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alwaysmychoices · 3 years ago

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Where I Think the OH Gang Ends Up - HCs

After 3 books of falling in love with these characters, I thought I’d share my HCs for where these characters end up - including some about Charlie and Ethan’s future. Obviously, this varies because I’m a Ethan romancer, so I could make different versions depending on your LI. Included is where they live, their jobs, and their personal lives.

If you have any questions/HCs, feel free to reach out, and I hope you enjoy this!

Location: Boston, MA

Career: Diagnostician Specializing in Pediatrics

After her residency, Sienna worked at Edenbrook for a year before deciding to complete a fellowship in Pediatrics at Edenbrook, where she focused on diagnostics in children, particularly in conditions that are rare or difficult to diagnose.

During her fellowship, this field proved difficult mentally and emotionally, but Sienna’s resilience and strength, coupled with her passion for her patients, made her a leading figure in her field.

She stayed on at Edenbrook, where she bridged the gap between pediatrics and diagnostics.

Personal Life:

When all her friends started leaving Boston after residency, Sienna acted as the “glue” holding them together. She organized Zoom calls, visits, and group vacations. She also gets the best gossip as a result.

She stayed close with the whole group and regularly sees those who remained in Boston.

She still goes to see Danny’s mom for coffee and fresh baked goods.

Sienna met her husband through work. Her patient’s fourth-grade class organized a trip to show their support for their classmate. Andy was their teacher. Six months after they started dating, Sienna knew Andy was the one. She was baking cookies for her next meeting with Danny’s mom, and Andy not only offered to go with her but started helping her bake.

The gang is still very protective of Sienna – so much so that they all rushed to meet Andy to see if they approved. After all, only the best could deserve her.

When Sienna and Andy got married, everyone was so happy for them. But they were probably even happier a few years later when they started their family.

It took some adjustments, but Sienna adapted to her new work and family life balance like a pro – even if it meant she barely slept for those first few years.

Location: Boston, MA

Career: Diagnostician, Co-Head of the Diagnostics Team, Department Head

At the culmination of her residency, Charlie Greene probably could have gone anywhere she wanted, but she wanted to stay with her team. Even as she watched some of her friends go off to start new lives, she felt committed to Edenbrook.

However, it would have been easy for Ethan to stifle her career ambitions purely by taking up too much room and not leaving enough for her to grow. He wanted her to prosper though, so he had to step back when necessary.

Over time, the team dynamic shifted so that they were leading it together, so she deserved the title.

She proved to be an excellent doctor, teammate, researcher, and leader. So, when she was named head of the department many years later, it was an honor well deserved – even if it was one she later started to appreciate less once she realized the amount of paperwork involved.

She’s worked hard for everything she’s achieved, and she’s not done achieving it.

Personal Life:

Charlie married Ethan Ramsey, and after everything they’d been through, saying those vows came with a sigh of relief and joy.

Despite conversations about leaving Boston to be closer to family, they never did. Boston had become home.

They started a family with children, dogs, and a townhouse. They invited Ethan’s dad and Charlie’s parents to holidays, and Charlie’s friends had an open invitation to visit her.

It would be wrong to say that everything was easy, but they were happy.

Location: Boston, MA → Stanford, CA → Boston, MA

Career: Researcher & Attending at a Medical School & its Affiliated Hospital

Elijah went straight into research at Edenbrook after his residency. After a few years of learning from his coworkers and growing as a researcher, he published his research. He received the opportunity to leave Edenbrook and join a research team at Stanford University, and it was too good of an offer to pass up.

Elijah spent the next few years researching at Stanford as an academic, but once their research was published, he decided that pure academia wasn’t the right environment for him.

His impeccable research skills and high recommendations earned him job offers at university-affiliated teaching hospitals where he could do research and engage with patients. He accepted a position in Boston that met his research needs and brought him closer to home.

Elijah’s research contributions went on to help countless patients.

He continued to publish his research and lead several teams, all the way until he was leading his very own lab. By the end of his career, he was a top lecturer at a premier medical school.

Personal Life:

At the end of their residency, Elijah was the least afraid of the distance now separating him from his friends. His familiarity with his technology and his love for the gang meant that he was ready to keep them so digitally connected that they hardly noticed the separation.

Still, he missed them. And he missed Boston when he left, too.

Elijah was never too concerned about finding a partner, so he wouldn’t have minded ending up alone. In fact, for a long time, he thought he would.

Then, he met a fellow researcher, Alicia, at a convention. They bonded over their favorite comic books and their work. Though Alicia lived in Connecticut, they started dating, and within a few years, they were married in Boston. A few years later, they had kids and a shared google calendar blocking out their research days and family time.

Location: Miami, FL

Career: Surgeon

As the star resident, Bryce wasn’t particularly surprised when Edenbrook offered him a full-time position at the culmination of his residency. He fully intended it to take it, too.

But then there was the recruiter from Miami. He entertained the offer primarily for his ego, but something about it struck a nerve. One of his career idols was offering to take him under wing there, and even though Bryce had finished his residency, there was still so much he wanted to learn. He only visited to find out more – not because he intended to accept – but Miami allured him. The familiar heat, sea breeze, and electric energy captivated him.

It was a difficult decision, but ultimately, Bryce packed his bags and moved to Miami (even if he secretly cried about it and facetimed his friends constantly).

There, he prospered and honed his skills as a young surgeon.

When MC (Charlie) visits, it’s clear that Bryce and his mentor have a very similar relationship to that of Ethan and Naveen. So, it isn’t a surprise when Bryce assumes his mentor’s role after his retirement and heads the department – nor is it a surprise when Bryce’s surgical prowess became known outside Miami.

Bryce’s favorite achievement is the Lahela Method, a surgical method he developed, perfected, and popularized.

Personal Life:

Having finished his residency two years after everyone else, he thought he would be ready to leave Boston and his friends, but he wasn’t. They had become his family, and even with their strong bond and efforts to stay close, he missed them.

Leaving for Miami was difficult, but he made friends and kept in touch with the gang.

Bryce was too focused on work to ever start a serious relationship. He preferred casual flings and short romances to long-term relationships.

He’d been in Miami for two years when Kyra came into town for her extended visit. She only planned to stay in his guest room for two weeks, but she ended up staying for a month. He didn’t mind. In fact, he encouraged her to stay. He missed her and liked having her around – so much so that he convinced her to move to Miami.

Kyra was always looking for an adventure, and Miami looked like one. She moved in a few blocks from Bryce, and despite her intentions to soak up Miami, they basically spent all their time together.

He wasn’t sure when he fell in love with her.

But he did. Their friendship turned into a friendship with benefits. Then that got complicated with feelings. Then those feelings became more than feelings. And before either knew it, they were irrevocably in love. Despite never wanting to be tied down, they were tied to each other.

Bryce proposed, but it took them over a year to set a date because they were too busy living their crazy lives. They had so many plans – trips they wanted to take, a house they wanted to buy, and kids they might want to have – but they’re finding their way on their adventure.

Location: Miami, FL

Career: Influencer & Author

Though Kyra enjoyed working at Edenbrook (and really liked making money instead of incurring medical debt), she wouldn’t say that working in hospital administration was her dream.

She became restless, and she traded hospital administration for a series of other jobs.

Kyra started posting more and more on social media, and as she became more comfortable, she started being vulnerable about her health, the scars it left, and how she moved forward. She built a community of people experiencing similar things, and it sparked a passion in her.

Kyra dedicated her time to learning about social media to grow her following and continue sharing resources. A few of her posts went viral, and that was the catalyst to start her career.

After sharing content for a while, Kyra had the opportunity to publish her memoirs – a witty, funny look at her life that was inspiring, hilarious, and beloved by many.

Personal Life:

Kyra didn’t just become restless in her professional life. She also became restless in Boston. She did all the things to do in the city – explored all the crevices and exploited all the excitement. Even though she had been in remission for years, she still craved a full and exciting life.

She started traveling, often to the cities where she had friends who let her crash on their couch.

That’s how she got to Miami.

And how she inadvertently fell in love with Bryce Lahela.

Kyra and Bryce loved their life, and they lived it to the fullest. They took risks. They ate interesting dishes, went to exotic locations, and learned new things. They visited their friends and became the cool aunt and uncle to their families.

Kyra stayed in remission. To celebrate five cancer-free years, she and Bryce got matching buzz-cuts. On the next anniversary, they got matching tattoos.

Location: Washington D.C.

Career: Diagnostician & Activist

Jackie never intended to become an activist for healthcare reform, but once she stumbled into it, she developed a passion for the work after her unfortunate involvement with Panacea Labs. She even moved to D.C. to pursue lobbying.

She kept working as a diagnostician, but as her involvement in healthcare reform increased, she took a lesser load at the hospital so she could start working as an activist professionally. As a healthcare professional herself, she took her experience and used it to inform her activism and her lobbying to encourage Big Pharma reform.

She also worked with nonprofits to help struggling doctors and med students like herself find resources and emphasize ethics.

A woman on a mission, nothing could stop her.

Personal Life:

Though Jackie found her passion in D.C., she didn’t find the love of her life as easily. She was too busy to make anything work. She stumbled in and out of relationships. Her true companion became her dog and her high-rise apartment.

Jackie might not have been able to maintain a romance, but she maintained her friendships. She visited frequently and adored their children.

She liked being in charge, and she liked having things her way. It probably serves her right to have fallen in love with the only woman more stubborn than her.

Sonia was a public service lawyer, and she and Jackie spent their time bickering and adoring each other. They were both career-driven and supported each other’s mission.

Location: New York City, NY

Career: Head of Diagnostics

Aurora spent her time in Boston making peace with her aunt’s legacy, but at the end of Aurora’s residency, she was ready to start her career and make a mark of her own.

In New York, she started working for a diagnostics department, and she earned a spot on the diagnostics team once it was formed. She worked hard. She made a name for herself. She proved that Harper wasn’t the only Dr. Emery to keep an eye on.

Once on the team, she helped elevate it to the point that it rivaled her own hospital, Edenbrook. She often came into contact with her friend, MC (Charlie). The teams even competed on occasion.

Aurora beat MC by becoming the first to head a diagnostics team.

She was an excellent leader and an exemplary physician. The team prospered, and the rivalry with Edenbrook playfully continued.

Personal Life:

For Aurora, career and academic efforts came easily, but interpersonal affairs were treacherous. Still, after finding friends in Boston, she was determined to maintain those friendships and develop new ones in New York.

The friends she made in residency were now her family, and she kept in touch.

In New York, Aurora was slow to make friends, but she did. She formed a close bond with her team and shared an apartment with a team member for a time.

Like her aunt, Aurora went without romantic commitment – until she started research with Dr. Alice Montgomery. Aurora fell head over heels, and despite a few stops and starts, they started a happy, healthy relationship.

Location: Boston, MA → Brazil → Boston, MA

Career: Physical Therapist at Edenbrook

Personal Life

Rafael took the big leap and moved to Brazil. He spent two amazing years living in Brazil, traveling and making unforgettable memories before moving back to Boston.

Once back, he thought about saving up for more travels and spending his young adulthood moving around the globe, but after he got home, he couldn’t bear to leave for that long again. He opted for vacations instead and reinvested in his community.

Leaving his childhood neighborhood didn’t stop him from being an active community member. He volunteered regularly and made friends almost everywhere he went.

Of course, he also went back to his neighborhood to see his family regularly, but he liked having the independence of his own place and his own community.

Once he married and started talking about having children, Raf moved back to his childhood neighborhood so he could raise his child with the same level of community and love he experienced.

When everyone came back into town, they always stopped by his place for good food and an even better friend.

He stayed in touch with everyone, especially during his travels, and his friends had an open invitation to visit.

#open heart #open heart 3 #choices #choices stories you play #ethan ramsey #sienna trinh #bryce lahela #aurora emery #rafael aveiro #Jackie Varma #Elijah greene #pixelberry #Kyra santana #still can't decide if I like this but I made it so here we go

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ficforce · 4 years ago

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Gokai Part 1

Konro x Reader

SFW

The sun was barely up when Konro left the guardhouse, he gave a yawn and rubbed his eyes, despite having always been an early riser he sometimes took a while to get his bearings. Often his body ached first thing, especially his shoulders and neck, he found that taking a patrol around the neighbourhood was a good way to limber up and check on things. Asakusa had been peaceful lately; Benimaru was behaving like a real Captain and the girls were giving him a break from their games. As he headed through the streets Konro greeted a few of the vendors as they set up for breakfast, a few of them telling him to come back soon so they could treat him to something, he stopped to speak with the night watch as they headed for the guardhouse. By this point, the sun had risen just enough into the sky to give the streets a golden hue.

As he headed toward the river a sound caught his attention, it wasn’t something he was used to in this particular area and he vaguely recognised it as the sound of wood hitting wood.

Clack, clack, clack.

He knew that sound, it was oddly nostalgic and his feet led him toward it, the constant clack, clack, clack became louder until he found himself in a small courtyard shared by the houses there. Silently he watched the back of the stranger - he was confident he knew nearly everyone is Asakusa some way or another - as they struck the side of a young tree over and over with a wooden practice sword.

They had poor form, he noted, they were wasting energy and movement in every strike, it was painful to watch and he cleared his throat to announce his presence before he could be tempted to take the stick from them. The other person paused and turned slowly to face him, he had already figured it was a woman by the clothes she was wearing, her expression seemed somewhat annoyed at being disturbed, “Did that tree piss you off?” He had never been one to start on a negative.

“Konro.” The Lieutenant answered as he walked a little closer and gestured to her practice sword, “You’re gripping it too hard, you should also decide whether you want to use a one-handed or two-handed grip.” He had seen her swap a few times, “Personally, I think two-handed would suit you better.”

Her expression softened and she gave a small breathless laugh at his question, she walked a few feet away from the tree and picked up a water bottle she had left there. Now that he could see her a little better, Konro realised her clothing was from the city, it was machine finished and had that synthetic look to it, not something often seen worn by the local Asasukians. “It’s winning,” she replied after getting her breath back, “Who knew swinging this thing around would be so exhausting, every hit makes my teeth rattle in my head.”

She made no secret of looking him up and down, her eyes lingered on the blue stripes on his pants that identified him as a Fire Soldier, the thing that caught her attention though, was the hilt of his sword on his hip - a real sword. Her grip tightened on her practice sword and she felt suddenly self-conscious that he had been watching. “I, uh… I’m Y/N.”

Not too proud to listen to him, Y/N tilted her head curiously, “And why’s that?”

“The way you place the weight in your feet and legs,” Y/N had a few of the basics down but there were things she could do to make it easier, “You would also double your effect with half the effort. If you have strong wrists and arms you might get away with one-handed…” Konro leaned against the tree she had been assaulting, “Also, it’s my biased personal preference.”

“You look like you know what you’re talking about,” Y/N took another drink from her bottle, “So, how bad am I? Out of ten?”

He didn’t even have to think, “Two.”

Y/N let out a peal of laughter at his blunt honesty, he had just massacred her in one word. At the same time though… he didn’t make her feel inadequate or embarrassed, he wasn’t being arrogant - just honest. “As high as that?”

Y/N supposed she had been too eager to start practising, “I’ll try that out, thanks.” She had only changed a few things but she could already tell the difference.

Konro couldn’t help smiling at her and shrugging slightly, “One point for holding it by the right end and the second point for effort.” He asked her to take up her stance again and stepped to her side, “You’re too loose with your upper body and you’re holding on too tight, relax your grip, take a deep breath and hold that posture…” The man watched her follow his advice and then he parroted the stance, “When you swing your sword, use your whole body, move your feet, follow it through…”

They practised together for a few minutes, he corrected her few times, small pointers that she took on board right away, “I know it’s tempting to hit something, it used to drive me mad when I was a kid, striking at thin air, same speed, same angle, same distance. Over and over and over, hours and hours until it was as natural as breathing, even until I couldn’t lift my arms anymore. Air can be as tough as any tree when you’re starting out.”

“Not a problem, if you’re here tomorrow I could show you a few other things.”

— -

Every morning from early spring, Konro would get up at dawn, as he always did, and head toward the river. That time of day allowed him to appreciate Asakusa in the gentle morning light, his beloved home quiet for a few scant hours before it would become rowdy and alive with its colourful inhabitants. The only difference to his walk was his new detour, he met with Y/N in the courtyard. Konro would tease her for her lack of skill but he always encouraged her with advice and pointers, he showed her a practice routine to follow through - only giving her more when she became better at the routine.

Through their playful banter, Konro was able to learn more about her. He discovered that she was from the city and that she had no love for the place she grew up in. She didn’t like the way the Church and big corporations ran everything, she expressed how she felt like a cog in a massive machine, an insignificant piece that worked a broken society. She had friends who were proto-nationalist, they had invited her on a tour around other groups and eventually on a day trip to Asakusa.

If people didn’t rely on it, then maybe they could break further away from the Empire’s influences and think more for themselves.

He had felt some pride when she revealed to him that she had fallen in love with the Town in that single day. That it had snapped her out of the dull, everyday life she had in the city and showed her that there was more to life than following everyone else. Y/N found him easy to talk to, she felt safe enough to share a few of her childhood fantasies - How she had wanted to do Kendo as a child but her parents hadn’t let her. It didn’t suit the plans they had for her life.

They had wanted her to study, get a good job, meet a man, have some kids… She had postponed as much as she could by specialising in studies for energy sources other than Ameratsu.

Asakusa had been a new start for Y/N. She had hoped it would provide a simpler, happier life for her, maybe her skills could be useful to the Town, for the time being, she had taken a job in one of the busier bars. She had left her engineering positions behind in the city, she had faced her parent’s disappointment and broken off the engagement to a man who she had thought she loved but had really settled for. She wasn’t ready to get married for the sake of society’s norms.

“Wrong,” Konro called out as she made a downward slash, it lacked strength and wasn’t anywhere close to a consistent angle, he watched her repeat the action and called her out on it again, she was way off balance. He could see her getting frustrated at herself and shifted his weight to his other foot, “Take up a basic stance. Always, always go back to the basics before you get too absorbed in bad technique.”

He was nowhere near as strict as his teacher had been with him, he wasn’t even close to the ruthless way he trained kid Benimaru out of bad habits.

She couldn’t think of a single person she had ever spoken to saying a bad word about him. Early on she had learned that Sagamiya Konro was well-loved and respected in Asakusa.

“I am!” Y/N snapped back, “I keep going back to the start, I’m doing it over and over! It’s just not doing what I want it to do and telling me to go back to basics isn’t helping me!” She wanted to throw the practice sword to the ground and scream.

It wasn’t the training and it certainly wasn’t Konro that she was frustrated with, she had so many things going on with adjusting to her new job as a generator technician and gaining the trust of the old men who reluctantly hired her, it was hard to concentrate on practice. Her expression was tense, a frown tugging at her lips as she looked over at the man, Konro showed no sign of being upset with her, he was patient as always. He was always kind to her, he often made her laugh and he was a good listener.

When he had flippantly revealed that he was the Fire Force’s Lieutenant her jaw had dropped. He had so many other things he could be doing but every morning, for two hours a day, he came to teach her. It wasn’t just her he had time for, from the little kids in the street that barely reached his knees to the old folk who remembered him as a baby - he had time.

Konro talked her through the move, he guided her with his hands until she was able to do it on her own and stepped back, “Good… I think that’ll do for today.”

“…Take up your first stance.” Konro told her firmly, he got up from where he had been watching her and stood behind her, “We’re gonna get a little cosy, Y/N, don’t take advantage of me.”

Before she could think of a quip or even laugh at his words, Konro’s chest was pressed to her back, his arms followed the line of hers and he covered her hands with his own, “Get rid of that tension, whatever it is annoying you, throw it to the side for now.” Y/N was surprised by how warm he was, even through their clothing she could feel his warmth seeping into her skin, his voice was so close to her ear that she had to resist a shiver rolling up her spine - he smelt so good… “Concentrate, Y/N.” There was a hint of amusement in his tone and she wanted to elbow him in the ribs.

Y/N nodded, she felt calmer as his warmth lingered around her.

— -

Six months had passed since Y/N had moved to Asakusa.

She didn’t regret a single thing, the people there now treated her like she was family, very few people gave her trouble for being an outsider anymore and she embraced their old country ways gladly. The first time she had tried on a yukata she hadn’t wanted to change out of it, it was comfortable and there were so many ways to wear it. She had adopted the styles of the women her age, something easy to move in with Asakusa’s flare for haoris. The food was always good, she had her favourite street stalls and had caused a small fire in her home when trying her hand at cooking, it had been her kid neighbour who had put it out and given her lecture on fire safety. And despite her initial shyness of the public bathhouse, she had learned to love those too. There was nothing like hanging out with a bunch of other naked women in a hot pool gossiping about who was doing what and with who.

She had attended and enjoyed her first festival at the peak of summer, it had been memorable for a few reasons…

Although his uniform made him appear bigger than he was, Y/N wasn’t disappointed to see that he was still quite broad and toned, he had worn a striped, navy blue yukata that matched his eyes. He had looked so masculine and the woman couldn’t help but be reminded again that he smelt so damn good as he kept her close to him on their way through the crowds.

It had been the first time she met Hinata and Hikage, Konro had spoken about the little girls fondly on several occasions and Y/N had been excited to meet them - she hadn’t quite expected their enthusiasm. The twins had bombarded her with questions, they had criticised her outfit choice and harassed her until she had crouched down for them to change her hair to their liking, afterwards they had dragged her around to play every game, try every festival food and every activity going on during the night.

The thing she remembered most, that played in her mind whenever she had time to indulge, was seeing Konro out of uniform for the first time. His usual clothing exaggerated his bulk and was extremely practical. He had materialised out of the crowds of people to rescue her from the twins. It had also been the first time Y/N had seen the Lieutenant with his hair loose, he had looked so handsome with one side of his hair swept up with a simple comb, she had barely restrained herself from running her hands through the silky looking strands.

Y/N vaguely remembered meeting Shinmon Benimaru. It was hard to recall when all she could think about was Konro’s warm, comforting hands on her lower back and Konro’s laughter as he spoke with the Townsfolk. Since then it had been difficult for her to concentrate when he met her in the morning for practice.

Winter snuck in and the days were getting shorter, her breath now misted in the morning air as she swung the wooden sword with relative ease, her fingers would go numb as the temperature remained cold well into the afternoon. It was a particularly chilly morning when Konro shocked her by drawing his sword and offering it to her.

It should have been something that excited her, she should have wanted to make a grab for it without a second thought but Y/N hesitated. It was such a beautiful sword, finely made, everything perfectly polished and balanced - it had been crafted for him and him only.

Y/N knew how he treasured it, she remembered him showing her once before as he taught her about each piece that made the whole sword. He knew the people who had painstakingly created each part and how long the work had taken, he went as far as to teach her how to keep in from tarnishing. He had worked long and hard to first master swordsmanship and then to be able to pay for such a thing. Konro was very proud of it, even though he was a third-generation fire soldier who had been incredibly strong, he had still trained his whole life fro weird the sword he was offering to her.

“You should at least learn how a real one feels in your hand.” He wished he had his camera, the face Y/N was pulling was absolutely priceless and he was humbled by her appreciation of what he held.

“Konro,” her fingers twitched, wanting so badly to take it, but she fisted her hands and looked up at him with a slightly concerned wrinkle between her eyebrows, “I’m terrified I’ll damage it.”

He smiled at her trepidation, “I trust you, Y/N.”

For a moment, the cold air she had breathed in so suddenly became trapped in her lungs, it stung. It felt like an icy hand around her heart and it made it difficult for her to breathe. When she looked up from the sword and into the man’s warm gaze, the feeling melted away. His eyes were so soft as he looked back that she felt his usual warmth seem to seep into everything from her toes to her frozen fingertips, the cold air in her chest evaporated and her heart beat a little faster.

She had never felt like that before.

Sure, it was just a sword. It could be replaced or mended if she damaged it but he dared to offer her something so precious to him and say that he trusted her with it… it was too much for her to handle.

Not even with the man she had once settled on getting engaged to.

Everything before Asakusa had been for convenience, to follow a routine that everyone else was following. Education, a job, marriage, children, getting old comfortably… forcing that routine on her own children.

Never had anyone so sincerely said that they trusted her.

“Konro.” Y/N murmured almost shyly as she reached for the hilt, her fingers curled around it hesitantly and she lifted it from his hold. It had a comfortable weight to it, lighter than she had expected and balanced perfectly. She was a little starstruck to be holding a real sword that belonged to a real swordsman, she felt her breath stutter a little as she felt the subtle wear in the silk braid that wrapped the hilt - worn there by his hands over time…

“Try swinging it, I swear it’s not going to shatter, Y/N, you don’t have to be that careful.” When she continued to stand frozen to the spot, the man stepped up behind her and covered her chilled hands with his, he was always warm because of his ignition abilities and her body absorbed it gladly. He noted that she tensed in his hold and put it down to her anxiousness over handling his sword, “We’ll go with an upward movement to start, then I’ll show you how to do a reverse… swing…” Konro’s words trailed off as he felt her head move, she looked up at him and he angled his head down to better see her expression.

Konro had thought that maybe she had a question or some objection but he hadn’t thought for a second that she would lean up that extra few centimetres and kiss him.

Her lips were soft on his, the touch was almost shy to begin and as she became a little braver he felt her kiss him a little more persistently. Konro didn’t move. He didn’t kiss her back and after a few seconds, he felt Y/N pull away slowly and duck her head to avoid his gaze. Konro carefully stepped away from her, the cold air wrapped around them both as soon as they were apart and he paused for a moment to think about his next words…

“Y/N…” He didn’t want to hurt her, “I’m flattered, really I am, but-”

Y/N wrapped her arms around herself and looked at him with a tense, forced smile, “I’m freezing!” She said a little too loudly, “I better head back inside - I’ll see you around, okay?” The woman fled as quickly as she could, running toward home all the while berated herself for misreading the signals, for humiliating herself like that. The icy chill in the air made it difficult to tell if her tears were from the cold or her narrowly escaped rejection.

#sagamiya konro #reader #fire force #enen no shouboutai #enn enn no shouboutai

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maxismatchccworld · 4 years ago

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Welcome back to our latest - and last! - Deep Dive into the gameplay of The Sims 4 Nifty Knitting Stuff Pack. I’ve really enjoyed sharing the designs and development of this pack with you, and I hope to continue doing these sorts of posts in the future. It’s been a super cool experience, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these! In today’s post I’ll talk about the feature that is core to everything in this pack, Knitting! Once again, I have to remind you that we’re still in active development on the pack and so some things may change between now and the final game. Now, let’s talk about some nifty knits!

READ IT I PROMISE YOU GONNA LIKE IT!

In order to start knitting, you’ll need to purchase a Yarn Basket from the Build/Buy catalog. You probably remember voting on these baskets a while back. This was the winning design, presented to you now in all its colorful glory! Don’t like color? That’s okay, because we included a solid black and white variant.

We have one more knitting basket coming too! Remember this one?

The basket acts as the crafting catalyst(neat term, huh?) similar to the Easel or Woodworking Bench in The Sims 4 base game. But unlike those examples, the Yarn Basket is meant to live in a Sim’s inventory so that they can take their knitting anywhere they want to go. Knitting itself is relatively straightforward: click on the Yarn Basket in your inventory, OR, with the basket in your inventory, click on the chair you want to sit in while knitting (perhaps a rocking chair?) and select the Knit interaction. Your projects are saved to your Sim, so you can pause your progress at any time and resume later, and even juggle multiple projects at once. Starting a project costs a small amount of Simoleons for the cost of yarn, but nothing too outrageous.

(Children can knit too!) As a Sim levels up their knitting skill they’ll have access to new patterns. They’ll start with knitting socks and beanies, but as they grow more skilled they can tackle more challenging projects like sweaters and toys for kids. But if you only want to specialize in one thing - perhaps knitted mailbox cozies? - that's fine too! Just keep knitting anything and everything, and you’ll be level 10 before you know it. Speaking of knitting skill, sometimes your skill is reflected in your knitted work, or rather your lack of skill. Knitting projects can fail, and when they fail they can get weird. But it’s all subjective, and maybe you’ll end up accidentally knitting the cutest derpy companion, or the perfectly itchy sweater. No mistakes, only happy accidents!

(Just own it.) One of the niftiest parts of the knitting skill is unlocking the ability to Teach to Knit, where Sims sit down together and have a knitting pow-wow. We wanted this to feel special, so we got a really sweet animation for it (Thanks Haeju!). Now that you can infect other Sims with the knitting bug, no yarn ball will be safe!

(The knitting needles aren’t finished on the Teach To Knit interaction yet, but trust me it's SUPER CUTE.) So, what can you do with all these knitting projects? Lots of stuff! Not only can knitted objects be listed on Plopsy, but you can also Donate them to charity. If you want to surprise a loved one, try Gifting a knitted object too. If you want to destroy all traces of your knitted failures, you can Frog the object and start again! If it's a particularly nice Sweater that you made, consider Adding it to Wardrobe to make it available in Create-A-Sim to all family members.

(Everyone appreciates a nice gift!) We want Sims to be able to knit something for their whole family. Not only will Sims be able to knit Toddler Onesies, but Baby Onesies as well. So put your little grubworm in a handmade knitted outfit. I’m sure they’d thank us if they could! (And if they didn’t like it I’m sure they’d be polite about it.)

(Here’s a sneak peek at some of the concept art for new clothing for the littlest of Sims!) It also felt like a good idea to add an Aspiration to tie this passion for knitting all together. So if you want to master the fuzzy art of knitting, consider signing your Sim up for the Lord(or Lady) of the Knits Aspiration. With yarn running through your veins, there will be no knitting mountain too hard to conquer! Master the Aspiration and you’ll be rewarded with the Sacred Knitting Knowledge trait. What does it do? Lots of stuff! What does it unlock? Something special! Am I being vague? I am! Come on guys, I can’t share all the secrets quite yet.

As I’ve mentioned previously, we’re trying to get as much cross-pack functionality for knitting as we can. Cats can play with Yarn Baskets and Yarn Balls, there will be new Club rules for Knitting, new class electives at University, and knitting counts for Emotional Control, just to name a few. I’m hoping Knitting feels nice and snug alongside our other gameplay systems. Now let's have a chat with our lead Object Modeler, Beth Mohler! Conor: Can you tell us a little bit about what an Object Modeler does on The Sims 4? Beth: As an object modeler I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to make objects work in The Sims 4. This is actually a very involved process, and somewhat different from the wonderful work our environment team does. We work with designers, concept artists, engineers, animators, vfx artists (basically everyone!) to make sure that Sims can use an object properly in an animation, or that all of our objects will work with each other. Once we understand the design for a new object, we will create a rig, a block model (a very generic version of the object used to help us make more of the same object in the future), and a footprint (tells us where the object can go and how Sims move around it). Once those are tested by animators and other disciplines we can model the final version, create UVs, and add textures. We also hook up and test everything in the game to make sure it all looks good. There is a lot to think about when it comes to making objects because we know players can find so many interesting ways to place and use them in game. That makes it a very fun challenge to make them work with everything else we’ve built before. Conor: What feature are you most excited to work on in Nifty Knitting Stuff? Beth: I’d say I am most excited to work on the rocking chairs! I love that we are bringing them to the game and can’t wait to see them in some cozy living rooms or on porches. Conor: What are some of the challenges you are facing working on this pack? Beth: One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that the knitting itself looks good and is fun to watch! This is a challenge given that it needs to work for everything you can create. Figuring this out takes a lot of iteration between modeling, animation, engineering, design, and art direction so that we come to a conclusion that will work the best given our time and technical constraints. Another interesting “challenge” is the fact that I crochet as a hobby myself! When you are knowledgeable about something (yarn!) in real life, working on it in the game it can sometimes be hard to separate the things you know and may expect in reality from what is possible or best within a video game. I have to make sure to keep a balance and to conceptualize how we can best convert the knitting experience into The Sims 4. As someone who also generally enjoys interior design and architecture, this is actually one of my favorite challenges and one of the things I love about working on objects in The Sims 4. Conor: What is your favorite feature you have ever worked on in The Sims 4? Beth: I think it has to be a tie between the mini fridge or the robotics table in Discover University. That pack was the first time I got to really take an entire feature from start to finish. I’ve been with Maxis for a while, but I’m relatively new to The Sims 4. Both of these objects had some complex features we wanted that required a lot of iteration. I learned a ton about the technical aspects of our game during the process as well. I’ve also worked on a few very cool things between then and now, but those can’t be shared yet ; ) As a fan of The Sims since the very beginning I am so happy to be able to share a little about what I do on a daily basis on The Sims 4 with you! I haven’t been on The Sims 4 for quite as long overall, but some of you may also recognize me from my time on Sims Mobile where I shared some of our workflows on Twitter for making a juice bar. Thanks! Conor: You shared a screenshot of the In-Progress Rocking Chair in our Rocking Chair Deep Dive. Can you share an updated screenshot now that the Rocking Chair is further along? Beth: I would love to! I hope everyone has been enjoying seeing the progress on this object so far! Here it is a little further along. This program allows us to set the rules for the object materials, footprint size and rig it should use, as well as all the color variants and swatch colors you see in the catalog.

Thanks Beth! By the way, Beth is on Twitter @SimGuruBeth, so be sure to Follow her! And thanks to all of you Simmers for following this pack’s development, this has been a really fun project in a very crazy time. A big thank you to my Stuff Pack teammates, and especially SimGuruSarah who edited my inane ramblings and wrangled the miscellaneous bits for these posts. While this concludes my design Deep Dives, we still have more forum posts with development insights on the way! Keep checking the Community Stuff Pack forum and we’ll have more fun stuff to show off in the weeks to come. Until next time, SimGuruConor

Source: The Sims Forum

#s4cc #s4mm #ts4cc #ts4mm #maxis match #thesims4 #S4 news

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the-sympathetic-villain · 4 years ago

Text

You Belong With Me - Chapter 33

AO3 | First | Previous | Next | Masterpost

Description: Much to his surprise, after being released from prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Logan has been appointed as a the prince’s new advisor.

Word Count: 5303

Chapter Warnings: Combat, Restraints, Minor Anger and Angst (Let me know if I need to add anything!)

“Focus.”

“I am trying, Vee.” Logan muttered, rubbing at his wrist as Virgil's tight grip released from his forearm.

“I can tell when your head is somewhere else, L." Virgil chided him softly. He gently massaged his temples in an attempt to prevent the headache he could feel building behind his eyes. “I know you've got a lot on your mind, and I'm not trying to downplay what you’re feeling, but this is still happening. Remus is still free—”

“I know it's important, Virgil.” Logan whispered, glancing down at the ground. He wiped the sweat off his brow as he turned back to Virgil. “I'm focused.”

Virgil hesitated, heart dropping at the detached look in Logan's eyes. He relaxed his posture, feeling guilt twist in his stomach as he watched his friend step forward despondently. “I’m sorry. If I didn’t think this was necessary, I wouldn’t—"

“No. You’re right, Vee. You’re doing me a favor teaching me the skills and I owe you my full attention.” Logan muttered as he bowed his head apologetically. “Let's go again.”

Virgil watched Logan cautiously as he stepped forward. He eyed his fried closely before relenting and giving Logan a quick nod as he dropped into a balanced stance. “Remember, roll your wrist towards my thumb. A person’s grip is only as strong as its weakest point so use that to your advantage.”

Logan took a slow breath and nodded as he raised his hands up into a defensive position. Carefully, he tracked Virgil’s movements as his friend circled around his far side. He flinched instinctively as Virgil lunged for his wrist, heart pounding in his chest as Virgil’s hand curled tightly around his arm. Suddenly focused, Logan twisted his forearm toward himself, breaking Virgil’s grip. With careful precision, he used Virgil’s brief moment of shock to leverage his friend’s own momentum to send him flying forward.

“Damn, L.” Virgil smirked proudly as he stopped himself from stumbling . “It almost seems like you were actually listening when I was lecturing you.”

A tired smile spread across Logan's face as pride fluttered in his chest at Virgil’s praise. “It would appear that I am retaining at least part of your lessons.”

Virgil tipped his head to Logan with an earnest smile. “You learn quickly, L. I can’t take all the credit.”

“Thank you, Vee.” Warmth flooded Logan’s chest at the simple compliment and he felt himself relax slightly. “I’m not sure how effective I would be against an actual enemy, but I'm grateful to know I'm improving.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, L.” Virgil clapped a hand around Logan’s shoulder, jostling him playfully. “Most of the goons who Remus associates with aren’t well-trained. They’re all brawn with not much going on up top.”

Logan chuckled as Virgil squeezed his shoulder as gestured absurdly. Despite his mind's attempts at self-sabotage, he could feel himself easing into Virgil’s familiarity.

Virgil paused, smiling as his friend’s rigid posture eased. “Besides, the point is not for you to actually fight anyone. These tricks I'm showing you are purely self-defense. Your only goal in a fight should be to break loose and get away.”

“Right,” Logan paused thoughtfully, leaning against the wall as he cautiously tilted his head up to meet Virgil’s gaze. He tapped his fingers anxiously on his arm. “Would you ever consider teaching me more?”

“What do you mean?” Virgil tilted his head curiously as he watched Logan dipped his head nervously.

“Basic combat. Beyond simple self-defense, I mean.” Logan lifted his gaze timidly at Virgil. “I know I'm already asking a lot, but I —"

“I'll teach you whatever you’re willing to learn, Logan.” Virgil replied without hesitation. “I don't mind. All you have to do is ask. Okay?”

Logan blinked in surprise and his chest suddenly warmed with gratitude at Virgil’s willingness to guide him. “Thank you.”

“Of course, L.” Virgil smirked. “Though, if you’re serious about learning to fight, we should probably get permission for me to teach you. My place is alright for teaching you how to break someone’s grip, but if I start tossing you around the place, someone will eventually get suspicious.”

Logan smiled faintly as he stepped up to Virgil once more. “Do you think the king would allow you teach me?”

“Almost certainly. The only reason I didn’t ask for these lessons is the process is pretty extensive and time consuming,” Virgil rolled his eyes at the bureaucracy as he leaned back into a balanced stance. “but as long as I'm not teaching you how to assassinate your choice of political figures, I'm sure that Thomas won't mind if I teach you some basic combat.”

Logan's smile faltered as the king’s name now sounded heavy in his mind. He stared absently at the ground for a moment, lost in thought for a moment, before he realized Virgil was waiting for him to speak. His eyes flicked to Virgil, suddenly feeling guilty as his friend seemed concerned about his change in demeanor.

“What is it, L?” Virgil straightened up, abandoning their training as he stepped forward to reassure Logan.

“I just realized—the king must know about what Roman told me—” Logan paused, watching nervously as Virgil’s expression dropped. “He has to kn—”

“I know.” Virgil interrupted shortly.

Logan's heart dropped as Virgil’s shoulders dropped. His stomach twisted with guilt as he resisted the urge to apologize. “I didn’t mean to bring it up—”

“It's okay.” Virgil tipped his head up and Logan couldn’t help, but stare. Despite the kindness Virgil directed towards him, a sense of bitter disappointment hung in the air around Virgil. “I know I'm the only one around for you to bounce your thoughts off and I don’t mind being that for you.

“Still,” Logan smiled weakly. “I know—I know it's hard for you to be here with me, instead of—”

“L, that’s not true—”

“Of course it is, Vee. You’re his best friend, and everything you heard has come through me.” Logan shrugged nonchalantly, smiling in understanding as Virgil glanced up at him guiltily. “I don't want you to misunderstand. I’m endlessly appreciative of what you’ve given up to be here, but I'm certain that you wish that you had at least gotten to talk to Roman before ending up here with me.”

“I'll get my chance to talk to him, Logan. Roman's not going anywhere.” Virgil muttered, rolling his shoulders forward as he leaned back on the wall behind him. “After everything you had to hear about your kin, you deserve your space until you’re ready. I promise my questions can wait.”

“Perhaps,” Logan breathed a quiet sigh as Virgil turned his head up to him. He smiled patiently at Virgil. “ but I am willing to listen if it would benefit you to process your thoughts out loud.”

Virgil shifted his weight uncomfortably, looking out the window. “I don't want to speak ill of them, L. Thomas and Roman have given me so much. I can't repay that gift by doubting them.”

“I haven’t known Roman for as long as you, but I think I've seen enough to know he doesn’t value blind loyalty,” Logan whispered patiently. “and given what I've seen of Thomas’ encouragement of your boldness, I can only assume he is much the same as Roman.”

“I know, but I don't want to make a judgment before I hear their side of the story.” Virgil let loose a disappointed sigh before looking up at Logan seriously. “He knows. I know there’s no way he doesn’t know everything that Roman knows and more, but it’s Thomas, Logan. There has to be an explanation. There just has to be.”

A smile quirked on Logan’s lips as he listened to Virgil earnestly defend the king. His friends’ loyalty was admirable, and Logan could only hope they were founded in truth. Unfortunately, it would seem his doubt of the king’s true intentions was resistant to leave his own mind. “I wish I could share your confidence, Virgil.”

“You've barely even been introduced to the king, L. No one will blame you for being cautious with him,” Virgil let out a long drawn out sigh before looking up at Logan. “especially since I'm sure you haven’t forgotten that Thomas was responsible for your extended stay in the dungeons—”

Logan flushed with guilt as Virgil picked out the thought lingering in the back of his mind he hadn’t dared bring up. Immediately, he dropped his gaze to the ground. “He was only trying to make sure Roman recovered—”

“Roman was well enough to order your release.” Virgil muttered bitterly. “It doesn’t matter how you spin the situation. There’s no getting around the fact that you lost days of your freedom to Thomas’ decision. Days spent with Remus who was tort—”

“He didn't know what was happening to me, Virgil.” Logan whispered quietly, suddenly overwhelmed by the amount of emotion radiating off of Virgil.

Virgil paused, taken aback by Logan's soft response. He took a moment to pull himself back and soften his voice. “Look, I trust Thomas with my life. He has always gone out of his well to treat me well, but it was his responsibility to make sure you were safe in the dungeons. You don't have to make excuses for him.”

Logan smiled faintly, touched by Virgil’s validation of his doubts. He glanced up at his friend appreciatively.

“It makes sense you need a little more convincing to believe that Thomas will pull through for you.” Virgil smiled, stepping forward to rest his hands on Logan’s shoulders.

A sad smile curled on Logan’s lips as he took a deep breath. “I want to believe he's a good person, Virgil.”

“Just give him the chance to prove it to you, Logan.” Virgil whispered. “Listen, let's just get back to your training for now. We don’t have to do this now.”

Logan nodded as he hesitantly stepped out into the open space of the room. He let his arms drop to his side, forcing himself to relax as he tried to shift his attention back to Virgil’s lesson. Much to his dismay, Virgil didn't seem content with his reluctance to leave the topic.

“Seriously, L.” Virgil gestured for him to step out further into the room as he ducked down behind his sofa, kneeling down as he reached underneath. “What's going put this to rest in your head so you can focus?”

Logan bit his lip, trying to keep his voice neutral. “Why is it that my questions keep circling back to whether Roman is a good person, Vee?”

“Because you’re involved with him.” Virgil grunted simply. “You spent a night in his bed and now you’re questioning if that was the right move.”

Logan's heart jumped in his chest at Virgil’s implication and he held his hand up in protest. “Wait, Vee. We didn't—”

“It doesn’t really matter what you did or didn't do, Logan.” Virgil cut him off abruptly with a smirk. “It's obvious enough that you care for him in a different way than you do Patton or myself. Perhaps you even think you love him.”

“I—” Logan swallowed nervously and watched as Virgil’s head appeared over the edge of the cushions, followed shortly by the familiar black case of practice locks. He paused as Virgil’s gaze locked onto him. “Perhaps, there is a shred of truth to your statement.”

Virgil stared at him for a brief moment before turning down to pop open the case. “He's my best friend and you’re the only guy I'm going to give a pass on the lecture about what will happen if you hurt him.”

Logan tipped his head up nervously at the end of Virgil’s statement, surprised by the easy-going smile on Virgil’s face. A subtle wave of relief washed over him at Virgil’s approval.

“I think you’re good for him, and I have to admit I’m hoping you find it in you to forgive him—” Virgil sighed and Logan heard the light sounds of jangling metal as he snapped the box closed. He paused, looking at Logan before he dropping his gaze apologetically as he gently set the case back on the ground. “I’m sorry, L. I shouldn’t try to influence your decision. Whatever you decide, I’m on your side.”

“There are no sides, Virgil." Logan whispered watching Virgil’s hands as he approached. “Roman and I are at a point of mutual understanding.”

“Is that why you haven’t talked to him in two days?” A small smirk twitched at the corner of Virgil’s lips as he shyly tipped his head up at Logan.

Logan stared at shackles in Virgil’s hand as he let out a slow exhale. He rolled his eyes at Virgil. “My reasons for lack of contact with Roman are purely a matter of processing the new information he’s presented to me. I know—” Logan smiled fondly as his gaze drifted to the ground. “I know he cares for me in particular, and I obviously feel strongly about him—” Logan leaned against the wall behind him. “—but this has to about more than his feelings for me.”

“He just needed the chance to really see the damage that the Fair Folk have endured.” Virgil said softly. “He's not the type to abide seeing anyone get hurt.”

“I know, Vee.” Logan whispered with a faint smile.

“You'll at least give him a chance to make things right.” Virgil muttered, fiddling with the metal shackles in his hands as he approached Logan. “Won't you?”

He crossed his arms, staring down at the ground as he considered Virgil’s words. After a long moment, he let out a breath and nodded his head. “I've only known him for a few short weeks, but in that time, I've come to care a lot for him, Virgil. It was never in the cards for me to simply walk out on him.”

Virgil smirked as he tipped his eyes up to Logan. “I'm glad to hear it, L.”

Logan smiled fondly for a moment, before nodding down at the cuffs in Virgil’s hands. “Now, will you tell me why you have those?”

“Don't worry, L. They’re not going on you,” Virgil smirked as he unlatched the metal shackles, allowing Logan to change the subject. “but I definitely shouldn’t be teaching you this, so maybe there is a bright side that you can't accidentally let this slip to princey.”

Logan let his arms drop to his side as he stepped forward cautiously. “What is this skill you intend teach me?”

“I'm going to teach you how to restrain someone,” Virgil whispered. His voice suddenly held an edge as he switched into his training headspace. “but I need you to take this seriously, L. This isn't a skill I take lightly. I'm teaching this because I want you to be able to defend yourself, but if you use this in any other situation, I'll arrest you myself. Got it?”

Logan bit his lip as he nodded back at Virgil. “I wouldn’t hurt an innocent person, Virgil.”

“That's not your call to make, Logan.” Virgil stared at him without blinking. “You don't get to play judge and jury on someone else’s life. You either believe you’re in danger or you don't.”

Logan blinked, thinking for a moment before giving another solemn nod. “You are only teaching me to restrain someone. Correct?”

“Yes, but things go wrong.” Virgil eyes darkened. “You need to be observant and pay attention to everything, because if you don't have control of the situation, someone could get hurt. You could get hurt.”

“I understand—”

“No, you don't.” Virgil scolded him gently. “If you miss that your enemy has a knife, you could die.”

“I—”

“If you miss that they have a spare key on their person, you could die.”

“Virgil—"

“Which is why you can never do this if Remus is the one holding you.” Virgil finished sharply. He stared down at Logan, waiting for a response.

Logan looked up at him with a tired look in his eyes. “Because I wouldn’t be in control?”

“Remus has been training for combat as long as Roman. He's at least as competent as I am, L. You can’t surprise him. You'll only end up getting hurt,” Virgil dropped his gaze, continuing his lecture as he stepped away from Logan toward his desk. “but Remus has a number of people under his control for which this would be an effective defense. Not to mention, if that bastard in the dungeons ever gets free, this would especially useful for dealing with him.”

“Why?” Logan watched Virgil closely as he set the key aside on the desk and stepped back to Logan.

“Almost every set of shackles you’ll find in this area is going to be made primarily of iron, which negates fae's abilities. No doubt that's why your powers never triggered while Remus held you,” Virgil held out his hand, gesturing for Logan to give reach his hand out to him. “and that's also why Thomas has that bastard in the dungeons chained on every limb. He doesn’t have access to his power and that makes him nearly harmless.

“Dee.” Logan tensed at the memory of how Dee had been treated in the dungeons. The memory sent disgust creeping down his spine as considered how his own treatment had differed when he'd been considered human.

“What?”

“His name is Dee.” Logan muttered as he reluctantly extended his hand out to Virgil.

“Listen, L. I get you’re feeling guilty for where this guy ended up, but you can't blame me for not warming up to the guy that kidnapped and hurt three of my friends. Good intentions don’t change that fact.”

“I don’t think he's a bad person, Virgil.” Logan whispered quietly.

“Good people don’t hurt people—”

“Did you not just spend a considerable amount of time convincing me that I should forgive Roman?” Logan stared up at Virgil, ignoring the edge that crept into his tone.

“Roman never intended to hurt anyone—”

“And yet, arguably, his actions hurt more people.”

There was a small pause before Virgil rolled his eyes and gently took Logan's wrist into his hand. He took a breath and seemed to calm as he met Logan’s gaze. “First things first, L. Patience is key. Your greatest advantage is the element of surprise. No one expects you to fight, so unless you’re worried about getting hurt immediately, you should take your time to plan your escape since you might not get a second chance.”

Logan nodded solemnly, skin prickling with anticipation as Virgil’s fingers curled around his wrist.

“Before you ever attempt to escape, you should know the location of any keys to your binds.” Virgil spoke quietly as he watched to make sure Logan was listening. “Always assume there is a spare. No one really thinks about it, but it's rare for there to be only one key.”

Logan nodded, watching Virgil stiffly.

“Don’t act if you’re outnumbered and make sure you know where you’re escaping. It doesn't do a lot of good to get away, if you end up dying of exposure.” Virgil waited for Logan to nod his affirmation before turning his eyes down to Logan’s wrist in his hand. “The wrist is a weak point in the body. The range of motion of the joint makes it particularly easy to break, which means our body will react instinctively to protect it with only the slightest application of pressure.”

Logan gasped as Virgil twisted his wrist around his back. He stumbled but quickly righted himself. He froze, suddenly aware of how each movement seemed to cause the pressure on his wrist to increase.

“Once you’re in control, you need to leverage your opponent’s weak points.” Virgil whispered patiently. “You’re not particularly strong—”

“Thanks for the observat—” Logan’s voice was reduced to a wispy breath as Virgil twisted his wrist up further.

“—but you don't need to be stronger when you only need the slightest movements to maintain control.” Virgil raised his leg and brought it down gently on the back of Logan’s knee. Logan’s legs immediately buckled underneath him and he grumbled his discontent as he found himself kneeling in front of Virgil. His friend put a hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him forward. “On the ground, L.”

“I think you've proven your point—” Logan’s statement turned to a groan as Virgil pushed his wrist further up his back.

“Now.” Virgil commanded gently.

Virgil chuckled as Logan let out a dramatic sigh and allowed Virgil to lower him to the ground. Logan groaned as Virgil shifted his shin onto Logan’s back, pinning Logan to the ground. He felt Virgil reach for his other wrist, curling it around his back. Logan let his face rest on the ground, growling as he realized Virgil had pinned him to the ground with his hands between his back in only a few short movements.

“Any system has it's weak points where it bends, L. I know it feels hopeless right now, but we can make some real change for the Fair Folk,” Virgil stated plainly. “but we can't do that if we give up on our allies.”

“I haven’t given up on Roman, Virgil.” Logan muttered bitterly into the ground.

“I'm not talking about Roman, L.” Virgil whispered as he released Logan’s wrists and allowed him to roll onto his back. He waited patiently for Logan to right himself before offering him a hand up. “The Fair Folk need a voice in the changes that need to happen, and despite my reservations about this guy, he at least has the support of fae courts which would be a good place to start negotiations."

“What do you mean?” Logan asked curiously as Virgil pulled him to his feet.

“The courts of the Fair Folk are not like ours. There’s no trial. The court simply makes a decision and issues a punishment. Their decisions are swift and indisputable.” Virgil shrugged nonchalantly as he brushed the dirt off of Logan’s back. “Quite honestly, I was surprised when the fae hadn't plucked him from his cell that first night. The fact that he survived the night means one thing. He must have the support either the Seelie or Unseelie courts. If he didn't, he’d be dead for risking war with the human kingdom.”

“I think he has support of both courts.”

“What?!”

Logan looked up abruptly at Virgil’s sudden change in tone. He blinked, suddenly concerned by the distraught look on Virgil’s face as he leaned away. “He said that my existence had united the Seelie and Unseelie courts into action—”

“Are you sure that’s what he said?” Virgil let out a long sigh, closing his eyes as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“That is what Dee claimed but I don’t understand, Virgil.” Logan stepped forward. “What does that even mean?”

“Hopefully, it means he's a lying piece of—” Virgil snarled. Nervousness seemed to be creeping into his voice until Logan cut him off with a hand on his shoulder.

“Vee—"

“L, if that's true—” Virgil tugged on the end of his hair anxiously. “—this just got a lot more serious. I'd heard rumors, but Rem—I would have thought he'd have told me.”

“Virgil, please.”

Virgil looked up in surprise as Logan took a step closer, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“Please, tell me why this is relevant to what is happening.” Logan held his friend’s shoulder tightly. “What are the Seelie and Unseelie courts?”

Virgil hesitated briefly before forcing his shoulders to relax as he turned his head to Logan. “They’re the groups of Fair Folk that govern the others, L. Like our monarchy, but they have two families that rule over the rest of the fae. The Seelie court governs what we would think of as light fae. Sunshine, flowers, unicorns—anything you’d consider light and good is governed by the Seelie—”

“Unicorns aren’t real—” Logan’s plain statement was abruptly stopped as Virgil glared at him.

“I was embellishing, Logan.”

Logan smiled shyly as he recognized his missed social cue. “Your exaggeration is noted. Please, continue your explanation.”

Virgil stared at him for a moment before sighing and continuing. “The Unseelie court is the opposite. They are everything that's dark in this world. They govern the shadows, the fog and everything in between that goes bump in the night."

“That distinction seems entirely arbitrary. ” Logan started cautiously. “Why are they even separate?”

“For balance, L. They both have immeasurable power, but the power is never absolute.” Virgil tossed the shackles to Logan as he stepped back, pausing as Logan fumbled to catch them. “Each court has different values that play on their own strengths and keep the other side in check.”

“Fascinating.” Logan murmured as he looked down. “So, the fact that they've united is—”

“—is very bad for us.” Virgil finished sharply before gesturing to the shackles in Logan’s hands. “Alright, enough talking. We can't do anything about that now. It’s your turn to take me down.”

“What?” Logan paused uncertainly. “What do I do?”

“Exactly what I did to you, L.” Virgil held out his wrist encouragingly as he smirked at Logan. “Go through the motions slowly the first time. The last thing we need is to have to explain to princey how you broke my wrist.”

“Okay.” Logan murmured quietly as he took Virgil’s wrist.

“It's fine, L. I was joking.” Virgil reassured him. “You won't actually hurt me.”

Logan nodded stiffly as he adjusted his grip on Virgil’s wrist. Slowly, he twisted Virgil’s hand behind back, grateful that Virgil willingly flowed with the motion.

“Good, L. Take a breath.” Virgil mumbled quiet. “Keep your grip tight on my wrist. If I were to struggle, you press up on—”

“Sorry—” Logan whispered breathlessly as Virgil gasped. He immediately released the pressure.

“Don't let go.” Virgil commanded gently. He smiled as Logan continued to hold him gently. “It didn’t hurt. You just surprised me. You did good. It’s actually important for you to get used to what kind of force you can use without actually hurting me.”

Logan nodded and was quiet for a moment as he stared at Virgil’s back nervously. He could almost feel his hands shaking with guilt at causing his friend pain.

“L?”

“Yes, Virgil?” Logan looked up out of his daze.

“Next step is to get me to the ground.”

“Okay.” Logan shifted his stance carefully, looking down at Virgil’s legs.

“Just tap the back of my knee.” Virgil spoke gently. “You don't need much force to knock me to the ground.”

Logan nodded, kicking his foot up to Virgil’s knee to push him to the ground. He slowly kneeled behind Virgil as he dropped to his knees. Focused, Logan reached his free hand to Virgil’s shoulder as he kept pressure on Virgil’s wrist.

“That’s it, L. The most important thing is to keep control of the situation.” Virgil smiled as Logan’s movements became more confident. “Alright, get me on the ground and make sure I’m secure then you can cuff the first hand.”

“What?” Logan’s voice cracked as he looked down at Virgil.

“Relax, Logan. We have the key.” Virgil rushed to reassure him. He leaned his head to the side, catching a glance at Logan. “I didn't cuff you because I know it freaks you out, but you need the practice.”

“Right,” Logan’s gaze drifted down to Virgil’s wrist which was now a bright red from the increased blood flow. He felt a twinge of guilt as he lowered Virgil to the ground. He let out a long breath as he rested a knee on Virgil’s back and reached for the cuffs. “It’s just practice.”

“This is the most difficult part, Logan.” Virgil smiled reassuringly as he tried to watch Logan out of the corner of his eye. “You’re going to be distracted by getting the cuff on, but if you lose your grip now, the game's over. This isn’t the kind of trick you can pull twice.”

Logan nodded, grateful as the cuff snapped into place. He quickly reached for Virgil’s other wrist. With a quick twist, the hand was behind his friend’s back and he's snapped the other bind into place. A sudden calm swept over him as he realized he'd finished.

“Not so bad, right?” Virgil smirked up at him, head tipped to the side as he lay prone on the ground.

“No,” Logan smiled back as he stepped off Virgil. “Not nearly as difficult as I was anticipating.”

“Grab the key and we'll go again.” Virgil muttered as he pushed himself upright. He watched quietly as Logan slipped the key off the table and came back towards him. As Logan dropped behind him, he leaned forward, giving his friend a better angle to disengage his binds.

“Just to be sure, you would have informed me if I'd caused you injury. Right, Virgil?” Logan asked timidly.

“Of course. I'm not much good to anyone if I let you snap my wrist.” Virgil grinned as Logan snapped off the second cuff. He quickly popped himself off the ground. “Alright, let’s go again. This time, no pauses.”

Logan smiled at Virgil’s relaxed demeanor, glad to see that the restraints didn’t seem to cause the same emotional reaction that it would have for himself. His smile slowly turned to a smirk as he noticed the challenge in Virgil’s eyes. He couldn’t help but chuckle at his friend’s excitement and muster his best challenging smirk. “If you insist, Virgil. I would be happy to put you in your proper place.”

“Bring it on, L. You might find the process to be a little more challenging once I give you a bit of resistance.” Virgil pushed up the sleeves on his cloak as his eyes glimmered chaotically.

Logan turned the last corner silently. Never in his wildest daydreams did he think he would willingly return to the dungeons at night, let alone come back alone.

“I guess we'll soon see.” Logan chuckled as he took the shackles back from Virgil. He turned to face Virgil, crouching as he prepared to start again.

---

Slipping past Virgil had been easy. Even with his limited control on his powers, becoming undetectable was almost as natural as breathing. He moved as quietly as the wind dancing between shadows as he evaded the roaming guards.

Even nature seemed on his side as the waning moon was a thin crescent in the sky. The darkness of the near moonless night only made it easier for him to avoid the gaze of the few straggling bystanders he’d passed.

Logan sucked in a breath, hesitating in the last archway. It wasn't too late to turn around. He could still return to the relative safety of Virgil’s chamber. None of this was strictly necessary. He wouldn’t die from not knowing.

The problem was the question had been eating at him all of his life and he finally had the opportunity to get a real answer. He needed to know what had happened to his mother and there was only one person who had offered to settle the question in his mind.

“What are you waiting for, Logan?”

Dee's smooth voice sent chills up his spine. Logan tilted his head to the entrance, hesitating guiltily as he weighed his options. Logan knew he should go back. Nothing good could come from entering the dungeons alone with Dee, but he couldn’t force himself to walk away. Shame brimmed in his eyes as he turned, hesitating reluctantly following Dee’s voice into the dimly lit cell.

General Taglist:

@somehow-i-got-an-account @justanotherhumanstuff @im-an-anxious-wreck

You Belong With Me Taglist:

@cas-is-a-hunter @insert-cool-blogname @ironwoman359 @i-know-im-smart @imbadatnames8d @croftersphoenix @optimistic-violinist @chronicallynervouschild @croftersjam15 @actitus-hypoleucos @unbefuckinglieveable @justthatamount @eeveeeclair246 @taxicabinmemphis @theoddkidnextdoor @dwbh888

#sanders sides #sanders sides fic #sanders sides fanfiction #sanders sides fanfic #ts logan #ts virgil #ts janus #ts deceit #You Belong With Me #villain writes

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sanders-sides-fic · 4 years ago

Text

There are no nice deathworlders! (Right?) [Chapter 4]

AU materpost: here

The next two days were extremely frustrating. Still no sign of Janus and the creathen was either too proud or too dense to realize that Virgil was helping him. Every other movement caused him to jump or flinch and he didn’t eat anything unless prompted to do so multiple times. Well, at least the healing process came along nicely from what Virgil could see.

It was their third evening together, when he finally spoke up. “Hey, dark-and-ominous over there? Uhm… Do you… speak common by any chance?”, he asked in a wavering, insecure tone.

Virgil only looked at him silently. The answer was obviously yes, since Janus had made quite an effort in teaching him and he hadn’t had a choice but to become better afterwards. But he didn’t really know if he wanted to talk to the creath who obviously didn’t like him. And even if he wanted to, he was absolutely sure that he couldn’t talk when the creath looked at him that expectantly. It got easier once he said the first few words, spoke up for the first time. And then it got easier and easier until he would only fall silent when he got scared. But right now? When he never talked to the other creature at all and he also looked at Virgil so hopeful? No way. In other words: Let the awkward silence begin!

After a few eternal moments, the creath finally let out a sigh. “Oh, great!” He let his head fall against the stone wall of their little cave in frustration. But he still continued to speak, obviously trying to convey the meaning of his words with the tone of voice he used as well as some clumsy gestures with his bound-up claws. “Look, I need to go. What ever you are playing at, there are people who need me right now. Come on, surely you have someone dear to you as well?”

Janus. Virgil’s head came up with the name and the memory of a tired but smug smile right away. ‘How do you like your weapons now, huh?!’, echoed through his mind.

“Or not. You are a deathworlder, after all…”, the creath sighed before Virgil could react to what the creath had said. He rolled his eyes. Of cause the creath thought so. Just a dumb, violent deathworlder, right? God, and he used to think that humans had a lot of prejudges. Apparently that was something every living being had in common.

Great. And now he imagined a plant judging him when he walked past. Not an image he had needed or wanted to have in his head. Maybe nor being around any humans for so long had fucked him up more than he had realized, and made his social anxiety apply to even more situations. Looked as though he would never be able to talk to this alien over there. With a frustrated huff, he decided to leave again and look for either Janus or that creath’s crew mates. Not that the creath deserved a favor from him, but the other aliens hadn’t done anything to Virgil, yet at least, so he didn’t see a reason to leave them to die.

Both of them were unaware that this conversation took place not so far away from one of said crew mates. The lanky alien had hidden in a cave close enough to see from their own. But neither of the parties had noticed that the other cave was occupied.

Logan was sitting with his head turned away from the entrance, hidden behind a crease. The sun was so much brighter than on his own planet and his protective gear had been damaged quite some bit. At least his glasses were still in tact. Patton would have been quite upset if they would have been damaged, after the little one had gone through all the trouble just to make sure the sun-ray-canceling device matched the light-amplifier he himself used on occasion.

Logan let out a sigh, observing the scale he had found. Unmistakably Roman’s. He had to have landed somewhere around here, as Logan had found the scale rather quickly after the crash. No sign of Patton as of yet, but he hoped to find him with Roman. He knew the chances were slim and also he knew the chances of both of them living was even slimmer, but since Roman’s scale hadn’t lost its vibrant hue, it had to have come loose while the creathen was still alive. Now all he had to do was to hope that that hadn’t changed yet and that he would find his friend soon.

Logan was trapped here until the sun was hidden on this side of the planet, though. Unfortunately. But, a set-back was not a loss yet. He refused to give up hope as long as the chances were not annihilated completely. It would seem, living with Patton had influenced him after all.

And then, suddenly, he heard something. It sounded like steps at the mouth of the cave. A few sounds - Logan would have presumed a language unknown to him, had he not known that he knew every language in this galactic quadrant - echoed through his hiding space. Whatever was there was a predator, Logan knew that much. You could just tell by the cautious, stealthy movements. Especially Logan, who belonged to a species known for their intellect far and wide.

And then Logan was able to catch a glimpse of a reflection on the wet, metal-like wall of this cave. The reflection of a being he wouldn’t have thought to ever come across, especially not in this galactic quadrant. No wonder he had not been able to understand their sounds, it had been a language after all. A deathworlder language. He prayed that the creature wouldn’t advance further into the cave as he pressed against the wall more firmly, cursing his fluorescent skin in his head. What this would mean for finding his friends, well, he would think about that later. Much later. For now, he only hoped not to be seen.

What even was a human doing here?! Them being here changed everything. He could only pray to the stars that they hadn’t yet come across Roman or Patton. And since Roman had to be around here somewhere, he knew he had to find his friend quickly. Otherwise there was no telling what would happen to the creathen.

Logan shuddered.

Something did strike him odd, though. The human didn’t seem to be looking for refuge, but for something else. Someone, perhaps? Not in a predatory kind of way, if he wasn’t mistaken. But what else could a deathworlder search anyone for? Logan’s observatory skills must have been worse than he thought. Dulled down by his lack of nutrition and sleep, he presumed.

He shook his head. Of cause it was predatory. How stupid of him. He continued to observe their reflection until they turned around and left. They appeared to have overlooked Logan’s little crease. And Logan, for once, could not believe his luck. Maybe Roman was right, maybe praying to the stars did something after all. But then he scoffed. Of cause not. The very thought surely only crossed his mind because he was a hybrid. A purebred would never have considered such nonsense.

Virgil was still unaware of the alien in the cave when he left. It had become a habit to check every cave close to his own in the morning, looking for signs of Janus having taken refuge from the weather there, or better yet: Janus himself. Of cause Virgil never found anything at all. Today was no exception. And though Virgil felt somewhat resigned, he hadn’t really expected anything else.

With a sigh he decided to go south this time. Or, what he believed to be south. Based on the was the sun worked. But then again, north and south had been something because of the magnetic field around earth, right? Who knew if those directions even worked like that on this planet. If there was one thing Virgil had learned from this entire disaster, it was that earth was a terrible gauge throughout the galaxy.

He was still in the milky-way, right? Was it physically possible to have left that galaxy? Before this ordeal, he would have denied the possibility, but after everything that had happened, who really knew?

He shook his head. Probably should stop thinking. Thinking was a terrible idea when he was alone. His thoughts would only drift too far. So he decided to pay attention to the scenery around him. He would have to walk only a little further until he would reach the beach. That was where he had left off yesterday. By now Virgil knew that Janus wasn’t in the forrest or anywhere in the cave system or close to the river. There was no one by the waterfalls or any of the meadows he’d come across so far. That left the mountains that lay presumably in the east and the beach. And the rest of the planet beyond this island, of cause.

Virgil stoped, his worn out shoes covered in sand. What was he even doing here? There was no way he would be capable of searching an entire planet, even if it was a small one. And he wasn’t even sure that Janus was here! The universe was so huge and a human was so small, there was no way he’d be able to find anyone alone! Thousands of stars shone every night on the sky, and every single one of them was surrounded by multiple planets and Janus could be basically everywhere. And Virgil hadn’t even found any of the creath’s crew mates, and he knew they had to be here!

He would never find Janus again.

That realization hit hard, harder even than he thought, hear enough to bring the human boy to his knees. Because what did he have left then? Virgil didn’t know where he was, couldn’t find his way back home. His only friend was long gone and everyone else in the entire universe seemed to hate his entire species.

The first tears started to hit the floor and his shoulders shook violently.

He was lost and alone. Maybe it would just be for the best to let the guards find him. Or just stay here, until a storm killed him. At least here were no intelligent life forms that would hunt him down. Here he would be able to just die in peace. That was better than any other planet, at least.

Okay, maybe he didn’t mean that. But still, his future was looking pretty bleak right now. And he really didn’t know what do to anymore. It was paralyzing to him, this feeling of uncertainty and powerlessness. It was devastating and it hurt and he wanted to just give up at this point.

After a long while of just sitting there and crying, he stood back up. This planet, he decided. He would finish searching this planet and after that he would stop. After this planet, it would be enough secretly sneaking around markets and searching for gossip about himself and his companion. Enough putting himself in danger for the slightest chance of finding Janus. Enough getting his hopes up. Enough shattered dreams of reuniting. If he wouldn’t find Janus on this last planet, he would let go.

Drying his eyes with his sleeve, he finally looked up - and jumped back when he found a sylemn starring back at him. The big, green frog eyes were definitely fixated on him. How long… How long had that alien been there? Were they going to attack him? No, not likely. The sylemn species was known for their peaceful, trusting nature. And Virgil had carelessly offered the perfect opportunity to strike, too. No, probably not.

And then Virgil noticed the way they were standing there. Looked as though their wing was missing a piece and one of their legs didn’t look so good either. He winced in sympathy as he realized that that had probably happened during their crash. And they seemed to be just as alone as the creath…

The creath! Remus’ other half. Of cause, they must have been from the same ship, so they must know each other. It would probably help both of them to know each other safe. Especially since the creath had started talking about them this morning! But would the sylemn be able to reach the cave like that? Probably not. No, actually Virgil was more than sure that they would not.

Alright, then. How to convince them that he wouldn’t hurt them but bring them to their friend instead? And with no words no less?

Fuck!

He sighed. Alright, at least sylemns were supposed to be trusting. So maybe, just maybe he would be able to lure them to come with him?

Okay, so now Virgil sounded like some creepy kidnaper, even to himself. Yeah, no, he would probably fail. But it was worth a try nonetheless. So he let out a deep breath and made a single, slow, hopefully nonthreatening steep towards the other. The sylemn flinched, but stayed still other than that. So far so good.

Virgil decided that it would probably be best to keep his hands where the other could see them but also in a way that the sylemn wouldn’t think he would raise them for an attack. So he slowly raised his hands and put them behind his head, the way you would do back on earth when getting arrested. A kind of nostalgic position, really. Only that this time there was no gun pointed at him. Instead, he kind of was the gun in this scenario.

It looked as though raising his hands had been the right call. At least the sylemn had relaxed a bit and was now watching in careful confusion. Confusion was good. Or, well, it was better than fear or anger at least. Virgil took another deep breath, hoping that that wasn’t something predatory in some alien-culture. Alright.

Virgil then lowered himself to his knees again. Don’t loom over the small sylemn, look less threatening and then approach slowly. Each movement was slow enough that the sylemn would be able to react and enough to make sure when he should back off again. But the sylemn only continued looking at him as though he was an enigma. Then again, a human not attacking probably was an enigma to the alien.

It took him over a minute to cross the small path between them, but when he had, Virgil realized… He had no idea what to do now. Well, great… Now what? He sighed. Maybe…

Maybe this could work?

taglist :)

@the-ultimate-a @bunny222 @elvis-has-been-dug @what-is-love-babey-dont-hurt-me @demonically-posessed-gnome

#humans are deathworlders #deathworlder #sanders sides #sanders sides au #deathworlder au #fanfiction #sanders sides fic

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peachfaeryy · 3 years ago

Text

Hi 🌙

It's my birthday right now. I'm 26 now.

1. What is my fondest childhood memory?

My fondest childhood memories definitely consist of the lovely people who I grew up with and derived my sense of humor/silliness from: my cousins Anna & Emily, Savannah -- my childhood best friend, and Kaleb, my eternal crush. These memories consist of them in elementary school, camp, and my grandma's house in San Antonio.

2. What is my favorite comfort food?

Probably nachos/chips/chips & queso.

3. What’s my favorite way to exercise?

Uh...DANCE.

4. Am I a morning person or a night owl?

I lean more towards night owl but I try to avoid both.

5. If I could have any superpower, what would it be?

The currency of youth.

6. Do I prefer cooking, baking, or neither?

I love both cooking and baking :) I find both extremely rewarding and cathartic.

7. Am I an introvert or an extrovert?

Ambivert strongly introvert-leaning.

8. What superhero do I find most relatable?

None, I detest all superheroes.

9. What is my favorite season of the year — and what do I love most about it?

Winter because it provides me with the most amount of physical comfort. I love sleeping in a very cold room, opening my windows with no AC on. Sitting in my car listening to music/eating with engine off. Less humidity. Food is tastier. Style is better.

10. Do I believe in the existence of angels?

Not particularly? Well, yes but I believe they have absolutely no role or effect on our world.

11. What are my favorite TV series?

American Crime Story (OJ & Versace), Fleabag, Atlanta...90 Day Fiance, Game of Thrones

12. What was the last movie I watched (or the last movie I enjoyed)?

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (let's gooOoo)

13. Am I a tidy person or a messy one?

I used to be very messy but not I'd consider myself pretty tidy. My nature is messy though.

14. Am I afraid of the dark?

Nah.

15. Am I more of a coffee person or a tea person?

Mostly coffee.

16. What talents do I possess that I’m proud of?

I don't have any natural-born talents but I suppose my ability to teach myself a new skill over time.

17. Do (or did) I like school?

I loved school and literally work at a school.

18. Did I go to the prom?

Unfortunately, yes.

19. What is my idea of a perfect date?

Definitely grabbing pizza at a nice restaurant.

20. Do I enjoy DIY or crafts?

Not at all, sounds awful, lol.

21. Do I forgive others easily?

Yes. But not so much anymore now that I'm older and more experienced. My instinct/nature is very forgiving.

22. Do I have a nickname — or did I ever have one?

None.

23. Do I have any phobias?

I'm scared of most anything anything everything...I'd say my daily fear is mistaking my razor for my toothbrush in the shower.

24. Have I ever met one of my heroes? If yes, who was it, and how did it go?

No?

25. Do I speak any other languages?

No, but I told myself I would learn Spanish before I die.

26. Have I ever traveled outside my native country?

Yes! I have been the Mexico and Ireland.

27. If money were no object, what would I want for my next birthday?

Maybe a trip to South Korea/Germany/Rhode Island

28. Have I ever been addicted to something?

Yes. But as far as substances? I'm addicted to Nsaid.

29. When I was a kid, what did I want to be when I grew up?

I wanted to be a wildlife photographer when I was a kid-kid.

30. Have I ever won something?

$75 with scratch offs

31. Have I ever narrowly escaped death (or serious injury)?

I'd say so, yes.

32. Do I prefer baths or showers?

Showers.

33. How am I feeling right now?

Changed.

34. Have I ever played any sports?

Soccer, Basketball, and cross-country

35. Do I prefer the beach or the mountains?

Beach, but I feel connected to both.

36. Do I prefer a Mac or a PC?

Uh...PC?

37. Do I prefer dogs or cats (or some other pet)?

Cats...I honestly do not like dogs at all.

38. Do I have any piercings or tattoos? Would I like to get any?

I have three tattoos: three rune, a sword, and a butterfly. All of which are on my arms.

39. Do I have kids?

Not right now.

40. Do I have siblings?

None.

41. What do I do on a typical Friday night?

Same thing I usually do: practice dance/choreo for a couple of hours. Read, cook, watch Youtube. If I’m going out, I’ll maybe grab dinner/hang with my friends. I MAY go to ~the club~ in a blue moon.

42. If I could go anywhere in the world with unlimited funds, where would I go?

SOUTH KOREA

43. What do I do to relax?

Shower, listen to music. Do my makeup for fun.

44. What do I do to wake up or boost my energy levels?

Blast Stray Kids

45. Would I rather have unlimited energy or unlimited money?

Unlimited money

46. Am I a collector of anything? If yes, how big is my collection?

I collect Kpop bullshit...(albums, photo cards, posters, etc.) essentially merch from my favorite artists.

47. What sort of gift would I want from my significant other on Valentine’s Day or on my birthday?

JUST flowers. All I care about it getting flowers on both of those days.

48. Which would I rather avoid — excess heat or extreme cold?

Excess heat.

49. Would movie genre would I rather watch: action, romance, fantasy, or horror?

Of those choices: horror. I also like a solid journey story.

50. Have I ever been on a diet? If yes, how did it go?

More like a mini eating disorder, lol? I went through phases where I only consumed 1500 calories.

51. If I could live anywhere for a month with whomever I choose, where would that be?

Greece with I suppose...someone I get along with.

52. Have I ever gone camping? Or do you look at a tent and think, “I feel like that’s the wonton wrapper, and I’m the filling.”

Yes, several times. I actually thoroughly enjoy camping.

53. What’s the last song I listened to?

Ribs -- Lorde

54. What’s my current obsession, and how much have I spent on it?

Anything kpop...hours. I’m talking hours and hours.

55. What’s a favorite book of mine?

We Need to Talk About Kevin

56. What should I be doing right now?

Sleeping.

57. What’s my best feature?

Physically? Boobs.

Personality? I would say kindness but that’s basic. Witty? Self-discipline.

58. What’s the most expensive article of clothing (or shoes) that I own?

Damn...shoes...? $100?

59. What is one thing I could not live without?

Music. My one coping mechanism and literally the reason I’m alive and functional.

60. What’s one thing I can’t leave the house without (other than keys and my wallet)?

Phone... BC packet?

61. What’s one of my pet peeves?

Slow walkers

62. What wild animal would I love to have for a pet (as long as it didn’t eat anyone)?

Maybe like...a toucan?

63. What’s my favorite drink?

An ICE COLD fizzy SODA boiii

64. What’s my spirit animal, and do I own anything featuring that animal?

I guess I’m very cat-like. I used to have a lot of cat stuff, but not anymore...

65. What’s my favorite restaurant, and what’s my favorite splurge order?

I like basically any fast food joint. I’m also a sucker for Chili’s. I’m really basic. A splurge order for me would be ordering a margarita with my meal.

66. What’s my favorite movie — or the best one I’ve seen in the last three years?

I’ve been obsessed with We Need to Talk About Kevin, Pirates of the Caribbean...I’ve been wanting to rewatch Little Miss Sunshine

67. What’s a favorite hobby of mine?

Dancing :)

68. What’s my favorite go-to snack?

Health-wise: apples and peanut butter. But if I don’t care: chips

69. What are my must-haves for watching a movie in a theater?

True interest in the film

70. What’s my favorite kind of competition to watch (sports, cooking, etc.)?

Not really into competition shows.

71. Would I rather get an electric shock or get an intramuscular shot (tetanus, etc.)?

Electric shock?

72. What’s my dream car?

Bella’s shitty red truck let’s gooooo

73. What are the must-haves in the home of my dreams?

LOTS of open space, sunlight, heated bathroom floor

74. What’s my favorite sandwich?

Chicken salad, BLT, plain peanut butter

75. What’s my favorite kind of dinner? (comfort food, four-course, take-out Chinese…)

Comfort food

76. If I could change my eye and hair color, what color/s would I choose?

I would DEF change my eye color to a warm brown and my hair to very dark brown. I’m growing my natural hair out. I’m going dye-free right now.

77. Who is my favorite fictional character (or one of them)?

Jack Sparrow

78. What’s my longest relationship so far (other than family)?

4 years...

79. What is my star sign — or do I usually avoid that question?

I DO NOT care about this but I’m a Leo

80. What is my lucky number, or what is a favorite number of mine?

Uh? N/A

81. What city do I live in now, and what’s my favorite thing about it?

I still live in Denton and I detest it.

82. What state do I live in now, and what do I love about it?

Texas, its diversity.

83. If I had to move to a different state, where would I rather go?

New Mexico

84. Have I ever colored my hair? If yes, what’s my favorite hair color experiment so far?

Yes, most of my teen and adult life. But my “crazy” hair experiment right now is going dye-free and wearing my natural color.

85. Whom do I miss right now?

My 14-year-old self

86. Have I ever made a mistake that someone else refused to forgive me for?

Apparently.

87. Do I have a celebrity crush? If yes, who is it?

JOHNNY DEPP and all of Stray Kids lol. Jungkook?

88. If I could meet any celebrity for coffee/tea and a chat, who would it be?

Marina Diamandis

89. As desserts go, would I rather have ice cream or cheesecake?

Ice Cream

90. Would I rather live in a house or an apartment, and why?

A small house.

91. Would I rather live in a treehouse, a cave, or a submarine?

Treehouse

92. What is one big goal that I want to accomplish this year?

Move out of D*nton.

93. What do I want to do for a living?

I’m happy being a teacher, but ultimately I’d like to counsel kids.

94. When I feel sick, where do I usually feel it first or most noticeably?

My head.

95. What sort of smartphone do I use, and what made me choose it?

Uh? Android?

96. What’s one movie that I’ve watched repeatedly? What do I love about it?

I watch signs pretty frequently. Midsommar? I connect with its characters because they seem like real actual people? I’ve been wanting to rewatch the Lovely Bones.

100. If I could afford one, would I rather hire a chef, a personal assistant, or a housekeeper?

Housekeeper!

97. What is one food that I refuse to eat?

Liver

98. What exotic food would I be willing to try?

I’d be open to trying most any food.

99. What is one item on my bucket list, and what made me choose it?

I’m kind of working on it now. I want to put a few years in while I’m young and able to become a very good dancer. I know that to obtain that it IS going to take years. It’s something that’s really important to me because I’ve always wanted that for myself but never made actual steps to obtain/execute it. And ultimately, I want it because it allows me to feel like my true self.

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astromechs · 4 years ago

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slipped away into a moment in time ('cause it was never mine)

taylor swift made me do it. expect more, because the entire folklore album was basically angst fodder.

also on ao3!

All things considered, Gamora has been through worse. Fought through worse.

There’s a lot of blood, but the gash across her thigh, courtesy of one of Annihilus’s minions, isn’t terribly deep — no exposed bone, nothing that would suggest any long-term damage. Still, though, when the Front has made its retreat to the makeshift camp and the wounded are being ushered into a medical shelter, when the skies clear over this rocky planet she’s already forgotten the name of, when the surroundings are quiet and there’s no longer a fight to focus on, a spasm of pain seizes her entire leg when it bears weight, and for a second, just one split-second, she winces.

You know what happens when you show weakness, Gamora. The voice of Thanos in her head, right on cue. That voice is right, of course; she knows what happens next, knows that it’s a mistake that’ll cost her.

Instantly, her hand reaches for the hilt of her sword, hanging on her hip; if someone’s coming to take advantage of that weakness, she’ll be ready for them. She’ll be ready for anything.

“Hey. You okay?”

Except, maybe, for this.

It’s not that she hadn’t heard Richard Rider, Nova Prime, Commander of the United Front, coming; that man doesn’t have a subtle bone in his body, and his steps would’ve likely been noticeable from several clicks away. He could never sneak up on her, but — something about him always seems to throw her off balance. Something about the perpetual kindness in his eyes, even through the worst of this war. Something about the gentle tone of his voice, a stark contrast to the power he holds in his hands.

No one like him has ever existed in her reality, and even now, months after joining a war effort that seems more destined to lose by the day, she still doesn’t know what to make of… any of it.

Her hand drops back down by her side, and she’s the picture of perfectly cool, even, with the requisite: “It’s nothing.”

She doesn’t quite see it under his helmet, but it’s obvious from the expression on his face that he’s raising a skeptical eyebrow. He’s a lot smarter than she’d initially given him credit for; maybe strategy isn’t his strength, no, but he knows those working under him, every single one — by name, by capability, by his own keen intuition that alerts him to anything that might be amiss.

There’s no getting past him. She knows in the instant before he says, “Doesn’t seem like nothing. You should go to medical.”

His voice isn’t chiding — just genuinely concerned. Again, she feels the ground shift under her feet; again, she feels so unsteady she could topple over. Instead, though, she swallows down a strange lump forming in her throat, hating the way her own voice sounds more strained than it should when she insists, “I’ll be fine.”

The conversation should end there; she owes him nothing more. But something tugs in her, prompts her to offer one useful piece of wisdom, perhaps in some attempt at equivalent exchange:

“Kindness will get you killed one day, Richard Rider.”

Then, she turns on her heel and leaves without another word, head held high, doing her best to ignore the limp in her steps.

ii.

He’s been staring aimlessly out the flagship’s viewport for hours.

She hasn’t been keeping track, not really; she’s purely exhausted her need for sleep on this particular night cycle, and in all the times she’s wandered by, he hasn’t moved, not even the arms folded across his chest. Nothing’s coming for them in this stretch of space, so any effort to keep vigil is pointless at best.

But she knows this isn’t that. Even if in this war, they’ve been handed nothing but defeat, Richard takes every single one of them hard, personally shoulders the weight of every life lost under his command. It’s a risky quality to have in a leader, and she’s still certain in what she’d told him before. Still certain that, one day, kindness will kill him. Break him.

She doesn’t want to see it happen.

Instead of moving on, she stops. Watches him for a moment longer, eyes lingering, before crossing the floor to stand next to him. If he’s heard her approach, he doesn’t acknowledge it, and so, for a time, she lets the silence hang in the air between them. Until —

“People die. This is war.” Her voice isn’t cold when she says it, nor is it any semblance of gentle or comforting, because she’d never been built for that; it simply is, another piece of factual wisdom that she’s trying to impart.

He exhales a long breath, and when he turns to look at her finally, expression haggard, he looks much older than anyone as young as him has a right to. “I know.”

Perhaps it’s that, above all, that tugs at something deep in her core, past years of hard-learned truths and carefully constructed armor; it aches in her chest, this sudden thought that maybe, in some ways, they’re not so different.

A hand reaches for one of his, winding their fingers together.

After a beat, he squeezes back.

iii.

Gamora gives him whatever small pieces of inconsequentials that she’s capable of giving. She gives him her nights, saves a spot for him in her bed. Gives him release from the pressure he threatens to crack under some days, gives him just one place where he doesn’t have to make all the calls.

Sometimes, she gives him an extra hour of the sleep that’s so difficult for him to find.

Already, she’s declined four pings on his comm this morning, but sooner or later, someone will come looking for him. He’s important, after all. And he would be angry at himself over missed duties.

“Richard-Human.” Her hand reaches for his forehead, gently brushes the hair from his forehead.

At that, one bleary eye opens to peer at her, followed by another. His hair is sticking up in all directions on the pillow, and he looks completely ridiculous. “Hey,” he says, raspy but soft.

His smile, though, lopsided as it cracks his face — his smile is bright enough to light up a star.

She thinks she could burn under the force of it, because for someone who’s spent most of her life in the dark, it’s almost too much to bear. The eye contact certainly is in this moment; her gaze drops, fixating on the tangled sheets that still cover them both. Time’s ticking on these moments she’s stolen, she knows — this thing they have, whatever it is, can only live in a warzone, and if they both make it out of this alive, he’ll go on to a life that certainly doesn’t include her. That’s what he deserves. What….

Fingers brush the lines of her jaw, graze over the skin of her face, and pull her out of her thoughts. Bring her eyes back up to meet his. She drifts closer, ever closer, until their lips meet and everything else fades away.

She lets herself have this.

For now.

iv.

The Kree prisoners fall under her sword. Their deaths are quick under barely more than a single stroke; their blood rains down, soaks the ground below.

If you find nothing useful, her teachings would tell her, wipe them out.

By them, she had done well.

She wipes the blade and sheaths it, steps delicately over a body that’s still warm. And —

Meets a pair of eyes that she’d never wanted to disappoint, their cold stare cutting through her like daggers.

It’d only been a matter of time. She’s so skilled in exploiting limits that it’s practically reflex to her; sooner or later, she’d have found the limits of his affection, his naive faith in her, too.

She’ll never see those eyes again. She’s sure of it.

The first thing she thinks is that she feels — empty. Cold.

It’s a feeling she’s far from a stranger to. For years, it’s been her constant companion as she’s drifted, from one planet to the next, one galaxy to the next, between wars fought for causes and jobs taken for nothing at all, looking for something that’s long eluded her: purpose. Richard had been imbued with it every single day like it’d been effortless, conviction burning brighter than the force of a star that had propelled him — and she’d wanted that, more than anything, wanted to experience even just a fraction of what that could feel like.

Eventually, she had found it, buzzing through her veins with every directive from the Phalanx. Purpose. As part of a whole, part of something beyond herself, she could keep moving forward on a clear path with a set destination; weeds like guilt and regret had withered, making everything… blissfully uncomplicated.

And now it’s gone. It’s gone, and all she feels is cold.

They’re cured, Richard says, with his particular brand of bright-eyed earnestness, like all the universe’s problems are fixed, just like that, but it isn’t a solution at all. It puts her right back where she flarking started, and she’s — she’s tired, down to her cybernetic bones. Tomorrow, she’ll have to start drifting again.

But today, with his steady hands there to pick up the pieces, she allows herself to break.

It’s as ugly as she is inside, full of ragged breaths and stumbling words, full of the kind of weakness that would get someone killed. She hates it, she hates this entire situation — and she hates herself most of all.

But in spite of everything, in spite of the fact that not an hour ago, she’d been ready to kill him, blade pointed at his throat, he doesn’t waiver. She doesn’t deserve anything that this man doesn’t hesitate or question giving — not his comfort, not his acceptance. Doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near the presence of someone so unfailingly kind and good.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he says into her hair, both arms wrapped tightly around her as he pulls her close to his chest.

Foolishly, she doesn’t fight it. But what’s most foolish of all is that in the warmth of his embrace, she almost lets herself believe him.

coda.

She hasn’t cried in decades; Thanos had firmly seen to that. Tears had been considered a weakness, and like every other she’d once carried, they’d been removed under the cut of a knife, her back strapped to a table, screams so long-buried that they hadn’t even attempted to rise to her throat. Several times since, in the private silence of cold nights, she’s waited, head bowed, for some kind of reminder that she can still feel, that she lives and breathes beyond being someone’s object.

But even if she could cry, could let tears cloud her vision and allow for some kind of release for the heaviness in her chest, she doesn’t think she would now.

There’s no point in crying over what she’s long known to be inevitable.

When her passport activates and the Cancerverse fades from view, when the familiar sights and sounds of Knowhere fill her senses once again, she doesn’t even get angry. There’s no point in that, either, she thinks.

Hope is fleeting, a flower that can sometimes manage to grow even in the hardest and driest of dirt — but it will always get crushed out of existence. Light can never overtake the dark; this is the way of things.

Richard Rider’s days have always been numbered; a light that brilliant could’ve never stayed.

The universe returns to balance.

#gamora #richard rider #richmora #* fic #my stuff #please go to the tags #IT WENT TO THE TAGS YAY

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thesims4blogger · 4 years ago

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The Sims 4 Nifty Knitting: Knitting Deep Dive

SimGuruConnor has released a forum post providing details on The Sims 4 Nifty Knitting!

Welcome back to our latest – and last! – Deep Dive into the gameplay of The Sims 4 Nifty Knitting Stuff Pack. I’ve really enjoyed sharing the designs and development of this pack with you, and I hope to continue doing these sorts of posts in the future. It’s been a super cool experience, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these!

In today’s post I’ll talk about the feature that is core to everything in this pack, Knitting! Once again, I have to remind you that we’re still in active development on the pack and so some things may change between now and the final game.

Now, let’s talk about some nifty knits!

We have one more knitting basket coming too! Remember this one?

Your projects are saved to your Sim, so you can pause your progress at any time and resume later, and even juggle multiple projects at once. Starting a project costs a small amount of Simoleons for the cost of yarn, but nothing too outrageous.

(Children can knit too!)

As a Sim levels up their knitting skill they’ll have access to new patterns. They’ll start with knitting socks and beanies, but as they grow more skilled they can tackle more challenging projects like sweaters and toys for kids. But if you only want to specialize in one thing – perhaps knitted mailbox cozies? – that’s fine too! Just keep knitting anything and everything, and you’ll be level 10 before you know it.

Speaking of knitting skill, sometimes your skill is reflected in your knitted work, or rather your lack of skill. Knitting projects can fail, and when they fail they can get weird. But it’s all subjective, and maybe you’ll end up accidentally knitting the cutest derpy companion, or the perfectly itchy sweater. No mistakes, only happy accidents!

(Just own it.)

One of the niftiest parts of the knitting skill is unlocking the ability to Teach to Knit, where Sims sit down together and have a knitting pow-wow. We wanted this to feel special, so we got a really sweet animation for it (Thanks Haeju!). Now that you can infect other Sims with the knitting bug, no yarn ball will be safe!

(The knitting needles aren’t finished on the Teach To Knit interaction yet, but trust me it’s SUPER CUTE.)

So, what can you do with all these knitting projects? Lots of stuff!

Not only can knitted objects be listed on Plopsy, but you can also Donate them to charity. If you want to surprise a loved one, try Gifting a knitted object too. If you want to destroy all traces of your knitted failures, you can Frog the object and start again! If it’s a particularly nice Sweater that you made, consider Adding it to Wardrobe to make it available in Create-A-Sim to all family members.

(Everyone appreciates a nice gift!)

We want Sims to be able to knit something for their whole family. Not only will Sims be able to knit Toddler Onesies, but Baby Onesies as well. So put your little grubworm in a handmade knitted outfit. I’m sure they’d thank us if they could! (And if they didn’t like it I’m sure they’d be polite about it.)

(Here’s a sneak peek at some of the concept art for new clothing for the littlest of Sims!)

It also felt like a good idea to add an Aspiration to tie this passion for knitting all together. So if you want to master the fuzzy art of knitting, consider signing your Sim up for the Lord(or Lady) of the Knits Aspiration. With yarn running through your veins, there will be no knitting mountain too hard to conquer! Master the Aspiration and you’ll be rewarded with the Sacred Knitting Knowledge trait. What does it do? Lots of stuff! What does it unlock? Something special! Am I being vague? I am! Come on guys, I can’t share all the secrets quite yet.

Now let’s have a chat with our lead Object Modeler, Beth Mohler!

Conor: Can you tell us a little bit about what an Object Modeler does on The Sims 4?

Beth: As an object modeler I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to make objects work in The Sims 4. This is actually a very involved process, and somewhat different from the wonderful work our environment team does. We work with designers, concept artists, engineers, animators, vfx artists (basically everyone!) to make sure that Sims can use an object properly in an animation, or that all of our objects will work with each other. Once we understand the design for a new object, we will create a rig, a block model (a very generic version of the object used to help us make more of the same object in the future), and a footprint (tells us where the object can go and how Sims move around it). Once those are tested by animators and other disciplines we can model the final version, create UVs, and add textures. We also hook up and test everything in the game to make sure it all looks good. There is a lot to think about when it comes to making objects because we know players can find so many interesting ways to place and use them in game. That makes it a very fun challenge to make them work with everything else we’ve built before.

Conor: What feature are you most excited to work on in Nifty Knitting Stuff?

Beth: I’d say I am most excited to work on the rocking chairs! I love that we are bringing them to the game and can’t wait to see them in some cozy living rooms or on porches.

Conor: What are some of the challenges you are facing working on this pack?

Beth: One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that the knitting itself looks good and is fun to watch! This is a challenge given that it needs to work for everything you can create. Figuring this out takes a lot of iteration between modeling, animation, engineering, design, and art direction so that we come to a conclusion that will work the best given our time and technical constraints.

Another interesting “challenge” is the fact that I crochet as a hobby myself! When you are knowledgeable about something (yarn!) in real life, working on it in the game it can sometimes be hard to separate the things you know and may expect in reality from what is possible or best within a video game. I have to make sure to keep a balance and to conceptualize how we can best convert the knitting experience into The Sims 4. As someone who also generally enjoys interior design and architecture, this is actually one of my favorite challenges and one of the things I love about working on objects in The Sims 4.

Conor: What is your favorite feature you have ever worked on in The Sims 4?

Beth: I think it has to be a tie between the mini fridge or the robotics table in Discover University. That pack was the first time I got to really take an entire feature from start to finish. I’ve been with Maxis for a while, but I’m relatively new to The Sims 4. Both of these objects had some complex features we wanted that required a lot of iteration. I learned a ton about the technical aspects of our game during the process as well. I’ve also worked on a few very cool things between then and now, but those can’t be shared yet ; )

As a fan of The Sims since the very beginning I am so happy to be able to share a little about what I do on a daily basis on The Sims 4 with you! I haven’t been on The Sims 4 for quite as long overall, but some of you may also recognize me from my time on Sims Mobile where I shared some of our workflows on Twitter for making a juice bar. Thanks!

Conor: You shared a screenshot of the In-Progress Rocking Chair in our Rocking Chair Deep Dive. Can you share an updated screenshot now that the Rocking Chair is further along?

Beth: I would love to! I hope everyone has been enjoying seeing the progress on this object so far! Here it is a little further along. This program allows us to set the rules for the object materials, footprint size and rig it should use, as well as all the color variants and swatch colors you see in the catalog.

While this concludes my design Deep Dives, we still have more forum posts with development insights on the way! Keep checking the Community Stuff Pack forum and we’ll have more fun stuff to show off in the weeks to come.

Until next time, SimGuruConor

#news #ts4 #sims 4 #the sims 4 #stuff pack

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agent-cupcake · 5 years ago

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hey! if you’re still taking fire emblem requests, can i request claude getting jealous or annoyed because the reader is getting confessed to by a lot of students?

This is from Claude’s perspective, which might have been a bad call because that boy can be quite the mental enigma, BUT I tried my best and really what else can you ask for. Aside from quality, please don’t ask for that.

“Feeling jealous, Claude?” Hilda asked in a sugary tone, her elbows braced in an unladylike fashion on the tabletop and chin dropped lazily into the cup of her palm. Claude lowered the book he hadn’t really been reading, looking over at the girl he’d only been half aware of since her uninvited arrival at his table in the corner of the library. He measured her words for a moment, trying to decide if she was borrowing from his repertoire by trying to make her own entertainment out of his lackluster conversational skills, or if she as leading into something with the taunting question. Either way, he supposed it was better than his current fruitless endeavors.

Across the room, the noble doing his very best to charm you laughed. Claude resisted the urge to allow the sound to distract him. He did notice, through no fault of his own other than a set of good ears, that you did not laugh in return.

“How do you figure?” Claude asked Hilda, deciding to humor her with an easy smirk. Better than allowing her baseless question to stand. She sighed and rolled her eyes, as if the accusation was so self evident that explaining it was a chore, but her glee that that he’d taken the bait was evident.

“Your little dancer has been stolen away from you.” Her gaze flicked towards the table where you sat with the newest suitor in the lineup that had begun shortly after your breathtaking, and winning, performance for the White Heron Cup. Hilda’s expression shifted away from amusement. “Or should I say, stolen away from us. I blame the professor, he should have known that a girl like her would get all dizzy and confused with the spotlight on her like this. Me on the other hand…”

“Now who’s jealous?” Claude teased lightly, raising an eyebrow.

“Jealous?” Hilda asked incredulously with a grand show of affront, her delicate eyebrows furrowing. “No, I’m worried,” she said, stressing the word heavily. “I mean, look at her!”

Claude’s gaze followed Hilda’s gesture towards your table, not that he needed the aid for his eyes drawn to the scene. It was much the same as it had been for the last quarter hour. Study material spread out on the table around you as you attempted to help one of the more devious boys who had maneuvered past your defenses with a backhanded tactic of asking for a tutor rather than a date. The real question was if you were truly too naive to see his true motives, or if your awkward handling of his flirtations and strict adherence to the charade of studying were an attempt at deflection. Either way, the overwhelming awkwardness made for an exceptionally difficult watch.

Of course, Claude found it nearly impossible to look away. In part, he could chalk it up to the incredibly inconvenient place for this little tryst. Libraries were sacred, meant to be peaceful environments. But, watching you squirm and flush ignited another, more private kind of annoyance; he had tried so hard to figure out a way to get under your skin, it was almost cheap how easy the various hopefuls managed it when he had been consistently unsuccessful. Not that he enjoyed your distress. Well, not when he wasn’t the one who had figured out how to instigate it.

“Not everybody can handle the spotlight,” Hilda said, dragging Claude from his thoughts. “Poor thing. I wouldn’t have minded working a little harder if it meant I could shelter her from that terrible burden.”

“How noble of you,” Claude responded dryly.

“It is, isn’t it,” Hilda agreed with a hint of surprise at her own behavior, either unaware of or ignoring his sarcasm. Claude was inclined to think the latter. “Anyway, I was thinking that since we agree that she doesn’t seem very happy about things and you’re already over here skulking about it anyway-”

“Woah, I am not skulking-”

Hilda bullied past Claude’s somewhat indignant denial, continuing without pause, “You could go over there and scare him off.”

“And how do you propose I do that?” Claude asked, deciding that trying to argue the finer details wasn’t worth it.

“Oh, you know,” Hilda said, waving her hand in a way that managed to be both flippant and graceful. “I’m sure if you go over there, he’ll remember something very important that he needs to leave for. My brother used to do that all the time to scare off boys.”

“Uh huh… And once her schedule’s cleared, maybe she’ll remember that you agreed to help you with… Kitchen duty, was it?” Claude asked.

Hilda stiffened, doing a good job of feigning indignation and confirming his suspicions. It had been a long shot to assume Hilda would do something solely out of the goodness of her heart, he supposed. “That is so not the point! I’m really worried about her!” She paused, a crease appearing in the center between her eyebrows. “She’s a little bit too nice, I’m really afraid that those boys will take advantage of her.”

“But it’s okay if you do?”

“I would never!” Hilda exclaimed, mimicking shock at the very idea. “I actually care about her. If she wants to help me, it’s only because she cares about me too.”

There was a flaw in that logic that Claude didn’t feel like pointing out, mainly because Hilda still had a point. For all of your skills and abilities, you stank of awkward inexperience. It could be endearing in its own way, but it called into question your ability to avoid danger even if you were fully capable of sensing it. People like Hilda and him could wear their masks no matter the circumstance, but you weren’t accustomed enough to attention to keep it up in unfamiliar circumstances. Plus, the nobleman had scooted at least a foot and a half closer to you in the time since he’d sat down, and Claude didn’t like the possessive way he casually touched you.

“Why don’t you go over there?” Claude finally asked, more out of a sense of obligatory obstinance than a belief he could convince Hilda otherwise. “I’m sure you’re far more familiar with managing a complicated love life than I am.”

“No way. Trust me, the only way to get a guy like that to back down is if another man scares him off,” Hilda explained matter-of-factly. Claude wasn’t sure how he felt about that logic, unable to decide if Hilda truly believed it, or if she was just trying to avoid the labor of conflict.

“All right, all right, I get it,” Claude relented. “I suppose I’ll see what I can do, although if it backfires and she gets upset I’m blaming it on you.”

“Oh come on, you’re so charming and charismatic, there’s no way she’ll be mad at you! And once you rescue her, you’ll be her hero.” Hilda stood up and stretched, as if talking him into doing as she wanted had been an especially taxing task. “Anyway, I know you’ll do great, so I’ll get going now. Remember to remind her of her promise. Four thirty in the kitchen.” She smiled, and with a dainty wave, Hilda departed from the library, twintails swinging behind her in a rosy trail.

Claude sighed, knowing he’d been played. Then again, he didn’t exactly relish to trying to get through another heavily edited and censored version of a historical look at Heroes Relics while listening to your date laugh and coo over you, it was hard enough to read without. If Seteth stocked the library with books any drier, Claude was sure there’d be a ban on open flame anywhere on the second floor out of fear for the libraries stock of excellent kindling.

He dropped the book and stood, stretched, then made his way over to your table, slow and easy.

“-the ball,” the boy was saying quietly to you, having moved closer than ever. “I’d be honored to have such a fluid and graceful creature on my arm such as you, perhaps you could even teach me-”

“This seat taken?” Claude asked with a smile, pulling out a chair and sitting down next to you regardless of the answer.

You broke from your oh-so diligent student to look at Claude with wide eyes. Not the slightly panicked gaze you gave the various boys when they confessed or flirted with you, but the searching one he knew all too well. Surprised, vaguely defensive, and a touch piercing. He savored it now, especially in contrast to the icy glare the man looking past your shoulder was leveling at him.

“I’m sorry, but this is a private session,” the boy said, pompous and lacking any of the slimy charm he’d used to speak to you with.

“I was hoping I could join in, actually. I’ve been having problems with-” Claude glanced down at the papers and books strewn across the table. “-the real life applications of chemistry.”

Just saying that made him smirk. This stuff was basic when compared the things he’d taught himself, material more suited to a child. Or a noble who had never had any need to learn such things and wanted an excuse to get closer to a pretty girl.

“Are you?” you asked, obviously not believing him. For a moment, Claude was half sure you’d turn him away just to be difficult, but then you shrugged. “I suppose I don’t mind. Theo and I were going over the properties and uses of plants found in the south.”

“Oh, great! Awfully important stuff, that. No wonder the two of you looked so intense,” Claude said. You stiffened slightly, but Theo’s lips merely formed a thin line.

“I’m afraid I find it difficult to learn properly in group settings,” Theo said rigidly. Despite the fact he his words were pointedly aimed at Claude, there was something distinctly territorial about the way he moved closer to you, his hand on the back of your chair. Hilda had said that he’d run at seeing another man, but Claude saw something else. This Theo didn’t see you as a girl, but as something to possess, and he didn’t want some suspicious outsider to take that away. It was petty enough to make Claude’s stomach turn.

“For me personally, I think it’s easiest to learn with other people,” Claude said, not allowing himself to look affected. “Especially chemistry, you practically need other people to really study this stuff.”

“Is that so?” Theo asked. You frowned at Claude, as if you already knew what he was going to say. He said it anyway.

“Sure,” Claude answered easily, as casual as could be. “I daresay test subjects are important to most of the sciences. Hey, maybe with a bit of experimentation we could come up with something to ease your nerves. You looked pretty nervous before I got here. Makes a guy wonder about what you might have been asking my friend here…”

“It was of little significance to you,” Theo responded stiffly.

“I’m sure it wasn’t,” Claude’s voice was smooth. Smug. He could tell his words had an effect, even if Theo was slow to relent.

“Actually, we were discussing the ball,” you said, pulling both boy’s surprise. “I was just about to explain to Theo that all of us deer are all going stag,” you finished, face deadly serious. It took a moment, but Claude saw the slight twitch of your lips at the joke. It was so bad it wrapped back around to clever. He had to stifle a laugh.

“Is that so?” Theo asked. He either hadn’t got the double meaning, or that stick was well and truly that far up his butt. “Well, apologies for the abruptness, but I believe it’s time for me to take my leave now.” He said, attempting and mostly successful in returning to his slimy charm in bidding you farewell, sparing you an awkward hand kiss and all. Theo shot one last glare for Claude, but left. How charming.

Claude let out a laugh as soon as the pompous noble was out of sight. At the bad joke, but also at expense of poor Theo. After a second, you joined in. If Claude felt any smug glee in hearing your laugh, he didn’t dwell on it.

“That was terrible,” Claude eventually said, forcing his voice into a lower volume to avoid more glares from those nearby.

“I thought it was clever,” you said, your shoulders relaxing somewhat. You were more relaxed around him, but in a way you were also more guarded. “Besides, I’m not the terrible one, you are. Threatening to poison the boys I talk to… What are you, my keeper?” you asked. Cutting words, but there was still a layer of levity to them.

Still, he frowned. “That hurts, truly,” Claude responded, a hand over his heart and brows scrunched in unhappiness. “Besides, I wasn’t threatening him. I wouldn’t dare poison a boy you obviously care for so deeply.”

Now your face twisted in disgust. “I don’t care for him,” you said with just a touch more force than necessary. Then you paused, shrugged. “He said he’d pay me to tutor him, and I didn’t think anything of it…” You sighed, shaking your head with a frown. Your cluelessness was a tad pitiful, but in a cute way. At the same time, Claude disdained it.

“It’s a terrible burden to be so popular, isn’t it?” he asked, his sarcastic tone unintentionally verging on sardonic, the bitterness surprising even him. You looked up, eyes narrowing and that look of weariness fading away. They weren’t the wide eyes of discomfort and awkwardness, like with the poor Theo, but focused with a sort of fire. Claude didn’t exactly mind it. His comment, stinking of something he dared not called jealousy, obviously got under your skin.

For a moment, it looked as if you were going to admonish him, but that passed as the fire burned out.

“You’re just jealous,” you accused primly, turning your face away from him in a rather pointed manner to gather up the paper and books strewn across the table top.

Claude disliked hearing that word from you even more than he disliked hearing it from Hilda, finding himself without an immediate retort as he considered if you were joking or not. He wondered if there was a way to argue, to express the definite lack of jealousy in his displeasure while watching you and that noble fop laughing and flirting. Then again, if you were joking, even a playful argument would make him look guilty. Claude didn’t like to gamble with uncertain odds.

Fortunately, you saved him the roll of the dice. “I guess it’s fine anyway, the whole thing was a waste of time. I should thank you,” you said softly.

The minute tension in Claude’s posture eased. “Actually, you should thank Hilda,” he said, playing his relief off with a practiced casualness. “She said that you looked uncomfortable and in dire need of assistance. I guess she’s familiar with those types of situations.”

“Hilda asked you?” you asked with a slight air of disbelief, looking up from organizing the papers to glance around the library, as if the girl would be lounging around somewhere among the books.

“Apparently,” Claude said, almost regretfully, “You agreed to help with her kitchen duty today.”

You paused, thinking. “I did didn’t I... I forgot about that... At the forth bell, right?” you asked.

“Afraid so,” Claude responded.

You winced, shaking your head and returning to organizing all of your papers and books with more urgency. Claude was amazed by the sheer volume. It looked like you were taking on even more extracurricular work than him, most of the books on subjects the professor wasn’t covering in class. He hadn’t noticed that before, but it was strange.

“If it helps any, she did seem sincerely worried. She just has an odd way of showing it,” Claude said in a halfhearted defense. That wasn’t a lie, really. Hilda just had an unique way of showing her concern. By now, however, you probably knew that.

“And what about you?” you asked, peering over at him as he tried to surreptitiously read the spines of all the books you had.

“Huh… Me?” Claude asked, looking away quickly, and somewhat guiltily, to meet your eyes. They were searching and more than a little difficult to read, your mood having shifted entirely without his notice.

“I mean, you’re not one to do things without a reason. So why, truly?”

Truly? What truth did you want, he wondered. What were you really asking with this sudden shift in tone? If Claude didn’t know any better, which he really didn’t, he’d suppose that you were looking for a very specific answer. If only he knew what that answer was.

“Oh no, not me. Saving you from the clutches of some slobbering nobleman was completely altruistic,” Claude responded without missing a beat, opting for neutrality rather than trying to solve the puzzle of the female mind. Wearing an easy smile, he leaned back in his chair casually. “But I guess I did get some entertainment. And a bad joke, too. Not a bad deal if you ask me.”

It wasn’t a lie, not really, but it wasn’t the ‘truly’ truth you wanted. Not that Claude was entirely sure what you did want. Unfortunately, that was the way those things went. Especially where you were concerned.

“It wasn’t a bad joke,” you muttered as you looked away, obviously unhappy about more than the comment as you packed up the rest of your things. Claude tried to engage you further, but it was clearly a lost cause. By the time you left, the forth bell chiming happily, he was actually grateful to return to the awful book he’d dropped. At least the words were coherent. Well, most of them. And he had an actual figure to be mad at; in this case being the terrible author who’d written the senseless book or Seteth for thinking it was worth keeping; rather than imagining any given faceless boy who wore you on his arm like some sort of prize.

Not that he was jealous, because he wasn’t, but because he still found himself unable to understand you. And there was nothing more enticingly annoying than that.

1. Hope you enjoyed this. 2. I know I’ve been not posting and stuff, but I have been working on something! I doubt I’ll post it bc it’s OC fic, but rest assured that it is some quality stuff. Super quality. 3. Claude and Hilda are like dysfunctional squad parents and that’s the dynamic I feel that I deserve in my life and that’s all about that. Thanks for reading, I love you all, and remember: Never Underestimate an Outsider.

#claude von reigen #claude von reigen x reader #claude x reader #fe claude #claude #fe claude x reader #my writing #fire emblem three houses #FE3H #hilda valentin goneril

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surveys-at-your-service · 4 years ago

Text

Survey #304

“she’s got a hold on me / maybe she is just what they want me to be”

How many foreign friends do you have? Only one that I know of that actually immigrated into America in their life. I think. In which countries do they live? She was born in Asia, either China or Japan. What was your dream birthday party as a kid? I either wanted to go to the skating rink or Chuck E. Cheese. Have you ever come up with your own game? As a kid, definitely. Whose hand did you hold last? Probably my niece's or nephew's if they were taking me somewhere. What was the last thing you planted? Habaneros, I think. Do you have a green thumb or are you all thumbs with plants? I don't really try with plants because I'm not interested in the maintenance. What or who was the last thing you gossiped about? Does telling your therapist about another person and what they do to stress you out count? lol Any books on your night stand? Wings of Fire: The Brightest Night. Would you ever consider going vegetarian? I was briefly one, but I had to introduce meat back into my diet because I just hate too many foods needed to keep me healthy without meat. I would love love LOVE to go vegan, but I just can't. When's the last time you helped a senior citizen somehow? Probably holding open a door for someone in a wheelchair. What's the most selfless act you have done? I don't know... Maybe letting my mother use all my Christmas and birthday money (which was a lot) to take care of bills to keep us from being evicted and losing the car. She was going to pay me back, but then cancer happened. Have you ever intentionally fed a house spider? No. What makes you feel lucky? The fact I have a roof over my head, food on the table, access to water... That kind of stuff. Never take it for granted. How many Lidls are there in your town? One. Last time you went to Ikea, what did you buy? I don't believe we've ever bought anything from there? But I wouldn't really know. How do you like your favorite beverage? Really cold in a can, heeeeell yeah. What's your big family secret? We don't really have one. What did you think you were good at, until you saw someone else do it? I remember thinking I was the "gifted" artist in school until I met my acquaintance Cailin in the 5th grade, lol. She is SO talented. What is something nice going on in your life right now? My partial hospitalization program is going well. I'm getting more comfortable with talking via things like Zoom, it's a good opportunity for me to socialize with like-minded people almost every day, and I ADORE one of the teachers so much so that I want him to be my normal therapist. I have never in the entirety of my life felt less judged and more cared for from any therapist before him, and it's almost supernatural how easily this man reads people. You could twitch a certain way and he picks it up. I'm ready for him to teach more of the sessions. What was the pinnacle of wealth to you as a child? The idea of owning one of those toy crane machines, haha. If I saw one in a store, I would like beeeeg for it. I remember I cried once when I came across one I adored, it was just too expensive, lol. I did eventually get a little one, I think. What's something that you hate, but can't live without? My meds. What skill do you not talk about, because you feel it sounds like bragging? I don't really brag about anything I think I'm good at because I feel bad about it and don't wanna emit a "better than you" vibe. Who's the worst person you've encountered on the Internet? Ahhh, a lovely "friend" nicknamed Shakes. God she hated me. If death wasn't a consequence, what would you try? Probably ride a motorcycle. I'm too scared to risk the possibility of crashing, and those wrecks are nasty. What's the dumbest thing you've heard someone say? There's this one video of a TV show host thinking the moon was a planet and it was just- What is the worst smell you can remember? This smell was forever branded into my memory as if it was fuckin trauma. When my late dog Teddy had a massive, infected cyst near his ~you know~ and also wore diapers because of incontinence with his age (also keep in mind he had a UTI we couldn't afford to fix, and that smells bad enough), changing the diaper he would wear overnight could, swear to God, be enough to make you puke. It literally came to a point that I personally could no longer do it. It sounds so so bad and selfish, and it probably is, but Mom had to do it before she left and came home from work; she's way less fazed by stuff like that than me. Yes, when we had the money, we got the cyst removed. What song gets better the louder it gets? Only like, every song I enjoy. The louder the better until it becomes obnoxious to others. What's the biggest inconvenience that does NOT ruin your day? Having to pee at like an unnatural frequency? haha What's something everybody should know how to do? Cook... which I don't know how to do. What is a great movie no one knows about? I'unno. I don't really know the success level of most movies unless you see stuff about it everywhere. What type of person could the world use less of? Rapists, pedophiles, monsters like that. What makes you tingle? I have this odd reaction to rubbing my hand while someone is holding it???? idk why????? What’s the best Wi-Fi name you’ve seen? Oh MAN, I wish I could remember 'em all. I've seen some goodies. What's easy to learn, but hard to master? God, it's pathetic that my immediate response is related to a video game, haha. Then again it's such a common idea that it's basically a meme in the World of Warcraft community. So, playing hunters in the game. They're argued to be one of the - if not the - easiest classes in the game that requires little to no skill, while as a hunter main, I disagree with the second part firmly. I don't know about the other specializations because I don't play them, but at least in beast mastery, it takes focus and thinking ahead to master your rotation for optimal damage and just to generally be a skilled player of the class. Not to mention you need to watch your pet(s), too. What's something you've changed your opinion on? Wow, LOTS. Tons of political ideas, like my stance on gay rights, transgender folks, etc... If you had a refilling bowl, what would you want it to contain? For some reason my mind immediately jumped to fresh strawberries. I'm picky with the firmness of fruit, so I won't eat them if they're older because ew. If your bedroom had three portals to anywhere, where would they lead? I mean this in the least creepy way possible, but Sara's house so we could actually hang out, Dad's house so I could see him more, and then uhhh South Africa to regularly see meerkitties. You can ask any author one question about their story. What do you ask? Oh, I dunno. I've got some for writers of other media, but I guess by "author," you mean this is for books exclusively. If you have caffeine late in the day, does it cause you to struggle with your sleep? Shit, I wouldn't even know because I essentially always have caffeine in my system. I don't believe it affects me. When you struggle to sleep, what do you do instead? Keep trying to sleep, or more common than not, I do exactly what you shouldn't do and get back on the laptop for a while. Who was the last person you spoke to for the first time? How did you come to speak to this person? My most recent therapist in the PHP. I love love love him. The therapists rotate the days they teach, and he was the last one I met. Are there any TV shows from your childhood that you still watch today? I'm not opposed to it if I actually watched television. Do you enjoy buying gifts for other people, or do you never know what to buy them? If I actually have the money to, omg yes. I honestly do think I create or buy very thoughtful gifts, and I just really enjoy reminding other people that I love and think about them. Who were you with the last time you went out for a meal? My sisters, Mom, and I went to the Cheesecake Factory for my birthday dinner. That place has come to oust Olive Garden as my favorite restaurant, haha. What’s the last thing you watched on TV? Is this a programme you watch regularly? I believe it was this amateur cooking show called Nailed It!, I think it was, with my mom when I sat in the living room with her for dinner one night. Do you have a favorite documentary subject (eg. nature, celebrities, history, crime)? Absolutely animals. Does having to wear a mask stop you from doing anything, just because you dislike them or find them uncomfortable? Do not fucking talk to me if you're anti-mask. If I set foot in public, I'm wearing a mask like a goddamn considerate human being. Do you prefer zip-up or overhead hoodies? Overhead. I really dislike the appearance of zippers on them. If you have a yard or garden, how much time do you spend out there? N/A When was the last time someone bought you flowers? What was the occasion? I think it was the first time Tyler came to my house. This was quite a few years ago. When was the last time you stayed overnight away from home? Was this with friends, family or in a hotel somewhere? What was the occasion? Hell, I'm pretty sure I haven't slept over anywhere since the last time I was visiting Sara, which was like, two years ago. What’s your favorite period to learn about in history? What got you interested in this particular era? The Renaissance; I always found it to be an attractive subject, art being in its "glory days" and all. My Art History course in college really hooked me in. What is the smallest thing you lose your temper over instantly? Homophobic bullshit. What's a job that doesn't get enough respect? As others have said before me, teachers might just top the list. The shit they gotta put up with for so little pay... What did you take for granted until you visited another country? I've never left America, so I wouldn't know. Who is your favorite scientist and why? I don't have a favorite; I don't know nearly enough about any. Do you prefer emoticons or emoji? I'm from the emoticons era, so I'm biased, haha. How did you meet your pet? Roman was the kitten of one of my sister's mother-in-law's females. They have quite a cat problem and wanted to adopt the kittens out, and Mom knew I desperately wanted a cat, so there we go. One day when we were over there, she showed me the kittens, and Roman caught my eye instantly with his beautiful blue eyes. Venus, I "met" via the Morph Market, a reptile hub website for selling, as the name implies, reptiles that are generally morphs of their species. I was clicking through the genes, keeping my price ceiling in mind, and really fell in love with champagnes, and I thought Venus in specific was just absolutely beautiful. I officially met her as a little thing mailed to me, and she was and still is just the sweetest. I wanna point out that when I chose Venus, I hadn't the slightest idea that champagnes harbored "the spider gene," as otherwise I would have avoided adopting her and feeding the market. Regardless, I love her to death and wouldn't trade her out. Did/Do you have any PEZ dispensers? I did as a kiddo, yeah. Do you enjoy erotic stories? If so, do you read them or write them? No; they make me really uncomfortable. When writing RP, some scenes can get sexual, but I have my limits for sure and know when to stop writing and just time-skip. If you had to choose, which one would you rather have: a pet or a baby? Keep the baby away from me. Gimme a plains hognose or tarantula, please. ^Why did you choose the one you chose? I don't want kids at all but would love the mentioned animals as pets. Do you live with your parents or on your own/with a partner? I live with my mother. What's the car of your dreams? I don't have a "dream car." Have you ever witnessed something or someone die? Animals, yes. Has anyone ever told you that you snore or talk in your sleep? I don't snore, but I talk a LOT. Do you have any houseplants? No. Are you more on a laptop or a desktop computer? I only have a laptop, and I prefer them for portability's sake. If you could do absolutely anything, what would you like to do the most? Entirely leave behind my anxiety, probably. Or PTSD. Do you think your parents raised you well? Yeah. Dad didn't really take much part in "raising" us/enforcing rules and stuff, but hey, my sisters and I wound up being good people. Do you have a Facebook? Yeah. Do you know any of your neighbors? Definitely not well. We haven't lived here long at all. Does/did any of your relatives have an interesting, nowadays unusual job? I'm sure somebody does. Have you met your ideal partner yet? I think so. Have you had a serious relationship yet? If so, how many? Yeah, two. Do you enjoy books, magazines or comic books the most? Books. Are your parents old-fashioned or up-to-date about certain things? Dad is more old-fashioned I think, while Mom is pretty up-to-date. Do you or did you at some point keep a diary? I very briefly did on a few occasions. I always had a journal I wrote in during all my hospital stays. Have you ever upcycled trash into useful items? I remember I once followed this craft idea on Animal Planet where you turn a milk jug into a bird house. We never got any birds in it, though. Which color Skittle do you like best? The only right answer is red. What’s your favorite element? Of the classic four, fire. If you had your own radio show, what would it be like? YIKES, I don't want one. Don't make me talk in front of (through a radio or not) people. What has been the biggest surprise you’ve ever gotten? An "impossible" breakup over Facebook Messenger lmaoooo. Is there a holiday you can’t stand at all? There aren't any that I "can't stand," but I do hold at least some degree of dislike of ones bastardized by religion. It's disrespectful as fuck. Who is your favorite person in the whole world? My mom. Has there ever been an activity you became obsessed with? I was definitely obsessed with RPing in my early teens. Like, I ALWAYS wanted to be writing it. What has been the strangest place you ran into someone from your past? I can't think of an occurance. What is something people tend to come to you about? Anything related to English and grammar. If applicable, what's the furthest you've traveled because of a hobby? For purely a hobby, definitely not very far, partially because I can't drive or afford travelling via plane or whatever. Do you have souvenirs from other countries? If so, what and from where? N/A What do you do when someone is talking to you about something you don't care about? Pretend to be interested to avoid being rude. Do you have Photoshop installed on your computer? Yeah. Do you put lotion on after you get out of the shower? No, but I need to. Has anyone ever given you a promise ring? No. Do you have any bruises on you? Yeah, on my shin. When getting in Ash's van the other day, I hit it against the thing that helps you step up into the vehicle. Because of my muscle atrophy, I, and I am not kidding, can barely manage to absolutely yank myself up there. And mind you, her van isn't even very high up at all. My legs are just that damn weak. Any changes in appearance lately? Gaining weight is fucking lovely. Who was the last person to call you babe or baby? Probably a gal friend commenting on a selfie or something on Facebook. Do you hate the person you fell hardest for? Sometimes. Do you actually care about other's problems? Probably too much for my own good. Have you ever gotten a teddy bear from someone? Besides my mom, I don't think so.

#survey #surveys #questions #lyrics: ''big bad wolf'' by in this moment

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secret-engima · 5 years ago

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Today has been appallingly dreadful. May I request a snippet of Amissa moming Titus, or anything from the fem Regis universe?

Awww sorry to hear that (and that I didn’t see this ask till just now). Here: Have something from Regina’s verse:

...

“Hey,” Princess Sylva Via Fleuret looked up in surprise at the voice. She hadn’t expected anyone to seek her out in the gardens. Blue eyes with the faintest violet tint and thickly wavy black hair left free save for the two small braids keeping it out of her face looked back at her with a mild expression.

Sylva stood up hurriedly, surprised and a touch embarrassed that the visiting princess had discovered her doing something as mundane as weeding, “Crown Princess, my apologies, I did not hear your approach.”

The fourteen year old waved Sylva’s words away with an easy smile and a fluid curl of magic that reminded her oddly of a cat’s tail, “It’s alright. I’m very quiet when I want to be. Do you want any help?”

Sylva floundered for a minute, unsure how to say no without implying an insult —King Mors was notoriously easy to insult, her father still grumbled over the man’s last visit to Tenebrae, a year before Sylva had been born—, but Princess Regina’s eyes were far from the aloof, cold expression of her father, so Sylva slowly relaxed and answered, “I … no, thank you. It is a task I prefer to do myself. It … relaxes me.”

Princess Regina nodded, as if that made sense rather than was an odd “quirk” of Sylva’s like the Tenenbraen nobles and servants considered it to be, “I can see that. I prefer to go a few rounds with Clarus when I need to wind down, but,” she flashed a bright grin that was all pearl teeth and mischief, “most people don’t find fighting relaxing apparently.”

Sylva could imagine. Fighting sounded like the least relaxing thing in the world to Sylva, but then, from her initial impressions of Princess Regina during the first week of the Lucis Caelums’ visit to Tenebrae, the Lucian Crown Princess seemed to be more … vibrant than most nobles’ daughters. More quicksilver movement and barely leashed magic than pristine poise and calm. Sylva carefully stripped off her dirty garden gloves and flicked them away into her armiger as she asked, “Is there something that I can assist you with? Is your stay here in the Manor comfortable?” She paused, “I can show you to the training grounds if you or your Shield,” Sylva nodded to the tall young man lurking at the garden entrance, “wish to practice your skills?”

For a moment there was a spark in Princess Regina’s eyes, and a bone-deep bite of cold magic that tasted like winter chill and choppy ocean waves, then the Lucian Princess’s magic coiled under her skin again where Sylva could not fully sense it and the visiting princess shook her head, “Perhaps another time, thank you. I was actually wondering if I would be permitted access to your library? I’ve already finished all the books I brought, and I heard that the Library of Oracles was just as vast, if not more so, than the one back in the Citadel.”

...

(I don’t have any snips of Amissa Moming Titus right now, but have a Noctis training with the Galahd Pack snip!)

...

Night Raid was, on the outside, simple. Two teams were set up out of sight of the other somewhere within the courtyard, the Raider team and the Guard team. The Guard team was always, at minimum, twice as large as the Raider team. The Guard team would set up a perimeter to guard something of importance —one of the spare purple scarves for their uniforms in this case— while the Raider team attempted to steal the item without being caught or “killed”. It was a little like Capture the Flag, if the teams were unfairly weighted and only one team had a flag to steal. The Raider team could move anywhere in the courtyard they pleased so long as they weren’t caught, while the Guard team had to stay within their set perimeter unless giving chase to a discovered Raider.

It was definitely not what the prince had envisioned when Titus insisted on training him, but Titus had suffered through the formal training Lucian’s insisted on, and so was fully aware that it was hideously impractical. No doubt Noctis had expected to be taken to a nice, open room with a flat floor, handed a wooden training sword and made to fight a single opponent in open combat. Which, while … alright for someone who didn’t know the katas and stances yet, was pointless for someone who already knew them. Niflheim wouldn’t engage in single, sword-to-sword open combat. Better to hone those skills in proper simulations of real life combat and missions.

Six people were nothing compared to a full Niflheim base and its perimeter guard, but it was a start.

It took two rounds before the prince got the hang of what Night Raid required. Not bad for someone who had never engaged in this kind of training before.

Titus watched from a high vantage point, calling out the winners of each round or growling whenever Nyx or Tredd tried to cheat at the rules just a little while the other glaives all whisper-yelled encouragements to their newest pup and cheered quietly when he finally figured out how to perform a proper stealth takedown with his wooden practice weapons. Nyx was all too happy to polish up Noctis’s fighting techniques, and Axis led the skittish prince through the basics of stealth with the same calm silence he approached most things. By the time Titus called a halt to the training exercise, Noctis was breathless and sweaty and bright-eyed with the triumph of successfully using the skills he probably had not seen a point to until now.

He leaned against Titus’s side as they all returned to the ball room that had long ago been converted into the Kingsglaive’s break room, sipping his water and grinning at the room of men and women who had all unanimously adopted him as Pack, “That was great! But I’m so sore…”

Tredd sprawled down on the other side of the couch, sandwiching Noctis between him and Titus, “Look at it this way, Pup. Now you have a few tricks to try on that Shield of yours next time he starts kicking you around in training.”

“…That’s not cheating?”

Titus snorted, “There is no such thing as cheating in a fight. Especially against a larger opponent.”

Noctis mulled over that as Tredd ran a lazy, glowing hand over the boy’s head, healing the worst of the bruises with a skill that no outsider would have expected from the brash, hot-headed omega, “Keep coming around and we’ll show you lots of useful tricks. Not just fighting either. Stealth, magic, tech, you name it.”

Noctis purred just a little bit under Tredd’s hand, stared at the glaives all lazing nearby with wide blue eyes, “…Really? You wouldn’t mind?”

“It’s the training we give all our Pups down in Little Galahd,” offered Titus with a rumble, “Prompto as well. It wouldn’t be any trouble to add you to the list.” He saw Noctis’s eyes widen at Prompto’s name and counted it as a victory. If the prince knew his best friend was training with them, then he might make a habit of coming back to them for proper training that would keep him alive. To prove his point, the glaives clustered closer to the couch, chatting about the things they could teach and erupting into play fights over who would teach the prince what thing. Nyx somehow managed to drag Tredd off the couch into a fight over who got to be Noctis’s hand-to-hand instructor, leaving a vacancy that was promptly claimed by Libertus, who began running glowing green hands over the boy’s frame like Tredd had just been, soothing aching muscles and sore joints all while rambling about the things Prompto had learned from them.

Despite the clamor and activity going on around him, Noctis soon drifted off under Libertus’s care, slumping over to press against Titus’s side with a soft chirp of relief-comfort-security that silenced the rest of Titus’s Pack in an instant. Titus just sighed fondly and reached for his phone to call Amissa. She had mentioned that she was covering someone else’s shift around this time, and she would have an easier time smuggling the prince back into his quarters than he or any of the glaive —no sense stirring up rumors and drama by calling down the Marshal or any of the servants to retrieve the boy from the one area of the Citadel everyone else avoided like the plague—.

#SE asks #swiftyue asks #Secret Engima Rambles #Stand Strong Verse #Forged in Fury verse #hope this helps

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spacehologramcollection · 6 years ago

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A Night in with the Kombat Kast would include;

Have some fluff and then some smut later. Because I am a smut writing goblin. Who can’t go five minutes without writing some filth. There’s a little bit of filth in here, not a lot but it is mildly, very mild, like a lemon and herb chicken from Nandos mild. But the NSFW warning will apply, 18+ sorry guys. Gifs don’t belong to me!

Sub Zero/ Kuai Liang;

· A night in for you two is like a date. It’s basically all he can manage.

· He doesn’t really like to leave the Temple unless he has to. He hates interacting with new people, large crowds and prefers peace and quiet to loud and crowded places. So anywhere like the City for date night is not happening. He would try for you he really would. But it makes him uncomfortable. That’s why you tend to stay in.

· He’d cook you something. He’s not the best but he does try. Before you two settle down and cuddle up on the couch.

· He’s such an awkward cuddlier at first, like he has no idea what to do with his hands, or where to put them at first.

· He’ll also run you a hot bath, pour you some wine and will literally let you talk about anything you want. It could be trashy work talk or about something he has no idea about; he’ll listen intently and will actually ask questions.

· He’ll let you choose whatever movie you wanted to watch, when you’re cuddled up on the couch. Pop Culture is not something he’s well versed in, he’s never seen Star Wars or anything like that. He lies to Johnny when he says he’s no time for fantasy or fiction, he’s a soft spot for it… he just doesn’t want to admit it.

· He’s totally into Game of Thrones. He attempts to ignore the mass amounts of sex and focuses more on the politics and plot lines.

· Please don’t point to the Night King and be like “It’s you, but with horns, and evil… and dead” he is not going to be happy bunny about that.

· Will also just like to sway around to music when its just the two of you.

· He doesn’t drink a lot. So, you can’t even make a joke about him cracking open a cold one with Hanzo now. He does however, have the occasional glass of wine with you, whilst you both read and cuddle up together on the sofa.

· If you paint or sew or do anything creative, he’ll literally be so intrigued with watching you do it. Will attempt to learn the skill, because a mans never too old to learn.

· He’ll love to lounge with you and hold you close. You’re amazing and he loves every moment he gets to spend with you. His Clan are important to him and he knows it’s hard to juggle a relationship and that. But he appreciates your patience and loyalty to him and therefore them, so he makes up for his lapses in spending time with you with these nights in.

Kabal;

· He gets a night in? Fuck yes. First thing he does, jumps in the shower, doesn’t fucking matter if you’re in there, he’s joining you. He needs to shower ASAP and get in his jim-jams, because he’s had a hard day okay? He’s bullshitting you, he spent most of it making paper planes and throwing them. But still, he’s had a hard day of putting up with Kano.

· By Jim Jams, he means a pair of joggers and no shirt. Will literally lounge there in nothing else. He needs to answer the door, hope whoever’s knocking doesn’t mind seeing his nipples. Because he sure as hell doesn’t care. It’s not a bad sight for you at all, no complaints from you, since he’ll throw you the t-shirt he should be wearing.

· Obviously after his accident, he’ll take the t-shirt and try and keep well covered up. You can occasionally convince him to return to his, night time, nip nops out time. With the promise of a massage or you batting your eyelashes asking for his shirt.

· He doesn’t cook, he burns things, but he doesn’t cook. It’s just easier if you order in, you get to choose because he’ll literally eat anything. Wherever you decide to order from he’ll find something to eat from it.

· Doesn’t drink a lot but does enjoy having a drink or two when he can relax. Will go through the recordings to see what TV he has to catch up on. Will get insulted and be betrayed, if he finds you’ve watched one your shows without him. The lies and deceit are tearing this relationship apart.

· Will let you sit on his lap all night or lounge on him. He’ll let you basically use him as a human chair. As long as you’re close to him he doesn’t care.

· His phone is getting muted. He’ll take a cute selfie with you, send it, and warn people you have his full attention. Will literally look at it when getting a call, watch it ring, and then just do nothing. It’s his me and your time, and nothing is going to ruin that.

· He’ll pick a movie out for you both to watch. It’ll either end in you two making out during it and having to go finish it off in the bedroom. Or he will fall asleep and end up trapping you in a vice like grip. He’s a lazy little shit at times.

· You’ve made a drinking game out of Johnny’s movies, you always end up absolutely smashed and singing Piano man at the top of your lungs. It’s fucking beautiful. The apartment block is alive with the sound of music.

· Playing video games drunk. You know he’d troll on WOW or something.

· Mario Kart when drunks. He’s the type of dick to always choose Rainbow road, whilst you’re arse over tit drunk. Fucking disaster boy.

· Sometimes, especially after his accident, he can’t sleep so you’ll stay awake talking about absolute shit. Like if aliens exist, if you had to, which cryptid you’d rather fuck. Just absolute shit till 3 in the morning.

· Times like this, you end up making like box cake mix and eating it whilst in your underwear. Because height of classiness.

· You’ll also piss his neighbours off playing loud, obnoxious music till stupid O’clock. And dancing around like a bunch of idiots.

· After his accident, he’ll still do this, it makes him feel normal being a bit of a cunt again to be fair. He’s a bit smug, because his neighbours dare not complain, because he you know, got burnt to a crisp. And don’t wanna tell you guys to turn it down. You party on, you funky little crispy man.

Scorpion/ Hanzo Hasashi;

· Like Sub, nights in tend to be your date nights and become a default for you two spending time together. Except, he’s a much better cook and a little bit less awkward. He’s got some experience with dating. Not a lot but still more than his icy bro.

· He’ll definitely cook for you, whatever you want, he will make you. You end up doing it together and bonding over it.

· You’ll also take a nice warm bath together, both of you unwinding together and letting all the stress melt away with the steam. He’s a sucker for a bath bomb too. Just no glitter. He cannot cope with the glitter in his hair.

· Speaking of hair, he has to brush his religiously or it will get tangled. And he has to wear it up most of the time, because it’s actually pretty long.

· Is down for just talking and listening to music. Or maybe playing chess, he sometimes lets you win, but not always.

· He’ll also take moments like this, to try and teach you a bit of Japanese if you’re willing to learn. Or he’ll teach you more about his culture. It’s a chance for you two to be intimate and close, so what better moment to share personal things.

· He’ll also talk to you about the future more than the past. You’ll plan your life together, like what you want to call your kids, first, middle and second middle names. Also, where you’d ideally live.

· He smiles a lot on these nights in, because its just the two of you and he loves it. He loves you.

· Candle light. And Candle light only. Sure, there’s actual lights but it just seems more intimate and cooler with candles. Fucking wax everywhere though.

· He’s more receptive of pop culture than Sub. Just don’t put on reality TV, he cannot fucking cope with that. He would be a massive fan of Star Wars. And you fucking know it. He loves that Space Bullshit that makes his life seem simple.

· You’ll also be able to lounge on him, he loves it when your head is on his lap and he can play with your hair.

· Such a softie. Just a man who needs a hug and a hot chocolate with marshmallows in.

Erron Black;

· Nights in are rare and not something he’s overly fond of. He loves to be outside, doing things and pretty active. But, he doesn’t mind the occasional night in with you. Gotta relax the old bones, you know.

· He’s got a fair amount of stories and he’s ready to share them with you. Sexual, none-sexual it doesn’t fucking matter. He’ll tell you anything and everything you wanna know. He’s lived a full life and has seen some shit.

· He’s partial to a hard drink, like strong sipping whisky. So he’ll love to sip that whilst watching you, do your thing. Whatever it is, whether it be painting, sewing, reading or hell even writing smut. I say this to validate myself.

· He doesn’t read, he doesn’t have the patience or time. Instead, he’d be down for playing a game of cards. Doesn’t matter if its strip poker or just poker. He is down for it.

· If he’s still slumming it with the Black Dragon, you’ll get to do a lot more on your nights in, in comparison to if he’s in Outworld. If you’re in Outworld, there’s a chance Ermac may just float into the room. It’s weird, just don’t even ask.

· In his Black Dragon days, he’d be down for watching a film, A western obviously. Just so he can tell you how accurate/inaccurate it is. Or how nobody actually talks like that, whilst talking exactly like that.

· Will let you play dress up with his clothes. He thinks it’s cute and loves how everything hangs off you yet is tight in all the right places. Spot on.

· If you’re in Outworld, he’ll take this opportunity to teach you to shoot, how to use explosives and how to come up with a bad ass sass.

· He’d be a sucker if you cook for him on your night in. A dish from Texas would make his heart melt for you and make the night 110% better for him. Like it just brings back memories and he loves it.

· Nights in with him are pretty tame compared to your nights out.

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rigelmejo · 4 years ago

Text

I wanted to hype up the easier parts about reading japanese, at least with my current experience having studied some of both languages:

a lot of japanese reading materials have furigana over the kanji - especially kanji expected to be above the target demographic reading level. furigana is basically a kana pronunciation of the kanji. so when starting to read japanese - a lot of study books often choose to teach you the kanji you need beforehand for the chapter, and write the words with kanji you don’t know yet in either only kana or with furigana on top. a lot of manga, in general, will have furigana over most kanji that aren’t the super common ones. shows and video games have audio along with the kanji, so there’s usually a way to figure out the word if you know either kanji OR pronunciation of a word already. when learning to read in japanese more, most materials except for actual novels are going to have some ‘support’ you can use to recognize all words you know at least in kana/pronunciation OR kanji.

if you have studied/are studying chinese, that last point affects this point: some kanji will mean the same or similar things to the chinese hanzi. So when using japanese reading materials, you can learn the japanese equivalent words and their pronunciations by seeing the similar-to-chinese-hanzi kanji, and then seeing the furigana japanese pronunciation for it (or hearing the pronunciation if its a video game/anime). So knowing hanzi will help with picking up new words in japanese, since you will sometimes only need to be learning new pronunciations or a few key differences. Big examples I’ve noticed are ‘xing’ in chinese also has to do with moving in chinese but is mostly used to mean ‘okay’ whereas it means ‘to go’ in japanese primarily, ‘dian’ in chinese generally has to do with electricity in both languages words that it’s in, the hanzi/kanji for ‘return to’ is used a lot in japanese but used much less commonly in chinese, ‘hao’ in chinese mostly means good/fine and while it does mean that in japanese it is used more often to describe ‘liking’ something or something being ‘likable.’ So... a lot of hanzi and kanji have similar meanings, but do not necessarily correlate to the same exact words or kinds of uses... I still think the ability to recognize them makes learning the new words easier though.

japanese grammar is so wonderful. in the sense that it is very clear in its meaning, if you understand it. if you learn the particles then you can identify what each word in the sentence is ‘doing.’ If you learn word endings like adjective/verb endings, you can immediately recognize tense and if something’s being done/not being done etc. Even though there are no spaces, particles and word endings make visually recognizing the separate parts of sentence pretty clear. Kanji also help to visually recognize each separate word. The messiest part of reading japanese - for me anyway - is when material for learners/beginners/various demographics chooses to use hiragana instead of kanji with words you don’t know yet, because it can sometimes make it a bit harder to tell where word boundaries are since there is not kanji to help make that distinction obvious. Despite this, I think the word endings and particles still make even hiragana heavy sentences pretty easy to parse through. Compared to chinese, I think this makes word boundaries and whats going on with grammar a decent amount easier to parse through at the earlier learning stages. Chinese is also easier to parse through in reading once you get a better understanding of grammar and word types/alterations - but japanese really visually clearly has distinct parts that are pretty easy to notice even as a beginner. Like when studying French... life gets easier when you realize what word endings are for adjectives versus verbs, versus the nouns that MUST have le/un type words preceding them. In french, once you notice that, it becomes easier to parse through the grammar of sentences. In japanese, those sorts of grammar pieces are very visually clear since they’re usually well-used particles or pretty regular word endings in hiragana.

The widespread use of hiragana for otherwise-kanji-word-parts in many reading materials, furigana in many kanji reading materials, and furigana extensions for web browsers etc make it easier to pick up new words from reading even if you don’t know a lot of kanji yet. Whereas in comparison, in chinese if you plan to pick up words from reading you are much more likely to need to learn a lot of hanzi asap. While there are extensions to read pinyin over hanzi, and some learning materials/resources provide the option, a lot of content made for chinese natives just has hanzi. so if you buy a book for native chinese speakers its going to be all hanzi - compared to japanese, where a lot of manga will still have furigana. An exception is zhuyin in material from Taiwan, I’ve heard sometimes Taiwan materials include zhuyin over some hanzi, Taiwan has an alternative to pinyin called zhuyin and from what I’ve seen of it, it works more like a phonetic system like japanese kana, whereas I would compare hanyu pinyin more to japanese romaji. Also, a lot of chinese learner material I’ve seen, mostly either teaches in ALL pinyin first, or else does not provide pinyin ALONGSIDE hanzi for very long. Whereas, at least for a decent amount of japanese learning materials, the japanese writing system (at least kana) is introduced early on even to beginners, and the kanji at least somewhat get introduced (often with kana to help with pronunciation). I really... personally do not like how many chinese learning materials do pinyin-only for beginners, when eventually beginners are going to have to interact with hanzi in real chinese materials... it just postpones when they’re going to hit that difficulty curve. A lot of japanese learning materials postpone and drag out learning a LOT of the kanji, but at least by exposing the learner to the kana spellings, if a learner goes into reading manga they’ll recognize the furigana and be able to learn some kanji from that. Whereas a chinese learner, often with no pinyin to rely on in chinese reading materials, is going to just see hanzi with nothing to help them figure out if its a word they already know pronunciation wise or not! This is just my particular preference in learning material structure though. Some proponents of pinyin-only beginner materials, mention that it allows the learner to get a solid foundation in speaking, listening, grammar, and spoken vocabulary before their learning has to get slowed down trying to tackle hanzi. And they propose that learning hanzi later, after already knowing the spoken form of the word, is easier and more akin to how children learn their native language before learning to write/read it. Now... while I see their point, I just think a lot of beginners don’t always stick with studying a language 2,3,4+ years, or don’t want to put off their reading goals for X months or years. If that is the case, then for those learners I think them putting off learning hanzi and being exposed to the writing system, limits them a lot because it means they’re stuck only able to engage in spoken conversation and listening no matter how many words or grammar structures they learn as a beginner. Whereas, if they get exposed to hanzi earlier on, then they can at least start reading simple subtitles for things they already KNOW (like Hello/goodbye/please/i’m leaving/i love you/i want you to x/i need you to X/i VERB/he did X/take care/i hate you/etc) MUCH earlier on like within a few months. And just being able to read a lot of that simple stuff, helps them understand things like directions or titles or actions happening in novels (he said/she said/he did/they VERB), helps them make sense of some shows if they struggle to catch some audio words etc. I personally studied hanzi from the beginning, and it definitely allowed me to engage in chinese social media, chat with native speakers, browse chinese sites, watch chinese shows, and read chinese novels (at least to some degree of comprehension, even if its only the gist sometimes) much earlier on. If I’d only relied on pinyin for my first 1000 words, etc, then I wouldn’t probably be able to watch shows yet or message with anyone in chinese yet. I definitely wouldn’t be anywhere close to trying to read yet. Anyway I... really do appreciate that modern learning-materials wise, a lot of japanese materials do start learners off with at least some writing system exposure immediately. I’m sure it helps that there’s a limited number of kana, they’re pretty simple to learn, and work a lot like an alphabet so they’re easy for english speakers to get used to. Even with mostly kana, even when there’s few kanji in some beginner materials, I still think the exposure to actual japanese writing systems helps beginners develop reading and recognition skills earlier on. (I’m thinking of materials like Genki, Japanese for Busy People, etc). In chinese there are a decent number of learning materials that introduce hanzi from day 1, but there are still also a number of widely-enough used resources that only use pinyin at first that circulate enough they still get regularly recommended. There’s no popular equivalent that I’ve noticed in japanese learning materials right now. I actually... think there’s something great in learning hanzi at the same time as pronunciations, since hanzi often have a phonetic component IN THE DESIGN OF THE HANZI as one of the radicals often hints at its pronunciation. Which is a huge help compared to japanese, where the kanji don’t necessarily hint at the words pronunciation. Learning hanzi at the same time as new words early on, means as you see more hanzi you start to get a sense of if you could guess it’s pronunciation (such as trying to guess its pinyin to look it up in a dictionary etc). The radicals in hanzi often help a ton with pronunciation of new words, and I personally found remembering WHY new words were pronounced the way they were, was easier for me in chinese because I could remember another word I knew with the same radical with the same or similar pronuncation. So I had a ‘scaffold’ to learn my new word from. In japanese, the word endings often had ‘scaffolding’ i could recognize and rely on, but often the new kanji pronunciations I had no other knowledge to really ‘connect’ it to in order to help remember it.

(I should note, regardless OF what learning material anyone uses, if they’re making progress then it is a great learning material for them. It’s more important to make progress with something you can consistently stick to and work through, then it is to have some ‘perfect’ or ‘ideal’ study material. Pinyin only materials are fantastic for the people they work for, there’s a lot of well written ones that teach what they say their aim to teach is. Some learners ARE going to benefit from that approach better. My preferences are just based on what I benefited from more, based on my own goals and on what I could consistently stay motivated to study and progress with.)

#rant #japanese langblr #chinese langblr #yes the end devolved #into me really getting into #my personal opinions about learning materials #anyway long story short #i think japanese learning materials #are more consistently 'build all 4 skills'#listening/speaking/reading/writing #compared to beginner chinese learning materials

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