst Nico dealt with in HoO was good. Realistic, especially for a kid from the 30s.

But then Blood of Olympus ended and Riordan, I don’t know, panicked. He completely rushed and butchered everything that he had been setting up for years now and it is... At its very core, this was the moment where he lost all of my trust, really.

When Nico flippantly confesses to his feelings for Percy in public. A week ago, he couldn’t even admit it in front of Jason and a god, even with high stakes, but all of a sudden he has the confidence to confess not just to being gay but to his feelings for Percy.

And then this utterly rushed job of “Well, he was in love with Percy for years, but over the past five days, he totes 100% got over it and now he has a crush on Only Other Gay, whom he spoke a total of about 5 sentences to”, just because Riordan can’t live without shipping.

Nico had been through so much. Give the boy time. Yes, okay, let him bond with Will, but there was no need to rush the “suddenly over Percy” shit and the coming out of the closet thing.

Riordan’s middle-aged straight man was showing hard there and as a lesbian, who went through the spiel of denial, hiding and coming to terms myself, I felt... I was genuinely emotionally crushed for weeks by what a shitty job he did with Nico’s coming out.

It’s not even about the ship. I never expected Nico and Percy to get together at the end, I’m not an idiot, I know he’d never break his OTP up.

It’s solemnly about the fact that Nico coming out to Percy was handled like a fucking joke. Flippant and fun and “You’re not my type haha now I’m off with Only Other Gay”.

He could have had Nico bonding with Will. He could have had Nico getting over Percy. He could have had Nico confessing to Percy.

But it all needed more time. The book was ending though, so he rushed through it and slapped a shotty, shitty ending to Nico’s coming out arc and it still makes me so intensely angry.

There is just no way that Riordan didn’t know he’d force another sequel outta those books. So there was absolutely no reason to rush it all.

He could have just had it end in the infirmary. Even with Will making his comments and even with Nico being flustered. But end it there.

Give us a Nico who is more settled at Camp Half-Blood and who is more settled with his sexuality and who would have then come out publically and confessed to Percy. Months after that book, in the next series. Time that would have given Nico the chance to fully embrace himself before opening up to others.

But that’s not possible for Riordan. Riordan needs a happy ending and both PJatO as well as HoO proved that happy endings only work with romance. The great happy ending of PJatO was less about the end of the war but had to be celebrated in an overly cheesy underwater kiss between his OTP. The great happy ending for HoO was that Piper and Jason were happy, Frank and Hazel were happy, Percy and Annabeth were planning to go to college together wtf how is that even possible Percy just missed an entire year of school he ain’t graduating high school any time soon, Nico and Will were going off into the sunset together and the grand finale was literally Leo and Calypso flying into the sunset together. Not a single friendship or family based happy ending. It’s all about the romance and everyone has to be in their one true love best by the age of 14 because that is so wildly realistic.

Riordan has so completely lost my trust over the course of Heroes of Olympus that I can’t help but wonder about the actual motivation behind the things he chose to do there, because many of his past decisions really can just be tracked back to money and popularity.

Many of his decisions made in Heroes of Olympus themselves, for example, directly reflect him rolling over onto his back to try and please his readers (-> spoiling the finale of HoO over a year prior to the final book being published by tweeting how none of the Seven will die in the finale. Thanks for taking out all of the suspense). It’s a habit of his and it keeps getting worse and I’m just… not there to stay and witness.

I’m the kind of girl who doesn’t want to continue being dragged down by something when it’s shitty. When something loses quality so drastically, I do the healthy thing - and quit. And I quit after Blood of Olympus and I have absolutely no intention of ever touching another Riordan book again, unless it’s PJatO for rereading purposes - because that was still actual quality.

Now, lastly, on the matter of representation. Well. It’s a bit pathetic?

I mean, PJatO had Charles Beckendorf, who’s black, and Ethan Nakamura, who’s Japanese, and… literally every other character who was in any way or shape important, was white. And the only two POC were killed off during the Titan War.

Then he wrote the sequels. Leo - Latino. Reyna - Latina. Hazel - black. Frank - Asian. Piper - native American.

It was… Let’s be real, it felt like he was trying to cram as much representation in there as humanly possible to make up for how white the first series was. But I wouldn’t particularly call it representation, because aside from stating their ethnical backgrounds, he didn’t really do a lot with it. It had very little effect on the books and on the characters themselves.

There was like one tiny scene of Piper in a flashback with her grandpa and for a second there I thought he was using that to set up the next spin-off books about native American gods, tied in with Piper’s family, but that didn’t happen.

Reyna being Puerto Rican only… came into play when they were in Puerto Rico, but that was also… not really of actual importance. Like, the scenes as they were could have as well happened in Miami with a white girl.

The thing is, I recently watched One Day at a Time and it’s about a family with roots in Cuba and their Cuban heritage is important. They’re by no means reduced to being Cuban, but it’s integrated into the story. It’s important to the plot and it’s important to the characters’ personality. Now that is what I would call representation.

To actually go and do something, work with the ethnical backgrounds you give your characters.

Traditions, language, pride in their heritage. Cultural clashes, maybe.

Like for Hazel, who is a black girl from the 40s and from whom I would have liked to see more wonder or maybe even anger upon what has changed and what hasn’t changed since her childhood. Riordan teased it, a little, in the flashback about Hazel and Sammy, but in the end, that was only mainly for more love-drama too because it wasn’t enough that this 13 year old girl had Frank in love with her and Leo crushing on her, no, it was vital to add some past romantic drama for her.

And that’s just not something Riordan does. He slaps an ethnical background onto the characters and that’s kind of… it. He writes romance novels by now, where everything else has gotten rather secondary.

I can’t speak for Magnus Chase because I haven’t read it. I’m aware there is a Muslima lead, a genderfluid lead and a character who is mute or deaf, I’m unsure about that one I just know ASL is represented in the series in some way.

All of those can be good. If he actually does a good job with it. If it’s just sub-plot stuff that’s tagged on and not worked with, well, that’d be a shame. Personally, I don’t trust him to prioritize any of those things over his shipping, but I’ll hope that it’s good and at the very least, it seems satisfying enough.

Then again... I don’t read too much critical thinking in this fandom and too much blind love for “Uncle Rick” who can’t do no wrong, so... I don’t trust that to reflect how the books really do.

[aion-rsa]

25 Best First-Person Shooter Games Ever Made

https://ift.tt/34Cqosq

Game genres go in and out of fashion all the time, but for nearly 30 years, first-person shooters have been one of the industry’s most reliable sources for blockbuster experiences that often help dictate the future of the medium. 

There’s no one element that makes FPS games so brilliant, and that is, ironically enough, exactly what makes them brilliant. The history of the genre is written by developers who used a certain point of view and a gun or two as the basis for a variety of experiences that continue to surprise us even after we told ourselves that we’ve seen it all. 

Those are the games we’re here to celebrate today. The best first-person shooters ever may have inspired each other, but each ultimately brings something special to the table that helps it stand out among some considerable competition. Many offer something different, but the one thing that most share is the feeling you get just from hearing their names. 

Before we dive into the list, here are a few notes about the criteria used to make these selections. 

Defining a first-person shooter can be tricky. An FPS must obviously have a first-person perspective and shooting, but when in doubt, we looked closely at the “shooter” part of the equation. The more a game emphasized shooting/combat as a core part of the experience, the more likely it was to be considered part of the genre. 

How “fun” an FPS game is ultimately determined whether it was selected and how it was ranked among the rest, but innovation, historical significance, and longevity were all used as prominent “X-factors” to determine rankings.

Single-player only and multiplayer only FPS games were not necessairly faulted for lacking either mode. However, special consideration was given to games that did both well. 

25. Superhot

Superhot is one part puzzle game, one part FPS, and one part cinematic gunfight simulator. This unique shooter is built around the ability to slow down time by standing still. Taking a moment to survey the situation is the key to victory, but only speed will save you in this impossibly stylish and devilishly difficult game. 

Definitely play Superhot in VR if you ever get the chance to do so, but there’s no bad way to play one of the most creative and engaging FPS games ever made as well as one of gaming’s most potent shots of pure adrenaline. 

24. DUSK

2018’s DUSK may be a tribute to several genre classics that came before it, but the way that this game so perfectly recreates the feeling of playing those games rather than how so many of them actually play today strangely elevates it above many of those FPS pioneers.

Even people who usually don’t like the “find the key, labyrinth levels, blistering pace” style of FPS game that DUSK pays homage to often find themselves hopelessly addicted to this game’s airtight mechanics, exceptional pacing, and how it reminds us that, above all else, game are meant to be fun. 

23. Metro 2033

Metro 2033 owes a debt to some games that came before (including S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, which many members of the Metro 2033 team worked on), but when it comes to this style of atmospheric FPS game, it may still be the very best.

Metro 2033 embraced its survival horror concepts in a way that even the incredible entries into this series that followed were never quite able to recreate. The atmosphere in this game is so thick and intimidating that it can make you feel like your gasping for air as you play it, which makes it that much more impressive that you’ll feel consistently compelled to push forward no matter how daunting things become.

22. Borderlands 2

While I feel like the original Borderlands is honestly kind of underrated in the grand scheme of the franchise, it’s hard to deny that Borderlands 2 is when this series really found its footing and remains the game the Borderlands franchise is chasing to this day.

Not everyone was a fan of this game’s humor, but that desire to go this far over the top is arguably the reason why Borderlands 2 so confidently combined the best aspects of co-op games, looter RPGs, and first-person shooters. From its base campaign to its incredible DLC, this is still one of the best FPS adventures you can share with friends.

21. Far Cry 2

As the Far Cry series (and the FPS genre) continues to “evolve,” it’s easier than ever to appreciate Far Cry 2 and how so many of the things that this game was initially criticized for now feel like a breath of fresh air.  

Far Cry 2 is a hostile game that is constantly trying to kill your through disease, often uncontrollable fires, a lack of resources, aggressive enemies, and a lingering bleakness that only grows more powerful as you begin to understand its story and world. It’s an oppressive game that forces you to think on your feet in ways that few other FPS, open-world, or survival games have ever equaled. I’d say I miss this Ubisoft, but honestly, this was a bold and brilliant experiment even for that studio’s glory days.

20. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus

I think the best compliment you can pay Wolfenstein 2 is to say that Wolfenstein: The New Order exceeded nearly every expectation possible and not even that game could prepare us for the places this sequel would go. 

Wolfenstein 2 is the greatest tribute to excess this side of a cocaine party on ‘80s Wall Street. Just when you think you’ve seen the most shocking thing this game will do, it finds a way to up the ante time and time again. It certainly doesn’t hurt that it also improves the surprisingly tight action mechanics that helped make its predecessor such a sleeper hit. 

19. Team Fortress 2

It wouldn’t be entirely accurate to say that nobody thought Team Fortress 2 was going to be a success. Actually, many people at the time expected it to be a very good game. Yet, few were prepared for just how engaging TF 2 would be and how its growth would change the video game industry forever.

Look beyond the ways TF 2 controversially moved us towards the “games as a service” era, though, and you’ll find that it’s simply one of the most mechanically enjoyably multiplayer FPS games ever made as well as a testament to the ways that personality can turn an already great game into something magical.

18. SWAT 4

What separates SWAT 4 from so many incredible tactical FPS games that came before and after? If I had to attribute this game’s brilliance to any one thing, it would have to be “level design.”

SWAT 4 uses its somewhat unusual premise (compared to other tactical FPS games) as the basis for some truly creative missions that somehow make seemingly common environments more compelling than even some of the most elaborate fantasy worlds. From infiltrating a cult leader’s camp to descending into the basement of a serial killer’s home, SWAT 4 constantly finds new ways to use its incredible tactical gameplay to surprise you.

17. The Operative: No One Lives Forever

It’s true that No One Lives Forever’s seemingly permanent residence in licensing Hell has only amplified the voices of those who call this 2000 FPS game one of the best ever made, but that doesn’t mean that Monolith’s spy shooter doesn’t deserve all the praise it gets.

The thing that impresses me most about NOLF all these years later is that it’s actually a comedy game. While being a genuinely funny comedy game is usually an accomplishment in and of itself, NOLF goes one step further by also offering one of the most creative and engaging FPS campaigns ever crafted. This game holds up favorably under even the most discerning design analysis, but its most lasting legacy is the smile it puts on your face.

16. GoldenEye 007

Perfect Dark may technically be the better game, but if innovation, historical context, and fond memories are all tie-breaking “X” factors, then GoldenEye 007 absolutely deserves a spot on any list of the best FPS games.

A million words have rightfully been written about what GoldenEye did for console FPS games, but I don’t know if it’s possible to praise this game enough for the ways it celebrated the unique joy of local multiplayer or the surprising strength of its single-player campaign. Some at the time may have written GoldenEye off as a lesser version of the best PC FPS games, but the years have been kind to the purity of this experience.

15. Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Bad Company 2’s multiplayer is chaotic, creative, memorable, addictive, and all of the other things you associate with the Battlefield series’ legendary multiplayer at its very best. What separates this game from the other amazing entries in this franchise, though, is the strength of its single-player campaign.

Bad Company 2’s loving embrace of destructible environments is perfectly complemented by an often dark sense of humor that you rarely see in military shooters. It’s hardly a surprise that some Battlefield fans are still chasing the high they got from playing this game for the first time.

14. Halo 3 

Halo 2 was an incredible game that changed the console FPS landscape forever, but it was also a game plagued by development issues that led to an unforgivable crunch period, a campaign that fell well short of its potential, and some notable balance problems. Your fond memories of that game are well-deserved, but when it comes down to it, Halo 3 offers a more complete experience.

Halo 3’s incredible multiplayer is arguably the perfect version of Halo‘s legendary multiplayer and the kind of competitive game that’s easy to miss at a time when there are so few titles that try to do what it did. This brilliant sequel’s campaign also felt like a proper send-off for the series (even if it ultimately proved not to be), while Halo 3’s Forge mode brought the creativity and longevity of the PC mod scene to Xbox 360 gamers everywhere. 

13. Titanfall 2

Before you decide to be too hard on those who can’t stop talking about Titanfall 2 and refuse to stop begging for a proper sequel, consider that Titanfall 2 may just be one of the most complete FPS games ever made.

Titanfall 2’s multiplayer arguably realizes the considerable potential of its predecessor, but it’s Titanfall 2’s campaign that often inspires fans to scream at you to drop everything and play this game. Few games from even the golden age of FPS campaigns rival the ambition and creativity of Titanfall 2’s narrative, and fewer still have nearly as much heart.

Read more

Games

25 PC Games That Changed History

By Matthew Byrd

Games

PC Gaming Innovations That Changed the Way We Play

By Matthew Byrd

12. BioShock

I’ll leave the “Is BioShock a first-person shooter?” debate up to you and instead focus on how BioShock used the core concepts of a first-person shooter to elevate the art of video game narratives through the often-overlooked benefits of environmental storytelling.

BioShock’s story and world explore the dark underbelly of the entire first-person shooter concept. Are our actions our own, or have we been forced into the perspective of a largely helpless instrument? BioShock may have followed in some pretty big genre footsteps, but that strangely makes it all the more impressive that it’s often seen as the definitive experience in this particular subgenre.

11. Quake 3 Arena

Many who doubted that Quake 3 could abandon the single-player campaigns of its predecessors and sell itself based solely on the appeal of its multiplayer deathmatch modes were typically silenced the moment they played the game and experienced its exhilarating speed.

Quake 3 emphasizes speed in a way that few games before and fewer since ever dared to. Slowing down is often a death sentence, but what’s really impressive about this shooter all these years later is the surprising depth of its seemingly arcade-like gameplay and how it challenges you to master a series of mechanics that are often tragically underutilized in modern multiplayer gaming.

10. Unreal Tournament

It’s still incredible to think that Unreal Tournament and Quake 3 were released just weeks apart, and it’s even more incredible to think that Unreal Tournament arguably beat Quake 3 at what some considered to be its own game.

Putting aside that debate for the moment, let’s just come together to praise Unreal Tournament for its mechanics, visuals, modes, weapons, and, most importantly, arguably all-time great multiplayer map design. This is simply as satisfying and intense as PC multiplayer shooters get.

9. Doom (2016)

It’s easy to forget now, but there was a time when most people were expecting Doom to be one of 2016’s great disappointments. Not only was the Doom franchise on the ropes at that time, but this game’s rather disappointing multiplayer beta left some fearing the worst

Instead, Doom turned out to be arguably the best first-person shooter of its era. Even if you were an optimist who predicted the ways Doom would so successfully harken back to the breakneck pace of the best games in this series, you probably couldn’t have guessed the ways that this game’s amazing soundtrack, humor, and genuinely incredible storytelling would effectively combine the best of retro and modern FPS games while raising the bar for the genre.

8. Call of Duty

With all due respect to the Medal of Honor franchise and its many great installments and lasting innovations, it’s a testament to the quality of Call of Duty that it offered such a definitive WW2 shooter experience that you now have to remind people that Medal of Honor was even a thing. 

The Call of Duty team went for broke with this one and somehow found a way to turn the most intense moments in Medal of Honor: Allied Assault into an entire FPS campaign. Call of Duty challenged every perceived technical limit of its era and boasts level/campaign design that you could argue has never been bested.

7. Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead wasn’t the first game of its kind, but the co-op zombie shooter tapped into something that many of us never knew we wanted. Its blend of almost arcade-like action, incredible level design, cinematic presentation, and near-perfect difficulty made it an instant addiction for millions. 

Well, Left 4 Dead 2 was all of that and more. It’s certainly the best game of its kind, but in the grand history of FPS games, the thing that really sets Left 4 Dead 2 apart is how easy it is to return to it all these years later and how the desire to play this one with friends just never seems to go away.

6. Counter-Strike

Released at a time when multiplayer FPS games were supposed to be as fast as possible, Counter-Strike bucked nearly every genre trend by forcing players to embrace a methodical form of gameplay where just a couple of bullets could determine a game. It was the kind of bold experiment that could only have come from outside the industry, and it was absolutely brilliant. 

Counter-Strike is arguably the greatest competitive FPS game ever made. Even in its early stages, it was an intelligently balanced multiplayer experience that required a unique set of skills. Remarkably, though, learning the ropes in this game rarely felt like a chore. It’s one of the most important FPS games ever, and it’s certainly one of the best.

 5. Halo: Combat Evolved

It’s a shame that the “Combat Evolved” part of Halo’s full name is so often overlooked as that’s really the thing that separated this legendary shooter from nearly every FPS game at the time. The methods you use to battle Halo’s Covenant enemies may seem standard now, but the way this title forced you to carefully consider your combat tactics against truly intelligent A.I. opponents really did help change everything.

Then again, how can you fault anyone for mostly remembering Halo for its multiplayer? 16-player LAN matches may seem humble now, but the fact is that even the biggest online multiplayer games can’t quite match the feeling of experiencing Halo‘s local multiplayer at its biggest and boldest.

4. Half-Life

Nobody was really looking for a game like Half-Life in 1998. Honestly, few people at that time could have envisioned such a thing. In an era where FPS games were defined by their heavy metal style, B-movie campaigns, and deathmatch multiplayer, the idea of a first-person shooter with a story to tell and a world to sell that wasn’t constantly sacrificing action for narrative seemed impossible.

Do you know what’s really impressive, though? Half-Life didn’t just use the FPS format to tell an incredible story: it did it in a way that redefined what we talk about when we talk about immersion in games. Few developers to this day are able to replicate that style of storytelling, and even if they were, fewer still would ever be able to innovate the FPS genre quite the same way that Half-Life did.

3. Doom

The often-cited “godfather” of FPS games really needs no introduction. There’s a reason why first-person shooters were called “Doom clones” for years after this game’s release.

What’s truly amazing, though, is that Doom did things in 1993 that modern game developers still struggle to recreate. Even an unmodded version of Doom still has the ability to grab you by the throat and not let you go until you’ve seen the end of its brutal campaign. Doom was certainly the first in a lot of ways, but the thing that matters most may just be the ways it’s still the best.

2. Half-Life 2

It’s been said that part of the reason why Valve has hesitated to finish Half-Life 3 is that they reached a point where they felt like the expectations for the game had become unrealistic and detrimental. Well, you could argue that Half-Life 2 was released under similar circumstances. How do you make a sequel to one of the greatest, most innovative, and beloved PC games of all time? How would that game ever meet expectations?

Well, Half-Life 2 didn’t meet expectations: it exceeded them. Half-Life 2 didn’t so much blaze a path forward for the genre as it leaped into the air and landed somewhere other developers couldn’t quite see but desperately wanted to be. This is a nearly perfect single-player game that does things with pacing and level design that honestly feel even more refreshing all these years later given how many studios have strayed from the light of this title’s brilliance.

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

There are two eras of Call of Duty games, and each of them represents two distinct eras of FPS design. The first era (as represented by the first few Call of Duty games) was more about single-player campaigns and complimentary multiplayer options. The second era of the franchise focused on evolving a style of multiplayer that would turn this series into a global phenomenon.

Well, Call of Duty 4 is the game that bridges those two eras and somehow manages to feature arguably the best single-player campaign in FPS history and some of the best multiplayer in FPS history.

Even at a time when we were spoiled by incredible Call of Duty campaigns, Modern Warfare stunned people with its shocking story and brilliant missions (highlighted by the legendary “All Ghillied Up”). We didn’t know it at the time, but the game’s multiplayer would also go on to change competitive FPS titles forever and help turn this franchise into a multi-billion-dollar household name.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

This is a complete FPS package that represents nearly everything we’ve ever wanted from this genre. It’s a true triumph that delivers in terms of multiplayer and single-player in a way that few games since have ever dreamed of attempting to replicate.

The post 25 Best First-Person Shooter Games Ever Made appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[seksipomminpurkaja]

okie dokie, annie/marcus, misfits n joe/mae?

took me a while but here they are

Beauty and the hoe

How differently do they think of each other now compared to when they first met?

Annie was first bit disgusted, bit charmed by Marcus, she had heard of the Coburn man before and so to say he’s quite well known. She was very persistent not to fall for his sweet words and strong presence, and she did succeed, which made her more interesting to Marcus himself. While she looked sweet and innocent she had that much willpower to make him seriously interested. Now Marcus know for sure how strong of a person Annie really is, and Annie has come to know Marcus thoroughly to the point they have nothing to hide from each other, and Marcus feels like he doesn’t deserve to be with her (which he truly doesn’t)

What do their friends/family think of their relationship?

Marcus has no family to speak of, he does have Sarah and David though, they don’t give two shits what Marcus does with his relationships, and they both know if something goes horribly wrong it’s likely his fault anyway. Annie’s sister is very cautious about Marcus because she knows exactly who he is and where he hangs out with his work buddies, she tried to warn her, but she herself is in pretty shady businesses and that word can;t come out. Annie’s parents however welcomed him finally after their girl was born and the new father showed up on their door with their grandchild. Mrs. Valentine’s eyes scan him from head to toes and is not that impressed with him at first.

How do their personalities/skills complement or contrast with each other?

Annie is the reserved one who inspects all situations before she acts, Marcus is the outgoing one who tends to act before thinking twice. She is intelligent but keeps to herself and her work as a seamstress, Marcus goes around town causing harm and mild chaos. 

What is their favorite aspect of each other?

There’s something oddly charming the scottish accent and recklessness for Annie, plus he has great physique and is covered in tattoos, she didn’t know she’s into bad boys before. But he is also kind once you rub of the layers of dirt off him. Annie chubby and he loves it, perfect for cuddling. She is also no-nonsense type of girl and very stubborn, proved a little challenge for him and he loved it, she clearly has her own mind and personality and stuck out from the rest of the London women.

Do either of them have pet peeves about each other?

Marcus tends to hide some unimportant stuff from her even though they have a deal to talk about everything, he also doesn’t talk about his work for obvious reasons and while Annie knows hat he’s doing, she never gets the details. For Marcus there’s nothing wrong with Annie, maybe that she wears her hair on a braid but he’d love to see her show off her locks more often

How would each reconcile with each other after a fight?

It’s always Marcus who comes to her first, she is that unyielding, they talk things through, there is no other way for them, and lucky for Marcus Annie is forgiving and loving, and still trusts Marcus to love her back

What would be their ideal vacation getaway together?

Maybe Paris, elegant city for and elegant lady and a shaggy scotchman

Think of a new way (AU, different situation, etc.) they could have met for the first time.

They met in a bar where Annie was forced to look for help with people harassing her and her shop. But they could have met in middle of a gunfight where Marcus is chasing down someone and that someone is holding civilians at gunpoint

Fish and the hoe

How differently do they think of each other now compared to when they first met?

Harlei saw him as an adorable nerd with little knowledge of his fame, but alas, he wasn’t that adorable, and damn did he know what he’s capable of, a damn sharp man both mind and teeth, she’s really into him now. I’d guess Ninida was bit put off by Harlei bc who is this albino, why is she doing that thing with her tongue that’s nasty. But now she’s interesting and certain fun to be around and fool around with

What do their friends/family think of their relationship?

Jolanda was delighted, Tzet tried not to sigh out ‘oh bother’ after he recognized who the nedian was. His dad has had dealings with Vim in the past but nothing grand, it was only matter of time who told Jolanda first. Tzet was still happy for her though, first time in years she’s in a somewhat stable relationship. I bet Jens brought out all the bad dad jokes when Ninida brought Harlei to his cabin

How do their personalities/skills complement or contrast with each other?

They’re both smart and quick witted, they have reasons why they’re as a successful as they are. Then there’s Ninida with being open about his feelings and Harlei beating them up with a stick, Harlei’s flirtyness and Ninida’s almost prude attitude towards sex. Both good pilots and know their guns, but Ninida can always suggest upgrades to Harlei’s current one

What is their favorite aspect of each other?

She loves the excitement and challenge Ninida provides for her and the more steady pace in her love life, and that he got her to take a look at herself in the mirror and make her realize she might need some end goal in her life. Ninida probably appreciates her experience and thing she could teach to him about relationships that proved an useful edge with Amai later on, the hair is nice to look at and toy with, and she’s a huge child at heart, loving playfights ahead

Do either of them have pet peeves about each other?

The fact that Ninida is always tweaking or thinking about tweaking his guns at any given moment. For Ninida, idk, maybe that she’s always horny

How would each reconcile with each other after a fight?

Both sulking and giving each other the silent treatment before getting to their senses and try to fix it all by themselves, which then leads to them either talking or making it up somehow

What would be their ideal vacation getaway together?

Some exotic planet maybe, unhabited and all wild and dangerous would be for Harlei’s likings, but guess some beach holiday bc Nedians and water

Think of a new way (AU, different situation, etc.) they could have met for the first time.

The was a slight chance they’d end up on opposing ends of a trade deal, adding just that extra bit rivalry between them and Harlei getting more cocky and annoying in his eyes

Cheese puff and buff

How differently do they think of each other now compared to when they first met?

Both were such massive pains in each other’s asses at first, Joe being the party pooper by throwing her out all the time and Maeve being the annoying patron that always causes trouble and needs to be thrown out the second she sets foot in hallway. Now she’s still a troublemaker but she’s his troublemaker. And Joe still has those arm muscles she was drawn into in the first place by the sixth time he threw her out, he still acts all cool and calm but she knows he’s a bit of a lovesick big puppy. And he knows now that the attention she craved in the bar was due to her daddy and mommy issues. They’re both sweet and caring people

What do their friends/family think of their relationship?

The Fujioka’s weren’t so impressed at first bc for one: their daughter never decided to show up in the past and now she has the guts to tell them she’s engaged, to this man, who they know only little about, like honey are you sure. But they’ll have a change of heart once they see how happy she is with him and how happy he is with her, how they’ve already been living together for a while and worked past the long distance issues. Maeve was bit scared but also delighted by the Batbayars, huge and imposing people but so gentle, Joe is clearly their kid.

How do their personalities/skills complement or contrast with each other?

Maeve is a fiery personality accompanied with only 160-170 cm or so height, then there’s the quite mellow big dude who could engulf her in mere seconds. Joe is good with guns and has actual training, Maeve has sharp eyes to spot any valuables, and she’s very agile, while Joe is brute force. They’re both in the shape of their lives and make it known to any people with them at the gym

What is their favorite aspect of each other?

Ngl looks were pretty much the first thing that got Meave interested, then came the tattoos and the muscles. After properly getting to know him she loves his humor and well, he has pretty good manners too, but that jaw though, nothing can beat the jaw. Joe loves her freckles and nose and her determination, maybe something else?

Do either of them have pet peeves about each other?

Maybe posting pictures of him and some other gal unknown to her get her pretty irritated, but she keeps it at that, if it’s just a friend or a fan but if they dare to kiss him on the cheek there’s hell to pay. For Joe, maybe her hotheadedness she’s always ready to throw down and someone is about to catch those hands, babe there’s better ways to settle things down

How would each reconcile with each other after a fight?

Both go their separate ways for a while to cool off, (or make up immiediately after the spat is one was clearly in the wrong), and come back with an apology and explanation, maybe a gift if it was “ditching your date after three months of not seeing one another”

What would be their ideal vacation getaway together?

Somewhere with tons of fresh air and outdoor activities, maybe somewhere relatively close too

Think of a new way (AU, different situation, etc.) they could have met for the first time.

Joe’s on a job with Morri, they come across an abandoned building and hear rustling and cluttering from inside and go check it out bc there’s some bandits in the are, turns out, it’s a short red haired scavenger, how did she end up there, no one knows. She does show to be little agitated by them interrupting her diggings though

[seyaryminamoto]

What is it Gladiator (and the sponsors)? And the fic universe logic? The story seems fantastic!

Ummm well, the Gladiator system is mainly explained within the first story arc, but I’ll explain how it all came to this anyways so you may understand better (truth is the history behind it is only explained in like the third arc so maybe I’ll just tell you now).

(Under the Read More because damn this got long and complicated??? How did it get this long?! O_O)

As Aang didn’t come out of the iceberg on time, Sozin’s Comet still happened. Without Aang’s involvement, many things didn’t happen as they did in the show: Azula doesn’t take over Ba Sing Se (… sad thing that I had to sacrifice for the plot, because I’d have loved to give her that glory all over again…), since she was never sent to chase down Zuko for his failure in capturing Aang, even Zhao doesn’t end up near the North Pole nor competing with Zuko over taking Aang to Ozai because Aang is nowhere to be found, so the North Pole battles have happened very differently in Gladiator.

The power of the comet, then, was used to defeat the Earth Kingdom. Ba Sing Se fell against the firebending army that was enhanced by this power, and slowly but surely, all remaining important bastions of the Earth Kingdom collapsed along with it.

The thing is, taking the Earth Kingdom lands was a grand victory for the Fire Nation, only, there weren’t enough Fire Nation people to work those lands and populate them. Rebellious Earth Kingdom people were still everywhere, along with opportunists who were willing to give up their national pride just to live comfortably under Fire Nation rule. So, faced by this complication, genocide wasn’t as handy an option for our Fire Lord Ozai as it was for Sozin. (Sozin really had no profit to make of the Air Temples, just had to destroy all the Air Nomads so the Avatar wouldn’t bother him).

Thinking he’ll make more profit from allowing Earth Kingdom people to join him, Ozai created the Honorary Fire Nation Citizenship system (something I based off the Honorary Britannian system from Code Geass), where Earth Kingdom people will be allowed to take up the Fire Nation citizenship, accept Ozai as their ruler, and live as comfortably as possible in the conditions of a post-war world while being acknowledged as Fire Nation people despite their heritage. These people can continue to live in the Earth Kingdom territories, and they can work their land, do whatever they used to do, but now they pay their dues to the Fire Nation and not the Earth Kingdom.

But of course, not all Earth Kingdom people would accept this (in fact, lots of them refused to). Those who wouldn’t take up the Honorary Citizenship would be reduced to slavery. When slavery was only beginning, the amounts of slaves were overwhelming. The number of dangerous, rebellious slaves, too, were a cause for concern: what to do if the aggressive slaves revolted and ended up bringing a rebellion from within the Fire Nation itself?

From this came the original idea for the Gladiator Business: what better way to put an end to the menace the aggressive slaves posed than by having them kill each other? The Amateur Arenas still stay true to this purpose, but not long afterwards, the Superior Gladiator League, one with so-called professional gladiators, was born. The Superior League was created upon the realization of what a successful entertainment system the Amateur Gladiator League could be. Some people enjoyed the carnage, but others simply had fun watching a good fight between strong rivals (akin to boxing or wrestling in our world, basically).

The Superior Gladiator League is one of the most famed institutions born in the Fire Nation in recent times. The key difference between the Superior League and the Amateur one is, of course, the sponsorship system.

In the Amateur League, there’s usually one man in charge of acquiring gladiators. This man forces the slaves to endure heinous living conditions, stuck in barracks, living off very bad meals, so that their willpower breaks and that they have no means to escape (if the man in charge or any of his guards notice any two gladiators growing too close, they’re usually forced to kill the other in the arena on the next day). The Amateur League is sheer cruelty, with no redeeming factors whatsoever. The only slavery practice that may still be worse than that of Amateur Gladiators is to be found in brothels. Of course, that’s not to say that all other sponsors and slave masters are kind and gentle, but in general, the cruelty slaves see in the Amateur League is hard to top.

How does a gladiator leave the Amateur League, then? Either through death, or through sponsorship: Fire Nation citizens, Honorary or Trueborn, are all allowed to sponsor gladiators in the Superior League. Having a gladiator in the Superior League tends to be a social boost all on its own, there’s a lot of noblemen who are involved in the Superior League. So those who are hoping to rise through social ranks tend to find gladiators to boost their own prestige a bit, too. But there are heaps of different stories for Superior Gladiator League participants, of course… the story will show you plenty, if you read it.

To continue expanding on this, the Superior Gladiator League provides so much prestige to aspiring nobility that you’ll find sponsors who have sought out powerful non-slaves to serve as their gladiators (when you’re an ambitious sponsor, it’s better to hire a top-notch firebender to work as your gladiator than to find a non-bender with no special training from the Amateur League). In fact, the top fighter of the League is Combustion Man, who never has been a slave, but who is somewhat an undefeatable foil that no other gladiator has been able to defy. As he’s such a powerful fighter, many sponsors with aspirations to reach the top spot of the League have resorted to taking in powerful benders as their gladiators, and thus, it’s benders who dominate the ranking. As I said before, most of those benders aren’t slaves, but of course, some are. The ones who aren’t slaves are usually people who, like Toph, enjoy the idea of beating the shit out of others without any consequences xD or they’re in it for the money somehow.

But there’s also the fact that slavery has become Ozai’s best method of oppression: in one chapter, a Fire Nation man attacks him and Azula stops the man before he can harm her father. Ozai, enraged, demands that he be reduced to slavery, regardless of him being a perfectly legal and trueborn Fire Nation citizen. Ergo, any dissenters of Fire Lord Ozai’s regime, regardless of where they come from, might find themselves reduced to slavery, and if those dissenters are benders or fighters of any sort, chances are they’ll end up in the Superior Gladiator League in due time.

Okay, so, sponsors fetch gladiators either from slave markets or from the Amateur Arena, generally. They aren’t obligated to provide better services for their personal gladiators than the Amateur Arena does, but as might be obvious, feeding a gladiator properly and giving him/her quality instruction on the arts of fighting will give him/her a better chance of success. Therefore, Superior League sponsors, as bad as some can be, usually are still better than an Amateur Arena. 

In short, sponsors tend to be the providers for their fighters, and despite some don’t realize, it, sponsors have a huge deal to do with how well their gladiators fare in battle. Part of Azula’s purpose within the Gladiator League resides on proving that she can take a gladiator such as Sokka, who on first glance seems completely ordinary and who has no apparent extraordinary abilities of his own, and turn him into a brilliant fighter through her support and the resources she provides. In due time, he evolves into one of the best non-benders in the Gladiator League. 

Of course, Sokka deserves plenty of credit of his own because he’s very sharp and can improvise very successfully on the battlefield, which is why Azula was impressed by him, he’s more brain than brawn and defeats less intelligent gladiators that way. Thus, Azula takes him as her gladiator and seeks to impulse him into reaching his full potential as a warrior: she arranges his initial training with Piandao, then with Haru so he can fight back against earthbenders, she lends him her sword, amongst many things. In short, his performance as a gladiator improved beyond belief ever since she took him under her wing.

Now, as for the Gladiator League and its rules: in the Amateur League there are next to no rules. Fights are to the death, every single time. The sand pit is perfectly clear, just old and filthy and full of bloodstains but there are no obstacles in it, not a lot you can do to use the environment to your advantage.

In the Superior League, fights can end in death, but this isn’t frequent since fighters can also be knocked out to end the fights. But if the gladiators are roughly equally matched, there’s a time limit that the sponsors agree on before each fight. Once the limit has expired, it marks the end of the fight. There are Judges on all Superior League fights, who will be the ones to decide (if the time ran out) who the fight’s winner is. Depending on the Arena, falling outside the limited fighting area disqualifies gladiators immediately (The Slate, Gladiator Rumble, namely). The winner of each fight acquires a set of points, derived from the Gladiator Value of the gladiator he defeated. If a gladiator destroys the furniture in the Arena (there are obstacles, furniture, objects of many sorts in Superior League Arenas), he will be deducted twenty points from his total score (this is the only way to lose points, losing fights means getting 0 awarded points). The ranking is organized by the number of points each gladiator has earned through their fights.

Extra info on the Superior Gladiator League, there are some events in the Superior League that of course are absent from its Amateur counterpart. Such events are the Pairs Tournament, one that Azula and Sokka took part in with Iroh and Toph as their partners, or the Scavenger Hunt from the Ring of Ash, the Arena in Fire Fountain City. There are other events, such as a Gladiator Brawl I’ll write in the future, and the Slate, the one I mentioned earlier, is another such event where the winning gladiator is awarded three thousand points in one go (normal fights award 500 points at best). There are many kinds of events, then, and they keep the Superior League from becoming monotonous for its fans.

Also, since I mentioned it, there are Superior League Arenas all over the world. The main one is the Grand Royal Dome in the Fire Nation Capital, but the first one Sokka and Azula fought in was the Ember Crater, in Ember Island. The full list of arenas I have planned is as follows:

The Grand Royal Dome in the Fire Nation Capital

The Ring of Ash in Fire Fountain City

The Dragon’s Pit in the Black Cliffs

The Slate in Roku’s Island

The Ember Crater in Ember Island

The Golden Eye in Yu Dao

The Green Gates in Ba Sing Se

Gladiator Rumble in Gaoling

Ozai Arena in Omashu

The Southern Coliseum in Whaletail Island

The Jade Range in Garsai

The Terra Jewel in the Si Wong Desert

There might be more Arenas in the future, I can’t promise this is all of them, but I’m happy with these many so far xD Two of these arenas haven’t been featured yet in-story, the Southern Coliseum and the Terra Jewel, but in due time we’ll see them.

Okay, I think that’s more or less all? If I forgot anything, you’d probably see it in the story if you read it. God, this got long xD

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