#like how much did this guilt and the military influence get to him

[wadewhipplemybeloved]

coming out of gif retirement for my favorite sonic 3 moments 28/? - "those are children! stand down!"

[bucketyd]

Your AleRudy art is amazing, especially your most recent post— do you have any thoughts about narco!Rudy and narco!Alejandro you’d like to share?

Hey thank you so much!

I have a thread on twitter about these two, but let me copy and paste here.

I'll try to draw and write more on this!

===

Narco! Alejandro AU

- Alejandro leads Las Almas Cartel with Valeria as one of El Sin Nombres

- He believes that the only way to make better Las Almas is to dominate it from a single source of absolute power

- He and Valeria argues a lot; internal conflicts are always high

- Ale and Rudy used to be a thing when they were both young; they have sun(Ale) and moon(Rudy) tattoos on their ankles

- They had a big fight when Ale chose a Sicario's way, went seperate ways

- Ale wanted to reach out to Rudy after he got a stable position in the cartel BUT Rudy have already joined special forces by then and was unreachable to Ale's dismay

- Alejandro kept tab on Rudy using his connections in corrupt military, waiting for right moment to take Rudy back to where he should be: by Alejandro's side

- Ale is ruthless, cruel, downright sadistic when it comes to asserting dominance and punishing traitors

- Rudy is also feared within special forces, known for his stern attitude toward people; he's more gloomier, doesn't smile a lot and mostly keeps to himself compared to OG

- Couple of years later after Rudy became a leader of Los Vaqueros squad Alejandro ambushes Rudy's team, and was able to capture him and take some of the vaqueros as hostages

- thank u for listening to bucket's deranged rant on another fuxked up alerudy aus

===

Narco! Rudy AU

(added some more from original thread)

- Rudy disappeared when he turned 18 after his abuela passed away

- Valeria promised him a bloody revenge on La Araña cartel and she did just that, so Rudy follows her

- Rudy moves more in the shadows and people don't know his identity, similar to El Sin Nombre

- Alejandro looked for him everywhere, but there was no trace; Ale assumed Rudy was dead

- Alejandro and his Los Vaqueros are known for their ruthlessness toward narcos and anyone affiliated to them

- Las Almas Cartel under influence of Rodolfo takes more softer approach; Rodolfo opposed to harboring terrorist Hassan in Las Almas and had a LOUD fight with Valeria

- This affected his status within the cartel and later led to betrayal; someone from the cartel tipped Alejandro off Rudy's location which ultimately led to Rudy's capture

- Rudy's cross necklace was Alejandro's gift when Rudy turned 18, 'mi sol' is engraved on the back side (he wanted to comfort Rudy)

- Rudy threw everything away when he chose to live as a sicario, but he couldn't throw away the cross and his memories with Alejo

- Rudy doesn't talk much, always a silent shadow behind Valeria, but when he is forced to he is bitter and sarcastic.

- After Rudy was caught by Alejandrp and Los Vaqueros, he was taken to their base to be interrogated, where he would not answer to any questions and only try to piss Alejandro off mentioning their childhood and how it's now meaningless to him

- Alejandro punched him; couldn't help himself; and gets to this hyper uh... fucked up state where he is just confused by hate, guilt, nostalgia and LOVE

- thank u for listening to bucket's deranged rant on ANOTHER fuxked up alerudy aus

[fromevertonow]

Oppenheimer and the Chain Reaction of Violence

My take on the Oppenheimer issue regarding the omission of the Japan bombings (even though no one asked):

For those who don’t know, the movie does not include an actual visual of the bombings in Japan, to the surprise and even disappointment of some.

On the one hand, I get the critique. It’s a huge tragedy in history and a key element of the story. Maybe some people were expecting more action from Nolan. But on the other hand, the story is not about the bombings specifically. It is about Oppenheimer and his legacy.

Albert, when I came to you with those calculations, we thought we might start a chain reaction that would destroy the world.

I remember it well. What of it?

I believe we did.

The final scene of Oppenheimer, a conversation between Einstein and Oppenheimer

At the end of the movie, we finally find out what was said during the conversation between Oppenheimer and Einstein. It was a huge question mark throughout the movie because of Strauss’ schemes, but it turned out the two scientists were discussing their biggest fear—their scientific research leading to evil. Multiple characters mention the “chain reaction” and often it was in the context of chemicals and what their reaction to each other would be. But in the end, the chain reaction was something bigger—the continuation of scientific research and it leading to nuclear war.

The movie is not about the bombings in Japan. Yes, it is a huge “plot point” and the movie does build up to it, but it is just one link in that chain. Oppenheimer feels incredibly guilty for having created the atomic bomb and wasn’t at all convinced for the government to use his creation against innocent civilians. His guilt is what is most important here because it is the result of that chain reaction.

This isn’t a historical movie in the sense that we are simply given a life story of Oppenheimer. This is a historical movie that reminds us history is still influencing the present. Scientists and governments are currently working side by side to create even bigger weapons of mass destruction and it is a heavy realization that the world might one day be actually set on fire because of them. We don’t know where this current ‘Los Alamos’ is, we don’t know how big the new weapons are, but we do know they don’t lead to anything good. This is the chain reaction.

Oppenheimer was a theorist. That alone should tell you that actually creating the bomb was insane to him. He wanted to rely on theory to prove that it was possible to build one, but people around him pressed him into actually creating it and, most importantly, testing it. The Trinity test scene is prove of how horrified Oppenheimer was by his own creation. The visuals are chilling. In that scene, Oppenheimer grasped the true scale of the destruction the atomic bomb can cause. It sealed the link to that chain, and the reaction was the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Aside from story’s message and the relevance of showing the bombings, there is also a technical argument against including the bombings. The story is mostly told from Oppenheimer’s perspective, he is almost in every scene. But he wasn’t there when the bombings happened, so it wouldn’t have made much sense to show them. Oppenheimer asked Groves to inform him about when the bombings would happen exactly, but he heard about it like the rest of the world—through Truman’s radio announcement. Oppenheimer was incredibly anxious about the bombings, as can be seen in the scene where he is waiting by the phone the day before it happened. His guilt was eating him up from the inside while everyone celebrated either a military victory or a scientific break. Oppenheimer only saw the destruction of the world and the deaths of innocents. With his research he sealed the fates of millions of people. Because that is the chain reaction—the accumulation of historical events.

[dumbass-tumbler-cryptid]

What more will you add to the recom custody au and the blood siblings au

The recom custody au will basically just be the Sully’s reaction to Quaritch and how they handle the whole situation knowing that Spider is a victim of kidnapping. Spider won’t want to leave his dad so the Sully’s have to navigate that. At the same time Spider doesn’t fully know about what Quaritch did to the Na’vi and when he finds out a massive wedge will be put between them. Despite what a good life his dad has given him Spider can’t see him as anything but a monster now. Quaritch meanwhile can’t stand the look in his son’s eyes every time the boy so much as glances at him. It’ll lead him to try and redeem himself, at least to Spider.

The Blood Sibling au didn’t win the vote so I won’t be working on that any time in the near future. And honestly I stopped writing that because I couldn’t really figure out where to go and I’m still at a loss. By the end of the last part Spider is a shell of himself from how guilt ridden Quaritch has made him, Hunter is thriving, and the twins are the last ones standing. I originally thought of Quaritch going military mode from there. Not nearly as harshly as he did in the Blood Brothers military au, but still doing the military tactics of same hairstyle for the boys, and probably just simple ponytails and buns for Ada, military uniforms and group exercises to instill the idea that they are a unit. I ended up not really liking that idea though, it just really didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the narrative.

The idea I’m still think about is that since Gunner never had a male influence in his life and grew up in a house full of women, I know Quaritch is going to prey on that. Not in a misogynistic, incel, woman hating kind of way. More in like a, isn’t nice being able to let loose with the guys, kinda way. Ada will hate it there for that exact reason. It’s a total boys club. She has absolutely no one that can fully get her. Her brothers do try really hard though. And Quaritch treats her like a princess. It’s totally different then how her moms raised her. They loved her and always supported her in everything. They taught her that she was an equal to all men and to never let anyone put her down. In the cabin though she’s actually put on a higher pedestal than them and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy it.

From there though I kinda don’t know where to go. The easy ending would be they all fall in line and live “happily” ever after but I don’t know, I’m not drawn to that ending here. Maybe since 4 kids were taken instead of one it makes it easier for an investigation to track them down. The twins moms would most definitely adopt Spider if the Sully’s don’t beat them to the punch. And Hunter could be more confident after the whole ordeal and stand up to his neglectful parents. Or Spider could get sick of his dad’s manipulation, say fuck it, out the fact that he lived with his dad for years and watched his siblings in secret but stress that he was never part of their dad’s kidnapping plans. From there the kids could vote on whether they wanted to stay or go. If they stay then that’s that but if they go, Spider would have to find a way to get the ankle monitors off, get his siblings safely down the mountain and find a way to call for help all with a trained marine hunting them down. Again these are all ideas I’m just tossing around. I’d love to hear any ideas to get the inspiration flowing.

[palossssssand]

c and i for any of your guys!

banger ask. I'm going to do this for All of my guys

C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?

Gingull: Both yes and no. "Yes" in that she's the main character, or at least, the story would be from her point of view and revolve around her. "No" in that I've been struggling to pinpoint exactly how her personality is and how she interacts with everyone else. I want to make relationship dynamics interesting. Maybe I'll make a chart.

Alfin: He's very much a designated "support character" in that he's Gingull's sibling and is the closest to her, but other than that I feel like he doesn't have too much of an active role other than being a presence and a part of Gingull's world. I'll have to workshop him a little more because admittedly he's the character that I'm least invested in.

King: As a parental figure for Gingull, how he plays off on her is pretty important on understanding her decisions and general worldview and etc. I think she has an overall positive relationship with him, which is a little different than my personal experience, so I'd like to explore how to make this more complex and how King influences her arc. He's in the same boat as Alfin where he individually probably won't drive the story forward but is an integral part to Gingull.

Moberry: This is where things get more interesting, Moberry possibly plays one of the most active roles in the "plot" of slug city in that their dynamic with the city's leader, Maika, affects nearly every other character on various ways. I'm particularly really into the results of these interpersonal interactions and dynamics having consequences. I love The Consequences. Maika is a character that doesn't appear much physically in the context of the story and the city in-universe, so Moberry serves as the bridge between him and the "outer world" through their personal experience with him. They also serve as the leader of the hidden underground, so there's a parallel going on between them and Maika.

Smooks: I love smooks so much. Easily one of my favorite characters and designs. Her role in the story is less "plot related" and more "worldbuilding and imagery" related, if that makes sense? The main tower, many buildings, and the vehicles are all mainly designed by her, so I want to play around with the implications from that. Is transportation useful and convenient, or is it disabling? Was this from Maika's influence? Her own internal concepts? Much to think about. She plays an interesting role in the background for sure and I think would be a fun adult figure for Gingull to look up to.

Dr. Walworth: Her current role is "character who worked closely with Moberry and also has guilt about her involvement with Maika" and is also a therapist for Delta. There's some implications with her role that I feel like I need to flesh out more, for example, if therapy isn't a "licensed practice" due to the nature of the city's organization being so aggressively anti-mental health, is it hidden? Does she make her services known to the general public? There's a lot of questions I have to jump off from there, including the fact that she herself is autistic and therefore was unknowingly contributing to the detriment of citizens like her. Like Moberry, she's actively trying to make up for the damage done, and I like exploring that sort of character arc.

Delta: She's probably my favorite character to think about. Initially, she was the "soldier with ptsd" archetype that I kind of wanted to stray from and develop more, and then eventually brought in the idea that she was responsible for bringing Gingull in to their machines, and then turning around and rescuing her when the machine malfunctions. As far as Gingull is concerned, Delta is part of an oppressive and violent force and wants nothing to do with her, the flip side is that Delta has been seeking an Out from the military and feeling increasingly trapped by it, and the machine malfunctioning was her breaking point for her to actively rebel. Gingull doesn't know any of this, and even when she does, there's no forgiveness involved with it. I'm like. so interested in her arc in that she is both a victim and perpetrator in her system. the tension of it. it's so juicy to me. There's so much that I want to think about for Delta. Any other character, if put into her position, might have done the same, or at least understood why she kept under wraps for so long. What are you supposed to do when you feel like you have no choice in what you can do, no impact on the circumstances, and knowing that what you are doing is ultimately wrong?

Oster and Co: Oster and his alters are very much side characters, similar to how Alfin in there to give Gingull relationships. Oster is there to flesh out the underground city community on Moberry, Dr. Walworth, and Smook's side. He's also there to be a friend to Gingull, someone who is a little older but still a kid, so there's solidarity there and also as an example/contrast for living with some kind of accommodation. Alka, Kaola, and Teris (alters) I'm not entirely sure how they fit in, but at the very least they're going to switch fairly nonchalantly. I'm wanting him to have a more major(?) role in the story but I haven't thought about this character in depth enough for that.

Eidwinn: He's pretty much stayed the same as I was thinking about his role initially; someone who isn't connected to any of the other characters personally except for Gingull, and the brief moments that they share end up having a profound impact on both of them. I talked about this a little more in the previous ask, but I'm really attached to Eidwinn, so I don't mind that his role in the story is fairly small. Something about the contrast between Eidwinn and Gingull (young and old, someone who still has their life ahead of them vs someone who's lived through much) works so well with how they are fundamentally very similar people and were both impacted by Maika's project. I love having parallels.

Maika: Very obviously the Main Antagonist, responsible for everything that's I've talked about regarding the previous characters. Originally, I had him as a more flamboyant, appealing villain character, and stepped down from that because it really didn't seems to fit in with his goals and role as the city's leader and opted for a more serious, cold, cutthroat character. The thing to understand about Maika and that I want to come across is that his desire to do good for the citizens is guided by a misunderstanding of what people actually need, going off of his own idea of what's best, and what was once a genuine effort to make a great city was overtaken by his curiosity about like. Conditions. and what he could do to fix them. I'm wanting to dig a little more into his motivations and in the context of slug city's world as a whole, culturally. I might have typed this out in a different post or just forgot but I want to think about if his mindset is a product of other dominant schools of thought in slug city society, or if there was any particular event that set off this obsession and whatnot. I'm wanting to steer clear from "this guy is completely irredeemable" or imply that he's intrinsically "evil", not to deny that he fucking sucks and that his actions have consequences on Everybody. I think the dynamic between him and Gingull is interesting, in that to him, Gingull is fairly unremarkable and he isn't aware of her until much later when she ends up breaking into the tower and seeing him in person. To Gingull, it's extremely personal, he's the man who built up(or at the very least, enforced) the system that she's suffered under.

I) Do you prefer to keep them in their canon universe?

Yes, but also I drew them as splatoons just for funsies

I have a tendency to just draw existing characters as species or crossover from other media, so there's like a nonzero chance that I'll draw the cast as Something sometime down the line. It's definitely not going to be any fully fledged AU that I think hard about conceptually (who knows. I might be lying. I'll never know)

list of slug city characters question list

[nczaversnick]

Writing Share Tag

thanks to @sableglass for the tag :)8 and also @honeybewrites for Iris

Chapter 17: date [Cas POV]

Caspian approaches Iris’ workshop where she had removed her leg and had it on a table, and is messing with the circuits inside with a welding-looking instrument. He freezes in the doorway, a little thrown off seeing where her flesh ends in a stump and the rest of her on the table.

Iris is intuitive and pipes up, “Can I help you?”

Cas: Oh, uh, I was just here because of the schedule.

Iris peers up at the clock, “punctual. I like that.” She motions for him to step inside to which he does and he sits in a chair, kind of trying not to stare at her dismembered leg on the table.

Iris: My teachings aren’t very conventional. I don’t fight you physically and there’s nothing medically I can show you.

Cas: Ah, then we’ll just-

Iris: Talk.

Cas: Right, um.

Iris: You can ask about the leg.

Cas: I wasn’t going to, I swear.

Iris: It’s alright, it was many years ago. Physical and emotional wounds have healed.

Cas: Right.. [he still feels uneasy just asking her straight away, but he eventually relents and asks]

[Iris goes into detail about how she was in the military with Adrian, a landmine goes off and hits her, leaving her badly injured. The commanding officer knew she was a deviant and essentially left her for dead where Adrian then took her to Aurelia and had her patched up. Iris has a good eye for electronics and prosthetics, plus Aurelias knowledge of anatomy so she was able to create the limbs for herself.]

Iris: It certainly wasn’t easy adjusting. You go about your whole life thinking that there’s something wrong with you. You’re brainwashed into thinking that the only way to make up for your existence is to do what you’re told. Stay on the low. Just survive.

Cas knows this all too well as he recalls the many days he’s been going through the motions with his own life before he joined the group. Going to school, getting harassed by almost everyone for being something he couldn’t control in the first place. He feels his shoulders get heavier with guilt at how badly he treated this group and how close-minded he was being towards them.

Cas: I’m sorry.

Iris: Don’t be. We were too busy trying to stay alive, we forgot how to live.

Cas lets the air settle for a bit after the dark truth comes out.

Cas: Do you really think Adrian is right in all this?

Iris: It definitely depends on your perspective. You’ve seen how it’s like from both sides with the accident at your hospital.

Caspian frowns at this.

Iris: My job isn’t to dissuade or influence you. I’m only here to provide information to make your transition in life easier.

Cas: My transition as a Deivant?

Iris nods.

Cas: So what is all of this? The warehouse, all those people that are out there?

Iris: We are a group [explain the group’s purpose, it’s mission]

Cas: How come no one has heard about you?

Iris: Well, how many times in history did a group of rebels who outwardly proclaimed that they were going to overthrow the government actually succeed?

Cas: Good point..

Iris: It’s a slow process, but we’ve already helped so many people. It’s only a matter of time before the tide will shift to our advantage.

Caspian nods, feeling a little bit more hopeful.

Cas: How is Adrian keeping all of this under wraps?

Iris: Well, I can’t go into specifics, but Adrian is a powerful man. He has influences and connections that no one else has, or knows about. We use that to our advantage to keep our forces healthy and prospering.

Cas: What rank are you?

Iris: When I was still in the military, I was a Corporeal.

Cas: What could you do as a Corporeal?

Iris: Not very much than you and everyone who graduated high school as a Private. I did oversee my own group of Privates and made sure they stayed in line, but other than that, my knowledge about what was actually going on in the military was limited.

Cas: What is Adrian?

Iris: A Colonel.

Cas: A Colonel?! He has to be able to do a whole bunch of things then!

Iris: Things that are classified to you and me.

Cas: You??

Iris: Yes, even me.

Cas’ mind was swimming as he came up with more questions and Iris gladly answered them.

you can read the chapters finished so far here:

Tags [comment to be +\-]

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[themirokai]

For my new followers: I’ve been watching Person of Interest really slowly and posting reactions to each episode with gifs. Check out the tag #miro does poi if you’d like to see more. Or, ya know, blacklist it.

POI 03x23: Deus Ex Machina

I thought some parts of this episode worked and some did not. Gonna do some big overarching thoughts, then call out some specific moments.

I generally liked Collier as a villain. Some of that is an affinity for Leslie Odom Jr., but as I said in a prior post I also really like villains who have a point but take it too far. And I thought Odom played him really really well. The guy is crazy charismatic and brought every ounce of that to bear in this role.

So I felt a bit let down by the trial as culmination of his arc. It’s just… kind of dumb? Like did they actually believe that doing this show trial at gun point - of two political operatives and three people no one knew - was going to … what? Convince people to rise up against the government and demand greater privacy rights? Or was it to make themselves feel better about killing the people responsible for Northern Lights? It just seems pretty half-baked for a character who I felt had been previously set up to be intelligent and driven.

And I didn’t really like the reveal that Greer had been pulling the strings the whole time. It made sense for the broader Samaritan plot but it undermined everything about Collier. I think I would have preferred if they just had Decima influence how the trial went rather than have them be responsible for the entire Vigilance movement.

The trial did create the set up for Harold to be self-sacrificing. Again. Still. Some more.

So much of Harold’s actions throughout the series seem to be motivated by guilt. Actually, remorse is probably more accurate. He only thinks he’s important in terms of what he can do for others. BRB my heart is breaking.

Another thing that got my wheels turning was this part with Control where she gives her experience on 9/11 as her motivation for undertaking the surveillance program, and I’m interested in how that reads to younger people and people who aren’t American.

I was 17 on 9/11 and it isn’t much of an exaggeration to say that you could feel the country change in real time. Control’s story of having the rest of her life motivated by that day isn’t at all rare. I know several people who signed up for the military on 9/12 or shortly thereafter.

Probably most of the people using this site weren’t even born on 9/11 and I wonder if Control’s story comes off as contrived or manipulative to you. I know that for me, I do feel the remove of 22 years. I know that 9/11 jokes and memes are pretty common now. But I don’t think that was the case when this aired. I think we were still too close to it then, and Control probably came off as sympathetic or at least doing the wrong thing for the right reason. I’m not sure this part of the show has aged well. But also Camryn Manheim’s performance is fantastic.

I find it super interesting that when I try to use gif search, the majority of gifs that come up, and the first ones, are ALL Shoot. I’m not sure if that’s because there’s just more of them or if Shoot fans tag their stuff differently or what. I didn’t embed any here because this was getting lengthy, but this scene was great, they have excellent chemistry, and I generally love how their dynamic is developing.

Fusco’s arrival was fantastic because I’m always happy when he shows up but also Root … apparently sent a message on??? with??? Bear? We’re not going to interrogate the mechanics of how Root got Bear out of the library while she was going after Samaritan but I was very glad Bear was there too.

Also! Fusco still doesn’t know about the Machine!!! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Oh look, Hersh ends up being great and I’m kind of attached to him now. Of course he’s dead at the end.

Let’s talk about the Rinchiness. As always, we have John’s single-minded determination to get Harold back for the majority of the episode.

But then there is this oh so gentle and affectionate scene that I suspect lives in every Rincher’s heart.

Sigh.

And the ending. Goddamn the ending was gutting. RIP Library.

That’s a wrap on season 3! Thanks for sticking with me, y’all. Reminder that my ask box is open if you want to share your thoughts!

[im-tempted]

The Black Parade is a rock opera concept album written by American rock band My Chemical Romance. It follows the story of a young, ex military, terminal cancer patient  as he reckons with his life, death, and the impact his life really had. Many people like to rearrange the song order of the album to tell the story, however I think the order of all of the tracks in Black Parade are where they’re meant to be. MyChem’s other albums tell a cohesive story within their designated track orders and never need to be swapped around so I personally follow that rule as well when it comes to Black Parade.

Of course we start with The End narrating, rather sarcastically, the current situation of our protagonist. The End and Dead! are two tracks in this album that are the definition of DO NOT SEPARATE.

Generally I see The End and Dead! as the big opener,This Is How I Disappear as anger The Sharpest Lives as reckless self indulgence/destruction, Welcome to the Black Parade as a reflection in a moment of clarity almost like a broken promise the patient never wanted to break, I Don’t Love You is the patient speaking to his partner possibly trying to convince them to give up loving him because he's a dead man already.

House of Wolves is the religious guilt/anger of realizing that all the actions he took serving his country and how he lived his life were damning and not saving, while Welcome to the Black Parade is a hopeful look on the afterlife, House of Wolves is a negative. “Heaven” vs “Hell” maybe.

Cancer is pretty self explanatory, patient speaking to his loved ones nearing his end. Mama is A Lot. It’s a confession of sin from the war (this and blood and dead are where the military context comes from as well as the social political climate of when the album was released) it's a confession of sin in the personal life as well. “You should have raised a baby girl I could have been a better son” can take on a few meanings all of which are up for interpretation. Sleep is a sobering realization. It’s devoid of anger or passion or anything, like a quiet defeat.The opening tape recording is of Gerard describing to their therapist the nightmares they had while staying in a haunted house to write this album with his bandmates.

Teenagers I have not enough to say regarding the overall story but a banger. Disenchanted is in the title, it's the final result and reflection of the patient’s life. No matter what he did it was always going to end up this way. Nothing he could have done would have changed it.

 Famous Last Words is an interesting one. Gerard originally wrote it for their brother Mikey, who was taking a short break from the band during the writing process to deal with various mental health going ons at the moment. When he returned and heard the song he asked for it (AND DISENCHANTED!) to be on the album. It fits thematically, and adds a hopeful note to the end of a tragedy.

THESE ARE MY INTERPRETATIONS I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR OWN IF YOU'VE GOT ANY. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING ALBUM

this became so much longer than i thought it would i am so sorry

ok finally have the time to sit down and respond to this idk how long this will get i have thoughts(tm) if theirs one thing I'm always thinking about it's death and SPECIFICALLY terminal illness which as someone who's actually had that will probably wildly influence my reading of the album (I know shock to everyone I've never been to war) as well as my big feelings about medical things in general (this album was made in a lab about me actually)

overarching it's always interesting to see stories where death is not only expected but something actively being waited for I feel like everyone and their mother knows they're going to die to the point it's joked about but I don't think many people actually understand that as someone who had to metaphorically stare down the barrel of a gun from birth it's always interesting to see others express that feeling of not quite apathy that I've always felt but the moment you stop trying to claw your way away from death and when you start just living with it always over you shoulder

anyways back to the actual album

there's something so visceral about giving your body to your country and having it not be able to save you back of sacrificing your safety for you to come back home just to die of something no one can save you from there is no atonement in death of chance you went somewhere and you hurt a lot of people and you come back and don't even have the chance to die of it you die of chance like all the others like people who weren't broken for a cause who didn't shape themselves into a weapon to serve

they say that they don't feel bad for the blood on their hands and should they? for getting sucked into the largest propaganda campaign for trying their best for being in the wrong place at the wrong time a dying man can feel no guilt at some point it's just to late there is no point in feeling bad for what brought you somewhere when you simply don't have time

I think this album is also particularly interesting when the singer is explicitly talking to others (like in mama) 'cuz even though the POV person seems to have come to terms with what they've done it's interesting to one of the hardest parts of dying is trying to explain to anyone else you are because no one will actually believe you I don't have to many thoughts on that right now but I just think that's a part of dying people don't talk about is when you've come to terms with it and no one else has

OVERALL I will be thinking about this album probably for a while and this isn't even close to all of my thoughts but I have so many posts I can make in the future so there's always that This one got a tad away from me I can talk about each song on it's own later if you want but for right now I think all the time about what it's like for someone to come to terms with the fact they are dying and what they had to make themselves to get there (< is so normal about this and hasn't based their whole life around it for almost two decades)

GREAT SONGS

[malachixdubois]

⟨ ricky whittle. cisgender man. he/him. 43. ⟩ We just saw malachi dubois entering the high gate cemetery. I heard through the grapevine that their loyalties lie with [ the jolly rogers ] and that they also go by crosshair* . Be careful, they work for them as a assassin and can sometimes be morose, apathetic, or even resentful but I’ve also heard some people say that they were detail oriented, self-controlled, and quite resilient.

details (military, war, death tw)

Ariana Dubois was seventeen when she fell pregnant. Perhaps this wouldn’t have mattered if she’d been anyone was else, but as the only daughter of an upper class family, there were appearances to upkeep. Ariana never did confess the name of her son’s father but when he was born, it was clear that his father was not someone the Dubois parents would approve of.

Malachi Dubois was a quiet child. He suffered from a stutter in his early childhood, further proof of his flawed status. His grandparents hated him for what he represented – the ruination of all of the plans they’d had for their only daughter – but Ariana loved her son with all of her heart.

Growing up, Malachi hated everything about his life. California was lovely but his life itself was stuffy. He was the only biracial child at his school, a fact that the older boys used to torment him daily. Coming home was no better. His grandparents enrolled him in pointless activities just to get him out of the house… They never truly recovered from the scandal that was his birth, and never ceased to make him know just how much he’d ruined their lives.

When he was 15, Malachi was caught with a group of boys from the other side of town. They were everything his family was not – lower class, rough around the edges, and accepting of him – and he loved them. It was his idea to vandalize the private school he attended. It wasn’t supposed to be anything too serious, just a bit of graffiti. When they were caught, Malachi got off with a stern warning due to his grandparent’s influence. His friends did not fair as well.

In his early 20s, Malachi’s mother died. Having no other family to speak of, Malachi enlisted in the army. It was something he’d mulled over for years, but after his mother’s death, he realized that there was nothing tying him to his previous life anymore. He hadn’t made anything of himself and so far, all he’d managed to do was cast a shadow over his grandparents’ legacy.

While serving overseas, the Humvee that Malachi was in was hit by an IED. He was shipped home shortly after, a shell of a man. The wounds healed, but the scars ran deeper than the physical. He couldn’t sleep. He had so much anger in him that he couldn’t even recognize himself anymore.

He thought that a change of setting would help. He'd inherited his grandparents wealth and holdings and moving to London seemed like a good idea for feeling connected, but even there, thousands of miles away from the memories that dogged him, Malachi couldn't escape the grief and the abject guilt of having survived.

He attempted to convince himself that he could still be normal, whatever that looked like, which meant dating, attending events, and all the other things he hated. At one such event, he met Ophelia. The two fell fast into love, but the relationship burned out as quickly as it had started. Within a year, they were divorced.

With nothing else tethering him to "normalcy," Malachi decided to put his very particular set of skills to work for him. He began to pick up contracts for the Jolly Rogers and slowly worked his way up the ranks of their assassins.

He attempts to convince himself that he can still access normal, that being an assassin is something he does, not who he is, and that he is taking out people who deserve death. Guilt is still his most constant companion.

Connections:

Another American, I know, but honestly, he's been in London for almost two decades and has worked for the JRs for over a decade, so all the things: friends, enemies, coworkers, flings, etc etc.

[ofwishfulthinking]

if you’re hearing DEMONS by IMAGINE DRAGONS playing, you have to know MALACHI DUBOIS (HE/HIM; CISGENDER MAN) is near by! the 43 year old has been in denver for, like, FIFTEEN YEARS. they’re known to be quite WITHDRAWN, but being COMPASSIONATE seems to balance that out. or maybe it’s the fact that they resemble RICKY WHITTLE. personally, i’d love to know more about them seeing as how they’ve got those THE CLOYING TASTE OF GUILT ON THE BACK OF YOUR THROAT, THE FEELING OF TRYING TO CATCH YOUR BREATH AFTER EXERCISING, and BACKWARDS BASEBALL CAPS vibes. and maybe i’ll get my chance if i hang out around the WASHINGTON PARK long enough!

details (military, war, death tw)

Ariana Dubois was seventeen when she fell pregnant. Perhaps this wouldn’t have mattered if she’d been anyone was else, but as the only daughter of an upper class family, there were appearances to upkeep. Ariana never did confess the name of her son’s father but when he was born, it was clear that his father was not someone the Dubois parents would approve of.

Malachi Dubois was a quiet child. He suffered from a stutter in his early childhood, further proof of his flawed status. His grandparents hated him for what he represented – the ruination of all of the plans they’d had for their only daughter – but Ariana loved her son with all of her heart.

Growing up, Malachi hated everything about his life. He was the only biracial child at his school, a fact that the older boys used to torment him daily. Coming home was no better. His grandparents enrolled him in pointless activities just to get him out of the house… They never truly recovered from the scandal that was his birth, and never ceased to make him know just how much he’d ruined their lives.

When he was 15, Malachi was caught with a group of boys from the other side of town. They were everything his family was not – lower class, rough around the edges, and accepting of him – and he loved them. It was his idea to vandalize the private school he attended. It wasn’t supposed to be anything too serious, just a bit of graffiti. When they were caught, Malachi got off with a stern warning due to his grandparent’s influence. His friends did not fair as well.

Shortly after his 18th birthday, Malachi's mother died. Having no other family to speak of, Malachi enlisted in the army. It was something he’d mulled over for years, but after his mother’s death, he realized that there was nothing tying him to his previous life anymore. He hadn’t made anything of himself and so far, all he’d managed to do was cast a shadow over his grandparents’ legacy.

While serving overseas, the Humvee that Malachi was in was hit by an IED. He was shipped home shortly after, a shell of a man. The wounds healed, but the scars ran deeper than the physical. He couldn’t sleep. He had so much anger in him that he couldn’t even recognize himself anymore.

It was then that Malachi moved to Colorado. In the time that he'd been away, both of his grandparents had passed and Malachi had inherited their wealth, but was determined not to use it.

It's been nearly two decades since he's lived in Colorado. The state has been kind to him. His PTSD is well-managed, he currently owns his own gym where he works as a personal trainer, and he's the proud dad of a German Shepherd named Athena.

potential connections:

friends

romantic things (f/m/nb)

fellow dog owners

vegas spouse (WC on main)

half siblings (WC on main)

employees

[luna-rainbow]

Lifton's postulate for brainwashing

Er, so this is really not my field or comfort zone, but I was researching for my fic/meta and came upon this list, which I thought might be of interest to people.

Robert Lifton is a renowned psychologist who studied PoWs and came up with this 10 step process with which people were "brainwashed", which are also often seen in cults and indoctrination. To me, it also feels like some of the techniques are used by abusers in toxic controlling relationships, because it creates a dynamic where the victim feels like they are dependent on the abuser for guidance and the need to "do good".

See...my take on Bucky's amends is that it was part of the military's process in "reforming" Bucky to align with their purposes.

These methods need the person to be isolated to work, which unfortunately Bucky already is.

1) Assault on identity: "You are not who you think you are"

2) Guilt: "You are bad"

3) Self-betrayal: "Agree you are bad and your family/friends are wrong"

The point of steps 1-3 is basically to make people doubt who they are and what their self-worth and belief systems are. Because of what Bucky's experienced, he doesn't actually need a lot of push to go that way - he already thinks "the Winter Soldier is still in there" and that "I am crazy". The key would be how they play on #3 - would it explain why Bucky suddenly cut contact with Sam? Because they kept feeding him propaganda and he wasn't sure how to talk to Sam any more?

4) Breaking point This is the point the abuser wants to reach with steps 1-3, and HSW explains it best in this quote:

When the target reaches his breaking point, his sense of self is pretty much up for grabs -- he has no clear understanding of who he is or what is happening to him. At this point, the agent sets up the temptation to convert to another belief system that will save the target from his misery.

At this point, people would become highly suggestible to external influence, because their sense of self and their belief system is disrupted.

5) Leniency: "I can help you" A lot of abusive relationships hinge on this point to maintain it. They offer a reprieve from the abuse they've been dealing out, and because it is so different, it almost feels "kind".

While not the same situation in Bucky's case, this may be the purpose of the "pardon". Never mind that he was a prisoner of war subjected to extensive periods of torture and mind-control, never mind that at least in the final few years he was under the control of the secretary of a government organisation...They perpetuate the notion that Bucky himself is guilty, and their offer of pardon is their leniency.

6) Compulsion to confess: "You can help yourself"

7) Channelling of guilt: "This is why you're in pain"

8) Releasing of guilt: "This is how you can change that" I think @ifandomus raised a good point some time ago about how the government would have tried to get Bucky to reveal information - or at least reveal how much he knows, because that may affect whether or not they trust him to be out there potentially revealing things they don't want people to know about.

#7 and #8 play directly into the amends. The guilt is painted as a personal failing, and Bucky is given a personal quest as an outlet and a path (however damaging to both him and the WS's victims) to resolve the guilt. We don't know how he made that list. We don't know why some people's names are on it, while others are not. We do know that Raynor is aware of the list and is probably also aware of the actual names on that list (even before episode 6). What are the chances that - during a period where Bucky was highly suggestible and uncertain - even the amends list was curated by the government?

9) Progress and harmony: "Here is a new belief system that will make you feel better"

10) Final confession and rebirth: "I accept the new belief system" I don't think Bucky quite got to the final 2 stages, and it's probably because he reconnected with Sam and came out of that social isolation where he didn't have an anchor.

I feel like Bucky got the sense that they were trying to get inside his head, hence his antagonism with his therapist (I can't imagine how he would feel after 70 years of people breaking inside his head, to be faced with someone doing it again). But I also think - especially without any sort of background in psychology or even social interactions for decades - he isn't sure whether she really is trying to help and it's just his own distrust getting in the way, so there's a bit of a see-sawing dynamic he has with the psychologist because sometimes he thinks maybe she has a point, and at other times he's on edge and closed off.

My feeling is that he latches so hard onto Steve (Stucky aside) because that is his only guarantee of something being true. Hence a lot of his actions and arguments are based on what Steve did, what Steve said and what Steve left behind.

(I know the show isn't really going this way with it...but I like the thought of Raynor and the therapy sessions all being a giant scam to get Bucky to be a pliable war dog again)

[fantastic-rambles]

Random BSD Thoughts: “The Untold Origins” and The Decay of Angels

WARNING: Spoilers for “The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency” LN (Brief spoiler for Chapter 91 near the end.)

So I’m still plodding my way through the light novels and making notes on the various things that catch my interest. For those who have read the third novel, saying that I’m going to discuss the Decay of Angels in relation to it might seem odd, but there’s a method to my madness (in my own head, at least).

Right now, we’ve been introduced to the five members of the Decay of Angels in the manga, which seems to have rounded out the group. And the light novel, as the title suggests, refers to events that happen a long time before the events of the manga. But I think that the novel could be hinting toward the existence of the Decay of Angels even back then, with Ranpo and Fukuzawa briefly catching its tail.

(My thoughts/reasonings are pretty tenuous, so there’s a very good chance that I’m wrong/will be proved wrong since I’m no Ranpo who can solve a mystery by looking at it, but this is just where my brain went and I felt like sharing. xD) 

“V” and the Decay of Angels?

(I’ve learned how to use headers instead of having enormous walls of text, go me!)

The lines that caught my attention and sent me spiraling down this rabbit hole are these, which appear near the end of the light novel:

Behind it all was a domestic underground syndicate known as “V,” whose goal was to rid the country of skill users.

And the battle against them was only beginning.

Of course, it doesn’t name the Decay of Angels explicitly, but there are a few things just in the first line that caught my attention:

They are a domestic syndicate. Of course, the Decay of Angels (currently) has skill-users from several different countries, but their leader is very much Japanese. And maybe back then, they were primarily Japanese, with Fukuchi recruiting the others in the years since (more on this later).

“V”: the Roman numeral for 5, which could refer to the five “signs” of the impending death of an angel (one of which is the “lack of delight in their heavenly seat” or something along those lines that the ADA fulfilled--I think I’m mixing up the Mouryou no Hako description with the BSD description, but you get the point). It could also refer to the number of members, but I find that unlikely given that “V” does seem to have more than five people at this point in time.

Their goal, to rid the country of all skill users: isn’t that literally what Fyodor wants to do? Though on a slightly larger scale, as he apparently wants to rid the world of them altogether. But again, if he were recruited later, that would have provided him a strong incentive to lend his support to the DoA.

We also learn that this organization is willing to use any methods in order to achieve their goals, which is rather reminiscent of the methods of the DoA, especially Fukuchi orchestrating an enormous terrorist plot in order to gain control of an international, non-affiliated army and destroy all of the countries.

Plus, the member of the organization who is caught by Fukuzawa and Ranpo is a police officer, Jun Mitamura. Was he an early member of the DoA or the Hunting Dogs under Fukuchi? Yes, he doesn’t seem to be a skill user, as is the case with both organizations now, but it’s also established that back then, the knowledge of skill users wasn’t well-known, and the government seemed to be trying to collect them. So I don’t think it’s unreasonable that some of the earlier iterations of the groups might have had non-skill user members, and it would make most sense to recruit them from law enforcement and/or the army.

To prevent him from talking after he was captured, Mitamura was stabbed by a blade that disappeared (as was Kurahashi); I don’t know when Fukuchi obtained Amenogozen, but it certainly seems like something he could have done if he did have it then. Especially since he was also affiliated with the military (and maybe was starting to get a reputation?) and could probably walk around a police station/jail without raising suspicion.

Angels in the Light Novel (an aside, mostly)

Another interesting tidbit is that “angels” feature prominently in the story, most particularly in the play that is performed early on that has a minor mystery for Ranpo to solve, including the death threat that is received:

An angel shall bring death, in the truest sense of the word, to the performer. - V.

Although this is part of the plan to fake Murakami’s death, it seems clear that “V” and Murakami and/or Kurahashi were in contact in order for this note to be written. After all, it would be a wild coincidence for them to have randomly chosen “V” to be the anonymous sender of the letter and then for this organization “V” to show up later in the novel.

Of course, the “angels” in the play don’t actually have great bearing on the story (as far as I can tell), and the depictions of skill-users in the play are considered inaccurate/dramatized in general (again, since they’re not well-known about at this point), but it is noted that it’s very unusual to include them since they’re generally considered some sort of urban legend. But if “V” had a hand in writing the play through Kurahashi, they could have provided information about skill-users (possibly to pique Natsumi’s interest and get him to show up?) as well as influenced the theme of the angels.

Overall Timeline of Events

So with this information, I’ve organized a rough (theoretical) timeline of events for the development of the Decay of Angels. Starting from three facts:

14 years ago (prior to the present shown in the manga), Fukuchi joins the army and comes to hate war.

12 years ago, the ADA is founded.

8 years ago, Fukuchi defeats Bram Stoker and forces him to join the DoA.

Presumably, around those 14 years ago, that’s when Fukuzawa left the army/being a government assassin and found employment as a bodyguard instead. But Fukuchi did join the army and was caught up by the horrors of war, which led him to start forming plans to destroy all of the countries and establish world domination. So by the time Ranpo meets Fukuzawa two years later, possibly Fukuchi has formed a proto-Hunting Dogs/DoA organization that is called “V” with his charisma and growing fame.

Then, in the following years, he goes on being the world’s hero, fighting against highly skilled and dangerous skill-users. With his reputation and image of reliability, trust in him grows and he’s able to freely go almost anywhere, which would give him opportunities to meet and recruit people like Fyodor and Gogol. Gogol seems to be close friends with Fyodor, so they probably came as a package, while Fyodor may have agreed to the cooperative relationship so that he could get the Book and erase skill-users, while Fukuchi would be able to benefit from Fyodor’s malicious and thorough ability to devise complex plots to achieve their goals. Also:

MANGA CHAPTER 91 SPOILER: “One Order” is apparently an ability that “frees soldiers [people] from the yoke of sin”/takes away their guilt (over committing murder). Sound familiar??? This might just be a coincidence, though. But if Fyodor is also interested in this, it could further explain why he joined up with the DoA.

But not all of the collaborators are working with Fukuchi willingly, as is seen by Bram Stoker. But when he defeated Stoker, Fukuchi clearly thought that he would be useful (either his own idea, or possibly Fyodor’s if they’re working together by that point) and kept him secretly for 8 years. So this is a plan that’s been in the works for a very long time and only coming to a head now, since the ADA has grown enough to be able to realistically pin the terrorism accusation on them.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

How does Fukuzawa get his ability of “All Men Are Created Equal”? If he does have this ability, at the very least, he doesn’t recognize it at this point of his life. Possibly it’s again due to the dearth of knowledge/interactions with skill-users (especially any that would be under his leadership since he’s very much a lone wolf), but is it actually possible to develop a skill later in life as is mentioned in the play, and which Fukuzawa uses to convince Ranpo that he’s a skill-user? (I’m inclined to think not, and that it just becomes applicable after he establishes the ADA and skill-users join, but still curious.)

Little Oda! When the assassin with two pistols showed up, I hoped he was Oda, and he was! Which means that Ranpo and Oda met (ish) before Oda decided to stop killing, and again when Oda decided to start killing again. And Little Oda still likes curry. D:

[aphrodite-would-be-proud]

🕯Anon said: just wanna say I adore your writing and how you write Reiner and the kids and the other warriors is my favourite thing ever !! I just wanna give them all hugs :) do u have any hcs for the types of jobs you see them all doing in modernverse ?🕯

The types of jobs they have in modern au

{Annie, Bertolt, Colt, Marcel, Pieck, Porco, Reiner, Zeke, }

{Implied Reiner x reader}

{ "Porto" 1935 by Renato Natali 1883-1979 }

Annie is an Animal rescue worker.

Having had experience as a dog trainer before, it wasn't hard to find a full time job at her local shelter after graduating high school, having volunteered there before.

With time, effort and a lot of energy she made her way into the position of "animal control officer" now she spends her days busting animal's abusers doors and rescuing injured or neglected pets.

With long shifts and a high maintenance job, her time was all poured into her work. Usually she'd be exhausted after a long day.

Despite that, she's fulfilled and satisfied with her job. Not having to deal with a lot of people is a plus too, it's a hard job yes but she prefers it this way.

Her friends are bumped about not being able to see her a lot but they understand, plus she keeps in touch with them by lurking in the group chat only to send a snarky remark to stir the pot every now and then.

Bertolt sees her everyday because they work at the same animal shelter, even if their jobs are different they still walk home together, she also met some different people like Hitch and Marco at her job.

The kids love her job, they think it's badass, especially Gabi and Udo. Gabi because Annie gets to kick people in the face and Udo because he genuinely cares about animals.

She'd never tell anyone this, but part of the reason she wanted the job was because she felt guilty for her past self and wanted to fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves.

Bertolt is a veterinarian.

Having changed his mind post graduation and going to college instead of with Reiner, he graduated after 4 years of studying and is currently working with Annie at the local shelter while also planning to open his own clinic one day.

He takes some animals under his personal care for weeks or months even till they get adopted, he fears something bad will happen to the weak or ill ones if left at the shelter overnight.

Just like Annie, the job takes a lot of his time, not to mention caring for animals off of work. So he's in the same situation as her, but for the sake of his best friend he still finds time to visit and hang out once a week.

Reiner and him still text daily, it's mostly pictures Bertolt took of the animals, Annie on her break, interesting plants he finds along the way. And Reiner replies with pictures of the kids.

They still find time to play basketball together, they try to keep it a secret from Annie because she will kick their ass in it.

Bertolt is comfortable with his job, he feels like he belongs and likes being needed. Yes the long hours are a con but seeing the fruits of his labour grow and get better day by day makes it all worth it.

The kids like visiting his house because there usually will be a new dog or some animal in there every month or so, Reiner makes sure they don't bother the animals. 

Something he's never told anyone is a big part of the reason he changed his mind last minute was because Animals feel much safer and secure for him to work with than humans.

Colt is a college student working part time.

He's majoring in nursing, being a four years degree he's trying to balance his studies with work and taking care of Falco.

Zeke offered him to work full time after graduation at his clinic, since he's been working part time there for a while and the pay is good, plus it's really convenientnal.

He has worked different part time jobs in the past like a barista, flower shop assistant, tutor, kindergarten teacher, etc.

Between all his responsibilities he barely has time for himself, his courses end right before his work starts and the small bits in-between is spent on Falco and his friends. Zeke and Pieck try to take some of his responsibility but he refuses saying it's the least he could do to Falco.

He's really good at his job like multitasking, reading people, gaining their trust and having high stamina that he could stay for night shifts even.

He relies on coffee a lot.

Falco sees him as a real life superhero, they weren't that close before but after the incident he really started appreciating his big brother. 

Something he keeps inside is that despite pursuing this job because he genuinely wanted to make a difference in people's lives and help the sick, he also felt a crushing guilt after his parents passed away, and so he's trying to save other people's lives now instead.

Marcel is a pilot.

It's a dream he always had since middle school, soon after graduation he joined the military to gain enough flying hours and experience to apply to a commercial airline after taking some mathematics, aviation and some general flying courses.

He was officially hired as a pilot after getting his first class medical certificate to check his health.

His work isn't measured by hours to him but by days, he needs to be available 24/7 in case of an emergency call. Now he's working overseas and far away from his friends.

You've actually never met Marcel, only seen pictures of him and received letters. The person he keeps in touch with the most is Porco.

He likes his work, it's his dream. He doesn't like the work hours and being so absent from his friends and brother, he misses them so much at times.

Pieck is a tattoo artist.

Her shop is actually her old flower shop after she decided to change her career. She's always been good with plants and taking care of them, at that time Colt worked as her assistant. 

It wasn't till later after some years of practice and training under other artists that she was confident enough about her skills to start the project 

Her art is full of life, mesmerising and beautiful. She puts her soul in every piece and has gained a good reputation because of it, plus having really high ratings and strict hygiene rules, no health inspector could ever challenge her.

Having her own independent work meant that she has a very flexible schedule, being mostly free ment she could pursue other hobbies like gardening.

A peaceful and simple life where she can indulge in her art and be happy is all she ever wanted

Porco is a frequent customer of hers that gets a family discount, Zeke came once before and later sent his friend, a really tall and blonde woman who became her most frequent customer.

Zofia thinks her work is really cool and wants to go and just watch her do her thing, but it's frowned upon to have a kid just sitting at a tattoo shop.

Despite changing into this career, the town people still think of her as the sweet flower shop lady.

Porco is a bartender.

That job came to him by accident more than anything, he was working part time as a bouncer in a local bar but a slot was open after the old bartender suddenly quit and he gave it a chance.

He didn't expect to love it so much, neither did he know about his hidden talent in mixing drinks. So he took it as full time and changed to better bars after gaining the experience he needed.

Being naturally charismatic and good at influencing people, while also multitasking in making drinks and keeping a conversation going, he was instantly a hit in whatever place he worked at.

Working the night shift ment he's mostly free in the morning, he tries to help Pieck with her gardening and is actually attempting to grow some plants at his house.

Naturally whenever there's a gathering, he's the one mixing drinks and being the self assigned bartender who openly judges his friends for their choice in drinks. The charismatic persona being thrown out the window and replaced by a no mouth filter.

He genuinely cares tho, he's the one taking care of someone when they drink more they can handle. It's mostly Colt who underestimates his drinks and is left clinging to Porco who drives him home.

Because of his line of work, tattoos and general brash personality, the kids' parents don't like him even one bit. They're suspicious of him no matter how many times Reiner assures them he's trustworthy.

It's actually only Colt who trusts Falco with him, and maybe Zofia's mom who is at the bar every weekend. 

Reiner is a firefighter.

With his mother pushing him into this line of work, he applied for the physical and psychological exams after graduation before getting accepted. He wasn't unprepared per say but actually being in that line of work was more than he could ever prepare for.

It instantly took a great hit at his mental health, so much in fact that he was thankful Bertolt changed his mind last minute and didn't follow him in this job.

It was both everything he ever wanted, like saving people, helping children, animals and knowing it's him who saved them even if it means putting his own life at risk.

But also everything he hated, like the hunting faces and screams of the people who were far too gone for him to save, the recurring nightmares and constant guilt paired with imposter syndrome.

He works a 24/72 shift, meaning he works for a whole day before getting 3 days off. Approximately only working 7-8 days a month, not to mention unpaid leave, sick days and holidays.

So it both gave him a really tight schedule on some days and on others more free time than he knows what to do with, that's why he naturally took the main role of being the kid's caretaker. Looking after his little cousins genuinely helped him and he liked playing the big brother role.

Especially to Gabi, he was the only stable adult in her life. It's common knowledge that you call Reiner first for anything concerning her before her parents because he's more likely to answer and be available.

After meeting you, his life improved to the better as you moved in and became a trustworthy person in his life, someone he can depend on to take care of his little cousins on the days he works.

Not to mention that after you persuaded him to see a therapist, his mental health began improving too.

Gabi may or may have not committed arson at one point, she still wants to be a firefighter despite that and follow in Reiner's footsteps.

He hasn't told anyone beside you this, but he really fears for her, but doesn't have the heart to tell her no.

Zeke is a doctor.

Previously he worked in a hospital but was able to open his own clinic afterwards, Colt was a great help to him at that time when he was getting on his own feet and even worked a lot of unpaid hours.

After that he insisted Colt works an official part time job there with a much higher pay, till he graduates at least. Plus the experience will greatly improve his resume.

Zeke is brilliant at his job, he'd be a perfect doctor wasn't it for the fact he's a huge hypocrite who doesn't follow the advice he gives his patients. 

He does a side job in his free time that honestly no one of his friends know what it is, but they know it gained him a lot of connections and made new friends.

Something he always keeps buried inside was that he really never expected himself to become a doctor especially after what his dad did to his mother, and yet here he is. In some way it's like his own personal stepping stone to prove he's a better man than his father ever was.

Bonus:

Falco: middle schooler

He does volunteer work on the weekends, sometimes Udo joins him.

Doesn't want Gabi becoming a firefighter.

Likes all videogames , just all types.

Likes watching cartoons and medical shows with Colt who covers Falco eyes whenever an adult scene is on

His favourite food is chicken nuggets

Wants to try coffee

Is good at PE

Reads comic books

Likes yellow and blue

Gabi: middle schooler

Takes self defence classes and really wants to go to summer camp

Wants to be like Reiner, aspires to be as strong too.

Likes shooter videogames or really hard ones.

Likes watching Anime and cartoons

Her favourite food is Pizza

Wants to try energy drinks

Is also really good at PE and surprisingly good at puzzles.

Likes red and pink 

Udo: middle schooler

Takes music classes at the weekend, wants to go to science camp

Kinda wants to be like Reiner or an astronaut.

Likes calming videogames

Likes watching anime and Minecraft let's play

His favourite food is mac and cheese 

His favourite drink is strawberry milk

Is good at language classes and creative writing, he also just likes animals a lot.

Likes green and black

Zofia: middle schooler (could've been in a special program)

Takes music classes with Udo

Wants to be a lawyer

Likes co-op Videogames 

Likes watching true crime and youtubers drama

Her favourite food is Donuts

She likes strawberry milk and ice tea 

Is good at all classes

Likes white and purple

[daisybeewrites]

Academy Blues

oh, deer

word count: 2.8k

warnings: none for this chapter, vague foreshadowing

ship: dousy (daisy johnson x daniel sousa), background Fitzsimmons and Philinda

heyyyyy…. yes i posted it early on Ao3

howeverrr you guys are gonna like this chapter. i just feel it in my bones (bc its fluffy and the angst starts kicking in in the next one)

“You look like Rudolph, Daisy,” Elena greeted.

Daisy took a large swig of coffee, rolling her eyes but smirking. The pair were walking together to Elena’s first class after a tough early-morning spar.

“You’re the one who punched me where I already had a bruise,” Daisy shot back.

“Hey, I already told you I was aiming for the jaw. It’s not my fault you didn’t duck quick enough.”

They laughed as Elena swiped her key card to the comms building. Daisy held the door for Elena, shoving her lightly in the back as she passed.

“Hey!”

“Not my fault you can’t see backwards,” Daisy teased.

It was Elena’s turn to roll her eyes and laugh, slowing to a stop outside May’s lecture room.

“Right. Wish me luck, I heard May was giving a pop quiz today,” Elena grimaced.

“You don’t need any luck. I’ll see ya, Elena,” Daisy replied.

“Yeah, you will!” Elena said, backing into May’s large lecture room.

Daisy watched her wave and sit down with a group of third-years, her perfect french braids swishing behind her, before turning around. Daisy didn’t have a moment to think about where she was going before she ran into a solid wall.

Daisy looked up into a pair of dark chocolate eyes, crinkled at the edges with a small smile. The wall’s hair was ruffled, as if he had just gotten out of bed. He wore black SHIELD sweats and a white t-shirt. The wall was very attractive. She vaguely registered the smattering of books on the ground, her mind more focused on his hands on her shoulders.

“Daisy, are you okay?”

She must have been staring for too long. “Yeah, I’m good! Great! Sorry, Sousa,” she apologized, quickly bending over to pick up his books. She almost dropped them again when his hand brushed hers while she handed the thick textbooks back. She gave him a quick smile, taking a deep breath to compose herself, reciting her affirmations. I am Daisy Johnson. I am an Agent of SHIELD. I can move the Earth. I am powerful. I am in control of myself.

Daniel’s smile grew a bit when he heard Daisy laughing quietly to herself.

“I guess you could say I really swept you off your feet.”

Daniel chuckled at the quip, his hands still on her shoulders. “Yeah. Foot,” Daniel corrected. Daisy furrowed her brows, but ignored the strange comment.

“Right. Well, the bell—” Daisy was cut off by a long, high-pitched bell. She closed her eyes tight, the blaring alarm causing tiny vibrations to travel through her skull. When she opened them, Daniel was still standing in front of her, white tee and black sweats and messy morning hair encouraging just a bit more flirting before he had to leave.

“Wow, look at you. Late! I’m a bad influence on you, Danny.”

Daniel shrugged, glancing at his watch. “S’not the first time,” he murmured lowly, stepping away and giving her a last look before he disappeared into the classroom.

Daisy pretended not to notice her heart rate had risen from it’s usual sixty beats-per-minute to seventy-six beats-per-minute.

Daisy spent the rest of the day absentmindedly completing work in her classes. For some reason, flirting with Daniel felt… different than it had with her exes. Even her exes in SHIELD. Daniel was grounded. He had a calm presence. Being late didn’t phase him in the slightest; Daisy would have internally berated herself for the rest of the day.

She was finishing a short answer assignment from International Law and SHIELD Policy while stretching on the outdoor training grounds when she saw him again: still in sweats despite the heat. He was still walking with same, familiar limp. Then it clicked—’Foot’; the throwaway comment from earlier made much more sense now. He had a prosthetic. Before she could think anymore about that revelation, May called the Ops trainees to gather around her under a giant maple tree. Daisy was the last to get up, hanging towards the back as usual.

“Ops training, eh?”

Sousa turned to Daisy standing beside him, breaking his focus on May to turn to her. “Yeah. I used to be military, remember? 28th Infantry Recon Scout. I figure I’ve got to get at least near the level I used to be before I can go in the field.”

Daisy nodded, her hair caught in a slight breeze. “As long as you don’t steal my crown as the Queen of Spar, Master of Field Ops Physical Training.”

Daniel chuckled quietly, turning his attention back to May, who was explaining today’s exercises.

“Partners,” Daisy breathed. Daisy hated partners, unless it was May. She’d rather condition. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the other trainees, they were great people! But her nerves got the better of her and she ended up holding back, not helping herself or her partner. She knew how to control her powers, how to keep herself from using them while sparring. Whispers of doubt and guilt still invaded, fogging her mind like deadly mist.

You could kill them. It’s happened before…

She was taken back to the moment by Daniel tapping her shoulder. “Partners?”

Daisy reluctantly nodded and motioned to him to follow her over to a thick pad of grass next to a small willow tree.

“So, what exactly are we supposed to be doing? It’s Tuesday, which is usually a mix of breathing and nerve control and focusing on technique, rather than strength.”

Daniel glanced over at the other partners, who were all going through defensive and offensive stances slowly, like tai chi, he thought.

Daisy walked closer to where he had stopped beside the willow, pointing out a pair of partners moving almost in sync.

“They’re focusing on how their breathing can help their fighting. Mentally and physically. If you’re nervous, your heart rate spikes, your brain goes fuzzy and then your body gets sloppy. If you aren’t breathing, your heart rate spikes, your brain goes fuzzy and your body gets sloppy. Breath can make a punch more powerful and a kick more accurate, if you know how to use it. I’ll show you the moves.”

Defensive, offensive, block, strike, block, kick. Daisy continued in a cycle until Sousa could mirror her movements with little effort.

Daisy stopped him then. “Great! You’re a quick learner,” She winked, smiling wide.

Daniel smiled back, “So how do I do the breathing thing?”

Daisy pondered how to explain it for a second. “You have to flow, like water. You control your breathing, you have the power. But at the same time, you have to let the air flow naturally. The moves will align with your breath, don’t force it.”

Daniel nodded, and they were off. It took a minute to get into the groove, but once he did, it felt effortless. Every kick, block, inhale and turn, exhale and strike came naturally. It gave him the opportunity to study Daisy.

Usually, especially in the early mornings in the computer lab, Daisy looked tired. Her brows were drawn slightly, fingers fidgeting, knee bouncing. In the halls she walked briskly and adjusted her bag or checked her watch often, a small tic she didn’t seem to notice. Right now, though, breeze across her olive skin, Daisy looked cool as water.

She felt the earth beneath her. The trees and grass and flowers in the wind. She tuned in to the radio of her surroundings, letting her muscle memory guide her. The forest was really loud. The concrete buildings had a sort of buzz, too. They mixed in her bones like the sounds of a great symphony, low rumbles and high-pitched chittering and long, constant notes that provided a harmony to the undulating melody. The frequencies of each living and non-living thing in the area seemed to be flowing around her, steady.

Daniel softly stared at her as she moved through the flow with him. She was very good at this. He was having a bit of trouble, though he doubted he would be having this much trouble if it wasn't Daisy right in front of him. For an exercise designed to relax them, wasn’t it counterintuitive to partner with the girl that made his heart skip a beat when she smiled?

When May clapped her hands and signaled the end of the session, the tired, sweaty kids gathered around May’s oak tree. The sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon, bringing a glow to each of their faces. Daisy looked radiant.

“Class is dismissed. Tomorrow, we’re conditioning,” May warned. In a quieter voice, May called, “Daisy, can you hang for a second?”

Daisy stepped away from her bag and towards May. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. I have a question for you. Would you mind giving up your free period three times a week?”

Daisy’s eyebrows raised, no classes that she knew of only took place three times a week. “I want to say yes, but I’d also like to know why?”

“Fair. Top brass called. If you want to be a field agent with powers, you’ve got to practice fighting with them, get comfortable with them. I know everything that happened with Lincoln…” May paused, gauging Daisy’s reaction. When there wasn’t any, May continued. “Your powers didn’t make you an agent, I did.”

May paused, giving Daisy a chance to settle her thoughts before adding, “But I think this is important.”

Daisy slowly nodded. If this was important to May, then Daisy had no problems giving up her free period.

“Who will I train with?” she asked.

May smiled. “Meet Yo-Yo and I behind the garage at seven sharp tomorrow morning.΅

Daisy saluted playfully, wandering to her bag and walking in the direction the other students had gone. She could see them filtering into the cafeteria. A smoothie sounded nice…

The canteen was full of students grabbing plates of chicken and veggie tacos. Daisy was always happy during dinner on taco Tuesday. She grabbed her plate and a small green juice and searched for a familiar pair of heads, warm brown eyes and freckles sitting next to dirty blonde curls.

As she approached, two hands went up, waving. Weaving her way through students, she saw Fitz pat the seat beside him.

“Oi, Dais! I've got something to show you!”

Daisy sat down, her attention drawn to the tiny device on the table in front of her. It was small enough to fit in her hand, but surprisingly heavy for its size. Multiple coloured wires stuck out from various surfaces. Fitz was grinning at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He pressed a button on a small remote that sat on the table. Daisy looked over at Jemma, puzzled. Was something supposed to be happening?

Daisy glanced down at her hand. There was nothing there but a constant weight.

“Fitz! You replicated cloaking!”

Jemma and Fitz immediately shushed her, looking around. “He wasn’t supposed to! It’s above his ‘level’. Professor Weaver practically forbid him.”

Daisy’s eyes widened. This was very Fitz. Tell him he can’t, and he will, just to prove it to himself. Holding it up to eye level and moving it around, Daisy marveled at the seamless invisibility. “What are you gonna do with it?”

Fitz shrugged. He began to explain a number of uses for the device, along with the technical modifications he’d have to make for them to work. She tuned out after Jemma exasperatedly told him they couldn’t train monkeys to be invisible recon scouts.

Her plan to learn something from Fitzsimmons banter was derailed when Daisy noticed a shadow at the corner of her eye. It slipped away as quickly as it came, around the corner of the cafeteria and out of sight.

Why was she getting déjà vu?

“Dais, you alright there?” Fitz asked quietly.

Daisy turned back to him, smiling. “Yeah, I thought I saw something. Probably just tired.”

The sandy blonde boy laughed, “S’only Tuesday, Dais. We’ve got a whole week ahead of us!”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I’ve got six tests this week!” Simmons countered.

Daisy’s mouth opened in surprise, quickly shut when Fitz made a comment about catching flies. “Wait, so you aren’t excited for the tests?”

Jemma shook her head miserably, her amber eyes rolling. “No. Usually I would be, it’s so odd! But I was studying the other night and reviewing old tests, and my chest felt so heavy and my head started spinning—”

Fitz stopped her by putting his hand over hers, gently reassuring her. Watching the two, Daisy thought her heart might burst, a bubbly feeling rising in her chest.

Jemma turned back to her, considerably less distressed.

“Do you want some help studying?” Daisy offered.

Jemma nodded. “Tonight, 8, the rooftop?”

The group nodded.

At eight o’clock, Daisy carefully climbed out her window and around the corner to the fire escape. The stairs whispered and creaked with the wind, but you would never know anyone was climbing the iron to the roof unless you ran directly into her.

She arrived at the last landing, one floor above her own, and crouched down. She jumped, using small quakes as a make-shift propulsor. Jemma turned her head towards the soft thump of Daisy landing on the roof.

The space was decorated with a jungle of potted plants and fairy lights strung around the ledge, mix-matched multicoloured and shades of white. They cast a warm glow across the spread of notes and textbooks neatly placed in front of Jemma. Daisy approached, pulling out her laptop and a pouch of pens, pencils, highlighters, and white-out.

“Ready for our study date?”

Jemma smiled. “Yes. Fitz should be here any minute.”

The two girls got comfortable, beginning to go over notes and chat idly. Daisy wrote down vocab and key ideas on note cards and organised them by subject. Jemma laughed loudly when Daisy expressed her confusion at the difference between the three biochemistries that she was taking. Suddenly, loud clanging was heard from the side of the building.

“Daisy! Jems!”

The two girls shared a glance at the panicked voice. Fitz.

They rushed over to where he would be coming onto the iron landing, grabbing his hand and helping him over the concrete barrier onto the roof.

Fitz supported himself on his knees, panting. “There's a guy down there. Creepy bastard.”

Jemma and Daisy shared another glance, this one full of concern and trepidation.

Fitz pointed to Daisy. “Askin’ about you, Dais. Your…” Fitz trailed off, drawing waves in the air with his hand.

Jemma rested a hand on Daisy’s shoulder, squeezing slightly. “Go check it out, we’ll be here when you get back.”

Daisy reluctantly jumped onto the metal landing below, resisting the urge to use her powers to cushion her landing. She quickly checked the perimeter of the dorm, then wandered closer to the forest that backed up to the dorms.

If only she had night vision as well as the power to create earthquakes.

A subtle movement caught her eye, a dark silhouette shifting in between the trees. A haze of clouds covered the moon, making the forest darker than usual. Daisy stepped forward slowly, her breath speeding up.

The air seemed electric, the few clouds in the sky bloodred with the remaining rays of sunset. The tall pines and thick oaks were silhouetted black against the sky, branches seeming to reach out to grab the twilight shadows. Daisy threw a quick glance over her shoulder, letting out a relieved exhale when she saw Fitz and Jemma watching over her from the roof.

A twig snapped right in front of Daisy, the treeline only twenty feet away. Daisy felt the echo bounce around the forest. She took a deep breath, steadying her hands and lungs. Something, someone, was right on the other side of those bushes…

“AAGH!”

A deer leapt out of the brush, landing right in front of her. Its large doe eyes stared at her, ears back. It was just a fawn.

Daisy slowly let out a sigh of relief, dropping her arms from where they had come up in front of her. She snorted.

“You’re just a baby. What are you doing in the bushes by yourself?”

Daisy tentatively reached out, the fawn showed no signs of moving. She opened her palm, letting the deer sniff before it bounded away across the field.

Daisy sighed. She felt something was off, like you would the moment before you were struck by lightning. Like any second, something else would pop out of the forest, this time a real threat…

Silence.

Stillness.

Daisy sighed, shaking her head and rubbing her eyes. I just need sleep. If the paranoia has set in, I definitely need sleep.

Daisy headed back to the dorms, the feeling of eyes on her following until she was safely on the roof with her friends.

The twinkling fairy lights lit the rest of their evening, shadows and deer forgotten in the warmth of laughs and starlight.

[agirlunderarock]

I hadn't seen the reblog! Your blorbo is Obi-Wan, of course (and this is where I hope I put the capital letters at the right place ^^"). And Boromir too!

Lolol Honestly I forgot I reblogged it 😅

But yes I have two blorbo’s my two special blorbos

But its really funny to me that Obi-Wan and Boromir of all characters end up being the characters I talk about the most. Like they’re two sides of the same coin; the coin being sad war worn men who are desperate to protect that which they love, however they’re very different in the ways they internalize a lot of those feelings, or rather what they feel they need to do in order to resolve those feelings.

Like correct me if I’m wrong, both of these characters have problems being very vulnerable, are feeling confined to a role in a war they did not ask for nor want to be in, but are also leading military generals because they believe in what they’re defending. Now obviously theres some BIG differences. Most of that comes down to how they deal with fear and their own internalized thoughts.

Obi-Wan is a character who would like to define himself by his ability to defend others- the irony being that everyone close to him dies. Naturally he feels great grief and guilt over each of those losses, and though we get hints of it in the clone wars the books are too damn good at. Obi-Wan tends to feel that he is undeserving or not enough in a lot of different ways. I’m about half way through Master and Apprentice and sometimes yeah he’s just in his teen angst, but having the narration in his head gives you a lot of insight to what moves him in the movies and shows. He’s a character who lives to serve others and doesn’t often see that he deserves that same kind of love he gives to his friends. He’s a character who despite all the shit he has been through, doesn’t seek out more power in attempt to do better the next time. Instead he’s mindful of the things he can control- usually his own actions, and figures out the next step believing that things will get better. He feels despair, but he doesn’t give in to it.

Boromir while also lives for the people of Gondor, and in the books shows time and time again that he is willing to put himself through physical distress to protect and provide for others. He’s often the first to think of supplies and basic needs the hobbits will require at different points in their journey. I adore Boromir, I love how complex his character is, heck I wrote my senior thesis on him. However, the thing with Boromir is how he handles fear. I didn’t get to post it yet, it was supposed to be the fourth part of my Boromir rant, that points out how many times the word fear comes up in his talk with Frodo just before he tries to take the ring. Boromir loves his friends, he loves his family, he loves his country and its people, and he is so desperately afraid that everything he’s done for them will still amount to nothing, that he’ll lose everything. As the Ring’s influence goes stronger and feeds off his fear, his anxiety only grows until he starts actively seeking power, not for himself but for the people he was sworn to protect and serve (Not to be confused with Anakin’s fall in which his fear of emotional pain is what drove so many of his actions)

Like this isn’t meant to sound like I’m elevating one over the other. I just think its interesting that theres so many similarities here and yet they’re so very different and I think thats really neat. But lets be real I could probably talk about both of these guys all day.

I don’t know I feel like the more I think about this the more I’m going to want to come up with like short analysis of which characters I think would be able to be in the presence of The Ring and come out mostly okay.

I actually have two more blorbos that I don’t talk about much here, and I miss them dearly. Brunnhilde and Gamora own my fucking HEART okay. I just don’t talk about them much because my marvel hyperfixation is like dead.  But needless to say I think I very much have a character type that I enjoy

[c-aureus]

How I think Hyrule would respond to Zelda's return, after the end of BotW.

Wall of text incoming.

TL;DR: I think they'd be very cruel.

Please remember that these are all only my interpretations and opinions, and should be treated as such.

A while ago, I made a post saying that I do not believe that Zelda or Link should be in any way 'happy' after the end of BotW. Imo, they've both lost too much for that, and I worry that the sequel will not give this grief or loss the focus it deserves.

Now, I plan to expand on that, by explaining my interpretation for how i believe Hyrule would respond to her after her return, which would only further compound their misery.

Now, I'd like to preface this by saying that I actually like BotW Zelda as a character a lot, and that I'm very sympathetic to her.

However... well.

The consequences of her failure are simply too big to ignore imo.

Firstly, as a general overview: Zelda was the ONLY person capable of stopping Ganon. Without her Divine sealing power, there was simply no way for Hyrule to survive Ganon's assault, no matter the preparations, or skill of the warriors. The best example of this is the Champions and Divine Beasts. They were all the best of the absolute best, and yet none of them were able to survive Ganon's assault, simply because they were not Divinely favoured to succeed, the way that Link and Zelda were. Even despite their incredible skill, prowess and dedication. There are other examples too, notably the fall of Hyrule's military outposts, and the annihilation of central Hyrule's civilisation and infrastructure.

To put it simply, with Zelda's power, they won. Without it, all of the preparations were for naught, and everyone would die. Zelda herself even says as much in a cutscene in AoC.

(Also, as a side note, in all of those levels in AoC where you relieve the Akkala Fortress, Great Plateau, and Hateno fort, remember that in BotW, they all fell, and the soldiers would have been slaughtered.)

So, in light of that...

The fact that Zelda only unlocked her power after it was already too late means that I don't believe that the shattered remnants of Hyrule's civilisation would be kind or sympathetic to her.

Link and Zelda were literally born by divine influence to protect Hyrule from Ganon. And, well...

Again, my point comes down to the fact that Zelda only unlocked her power after it was too late for the Champions, Link, and thousands of other Hyruleans who had either already been killed, or who would later die in the aftermath.

Now, again, I'm HIGHLY sympathetic to Zelda here. Indeed, she had lived her entire life with this Sword of Damocles hanging over her.

However. The sword fell.

And, crucially, Zelda avoided it, whilst it went on to kill literally thousands of others. They all died for Zelda's failure, whilst she herself survived.

Furthermore, those 'lucky' ones who did survive had to live in BotW Hyrule, which, if I'm being honest, is an absolute wasteland. So, so much was lost in the Calamity, the land was overrun by monsters, and even the tiny remaining pockets of civilisation suffer. I could go on for hours about how infrastructure, agriculture and trade were all annihilated, but I'll try to refrain for brevity's sake.

The long and short of it is that Hyrule is fucked.

I think my worry about this comes from BotW's post credit scene where Zelda tells Link that she thinks that if everyone works together, they can rebuild, and make Hyrule better than it was before.

And, this line really annoyed me. Because, quite simply, Hyrule has simply lost too much to rebuild. Infrastructure, agriculture, trade, population... Hyrule would be reeling for generations after Link and Zelda's death. To expect any kind of quick recovery is just... foolish beyond words.

(Another side note: I'm extremely grateful to AoC showing just how developed Hyrule is pre-Calamity. It helps give scale and scope to the devastation in BotW even more.)

So, Zelda's naive optimism here annoyed me. However, far more than that, there is another issue that this overlooks:

Namely, I cannot fathom why anyone in Hyrule would want to follow her, or would accept her as their sovereign.

Now, this is going to get extremely cruel to Zelda, and that saddens me, because I like her. This is just what I think the realistic response would be to her, given the circumstances, because people are cruel and like easy targets of blame. There are many examples of this kind of blaming behaviour in history, if anyone wants to look, lol. So apologies in advance:

BotW tells us through the memories that Zelda's reputation is AWFUL Pre-Calamity. Rhoam says that the people call her 'Heir to a Kingdom of Nothing' etc.

Now, perhaps poor parenting aside, this gives more context. Do you really believe that the 'lucky' few survivors of Central Hyrule would be kind, given that Zelda fulfilled their terrible expectations in the WORST possible manner?

No. I believe that that generation, which already disliked her, would spend the rest of their lives cursing her failure, and the death and destruction that came as a consequence. And, they would pass that down to their children and grandchildren.

This comes to another point: Zelda is (for the most part) out of living memory. The only thing Hyrule knows of her is her failure to prevent the land from being devastated. Furthermore, the 4 tribes of Hyrule might even have a decent cause to blame her for the deaths of the Champions.

(Cause and effect are tricky, but well... people are irrational. Maybe if Zelda had unlocked her power straight away, the Champions still would have died. However, perhaps they could have held on long enough for Link and Zelda to force Ganon to recall his Blights to protect himself, as he does in BotW if you attack him without liberating the Divine Beasts. Who is to say? The point is, people get hung up on these kind of 'what ifs', as I am doing right now, lol.)

I'd like to make a special mention of the Zora here, who not only have Zelda (and all of her failures and inadequacies) in living memory, but are also xenophobic towards Hylians.

We see how they blame Link in BotW, after all. I think that they would feel similarly to Zelda, who is 'technically' more deserving of blame.

From a Zora-centric perspective, Zelda may as well have stolen Mipha from them, to make her take the fall for Zelda's failures. She literally set Mipha up to die, she sacrificed Mipha on the altar of her own survival, etc.

To elaborate: Princess Zelda personally requested Mipha, the beloved Crown Princess of the Zora, to become Champion. Despite Dorephan's hesitance, he allows it. Then, Zelda fails her, and Mipha dies in the Calamity that Zelda failed to prevent, but also that Zelda manages to survive.

Like... as harsh, cruel, and unfair as this is to poor Zelda... do you think that the Domain, which is STILL mourning Mipha a century later, would just... wave that away?

Now... how much Zelda is truly to blame for the Calamity is another matter, one that I will explore in a post hopefully shorter than this one. Suffice to say, I have many opinions, and some of the conclusions are perhaps unkind to her, which only further justifies my interpretations of Hyrule's blame, and Zelda's guilt and grief.

The point is that... Hyrule would see an easy target to dump their grief on. And I I don't believe they would just let it go.

Furthermore, Zelda has no political influence anymore. She can't force anyone to listen to her, or obey her commands, since all of that was destroyed in the Calamity. Moreover, with Zelda's reputation being that of colossal failure, I doubt that anyone in Hyrule would wish to submit to her, to give her the chance to fuck everything up again.

God. I feel really horrible typing all of this out, lol. And yet, I genuinely believe that this would be the reaction to her. So, if in the sequel, everything is being rebuilt and everyone is totally happy with Zelda, well...

I'm gonna be very upset. Because, in my opinion, if all of Hyrule just forgave Zelda's failures, and ignored their disastrous consequences, that would be extremely unrealistic.

As much as this headcanon hurts, and would hurt me to see, I'd be very vindicated by it, lol.

If anyone has any opinions, feel free to let me know.

Just please keep everything civil lol. This is only a random person on the internet's opinion.