#he doesn't seem to know much about linguistics either?

[ayakashibackstreet]

I need to protect my 60-something year old professor from this weird guy sitting in the back and being a real pain. What is his problem? Leave my little guy alone

[hellsquills]

Most people think that Ford had to teach Stan everything at school, all the time. Well, yes, if you're talking about whatever's on the book, chances are Ford has at some point explained to his brother whatever lesson they did that day, because one single class wasn't enough to retain all the information.

However, there's one thing about school that Stan taught Ford. And as he stands alone in his college dorm, he curses himself for having to do it again.

Ford can write a mean dissertation. Truly, one that could make a linguistics major cry tears of joy. He knows the words, he knows how to speak properly, he knows how to speak, dammit! So why won't the words come out the way he wants them to?!

Sure, when he was a kid he was shy and didn't like being the center of attention. Not like he wanted their classmates' attention anyways: if he looked at them, they would surely be laughing at him for the way he spoke, the topic he chose or -of course- his hands. He tried to keep them hidden behind his back, but he couldn't help but using them when he explained something he was passionate about. Ford wishes he could go back in time just to sit in that class and give all of his attention and support to that little kid.

Of course, he can't do that, and he doesn't really need to. There was already someone there doing just that.

In every presentation, Stan had been there to listen to him. His twin wasn't one for concentrating much, and he would spend most classes either drawing, whispering dumb jokes to him and looking out the window in silence, staring at the ocean. But when the time came and Ford had to give a presentation in front of the class, Stan's focus was solely on him. He wouldn't look away, no matter how boring he knows his brother found whatever topic he was talking about. He was there, observing, listening, smiling, giving him a thumbs up and a reassuring nod every time he stuttered.

Stan never needed to memorize his presentations. He would ask him to explain the topic one more time, understand what he was supposed to talk about and come up with a presentation on the spot. Every time he practiced in front of Ford, his wording would be different, but no less cohesive and enthralling than the last. It was something Ford was admittedly jealous of, and they had tried to work on it together, to no avail: the oldest couldn't just improvise, no matter how well he knew his subject, because every skipped word on his script made him lose track. Therefore, Stan had settled for teaching him how to stand, how to speak louder and how to control his focus. He had tried to encourage him to use his hands while speaking, saying it would help him greatly, but Ford refused.

But, most importantly, he taught him where to look. They had both learned that eye contact was important when speaking in public, and you should look at each person individually while speaking, so the audience is engaged. But why on earth would Stanford want to look at those eyes, belonging to faces that ridiculed him every single day? What he saw in them was nothing but mockery, and it would throw him off every time he tried.

When he brought this up to Stanley for the first time, he didn't expect him to understand. After all, Stan was amazing at speeches, and he would look at every single person when he did a presentation, just like they were taught. However, it turns out his brother also hated eye contact, and would never look at someone for long if he could help it.

"Why are you looking at me in the eyes, then?"

"Well, you're looking at me too, right? So there's that."

That's when Stanford learned the trick: look at the back of the class, left to right, don't stare at a point for too long, and when you've been doing that for a while, look at everyone's foreheads, their hairlines, one at a time, but never their eyes.

"You have to make each of them believe that you're looking at someone else! That way, it seems like you're looking at everyone in the audience, just not at them specifically. It works every time. The art of deceit, my friend."

And sure, maybe it was hard at first, but to Stan's credit, it worked! Without any unwanted eye distractions, his mind was free to focus on his speech only, and he was able to finish every presentation with little trouble. However, there was one detail that his brother didn't mention, but he found incredibly helpful: whenever he was talking for a while and couldn't tell whether he was following all the rules, he would look at Stan. The younger would then give him a sign to let him know he should raise or lower his tone, speed up or slow down, straighten his posture... all the little details that he would forget while he was talking. Sometimes, Stanley would just smile and give him a thumbs up, to let them know he was on the right track.

As he stands in his room, his notecards in hand and staring at the wall, he curses himself for reliving those memories. He knows he shouldn't give them a second thought, but he has yet to convince his mind of that fact. It infuriates him, really, because now that he's in his twenties he should be able to speak in public properly! He's an adult, damn it! And his audience always listens, because they chose to attend his lecture. So why wasn't he able to make eye contact with people who actually wanted to listen?

He doesn't know, and he hates it. Clearly, he must be wired wrong. But then again, so was his brother. Part of him wants to maybe blame it on Stan, for making him dependent on his directions to finish a speech, but he never does. As much as he betrayed him, the kid he grew up with before the catastrophe was good. His biggest support.

That's how he came up with supplying that loss with the next best thing: his best friend, Fiddleford. Ford explained that he would have to attend his lectures and sit between the audience, and let him know how he was doing as he spoke. Fidds agreed, and Ford felt the greatest relieve at his friend's readiness to help.

Sadly, that didn't work for long. Sure, the short lectures were easier, and Fiddleford would silently assure him that he was on the right path. However, when his presentation was done, people would compliment his topic or his research, but never his performance. In fact, one of his teachers pointed out that he should work on his staging, otherwise he could lose some grants if the committees weren't interested. When he brought this up to his friend, he replied that sure, he looked a bit nervous, but the topic was interesting enough to make up for it.

Now back in his room, he goes to his desk and all but falls onto his chair, tired and angry. His eyes drift to the letter on top of a book, congratulating him for his great presentation last week and the not-so-subtle promise of a grant on the way. He's happy about it, of course, but that joy is overshadowed by a feeling of hopelessness and defeat. He didn't do it alone, now did he?

That depends how you'd define imagining your estranged brother sitting between the crowd, giving you tips and smiling reassuringly.

[cripplecharacters]

Howdy! I’m working on a story with a side character who has mild to moderate intellectual disability from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

The character really likes dinosaurs and I was considering having the character buy presents for his family members all with dinosaurs because that’s what makes him happy. But I was wondering if this would perpetuate harmful stereotypes? Any insight wanted thank you!

I was also wondering about writing his speech and how his family talk to him. I’m assuming they use simplified language? But I’m not sure what that looks like in general conversation.

Hey!

If it's not presented as child-like or "stupid" by the narrative, I have no problem with it - seems realistic to me. I know a person from who attended SPED with me who did basically the same thing (except not dinosaurs specifically and with more or less everyone rather than just family members). I also appreciate an intellectually disabled character that's shown to have some deeper characterization to them, so that's cool to see.

Speech/language/verbality is a more complicated thing. It's a really broad spectrum in the context of intellectual disability. Some people will have it essentially unaffected - either because their ID is mild, or they have a specific disorder, like Williams Syndrome, where language doesn't tend to be affected much - and some have it be very obvious. To my understanding FASD doesn't specifically affect language abilities more than 'regular' intellectual disability.

If your character has mild ID, there's a chance his linguistic skills won't affect the dialogue 90% of the time. You can have him ask another character for clarification on what they said, for example, or ask them to reword a run-on sentence because he got lost 2 clauses ago. He might have poorer intuition when it comes to pronouncing an ambiguous word for the first time (for example, not noticing the pattern that the word is built on and breaking the syllables up incorrectly). He could have a particular tone of voice (most commonly: monotone) that you could mention in the dialogue tags. But things like incorrect basic grammar or misunderstanding everyday words are not a feature of mild ID (on its own at least).

Many people with mild ID aren't "obviously ID" to most people, and that includes speech. Others can often tell something is different, but in my experience it's often chalked up to autism, [insert a random developmental condition that person happens to know], or even poor hearing (some people might talk very loudly, which is what HoH/deaf people are often stereotyped as) since the average person seems to assume that a person with intellectual disability wouldn't be able to talk at all, or they don't even consider the possibility that a person with ID could exist near them (as opposed to being in an institution).

As for how people talk to him, that's a completely separate thing. You could have a situation where a mildly ID character knows someone and they have completely normal dialogue, but then the other character learns about the other's ID, and they suddenly turn to babytalk. Is this appropriate; no, the disabled character could clearly hold the conversation previously, is this realistic; absolutely.

However, yes, your character could need other people to alter how they speak to him, especially if his ID is more severe than just mild (and as always: it's not infantilization to have your needs met). Here you have some of the most common and realistic options of what happens (I'll use much simpler sentence examples than what would actually need to be simplified for the sake of clarity):

The bare minimum. This is what happens when someone is kinda trying, but not really. Maybe they don't have the patience, maybe they just didn't think about it too much. Either way, the disabled character doesn't get the full picture and is effectively left out of the conversation. E.g.: "Oh, yesterday Zainab and I went to the club and met up with her boyfriend and his annoying older brother, we wanted to grab some drinks there, but they were just so overpriced." = "I went out yesterday."

The "don't worry about it :)". Pretty much what it says. The other character decides that the disabled character doesn't actually need to hear that; they decide that it's irrelevant for them. E.g.: "Ever since her rent increased my mother has been doing nothing but worrying sick, and she won't even let me help her out." = "Don't worry about it."

The actual simplified version. The gold standard of simplifying something is actually making the person understand what you are talking about without leaving out information, or leaving out as little as possible. Depending on the actual text, it might not always be possible (you can only get so far in simplifying scientific subjects, for example), but in terms of regular conversation you can probably accurately simplify the vast majority of things being said. An example I like to use is English Wikipedia vs Simple English Wikipedia, some of the main features are shorter sentences, more commonly used words (when appropriate), and they use fewer pronouns in favor of repeating nouns. It's not perfect, but I think it illustrates what I mean by "simplification vs baby talk".

To figure out how his family speaks to him, you need to think about who they are as people and what's their relationship to him. An impatient person might just wave their hand and keep talking even if the character asks for clarification, while someone else might automatically switch how they speak when he enters the room to make him feel included. It's also a great way to show-don't-tell what the family dynamics are towards the disabled character.

Some of the posts about ID and language speech: 1, 2.

Hope this helps,

mod Sasza

[danieyells]

Hello! I'm curious if you've ever written anything about how the PC refers to the ghouls in jp, since it seems like a language quirk that can't be translated into eng without it sounding awkward (different honorifics, first name vs last name). I noticed she calls Yuri 'Isami-san' and Jiro 'Jiro-kun' while rereading the second Mort chapter and now I'm super curious

Hihi! I haven't actually, but I believe @tkdb-encyclopedia is planning on one?? Or maybe I'm thinking of their first person pronoun(s in Taiga and Elias' cases. . .Taiga uses three different ones and I believe Elias uses two) and how they refer to the PC, I can't remember which Eset said they were working on.

The thing about "Isami-san" for example just being translated into his first name in English is that there's a culturel nuance there! It's considered rude and oftentimes intimate to use someone's first name(in particular without an honorific) so the appropriate neutral form of address in Japanese is "familyname-[title]" or "familyname-san" or something like "title-san"("tokutaisei-san" for "honor student" is probably one you've heard many times by now) in most cases. But in english using someone's surname is either formal or kind of rude. So that has to be changed to using given names most of the time to make speech sound more natural!

Off the top of my head the pc doesn't use the surname of:

Kaito: they're friends and Kaito probably said to call him by his name(I admit I don't remember their intro scene off the top of my head) because. Well they're friends and he wants to feel intimate and close to girls. I believe she uses 'Kaito-kun' for him.

Lucas, Romeo, Edward, Lyca: westerners, so they would prefer to be referred to by their given names but default. She uses honorifics with them all I believe--Luca-kun, Romeo-san, Ed-san, Lyca-kun

Leo: 'LEO' is his screen name and his given name so he already introduces himself as 'Leo' both on and offline. As such it's not as intimate to him. I believe she uses 'Leo-kun'. Notably Sho just uses 'Leo' without an honorific--which is very intimate, to the point that you're more likely to hear someone address their partner that way then their best friend if I remember right.

Shohei: hates being referred to by anything but 'Sho', especially 'Shohei', which she respects. I think she uses 'Sho-kun'? Leo uses 'Sho-chan'. Hyde uses 'Shohei' even when Sho tells him not to to his face.

Towa: Towa introduced himself with his given name and no surname. I don't think she even learned his surname until Ren called him 'Otonashi-senpai'. . .but 'Otonashi' literally means 'without sound.' she honestly may have just thought he was saying 'mute senpai' and not know that's his name lmao. . . . . .

Haku and Rui: I believe she uses their first names snd '-san'. They're the flirty type who'd have a girl use their given name to show intimacy, same as Kaito! -san because they're third years but also she's inspector so I don't think she uses 'senpai' for anyone off the top of my head?

Jiro: believes you should just call him whatever is most convenient. 'Jiro' is half the syllables of 'Kirisaki' so why call him by his family name when his given name is much faster? Culturo-linguistic standards? Seems inconvenient and unnecessary, so don't bother. The pc uses 'Jiro-kun' if I'm remembering right. I wonder, given mentions of having a family and the sight of Zenji's birthday made him feel ill, if he doesn't like being referred to with his family name because it makes him start to slip into another episode?

Professors/Darkwick staff: introduced with only one name and to be referred to with that name. I believe it's also against the rules to inquire about staff personal information, and calling Hyde 'Haizono-sensei' might go against that. . .nobody else uses it anyway and it would probably make Sho upset so best to just day 'Hyde.'

I think she uses everyone else's surnames and either -san or -kun depending on their grade(second and first is -kun because they're her peers or underclassmen, and third years are -san.)

Hopefully that helps!

[raointean]

Funniest responses* to the "What does "Blorbo" mean?" question

(In reference to my silmarillion fandom linguistics project, the results of which you can find in my "survey says" tag)

*not necessarily the full response, some are just fragments from longer responses. Also, I'm not filtering by "correct" or "incorrect" responses

Special Little Guy (gender neutral)

Lmao. That's like, my special little guy. He takes up my brain space. I'm rotating him.

you know how lilo from lilo and stitch has that doll she made, complete with backstory? basically like that

one's blorbo is a character one cares a lot about. it kind of has like... condescending or woobifying connotations? like expressing that Maedhros is your blorbo is sort of uh... one imagines like, a chibi Maedhros. cute, not scary. but it doesn't necessarily imply the speaker has distorted perception of the character in general, just a sort of fondness

The character a person wants to use as a doll/stuffed animal

A character who the author loves too much (and knows it)

"OMG Blorbo was in the new trailer for 5 seconds!" is a common statement

which often provokes... strange thoughts at 11pm.

Beloved character who you think about entirely too much and also enjoy putting in Situations

It implies some degress of being pathetic as well.

No relation to Blorbo Baggins.

The character you put under a microscope, put through the cheese grater, put into the salad spinner, and squeeze like a plushie.

A beloved character whom you want to both stick in a microwave and protect with all you have

character one fangirls* over (*gender neutral)

Just a little guy, whom I am deeply enamored of and just want to squish on the head and see what happens.

Favourive character, often pathetic, someone to pity as much as love

obsessed. baby. Will run my mouth off about them

the word "favorite" wasn't enough to encapsulate "the exact kind of character made specifically for me in the lab" either. my friendgroup started calling those types of characters "callouts" because they were calling you out by existing Exactly To Your Tastes

(not necessarily in a way that condones their actions, but deeply beloved nonetheless)

The "cinnamon roll" kind. Idk I love Namo but I'd never call him a blorbo, it just wouldn't feel right.

??

dear?

My personal favourite character, whom I want to adopt even if he's a dark lord

A particularly beloved (or beloathed-in-a-positive-way) character.

Generally seem to be problematic favs.

I think it was originally meant to be somewhat mocking, but it was wholeheartedly adopted and is now used unironically.

A favored character that usually is subjected to great amounts of trauma and or fluff.

A favourite character, usually male

The obsession character

Feanor/character you are unreasonably attached to esp. if they are a Bad Person TM

The character who is most special and beloved to you (and often that means you're gonna put them through The Horrors)

a character that makes you chew on the bars of your enclosure

Special little character from my shows(tm)

usually having an aura of kicked wet puppy (brimby)

You'd build a shrine to them

Idk, ask the children 😹. Er. Hot character you like? I'm sure people have very complex definitions explaining why they like the hot character but I don't take fandom that seriously.

Your guy (gender neutral), not a comfort character, but perhaps a character you would like to see experience the worst situations possible (affectionate)

occasionally blorbo from my floor (my cat)

Just a widdle pathetic guy 🥺😈

A favourite character, thuogh usually one you squash like a stress ball or squeaky toy rather than put gently on a shelf

Ungoliant

Guy (gender neutral) who I hold in my hand like a neat rock and look at

character whom i will put in a glass and shake

character you are putting in the metaphorical salad spinner

A favourite character, often a war criminal treated like they did nothing wrong, they are a little kitty

(character you're particularly attached to and usually put in physically and/or mentally torturous situations for fun)

A character you’ve imprinted on and like seeing in misery. They’re your wet cat you enjoy pouring water on but also toweling off

Your favorite character, to whom no harm may come (except in the service of angst)

my guy. my friend my buddy. the person

Literally your favourite ever character, but not like you want to f*ck them, more like "how much can i let them suffer?"

Your favouritest character from media that you like to put in all kinds of situations, but is not morally problematic.

favourite character you want to bully

a fictional character that you like to an obsessive amount, typically more than other favourite characters; your specialist little guy; someone you are unwell about; you don’t always have to like your blorbo per day but they must take up constant thought space

[delesaria-blog]

So, it's confirmed that Sunghyun has a hero complex. He was perfectly capable of ignoring Daon without an explanation until he saw that Daon was hurt, at which point he folded.

They cast Sunghyun's character so well because the amount of pushiness he exhibits would usually annoy me but his expression is so freaking puppy-like I can see why Daon can't resist him.

In another drama, Sunghyun might have been the clueless, persistent second lead, but here his competition is a cold, manipulative sociopath and a violent, domineering boss with the emotional regulation of a toddler. So he really comes across as the sweetest puppy. Daon seems to think so too.

Everyone in Daon's world seems to be a total scumbag (except for his little sis and Sunghyun). I really wanted to throw this so-called friend out the window.

What's interesting about this though is that everyone associated with Jaemin seems to look down upon Daon (this guy, the man who tried to assault Daon while he was passed out, and even Soo Hyun treats Daon as inferior.) I wonder if this is a class issue or if Jaemin's habit of viewing Daon as his dog actually affects the opinions of everyone around him.

Also, everyone in this show should reflect on this statement: No matter how close you are, you can't cross the line.

Our resident red flags are once again acting more obsessed with each other than Daon.

Both of you are equally stupid. Now stop fighting and make out. Or do both at the same time; either way I think you guys are perfectly matched.

Wow, Soohyun you're not self-aware at all if you're dropping this line:

Be careful who you say this kind of thing to, Daon. If you said this to anyone else in this show, you'd be cooked:

Thankfully Sunghyun just wants to drop honorifics. Linguistic flirting, my beloved. More of this please.

Ok, so the deal Jaemin struck back then with Soohyun was probably because he knew that Daon liked Soohyun. I'm so glad that Jaemin did that though, because he saved Daon from a partner who really doesn't respect him. Even back then, when Daon was assaulted, Soohyun let his temper control him and shoved Daon to the ground when he tried to interfere with his revenge. Sure, Soohyun will act sweet with Daon when things are going his way, but the moment Daon steps out of line, Soohyun uses violence against him. He's similar to Jaemin that way, except Soohyun uses blunt force and Jaemin wields his manipulation. I know it probably won't happen but Jaemin and Soohyun have so much chemistry I feel like they should at least have a fling to work out some of that crazy tension.

[dark-side-blog3]

How would you rank the six Jojo leads from the OG continuity from worst to best to end up with?

I'm gonna take this as an add-on to the would you rather game from before, so the answers will be super self-indulgent, and yandere.

Short answer is I would prefer to end up with none of the yanderes, at least not the jojo's. But in terms of damage, I suppose Jonathan is the safest, and Giorno is the worst. It should be Jolyne because Stone Ocean is more dangerous, but Giorno skeeves me out more. Jolynes only so low because everyone around her would instakill me.

+++++++++++++++++

Jonathan is a milk toast of a man. He's unthreatening, because of his noble code. If I got isekai'd, the worst Johnathan could possibly do to me is just have me associated with him, because Dio would fuck me up just to mess with him. In which case, I'd either have to avoid Jonathan so hard Dio can't target me, or I'd have to glue myself to his side so he could protect me from Dio. Which would be what feeds into his tendencies, but they're not really dangerous, so I suppose I'll just have to suck it up.

Joseph is funny and charming, and in earlier parts, he's cunning and witty. He leans heavily into the bad boy heartbreaker persona, so the idea that he's going to be possessive of his partner wouldn't seem out of the ordinary. And all of these would make him the match if it weren't offset by the cheating. How Suzie didn't kill him, I don't know. Her patience is infinite. I, on the other hand, would kill us both. Until then, he wouldn't be too bad.

Jotaro and I would fight way too much. He only wants to talk about his interests, and I can't shut up about my interests, and there is zero overlap between the two. There are only so many times I can endure a Clint Eastwood marathon, and there are only so many minutes he'll let me talk about pinnipeds or linguistics. I couldn't care less about the actual crimes he commits, but the clash of interests would be what makes him the (second) most unbearable.

Josuke has never faced long-term interpersonal consequences to his actions, which means that he'll be genuinely surprised if I stay mad at him after a fight. He nearly beat Okuyasu to death and they're best friends. He punched a hole through his mom and never got in trouble. So why am I still mad at him a week after a verbal fight that didn't even get violent? The world will never know (I will tell him every day, he just doesn't want to hear it). The only reason I wouldn't try to piss him off too much, like saying I got isekai'd and I can't stay in Morioh, is because I've seen Angelo. I choose to not be a fucked up rock Josuke does shameful things with.

Giorno is fucking creepy if you don't hear his internal monologues; which if isekai'd, I wouldn't be able to. I'm with Abbacchio on this, I don't trust this motherfucker. He just stares as people get injured in front of him, and waits until the last possible second to help them, and he's so obviously scheming behind those eyes. I would avoid him like the plague, even if I somehow got involved with the mafia. He's just so... Weird. And calculating. Giorno isn't the only smart jojo, but he is the most intimidating for his intelligence. The vibes are just so rancid on him... I'm throwing myself into the Tiber before I enter this narrative.

Jolyne is a puzzle. I'm not sure what I'd do if I got isekai'd... Do I avoid her and avoid the ire of Anasui, or get my ass beat by the enemy stand users literally everywhere? Not to mention the regular people who just happen to be in a supermax, who will probably prey on me for being an easy target. I'd be totally lost in terms of what to do. At least with the others, there's a hope of escape, or playing my cards right to utilize them. But I don't think there is a good strategy with Jolyne except carefully slotting myself in the toxic friendzone, and hoping for the best. At least it shouldn't be impossible to do.

[glorfys-glorioushair]

CVIII/CoD characters if they were in college in no particular order:

Sypha: she's the nerdy looking homeschooled girl dressing in the baggy clothes and glasses who looks like she has never been with a man ever in her life but mentions "Oh and my husband..." In which you pause and think wait she's MARRIED?! How?? She's incredible at science and reads like a beast. Might get involved with an engineering or nursing degree there's no in-between for her. Loves tabletop gaming and would destroy you in Mariokart.

Julia: opposite of Sypha (her best friend) who has the good looks for days but isn't married. Instead she's in a situationship with her brother's ex-boyfriend and doesn't know what to do about it. Also loves science, but has a leaning towards animal biology and being a vet or smth like that. She’s the roommate with a cat or dog or both. Will get on your case about doing the dishes. Gardening isn't her hobby, it's her lifestyle.

Alucard: he's the student who only does online classes...but at campus. Hiding in his dorm room. You only see him once in a blue moon when he comes out for a glass of water during the day. His major? Linguistics and library science probably, but you're not certain. Wears glasses like a total nerd. You're pretty sure that his dad is the suave and equally creepy history professor that has an eclectic series of reviews on rateyourprofessor.

Grant: he's the guy you see literally everywhere. He's at the campus events, the gym, the library, the cafeteria, your best friend's bachelor's party, and he's in at least one of your classes. Name it and he's there in the crowd. Easy to spot because he always wears the same pair of bright red shoes (adidas for some reason) and bandana. Always wears it, is he bald? You decide. Everyone knows he's a declared business major and is obsessed with sales and the stock market. However, he makes some questionable choices regarding money with how he has access to all the tv shows and movies and not a coin spent on streaming services. Has done drugs at some point and can ace the climbing wall like nobody's business.

Trevor: a local who happens to have the college in his backyard. When he's not in class or with the wife, man is eating it up at the campus gym or invested in some sporting event. He's the one that jumps to conclusions in class too fast, so you watch him and the professor argue for at least 10 minutes every class. But at the end of the day is one of the nicest and kindest individuals you've probably met. As much as he likes being physically active, man either has a major in family relations or education. Him and Sypha host a Friday game night at their apartment. Everyone's in love with him, but he is obsessed with his wife. There's some funny picture of him wearing thigh high boots floating around the student body and those boots just might be stuffed in the front of the closet.

Hector: he's part of the older crowd that's finally getting around to college in his mid 20s, because sometimes it be like that. Still not over the girl he loved in high school, who may or may not have died? You're never completely sure when it comes to him. Due to this, his romantic life is a hot mess between these two siblings whom he has both dated (separately) and a certain history professor that seems to be obsessed with him. Is a bio-chem major and history minor. A quiet guy at first, but actually really smart, sweet and is an underdog champ at performing above-average in class. Everyone on campus agrees his jeans fit him almost too well and a person can't help but stare sometimes.

Isaac: he's got the bad boy energy of being the student who has a past crime-record, but still weaseled his way into college because of how wicked smart he is. Dresses in questionable black clothing and doesn't believe in belts. He's low-key obsessed with that one history professor which may be why he and his ex-boyfriend broke up in the first place. However they still see each other all the time, because their majors are the exact same, but he's thinking of switching to micro-biology believing he will be the one to find the cure to cancer. Can be overprotective of his sister and vice versa. He loves getting paid to be an actor for the nursing program simulations, but all the nurses in training hate it. Drives a motorcycle because why the hell not.

BONUS

Saint Germain: the professor who's always late to the start of class, but always happens to be there for when you slip, fall in the ice and rip your pants.

[theoryfan205]

Thanks to twst roya and mo'o ( @rainbowprisimatic 's twst oc) talks I have decided there should be roya and silver interactions.

She's fascinated by a lot of the strange magical quirks of other students, the only example I have right now is silvers seemingly animal magnet personality, she wants to know why, how far until the animal doesn't count anymore? Humans are animals yet clearly they don't seem to count, when does it stop? And in twst roya is more bad at restraining her curiosity, she's younger and handling her grief a bit differently, enough that she often slips and gets absorbed by her curiosity again, it's something she's failed to kill the majority of inside of her in twst. One pop music club meeting she idly mentions her curiosity to participate in the conversation while she fiddles with her violin, and Lilia being his fucking dad takes an interest in her curiosity

Roya: I've always wondered why he attracts so many animals. I don't think he's just good at animal linguistics or whatever it's called, but I don't think he'd really let me fuck around with trying to find out either.

(she talks the most when she's being more absent minded because she doesn't properly check her words and worry about them)

Lilia: oh? You're curious about silver? Why didn't you say so! Kehehee, if you wanted to hang out with him, you simply have to ask!

Roya: I'm not doing that.

Cater: antisocial much? #classicroya

Kalim: if you're nervous I can introduce you to him! We can set up a date at scarabia, jamil can come if that makes you feel more comfortable!

Roya: DON'T CALL IT THAT-

So they eventually hang out, Roya red as her eyes during the entire situation. Though it soon fades as silver just answers her questions and allows her to do some minor tests which just involve her asking him to stand somewhere or hold something so she can see the depths of this, eventually her curiosity takes more hold and she gets more bolder. Eventually going from "let's try this and see if it works on this kind of animal" to "hey, I notice you fell asleep alot the other time we did this- no, I'm not mad fucking hell- It seems weird I wanna test stuff with that today instead."

I think Lilia at first would be more concerned in a way, he knows the identity roya is pretending to be, he knows about Prometheus and that interest in silver is something to watch out for. But after a lot of their club time spent together and roya interacting with silver I think Lilia would see that she's not acting like he was expecting, never once does she act like her father in those moments, she is counting on others not knowing how he acts due to his mysterious nature, but her sheer excitement at doing basic interaction tests with silver and a crab to see if it counts, the way she chimes in almost nervously when their club meetings go towards a topic she likes, it tells him that if this is Prometheus, this is a different version that has changed from the current perception. He might figure out on his own that she's lying about it, or he might just assume a change has happened for the "clone" of Prometheus attending nrc like how he changed from general Lilia to simply Lilia vanrouge, a silly little guy.

[faroreskiss]

The Power of Understanding / Part 2 (v2)

Read on Ao3

Rewritten v2 posted on: 2023/09/10

Cheat Sheet

Chapters: Pilot, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9

Summary: You have been with the Chain for a while now, as their "scholar" and translator. You know everything about them, because you are from our world. But do they know the truth about how you can understand everyone? Loosely based on the same reader in my NSFW fic, which is a very loose prequel to this one, and a work in progress. More background info to come, if I feel like it :D Isekai reader, but she doesn't know about the Linked Universe. Warnings: None. SFW. Maybe Teen? Points of interest: This is your thing if you are into the mystery of chain being able to talk to each other. I am an actual trained linguist IRL, hence this HAD to be written! Some fluffy Twilight x Reader content in this chapter.

So, what was happening to you today? You just couldn't stop thinking about Twilight for some reason. You even carried your work over the stables, having to inhale the smell of horseshit around you. 

But he was just... there. Not like he has been far away lately. You’ve literally been stuck with him (and the rest of the chain) for around two years. Your ‘situationship’ with Wild was still there, and the rest of the chain was aware of it, you were guessing.  You both weren’t exactly super subtle about it, hand holding and such and sometimes a small kiss here and there, but you were never explicit with it either. Nobody questioned anything, everybody had their… quirks, you guessed. 

Did they think you were just in a relationship, you wondered sometimes. Were they even familiar with the word, situationship? Gods, what would they think of the involvement of you, Zelda and Link at the same time, if they knew? Technically, everybody had their room in the house in Hateno, but, well... Ah, you really missed Zelda too, and her delicate fingers on… You took a breath and then sighed. You were getting distracted.

Anyway, nobody owes anyone explanations in the Chain that you learned. That was the agreement of the Links, in which you were indirectly included. If they don't want to tell, you don't force them.

Except, you pretty much knew everything. Well, you weren't really familiar with any game where all the Links were together except maybe some fanfiction where they met in the afterlife, but Wild didn't "exist" back then, from your perspective.

Now, Time was out with the others, getting some business done in Castle Town. Wild also joined him to get some ingredients for the recipes he learned from Malon.

Back to Twilight... You were watching his strong arms, brushing the horse gently. He definitely had a tall stature compared to the other Links. The Links you are in contact with are ranging from their mid to late twenties, maybe early thirties (except Wind, though he was still almost a 16/17 -year-old teenager). So, most of them were fully adults.

"Hey, I can feel ya starin', ya know, Trivia Queen,” he said with his Ordona drawl that occasionally made an appearance, sighing, while still brushing his Epona.

Right. That was your nickname. When you first arrived, you kept spouting things about them that you supposedly should not "know" about, which made the Links (except Wild, he was used to it) extremely suspicious. Over time, they got used to it, especially after finding out about your "job" at Wild's world, as a historian, linguistics scholar. So they left it at that.

The other rule was that you were not supposed to discuss one Link with another, unless you are sure you are not revealing any secrets.

...which was a rule that was established right after you revealed that Twilight is Wolfie, to Wild. Seems like the Old Man already knew (you and Wild joined the chain pretty much as the latest additions), and it was his idea to come up with it. And it was kind of unfair because Wild said he already knew Wolfie from his initial adventure! Hah, good riddance. It did end up being revealed to everyone anyway, after his near death experience.

Fair to say, you were the persona non-grata for a while. And that nickname was not Trivia Queen, but it was Trivia-something else for a while (Thanks, Vet).

"Mhm," you idly replied.

Twilight raised an eyebrow, catching you lost in thought while the stables filled with the scent of horse dung. "Hey," he called out again, his voice carrying a mix of amusement and curiosity. "Lost in your own world again?"

You sighed, blushing slightly, and tried to shake off the daydream of you and him in a big bear hug. "Yeah, just got a bit distracted," you admitted, turning your attention back to the ranch's budget paperwork. "These numbers can be quite mesmerizing, you know."

The rancher chuckled, his eyes warm as he continued brushing his Epona. "If you say so," he replied playfully. "But I have to admit, you manage to make even the most mundane tasks seem fascinating."

You couldn't help but smile at his compliment, feeling your heart flutter slightly. "Thanks, Link. You know how to make a 'trivia queen' blush," you teased back, trying to keep the conversation light-hearted.

His grin widened, and he leaned against the stable door, looking at you with that undeniable twinkle in his eyes. "Oh, really? Well, consider it a skill I've honed over time," he said, winking playfully.

You playfully rolled your eyes, trying to hide the butterflies in your stomach. "I suppose I'll have to keep my guard up around you, then," you replied, feigning a serious tone.

Twilight chuckled, and for a moment, the two of you locked eyes, a silent understanding passing between you.

"You wish you could," he winked.

There was an unspoken awareness that, despite the friendly banter, there were lines he would not cross. You respected his relationship with Wild, and he respected your history with him. And of course, the fact that everybody's existence is but a flicker...

Yes... Who knows how long you will still be here anyway? Even the stuff with Wild and Flora is as dangerous as it is. You can literally disappear and get back to your own world, leaving them behind.

This was the thing that was stopping you from the other type of "feelings" you could catch. You never spoke about this with Wild or Flora. To be fair, not like there was any time to. You… literally had the most intense moment of intimacy one night, and less than 24 hours after that, you and Link were taken in via the portal and met with 8 other Links. Poor guy even hesitated to sleep with you in the same bedroll, literally the night after. 

 And since the adventures with the Chain started, there was this weird gloom between you two sometimes (both missing Zelda), but the respect you have for each other never disappeared. That was another unspoken agreement.

The moment you want to speak about this awkward issue of you having a heart big enough for love for other people, the reality of your existence would be bare.

Anybody can disappear, forever, anytime.

Time's return broke the moment, and you both quickly resumed your tasks, acting as if nothing significant had transpired. "So, what were you two chatting about?" Time inquired with a sly grin.

"Just discussing the ranch's budget," you replied casually, keeping things vague.

The Old Man raised an eyebrow but seemed to take your word for it. "Alright then, just remember we've got some preparations to make before the next portal appears," he said, his eyes flickering with a knowing but serious glint. It wasn't the first time he witnessed something like this.

You nodded, grateful for the diversion. "Of course, I'll get back to work."

As the day went on, you couldn't help but steal glances at Twilight, his presence always managing to captivate you. Though you were the "translation magic" of the group, your understanding of him went beyond language. It was a connection that had been forged through shared experiences and unspoken feelings of the last couple of years, despite the initial incidents you had.

And as you continued to work alongside the Chain, you held onto the hope that, in the midst of all the chaos and adventure, there might be a chance for your paths to intertwine in a more profound way. For now, you would cherish the friendly banter and the secret glances, knowing that no matter how many worlds you traveled, Twilight would be a part of your heart's journey, for now.

[thelunarfairy]

How do you think Tsukasa will react to more of Hanako's words [I hate you so much]?

Tsukasa has never had confirmation, he never heard that prayer (confession) in which he fervently believed. As far as I know and we know, at least.

By the memory of Amane fixing the clock and Tsukasa saying «But you want it to be here, don't you?... Or do you want it to just disappear?» We can say that Amane was never clear about his feelings for his brother. All actions, not words.

Amane used confusing words and Tsukasa believed that his older brother hated him.

Now the words are being spoken, though they are more filled with frustration than actual hatred.

And as you mentioned, he usually takes everything literally.

Adding that Amane keeps denying his concern by deflecting and using Nene as an excuse. No, I didn't hear your call for help, I came for Yashiro and you were here; There is nothing hidden behind that, it was just a coincidence.

In the end, Tsukasa is right: it's time to say what Amane/Hanako wants.

[Could it be I know or no, you don't? I will allow myself to dream of an answer that may not lead to arguments and misunderstandings that are not addressed until later.]

tchao ^-^

By the way, it's nice to see that there are different ways to say goodbye to someone depending on the context. I know that they also exist in Spanish but I usually take them as something very formal (I like to say chao better, it sounds close and friendly and not awkward).

Maybe he would smile, already waiting for that answer. He is surprised by kind actions, words especially. That's not what Amane offered him.

Tsukasa always expects the worst from Amane, I want to see the face he will make when Amane confesses clearly that he loves him, clearly and objectively, that is something that I find interesting.

He already believes that Amane hates him, so it doesn't make much difference to him. Tsukasa has been constantly trying to get Amane to be honest, but this seems to be an exhaustingly long process without many positive responses.

He tried until he got tired. Tsukasa is tired of waiting.

Ah, Hanako complicates simple things (but not easy) He Ties a knot in a drop of water.

But, I'll confess that I don't judge him, confessing love in words is difficult, I've never been able to do it either, oh, I'm very ashamed, so I understand Amane.

HOWEVER, when you realize that the person you love is trying hard to hear your feelings from you, even if your actions show it, you have to say it. (oh, I would definitely blush and not be able to look the person in the eye, so embarrassed >.<)

Sink into shame, it passes, but the meaning of your words to that person does not.

She will always remember when you tell her you love her. Especially if you're the type like me and Amane, who are embarrassed to admit it, hahaha.

The person will know that you made an effort to tell them that you love them.

Learning that is missing in Amane.

Hahaha, always good to talk about linguistic curiosities, right? ^^

Anyway, we'll see you soon.

Tchau | adiós ^^

[saurons-pr-department]

K and X?

K - How do you feel about the other people in your current fandom?

So I consider myself to currently be in two fandoms, Silm fandom and The Clone Wars/Bad Batch fandoms.

Silm fandom: I've either been particularly fortunate in my time here or I've curated my tumblr immaculately, but my impression of my corner of the Silm fandom is that it's full of very calm and relaxed people who really love lore deep dives and really enjoy sharing their areas of expertise and how they can relate to the Silm (like people who are into metal work, linguistics, mythology etc. etc.). I know I frequently just share light hearted things, but I really love just how academic this fandom can get

I also love how much crafts are appreciated as fan works and not just fan fics and drawn fan art. Like we have so many textile artists and book binders and jewellers etc. in this fandom and they get so much interaction because who doesn't love to see a real-life Noldo, you know??

It's not all been sunshine and rainbows. I know people who've had awful experiences in the fandom. In my own experience, I've come across people who judge people for shipping things they ship themselves because of course only they are doing things the right way. Like I once came across an angbang shipper that said women shouldn't ship it because it was clearly a fetish thing when they did it??? Like sir, put the misogyny down! I even once had someone get so mad that my url appeared in their recommendations that they felt the need to dm me and tell me I shouldn't exist (something something, satanism in 'the professor's' work).

(In case anyone is wondering about the way I wrote 'the professor', I am usually wary of people who insist on exclusively calling Tolkien that. Too... pedestal-y for me).

All in all though, I've found myself a nice corner where you can ship what you want and create deeply fucked up fan works where you ask "how can I make this worse" and you'll be joined by fellow sickos going "yes! yeeeeeeessssss!".

The Clone Wars/Bad Batch: I'm fairly new here so I don't feel I have as much insight. I had been in Star Wars fandom before (yeeeeears ago) and always found The Clone Wars to be one of the calmer sections of a dumpster fire of a fandom (as we all know, no one hates Star Wars like a Star Wars fan). I would say I feel less comfortable here than in the Silm fandom, but I think I just haven't had sufficient time to establish my sicko circle to the same degree yet XD I find that generally people don't revel in "how do I make it worse?" which is like my favourite thing in fan works. People get a lot more upset at character death than I'm used to, to the point where it almost seems like a bit of a sore point... And I'm just like, it's a war, I would be disappointed is characters didn't die because then there'd never be any consequences. I'm just over here quietly killing off more characters with hammers in my head XD I don't know, I just feel like my feelings towards the shows and what fanworks I'd like to see don't quite match what seems to be common in the fandom on Tumblr.

Oh! And did you know that there's a degree of taboo against shipping the Clones?? They're so rediculously shippable. Anyway, I ship Clones. I think they should be part of the long tradition of stories of men serving in the military together with a devotion that boarders on (or is blatantly) homoerotic.

There's also way more x reader fic around than what I'm used to and I find much of it sooooo uncomfortably traditional gender role-y, but it's wish fulfillment and clearly my wishes are not these people's wishes. Like, there's one character in Bad Batch that's very smart and all the insert fic is like "he uses such big words that my tiny inferior brain couldn't possibly understand but he's so patient with me anyway" and I'm a woman who works in r&d so I want to drop kick the screen when I see this. But like I said, not my wish, not my fulfillment. I just find it odd it's so popular. (Yes I do keep reading it, no I don't know why. Someone please stop me).

Overall though, I haven't had a bad experience, but I don't feel like I quite fit either... That being said, I've had some fun convos with people about Tech being autistic, so maybe I just need to post and interact a bit more and I'll feel more at home like I do with the Silm. Like, I'm a little unfair to TCW/BB here because I'm compairing a few months to something like 6 or 7 years.

X - 3 OTPs from 3 different fandoms

Silm: Angbang, Silvergifting, Túrin x Beleg (yes that's three, but I can't pick just one, we're luckly I narrowed it down this much!)

TCW/BB: Echo x Fives, Echo x Tech, Tech x Crosshair (yes, I am cheating here too XD) (also, I think I should be allowed to marry Tech, just saying).

I'm actually not a huge shipper. I don't ship in most things. I'm very fussy about romance in fiction. I very rarely go anywhere near anything that's canon or hinted at in canon (esp. het). I dunno, romance in fiction can give me the ick really easily.

[danieyells]

Hi, what excatly do we know about jiro's memory loss?

He obviously hasn't lost any of his linguistic input so does that mean he also has his childhood memories?

It seems pretty mysterious and the story is probably keeping it purposely vague.

We don't know much unfortunately! He doesn't remember much himself and he doesn't speak much about himself or what he remembers because it doesn't matter to him. Jiro does have one home screen line where he says he's never had attachment to food, clothing, or shelter, even as a child, and he has another line where he says it's been a long time since he had a family so he doesn't know how to act with someone he considers family(the pc) but it doesn't seem like he has any specific memories of childhood so far--or at least, he's never mentioned them(which is very in character for him, he doesn't particularly like anything that isn't productive and there's no reason to dwell on the past if it isn't relevant.)

He doesn't remember how taking attendance in class works for example(he doesn't know that you're supposed to respond when your name is called,) he has a noticeable lack of understanding of social norms that he probably would have learned/understood growing up(of course he could have just never cared about social norms to begin with,) he doesn't remember what made him start reading medical books. . . .

Zenji doesn't want you to tell him his ghost is there but it's not clear if he remembers Zenji or not. He doesn't recognize Zenji's doll as looking like himself(or the theorized youngest Kirisaki brother) and he never mentions Zenji. But when the pc quotes Zenji he has some recognition and reacts with something like hurt or suspicion? He also suggests that someone else is afraid of corpses like the pc but it's unclear if he's referring to Yuri or Zenji or even someone else entirely.

He does remember the prophecy from the entrance ceremony despite only being at the entrance ceremony twice. So it's like. His memory is in and out. At this juncture we don't know what he does and doesn't remember or even really the timeframe of his coma. . .I think it's fair to say that his memory issues stem from whatever put him/being in a coma, and we know he was in a coma for a good while and only recently woke up--but we don't know how long or how recently, nor what exactly knocked him out or made him sick yet.

Part of the mystery is definitely the vagueness with which everyone speaks of the Clash, Zenji not wanting Jiro to know he's still there, and Jiro not finding unproductive things worth talking about. And, of course, we only see like 3~7 days at a time of the pc's life every episode and it's only been like 3 months in game and she's busy with class, being an inspector, and running around doing the bidding of a few of the ghouls, so she's definitely not close enough to Jiro or Yuri that either of them would talk about Jiro's condition or memories in any detail.

Who knows, maybe we'll learn something this episode! It has something to do with like death wishes, and i think death is a good topic to learn about Jiro in! 'v'

[foone]

Mundane Kaya Sona timeline and links

(I'm just trying to organize what I've written so far and what I still need to write, but hey, links if you want to read)

Prologue: The Wizard arrives on earth. Rudapedi emergency-teleports in and finds himself in a rainstorm in Seattle, and panics because he's from a dry world. When exactly this takes place isn't exactly clear: it's months or years before The Crash.

The Crash (not written): A truck crashes somewhere in middle-america. The FBI gets involved when it's discovered to be carrying stolen US nuclear weapons, encased in carved white stone "coffins" marked in an unknown language.

Meeting the Wizard (not written): The FBI finds evidence of The Wizard though a language match in pictures taken by a former roommate. The wizard has moved out already, and when they track him down to a cabin in the woods, he escapes. They get his books.

Recruiting the Linguist: The FBI agent recruits the linguist to figure out the language in the books. She's reluctant but agrees. Lots of books are dropped off.

Magic Books? The number pages in the books changes based on who is reading them. I'm not certain if this is going to be included. I like it as a concept but I'm not certain it fits the story, but I already wrote it so I might end up stuffing it somewhere, and it seems to make sense here.

Presentation for the FBI (not written): The linguist meets back up with the FBI (weeks/months later?) and gives an update on her progress: There's two scripts at use in the books. One's for titles and special circumstances and she doesn't really have enough info to decode it, the other she's figured out. The books talk a lot about magic and an "Empire of Kaya Sona" that controls a lot of different places.

Post presentation off-record (not written): The FBI agent reveals The Crash to The Linguist, and follows up: they caught The Wizard. She thinks she can talk to him with how much she knows of the language so far. They set up a meeting.

Meeting the Wizard (partial snippet written: definitely needs more): She is able to talk to the wizard using a tablet and her language model. She is able to get him to translate the coffin markings: "Sword of Heaven", which is the epithet of the prince (and a pun: it's a nuke!). Possibly more info revealed here (such as why the Wizard is depowered), before...

9. The FBI attacked. The interrogation room is attacked by agents from the Kalic Empire. The power is cut and a magician and two crossbowmen are clearing the building. With some help from the wizard and linguist, the FBI agent disables them enough to re-power the wizard to takes them out.

10. Magical language snippet (written but not published?): The wizard used magic to let them communicate without the tablet, and the linguist realized that he's not speaking english, she's speaking Kalic. Not sure if this goes in, if I clean it up and publish, or if it gets rewritten into another chapter?

11. The escape: They're driving away in the rain, and the wizard is explaining why the coffins were transported by truck instead of magically (inter-world teleports go to fixed locations on the planet). He rants about healthcare and is still mad at the rain. One note here: I've written it as Jay driving, but as of the end of chapter 9 he probably has a concussion. Either he got better Really Fast or I should probably rewrite this so the linguist is driving?

And that's all that's really plotted at the moment. Some bits to fill in, and then I need to figure out what happens after this.

Somewhere around "chapters" (using this term very loosely) 8-11, the Kalic Empire also attacks the place where the coffins are being stored and gets them back, but I'm not really sure if that's going to be shown or just mentioned.

Other bits where I've written about this story:

Not a love story, and mana deficit is ADHD

Inspiration and questions

A question about the no-rain thing

Inspiration for the Prologue

An earlier chapter list with some differences

A long ago twitter thread that talks a little bit about the fundamental conflict between no-mana planets like Earth and magical planets like Kaya Sona, why Earth hasn't been invaded by a Magical Empire before, and how that peace is coming to an end.

Which reminds me of another thing I need to figure out: There's some events on Kaya Sona (the home world of the Kalic Empire) which explain why the wizard had to flee to Earth. That definitely needs to be explained, but I'm not sure yet if it'll be a flashback or if I'll just have The Wizard explain it. I might want to make this story entirely earth-based, rather than jumping back and forth between the mundane setting and the machinations of the royal court of a Magic Empire. It seems more fun to just have the magical empire in another dimension just be a big Outside Context Problem for modern-day earth.

Finally, NAMES:

The FBI Agent is named Jay (and his lastname is something like Jenkins/Johnson). The Wizard is Rudapedi Yonfer. The Linguist I don't think I've named yet in anything written, but I think her name is Sarah? And the Kalic Empire is ruled by House Nor. The current ruling empire is Typec Nor, the usurping prince is written as "Nemis" on my oldest story guidelines but I'll probably change that (IT'S JUST NEMESIS WITH A COUPLE LETTERS MISSING), and I can't remember the deposed prince's name. I gotta dig up some paper documents from like 1996 to figure that out... but I don't think he's going to be involved in this story much. He's been banished to some other world where he's fighting a guerilla war against somebody not very important to this story.

Random-note: This is unconnected to my 101 magical pistols setting. That one is really more for a bunch of short-stories and doesn't have an overarching narrative, plus their magic works differently. They're much more into magical items (mainly pistols, obviously) and don't have the whole rain/mana thing going on.

[badbatchposts]

Quiet Corners of the Galaxy, Chapter 8

While on a routine mission for Cid, the Bad Batch encounter a woman fleeing from the Empire. Crosshair suspects her seemingly free-spirited, nomadic existence is actually a cover for something else, but struggles to keep his attraction toward her in check as their personalities and ideals clash.

Relevant tags: Slow Burn, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut (it finally starts getting spicy in a couple more chapters!), Canon-Typical Violence, Alcohol Use

Chapters posted 1-2x weekly!

Read the full fic so far on AO3

Read previous chapters on Tumblr: Ch. 1 l Ch. 2 l Ch. 3 l Ch. 4 l Ch. 5 l Ch. 6 l Ch. 7

Chapter 8 summary: The Batch learns a little bit more about Dara, but Crosshair is still suspicious, and he really doesn't like the way things are going between her and Hunter.

Chapter Notes: WE GET A LITTLE BIT OF LOW KEY SMUT, FINALLY. But it's a slow-burn so we have a ways to go before we really GET THERE. Content: 18+, masturbation, sexual fantasy

“So, you were formerly a linguist?” Several hours later, standing at the bar in Cid’s parlor, Tech picked up the earlier thread of their conversation. When they had arrived at Cid’s, a particularly bloated-looking Twi’lek had emerged from her office, giving them all a cursory glance before depositing a case of credits with their employer and gesturing magisterially to the Rodian, who followed him out the door. Hunter had met with Cid to hammer out the details of their next job, and they were now winding down the night in the empty dive, the Trandoshan having long since retreated to her back rooms.

“A long time ago now,” Dara replied, taking a generous sip of her drink. “That’s how I first got traveling. Doing fieldwork, studying lesser-known languages.”

“Fascinating,” Tech said brightly. No doubt he was looking forward to interrogating Dara on the finer details of some of her research. However, before he could continue, Echo interrupted him.

“What made you stop?” the ARC trooper asked.

Wrecker, occasionally the most emotionally intelligent among them, elbowed him, probably leaving a bruise. “I don’t think she wants to talk about that,” he scolded, in what would have been a whisper, if he had ever actually learned how to speak quietly.

Dara smiled, a little sadly. “It’s okay, Wrecker. It was the war. I just couldn’t convince myself that it was worth doing anymore. You know—around all that destruction and death, it was hard to keep believing that studying words really mattered.” She shook her head, as if trying to clear it of painful thoughts. “Then the war ended, and it didn’t seem like the Empire would be much interested in preserving the languages or cultures they felt were beneath them. They’d rather just wipe them all out.”

Echo gave her shoulder a kind squeeze, although his expression was serious. “You might be right about that. But there are a lot of us out there that think those people are worth protecting, too.”

Dara nodded, looking at the clone with some warmth, then shrugged. “Anyway, I don’t mean to bring the mood down. What about you boys? You fought in the war, obviously, but you’re not like the other clones. You’re all enhanced, you said? Let me guess…” She glanced at each of them in turn. “Extra brawn,” she gestured at Wrecker. He posed, flexing his muscles, with a grin. “And Tech… extra brain.” He beamed smugly at her. “Echo…extra mechanics?” The ARC trooper flushed a little, and she winked at him.

Dara’s eyes then lit on Crosshair. She nodded assuredly, certain of her assessment. “Extra asshole.” The others chuckled knowingly as the sniper glared at her.

Finally, Dara’s gaze made its way to Hunter, and she lifted her eyebrows flirtatiously, a small smile playing across her lips. “What about you then? Where are you hiding all those enhancements?”

Hunter’s own expression settled into an easy, charming smirk. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”  

Tech adjusted his goggles and, either unaware of or choosing to ignore any subtext to their exchange, launched into an explanation. “He has significantly more perceptive senses than the average human, being able to see, hear, smell, and feel to a much keener degree, as well as being able to sense electromagnetic frequencies and combine all of this sensory input for the purposes of tracking.”

Dara gently bumped her shoulder against Hunter’s. “Sounds useful. In a lot of contexts,” she added suggestively. “How much can you sense, then?”

Hunter chuckled a little. “Let’s just say I know everything that happens on my ship.”

“Get a room,” Crosshair growled. Dara laughed and leaned over Hunter to reach behind the bar, helping herself to an unattended bottle of liquor. The sniper noticed that Sergeant gently hovered his hand across her lower back, guiding and steadying her as she popped back into her seat and began to refill all of their glasses.

One drink later—during which Crosshair eyed the pair darkly as Dara every so often let her hand rest on Hunter’s knee while she spoke to him, and the Sergeant repeatedly returned his own to linger on her back or at her elbow—the squad finally departed Cid’s, enroute to the Marauder to tuck in for the night before departing for their next mission.

But once they had exited the bar, before Dara could continue following the rest of the clones, Crosshair stopped in front of her, impeding her progress. “Wait. I need to talk to you,” he muttered.  

The others paused as well, looking at them questioningly. Dara sighed exasperatedly and gave them a shrug. “We’ll catch up.”

His brothers were barely out of sight before Crosshair pulled Dara into the nearest alley. He pinned her against the wall with one forearm across her chest. Dara hardly reacted, looking rather bored. “This isn’t talking,” she pointed out mildly.

Crosshair scowled. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but stay away from Hunter.” 

Dara rolled her eyes. He thought he must have been hurting her a little, but she continued to ignore the explicit threat behind his demand. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Some people—normal people—just like to have a little harmless fun occasionally.” She quirked an eyebrow up. “Not you, I’m sure. But Hunter’s a big boy. I think he can decide for himself whether he wants to…” She paused briefly, running her tongue, ever-so-slightly, between her lips, as if savoring the words. “…play with me.”

The sniper snorted derisively and leaned closer, hardened eyes glued on hers. “Hunter couldn’t handle you.”

“Oh, and I suppose you could?” Dara murmured. Crosshair didn’t respond; he had realized that their faces were only inches away from each other, and for a moment all he could think about was the feel of her body pressed between himself and the cold, grimy wall. Unable to resist the impulse, he allowed his free hand to roam beneath the hem of her shirt, stroking with calloused fingers along the small of her back where Hunter had grazed her earlier. He gently traced upwards along her soft skin, noticing, with some surprise, as its smoothness was interrupted by the raised knot of a scar—not the subtle puckering formed by blaster fire that he had seen on her abdomen, but the welt left behind from a deep gash.

Crosshair could feel Dara’s fingers probing him similarly, tracing along the gaps between the armor plates at his waist. Neither of them looked away. Her lips ghosted along his jaw to his ear, and he felt the warm tickle of her breath as she opened her mouth to whisper to him.

“I’d rather fuck every other clone in the galaxy, starting with each one of your brothers, than be with you.”

With a determined shove and well-placed kick, Dara freed herself, stalking off toward the Marauder and leaving a momentarily stunned Crosshair alone in the alley before he finally shook himself and followed, trailing far behind.

By the time he reached the ship Dara was nowhere to be found. The others sat in the cabin, still chatting. Hunter looked at him disapprovingly as he joined them. “What did you do to upset her? She came in and went straight to the hold without even saying anything.”

Crosshair flared his nostrils angrily. “Me? She’s the one manipulating you.”

He expected the Sergeant to be irritated, or at the very least, broody. Instead, he grinned and elbowed Tech. “Looks like Echo’s not the only one a little sweet on her.” The ARC trooper turned pink, while Tech looked mildly amused.

Crosshair was infuriated, but before he could open his mouth, Wrecker weighed in, also smiling widely. It was so rare they got to torment Crosshair instead of being the ones subject to his taunting. “Well, obviously she likes me the most. I’m the most fun.”

“Oh, no,” Tech disagreed. “While our shared academic pursuits make her rather compatible with myself, the suggestiveness of her interactions with Hunter was quite substantial evidence in his favor.”

“It sure was. I’m counting on that,” Hunter contributed mischievously.

Even Echo couldn’t help teasing. “Hey now! I thought she and I had a bit of a moment back at the bar there.”

The sniper finally got a word in. “None of you are taking this seriously. We know she’s lying about something, and we don’t even know who she is! We can’t trust her!”

Hunter clapped him on the back good-naturedly, putting an end to the game. “Everything is fine, Crosshair. It’s just flirting. Nobody is letting her manipulate them. Things have been hard enough for us for a long time—it won’t hurt to relax and talk to a woman every once in a while. At least this one’s never shot at us.”

“Not yet,” he muttered darkly. His brothers ignored him, carrying on with some sort of debate on which of the women who had shot at them they would still sleep with and dealing out a deck of cards.

However, only a few minutes later, Hunter began to tense up. Crosshair eyed him suspiciously. The Sergeant had stopped participating in the conversation and was avoiding eye contact with the others, occasionally angling his head then holding still intently. The sniper had seen that gesture from him before: Hunter was listening to something. Suddenly, he became flushed and began shifting awkwardly in his seat.

“Are you alright, Hunter?” Tech queried.

The Sergeant nodded, throwing down his cards. “Just tired. Going to bed.” He disappeared into the bunkroom before any of them could reply.

Crosshair scowled and rose from the galley table where they were gathered, prowling toward the back of the ship. He stealthily crept up to the door of the cargo hold and paused, listening. While the sounds were well-muffled by the thick walls, he could make out a few stifled moans, then a gentle, drawn-out sigh: “Oh, Hunter…”

Heatedly, he punched the key to open the door and entered the dimly lit room. Dara was in her hammock, one hand moving beneath her blanket and the other wrapped in her own hair. As soon as he entered, she gripped the blanket tightly with both hands, drawing it up to her chin protectively. “Do you mind?!” she yelped, a little panicked. He liked that sound.

The sniper folded his arms. “Gotta do an inventory in here before we leave for the mission tomorrow.”

Dara looked ready to tear his throat out with her teeth. “Right now?!”

Crosshair didn’t answer, just smirked. She made a rude gesture at him and pulled the blanket the rest of the way over her head with an irritated groan. He puttered around the room quietly for a few minutes, waiting until the gentle rhythm of Dara’s breathing indicated she may have fallen asleep.

The sniper exited the hold and stripped off his armor, storing it carefully before heading to the fresher. Sighing, he turned on the shower and leaned one forearm against the wall, resting his head against it and letting the hot water temporarily melt his frustrations away as he focused on the problem at hand.

He didn’t trust Dara for one second, but he still couldn’t figure out what exactly she was holding back. It wasn’t just the Imperial shuttle, the gaps in her story. No, her confidence as she diverted the maintenance tech at the prison had been too practiced. She had said she was a linguist—a linguist with scars from blaster fire and what he suspected was either shrapnel or a stab wound, and that’s before the injuries he found her with.

Thinking of that last scar reminded him of the feel of it beneath his fingers, the knots and raised edges brushing up against soft skin and softer flesh. He felt himself grow hard as he realized he was standing in the exact position as when he’d had her pinned in the alley. Kriff, he had to admit that he wanted her. He’d wanted to take her right there against the filthy wall, make her forget the small touches and easy flirtation she and Hunter had exchanged at the bar.

Hunter. Dara had known he could hear her from anywhere on the ship. She’d been touching herself, moaning his name on purpose. She wanted Hunter to hear her, was toying with him, turning him on from an entirely different room. Whether because she truly wanted him, she wanted something from him, or simply because it was exactly what Crosshair had told her not to do. I’d rather fuck every other clone in the galaxy, starting with each one of your brothers…

Crosshair hated her.

He hated her, he distrusted her, and he wanted to watch her come undone underneath him while she screamed his name and begged for more.

That should be his name she was moaning.

Crosshair’s free hand tugged erratically at his cock, working himself while he imagined Dara whimpering, the whole of her exposed to him and at his mercy, her curves beneath his hands and his tongue in her mouth while he made her cum over and over again. His hands gripping her silvery hair by the roots, his teeth on her neck, her taste on his lips. Finally, he felt himself stiffen everywhere, letting out a strangled grunt before the sweet relief of his release flooded his senses and left him panting, still leaning on his forearm against the cool durasteel wall.

***

The moment Crosshair had finally left the cargo hold, lured away by her purposeful steady breathing, Dara had slipped her fingers back beneath the waistband of her pants, positioning her index and middle finger on either side of her clit and resuming the rhythmic, reliable back-and-forth that always got her there.

It was hard to believe the balls on that karking asshole. Inventory, she thought with a skeptical snort. More like listening at her doorway. Sure, she’d been saying Hunter’s name on purpose, half enjoying the fantasy, half interested in testing whether he could really hear everything happening on his ship. Of course, if that asshole hadn’t put her in such a foul mood outside the bar, then she probably would’ve just slept with Hunter to begin with, but once she’d gotten alone and the rage had subsided, she had thought, hey, why not toy with him a little, a bit of a tease never hurt with the build-up, she was stuck tagging along with the squad for a while longer, there would be plenty more opportunities to get the Sergeant alone. And kriff, she’d meant what she’d said to that asshole, there was nothing wrong with a bit of harmless fun, she had needs just like anyone else, and kriff knows she could use the stress relief and it had been a long while for her, not like she’d had much time or inclination or the options to try sleeping with anyone lately.

Dara felt any hint of pleasure slipping away as her mind raced back toward her anger, her worries, the reasons for her recent celibacy. Focus, focus. She tried thinking about Hunter again. Kriff he was good-looking. The tattoo, the golden-brown skin, the broad shoulders narrowing down to that fine waist, the strength of him. Even the broodiness, she liked a little darkness, that gravelly voice. There was something about his hands, too. The way she’d seen him playing with his knives earlier, spinning them expertly between his fingers. She started feeling the pleasure build up inside her again, her stomach fluttering a little. Yes, that was good, his hands, hovering at her back, pulling the knife out of his vambrace, adjusting the scope on his rifle, his fingers were so slender, precise, expert, inserting that stupid toothpick into his mouth—

NO. Wrong clone. Start over. Go back to the touches. She’d liked leaning over him at the bar, feeling his hand just barely grazing against her. How would his fingers feel against her skin? Rough callouses roaming up her hips to her waist, gently stroking her back, rubbing her scar, the way he held her down with his arm across her chest hurt so good and kriff the way he looked into her eyes stirred something in her, he was always looking at her so intently, glaring or with sneering amusement, just looking dangerous other times, he’d looked dangerous tonight, she’d wanted to reach up and trace that stupid tattoo circling his eye—

Kriff. He’d ruined this for her, that asshole. With a final, low grunt of frustration, Dara gave up any hope at finding satisfaction that night, choosing instead to stare at the ceiling of the cargo hold and think about her choices and where they had led her until she finally fell into an uneasy sleep.

Next chapter

Tag List: @stardusthuntress @skellymom

Dara used to be a linguistic anthropologist, but for aliens. A linguistic alienologist? I like to think she would be super into the Poletecs from the Bad Batch Clone Wars arc.

We also finally get some Dara POV! Her internal monologue is a lot.

[paradoxcase]

Chapter 16 of Nona the Ninth

So I'm realizing now that these John chapters are occurring during times when Nona falls asleep in the story, so they may be Nona's dreams. But Nona has to describe her dreams to Camilla every morning, and so far she's only talked about dreaming about the pool scene, she doesn't talk about having these dreams about John, so I'm not sure they're actually her dreams, or if there's something going on here where Harrow and Nona are both in the same body and are having different dreams, like what happened in the last book, but I don't know

I wonder if she had some telepathic sense of Honesty getting all upset on the other side of the door

Well, I don't think that would really have inconvenienced Ianthe that much, but it would have been inconvenient to actually be down with the crowd during that, so

So they do think that necromancers are the same walking dead bodies, or that the register the same way to those kinds of tests?

I was going to wonder why someone would specifically breed a dog to have six legs, but honestly, people specifically breed dogs to have a lot of random features purely to match someone's aesthetic idea of the The Ideal Dog, so sure, I can believe there's a breed of dog in this universe that was bred specifically to have six legs

It's interesting, because Hot Sauce could totally have let Honesty come with them and also go see the broadcast, but she didn't. I wonder if she sees the other kids as too young, but doesn't see Nona that way even though Nona is a lot more innocent than Honesty and Hot Sauce even specifically told her not to go to the park earlier, when she brought everyone else there except Kevin. Or maybe she just thought she had a better chance of coercing Nona into letting her go or coming with her if Honesty wasn't there?

I wonder what she means by that

If this is meant to be from one of the other books somewhere, I wasn't able to find it, and I don't remember it appearing, either. It also doesn't seem to be anywhere else in this book

So she does seem to know House genuinely, at least a little bit, and doesn't need whatever telepathy thing to understand it, but it's just a broadcast and Ianthe isn't actually there, and she doesn't mention having trouble again after this. Maybe there is something about seeing someone that ties into this power somehow? But the way Nona describes it doesn't really make sense without something supernatural happening

I wonder what kind of history New Rho has that there are 17 official languages. The only two real countries with more than 11 official languages are Bolivia and India, Bolivia having that number due to officially recognizing a large number of indigenous languages, and India having that many because there are like 700 different languages spoken in India, so only 22 of them being official is actually relatively conservative (and the country with 11 official languages is South Africa, which obviously also has colonial history). But I was under the impression here that most of the linguistic diversity of New Rho was due to people being temporarily resettled from other planets, there's basically no way that those languages would be official languages in this context. So is this then saying that there were 17 widely spoken local languages in New Rho before all the resettlement happened? Or does the fact that it's called New Rho mean that it has some colonial history (I mean, independently from whatever colonial history it has with the Nine Houses), and therefore was in the same situation as Bolivia and South Africa? If there are any indigenous people in this city, Nona hasn't made any comment about it

Earlier, it seemed like We Suffer thought that the negotiator was coming to negotiate with BOE specifically, Ianthe, or, I guess, John, seems willing to negotiate only with the local government, and even then, this agreement that she is suggesting seems to be designed to be broken instantly so that John can then do whatever he wants as punishment for that. Was there actually planned to be negotiation with BOE? Or does John not yet know what happened to the Sixth House and BOE are hoping they can force a negotiation with that info?

I also have to wonder how she's avoiding issues caused by the resurrection beast. I don't think it's someone pretending to be Ianthe, because she has the right eyes, and there isn't realistically anyone else who could have arrived in the shuttle

That's very much not a description of Ianthe's hair. Is she wearing a wig? Did she create different hair for herself with necromancy? The idea that Ianthe's natural hair was not aesthetically pleasing enough for this broadcast and had to be replaced is actually quite funny

I wonder if this is like, they know about the Sixth House and are hoping that they'll just be able to show up somehow, or if they know they left of their own volition and think they might be here for some reason but don't know that they're kind of being held hostage by BOE, or if this is just a general kind of thing they say when trying to reclaim old territory

So Ianthe has adopted Cytherea's name scheme, I guess

I still have no idea how they use European royal titles in the Nine Houses. Before becoming a Lyctor, Ianthe was a princess, now she is a prince. What is the difference between a prince and a princess in this context? Certainly not gender. Is prince a higher title than princess? It's not clear

Is... is she still dead? Did John not actually resurrect her? Are we doing more Weekend at Bernie's where he's just parading around her never-rotting corpse and being like, yo, what's up, this is my daughter?

Or maybe, if she's actually alive because it's not possible for her to die, but just still missing her soul, John can't actually do anything about that?

Anyway, I'm sure if Gideon were actually alive she would have things to say here, and those things would probably be "what the fuck Ianthe" and she therefore wouldn't be part of the broadcast

Anyway anyway, I guess that's what happened to Gideon's body. I imagine John probably sees other people having possession of it as a national security risk at the very least, since it can be used to undo his blood wards

Confirmed I guess that John just doesn't have any clue that Gaius and Gaia are not in fact related

Apparently Kiriona is actually just the Maori equivalent of "Gideon", I can see how that would work out if there's no /g d/ and r is a rolled r or a tap. But you'd think that if John wanted to preserve the Maori language in some way he would have actually done that 10,000 years ago instead of, I guess we're supposed to take away, having everyone speak NZ English?

Also, John seems to be labeling her his heir, which is odd even aside from the fact that she doesn't seem to be alive, since John hasn't had an heir for 10,000 years and probably doesn't expect to ever die. I guess maybe after two people tried to kill him and one almost succeeded in the last book he is starting to feel a little more mortal? Only, to actually be his heir, I think Gideon has to be alive first

So, as previously mentioned, there have so far been zero towers in this story, so I can't imagine what the significance of "Tower Prince" is

I do not know what the poison cats are a reference to

I mean, doesn't Hot Sauce have history fighting necromancers? Whatever else she thinks they are, she should definitely know they're real

I couldn't make much of the conversation with the Angel in the car, she seems probably involved in some stuff, but exactly what stuff, it's not clear. But then

So when she said she was "sort of" a doctor, did she mean she was a vet?

Honestly, at this point I think it's equally likely (maybe more likely!) that this was meant in "multiple people in the same body" sense rather than the "gender-neutral" sense. But it really should be "them" in this context, the way that "her" in the previous paragraph in the same context is also a object pronoun, and the way that we usually say "it is me" and not "it is I" like you're fucking Dracula or something

Wouldn't Camilla have gone out to pick up Nona and figure out what happened to Pyrrha before this? I can understand if she didn't want to go out when the broadcast was happening, but I don't get the impression that the Building is that far from the school - if Pyrrha left before noon to get Nona and then didn't come back for a couple hours, wouldn't Camilla go looking for her at that point?

But I wonder if she somehow wound up at the barracks and is now being asked to give the Emperor's Evidence, whatever that is