#mod note: we would have also accepted 'the woman who is breaking my heart and shaking my confidence daily' | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wipbigbang · 5 years

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Art Claims Round 4

Fourth and last round of story claims are up. At the time of this posting, 47 stories are left. These are all really fantastic stories that deserve an awesome artist. Please look into your hearts and see if you want to claim any of these. Also, PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS. Bribe them with smiles and candy. I've just checked with my lawyer and it's perfectly acceptable to grab your artist friends and stuff them in a sack and bring them over here*. *Actually, my lawyer's words were more like "Don't do that." This year, art claims are working a little differently than in years past. We are using a google form to streamline things, which should make things easier both for you as participants and us mods. To claim a story, the form requires email, check in ID, and the identifying number of your first choice of story. Putting your top three choices is best in case your first or second has already been chosen. Your check in ID should be different from any fic you signed up for or any previous art claim. Please be sure you've read the FAQ before claiming.

Click here to claim a story.

Stories are listed by fandom in alphabetical order and then by the story name, with a number identifying that story (for our records).

Stories are first come, first serve

. I'll update this post as stories are claimed. Official posting dates begin on July 27th. Once all stories are claimed and all artists/authors have been notified, I will put up a sign-up sheet so authors and artists can choose their posting dates.

Authors, if something is wrong with the info for your stories, please let me know ASAP here or via email at [email protected].

See all fandoms in a google doc.

BBC Sherlock #6 Story Title: ...And All The Men And Women Merely Players Pairings, Characters: Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade, Mary Morstan/John Watson, Eurus Holmes/Jim Moriarty; Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, Molly Hooper, Greg Lestrade, John Watson, Mary Morstan, Anthea, Janine, Eurus Holmes, Jim Moriarty, Original Child Character(s), Mummy Holmes, Siger Holmes Rating: Mature | M Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: Mycroft Holmes is not-so-subtly trying to make sure there's a reconciliation between his youngest sibling Sherlock and his ex-wife, Molly Hooper, by forcing them to work together on a theatre project. But it isn't all smooth sailing when his and Sherlock's sister comes back from the States with a boyfriend who is the devil incarnate...and all hell is about to break loose. #7 Story Title: A Boon For You, A Boon For Me Pairings, Characters: Mycroft Holmes/Molly Hooper; Molly Hooper, Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock Holmes, Eurus Holmes, James Moriarty, Siger Holmes, Mummy Holmes Rating: General | G Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: When Molly saves the life of a fairy prince, she’s given the chance to ask for whatever her heart most desires, and since what she wants to do most is help others, she’s given the ability to grant boons by the prince’s eldest brother. Little does she imagine such a simple and generous wish will change her life forever... #8 Story Title: A Merry Christmas After All Pairings, Characters: Mycroft Holmes/Sally Donovan; Sally Donovan, Mycroft Holmes, Anthea, brief appearance by Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper Rating: Teen | T Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: Sally and Mycroft make an arrangement to have a pretend relationship together, culminating in a spectacular break-up at a destination wedding in Hawaii. But what they intend to have happen doesn't go according to plan when pesky feelings decide to get involved. #12 Story Title: Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures Pairings, Characters: Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, Mycroft Holmes/Anthea, Mr. & Mrs. Holmes, OC pairings; Sherlock Holmes, Molly Hooper, Mycroft HOlmes, Anthea, Mummy HOlmes, Siger Holmes, OC Holmes Brother, assorted OFCs and OMCs Rating: Teen | T Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: It all begins with an invitation to Mycroft's wedding to his PA and seven days at a resort in Jamaica, with the assumption that Molly pretends to be his girlfriend that his mother might be under the impression that he's going to propose to sooner rather than later. It ends up being so much more than that... #13 Story Title: Ever Changing, Ever Growing Pairings, Characters: Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, background Mycroft Holmes/OC and John Watson/Mary Morstan Rating: Explicit | E Warnings: Major Character Death Summary: They make the arrangement to present what society wants from them to the world as husband and wife, but childhood friends Sherlock Holmes and Margaret Hooper agree that their lives are their own. But with the death of Sherlock's brother and an unexpected scandal, their marriage of convenience is shaken. Will their friendship remain intact as their marriage falls apart, or will they decide that it is in their best interest to make this a true marriage between partners instead? #19 Story Title: Neither Living Dead Nor Fully Living Pairings, Characters: Sebastian Moran/Molly Hooper, past Sebastian Moran/James Moriarty and James Moriarty/Molly Hooper; Sebastian Moran, Molly Hooper, Sherlock Holmes, OCs Rating: Explicit | E Warnings: Major Character Death, Character death is temporary, as character is turned into a vampire Summary: When Sebastian Moran inherits a building, a business and a servant from James Moriarty, he tries to live as normal a life as he can. But when Molly Hooper does the unthinkable and falls in love with him, he finds himself fighting a battle he'd never imagined he'd be in. #21 Story Title: Nothing's Changed That Matters Pairings, Characters: Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, past Mycroft Holmes/Anthea; Sherlock Holmes. Molly Hooper, John Watson, Eurus Holmes, Greg Lestrade Rating: Teen | T Warnings: Major Character Death Summary: When Sherlock comes to Molly in Oxford ten years after their divorce with a favour to ask, she agrees to help. While a lot has changed some things remain very much the same...including the love that Sherlock and Molly once shared. #22 Story Title: Old Books & New Flames Pairings, Characters: Sebastian Moran/Molly Hooper, Greg Lestrade/Sally Donovan, John Watson/Mary Morstan; Molly Hooper, Sebastian Moran, Mary Morstan, Sally Donovan, Greg Lestrade, John Watson, Jim Moriarty Rating: Explicit | E Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: When Sebastian Moran asks local bookstore owner Molly Hooper for a job, all he wants is a second chance to live the life he should have been living before prison. What Molly gets is more than a loyal employee and good friend. What she ends up with is what she had always wanted her entire life: happiness. #24 Story Title: Rectifying Past Mistakes Pairings, Characters: Sherlock Holmes/Mary Morstan; Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, Anthea, Mary Morstan, John Watson, Mrs. Hudson, Molly Hooper, Greg Lestrade, Sebastian Moran Rating: Teen | T Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: When Mycroft gets Sherlock out of Serbia, he drops a bombshell on him he isn't quite prepared for: after years of being gone out of his life, Sherlock's ex-wife Elizabeth has reappeared, under the name Mary Morstan. While he was off taking care of Moriarty's mess she was protecting those he cared about and helping his brother, for reasons, he finds, that she is keeping close to the vest. But when they're forced to stay in close quarters at Baker Street both secrets and old wounds come to light and, perhaps, things might turn out for the best after all. #25 Story Title: The Babe On The Doorstep Pairings, Characters: Mycroft Holmes/Anthea; Mycroft Holmes, Anthea, Greg Lestrade, OCs Rating: General | G Warnings: Child Abandonment Summary: One morning an infant is left on Mycroft’s doorstep with a note, signed by a woman named Laura. As Mycroft tries to find out who would entrust a child into his care he slowly opens his heart to the infant and lets the other people in his life that he’s kept at arms length in more, bit by bit. #28 Story Title: The Head Knows What The Heart Wants Pairings, Characters: Sebastian Moran/Molly Hooper, background John Watson/Mary Morstan; Sebastian Moran, Molly Hooper, Sherlock Holmes, Mary Morstan, Mycroft Holmes, Eurus Holmes, OCs Rating: Explicit | E Warnings: Mild violence Summary: After the revelation that there had been some plotting between Moriarty and Eurus before his death, Sebastian Moran had decided to do whatever it took to keep Molly safe...even if that meant ruining whatever the results of his ex-lover's collusion with the Holmes sister were. But after enough time had gone by, things changed, and that was when Eurus decided to strike. That was when Sebastian couldn't deny the truth any longer: Molly Hooper had become the most important person in his life...and he would do whatever it took to make sure she was safe. #29 Story Title: The Pesky Virginity Issue Pairings, Characters: Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, John Watson/Mary Morstan, past Tom/Molly Hooper; Molly Hooper, Mary Morstan, John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Tom, OCs Rating: Explicit | E Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: After Molly's engagement ends she decides she wants to rid herself of her virginity since that was a major cause of the dissolution of her relationship with her ex. When her friend Mary suggests she knows the perfect person, things don't go quite according to any sort of plan she may have had in her head...but it has a pleasantly surprising result nonetheless. #30 Story Title: To Live Again Pairings, Characters: Pre-Mycroft Holmes/Mary Morstan, background Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, past John Watson/Mary Morstan;Mary Morstan, Mycroft Holmes, Molly Hooper Rating: General | G Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: After the events at the aquarium which leaves most of the world thinking Mary Watson is dead, Mary deals with conflicting feelings and moving on in the wake of knowing her marriage is, for all intents and purposes, over. #31 Story Title: What Could Have Been, What Will Be In Its Stead Pairings, Characters: Mycroft Holmes/Molly Hooper, past Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, mentioned Anthea/Kate and Mr & Mrs. Holmes; Mycroft Holmes, Molly Hooper, Siger Holmes, Mummy Holmes, Greg Lestrade, Anthea, OCs Rating: Teen | T Warnings: Major Character Death Summary: When Sherlock dies, he leaves behind a woman he planned to marry and a child he did not know about. Mycroft is determined to take care of them both in his brother's stead, but nothing is ever as easy as one plans. That is the true Holmes legacy. BBC Sherlock/Doctor Who #32 Story Title: The Detective And The Hound Pairings, Characters: Sherlock Holmes/Amy Pond, background John Watson/Lorna Bucket; Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Amy Pond, Henry Knight; other Sherlock characters in"The Hounds of Baskerville" Rating: Teen | T Warnings: Unconcensual drug use Summary: Sherlock and John get given a case from Henry Knight, who believes his father was killed years prior by a hound in the moors. But what starts as a much needed break from the tedium that Sherlock is experiencing turns into a case that has him questioning many things and feeling something he has not felt in a long time: the type of fear that leaves you with a chill in your bones. BBC Sherlock/Marvel Cinematic Universe #34 Story Title: A Potential Loophole To Exploit Pairings, Characters: Thor Odinson/Jane Foster, Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, implied Loki Laufeyson/Darcy Lewis, Phil Coulson/Melinda May, Antoine Triplett/Daisy Johnson, Jemma Simmons/Leo Fitz and Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff; Thor Odinson, Loki Laufeyson, Frigga, Phil Coulson, Molly Hooper, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Jane Foster, Melinda May, Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz, Antoine Triplett, Daisy Johnson, Darcy Lewis, Sif, Heimdall, OCs Rating: General | G Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: After Thor and Loki leave a meeting with their mother, they start to talk about what can be done to stave off the foretold arrival of their sister, Hela, and begin to make plans. BBC Sherlock/Midsomer Murders #37 Story Title: Every English Village Has Its Secrets Pairings, Characters: Past/Unrequited Mycroft Holmes/Gregory Lestrade, Tom Barnaby/Joyce Barnaby, Sally Donovan/OMC; Greg Lestrade, Sally Donovan, Mycroft Holmes, Tom Barnaby, Gavin Troy, OCs Rating: Teen | T Warnings: Summary: When Greg and Sally get called to Midsomer County for a case, right from the start Greg knows it will be a headache when Mycroft offers him lodging (so long as he's alright with his former lover being his housemate for his time there), and it doesn't get much better when he meets DCI Tom Barnaby and immediately their Detective Sergeants take an instant dislike to each other when Sally arrives the next evening. And that isn't even getting into the actual case itself and all the secrets hidden in the village of Elverton-cum-Latterley... Black Sails #39 Story Title: a tide of hope Pairings, Characters: Abigail Ashe/Billy Bones Rating: Mature | M Warnings: mild violence Summary: "My point being, unless my crew decides that they don’t want to give me up for dead, and if what you say is true and no one will come looking for you, then we are very much stranded on this island.” Abigail Ashe awakens to find herself shipwrecked on an island. However, she is not alone. Abigail Ashe/Billy Bones, post season 3. Boku No Hero Academia/Star Vs the Forces of Evil #40 Story Title: Princess' guide (title may be subject to change) Pairings, Characters: Star Butterfly/Tenya Iida Rating: General | G Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: A Sequel to 'An Earthling's Guide to Dealing with Mewberty' Star was serious when she offered to take Iida on a multidimensional adventure as a thank you for helping her get through Mewberty, and after hearing about the Hero Killer's capture, and Iida's own encounter with Stain, Star is more sure than anything else, that her friend could use some uncomplicated fun. Code Geass #43 Story Title: World Enough and Time Pairings, Characters: Suzaku/Lelouch and Gino/Kallen (both minor) Rating: Teen | T Warnings: Graphic Violence Summary: Six months after Ragnarok, all Kallen wants to do is protect the people she loves, even if it means betraying everything in her heart to serve a Britannian prince. Suzaku wants to reverse a mistake he made but would never take back. Euphemia is willing to risk everything of herself in order to be a better person and find a cure. And Lelouch... Lelouch wants to make the world safe for his little sister, even if it means destroying everything in his path. (The AU where the royal family controls the elements through music instead of Geass, and the Ragnarok Connection united the living and dead... by bringing back the dead.) Critical Role Campaign One/Dragon Age Origins (Awakening) #44 Story Title: TBA Pairings, Characters: Vax'ildan/Keyleth; Vax'ildan, Percy, Vex'alia, Scanlan, Keyleth, M!Mahariel, probably others from both canons, Grey Wardens from Awakening Rating: No Rating Warnings: Chooses not to use Warnings Summary: Merging of the two canons, but mainly in the Dragon Age setting with some Critical Role characters. Vox Machina finds the ancient thaig containing the tomb of the Raven Queen's champion, but in the process Vax'ildan is infected with the Blight. Only Loral Mahariel, hero of Ferelden, can save Vax's life -- but will he be willing to pay the price? Crossing Lines/Grey's Anatomy/Hawaii Five-0/Marvel Cinematic Universe/The Sentinel/S.W.A.T. #45 Story Title: This is our sanctuary Pairings, Characters: Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark, Clint Barton/James Street, Natasha Romanov/Sam Wilson, Ellie Defont-Bogard/Sebastian Berger Rating: Mature | M Warnings: Graphic Violence Summary: Clint Barton and Jim Street have been together for about a month as Guide and Sentinel when Jimmy's mom is released from prison. Clint wants Jimmy to have nothing to do with his emotionally abusive, Hydra mother. But Jimmy feels he owes Karen Street too much to abandon her, and Clint loves Jimmy too much to break his Sentinel's heart. So despite Clint's misgivings, they go to Los Angeles to visit her. The idea is to spend a couple hours with Karen and then hopefully never see her again. But what not even Jimmy realizes is how much Karen hates Clint for being Jimmy's Guide instead of her. Or how far she'll go to get her son back. Because Karen Street will do anything to get her son back. The problem is, Clint and Jimmy might not survive it. CSI: NY/Law & Order #47 Story Title: Theraputic Pairings, Characters: Eventual Danny Messer/Lindsay Monroe; Danny Messer, Mac Taylor, Emil Skoda, Don Flack Jr., Lindsay Monroe, Lennie Briscoe Rating: Teen | T Warnings: Major Character Death, Character deaths are in the past, but they were characters from CSI: NY Danny knew Summary: In Danny's eyes, the hits just keep on coming...though this particular hit may turn out all right in the end. DC Extended Universe #49 Story Title: Pairings, Characters: Dick Grayson Rating: Mature | M Warnings: Graphic Violence Summary: After Superman dies, Dick Grayson reconnects with his father Doctor Who/St. Trinian's #51 Story Title: Adventures In Unexpected Places Pairings, Characters: Rory Williams/Amy Pond; Amy Pond, Camilla Fritton, Kelly Jones, Eleventh Doctor, Rory Williams, Mels Zucker Rating: General | G Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: After being sent to the worst school in the whole of England, Amy meets up with the man whose fault it is that she’s there, and things go vastly more differently than anyone expected. Football RPF #54 Story Title: It's A Long Way Up When You Hit the Ground Pairings, Characters: Christian Eriksen/Vincent Janssen Rating: Mature | M Warnings: No Warnings Apply Summary: Vincent's future is still uncertain, but rather than dwell on it, all he wants to do is welcome Christian home from the World Cup and find a few moments of bliss in each other's company before the world comes along and sweeps them away again. Christian, however, isn't making things at all easy, and Vincent starts wondering if maybe he has other ideas. A story about moving in, uncertainty, finding true friendships, and questioning everything about your past, present, and future. Gilmore Girls #55 Story Title: The Thing He Carried Pairings, Characters: Rory Gilmore/Jess Mariano and Luke Danes/Lorelai Gilmore Rating: Teen | T Warnings: No Warnings apply, Minor violence Summary: This story is based on a post on Tumblr pertaining to what if Jess did not go to California. It is also based on 'The Things That He Carried' by Tim O'Brien, who also wrote an episode of 'This Is Us'. It's about growth and acceptance. it's about love and relationships. It's about rising above adversity. Hannibal #59 Story Title: The Art of Her Mind Pairings, Characters: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham, Aralie/Travis Rating: Explicit | E Warnings: Graphic Violence, Depiction of drug use Summary: A young girl was accused of murdering her entire family, but one clever psychologist got her to serve a five year sentence at a mental institution. The day she is released from the hospital, Aralie has to adjust to life beyond her past. Aralie finds that when her anxiety becomes to much she occupies her mind with sketching the world around her and losing herself in ballet. Harry Potter #61 Story Title: Lionhearted Girl Pairings, Characters: Regulus Black/Severus Snape (minor), no other pairings at this time, but future Female!Harry Potter/Neville Longbottom Rating: Teen | T Warnings: No Warnings apply, Forced Amnesia Summary: Roswitha Artemis Black had gone from orphan to heiress to daughter in remarkably short time frame, like a dream come true. Now starting her first year of Hogwarts, she faces challenges she is certain regular first years don't have to deal with -- like the castle talking to her and demanding she find and evict an artifact deep beneath the stone floors. Or how whispers of another girl, nameed Heather Potter, stir some strange dream within her. #62 Story Title: Pairings, Characters: OMC/Pansy Parkinson, Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy Rating: Warnings: Summary: Evan Potter grew up knowing two things were true: that he was the Boy Who Lived, and that because of that, it wasn't safe for his squib brother Harry to live in the magical world. He'd be an easy target for any angry Death Eater who wanted revenge. No matter how badly he wants to be an ordinary kid with an ordinary brother, his life is never going to work that way. Then it turns out that Harry isn't a squib after all. And when Evan follows him into Slytherin to protect him... well, maybe his life isn't as set in stone as he'd always thought it would be. Hetalia #63 Story Title: From Spacious Skies, To Perilous Fight Pairings, Characters: America (Hetalia); Canada (Hetalia); Germany (Hetalia); North Italy (Hetalia); England (Hetalia); France (Hetalia); Molossia (Hetalia); Additional micronations Rating: Mature | M Warnings: Graphic Violence, Invasive Medical Procedures Summary: America’s explosive appearance on the national stage sent ripples of shock throughout the world. As he grapples to find his place as the Personification of the United State of America, dark forces begin to stir once more. Sequel to"In Need of Representation". James Bond #65 Story Title: My Partner the Car Pairings, Characters: James Bond/Alec Trevelyan/Q Rating: General | G Warnings: No Warnings apply, Canon-Typical Violence Summary: James Bond's partner, Alec Trevelyan, recently died. When he goes to pick up Alec's old car, he discovers there's more to the Jaguar than he realized, and that Alec wasn't as dead as everyone thought. With the assistance of MI6's Quartermaster, James has to find Alec's body, and somehow return Alec's spirit to his body. It might be an impossible task for some, but not for MI6's best Double O's. Law & Order #66 Story Title: a moment of transition Pairings, Characters: Mike Logan/Elizabeth Olivet; Mike Logan (Chris Noth), Elizabeth Olivet (Carolyn McCormick), Caroline Olivet (I'm picturing Madeline Zima), Lucas de Motigny (OC, I'm picturing Tom Sturridge) Rating: Mature | M Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: Caroline Olivet starts her first semester at Yale. Les Miserables #67 Story Title: We’ll take a cup of kindness, yet Pairings, Characters: Minor/Background relationships. Grantaire, Enjolras, Courfeyrac, Combeferre, Joly, Musichetta, Bossuet, Bahorel, Bahorel’s laughing mistress, Feuilly, Jean"Jehan"Pouvoir, Eponine Thenardier, Marius Pontmercy; Cosette; Gavroche Rating: Teen | T Warnings: No Warnings apply, Alcohol, mentions of marijuana, Summary: They’re having some sort of winter holiday… thing. She’s never quite sure what to call these gatherings. They're not religious, and they’re not meetings; they have regular meetings and this is not one. But, it’s not quite a party, either. It could be if they decided on a theme or reason, beyond"its cold and we’re all busy and everyone else is getting together, so let’s eat food and enjoy each other."So, it’s a thing. That works right? They’re having a December Thing. In which R discovers Enjolras can cook, Cosette tricks Gavroche into eating vegetables, Bossuet both forgets and wins at White Elephant, and having close friends is just generally awesome. Marvel Cinematic Universe #71 Story Title: till human voices wake us Pairings, Characters: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Clint Barton, James"Bucky"Barnes, James"Rhodey"Rhodes, Rating: Mature | M Warnings: Chooses not to use Warnings Summary: Tony is called out on a rescue mission. Things deteriorate from there. [post-Civil War sort-of fix-it reconciliation fic, de-aging (kid!Steve), action/adventure, ensemble, eventual Steve/Tony] #73 Story Title: Whoops, I slipped Pairings, Characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Clint Barton, and the rest of the Avengers in more of a supporting role Rating: General | G Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: There's an explosion in the labs and Tony Stark finds himself in the body of a 3 or 4 year old. Unfortunately, his adult brain is calibrated for an adult body and all of the connections are scrambled, so he's in a bit a pickle. It's hard to let your teammates know that you're capable of rational thought when you can't even figure out how to operate the controls that enable you to walk and talk. Once Upon A Time #77 Story Title: The Stowaways Pairings, Characters: Ruby/Belle, Killian/Emma Rating: Teen | T Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: On a much needed vacation, Emma and Killian find that they are not alone on the Jolly Roger. Original Works #78 Story Title: Taking Over Pairings, Characters: Original Male Character/Orc, Original Male Character/Original Male Character Rating: Explicit | E Warnings: Graphic Violence, Major Character Death, Chooses not to use Warnings, Past abusive relationship, PWP that grew plot, Summary: The King is dead, long live the King... As king's consort, Teyrin had never expected any strife. Then the orcs attacked. Now Teyrin has found himself torn between two world: rebellion against the new King of Athary is brewing in Neith. However, stuck at the castle, Teyrin finds himself falling in love not just with the Orckish culture, but with their king as well. As the consequences get more dire, Teyrin finds the stakes increasing. It's no longer just his life that hangs in the balance. Peaky Blinders #80 Story Title: A Battle Joined Pairings, Characters: Esme Shelby/Tommy Shelby Rating: No Rating Warnings: Chooses not to use Warnings Summary: "Your wife is gone, Tommy. Does it matter how?" A sprawling tale of family and deceit, love and regret, anchored by Esme and Tommy's complicated arranged marriage. Primeval (BBC) #81 Story Title: untitled role reversal fic Pairings, Characters: Nick/Stephen, Ensemble Rating: Explicit | E Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: Nick emerges from an anomaly into a world where Stephen is still alive . . . and Nick is the person who betrayed the team by siding with Helen. Nick doesn't know if he could return to his own 'verse even if he wanted to, but finds that Stephen is reason enough to make him want to stay in this one. At first Nick is distrusted, especially by Claudia. Nick helps the ARC by pointing out the differences between his world and this one and helping them try to figure out what Helen's up to. Eventually he is allowed back on the team; this time with Stephen as the team leader. Connor and Abby welcome Nick back with open arms (even if he isn't ~their Nick) and the four of them hang out together as a team and as friends. Nick and Stephen rekindle their friendship and grow even closer until they admit that the relationship they want is far different from the one they had before. (If you're familiar with Primeval, this fic was started for the role reversal square for trope_bingo.) Star Wars Legends, X-Wing series #92 Story Title: Just Like That, Everything Changes Pairings, Characters: Wes Janson/Derek"Hobbie"Klivian, Wedge Antilles, Tycho Celchu, minor characters Rating: General | G Warnings: No Warnings apply Summary: After years of being"just friends", an imminent separation forces Wes and Hobbie to finally accept their feelings for the other, and in time, they may even admit this to each other. Supernatural #93 Story Title: Angel of the Morning Pairings, Characters: Gabriel/Christa(OFC) Rating: Explicit | E Warnings: Chooses not to use Warnings Summary: slightly inspired by the Juice Newton song of the same name. sequel to Invisible Touch (OC Edition). Things don't go as planned for our golden-eyed Archangel (do they ever?) Not every human has an Angel as a soulmate, but every Angel has a human as a theirs. Will Christa be able to accept the truth when she finds out just how deep the bond between her and Gabriel goes? Or will she reject him forever? Can true love really conquer all? Transformers Generation One #98 Story Title: Pairings, Characters: Prowl & Barricade, Prowl & Bluestreak, Prowl & Bluestreak & Barricade, Prowl/Starscream, Prowl/Jazz, Codicil, First Aid, Lifeline, Nightstalker, Accord, Trailbreaker, Crosscut, Pulse, Incidental OCs Rating: Teen | T Warnings: No Warnings apply, Chooses not to use Warnings Summary: Prowl, a young single parent, manages raising his creation, the demands of his own neglectful former guardian, and seeks to enter into a relationship. TVXQ #99 Story Title: Digital Stockholm Pairings, Characters: Jung Yunho/Shim Changmin Rating: Explicit | E Warnings: mentions of suicide, stress induced anxiety, depression symptoms Summary: Yunho has no idea why there are concerning videos of Changmin on his laptop, but it might just unhinge the volatile and complicated relationship he’s maintained with Changmin for the last decade. Set at the end of 2014, a psycho-dramatic get-together fic. Voltron: Legendary Defender #101 Story Title: An Inconvenient Attachment Pairings, Characters: Keith/Pidge | Katie Holt, Ryan Kinkade/James Griffin (mentioned), past Pidge | Katie Holt/Original Male character, Pidge | Katie Holt Shiro (Voltron) Keith (Voltron) Iverson (Voltron) James Griffin (Voltron) Ryan Kinkade Rating: Explicit | E Warnings: No Warnings apply, Trans Female Pidge | Katie Holt, Accidental Voyeurism, Summary: In the aftermath of the failed Kerberos mission, Katie Holt descended into despair. No amount of skill would give her the information she wanted, especially after being banned from Garrison property by Commander Iverson. Thus there was only one solution in her mind. She had to infiltrate the Galaxy Garrison, to be close to the source and enable her to find what she needed to find to know the fate of her father and brother. Getting in was the easy part. Being able to stay? That was a little harder. Remaining unattached so she could focus entirely on finding her family? That was the hardest part, harder than she ever could expect after years of being brushed aside. #104 Story Title: show me what you're made of Pairings, Characters: Pidge | Katie Holt/Original Male Character, Pidge | Katie Holt/Ryou Shirogane, Pidge| Katie Holt, Ryou Shirogane Rating: Explicit | E Warnings: Underage Drinking, Dubcon, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Ryou is Shiro's twin brother, Trans female Pidge, Transphobia, trans slurs Summary: Katie Holt, graduate student at the Taylor-Keaton Institute of Technology, was proud of the work that her father and brother did at the Galaxy Garrison. Even knowing they were going to be gone for several months at the least going the furthest any manned mission had gone, filled her more with pride than with dread. Months passed, and then days passed without word from Matt. And then she saw the news. And her world crumbled apart. (A story in five parts about mourning, denial, and coming into adulthood by throwing oneself in the deep end and struggling to stay afloat.) Watch Dogs (Video Games) #105 Story Title: Hurricane Pairings, Characters: Aiden Pearce/Jordi Chin, Marcus Holloway/Wrench (Watch Dogs) Rating: Mature | M Warnings: Graphic Violence Summary: People keep going missing in downtown San Francisco, including a member of DedSec. When Marcus and the rest of the gang start to investigate, their mission runs face first into one that Aiden Pearce is involved in too—but this time, close and personal instead of from behind the safety of a camera and a drone. When all of that piles on top of a job Jordi Chin's on, Marcus begins to wonder if he's pissed off any unloving gods recently.

#WIPBigBang #WIP Big Bang #looking for an artist #looking for artists #artists needed #artist sign up #art claims #mod post #2019

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journeysintowebcomics · 7 years

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Worm Liveblog #45

UPDATE 45: Temporary Replacement

Last time this had turned into a momentary point of view change! That’s right, Taylor’s story has been interrupted for this long intermission in the form of an arc from the point of view of a character that has arrived to Brockton Bay to lead the Wards: it’s Weld. Apparently he’s rather popular, and I like he seems to be a rather decent guy, so let’s continue!

Aaaaaand Weld isn’t here anymore. I suppose this interlude isn’t just about him, it’s for everyone in the Wards. There’s a second newcomer, and it’s Flechette. Now that I think about it, it was mentioned in the last chapter that she’d be in the team too. Without the burden of the leadership role, she should have less of a hard time fitting with the rest of the team – when she’s not sneaking to the back of someone who works with crossbows and isn’t known for thinking twice before shooting.

“You nearly killed me!”

“It’s a tranquilizer shot, and you have the fire escape behind you.”

Yeah…no. It’s just my personal opinion, but getting shot with tranquilizer doesn’t sound fun at all. Not that…Flechette would have a reason to blame Shadow Stalker, sneaking behind someone like that was a stupid move.

At least Shadow Stalker isn’t berating her or anything like that. She seems rather courteous. It’d almost be hard to know Sophia Hess is the person behind the mask.

Flechette confirms she is just a temporary replacement, and the reason why Shadow Stalker is bothering to be civil is revealed.

“I don’t do backup, and I don’t do the team thing unless someone makes me, but I’m willing to hang with another crossbow aficionado. Is that the right word? Aficionado?”

It’s because Flechette uses a crossbow too. Okay, I…suppose that’s a reason as valid as any to accept someone’s presence. Besides, it’s not like Flechette is going to be a burden, she is a capable hero on her own right – although inexperienced, from what I remember happened during the Leviathan fight. They should be okay.

I have no idea how one’s supposed to use a grappling hook, but if it helps her keep up the pace, then great. Besides, Shadow Stalker’s patrol route isn’t complicated, Flechette will be fine as long as she goes in a straight line. I wonder what’ll happen during this chapter? I can guess there’ll be trouble, that this won’t be a calm and boring patrolling. What I don’t know yet is if trouble will be caused by a civilian or by a parahuman, maybe affiliated to one of the villain groups. The city, broken down as it is, really is the perfect place for riots and discord.

I think I had ever noticed how Shadow Stalker moved. Taylor never noted it, she never described it in her usual speeches about capes’ powers. Looks like Shadow Stalker has strength in her limbs, allowing her be propelled upwards or forwards. Maybe that cloak of hers aids her in gliding? It’s faster than what Flechette does, at least. It seems Flechette needs chains and crossbow bolts to use a grappling hook, and she relies mods on equipment than Shadow Stalker, leaving behind the bolts she uses after severing the chains that helped propel her.

Since Taylor isn’t here, the exposition duty falls on Mr. Wildbow.

Capes with the ‘breaker’ classification were generally those who had some ability to ‘break’ the natural laws of the universe as far as those laws applied to them.

Ah! That’s a good explanation! Breakers can bypass the laws of nature and all that with ease, it’s inherent to their powers. Sometimes such effect can be applied to themselves, other times to objects, and…I suppose it can never be applied to other people. Or almost never. The Manton effect would get in the way. Still, that’s quite the dangerous classification, isn’t it? When you’re fighting, you can’t rely on the laws of nature to keep you safe or help you. It’s a tad funny, though, almost all capes are Breakers in some way…but I suppose those who break the laws of nature more blatantly are the ones given this classification.

Flechette’s power gave her a low Breaker classification. Her power can give her crossbow bolts certain qualities that allow them to be more or less affected by laws like gravity, the air friction, and other similar elements. It’s not that she modifies the crossbow bolts physically, her power is nothing visible. I wonder how she trains and how she found out the extent of her power, back when she triggered? It sounds like it’d be complicated to find out. Then again, powers have a certain measure of instinct in them. Miss Militia’s awakening kind of made it clear.

She could do other things, but the primary benefit, the easiest thing to do, was making her ammunition punch through anything.

Ah, right! She was the one who managed to fire a very large bolt through Leviathan’s head, wasn’t she? Given what we know about Leviathan’s mass and tissues, that’s no mean feat. That was the perfect way to demonstrate this. Compared to that, she shooting a bolt through the corner of a rooftop is child’s play.

It was tiring, constantly running, but she didn’t want to look bad in front of Shadow Stalker. She was going to spend weeks with this team, and Shadow Stalker was the only other girl present that was close to her own age.

Oh dear. Literally everyone else in the Wards would be a better person to spend time with. Buuuut yeah, of course someone would look for a peer, and Shadow Stalker is the only option that’d fit, so beggars can’t be choosers. At least Shadow Stalker is tolerating her presence.

Running on rooftops sucks, but she reaches Shadow Stalker, who is waiting for her.

“Don’t you run out of chain?”

Flechette turned, reached over her shoulder to tap her back. “Tinker teammate back home specializes in replication and cloning. Small pack back here consumes energy from a small fusion battery to create a steady supply. I’ve also got a kit back at the base that makes me a fresh stock of bolts.”

Ah! That answer that, I admit I was wondering just how much chain she had. If it’s constantly being created and replicated, then she won’t ever run out of supply, and not many would know to attack that backpack. She’s safe.

Shadow Stalker didn’t stop for kicks and giggles, looks like this chapter’s suspense and conflict has arrived. What is it?

Shadow Stalker led Flechette to the edge of the roof. Looking down, they could see a group of men in a loose half-circle around a middle-aged woman. The woman was backing away from the men, who were gradually closing in.

Looks like these are civilians, there’s no mention of costumes and the such. Should be no problem for a pair of heroes. Flechette demands to know why Shadow Stalker hasn’t gone ahead and saved that woman, the answer is that first they must do some type of violent and clearly bad action before she intervenes – so she has an excuse to open the can of whoop ass. Okay, I don’t like that, but...yeah, that’s usually how it goes, first you do the illegal action and then you receive punishment. Sometimes it’s rather unfortunate that’s necessary.

And Shadow Stalker had neglected to inform command. Flechette reached for her ear, where an earbud was nestled in the canal. She squeezed it twice. “Console, woman under attack by twelve or so ordinaries. Shadow Stalker and Flechette stepping in.”

I’m pretty sure she, hm, “forgot” on purpose. If command doesn’t know, then it never really happened, yeah? She can use excessive force – without killing or maiming too hard because yeah, she’s still in probation, but I’m convinced she didn’t mention this so she could go and hit as hard as possible.

When Flechette gets to the fight, Shadow Stalker is already fighting and winning. The tranquilizer darts she has are for disabling the opponent, not to stop violence before it happens. Kind of a dirty tactic, when you look at it objectively, but I guess effectivity is what matters here.

Flechette does seem to still be inexperienced, she lets her guard down for a moment to make sure someone she defeated wasn’t going to drown in a puddle, giving enough time for another one of these men to take out a gun and try to shoot her. All he gets for his trouble is a crossbow bolt through the crotch of his ridiculously sagging jeans. Shadow Stalker deals with like three at the same time, they were already retreating, but she wasn’t going to let them go so easily.

Okay, despite everything bad and ugly Sophia is as a person, it can’t be denied she has some rather good fighting skills. As a fighter hero she’s competent, that definitely can’t be denied. All Flechette can do is watch her, enraptured, and I don’t blame her, that must have been quite the spectacle.

Soon all the attackers are either unconscious or trapped. Flechette made sure to restrain them with a minimum amount of harm, while Shadow Stalker, well, you can imagine she played rough.

Flechette palmed one of her throwing darts, glanced at it. She’d been with the Wards a year before she had been given the arbalest and the chain reel. Her darts had been her weapon of choice for a long time, alongside a rapier she’d eventually retired after too many fights using it had turned out badly. She hadn’t had the heart to change her codename, even if it didn’t quite apply anymore. Maybe when she graduated to the Protectorate.

It’s still kind of fitting, isn’t it? Crossbow bolts are close enough to darts, when you think about it. Maybe I’m just biased because in Spanish her codename is rather fitting, if a bit ridiculous.

Since their job is done, Shadow Stalker tosses Flechette a round device Flechette claims to not have seen since her training days. I’m not sure what it is.

“Times like this call for ’em. City wants us on patrol, not sitting around with our thumbs up our asses, waiting for the cops to cart these fuckers off,”

Ah, alright, it must be some way to keep all of them restrained, you know, leaving all these guys behind and imprisoned so the police can come at their leisure while the heroes continue patrolling. I’m not sure yet of what this device will turn into, but at least I can guess its function.

Okay, what the device does is that it traps the criminals by keeping them hanging in the air, the device attaches to a wall. She goes to get the one she had made crash against a bolt, but before she can restrain him, the woman they just helped started bludgeoning the man with a trashcan lid. Well alright! Things are still violent around here! And Shadow Stalker doesn’t make a move, intending to let the woman achieve catharsis by beating the crap out of this guy. Flechette won’t have fun partnering with Shadow Stalker, that’s for sure.

“Told you, I don’t do the backup thing,” Shadow Stalker bent over the unconscious man, turning his head to investigate his injuries. “He’ll live. Him and his buddies deserve what they got.”

“That’s not your call to make.”

“Sure it is,” Shadow Stalker retrieved another restraint device and quickly strung the man up beneath a metal frame meant for an air conditioning unit. “Times like this, we’re cop, judge, jury and if it really comes down to it, executioner. We’re the ones with the power.”

Yes to the first three, no to the last one. Executioner? I fail to see the times when that’d be part of the job. I mean, the only ones that’d need such treatment are those like Leviathan, beings so powerful and dangerous it wouldn’t be farfetched to think that’s the only solution – and it’s not something most capes do, judging by what I was told about the capes’ intentions towards Leviathan during the fight.

This is a deal breaker, as far as Flechette is concerned. She decides to ditch Shadow Stalker, and Shadow Stalker isn’t exactly begging to keep someone with her. She’s a vigilante, after all. She’s in the team because she has to be. You know, I may hate Shadow Stalker so much keeping a meter for her would lead to negative numbers in like two updates – which is why I don’t bother giving her a meter, even though her importance as a character skyrocketed when it was revealed she is Sophia Hess – but I admit I’d be interested in an interlude with her as the central character. It may be fun to read.

Since she’s unfamiliar with the territory and any capes that may appear, Flechette requests information from console. Kid Win is manning it. First action! To give information about the rogue who had the stuffed animals moving during the Leviathan fight. Good question! I’d also like to know more about her.

“Parian,” Kid Win replied. “A parian doll was a kind of doll about a hundred and fifty years ago. Though Parian’s costume is actually closer to a more classical Victorian style porcelain doll, from the same era.”

“Oh.” That was random. What kind of guy knew that much about dolls?

Let the guy have his interests, Flechette. Maybe he’s into toys and their history. It’s healthy to have a hobby.

Apparently Parian’s performance during the Leviathan fight was impressive enough for Flechette to want to meet Parian in person. She’s a rogue who is actually a fashion student, using her stuffed animals as her distinguishing quality. I think being a parahuman would be quite the enticing quality to have in terms of marketing, surely it’ll attract clients. Too bad the college she was attending is gone and these times aren’t good for studying of any kind.

It seems the lake downtown will be a permanent fixture of the city. Sure, there are barriers, chain link fences and fallen buildings in the center of the lake, but it’s not like the lake will be going away anytime soon. With some luck it could be incorporated to Brockton Bay. Adaptation, that’s a human trait. But for now...well, Brockton Bay isn’t adapting to anything. So much rubble, so much lack of control, it’s actually scary. Just imagining yourself passing by a place like this...it’s enough to make me feel goosebumps, honestly.

Flechette steps over one of the colorful debris lines.

She stepped over the line, and immediately felt a resistance. It took her a second to figure out what it was – a thread caught the moonlight.

There was a muffled splashing sound, and a twelve-foot tall gorilla leaped from the nearest rooftop to land directly in front of her. It swung its arms wildly in front of it, missing her, then slammed both knuckles down in the water, crushing one side of the orange striped barrier. Flechette raised her arbalest to shoot, then stopped.

Okay, it’s pretty clear this is Parian’s creation! Not many people would have access to a twelve-foot tall gorilla, parahuman or not. Seems to me like this is a sentry, watching out for any threats trying to cross the border. It’s...not the best sentry ever? Because it’s mindless and its moves missed, but yeah, there’s intimidation factor and a punch from that thing would hurt. It can work.

I was wrong, it’s more like a puppet. Parian’s costume looks like an antique doll; it does fit her codename. Although she recognizes Flechette, she isn’t going to let anyone in – partly because she can’t trust Flechette because she could be lying about who she is, and because she promised not to let anyone in, anyway.

“Doesn’t matter. I made a deal. Me, my friends and my family get a place to stay here, a fair share of the food and water. In exchange, I keep people from entering.”

It’s fair. Sorry, Flechette, but I’m on Parian’s side here. A deal is a deal, duty is duty. There’s no reason for Flechette to enter this area, anyway. If she wants to talk, she can do it from the other side of the boundary.

The frocked rogue climbed up to stand on top of the gorilla’s shoulders. She added, “I made a deal. I’m keeping to it. One hundred percent neutrality. You trespass, I fight you.”

And I’d almost definitely win, Flechette thought. You may even know that, but you’d fight me anyways.

Just with that, Parian gained my full approval. Add this character to the list of characters I hope keep appearing. I doubt she’ll appear much since she, you know, is more akin to a civilian than to a hero or a villain and therefore won’t be taking sides unless there’s big trouble, but it’d be nice to see more about her.

“Good, good,” Flechette sheathed her arbalest, hoping the rogue would feel safer. “Look, I’m here if you need anything. If people make trouble and you’re not strong enough to protect that neighborhood there, or if you need resources that you couldn’t get otherwise, like names or medical services, call me. Can I give you my card?”

Flechette is such a nice and honorable person...why do all these good heroes have to be from places far away? Brockton Bay got saddled with douchebags, how unfortunate! Haha! But yeah, Flechette is another one that seems to be quite the decent person. I doubt she’ll want to stay, though. Once her temporal stay is over, I’m pretty sure she’ll return to the team she came from, and won’t even look back.

To show she does mean to be helpful, Flechette asks if there’s anything she can get them. Fresh water, that’s what’s needed.

“Seriously, are you okay? You holding up?”

Parian turned, looked behind her, as if checking anyone was listening.

“I hate fighting. Hate confrontation. Even this, being here, having just thought I might have to fight you, fight anyone, it makes me feel edgy. My teeth are chattering and I’m not even cold.”

I feel bad for Parian; she didn’t ask for any of this. Still, despite not liking to fight, she dared to join everyone else in the fight versus Leviathan, even though she knew that could have ended in her death. Parian is rather brave. With some luck she won’t have to get into more fights, but given how desperate people are...well, I’m sure she’ll have to deal with a few fights before things get better. She has Flechette’s support, so that has to count for something.

“Deal. I’m Flechette, by the way, in case you didn’t know.”

“Oh. Um. I didn’t. My name’s Sab-” Parian stopped, made a barely audible groan.

Looks like she’s still not used to having a secret identity! No idea how she plans to use her power as a way to promote her work if she can’t give her real name – after everything that’s happening there’s a chance word about her power gets out, people could link it to her real identity – but I suppose she’ll cross that bridge later.

Flechette is truly desperate for a friendly connection of some sort, going so far as to remove her visor and show her face. But it does work! A connection is made, because faces and names are mentioned. Parian’s real name is Sabah. Sabah...that is Malaysian...maybe Turkish? She does seem to come from the Middle East.

Parian dropped her legs down to either side of the gorilla’s neck as it moved forward. To stay decent, the girl pressed her hands down on the lap of her dress, leaning forward a little. It was a little thing, that bashful modesty, but Flechette felt as much of a rush watching that as she did running across her chain/tightrope with a five-story drop below her.

...oh! Oh, my! Looks like Flechette isn’t straight as an arrow, in what concerns to her tastes. Still, this isn’t the time for ogling anyone, it’s time for patrolling and making the friendly connection she couldn’t make with Shadow Stalker. Parian may not be a member of the Wards, but she is an admirable person and I think it’ll do Flechette good to have a friend in this city. Maybe her stay in Brockton Bay won’t be so bad now.

That’s the second chapter of this interlude arc. I can’t imagine what comes next! Another change in point of view, I guess, but there are many available options. Bring it on! But, uh, next time.

Next update: in two updates

#worm #worm liveblog #liveblog #book liveblog #story liveblog

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toukaisbetterthanyou · 7 years

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I come again bearing a long review to spam your blog because I don't know how to add the read more cutoff line

I wish I could add gifs to this, sadly you’ll have to deal with the wall of text and mountain of salt because I just got off a 36 hour shift from hell. I did sneak a peek at the Ayahina fluff so I am saving that for after I finish this because I have a feeling- based on last week’s ending- that this chapter will royally piss me off- in a good way.

I am also going to play a little game with this chapter based on this because I just recently read this book on recognizing emotionally abusive relationships so I am going to check anything that fits Touken in this AU.

/I am sorry in advance for any poor comprehension this reaction will show. 36 hours with only 30 minutes of sleep in them./

– and even ignores the phone calls that she received on her cell phone. After the first day at his flat, she turns it off entirely. He can’t hold back a smile from seeing her do that.

And here we go. Touka, baby girl, y u do dis? Those are your family and friends. I realize they have been less than understanding about the whole situation but you’re ghosting them for the goth fuckboy?!

He would miss her once he was gone.

/EXPLODING IN RAGE/ YOU LITTLE BITCH! IF YOU HAD A DECENT BONE IN THAT RIPPED BODY OF YOURS YOU WOULD LET THE POOR WOMAN GO! Not that I am absolving Touka of the blame here, she is willingly going along with this but he is seriously pissing me off. I realize his love is supposed to be selfish but imho, that line proves there isn’t much love to begin with because he hasn’t yet considered changing his plans for Touka and/or the baby.

Sex had always helped her forget her problems. When Ken is inside of her, she doesn’t have to worry about the growing child inside of her, or Nishiki and Yomo-san, or her own anxiety about whether this child was even viable.

The trouble always came after.

You feel bad about yourself when you are around him. [✔]

You only feel good about yourself when you are with him. [✔]

This isn’t love.

She just wants it to be. Badly.

At least we can rejoice in knowing she is self-aware.

She could fool herself into believing that it would last. That he was doing this out of love and not some misplaced selfishness in finally having something to call his own.

She was hurting too, and in a moment of resigned irony, accepted it.

She would play the fool and take what she was given.

You find yourself accepting him “for now,” even though you have plenty of red flags that would help you terminate the relationship if you paid attention to them. [✔]

How funny that Kaneki of all people was taking her out on a date? After everything they had gone through, it was laughable that the prospect of a date was what really tripped her up.

Babe, it’s part of the “not giving any fucks” attitude a lot of people with concrete suicidal ideation have. It should trip you up!

or she’d go to the chateau, and later, his flat.

I thought she avoided the chateau because of the murder babies in it? I am interested in knowing more details about this, would any of the Qs know about her? Would this affect the story?I want Saiko!

Even back then – long ago, there hadn’t been a label placed on what they did. She had viewed it as stress relief, and who better to sleep with then the sweet boy that he had been? She had realized too late what he had meant to her, and by that point he had become an entirely different person.

I was under the impression they had a one night stand before the raid but this paragraph is making me imagine they had a thing going for longer than that which would be really interesting to contrast with their current relationship.

Still, nothing had changed. He was still a dove. He was still choosing to kill ghouls.

She tries not to think about it.

Your value system and his are very different, and it is problematic. [✔]

I have been thinking about this since last chapter tbh. I come from a minority that has suffered genocide in its history and I kept wondering if I would ever actually date someone who was an accomplice to the murder of my people and the mere thought of that made me feel disgusted with myself.

I know Touka is self-loathing and does not value her ghoul nature but even so, being with someone who works and profits from killing her species (or race?) would just add to the slew of issues she has going. Especially when you consider she started re to be a haven for ghouls the way Anteiku was and now she was sleeping with the enemy, the internal conflict must be out of this world and no result of it would be positive.

What are you trying to do right now? The question is lodged in her throat, like lead. Did he really want them to be together? Did he truly want a family with her? Or was this some sort of elaborate scheme to cage her even further?

…

She’s the oddest mix of ecstatic and devastated. Her hands tremble around the bunny. It was an adorable little thing – so cute. This was nice of him to do, wasn’t it? Ken was always doing nice things like this for her. Things that made her fall for him a little more each time. She’s almost hysterical.

You feel uncomfortable about something he has said or done, and the feeling remains. [✔]

You think he’s too charming or a little “too good to be true.“ [✔]

But I have to admit that the bunny date idea is quite adorable. I wonder if those actually exist? I don’t want to Google and be disappointed. I do find it tragic that this is something Touka would enjoy but she is so melancholy right now that she can’t ease up and forget about everything for 30 minutes to pet a bunny.

“Do you want to buy it?” Ken asks, watching her as she sets it back into the pen.

Sure, dick, bring in another life to abandon later. The more the merrier. Why not adopt a couple of impoverished children while you’re at it?

“Why not?” Ken asks, “You’ll be living with me now. There’s no reason for you to work, so you’ll have plenty of time.”

I’m sorry? Who the fuck do you think you are? Did you accidentally get into Marty McFly’s car and transported yourself back to the 1950s?

“Yes,” he responds, still smiling that cheerful smile of his. The dimple on the side of his cheek seems to be taunting her.

SOCK HIM AGAIN TOUKA! SOCK THE BASTARD RIGHT IN THAT FUCKING DIMPLE OF HIS!

“You’ll need help with the baby,” he says, in a very matter of fact kind of way. “I don’t want you to be alone in case there are any complications.”

Oh, good to know you are considering complications but before you imprison her in some flat with a disgruntled reception office employee, have you considered getting her a doctor? Prenatal vitamins at least? Moving away from the CCG who want her dead? A college fund for the kid? Finding a place to live? I doubt the CCG will just ignore your apartment after you go rogue on them and you want her to be there when it happens? May as well put a bulls eye billboard on top of your apartment building.

And who is going to help with the baby? Will your ghost ass drop by from the afterlife to change a couple of diapers? Maybe rock the baby to sleep? What a shit excuse.

“I won’t let that happen,” he says stubbornly.

Unless he is planning a Samson style suicide attack on the CCG, I have no idea how he could possibly do that from beyond the Cochlea compactor.

“Where are we?” She wanted to go home. This entire day had been tiring and her mood only continued to worsen.

You are emotionally tired from him; you feel he “sucks the life out of you." [✔]

He answers, getting out of his side to open the passenger door to help her out.

At least he’s being a gentleman?

“We need to start shopping for them, or else we won’t have enough time after they get here.”

We? We? We?!!! What we is he fucking talking about?! That’s it, this proves he believes in reincarnation or something. Either that or he’s taking Touka and the kid with him when goes to get his ass kicked by his dad.

I don’t think I can explain how much his attitude is pissing me off!

No, she couldn’t do this. But his grip on her arm was firm and he looks at her with a pensive stare, almost like he was trying to make amends.

Touka, babe, embrace your inner Chuck Norris and roundhouse kick him in the face!

Once we get home, those words make her feel good, pathetically enough.Stupid , one word from him was enough to make that pathetic, longing part of swell with misplaced hope

/ugly crying/ mods, y u do dis?

He holds up a little jacket, too small to belong to a child. It was pink and soft looking, the insides lined with fleece.

There were bunny ears attached to the hood.

He gives her a wry smile.

“What do you think?”

Dirty move, Ken. Dirty fucking move. I am 19 weeks pregnant now and I crack at the sight of any baby items, using bunny ears to break down her defenses is such a dirty move.

On a side note, the image of the goth reaper in a sea of pastels and waddling pregnant women is making me laugh so hard. That image is not enough for me to forgive you for this chapter though.

What would they act like? How would she – be with them? She’s always liked kids, but to be a parent? She wonders how her mother had done it?. How had she brought in two children into their world, even knowing that it wasn’t a safe place for them? How did her father support her knowing that any moment, one of them could be snatched away?

/ugly wailing/

This makes her blink. Too late? Too late for what? “What do you mean?” He doesn’t answer her, and instead lifts her dress up over her hips, and palms her over her panties. Then, he’s hastily removing his gloves and sliding his hand underneath the elastic band to touch her directly. She loses track of what she had been attempting to say.

Using sex to ignore present problems, kinda like how you got into your current predicament. Nothing new to see here.

Maybe this could work.

Don’t be stupid.

Maybe he was changing. Things could be different now

Don’t delude yourself.

This honestly breaks my heart. I am alternating between NO and YES so fast that my head is getting whiplash.

Then, she asks again.

“What do you mean by too late?”

…

“Answer my question,” she says, this time taking only the head into her mouth and hollowing her cheeks as she sucks

Aha, the deepthroat interrogation technique. Classic. Can’t say I haven’t used it myself. I am sure the CCG would get a lot further with their investigations if they used it in Cochlea.

“T-There’s never enough time,” he says weakly. “With you. Being with you. Like this,” is the only sentence that he has the presence of mind to string together. She has a feeling that’s not all there was to it, but she’s satisfied with his answer for now.

That is such a half assed answer and Touka, dear, I don’t know how you could possibly be satisfied with it. You have his cock in your mouth, that means you have the upper hand, play it!

not ripping them to shreds because she would be upset.

So you didn’t mind her getting upset before? What a piece of shit.

She can’t respond when he begins to suck her pert nipples into peaks, kneading the swollen breasts and making her quake from the sensitivity she felt.

When my fiance did that, he ended up with tinnitus from how loud I screamed so lucky you Kaneki, lucky you.

“You’re mine,” He whispers, with an excited smile, “All mine,” And then, “It’s just going to be us.”

Now read that with the soundtrack to any thriller film and tell me it doesn’t fit perfectly.

He’s never been like this during sex. So attentive. Well, he was always attentive – like giving her pleasure was more of an impulse, something that he needed, rather than something that he actually did for her benefit. It had gotten him off to make her come, to make her delirious from her pleasure. This feels – different now, though.

/screams into the night/ I didn’t think it was possible for me to like this dick any less but here I am, somehow sinking lower into the abyss. I thought you did rough sex before because you both liked it? But now he stopped for the baby or because he may have feelings for her? So you are really embracing your fuckboy status?

Her earlier worry about his behavior was becoming less and less of a concern. Maybe it was idiotic of her to trust him – to blindly have faith in him this way, but maybe he was right.

Maybe they could finally be a family.

You make excuses for why you are dating him. [✔]

You make excuses for his character and minimize his behavior. [✔]

“Why do you need to go back to Re?” Ken asks, watching as she places her phone and the keys that he had given her into her purse. “I told you that you didn’t need to work.”

…

“What if they tell you not to come back?”

You feel isolated from other relationships with friends and family. [✔]

While he is not actually isolating her, he wants it and is manipulating her- consciously or subconsciously- by showing vulnerability to fall for it. What are you so worried about, jerk? That her family may actually talk some sense into her? You want her hanging on your rope till you off yourself then fuck her and her kid?

Something about that fills her with excitement. He needed her. He needed her.

NOOOOOOOOO! BAD BUNNY! BAD BAD BUNNY! THIS SHOULD NOT FILL YOU WITH EXCITEMENT!

Ken’s gloved hand curls around one of her hands.

Why the fuck is he wearing gloves indoors? Was he roleplaying Kureo Mado? Is that the sort of kinky fuckery they are into now?

This might be a cage – but if it was like this, then it might not be so bad.

/facepalm/

It had been a good week since she had left.

I had to read this a couple of times because I thought it was from Yomo and Nishiki’s point of view and was about to add them to the fuckboy list.

But in the end, it’s not a lecture as much as it is a hug from Yomo and a playful slap on the arm from Nishiki.

I am glad they went his route and didn’t give her hell for what happened. It is important for her to know she has a supportive place to go home to.

I’ll be there in half an hour, we can go to the place with the cakes that you like.

Bitch, she is traumatized by throwing up and you want to take her out in public to do an activity that will make her nauseous? WTF?!

Yoriko better be in that bakery.

Touka is deliriously happy.

Denial is not just a river in Egypt.

Neither of them notice a pair of watching eyes from outside of the bakery. A man woman in a black trenchcoat an apron smiles, and then laughs.

…

Somewhere, Kosaka Yoriko is laughing.

Here, fixed that last paragraph for you.

Well, putting aside the emotional trauma this chapter put me through, this was a really well written chapter. I can’t remember the last time I felt so frustrated by a character in a fanfic or so invested in the story in general. I am angry with you in the best way possible because I don’t know if I can wait till next week for a new chapter, the clowns getting involved should make things fun not.

Looking forward to the next chapter but for now, I will just go get depressed about the pathetic state Touka is in.

#asks #replies #anons #nice asks #OH MY GOD #THIS REVIEW #THANK YOU SO MUCH #if you ever come off anon #i'd be happy to explain all of your questions in detail #thank you so much for taking the time to do this #it means so much to know #that our work has had this kind of effect on you!!#submission #original sin ask #i would love you if you forever #if you continued doing reviews like this for our fics #seeing this makes us so happy

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ruleandruinrpg · 7 years

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CONGRATULATIONS, EMILY!

You have been accepted for the role of NEYSA RAI. Admin Bree: Stunning, every word. Emily, you wowed me from start to finish—there’s really no other way to put it. It’s not often that an applicant seems to understand a character even more intimately than the person who created that character, but this is one of those rare instances; I may have written her story, but you brought it to life. This application was absolutely beautiful from start to finish, and I feel honored to see what you do with our heartrender with a heart of gold. You have 24 HOURS to send in your account. Also, remember to look at the CHECKLIST. Welcome to Ravka!

OUT OF CHARACTER

ALIAS: Emily

PREFERRED PRONOUNS: She/her

AGE: Twenty-one

TIMEZONE & ACTIVITY LEVEL: GMT. On a scale from 1-10, I’d put my activity at a fair 6/7. I will be looking for a job/working (hopefully) which will occupy quite a bit of my time, but when I’m not working I’ll probably be online since I moved back home and it’s dull as hell and there really isn’t anything to do other than replies! Also – just to let you know that I’m away from the 19th-25th so I won’t be on at all then!

CURRENT/PAST ACCOUNTS: You can find samples of my writing here, here and here.

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER: Neysa Pollux Rai

NEYSA: The name Neysa is a Greek baby name. In Greek the meaning of the name Neysa is: Pure. Pure, like the first flurry of mountain snows. Pure, like sunlight as winter turns to spring. Pure, like the hearts and minds of her people, the Suli who had been wild in the best way possible. Pure, a meaning that time has tarnished, that she drifts from with every soul claimed by her hands, in every moment that she becomes a temporary God, given the power to snatch life away. ‘Pure’, she whispers, staring down at bodies with twisted hearts, ‘that is a cruel joke. It belongs to a girl from a lifetime ago’. It’s a strange thing, to associate your name, the one true constant in life, with a stream of memories, with a family who fade day by day, with who you could have been rather than who you are. But Neysa, for all she clings to her name and the connection with the past it provides, fears that all the purity inside of her was drained the day she was captured by slavers and that in turn, her name became little more than an empty shell. Yet, despite that, her name is incredibly important to the way she conceives herself. Neysa is a reminder of the girl without chains, the girl who ran wild and who knew what happiness meant. Neysa connects her to the parents and people lost to time, drifting in an unknown place on the continent. Neysa was something earned – something she won in conquering her own personal war. Stripped away after she was sold as a slave, crudely referred to as bloodletter instead, Neysa did not claim full ownership of her name until well out to sea, shouting it loudly into the wind. She had thought her shackles were gone then - and she was wrong - but at least the Second Army allowed her to keep her name. And yet, hope prevails. It is both her biggest fear and her biggest dream that one day her name will mean what it once did – tender, carefree, pure.

POLLUX: Roman form of Greek Πολυδευκης (Polydeukes) meaning “very sweet”, from Greek πολυς (polys) “much” and δευκης (deukes) “sweet”. In mythology he was the twin brother of Castor and a son of Zeus. The constellation Gemini, which represents the two brothers, contains a star by this name. Given their close connection with nature, the stars and the moon, it is natural among the Suli people, to bequeath a child with a name that draws from those fundamental elements. Although not a formalised or legal name, Pollux has always been a term of endearment among Neysa’s band of people, whispered in the moments before she fell asleep, or the first time she learned to trace the stars with the tip of her finger. Pollux marks Neysa as one of a pair, bestowing upon her an eternal and unbreakable connection to her brother. An unconventional choice – given its traditional use as a male name and its origins under a pair of twin brothers in the legend – the pieces fell into place the moment Neysa’s parents unexpectedly gave birth to two children, coddling both close in their arms under the summer sky, with nothing but the stars and the moon watching them. It was then that their father found Gemini, the twinned constellation and knew it was right to bless his children with two of its stars – Castor and Pollux.

Note: Obviously I don’t want to god-mod anything on behalf of the Aarvas applicant/player, but when I was considering potential middle-names, it was the idea of twin-meaning middle names that stuck out most to me and it was this pair of twins who fit Aarvas and Neysa the best. Therefore, I felt compelled to include it within my application. Hope that’s okay!

RAI: The lone remaining tie to her parents and the life they had shared – whittled down from thousands, eroded by time – her surname is the only thing that tethers her to the memory of them, of who they were, the lessons they imparted and the gifts that they gave them. It is through that name – and through the blood that runs through their children’s veins – that they remain in the present, instead of becoming a neglected ghost that only comes out to haunt. For as long as all four share that name, they continue to be bound to one and other, albeit faintly. It isn’t much. But to someone who has lived with nearly nothing at all, it is the true embodiment of hope. She can remember being four years old, learning to read on her mother’s knee, watching her trace those three letters in the dirt. ‘This is who we are. This is who we always will be’. At five, veins illuminated with traces of impossibility and magic, the term Grisha imposed upon her, she had run to her mother, afraid this meant they weren’t a Rai anymore. ‘I saw what happened in the other village – they took the children away – and their names didn’t matter. I want mine to matter’. Cupping her cheeks, her mother had smiled. ‘I will never let them have you. We will always be together. And we will always be a family’. Now, the memory feels bittersweet, darkened by irony. And whilst their parents failed to protect them forever (now, they protect one and other, Neysa clinging to her brother as the last soul who truly knows her) they do remain a family. A dreamer might wish for all four to come back together, but staring at her reflection in the mirror, Neysa wonders if her parents would even recognise their children. Perhaps it is better to be a family – but one that lives worlds apart. After all, her parent’s hearts are the only ones she refuses to break.

REBE: Although not a given name, it was once as common as Neysa, whispered by her people as she closed her eyes to sleep, tossed across the campfire as they cooked, a mark of respect as they stowed away their precious jewels, protecting them from the forces that sought to steal them away. Unique to her and her people, Neysa has nearly forgotten the name now, for it is nothing but a memory. And those, as we know, are unreliable.No one has called her Rebe for quite some time. Not in reality, anyway. But the world inside of her head that comes to life each night? That’s a different matter. In both nightmares and dreams, she hears the word repeated over and over, sometimes by teary Aunts and Uncles (among the Suli, they were all one extended family) who beg her to return to them, other times by the same people, whose faces become twisted with anger as they deny her the privilege of such a name. ‘Rebe? Saint? Blessed miracle? How were we so wrong? All you are is a monster.’ Those nights, as she wakes up covered in sweat, she believes them, disgusted with who she has become. The girl who earned the title of Rebe, who wore it as a badge of pride, would scarcely recognise the woman she has grown up to be – recoiling in fear of the deeds she doesn’t bother to protest anymore. Sometimes, she wonders, had they never been captured by slavers, had they found their way back home…would she still hold a claim to that title? Or like all good and precious things, would time have eroded it?

WHAT DREW YOU TO THIS CHARACTER?

Ah, Neysa – my sorrowful swallow, my fallen dreamer, my heartrender with a golden soul. It’s impossible not to adore her, to feel for her and to want to explore her. With roleplays, my biggest struggle is usually indecisiveness. There are hundreds of compelling characters, each with their distinct tale to tell, split across the personality spectrum. But with RAR, I found it remarkably easy to settle upon my first choice – because she just spoke to me immediately. Usually, I try and wait right up until the last biography is released, not wanting to be drawn into an application only to abandon it halfway through. But as soon as Neysa was released – somewhere near the beginning – I knew that was it, that I had found the one. I began her application immediately and never looked back.

Having engulfed the trilogy as soon as this roleplay was announced (I think I read all three books over three days, abandoning my essays to do so), I knew I definitely wanted to portray a Grisha. Nothing against humans – but I found the dynamics within the orders, the possibility of writing out abilities and the politics of their position the most compelling stories. In the books, it wasn’t the characters I loved so much as the world they operated within – and my favourite thing about RAR is the characters you’ve inserted into the environment. So, I won’t lie, when looking at teasers and biographies, I mainly focused on the Grisha. Being Grisha is so fundamental to Neysa, to her experiences, to how she experiences the world – and to how she sees the world. Her abilities have defined who she is thus far – they are the reason she was stolen away from her parents, the reason she was sold into slavery, the reason why she has become a soldier. And, more specifically, Neysa’s status as a heartrender is central to everything she is. It is her ability to manipulate tissue and flesh that spurs the world to make a weapon out of her, the reason why she is forced to murder – and why she has always been so afraid. You can’t understand Neysa without understanding that. And so, given that her abilities are so vital to Neysa, they take a place at the forefront of her story, plot progression and development. Given that’s what excited me so much about this roleplay in the first place, it’s a compelling factor as to why I was so drawn towards her.

The second – and main – factor that drew me in was her story. It’s a tale of being free and being bound, of fighting for freedom, of the difference between living and being alive. There is a definitive sadness and tragedy to Neysa that is apparent throughout her biography, echoed throughout every piece of her life. Like an angel, she has tumbled from the heavens, haunted by those she has left behind. Primary among this is herself – or at least, the girl she once was, so full of hope and happiness. That girl slips away day by day – and it becomes harder to clutch onto the mere memory of her. I really want to explore every nook and cranny of this – how she copes with past and present, how she struggles with her status in the Second Army and the nature they seek to impose upon her. They seek to make a soldier out of a pacifist, a monster out of a saint. In the grey, you will find Neysa. At the core of her is an identity crisis. There’s a gap between who she used to be and who she is becoming. It’s the difference between Grisha and human, good and evil, power and personality, girl and weapon. All of these struggles are bound up inside of her – for she is the living embodiment of them all. Currently undergoing something of an identity crisis, Neysa is torn in two polarising directions, fearful of becoming one over the other, of losing who she is in a bid to survive. Survival is certainly a key theme radiating throughout Neysa’s biography. She is Ravka’s phoenix – rising from the ashes. She may not look the way her childhood self imagined she might – but breathing is the most important thing. She can worry about appearances later, when the war is over – should she survive it without murdering herself in the process. An incredibly strong and resilient character – who has managed to resist the overpowering urge to give in. It’s this, pulsing like a heart, that makes me fall in love with her.

Overall, it’s Neysa herself – her story, her potential, her direction – rather than her dynamics or position in the roleplay that has drawn me towards her. I’ve fallen head over heels for her as a character – and I hope I’m lucky enough to develop and take her further within the roleplay.

WHAT FUTURE PLOT IDEAS DID YOU HAVE IN MIND?

BREAK THE CHAINS: Essentially, everything below can be grouped under this larger heading and under what I believe is Neysa’s larger arc. Central to her story is her struggles with freedom, servitude and being bound – both literally and metaphorically. Despite escaping slavery, she continues to be chained up, hitched to the army and the King’s wishes, forced to commit atrocities in their name. This, in turn, is changing her, restricting her and denying her from the life she deserves to live, separating her from the life she envisioned for herself and the person she used to – and wants – to be. Over the course of this roleplay, I would like to see Neysa break out from that shell, to find a way to reconcile her reality with her hopes and work within the system. Essentially, I want to see this girl happy. I think it will take a long time to get there – and will involve some fundamental changes and interesting dynamics, but ultimately, that is my end goal with her.

MAN-MADE MONSTER: Fundamental to understanding Neysa is answering one question – Am I a girl or am I a weapon? Years ago, that answer would have been an easy one – a girl, who feared becoming a weapon. Now, when Neysa stares at her reflection, she sees traces of the very thing she once feared, hands that have turned into guns, fingers into knives. Each day, she loses more of who she used to – and who she wants to be – and with every fallen soul, every kill at her hands, she finds herself becoming more who she doesn’t want to be. Even now, she doesn’t want to be that person. She is strong enough not to fall off the edge completely, tough enough to keep her humanity and wits about her. She refuses to give in to what war wants her to be – and it drains her. But this question goes far beyond simply how she acts of perceives the world – it cuts across who she is. Neysa’s identity is constructed by this question, of being a girl or a monster. Currently unable to reconcile the pair, she fights to keep the two apart, believing them to be separate, polarising, identities. This plot arc essentially questions that assumption. It is possible to both be a monster and a girl – and Neysa is hurting herself by refusing to let the two reconcile, tearing herself apart to retain a semblance of the past. She doesn’t realise that it is impossible for her to be free in the same way once again – and that no matter what happens – her experiences have changed her beyond belief. But more than that, she shouldn’t look back – but forward. In helping to reconcile these two halves, I’d love to test the bounds of Neysa. I’d love her to commit an atrocity she doesn’t feel she can come back from, to see her – much like Valerian – turn towards the darkness as a coping mechanism. However, for me, this would be temporary – and in the end, I’d love for Neysa to find a way back to herself, to string together who she wants to be and who she has been forced to become. I feel that until she does, until she realises it is possible to save yourself from abandoning your heart for steel, she can’t be at peace. She needs to fall so that she can rise.

BATTLE-WEARY WOMAN: Given that the fear of becoming a weapon is such a central part to Neysa and her struggles with her identity, both as a Grisha and a person, war is bound to be a central part to her story too. For it is in war when she is forced to snatch lives, where she watches bodies fall to the ground, hatred of the evil she must look like reflected in their eyes. In order to fully explore Neysa, it is necessary to see her outside of the Little Palace, to see her march into battle, obey the orders of her commanders and pretend as if using her power doesn’t strengthen her (or cause a rush of adrenaline to throb through her body). Here, I would definitely like to explore how Neysa interacts on a battle-field, whether she secretly enjoys it, how she feels directly after a battle and explore her relationships with her fellow soldiers – all of whom will have different attitudes towards war. Neysa would like to claim to be a peacemaker, to run far far away from battle and all its crimes, but that’s impossible. War has become her constant – and in a sense, she is wrong to deny it. As long as she exists, she will be at war – for nothing and no one will release her from her servitude. She has to learn to balance the demands of war and of her ability with her conceptions of who she is, to find a way to be happy and find freedom within these constraints. Having always been a little wary of her ability (oh how she would have loved to be anything but a murderer) I would really like to see her finally come to terms with it, to embrace it as part of who she is. In this transformation, she has to address one key question – is it possible to be a murderer and someone who isn’t a monster? I would argue yes – but at the moment, Neysa would say no.

THE OTHER HALF: Neysa came into the world as half of a pair and by god – they will be leaving together too. Circumstances, whether it be their close-knit community at childhood or their forced enslavement and then recruitment into the second army, have kept them close, strengthening the bonds between them. For a long time, they have been the only one she can depend upon, the one she would die to protect, the one she would tear her own heart out to save. Now, however, with their life in the Little Palace and separate roles in the army, their lives are beginning to converge. They are no longer alone – and she’s afraid it’s going to rip them apart at the seams. Despite the love they have for each other, she’s beginning to wonder if she cannot understand Aarvas – and is deathly afraid that one day, he will be a puzzle she cannot unravel. His turn towards religion as a coping mechanism – and its imposition upon her – is something that is causing immense conflict between the pair, threatening to become a sticking point. Neysa denounces it – they embrace it – and for the life of her, she cannot understand why – which is where so much turmoil comes from. At this point, it appears their futures might be diverging – and she cannot, will not, cope with that. As well as the growing turmoil between the pair, I’d love to see Neysa’s protective instincts called upon. Her brother is the only one she will willingly kill for. Her brother is the only one she can ever truly fight for – and despite being the younger one, it is she who is most vocal about defending them. But how do you defend your brother from himself? As well as that, I think it would be really interesting for them to try and find their people/parents – and see how that changes/shifts the dynamics and where they perceive their futures.

LIGHT IN THE DARK: Given the lives she and Aarvas have led, Neysa has met relatively few Grisha compared to those taken from their families and inducted into the lifestyle at an early age. But the Grisha she has met have all been the same – a little twisted, consumed by sorrows or anger, hardly recognisable as a person at all. But Stasya forces her to question those assumptions. Stasya shows her than an alternate path is possible – that you can remain a harbinger of peace and kindness, all the while being a soldier. Stasya shows Neysa a path that she herself would like to tread – and I believe that their relationship will be fundamental to helping Neysa find a peace in herself, as well as giving her the companionship and support that she craves and needs. The moment they met was like a fresh breath of air for Neysa, or the first rays of sun after a long winter has passed. It brought her back to life. Having felt so isolated and alone after joining the second army, a new face among strangers, an oddity among those who have grown up together and a flower among thorns, Stasya was a welcome solace – someone who was brought into Neysa’s life for a purpose. And Neysa knows this. Amongst the violence and chaos, Stasya is a welcome respite, an anchor of sorts, someone she can run to when the day has been too hard or she feels too dark to be sane. They peer into each other’s souls – and don’t run from what they find. Between these two, I’d like to deepen and explore the dynamic between the pair, to watch it transform with time. I truly believe that Stasya is exactly the sort of person that Neysa needs in her life, perhaps the only one who can see her honestly and refuse to run away. They slot together perfectly, both similar and different in many complex ways. But, at the end of the day, their souls are made of the same materials – and that is what counts. I truly believe that Stasya has the potential to become someone truly special within Neysa’s life – possibly permanently – and that their connection will help bring peace to Neysa – and maybe even happiness.

EVER-CREEPING SHADOWS: He is her cautionary tale, a flashing warning, a sign that tells her to run in the opposite direction – and to run fast. He represents the darkest aspects of war, what happens when a battle goes and turns a man into a monster. Looking at him, she can see the parallels between the pair – for they have both fought and they have both lost. They began in the same place – but she will be damned if they end up side by side. It is parallel, the effect that he has on her, strengthening her resolve not to become like him, whilst tempting her to do something she doesn’t want to do exactly at the same time. He appears to want to make her like him, to go beyond redemption, to see the darkness as a single comfort, like an old friend. From the beginning, he has been cutting and cruel, exposing her weaknesses and digging in wherever he might find one. So far, she’s managed to evade his desires, to shake him off and bat him away, but he’s growing ever more persistent – and she feels herself beginning to be tempted, to just give him the destruction that he craves. There is a voice, whispering at the back of her mind, that just says – do it. For me, the dynamic between Valerian and Neysa is one of the most compelling ones – and definitely one I’m excited to explore. I just think that the connection between the pair of them is so rich – because they truly represent two sides of the same coin, two people who look more alike than Neysa would ever want them to. And yet, despite that, she isn’t his saviour – wise enough not to drown along with him. What that does is place their relationship in between kindred souls and enemies. Where Stasya is connected to one part of her (the hopeful girl with the smile like a breeze), Valerian is connected to the other part (the weapon, all molten steel). I also think it would be interesting to see what would happen if Neysa did lose control, if she squeezed her fists a little hard, if she made him bleed. I truly think an event like that would send her over the edge a little, force her to question everything – including their likeness.

WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO HAVE YOUR CHARACTER DIE?: Having seen first-hand in Diverona how character deaths tie into overarching plots and play a significant role in stakes and development of the roleplay and other characters, I’d definitely say yes. However, if possible, I’d like to be given some warning about what’s going to happen and when it’ll happen to give me some time to wrap up threads/prepare and probably apply for a different character! In terms of potential circumstances around Neysa’s death, I would definitely say that Aarvas could play a large factor. Simply put, he is the only person in this world that she would lay down her life for – not necessarily a self-sacrificing person otherwise. But he is the exception – and that could be such an interesting dynamic to watch play out. Otherwise, I could definitely see war/battle playing a large potential factor in her death. There’s such a tragedy to Neysa, what she’s endured and who she has become as a consequence – and having her die would truly cement that arc.

IN DEPTH

IN CHARACTER PARA SAMPLE(S):

Memory is a fickle mistress, a cunning witch to which homage must be paid. But where she was once kind, she is now cruel, taking pleasure in torturing her host. She dangles freedom in front Neysa’s eyes, a bitter aftertaste of how sweet it once felt. Remembering pales in comparison to experiencing – but beggars can’t be choosers – and Neysa will always pick ghosts over demons. One will break your heart, the other will break your soul. Perhaps the most unfortunate must suffer through both, leaving behind only a hollow, empty, being, a shell where life once bloomed. No. Her rebellion is a piercing protest echoing throughout her skull, strong in the face of adversity and tragedy in equal halves. She did not break her chains to find herself bound by ropes, she did not sail across the true sea to find she had left her true self a million lifetimes away, long ago. They need your permission to make you a monster. There is a choice to be had. Even now, she can detect the sharp irony behind her words. For there are no decisions to be made. Not since she was a little girl, dancing barefoot in the grass, ducking behind wagon wheels anxiously folding herself into invisibility, has she been blessed with such luxuries. They tore that from her the moment she and her twin were gagged and bound. Now, she’s been playing catch up ever since.

Brown eyes open and the world begins to flood in. On her left, lies the First Army infantry, guns raised, eyes bloodthirsty. To her right, the Grisha, greedily licking their lips, anxious to begin the advance. She belongs to neither side. She forsook her humanity, the last of it, the moment bones cracked and hearts bled at the mere twitch of her hand. But she can’t truly claim to be one of her own either – with their acceptance of war and vengeance. The middle-path is the one lesser trodden – and she walks it alone. But there’s an end in sight – left or right? Inhaling heavily, she ignores the ash heavy in the air, erasing flickering fire and overwhelming destruction and the laughter of Valerian from her mind. Instead, she turns her eyes skyward. Even among the grey, there are patches of blue and a sun, as cold as it may appear. Her eyes trace the outlines of forests, trees she might have once climbed, racing Aarvas to the top. Catch me if you can! She would have shouted, the vast canopy beckoning her into its clutches. High above the world, the band across her chest would have loosened. No soldiers can find me here. There is no one to take me away. I am safe. A child’s mind will believe such things, even in the face of impending doom. But it was easy – it was all so easy when you sleep coiled with your brother, shielded by your parents, protected by your entire people, seen as someone to be revered. Once, she had been worshipped. Now, the girl who had been taught to roam and run and smile was lost. Somewhere out there lies the life she left behind – cold fresh glacial rivers, meadows with golden flowers, clear skies where the stars shine. Somewhere, there are her people, pulling wagons as their age-old tradition demands. Her father will read dreams and her mother will dance. Perhaps, by now, her people have found someone else to call Rebe. For surely, she is not deserving. Normality continues, even when she is a world away. Somewhere, there is peace to be found.

But it sure as hell isn’t here.

The battle beckons – and somehow, she finds herself among its ranks. The girl tucked up inside the wagon (who lies inside of her, somewhere, hiding) blinks in shock and horror, begging her to leave – to run. The girl who became the woman, who buried her past deep inside of her chest, knows better than that. She knows her only choice is to face up, to twist when they tell her to and try and forget the faces screaming in horror. Later, they will plague her dreams. But at least she will still be alive. Ready to live another day. The horn sounds and creatures find themselves ready to pounce. Instinct forces her to raise her hands, to narrow her focus, ready to march towards chaos. When did my body betray my mind? But even Ares himself cannot stop her heart. To her far-right, Neysa meets her brother’s eyes, familiar, home etched across them. Even in chaos, even in despair – she has always been able to find a light inside of them, a whisper that says you are not alone. Be safe. She urges, a thought that needs no verbal manifest. They have marched into war time and time before, at each other’s side – and apart. Some conflicts don’t have two distinct sides. Some are just us against the world. Once, the only wars she had ever fought were upon their behalf – a fist raised in protection, a sharp voice ready to tear a figure to shreds. ‘Leave them alone’. Anger is ugly, but for them, she would become Medusa herself. They will find each other after the battle, soothe each other’s aches. Aarvas will press their lips to a cross – and she will pretend not to wince. Fight, the way we always have – and one day, we might be free. Do not fall, death cannot claim us, not today.

After all, she is beginning to become death.

The cry goes up – and forward they march, their enemy, the Shu, in their sights. The cage her family desperately (with all their wit and cunning) tried to protect her from bursts open. But this bird cannot fly free. Instead, she is anchored towards the earth, forced to march forward. The songbird is becoming a raven – and she is powerless to stop the transformation. A soldier, an enemy marked by his colours, comes towards her, sword raised. He can see his condemnation in his eyes, the vulgar hatred in which he charges. He despises me. Perhaps he is right to. They call Grisha abominations, a demon plague upon the earth. Given what she is about to do, she can hardly deny that charge. I do not do this willingly. But would that even matter? And, more importantly, is it even true? For as much as every atom of her body screams that this is wrong, immoral and a betrayal, there is another that collides, that whispers how strong she will feel and that perhaps, in the end, this was inevitable anyway. Neysa is the figure trapped in the space in-between, tearing herself to shreds. A black cuffed kefta (appropriate, she always thought, for their sentencing) arm raises and her fist closes. He hesitates in his stride, choking. Inside, his heart begins to crumble, its circulation cut off. In a minute he will be dead, a light snuffed out in this world. We shall see each other again – in the dead of night, when you return to remind me of my sins. She does not wish this fate upon him – but swings the sword anyway. When does a survivor become traitor? She wonders, searching for answers deep within herself. (She’s afraid of what the shadows might whisper back). It is perhaps a question she does not want answered. She hesitates, wondering if she should speak, but brushes the notion aside. There would be too many words, not enough time.

He lies motionless at her feet, the life snuffed out from inside of him. But she can’t hesitate for long, nor can she force herself to remember every intimate detail as a penance for her sins. For every soldier that charges forward, there is another to take his place. The line is long – and it is a fate without ending. “Screw you bloodletter.” A voice to her right carries the hiss of an otkazat’sya, his eyes filled with a mixture of hatred and fear. You should be afraid, she thinks, hanging her head in a sort of grief. I, too, am afraid of what I might become. What I have become. But the name sparks something else inside of her – a dark sadness twisting at her own heart. That was what the masters called her, the moment they stripped her of Neysa, her identity as the spirited free child who could run as fast as the wind. They replaced it instead with a commodity, a weapon to be bought and traded, a lethal gun taken intimately into their homes. It was a name she thought she had left behind, long ago, as a ship cut through the waves and she entangled her arms with that of her twins, praying that they were finally safe. You are nothing but a possession – the slavers had whispered. She never believed them. But here and now, facing down a green-boy still wet behind the ears, she begins to. Her fists clench and she chokes the air from his lungs. He drops to his knees – and then collapses, nothing more than a memory in someone’s mind.

In his steel, discarded in mud, she catches her reflection. A face, dirtied by combat, twisted in anger and sorrow. It wears the mask of a girl, but underneath, something ugly begins to emerge. She’s afraid that one day, it will be in reverse – and that the monster will replace the girl. Looking down, she begins to wonder, am I even human anymore? Was I ever human in the first place? Or are the lines so finely cut? She can feel her bones cracking, changing, morphing into monstrosities. Where she once had wings, a falcon to roam the skies, she now has the claws of a wolf – good for only one thing. The hunted has become the hunter – and given time, even prey can become the very thing that was stalking it long into the night. “I didn’t want this.” Neysa whispers, her words heard only by the wind. But it doesn’t matter. It never mattered. Destiny has a tendency to cut you to shreds, then watch as you are forced to rebuild the pieces. Nothing ever looks the same. But she never expected it to look this brutal. It’s a betrayal. And truly, is there one any stronger than stabbing oneself in the back?

There is no time to ponder. There is no time to think. There is only what you can and what you must do. Unnervingly steady, she steps across his fallen body into the heat of battle. The girl inside shrinks – and the monster flexes itself muscles. Once, she would have asked who they were. Now, she’s wiser than that. It’s me. It is I. We are one and the same, sharing this body. But there isn’t room for us both.

CHARACTER HEADCANONS:

THE ORDER OF THE LIVING AND THE DEAD: Corporalki, heartrender, healer – these were all foreign words to Neysa’s ears as she matured. To her, there was only the power that flowed from her fingertips, which defied definition and classification. There was only what she could achieve – stealing a man’s vitality, twisting an enemies organs, patching up a wound – and only what she was afraid to do, which, namely, was all of it. Kept hidden, made ignorant by her lack of education away from the Little Palace, Neysa never learnt the divisions within the corpoalki, or that once upon a time, she might have chosen mender over murderer – to heal instead of slay. It was her first captor who sold her as a bloodletter, for a firearmsold better (she would only learn the official name from a fellow grisha captive later, who filled in the missing blanks that word of mouth had failed to provide). It was he who sentenced Neysa to a lifetime of savage murder. From that moment on, her natural inclination towards manipulation of internal organs for purposes of conflict was amplified – and she ceased to be, or even have the potential to be, anything else. In the years that have followed, with her fingertips growing ever more stained, her heart weary at the cost of war, she’s developed an envious attitude towards the healers, those with gifts that mirror her own, but are called up to repair the atrocities of war, not create more chaos. She perceives them to be the lucky ones, those spared from darkness. Neysa longs to trace her footsteps back, to fight for the right to rebuild the human body instead of destroy it. It’s not healthy, to dwell on what could have been – but she can’t help herself all the same.

THE WAKING DEAD: It is at the height of the witching hour that Neysa pays the price for her sins. Weary limbs, savaged by war might call for the bliss of sleep, but even the furthest crevices of her mind knows that rest has its own toll to pay. For it is when she is at her most vulnerable, when her guard is down, that the demons rooted in her soul come out to torment her. Black orbs become her victims, death carved out across their faces. This is your fault – they scream, unforgiving in their terror. And then, a little softer – why did you do this to me? If she’s lucky, she will wake up then – covered in a layer of cold sweat, fingers reaching for the comfort of an individual who is two rooms away. Most of the time, she isn’t so fortunate. Most of the time, she’s swarmed, nails scratching at her skin, torn in a thousand directions, pulled apart – stitch by stitch. They gag and bind her – hands secured in chains. You deserve this, they hiss, dragging her to the man she once calledMaster. Monsters must have their cages. She screams for forgiveness, she begs for their mercy – but there is none to be had. It is only then, on the cusp of desperation, that she wakes up – heart panicked, breaking from her chest. Night by night, her torment continues, Neysa too ashamed, too proud and too scared to ask for aid. Deep down, she wonders if these nightmares are her penance for all her sins, the agony she must bear in repayment for her deeds. Perhaps they are – and perhaps she should endure them. With time have come coping mechanisms. Now, Neysa sleeps closest to the door, pads out into seclusion most nights, only to sneak in before dawn roll-call.

WATER-DANCER: You wouldn’t think it, to lay your eyes upon the girl with imposed stiffness, more mechanics than flesh, whose smile seems too heavy to fly, but once, Neysa was a dancer. She didn’t dance in the same way that human courtiers might, with stiff backs and strict choreography, with pink ruffled tutus and point slippers. No, when Neysa danced, she took nature as her partner – the elements of earth flowing through her bones. Being a member of the Suli meant induction into the life of a carnival, of entertainment instead of agriculture, a talent rather than a trade. Some turned to innocent tricks, others to tea leaves that could trace the future. Her father walked among dreams, making meaning from their chaos – and inducted his daughter in the same traditions. But even whilst under his tuition, from the moment she could walk, Neysa found herself pulled towards the example of her mother – in learning to dance. Afraid of the power that pulsed beneath the surface, she strayed away from the supernatural – towards simplistic beauty. If there was a choice to be made between conscription in the second army or light-padded footsteps for an eternity, then there was truly no choice to be made. Dancing was the only time she ever felt truly free, in tandem with her mother, in a union with the steady drum beats. After her capture, she stopped dancing. Her captors did not deserve that pleasure. And truly, how could you dance if you were not free? It would have felt false. It would have been a lie. And Neysa had been raised to be honest. Even now, although her hands are technically unchained and her footsteps are free, she cannot bring herself to embrace that part of her life, those memories that continue to haunt her, or the ghost of her mother at her side. One day, perhaps, she will dance again – but that day is not today.

TIGHTENED CHAINS: There is perhaps no greater tragedy than losing oneself. It’s an affliction that Neysa knows well – but one that predates her induction into the Second Army. She can trace its origins – all the way back to the day she and Aarvas were captured, two children quickly forced to see the world as adults do – and to adjust accordingly. To go from freedom to servitude, happiness to sorrow, hope to loss – it’s a trial that weighs heavily upon anyone’s shoulders, let alone those so young. From the very beginning, the first time Neysa felt the spark of power and knew she was different, she has been afraid of what she was – and slavery taught her that her judgement was justified. The things they made her do were unspeakable, the tales of her treatment dying on her lips each time she tries to express them, a grief that cannot be spoken. Sold to the leader of a local gang, his eyes wide with greed, she was forced to wear the mask of a demon. Under her master, her abilities were exploited to their fullest potential – becoming little more than a living gun in the name of greed. But the worst of it came the day her master’s son – her future owner - lay still on the ground – and she, in combination with a squaller in their service, was forced to resurrect him, to give back life to her oppressor. Out of all the memories – out of insults and jeers, out of spit thrown in her direction, out of years of oppression - that is the one that haunts her most, in knowing that even death wouldn’t be enough to free her. And whilst she always obeyed their orders, it was never enough to stop the crack of a whip on her back – or worse, Aarvas’s – ribbons of red streaking their skin. She had arrived in Ketterdam with her head held high, determined to embody iron, but when she left, she felt little more than porcelain. Having seen the worst of the world, how as a Grisha, home was rarely found, she did what she swore she would never do – and enrolled in the service of the Second Army, believing that it couldn’t be any worse than what she had already endured, that perhaps a small slice of freedom could be found. She was wrong. Years might have passed, but Neysa still feels like the small girl surrendered like cattle at an auction, something to be owned. Her hands might be unbound, but there is little freedom to be found – and the scars of slavery do not fade so easily. It’s a bitter pill to swallow – but this is not medicine that was designed to heal.

BLASPHEMOUS SAINT: There was once a young girl who turned her cheek towards the stars and whispered their prayers. That same girl had believed that you could find the saints in the stars and that as they twinkled, they were watching down on you. She had implored upon the saints to protect her family, to shield a pair of twins from being found and that the song she sang would never bring the downfall of another. Keep us safe, that is all I ask. Saint-like in herself, Neysa had believed reverently in her words, acutely aware of the religious society she had been born within. That girl had her devotion shattered the moment she was stolen away, when she became something to be owned. Hope, however, is a tricky bastard. In the early days of her captivity, Neysa had continued to invoke the power of the saints, to beg them for an escape, a way for freedom. The saints had abandoned that girl – and thus, in return, she abandoned religion. By the time the girl became a woman grown, Neysa had learnt that Saints were little more than folk stories – both works of fiction. She would never place her faith in them again. Thus, whilst one half turned away from religion, swore herself off it and declared it to be false, the other half turned towards it, embracing the benevolent power of the saints as an anchor. Neysa can only shake her head at Aarvas and their sheer blindness. She tried placing her faith in saints once before – and was rewarded with only one gift. That she herself had to be the pinnacle of change. That only she could save herself. And that there was no point praying – for no one was listening.

UNREFINED POTENTIAL: For many, power is a subjective thing, defying definition. And yet, the one thing that everyone can agree upon, is that it radiates and courses through Neysa’s veins. Despite a lack of formal education and instruction, despite Neysa only having the vaguest idea of what thissness and thatness was, there was something untapped inside of her – potential waiting to be drawn out. It is for that reason that the Second Army sent her straight to the small palace, instead of keeping her among the ranks, down on the frontline. They wanted her stronger, well-formed, lethal. And, despite their obvious intentions, Neysa has never been more grateful for anything in her life, seeking the temporary respite and peace that Os Atla would provide. Away from the stench and mark of death, Neysa hopes to find an understanding – happily delving into books and language classes, fingers tracing the knowledge that always escaped her within its pages. Fluent in Suli and Kerch, she’s added Shu and Fjerdan to her list, finding a temporary respite in those classes, where it’s easy to simply imagine yourself at an ordinary school. The one thing she despises about the Little Palace’s education doctrine is that it is moulding her into a soldier. Strategy is at the forefront of everything they do – and in that aspect, war is never far away. They intend to shape her beyond her mould, to tear her away from the child she once was. More than anything else, she dreads the combat classes. Her abilities already mark her as a weapon, but now they intend to force her to fight with her fists too. A peacemaker at the corner of her soul, she was not born for combat. Her heart is never in her performance – and she often finds herself as the weakest of the pack, a shadow compared to those bloodthirsty Grisha who wish for nothing more than the pounding of flesh. And yet, each day she returns, hoping that she will revile the prospect the same way she did before – praying that they will never impose permanent change upon her psyche.

EXTRAS:

Mockblog: X

Personality Analysis: X

ANYTHING ELSE? My favourite book is The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Also, I just wanted to add that Neysa is my first choice and Katya is my second!

#accepted: neysa #raraccepted

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mystic-headcanons-r-us · 8 years

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Hello :) could you do RFA (including V and Saeran) teaching MC Korean :)

Hey Anon (^v^) This ask is so unique are you by any chance Korean? Just curious! No matter where you’re from, we love you and thank you for your support! I may have gotten too carried away in my content but still, hope you’ll like it! Love, Mod Yoo. ScenarioFem!MC could be someone of other nationality or a Korean “dong-po” (diaspora in English) born and bred in a foreign land (where English is their main language) outside of Korea where she grew up as an orphan. Under special yet personal circumstances, she returned to Korea wanting to start anew in her home country. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know where to start: clueless to her native language, doesn’t have any acquaintances. A member of a cult (from which its leader’s intent is to cripple the entire RFA) led MC to a seemingly deceased RFA leader’s secret apartment. MC was told that the accommodation will remain free-of-charge as long as the unit’s upkeep is maintained. 

***Start imagining that each of the MM character is the only one fluent in both the English Language and Korean Language, in their respective canons. Each one of them will get MC to attempt at translating (note: she could always use internet, but we all know how accurate they turn out.) a sentence after they mastered the basics (some of them get surprised by MC instead). Assuming that V tasks the character-in-canon (excluding unknown) to manage the invites with MC, and the other RFA members will be helping her to pull through her 1st party.***

(p/s I’m no Korean language expert, please don’t penalise me and instead enlighten me if I made any mistakes. ^^;”)

Yoo-sung Kim- Is the sender of the first message after MC gets into the private Messenger.- “저 시험을 봤지만… 그건 꾹 떨어질 것 같네요.” I took a test but I think I’ll fail it for sure!- Confused MC is confused to no end, like what are those oddly formed symbols?- When Yoosung notices that she legit couldn’t understand anything, he starts to type in English topuniversitystudent, - She’s beyond delighted. Needless to say, both of them quickly grew closer as he became her Korean teacher and to help her with the guests e-mails.- They usually meet up at Yoosung’s campus library, or once in awhile cafes to study together.- Is not the most patient, but instantly rationalises that it’s harder on her part.- Stocks up so many kinds of Korean candies and snacks which almost instantly become her own favourite.- Does really well at keeping her interest piqued on learning the language.- “우리가 처음 만났을 때, 난 당신이 정말 친절하고 예쁘다고 생각해서 당신에게 빡졌어요. 너랑 나랑 사귈줄래?”

Zen/Hyun-ryu- He completed English Language courses to fit in to Western productions.- When MC appeared in the chatroom, Zen had been the nicest person.- Jumin offered to take on the responsibility of the party guests emails instead of Zen, with concerns for Zen’s handling of difficult guests which he gladly agrees. - The whole situation is intimidating so she took the courage to call Zen, hoping he’d not be too busy with work to take her call.- “어? 아가씨는요? 무슨 일이 있었어요…?” Oh? Miss MC? Is anything wrong…? He sounds just like the way he is in the chats.- His talentedmusicalactor voice envelopes her letsnotforgetjaeheetoo with warmth after all the commotion.- However, she didn’t understand a word he said and tries really hard to communicate failsmiserably. Zen chuckles heartily in his own amusement, and finds her extremely adorable.- Astonished MC is astonished when Zen starts blurting out fluent English . What a r-e-l-i-e-f.- Starts exchanging phone conversations and SMSes more frequently, especially when he manages to catch a break time off work.- Takes every opportunity to teach MC some Korean, be it by typed/voice messages or calls.- Is very busy but kind and sincere, hardly gets mad at her when she repeats the same questions. He just plays it off with his own cute act.- Finally found time to meet her over a meal for the first time.- Walks her back to the nearest spot where she has to continue to the apartment on her own.- Hands her a small hand-written note just before he had to leave for work. - “It’s short but I can’t wait till she translates it.” He murmurs to himself.- “난 너를 너무 너무 많이 좋아해 졌어. 넌 나의 아가씨가 해 줄래?”

Jae-hee Kang- Wanted MC be sent to the police thiswomanhasgotnochills.- Relents on grounds of RFA leader’s instructions.- “MC씨, RFA에 환영합니다.” Welcome to the RFA, MC.Her tone still unpleasant.- Realises her misconception about MC because she understands zero Korean. - Why would someone infiltrate RFA with harmful intentions knowing she’s at such a disadvantage?- Sends her apology in fluent English, becomes Baehee in a millisecond.- Honestly informs MC that she needs to start learning the language in order to properly take on the role of being the RFA’s party organiser.- Would love to personally tutor MC but woman has got so much work she’s got no time to, plus now there’s an additional task of replying to party guests.- Goes to the bookstore and buys all the best materials for MC to aid her learning. Tells MC that she has to give self-learning a go. To take note of all the questions and e-mail them to her at her official e-mail, where she’ll be 300% responsive.- Before Jaehee can test MC’s level of understanding for Korean language, MC sent her a text message that reads:- “난 ��신을 신경 써. 난 당신의 친구 이상으로 해도 돼요?”

Ju-min Han- Something about this man draws MC’s attention and a natural instinct to understand and protect him. To her, there’s just something hidden under his tone of voice. Stern, but never menacing. - She’s right, but she doesn’t get a word he says, “전 MC의 능력 보기로 기대하걨습니다.” I’ll look forward to seeing MC’s abilities.- How’s she going to fit in at all? His gut feeling that she’s innocent.- Wouldn’t let her know that he’s very fluent in English, in fear that she’ll discover the tangled world in his mind that’s devoid of emotions. At least in his own opinion.- Gets Jaehee to hire a private tutor and ensures MC travels safely to and fro Rika’s secret apartment and his penthouse. He picks and buys all her new stationaries too.- When she starts learning at his place, he stays back in the office working.- On the rare occasions when he’s home while she’s there, he’d observe her from afar: her cute gestures, smile, the way she interacts with Elizabeth the 3rd, how she looks so adorable when she’s trying so hard to focus etc. - Doesn’t realise that she could sense his presence. It took him awhile to accept the fact that he’s fallen head over heels for her.- Months have passed when he received a message from MC through a private chat.- “주민씨. 나도 사랑해요, 제발 날 피하지 마세요.”

707/Seven/Luciel/Sae-young Choi- He’d have known when he hacks checks through the national registry for her file.- “당신의 은행 계좌는 이미 도용했습니다.” was his first sentence said to her in a call.- “Huh? What? Doesn’t erm catch erm immi…do…da?” she stutters in confusion.- Bursts into laughter.- Translates the sentence to her *coughs* 17 languages *coughs* englishshouldbeoneofthem. Assures her that it’s a joke and her bank account is safe.- Teases MC to no end. Making her more than determined to learn the language,- Doesn’t have the luxury of time to properly teach her anything, nor can he reveal his identity to her.- Hacks into one of the best schools and registers her as a student with courses all paid off. thisissobadasswhatcanisayitsagent707.- “If MC is able interpret a Korean paragraph for me over the CCTV, the Defender of Justice will reward her!” He casually promises.- Watches over her on the way to class, in class, coming back to the apartment, even when she studies at home.- He knew deep down his heart that there’s a high possibility that MC will be able to pass his challenge. He just couldn’t anticipate her reply.- “당신은 날 좀더 조심해야 돼. 난 위험한 사람이야. 난 당신과 같은 천사를 자격이 없어. 근 당신이 이미 알고 있었을 거라 확신해요. 그래서 어떤 선물을 원해?” Breathes and wait.- “알고있어. 근데 아직도 당신을 원해. 당신의 모든 것을 사랑해. 당신이 아시 죠?”

V/Ji-hyun Kim- Goes through the file on MC that Saeyoung sent to him. Becomes aware that MC is illiterate in Korean language.- Foresees that MC won’t be able to master the language in time to carry out email duties for the party.- Sympathises with her situation but getting her out of it now is going to put everyone’s life at risk.- Positions himself to protect both Mint Eye and the RFA so that he can ensure no one gets into harm’s way.- Helps MC learn the language so she could at least mingle with the members.- Asks Saeyoung for help to send some e-books to MC’s e-mail.- Calls the apartment’s private phone daily at a fixed timing and guides MC through the difficulties she encounters with the language patiently.- MC does as he says without any complaints, nor does she question him. She’d fallen for him from their first conversation, but kept it a secret to avoid burdening him.- It’s the first in such a long time he experienced genial trust and warmth, doesn’t take him long to know that he cares deeply for MC.- Completes the replying to all the party guests and logs into the messenger (when every one is asleep) as he intends to type long farewell messages to the members that he cared so much for. Not wanting to face their responses.- Personal messages to MC (who unbeknownst to him had been wide awake the entire time), reads:- “당신과 나는 끼리에, 항상 널 선택하겠다. 당신은 내 결정을 이해할 필요가 없지만, 제발 당신은 내 마음 안에 영원히 있을 겠다는 것을 믿으세요.”

Unknown/Saeran Choi- Would’ve also known that MC couldn’t understand Korean language when the cult leader instructed him to dig up her files.- Wanted to be the one to lead her to the apartment. Unfortunately, onlyinmyscenarioplease the leader sent someone else off to it.- Angered, he snuck out of the building to head to her apartment.- “Oh hello! Were you acquainted to its previous owner?” she chirps at the door.- Slightly taken aback, he muttered “Yes, a friend.” without a doubt, she lets him in.- How can someone be so trusting? She behaves nothing like anyone he knew.- Takes a bite of her freshly baked waffle, is delighted when she added a scoop of his favourite food: ice cream.- “Umm… Do you understand Korean? If you do, can you teach me some? I just joined this group that wants me to help them invite party guests but I can’t do Korean and they’re all too busy to teach me…” MC sparks another conversation.- Stays silent for a good 10 minutes before speaking in doubts “Will you make me this *points at empty plate* every time if I come and teach you?- “Of course! Thank you so much! We can start tomorrow!” MC skips around joyfully as he observes her in awe.- That’s when he decides that she would be his and solely his and remain where she’s safest (away from Mint Eye for now at least). - He’ll find a way to escape the cult and remove his trails just to stay with her and keep her within his own sight.- “Meanwhile, go on the Internet and read about Hangul. Try to decipher this short sentence if you can.” remindmehow707challengedmc Hands her a note before he leaves.- “날 기다려 줘, 내 천사.”

What each character/MC said at the end

Yoo-sung Kim “I thought you’re kind, friendly and pretty when we first met. I’ve fallen for you since then. Can we date?”

Zen/Hyun-ryu “I’ve come to like you too too much. Would you be my lady?”

Jae-hee Kang (by MC) “I care for you a lot. Can I be more than just your friend?”

Ju-min Han (by MC) “Jumin, I love you too. Please don’t avoid me anymore.”

707/Seven/Luciel/Sae-young Choi “You should be more careful of me, I’m a dangerous person. I don’t deserve an angel like you. I guess you already know. So, what kind of present do you want? (MC replied) “I know. But it’s still you that I want. I love all of you, do you know?”

V/Ji-hyun Kim “Given a choice between you and I, I will always choose you. You don’t have to understand all my decisions, but please trust that you’re always in my heart - forever.”

Unknown/Saeran Choi “Wait for me. My angel.”

#mystic messenger #mystic messenger imagines #mystic messenger imagine #yoousung kim #mystic messenger yoosung #jaehee kang #mysticmessenger jaehee #jumin han #mystic messenger jumin #zen hyun #mystic messenger zen #hyun ryu #jihyun kim #mystic messenger jihyun #saeyoung choi #luciel choi #mystic messenger 707 #mod Yoo

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