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violetwolfraven · 4 years ago

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The King’s Men

Hey @buttons-and-gulons I wrote this as a Christmas present for you! You said you liked sprace so I decided to flesh out my backstory for Spot and his friendships with other Brooklyn kids and also include his relationship with Race in there! Hope you like it! Happy Holidays!

Tw: mentions of abusive parents, period-typical homophobia, some internalized homophobia, minor character death.

...

Sean was 6 when he ran away from home.

His father had been gone a year, and his mama resented her son as a reminder of how she’d wasted her youth on a man who never loved her. And after months of stress and anger being taken out on him in the form of cigarette burns and slaps to the face, Sean finally got the message. He took off onto the streets while his mama was at work, slept in an alleyway, and barely survived the rest do the week alone, a kid with no money and no home to go back to.

It was six days before a red-haired girl noticed him in that alleyway and asked where his parents were, and Sean said he didn’t have any even though as far as he knew, both his parents were still alive.

The girl introduced herself as Palomino. She was 12. Six years older than Sean. She was a newsie, and she was willing to take Sean home with her if he’d use his cuteness to help her sell.

Sean, not having anywhere else to go, agreed, and with a scarred-up little kid fronting, he and Palomino sold so many papers that they had to go back in the middle of the day for more.

She introduced him as ‘Spot’ that night at the Lodging House, and when Sean tried to object, she pretended not to hear. But she introduced him to the other Littles, to Rafaela, a year older, who’s real name wasn’t Rafaela, and Scabs, who was Sean’s age, who’s name definitely wasn’t Scabs.

Sean didn’t have many good memories attached to his name, anyway, so he let his new friends call him Spot, and he learned the best ways to sell alongside them, learned to fight and lie convincingly from older kids, learned to survive on the streets and avoid the bulls. The three of them kept their heads down to avoid the latest Brooklyn king’s wrath, and looked out for each other as best as they could.

‘As best as they could’ wasn’t always enough.

Spot was 7, Rafaela was 8, and Scabs was dying of tuberculosis that winter.

When Spot tried to tell the king he needed help, the older boy just looked vaguely unhappy, mentioned that they lost kids every year, and took a swig of the whiskey he’d bought with money he could have spent on medicine.

Palomino wasn’t much more help, saying that sometimes kids died and there wasn’t anything you could do about it, so you had to just say goodbye and hope they ended up somewhere nice. And what made that worse was that she clearly cared more than the king did, but still wasn’t willing to even try to save Scabs.

Spot was 7 the first (but not last) time he ended up in the Refuge, for trying to steal medicine for his friend. Of course, Snyder didn’t show mercy even to a kid so young, and the beds were somehow cramped and cold, so Spot spent every minute thinking of when he’d get out. He was stuck in that hellhole for two weeks, and though Rafaela and Palomino were waiting for him by the gate when his sentence was over, Scabs was already gone.

Unlike the girls, Spot didn’t get to say goodbye, and he realized he should’ve just listened to Palomino.

He felt stupid, crying over a friend he hadn’t even known a year. It was stupid, how one person being gone could mean so much. Too much. And it was stupid how Spot had even more nightmares than before, and he flinched when Rafaela tried to help him.

He understood now why ‘Mino held her friends at arm’s length. Why she didn’t get attached to anyone. It was so she wouldn’t miss them too much—wouldn’t cry—when they were gone.

So, Spot pushed Rafaela away. He stopped selling with her, stopped letting her try to help when he had nightmares. He tagged along with any older kid willing to take him, knowing none of those broken, rough boys and girls would let him get too close. They knew better.

He tried not to think about how hurt Raf looked at first, or how angry she got as time went on. As months passed, and then years.

Spot was 8 when York came along. Raf’s age, full of scars and stories he didn’t tell. He was mostly silent and thoughtful where the other kids were loud and rambunctious. Still plenty angry, just quiet about it. Smart. When he committed minor crimes (as most Brooklyn kids did) he didn’t get caught. He never said that he held back his anger quietly because one time he hadn’t and it had ended in him losing that right eye of his, but everyone kind of knew.

York was good in a fight, but as with Rafaela, Spot didn’t let him get too close. He kept them both at a distance, and it absolutely didn’t hurt how they got close without him, because it was better if Spot kept them out of his heart.

That didn’t mean he wouldn’t soak anyone who said something bad about either of them twice as fast as he would if someone said something bad about him, like when the latest king of Brooklyn made fun of York’s eye patch.

It was a different king than the one who let Scabs die, because of course it was. Brooklyn kings came and went fast, as soon as someone bigger/tougher/deadlier came along. But they were all indistinguishable from the others. Everyone was loyal to them only out of fear.

Spot should have known better. He was a Little. He was less than half the king’s size. He didn’t stand a chance.

But he threw the first punch anyway, and the only reason he survived that fight was because Palomino stepped in and reminded the king that he was a kid. He was young. And he had learned his lesson.

Spot absolutely had not learned his lesson. He was angrier than ever, but he let the older girl patch him up, anyway.

Spot was 8 and when he healed up, ‘Mino started teaching him to fight. Really fight. And no matter how many bruises accumulated or how many times he lost sparring matches, she wouldn’t let him stop learning. She kept pushing him harder, making him get stronger, goading him on until he could land a hit on her, until it didn’t matter that he couldn’t match her for strength or height, until he could knock down an opponent much bigger than himself.

She didn’t sell with him anymore, moving on to selling with Bart and Joey, a pair of siblings, the brother the same age and the sister two years older than Spot. It wouldn’t be until years later that Spot would realize she was doing that to protect him, so no one would suspect they were up to anything.

Spot was 9, Palomino was 15, and she showed up late to sparring sometimes. She sold at Sheepshead, but she’d never let him come with her. She’d never let anyone come with her anymore, but she slung a good 150 papes a day, so no one could argue.

Hildy showed up that fall, a 10-year-old who barely spoke a word of English, and while she fell in with the younger gang, the one Spot still kept at arm’s length, she was a bit separate, too, given that she had a hard time communicating.

She tried to make friends with Spot, and she was so innocent, at least at first, that it actually hurt to push her away towards the others, into that bubble Spot was always on the edge of but never let himself try to enter.

No one trusted anyone else completely in a borough that chaotic, but it definitely didn’t hurt how the others had a circle of at least relative safety and Spot wouldn’t, couldn’t let himself have even that much.

Spot was 10, and he was surprised to find that having made it to double digits didn’t make him feel much older or wiser. Palomino still occasionally made him spar with her, but she’d run out of things to teach him. Spot was getting big and strong enough that she didn’t have to go easy on him anymore, and sometimes he even won their sparring matches.

What was weird was that ‘Mino kept sneaking off to Manhattan, and Spot wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like there was anything interesting in ‘Hattan. Even the kids who lived there weren’t especially interesting, if the ones Spot saw who came over for negotiations and things were any indication.

When he asked why, she simply said that he’d understand the appeal of Manhattan someday, even if Spot was pretty sure he wouldn’t. What did ‘Hattan have that Brooklyn didn’t?

It was later that year when Spot found out that Palomino wasn’t the only one with a strange fixation with Manhattan, when he accidentally caught Moony making out with a ‘Hattan boy a few blocks from the Brooklyn bridge.

This was significant because Moony was a boy, too. And Spot was pretty sure boys weren’t supposed to kiss other boys.

Of course, Moony said he’d punch Spot’s daylights out if he told anyone about him and that Manhattan boy, who’s name turned out to be Skittery.

Spot didn’t understand that. Sure, boys kissing other boys wasn’t legal, but it wasn’t like most of the Brooklyn kids didn’t commit worse crimes on a regular basis. They all stole and cheated when they had to, and they all knew each other did these things, so why was one more illegal action any different?

When he asked Palomino about it (even though he told Moony he wouldn’t tell anyone) she just laughed, saying she hadn’t pegged Moony as queer and that he should know better than to make out where people could see, but that he had good taste in boys.

But she also said that Spot couldn’t tell anyone, because Moony could get kicked out of the Lodging House at best, arrested and killed in jail at worst, and no matter what happened, it wouldn’t be good if anyone found out he was...

There was that word again. ‘Queer.’ Spot didn’t see why anybody cared so much, but he understood that if it could have such bad consequences, it was best for it to stay secret.

Unfortunately, Moony being queer didn’t stay secret. And after the secret came out, Spot never saw him again. That was when it hit that being queer wasn’t just a secret; it was dangerous.

And he still wouldn’t let himself be friends with any of the others his age, but that didn’t mean he missed how Raf snuck glances at Joey as much as she did at York, or how Bart blushed when the new kid, Vince, grabbed his hand to keep track of him in a crowd.

And that meant, even if he couldn’t have them as friends, Spot had to protect them. Sarcastic Vince, quick-witted Hildy, defensive Bart, funny Joey, tough York, and stubborn Rafaela.

And Palomino, too, he guessed, even if she didn’t need it, but the point was that to protect anyone, he had to keep an eye on them, which was closer than he’d let himself get to any of them since he was 7 years old.

Spot was 11 when he found a 5-year-old girl alone in an alleyway and saw himself in her, so he offered her a home.

And he tried to keep her out. He tried to keep that little girl from worming her way into his heart, but somewhere between giving her a piggyback ride to the Lodging House and teaching her to sell, Bluebird got in, no matter how hard he tried. It was scary.

But then again, the latest king, Joe Harris, was even more corrupt and tyrannical than the others Spot remembered, so maybe Blue sticking close to him was for the best.

Letting one person in didn’t mean you had to let in anyone else, right? And besides, Spot could protect one person close to him. Probably.

Or maybe not, because it turned out Joe Harris could hurt even those who seemed untouchable, with how Palomino stood up to him once and it got her killed.

Spot was 12, and he wished he could say that he didn’t grieve his mentor when she was gone. Because despite himself, he had cared about her, and it hurt so much that she was gone.

Joe killing Palomino was meant to scare off any others thinking of rebelling, and it did just that to most of them, but Spot just got angry instead.

He never forgave Joe, and he made a promise to himself that no King of Brooklyn would take anyone else from him again.

It turned out Blue was just the first crack in a dam, because after her, Spot found himself caring about more people. Mostly in the form of the others his age in Brooklyn, despite how hard he’d worked to keep them out. He’d never really be one of them after isolating himself for so long, but in finally letting himself trust them as allies, Spot found that it wasn’t as scary as he’d always feared.

Well, it was scary. But he knew that the others could take care of themselves, and it was certainly easier to help them do so if they stayed close.

And keeping them close meant more allies for what Spot had planned.

Spot was 13 when he challenged for king.

He didn’t have a choice. Joe was getting increasingly cruel, soaking anyone who so much as objected to any of his decisions and taxing the kids whatever he decided was fair for the right to sell in Brooklyn. With the amount he was charging, none of them would last much longer.

Spot knew the fight would be to the death. He knew Joe was a lot bigger and a lot more experienced, at 19, and he absolutely would kill Spot for posing a serious challenge.

But if it gave his friends the chance to survive, if it gave someone else a chance at winning another challenge, it would be worth it.

Making his first kill was the hardest thing Spot had ever done, but he did it, and he became the king of Brooklyn.

It wasn’t his last kill, either.

Over the next couple years, he had to kill Scarf’s father, and a particularly bloodthirsty gangster, and a few boys who tried to challenge for king. But he never enjoyed it, and it was all in defense of his kids, because as king he had to care for all of Brooklyn now. They were all his responsibility.

Still, the title of king meant a certain level of fear, which meant that none of them could care about him the way they cared about each other. And though a few others helped as much as they could, he was largely running the borough alone.

Spot was 14 when Hotshot showed up, an big, strong, angry 12-year-old who’d fight anyone who looked at him funny. The perfect second for a young king who needed to establish his reputation. All he had to do was tell the boy where to aim his anger, and people assumed that if he could get a kid like Hotshot under his thumb, he had to be just as aggressive.

But Spot didn’t let his second soak people who didn’t deserve it. He didn’t do it himself, either. He wouldn’t be like the kings he’d grown up under and let innocent kids get hurt for no reason. Spot swore it that first night when he killed Joe Harris and he did his best to uphold it. He would rather die than be like those tyrants, those power-drunk boys who didn’t care who they got killed.

Well, at least there was one thing about Spot that set him apart from the other kings, but it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

If his friends (it still felt odd to call them that) had been cracks in the dam, Racetrack Higgins was the first wave of water that broke it down, only...

Race never pushed, never forced. He just proved that Spot could trust him over and over again, despite being Manhattan. He was kind and compassionate despite being willing to gamble grown men out of their pay. He was funny and brave and though he could talk his way out of most fights, he’d throw himself into one without hesitation for someone else’s sake.

And though Spot had known him since he was 12 and Race was 11, it wasn’t until years later that he realized.

Spot was 15, Race was 14, and Spot realized that he was well and truly screwed, because though he’d started letting others in a little, the problem was that the person he wanted to keep the closest, the person he trusted most, was a Manhattan boy. Was Race.

He loved Race. And that made him queer, and that was dangerous.

Of course that wasn’t exactly a fun realization, especially with how Race didn’t feel the same.

He couldn’t, right? Because Spot’s own mother hadn’t wanted him. Palomino had only cared for him as a sparring partner. His friends feared him and Bluebird and Hotshot only claimed he was like a big brother to them because they had no one else who even pretended to give a rat’s ass about them.

Race couldn’t want him, too, couldn’t love him back, because nobody really loved him. Spot had accepted that maybe him loving other people was inevitable, but he wasn’t stupid enough to think they would love him, too.

Spot was 16 and Race was 15 when he found out that wasn’t completely true.

Because they’d been in the middle of a fight. Spot was facing a potential king challenger and he’d wanted Race to sell in Manhattan for a few days so he’d be out of harm’s way. But while Race wouldn’t push on sensitive topics, he would fight against what he didn’t think was fair. He thought Spot needed as many allies close by as he could get.

Spot had gotten him pinned against the wall, yelling in the other boy’s face, and then he’d found out that his belief that no one wanted him couldn’t be true, because Race had kissed him to shut him up.

And Spot knew Race. He knew that he didn’t do anything halfway. If he was your friend, he was ride or die for you. Joey and Bart were his cousins, and they said he’d always been that way, diving into things head first, throwing his everything behind every move he made, confident that he was right.

Spot knew Race. He knew that Race didn’t feel anything halfway, either. He knew that to kiss him, Race would have to feel the exact same way he did, which was why he let himself kiss back, at least until he had to pull back and tell him again to leave the borough for a few days.

Race told him not to bother sending someone to tell him it was safe to come back until he was ready to talk, and Spot spent two long weeks winning against the latest challenger, but ultimately showing the kid mercy, then mulling over whether or not he wanted to send someone over to get Race.

He did, but he wasn’t sure if he should.

Spot was terrified.

He’d tried so long to keep everyone out of his heart. He’d fought even Race on that for a while after they met, not trusting that caring about him would lead to anything other than sorrow.

He still struggled with that, even as he sat with Bluebird and Scarf and the other Littles until they fell back asleep if they had a nightmare. Even as he enjoyed card games with Joey, Hildy, Hotshot, Vince, York, and Bart. Even as he attempted to make amends with Rafaela, his oldest friend, who was still cold to him.

Besides that struggle, any serious relationship was a stupid idea for a king. Spot had watched kings from his childhood lose anyone they genuinely cared about, one way or another. He’d watched them grieve siblings, lovers, friends, or were betrayed by one of the above and lost their lives for it. People you cared about were weaknesses, and weaknesses could be exploited if you weren’t careful, and that wasn’t even counting how Race was a boy.

Being a boy who loved another boy could make you disappear. And Spot was a hell of a lot better of a fighter than Moony had ever been, but that type of fighting was always only about protecting himself.

...or was it?

Spot had tried for years to not think of his old mentor, but now that he was thinking of her...

Palomino was a master manipulator because she knew how people’s minds worked.

She would know that even if she could win a challenge, Brooklyn wouldn’t respect her as king, a girl with no one but a bunch of Littles backing her up. But she would know that while she couldn’t be king, she could train someone to end the cycle of tyrants.

She would know that whoever she trained would have to be someone who wanted to be better than the bad kings they’d suffered under.

And she would know that whoever she trained had to be someone who had proved their willingness to fight for others multiple times.

What had she told Spot the one time he’d tried to ask her why she was teaching him to fight?

“Because you’s the only one who stands a chance. It has to be you.”

At the time, he’d thought she meant that he was the only one tough enough to survive her training, but...

She’d been playing the long game with Spot the whole time. She’d taught him to fight counting on the fact that he’d challenge for king one day and she hadn’t cared if she got to see it because she knew he’d win.

It hadn’t mattered that she didn’t live to see his reign because the king she’d made sure he’d have Brooklyn’s support out of loyalty instead of fear. A Brooklyn boy, born and raised, who could take care of himself in a fight but didn’t think of himself first.

It half made Spot want to punch her, for manipulating his entire childhood, but honestly, he wasn’t sure how much would be different if she hadn’t chosen him. He would have tried to challenge for king anyway, only he probably would have lost.

It was a hard decision, to be angry or grateful to her, and Spot’s verdict changed hourly, but he kept thinking about another thing Palomino had once told him.

That one day, he’d see the appeal of Manhattan.

Well, he saw that it was Race’s home, and he was safe there.

He saw that Jack Kelly himself was almost definitely queer, that there were plenty of teenage kids who fit the type and hadn’t disappeared yet. He saw how the Manhattan kids were unapologetic and how they didn’t even judge each other, for the most part. They were more of a family than Brooklyn and they weren’t scared to be who they were and love who they loved, be it platonic or something more.

Spot had to wonder how different he’d be, if he’d been taken in by Manhattan instead of Brooklyn. If he’d grown up alongside Jack and Race and Crutchie instead of Rafaela and York and Bart.

It was startling to realize that he didn’t want to know. Because despite the sacrifices he’d made, everyone he’d lost, Spot still loved his home and his fellow newsies.

But he also loved Race, and even if it would be easier to push him away, to use this as an excuse in his mind to push everyone away, Spot didn’t want to.

He was tired of pushing people away see. It never worked, anyway, and in the end, it didn’t make you any stronger. It just meant you were running from something you couldn’t escape.

So he sent Bluebird to tell Race to meet him on the docks that night, and as nerve-wracking as it was when he managed to get his courage up, he kissed Race first that night.

Spot was 16 when he finally stopped running away from his feelings. From letting himself care about people even if he still had trouble showing it.

Spot was 16 when he finally started running towards home.

...

Sorry this gets a little incoherent towards the end. I was tired when I wrote it.

#newsies #sprace #spot conlon #racetrack higgins #brooklyn newsies #rafaela newsies #york newsies #joey newsies #bart newsies #hildy newsies #vince newsies #hotshot newsies #oc: palomino #oc: bluebird #angst #character dive fic #canon era #violet’s writing

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pippenpaddlopsicopolisthethird · 4 years ago

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What are some animes you didn’t think you would like but ended up growing on you?? The fungus kind of animes?

I’ll admit, I don’t have nearly as many of these. I don’t often sit down to watch something I’m not pretty sure I’ll like, and I won’t waste my time and energy on a show that I’m not having fun with after a few episodes. I don’t have fun hate-watching things.

But I have been surprised by how much I enjoyed some shows! Most of them were either shown to me by friends, and/or fell into the camp of “I watched them just to say I did, but then I found myself getting attached”.

1. Fruits Basket (2019)

Going in, I knew it was an iconic series, but I didn’t really have a sense of what made it iconic. I never read the manga in middle school like my classmates, I didn’t grow up watching the episodes of the 2001 anime in three parts on youtube, I vaguely knew it was a romance with a love triangle and something about the zodiac going on but that’s it. What really surprised me was how something that dated itself so strongly - filled with the oldest shoujo tropes in the book, hell, it practically wrote the book on shoujo tropes - still managed to surprise me with its writing and characterization. I still found myself compelled to learn about Kyo’s true form, about why Akito scared everyone so much, about what Shigure wants, about this web of unhealthy, interdependent people all struggling to figure out who they are outside of the abuse they’ve faced. It gave me a reason to believe the reasons why these archetypal character tropes act the way they do, and want to see them change.

2. Sarazanmai

Honestly, I first put this one on for a laugh. It was the show airing that season that, right out of the gate, existed to make the audience ask “Hey, what the FUCK was that????” and I didn’t think it would go deeper than that. There’s a lot of stuff about butts in this anime. There’s a lot of innuendo. There’s layers of wordplay and metaphor that take a little too much thinking to figure out. There’s weird musical numbers that come out of nowhere and aren’t explained. You know what I discovered there also is? Character arcs that rival Ping Pong in their depth. Masterful directorial choices that establish norms quickly through repetition, and drive the plot by choosing exactly when and how to break the repetition. Driving directly to the root of characterization by focusing on the tension between what characters desire most of all and what they try desperately to keep hidden. A finale that had me crying straight through the last two or three episodes. Stick with this one, if you can. It goes places.

3. Kuroko no Basket

This one originally spooked me with its length. For someone who usually only commits to 12-24 episodes, whose longest show to that point had been FMA:B, 75 episodes felt like a big ask for a basketball anime. And up to that point, I’d mainly focused on sports anime with deeper emotional stories like Haikyuu’s first couple of seasons, Free!, and Ping Pong, where the sport came second to the character’s internal arcs. Kuroko isn’t really concerned with whether you think it’s deep. Kuroko is just fuckin fun. It’s huge, high-impact action with a great main cast, bullshit basketball superpowers that exist because Why The Hell Not, and a plot comparable to Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. Kuroko has to defeat his Evil Ex(teammate)s and relearn his love for basketball alongside his new best friend. I didn’t expect to care, but man, it was a fun ride.

4. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

This is the absolute epitome of “it grew on me like a fungus”. I watched the parts out of order (sue me) but if I hadn’t, I still would barely think of the series as watchable. And that’s what I love about this series! I love how you can ask 8 people what their favorite JJBA part is, and get 8 answers, because each part is so vastly different from anything that comes before or after it. I love its unapologetically stupid plot twists and wonderfully bullshit logic. I love the dumbass musical references that mean nothing. I love how it models its jacked-to-hell character designs after high fashion and manages to turn out the most beautifully fucked-up outfits. I love Part 4. I just love everything about Part 4. I love that it pulls the stakes back down to earth without losing any of the sense of adventure. I love how the enemies they defeat become one big group of friends, unless they go so far as to hurt the people they love. I love that it introduces supernatural influences outside of Stand abilities - the arrows, aliens, ghosts. I love how, instead of writing an action hero, Araki wrote the JoJo of Part 4 as someone he’d want to be his friend.

If you don’t read anything else, read this: If you started JJBA, watched the first two parts, liked them well enough, but dropped it because the idea of sitting through Part 3 just did not vibe with you? Skip to Part 4. Do it. Heck, start on part 4. Or part 5. Or part 3. Watch the 90′s OVAs directed by Satoshi Kon instead of the modern part 3 anime if you want. JoJo’s is at its best when you treat it as your sandbox. There’s almost 35 years of content to play around in. Grab yourself a shovel.

(first anime rec post) (second anime rec post)

#my posts #my asks #anime recommendations #jjba #kuroko no basket #fruits basket #sarazanmai #flashing gif #Anonymous

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 5 years ago

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Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works 1 - 25 (FINAL) | Waver OVA

Much like the Fate/Zero post, this is mostly a set of notes which has already been released and is preserved here because of the difference editing makes. There was one completely insensitive, uninformed note and a note which I was writing down to be “more in character” which I’ve removed in all instances of the notes, though - it’s better you not know what was being said there.

F/SN UBW 1 (Prologue)

Now that’s the Rin I know from fandom whispers.

Turns out this is ep. 0 and there’s actually 12 eps…

This brunette reminds me of Maiya.

This wavy haired guy’s a Matou? Geesh, he somehow reminds me of the Great B*stard Archer.

Miss Fujimura’s a bit of a non-sequitur…

If I remember the fan whispers right, his name is Issei Hyoudou…? (Or is that the High School DxD guy?) Update: Issei Hyoudou is the High School DxD guy, this is Issei Ryuudou.

If people die when they are killed, then machines should, too.

I already know from checking up previous info that UBW is for the 5th Holy Grail War and Shiro Emiya is part of it.

The button says “voicemail”…well, it’s actually rusu, where rusuban denwa = answering machine (denwa = phone, so rusu means something like “protecting the house (while you’re gone)”). The best way to translate it would be “voicemail” though.

Fuyuki Church (Kyoukai)? Rin has them on her voicemail???

I seem to remembr reading that this white-haired character is an alternate universe Shiro Emiya…but I guess we’ll find out later, huh?

Hmm…I’ve seen this Command Seal before. I think it might be Dewbond’s profile pic, in fact…which tells me that he likes Rin.

The compulsion the guy is talking about reminds me of Steph from NGNL and how she was forced to fall in love with Sora.

Rin’s treating this like a gacha game…LOL.

Pride vs. pride, huh? Anyways, I think the really entertaining thing of putting me under the pump like this is that I have such an incomplete understanding of how the Fate/ universe works that the outcomes of everything create enough entertainment for those who’ve committed to said universe. The things that I do know might be really late-game though – such as the white-haired Servant being an alternate Shiro – so I have my own surprises to confirm.

“The Archer class really is made up of archers!” - …and people die if they are killed, y’know? (<- I know this from the memes. I won’t cover Deen/Stay Night, people don’t normally recommend it.)

Why is a cup omnipotent, anyway? Cups don’t have the ability to have knowledge. By the way, I bet Rin’s acquaintance will have something to do with this.

Rin’s Holy Grail War work reminds me of my own experience with piano. Basically, I grew up doing it, so I never questioned it until I thought about what I really wanted to do. I expect Rin will be the same way.

Hmm…Sakura and…the Great B*stard?

Rin says all of this about “crude garbage”, so all I can focus on is the bin off to the side…LOL.

Oooooooh…so this appearance of Sakura is why people put F/Z before this.

Saber…the reason she’s so popular is because she appears in so many incarnations of Fate/ that she’s basically become a poster girl for it.

F/SN UBW 2

There’s something that pisses me off about Sakura. It’s probably because she’s fairly submissive, like a girl who was written to be a guy’s fantasy.

The OP and ED was subbed the first time, so the fact this isn’t is interesting.

I think I’ve seen these scenes before…probably because they look exactly like the setup for Today’s Menu for Emiya Family.

Hypoxia.

Sakura’s boobs jiggled…urgh…

This episode feels a lot more like a VN intro.

Some of these scenes were from a different perspective in the prologue, so I’ll try to skip them.

Stove = heater, if you didn’t catch on.

Oh hey, Emiya isn’t part of the archery club anymore…but there’s some evidence that an alternate Emiya became that Archer Rin has.

That’s Ilya, isn’t it…?

Emiya’s magic incompetence reminds me of Waver.

Shinji is Sakura’s older bro??? I never heard of this…? Step-bro, maybe?

I read one of the labels on the machine – makanai setto – and turns out it’s a [meal] set for staff (teachers).

This series’s messages are like anvils…even more so than F/Z.

Where does Emiya work…? (For some reason, I call Kiritsugu that but Shirou “Emiya”.)

Archer’s not in white…not that much, anyway.

“…I really nearly was killed.” – Yes, and people die when they are killed, Emiya. You said so yourself in Deen/Stay Night.

I know this iconic scene where Emiya stares at Saber! I’ve seen it in all the screenshots and everything.

F/SN UBW 3

The blindfolded woman in the OP is apparently Medea. I think I mentioned her offhandedly in one of the WP posts I did, so I didn’t expect to see her so soon.

Most of this ep is explaining this stuff to beginners. I can skip that.

I don’t get the appeal of Rin, but then again, I’m neutral at best on tsunderes.

Shoten Books? Like, Bookseller Books? How redundant…

“[G]enuine fake priest” - …LOL wut?

Why is Kirei giving me Equilibrium vibes…? Oh, it’s because he has silly hair that reminds me of Christian Bale. That’s why.

Most of this episode was recap from F/Z, so I skipped it.

F/SN UBW 4

I’m laughing – this new Berserker reminds me of Tsukasa (Dr Stone).

Ah, same old Gilgamesh. He’s just in different clothes.

Kiritsugu felt like he actually was a character. Emiya? Just a blank slate, really.

Welp, that was over fast…

F/SN UBW 5

I’m getting sick of Rin’s tsundereness, fast.

Okay, crash course in types of Servants. I needed this.

*Saber reveals the outfit is from Rin* - Ooh, Shiro, don’t go judgin’ Rin like that…

Oh-hoh, Sakura does archery, huh?

I bet Kuzuki actually is a mage. That’s how these things always turn out, no?

Actually, I think Emiya might be a better match for my piano experience. There’s this one person who played at a higher level of piano than I did, but they kept telling me that I was way better than them at piano (although I don’t know if that was self-deprecation and/or inflating my ego). As I mentioned in my relation to Rin, I forcibly cut it out of my life because my parents chose it for me – in short, no desire to hit the target, in one way of speaking.

I can see why Fate/ needed a cooking spinoff now…LOL.

Shinto = New City, with a particular combo of kanji.

Are these Touken Ranbu enemies, Rin…? (They’re called Historical Revisionists, technically, and I specifically refer to enemy wakizashi.)

I seem to remember from somewhere Sakura is Caster’s master…hmm. Another thing to confirm.

F/SN UBW 6

That Rin reaction face! I’ve seen it before!

LOL, that “I haven’t been sleeping lately” is relatable.

Medea is one of the only Servants that was originally a woman, so…it’s interesting to see she’s been given a chain as a method to keep up (but also vaguely annoying to see her have such a short skirt). A chain weapon seems to be the sort of weapon for an agile user, with possible sexual overtones (if you want to interpret it that way), so it seems like it came straight from a male fantasy of a woman.

Rin is the sort that places a lot of stock into obligations, I see.

F/SN UBW 7

I learnt how to read the word “mirage” in Japanese somewhat recently (in comparison to the basics, which I learnt through a CD-ROM maybe…15 or so years ago?). It’s shinkirou.

I find it interesting that these eps. are marked as Fate/Stay Night and the series is Fate/Stay Night UBW, because Deen/Stay Night (as I’ve been referring to the Deen version of F/SN) looks pretty different to Ufotable’s F/SN, judging by that “People die when they are killed” meme.

The subbers spelt “specialty” wrong…

Well, Emiya, being in a room with a girl…alone…you really are a typical VN lead, aren’t you?

LOL! I knew Kojiro was also part of this series and I think I knew he was an Assassin, but s***! He’s an absolute looker!

…and *sigh* Caster is using her sensuality against men. A regular Fujiko Mine, she is.

I think my heart did something when Archer gave that intense stare at Caster, too. This is no time for a reverse harem!

F/SN UBW 8

Ahh! Kojiro Sasaki’s (this Assassin’s) so hot! I love it!

The only person who can beat Saber is another swordsperson, huh? Logic checks out.

That blue ring looks like the one at the start of Shinchou Yuusha’s OP.

F/SN UBW 9

I thought Shinji was gonna barf, but that was actually laughing…that’s what happens when you don’t have the volume on.

This replacement Gilgamesh (Shinji) sucks…

Just squinting at Caster’s chest…boobs do not work that way, people. Fabric goes over things like that, it doesn’t tuck itself so neatly around them.

I think Rin’s a real idiot for ignoring that Shinji is a Master and a mage…

I almost thought Shiro was gonna kiss Sakura for a second there. Apparently you should approach an unconscious person from behind and tap them on the shoulder (as opposed to going from the front to listen for breath), in case they try to punch your lights out.

Watching Eizouken, which doesn’t have girly runs for the girls, and then watching this makes you aware even Rin is capable of girly running…(LOL?)

Gee whiz, I was so sure this purple lady with the whip was Medea and a Caster-class Servant. So she’s a Rider??? Update: So it was Caster, masquerading as Rider…is that how it goes…?

So is this a locked-room – or locked-school – mystery…?

F/SN UBW 10

This is basically “You wanna go?” from Saber.

Considering the coronavirus, these words (about people getting out of the attack completely healthy) seem sort of weird…

Samosan? Seppa seppa? What dialect is this???

*Emiya asks Issei to strip* - Ooh…this is why Fate is popular with women…*thinks of the fact this was a male-oriented VN first* Maybe.

I still think the Great B*stard kinda looks like Kyo from Fruits Basket (…not that I ever mentioned it earlier).

I just realised Taiga’s shirt is striped orange/black…like a tiger.

The amount of still frames in this episode, in comparison to the usual number, is significantly higher.

F/SN UBW 11

I just realised Kinoko Nasu means “mushroom” and “eggplant” if not exactly written the way it is…what a name…

*something about being useful to others* - U-Uwaaaaah…Emiya! Stop reminding me of all the things I’ve done at the cost of myself!

Hmm? I googled Rin’s birthday and I thought she was a Leo – she’s an Aquarius (Feb. 3rd).

Rin absolutely steamrolled Emiya, LOL.

I get the feeling Archer is saying “Only you can save yourself”.

F/SN UBW 12

Randomly, there is a Volkswagen.

*something about Emiya photosynsthesising* - Rin, that’s not how people work…

Batting centre? How can girls go there in skirts without flashing anyone? That’s taking into consideration how short Rin’s skirt is, y’know…(Practicality comes first at all times, people…well, not for Saber, who’s wearing stockings, but I worry about Rin, as you can see.)

People find blushing tsunderes cute…I kinda get it for male tsunderes, but for Rin…not really.

Ack! Another double episode!

Why does this ominous vibe on a bus remind me of Harry Potter…? (Then again, the first things I remember of the movies were a shrunken head and a bus that could squeeze through gaps, which might explain things.)

Hmm? So what is Kuzuki’s place in Caster’s life, huh? Who’s controlling the puppet?

Come to think of it, who is Assassin’s real Master? If Caster has control of him, that means he belonged to someone else before that, right?

I feel sorry for Assassin. I mean, he has to keep talking to Caster with his body torn open like that…

“Princess of Colchis” – So Caster is Medea! Maybe Scott (who said I was wrong about that) was thinking I was referring to Rider. Rider and Caster do look awfully similar…but wait, so what was the real identity of Rider, then? Update: Reading over the notes, I was mistakenly referring to Rider as Caster, hence the comment.

Wolverine!Kirei strikes again, it seems.

Lel, I forgot about Lancer…and Berserker, now that I think of it.

F/SN UBW 13

So this is Brave Shine, huh? It doesn’t sound familiar at all…

…aaaaaaaaand of course Saber is in a fancy white dress. It’ll sell a lot of figures – in fact, I think I’ve actually seen Saber figures with that outfit while browsing for Nendoroids and other merch as of late.

F/SN UBW 14

Well, this blonde guy’s hair is nice…but he’s basically Shou Tucker all over again. (I haven’t even completed Fullmetal Alchemist in any form – I just know what the guy did because the fans talk about it a lot.)

Gosh, evil begets nothing but more evil, huh? (re: Kirei and blondie here)

I gotta facepalm - this blonde dude really shouldn’t have maltreated Medea. She has a reputation for a reason.

It took me a few tries and the brightening of my screen to figure it out, but Caster spotted Kuzuki.

Gilgamesh, what the f*** did you do to those poor maids?! (Even if they were homunculi…)

The subbers appear to have spelt “homunculus” slightly wrong…

F/SN UBW 15

“Going through the front door would be a bad idea.” – Yeah, and people die when they are killed.

I really respect Illya now…and can see why she got her own spinoff.

This snowy mountain makes me realise exactly why they chose Ufotable for Demon Slayer.

F/SN UBW 16

I was wondering what Gilgamesh had torn out of Illya…ew.

I was watching Shazam the other day and a piece of advice the titular superhero gives is “Look out for number one.” (i.e. yourself) Rin has much the same mentality.

I seriously facepalmed when they tried to protect each other. One person should learn to stand down in the relationship for that to work.

Hmm…so this means Lancer’s Master is male, huh? (Why is that Master still a mystery anyway…?)

I facepalmed the third time (the second was soon after the first) when Emiya thought he could seriously protect Rin from Lancer. Knowing who Lancer’s Master is a much bigger priority right now, man – this isn’t a romcom!

I like Lancer’s sideways gaze, LOL.

*Archer comes in* - Well, hasn’t it been a while since we saw this guy? (voice drips with sarcasm)

“druther” – Hmm? I’ve never heard of this word before. Apparently, it means (when used as “If I had my druthers…”) “If I had my way…”.

Hmm? What’s this? There are two pendants instead of one…?

F/SN UBW 17

There’s a lot of shots centring around Lancer’s butt…LOL. (Or is that just the female gaze I’m forcing on to this?) Even still, because Lancer has an outfit like that, it’s kinda hard not to see that he does have a fine one.

“You have a lack of pride in your sword skills.” – Uhhhhhhh…I guess that’s why he’s Archer…?

I never seem to know who the Lancers are…geesh. Like, I could pick one from a crowd of Servants, but not their real names. Update: As it turns out, Karna (the one Indian Servant I had my eye on from Apocrypha) is a Lancer in Fate/Grand Order.

Apparently, Gungnir is the spear of Odin.

Kuzuki is a Master…of the Naruto run. (LOL)

Noting “sieben” and stuff, I think Rin’s magic is German in nature.

Why does Medea have elven ears, anyway…?

F/SN UBW 18

The subs suddenly turned yellow! What the heck?! (Prior to this, subs were white.) Update: Come to think of it, only Aniplex shows have yellow subs, while Funimation ones have white subs (although HiDive let you choose between white and black, the standard is white on the hardsubs). This might mean a switchover between who’s responsible for the show happened while this anime was airing.

“…within your grasp?”

Ooh, this I didn’t expect! Saber joined forces with Rin!

“…your wish was a mistake.”

*Shiro fights swords with more swords* - For some reason, I feel like I need to play some Daft Punk right now. (I don’t even like them as an artist, even though I’m meant to be the EDM expert around here…)

This all but confirms Archer is actually a Shiro Emiya from a distant future.

I just imagined an Archer whose body was made of swords. What a compelling image – a literal human weapon.

Those hand gestures…Shinji is a massive creep.

Huh? I’ve been skipping the post-credits segments for previous episodes because I’m binging, but there’s a post-credits segment here…

Hmm…this next-ep preview had a rook (or a king? I’m no good at identifying chess pieces by their appearance) with a red glowing symbol on it facing what appeared to be the symbol of the Saber class. What an interesting representation of the upcoming inevitable faceoff.

F/SN UBW 19

Wouldn’t it not make sense for future!Shirou to kill present!Shirou? I mean, you know the time travel paradox…if you kill the present guy, the future guy doesn’t exist.

“Sorry about that, punk.” – LOL. Lancer’s great.

Hey, wasn’t Kirei dea-oh right. In fiction, when there is no corpse, you can’t have assumed the character died. They probably skedaddled off somewhere, heavily bleeding and/or on the edge of death…and I’m assuming that was how Kirei got out of his scuffle too.

All this talk about ideals makes me wanna play Odd Future for some reason, LOL. (Well, the first line of that song is “I keep my ideals”, no?)

“…it is you who is disobeying orders.”

A eunuch, huh? Rin, you do know that a eunuch has his *erhem erhem* cut off…right?

Okay, people. Why must women be the source of the Holy Grail? This is only the 2nd time I’ve gotten to this point and you’ve got enough men to fuel the Grail instead. Why not use them??? Update: It’s safe to say I get my wish later.

“You’ve been removed from the bounds of time.” Subbers, I know you’re under pressure to produce subs, but please proofread…? Pretty please? Update: I should proofread too. My E key is a bit dodgy at the moment.

I predicted, a few seconds before it appeared on my screen, that Shirou wasn’t the type to do things he regretted. Yyyyyyyyyyup. That’s Shirou, alright.

F/SN UBW 20

Okayyyyyy. That was not an episode title that needed to be subbed.

Oh, gosh. Can you please just knee Shinji where it hurts, Rin…? I know you’re being choked, but you could still do something lik that.

…(lol)…What the heck, Shinji’s such a self-preserving prick!

So how many times did Lancer actually die and how many times was he faking it out?

“Dying because of some order that comes with being a hero.”

So who’s Gilgamesh’s Master now…?

Hmm…I thought by saving Rin and Saber, Shirou was already a hero. Maybe it’s just a perception thing.

H-Hey, Shirou…you keep saying redundant things…

F/SN UBW 21

Why is Saber just standing there, anyway…? (Well, Shirou did say it was his fight, but…she can do something…)

Okay, whose idea was it to cut after “However…”?! That’s terrible pacing.

This series peaked quite a few episodes ago. Now it’s just stretching for time.

Um, hey. Random question. Didn’t King Arthur draw Excalibur from the sword in the stone? Is that a stone or a tree stump? It’s hard to tell since the zoom quality is funny, but…if it’s a tree stump, someone got a crucial detail wrong. Update: Nup, it’s a stone. Forget I told you.

Having sacrificed myself for over a year for other people’s sake, I can’t say I agree that giving yourself up for others is a beautiful thing. This is speaking as someone who volunteers at a not-for-profit (the charity store). In fact, having thought long and hard about the fact I’ve completely gone down the wrong path from having taken this one opportunity I was given (note I did get rejected from a similar place before I got the position I did), I’ve thought, occasionally, that sort of thing is disgusting.

Did the Great B*stard even age 10 years while waiting for this new war…?

“…left off 10 years ago.”

Uh-oh. I don’t like Shinji – you can clearly tell that from the way I’ve been reacting to him – but there’s no way you’d use him as a Grail vessel…right?

F/SN UBW 22

If I understand the pink box correctly, it says kayumino-ru which is…*checks that up* itch cream(?) Another of the boxes says either iburon or ipuron, but it seems to be some kind of medicine (although I can’t figure out what it does).

“…flashy gold jerk…” – Yup, that’s why he’s the Great B*stard. The most narcisstic of all b*stards –so narcisstic he survived a Holy Grail War without being the victor.

Lemme guess, Rin…if I know my visual novels right, then the way to establish the mana link is either kissing or sexual intercourse, right? Update: Oh well, transplantation of a Magic Crest will work too. With the way Rin was reacting, I thought it was gonna be really intimate, but…nup. It’s just them taking off their shirts for one another…*whistles and pretends to walk away*

The reason I don’t like tsunderes is that whenever they want to be romantic, you can’t tell whether they’re giving mixed signals or not. Then again, you could argue I count as one, so…uh…*sweatdrop*

Shirou, why are you so concerned for the pillow?!

F/SN UBW 23

You can barely recognise the guy (Shinji)…huh.

H-Hey? You couldn’t mean Assassin’s back, right? Update: Y-Yep, that’s Assassin, alright. At least I can gaze upon his handsome face again…(lol) (<- If you’re wondering, there’s a difference between “lol” (or “small LOL”), “lel” and “LOL”. That’s the order they’re meant to be in, going from smallest to biggest laugh.)

Had to check Wikipedia, but Monohoshizao is the pole (?) wielded by Kojiro Sasaki…well, the correct term is nodachi (which I know better as ootachi from Touken Ranbu), but it’s referred to as a pole. To add something interesting to that, the ootachi I like the most (my beloved Taroutachi) is said to be 221 cm (throwing that into a converter, about 7.25 feet) and 4.5 kg (converting again, about 9.92 pounds)...which is basically something no human should be able to use, so if the pole is anything like Taroutachi...I have immense respect for this Assassin as well.

Assassin’s treatment here reminds me of Tora from Juuni Taisen…in a sense, they got what they wanted.

F/SN UBW 24

Cue the law of equivalent exchange from Fullmetal Alchemist, hahaha.

How can you be so sure you’ll beat the Great B*stard, Shirou???

Well, that Grail’s Holey, alright…(I bet you’re groaning at my joke, yes?)

I thought Archer was dead?! How did he fling a weapon at the last moment?!

Archer, you’re disappearing! This is no time for monologuing!

Why do I get the feeling I’ve seen Rin give the thumbs-up before as well…?

F/SN UBW 25 (FINAL)

Eyyyyyy? London…? Update: Oh, it’s the Clock Tower! That OVA is starting to make sense now! (Although I will watch it next, so there’s no need to muse over it.)

Tohsaka without pigtails is…weird.

Sherou (?)

Oh, romantic infighting (voice dripping in sarcasm)…That’s not what I’m here for. This is not a harem.

Ponytail Rin. This just gets weirder and weirder. Also, she kinda looks like Ishtar from Babylonia like that.

Tiny Pigtail Rin…it gets even weirder.

*yells* See?! It is London after all!!!

Update: Prior to this point, I had Silhouettes (by Avicii) playing in my head on occasion, notably when Archer was meeting his end. When Shirou came face-to-face with Saber’s grave, it switched to So Amazing by Luther Vandross. Although I normally don’t mention what I have on my mental playlist in notes like these, I just want to make note of that because it reflects the switch in mood. (Also, this is basically an extended transition into El-Melloi’s Case Files.)

Hmph. Yeah, nothing like hindsight to make something huge look small.

Sakura and Shinji’s relationship…it reminds me of a grumpy old man and his young daughter…(LOL?)

Ryudou’s reaction to romance reminds me of Tenya (from BnHA) in his more crazy moments.

All this talk about the Clock Tower is making me think that older!Waver will show up at any moment now…

…wa-hey? Well, *spits out some held-back laughter* whaddaya know? That’s the older Waver right there!

Ufotable’s older!Waver and Troyca’s older!Waver look fairly different. Ufotable’s isn’t as attractive because his hair has an artificial sheen to it and the man’s face looks more like a snake’s head in shape, so he looks a bit dumb. Update: Certainly Troyca’s Waver has a more egg-shaped head, but at least that makes his hair look nicer, no?

Post-credits segment. Keep watching.

Huh…that segment wasn’t very substantial. Maybe Hoshiai no Sora spoilt me on that front.

Waver OVA (REWATCH)

*yells* I still think Flat Escardos is a terrible name!

LOL, I think Waver just called out a bunch of political writers right there.

So who are these old people??? (Lennon Glasses and Old Lady here) I still don’t know. Update: You do find out later – Inorai is the old lady and Rocco is the old man.

Okay, so apparently the set of characters used for “Rail Zeppelin” is literally translated to Demon Eyes Collection Train...sounds like something out of Demon Slayer.

If Kayneth is the OG Lord and this Reines girl is the new one, how did Waver become gen. 2? *rewinds a little* She’s el-Melloi Archisorte, meaning that somehow she and Kayneth are blood-related (also note Monkey D Luffy = Luffy is his first name and Monkey is the last name with D being a middle initial, so Reines could have her names around the wrong way as well). Still doesn’t answer the Waver part of the question, though. Update: The character page of the official website says Reines is the rightful heir to the name “Lord (Lady?) El-Melloi”, but she appointed Waver to be the Lord while she waited to become of age and take the position.

As you know, I gotta question the guy’s (Waver) age. In Fate/Zero he was 19 and he looks much the same ten years later, so his approximate age range is 19 – 29 here. Wikipedia (which I linked earlier) says the anime this OVA is attached to occurs between the Grail Wars, meaning I might not be able to get an exact age. Update: “[A]lmost 10 years”, so I’d wager he’s on the back end of the age range (24 – 29).

Ooh, another good boy (Bram). I forgot he existed…and that’s kinda nasty that he’s got the bloodline of Sola-Ui in him. Update: Oh! Younger sister! That is nasty!

The word shisho (師匠), if I’m guessing the right characters, means “instructor” (or “teacher” if you wanna bend it that way). “Sir” is Waver’s title…I’m guessing that translatio choice is because he’s not a professor in title, assuming professor titles in this are given like they are in real life.

There’s something quite cute about Waver making such an indignant face…then again, he does have permanent worry lines on his face, so maybe not.

Like, whose bright idea was it to crush on the loli? Ravioli, ravioli, don’t crush on the loli! (Then again, I’m probaby worse, chasing after older men…)

Come to think of it, Ufotable is good at action motion (see exhibit A: Demon Slayer), but not free-flowing comedic motion like Waver falling over like this. That’s probably why the show jumped studios to Troyca (aside from divvying up the work of the Fate/ universe – Ei Aoki did F/Z, after all, so it makes sense he’d have some ability to take dibs on whatever works best for his studio…although he wasn’t too involved with this, I don’t think). Update: He was supervisor and storyboarder for this OVA.

Waver: Official butt monkey of the Clock Tower. Calling it now.

Troyca animates F/Z (however briefly)…I must say, they did a good job imitating Ufotable.

All I really remember from the first time around is the car chase, which really shows my priorities in anime…heh heh.

Troyca’s CGI is more noticeable than Ufotable’s, but they’re still on of the best studios for CGI, I think. That’s why they’re on my favourites list over Ufotable (since Ufotable, by general consensus, does better work but I think it looks more artificial in parts – case in point, Waver’s hair).

Setting up a mystery, like all stories, is very much about setting up the boundaries that you’re allowed to play in later. The only thing is that mysteries get more stringently judged for logic.

Hey, whaddaya know? Waver can fit Rider’s old shirt now! (Or maybe it’s the smaller version Waver implied was given to him during F/Z.)

“[W]hydunit” (in English) – LOL? There’s “whodunit”, but not “whydunit” – stick to “motive” or “modus operandi”, people.

#Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works #Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files #lord el-melloi ii sei no jikenbo: rail zeppelin grace note #Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files: A Gravekeeper A Cat and A Mage #Lord El-Melloi II-sei no Jikenbo: Rail Zeppelin Grace note - Hakamori to Neko to Majutsu-shi

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tarmairons · 6 years ago

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re: that last hp ask i got

i know i said i wouldn’t be cross-posting my bellamort/dark au/riddle fam headcanons from twitter but i’ve decided to post a lengthy updated masterpost here after all so ENJOY bon apetit

1. see the thing is that 90% of my hcs can’t be described with words bc they’re just.. feelings.. aesthetics.. vibes.. vague scenarios that make me feel some sort of way… the dark au has a certain Feel and i just stick a bunch of domestic concepts in there and shake it all up and that’s it shshsh

2. disclaimer: im like 75% sure my self indulgent ramblings won’t make sense so sorry about that

3. i was fully serious that one time i said on twitter that voldemort’s no.1 priority after taking over the wizarding world was doing sth about his snace (snake face) so yeah. first things first he’s not as fugly in the dark au. as mentioned previously he just looks like mr. ralph and probably wears ornate haute couture power suits

4. the public doesn’t actually know who the augurey is for YEARS… they know whoever it is is voldemort’s second in command and sure there’s rumors that he has an heir but nobody knows it’s delphi. this way she doesn’t have to be reclusive and hide away, she just lives her life, studies and trains, masters the art of dark magic, hangs around town etc, and no one suspects anything bc who would think this tiny super friendly innocent looking girl is the dark lord’s kid — her identity isn’t revealed until she’s deemed Ready to publicly take up her position. and when she is revealed it’s a Big Moment bc she’s a drama queen and lives for attention

5. delphi is taller than bellatrix

6. speaking of bellatrix. she’s presumed dead after the battle of hogwarts which turns out to be a cool bonus for the dark side. any leftover resistance? she’ll take care of that and they’ll never see her coming. tbh this seems a lot cooler in my head bc movie bellatrix would not be stealthy enough to stay hidden for years she would probs trip over something and accidentally commit arson within a few days. but yeah sneaky assassin sounds sexy. plus to be super honest i imagine bella is a teensy bit more collected than in the films... no shade at helena y’all know i would die for her but there are in fact things i would change about her bella. so yeah for a while the only people who know she’s alive aside from her immediate family are probs rod and the malfoys

7. hm so. the malfoys…. much to think about. narcissa did lie to voldemort’s face during the battle so logically he should have killed her the moment he realized she knew harry was alive all along. but this is a soft dark au so let’s pretend bellatrix was like hey dude don’t kill my sister maybe and voldemort was like k. i mean no harm done, harry potter is properly dead in this universe after all

8. but seriously tho. the only reason voldemort didn’t yeet narcissa into a wall was for bella’s sake. he’s nice like that, he probably promised her at one point that he wouldn’t violently murder her family. peak romance

9. delphi is surprisingly close with both her parents although with voldemort it’s more of a mentor-student relationship than a parent-child one bc he’s Like That. growing up it was always bella who insisted they treat delphi more like a child and less like a weapon and voldemort wasn’t always happy about that bc he’s emotionally constipated and also never had a childhood. also he’s, like, evil. so yes, reminding voldemort that delphi was her daughter too sometimes got bella in trouble bc we all know of voldemort’s superiority issues. but no bella didn’t stop insisting that delphi deserved an actual childhood and in the end they compromised like functional adults and delphi turned out pretty well for someone raised by 2 of the most terrifying people alive

10. but yeah that’s not to say voldemort and kid delphi never had soft moments. they did. he even picked her up every once in a while. everyone was surprised, bella most of all. she probably cried in the bathroom later bc the softness overwhelmed her. i’m not sure if i mean that in a sarcastic shitpost kind of way or if she was really moved to tears. y’all decide for yourselves

11. delphi looks very very much like bella but she has tom riddley eyes.. so dark they’re nearly black. and soulless. maybe they even flash red when she’s enraged. and she has very aristocratic very controlled tom riddley mannerisms. it’s not until you piss her off and she goes off the rails that the bella side of her personality kicks in

12. delphi gets along really well with the malfoys (except lucius. she thinks he’s pathetic and likes to tease him. in a friendly way but it’s still harsh. she gets that from her mom) esp scorp. scorp thinks this makes him cool at school bc he gets to fist bump the augurey and not get murdered for it

13. speaking of hogwarts. umbridge is scared shitless of delphi and it’s always a school-wide spectacle when the augurey drops by unexpectedly on official business and umbridge starts stuttering and quivering. scorp sometimes makes a point to approach umbridge and delphi when they’re talking and act all chummy-chummy with his cousin just to make himself look powerful and Cool in front of umbridge and the other students

14. i still don’t know whether voldemort would call delphi ‘delphini’ or just ‘delphi’… i imagine he’s a strict stick-up-his-ass kinda father but who knows. he does call bellatrix ‘bella’ but that’s different i guess

15. but THEN AGAIN he does have a gigantic soft spot for delphi too. maybe he slips up every so often and calls her delphi. i’m literally making this shit up as i go along i’m just smashing my mf keyboard and occasionally glancing at my messy hcs notebook. I TOLD YALL i don’t have solid hcs i just have VIBES and AESTHETICS. the only way you’ll get specific hcs out of me is if you ask very specific questions

16. weirdest brotp is delphi and rodolphus. nobody knows where that came from but they get along so well and it confuses everybody

17. we been knew that bella is batshit crazy and criminally insane or whatever but against all odds she is a surprisingly good mother. she’s always been soft for family (narcissa etc) so it makes sense that she would legit die for delphi. they have this super casual bantery relationship YALL GET ME bella is so proud of delphi she’s literally that “my little baby off to destroy people” meme!!! honestly mother-daughter relationships are my goddamn weakness i would die for the two of them

18. delphi has a gf (underdeveloped oc time!) who, for the longest time, doesn’t know who she is dating bc delphi is obviously not allowed to say. she finds out the truth eventually and she is properly freaked out for a very very long time. and since all of these hcs are stupidly soft we’re just gonna keep making them softer: the gf is terrified of delphi’s parents at first (obvs) but they’re both extremely fond of her (well, bella is, voldemort probs doesn’t care all that much about who delphi is dating so long as she’s not of subpar blood status or secretly spying for the opposition ya know. as long as delphi trusts her he does too)

19. no but really voldemort trusts delphi and bella implicitly. with delphi it’s bc he raised her and he trusts her to be loyal bc she knows no other way, she was meant to be an extension of his power etc. but with bella it’s something he learns over time, to trust her judgement bc despite her many many flaws she’s very perceptive and usually right

20. voldemort probably makes more horcruxes. still haven’t decided how this ties in with the fact that he’s now safely immortal again and neither delphi nor bella are. who knows maybe they all do the do and split their souls. much to think about. feel free to send ur thots and ideas my way

21. ya know im basic and always on my bellamort bs and therefore: as the years go by voldemort warms up to bella. not that he wasn’t already extremely fond of her before but he kicks it up a notch. i mean, he’s already taken over the world so it’s high time to start experimenting with other wilder things like Feelings. 80/90 years old isn’t too late to experience Love or whatever. might as well wake up one day and realize you’re completely and utterly in love with the woman you’ve spent the last 50+ years with whew. LIKE to be fair bella knows him better than anyone — they understand each other, they’re familiar with each other’s likes, dislikes, mannerisms, nervous tics etc etc. let’s be real it freaked voldemort out at first, being vulnerable to any degree (not that he let it show) but it just became so easy to tell her things that it became a natural thing to do. and obvs he trusts her to keep everything between them and never judge him for anything so that’s sweet

22. y’all keep asking me for domestic hcs but what can i possibly say?? imagine literally any domestic scenario ever and just think bellamort and i’ve probably imagined that same scenario before. except its sexier bc the world is dark and evil and they live in a dark gloomy super fancy manor. so we have these 2 goths right but they’re in love but in that casual familiar way YALL GET ME and sometimes they even drink coffee together in the mornings or like. do that thing where Person A returns from work late at night and its dark and raining and Person B is already home just chilling and they don’t even have to talk they just go about their nighttime routine but it’s soft and familiar and COMFORTABLE. i clearly dont have enough softness in my life i just. love domestic scenarios bye

23. i forgot everything else i wanted to write bc i got distracted by domesticity. im also thinking about how voldemort absolutely despises the thought of any pda but he’ll take bella by the wrist in public every so often when he wants to get her attention, or like. put his hand on her back. small things but oh so soft

24. hhhh okay i have a LOT to say about the power fam’s fashion choices but it’s hard to explain without pictures. i have a wholeass ppt presentation but i’m not about to upload 20+ slides to tumblr. but i seriously was not kidding when i said voldemort wears fancy suits and yes i have references. meanwhile delphi is a fan of feathers but mostly goes with lowkey military-style outfits.. she’s practical yet ostentatious. bella sticks to a conservative yet undeniably sexy selection of evil looking dresses.. i should make all of these into pinterest boards hmm

25. controversial opinion but i think delphi knows she and voldemort are half bloods. so does bella but that’s a whole other story, she been knew. anyhow yeah delphi was told the truth bc it was better for her to find out from the source rather than hear rumors from the opposition and begin to distrust the foundations of voldemort’s whole empire and voldemort himself

26. i used to absolutely hate fics where bella would eventually call voldemort by his name but now im like FUCK THAT we don’t do guilty pleasures anymore we just stan ridiculous things and that’s that. one day voldemort had a Thought (shocking, i know) and was like. Hm so we have a wholeass child and we’re basically married maybe bella shouldn’t have to call me My Lord for the rest of her life. BUT ONLY IN PRIVATE. THATS BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM it’s nobody’s business. It Is Nobody’s Business

27. speaking of marriage. bella and rod got divorced a few years after the battle. it was just a formality tho let’s be real. they remained very close friends tho!!!!!!!! i think that’s an unpopular opinion among bellamort stans but i genuinely believe bella and rod were always close the way best friends or family are ya know. rod really loves bella but as long as she’s happy he’s happy even if it means her fucking the dark lord on the reg or whatever

28. going back to #6 — when the public finally finds out that bella’s alive they obviously start to wonder about her and voldemort and connect the dots re: delphi etc but nobody ever gets any concrete answers bc there’s never any public pda.. any sort of affection is limited to when it’s just the two of them. and obviously it’s not like voldemort gossips about his private life in tabloid interviews or whatnot. ALSO the whole Bella Is Alive reveal isn’t nearly as dramatic as delphi’s big moment.. it’s more discreet and insidious in that way it implies that she was there hiding in plain sight all along. and if the ministry can keep sth this big a secret, what else are they hiding.. ah classic intimidation tactics of an authoritarian regime

29. i dont think this is ever stated in the CC but in terms of politics and bureaucracy i imagine voldemort has a fancy office in the ministry and spends 99% of his time there and rarely spends any time out and about. he’s almost never seen by anyone, rarely attends events etc. delphi’s the one who handles the day to day shit in the wizarding world. she’s like.. the public relations manager.. between the public and voldemort

30. bella is of similar status within the ministry but that’s just bc people are scared shitless of her. she doesn’t actually hold any political power and she most certainly does not want to, that is not her area of expertise at all

31. delphi is dangerously powerful and i think that’s really sexy of her

32. re: #21 it’s like. as voldemort warms up to bella, she in turn chillaxes a bit with the whole blind devotion thing and becomes bolder with him like. she’ll outright question his decisions or tell him what he should do, make judgement calls etc. and it becomes a regular thing.. turns into this casual companionship ya feel.. i won’t say they become equals bc that’s just unrealistic but he certainly stops treating her like his inferior. he recognizes her value and i daresay her authority and stops treating her like shit all the time Wow Romance Is Alive!! (this sounds like some sort of “douche fuckboi changes for his poor mistreated love interest” schtick but it’s really not that bc they’re both monstrous people who do not deserve any pity so jot that down. they’re horrible and they deserve each other and they eventually do make it work and i am so so happy for them)

33. it is never outright stated that voldemort can’t love. jkr has said that he doesn’t understand love and that it’s just symbolism!!! that he’s the child of a loveless union and grew up without knowing love!!! BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN HE PHYSICALLY CANNOT LOVE thanks for coming 2 my ted talk. i wasn’t aware of this until a few months ago and i was thrilled to find out my soft hcs are not entirely ooc after all

34. THE POINT IS. THEY ARE A SEMI-FUNCTIONAL FAMILY and i just really love soft domestic scenarios so sorry jkr but the dark au is the only canon now and it belongs to me. everybody has feelings and everything is soft. i’d like to pitch an idea for a kuwtk style reality show but it’s these 3 sociopaths under one roof navigating family life and wizarding world politics

35. to finish i’d like to apologize for downplaying the fact that all 3 of the people i woobified in this post are psychotic murderers and tyrants etc

—— i’ll be updating this if/when i remember anything i forgot AND ALSO send me ur thoughts and comments and constructive criticism etc pls pls pls

—— follow me on twitter and also curiouscat bc i get a scary amount of q’s about voldemort’s sex life thank you and goodbye

edits:

36. in this household we stan dark haired delphi. no i will not be taking any criticism regarding this particular fact

37. bella and voldemort never get married. obviously, because that’s a disgustingly romantic and pointless thing to do. it’s sentimental and unnecessary (well, voldemort thinks so, bella might just disagree but she’s not about to force his hand) BUT that’s not to say they’re not basically an old married couple anyway. AND as much as voldemort thinks love is weakness or whatever he knows this, that they’re about as close as two people can get. SO if he just so happens to gift her a ring.. well it’s a purely symbolic gesture but the implication is definitely there

38. it’s the horcrux ring. he trusts her that much. m y h e a r t

#hp #harry potter #bellamort

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youngmrkusuma · 6 years ago

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The Naekawa Project - Part 9: The Least Terrible Time Of Year

Link to AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20079526

Summary: A Christmas Fic! (Released about 8 months too late. Fuck me sideways with a chainsaw)

AO3 Notes: Hey guys. Been a while, hasn’t it? :P

OH GOD, I AM SO FUCKING SORRY. This was supposed to have been out soooo much sooner, but a whole bunch of bullshit happened in real life that I had to deal with. Two of my Uni group projects had me working with useless, lazy assholes who left me to do almost everything by myself. It was probably the most stressful semester I’ve had the misfortune of having to slog through. There was crapload of assignments to handle, presentations to prepare for, and to top it all off, more writer’s block. Fun.

All that is over and done with, in any case. I’ll be graduating a day from now, but I fully intend to go for a Master’s degree come November, so it’ll be back to school once again. But I’m sure you don’t care about that horsecrap or any of my excuses. On to the story.

Winter was a quiet, temperate affair that year in Japan. The winds that heralded its arrival were much milder than they had been in the seasons before, going about their way gently this time – as if apologetic for having intruded upon everyone’s lives. Snowfall for most of that period (so far) had come down in light dustings, bringing to mind the image of powdered sugar, dealt from a confectioner’s steady hand. Rather, that was what it looked like to Fukawa, whenever she peered outside her window. As the final week of December drew closer, it hadn’t taken long for the streets to be lined with fairy lights, tinsel and men in red padded suits. In a way she couldn’t quite understand, it seemed a sign of things to come.

Christmas was – in Fukawa’s experience – usually the least terrible time of year (Usually being the operant word here). Not enough to be considered good, sadly, but you take your blessings where you can get them. One of the main reasons that made it bearable was that her parents were fond of taking vacations overseas during this period. Without bringing her along. Their personal enjoyment of these trips aside, this was meant to be another one of their passive-aggressive jabs at her; Poor Little Touko, Mom Number Two would have chimed, left alone in this big empty house during the holidays, tsk tsk.

But the truth of the matter was that Poor Little Touko couldn’t be happier being alone in that big empty house, because it was infinitely better than spending Christmas with any single solitary one of those fuckers. She didn’t have to lock herself up in her room while they sat downstairs in front of the TV, braying like hyenas at whatever brainless, vapid sitcom they felt like watching. She didn’t have to scurry around like some kind of dormouse in her own home, hoping to avoid contact with them while grabbing a snack or a drink. And she didn’t have to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of them rutting like barnyard animals or arguing with each other about their stupid problems.

Instead, she could sit in the living room – on the sofa with her laptop, wrapped in a blanket and with a cup of warm tea – drinking in the peace and quiet. She could have her meals in silence and pace the halls undisturbed, losing herself to the soothing lull of her own thoughts. She could sleep soundly and blissfully, letting her dreams carry her away.

All of these were comforts she greatly relished when she moved out into her own apartment and away from her wretched parents. But the downside of being able to live like that after so many years of domestic misery was that it put things into perspective.

Christmas had lost its magic and become a day like any other. And spending it alone – while everyone else was out there having fun with loved ones, exchanging gifts and carving turkeys and whatever else it was that people actually did (she genuinely had no idea) – had become… well, lonely. Fukawa learnt that the hard way last year.

So when the holiday season rolled around this time, she gave her boyfriend a request.

Naegi, being Naegi, of course said yes. He spoke to his parents about it, and they readily agreed. Both of them really liked her, it seemed, for reasons entirely beyond Fukawa. His sister Komaru, as well. Everyone was eager to have her over for the holidays.

For now, anyway, she thought, drawing her gaze away from the living room window. It was not outside the realm of possibility that she’d wind up becoming an unwanted guest, even with the apparently good impression she had made with his family the last few times she was here. As far as Fukawa was concerned, she still needed to be careful with what she did or said. She wasn’t as worried about Komaru, since they were already friends and had spent all that time together on shopping trips or chatting it up online, but with Naegi’s parents… It was different, somehow. There was still some unspoken divide between them and her, perhaps in the same way that it was between adults and kids. Even at the onset of her twenties (and presumably, adulthood), Fukawa didn’t feel like she could open up and be herself around them just yet.

Then again, that was what it was like with her and just about everybody, so maybe she was just being silly.

Other fears came to mind. The presents she bought for his family, for example. Fukawa had virtually no experience with this sort of thing, having never received so much as a single goddamn greeting card all her life on Christmas. So if there were any taboos she was breaking or cultural faux pas she was committing, she wouldn’t know. She had gotten Naegi something she was reasonably confident he’d like – a stylish new hoodie, branded and expensive – but for everyone else, she was reasonably confident that she screwed up somewhere.

For his father Toshiro, she bought a men’s dive watch. It looked sleek and professional and all, but what if it turned out it was out of style and he didn’t like it?

For his mother Emiko – who was a fan of her work, she ordered hardcover copies of her three latest novels from her publishers and had them autographed. But she neglected to check if Emiko hadn’t already bought them for herself.

And for Komaru, she bought a dress. In spite of knowing sweet fuck-all about fashion or even Komaru’s size. Thinking about it now made her want to smack her own forehead. It was probably the stupidest thing she could have done. Knowing Komaru, she’d probably just smile sweetly and thank Fukawa anyway, but the poor girl’s Christmas would be ruined all the same. Damn it, what the hell was going through her mind when she decided on any of this cra-

No, Fukawa told herself firmly, taking a deep calming breath, like Naegi would have told her to do whenever she got like this. I’m not fucking doing this with you anymore. Shut the fuck up. Even after all the progress she had made with her anxiety issues, she still had major relapses like these. She was a lot less nervous around the Naegi residence house than she used to be – since none of her other visits here had ended badly – but not enough to eliminate her reservations completely, the way it was whenever she was around Makoto.

Speaking of her boyfriend…

He came into the living room holding a pair of steaming mugs and wearing an adorable sweater that matched his eyes. He was beaming brightly as usual.

“Sorry for the wait,” he said. “We’re out of tea, so Mom had to whip us up a batch of this instead.” He handed her a drink. The warmth of the mug chased away the cold from her fingers. A pleasant aroma wafted from it.

“Out of tea?” She raised an eyebrow, smirking. “H-How does something like that even h-happen?” Her own subdued reaction to it surprised her. Had he told her of this utter sacrilege two years ago, she would have been shrieking to high heaven. Must have been Naegi’s influence.

“Eheh,” he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “It was on our shopping list when we went out to the mall yesterday. But there was so much to buy and carry that we ended up forgetting.” He was interrupted by a peal of laughter from the kitchen; it sounded like Emiko. “Komaru’s at the store right now, so she should be back with some pretty soon.” His smile was apologetic. “I hope this will do in the meantime.”

Fukawa’s attention returned to the mug and she took a sip. The sweetness of it caught her off guard. She tasted chocolate, and something soft and creamy melted in. Marshmallows, she realized, taking another sip.

Hm. Not quite as good as tea, but good all the same. Perfect for the weather, and better than memory served.

“I can’t remember the l-last time I had this,” she said.

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm.” She could vaguely recall having hot chocolate as a child, but not how or when. It certainly wasn’t at home; neither Dad nor her two Moms bothered making it for her, and tea was all she drank as soon as she was old enough to boil water by herself. The batch she had back then wasn’t all that great, either. It was cold by the time it got to her, and fairly diluted. (Must have been that store-bought, powder crap, Emiko would later tell her. Disgraceful. Real hot chocolate should be homemade)

“What about when you were younger?”

She shrugged, bringing the cup to her lips once more. She didn’t need to elaborate. Beside her, Naegi’s expression became sad. He hadn’t touched his drink this whole time, keeping it there in his hands as he watched her. It seemed to Fukawa that he had something on his mind. And she was right.

“Um… Touko-chan?”

“Y-yeah?”

“I… uh,” He faltered. It was rare to see him like this. He gave a nervous laugh. “Actually, forget it. Maybe this isn’t the best time to talk about it…”

“N-no, go on.” She moved to sit on the couch, and he joined her. Again, she was surprised by how subdued her own reaction was. There was a time when seeing him like this would have sent her into a panic; perhaps he was going to tell her that they should break up. Or maybe he was going to grill her about some stupid, embarrassing thing she had done. After all this time, however, Fukawa was pretty sure that neither wasn’t going to happen. Not after everything they’d been through. Both of them set their cups on the living room table in front of them.

“Your parents,” Naegi said, “they don’t treat you very well, do they?”

The next minute was nothing but pure, deafening silence. Then: “…What m-makes you say that?”

“Well, for one thing, you’d rather be spending Christmas here than at home with your family,” he said. “You’ve also never brought me to meet them. And Mom’s been hearing… stories about your folks.”

Ah. This was a recent development. Lately, there’d been rumours circulating both online and offline about how the much celebrated, multi award-winning author Touko Fukawa-sensei had had a very rough homelife. She didn’t know where they came from or how they first started, but they’ve recently been gaining traction.

“What sort of stories?” She asked.

“That your dad used to hit you, or that your mom says horrible things about you.”

Huh. Those stories made it seem way tamer than it really was.

“Moms, actually,” she said, “D-Did I ever tell you that? I have two of them.” A wry smile formed on her lips. “I honestly d-don’t know who they h-hate more; me or each other.”

Naegi’s eyes widened.

“So it’s true, then,” he said. “They really do abuse you.”

“Did abuse me,” she corrected, matter-of-factly. “It’s in the past now.”

The one thing rarer than seeing her boyfriend nervous was seeing her boyfriend angry. What she saw in his eyes now was far beyond anything she thought Sweet, Gentle Naegi was capable of.

“All the same,” he said, quietly. “They still hurt you, didn’t they?”

His right hand had balled into a fist, bunching the fabric of his jeans. It wasn’t like with her parents whenever they got started on their infantile temper tantrums; screeching like howler monkeys and throwing things everywhere. He was silent, and she could see what lay beneath that silence, bubbling away until it was ready to blow. It was – in complete honesty – frightening to see him this way.

“We have to do something about this.” He stood up quickly. “Talk to the police, or anyone that can help…”

“Why?”

He blinked twice, mouth agape. He could have sworn he misheard her. “…Why? Why?? What do you mean ‘Why?’” He was getting louder. “Doesn’t it bother you that those people haven’t been punished fo-”

Fukawa had slowly gotten up to her feet as he said all this. She wrapped her arms around his, her fingers caressing him gently.

“Naegi, it’s o-over now,” she said, soothingly. “I cut all ties with them the day I m-moved out. They don’t matter anymore. Just forget about them.”

Just forget about them. Two years ago, Fukawa would never have believed that she’d ever be able to sincerely say that about her parents. Not when pure spite was the only thing she had left to cling to. Now though… It was a change she was proud of.

But Naegi couldn’t just forget about them. Not with what he now knew. All this while, when he and Fukawa were in school, or hanging out with each other or going on dates, she was living with those… those savages. What had they done to her? How accurate were those stories Mom had heard? Did they beat her? Starve her? One of those rumours mentioned her being locked in a room for three days. Or maybe it was a closet. If even half of what people were saying was true…

You failed her, a voice inside him said. And he felt something white hot burn from within him.

She had been in trouble. Just like when she had been in trouble with Syo, except this time he couldn’t help because he was too freaking dumb even know what was happening, right under his nose. Child abuse tended to leave signs on the victim, both emotional and physical. He should have seen or at the very least suspected something whenever he was with her. Bruises, maybe. Or cane marks. Or cigarette burns on her arm. Something. Hell, the fact that she was – to put it mildly – such a neurotic mess when he first met her should have raised a red flag.

Yet he didn’t know. All this while she was suffering in that house with those people, and he didn’t. Fucking. Know.

Stupid, he cursed himself. You’re so goddamn stupid.

“How am I supposed to do that?” He turned to look at her, sadly now. “Just pretend like nothing happened and I didn’t notice anything?” He held her by the shoulders. “They hurt you,” he repeated, anger returning. “They’ve been hurting you this whole time and I didn’t even…” He gritted his teeth. “We can’t just let them get away with that.”

A contented sigh escaped her as she smiled. If there was ever a sign that he did truly care about her, this was it.

“They’re not getting a-away with it,” she said. “When I said I cut a-all ties with them, I d-don’t just mean cutting off contact. They’re not getting another cent from me.”

Naegi blinked again. “Huh?”

“My royalties,” she explained. “They used to m-make me split a portion of it with them for ‘rent and board’ or ‘weekly expenses’. Not anymore.” Her smile became sardonic. “H-Here’s something I’ll bet you’d never have guessed about my Dad; he’s a p-player. Can you believe that?”

He looked about ready to say something when she said “Actually, you k-know what? D-don’t answer.”

“Anyway, the dumb bastard always liked t-to go clubbing, you see. So he could p-pick up chicks and guzzle booze. And he spent a fortune on both. He always had to h-have the most expensive liquor, and he bought fancy clothes and w-watches, all so he could i-impress air-headed girls. Didn’t stop e-even after he got hitched.

“His spending got worse o-once I started publishing. N-New house, new cars, new f-furniture… My Moms weren’t m-making things any easier either, the fucking gold diggers.” Fukawa shook her head. “F-funny how they can’t stand each other when they’re both e-exactly the same. They w-wanted dresses and jewellery and weekly t-trips to five-star restaurants. All paid for b-by yours truly.

“But not anymore. You should have s-seen the look on their faces when I told them I was moving out; I kept it a surprise. The c-cash cow’s gone, and knowing them, t-they probably didn’t bother saving.”

Fukawa knew for a fact that their monetary habits did not change or even slow down a little once she left them behind. They had never been able to help themselves up on social media, constantly bragging to their friends about their lavish lifestyle. A look through their feed told her that they had been every bit as extravagant in their spending for the first few months.

And then everything fell apart. No more pictures of lobster and beluga caviar. No more pictures of chiffon dresses and Gucci handbags. In their place were vague ramblings about how life gotten harder, about bills and mortgages.

Soon, there were offers to sell used designer goods at discount prices. Offers to sell their car. And finally, radio silence.

“P-Probably in dire straits now,” she said. Mockingly: “Poor them.”

Much of Naegi’s anger was replaced with uncertainty. “…That might not necessarily be true, though. I mean, maybe they just started spending less. They could still be living comfortably off of your money.”

“Fair point,” she shrugged. Truth of the matter was, she couldn’t care less either way. At least, not anymore. It felt like it happened in another lifetime, to a different Touko Fukawa. Her past felt so inconsequential.

“Look, l-let’s not talk about them a-anymore, okay?” She said, softly. “It’s Christmas. People are supposed to be h-happy on Christmas.”

Her boyfriend remained tense for a few moments, then relaxed. “Alright. If that’s what you want.”

“It is.”

They sat back down together. As they did, Fukawa planted a kiss on his cheek. A small noise of surprise escaped him as she pulled him into a hug.

“T-Thank you.”

He was blushing. “What for?”

“For caring.” She squeezed him tighter. It was true that she didn’t want him worrying about her or getting up in arms about her shitty parents, but the fact that he did made her so, so grateful. “No one ever h-has before.”

Naegi returned the embrace. “Of course I care,” he said. “How could I not? I love you.”

She smiled at that. Love. It was a word she would have been so hesitant to use a year ago, even when she was at her happiest with him. Youngsters always think they know what love is, until the magic of it all wears off and they start drifting apart or eyeing someone else. She had seen it happen a thousand times before. And she had been terrified of getting so caught up in that magic that she’d end up becoming clingy and driving him away. After being with him for so long, however, she was sure of her own feelings, sure of what it was exactly that she shared with him.

“I love you too,” she said, without fear or reservation.

And the moment slowed as they leaned into each other, two halves longing to be made whole. Her heart was going a mile a minute, and she could feel the warmth of Naegi’s breath as they-

Click.

Both of them blinked at the same time.

Click.

Turned to the source of the noise: the living room entrance.

Click.

Emiko Naegi-san was standing there, holdng back giggles. She had her smartphone out, the camera in facing their direction. Komaru was there too, grinning from ear to ear. She stuck her thumbs up at them cheerily. Click.

Naegi’s cheeks turned beet-red again in record time. “M-Mom!? What are you-” Click.

“Oh no, don’t stop on our account,” Emiko said. Her smartphone clicked another three times in a row. “Please, by all means, continue.”

“Mom!” Click.

Beside him, Fukawa had turned into a stammering wreck. There wasn’t much else she had the presence of mind to do, except for bury her face in her hands. All that went through her mind for the next minute or so was Oh god oh god they saw us and there’s pictures oh god oh god oh god

A new voice rang out from behind Emiko and Komaru. Makoto’s father Toshiro, no doubt. “What is going on out there??”

“Young love!” Emiko cried out. “Our little boy is all grown up!” And Komaru squealed with laughter while her father emerged from the kitchen. Makoto looked on mortified as his mother showed Toshiro the pictures. “There, see? It’s like I was saying earlier; future daughter-in-law.”

“Wha-!?” Both Naegi and Fukawa blurted at the same time.

“They’ll be walking down the aisle before you know it!”

His father shook his head, though a smile crept across his face. “You keep acting like this and you’re going to scare her away for good, Emi.” He gave the pair a sympathetic look (as if to say to Fukawa: Please pardon my wife’s insanity), then turned back to Emiko. “Maybe we ought to give them some privacy?”

“And miss out on all this? Fat chance.”

“I’m not budging one inch,” Komaru said.

This went on for quite a bit before everyone decided that their time was better spent in the dining room instead, where a nice hot meal was waiting (half of which was comprised of traditional dishes and the other half comprising of KFC*). Neither Makoto’s mother nor sister had any intention of letting them live down what happened, unfortunately. The jokes and snarky comments continued well into the night – including one about a sprig of mistletoe that Fukawa didn’t understand but had her boyfriend in shambles.

And that was how, in spite of all her efforts, the worst happened after all. She embarrassed herself in front of Naegi’s family.

Yet somehow, she was completely okay with that. Somehow, this was still the best Christmas she ever had.

And she didn’t just mean the-best-in-comparison-to all the other semi-decent Christmases she had, oh no. Fukawa knew – even with the heat in her cheeks and the laughter at her expense – that this was going to be a night that she would look back upon very fondly for a long time to come. She was going to think back to Komaru giggling herself into a belly ache and Emiko playfully threatening to plaster those photos all over Facebook, and she was going to smile. She was going to think back to what happened in the living room and hearing the click of the camera and the softness of Naegi’s lips pressing against hers, and she was going to be glad it happened.

Glad to have been embarrassed. She must have finally gone mad.

More so than usual, that is. Either way, her mind was in a good place right now. Fukawa was enjoying a good meal in the company of good people. She couldn’t ask for anything better.

Definitely doing this again next year.

AO3 End Notes: As some of you have no doubt noticed, my portrayal of the Fukawa family is a bit different to what was hinted at in the DR AE - Genocider Mode manga released in January 2019 (Touko’s parents were… hoarders, it seemed like? It would explain her supposed bad hygiene). That’s because I was already done with the first half of this story and I wasn’t about to start changing it, especially since we’ve already diverged so much from canon anyway.

*Believe it or not, it is in fact a very popular Christmas tradition in Japan to celebrate with KFC, apparently thanks to some marketing campaign back in the 1970s. They’ve got the right idea, as far as I’m concerned; KFC is fucking delicious.

#Dangan Ronpa #makoto naegi #Touko Fukawa #komaru naegi #original characters #the originals are Naegi's parents #fluff #rarepair #I'M GONNA MAKE THIS SHIP SAIL IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO #naekawa #fukaegi #naefuka #naegi x fukawa

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thephantomofthe-internet · 6 years ago

Text

Homeward Bound: Chapter 13

Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader, Billy Hargrove x Henderson!Reader

Chapter Summary: a rush of fate brings two souls together...

Word Count: 6,946

Warnings: swearing, cheating, generally angst and fluff

Author’s Note: please send all complaints to @moonstruckhargrove-she wanted an update and I got you girl

Permanent Tag: @hotstuffhargrove @denimjacketkisses @hargrovesgoldilocks @hipsmcgee @lilmissperfectlyimperfect @casaharrington @thechickvic

Series Tag: @baebee35 @moonstruckhargrove @kurt-nightcrawler @thoughstofaredhead @fear-the-reaper115 @estheflowergirl @alex--awesome--22 @onemorekissisallittakes

“Jesus you need to stop doing that!” you cried, smacking Steve in the chest roughly, earning a hearty laugh and a warm smile that stirred something in your chest and made it hard to keep a smile off your face.

“Why would I? It’s fun!” he chuckled in response, turning to look at you fully, his eyes widening as he looked you over, making you both shy and hopeful. “Your hair!” he breathed.

“Yeah, I cut it all off.” You replied, running your fingers through it. “Is it bad?”

“No! It’s cool!” he cried, ruffling it like an older brother, making your heart drop in your chest for reasons you couldn’t exactly explain. All you knew is that that little gesture made you feel incredibly small and childish. You wished your hair was long and sleek again.

“Whatever…” you muttered, trying to hide the bitterness in your voice “Shouldn’t you be at work or something? It’s like the middle of the afternoon.”

“How much crime do you really think is in Hawkins now?” he mused with a smirk “Besides, I wanted to pop by here before I go to see Joyce and the kids.” He turned his attention to Jonathan, offering him a ‘hey man’ and a stiff hug. The two were never exactly close and while time healed the wounds shared between him and Nancy, Jonathan held grudges. Specifically, he held grudges over mistakes atoned for in junior year; Nancy ‘the slut’ Wheeler still rang loud and clear in his head at even the thought of Steve Harrington.

“I’d wait, not a great time, ‘specially for a guy in full uniform.” Jonathan said, earning a tight nod from Steve, who turned back to the crowd awkwardly. All of the mothers in the room were watching him like wolves, their teeth practically glistening behind their painted smiles. Karen looked absolutely murderous in her jealousy; now seeing the inherent value of marrying her daughter into a rich family with a successful son now that her daughter was married to a less than successful son of an only recently successful family. Likewise, your mother saw the value in Steve and was watching you two with proverbial hearts in her eyes, a dreamy expression on her face.

“So…where are you two going tonight then?” your mother asked giddily, practically smirking at you and Steve.

“What is she talking about?” Steve whispered to you, maintaining a polite smile towards the moms.

You shook your head, shrugging softly as you turned to your mother “We’re not going anywhere. I meeting Jenny Stein for dinner tonight.” You said, watching Steve’s face drop as the words left your lips.

“Didn’t you already see her this trip?” you mother sighed bitterly as Karen did her damndest to hold back a snicker, obviously excited about your seeming rejection of him.

“Yeah, but I’m meeting with her, Marvin Rubio, and a few other people. The leftovers, you know?” you replied vaguely, waving your hand through the list.

“Well, I’m that will be very nice, Y/N, are you leaving on Sunday or Monday?” your mother asked testily.

“Currently my flight is booked for Monday; I can change it to Sunday if that’s a problem, though.”

“Hmm…well I would love to have to till Tuesday, but I’ll settle for Monday.”

“Well…I don’t know if I’ll go that far, I do have to go home eventually. I have to go back to work.”

“It’s alright darling.”

You could feel Steve’s eyes burning into the back of your head and you couldn’t help but glance back at him. His expression was one of hurt and burning anger; he looked as though you’d committed a giant sin against him. Maybe that would’ve been his expression if you’d cheated on him rather than the other way around. You sent him a small smile, knowing that he knew that you were lying to your mother. It made your heart ache, because you knew you had hurt him. And that thought made you feel angry; because Steve never felt that pain. When you caught him and Elaine-god you hated her name-he might’ve felt bad for a minute, at least he pretended to, and then he and Elaine became an item and you were left on the side, unofficially broken up and even more broken than you were before. When he brought her home for Christmas, the last year you ever came home for the holiday, you’d just made up your mind to drop out of college and watching them flirt and flail about, you made up your mind about Steve: he was not a good man, like everyone thought he was, he was a heartless beast inside the body of a good guy.

You glanced superficially at the clock, not really checking the time but showing the group that you were checking the time “I should get going, I have to call my boss and clear up a few things before he gets in too deep with the new pile.” You announced, picking up your purse off the couch and ruffling Holly’s hair, who’d zoned out long ago.

“Are you sure? We’ve hardly even seen you!” Karen complained “I wanna hear about your new book your mother’s been talking about, apparently it’s expected to be a hit.”

You rolled your eyes “I haven’t written anything under my own name yet Karen, although my writing is making waves. Georgia Kane’s latest trash bestseller, Not so Miss. America, was a great success on my part. Did you read it? It’s your genre. Anyway, writing that got me a raise.” You replied, watching both your mother and Karen falter, each embarrassed for different reasons. “But other than that I’m not working with much buzz.”

When neither woman responded, you pulled your bag onto your shoulder and gave Nancy and Jonathan’s shoulders tight squeezes. “Alright, I’m gonna head out. I’ll leave the car with you, ma. See you all tomorrow!” you said, waving politely to the crowd and heading quickly out the door.

The sun had hit its peak in the sky, trying in vain to beat down the cool breeze gently rustling the leaves, weather that didn’t exactly match the season, but was a welcome change to the hot, sticky weather you’d endured during your stay. You were more than happy to walk in this weather, glad to take in the sunlight and cool breeze for awhile.

Unfortunately, Steve had followed you out.

“Lemme give you a lift, Henderson.” He called from the porch and you resisted the urge to turn around to respond to him. He hadn’t called you by your last name the whole trip. This was not a good sign.

“That’s alright, Harrington, I’d like to walk.” You replied, following suit and continuing down the driveway and onto the sidewalk. That should’ve been the end, but like a happy go-lucky golden retriever, he followed behind you, nipping at your heels.

“Then lemme walk you, I wanna talk.”

“Your car’s here.” You stopped dead in your tracks, finally turning to look at him and take in his concerned expression. “It would be a waste to walk all the way back to my place and then come here again. You wanted to visit with them, so stay. I can call you later at the station.”

“No you won’t,” he replied, shutting you up instantly “So I’m gonna walk with you for awhile.” You nodded, swallowing the lump in your throat and continuing, much slower, down the path.

“What’s up?” you asked shyly, keeping your eyes on your shoes rather than him.

“Why are you going out with Hargrove tonight?” he asked shortly, crossing his arms over his chest, watching you carefully.

“What makes you think I am?”

“Come off it, Henderson, if you’re gonna reuse a lie, don’t do it in front of the person who made it up.” You sighed, nodding softly; he got you there.

You looked up, meeting his eye for the first time as you turned off the Wheeler’s street “I’m seeing him because…he asked? And I wanted to. And that’s that.” You said.

“That’s not much of a reason.”

You huffed “Do you have deep reasons when you go out with a girl beyond wanting to?” Steve didn’t reply, only sighing softly, shaking his head, angering you further.

“No, you don’t. Cause most of the time, you don’t need a deep reason to go out with someone. So don’t hold me to higher standard than everyone else. I’m no better.”

“It’s selfish.” Steve told you harshly, causing you to stop dead in your tracks.

“What?” you fumed, voice no higher than a whisper.

“He’s in love with you, you said it yourself. And you don’t love him. You’re getting his hopes up.” Steve replied quickly; aggressively, angrily.

“And you haven’t done anything selfish in your life.” You bit out callously

Steve narrowed his eyes, almost sneering at you “What are you implying?”

“Did you ever love Elaine?” you snapped, silencing him immediately simply with your steely gaze. “Did you ever love me?” you pressed wishing your voice didn’t crack and your throat didn’t close.

“Y/N…” he replied and in an instant broke your heart with the heavy sigh he breathed out instead “It’s complicated.”

“Yeah,” you said, shaking your head, holding your lips firm to keep the lower one from wobbling pathetically. “Yeah no that’s not an answer. And you never have an answer. So don’t ask me for one now.”

You ran off before Steve could give you a response, before he could even try. You were home and inside before you ever realized you’d ran, your heart pounding in your heaving chest as you brushed your hair away from your eyes as you tried to calm yourself and keep the tears from flowing in rivers down your cheeks.

This was the proof you need. Billy was the right choice. Steve was so desperately wrong it was insane, you couldn’t believe you thought that…no, no you never thought that. If you’d thought that, then you liked him. And you didn’t like him. Ever. Billy was a better choice-sure he was both too much and not enough emotionally, but that can be trained out. Just because he didn’t speak your love language doesn’t mean he couldn’t learn. And this date would prove it.

You found yourself growing more and confident in the idea as you went through your day. You called your agent, something you didn’t think you could do and told him the honest truth-that you couldn’t take the novel to publish if you didn’t have the blessing of the people who inspired it, and he told you the honest truth that if you didn’t give it a definitive ending, no one would buy it. That was, surprisingly, an okay thing to hear and you accepted the information easily.

Of course, ending the novel seemed impossible. Because the story itself didn’t have an ending, not really. Sure, the trial ended the labs and sent people to jail, but the scars remain. And you couldn’t pretend that they didn’t have an effect on your life now. You weren’t ashamed to admit that the main character was based on yourself and your own life in Hawkins. You couldn’t write the story from anyone else’s point of few, it wouldn’t feel whole. But that gave you a problem because your story didn’t have an ending. You were a broken person, you didn’t sugar coat that, you weren’t the same girl you were even five years ago. But that wasn’t an ending, that was just a place to stop. And you didn’t want to build one whole cloth. You didn’t know how to even justify that to yourself, but you had to and so you would.

You just wouldn’t do it now.

Instead, you decided to look as effortlessly pretty as you could. You didn’t have much makeup on you; you hadn’t planned to be seen so often, so you trekked out to the nearest drugstore and found a tiny packet of eye shadow that complimented your eyes and, out of some old instinct of preteen-hood, a pearly pink nail polish. You spent the rest of the day trying to find the beauty your mother swore was there under the sneer and sarcasm of your teen years. By the end of your hard work, you’d found an older looking girl with clear eyes lined and painted in soft shadows and framed by enhanced eyebrows and a soft smile brightened with a rosy blush and glossy lips.

You felt, for the first time in the whole trip, intentionally pretty.

Beauty was something, you felt, was not something that was felt consistently. You found yourself trying harder and harder to focus on other things-your mind, your actions, your work, your loves-rather than your looks. You’d spent so long during your teen years worrying and thinking about your looks and beauty and now, as you’d aged and grown up, it felt sillier and sillier, a coping mechanism of youth you didn’t need to use anymore. But the feeling, as we all seemed to cause it, of ugliness swept you up sometimes. Some days, you woke up bright eyed and, objectively, pretty, but other days that creeping feeling of self-loathing that could only be attributed to the reflection in the mirror. You hadn’t put any effort into your appearance during the trip thus far, save for brushing your hair and putting on the barest amount of makeup possible, and only because your mother was insistent on it. You didn’t feel the need until now.

Now, you felt as though you had someone to impress, to put in the same level of work that you were certain Billy was putting in himself. It was a mutual, shared primping process done before any date. You knew the process well, the process seemingly become more and more important as you entered your twenties. You couldn’t really compare this to anyone else-you didn’t have many friends in San Diego and the closest female friend you had was your neighbour Stella, who despite not being in a relationship, hadn’t been on a date in three years, not since her son’s father ran off when she announced the pregnancy. You didn’t know if the process was a product of aging or just something expected of you as you aged; but you did note that every girl your age was trying to top every other girl around you. Maybe that was just California.

Still, when seven o’clock rolled around, you found yourself watched the front lawn with baited breath from the bathroom window, looking for signs of the tow truck or, hopefully, the Camaro since you missed it so much. You were excited, which was odd since you kind of hated him after the whole ‘I love you’ thing, and the feeling buzzed in your veins and coloured your cheeks.

But the feeling began to die as seven turned to seven fifteen and then to seven thirty. Finally, you just decided to march yourself downstairs and out the front door. You knew where he lived and if he was pulling some payback sort of shit, you could easily find him and cut off his dick. He’d deserve it too.

“I thought you were meeting for seven?” your mother called as you headed for the front door.

You stifled a sigh “We pushed the time back to eight for Marvin, he’s working late at the restaurant.” You lied, tossing your purse over your shoulder and slipping on your shoes.

“It’s so nice that Marvin still works for the family business, especially after his selfish siblings ran off to do other things.” You mother mused aloud and you turned back to look at her, noting the flour in her hair and the large mixing bowl and wooden spoon in front of her, a model image of fifties wifehood minus the poodle skirt and beehive hairdo.

“I guess it’s nice that his siblings have a backup plan though…in case everything goes to shit for them, you know?” you replied with a shrug.

“That’s exactly my point! The Rubio’s are excellent planners! I wish I had a business to pass down to you if this whole writing thing doesn’t pan out.” Your mother sighed and you stifled an eye roll, not wanting to offend her.

“Eh, I can always marry rich.” You said, earning a snicker from your mother. You decided not to look into that response and head out, scanning the street from your porch before jumping down the steps and heading down to the end of your street with arms crossed over your chest and teeth clenched in a hardened scowl. You couldn’t stand anyone else being late, despite yourself preferring to be a little late to everything, a hypocritical stance you held onto with pride. You, with great annoyance, began the slow trek up to the only place you thought he could be hiding.

“Hey baby, where’d you think you’re going?” you heard someone holler and you turned to look out towards the road, eyes catching the rusted brown truck that had tried to pass you in the opposite direction, and Billy Hargrove leaning out the passenger side window, tongue waggling out of his mouth and eyes leering. His hair was slicked with sweat, grease swiped on his forehead and was most likely coating his hands, and while you couldn’t deny that he was certainly attractive, the gap between your levels of effort was a canyon rather than a simple pothole. It was a significant let down, yo0u felt as though your efforts had gone to waste. Still, you put on a smirk and turned, hands planting themselves on your hips jutted to one side.

“You’re late.” You mused, watching him with a twinkle in your eye and a bemused expression.

You were always a fairly good actor.

“You gonna hold it against me?” Billy countered smoothly, watching for a change in your eyes.

Although with Billy as your audience, it wasn’t hard.

“Maybe…” you giggled, sashaying over to the car and pulling the handle and nearly knocking him out of the car to your feet. He pulled himself in, sliding across the bench and back into the technical driver’s seat, patting the seat next to him for you to take. You tried to ignore the sheer amount of garbage piled up at your feet as you smiled at him. He revved the weak engine, speeding off as fast as he could, which wasn’t very fast, and you giggled the same way you did when you were a teenager, grabbing onto the handgrip to keep you steady despite your lack of seatbelt, giving Billy an unneeded ego boost.

You didn’t know where you were going, but that was par for the course with Billy; he did things on the fly and that meant flying by the seat of your pants and not questioning too much. You used to not mind, but now it planted a worried seed in your stomach. You liked to be in control, to be in charge of your own location and destination. And while you were in charge of where you were, you weren’t in charge of where you were headed and that worried you to no end.

But you didn’t bother asking. You’d only get vague nothing answers and that would only upset you more. And besides, you knew Hawkins well enough to escape any situation he could drag you into, and you knew the highways well enough to get back into town if you had to jump out of the moving car. God, Hawkins brought out the survivalist in you.

You were pleasantly surprised when he pulled up to Benny’s, as you still insisted on calling it, although you weren’t impressed by his parking job, taking over almost three parking spots with his truck, claiming that it was a necessity to keep the thing safe as it wasn’t fully his, which you thought was all bullshit. You bite your tongue, however, choosing to not get into it and letting him wrap an arm snugly around your waist, pulling you closer than necessary.

As he entered the diner, his whole demeanour changed. He stood impossible straighter, taller and took up even more room. You found yourself being held tighter and closer to his side, making it hard to walk and led you to be mostly pulled around by him. He chose a booth on the far side of the diner, despite the other side being less busy. You didn’t understand why until you saw the waitress.

She had to be a year or two younger than you and looked like a small town Brooke Shields, right up to the big, wide eyed innocent hazel eyes. She was tall and thin and her hair was bigger than her head. You wondered how she’d ended up working in a diner instead of being the next big star, and then you remembered that this was Hawkins and nobody ever seemed to make it big. When she saw the pair of you, her smile turned weary and she spent just a second too long with the table next to yours and made a beeline to the kitchen instead of coming to you next, promising vaguely to be right with you. Not that Billy seemed to mind, he was watching her dreamily.

You should’ve been annoyed, hell maybe a part of you was, but mostly you were incredibly curious. There was a story there, you could tell. And you planned to figure out what it was.

Billy didn’t turn to look at you until you cleared your throat loudly and when he did, he looked completely annoyed to be doing so. “Are you alright?” you asked softly, leaning on your elbows to look at him with a sympathetic expression you pulled out of your ass “You seem distracted…”

“I’m fine. Just wondering where our waitress went.” He replied glumly, disappointment obvious in his voice.

“She looks like Brooke Shields doesn’t she?” you watched as his expression changed, looking at you curiously, his eyebrow rising significantly as if to tell you to go on. You didn’t however, instead waiting patiently for a response.

“Who?”

“You ever see the movie Blue Lagoon?” Billy shook his head. “How about Pretty Baby?” you tried. His whole expression perked up again, not in knowing but in excited memory.

“Yeah! I remember sneaking in to see that movie in theatres. It was like a crazy sex movie or something; everyone was talking about it for awhile.” Billy announced like a giddy child in the know.

“I guess? I think that was more for Blue Lagoon, that movie just got banned in a bunch of places. Anyway, the main girl in that movie-that’s Brooke Shields. She’s also in Endless Love.” You replied with frown, already noticing how he wasn’t paying attention to you anymore. Your waitress had returned with menus in hand and Billy was watching her closely with a smirk, not so much a forced one either like he did when he was trying to establish him dominance, but a real one that seem to be pulled from deep attraction. And the girl was blushing under his gaze, squirming like a beetle flipped on its back.

“Hi, I’m Rosemary, I’ll be your waitress for tonight, get I get you guys some drinks or do you need a second to look it over?” she addressed her initial opener only to you, smiling warmly down at you, clearly glad to not have to only address the man undressing her with his eyes.

“Um…I’ll have…” you mumbled, going over the menu briefly, double checking to ensure your usual order was still on the menu. “I’ll have a chocolate shake and a cheese burger, side fries.” You said simply, smiling up at her and handing back the menu.

“You know what I like, Rosie.” Billy said, handing back his. Their hands touched briefly and his thumb caressed her fingers gently, softening her expression and darkening her blush just for a second. It was as though you’d stepped into a bad teen movie; you were the forgotten friend watching on as the love interests fell in love right before your eyes.

“Alright, I’ll be back in a second with your drinks.” She said, clearing her throat and skittering off, busying herself behind the counter and sliding the slip into the wheel of orders above the pickup window, ringing the bell. Billy watched her closely and, after he waited the right amount of time you assumed, he stood from his side of the bench and announced that he was headed to the bathroom, leaving you alone at the booth.

You’d pieced together that they were, at one point, in a relationship, but something had gotten in the way. And by the way little Rosemary was looking at him, it had been a painful end. The whole thing was playing out like Austen novel, it was all very Persuasion-love lost lovers, separated by circumstance and still lusting desperately for one another. You would pity them, if only it didn’t seem like it was one sided. Billy was watching her like she was a piece of meat and not a person, a grave difference in reaction to one another.

You didn’t know where he’d wandered off to, nor did you care. This night was not going to end where you thought it would and that thought made you just a little sad.

“I’m sorry, are you Y/N Henderson?” you heard a voice behind you ask. You turned around, meeting the wide, brown eyes of Carol Danforth, who was peering at you as though you were a figment of her imagination.

You smiled back, waving politely “Hi Carol, it’s nice to see you again.” You said softly, brushing your hair behind your ear.

“Oh my god it is you! Hi! How are you, what’re you doing back?” she grinned, giggling and calculating.

“I’m back for my younger brother’s graduation, I’ve been in for a week and a half.” You replied, catching the eye of the nervous girl across from Carol. You turned fully, pulling your knees up on the bench and reaching your hand over to greet her “Hi, I’m Y/N.”

“Wendy…” she muttered, eyes watery, not bothering to shake your hand.

“Don’t mind her; she’s just upset over your date.” Carol said softly, hand cupped over her mouth.

“Billy break your heart?” you asked, ignoring Carol pleading looks to stop talking.

She hummed, swallowing hard “He said he…loved me…” she said shakily.

You nodded “He told me the same thing when I ran into him. I think he’s forgotten the definition of the word.”

“No, he’s just in love with someone else and won’t admit it yet.” Carol said, making you turn to look at her and following her gaze to the scene unfolding before your eyes. Billy had returned from the bathroom, or maybe he’d never gone in the first place, either way he was leaning over the counter and making eyes at her and making her laugh. They looked good together, something that made your heart feel so much lighter. He didn’t love you, he never did. He loved this little thing with a sexy pout and wide, innocent eyes. And that was more than okay with you.

“What’s the story there?” you asked, watching them spellbound.

“From what I’ve heard, he met her here when he was working construction after high school and they fell for each other. They were together for a year and then he cheated on her with Wendy over here. She dumped him, and he’s been chasing her down ever since.” Carol explained.

You furrowed your brow “But wait…I thought he was living in California until a couple years ago.”

Wendy and Carol looked at each other curiously before looking back to you. “He never left town.” Carol said.

“Yeah, he’s been here since graduation. Never left.” Wendy added awkwardly, before asking “What did he tell you he was doing here?”

“He said he was living here because his father died and he was handling his affairs. That he used to live in San Diego…” you said softly, almost embarrassed by the deceit.

“His father did die, but Billy didn’t handle anything with it. He told me he was disinherited. His step-mom handled it, he didn’t even go to the funeral.” Wendy explained to you. Suddenly, the whole situation became a lot clearer. And the image forming wasn’t one you liked.

Billy was returning to the table, as was Rosemary with a tray of drinking. And if destined in the stars, she tripped on the edge of the tile and you were coated in your own milkshake. And Rosemary screamed rather than you, hands rushing to cover her mouth.

“I am so sorry! Oh my goodness!” she screamed, grabbing napkins and rushing to help you wipe your face. You found yourself grinning, laughing even at what had just happened.

“It’s alright! No harm done, honestly.” You said, standing from your seat. Billy wasn’t even fazed by what had happened, he was so happy to be looking down Rosemary’s uniform as she wiped it up the mess she’d made on the floor.

Rosemary wasn’t paying much attention to him, she took your sticky arm and pulled you away from the bench “Here, I have a spare shirt in my locker, let’s try to get the stain out of your shirt.

“It’s okay, really, you don’t have to.” You tried with a smile. If you were reading this girl right, you were going to get exactly what you wanted from her.

“No, no let me help, I feel so bad!” she cried and you relented, letting her lead you into the bathroom before rushing off and instructing you to take off your blouse and soak it in the sink.

She returned quickly with a plain cotton tee shirt marked with the label of the diner printed on the front. She shrugged softly, handing it to you “Technically, you’re supposed to pay for these, but nobody does and I won’t tell if you won’t.” she said and you found yourself nodding as you pulled it on. It was a bit snug, but you much preferred it to the wet shirt you had on before.

“Thank you so much.” You grinned, tossing your shirt in the sink and turned on the faucet.

“Here, let me see if there’s a plastic bag or something in the back for you to throw that in. I wouldn’t want to keep you in here too long, can’t keep Billy waiting on you…” she said and you noted the sad turn in her voice. Now was as good of a time as any to ask.

You grabbed her wrist gently before she could completely turn away from you. “Can I ask you a somewhat personal question?” you asked, earning a bewildered and worried look from the taller girl.

“You can, but that doesn’t mean I’ll answer it.” she said and you liked her already.

“I noticed Billy…well, staring at you. Can I ask what the deal is there? Cause it’s a little weird if there isn’t a story.”

Rosemary sighed, her shoulders and head slumping down, her brown locks becoming a halo of curls around her head. “It’s not…it’s a long story. But it’s not weird, his staring I mean.”

“I don’t need the story, if you don’t want to tell it, but I can tell you that Billy doesn’t look at everyone like that.” Rosemary shook her head, disheartened by something in her head that you couldn’t see. “I’m serious! I use to date him and he never looked at me that way, and he used to say that he loved me.”

That might have not been the best thing to say, it seemed, as it triggered a slow, steady stream of tears down her cheeks. You quickly grabbed her hands, squeezing them tightly. “He doesn’t love me…” she whispered hoarsely, trying not to sob too loudly.

“What do you mean?” you replied, looking up at her sympathetically.

“He…he…” she took a gulping breath “We dated and it got serious and I told him that I loved him and he wouldn’t say it back. He couldn’t say it back. And we broke up but…I love him.”

You found yourself smiling; there was an easy answer to this problem. “Sweetheart,” you said, shaking your head solemnly “He loves you.”

“No, no he doesn’t he would’ve-”

“No, he wouldn’t. Billy has the emotional reverence of a clogged pipe. He can’t say it to you, because you’re the person he cares about, but he can say it to anyone else. And he has-he’s been saying to every other girl he can find because he’s scared to say it to you.”

“That makes no sense.” She pouted softly, pulling her hands away to cross them over her chest.

“You say that like Billy ever makes sense. He has a logic all his own. But if you can understand even a bit of it, then you know him. I know him well enough to know that he doesn’t love me, despite the fact that he told me that he did last week. And I want to help in whatever way I can, and if that means publicly embarrassing him to help you, then I will.”

She stood silent for a good few moments, mulling over everything you’d said. You watched as her face broke into a small smile, clearly not opposed to the idea. “Can you do that?” she asked softly.

“I can do whatever I want. Now, please go and find me that bag, I’ll take care of our dummy.” You replied with a smirk, looking yourself over in the mirror. This would take an easy skill. You left your shirt in the sink and marched out into the dining room, putting on your hardest expression.

“Hargrove.” You snapped, finding him paying the bill at the counter, two Styrofoam counters stacked up on top of each other and deeply disappointed scowl on his lips. He turned and, for a brief moment, looked at you as though it was his own mundane reflection looking back at him. He found the surprised expression he needed and then let it settle into one of pity.

“There you are! I handle this, come on let’s get you home.” He said, looking around the room as though the very sight of you was embarrassing him.

“Sit.” You snapped, pointing back to the booth and nodding over when he didn’t move immediately. He relented with a groan, sliding back in with great and obvious annoyance.

“What the fuck is your problem?” you asked, earning a bewildered look from the boy.

“Excuse me?”

“Oh don’t start with that, you know why I’m about to yell at you. What the fuck is your problem-you’re gallivanting around with every girl in sight and breaking poor Rosemary’s heart instead of just admitting that you love her.”

Billy sighed, lowering his head. When he looked up again, he didn’t look guilty-he looked tired. “I don’t…I don’t love her.”

“Well I know for a fucking fact you don’t love me like you said you did. And you sure as hell don’t love little Wendy back there, I bet you didn’t even remember her name till I said it.” you cried.

“How the hell would you know how I feel?”

“Because,” you countered, leaning in to truly hold his eye contact “I know you better than you realize. And I know you don’t say what you feel to the people that can help. You say it to anyone else.”

“So? That doesn’t mean that I love her.”

“Okay, riddle me this: why did you lie to me about living in San Diego?” you asked simply.

“Because I-” he started into another lie, but when he looked in your eyes, his dropped the sentence off, sighing softly “Because I didn’t want you to think I was a loser.”

“Okay,” you said, nodding softly “And why did you tell Wendy that you love her?”

Billy smirked “To get her in bed.” You heard the muffled gasp and moan of poor Wendy behind you, clearly falling back into tears. You didn’t look back.

“And why did you break up with Rosemary?” you asked, watching the smirk fall away and him shy away immediately.

“Don’t make me say it…” he muttered.

“No, say it cause I wanna know.” You snapped back, raising your brows.

“Because I was scared alright? God damn it Y/N, why are you interrogating me?” he cried, huffing and pouting like a child.

“Because I want an answer! Because poor Rosemary needs an answer, okay? Because you spent the whole night watching her with these big, stupid puppy dog eyes and it drove me nuts because you’re so obvious it’s not even funny!” you countered, matching both his volume and tone.

“You’re right, okay?” he relented softly “I do…you know…”

“I know you do.” You smiled, earning an annoyed scoff “Now go tell her that.” Billy stayed put, hands shaking just a tiny bit, his eyes shifted from her at the counter to you across from him. He looked so nervous, like a little boy about to admit to his first crush, and it made your heart melt just a little. You believed that he’d been in love before, but not at this level. Not in this fully adult way. You were proud of him, in that sense, for finally coming to terms with adulthood and the responsibilities you have to your partners, understanding that they becoming your family after awhile.

You took his hand gently, squeezing it softly “You deserve happiness, Bill, but you have to get it for yourself. It won’t always come to you on its own.” You murmured to him and, for once, he seemed to listen. He nodded, letting your hand go and getting up from his seat. You took the opportunity to grab your food from the pile and stand as well, finding the plastic bag with your wet blouse in it on the opposite end of the counter. You didn’t spare a glance to Carol and Wendy, although you could hear Carol’s grumbling as Wendy tried to muffle her sobs. In fact, you only turned once, when Rosemary cried out a watery ‘yes!’ from behind you. You turned just in time to see Billy pull off one of his tarnished silver rings and slip it onto her left hand. You shook your head, chuckling at the quite honestly adorable scene in front of you, watching Billy get the life squeeze out of him by his bride to be and hearing Wendy’s sobs get louder as Carol dragged her out of the booth and out the front door, flipping you off along the way. You guessed now you really weren’t invited to that wedding.

You slipped out the front door and into the cooler summer night, the sun waning in the sky as warm pinks and oranges overtook the blue and made a gorgeous cocktail of colours. A soft, warm breeze blew through the trees edging on the diner and the sound of cars driving down the interstate behind you filled the whole atmosphere with the ends of day trips with tired, sunburnt kids half asleep in the backs of cars as dad rock played softly through the speakers. It was the type of scene you knew so well from childhood.

Of course, you were in a whole different scene entirely.

You were alone in a parking lot, hair sticky and clumped with dried ice cream and whipped cream, your arms still sticky despite being wiped down and a prominent stain drying into your favourite skirt. You were alone and with no way of getting home. And there was no way in hell you’d get back in the car with Billy, not with his new fiancé, both of them itching to tear each other’s clothes off. You were going to half to walk it alone.

“Well that was a fucking waste of time…” you muttered, huffing out a sigh before trudging into the woods. You didn’t want to walk the highway in, just in case you were spotted or worse, hit. You go through the woods and hope that your anxiety didn’t get the best of you.

You spent your walk mostly running or jogging, trying to avoid roots and fallen logs. Your heart was racing and you had to avert your eyes to the now quarantined labs as you ran past, their fences still holding something inside too ominous to let free or tear down. You tried to think of positive, happy things. You would certainly get an invite to the new couples wedding, that would be lovely you hadn’t been to a wedding at all since Jonathan and Nancy’s rushed courthouse ceremony, and not a grand ceremony and reception since your mother and Richard. But thoughts of white dresses and tuxedos only distracted your mind for so long and eventually, after the sun finally set, you had to talk yourself out of the woods altogether, opting to hurry down Cherry Lane, four streets below yours.

You remembered that the Mayfield’s lived there, once even with their Hargrove counter parts, and you wondered to yourself if they still did. You got your answer almost immediately when you saw a flash of red hair hop out a window followed by two flashes of dark hair. You hadn’t noticed the bikes waiting for them below, but you recognized the faces when they appeared in the sunlight.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

151 notes · View notes

motleyfam · 2 years ago

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I posted 2,267 times in 2022

36 posts created (2%)

2,231 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@desperatecheesecubes

@mooitstimdrake

@batshit-birds

@sohotthateveryonedied

@sun-moon-stars-jedi

I tagged 454 of my posts in 2022

#the batman - 25 posts

#fave - 18 posts

#batfam - 9 posts

#atla - 9 posts

#bruce wayne - 8 posts

#dick grayson - 7 posts

#damian wayne - 6 posts

#this sparks joy - 6 posts

#amen - 6 posts

#tim drake - 6 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#thinking of that ‘superman wrecking a whole ass train to save a child on the tracks who he could have just swooped away from danger’ post

My Top Posts in 2022:

hey! so its 4am and ive just finished my, um... fifth(?) reread of world's saddest breakfast club and like! aaahhhh!!!

do u got abything to tell us abt this story? like sbt the writing proccess or things u thought that did not make it in or hc or anything really. i dont have a question exactly, just wanted to hear you talk about it. im a bit. well. obssesed.

Oooh cool question! I definitely do!

World's Saddest Breakfast Club: Fun Facts

The opening line is a result of me angsting to @batmoniker about how I couldn't figure out how to start my fic, and her jokingly being like "I got you, bro. Ready? 'It was a dark and stormy night'" and then me just being stubborn and committing to the bit.

The story started with a vague idea of "everyone in the kitchen at 3am for different reasons and Jason channeling his inner short order cook." All I knew going in was the order I wanted people to appear, what was wrong with them (sick, hurt, insomnia, etc) and what food Jason would be making for them. Everything else I made up as I went.

If I could go back and change one thing about this fic, I'd reduce how long Jason was kidnapped to like, 6-8 days, max. 16 days seemed funny when I wrote it, but in hindsight, I feel like he'd be a little more fucked up in the story if he were really escaping from that many days of captivity lmao

I headcanon Dick as the kind of person who straight-up forgets to eat when he's preoccupied, and Jason as the kind of person who cannot FATHOM this concept. Jason absolutely will miss a meal if the situation calls for it, don't get me wrong, but he's aware the entire time he's doing it and it makes him super antsy. (This once turned into A Thing™ when Jason was like, 13 years old and staying with Dick for the weekend for some brotherly bonding and Dick forgot about lunch and by 5pm, Jason maybe sorta kinda had a minor panic attack about it. Dick was a lot more mindful of that moving forward)

Bruce's favorite food being lobster thermidor is a reference to the Lego Batman movie

I wrote this whole fic with Julia Child's recipe pulled up in one tab and my google doc in the other

At some point I realized that since I started with fresh lobsters, I was going to have to write Jason killing them, and it derailed me so hard that the fic nearly became about meatloaf instead. (Never mind the fact that Jason canonically kills human beings — that's totally fine. I just draw the line at him killing lobsters 😰)

(in the end I just kinda glossed over it and made sure they were already cooked before Damian appeared so I wouldn't have to address it 😬)

Dick's reoccurring shoulder injury is a reference to the DCAU where I swear that man has dislocated his shoulder/injured his arm at least 4x

The line about Tim being allergic/throwing up when he eats eggs was inspired by a line in chap 11 of @goldkirk's fic Hymn, which I've reread about 37x

Jason is correct— grits are fucking delicious and definitely not baby food.

My favorite line is "Okay there’s self-sacrificial bullshit, and then there’s whatever the fresh hell that is."

The idea for Cass being a big meat-eater comes from a comic panel where Steph offers her a plate of rice and beans and Cass says needs meat and starts mischievously eying Steph's hamster. Can't find the panel to save my life, but I promise it's out there.

EDIT: finally found it!

Steph's nickname of "Zombie Boy" for Jason is borrowed from @audreycritter's Cor Et Cerebrum series (which is a fucking masterpiece, btw)

This fic was gonna be called "Creatures of the Night" until batmoniker said Steph's line made for a better title

Several people have asked me whether Jason was really cooking Bruce's lobster to spite him, or if he was actually intending to make it for him all along. The answer is... both? Like Jason's kind of an unreliable narrator in that he's trying to convince himself that he's just doing what he's doing to be a little shithead when deep down it's all stemming from his need to take care of his family, you know? Like he'll never admit it, but that's where his heart is at.

To everyone who's asked for a part 2 where the family finds out Jason was kidnapped, I'm gonna be honest: the main reason I don't think I'm ever going to write that scene is because I can't come up with a good enough joke for him to make to accidentally out himself ☠️

90 notes - Posted September 18, 2022

Imagine Bruce starting therapy and learning about all these cool new tricks and gadgets that can help with emotional regulation and getting super invested (because I mean, c’mon, the dude’s like the king of gadget hoarding, he’s got a utility belt for goodness sake)

Then imagine the learning curve of him realizing that just because something works great for one of his kids, doesn’t mean it works for all of them, as illustrated by this memorable incident:

Jason gets really upset and starts having a minor panic attack about something

Bruce, proud owner of 14 new weighted blankets (in various styles, weights, and sizes), tries to wrap his adult son up in one to ground him

After all, Bruce himself finds them super comforting because it’s basically a socially acceptable alternative to wearing a massive Kevlar cape 24/7 like he’d do if he could

(Tim loves them too, so like, kid tested, parent approved™️)

Ends up totally backfiring when the added weight & restricted movement sends Jason into a full-blown flashback of digging out of his own grave, taking this panic attack from like a 4 to a 10

Whoops

130 notes - Posted December 6, 2022

Sometimes I get really hung up on trying to make all the logistics and time frame work out in my fanfics

Then I see how the professionals handle this dilemma:

211 notes - Posted March 12, 2022

I have a headcanon that Dick doesn’t actually like cereal nearly as much as he pretends to.

He just knew that Bruce felt bad about his own cooking ineptitude in the early days after taking his new ward in, so whenever Alfred had the night off, the 9-year-old insisted cereal was his ‘favorite food on the planet’ because it was something that Bruce could actually handle preparing for him without setting off the smoke alarms and it made him happy to do it

372 notes - Posted April 9, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Tim hardly ever wears seatbelts.

It’s not a conscious choice at this point really, he just never got into the habit. When he outgrew his last car seat at age five, his parents didn’t bother getting him a booster and just let him sit in the normal seat, so the belt always felt like it was cutting into his neck and he hated it. He put up a big fuss about it once on the way to some important event, and his parents just huffed, “Fine, don’t wear it then. Fly out the window for all I care” and that was that. They never forced him again.

He just so rarely has to wear one that it slips his mind. Buses don’t have seatbelts. Motorcycles don’t have seatbelts. The Batmobile has them, but they’re rarely used due to the necessity for split-second drop ins and getaways.

It’s not until he’s 17 and driving with Jason somewhere that he finally gets called out on it. Not only called out, but told in a no nonsense sort of way “This car ain’t moving till I hear a fucking click. What, did they stop showing ‘Red Asphalt’ in drivers ed while I was dead??”

(They do still show it. Tim just slept through that class)

557 notes - Posted November 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #Okay apparently I need to work on my tagging skills lmao

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spikeisawesome456 · 6 years ago

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So... I decided to do all of these asks, because I was bored. :-D

Obscure Asks.

1. what’s your favorite way to dress? Uhh… Comfortably. I tend to just wear yoga pants, graphic t-shirts, and a Dipper hat.

2. if you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? Ohhh… I both want to say lots of things, and nothing. Because on one hand, there are things about me that annoy me (I overshare, I sometimes get insanely hyper, like now, I can be really mean/rude, etc.…), but on the other hand, I do enjoy who I am. For all my faults, I am proud of the person I’ve become, and the person I’m still becoming. Maybe I’d make my memory better, so I could really utilize my intelligence, and stop forgetting people’s names because it’s starting to get really rude.

3. what movie/game/etc. helps you calm down? Eh… I like to play Stardew Valley, but it doesn’t help me calm down. I play it when I’m calm. It actually used to stress me out… probably not a good example. Uh… Nothing, I guess. Music helps. Sometimes. Basically, when I’m stressed, the only thing that can help is solving the problem or ignoring the problem. And if I can’t ignore it, I just… get stressed. Hugging my mom sometimes helps.

4. what does your room smell like? Like… a room? It smells okay? It recently smells like Maple Cinnamon Pancakes, because I got a Maple Cinnamon Pancake candle from Bath and Body Works, so… yeah?

5. do you like to organize? Ehh… Like to, yes. Do I do it? Noooo….

6. what kind of music would you listen to if you could only choose one? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Why Would You Ask Me This???????????? Also I’m assuming this means genre. But… Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

7. what song is your aesthetic? Um… I don’t really know my Aesthetic? I’m a bit all over the place. Girly, tom boy, shiny, glittery, matte…. Fast, slow, everything in between and outside. If you know of a song like that, then that’s me! Otherwise… Eh.

8. what color do you think goes best with your personality? Uh… No idea. I like blue, though. I’m not that calm a person, though. Well, sometimes, but not always. Well, it depends on what you mean by calm. So… Probably purple, a mix between loud red/orange and cool blue.

9. do you believe in auras? Not… really? A little? Like, we each have our own personal feel, and energy. Like, in a psychological way. But in the color way? Not really. Can people feel other’s energy better than others? Sure! But that’s just a hyper awareness of self and other, not a “six sense,” or whatever.

10. what do you wish you hated, but actually like? I don’t wish to hate anything.

11. vague about your crush(es) I… don’t have any. I decided a long time ago that crushes were stupid, after I ruined a good friendship with my weird crush. Plus, I don’t spend enough time around people to develop crushes.

12. is there someone you have mixed feelings towards? Not… really? Some of my old professors, maybe. My Abnormal Psychology professor was nice, sometimes, but could say such mean things at times about people with mental illness.

13. talk about an au or story you came up with Oh! I made up a story about a man who has two sons (though I changed it so one child, the elder, was a daughter in the last edit, so…) who sold his soul to keep them safe and happy, after he lost all his money when his business partner skipped town and left his embezzlement charges with the man. The man didn’t get sent to jail, since the small town had pity on him, but he did lose all his money, meaning his eldest, now a daughter, had to steal. Hating that, he made a deal with the devil. 2 years later, the devil (who isn’t evil, but more like the Jewish idea of the devil, who is a temptation) comes knocking and the man learns that instead of taking his soul, since the devil would get it at his death regardless (in order to make a deal with the devil you had to commit the greatest sin, murder, thus tainting your soul), the devil took the thing you loved most. For selfish men, it would be their fame and money. For lustful men, it would be their object of affection. For the man, who had made the deal for selfless reasons, it was his children, whom he loved more than anything.

The plot would have gone into the man trying to escape the devil, who graciously gave him a week to prepare, but I didn’t know how to write it, and it’s kind of been in my notes on my iPod for years. It would have ended with the devil catching up to the family, with the man finally begging the devil to let his children live, that it wasn’t their fault. And the devil would have smiled, sweetly, before killing the children while the man watched. As the devil turned away, the man would have brokenly asked why? Why he couldn’t have left them alone? And the devil would have chuckled sadly and said that it was what had always been planned. That the entire chase had been futile from the very first moment. The devil had sympathy for the man, but he couldn’t go against the orders of God (my version of the devil is kinder, more sympathetic to the plights of humans, since I view the “devil” not as an enemy, but as, I previously mentioned, a temptation. He tempts people, on God’s orders, but doesn’t have any true animosity towards humanity. He just follows orders). Finally, the man begs the devil to kill him, to end his suffering, that even an eternity in Hell would be better than living knowing he killed his children. And then, I’m split on the ending. In the dream that inspired this story, the devil smiles wickedly and says, “I thought you’d never ask,” before bashing the man (me, in the dream) over the head with a bat, since in the dream the devil was eviler. But I think it’s more poignant to let the devil laugh softly again, turn, and say “Oh, my dear man. That’s the whole point,” before walking away/disappearing.

Anyway, that was my main story idea. I really like it, and wrote about 20,000 words for it, but got stuck on the middle part. I wanted to add an old friend of the man’s, who became an alcoholic following the death of one of their old friends. The friend group fell apart after the man left for plot reasons, which I don’t have time to explain, and it grew worse until one of their friends died, and the whole friend group fell apart and she became an alcoholic. However, I wasn’t sure if this subplot took away from the whole plot, and I felt it was written poorly, so I kind of gave up. Plus, I had no idea what obstacles the devil could put in their way, since I don’t know religion. Though… I am currently taking a bible course in college, so maybe I’ll revisit the story. If anyone wants to read what I have, send me a message. :-)

14. do you like makeup? Eh… Depends. I sometimes like it. Also, after writing about my whole story, going back to these questions just feel weird. Eh.

15. do you prefer space or the ocean? I like the ocean, since I can see it more often. Though, I love looking at the stars when I can. I just live in a city with tons of light pollution and can’t ever see the stars.

16. if you could pick any planet besides earth, where would you live? ????? What other planets could I live on??? I don’t know any real planets that have life on them, and none of the 7 others we have interest me much. Or is this fictional? In which case… I don’t know?

17. what form of government do you like the most? (capitalism, socialism, etc.) Um… this took a dark turn. “Hey, what’s your favorite color??” “Do you like makeup??? :-D” “What is your political preference, you capitalist/commie scum???” This question just feels like a trap the cops laid in the middle of a silly, fun little quiz.

18. what animal would you keep as a pet, if you could? I’d keep a cat, but I’m allergic. And a little afraid. Also, I think this means like, wild animal, or mythical creature, but I wouldn’t want to keep a wild animal captive, even if I could. Same with mythical creature.

19. what do you think our purpose is in the universe? To do our best and to enjoy the life we’ve been given. This relates to the next question, but I believe that if there is a God, they’d want us to enjoy life.

20. do you believe in god(s)? Continuing from the last question, yes and no. I believe in a higher power, since I don’t see how the entire universe and life can just be random, but I don’t really believe in “God” or “gods” as humans have imagined them, as helpful or destructive forces that meddle with humanity. I believe they would be a high creature, humans unable to sense them since we don’t have the body parts available to “see” them. There would likely be multiple higher beings, but it is possible one is in charge of earth, to look over us. Though, no miracle granting or listening in, since they probably aren’t on the same timeline we are, or an entire generation to us is a second to them. The afterlife is tricky, which is why I’m so terrified to die, so I won’t go into it. But, long story short, yes. I do believe in a sort of “God.” What they mean to earth, what they want with us, I don’t know. But I do believe something created the universe, and watches over the various planets. Also, I believe that other planets have life, and that aliens may or may not have visited earth, but if they did, we might not have known, since, like with “God,” we don’t have the appendages or body parts available to “see” them. I mean, if we didn’t have eyes or ears, we’d never know what we were missing. Who knows what we can’t “see” because we don’t have the right parts?

21. is there a song you can’t handle listening to, even though you like it? Ehh…. Nothing, really. But, there was a P!nk song I had to turn off halfway through. Not because I hated it, but because it reminded me of my family too much it hurt. I didn’t really like the song, but it was okay. I think it was called Family Portrait? Update, I looked it up, and yes, it is called Family Portrait, by P!nk. It’s not completely similar to my family, but it’s close enough that it just… hurt.

22. what ex do you miss the most, if you have one? If you never date, you can never have an ex you miss the most. *Insert guy tapping his forehead meme here*

23. do you like soft, fluffy blankets or rough/smooth blankets? Soft ones. Who… who likes rough blankets??? What??? I mean, I prefer smoother ones, I guess, to super fluffy. But rough? Really??

24. what is your favorite thing to learn about? Psychology!!! I love it!

25. what country’s history do you find the most interesting? Um… I don’t really like history. I’m taking a history class, though, and I liked Islam’s history. No one country, but the history of the Middle East and Islam.

26. what do you think about genderbent ____ (insert someone here) I think this is one where you had to send in a question for. So, feel free to ask me about any genderbend you like, but warning: I tend not to like genderbent characters. I just think it’s weird, and pointless. Especially if you genderbend a character to make a gay ship straight. Like… dude. Or, vice versa, to make a straight ship gay. It’s just… unnecessary. Make new characters or find a different ship.

27. what breakup was the hardest, if you had one? *insert answer from question 22, but exchange “Ex you miss the most” for “hardest breakup”

28. do you have someone where you can’t decide if you like them romantically or just as a friend? Not really. Going back to question 11, I don’t spend enough time around people to really know. But, as I have weird understandings of friendship and love, as well as a deep loneliness that makes me emotionally invested in anyone who is even slightly a friend, this sort of happens all the time. I just want to be less lonely, usually. I’m just… bad at people. I tend not to like them, and they bore me, yet I long to be around people and have friends. So. Lots of contradictions.

29. what do you think about Tumblr discourse? Eh. I think most of it is stupid. Just… chill. The world sucks, it’s best just to do things you enjoy, don’t sweat the small stuff. Even the big stuff. If there’s nothing you can do, just… move on. Live with it, and live your life. Don’t yell at random people, even If they’re “terrible.” Nothing is black and white, and as soon as you start attacking others because of your opinion, you’re becoming a person in the wrong, even if your view is virtuous. No one is right. No one is wrong. It’s just a matter of opinion. Now, does that mean you shouldn’t argue your point? No! Your view is valid and if it matters to you, express it. But don’t hate on another because of it. Or else you lose your virtue, your moral “righteousness.” Sorry, this went in a wrong direction. But… yeah.

30. what instrument do you wish you could master? Piano, guitar, and violin. Piano the most, though.

31. how easy is it for you to be honest? Pretty easy? I tend to be honest, most often, because I don’t really see why not. But it’s also easy to tell white lies or to omit truths, if it makes my life easier. So. Eh.

32. do you have any strange interests? Nothing I can really think of? Nothing that other people aren’t interested in. I like collecting coins, but so do many others.

33. do you have any strange fears? Ehh… I’m a bit afraid of animals, but it’s mostly because I’m afraid of them hurting me, which isn’t really strange?? So… again, not really? Most of my fears are common. Maybe my fear of holes? Like, on the skin? But people have that fear, too. And it’s less a fear and more of a disgust.

34. what food do you binge on when you’re lazy? Anything I can, really. I tend not to get super hungry, so I only eat when I’m bored or “lazy”, or when I know people should eat. Also, I dislike calling it lazy, since I think that’s a negative word for a more complicated feeling. For me, at least.

35. when you get angry, how do you show it? I tend to go quiet and seethe. I don’t usually yell, though I will if the other person (my dad usually) is yelling. I prefer leaving the room, though, or else getting all “righteous”. Like, righteous fury, though I’m not always righteous when I get angry.

36. do you have any impulsive movements? (twitches, ticks, flapping, etc.) Dude, yes. I tend to crack my knuckles/twist my hands impulsively/nervously. I also tap/rub my thumb against my fingers, or move my foot. Mostly when I’m “hyper,” or possibly manic. Otherwise, when I’m more down, it’s just the cracking knuckles thing.

37. what do you listen to music on? iPod/Phone, and my computer. I tend not to listen to radio. Sometimes I’ll listen to new music on YouTube, but it’s mostly iTunes/the iPod/phone music app.

38. are you left brained or right brained? Well, we all have both right and left brains, so I am both. Since no one side of the brain can be really more dominant. Unless part of your brain is dead, like my mother’s, who is more right brained, since parts of her left brain died when she was born. But, since I understand what this question is asking, I am, really, both. I’m creative and logical. Shocker.

39. earbuds or headphones? Oh, headphones, every time. I HATE earbuds. They always fall out of my ears. I mean I’ll take them if I have nothing else, but I hate them.

40. do you like light blankets or heavy blankets? Eh…. I tend to have heavy blankets, even though it’s hot where I am, and I need a fan to keep me cool. So. Yeah.

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thinkyoureholy · 7 years ago

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Your Name Remains The Same [2]

[a/n: ah I know y’all waited for this patiently and I didn’t want to make you wait any longer. I’m really excited for you guys to read this I have so many things planned aahh y’all aren’t ready. Imma stop rambling and let y’all get to it]

[WARNING: This chapter does contain mentions of guns, a knife, and a self inflicted injury]

Pairing: Park Chanyeol/ [Fem] Reader

Genre: Angst, future fluff, maybe smut, some violence, Mafia! AU

Words: 1.9k

Pt 1. Pt 2. Pt 3. Pt 4. Pt 5. Pt 6. Pt 7. Pt 8. Pt 9. Pt 10. Pt 11. Pt 12. Pt 13. Pt 14. Pt 15.

Panting heavily I looked around the room, my throat sore from yelling after Chanyeol. I noticed no cameras in the room, taking this as my chance to break free from my restraints. Biting down on the inside of my cheek I sucked in a deep breath, groaning at the pain coming from my hand as I dislocated my thumb. Feeling a tear slide down my face at the pain, slipping my hand out of the bindings, popping the bone in my thumb back in place. The adrenaline rushing through my body made the pain a bit more bearable as I rushed to undo the rope around my ankles. Getting up I quickly but quietly made my way over to the desk, thinking that this had to be Chanyeol’s office. I sighed in relief when I saw the dagger in the drawer, looking over at the clock on the wall, cursing to myself as I realized I had to stall for awhile longer.

-3 Months Ago-

“Y/N, meeting in five.” One of my coworkers called out to me.

I got up from my seat with a sigh, stretching slightly before walking over to the meeting room. Once there I could see all the other big shots workers in the room, the best we had to offer in fact. Seeing them all in the same room let me know how serious this meeting was, our boss standing at the front of the room.

“I called you all here because you’re the best detectives we have at our disposal, the best of the best if you will.” He paused for a second, his eyes roaming over the room, “There’s been a rise in crimes over the past year or so as I’m sure most of you are aware of. It’s gotten more and more severe in the last few weeks, burglaries turning into homicides, kidnappings that end with victims found dead with evidence of torture. Seeing as how multiple cases take place at the same time it leads us to believe a certain group of individuals are behind these crimes.”

“So we’re dealing with a gang?” Detective Lee asked, evaluating the folder that was placed in front of him.

I looked down at my own folder, going through the information. I furrowed my brows at the way these crimes were committed, “This is too sophisticated to be done by a lowly gang. They even displayed the bodies a certain way.”

“What else could this be then?” Detective Yoo asked, her eyes glued to the crime scene photos.

“Any suspects yet? We gotta have at least one person of interest.” Detective Min said.

“Nine actually. They seem to be very open with committing these crimes. They blatantly show their faces to any camera nearby.” The sergeant, our boss, explained.

He pressed a button on the little remote he had in his hands, the projector turning on and displaying nine faces. My eyes scanned through all of them, the color draining from my face as I recognized a few but one stood out the most.

“Sir...are you sure these are the men behind it?” I asked, having a hard time believing it.

“We have evidence collected from the crime scenes and various cameras captured them on tape. They’re very reckless but something tells me they don’t care about keeping their identities hidden, it’s almost like they’re taunting us.”

“I know them…”

At that everybody turned to look at me with wide eyes, “I...I went to high school with three of them...I even dated one.”

“Which one?” The sergeant asked carefully.

“Park Chanyeol….we broke up five years ago. Those two are his best friends.” I answered, pointing to Baekhyun and Jongdae.

After that day we collected all the intel we could on all nine of them. As the investigation continued I realized that after Chanyeol and I broke up he fell off the wagon so to speak. He had been arrested for possession of a deathly weapon, burglary, assault, you name it, but every time he was arrested he was acquitted or the one pressing charges would suddenly drop them. With more digging we found out he was their leader, an informant letting us know that in just three short years Chanyeol had become of the most notorious mafia leader in the country.

It was no coincidence that I ran into Chanyeol on that day, we had it all planned out from the get-go. We had been tracking his movements for weeks, finding out that Chanyeol visited that very café at least four times a week. I had two other detectives in the café with me and three more outside in case anything went wrong. I knew that if Chanyeol saw me he would immediately start up a conversation; that was based on the assumption that the Chanyeol I once knew was still somewhere buried deep inside this new Chanyeol.

Snapping out of my thoughts I tiptoed over to the door, pressing my ear against it. I heard nothing on the other side but I knew there was at least one of them standing guard. I glance back at the clock; ten more minutes left. I had to keep up the act for another ten minutes until the rest of my team got here. Looking down at the necklace I was wearing I turned it over to see the small red light had turned blue, indicating that they were actually a lot closer than I thought.

Suddenly I heard loud footsteps approaching the room causing me to panic for a split second. I sat back in the chair quickly, wrapping the rope around my ankles loosely and doing the same with the rope that was around my wrists. I had just enough time to hide the dagger up my sleeve before Chanyeol bursts through the door.

“I don’t appreciate being lied to.” He seethed, his voice dropping several octaves.

“W-what?” I asked, make sure I let him hear the fear in my voice, or at least make him think it was fear.

“I just sent two of my guys to your place and there’s no one there.”

“N-no that--he has to be there. He was there when I left! Chan...our--our son-” I panicked, really letting the thought of my son going missing fester in my brain so the emotions seemed more real, “You--you have to find him, Chan. H-He’s all I have. My baby...my baby boy. Chan p-please you have to f-find my baby boy.”

I was sobbing at this point, really selling it and he bought it. He crouched down in front of me, grabbing my face in both his hands, “Hey, hey y/n it’s alright. It’s okay-”

“No it’s not! My son is missing!” I cried out, choking on a sob.

“Chanyeol we have a problem.” One of guys he had on watch outside the door said.

“It can wait.” Chanyeol said back through gritted teeth, turning his head to look at the man.

I looked up at the man, recognizing him as Kim Jongdae, the man I knew in high school. He refused to meet my gaze as he looked only at Chanyeol.

“It’s the feds.” Jongdae said, unaware that I was the reason they had found where they were hiding.

I could vaguely hear yelling coming from a different level in the house, Chanyeol’s attention diverting to that. I took the opportunity and slid the dagger out of my sleeve, bringing it up to Chanyeol’s neck. At the feeling of the cold piece of metal on his skin he turned back to look at me with wide eyes. I was no longer crying, my face void of any and all emotions as I spoke.

“Get up.”

“Y/n what-”

“I said get up!” I shouted, grabbing the scruff of his shirt and pulling him up as I got up as well.

I heard Jongdae make a move, quickly turning Chanyeol around so he was facing Jongdae. Putting the knife up against Chanyeol’s neck from behind and using him as a human shield.

“Don’t.” Chanyeol warned Jongdae, “Hurt her and I’ll end you.” He threatened him, Jongdae hesitating and putting down the gun he had pulled out.

“Go and help the others, I’ll deal with her.” Chanyeol ordered, Jongdae doing as he said.

“Oh so you’ll deal with me then?”

“Oh sweetheart, I’ll do more than just deal with you. Now, why don’t you put that knife down and we can talk about everything.”

I scoffed, kicking at the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel, “I don’t think so. Put your hands behind your back.”

Now it was his turn to scoff, a mocking smirk on his face, “I don’t remember you being this kinky Y/n.”

All the patience I had left in my body evaporated as I lent down so I could whisper in his ear, “Do it or else I’ll make sure they give you the death penalty instead of just a life sentence.”

With a tilt of his head he did as told. I pressed the knife against his throat with more force but not even to draw blood, “Try anything and you’ll drop dead before you even have time to realize what’s going on.”

He simply sighed, shrugging his shoulders. I knelt down and grabbed the rope that was once tied around my ankles, using it to tie his hands together, “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law.”

“Wow, my Y/N sure has changed in just a short five years.” He spoke out, a smirk undoubtedly on his face.

“You have the right to an attorney. If you can not afford an attorney one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I just read to you? With this in mind, do you wish to speak with me?” I stated, ignoring him and reciting his Miranda Rights to him.

He only laughed at this, his body shake as burst of laughter left him. This irritated me immensely, grabbing onto his bicep and lifting him off the ground, “I take it you’re going to exercise your right to remain silent.”

“Actually, no. I do have something to say.”

“I’m all ears.” I said with a sigh.

He turned around to face me, the smirk still on his face, “You really think I didn’t know? My sweet and innocent Y/N has become Seoul’s best detective and you think I had no idea?” He laughed, throwing his head back as he continued to laugh hysterically.

“I didn’t become the most notorious mafia leader in the country to be bested this easily.”

I kept my face blank, refusing to show how taken aback I was by his words. Before I had the chance to say anything I felt something being pressed to the back of my hand, my body tensing up as I could only guess what it could be.

“Drop the knife.”

I cursed softly, doing as told and raising my hands above my head and turning around slowly to face the owner of the voice.

“It’s nice to finally see you after all these years. I’d really love to talk but I’m afraid Chanyeol and I have a prior engagement to attend to.” Baekhyun said, reaching out to tug Chanyeol towards him and untied the rope around his wrist.

“Did the others get out?” Chanyeol immediately asked.

Baekhyun nodded, Chanyeol turning to me one last time before walking right out the door with Baekhyun following him.

“He knew…” I said to myself, feeling defeated knowing that all the work we put in capturing them had gone to waste.

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birdiethebibliophile · 7 years ago

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{fic} That Old Sweet Feeling (part 17)

Fandom: The Adventure Zone: Commitment Rating: M Chapter Warnings: None Relationship: Nadiya Jones/Mary Word Count: 1,471

Here on AO3. Read the rest: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16

Tagging @someone-called-f1nch, @voidfishkid, @mellowstarscape, and @jumpboy-rembrandt!

m o r e NPCs (my suburban kids)

Chapter Summary: Addison changes the channel. Irene broods. Kardala gives a pat on the back (metaphorically).

__________________

Jamie’s car pulled away almost before they closed the doors. Nadiya couldn’t really blame her; it was a cramped, tense ride, and Jamie drove exactly the speed limit. (Like Irene, Nadiya noted; apparently that’s what you do when you’re on the run. Action movies had lied to her.)

In front of them stood a small, slightly shabby house. Nadiya glanced from Remy to Kardala. “You think?”

Remy shrugged, walking up to the door and knocking. All three of them waited, then the door cracked open to reveal the terrified face of Addison.

“What do you want?” they said. “Get out of here. Tell Martine we aren’t –”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down,” Remy said, holding his hands up nonthreateningly. “Why would we be from Martine?”

“I mean, not only were we the ones who fucked her up at the ‘Berg,” Nadiya pointed out, “but she’s locked up.”

Addison glanced down the street, then opened the door. “Come in,” they said warily. “If you were from Martine, you just would’ve blown the door open, probably.”

“Jamie brought us,” Nadiya said. Addison looked much like she remembered them: a person in their later thirties, a little soft around the middle, thinning hair. Open, friendly face that was currently tense with anxiety.

They relaxed slightly. “Oh. Well, that’s better, at least.”

“Addison?” a voice called from the next room.

“Coming,” Addison said, hurrying through the doorway. “You okay?”

The person on the couch – Flanagan, Nadiya recalled – shrugged jerkily. “Who is it?”

“Ahh, people from the Fellowship, escapees,” Addison said. “Nadiya Jones, Remy, uh, Kardala. Remember them?”

“Yeah.” Flanagan turned to look at them from the couch. Her thick, shoulder-length black hair was disheveled where it was hanging around her face, and she looked tired. She seemed a little younger than Addison – early thirties, maybe. “Hi. How’d you get here?”

“Cross-country road trip,” Remy said. “Hey, could you let us crash here for at least a night? We’re way tired.”

Addison glances at Flanagan, who nods. “Okay,” they said. “Yeah, sure. Just gotta stay on the DL, you know?”

“No, we know, we’re on the run too,” Remy said with a nod, and collapsed onto the couch, leaving some space between him and Flanagan.

“Nadiya? Kardala? You can sit,” Addison said, motioning vaguely around the space. “Sorry about the state of things.” They made a helpless gesture, then let their arms fall at their sides. “It’s… uh, a hell of a time finding a place in Cali with not much money. This was already furnished, so…”

“We slept in the sewers earlier today,” Remy mumbled from where he was rubbing his face into a pillow. “This place is great. Hey Nad, you aren’t going to yank us out of here again in half an hour, right? I could, like, fall asleep?”

“We’ll see,” Nadiya said grimly. “Do you two know where Mary Sage is?”

“What?” Addison said in confusion. “Why would we know?”

There was a thump as Kardala settled heavily onto the floor. “She ran away,” she said plainly.

“Yeah. And we don’t know where she is, and…” Remy trailed off. “We thought she might have come this way.”

Nadiya thought back to the tug she felt on the bus, towards Irene and Remy. If Mary had the same connection with Addison and Flanagan, she could very well be somewhere nearby.

Addison shook their head. “I’ll think about it,” they promised. “She’s been with you?” Nadiya nodded, and Addison let out a sigh of relief. “That’s, uh, that’s good. We were kinda worried about her after all the kerfuffle on the ‘Berg.”

“Mary Sage, of the robot angels, has been with us,” Kardala confirmed, leaning back against the couch. “Until today.”

“Addison,” Nadiya broke in, “why did you think we were with Martine? She’s in jail, we dropped her at the White House and everything.”

“Oh.” Addison chewed on their lip. “Oh. Right. About that.” They picked up a remote and turned the TV on, flipping through channels and back-logged episodes until they found what they were looking for. They fiddled with the remote for a minute, cursing mildly and hitting it against their hand, and then paused the screen.

It was C-Span, Nadiya could tell – she’d watched countless hours to fill up the times she was home alone, her father working somewhere else at whatever base they lived on. There were a crowd of people on-screen, all important-looking and wearing suits.

And one of them was Martine.

“Fuck,” Nadiya said quietly. “When was this?”

“Couple days ago,” Addison said. “The, uh… the day after everything went topsy-turvy at the Fellowship. She showed up at a press conference.” They turn to look at the three. “She’s not in jail, guys. She’s up and about, and probably looking for us.”

The room was quiet for a moment.

Oh, shit, Kardala heard Irene say.

“I thought she’d go to jail,” Remy said in a small voice.

Addison shook their head. “Too smart for that,” they said. Flanagan reached up and grabbed their wrist, and they took her hand, holding tightly. “No, whatever she’s up to, she’s not done.”

“Should’ve known,” Remy mumbled. “Should’ve… fuck. She was planning this for years. Of course she’d have a backup plan.”

“What is it, though?” Nadiya said. “The Fellowship’s gone. Most of the people are, too. Richard – Dick – he was in bad shape when last we saw him.”

Addison shook their head. “I have no idea,” they admitted. “We’ve just been trying to stay off her radar.”

“Maybe it has to do with the people in the Fellowship,” Nadiya said, finally giving in and sitting in a nearby armchair. “Me, because of my research, right? The stimplants. Remy because of his parents.”

Addison gave Remy a questioning look, but Remy shook his head. “Please don’t ask,” he said. “I don’t really… not right now.”

“So, background was probably one factor,” Nadiya continued. “And then… special abilities? Addison, Flanagan?”

Addison glanced at Flanagan. “We already worked really well together,” they offered. “We were, uh, friends before the Fellowship. Worked together, y’know, on some pretty cool energy tech. Guess that’s why our powers turned out the way they did.”

Nadiya nodded. “All right. And Jamie knew Parson…” She glanced at Kardala, then away. Kardala frowned. She couldn’t tell what Nadiya was thinking.

She’s wondering why I got chosen, Irene said softly.

That is surely obvious. Because of me.

They didn’t know about you, though, Irene said. Right? Her thoughts became more troubled. I don’t even know why they chose me.

Though she wasn’t communicating it to Kardala, Kardala could sense what Irene was thinking next, as if to herself: Why did they pick me? There’s no reason… they needed an HR person. I’m good at my job, but they could’ve gotten anyone for that. And then flashes of words: shortish, plain, upperish middle class, average personality, average grades.

Kardala realized that that was what Irene was thinking of herself: average.

Nothing special, she concluded, just as Irene thought it as well.

Irene’s thoughts stuttered to a halt at their sudden synchronicity.

Irene Baker?

Yeah?

You are… Kardala shifted uncomfortably on the thin rug, and Remy gave her a questioning look, which she ignored. You are not nothing special. You are special.

Because of you?

Kardala paused, trying to think that through. Yes. And no.

Please explain a little more, Kardala, I’m having trouble following.

You… are a prison, Kardala said hesitantly. You know this. I have stated it previously. But you are also a… vessel? She sighed to herself. And a person.

Thank you, I think?

Kardala shook her head slightly. This time both Nadiya and Remy glanced at her, but she waved them off. They were still discussing each member of the Fellowship. (Irene knew all of them.)

It is not just anyone who could stand up to a goddess, Kardala said finally. As you have stood up to me. You have a powerful will, Irene Baker, and… She searched for a way to say it. And the ability to see what others do not. You knew what Nadiya Jones was thinking, didn’t you?

I did. Irene subsides into silence. Thank you, Kardala, she said after a moment, and the voice is slightly less heavy. Sorry. I guess I had just let things get to me.

I do not mind. And Kardala found – to her surprise – that she didn’t, really.

In fact, the presence of Irene in the back of her mind, quiet and firm and guiding… was becoming almost a comfort. Not that she needed comforting.

For what it’s worth, I like you too, Irene said, and it sounded like she was laughing.

Kardala smiled in spite of herself. I am a goddess with powers beyond imagination. Who would not like me?

Sure, Kardala, Irene said, still with that amusement. Sure.

#taz #taz commitment #taz fanfiction #nadiya jones #irene baker #kardala #mary sage #space cadet #christopher rembrandt #remy #the adventure zone #the adventure zone commitment #taz: c #that old sweet feeling #tosf #mine

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miss-musings · 7 years ago

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My Top 10 Lizzington Moments

In lieu of my recent appearance on a local TV/movies podcast, where I defended Lizzington, I started mentally preparing a list of reasons why the romantic pairing is legitimate and why the father/daughter reading of Spader and Boone’s characters is wrong.

Granted, this isn’t to say that there can’t and hasn’t been some aspects of their relationship that have felt more like a father/daughter, uncle/niece, teacher/student, mentor/mentee relationship than it does a romantic coupling… but that doesn’t prevent the relationship from evolving into something romantic later on, or from Lizzington being the endgame.

Among the bigger reasons I could think of were:

In-show evidence (which we will get into more in a second), including the original pilot script

Comments from the actors, producers, writers, showrunners, etc.

The types of roles James Spader takes interest in (ie, romantic leads, not fatherly figures)

Parallels to other couples in literature/history/pop culture, including but not limited to: Edmond Dantes/Haydee from The Count of Monte Cristo; Bill/The Bride from Kill Bill; Hannibal/Clarice from The Silence of the Lambs universe; and real-life Whitey Bulger, who had at least one long-term relationship with a woman 16 years his junior

While talking with the two guys on the podcast who had seen the show, they argued that they hadn’t seen any evidence of Red’s romantic love for Liz or the Lizzington endgame possibility, citing their age gap and Red’s paternal type relationship with Liz as their reasoning.

I, in turn, mentioned a few scenes on the show where Red acts less than fatherly, such as when he surrenders himself on bent knee in 1x21, and when he narrates the tango milonga very sexily to Liz in 2x11.

Either they didn’t recall these instances at all, or didn’t see them as being romantic/sexual.

Thus, long after the podcast recording was over, I started mentally forming a list of the Top 10 Lizzington moments on the show that scream romance rather than father/daughter. Like, moments where if my dad or fatherly figures ever acted like that around me, I’d be freaking the fuck out. Or, moments where if I were writing a father/daughter pair (whether biological or honorary), I would completely avoid such moments for the squick factor, etc.

Granted, there are plenty of moments to choose from, but I wanted to pick big, meaningful moments, rather than just things like Red’s casual reference to the G-spot in front of Liz, etc.

And, really, each individual entry on this list doesn’t prove in and of itself that Lizzington will happen, but it’s really more a combination of all these moments PLUS all the ones I didn’t list (along with all the other stuff I mentioned above). One or two squicky moments can be waved off, but all of these, and as iconic and important as they are in the show… yeah, Lizzington is legit.

I tried to pick out single, individual moments, but there are two exceptions on the list. And, I only went up to the end of S4. I haven’t found any really strong Lizzington moments in S5 thus far, mostly because Liz believes Red is her dad.

And, again, these aren’t my favorite Lizzington moments; rather, the ones that I feel like most “prove” or support the idea of a Lizzington endgame/coupling. Once the series is over, I might do a full list of my favorite moments between Red and Liz.

(It wasn’t until after I’d made this list that I remembered the scene in 4x22 where Liz confronts Red about being her dad and he neither confirms nor denies that he is. Instead, he has this look on his face that I’ve seen on the faces of other TV/movie characters when they’ve been “friend-zoned” or, in Red’s case, “father-zoned.” Eh. Whatever. I’m going with the list as I already wrote it.)

But, now, starting at Number 10 and work our way up to Number 1:

#10: The Fulcrum memory extraction scene in 2x10

I put this one pretty low on the list, because it’s mostly the cinematography that implies the lack of personal space and physical closeness between Red and Liz. Like, he never actually does anything untoward or inappropriate to her, but he definitely gets super close to her face, and holding her, and some of the angles on those shots make it look so close between them.

And, granted, I’m not technically including the fall-out of this sequence, but I absolutely love the scene after when Liz accuses Red of only being in her life because he’s using her to find the Fulcrum. Like, all of his attention and affection toward her has been a manipulation, and as he reaches out to give her a reassuring touch, she recoils and spits venom at him. And he looks absolutely devastated. I feel like that scene is one of my favorites in the whole series, but, as far as the entry on this list goes… the closeness between them in that memory extraction… it’s low down on the list, but, it deserves a spot.

#9: Waiting for her outside the courthouse in 3x10

Again, this is also pretty low on the list, because – in and of itself – it doesn’t scream Lizzington. Not the actual action of the scene itself. I can imagine plenty of dads or father figures waiting patiently outside courthouses for their daughters.

But, it wasn’t really WHAT happened in the scene, but HOW it happened. The music, the fact that the had the bus move, and he was there behind it… a notable romantic trope. The fact that he was waiting OUTSIDE. My dad would absolutely be right inside the door, wanting to see me as soon as possible. Granted, other dads are different, but the music and the staging with the bus were strong factors for this scene being where it is. The looks on their faces when they embrace; the fact that they don’t say anything… again, low down, but it deserves a spot.

#8: Red’s explanation of Tom’s betrayal in 2x19

This is another instance where WHAT is happening in the scene isn’t as important as HOW it’s happening. In this instance: HOW Red explains Tom’s betrayal, how he emphasizes that Tom betrayed him because he wanted a life of intimacy and commitment to Liz… and the look that Spader has on his face when he says it. He’s absolutely shattered. It’s something that’s beyond jealousy, I feel like. It’s this sense of complete heartbreak that, not only did Tom achieve something Red now longs for (intimacy with Liz), but that Liz was happy in that life with Tom, even if it was built on a lie. That Red’s loss was Tom and Liz’s gain.

Granted, I don’t think Red was in love with Liz whenever he found out about Tom’s betrayal. He absolutely cared for her and wanted her to be safe. Hence why he felt he had to turn himself in. But, now that Red has met Liz and presumably fallen in love with her, he completely hates Tom for what he did to both Liz and himself; and I think that his obvious devastation over Liz’s discovery that Red initially hired Tom is more because he feels guilty himself, not because Liz now thinks badly of him (again).

This one is low on the list, but I felt like it deserved a spot because I can’t imagine a father or father-figure speaking to his daughter (figure) the way Red does here. I imagine it’d be more like, “Hey, I may have hired your ex-husband, but he was an asshole and betrayed me to save himself and needle his way into your life.” Not the way Spader delivers it… with that emphasis on Tom’s desire to be intimate and committed to Liz.

#7: The dinner date in 1x02

You know, because if I were a dad and I reunited with my long-lost now-adult daughter after years and years, I’d tell her to get dressed up, because I want to take her out to dinner. And then while we’re on said fancy dinner-date, I’ll bring up out of nowhere, and with little to no need, that if anyone asks she’s MY GIRLFRIEND. Squick indeed.

And for those of you who might be saying/thinking, “Yeah, but THEN, he says she can be his daughter.” To which I reply, “THEN WHY EVEN BRING UP THE GIRLFRIEND THING IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!”

When coupled with everything else that happens in that scene: how he whispers, orders her a drink in French (showing off), asks her to profile him, etc., … what father acts like that while on a dinner date with his daughter? Ew.

#6: The May/September reference in 3x05 (and other Blacklisters’ references to Lizzington)

“Some say it’s a daddy/daughter thing; others swear it’s May/September. I prefer to believe it’s a little of both.” –Matias Solomon

This is one of those entries where I’m going to cheat, because while I think Solomon’s quote is the most pro-Lizzington thing a Blacklister has ever said, he’s not the only one to point out Lizzington. From Anslo Garrick to Luther Braxton to Berlin to that lady in the all-woman thief squad to The Director to Madeline Pratt to that annoying FBI agent in S4c to Naomi Hyland.

Liz is Red’s girlfriend, princess, prima ballerina … someone he chose through fate; someone he cares for as much as he care for his wife; someone who blinds him to his passion; someone with whom Red “still has the touch”; someone Red makes feel like she’s the center of the world; someone whose relationship with Red is described as “still the in honeymoon phase”; someone who charmed Liz.

Again, if you’re writing a father/daughter-type relationship: WHY EVEN FUCKING BRING IT UP IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!

If you’re just trying to throw red herrings at the audience, why do it in that way? And, if anyone points back to Solomon’s quote and says that it’s both, I say: EXACTLY. Red can definitely have a mentoring relationship with Liz and be overly protective of her, while also still being in love with her.

#5: “My life, My heart” in 3x19

What dad, upon watching his daughter die, would describe her as “a woman… who was my life, my heart”? The fact that Red is talking to his own imagination, or at least to a complete stranger makes me wonder why the hell he would ever phrase it so vaguely – instead of saying something more straight-forward, like, “My daughter was my life. My heart is broken now that she’s dead.”

Also, if Red is her dad, why does he feel like killing himself? Yes, his daughter died, but he still has Agnes. Tom be damned; if Red’s her grandfather, he deserves an opportunity to be in her life. No, Red feeling like the love of his life is gone makes more sense. As much as he wants to be, he has no right to be in Agnes’ life if that’s the case, and Tom (as Agnes’ dad) has every right to tell Red to leave them alone.

#4: Surrendering on bent knee in 1x21

Even IF Red doesn’t know he’s related to Liz, the writers HAVE to know. What idiot writes a bajillion-dollar network show and says, “Fuck it, idk how these peeps are connected! We’ll make it up as we go along!” No, the writers absolutely know what the connection is between Red and Liz, and if they were related, there’s absolutely no way they would ever write a scene where the man GETS DOWN ON HIS KNEES after a super-moving monologue about what Liz means to him and how a kiss from a woman making nearly dying well worth it.

I don’t care if he’s just surrendering himself to the authorities. There’s less dramatic, less trope-y, less romance-hinting ways to do it. The fact that he does it so slowly, so meaningfully, never breaking eye contact with her… fucking hell, what dad does that to his daughter? Or what writers would have an unwitting dad act like that with his daughter? Either Red’s fucked up or the writers are, if they’re really and truly related.

And, even if it’s just an honorary father/daughter thing, the point still stands. I have plenty of fatherly figures in my life, and if any of them looked at me the way Red looks at Liz, gets done on his knees and surrenders (to the authorities) in front of me, I’d definitely be weirded out. Remember, that IN-SHOW, Liz already has a fatherly figure: Cooper. I know other people have pointed this out before, but these two men act very differently for both supposedly being fatherly figures in Liz’s life. By contrast, Red is much physically closer, more intimate and more “romantic” (but not like overtly) and in a way more chivalrous than Cooper would ever be. Could you imagine Cooper getting down on his knees as Red does? No, and that’s a good thing.

#3: Sexy tango narration in 2x11

This is another instance where, if you substitute Cooper into this scene in Red’s place, it becomes immediately weird. James Spader can pull it off because he’s James Spader. He’s drawn to characters who are erotic and sensual and intelligent and romantic; or, if they’re not already, he makes them so, because that’s how he is.

I think that maybe has blinded people to how weird and inappropriate this scene would feel if it was a father/daughter or father-figure and his protege (like, with Cooper and Liz). Imagine Cooper saying the same things to Liz in this scene; describing the tango in the exact same way, with the same tone of voice. It’s no wonder James Spader gets a pass. We’ve come to expect the weird and sensual from Red (like the G-spot reference in 1x03), even though it wouldn’t be accepted in everyday conversation. That’s just the guy Red is.

Or is it more that it’s how Red is around Liz? Yes, Red is plenty weird and sensual and stuff around Samar and other people on the show, but he seemingly cranks it up to 11 around Liz.

Definitely not something a father or fatherly figure should do.

#2: The Ugly Fish and North Star monologues in 2x09 and 3x02

People on Tumblr have brought up before Red’s parallels to Edmond Dantes from The Count of Monte Cristo; it makes sense: Red, our anti-hero of the story, has certain parallels to the classical Byronic hero, which Dantes falls into. You know who else is a classic Byronic hero? Mr. Rochester from “Jane Eyre.”

“Jane Eyre,” for those of you who’ve never read it or seen an adaptation of it, is about a young governess fresh out of school who eventually falls in love with her moody but intelligent employer, Mr. Rochester. He tells Jane, after she saves him from a fire, that he knew she would do him good one day, that she would revive some goodness in him. Later, he refers to her as regenerating him with a vengeance and that she would be his means/instrument of salvation, and that he believes she would help him to live in a higher and purer way.

Now, who else does that sound like?

I get that people believe their kids are their saving graces, their second chances, their fresh starts, etc. Hell, one of the reasons The Bride leaves Bill in “Kill Bill” is so she can make a fresh start with their child. But, the way Red words these little speeches, the meaning behind them, how he gazes at her with complete adoration, how frequently he tells Liz that he sees his “second chance” and saving grace, etc. … it seems a little overkill for a parent to do. A simple “I wanted to make a fresh start with you” or whatever would be just fine.

The strong parallels between Red and Byronic heroes like Edmond Dantes and Mr. Rochester – both of whom end up with women who are much younger than them… young enough to be their biological daughters – absolutely make me roll my eyes any time people say that Red’s love for Liz is fatherly, and only fatherly.

Plus, with the North Star scene, that song that plays over the scene also doesn’t exactly scream “platonic” or “familial,” now does it?

I really want anyone who believes Red is Liz’s dad to watch any adaptation of Jane Eyre, or at least the scene where she saves him from the fire, and then rewatch one or both of these TBL scenes, and notice the similarities and parallels. Y’all. It’s like ridiculous how romantic these scenes are.

#1: The sexy dream (“What do you really want?”) in 2x03

Because, you know, when I have dreams about my dad or my fatherly figure withholding secrets from me, I imagine him in my hotel room while I’m somewhat scantily dressed and laying on the bed, standing over me and asking in a husky voice, “What do you really want?” This gives us a hint very early in the show that maybe Liz doesn’t see Red as quite so fatherly as some believe. All his little hints and sensual comments… all the lip-staring and meaningful looks between them… Liz’s “I feel possessive of him” and similar comments… all comes to a head here (at least at this point in the show). Already, Liz subconsciously, if nothing else, realizes Red’s love for her is not quite platonic and that he’s a very sensual man who – while he would definitely give his life for hers without a second thought – also sees her as a man sees a woman, not as a friend sees a friend (or honorary father sees an honorary daughter).

Now, I realize that might be unfair, as Liz can’t consciously control her dreams. But the writers can and do. Why write that scene like that? Why stage it in that exact way, with Liz holding onto the headboard of the bed, with Red standing over her? Why have those exact camera movements, with Red coming toward Liz’s bed, and the shot moving down to her legs and then up to her head? Him standing where he was would’ve been just fine, but, no, he comes closer to her while she looks up at him a little bit taken aback.

Also, notice how there’s no wide-shot in that whole sequence with Red standing over Liz’s bed? It’s a panning or moving shot. It’s almost like lingering on this image of Red standing next to Liz’s bed while she’s scantily dressed and asking her what she really wants would be … gasp, sensual! Or I guess even more overtly sensual.

Again, if it’s just the writers trying to throw us off… there are plenty of other ways to do that … there are plenty of other ways to write this scene without any kind of squick factor … if all you wanted was a dream where Liz imagines Red killing Tom to protect his secrets from Liz, then why write it and then SHOOT it as they did? Everything we see and hear on-screen is intentional.

#lizzington #the blacklist #nbc the blacklist #raymond reddington #elizabeth keen #liz keen #masha rostova #harold cooper

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lithium-screams-blog · 7 years ago

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Review Two: Manuyo Akuma

This character belongs to Manuyo-Kun on DeviantArt.

https://manuyo-kun.deviantart.com/journal/Manuyo-s-sheet-710294494

Well, I’m back again with my second review and to be honest, this kid is a Gary-sue.

No, I’m not holding back. Anyway, let’s get started.

Name: Manuyo AKUMA --

Kanji/Katakana/Hiragana: マヌヨ悪魔--

Meaning: Devil displeased

Nickname(s): Manu, Manuyo-san

Wow

Look whatever, Japanese names are whatever. But in this context, it doesn't make much sense for tons of Japanese named characters. Like, doesn't the AoT universe take place on an island that looks strikingly like Madagascar?

Now, if this theory is right, let’s look at the percentage of Asian people in Madagascar.

I’m not saying it’s illegal to make an Asian AoT oc, but it would make them a minority. I’m just saying, it would be more of a rarity.

This is more of a loose cannon since obviously, the AoT world isn’t identical to the real world but I digress.

Also, the meaning of his name is devil displeased?

I mean come on, that’s pretty EXTRA™️. Look whatever, if you're going to use a Japanese name, at least use one that exists and isn't just an edgy google translate thing. Anyway, here’s a link to some Japanese boy names you could use. (ps, They're real!)

https://www.domodaruma.com/blog/most-popular-girls-boys-japanese-names-in-2015

Age: 15 years old

Gender: Male

Species: Human

Blood Type: O+

Birthday: 30 June.

Birthplace: Unknown.

Not too shabby, but one thing. So it says his birthplace is “unknown” but there's an illustration depicting him as a Marleyan.

So frankly, we can assume he was born somewhere in Marley because, well,

that’d make sense, wouldn’t it?

Current Residence: Survey Corps.

Quickly.

SURVEY CORPS ISN'T A RESIDENCE.

IT'S-A BRANCH OF THE MILITARY.

Do you mean HQ? If so whatever, nevermind.

Sexual Orientation: gay.

Wow.

It’s a little weird most of the ocs I see are gay. I’m guilty of the same thing so I don’t care. It’s who he’s shipped with that's a problem.

You’ll see

Oh, you'll see.

Life-Long Dream: see everything beyond the wall.

Goal(s): become a corporal in the survey corps like Levi or Erwin.

Oh hi Armin, I didn’t know you were Asian.

All joking aside, that’s the most frequently seen dream I’ve seen with AoT ocs other than “KILL ALL TITANS.”

Spice things up! I’ll even give you a list of common human goals/dreams.

http://lesswrong.com/lw/mnz/list_of_common_human_goals/

Now, that’s a fine goal in all but FYI, Erwin isn’t a corporal, he's a commander (and dead).

Ok, so his affiliation is as expected. Survey corps ya know? Nothing to dissect…

B U T

Number of Titans Killed: 30

So my rule of thumb is to look at Levi’s stats to see if an oc is overpowered or not. So, shall we?

This kid as one more titan kill than

Well, must I remind you?

HUMANITY’S STRONGEST SOLDIER?

Must i also remind you that this kid is 15?! Almost half the age of Levi? It’d be almost impossible for that count to even be fathomable.

Get ready

Like(s): Sleep, eat, Kenny

Dislike(s): Titans. (?)

He likes Kenny.

Let me repeat.

HE LIKES KENNY.

AND FROM SOME OF HIS ART, IT’S SAFE TO ASSUME THEY ARE SHIPPED.

Now, let me express some facts here:

Ok so you may be screaming:

BUT SPIDER! MANUYO IS OVER 14!

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

As we already know, according to the creator of the oc, both Manuyo and Kenny are gay. So that makes the legal age of consent now 21.

According to my very smart friend, Kenny looks as if he’s in 40s, which I agree with. So that makes their relationship an example of rape (statutory rape). Which is just kind of sort of illegal. Look as mentioned before, the AoT universe isn’t a carbon copy of the real world. But keep in mind, this ship is a 15 year old boy paired with a 40+-year-old man. It’s just not right, ok?

Ok, I’m moving on.

Skin Tone: i dunno how it says but, it's like Eren.

Body Shape/Build: Like Eren.

“Like Eren” is not a valid description, it makes him look like a copy or wannabe Eren. I’m just saying, it’s not the best idea. Here are some better descriptions to use.

Skin tone: Tan

Body build: Skinny, yet muscular

Mental (Any problems? Example: depression): Blocking emotional, split personality, he got second personality's evil, sadistic or crazy, "twisted".

IF THERE'S ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ME IT’S THIS:

MPD FASCINATES ME

So I know exactly what causes it:

Past

Most if not all cases of MPD are caused by horrible childhood events such as rape, abuse, or neglect. So let’s skip ahead and see what his past is like:

Manuyo's mother didn't want him because of his sickness (schizophrenia),

so his mother forced him to carry the star on the brassieres and to have papers, when they see a grade, his parents go to see something and leave him alone

One day they denounced it to be a mahr so they threw it from the wall.

Around 12 years, he chooses to go in the training corps and then go into the Survey Corps or Military Police, he makes some friends like Searlait, Kuklo.

Also, he says to have been in an orphanage to the south of the wall not to awake suspicions.

It’s vague, ey? But it shows that his parents just sent him away. That isn’t as intense of the usual causes of MPD. MPD is literally the brain making a new persona for the person as a coping mechanism. To repress memories. Yeah his backstory does not cut it for “extremely tragic”. Look, either keep the MPD and make his backstory more intense, or just get rid of the MPD. Also, this kid is in the military mind you, they don't usually want mentally ill people fighting for them.

Also the personality itself.

Heres some missing info:

How many are there?

What are their names?

What are their ages?

MPD personalities almost always have a different name and or age from the host. Also, most have more than two personalities. It’s very rare for a person with MPD to only have one other personality.

Now for the personality's personality.

second personality's evil, sadistic or crazy, "twisted".

NOT OK

That is so cliche! All “bad” ocs have an unexplainable “crazy/twisted side”. Look insane ocs are cool if they are fucking explained. This is making me mad for two reasons. One it’s not explained and two it helps boost the stereotype that all MPD sufferers are insane and crazy. Which isn’t true! Not all MPD sufferers have some crazy dark side that commits crimes. Actually, most of them don’t! Anyway, enough with the psychology stuff!

The stats are actually not horrible.

3D Maneuvering Gear:8- he learned to use his 3dmg, he at immediately love having to use his 3dmg.

Intelligence:7 - he read many books.

Martial Arts:8 - he trains with Reiner, Bertholdt and Eren.

Battle Skill: 8-

Agility:7 - he's quick.

Strategy: 3 - he needs teammate for strategy.

Teamwork:5 - he work sometimes alone but also he need help.

Passion:7-

Not too low, not too high. Seems fine to me.

LET'S ALL CLAP FOR THE CREATOR! THEY DID THE STATS OK!

Parent(s): mother deceased

father deceased

Sibling(s): __________

Other Relative(s):

Best Friend(s): Bertholdt.

Friend(s): Eren, Mikasa, Jean, Ymir, Krista, Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, Hanji, Levi , Kenny(?),

Oc friend(s):

Searlait: Mochi-Doll

Reiya: RiaSora27

Kuklo: youroreostruly

Elvina: Elvina-EXE

Ashuri : trash-ley

Dominique: Cupid-Traurigherz

Skyler: Hisamicchi-Oc

Enemy(ies):None.(maybe Titans )

Hero(es):Erwin, Levi.

Rival(s): none.

Alright, so they're friends with literally everyone. I believe that’s all the main characters in the 104th trainees. Being friends with all the canon characters is a Gary-sue trait. Seriously, take it down like 10 notches.

WELL, THAT’S IT!

Thanks for sticking with me through another one of these reviews.

Overall this oc is bad, I’m not gonna lie. There's a lot of work that has to be done here. But hey! With a lot of work, he might just turn out ok!

Anyway, until next time!

-Spider

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