#he’s an overachiever and he expects his child to be the exact same

[scumvillainess]

also imo, if shen qingqiu were to ever become a parent (not that he would want to), he would definitely be the type of parent who would say “okay, and what happened to the other %?” any time his kid got less than a perfect score in school.

he would also be the type of parent who would say “does it look like i care about how so and so chooses to parent their child? you’re my kid, i only care about you!” in response to their kid saying “but so and so’s parents let them do this!” in an argument.

[vampimich]

Some of my Carlo’s HCs

This is just a HC I wanted to share regarding Carlo and his interests. The idea came to me as I was playing and wearing the Workshop Master’s Workwear and realizing that maybe that is just how Geppetto always dreamt of seeing his son. And then the thought that Carlo probably dreamt for the same as a child hit me as train.

(This is basically just me rambling about how Carlo initially wanted to be a Workshop technician, and why he never confessed his feelings for Romeo.)

Being Geppetto’s son, I believe he was born with a huge curiosity, creativity and imagination. I clearly see him tinkering with every toy, radio and device in his house. Pulling them apart just to see how they worked and then putting them back together as they were or even creating new things in the process. BUUUT (and a big but) he was also interested in the stalker’s life.

He loved stories about their achievements, their great deals and how they saved others or hunted for treasure.

And I fully think that Carlo had all the potential to be an overachiever child. If life had been different for him, he would have pursued both careers. Living as a Stalker but using everything he learned as a Workshop Technician to create gadgets, weapons, equipment, anything really, to help in his line of work.

But we all know that wasn’t how the story ended, right? And that was mainly because of his old man.

I would say that when still living with Geppetto , his father used to praise him and encourage him whenever he created something or tinkered with any stuff around the house.

But even this “support” and “praise” he offered his only son was half-hearted because the famous craftsman was obsessed with puppets. And even if Geppetto himself worked in any other invention or craft, it would revolve around puppets one way or another.

And being the self-centered person that he was, he very much expected for Carlo to follow his exact footsteps. So yes, he was proud of his aptitude for craftsmanship, but he would always threw comments like: “What if you created your own puppet, son?” Or “Maybe if you modify this here, we could give a boost to puppet’s strength”.

And when Carlo stood his ground stating that his invention’s purpose was something completely different or that he was not interested in anything related to puppets, Geppetto would just be dismissive, losing all of his interest in his son’s projects and just throwing him empty compliments so he could back to his own work after that.

And this of course strained the father-son relationship even more and made the young child to come to hate puppets, since they were not only keeping his father from him, but now he also wanted to force them upon his life. And we have been told how stubborn the boy was, so I can clearly imagine him creating more things non-puppets related , or pretending he was a stalker and had completely ditched the idea to go the workshop technician route just to spite Geppetto.

Because, even if deep inside of him he craved for his dear father love and approval, there were some things for which he was not willing to back down, like his interests and passions. (But without realizing he would let his father to have some small wins like his hair style and what he was allowed to wear for example, which didn’t bother him that much and it gave him the move needed approval he was looking for).

So at this point and despite the differences in opinions and the constant bickering between the two because of Carlo’s projects, he was still on his way to become a technician-stalker but it all changed for good once Geppetto abandoned him in the Monad Charity House.

For the first few nights, in which Carlo must have been completely hopeless and heartbroken, I’m sure he considered just doing everything he could to make his father happy. Maybe if he used his talents to work on puppets, maybe if he promised to became a technician specialized in puppets, his father would take him back… spend time with him… tell him that he loved him.

But before he could completely give into this this idea he was introduced to Romeo, a boy who shared his same interests in the Stalker’s life. And for once, Carlo felt that he was not alone anymore and that his dreams were valid. There was someone else who shared his passion, and who didn’t try to change his focus. Romeo just accepted him and his ideas and plans as they were. He sometimes offered his own point of view, but he was never dismissive and he always considered what Carlo created or came up with.

So during these days Carlo’s interest in the stalkers path grew bigger and bigger. And the relationship the boy had with his father strained even more. I can imagine the old man visiting his son sporadically or taking him out of the Rose State to take him to social gatherings and special events (because of course he would be the kind of father that brags about having the perfect child even if he doesn’t even know what or how exactly that child is doing). And in those few encounters they had, Geppetto surely would throw comments expressing how he could not wait for his son to graduate and become a technician so they could work together, and this finally broke the final straw in Carlo.

His father didn’t care for his own interests. Now he was sure that it didn’t matter if he changed his focus completely to please the technician master, Giuseppe would never take him back home because he was completely focused on his own work. He just wanted to avoid parenting by so he would have more time for his puppets. It would be ideal of him if his only son became a technician as well so he could brag about how much he was like him.

And now with these feelings in his heart, Carlo would do everything in his power to go in the complete opposite direction of his progenitor’s wishes, even if that meant denying a part of himself he knew he was, and he knew he loved as much as his dreams of being a stalker.

Romeo noticed the very exact moment when this decision was taken as Carlo came back to the charity house and threw all of his prototypes and creations into the trash. And even if he tried to pretend it was only so he could focus completely on becoming the best stalker in the world, Romeo saw right through him and tried to convince him not completely ignore that passion of him, but Carlo refused. And even if he always died inside to tinker with stuff he found or to bring to life an idea he had, he forced himself to forget about it, which pained him, but at that point he just wanted to have zero common ground with his old man. (Not really, tho as he still wished things could change between them, after all he was still just a child looking for his father’s love.)

And as part of this long HC I can also add that Carlo had really strong feelings for Romeo. He kinda noticed Romeo had feelings for him too, but he didn’t acted on these feelings.

Why?

Two reasons mainly.

The first one: when he was younger, he was afraid of what his father could say about it. Geppetto had voiced time and again how he was supposed to marry a high class lady, since they were part of the high society too, and give him wonderful grandchildren.

Carlo couldn’t care less for girls at that age but it was an idea engrained so deep into his mind that he felt his father would distance himself even more from him or abandon him completely if he knew he was in love with a boy, who happened to be an orphan with no social status whatsoever. So he just pretended the feelings were not there.

But the feelings were there and they grew stronger as the spent more days together. And with time (and all the fights he had with Giuseppe) he decided that he didn’t give a damn about what others or his own father would say about him having a relationship with whoever he wanted.

But his graduation was coming closer and he needed to focus on finishing his studies. After all he needed to become the best stalker in the world so he could forge his own path and ensure that him and Romeo would not have to deal with the Stalkers faction’s bullshit going around. So he would wait after graduation to confess.

And here is where reason number 2 comes in.

Graduation drew nearer and he was all grown up now. And even if he had such a horrible relationship with his father, Carlo was still desperately looking for his approval. He wished they could somehow patch things up. He desired that Geppetto finally saw him for whom he was now, and not for who he expected him to be. Then maybe he could go back to creating and fixing stuff again, then maybe his old man would see it was worth spending time with him.

So when the date came closer, they asked Carlo what he wished his necklace to be engraved with, to which he decided to leave it blank. His first thought was to give it to Romeo, but he also wanted to give it to his father, as a token of a new start for them. He almost had it engraved with a message for the famed workshop technician but something inside of him was telling him the man would disappoint him again.

So he would left it to fate. His heart harbored hope until the very last moment, but his fears became true as Geppetto didn’t show up. This enraged Carlo to new levels, and in a fit of rage he quickly engrave the necklace himself with the famous. “To Romeo, Your friend C. Thinking that when his father found out about this, he would feel jealous and miserable for having been denied such a precious memento.

He then proceeded to give the necklace to Romeo, who was over the moon with the precious memento. He was happier than Carlo had ever seen him. And in that moment it dawned on him, that even if he had initially thought of giving the necklace to his dear friend and love interest, he had actually given it to him because he wanted to hurt his father.

And that pained him. Romeo didn’t deserve that. He thought he didn’t deserve being with someone with so much daddy issues, someone who constantly put up messing up with his father as a priority, instead of making the guy he was in love with and that made him so happy, happy as well.

So he decided to hold onto his feelings a little longer.

He promised himself that he would become more than a legendary stalker, and once he did, he and Romeo would flee Krat. They would go somewhere where he was not the son the son of Geppetto, master technician; where there were no more puppets, no social classes, no anything. Somewhere where he could forget about this burdens, somewhere where he could love his friend and live together with him, the adventures they dreamt as kids. Somewhere where maybe, he could allowed himself to be that creative child that he once was and that he craved to be.

Once he did, he would be ready to offer Romeo what he deserved. And so he made that goal his new purpose in life.

But we all know how this story ends. With a tragedy. Both taken by the petrification diseased, but both being given a second chance by that which Carlo hated so much, puppets.

And while P will never be Carlo, I believe that besides his personality he inherited some of his “feelings”. Like how he was so keen on getting Geppetto’s love and approval, or how he reacted when Romeo’s ergo called him Carlo, (or even how he proved the boy inside his P-organ wrong when he could feel his ergo feeling awashed by sadness when Geppetto died, when Carlo had tried to convince himself he couldn’t care if his father died.)

And if I might add, I think P, would spend a lot of time with Eugenie and Venigni after the alchemist’s defeat , learning everything he could from them as inventors and craftspeople, because this as well, is part of Carlo’s personality shining through and finally being able to do through a proxy what he denied himself for so long during his first life.

Well that was long but it’s finally out of my system. Thanks for reading till the end! (Also, sorry for any mistake, English is not my first language :p)

[guardianofrivendell]

PERFECT SECRETS - CHAPTER 2

Legolas x OC multichapter

Requested: Nope

Summary:  Mira. A short and unusual name for a short and unusual Elf. After an audience with Galadriel goes sideways, she leaves her birthplace Lóthlorien and the Elves for good.  That is until a certain Gandalf asks for a favor. Come along on her journey, as she reluctantly agrees to accompany Gandalf on the quest to destroy the One Ring.  She befriends every Fellowship member, except one. Legolas and Mira are water and fire from the very first moment they laid eyes on each other. Will this be an obstacle during the quest or is it going to make everything just a little more interesting?

Warnings: none that I noticed

Masterlist Perfect Secrets

A/N: For the sake of the story, Mira doesn’t know that the name of the Prince of Mirkwood is Legolas. Just so you know...

Mira was crossing the Old Forest, on her way to Hobbiton. It had been literal centuries since she had been in the Shire and she was curious how it had changed in the meantime. She was hoping that for one, she was welcome and two, that she could stay for a couple of months before moving on to her next destination. Wherever that may be. 

With her hood still up - you might never know - she placed herself behind a rock to take a break and have a bite to eat before continuing her journey. She nibbled absentmindedly on her last piece of fruit. Another reason to linger in the Shire for a while: food. 

If she learned one thing on her last stay with the Hobbits, it was that they knew how to appreciate food. Maybe they could provide her with enough provision for the next part of her journey... Not that she really needed it, but living around humans for so long made her appreciate food for the taste instead of pure nourishment. 

Out of nowhere she started to feel uncomfortable. Her eyes darted from tree to tree, down to the bushes, even to the sky to try and locate the threat. But she couldn’t see anything wrong.

“Eímiraelyn!” A voice echoed in her mind. It came so unexpected that she dropped her apple to the ground. She rolled her eyes even though the messenger wouldn’t see it. There was only one person who would contact her this way.

“I told you many times not to call me that, Gandalf,” she sighed. She hated it when he did this. It did explain her uncomfortable feeling, so she felt a little more at ease now, focusing on the voice in her head instead of her environment. 

“Come to the Valley of Rivendell,” Gandalf began. “I will await your arrival.”

Rivendell? There was no way she would go to an Elven town. Absolutely no way.

“Trust me, Mira. You’ll want to be there. I know you will do the right thing.” 

The uncomfortable feeling disappeared, alerting Mira that Gandalf was out of her mind. She picked the apple from the ground and twisted it in her hands, pondering over Gandalf’s request. 

Rivendell was more than 400 miles away and she was on foot. Even if she decided to go, it would take her more than a couple of days to get there. And then there was the risk of someone recognizing her. She had never been to Rivendell before, but that didn’t mean anything. 

Gandalf asked for her help. She had turned him down last time, could she do it again? 

She thought about it for a few more hours, torn between her wanting to help Gandalf and the desire to stay hidden. Leave for Rivendell, or continue her journey to the Shire. 

Her eyes started trembling and her vision shifted from the forest around her to images flashing in front of her. She couldn’t see them very clearly because it all went pretty fast, but she saw what she thought to be Rivendell, Orthanc, Saruman, battles between Orcs and Men, and snowy mountains but the last one made her head start to shake to get rid of it: the forest of Lóthlorien.

Visions like the one she just had weren’t uncommon anymore. They had started a few years after she left her home, only lasting a fraction of seconds and never clear enough to see something, let alone understand them. 

But lately they became more frequent and she started seeing longer images, long enough to actually see what they were. Sometimes feeling certain emotions with them as well. 

She knew from what Galadriel had told her at the time that it were flashes from the future, of what could be. 

When her vision changed back to normal, she let her head drop in her hands, her fingers disappearing in her hair beneath her hood. She softly pulled at the roots out of frustration, knowing what the vision was trying to tell her. 

She got to her feet, wiped the sand of her clothes and adjusted her hood. 

“Alright Mira, let’s go. It seems we have an eight days’ walk ahead of us,” she sighed. She threw the apple as far as she could as she headed in the opposite direction. To Rivendell of all places. 

*

After eight days walking and almost no rest she reached the Ford of Bruinen, crossing the outer borders of Rivendell. 

Was this really such a good idea? What if they recognized her? The only ones who would really know she was a runaway were Gandalf, Galadriel, her parents and the King and Prince of Mirkwood. Her parents sailed to Valinor centuries ago, Galadriel wouldn’t leave Lóthlorien and what were the odds of Mirkwood royalty to be here at the exact same moment? 

She wasn’t taking any risks though. After she entered the forest surrounding the gorge where Rivendell was built, she climbed one of the trees to keep out of sight. 

She tucked every loose strand of hair into her hood to hide her ears, like she did when she lived with humans. She was used to pretending to be a mortal; if it was good enough to fool the humans, it would work with the Elves as well. Probably. Hopefully. 

Mira decided to stay off the ground for a while, choosing to jump from tree to tree instead. One of the benefits of being an Elf, she thought, jumping with ease, hardly making a sound while doing so. 

When she saw the first buildings of the town come into view, she let herself drop to the ground soundlessly.

“Still got it,” she said, smiling to herself. 

But when she rose to her full height, she looked straight at the tip of a notched arrow. She wasn’t the only one who had been silent. She tilted her head to see who had the audacity to point an arrow at her, surprised to find a rather handsome Elf with blue eyes and blonde hair attached to the bow. Figures, she thought. Of course it’s blonde. 

“One step further and you are dead,” he growled at her. Mira looked at him surprised. 

“You’re joking right?”

“Turn around,” he snapped at her. She groaned, but did as she was told. 

The ellon slung his bow back over his shoulders and returned his arrow in his quiver in a single swift movement. He took a step forward, grabbing her shoulder with one hand and her wrists in the other - a little rougher than she had expected - and he started to push her towards Rivendell. This was just lovely, she thought. 

“For your information, I’m here at the invitation of Gandalf the Grey,” Mira told him. “If you were invited, you would not be sneaking around and hiding in the trees. And the hood? Not suspicious at all,” he answered. 

They both reached a small square, where a couple of people stood in small conversation. 

“Lord Elrond,” the ellon called out. “I have found this being in the woods, sneaking around.”

The male Elf who was referred to as Lord Elrond, looked at Mira for a few seconds before he answered her captor. 

“Legolas, as I seem to recall, you do not belong to the Guard of Rivendell. I can assure you my guards would have intercepted her much earlier if she really was a threat.”

“Seriously?” Mira exclaimed, giving Legolas her deadliest glare. “You’re not even supposed to be doing this? Talk about an overachiever!” 

“If you’re not a threat, then why the disguise? Let us see who you are,” Legolas said, grabbing the edge of her hood to pull it off her head. Mira was just about to kick him in his knee caps - or preferably a little higher - when a familiar voice boomed over the square. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Legolas!”

Gandalf entered the space, and he didn’t look pleased at all. 

“She claims to be here at your invitation, Gandalf,” Legolas tried again. 

“That is true indeed,” Gandalf said. “She is here at my request.” 

He smiled kindly at Mira. “My dear child, how happy I am to finally see you again!”

“Likewise, Gandalf. It has been too long,” she replied, after which she mouthed him a ‘thank you’. Gandalf knew how much her anonymity meant to her. 

She looked behind her at Legolas, trying to move her wrists out of his grasp. “Would you mind?”

He reluctantly let her go. 

Before she could give him a piece of her mind - she really, really wanted to - Lord Elrond called everyone together, for some kind of council. The others followed him up the stairs, leaving Gandalf and Mira alone. Legolas also followed, but not before he gave her a cold look. 

“He seems very cheerful,” Mira murmured. She felt a hand on her shoulder. 

“Do not think I don’t appreciate your presence here, Mira, but what exactly made you change your mind?”

“Like you don’t already know that,” she immediately replied with a smirk. 

Gandalf pursed his lips into a thin line. 

“Are you willing to tell me what the vision showed you?”

Mira told him what she saw and felt. Gandalf was silent for a while after that, processing the new information.

“It is as I feared,” he told her eventually. “Saruman is no longer the Wizard he was before and is corrupted by evil. I experienced it first hand. We are at the verge of war.”

“Gandalf, Middle Earth is always at the verge of war.”

“As sad as it is, you are not wrong. Come, we have a Council meeting to attend.”

Mira made no move to follow. 

“You need to be there too, my child. After all… you were destined for great things, were you not?”

She rolled her eyes as he repeated the words of Galadriel.

“There is the Mira that I know,” he smiled.

[benefits1986]

Siargao Draft: Long Overdue

Akala ko tapos na ‘yung Siargao Drafts Serye pero may nakaligtaan pala ako kaya sabi nga even if it’s too late, it’s never to late, still.  Exterior  Papuntang Pacifico Early Morning  F1: Gusto ko talaga sanang mag-motor para dagdag sa buckelist hit ko.  F2: Then, what’s stopping you?  F1: Hindi ako masyadong naniniwala sa signs pero I came across a friend’s IG story and saw that one of their friends met a major motor crash here in IAO.  F2: How bad was it?  F1: Since there’s no hospital here na decent, they had to bring him to Davao pa. Head injury. So much blood was lost all in a matter of seconds.  F2: What’s the last post on his IG?  F1: Something about living life to the fullest. F2: Hope he makes it. That said, you can ride with me.  F1: Really?  F2: Don’t force something if you’re not 100% down for it.  F1: I guess this trip has really made me so lucky! Zero expectation. Zero plan.  F2: Glad to know that.  F1: Are you really this extroverted? You have a natural way of pulling people together.  F2: Being an only child, I do not have a choice but if you were to ask me, I love one on one moments like this one. It’s simpler and I don’t have to go all out. Plus, I actually have the chance to talk.  F1: Oww. All the while, I thought your energy is on unli mode.  F2: Usually, it does but on an island like this, I would rather ride my bike and cruise.  F1: What’s it like coming back to the Philippines?  F2: Actually, I love it here. I’d rather live here than go back to my place.  F1: Wow. You’ve lived most of your life in a first world country, but you’d rather be here? Are you serious?  F2: Truth is, I don’t feel like I belong there, no matter how I try.  F1: Tell me about it.  F2: Well, growing up with these features instantly make me stand out more like a sore thumb, to be exact. I always feel unsure about myself. I always feel like I am lugging around an axe on my back just because I don’t look Filipino enough nor do I look American enough.  F1: But I honestly think you are beautiful.  F2: I know I am but since my friends are mostly cheerleader-esque, it makes the whole equation super duper complicated.  F1: Could I ask you something?  F2: Surely.  F1: Are you straight?  F2: Nope. Why’d you ask?  F1: I am not straight either.  F2: Are you out?  F1: Not so much.  F2: Then why are you outing yourself to me --practically a stranger? Is it because we’d most likely not see each other again?  F1: Something tells me that you’d hear me out well.  F2: Okay. Do your friends know?  F1: Nope. My parents are super religious so I’d rather shut up.  F2: And that explains why your tats are super hidden too?  F1: Yeah. You are one observant person.  F2: I guess because I’m wired that way and I am getting paid for it for the past 5 years of dabbling in something I do not really want to be part of.  F1: But, you’re free now, right?  F2: I am; but I am super duper terrified over the thought that finally I ended something that I thought would last me a lifetime.  F1: You are one workaholic woman, indeed. I sincerely hope you never go back to that route again.  F2: I will try my best to. Grabe. Andaming hindi straight sa island na ito!  F1: For sure. Last night, there was this one girl who was hitting on me and I was not down. Nah. I can not see her in a different light even if we’re both high.  F2: She is cute, though. I thought you two were vibing.  F1: Nah. She is not my type.  F2: Then, what’s your type?  F1: Free-spirited. Independent. Creative. And kind of bitchy.  F2: Hmmkay. How many relationships have you had?  F1: Straight relationships a couple or so. Non-straight would be a couple or so as well.  F2: Serial killer of straight and non-straight people!  F1: Nah. Haven’t had the chance to feel like I am actually in a relationship that I can be proud of.  F2: And the reason for that is?  F1: I don’t know. It’s just that I feel like I am the one who’s always reaching out and I am never being understood.  F2: You care too much, so the other party feels like slacking.  F1: You bet.  F2: Whether it’s a straight or a non-straight relationship, it does not really have much of a difference.  F1: True.  F2: Sucks when people accuse us of not having a stand when it comes to being with someone just based on gender preference.  F1: Exactly!  F2: Look! This view has not been Insta-famous yet! I love it. Can we park for a bit?  F1: Surely!  F2: Ah. Living for moments like this one!  F1: I wish I can stay longer.  F2: But you can’t!  F1: Sigh. There goes another downside of being an only child.  F2: You can do whatever you want because you are an overachiever.  F1: Damn. That’s the bad side of it. The world thinks that I would never fail.  F2: Well, what’s failure to you?  F1: Seeing my parents devasted. F2: That’s where the problem lies then.  F1: I know and that fucks things up even more.  F2: And here you are saying all those things, yet you’ve got more than 5 tattoos you try to hide. It’s quite confusing, you know?  F1: Thing is, I hate my parents but I love them, too.  F2: You have to start looking after yourself. Such a pity to see someone so smart, so full of life, here in this island having a dramathon.  F1: Because, in this island, I feel safe. I can talk to people like you who would rather try to understand rather than judge.  F2: Well, yeah.  F1: How come you’ve been single for a long time?  F2: Oh, that bit? I know what I do not want, that’s why. F1: And what’s the thing or things you do not want.  F2: Hmm. Let’s put it this way, I know how it is lose someone for good, so I’d want something that would be worth all the shit that goes with relationship. I want someone honest at all times. And I want someone who would not violate my non-negotiables.  F1: So you’d rather be alone or on your own rather than try it out?  F2: Yeah, pretty much. I always ask myself, “Can you live without this person?” and if my answer is yes, then fuck it. I’m fine.  F1: That’s really practical. How then do you know if you can live without a certain person?  F2: That pretty tricky but you’d just know it. It transcends feelings which are always fleeting. You’d just know that this person is but passing by. It might feel so strong. It might hit you so hard, but it will pass. Thing is, I’d learned this the hard way, so, I won’t put myself in another dark chapter just because I feel strongly for someone, and that’s about it. Thing is, people would rather be in a relationship because they’d want to be with someone. And I’ve been that person for quite a long time. It fucks you up. It impairs your logical self. And worse, it causes you to lose yourself.  F1: Bravo! Can’t believe that you think like that, too.  F2: Is that mockery or flattery?  F1: A healthy mix of both.  F2: I am enjoying this convo in the same manner that I feel like my introversion is wearing off in a way that I did not expect.  F1: Too much alcohol, I guess.  F2: Maybe. Or the vibe and the wind.  F1: I will surely miss this place.  F2: Same here.  F1: We can always go back, right?  F2: Same time next year? 

Other highlights of this trip:  -Getting super lost because both F1 and F2 are way too bad in navigating -Having to experience the sudden rain in a tiny part of the island -Driving for a total of 4 hours to and from Pacifico because stopovers were too many to count -Chatted with an old lady when filling up the gas -Ate weird delicacies on the roadside in between asking for directions  -Shared water because it was too hot  -Had super tan with some sunburn (best color for F1 to date)