#somehow my parents have more traditional ideals though | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mulberryasher · 7 months ago

Text

[Fanservant] Gorō Nyūdō Masamune

Sensō Masamune

Japanese Name: 政宗戦争

AKA: Sensou Masamune, Gorō Nyūdō Masamune (五郎入道正宗), Gorō Masamune, Goro Masamune, Okazaki Gorō (岡崎五郎), Moraresu Tadashi (モラレス匡史)

Class: Saber

Rarity: SSR: ★★★★★

Stats:

ATK: 12,825 Lv.100 Grail ATK: 14,041 HP: 14,420 Lv.100 Grail: 15,820

Class skills:

Magic Resistance: A+

Territory Creation: EX

Contemporary Divine Omen: A

Appreciation of Weapons: EX

Parameter:

Strength: A

Endurance: A+

Agility: A

Mana: A+

Luck: A+

NP: EX

PROFILE

Default:

A swordsmith is believed to be from Sagami Province. He is widely recognized as the greatest swordsmith in Japan. He is the founder of the Sōshū school, famed as a disciple of Shintōgo Kunimitsu; it is said to have brought the Sōshū tradition to its peak by forging entirely of steel and hardened swords that of the Muromachi period.

No exact documents are known about Masamune's life. However, it is generally agreed that he made most of his swords in the Kamakura period (1288-1328). Masamune was a teacher believed to have trained fifteen students; his ten students are known as the Ten Great Disciples of Masamune. One of the most talented is his son by blood or adopted son, Hikoshirō Sadamune. Also, a particular student who isn’t in Fifteen Students or Ten Great Disciples is considered a rival to his swords. This student is known as Senji Muramasa, a swordsmith from Kuwana of the Ise Province. Some documents list his family name as Okazaki, but some believe this is a fabrication to enhance the standing of the Tokugawa family. For this reason, In this game, Masamune has three names, one of which is well-known as Gorō Nyūdō Masamune; fake documents received, the name is Okazaki Gorō, and given name Sensō from his parents but it wasn’t registered in the documents or lost documents. Masamune adopted Hikoshirō Sadamune as his son, and Senji Muramasa was his acknowledged student, but Muramasa went his path because of the different options and ideals as a swordsmith.

Somehow, he appears in Ordeal Call 3 as a Heroic Spirit sent by the Counter Force and later appears as a Ruler Class under his true name, Gorō Nyūdō Masamune. Lastly, he appears as an Alter Ego Class Heroic Spirit summoned by the “True God” (Yahweh, Elohim, Allah, Beginning) of existence in this wiped-out world that was destroyed timelines by the Foreign God’s plan. Could this man be hiding any secrets? How does he justify his actions? What is his motivation?

"??? There is nothing mysterious about me. I care only about doing my job right. Huh? My true name? Y'all kids, really want to know why my saint graphs are registered with an unknown name. It was nothing special; it was a given name by my parents that wasn’t well known throughout history. That's why I wasn’t surprised that y’all did not know my given name.”

Bond 1:

Height/Weight: 168cm, 60kg

Origin: Historical fact

Region: Japan

Alignment: Chaotic-Balanced

Gender: Male

"I arrived with the mind of an old man who was close to death, yet I have a body that can handle anything of abuse. Is this what you mean by regaining one's youth? Why are you looking like that? Is it like you have already heard this before?”

Bond 2:

Personality

An old sage who committed his entire life to forging swords and, at one point, became a priest short time. He is the polar opposite of certain swordsmiths in a different era, yet similar; is this what is called a Like master and like student? Upon his manifestation, as his student did, he appears as an unknown young man or maybe a background character that may involve a vital person, but he is mentally closer to his older self. Like his student, he is also brash, does not hesitate, hardly thinks about the consequences of his actions, and is often blunt, and it is a stretch to say he is friendly. Yet, he is a calm, collected, calculated, and wise old man or more like a sage who is sometimes stoic; it is hard to know his thoughts or emotions. Though he may first come off as coldhearted, he is quite caring and even gentleman when one gets to know him at times.

This may be Masamune himself, but his vessel's personality at least partly influences it. His persona is simply that of his vessel, and the boy has grown to be an old man. He has an old habit of saying “checkmate” when he is always " victorious” or sometimes when he finishes something.

For example, when his strategy affects his opponent or when he predicts an opponent's attack and finishes a final blow, he says, “Checkmate.” Other times, he just says it out of habit.

Like his student, he is also a workaholic, but the difference is that he takes humility in a job well done, no matter who his client is or what the job entails. He may often be ruthless or even very cold-hearted and shows stoicism when it comes to his work, but he has the uprightness never to do heretical work.

Bond 3:

During Japan’s Kamakura period, the samurai emerged as the new ruling class, and their need for durable and efficient weapons significantly influenced swordsmithing techniques. At times, several innovations in swordsmithing were brought, partly because of the various invasions and internal conflicts. Among them, the swordsmith from Sagmai Province named Gorō Nyūdō Masamune was known as the greatest swordsmith.

There is one particular legend about a tale of two swordsmiths. The legend said that Muramasa challenged his master, Masamune, to see who could make a finer sword. They both worked tirelessly until both swords were finished, and they decided to test the results. For the test, they decided to place the swords in a stream with the cutting edge facing upstream. Muramasa's sword cut everything that passed: fish, leaves, and the very air that passed over it. Highly impressed with his pupil's work, Masamune lowered his sword into the current, waited patiently, and then placed his sword in the stream. His blade cut no leaf that passed. The fish swam all around it. The air whistled past it. Muramasa laughed and mocked Masamune for creating a sword that could cut nothing. Despite Muramasa's mocking, Masamune grabbed the hilt and gently pulled the blade out of the water, wiped it off, and sheathed it. While Murasama was still laughing and mocking Masamune for his lack of swordsmithing skill and for creating such a poor katana, a monk walked over. Masamune explained that he had observed the whole contest carefully. He bowed and humbly explained what he had seen.

"The first of the swords was by all accounts an emotion into the sword; however, only think about the sharpest and cutting blade, and it doesn't discriminate as to who or what it will cut. It may just as well be cutting down butterflies as severing heads. The second was by far the finer of the two, as it doesn't needlessly cut that which is innocent and undeserving."

His pupils still believed that after many years of training, he had surpassed his master and claimed victory, but some bystanders disagreed. They believed Masamune’s blade was discerning and horrible. Yet Masamune accepted and acknowledged his pupil even though their ideals and beliefs were different from those of a swordsmith.

There are many legends about the swords forged by Masamune. One legend says these swords were holy blades embodying Zen principles, incorporating simplicity, utility, and deep spiritual symbolism. People have been told that his swords' may have magical qualities over the centuries.

The sword that was used to attack Honjo Sugebaga…

The sword that was claimed and victorious, Honjo Sugebaga...

The sword that changes the course of Japanese history, Tokugawa Ieyasu…

The blade that became the hereditary sword of the Shoguns was passed from generation to generation.

Even after Tokugawa fell from power in 1868, the great sword continued to be handed down within the aristocratic family into the 20th century.

Sensō Masamune’s Alter Ego Components:

Sensō Masamune, also well known as Gorō Nyūdō Masamune, is an Alter Ego-class High-Servant who works as one of the seven messengers of the Universe after Lostbelts. Working with fellow Alter Egos Munakata Saikaku and Simo Häyhän, their purpose is to observe the Chaldean and Apostles of the Alien World after the lostbelts. Also, they lead and keep an eye on the seven unknown master candidates, consisting of Master Team Z of Chaldea Security Organization, who barely made it in.

Like his fellow Pupil Munakata Saikaku, "True God's" (Yahweh, Elohim, Allah) Alter Ego class Masamune is a High-Servant with Divine Spirits and Heroic Spirit combined into him. One is a minor god without possessing or belonging to a title. He was born for one purpose to bring "justice" to the Twilight of the Gods and view him as an outcast and non-existent god. The second one is Mixcoatl, one of the Aztec gods and there is a legend that say he is the father of Huitzilopochtli. Mixcoatl drilled or forged the cosmos to become fire to the Aztec people. The third one is Gorō Nyūdō Masamune, his other heroic spirit true name known throughout the centuries as the greatest swordsmith. Like master like student, the last one is Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the wielder of Kusanagi, the sword that Masamune also recreates but with emerged the divine power into the sword with his Noble Phantasm.

Bond 4:

Territory Creation: EX

Sensō Masamune was a student who trained at the Sōshū school and then owned a workshop, using his forge and the memories he had during his period as his base. For some reason, he has a similar skill to Murasame’s vessel yet is different in his own way.

Connoisseur of Blades: A

This skill is similar to Senji Muraraseme's. Masamune acknowledged that his pupil rivaled his knowledge of swordsmithing. It is obvious that he, the master, also possesses the same skill as his student whom he teaches.

Divine Agami-karmic: B

A skill derived from the legends about the swords bearing the Masaume signature, the "holy sword of Masamune." Sensou Masamune created these swords, which are said to bring glory and victory to the leaders of the Tokugawa clan.

Bond 5:

Sōshū-Mono: B+

He was a student who used the traditional style that he learned from his Master. He forged entirely of steel and hardened swords. Even during his process, he created his own unique wavy pattern along the Hamon. He is able to draw out the divine power within any weapon and release its full strength.

Pure Eye: A

An ability that is dormant within one's body. It's a variation of clairvoyance that enhances both static and kinetic eyesight, and it has other abilities of other mystic eyes. Not only that, he can see through the negative energy of different people, see invisible barriers between Space and Matter, see the mana throughout inside and outside, and also see Magic circuits and Magic cores. It seems his vessel already knew the proper of the abilities plus, with his lifetime peering into fate in the flames of his forge, throughput into his emotion and means to capture to become destiny itself.

Divine Flame: EX

Using one's whole body and soul to work the forge to the point of burning one's existence. As a similar quote once heard, maybe both had the same ideals and beliefs in life.

"Every lost path, every benevolence, every justice...

All of it has been for this single swing."

Alter Ego: Change

Cosmos Craftsmith: A

As an Alter Ego-class Servant, Masamune was fused with that kind of Divine Spirit, one of the Aztec gods and there is a legend says that he is the father of Huitzilopochtli. Mixcoatl, who drilled or forged the cosmos to become fire and a gift to the Aztec people.

Tezcatl Eye: EX

As a pseudo-servant in the body of an unknown young man named Tadashi Moraresu, and gains an unknown power. An ability that is the eye is like a second mana cord with magic circuits out of the body. It is gained by seeing things other than average, like the inner energy of the life of all nonliving and living creatures. Can predict and know the opponent slowly. This can copy other mage’s magecraft and memorizing. There is a second phase of this eye, which can evolve and change the eyes' shape. It can use all the elements without using mana or magecraft and also allows it to control the opponent physically and mentally. The last ability is unique and exclusive to a person. Yet he refuses to use the full strength of this unknown power in Alter Ego even before he was summoned as a Saber Class to change Tezcatl Eye to Pure Eye because he doesn’t want this eye. He says this ability, “these eyes aren’t mine or this young vessel, yet I feel despair and sadness” full strength. This power came from an unknown Japanese clan from Fuyuki City called the Moraresu Clan and was only passed down to the Moraresu Clan. Yet there is no information about his unknown clan or the hidden clan that was unknowingly destroyed in 1994—no record about the hidden clan, only the death of the people, and don’t know if there are any survivors in the timelines of Fates series or Fate/Grand Order series.

God Killer: EX

Another skill, Masamase, was fused with him with that kind of divine spirit name Váli, a minor god that doesn’t possess or belong to a title. He was born for one purpose to bring “justice” to the Twilight of the Gods and view him as an outcast and non-existent god.

Extra:

『Susanoo Masamase』

Rank: EX+

NP Type: Anti-Personnel, Anti-Army Noble Phantasm

Range: 1 - 10

Maximum Targets: 10

Alloyed Field Works.

A Noble Phantasm that creates a divine sword that can surpass Excalibur and Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. After deploying an unknown magecraft combined with a similar magecraft to Shirou Emyia, he creates a unique Marble Phantasm that says, “the same cannot be done with things like humans or animals, which exist independently of the world.” Yet, this sage manages the impossible, sending across space-time from wasteland from war from the Kamakura period of countless different weapons that were once used by samurai that he forged, all the weapons shatter and scatter like snow crystals with energy provided by the planet to reveal a single blade in Sensō Masamase's hands. A single slash of this cuts through matter, dimension, and space.

The blade's name: Susanoo Masamase. The term Susanoo refers to Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the welder of the sacred sword Ama-no-Murakumo/Kusanagi that emerged from the divine power of a samurai is a god of storms called Susanoo-no-Mikoto, which he killed Yamata-no-Orochi.

“Essence understood. Foundation Blessed. After forging many techniques, a threshold was reached. As I bless you, your karma will return to you!!! This is my...Susanoo Masamase!!”

“After countless years of reaching these memories, I wasn’t alone in creating many weapons to sever Buddha with my very being. The sword of an unknown name, Sensō, is made of the sharpest sword. Now, show your sins, and this sword will slay your benightedness!!!”

“The divergence that is gathered in this field. A Susanoo Masamase to server balance, server the doubt, sever dharma. This is a release from the wheel of destiny!”

“I have found myself in bond create, hope, beliefs, and emotion. Yet I forgot everything… Watch closely! The lost heart of the blade is here!”

April Fool:

Swordsmith-Type Servant

During the celebrations surrounding the New Year, a mysterious artisan appeared. He's young, isn't he? He must be old, right? Regardless of how you look at it, he appears to carry himself with an uncanny sense of dignity. In addition to making swords, he can cook and even fix air conditioners. There is another mysterious artisan challenge, this artisan for food battle and for some reason, similar to a tale of two swordsmiths. Both are bickering like an old man while still looking like they aren't even in their twenties.

Dialogue Summon

I am Sensou Masamune, also known as Gorō Nyūdō Masamune. My servant class is Saber. I'm just an ordinary blacksmith but a Pseudo-Servant. Hmm? Why do you look like you've heard this before? Honestly, kids these days show no respect for their elders. Maybe I showed myself a bit too early…

My Room

Bond Lvl 1:

Let me reintroduce myself. I am Sensō Masamune, a swordsmith from Sagami Province. I was later known as the greatest swordsmith, Gorō Nyūdō Masamune, and also as the founder of the Sōshū school. I guess you know me from my well-known name, which was passed down many years ago.

Bond Lvl 2:

I learn many tasks and skills in swordsmithing for my other Masters, especially Shintōgo Kunimitsu. I'm very grateful for his teaching of the Sōshū tradition from Sōshū school when I was a simple student. It's funny thinking back then and later becoming a Master's from my fifteen students and an odd student who wanted to learn from me. Yet, I failed my two students; one student is my adopted son. I didn't notice that he wished to be acknowledged by his father and at the same level as his mastery skill. Still, he became jealous of a stranger who had recently become a student of his father and was acknowledged and accepted by his father that he surpassed him. Yet this student doesn't believe in the same ideal and is left to go on his own path. I accept this because I understand my students. But I really do enjoy teaching my students and other people.

Bond Lvl 3:

My Spirit Origin uses a modern person's body as a vessel. Happened 'cause if you summoned Masamune himself, you would've ended up with a decrepit, very old geezer. Yet when I look at your face, I see you have already heard this before. Either way, the Heroic Spirit Masamune offered his skills to the physical body. I guess that is why my personality isn't reflected in Masamune's. Instead, it reflects the vessel's personality where he grows old.

It never occurred to me that someone else might have the same principles, live a similar life, and be as obstinate yet relatively calm as I am...

Bond Lvl 4:

Have you been eating properly? Please let me know if you are getting hungry. It may not be so easy for me regarding finances, but I can support one young sapling... You've heard it before, don't you? Is it true that he and I share similarly?

What are you doing, What? Does your salary meet your expectations? Are you concerned about gaining weight while enjoying three delicious meals a day?

Well then, OK. But remember, you should eat properly for your well-being. What is that face? Are you shy that I pat you?

Bond Lvl 5:

As honest as I am, I was originally not up to becoming Masamune. I may be Masamune, but my persona is based on the theory that this body has lived a life like Masamune. For this reason, I have felt like I am in someone else's dream. But now, this Masamune's all right. Yet the more I am in this persona, the more unknown I discover. Yet, I feel these eyes carry more emotion of sadness and suffering. Sorry for this great-grandpa yapping a lot of nonsense.

Relationship

Miyamoto Musashi:

Myiyamoro Musashi? Yeah, I hear of him, the greatest swordsman. Wait, a female one? Oh, that lovely lady? Yes, I met her at the cafeteria. She oddly observed some of the male servants. She is hard to deal with, but it is also fun to hang out with her. I do hope she and I get along well. Now I remember she asked many questions about whether I knew someone before coming here because she said I resembled someone she knew.

EMIYA:

Master, you know the red archer? I don’t know why I feel an odd sensation that the red archer and I won't get along well.

EMYIA (Alter)

Honestly, why did he treat his weapons carefully, and why are you looking at me like you had heard this before?

Artoria Pendragon

The king of Britain? I know I shouldn't have been involved, but I was surprised that she was a woman. How much a burden she went through as an innocent young girl has a lot of heavy responsibility.

Yagyū Munenori

The first time I heard of him, I recall he was the great sword instructor of the Tokugawa. I remember back in my day, I was tasked to craft a sword for the Tokugawa clan.

Artoria Caster or Artoria Caster (Berseker)

That young lady has a lot of energy; even for this old man, it is hard for me to handle her energy. I don’t know why, but she always bows down and talks formally whenever she sees me. It seems like she is talking to me like I need to approve her hand for my son's marriage.

Grigori Rasputin

Are you saying that the priest is actually a priest? No, he is no priest, and that man is pure of fake blessing. He doesn’t make sense of what he believes as a priest. No, name for the god. No, honestly, does this era really accept being a priest to anybody?

Ashiya Douman

Yet, another priest thinks doing anything for the good, yet their actions and words are different. This is getting tiring now, and you are enjoying too much of my reaction.

Yamato Takeru

The welder of the sacred sword Ama-no-Murakumo/Kusanagi. Honestly, I remember one time. Yamato bugs me. How can I create a sword that emerges as divine power? How can it make a serious talk while eating rice balls? Off topic but the rice balls are quite delicious.

Miyamoto Iori

Oh, this is interesting. A student from the greatest swordsman. What if my pupil and Miyamoto. Who will win the Greatest Swordsmith’s Pupil battle versus the Greatest Swordsman’s Pupil?

Uesugi Kenshin

A swordsman who becomes a god and is viewed as the god of war. That lady always wants to battle with me and yet gets mad that she wants to battle me until she is victorious. I do help her during posture and teach her a few skills.

Scáthach

Lady Scáthach, yes, I know her. I remember we were getting along and talking about our students. Yet, I feel like an off-topic question, and I resemble someone she knows, and I ask a lot of questions about that person. I know I once was a priest and listened to people's issues, but isn’t that a bit too much, or am I just becoming a grumpy old man these days? I used to be a calm guy and now look at me.

Scáthach-Skaði or Scáthach-Skaði (Ruler)

Lady Skaði? She is a kind and respectful person. I can tell she cares about the person close to her. One time, I was invited for tea with her. Now, it is one of the weeks we have tea, and she loves the food that I make, too. I do recall one time, I told her I couldn’t have tea with her because I was helping you, but her face….. Let's just say I learned my lesson and won’t make that mistake again.

Senji Muramasa

Yes, I definitely do know him. He was one of my best students, yet we went our own path because of our ideals and beliefs as blacksmiths. But seeing him here, it seems he is okay and made the right choice, understanding there is more meaning in life, and yet I still lost that meaning. But we do bickering each other. Even if he changes, he is still the same old Muramasa.

Parvati

Lady Parvati, I do remember her. She is easy to get along with, but I remember an awkward time when I had tea with Lady Skaði and asked Lady Parvati to join us. Both seemed like instances and were quiet, but I think I made it worse when Kama showed up and talked to her casually. Both Lady Skaði and Lady Parvati seem upset, I don’t know why. Uhu? What is that look, Master, I really did something wrong.

Kama

Kama? She is quite more of a handful than it seems, especially with her personality, but for some reason, she is quite understanding when I lecture. I do pat her when she does the right thing, which is how kids should be rewarded—just a simple pat, but it seems she gets all red and runs away every time I pat her. It seems I understand less even more now, or am I just a great-grandpa?

Durga

Durga? She is one of the few people I don’t have a problem talking to. She seemed quite shy and nervous about what she said. But I do respect her divine power, but she only thinks, and I did get through with her. It is easy to talk to her and tell her about something fun even though I do need to explain what it is. I want to show more about others than thinking of killing demons. But sometimes, I do sense someone is watching me, but when I turn around, that sensation just wears off.

Andromeda

I do definitely know her. She sometimes wants to learn about blacksmithing from me and why I chose this path. She always bows whenever she sees me, respects me, and talks formally to me, but it's worse when she asks me if I had a brother before because I resemble him. Of course, I said no, yet she treated me too well as a brother-in-law. Honestly, I just can’t anymore. These days, there is really a pain in the neck.

Takeda Shingen

Takeda Shingen? I did hear from Lady Uesugi. He also showed me some stuff as a warrior that I don’t understand yet, like cell phones and clothes. I do know some holidays, cars, and modern stuff. Honestly, I was grateful to teach some of the things I don’t understand, but there is always something plotting. This time, ask me if I had a sister before because I resembled her eyes and stuff that boys these days say before I respond. Lady Uesugi seems piss then both have a heat-it battle. Young love, I guess it was hard to see one talk to another woman, one who you like.

Constantine XI

Constantine, uhuhu. Yes, I do know him. I am just getting used to these kids, but he asks the same question as Takeda yet still respects me like a brother-in-law. He made Lady Johanna cry and also faced Lady Bradamante. I get the feeling that you, Master, really do enjoy this old man's situation.

Something you Like

What do I like? Obviously, crafting weapons. I love seafood, but my favorite is fried fish and rice balls. I do like to eat ramen, and I like spicy food overall.

Something you Hate

Something I hate? I don't have any particular to hate, but for some reason, in this body holds deep suffering and rage, yet accepts in reality when I see Red Archer or Muramasa.

About the holy Grail

A wish grant device? For some odd reason, I am not interested. I already know there is no way to change the past that I want to change, but I need to accept it not for me but for the people who support me.

#fanart #fanservant #fate #fate fanservant #fate grand order #fate series #fgo #fgo fanservant #fgo oc #my art #trashy oc #masamune #goro masamune #digital art #my artwork #oc #nasuverse #type moon

6 notes · View notes

zerolostwalks · 2 years ago

Text

Still got some writer's block, and my head hurts a bit today so I'm gonna ramble about an original story concept I've had floating around my head for a while now. (long post is long(is very long) so it's under the cut)

So to start my rambling this isn't so much a single story as a web of stories branching out from the same cataclysmic event.

The Creation of Mx: (Snippet written years and years ago)

Magic used to be a simpler affair even despite humans and the magic folk coexisting. Humans respected and were in awe of the power the magic folk possessed. Traditions and rules which were put into place generations ago were upheld and a balance was kept. However seeds of envy turned to greed and pride and the humans sought the power for their own. Countless conflicts and abuse caused the magic folk to create veils and barriers to protect what they had. Over time a new balance was found and the magic folk and humans lived separately. Sparse magic could be seen from time to time in the realm of humans. Performed by local magic folk and relegated as miracles. This new way of being was not as idyllic as the world once was. However it was a different peace that was deemed necessary. A peace destroyed by the creature Mx. Created from the countless outcries of human parents spanning generations to save and protect their children. Mx fractured the barriers and veils when they reached across time and space in a single action to not only help these parents but vanish away a number of these children for their own. No magic of this magnitude prior had ever been attempted before and Mx changed the world in ways no human or magic folk could predict because of it.

Mx's Kids:

Takes place from the point of view of the vanished children. The exact number is unknown but there were a near dozen of featured kids I wanted to be focused on, they al lived in the same hallway of their house(more on that later). Each kid was vanished right at the point of their untimely death. In a weird attempt to save them. Ideally, this would have been the most collaborative project as I would have personally wanted to seek out writers who would better be able to articuate the various cultures and time periods these children would have come from. Also, children is a bit loose. The 'kids' range from like a toddler to a couple of early twenty-somethings. As said the exact number is unknown and the only reason Mx didn't vanish EVERYONE away is that other powerful creatures somehow managed tto convince Mx to stop.

Mx (it/they)

As mentioned Mx was created from parental grief over the loss of their child. As such Mx sort of became a diety like figure over such grief. Mx loves all their children though it should be noted it is a very possesive over protective love (It literally destroyed the world) However while Mx does view all the kids as 'their children', The kids over the course of the story almost take up a parental/teacher role for Mx. Since Mx in a round about way is also the youngest of them all.

Eleanor Tan (she/her)

Eleanor is from some point in the future, the bulk of the world is unhabitable and people have moved to living in massive bio-domes. It's one of those theoretical utpoian that's really a dystopia when you examine it type of situations. Eleanor and her mother were never meant to be in a biodome, however her mother managed to somehow sneak her way into one and found work among the lower service staff. Eleanor attends school(mostly at the behest of her mother. Eleanor also has some serious anger issues and gets into frequent fights at school because she refuses to take shit from the kids who insist on bullying her. Eleanor vanished on her way home from school.

Marcus Campbell (he/him)

The only other of Mx's kid that I have named (mostly because he ends up either As Eleanor's roomate or living right next door to her, and also because the show up in another story together) Marcus is a bisexual(closeted) black teenage boy who grew up in suburbia in the early 90's. His dad is the head manager of a local chain grocery store. And is the oldest of three. Marcus barely managed to escape bullying but only by masking and presenting as the most upstanding citizen he could. And also putting up with some ridiculous shit. Marcus vanished one late weekend as he and some 'friends' wandered to close to a mugging.

The House

The house in a way also is it's own character. Mx tried to create it to be comfortable for all their children. When said children are a random mash up of different cultures spanning across all of time (with a few magic folk thrown in) that means it got a little messy. Magic and technology do not get along well with each other. Especially as tehcnology became more complicated. So certain areas of the house don't even function properly if Mx or the magic folk are too close. Not to mention the house itself also is alive and temperamental in its own way. Some part have indoor plumbing and electric lights, others require the occupants to carry candles and lanterns. The one laundry room Eleanor found with machine even close to what she is used to is down a series of log cabin halls and she needs a gas lantern as battery powered ones always die halfway down the hall, despite the machines also running on electricity. With so many kids and rooms (which Marcus is convinced change and shift depending on the modd of the house) it is easy to get lost. Marcus (and Eleanor, though only saracastically at first) talk to the house in hopes of getting the house to help them.

Fun Plot Points I remember(because I lost the actual written outline)

Eleanor and Marcus sneak out of the house at one point. Discovering Marcus's car is actually kept on the premises of wherever it is the house resides. They end up driving to the grocery store Mr. Campbell runs, and discover they stumbled into a parellel bubble where the Campbell family has no recollection of Marcus. This is where you learn that Mx didn't just destroy the universe. It created at least three splinter universes. One where the kids were succesfully vanished(there is evidence of their having lived there but no one can remember them). One where the kids in fact perished. Then a third described in the above snippet, where Mx's interference disrupted time and magic so badly that all of time and magic specacularly crashed into a world where it is somehow all trying to happen at once. Eleanor and Marcus continue to hop between these splinter worlds(It's how they end up in different stories). . .turns out they aren't the only ones who can jump between these splinter worlds. Though, not everyone can choose to.

The Wandering Soldier:

The fractures released magic back onto a world where time had suddenly compounded upon itself. Magic folk and humans alike found themselves in realms they did not belong. Money and power that humans had fabricated was rendered meaningless. New divisions formed between those desperately wishing to return to the world that was and those embracing the new chaos. Some comfort was brought on by the idea magic folk were still the holders of magic. This too would change. It started with a rumor as many things do. Whispers that magic had been passed directly from magic folk to humans. Small things really, bakers and artisans now able to imbue their creations with preternatural qualities. The magic folk laid these rumors to rest stating these humans merely had magic folk blood running through their veins. It hadn’t been unusual even before the fractures for romantic relations to occur between humans and magic folk. Certainly after the fractures these types of relations would only grow in number. There was no cause to worry that magic could be carried without magic folk blood

Additional Story Premise:

Two friends(I never got around to naming) find themselves in the wplinter world where all of time and magic have clashed together. It doesn't take long before they run into someone who proudly claims to be the world's worst bounty hunter. This person refuses to give them a name(it's part of their rules of magic). Instead they say to call them J(a temporary initial I gave them until I could figure out an actual name) J refuses to help the two friends out for any length of time. However despite all of their efforts they all keep running into eachother. So reluctantly J agrees to guide the two friends through the world, not guaranteeing to get them home because they don't know if that's even possible. Along the way there are a few thing that happen(including Marcus and Eleanor showing up and J mentioning "at this point those two are barely clinging to humanity themselves") the most important plots points are as follows:

Some important plot points:

They keep hearing tales about a heroic figure known only as the wandering soldier. J loathes this story and often argues with the various stroytellers over it. J also refuses to get into why they despise it Over the course of their travels the two friends and J find themselves getting closer and closer together. The three of them ending up together was always my end game. Though J has a bit of an emotional breakdown when they realize. There are more plot points but before that, let's get some backstory elements

The Rules of Magic according to J

Words are powerful, use wisely. A name is the most powerful word. Nothing is free. Favors don’t exist. Magic isn’t nice. (not exactly a rule of magic but still one of their rules) don't make close connections that may be used against you

The Legend of the Wandering Soldier(A summary)

When the world first broke, there were those who desperatly clung for power. Some were so desperate they hunted down the magic folk, demanding they either help them get and keep their power or perish. Among the chaos a single soldier arose and protected the magic folk, seeking nothing in return. In gratitude the magic folk granted the wandering soldier a wish they may use later.

Plot Points Continued

Now there are those that believe the wandering soldier is magic folk themselves and seek to capture and get the wandering soldier under their control. It comes to light that J's employer believes that one of the two friends is the wandering soldier (something to do with how weird time and magic behave) And when the two friends are threatened over it J finally reveal that they're actually the wandering soldier (shock and awe, this twist would have been laid out better in actual stroytelling but is really obvious when presented like this).

The Wandering Soldier Tale, from J's perspective

J was one of the unlucky ones who was dragged into this splinter world. In their confusion and desperation they agreed to work for what would become their lifelong employer. Turns out their employer imbued all their contracts with magic, that basically made all those who signed themselves away to be unable to disobey him among other things. J's saving grace is they didn't sign their full name, or their signature was sloppy enough that you could only read part of it. So they have some power to disobey and wander how they like. One day when actually following orders they were given a gun and told along with a larger group to go and clear away some buildings. NO talk of negotiating just clear the buildings of everything. Well, when J encountered people in the houses, J got them out and away from the other currently mindless killing machines. When asked how they could repay J, J said something that would forever haunt them. Let's just say you'll owe me one. (or something of similar sentiment) Poor choice of words considering J just spoke them to a group of families of magic folk. Who told other magic folk. Eventually the magic of all the unspoken favors settled on J and almost any wish, whether she wanted it or not was granted. Invincibility, immortality, among others but the most noticeable. J constantly wears an enchanted bracer on her wrist to attempt to contain all this unfettered magic. It mostly works. Though at this point the magic has become so infused in them that their practically magic folk themself. (They blister their hands up severely when trying to free one of the two friends from an iron net that dragged them underwater. Though the blisters do clear fairly quickly)

More on J(they/she)

J is currently a powder keg of untapped power. She wears an enchanted leather bracer which has helped keep the magic under control, and her humanity in check. This band is losing potency as her ‘favors’ slowly corrupt her humanity. J can use her favors by offering a favor to someone else, sometimes unknowingly. This doesn’t always work out as some of these favors are requested to be done by her, which has led to quicker corruption. This has led her to be hesitant to offer outright help. Often she’ll help if no one knows who she is. When J does eventually start trying to purposefully use her powers she finds it easiest to channel energy through something else, typically but not exclusively music. If J was created in D+D she’d more than likely be dual classing rogue and bard.

I think I'll end my rambling there for now. I do have another story that ties into this series. Bound, which is from the perspective of a Splinter World where Magic became visible after the succesful vanishing of one of the children, but time stayed whole.

#thinking out loud #writing #original writing #rambling mostly #worldbuilding and story planning

1 note · View note

duckprintspress · 3 years ago

Text

Ten Things We Hate About Trad Pub

Often when I say “I’ve started a small press; we publish the works of those who have trouble breaking into traditional publishing!” what people seem to hear is “me and a bunch of sad saps couldn’t sell our books in the Real World so we’ve made our own place with lower standards.” For those with minimal understanding of traditional publishing (trad pub), this reaction is perhaps understandable? But, truly, there are many things to hate about traditional publishing (and, don’t get me wrong - there are things to love about trad pub, too, but that’s not what this list is about) and it’s entirely reasonable for even highly accomplished authors to have no interest in running the gauntlet of genre restrictions, editorial control, hazing, long waits, and more, that make trad pub at best, um, challenging, and at worst, utterly inaccessible to many authors - even excellent ones.

Written in collaboration with @jhoomwrites, with input from @ramblingandpie, here is a list of ten things that we at Duck Prints Press detest about trad pub, why we hate it, and why/how we think things should be different!

(Needless to say, part of why we created Duck Prints Press was to...not do any of these things... so if you’re a writer looking for a publishing home, and you hate these things, too, and want to write with a Press that doesn’t do them...maybe come say hi?)

1. Work lengths dictated by genre and/or author experience.

Romance novels can’t be longer than 90,000 words or they won’t sell! New authors shouldn’t try to market a novel longer than 100,000 words!

A good story is a good story is a good story. Longer genre works give authors the chance to explore their themes and develop their plots. How often an author has been published shouldn’t put a cap on the length of their work.

2. Editors assert control of story events...except when they don’t.

If you don’t change this plot point, the book won’t market well. Oh, you’re a ten-time bestseller? Write whatever you want, even if it doesn’t make sense we know people will buy it.

Sometimes, a beta or an editor will point out that an aspect of a story doesn’t work - because it’s nonsensical, illogical, Deus ex Machina, etc. - and in those cases it’s of course reasonable for an editor to say, “This doesn’t work and we recommend changing it, for these reasons…” However, when that list of reasons begins and ends with, “...because it won’t sell…” that’s a problem, especially because this is so often applied as a double standard. We’ve all read bestsellers with major plot issues, but those authors get a “bye” because editors don’t want to exert to heavy a hand and risk a proven seller, but with a new, less experienced, or worse-selling author, the gloves come off (even though evidence suggests time and again that publishers’ ability to predict what will sell well is at best low and at worst nonexistent.)

3. A billion rejection letters as a required rite of passage (especially when the letters aren't helpful in pinpointing why a work has been rejected or how the author can improve).

Well, my first book was rejected by a hundred Presses before it was accepted! How many rejection letters did you get before you got a bite? What, only one or two? Oh…

How often one succeeds or fails to get published shouldn’t be treated as a form of hazing, and we all know that how often someone gets rejected or accepted has essentially no bearing on how good a writer they are. Plenty of schlock goes out into the world after being accepted on the first or second try...and so does plenty of good stuff! Likewise, plenty of schlock will get rejected 100 times but due to persistence, luck, circumstances, whatever, finally find a home, and plenty of good stuff will also get rejected 100 times before being publishing. Rejections (or lack there of) as a point of pride or as a means of judging others needs to die as a rite of passage among authors.

4. Query letters, for so many reasons.

Summarize all your hard work in a single page! Tell us who you’re like as an author and what books your story is like, so we can gauge how well it’ll sell based on two sentences about it! Format it exactly the way we say or we won’t even consider you!

For publishers, agents, and editors who have slush piles as tall as Mount Everest...we get it. There has to be a way to differentiate. We don’t blame you. Every creative writing class, NaNoWriMo pep talk, and college lit department combine to send out hundreds of thousands of people who think all they need to do to become the next Ernest Hemingway is string a sentence together. There has to be some way to sort through that pile...but God, can’t there be a better way than query letters? Especially since even with query letters being used it often takes months or years to hear back, and...

5. "Simultaneous submissions prohibited.”

No, we don’t know when we’ll get to your query, but we’ll throw it out instantly if you have the audacity to shop around while you wait for us.

The combination of “no simultaneous submissions” with the query letter bottleneck makes success slow and arduous. It disadvantages everyone who aims to write full-time but doesn’t have another income source (their own, or a parents’, or a spouse’s, or, or or). The result is that entire classes of people are edged out of publishing solely because the process, especially for writers early in their career, moves so glacially that people have to earn a living while they wait, and it’s so hard to, for example, work two jobs and raise a family and also somehow find the time to write. Especially considering that the standard advice for dealing with “no simultaneous submissions” is “just write something else while you wait!” ...the whole system screams privilege.

6. Genres are boxes that must be fit into and adhered to.

Your protagonist is 18? Then obviously your book is Young Adult. It doesn’t matter how smutty your book is, erotica books must have sex within the first three chapters, ideally in the first chapter. Sorry, we’re a fantasy publisher, if you have a technological element you don’t belong here…

While some genre boxes have been becoming more like mesh cages of late, with some flow of content allowed in and out, many remain stiff prisons that constrict the kinds of stories people can tell. Even basic cross-genre works often struggle to find a place, and there’s no reason for it beyond “if we can’t pigeon-hole a story, it’s harder to sell.” This edges out many innovative, creative works. It also disadvantages people who aren’t as familiar with genre rules. And don’t get me wrong - this isn’t an argument that, for example, the romance genre would be improved by opening up to stories that don’t have “happily ever afters.” Instead, it’s pointing out - there should also be a home for, say, a space opera with a side romance, an erotica scene, and a happily-for-now ending. Occasionally, works breakthrough, but for the most part stories that don’t conform never see the light of day (or, they do, but only after Point 2 - trad pub editors insist that the elements most “outside” the box be removed or revised).

7. The lines between romance and erotica are arbitrary, random, and hetero- and cis-normative.

This modern romance novel won’t sell if it doesn’t have an explicit sex scene, but God forbid you call a penis a penis. Oh, no, this is far too explicit, even though the book only has one mlm sex scene, this is erotica.

The difference between “romance” and “erotica” might not matter so much if not for the stigmas attached to erotica and the huge difference in marketability and audience. The difference between “romance” and “erotica” also might not matter so much if not for the fact that, so often, even incredibly raunchy stories that feature cis straight male/cis straight female sex scenes are shelved as romance, but the moment the sex is between people of the same gender, and/or a trans or genderqueer person is involved, and/or the relationship is polyamorous, and/or the characters involved are literally anything other than a cis straight male pleasuring a cis straight female in a “standard” way (cunnilingus welcome, pegging need not apply)...then the story is erotica. Two identical stories will get assigned different genres based on who the people having sex are, and also based on the “skill” of the author to use ludicrous euphemisms (instead of just...calling body parts what they’re called…), and it’s insane. Non-con can be a “romance” novel, even if it’s graphically described. “50 Shades of Gray” can sell millions of copies, even containing BDSM. But the word “vagina” gets used once...bam, erotica. (Seriously, the only standard that should matter is the Envelope Analogy).

8. Authors are expected to do a lot of their own legwork (eg advertising) but then don't reap the benefits.

Okay, so, you’re going to get an advance of $2,500 on this, your first novel, and a royalty rate of 5% if and only if your advance sells out...so you’d better get out there and market! Wait, what do you mean you don’t have a following? Guess you’re never selling out your advance…

Trad pub can generally be relied on to do some marketing - so this item is perhaps better seen as an indictment of more mid-sized Presses - but, basically, if an author has to do the majority of the work themselves, then why aren’t they getting paid more? What’s the actual benefit to going the large press/trad pub route if it’s not going to get the book into more hands? It’s especially strange that this continues to be a major issue when self-publishing (which also requires doing one’s own marketing) garners 60%+ royalty rates. Yes, the author doesn’t get an advance, and they don’t get the cache of ~well I was published by…~, but considering some Presses require parts of advances to get paid back if the initial run doesn’t sell out, and cache doesn’t put food on the table...pay models have really, really got to change.

9. Fanfiction writing doesn't count as writing experience

Hey there Basic White Dude, we see you’ve graduated summa cum laude from A Big Fancy Expensive School. Of course we’ll set you up to publish your first novel you haven’t actually quite finished writing yet. Oh, Fanperson, you’ve written 15 novels for your favorite fandom in the last 4 years? Get to the back of the line!

Do I really need to explain this? The only way to get better at writing is to write. Placing fanfiction on official trad pub “do not interact” lists is idiotic, especially considering many of the other items on this list. (They know how to engage readers! They have existing followings! They understand genre and tropes!) Being a fanfiction writer should absolutely be a marketable “I am a writer” skill. Nuff said. (To be clear, I’m not saying publishers should publish fanfiction, I’m saying that being a fanfiction writer is relevant and important experience that should be given weight when considering an author’s qualifications, similar to, say, publishing in a university’s quarterly.)

10. Tagging conventions (read: lack thereof).

Oh, did I trigger you? Hahahaha. Good luck with that.

We rate movies so that people can avoid content they don’t like. Same with TV shows and video games. Increasingly, those ratings aren’t just “R - adult audiences,” either; they contain information about the nature of the story elements that have led to the rating (“blood and gore,” “alcohol reference,” “cartoon violence,” “drug reference,” “sexual violence,” “use of tobacco,” and many, many more). So why is it that I can read a book and, without warning, be surprised by incest, rape, graphic violence, explicit language, glorification of drug and alcohol use, and so so much more? That it’s left to readers to look up spoilers to ensure that they’re not exposed to content that could be upsetting or inappropriate for their children or, or, or, is insane. So often, too, authors cling to “but we don’t want to give away our story,” as if video game makes and other media makers do want to give away their stories. This shouldn’t be about author egos or ~originality~ (as if that’s even a thing)...it should be about helping readers make informed purchasing decisions. It’s way, way past time that major market books include content warnings.

Thank you for joining us, this has been our extended rant about how frustrated we are with traditional publishing. Helpful? No. Cathartic? Most definitely yes. 🤣

Have a question about writing? Drop us an ask!

Like what we do and want to support us? You can buy us a ko-fi - or get access to exclusive content by backing us on Patreon!

#duck prints press #original content #writing advice #sort of

318 notes · View notes

ooops-i-arted · 3 years ago

Text

@lionfire42 said: I know TBoBF is over, but I still see this take brought up quite a bit, and it's always fascinating to me. I don't think Filoni is ignorant about the Order and it's customs, even if it's not an always perfect portrayal (though, as you noted, given the sheer amount of cultures being brought into the fold, it is a hard thing to claim perfection).

The thing for me is that Grogu is a complex matter. He is a child, yes, but a child that is pretty intelligent and has a fair bit of trauma locked away. Should the adults guide him? Yes. But I think he has a fair bit of autonomy that we often overlook, and a fair bit of agency that he's only just starting to reclaim.

Now when it comes to Ahsoka...on one hand it could have been worded a bit differently. On the other hand, I do think it's a bit harsh to completely argue that she was being cruel and manipulative. Din has been around droids. Especially mech and construction droids. And even if he was uncomfortable I don't think it would have somehow been her intention to make him so. From my understanding, it's both Ahsoka and Luke's prerogative to protect Grogu.

This also means protecting him from someone who misses him, yes, but is also kind of using him as something of an emotional shield. Granted, I don't in anyway think this is intentional. I think Din legitimately loves him. But I also think he does take the words to heart. Had he been dead set on seeing Grogu no matter what, I don't think Ahsoka would have stopped him. Not to say Din didn't try hard enough—rather, Ahsoka rightly asks him, having come to the school emotionally adrift whether or not Din could honestly say he wasn't trying to utilize Grogu as an emotional crutch. That's just a bit of my interpretation, but this is way too long, and I don't want to flood your notes section. I just really enjoy discussing that scene.

I mean I’m not gonna deny I wrote that post while really mad. I’ve loved the Jedi since childhood and I hate Ahsoka and think she’s vastly overrated and overly favored by Filoni, so let’s be clear of my own biases right from the start.

I agree Grogu is really complex and I don’t think there’s a simple answer. We have seen him evolve and grow more agency as he gets more comfortable. S1 Ep 1-3 he’s more like a baby or young toddler, Ep 4-8 he’s more like a toddler/two-year-old, and by season 2 he acts more like a preschooler. In a real child this is pretty accurate; he’s comfortable with a caretaker he trusts and can finally grow and thrive and recover from trauma he’s experienced. He also has fifty years of life experience, including life as a Jedi already (for up to 30 years - over half his life, if he was brought to the Order in infancy and stayed til Order 66). He’s complicated to write but I do believe he can make his own choice. Not only is he a fifty-year-old alien, children having more agency than they do irl is a long-standing Star Wars tradition as part of its all-ages appeal. 11-year-old me was writing fanfiction about An Awesomely Mature and Wise 14-year-old Padawan OC. 32-year-old me knows that’s ridiculous irl, but also that I loved writing it and found it empowering when I was a kid. Even in canon, no one bats an eye at 14-year-old Padme leading a planet or 9-year-old Anakin having won a starfighter battle. I see a lot of people bothered by this being inappropriate for children, and it is, but to me it’s an acceptable Suspension of Disbelief thing, and part of making Star Wars appealing for all ages.

Where it falls flat with Grogu imo is he’s barely there. He’s there what, a few weeks? Maybe a month? It’s unclear. It doesn’t give him time to truly settle in to Jedi life again and make an informed choice about if he wants to stay with Luke’s new Order. After all he’s just come from life on the run, being captured, possible torture, and separating from a beloved parental figure. It’s a lot and he needs time to settle. (I’ve mentioned in other posts that the ideal would be Din helping transition Grogu to life with Luke - which WOULD be good for him as a stable environment is SO important for kids, especially kids with trauma.)

And from a writing perspective... it just makes the season 2 finale feel cheap, if they make this big, mutual decision to separate and then quickly get back together. Grogu and Din put their feelings of familial love aside so Grogu can go to a safer, more stable environment with a teacher who can nurture his abilities in a way Din can’t. It’s a hugely emotional and important decision. And BoBF just says “Never mind! He’s back with Din now!”

I’ll admit my initial words about Ahsoka were from anger, like I said above. But my point still stands. Why is she there? Why does SHE have this conversation with Din? Because she’s Filoni’s favorite and he wanted her there. No other reason. There’s nothing she says that couldn’t be said by Luke. There’s nothing enhanced by her being there. In fact this conversations SHOULD have been between Luke and Din. Luke is Grogu’s teacher, he’s the one with firsthand experience of his progress. Ahsoka has met them once; Luke has met Din once but Luke is the one who’s spent quality teaching time with Grogu. She doesn’t know Grogu’s progress except what Luke may or may not have told her. It’s like if a parent came in for an impromptu conference and I sent the school secretary to talk to the parent. She knows the kid and me and may have some idea what’s going on, but I’m the one who truly knows what’s going on in the classroom, and I’m the one with responsibility of that child. It’s the same in the episode The Jedi, which didn’t need to have a huge whole-ass plot involving Ahsoka searching for Thrawn. When she appears, Filoni’s writing warps to serve her, not that story. (Back in the day we’d call her a Mary Sue for it - and while it’s a misogynistic and loaded term and I’m glad it’s fallen out of use, I’ve never found an equivalent for “fan character who makes all the canon characters warp around them and/or make themselves the center of the plot at the expense of canon characters’ characterization.” For example, Din just standing there??? in the climax of an episode of his own show!!) I really don’t feel like we get much of Din except “I’m sad and I want to see Grogu but I won’t because Ahsoka said so” rather than any genuine internal reflection. I would have rather seen Luke discuss Grogu’s emotional state with Din, and explain why he feels its best Grogu not seen Din, and then let Din make the choice himself. And then not force a choice from Grogu either - explain “This shirt is from your dad, but I’m worried it will make your feelings of missing him worse, and affect your training” no Yodasaber necessarily involved. I’ve straight up told students before “I’m not sitting you next to your friend because you will talk and not listen to me while I’m teaching. You can talk later, at playtime. Right now it’s time to listen to me.”

But it’s not about any sort of teaching. It’s about forcing a dramatic choice for Grogu when he’s barely had any time to make a real, informed choice about if he wants to stay with Luke’s New Jedi Order. That’s why Filoni’s writing falls flat for me - he’s obsessed with propping up what HE wants and likes and HIS interpretation of Star Wars. Which is valid, if he was writing fanfiction and not leading an entire franchise, which needs more viewpoints than just his. (Kenobi is so refreshing just because it’s a “new” style of storytelling than his, which I’m honestly tired of.) I also simply expect more competent storytelling from one of the main creative leaders of a multibillion dollar franchise, especially if Disney wants me to pay money for it.

#replies #lionfire42 #anti ahsoka

12 notes · View notes

detectivereyes · 4 years ago

Text

I Watched the Leaves Go From Green to Grey

Summary: When TK gets anxious, he gets into fights.

Notes: for the self-harm square on my @badthingshappenbingo card, or my interpretation of it bc i didn’t want to write a traditional “self harm” fic yk

beta’d by @marjansmarwani and also s/o to loml @seaoflittlefires for providing her objective perspective and fixing all my past/present tense issues 💗

word count: 2.3k

read on ao3

If you asked TK, the first time it happened was definitely an accident.

He wasn’t planning on getting into a fight, and he wasn’t even that high. Instead he found himself riding out the tail end of a high in some dingy bar in the East Village, trying to numb the pain with whatever alcohol the bartender would give him with a quick flash of his fake ID. At only 16, he knew he didn’t look 21, but the bartender didn’t ask or didn’t care.

It started with a simple misplacement of his elbow, brushing up too close against the glass of whiskey belonging to the burly man sitting next to him. He didn’t even realize what had happened until he heard the glass shatter on the floor between them.

He started to stutter out some form of an apology but not before he felt a flash of pain hit his face, radiating through his lower jaw until his body collided with the ground. Though he was caught off guard, the pain he’s feeling didn’t feel wrong. In fact it made him feel alive.

He hopped back up, managing to throw in a few punches of his own until more of the burly man's friends showed up and he couldn't decipher which direction the blows were coming from. But with each punch or kick, he felt more empowered. Each freshly formed bruise serving as a reminder that he wasn’t actually numb.

He was here, and he was alive.

Fortunately, he had managed to sneak out before the cops showed up. Unfortunately, the bruises did not go unnoticed by his mom or dad. Though they didn’t press too hard, he knew he would have to be more careful next time.

He never forgot the outlet getting into fights provided. A way to not only relieve the numbness, but relieve stress and have the pain on the outside match what he felt on the inside.

He didn’t get into fights that often, only when the pain built up too much and he needed to let it out somehow. Or sometimes he used it as a way to just quiet the anxious thoughts when substances no longer did the trick.

Even after he got clean, he would occasionally find himself back in some random bar that he hadn’t managed to get himself kicked out of yet. Every bar had at least one drunk asshole who he knew would be easy to pick a fight with.

He quickly learned the right words to trigger the perfect reaction. He also got better ducking and throwing his own punches, and hiding the bruises that did form on his skin until his parents no longer noticed or worried about him.

When he arrived in Austin, he figured it would only be a matter of time before he found himself in a dingy bar on the outskirts of town, opposite of the bar the team frequented to avoid any chance of running into a familiar face.

The numb feeling and colorless vision was too much and Judd’s words only served to exacerbate the pain he was feeling inside. He attempted to fight Judd, knowing his larger frame could do a lot of damage and would do the trick. But he should have known the other man wouldn’t fight back, instead holding him close so he couldn’t do any damage until Paul broke them up.

As soon as the shift ended, TK all but ran into the Uber. The tension in his body wound up too tight and he knew it wouldn’t settle until he got in a fight.

The fight itself was a blur, but what happened next wasn’t. As he walked out of the police station with his bag of belongings and busted lip still pulsing in pain, Carlos’ words rang in his ear.

You should talk to someone about why you felt compelled to do something so suicidal.

Was it suicidal? He always saw it as a way to remind himself that he was alive, not trying to die. But he'd also never met someone who cared so much about his well being.

The police officers he usually ran into during his fights never seemed to give a shit about why he did what he did. And if the guys he hooked up with noticed the busted lips or black eyes, they never said anything.

Carlos checked both of those boxes, yet seemed genuinely concerned with what TK was getting himself into.

That was when he knew things would be different here.

And they were for a time. For a while the color returned into his life and the pain that he had grown so accustomed to settled into a dull ache that he barely noticed.

But like everything else, the good could never last. And soon enough the pain grew more noticeable and he felt like he was going to jump out of his skin. He needed to know he wasn't numb. He needed to feel pain. He needed to fight.

So he found himself in another dingy bar, much similar to the one he went to when he got to Austin over a year ago. He knew he shouldn’t be there. He had to call someone. But Carlos was on shift and his dad was on a date and while both would have probably picked up in a heartbeat, he couldn't do that to them. And anyone else he could have called wouldn’t understood or known what to do.

He knew what he had to do.

On muscle memory he ran through his routine, spouting out the perfect words to trigger the reaction he craved.

After only a few blows to the face, the punches stopped and the fight broke up as the cops arrived. He scanned the area, letting out a sigh of relief when he didn't see Carlos’ familiar brown eyes, and managed to slip out the back before anyone noticed.

The Uber ride from the bar back to his and Carlos’ home passed by in a blur. If his driver noticed the purple bruises likely beginning to blossom on his face, she didn't say anything.

He made a beeline to the bathroom as soon as he walked through the door, hoping that the damage wasn't bad enough that he couldn't cover it up. There was no way Carlos wouldn't notice, but if cleaned it up a bit and came up with a good story, it might not be as bad.

Flipping on the light switch TK frowned at his reflection. While there were a few scattered bruises all over his body, the worst by far was the one forming around his eye, already turning a lovely shade of deep purple. Above his eye was a short but deep gash, stretching across his eyebrow.

Well, that definitely wouldn't go unnoticed.

TK sighed, rifling through the medicine cabinet until he found the box of butterfly bandaids. He knew it probably would need stitches, but if he could avoid a trip to the ER tonight, that would be ideal, and these bandages would do the trick for now. He carefully placed two on his eyebrow, hissing at the contact as the wound closed. He then shut off the light and settled on the living room sofa, waiting for Carlos to come home.

By the time he heard the jiggling of keys in the door, a few hours had passed and he had nearly fallen asleep under the soft blanket on the couch. He panicked for a second, not quite ready for Carlos’ reaction when he saw TK’s face.

On impulse, he ducked under the blanket before the door swung open. He could see the light switch on and Carlos’ outlined shape from beneath the cover.

“Babe? What’s going on?” he asked. TK could sense he had stopped in front of the couch but was refraining from coming any closer.

“Don’t freak out,” was all TK could manage to say, and he could only imagine the confusion painting his boyfriend’s face.

“I’m freaking out that you won’t tell me what’s going on,” he stated matter of factly.

TK sighed before slowly pulling down the blanket and peeking his head out, giving Carlos a sheepish grin.

Carlos’ eyes widened in concern as he sat down next to TK, gently running his fingers over TK’s swollen eye. “What happened, baby?”

“Combative patient,” the lie rolled too easily off his tongue. “Woke up while we were treating him and took a swing at me.”

“I see,” Carlos nodded slowly. “And these other bruises?” he added, trailing his hand over the blossoming bruises on TK’s neck and arms. When he reached his torso, he didn't miss the way TK winced at the contact. TK hadn't even realized how sore he was.

“Must have fallen a little bit in the scuffle,” he shrugged.

Carlos hummed along to TK’s response. TK tried to get a read on what Carlos was making of his story. It was a pretty good one if he gave himself any credit, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Carlos just wasn't buying it.

“You know how people get when they’re caught off guard,” he quickly added, panicking when he realized he should be adding more details before Carlos could doubt him anymore.

Carlos though remained silent, studying him carefully.

“We’re here to help them but they don’t always realize that right away,” he laughed nervously, hoping Carlos wasn't catching on to his anxious rambling.

“TK,” Carlos trailed off, his eyebrows pinching together in worry. He knew something was off, and there was no getting out of it.

Before he could dig himself into a deeper hole, he decided to dam break. He launched into the whole story about how he felt so on edge after his shift and he didn’t know what else to do, which is why he fell back into old habits. Carlos listened intently as he explained what happened when he showed up at the bar and instigated the fight, and ducking out he could get caught.

“I’m so sorry, Carlos. Please don’t be mad,” he said at the end of his rant, still shaking with adrenaline while he waited to see how Carlos would handle hearing the truth.

Carlos sighed, gently rubbing TK’s shoulder. “I’m not mad at you, TK.”

“You’re not?” TK said, sniffling.

“No, but I am concerned at why you didn’t think you could call me. And then why you felt like you had to lie about it.”

TK shrugged. “I’m just kind of used to bottling it up, I guess.”

“But you should know you can talk to me about this kind of stuff.”

“I do! But sometimes it just gets to be so much that I don’t know what else to do and I need a way to let it all out.”

“What gets to be so much?” Carlos cocked his head to the side.

“Everything,” TK quickly responded, as if that clarified anything he was saying. He knew he wasn't making much sense and Carlos was trying his best to understand. But TK didn't know how else to describe the way he was feeling. Like a row of tightly wound string, one pluck away from snapping.

“TK, what happened that made you want to get into a fight tonight?” Carlos asked.

“I,” TK started to answer but stopped himself when he realized he didn't even have a good answer. He'd never stopped to consider the reasons for why he felt this way. All he knew was that he felt like he was about to explode and he needed a good way to release it. “I don’t know.”

Carlos nodded, and TK could only admire the patience his boyfriend had with him. The tears started to well up in his eyes and he took some shaky breaths as Carlos pulled him close into a hug, letting him sob into his broad chest.

“It’s okay if you don’t know,” he whispered softly into TK’s ear. “But I think it is important to examine why you do feel this way. And to realize when it starts to get bad so it doesn’t happen again.”

TK pulled away from Carlos’ embrace, nodding and wiping back the tears while doing so. “It just feels like there’s always this pain, and sometimes I don’t notice it but other times it’s so much that I need to do something about it. And I can’t do the other stuff I used to do to deal with it, but getting into these fights… I don’t know, it helps. Which probably doesn’t make any sense but it’s better than some of my other coping mechanisms.”

Carlos gave him a sympathetic look. “TK, it might not be drugs, but you are just as likely to get hurt.”

TK looked down, nervous squeezing his hands, unsure of how to respond to Carlos’ observations.

“It’s not healthy,” he continued. “I need you to promise me you will call next time. It doesn’t matter what time, or if I’m on shift, or I’m asleep. Talk to me about it. And talk to me about what you’re feeling all the time so we can try to prevent it getting this bad. Okay?”

TK nodded in agreement.

“Hey,” Carlos tilted TK’s head up so they matched each other's gaze. “I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”

“I know,” he gave Carlos a small smile. “I appreciate it, and your patience with me.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that. We’re a team, and I want to help you in whatever way possible. I love you, TK”

TK melted under Carlos’ soft brown eyes and genuine smile. “I love you too, Carlos.”

#bad things happen bingo #badthingshappenbingo #self harm #911 lone star #911lonestarfic #my fic #userjillian #userbones #tuserpaige #usermaximus #userjilly #userkimmy #moviegeek03 #also hey anon if you have an issue with this fic #you are welcome to discuss it with me off anon #bc that function has been shut off #so you now must show your face (so to speak)#but i am 100% open to hearing you out on what you think the issue is here.

52 notes · View notes

worstloki · 4 years ago

Note

please read the article 'How White Fandom is Colonizing "Character-Coding"' by Shafira Jordan and quit while you're ahead

Okay, so I read it and see the problem, and I’ll try to address all their points in order because I don’t wholly agree with the article. I know it’s a lot to read so I’ve put tldr; sections at the end of each :)

Misusing the Term Reinforces Negative Stereotypes for Marginalized People

The article essentially argues that labeling characters which are villainous as POC-coded is bad because they’re not morally pure and doing so "reinforces the idea that people of color are naturally dangerous and not to be trusted.”

Which is fair as you don’t want all the representation to be of ‘bad’ characters, but I also don’t believe all representative characters have to be ‘good’ either as it would be equally racist to divide good/bad in such a way. Not that I would place Loki under ‘bad’ to begin with, but arguing that characters shouldn’t be labelled as POC-coded for reasons unrelated to what’s presented in the narrative or because they did bad things is :/ even if lack of good representation is a prevalent issue in current Western and influenced media.

Ideally there should be a range of representative characters that fall into ‘good’, ‘bad’, and ‘anywhere in-between’ because variety and complexity in character types should, in theory, be treated as common practice (which can only happen with a multitude of representation!).

And a bit unrelated but... within the fictional context of Thor 1, all the Jotnar (sans Loki) are presented to the audience as ‘bad’ by default. They desperately want to get their Casket back to the point of attempting stealing it (from the ‘good’ characters), they fight the heroes and even when the gang and Thor (’good’ characters) are enjoying or going overboard with taking lives it’s inconsequential, Laufey wants to kill the opposing king (who just happens to be a ‘good’ character) and will resort to low-handed methods to do so, etc. The narrative itself is from the frame of reference of the ‘good’ and we only see warriors of Jotunheim though so we understand why it’s like this, because regardless of their race/experiences the narrative carries, even if it most definitely would be seen as racist from our real-life perspectives if the ‘monstrous’ race were presented by actual people of colour, even if it would make sense for the people on on different realms living in different environments to be different from each other, and realistic even for that to be the root of some conflict.

tldr; not using a specific label to prevent negative presentations of the characters seems a bit strange to do when the coding would be based off the text, but with limited representation available I see why it would be done, even if I still believe minority-coding is free game to expand/interpret.

Improperly Labeling a Character as “POC-coded” Suggests the Experiences of All People of Color are the Same

The article argues that labeling Loki as POC-coded “suggests that all people of color have the same experiences, when in reality, people of color come from different places, have different cultures, and have different traditions.” And while it’s true that the term doesn’t go into detail about which particular experiences (and these experiences can vary vastly due to diversity!) the appropriate measure would be to remove the umbrella term POC altogether as people of colour tend to also vary. But that’s also exactly why it’s an all-encompassing general term? It’s a way to denote anyone who isn’t “white” and has the associated cultural privilege that comes with the concept of white supremacy.

And, obviously, in the fictional setting presented, the concept of white supremacy is not prodded at, but cultural supremacy is definitely one that makes recurring appearances, right next to the parts about Asgard being a realm built on imperialism with ongoing colonial practice.

My take on this is that Loki’s narrative features a struggle with identity after finding out he’s of a different race and was being treated differently his entire life and being Jotun was presumably a part of the reasoning even if he didn’t know it. He’s basically treated as of less worth for inherently existing differently. I do believe that racism is a common-enough POC experience, but that while Loki was born with blue skin he passes/appears white which is why I don’t say that Loki is a POC, just that he has been coded/can be interpreted this way.

There’s also the entire thing with Loki trying to fit in and prove he belongs by trying to fit the theory and be The Most Asgardian by committing genocide (which ultimately makes no difference as he’s still not the ‘acceptable’ version of Asgardian), and the denial/rejection of his birth culture in destructively lashing out towards them (which even Thor is confused by because Loki isn’t typically violent), and the fact his self worth plummets and he is passively suicidal upon finding out he’s Jotun (internalized racism? general drop in self-worth after finding out he’s adopted and has been lied to? Bit of both?), but what do I know, I’m sure none of those are, at their base, common experiences or relatable feelings for anyone or decent rep because we see such themes on-screen presented wonderfully in different lights all the time.

tldr; every set of experiences could be different, some types of discrimination could overlap, if you limit an umbrella term to only very specific circumstances then it’s no longer an umbrella term.

Suggesting that White Characters are Meant to be Seen as People of Color Ignores the Actual Characters of Color that are Present in these Stories

I don’t agree with most of this section, but that may just be the way the arguments are put together, which I don’t blame the author for.

“ Implying that Loki is a person of color completely ignores Heimdall and Hogun, the only Black and Asian Asgardians who appear in the movie. ”

Characters such as Hogun and Heimdall which are played by actual people of colour have smaller roles in the films and any prejudice they could face for being POC in-universe isn’t made apparent, while Loki at the very least comes to the realization that something he couldn’t change (race, parentage,) was having him treated differently his whole life and had to come to terms with it. The Vanir/Aesir are also both treated similarly on-screen, and Heimdall having dark skin isn’t plot relevant, whereas Jotnar are treated as lesser consistently and are relevant through the movie (breaking into the vault, Thor and co. attack Jotunheim, Loki’s deal with Laufey, the attempted regicide (and the successful one XD), destroying jotunheim, Loki saying he’s not Thor’s brother,).

I also see including characters as POC-coded as... more representation? In all canon-compliant interpretations of the characters Hogun being Vanir is always explicitly mentioned because it’s a fact that just is, up to the appearance and even the world-building of Vanaheim in some fanworks use particularly East Asian culture as inspiration. I have never come across a Marvel fandom Heimdall interpretation where he’s not Black... but because these characters are more minor/side-characters of course they get less attention!

“ In Loki’s fandom, Heimdall’s name sometimes gets thrown in to suggest that it was he all along who was the real villain due to his “racism” against Loki and the rest of the Jotun. It is, of course, ironic to suggest that somehow the only Black Asgardian to appear in the movie can oppress the privileged white prince. “

I... don’t know where to start with this. But the example of theorizing given in the article wasn’t suggesting Heimdall was bad or trying to explain his actions in Thor 1 by saying he is Black... and just looking at a character’s actions shouldn’t be done less or more critically because of skin tone in my opinion. Heimdall may have been trying to do what was best and protect the realm but if the audience didn’t know that Loki was up to dodgy things then the coding would be switched around because he was trying to spy and committed treason and then tried to kill Loki. People... can hold feelings towards others... regardless of skin... and suspect them... for reasons other than skin... although I do still have questions about whether Heimdall knew Loki was Jotun or not. (Even if I personally don’t think it’d make a difference to how he’d treat Loki?)

Some Loki fans have also suggested that because Jotuns have blue skin that this alone makes him a person of color (even if the audience is only allowed to see Loki in his true Jotun form for mere seconds of screentime). This, again, shows a lack of understanding when it comes to race. It doesn’t matter what skin color the Jotuns have.

Race can differentiate between physical and/or behavioural characteristics!! Not being blue all the time doesn’t make him any less Jotun!! He’s got internalized stuff to work through and is used to being Aesir!! At least 1 parent is Jotun so even if Loki was passing as Aesir he’s probably Jotun!! (I don’t know how magic space genetics work for sure but Loki being Jotun was an entire very important jump-starting point in Thor 1!!). It’s a fantasy text and typically things like having different coloured skin indicates a different race or is sometimes if a species has multiple then is just considered a skin colour. That’s how coding works!! The Jotnar are very specifically the only race we see in the movie with a skin-tone not within the ‘normal’ human range, which alienates them to the audience from the get-go!! They’re an “other” and on the opposite side to the ‘good’ characters.

Both Loki and his birth father, Laufey (Colm Feore), are played by white men, and it is impossible for a white man to successfully play a character of color.

The specification of men here bothers me, but yes, you don’t get ‘white’ people to play characters of colour if it can be avoided. (And it can be avoided.)

This also connects with the previous point made that people of color come from various places. There is nothing specifically about the Jotun that could be traced to any specific person of color, and even if there were, there would be no way for white men to portray them without being disrespectful.

This is where arguments about the definition of coding and how specificity/generalizations and do/don’t come in. I know I’m subjective and lean towards the more rep the better, but while I agree ‘white’ people wouldn’t be able to respectfully play a POC I don’t think that rule should have to carry over into fantasy-based fiction. I know texts reflect on reality and reality can reflect within texts, but if contextually there is racial discrimination and there are similar ideas which resonate with the audience’s own experiences I’d say it’s coded well enough to allow that.

tldr; Thor 1′s narrative revolves mainly around Thor and Loki, of which race is kinda kinda a significant theme in Loki’s part of the story. Not so much explored with less-developed side characters such as Heimdall and Hogun, even though their actors are actual people of colour.

How Much of this is Really Well-Intentioned?

In the fantasy space viking world Heimdall and Hogun don’t face any on-screen prejudice and their appearance is not mentioned (which is nice, for sure! good to have casual rep!) but adding on to the roles they play in the narrative the explicit fantasy-racism in the movie isn't aimed at Asian/Black characters, but towards the Humans -to a lesser extent- and the Jotnar, including Loki, who only just found out he comes under that bracket.

The article mentions how fandom space toxicity often “reaches the actors who portray the characters,“ which is true, and it’s shameful that people have to justify their roles or presences are harassed for the pettiest things like skin tone/cultural background, but I don’t see coding characters as removing the spotlight from interesting characters such as those which are actually POC, rather expressing a demand for more rep, since well-written complex characters which are diverse are often absent/minor enough in the media, and therefore can get easily brushed aside in both canon and fandom spaces.

tldr; It’s obviously not a replacement for actual representation, but, if a character is marginalized and can be interpreted as coded, even if they would only be considered so within the context of the textual landscape, I don’t see why spreading awareness through exploring the coding as a possibility for the character shouldn’t be done, even if the media is being presented by people who are ‘white’ or privileged or may not fall into the categories themselves, as long as it’s done respectfully to those it could explicitly represent.

#please don’t patronize me by asking to quit while i’m ahead #it doesn't help anyone #so anyway i've summarized my opinion on the coding thing here for the many anons whose answers could be answered in this ask alone #i think i covered everything?#the article started out okay but I found it kinda :/ in places even though there were valid concerns #I do believe that in-universe context and creators of the media should be taken into account #and that if marginalized themes can be touched on by non-marginalized groups then... great? fictional texts can help people understand #i do also think that rep being presented should if not on-screen have people working on the product to support and ensure it's done well #the world is cold and harsh and cruel and i just wanted a desi Loki AU but here we are #I've got to try and summarize how I think Thor 1 presents Loki's part of the narrative well with POC-coding there because of fantasy-racism #even if the POC-coding is ignored the themes of racism are far too apparent to ignore #loki spends the entire film being a multi-dimensional character and having an entire downfall fueled by grief and a desire to be loved #I don't think attaching a label to such a character would be a negative thing... but perhaps for casual watchers it'd be a bit :/#apparently not everyone takes into account the 1000+ years of good behavior around that 1 year of betrayal/breakdown/identity crisis/torture #MetaAnalysisForTheWin #MAFTW #ThisPostIsLongerThanMyLifeSpan #TPILTMLS #AgreeToDisagreeOrNot #ATDON #poc-coding #yes i ignored everything not about loki in the article what about it #hmmm I know people are going to disagree with me with what should and shouldn't be allowed #I know some people are okay with it but some don't like the poc-coding thing #and that's fine #completely understandable #makes me uncomfy to talk about fictional space racism in comparison to real life but I do think that lack of rep is why coding is important #for some people coding is all that they get #but also!! @ifihadmypickofwishes suggested the term racial allegory and I do believe that is also suitable here!! so I’ll try using that too #rather than poc-coding even though I still believe it applies

141 notes · View notes

musicismymoirail · 3 years ago

Photo

My mood’s been pretty low lately so I’ve been doing what I normally do when this happens: read some stories or ifs and distract myself with making some new lowkey characters. This week was Crème de la Crème, and these are my surprising favorite playthroughs.

Vesper Erlkönig | nb, aropan | POISE · FLAIR · INTRIGUE

Vesper is the epitome of 'beautiful, dirty, rich', lol. They attended Rochat's, and have always loved the atmosphere of the arts. Their parents did too, or did until they gambled away almost all of their family fortune and sent Vesper to Gallatin to hopefully 'do the family proud'.

Riiiiiight.

Vesper was definitely annoyed at their parents, but ultimately didn’t care that much. They'd win back their fortune one way or another somehow. At school, they were very flirty but was pretty upfront with their ‘no romance’ stance.

That being said though, they got attached to Honorable Florin quite quickly. It’s a match made in heaven, except they’re doing nothing heavenly together and have no interest in anything proper. And it was so much more fun than I thought it would be. xD I imagine post-school, they do remain friends (with benefits) and lots of people are like ‘????’ about their actual relationships but neither care to define it. They’re friends. They fuck. They care about each other. They don’t want to get married, fuck off. Leave the aros alone, thanks.

Vesper ended up getting accepted into Jerome Clay internship which... excited them more than they care to admit. They missed being surrounded by the arts and can't wait to rejoin the community again. Also, somehow despite getting caught by a teacher when they snuck out with Max and being the only playthrough where someone got caught for the pep ralley fire, Vesper ended with getting the model student achievement. SOMEHOW. :’)

Esméry “Esmé” St. Lillevere | nb, bisexual | WIT · FLAIR · SPIRIT

Esméry was going to be my spitfire ‘fuck the system’ playthrough and he ended up as the biggest cinnamon roll because ain’t that how it goes. But he’s also probably my favorite playthrough anyways so it’s all good.

Before his family’s scandal, Esméry attended Holtsfield's, a religious day school and I imagine he was like a more lowkey Max or Florin. Very lackadaisical and always winning to skirt the rules, Esmé loved to buck traditions when he could whether it reading all the banned materials and books he could get his hands on to hanging out the misfits and more progressive students. They’d plan schemes and talk about all the fun devious things that they could get up to after school when they're be truly free to have fun!

And then, the scandal involving Lord Krause came out and the whole St. Lillevere family into social pariahs. And it hurt, it hurt so so much. Esmé didn't hang out with uppity types, but surely, everyone seemed to abandon him as soon as the news hit. While he'd be hard-pressed to admit it, it truly broke him and pushed him into an absolute despair.

But a spark burned in the ashes, fueled by the more radicals ideals Esmé always tossed about carelessly and he vowed to claw his family's name back from the depths of ruins with bloody fingers, and he'd call for reform and revolution in all his actions.

He’s also just dumbfuck compassionate sooooo. If someone is upset, he’s offering a hug. All the Gallatin kiddos got hugs when him, lol! I think his playthrough was the one where I ended up just trying to befriend everyone and was actually successful. He also had the best grades and got into the best University and was like ‘haha, successful year wouldn’t you say~’.

And then, he found out about Lady Renaldt’s whole scheme and got tossed into the mines. My only character to point-blank refused to cooperative with her. He was like spite and outrage, and even got her feel a liiiiiiittle guilty.

Still got tossed into the mines and got reunited with Blaise. <3 He definitely developed a little crush while trying to figure out wtf happened with him. Forever a romance about the what-ifs in life~ Thankfully, they both escaped and were able to take down Lady Renaldt completely.

I imagine his and Blaise’s romance would be ...interesting, post-school. Definitely not easy by any measure. There’s a lot of trauma to work through and Blaise’s whole deal anyways, but there’s a deep connection between them and Esmé is patient and kind (and very intolerant of abuses of power) so I think it’ll work out in the end. Either way, they’re friends for life. Renaldt better not come back if she knows what is good for her.

Iliade Olavarrieta | cisgal, gay | WIT · POISE · SPIRIT

Iliade’s run made me so emotional about Auguste! TToTT!! After Max-Delacriox poly route, hers was definitely my favorite romance. So, thanks Iliade!

Iliade was my highly competitive, academic kiddo who was more proper and by the books than my characters tend to be. Her parents lost their standing in am embezzlement scandal and Iliade was so disgusted and conflicted. She loved her parents but her being the reason for this (’we wanted the best life for you’) made her so sick inside.

Originally, she had eyes for Hartmann. She was well-spoken and hard-working, a perfect marriage candidate and the type of person her parents would've loved. Plus, she was easy on the eyes and Iliade sincerely enjoyed her company. However, she hesitated due to family's scandal and it broke Iliade's heart more than she thought. It was less the rejection though, and more the idea behind it. That she was unworthy due to her parent's mistakes. She knew how it looked, how it was but it was so frustrating to hear it coming from someone she thought she had a sincere connection with.

So, Iliade spitefully decided to ask Auguste Renaldt to dance at the next ball. :’D It was partly due to Hartmann's own interest and partly due to her wanting to prove her own worth. If Auguste danced with her, she was certainly worthy of anyone’s attention and hand. And oh, how Auguste stole her heart that night. She was so much warmer than she had first appeared to be, and Iliade fell so so hard.

Their romance was a cute and polite affair, so simple and warm! I was honestly scared of fucking it up and played it so so safe. But every interaction filled Iliade's heart with delight. Every time she remembered heir playful spy flirting at the tea shop caused her a dive into a fluster of giggles and self-contained little jumps. She was just so so in love.

Even so, when Lady Renadlt tried to force Iliade to help with her scam, Iliade just couldn't. She hesitated and almost went along but it was wrong, worst than her parents and it caused her to be sick to her stomach. She was partly happy to put an end to it but honestly terrified to even measures. She knew (knew, knew, knew) Auguste wasn't apart of such a scheme but just as she still loved her parents despite their crimes, she feared Auguste's love for hers would end their relationship.

But it didn’t (thankfully!!! TToTT <3333). Their initial blowout was expected and delightful, but Auguste asking if Iliade would still marry her was so sad. Iliade was wanted to wrap her up in all the blankets and kiss away all her tears. At least they’re both going to the same University. They’ll have a sweet marriage, I think.

#doodlenonsense #creme de la creme if #definitely would like to do some more little doodles #definitely of esme and iliade #and vesper and florin being scandalous bastards lol #but we'll see how my mood goes

7 notes · View notes

clarythericebot · 4 years ago

Text

potential internal conflicts/character arcs for nhie s2

(based on the table read, news, and things that i personally just want to see :P)

- Devi learning to see others as ends of themselves instead of means to an end. No-brainer that this is going to be a theme next season (especially with that pros and cons list of her love interest), but I’m so excited to see how the show’s going to handle it. As I rambled about on this post, one of Devi’s biggest developments as a character was to stop treating Ben as an extension of herself (either as boxing him into the role of Antagonist/Nemesis in her own narrative or as a hateful mirror that points out personal traits she dislikes) and as an actual person and friend, and it’s that which sparks the small epiphany of her feelings towards him. From the table read and the stills, though, it sounds like she might be putting him in a new, albeit prettier box: Love Interest. The same box that she puts in Paxton, who at this point also does have genuine feelings for Devi. She’s looking at them as experiences, not people, and it’s all going to inevitably blow up in her face.

- The Devi/Fabiola/Eleanor friendship changing somehow. I had this impression that all season 1, the three of them have been hanging on to a dynamic that just doesn’t work anymore, in light of Devi’s grief, Eleanor’s abandonment, and Fabiola’s identity conflict. While Devi is definitely in the wrong of blatantly choosing a guy’s inconvenience over her best friend’s weightier problems, I think the larger problem here is that they don’t seem to know how to be there for each other for difficulties larger than to do with school, although the care and concern is there. It actually takes a third party to push them towards solving the overarching issues in their friendship, and even then only briefly. I’d really like to see this explored as a conflict shared between the three of them, instead of it being sidelined completely as Devi being selfish.

- The narrative that Devi will tell Princeton + the parts of herself she’s willing to take to college. (These are technically two conflicts, but I feel like it would make sense to intertwine them, especially since they’ve already been intertwined in the Ganesh Puja episode.) Devi has expressed her intention about leaving her Indian-ness completely and utterly behind her, as well as all the other embarrassing and painful parts of her identity (her grief and her insecurities). She’s come to terms with her father’s death to an extent, but she doesn’t seem to have yet accepted how his death has shaped and marked her. I think this is going to extend with how she deals with her Indian identity, and perhaps how she deals with her relationships.

- The double-standard between Kamala and Devi. On one level I understand Nalini probably treats them different because of her differing relationships with them—one’s her niece that only came to live with them and the other is her only child, her whole family. On the other hand, from the narration Devi has never really experienced her mother expressing such a blatant double standard in favor of Kamala before (about her secret boyfriend); she fully believed her cousin would get into trouble. It never did get addressed.

- In the first season, we experienced how Kamala’s western ideals influenced the part of her life still infused with tradition (her relations to other Indian people and her arranged marriage). The still of Kamala in a labcoat makes me hopeful for the inverse this season: how Kamala’s arranged marriage and traditional ideals affect her career as a scientist.

- Paxton engaging in the fact that he likes someone who is smarter than him (at least in a bookish sense). I’ve never seen this conflict delved into before—most writers just ignore it, focusing on what the love interests have in common (and don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to Paxton engaging Devi in this way, either by trying new things or revealing some hobbies or interests we haven’t made privy to). This insecurity is so close to his chest, though, and as much as Devi seems to make a point not to make him feel bad about it, it would be fascinating friction since Devi is very rightfully proud of her intellectual prowess. I imagine this will only be accentuated with knowing that his competition for Devi’s affections is someone razor-edge smart.

- Ben’s anger, and it being dealt with in constructive and destructive ways. I think one of the (numerous) things that I love about Ben and Devi is that they have different approaches to their internal and external conflicts. Devi runs away internally, refusing to face grief and sadness, while she delves head-first into external situations (e.g. asking Paxton to have sex with her, going to a Model UN trip with absolutely no prep and being willing to steal alcohol, talking to her friend’s estranged mom in other to get back into said friend’s good graces). Ben, on the other hand, has remarkable emotional intelligence underneath his high school immaturity (he can read Devi beyond her words actions, he doesn’t deny the isolation and loneliness that he feels, he is prepared to be vulnerable in certain situations) but he doesn’t do anything about it (he stops himself from telling his parents how abandoned he feels, he gives in to his girlfriend essentially using him as a prop, he is ushered into dining in his nemesis’ house by her concerned mother). Then Devi kisses him, and suddenly he’s willing to put his eggs in one basket. He stands up to his parents and demands that they spend family dinner together—because of her, he claims. He breaks up with his girlfriend, finally admitting that what they had wasn’t real, and earnestly informing Devi that he thinks what they have is. “I’m all in,” he tells her, thus crushing my heart. Because what’s strongly being implied, at least by the first part of the first episode, is that Devi’s either going to choose Paxton or neither of them. I imagine that Ben, used to being abandoned time and time again, will not react well to that. (This is expanded in this really awesome meta by @catty-words). There’s potential for the show to frame this as sexist entitlement, but I’d like to hope that the creators will be more compassionate to Ben’s conflict, as they have been in the past. It would genuinely be hurtful for someone you’ve displayed a lot of vulnerability to suddenly turn tail and say it didn’t mean as much to her. My guess is that he’ll lock into their nemesis status quo from before and lean into it hard, and it will likely hurt him badly. What I’d also like to see, though, (if only to assuage my own heartbreak) is him taking steps to deal with this a little more constructively, in addition to the inevitable self-destruction. I’d love to see him get back in touch with his ride-or-die middle school friends or even make new ones. In fact, I suspect that’s who the character of Aneesa is going to be, regardless of whether she becomes a contender for his love interest.

Aneesa is described as someone whose confidence and radiance will pose an immediate threat to Devi. I doubt that means she’ll be another academic rival, at least not completely; Devi already has Ben for that. As for romantic rivalry, it is likely not going to be Paxton Aneesa will be paired with, since it’ll only be a rehash of Devi’s insecurities of Paxton liking ‘hotter’ girls like Zoe and vying for his attention. (There’s a possibility she and Paxton will have history together and that threatens Devi even if she’s already in a relationship with him, but for me, that’s a less interesting choice than letting Devi focus on the challenges that will be inherent with Paxton being her boyfriend.) I think Aneesa will be another mirror for Devi—who she could have been if she pursued friendship and openness and maybe even a relationship with Ben, and that’s likely going to make Devi bitterly jealous. If this results in friendship and openness and maybe even a relationship for Ben (a deeper, more genuine one than his previous), I’m completely here for it, even if I am still hoping for a Bevi endgame.

(Low-key theorizing that Ben's smiling at Aneesa here, btw)

#clary scribbles #nhie meta #ben gross #devi vishwakumar #devi x ben #nalini vishwakumar #kamala nandiawada #paxton hall yoshida #never have i ever

65 notes · View notes

haifengg · 4 years ago

Text

Victon Falling for their Childhood Friend

Summary: He’s known you since you were kids and because fate moves in mysterious ways you have never been apart from each other for long.

Genre: Fluff! // Crack if you squint

-> Seungwoo. He is very career oriented. Because he loves what he is doing. It plays a very important role in his life. Well, it actually is his life more or less. But that also means that he barely ever gets to see his parents and therefore hasn’t seen you in ages. But when he did one Christmas Day he was so surprised about how much you changed. Not just physically but also mentally. The two of you met at the grocery store where your mother had send you to get more ingredients for dinner and he bumps into you in the frozen aisle. At first you didn’t recognise him but then you start to chat like in the old days. Of course you had heard about his career but when you tell him that you never found the time to check it out or google it he gets a little sulky. But you clear it up quickly: “Its not that I am not interested! Your job sounds so interesting! Its just that I have been insanely busy ever since I graduated … you know we are launching this new collection next spring and I am still up our suppliers .. well you know-“, you sigh. “I will definitely go and check it out once I find the time somehow!” After listening to you carefully and reassuring you that he fully understands how it is not having time for anything he asks you if you like your job and your eyes suddenly sparkle. “I do! Yes, I really do. It is very different from what I thought I would be doing but its very interesting and every day is different. There are so many things to learn and to take care of, I really feel needed, you know?” Even though the frozen peas in his hands start to melt he would let you go on and on about it because he suddenly realises that you are just like him. In love with your job. Something he never thought he would see on someone else. That exhilarating passion. Being 100% committed. Then suddenly he notices all these other little things about you. He truly started to see you in a different light.

-> Byungchan. One day he sits on the porch of his parents’ house, having ice cream like a grown-up. He’s home because of a huge birthday in his family. Just sitting there and watching the neighbours getting some gardening done, as suddenly an actually pricey car pulls up in the drive way next door. Some woman gets out and he Is fully taken aback to the point where he forgets about his ice cream. It is like this scene in movies. The protagonist sees someone special and their breath is completely taken away. Except that’s no. movie, Byungchan is no protagonist and that person he is looking at is you. Which he notices himself the second you take off your sunglasses and wave at him.

“Byungchan! You’re home?”

You walk over and up the path to his house in your office work clothes and Byungchan has to gather all his remaining brain cells to form a: “Y/N? Is that you?” You nod and pull him into a hug as you reached him. Like you always did when you were kids. “Yes of course! Oh my god you got so tall what did they feed you in college?” His heart dropped as you wrapped your arms around his neck and he laughed nervously.

What was he supposed to reply?? All he could think about was how gorgeous you had become. How independent you looked. Not to mention how impressed he was by that car lmao.

-> Seungsik. Since he was your neighbour all the way back, you have seen each other growing up. But more importantly: Seungsik has seen your error and trial progress of learning how to cook. Its not that you invited him over to cook for him but as teenagers he would randomly come over and by chance witness some of your great failures.

But now you were living in different cities, not being neighbours anymore but still close friends. One night he calls you, asking if he could come visit you next week since he was in town for a meeting. Of course you happily agree, promising him to cook dinner. After hanging up and the entire following days Seungsik was anticipating his visit, curiously awaiting to get to experience your now probably very good cooking skills.

Eventually he arrived at your place 20 minutes early because there was less traffic that he was calculating with. And when he rang at your door you just bolted there to open it, quickly gave him a hug and ran back into the kitchen. Because there was smoke everywhere.

“What’S going on?” He asked following you but all you replied was: “Can you take the batteries out of the smoke alarm? I don’t need the fire department to show up at my door again.”

“Again??” He did what he was told and eventually the two of you stood in the kitchen, eying a briquette like something int the casserole.

“I am so sorry. I really tried my best this time. I wanted to impress you. But we can absolutely order something! My treat.” You say and chuckle completely embarrassed. But Seungsik waved it off. “Don’t worry. I can make something?” Even though you insist on ordering in he sat you down on your own sofa and somehow magically created something very home made to eat for the two of you within 15 minutes.

Who are we kidding? This is not how Seungsik notices he likes you but you notice that you like him.

-> Sejun. I don’t know how to put this into many words because it is very simple: Even after graduating high school and only seeing each other a couple of times a year in your home town - you’re still kicking his ass like you used to too. But now you’re hot. It’s as easy as that. During elementary and middle school - even in high school - the two of you were best friends who never ever thought about having feelings for each other. Of course some of his friends asked you out occasionally and most of the girls in class envied you for your relationship with him and the other boys but you never thought much of it and neither did he. But now that you’re in you 20s and still act around him like you used to things begin to change for him. Especially since you fought in your parent’s kitchen over the last piece of honeycomb your mother made. You held him headlock and he was not just turning red because the blood was rushing to his head but also because he was smothered by your boobs (that he now had to acknowledge). When you led go of him he was out of breath because of your awesome headlock technique. And because he now looked at you teasing him about the honeycomb and he, for the first time ever, noticed saw you as a woman. Not just as his friend.

-> Heochan. It had probably been 4 years since you last saw each other at the high school graduation. And you were close friends back then. Maybe not best friends but very close. And he probably always had a thing for you but either a) Never admitted it to himself or b) never went after it.

But when he saw you at the pre-school he knew he had to. Because you somehow transformed into his ideal type. He stopped by the pre-school to surprise pick up his nephew. And he never thought he would meet you there overseeing the pick up of your students.

“You became a teacher?” He asked you before even greeting and as you turned around your eyes lit up. “Heochan! Oh my god I has been so long.” You chat for a bit and he explains why he’s there. Eventually you were still at work and busy but you agree on meeting that weekend for coffee. So you got back to work but Heochan didn’t actually leave right away but observed you talking to the kids and the parents until his nephew begged him to finally go home.

In the car his nephew went on and on about his day and what sort of dirt he ate at the playground but instead of being worried about his nephew, his thoughts were still caught up with you. He was thinking about the clothes you wore and how the dress and cardigan was making your whole appearance look very soft and calm… Yes he was definitely love struck.

-> Hanse. You see each other frequently. At least once a week meeting for coffee at a local non-chain coffee shop became your tradition. It was shier luck you entered the same college and therefore never lived far apart from each other. You both equally valued and cherished the possibility to talk to and vent with someone you have known for a long time and who knows you very well. One thing you always did was venting about your job. And Hanse loved hearing about it because the way you talked about your boss or some other issue was always very direct and comically. So he enjoyed it a lot. He would listen to you all smiley and snickering. And one day he noticed how much the topic of your bickering had changed. Back in the day it would be about how unfair your shifts were and how much you had to do. Lately it was more about how your male colleagues treated you at work and how sexist it was. You tend to notice more subtle and passive aggressive behaviours of them and tell Hanse about it. Which made him notice how mature you became.

“I am telling you, and this is no joke, he came to work and walked by the window of my office. And the first thing he did was ask me how I was doing and as I said ‘fine’ he gave me this look. This Are-you-really-fine-or-are-you-becoming-an-emtional-stress-mess. I swear to god one day I will end him. Also the other day one of the guys at the ware house actually asked me if I was down spending an hour or two with him with this smug look on his face.”

Hanse raised a brow: “What did you tell him?”

You shrug and take your cup, knowing well what effect your next words will have on him: “I told him even if I was down spending the with him he wouldn’t be able to afford me.”

He just loves how sassy and mature you got and how well you handle difficult situations.

-> Subin. For Subin it would take a while to notice his feelings for you because it is very subtle and simple. Both of you didn’t enter college so long ago and even though you weren’t freshmen or sophomores anymore college still was confusing. At least for him. He likes his major and the field of study he is in but he can’t say the same about his class mates. To be quite frankly: He gets along with them well for the time being but they aren’t his friends. In fact he doesn’t have that many friends in the first place. At the end of the day he would always rely on you for sensible topics or when he needs advice. He can talk to comfortably and even after all those years you have known each other you still get him in a way no one else does. Eventually he realises how he does not have that many friends because all he needs is right here with him. It’s you. He isn’t looking for anything in other people because he already has it.

Taglist

@jeonghanmoon @soleilsuhh @kpopsnowball @purplepsycho03 @himitsu-luna

Masterlist

42 notes · View notes

mytardisisparked · 4 years ago

Note

Sir dude, if it would please your dudeness, I think you should write a fic set in a world where family members are tied together by an invisible string, and Obi-Wan somehow manages to catch a glimpse of the string through the force, connecting him to... Korkie. Que the realization that Korkie is actually his son and that Satine hid the truth from him

Before I start with the fic, I just wanna say that this is, without a doubt, the funniest way anyone has addressed me ever and I am now making my roommates call me “Sir Dude” and “Your Dudeness.” God bless you, Anon.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were only visible during the deepest meditation, the Familial Strings. When a Jedi dipped into the Force completely, the usually invisible strings connecting family members shone a bright gold, creating a beautiful, confusing tangle of lives, loves, and loyalty.

Familial Strings were quite literal, usually, only showing connections between blood family or marriages. Occasionally, the Force would deem two people who were not of a romantic entanglement close enough to qualify a Familial String, but they usually only indicated a bond through blood.

Obi-Wan, like most Jedi, didn’t dwell on his Familial Strings; he knew they were there, leading back to Stewjon, but he tried not to study them often to avoid the temptation of reaching out to the parents he had never known. As one who secretly struggled with attachments, thinking too much about a family he had never know would be a very dangerous thing.

All that being said, Obi-Wan was aware of the number of strings he had (5) and the fact that two of those strings had been created after he had begun his apprenticeship, shortly after his first long-term mission with his master. He had been puzzled by their arrival, but he had quickly pushed his ponderings aside and chosen to assume that his birth parents must have given birth to twins.

Now, sitting rigid with a pit in his stomach in his temporary quarters on Mandalore, he was coming to the realization that that assumption was very, very wrong.

One Familial String led from Obi-Wan’s chest right out the door and across the hall to Duchess Satine’s room. This revelation had been surprising enough; Obi-Wan loved Satine far more than he had ever cared to admit, but the fact that the Force had deemed them close enough and in love enough to connect them by a string wasn’t something Obi-Wan had ever considered.

Even more curious, however, was the second string that deviated from the bundle aimed at Stewjon, directed to the room to his left. At the risk of breaking the meditation he needed to see the strings, Obi-Wan slowly stood and moved out into the hallway, watching that second string pivot around his heart so that it remained connected with the individual in the room next to his.

He swallowed as he looked at the door to that room, the room of Prince Korkie Kryze, Satine’s nephew.

Without another thought, Obi-Wan spun around and knocked on Satine’s door, knowing he was breaking every rule of propriety. She opened the door after the second knock, as if she had been waiting for him.

As the door swung open, Obi-Wan was faintly aware of the fact that Satine looked absolutely ethereal in the moonlight streaming through her window, her hair brushing the tops of her shoulders and her pale skin glowing. This, however, he pushed aside quickly as the contents of his stomach churned at the realization from moments before.

“Obi-Wan?” Her voice was soft and concerned.

“Satine.” His voice was harder than he intended for it to sound. “I believe we need to talk.”

Without another word, she stepped aside and invited him into her quarters.

The room, which was comfortably furnished and separated from her actual sleeping quarters by a wall and double doors. She led him over to the settee, choosing to sit across from him in an armchair, her face wary.

He fingered the edge of his robe, choosing his words carefully. “I was meditating this evening when I noticed something interesting about my Familial Lines.”

Satine’s face remained passive, but something shifted in her eyes. “Oh.”

“I never realized it before, but one of my lines is connected to you. I had two lines appear after our year together and I should have guessed that one line was yours but I never gave it much thought.” He swallowed and looked up at Satine, her face still carved of stone, though her eyes were glassy. For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, Obi-Wan suddenly felt very small. “But that second line-” he stopped and took a breath, finding his chest quite tight, “maybe you can explain why I have a Familial Line connected to Korkie.”

A tear spilled over Satine’s eye, quickly swiped away by a finger. “I think you know why, my dear.”

Obi-Wan’s vision blurred as tears began to collect in his own eyes. “He’s my son?”

Her lip quivered as she nodded, wiping another tear.

He let out a breath, his chest constricting more. “How could you not tell me?” His voice was barely above a whisper.

Despite her tears, Satine’s face suddenly hardened. “How could I have told you?” She stood and turned toward the windows. “You, who were so nobly pursuing the life of a Jedi-”

“I would have left the Jedi. I was prepared to leave for you.”

She turned back to him. “Which is exactly why I couldn’t tell you. I couldn’t tear you away from your dream.”

“Maybe you were my dream.”

She looked shocked for a moment, but the expression was gone from her face as quickly as it had come. “Be that as it may, I also had to think of Korkie. He is the future Duke of Mandalore and having a Jedi father would have lost his respect in the eyes of his people. He would have had to work harder to gain their trust and even then his Jedi heritage would have been thrown in his face by those who would oppose him at every turn.”

Obi-Wan felt a sharp jolt of offense. “That’s a rather cold and calculating line of thought,” he said, voice low.

Satine’s brows furrowed. “Oh, as if the Jedi tradition of tearing children from their families, never to know them or be loved by them is any warmer.”

“At least the parents of our younglings have the knowledge that their children exist and are being raised by those who will provide them with the care and nurturing that they need to-”

“Do you mean to imply that I didn’t raise our son with care and nurturing love?” She snapped.

Obi-Wan’s heart fell as he realized the implications of his words. “Forgive me, that is not what I meant to imply. I didn’t think.”

Satine rubbed her eyes, suddenly looking exhausted. “I know, Obi. I just...” She slid back into her chair, shoulders slumped.

They were silent for a while, each processing their thoughts.

“What is he like?”

Satine looked up at the Jedi, elbows leaning on his knees and ginger fringe falling in his eyes. “I beg your pardon?”

Obi-Wan met her eye. “Korkie - what is he like?”

Despite everything that had happened in the last ten minutes, Satine’s heart warmed a bit in pride. “He’s incredibly smart.” She smiled softly. “Smarter than either of us, I think. And an excellent negotiator; he’s done a great deal in terms of welcoming new systems into the Alliance these last few years. Although,” she smirked, “he knows how to land an elegant insult when needed. He nearly got himself thrown from the academy for implying that his science teacher had inhaled the fumes of too many chemicals.”

Obi-Wan smiled at that. “I wonder who he inherited that trait from.”

“Definitely not me,” Satine sniffed, barely holding back a smile.

Another moment of slience.

“Does he know about us?”

She took a breath. “He knows I am his mother, but I never told him your name, just stories of you and our time together.”

“Do you ever plan to tell him?”

“I-” She sighed. “I don’t know. I think the two of you would get along splendidly but I also want to provide him plausible deniability in case someone were to figure out that I am not his aunt. There are already rumors of the matter and I fear what might happen if Mandalore were to fall into the wrong hands.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “I can see the logic of that.”

“Do you want me to tell him?” she asked tentatively.

He thought for a moment. “What I want is for us to turn back time and be a family together from the start. But, seeing as that isn’t possible, maybe could I get to know Korkie a bit? He doesn’t need to know who I am, but perhaps I could spend some time with him and get to know my son?”

Satine smiled. “I think that would be good.”

“Good.” Obi-Wan smiled back. “Thank you, Satine.”

She took his hand. “And thank you, Obi-Wan. Korkie has been the best part of my life since we said goodbye and, although our situation isn’t ideal, he is the greatest gift.”

He squeezed her hand. “He looks a bit like me, doesn’t he?”

She laughed. “We will have to be careful about having you two stand next to each other; you have the same jawline.”

“He can never grow a beard.”

“He might have to dye his hair when he gets a little older.”

They chuckled.

“If you would like, I could host a breakfast tomorrow, just for the three of us.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “I would like that very much.”

#Obitine #Obi-Wan #Satine Kryze #Korkie is a Kenobi #Star Wars #TheClone Wars #Fanfic #THIS IS AN AU I CAN REALLY GET BEHIND GREAT IDEA ANON #VERY CREATIVE

57 notes · View notes

pawprintsmoon · 4 years ago

Text

You and me, Part III

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30337365/chapters/74893146#workskin

The proposal

After a shower and clean pajamas, Alex finished packing his suitcase, tucking the ring safely inside. The next morning, he was so focused on not losing it again that he ended up misplacing his coffee filled travel mug. He had put it down for one second, and suddenly it was nowhere to be seen. Henry found it in minutes and they left for the airport. Distracted beyond reason, Alex had to hop out of the car to race back inside to grab his wallet. Then he had to hop out of the car again to run inside and get his phone.

After speeding to the JFK airport, they crossed the Atlantic and spent one night in Kensington recovering from jet lag. They spent their first full day at a trans* equity conference. The English press greeted their visiting prince with union jacks and rainbows. Naturally, they responded with charming comments and smiling photos. Alex took the opportunity to livestream a message to his followers: ‘of course transgender high schoolers should be allowed on the sports team that aligns with their gender, and here’s why…’

Privately, in the car back to the palace, Henry expressed the opinion that public schools ought to have polo teams, because it’s a coed sport and ideal for nonbinary teens who don’t like to rock the boat. Alex responded with similar sentiments about quidditch. The rest of the drive they shared a familiar rant about how Harry Potter belongs to the fans (including the trans* fans) and not only to JKR.

That night, just past 2am, Alex turned over in bed to ask, “You awake?”

“Always.”

“Good. We’re going on a fieldtrip. Come on.” Alex pulled them both out of bed, and they got dressed, Alex swinging on his Gucci jacket. He would have worn a hoodie, the incognito uniform of the internationally recognizable, but tonight he didn’t want to hide himself. It was worth the risk. Besides, they didn’t really need to sneak around anymore, did they? Old habits.

He led them out of the palace, down Prince Consort Road. He stopped for a selfie with the sign, because he really had wanted to last time. A second selfie included them both, looking goofy and not caring. When they reached the back entrance of the Victoria and Albert Museum, they kissed lazily against the wall. Once Henry’s lips melted Alex’s nerves, he drew back to take the next step.

“Thing about dating the prince,” he said, holding up keys, “is that you can borrow pretty much anything he owns. And he can get the keys to anywhere if he asks nicely.”

“You’re a thief,” snarked Henry, walking through the door that Alex held open for him. “And a knave, and a scoundrel.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Alex gave the security guard a wad of cash. “Thanks, Gavin. It’ll be Renaissance City.”

They walked past sculptures, artifacts, and paintings, surrounded by the history that they were a part of. They got to the piazza, Henry’s sacred place. Just like last time, the first statue, Samson Slaying a Philistine took away what little breath Alex had, and he had to lean on Henry for support. Like windswept magnets, their lips met, for no reason at all.

Most of the time, Alex had a strong sense of Henry and himself being part of the current moment of history, changing the world in the here and now. But right then, time seemed to melt, and they were surrounded by historical sculptures telling timeless stories. Zephyr the Greek god of the west wind, Proserpina in the underworld, and Jason and his golden fleece. Archetypical and expansive.

And then there was Henry: the national gay landmark, prince charming, an obtuse fucking asshole. Hopefully his future husband. Sticking with his plan, he pulled away from Henry and got out his phone to open Spotify. Taking a deep breath, he pressed play. “Your Song” came from the tinny speakers.

“It’s a little bit funny, these feelings inside. I’m not one of those who can easily hide.”

“Why am I getting deja vu?” Henry asked, as Alex wrapped his arms around Henry’s waist.

“No clue.”

They began to sway, slow and intimate, cheek to cheek. He recognized the swelling in his chest as the same ache he’d felt when Henry first played this song for him years ago in the music parlor. Back then, he’d been trying so hard to repress his love for Henry, gripping the settee and wondering how long they would fly across the world to touch each other without talking about it. Now they let love dance around them, unbridled and openly declared in front of the world.

Other memories stirred up unbidden. Henry ghosting him after their first kiss, leaving him out in the snow and questioning everything. And then again when Alex hinted at love, leaving him in the lake with his heart carved out. Twice is not a pattern though, is it. Ever since the last time they were in this museum together, Henry had given his entire self to Alex. He had decided to be with Alex for real that night. That had been when they decided to love each other on purpose.

“I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words. How wonderful life is, now you’re in the world.”

For several beats of silence, he just looked at Henry. And Henry looked at him, and the museum disappeared. The whole world faded away except Henry and himself. It was now. He knelt down to one knee slowly, never losing eye contact. Henry’s loving smile showed no surprise as Alex spoke.

“Henry George Edward James Fox-Mounchristen-Windsor,” he said, making Henry roll his eyes. “I have a question to ask you. You see, my mom asked me, back in our early days, if I felt forever about you. I knew it then, and I know it now. I want to spend my life with you. So... ”

He paused, reached into his jacket, and pulled out the bedazzled box, rhinestones spelling out ‘love.’ Henry had probably guessed that it was never intended for June’s earrings, because he laughed like the box was an inside joke. Despite knowing what was coming, he inhaled audibly when Alex opened the box to reveal a simple silver ring.

“Will you marry me?”

Henry laughed again, a laugh like the birds of sunrise. “Yes, Alex. I will marry you.”

The prince reached into his pocket and pulled out a small leather box, the same size as the one Alex held. Then, he knelt down on one knee as well, mirroring his fiancé. He opened it to reveal a thick antique gold ring inlaid with a gem that Alex couldn’t identify. Beautiful. “Alex Claremont-Diaz, will you spend forever with me as your partner, confidant, and best friend?”

“I,” Alex choked, “yeah, fuck, of course-”

Henry cut him off with a swift and passionate kiss, both of them on their knees, fumbling the engagement rings onto their fingers. Alex felt like the deceased king that had probably worn his engagement ring. They kissed until their knees grew sore, and they collapsed on the tile.

“How did you think to bring a ring and everything?”

“Believe it or not, I somehow predicted that you might do this,” Henry teased.

Their buzzing bodies urged them to get back to the palace, to Henry’s room, to the bed. So they pulled each other to their feet, both dizzy and desperate. Before leaving the piazza they held each other for just a little longer.

“I love you,” whispered Henry.

“Fuck, I know you do.” It’s an amazing thing, to know completely and utterly that somebody loves you. “I love you too.”

“I know.” Henry held him around the waist and their foreheads pressed together. “Hey, so, I know we’re going to have to have a big, gay, traditional, royal wedding and all that -”

“Which we’ll make fun!” Alex said, with the positivity of a camp counselor. The world could really benefit from a big, gay, royal wedding. “There will be so many rainbows, even only if the crowd brings them.”

“And we’ll definitely have an adequate number of champagne fountains.” Henry winked at him. “But you interrupted-”

“Sorry!”

“-me. I was saying that I know we’re doing the public wedding for the audience, and the press, but...” Suddenly Henry looked nervous. “Well, would you maybe want to…”

“Spit it out babe,” Alex kissed Henry lightly on the lips before pulling back to show that Henry had his entire attention. “I’m listening, for real.”

“Would you, would you maybe want to elope first?”

“I… um. Would we, you know, still do the royal wedding afterwards?” Alex asked. “Keep it a secret?”

“Well, yes.” The words tumbled out. “But it would be a secret that we’re keeping for ourselves. We wouldn’t be keeping a secret for an election, or family expectations, or our god damned publicists. It would be ours, and we would keep it because we want to.

“Because I want to keep you to myself, just a little bit.” Henry shrugged, sheepish. “You give so much of yourself to your country, to the world, and I love that about you, but I want this to be just us. I’d be open to inviting Bea, Pez, June, and Nora, and our parents too, if you want.”

“And honestly, I don’t really want there to be a minister or priest… maybe Pez could do it?” Henry continued. “It doesn’t even have to be legal, so people don’t find out. I don’t know, I just thought, it could be just us, making a promise. Not with the crown, not with the church, not with all your adoring fans. Just the people that really matter.”

“I…” A grin spread slowly across Alex’s face. “I love it. Yes. Hell yes. Where? Not Vegas. Paris?”

“Paris.” Relief sweetened Henry’s smile. “And I could play my vows for you on the piano, if you’d like.”

“Yes I’d like! We could do it on a sailboat with a captain! Can you bring a piano on a sailboat?” Henry shook his head and kissed Alex’s grin, nuzzling their noses together. Alex whispered, “Okay, I’ll slow down and we can figure it out together. You and me.”

“You and me.” They fell into each other, a blissful act of entropy, all lips and hands.

“Besides,” Alex said as they stopped to catch their breath. “Secrets can be kind of hot if I remember correctly.”

AN: So, I thought I'd end with the proposal, but I feel like there's maybe more here? Like, this scene was kinda building up to some 'just got engaged' smut, or it could go on to show their elopement. I'm feeling a tinsy bit uninspired for their vows though, so if any of y'all feel like writing those, I could insert to the rest of the marriage scene that could be fun. If anyone feels like doing the post-proposal smut (or the wedding night smut lol) lemme know! Otherwise, thank you for reading! Check out my other rwrb fics, if you feel like it :)

#you and me #part 3 #first prince #rwrb #proposal story #henry fox mountchristen windsor #alex claremont diaz #red white and royal blue

12 notes · View notes

arcticdementor · 3 years ago

Link

The European Commission has hit Hungary hard, withholding over 7 billion euro in Covid reconstruction money to punish Hungary for its LGBT media law.

…

As Kalnoky goes on to say, if Orban’s party loses next year’s election, a good case can be made that this is the first time the EU has taken down the government of a member state by tactically withholding relief funds as a stick to make sure the vote goes as they wish.

Why are they doing this? The chief (but not exclusive) reason is that they hate the law Hungary passed this summer banning LGBT content for minors. That’s it. That’s why the Western Europeans are trying to blow up the bloc.

…

Here’s a strong op-ed by MIT professor Daron Acemoglu, in which he says Hungary must be cast out of the European Union so democracy can work.

…

Notice something here? Elected rulers doing things of which the Cathedral does not approve is “weaken[ing] democratic institutions.” Even though Hungary’s ruling party is genuinely and deeply and correctly concerned that it might lose the 2022 election, technocrats like Prof. Acemoglu doesn’t think this should be left to chance. If the Hungarian people won’t deliver the correct result, then the rest of Europe should make them pay.

Here’s the tell:

Moreover, there is now yet another argument for the EU to act against Hungary and Poland. With the Taliban’s reconquest of Afghanistan, there is no longer any doubt that the Western effort to establish democracy and the rule of law by force and foreign aid has failed. From now on, Western countries will have to lead by example. As US President Jimmy Carter said in his inaugural address: “The best way to enhance freedom in other lands is to demonstrate here that our democratic system is worthy of emulation.”

There it is: our liberal democrats (of the left and the right) have failed to win the hearts and minds of foreign peoples, so now they’re going to turn their warmaking on their own dissenting people. I told you the other day when George W. Bush indicated that dissident Americans are the new Al Qaeda.

The European Commission believes that Hungary’s LGBT media law is a violation of liberal democracy. I remind you that most, and maybe all, EU countries restrict speech to a degree shocking to Americans, whose liberal democracy protects free speech in the Constitution. Here’s Belgium, for example. Much of this I don’t understand, in the sense of it seems to go too far. But the people who best understand what is the correct policy for the Belgians are … the Belgians. Here is a link to a 2019 EU report on media laws to protect children and minors. It’s perfectly clear that the EU has no problem forbidding speech that it deems harmful to minors. Its beef with Hungary is that the Hungarians do not agree that homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgenderism are phenomena to be encouraged among children and minors. The illiberal leftist democracy that is the EU wishes to override the decisions of Hungarian parents about how their children will be educated on sex and gender matters — and then blame the Hungarians for being illiberal bigots!

…

Neither Poland nor Hungary are trying to force their more traditional views on LGBT on other EU member states. But this is the issue that the EU is going to the mat over — this at a time when the EU is relatively weak, and needs to strengthen itself in a world of declining US power. Incredible. They are putting Europe’s future at risk because they cannot tolerate the thought that there’s one Magyar child who hasn’t heard the gospel of gender fluidity.

Expect the same treatment here in America from our ruling class baizuocracy. They are ginning themselves up for a war they believe they can win: one on the American people, especially traditional religious people. As the media and other institutions manufacture consent to persecute us, they will begin to describe us and our institutions as undemocratic, and a violation of American ideals. And then, those who haven’t already conformed will be brought to heel. American conservatives should look at what’s being done to Hungary, and understand that the same process is coming for us, unless we can somehow stop it.

Oh no, democracy is in danger because people freely voted for a candidate who respects the popular will by rejecting my policy positions. Thankfully, an unelected body of technocrats is stepping in to save democracy by imposing my policy positions upon this reactionary populace.

— Mathis-Louis Bitton (@mlbitton) September 16, 2021

#rod dreher #the american conservative #hungary #democracy in action

2 notes · View notes

fmdxsuji · 3 years ago

Text

restructuring task #1: changes (+5 tracker points)

assuming your muse has changed in some way, be it internally or as a result of a change of the external factors around them, how is your muse different? these can be as small as an opinion on a song they hadn’t released previously or as big as a major change in their background. // wc: 250

suji has gone through very little changes when it comes to her background. she still is born in birmingham, still doesn’t feel like she belongs, still has very overbearing parents who wanted both their children to become mathematicians or something. nevertheless, i did decide to rename suji’s sister because i don’t know what i was thinking when i decided to name her cheryl! her sister’s now named lydia but still has the korean name of sumin. i’ve also given her an official job so lydia works at some trading company. suji’s relationship with lydia wasn’t as bad as i made it out to be in the beginning and while her older sister still had some kind of resentment over the fact that suji managed to escape their parents’ controlling lives, the grudge didn’t last eight years like it did in suji version 1.0. however, the conflict between her parents and suji still exists as they’re still not completely approving of their daughter being an idol.

other than that, suji remains even less changed than hyeju does when it comes to her personality and attitude. she’s still a complete professional and believes in keeping up with a reputation that’s given to her since that comes with the job. she still loves writing in her diary and jotting down lyrics here and there. she’s still a hopeless romantic that dreams of fighting the right love one day, and she’s still quite sweet as ever when it comes to her interacting with others!

what does your muse think of their company and their group? // wc: 295

as odd as it may seem, she doesn’t actually have that many problems with gold star as a company. there are times when it becomes apparent that the company is still rather new (seeing that it was formed in 2009), but she thinks that their ceo having been an artist herself plays a lot into how management works. there’s times where she does feel like she’s genuinely heard by the executives even if that may be a naive thought to have. nevertheless, she understands gold star is still a business at the end of the day, but she knows that about her line of work. she also wouldn’t be surprised if gold star decides to drop equinox one day if they stop bringing in money. suji simply understands how this business works, and she knows that she’s merely a pawn in the middle of all of it.

equinox, on the other hand, she cherishes a lot more. she does see debuting as a sort of escape from her old life back in england so there’s a lot of underlying appreciation for the group. while she may not be super tight-knit with all her members (keeping this vague since things haven’t been thoroughly plotted out just yet) she still hopes that the group can continue to release music together. she thinks equinox is quite unique in the industry with how much variety their discography has, and she would like to keep that label even if it means releasing songs as bizarre as zimzalabim. with her solo promotions becoming more and more frequent, people may think she’s lost any kind of attachment she has to the group but that’s completely false. at the end of the day, she’ll continue to prioritize the group over her own activities.

is your muse on their first contract or their second? if they’ve renewed, what were their feelings around that at the time and what were their hopes for their second contract? if they haven’t renewed, what are their current thoughts on the end of their eventual first contract? // wc: 274

just recently, suji renewed her contract with gold star as equinox has recently passed their seventh year mark. truthfully, resigning with gold star wasn’t all that difficult because her mind was made already. she doesn’t have any personal problems with the company, and she believes she’d been given a lot of opportunities during her years there so there weren’t any specific reasons why she wouldn’t sign with them. sure, she had some minor complaints here and there (in title track decision making at times), but nothing big enough where she was leaning towards not resigning with them. the decision of the other equinox members were quite important, however, because she would have liked to continue promoting as equinox even after the seven years. she’s thankful that the rest of her members have agreed as well.

if there’s one thing she might hope for, it’ll most likely be related to music. she’s been quite lucky so far that the company had been quite trusting of her abilities to write her own music though there has been some tight leashes on her to release a certain type of music after her first solo mini album did very well. however, those leashes have been beginning to get loosened, and she’s hoping it stays that way because she’s been wanting to explore some different sounds herself. she’d also appreciate if they were more organized when it came to notifying her of her solo releases because there have been times where she was given a date that was only about a month and a half away which isn’t nearly enough time for her to come up with satisfying results.

what are your muse’s goals and motivations? // wc: 261

ultimately, suji simply hopes to continue to be able to release music. of course, ideally she’d be able to continue her career with equinox as far as the group takes her because that’s not a decision she can make on her own. however, she’s also aware that idol groups aren’t meant to last forever. when the day comes that the group eventually comes to an end, she’d want to continue staying in the industry somehow. she sees artists like lyn and baek jiyoung who continue to release music and do well, and she hopes that she can be able to have a long career like that as well. if that doesn’t work out, however, she’d like to stay behind the scenes and continue to write music. all her goals do involve music in some way as that’s what she doesn’t fail to continue to be passionate about.

her motivation mostly comes from people who leave comments about how much comfort her music gives them or how much they enjoy listening to her voice. without sounding too cocky, suji does think that she’s a pretty good singer, and she’d like to continue to use it to help others out. it’s also why she thinks she does well with traditional ballads because most of those involve minimal instrumentation and rely heavily on solely her voice.

while she doesn’t dream of leaving some long legacy with her name, she hopes that even in the future, people will listen to her music and remember her as someone who gifted them with good songs and performances.

what is one conflict, internal or external, that your muse is currently dealing with, has recently dealt with, or will need to deal with in the future? // wc: 294

currently, her biggest conflict is, funnily enough, getting over a heartbreak. she had confessed to a long term best friend about her feelings towards him and then she got ghosted so she’s still in a what is going on kind of phase. of course, she’s using this time to write music that hopefully can continue to come out (as they were points claimed), but she’s very focused on writing songs right now as that’s all she can focus on. that and of course equinox promotions as tiki taka promotions ended not too long ago.

there’s still the problem with her parents too. they’re not as intense as famed 1.0 suji, but there’s still some lingering conflicts involving them. since it’s been seven years since equinox’s debut, they’ve stopped hoping that suji returns to england and go back to being a student or whatever, but both sides (meaning suji and her parents) are sort of unsure how to bridge back this gap that’s formed between them. it’s like the physical distance between them has also caused an emotional one to form, and suji’s not sure how to go back to being her parent’s daughter if that makes any sense. it’s something i hope to continue to explore and eventually solve just as i did back when suji and her sister resolved their problems.

something less minor that’s been on my mind is how overworked suji has been since 2020 with the music she’s released (mostly my fault when it came to managing her claims). she’s not a complete workaholic anymore as she’s grown to learn how to manage her actual life and her professional life, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t ambitious about her career. she could potentially be getting sick in the future physically.

if your muse has established career claims, what are their thoughts on their career so far? if they do not, how do they feel about not having individual activities yet? what would they like to do in the future, if anything? if they don’t have ambitions for individual activities, explain why. // wc: 374

suji’s established career claims are in the following categories: music, variety and creative claims.

music seems almost straight forward seeing that she’s equinox’s main vocalist. it made sense to give her some solo ost’s especially since she has several chart-topping ones that were claimed with points. main vocalists having ost’s even as rookies seems to be a typical thing. most of her ost’s are emotionally driven one of suji’s strongest points is how well she can deliver emotion through her singing, and it’s also why i decided she gets a lot of ost offers to this day! she loves singing ost’s because it’s pretty low effort, and the recognition that comes with one that’s attached to a popular television drama is quite a lot. some people might not know who suji is but they would know one of her ost’s.

variety was an easy way for gold star to get suji’s name out there. while she doesn’t have any fixed roles with her established claims, she’s been on several things here and there. the most notable appearance is probably her problematic man guest role because it fit into everything that the company ever wanted for her image. the smart label that’s been put onto her only got emphasized even further with her one-episode guest appearance. suji doesn’t think she’s the best at variety shows but she’s not shabby either. a lot of times, she ends up becoming the center of jokes and she doesn’t mind since she knows somebody has to take up that role. shows where she has to interact with regular people are oddly comforting to her, and she’s been praised before at being great at interacting with others.

creative claims was also another sort of definite choice for suji. she’s always been interested in writing music and now her self-written solo debut makes more sense since she’s had the experience before by participating in equinox’s songs before. none of the title tracks, but she’s had a hand in their b-sides. the catalyst track thrown in there was mostly to show her experimenting with sounds that wouldn’t work for herself. a push to step outside the box most likely started by some of her other songwriting friends and mentors within the company.

#famedrstask1 #( ♡ * // headcanon. )

2 notes · View notes

bb-bambam · 4 years ago

Text

Arranged

Jinyoung has always known that he wasn't going to marry for love. His parents are too traditional for that, too invested in "securing an advantageous future" for him. So when they tell him, a few days before his eighteenth birthday, that they've contacted a matchmaker to start looking for suitable spouses for him, it isn't the matchmaker part that comes as a surprise – it's the fact that they're apparently contacting both men and women.

He had come out to his parents as bisexual a few years back without expecting much to come out of it, considering he knew his marriage would ultimately be arranged, so it comes as a pleasant surprise that his sexuality has stuck with them. Somehow, it makes him feel a little more at ease about the matchmaking process.

By the time Jinyoung turns eighteen, the matchmaker has already selected several eligible families – "eligible" meaning upper-middle class like themselves, or ideally, higher – for Jinyoung and his parents to meet. They don't end up meeting with any of them except for the first, though, because Im Jaebeom turns out to be Jinyoung's parents' ideal match for him. Jaebeom is next in line to become the CEO of his father's successful company, is open to having children via surrogacy or adoption, and had specifically chosen Jinyoung's profile himself after seeing his picture – all of which means it was basically a done deal from the moment he and his family walked through the door.

Jinyoung sits in his living room, sandwiched between his parents, staring at the man he's just been assigned to spend the rest of his life with. He's handsome, certainly, and he spoke eloquently enough while answering Jinyoung's parents' questions, but the way he's staring at Jinyoung dopily now without saying a word has Jinyoung wondering if there's anything else at all going on up there.

"Come, let's take some pictures," Jaebeom's father says. "The news outlets will want to see Jaebeom's chosen spouse."

"Husband," Jaebeom says, speaking unprompted for the first time since his arrival. Jinyoung doesn't know what to make of the smile tugging at his lips. "Not just my spouse. He'll be my husband."

"Right, your husband," Jaebeom's father corrects himself, but Jinyoung thinks he sees him roll his eyes good-naturedly as they all walk outside to take the pictures.

Jinyoung still isn't sure how to feel about this whole arrangement, so he maintains a carefully neutral expression as his parents encourage him to stand closer to Jaebeom. When he glances over, Jaebeom has a weirdly delighted expression on his face and no qualms whatsoever about getting closer to Jinyoung. All Jinyoung can do is obediently pose for their parents as the pictures are taken, all the while wondering what exactly he's getting himself into.

~~~

Married life isn't actually that bad, Jinyoung quickly comes to realize. A few months after the engagement was agreed upon, he and Jaebeom had gotten tied together in an extravagant ceremony that had admittedly been kind of fun, even though he was getting married to a relative stranger.

Over the past year, they've gotten to know each other better, and Jinyoung thinks they're good friends by now, close enough that they even agreed to adopt a cat together. Jinyoung is happy, because Jaebeom is a good husband (if a little overenthusiastic at times – he takes special care to always introduce Jinyoung as "my husband, Jinyoungie" to everyone they meet, which feels like it should be weird, but is mostly just endearing), and he's clearly doing his best to make Jinyoung comfortable. He's as much of a dork as Jinyoung had thought he would be based on their initial meeting, but he's also very sweet and thoughtful and sincere in everything he does – not to mention he really is astoundingly good-looking.

This line of thought leads Jinyoung to a realization he hadn't anticipated, given the nature of their marriage: Jinyoung is possibly smitten with his husband. They don't normally do "couple" things like holding hands or kissing – they had both felt too awkward to even consummate their marriage on their wedding night – but Jinyoung finds that increasingly, he wishes they would do all of it.

He's in the weeks-long process of mulling over what he should do about this unexpected turn of events when he comes home one evening to find Jaebeom lying on his stomach in the middle of the living room floor.

"What," Jinyoung says, somewhat scared to ask. "Is going on."

"Jinyoungie!" Jaebeom beams up at him, but makes no move to get up. "Nora crawled under the couch, so I'm keeping her company."

Jinyoung stares at him. I'm married to an imbecile, he thinks, feeling intensely fond. "You're such an idiot," he says out loud.

Jaebeom, if it's possible, somehow manages to look even more radiant. "I'm your idiot," he says, smiling goofily. He finally sits up and holds out his hand, showing off his ring. "Forever."

And god, he's so cute. It's really too soon to say for sure, but Jinyoung thinks he's halfway to falling in love. "You are," Jinyoung says, returning the smile. Feeling bold, he leans down and presses a kiss to the corner of Jaebeom's mouth. When he draws away, his own face is burning, but the pink flush on Jaebeom's face as he lifts his hand to touch the spot where Jinyoung's lips just were makes it worth it.

It's okay to be smitten with his husband, Jinyoung decides. It's okay, because he's lucky enough that his husband is completely enamored with him too.

#jjp #writing #arranged marriage au!!! never thought i'd write one but here we are!!

16 notes · View notes