#stop relying on celebrities to be experts on things they know no better than you do!

[faithfromanewperspective]

i think the problem with the expectation of activism and saying the exact right thing is that people aren't always as intelligent as we think they are. and there's nothing wrong with having lower skills in the area of critical thinking and being able to figure out who is right and wrong in a seemingly grey (or highly misrepresented) situation. your intelligence cannot be conflated with your morality. if you're a little bit gullible it doesn't make you a bad person. but, yes, to some extent you need to be a little self aware so you don't spread misinformation to people who trust you to know what you're taking about.

still, the real villains are and will always be the people who are twisting the truth for their own gain. they did it in order that some people will fall for it, and some people always will. it doesn't make you a bad person. in fact thinking it does is classist and a colonial way of thinking that values intellectualism over basic things like on the ground kindness (which doesn't require massive amounts of critical thinking). it tells people everything from the idea that they're morally weak if they ever get sucked into a cult to the idea that actual real delusions are their fault and some kind of shortfalling. you can say that critical thinking is a vital skill to learn on a mass level in order to preserve society and prevent oppression, while at the same time not be ableist and expect every non-expert to understand (and say the right thing about) things they probably have no idea about.

[avengerscompound]

Moving On - Chapter 5

Moving On: A Falcon & Captain Marvel Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Sam Wilson x F!Reader, Carol Danvers x F! Reader

Word Count:  2486

Rating:  E

Warnings:  Pregnancy, death of major character(s), canon typical violence

Synopsis:  You thought Sam Wilson was the love of your life.  You had planned to do it all with him - marriage, kids, see the world.  Even when you’re life gets turned upside down, and you both end up international fugitives, he’s there by your side.

Then Thanos comes.

When Sam is one of the many turned to dust, leaving you alone and pregnant, you don’t think you’ll ever stop grieving.  Yet, everyone tells you that Sam would want you to move on and live your life - that he’d want you to be happy. Gradually you open your heart up to another.  Carol Danvers has lost people too.  First her daughter, then her wife.  As the two of you lean on each other, feelings grow and you move on together.

So what happens when Sam is returned to you?

Chapter 5: When the Dust Settles

Steve had gotten the call from Bruce late at night.  It had come in on his emergency burner phone -  the one that only Tony Stark had the number for.  You’d seen him answer it with shaking hands, and the different possibilities of why Tony might be calling had all seemed to run through your head simultaneously.  Had they overturned the Accords?  Had they dropped the charges against all of you?  Was he just calling to say sorry or that he missed Steve?  Had something bad happened?  Was there an attack and the Accords didn’t matter now, because they needed everyone on board?  Had something happened to Rhodey?

While one of those was right, the last thing you’d expected to hear was for Steve to say the words; ‘Bruce calm down, I don’t understand what you’re trying to say’.

You’d watched the news on the flight to Scotland to retrieve Vision and Wanda.  You’d been told Vision was at risk of attack and your group had arrived not a second too soon. Wanda and Vision were being attacked by two aliens that had to be at least six-foot-six.

Your group had managed to protect them, though Vision had been injured and Steve decided that with this attack, it was time to go home.

Despite what was happening, you couldn’t help but be excited to go back to the compound.  Maybe if you could all deal with this, it would show everyone how the Avengers were needed and you could all go home for good.  You wondered if Tony had kept your things and if not where they would be.  You were excited to just be somewhere familiar even if it was just for a minute.

“Don’t get your hopes up too high,” Sam said, practically reading your mind.  “This is bad, babe.”

“I know,” you said with a sigh.  “I know but… we don’t lose.”

“Don’t do that!”  He yelped.  “You’re gonna jinx us.”

“Sorry,” you sighed, shaking your head.  “It’s just been so long.”

He rubbed your back.  “And everything is a mess.  We’ll just do the right thing.”

“Hope for the best, expect the worst,” you said.

“That’s right,” Sam said.

You had stayed at the compound for even less time than you had expected.  A greeting from a holographic Secretary Ross that involved an order to have you arrested, an awkward greeting between Bruce and Natasha, and debate about how this whole thing was going to be faced.  This ‘whole thing’ being an alien megalomaniac who seemed to have a philosophy degree but thought he was an expert on ecology.  He believed that the way to solve overpopulation and limited resources was to destroy half of all life and was now collecting some stones that would allow him to do it.  One of the stones currently resided in Vision’s head.

So it was back on the Quinn for a return trip to Wakanda in the hopes that Shuri might be able to remove the stone from Vision’s head so that it could be destroyed before another attack took place.

While Shuri worked on Vision the rest of you prepared for battle.  You went to have a quick medical once over before this got started.  The nerves you’d been feeling were making you a little lightheaded and you wanted to make sure it wasn’t anything that would get you into trouble during a fight.

“You are a little anemic,” the medic said.  “I’d say that is from the slight malnutrition.  All of your teammates are a little undernourished.  But the pregnancy won’t help.”

You blinked at her and shook your head.  “Sorry - the what?”

“You didn’t know you were pregnant?”  She asked.  “It’s very new?  Five weeks?  No signs of nausea yet?”

“No… no.  I… but… we’re… we use protection!”

“These things can happen, and with the current lifestyle you’re leading, it would be no surprise if you missed a dosage or there was a breakage,” she said. “I’m sorry.  If you don’t want this we can talk about what you want to do at a more opportune moment.”

You shook your head, not sure what to think.  You laughed… or at least you tried to. It was more of a hysterical sounding screech.  “Right.  Let’s wait until the world isn’t ending.”

“I’m sorry, this is a lot to take in today, isn’t it?” The medic said, going to a cabinet of medication.  She shook a couple of pills out of a bottle and brought them over to you with a small cup of water.  “Here, take these.  It will help with any lightheadedness and nausea you might experience.  We don’t want that in the midst of what’s to come.”

You quickly swallowed the pills and started to redress in your armor.  “Thank you, doc,” you said.  “Sorry for bringing this fight to your door.”

“If it is as serious as they say and you can’t stop it, then we won’t be protected just because we’re in Wakanda,” she said with a shrug.  “Not this time.”  She sighed and looked at you.  “Take care of yourself.  When you’ve saved the world, talk to the father and the two of you can come back to see me, and I’ll help you with the next step, whatever that is.”

“Thank you,” you said sincerely.  “That’s really kind.”

You went outside to where Sam, Rhodey, and Bucky were all waiting by the ships.  “All good?”  Sam asked, looking back at you.

Before you could answer there was a loud rumble in the sky.  You looked up to see a huge ship that resembled some kind of tower entering the atmosphere.

Sam pressed his finger to his comms device.  “Hey, Cap, we’ve got a situation here.”

It crashed into the dome above and exploded on impact, completely disintegrating in the air above you.

“God, I love this place,” Bucky said, as he looked up at it.

“Yeah, don't start celebrating yet, guys. We got more incoming outside the dome,” Rhodey added as more of the ships landed around the perimeter of the dome that protected Wakanda from the rest of the world.

Sam approached you.  “Guess it's the end of the world time,” he said as alarms started sounding and people began to scramble.

You briefly and tenderly kissed him, the secret that you had burning inside you.  “Sam,” you said, taking his hand.

He looked at you and raised an eyebrow.  “What’s up.”

You wanted to tell him but now was not the time.  He needed his head in the game, and so did you.  “Don’t do anything dumb.”

He laughed.  “You sound like Steve just before he jumps off the side of a building.  I’ve got wings, I’ll be fine.”

“See you when the dust settles,” you said.

“Yeah, you too,” he agreed and pecked your cheek.  The two of you then ran off in different directions.  You gathered with Bucky and Natasha, while he went to speak to Rhodey.

Steve, T’Challa, the Dora Milaje all arrived not long after, and your team and the armies of Wakanda were all marched onto carriers as Bruce messed around with a set of Kimoyo Beads with the help of Okoye.  As you were settling onto the carrier, a hole opened in the dome above your head and the Veronica Unit crashed down to earth nearby.  Natasha sighed and vaulted off the carrier going to help Bruce get a handle of the Hulk Buster armor.

By the time you were all flying your way down to the borders of Wakanda, you were in the blank zone that you hid in when you needed to rely on your instincts alone.

Sam and Rhodey flew overhead as the carriers took the armies to their positions and you all formed a large wall facing the dome that held the aliens out.

Steve, T’Challa, and Natasha went to the barrier to talk to the two aliens you had fought in Scotland.  You watched on, knowing it wasn’t going to amount to anything.  The female raised her spear and the ships began to open up.

“Did they surrender?”  Bucky asked.

“Not exactly,” Steve replied as he resumed his position.

Hoards of huge beasts ran through the treeline towards the barrier.  “Looks like we pissed her off,” Natasha said.

You watched on as swarms of the beasts began attacking the barrier, throwing themselves on it, not caring that it was skinning them and tearing them apart too.  “They’re killing themselves,” Okoye said, horrified.

Some began to breach the barrier and charge towards the waiting army.  Bucky, Bruce, and the Wakandan Army began attacking them with long-range weapons, felling them as they broke past Rhodey and Sam who attacked them at the wall.

“Cap, if these things circle the perimeter and get in behind us... there's nothing between them and Vision,” Bruce said through the comms.

“Then we better keep 'em in front of us,” Steve said gravely.

“How do we do that?”  Okoye asked T’Challa.

“We open the barrier,” T’Challa said, and touched his comms device.  “On my signal, open North-West Section Seventeen.  On my signal.”

“This will be the end of Wakanda,” M’Baku said to Okoye.

“Then it will be the noblest ending in history,” Okoye said.

Everyone readied themselves while T’Challa shouted his commands in Xhosa to the army around him.  The border tribesmen let down their shields and T’Challa walked out in front of them.  “Wakanda forever!”  He shouted and everyone charged.

As you ran down towards the border, pulling out your batons and hoping to god that you had the strength to get through this battle, the barrier opened and the beasts flooded through.

You were back from the frontlines when you encountered your first one, and you battled it, back to back with one of the river tribesman, the two of you taking it down together.  Two more attacked immediately, separating you from the man and you did your best to take the one you were facing down.  You could already see that this was not going to go as planned.  There were so many of them and they were so strong.  You managed to take down two others when you saw Bruce getting overwhelmed in the hulkbuster armor.  It felt hopeless, but you needed to win this.  You needed to go home with Sam and start your life together.  This couldn’t be how it ended.

There was a large crack and then something flew through the sky, taking out dozens of the beasts in one go, freeing up both yourself and several of your teammates.  When the air cleared what you realized was a large ax flew into the hand of Thor, who stood with what appeared to be a humanoid tree and a raccoon holding a gun that was at least as big as it was.

Bruce retracted his helmet and laughed loudly.  “Ah-hahaha! You guys are so screwed now!”

“Bring me Thanos!”  Thor roared, charging towards the leaders of the beasts.  He jumped into the air and slammed back down to the ground, his lightning taking out a huge swarm of them.

Thor turned the tide of the battle.  The hoard was being kept back and Thor seemed to be getting closer and closer to their leader.  The hopefulness began to return and you got a new surge of energy.  You were going to win this.  You and Sam were going to go home and retire.  He was going to run his business with his sister.

There was a deep rumble and the earth itself began to quake.  A huge wave ran out underground, sending trees flying and bursting out from under the walls of the dome were huge weaponized wheels that began to churn up everything, people included.

“Fall back!  Fall back now!”  T’Challa yelled and you began to run back away from the combat, trying to get away from the machines.

Wanda flew out from the window and threw one of them, taking it completely out of play.  Your relief at the next of your biggest hitters joining the field was short-lived as you saw Vision tumble out of the window of the palace and down the face of Mount Bashenga.

“Guys, we got a Vision situation here,” Sam said through the comms.

“Somebody get to Vision!”  Steve shouted.

“I got him,” Bruce said, taking off in the direction of the synthoid.

“On my way,” Wanda echoed.

You kept fighting.  Everything became more and more chaotic around you, and your battle turned away from actually trying to stop them, to just trying to survive long enough that you could get to the end of the battle.  The rest of your teammates seemed to head toward a copse of trees while you were still stuck in the open. You wanted to be with them if this all went south.  You didn’t want to die in a field surrounded by strangers, but with each step forward you made you were pushed back two more by the invaders.

Thor had begun to destroy the alien ships, bolstering your hope again despite the fact your energy was waning.  You could hear the battle cries of the Jabari as they began to take control of the battle and slowly you began to start gaining on the treeline.

An eerie silence fell on the battlefield and you picked up your speed running to where your friends were.

“Everyone, on my position. We have incoming,” Steve said over comms.  You looked around for some sign of more ships or something, but you had no idea what he was talking about.

You arrived in time to see Sam being hurled aside by a huge purple man that you could only assume was Thanos.  You charged at the titan, knowing it was no use, but knowing also that it was death either way.  He batted you aside like you were nothing, you hit your head, and lost consciousness.

When you came too, you thought for a second you were hallucinating.  There were people on the battlefield turning to dust.  You scrambled to your feet and looked around, blinking your eyes.  This couldn’t be happening.  People couldn’t just be disintegrating.

“Sam?!”  You called turning around and running in the direction where you last saw him.

Rhodey was looking around with the same look of confusion everyone else seemed to share.  “Sam?”  He called as he gazed around the forest floor.

“Sam!”  You screamed.  “Sam!  Answer me!”

“We’ll find him,” Rhodey assured you.  “He’s gotta be here.”

“He was right here.  I saw him here,” you said, and dropped to your knees, running your hands over the ground where you were sure he’d been.  Your hands came back covered in the dust you’d seen other people disintegrating into.  It was him.  You’d lost him.  You had expected the worst but even your worst hadn’t been you left here alone.  You sunk back on your knees and wailed.

// NEXT

[theartist666-official]

~ Heroic Halloween || MHA Boys x GN! Reader || SFW Halloween HCs ~

(A/N: I’m kinda bored so here are some headcanons for if you and one of the mha boys decided to both wear costumes that paired cuz that couple shit is cute uwu)

edit: just so y’all know, i’m making more headcanons similar to this with other characters. so please check them out. if you want to that is idk

Izuku Midoriya

• He’s probably spending a lot of time considering what he wanted to wear this year for Halloween (other than an All Might costume lol)

• Then here you come suggesting that this year you two could get couple’s costumes so you can pair with each other

• When you say this, he’s a little surprised. He’s definitely thought of it before ever since he started crushing on you, but he didn’t think it would ever actually happen.

• “You want us to go as paired characters?” His face definitely turning a bright shade of red.

• So of course, he says yes and is very ecstatic. He then goes into his mutter-mutter mode while trying to think of all the pairings you two could possibly go as.

• Eventually you two end up going as Sherlock and Watson

Katsuki Bakugou

• From the outside, he doesn’t look like he really cares about what to go as for Halloween, and he doesn’t. But he wonders what you’re wanting to go as.

• When you go suggest getting couple’s costumes, he immediately says, “No. I don’t even care about stupid shit like that.” He scoffed.

• As much as he denies your suggestion, you don’t stop persisting. Eventually he caves in and complies to the idea, not that he actually minded it in the first place. Tsundere much ō3ō

• Though he was very adamant about shooting down the suggestion, he’s actually looked online in his free time for some couple’s costume ideas and has helped with the decision making.

• His argument: “If we’re going as a pair, we’re gonna have to be the best damn pair that’ll make everyone jealous and writhe at that fact that we’re better than them.” Katsuki what the fu—

• The pairing you two go as is a devil and an angel

Shoto Todoroki

• This boy doesn’t really care too much about Halloween, but he still wants to find some sort of costume to wear because he’s still learning to engage in activities he wasn’t really able to as a kid

• At first he decides to himself without too much thought, “I guess I’ll go as a ghost.” But when you suggest going as a coupled pair for Halloween, he immediately disregards being whatever the heck he thought about.

• He’s definitely a bit surprised by the suggestion, but he’s intrigued. Plus he’ll do it because he kinda wants to please you.

• He’s not exactly an expert when it comes to planning these kinds of things, so he’ll listen to some of your suggestions and even go to the other classmates for help.

• In the end you two go as a knight and a prince/princess

Eijiro Kirishima

• This precious boy will be thinking, “What’s something super manly or cool that’ll impress my friends?” when trying to decide what to go as for Halloween.

• Y’know, because he cares about what people think of him 🙂

• Anyways, when you come up to him and suggest going as a coupled pair this year for Halloween, he’ll smile so wide and be very ecstatic. He’ll probably pick you up and spin you around praising you for the idea.

• Now with a new found determination, he’s going through many ideas online and even goes around the mall or some sort of Halloween store for ideas.

• “You’re really excited for Halloween this year, aren’t you?” You’d chuckle. “How can I not? I get to do something fun that only my love and I can share!”

• So for Halloween, you two go as a pirate and a mermaid/merman

Hanta Sero

• He wants to do something impressive this year for Halloween, but he doesn’t really know what. He could go as a mummy or a ninja or maybe even try to pull off the vampire look this year.

• While looking through magazines for ideas, you catch him off guard when you tell him you’d like for the two of you to pair up this year and wear couple’s costumes.

• “Really? That’s such a good idea! Why didn’t I think of that? Nothing less from mi amor~” (a/n side note: i’m such a simp for latino sero)

• He often brags to the others that he gets to do something as fun as this with his s/o every time they’re around him while he’s looking through pinterest boards of costume ideas

• For Halloween, you two go as a matador and a bull

Denki Kaminari

• He’s the one suggesting it before you even get the chance to

• Ever since you two became a thing, he’s fantasized many of the future events you two will celebrate together including Halloween.

• As the months drew closer to the month of spooks, he’s compiled a list of costume ideas while adding and taking some away out of consideration

• Some of his pairing ideas don’t even actually pair well or accurately together. “What do you mean? A sexy nurse and a swordsman totally go together!”

• Reluctantly, he crosses those ones off the list but always keeps them in mind and still has some of those costumes in his Amazon shopping cart.

• However, the both of you end up going as a witch doctor and a voodoo doll

Tenya Iida

• Tenya’s probably considered going as Frankenstein’s monster or a zombie or something, but he decides to go to you for ideas and to ask what you’ll be this year.

• Jokingly you tell him you wanna wear some kind of promiscuous costume like a succubus/incubus and he’ll scold you and tell you to throw that idea out the window immediately.

• You then tell him you actually wanted to go as a pairing together for Halloween and he’s a bit surprised, maybe a little flustered. But smiling sweetly at you, he agrees.

• When trying to decide what the two of you should go as, he wants it to be something that symbolizes/represents you both well.

• He’ll ask his classmates for help but will mostly rely on the internet or magazines for costume ideas.

• For Halloween you two decide to go steampunk

Fumikage Tokoyami

• You know this boy’s already thinking about what to wear for Halloween considering it’s the day after his birthday (and because he edgy boy)

• While deciding his costume, he wonders about what you’ll be wearing on that day.

• So when he asks you, and you tell him you actually wanna go as something paired together, he’s caught by surprise.

• “Well, I suppose I don’t mind. That would make decision-making on costumes much easier.”

• He’s honestly really happy you wanted that because it also gives him more reason to strengthen the bonds in your relationship and be more intimate with you.

• So eventually you two decide to go as a grim reaper and a ghost

[writing-prompts-for-friends]

Notes from Stephen King’s “On Writing” 07: The Revision Process

Next, King walks us through his revision process. He makes it clear that this method is not the only method. It is merely a method. 

How Many Drafts?

“For me, the answer has always been two drafts and a polish (with the advent of word-processing technology, my polishes have become closer to a third draft).”

King admits that this number of drafts is not the golden rule. Kurt Vonnegut rewrote each page of his novels until he got them exactly the way he wanted them. This meant that when the manuscript was finished, the book was finished. (I certainly am not that big of a perfectionist, nor am I that patient lol.)

For beginner writers in particular, King offers the following advice:

“Let me urge that you take your story through at least two drafts; the one you do with the study door closed and the one you do with it open.

“This first draft--the All-Story Draft--should be written with no help (or interference) from anyone else. There may come a point when you want to show what you’re doing to a close friend because you’re proud of what you’re doing or because you’re doubtful about it. My best advice is to resist this impulse. Keep the pressure on; don’t lower it by exposing what you’ve written to the doubt, the praise, or even the well-meaning questions of someone from the Outside World. Let your hope of success (and your fear of failure) carry you on, difficult as that can be. There’ll be time to show off what you’ve done when you finish...but even after finishing I think you must be cautious and give yourself a chance to think while the story is still like a field of freshly fallen snow, absent of any tracks save your own.”

Basically, King just wants you to get it all out onto the paper, with no external forces influencing you (for better or for worse). Just get that first draft out, and then open it up for closer examination both to yourself and others.

Let It Breathe and Then Dig In!

Okay, so you finished writing the first draft! Celebrate! Rejoice! Maybe cry!

...And then throw that manuscript into a drawer, lock it up tight, and don’t look at it for a minimum of six weeks. And in the meantime, do something totally unrelated to what you wrote. Get into knitting. Write a short story that is nothing like what you just finished. It’s consumed you for months now--so give your mind and imagination some time to reset and chill. 

King recommends a minimum of six weeks, but even longer is okay. Resist all temptation to peek at it. And once the six weeks have passed, do the following:

“Take your manuscript out of the drawer. If it looks like an alien relic bought at a junk-shop or a yard sale where you can hardly remember stopping, you’re ready. Sit down with your door shut, a pencil in your hand, and a legal pad by your side. Then read your manuscript over.

“Do it all in one sitting, if possible. Make all the notes you want, but concentrate on the mundane housekeeping jobs, like fixing misspellings and picking up inconsistencies. There’ll be plenty; only God gets it right the first time and only a slob says, ‘oh well, let it go, that’s what copyeditors are for.’

“If you’ve never done it before, you’ll find reading your book over after a six-week layover to be a strange, often exhilarating experience. It’s yours, you’ll recognize it as yours, even be able to remember what tune was on the stereo when you wrote certain lines, and yet it will also be like reading the work of someone else, a soul-twin, perhaps. This is the way it should be, the reason you waited. It’s always easier to kill someone else’s darlings than it is to kill your own.”

You’ll also be on the lookout for any glaring holes in the plot or character development. And if you spot any of these big holes, you are forbidden from feeling depressed about them. Don’t be hard on yourself. Everybody makes mistakes, and they can all be fixed. 

Generally King goes through the first reading fixing all the superficial issues, like typos and unclear antecedents. But as he’s doing that, he’s also asking himself the Big Questions:

Is this story coherent? 

If it is, what will turn coherence into a song?

What are the recurring elements?

Do they entwine and make a theme?

What’s it all about?

“Most of all, I’m looking for what I meant, because in the second draft I’ll want to add scenes and incidents that reinforce that meaning. I’ll also want to delete stuff that goes in other directions. There’s apt to be a lot of that stuff, especially near the beginning of a story, when I have a tendency to flail.”

I can understand what King is saying here about the flailing at the beginning. Because I do not plot when I write, I have ideas that crop up halfway through that would require being introduced earlier, for example. Or perhaps as my understanding of the characters evolved as I wrote more, I realize that they behaved out-of-character earlier on. This is certainly one downside to not plotting. But isn’t is also kinda liberating to be able to take detours and wind up at a different but equally interesting destination?

Okay. So go ahead and fix all of the issues you found, and your first revision is complete.

Second Opinions and the Second Revision

“Do all opinions weigh the same? Not for me.”

Now you’re done with the first draft. You’ve patched over any plot holes and smoothed out those typos and grammar mistakes. You’ve polished the symbols and themes until they shine.

Once this is done, King gives a copy of work to his wife and several close friends (4-8) to receive detailed feedback. In other words, he has several close friends beta for him. 

“Many writing texts caution against asking friends to read your stuff, suggesting you’re not apt to get a very unbiased opinion from folks who’ve eaten dinner at your house and sent their kids over to play with your kids in your backyard. 

“The idea has some validity, but I don’t think an unbiased opinion is exactly what I’m looking for. And I believe that most people smart enough to read a novel are also tactful enough to find a gentler mode of expression than ‘This sucks.’ Besides, if you really did write a stinker, wouldn’t you rather hear the news from a friend while the entire edition consists of a half-dozen Xerox copies?”

What he gets back is 4-8 very detailed and different analyses of what he wrote. What’s very important to remember is that every reader looks at a work through a different lens. If half of them say a character’s portrayal is far-fetched but the other half say the opposite, than their feedback regarding that point has balanced out. However, if the majority of them say that something doesn’t work, then King goes back and sees if he can improve it. 

Also, different readers pick up on different details. This is the age of internet and now we are able to check facts whenever we like, but it is still nice to have something of a subject matter expert on hand, because they are liable to pick up on details that the writer may not. 

For example, I often beta fanfiction for anime. I am fluent in Japanese, live in Japan, and have studied Japanese culture and history. While I would never claim to be a “subject matter expert” on Japan, I am able to make certain corrections regarding, say, the type of kimono a character should be wearing, that the writer would not have considered. 

It’s very easy to accept feedback that deals with facts (i.e. a beta corrects you on the standard procedures for CPR). However, it’s much harder to handle subjective feedback (i.e. “The ending felt inconclusive.”). Having put as much work as you have into creating this, it can feel like a personal attack because this story is a very dear part of you. What do you do if your beta tells you something like this?

“Subjective evaluations are, as I say, a little harder to deal with, but listen: if everyone who reads your book says you have a problem, you’ve got a problem and you better do something about it.

“Plenty of writers resist this idea. They feel that revising a story according to the likes and dislikes of an audience is somehow akin to prostitution. ... But come on, we’re talking about half a dozen people you know and respect. If you ask the right ones, they can tell you a lot.

“Do all opinions weigh the same? Not for me. In the end I listen most closely to [my wife], because she’s the one I write for, the one i want to wow. If you’re writing primarily for one person besides yourself, I advise you pay very close attention to that person’s opinion. And if what you hear makes sense, then make the changes. You can’t let the whole world into your story, but you can let in the ones that matter the most. And you should.”

I think, especially in the age of prolific fanfiction in which the author usually updates as they write the story, the author feels a lot of pressure from their readers. Readers chomping at the bit for the main characters to have a naughty scene, or demanding to know about that one secret thing that you keep alluding to. A lot of fanfic writers struggle to tow the line of “writing a good story based on reader feedback” and “pandering.” 

My advice to fanfic writers out there is to tell those thirsty readers to read a one-shot if they’re looking for a quick fix of smut, and to have some goddamn patience. You’re trying to tell a story, one that builds and progresses, and that takes time. Don’t give in to those “OMG MAKE THEM KISS ALREADY” reviews. But if a lot of readers say something like, “I feel like this character wouldn’t do that,” then perhaps you should re-evaluate that. 

On Pace and Reducing Glut

“Formula: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft - 10%.”

So now you have your first draft done. You have your feedback from your trusted betas. And now you need to go and make the final changes. 

King states that you should rely on your most trusted betas to gauge whether or not your story is paced correctly and if you’ve handled the back story in satisfactory fashion. “Pace” is the speed at which your narrative unfolds. 

”There is a kind of unspoken (hence undefended and unexamined) belief in publishing circles that the most commercially successful stories are novels are fast-paced. I guess the underlying thought is that people have so many things to do today, and are so easily distracted from the printed word, that you’ll lose them unless you become a kind of short-order cook, serving up sizzling burgers, fries, and eggs over easy just as fast as you can. 

“But you can overdo the speed thing. Move too fast and you risk leaving the reader behind, either by confusing or by wearing him/her out. ... I believe each story should be allowed to unfold at its own pace, and that pace is not always double time. Nevertheless, you need to beware--if you slow the pace down too much, even the most patient reader is apt to grow restive.”

So how can you strike a happy medium? Rely on your most trusted betas and their input. King says, “Every story and novel is collapsible to some degree. If you can’t get out ten percent of it while retaining the basic story and flavor, you’re not trying very hard. The effect of judicious cutting is immediate and often amazing. You’ll feel it and your betas will too.”

On backstory, King issues some opinions and advice:

It’s important to get the backstory in as quickly as possible, but it’s also important to do it with some grace.

A reader is more interested in what’s going to happen instead of what already did.

Even when you tell your story in a straightforward manner, you’ll discover you can’t escape at least some backstory. 

“The most important things to remember about backstory are that (a) everyone has a history and (b) most of it isn’t very interesting. Stick to the parts that are, and don’t get carried away with the rest.”

Source: King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Hodder, 2012.

[frenchy-and-the-sea]

Gift Fic - Of a Hand’s Span

It’s officially over two months past due, so idk if I can call this a birthday gift, but I bludgeoned my way through a serious case of writer’s block for the very lovely @thereluctantinquisitor anyway! I realized too late that this might read as a bit of a rehash of the birthday fic you wrote me Kay, and I don’t consider myself an expert enough on your delightful OCs to think it’s at all in character, but I hope you enjoy the effort all the same! Thank you for always being a voice of encouragement and an incredible friend!! <3

~ 2500 words, of the Stonebreaker variety

------

When your year included a day spent swinging from the gallows, it seemed poor luck not to celebrate surviving it. 

The realization found Sylda quietly, one scorching afternoon in the height of summer as she idled around the dingy inn room that she and Delver had spent too much of their dwindling coin on. They hadn’t had much choice in the matter; the little inn was about the only place a reasonable person could wait out the arrival of the caravans that ferried travelers through the heart of the wilds beyond the bustling little trade stop. So they had spent the last two days waiting, until the waiting turned to bickering, and the bickering to silence, and the silence to sudden, glaring memory. 

Staring up at the pock-marked ceiling, Sylda checked the date against the calendar in her head, checked it a second time for good measure, then sighed and heaved herself up off of the groaning springs of the bed beneath her. Its complaints drew Delver’s attention from his third reread of the book that he was definitely not falling asleep to. 

“Where are you going?” he asked hazily, on reflex. There was resistance in his voice already. Sylda shrugged.

“Out,” she said, just to annoy him. “Maybe down to the market. Maybe to a tavern with some better wine. Hey, if I’m bored enough, maybe I’ll find my way over to the Gilded Keys. That could be fun.”

“We need to be here when the caravan arrives,” Delver reminded her, blinking the mirage of the book’s pages from his eyes as she crossed to the door.

“Mhm.”

“And I’m not going to climb around the whole city looking for you.”

“Of course not. I’ll be back.”

“Sure.” Delver sighed, scrubbing half-heartedly at what Sylda assumed was the beginning of his latest headache. Then he straightened.

“Isn’t the Gilded Keys a brothel?”

Her answer was the door falling shut behind her.

------

It was a productive afternoon, all things considered.

She spent nearly all of it loitering around the fringes of the market square, indulging in the long-neglected impulses of a thief gone nearly legitimate. A bakery lost some small, pocket-sized rolls fresh from the oven. A grocer misplaced a lump of cheap butter and a wide-mouthed jar of jam. A vintner got a very fine payout for a bottle of strawberry wine from the purse of a nervous gentleman up the road who had used braided cord for his purse strings instead of tarred rope. All in all, child's work, but clean work nonetheless. As the sun began to fall behind the edge of the horizon, Sylda wound her way as far from the center of town as she dared, and scaled the first roof that looked stable enough to hold her. It was nothing more than a low, flat plane of straw mats several blocks from the market, packed down and then gone over several times with pitch and bits of clay until it was as solid and sharp as unhewn granite. The family of three that lived beneath it wouldn't hear her footfalls on something that thick, even without all of the arguing they were doing.

She settled herself down on the corner that jutted out over a deserted alleyway, dangling her feet over the edge as she spread her spoils out beside her. The bread was still warm from its stay in the satchel she had tucked against her chest, just enough to melt the harder edge of the butter that she slathered on top. Cheap though it was, it was still deliciously salty, accenting the sweetness of the jam and the tart pop of wine. She indulged in three of the rolls, and half of the bottle of wine, before she let the tension roll slowly out of her shoulders.

Another year, then.

By every metric, that was something worthy of a toast. It meant that she hadn’t been too slow or  too stupid, or at least that she had been good at cutting an escape when she was. It meant that she had cultivated enough luck and favor to be more of an asset than a menace. It meant that she had kept herself fed and safe and alive, and that she had done so, consistently, season after season, for the better part of two decades. 

Almost, whispered the traitorous voice in her mind, quiet as a shadow. Almost, and almost not. A shame, to have nearly lost so much to the rope, and to have it mean so little…

She silenced the thought with another angry gulp of wine. She had survived. That was plenty. She didn't owe the world anything past that; she didn't owe anything to anyone.

And to yourself?

Sylda lowered her bottle as the flash of anger fizzled. Well, that was the question, wasn’t it? She had survived, and in surviving had been dragged away from everything that she had ever known. Every blessing and curse of street life, every familiar face that she had loved and never thought that she would miss; all of it had been swept away from her like so much road dust under her heels, carried off in one whirlwind of an afternoon. Now, instead, she had a messy inn room to look forward to one night, a frigid road camp the next. She had the company of a man who irritated her nine days out of ten, whose need for her mostly involved being a particularly interesting puzzle. Oh, Delver was fine as far as traveling companions went, but he had been clear about the purpose she served him, and vice versa. An even trade. That hardly made him something to be relied on.

When she thought about it, truly thought about it, her blessings fit almost entirely in the span of her hands - these clothes, this butter, a handful of rolls, a bottle of wine -

“There you are!”

And she nearly lost the bottle of wine over the edge of the roof. Heart in her throat, Sylda spun in her seat as Delver's head suddenly appeared over the edge of the wall beside her, his face twisted into a grimace of effort as he struggled up over the side. Habit alone roused her to her feet quickly enough to reach him at the edge of the roof, and haul him up by the crook of his elbow. 

"What in the world are you doing here?" she asked, bewildered, as he staggered to his feet. Delver just snorted and knocked the topmost layer of grime from his cloak. 

"I’m doing what I explicitly said I wasn't going to do,” he said dryly. “I'm climbing all over this dusty speck of a supply town looking for you. It's been hours, Sylda."

Defiance edged up through the cracks in her surprise. "I told you I was going out.”

"Sure. And then you went and stayed out until nearly sundown, when we were supposed to be back at the inn, waiting on the caravan -"

"Oh, the caravan isn't here yet." When Delver arched an eyebrow, Sylda shrugged. "What? I’m right, aren't I? If it had shown up already, I’d have seen it, or at least heard the ruckus from the market. You can spot them coming a full league away, and I’ve spent years running rooftops. I know what to keep an eye for.”

“Do you?” Irritation touched the edges of Delver’s tone. “Well, that’s a relief. Because you didn’t seem to ‘keep an eye’ on the shopkeepers that you spent all afternoon stealing from. If you had, maybe they wouldn’t have known exactly who I was talking about when I asked after you.”

He made a flourishing gesture to his purse, which jingled pitifully against his waist. Newly emptied, Sylda realized with a wince. She could just about picture the shape of the conversation that Delver had been subject to when the shopkeepers that she had swindled recognized her description. Maybe she hadn’t shaken nearly as much rust off as she had thought. She chanced a sheepish grin.

“In my defense, I wasn’t exactly intending to go back to them.”

Delver huffed. “No, I bet you weren’t.”

The brush of an insult there was almost enough to raise Sylda to an argument, but Delver’s attention had already shifted down to her meager pile of plunder, still lain out on the roof’s edge. He eyed the simple fare over for a moment, frowning, then turned to steal a glance up at her through the dirty fringe of his hair.

“Why?”

She could have lied. Could have pretended that she didn’t know what he was asking, could have pretended she was just sharpening her skills again, could have chalked it up to boredom, plain and simple. But a ghost possessed her instead, and she said, “It’s my birthday.”

It was almost worth the admittance to see Delver straighten so quickly. “What?”

“My birthday,” she said again, a little stronger. The words were out; no use fighting them now. “Rolls around about every year or so, you know? I figured it was worth doing...something, after making it through another one.” She made a pointed gesture near her neck and then shrugged like it didn’t wake the rotten seed of that particular memory. Delver just nodded, suddenly as stiff-necked as a new actor. He looked down at the spread of her spoils at their feet again, then out over the dusty rise of buildings spiraling out around them, frowning.

"Kind of a shit place for a celebration, isn't it?" he asked after a moment. Sylda shrugged.

"I’ve had them in worse places," she said, with a twist of a smile. "And to be fair, it's still better than sitting in a tiny inn room listening to you snore your way through a book you hate."

Delver scowled. "I don't snore."

"No," said Sylda, full grinning now, "you thunder like a bear in heat, and that’s on your better nights. Really, I’m not surprised you don’t travel in the wilds much, since you’d be in very real danger of one of them trying to petition you for the night -” 

She broke off just in time to duck out of the way of one of the bread rolls as it sailed past her head. 

"I’m starting to regret coming to find you,” Delver snapped as she heaved herself upright, snickering.

“You didn’t have to,” she pointed out helpfully. "Actually, I’m surprised you found me at all. We're not exactly near the market, and your bad luck is legendary -”

Delver raised another roll.

“- which makes the fact that you did find me that much more impressive." She held up a hand in a half-hearted gesture for peace, and begrudgingly, Delver lowered his weapon.

“It wasn’t exactly hard,” he admitted after a moment, dropping the little hunk of bread back onto her spread cloth. “You said that you used to work on rooftops, back in Yelen. After the mess in the market, I figured the only place that you'd go is up.”

He looked away, back out over the rise and fall of the town’s silhouette around them, and a strange tightness suddenly coiled itself inside Sylda’s chest. Delver was right; it wasn’t a difficult assumption to make, that she would go scurrying back to the rooftops for her safety. But it still took knowing her. It took remembering. A Cipher’s long, long memory was a testament to the things they found important enough to keep. The notion that anything about her even approached that bar, even temporarily…

She suddenly found herself settling back onto the edge of the roof, gesturing Delver down beside her and holding the bottle of wine out towards him.

“You still had to find me,” she pointed out. “It’s not a big town, sure, but finding one rooftop in a thousand, well…”

She shrugged, leaning back on one hand. Some starved, wretched part of her knew exactly what she was doing. It was the child in her, reaching out with both hands, little fists grasping for another word, another reassurance, another little brush of that companionship. Anything to have more than just this bottle of wine. The shame of it burned like a wildfire in her chest, but if Delver noticed, he mercifully didn’t say so.

“I tried just taking the roofs myself,” he said instead, accepting the seat and her offered wine with a grunt. “Managed to get on top of one without falling flat on my ass in front of everyone. Almost celebrated. Then I had a knife at my back.” He sighed, and took a long pull of wine as Sylda stifled a startled laugh. “I don’t know why I expected most thieves to stay on the street after knowing you. The gentleman holding my spine hostage seemed to think I was part of another gang and had come to muscle in on his territory. Then he tried to rob me. Then I guess he realized I wasn’t even worth dulling his blade to cut my purse, so he told me to get back on the ground where I belonged. I've spent the last hour peeking up onto roofs at random and hoping no one tries to cut my fingers off.”

"We usually check for rings on them first," Sylda assured him with a grin, even as her child-soul latched its stubby fingers around the thought and reeled it close. For me, it crooned delightedly. For me, for me; all of it, done just for me! A fresh tongue of shame licked up her ribs, spitting like a new log on a fire, but she couldn’t seem to bring herself to push it away. She was so warm, suddenly, shame and all. Maybe it was just curiosity, or frustration, or the ill-used dregs of duty, but Delver had still come looking for her. She hadn't needed him to; they both knew how easily she could work a town, even a small one, when she was being careful. But he had come anyway. 

Even a very useful tool didn't warrant that sort of attention. 

Swallowing the knot building in her throat, Sylda forced a shrug that she hoped looked nonchalant.  

"Well, all the same, I’m glad you didn’t get your fingers cut off. Or fall off a roof. Or get robbed a second time." Delver leveled a glare at her over the bottle of wine, which she returned with a thin smile. “What? I’m serious! It’s a dangerous task, running rooftops like this. I just mean that I’m glad you made it up in one piece, that's all. It would be a pretty terrible birthday present for you to go and die on me."

Delver snorted. "Yeah, happy birthday," he muttered. "Now you’re sitting on a rooftop in the middle of nowhere while I drink away all of the wine that you stole. I’m sure you’re thrilled.”

Sylda just laughed. She couldn’t quite bring herself to correct him.

[aion-rsa]

Best Serial Killer Movies of the ’90s Ranked

https://ift.tt/3tcsgCf

Someone must have left the freezer door in the morgue open, because grisly reminders of the past are thawing before our eyes. You can see it this weekend with the release of John Lee Hancock’s The Little Things, a throwback to the days when movie stars hung out at crime scenes instead of in spandex, and it’ll be more apparent next month with the launch of Clarice, a television spinoff of 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs. All the evidence points to only one conclusion: the serial killer thrillers of the ‘90s are back!

Not that we’re complaining. For a macabre minute or two, every Hollywood name appeared eager to play either the detective or the killer—the hunter or the obsessed, which often proved interchangeable for both characters. Granted that means there can be something formulaic about many of these movies. Yet they can also be bleak, hard-edged, and ambiguous. From our modern gaze, where the dominant studio conventions prefer reassuring morality tales and sunny lighting, these movies’ preference for shadows and discomfort in the mainstream is kind of startling.

So grab your magnifying glass and fortify your stomach, because we’re about to revisit some of the best (and worst) of ‘90s serial killer thrillers. (Also this list is strictly for the decade when the genre was at its height and it excludes slasher movies like Scream, which may feature serial killers but were not exactly adult-oriented thrillers.)

12. Eye of the Beholder (1999)

Eye of the Beholder is a tonal oddity that only passingly flirts with the conventions of ‘90s serial killer thrillers, all while it tries to pay homage to (read: rip-off) Alfred Hitchcock. But any credit it deserves for deviation—including making Ashley Judd’s central femme fatale the killer—it loses in execution. As a muddied, impenetrable tale about an intelligence officer (Ewan McGregor) who spies on and falls in love with a serial killer, Eye of the Beholder is a scattershot of bad ideas that run the gamut from ludicrous to misogynistic.

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but this movie will close the lids over your pupils inside of 30 minutes.

11. Nightwatch (1997)

It feels a little mean to rag on Ewan McGregor back-to-back, but maybe serial killer movies just aren’t his genre? That could be at least one takeaway from an ill-advised double feature of Eye of the Beholder and Nightwatch, the latter of which is a remake of a 1994 Danish film that I’ve not seen… and probably won’t since both the original film and American remake are directed by the same man.

McGregor plays medical student Martin here, a kid who gets an after school job by becoming the night watch security at the local morgue. But as a series of grisly prostitute murders pile up, Martin realizes he needs to figure out who the killer is—that or continue to be framed by the necrophiliac fiend who keeps coming by the morgue for one last liaison. It’s exactly as skeevy as it sounds. Do yourself a favor and go your whole life without hearing Nick Nolte sing “This Old Man” while climbing onto a corpse.

10. Natural Born Killers (1994)

The movie that Quentin Tarantino disowned, Natural Born Killers is a seedy mess based on a Tarantino script that was heavily rewritten by Oliver Stone, David Veloz, and Richard Rutowski. The concept itself is a seemingly inevitable escalation of the “bad romance outlaws” archetype that’s been floating around Hollywood since at least 1950’s Gun Crazy, and which was then made iconic by Bonnie & Clyde (1967).

But whereas those films relied on bank robbers living fast, Natural Born Killers descends into a seeming final form with Mickey and Mallory (Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis) as giddy serial killers who are eventually out for maximum carnage. Technically the pair are supposed to be presented as victims of traumatic child abuse—and who are then wrongfully glorified by the media. But Stone’s sloppy and tanked vision lacks the discipline to achieve anything beyond its maliciousness. Early sequences imagining Mallory’s abusive childhood like it’s a television sitcom, and later psychedelic visions of Robert Downey Jr.’s opportunistic news reporter as the Devil, do little to divorce the film from its shallow self-satisfaction in close-ups of heads being shot.

The movie came under controversy in the years after its release for inspiring alleged copycat killers as well as school shooters. It feels irresponsible to blame media for actual violence, but it’s still quite an indictment that Stone’s attempt to criticize media glorification became a favorite for many a disturbed individual with a gun.

9. Kiss the Girls (1997)

When studying competent, middle of the road Hollywood thrillers, Kiss the Girls is a solid place to start. As a decently made bit of studio convention, the movie is anchored by strong elements like Morgan Freeman as James Paterson’s literary hero, Alex Cross, and Ashley Judd as Kate, the victim who survives a masked killer’s attempt to abduct her into his harem.

Moments like Kate’s escape sequence through the North Carolina wilderness are effectively filled with adrenaline, and Judd particularly gives the salacious piece conviction. However, it is salacious to a fault. Even if the movie toned down the source novel’s even more lurid misogyny, the film studies Kate and the other victims with a lascivious male gaze, blurring sex with violence, real world horror with leering entertainment. Right down to its title, the film can be rightly criticized as Hollywood glamourizing another story about violence against women. Whether that damns the whole movie depends on the viewer, but it certainly keeps it low on our list.

8. The Bone Collector (1999)

Marketed with a hell of a tagline about there being thousands of taxi cabs in New York City that’ll get you home—and one that won’t—The Bone Collector is almost comically slavish to the clichés of ‘90s moviemaking. The wrinkle here is that after a faux cab driver begins abducting his victims off the street, the crime psychologist who must stop him is entirely stuck by his bedside. Due to a tragic accident, Denzel Washington’s Lincoln Rhyme is paralyzed from the neck down. Yet he is still able to catch serial killers by communicating in the earpiece of police officer Amelia Donaghy (an entirely unconvincing Angelina Jolie).

Read more

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Lost Girls Review: Netflix Takes on the Long Island Serial Killer

By Rosie Fletcher

Books

The Last Book on the Left Takes on the Grim History of Serial Killers

By Alec Bojalad

Together the pair stay one step behind the mystery killer’s tracks as he executes a series of increasingly gruesome and ridiculous murders. It’s preposterous, and in some ways a forerunner for Saw with the satisfaction it takes in absurd death traps, but Washington is effortlessly compelling, even when he never leaves his apartment. As a bit of absurd Hollywood fluff, right down to the ultimately lackluster unmasking of the killer, it can be entertaining, even if you’ll deny it afterward.

7. Copycat (1995)

More potent than I remembered, Copycat is a genuinely well-crafted Hollywood thriller that may not reinvent the wheel but takes it out for a damn good spin. In the driver’s seat is Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Helen Hudson, a criminal psychologist who is an expert on serial killers until one follows her into the bathroom after a guest lecture. He nearly hangs her from the ceiling. Following that white-knuckled opening, the film jumps years ahead and Helen has become agoraphobic and afraid to leave her home.

Yet when a local series of murders reveal the pattern of a predator imitating the methods of his favorite “celebrities”—one crime scene is like the Boston Strangler and another emulates the horrors of Jeffrey Dahmer—Helen is pulled out of retirement by a no-nonsense detective (Holly Hunter). The winning chemistry between Weaver and Hunter—who are refreshingly free from the studio-mandated romantic subplots in some of the other movies on this list—and the blunt force power of their performances aid this sincerely disquieting flick. A needlessly convoluted third act aside, the movie still works as a warning about the danger of fanboys a generation early.

6. Fallen (1998)

Denzel Washington appears again thanks to this clever supernatural spin on the serial killer genre. At the beginning of Fallen, Washington’s John Hobbes appears on top of the world. The serial killer he chased for years (Elias Koteas) is about to breathe deeply in the gas chamber. Yet after the lever is pulled, and with Koteas singing the Rolling Stones’ “Time is On My Side” until his last breath, a funny thing happens: the murders continue.

In fact, more than just the killings, strangers in the street sing “Time is On My Side” in Hobbes’ ear, and he soon realizes that he faces a devil of a killer whose been operating since the beginning—quite literally since the villain is a demon who was once an angel that fell with Lucifer. It’s a bizarre premise given strutting confidence thanks to Washington’s performance, as well as good supporting work by John Goodman and Donald Sutherland. Twenty years later and its ending still sticks with me.

5. The Exorcist III (1990)

If you haven’t seen The Exorcist III, we know what you’re thinking: “Really?!” Yes. In fact, this isn’t even an exorcist movie; it should’ve been titled Legion like the 1983 novel it’s based on. Alas writer-director William Peter Blatty was forced to use the title and do reshoots that added an exorcism in the climax. Still, this supernatural thriller which involves a serial killer back from the dead is far better than it has any right to be.

Following the character of Lt. Kinderman from the 1973 masterpiece, the middle-aged gumshoe is now played by George C. Scott instead of the late Lee J. Cobb, and he possesses Scott’s usual love for contrasts between the restrained whisper and a bombastic howl. He also makes a sympathetic, secular detective forced to face the horrors of Hell when a series of murders committed against Catholic priests appear to be the work of the Gemini Killer (Brad Dourif), a serial killer whom Kinderman sent to the chair more than 10 years ago.

Read more

Movies

The Exorcist III is a Classic and Better Than You Remember

By Jim Knipfel

Movies

The Exorcist Is Still the Scariest Movie Ever Made

By David Crow

Somehow the fiend—plus Kinderman’s long dead pal Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller)—appear to now be living in the same body of a John Doe kept in a mental asylum. With an unrelenting atmosphere of dread, palpable tension, and more of Blatty’s intellectual struggle with concepts of faith and evil, the film is more high-minded than its hacky title suggests. It also features one of the best jump scares in movie history.

4. Summer of Sam (1999)

The only movie on this list directly based on an actual serial killer’s crimes, Spike Lee’s Summer of Sam is a serious-minded joint. However, it’s only partially about the murders perpetrated by David Berkowitz, aka the “.44 Caliber Killer,” aka the Son of Sam. Rather the film focuses on the effects a serial killer has on the culture of New York City during the sweltering summer of 1977, and how it affects young lives trying to make it in the big city.

Influenced by Lee and his co-writers Michael Imperioli and Victor Colicchio’s memories of growing up in 1970s New York, the pic is a love letter to a grim moment in history when the city was about to explode with murders, blackouts, crime, and disco. All of this is digested from the vantages of Vinny (John Leguizamo), a philandering hairdresser guilt-ridden for cheating on his wife (Mira Sorvino), and his childhood pal Ritchie (Adrien Brody), who’s left the old neighborhood behind to join the fledgling punk rock scene.

With a greater interest in how a serial killer affects the culture and institutions of a city on edge than being a traditional crime drama, Summer of Sam is a bit of a forerunner to David Fincher’s far more polished Zodiac from a few years later. With heavy-handed dialogue and a plot too big for Lee to fully get his arms around, even at 142 minutes, Summer of Sam can be uneven and messy. But it has the sweaty incorrigibility of a long night out, and of revelries half remembered like from a fever dream.

3. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

The rare serial killer movie told entirely from the perspective of the killer, Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley is disarmingly creepy. Despite its glossy awards bait sheen, there is a cold-blooded streak that runs deep to the heart of the piece, likely due to Patricia Highsmith’s source 1955 novel. Starring Matt Damon fresh off his Good Will Hunting golden boy sheen, the film uses its casting to disorient and ultimately disturb.

Like Highsmith’s book, the film is not structured like a traditional thriller. It instead favors a detached ambivalence about its seemingly nebbish hero as he agrees to become an errand boy for the rich by traveling to 1950s Italy in order to retrieve a silver spoon cad (Jude Law) for his father. But the more time Tom Ripley (Damon) spends with Law’s Dickie Greenleaf, the more he grows envious of Dickie’s lifestyle, his wealth and confidence, and maybe even his affection for socialite Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow). There is a subtle—too subtle due to ‘90s Hollywood conventions—homoerotic undercurrent throughout the film as Ripley slowly works up the courage to take his first life. It won’t be his last.

Read more

Movies

Knives Out: When Murder Makes You a Better Person

By Natalie Zutter

Movies

Seven: The Brilliance of David Fincher’s Chase Scene

By Ryan Lambie

Highsmith wound up publishing four subsequent sequels to The Talented Mr. Ripley, but unfortunately no more were made with Damon. Perhaps because this was too unsettling for an ongoing franchise.

2. Seven (1995)

While watching David Fincher’s masterful Seven, the thing that immediately stands out is the oppressive nihilism that permeates throughout. There were decades of neo noir before this detective yarn about the hunt for a serial killer, but none demonstrated such an overbearing sense of despair before the opening credits were even concluded. And perhaps what makes it unshakable is how welcoming the film is toward bleakness; it succumbs long before the gut-punch finale.

Telling the story of an old cop days from retirement (Morgan Freeman) and a hotheaded rookie detective (Brad Pitt), Andrew Kevin Walker’s script has an economy of pace that still impresses despite its cynicism. Very quickly one murder becomes two, then three, and soon four. Yet none of the atrocities are reveled in by Fincher’s blocking; they’re off-screen mutilations which leave psychic damage on his two leads and, eventually, us. The deaths also quickly establish a pattern that their serial killer is targeting seven souls, each intended to embody one of the seven deadly sins.

The movie is a classic now for its climax where the killer “John Doe” (a reptilian Kevin Spacey) turns himself in and leads the cops into the darkest pit, but it’s the entire package that makes this one linger more than 25 years later. At the end of the film, Somerset quotes Hemingway by saying, “‘The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part.” I’m not convinced his film does.

1. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

As the film that kick-started the idea that serial killers could create their own film genre, The Silence of the Lambs still remains the best of its kind. Blessedly unaware that it was creating conventions for countless copycats, the film tells its psychological drama with simplicity and clarity. Whereas other films on this list bask in their bleakness, there is a dogged optimism and even perverse warmth to this Jonathan Demme adaptation of Thomas Harris’ Silence of the Lambs novel. And that’s of course largely attributable to the casting of Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.

As Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Hopkins is of course monumental. It’s a performance that turned a quinquagenarian into an overnight movie star, and became Hopkins’ calling card as he returned to the not-so-good doctor’s well one too many times. Still, he’s undeniably enthralling as Hannibal, a cannibal psychologist with superhuman powers of observation and mental menace. Even so, Foster is often overlooked by critics for her own contributions as the FBI trainee who’s proverbially fed to the incarcerated Lecter—a pretty face to get the serial killer to consult pro bono on the crimes of another mass murderer. It’s just one more example of casual sexism faced by Clarice that gives Foster as much to play as Hopkins.

Read more

Culture

David Fincher’s Zodiac: The Movie That Never Ended

By Don Kaye

Movies

The Little Things Ending Explained

By David Crow

Surrounded by the slights and prejudices of men—be they in law enforcement or straight jackets—Clarice is constantly underestimated. She finds an intellectual rapport with Hannibal, but she pulls herself out of the darkest night, and the screaming of the lambs, without assistance. Her perseverance matched by Hannibal’s darkly seductive qualities is the juxtaposition that makes Silence of the Lambs one of the finest films of its decade.

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[volturialice]

first off, major apologies for not answering this in a more timely fashion! I hope you stayed safe out there, anon.

y’all know I’m terrible with asks but I’m genuinely not sure how I managed to miss this one. I’m gonna answer it even though some time has elapsed because lbr, this stuff isn’t going away anytime soon.

there are a lot of great resources out there with advice about the more dangerous (and topical) aspects of protesting, so instead of getting into that, I’m gonna link some here:

Protesters’ Rights (ACLU)

Safety During Protests (Amnesty International)

Safe Protesting Infographic (AOC)

Dealing with Tear Gas (Occupy Wall Street)

Useful Apps for Protesters (Allure)

Protesting During a Pandemic (LiveScience)

with that covered by the experts, I’m gonna focus on some of the more practical, basic stuff I’ve learned over the years.

G’s tips for attending protests

Use the buddy system. I can’t stress this enough. I strongly advise you not to go to any protest alone, especially if it’s on a larger scale or if you know there’s going to be police presence. Whether it’s a friend, a relative, or someone you trust whom you’ve met through activism, make sure there’s someone with you who knows you, including any medical conditions you have—you’re basically each other’s emergency contact for the day. Decide in advance on a rendezvous point in case you get separated from them. I’ve heard of instances where having a “protest buddy” and asking to stay with them was the difference between getting arrested and thrown in a van vs. being issued a citation and then left alone.

^that’s my sister’s hand holding the sign in the foreground. buddy system!

tons more under the cut!

Don’t rely on your phone. Depending on the size and density of your protest, service may be spotty or data may stop working entirely in some areas. Don’t expect to navigate with GPS, or be able to text/call your group if you get separated. Consider leaving your phone at home or in the car. There are reports of phones being tracked by police in some places, and it’s always possible it’ll get confiscated if you’re detained. If you do bring a phone, I suggest turning off location services.

ok so I don’t always take my own advice

Know the rules and goals for your particular protest. These can vary between locations and organizations, so don’t assume you already know. For example, at most DC protests, only clear backpacks are allowed, and signs may not have wooden sticks or anything that could be used as a weapon. Does everyone follow these rules? Nope—and I rarely see them enforced! But it’s a case of “better safe than sorry.” Don’t give the cops any excuse whatsoever to detain you.

this is a great sign, but I would never carry it using a plank like this

Knowing a protest’s goals and purpose is also important. I read an article last week about a DC BLM event where people were dancing in the street, essentially having a party. The article painted it as though these idiot protestors had shown up and then gotten distracted and stopped taking their movement seriously. But I remembered the same event differently (having both read about it in advance and passed by it on the day of.) What was actually happening was that it was one of several concurrent events—protests, marches, vigils—and this one’s specific goal was to create a safe and positive space for black people to celebrate their blackness. It was supposed to be a party, a form of self-care so that people who’d been suffering could decompress and uplift each other. No one there had lost sight of the movement.

Ideally, find the organizers and follow them on social media! Most organizers are great at breaking down the rules and expectations for a particular protest.

Know your limits—and those of the others in your group—and plan accordingly. Have realistic expectations for how far you’re going to be able to push yourself, physically and otherwise. Do you have chronic pain, or a bad foot? Find somewhere to park yourself early on in the day so you don’t end up walking miles and miles. Is someone in your group claustrophobic? Hang back at the edge of things, or find a high wall to sit on so they aren’t engulfed by crowds. It’s easy to think of protesting as some sort of grand sacrifice where you have to push yourself really hard to prove your commitment to the movement, but you’re not gonna help anyone by collapsing from heat exhaustion. Take breaks, and stay safe, fed, and hydrated. Practice self-care.

Pack light—or heavy, depending on your goals. Unless you’re going to be passing out supplies, I suggest packing light. Invest in a water bottle carrier with a strap, or a fanny pack, or a platypus. Wear something with big pockets, so you can avoid bringing a bag or backpack if possible. It’s especially useful to have your hands free if you’re planning to carry a sign!

my usual protest packing list:

phone (highly optional; see above)

cash (enough to buy a meal, take public transportation, etc)

keys (key singular, actually. I take the one I need off my keychain and leave the others behind.)

metro card

ID

water

energy bar

meds (in my case, a sudafed and an ibuprofen)

I can fit all of this into my pockets except a water bottle. I don’t even bring a wallet.

Conversely, you can take the opposite approach and pack heavy, in order to be super prepared or pass out supplies to others. One of my friends brings a backpack with a sign on it that reads “I HAVE: WATER, SNACKS, TYLENOL, TAMPONS, SUNSCREEN...ASK ME FOR WHAT YOU NEED!” At the most recent BLM protest I attended, there were people passing out everything from water bottles to pizza to masks to whiskey. But every protest is different! Don’t count on any supplies to be easily available. If you need it, bring it.

the empty pizza box on the right says “come make a sign here.”

Know your surroundings, and pay attention. This is a big one. I don’t mean that you should never attend a protest somewhere you’ve never been before, but I suggest doing some research if you do. Know where you’re going and when, know the street closures and the path of any marches, know the nearest metro/subway stops and whether they’re going to be open on the day of. Especially know if there’s anywhere you aren’t allowed to be. For example, when protesting at the NRA's headquarters, you can’t step off the sidewalk or you’ll be on their property, and then you can be arrested for trespassing.

Pay attention to signs, traffic patterns, and especially police presence. The other day I noticed that although the police and the National Guard were unarmed as the mayor had promised they would be, the DEA was also present, and they absolutely were armed.

Another part of knowing your surroundings is knowing where relief areas are. If it’s a big enough event, businesses, churches, and even places like theaters will open their doors to protestors to use their bathrooms, charge phones, and rest somewhere with AC. Social media usually has this information if you know where to look for it—check local activist blogs. For my DC folks, check Popville.

On a related note, know which businesses do and don’t support the movement! You don’t wanna wind up buying lunch at a place that gives free meals or discounts to police. Look for places that offer discounts or deals to protesters. For example, in 2018 both Cava and Shake Shack offered discounts for March for Our Lives protesters. Guess where I ate lunch and dinner that weekend? Chains like those ones usually make the news, and local businesses will often put up signs in support of movements to let protesters know they are welcome.

there’s lots more I could say, but the tl;dr version is

keep yourself and others safe.

feel free to chime in if you have something to add/if I missed anything!

[toarmsrw]

How I feel a Ronin Warriors Remake could go

Ronin Warriors AKA Yoroiden Samurai Troopers was one of my favorite anime back in the day. I first heard of this series when it was airing on UPN TV 44, the same channel that had aired Sailor Moon when it was being produced by DIC entertainment. Unfortunately, this series aired during times when it’s target range viewers were in school so it didn’t have a particularly long run on US TV. It was only years later that this series would air on the Toonami lineup and gained a greater interest from American anime fans than it had during its first airing.

Currently Samurai Troopers is celebrating its 30th anniversary and it made me wonder, what this series would be like if remade for the more current age. After all, the main TV series was set in 1988 and a lot of things reflected that time period. Now in 2020 things can be updated to match current settings and technology.

I’m familiar with both the Japanese Names and the English Dub names. But I’m going to use English Dub names here as it was the version that introduced me to this series.

As much as I love the original series, I do feel that it is certainly deserving of an updated reboot. The original series did have a number of moments where they were constrained by budget and it showed. Budget cuts, and repeating animation is a common way of cuting corners in animation in varius series, but it is rather obvious when you see the animation cheepen.

There are some things in the anime itself that did bug me because they felt rushed or they came off as unrealistic. I’m not an expert in Japanese culture so please understand if I am approaching these things with a bit of a bias.

One of the things that bothered me is having the five warriors are just open to working together from the start.

For example in the first episode Mia is surprised that all five Ronin have appeared at the same time and then is dismayed that they aren’t united. So she tells the five Ronin they need to work together if they hope to beat the Dynasty, and they all look at one another as though saying “Um…what?”.

The English dub does give the impression that there is at least some familiarity between the five boys. However, in the original version all five of the Ronin are from different parts of Japan and this is the first time any of them have met.

The one thing I’ve always liked in anime is when the main cast is free to grow and understand each other at their own pace.

While having the main warriors joining forces is ideal and an inevitably, having them all partner up from the start is unrealistic. Particularly since the five Ronin do develop an almost familial unity with one another over the course of the series.

An anime with a similar concept to this would be Sailor Moon. Please note I’m not comparing Sailor Moon to this series for bias reasons. Sailor Moon certainly had a larger production budget and more of a story to adapt to as it started out as a manga before it became an anime series. Ronin Warriors is it’s own story and it also has some things it is better at conveying then Sailor Moon did.

I am using Sailor Moon as an example, because these two series do center on the plot of five teenagers drawn together to save the world from an otherworldly evil force.  

Sailor Moon as a series was able to introduce the characters gradually.

The series begins with introducing the titular character, Sailor Moon herself. The first handful of episodes follow her, then Sailor Mercury is introduced and she assists in battles for a couple episodes. Then Sailor Mars is brought in and a sizable chunk of the series centers on these three warriors stopping the forces of the Dark Kingdom. Then around half way through the first season Sailor Jupiter is brought in as another member of the group and then finally Sailor Venus.

Other Sailor Soldiers such as the Outer Sailors and the Sailor Star Lights are introduced in the continuing seasons. These groups don’t really involve themselves with Sailor Moon and her companions right away.  They do assist in battles at times, but they would also make it clear that they don’t want Sailor Moon and her allies interfering with their goals. Eventually the groups do choose to join forces, but that is only when they have come to the realization that the only way to take on the main foe was to merge groups.

The way this story is set up all five warriors needed to be introduced right away. However, I find having them join forces from the start is a little rushed.  Now, granted they had some idea they all knew the fate of the world rested on their backs and they were given the mystical armor to help them save their world, their homes, the people they love.

Each of them also have a story passed through the years about an armor that their family has watched over. Like many things these stories have faded from memory with some of the families or they don’t have anyone to tell them about the amor legend. So they discover their armors through other sources.

For example, Whiteblaze, Ryo’s tiger companion, is is the familiar of the Ancient One and chose Ryo as the one who will bear the Armor of Wildfire. Whiteblaze led the Ancient One to Ryo, so he could be trained in its use.

While each of the Ronin would have unconsciously or unknowingly been trained since childhood to become ready for their armors. It is the armors themselves that do draw them together initially.  That wouldn’t stop at least some of them from be reluctant in working together and then have at least a couple episodes where they warm up to if not become downright convinced working together is the only way

Cye and Kento are chummy and open hearted so I can see these two being more open to the idea of working together as a team from the start.  

Sage, Ryo, and Rowen on the other hand might be less open to working as a group.

Ryo is not absolutely against working as a team, but he is a loaner, he is also fiercely protective of those around him. He doesn’t want anyone to be hurt for him or because of him, so he has a tendency to place burdens upon himself such as going off to face enemies on his own without his friends. So I feel he would just tell the other Ronin to go home and protect their families, while he would deal with the Dynasty on his own.

Sage is more likely to be the lone wolf. He does have a guarded personality and doesn’t warm up to people all that easily. He wants to rely on himself and his own power rather than depending on others, but has his own doubts and fears that he unconsciously deals with. So when Sage leaves the group he would tell everyone else they would only slow him down and get in his way.

Rowen would be more on the fence regarding allegiances. His guiding virtue is wisdom so he would know or at least see how working together would be beneficial going forward. But much like Ryo he is used to being alone. However, due to his intelligence,  Rowen does have problems with socialization. So he wouldn’t say anything in regards to why he doesn’t want to work together with anyone else…he just leaves.

As the series progresses the battles will force the Ronin together. It would start with them merging into groups of two, so Cye and Kento would become one group. Rowen and Sage would also grow to work together and leads to the four of them joining forces before reuniting with Ryo. These encounters will enable them to gradually get to know each other and understand who they are in the battle to save the mortal world and their reasons for fighting in the battles against the Dynasty.

Another thing that bugged me was how the Dynasty depended on divide and conquer as a strategy. Granted the Ronin can be a challenging force when they are together. Still each of the Ronin are also dangerous on their own, particularly since their armors do gain strength and power as they fight.

Three of the Warriors have families with siblings, and both Ryo and Rowen have parental figures who may not be present in their lives but still matter.  Heck, Kento alone would have had family affected when the Dynasty captured everybody in the Tokyo area.

One of the Warlords has power over illusion. Have the Ronin given illusions of their loved ones in the Dynasty’s possession. This would be even more poignant when the Ronin have entered the Dynasty’s strong hold. Have the Ronin ready to deal with whatever the Dynasty would throw at them, then suddenly a scream is heard which Sage, Cye, or Kento could recognize as one of their loved ones.

Or Kento’s family for instance, show them among the humans imprisoned in the Dynasty. Kento has a fierce temper, particularly when someone he cares about is being harmed so that could trigger him to act rashly.

I’ve never really liked how the families of the Ronin are only limited to the supplemental materials such as the Audio dramas, Light Novels and such.

Another thing Sailor Moon did well is how it balanced out the home lives of the main cast along with their lives as Sailor Soldiers. We don’t need to see the families of all the characters, but even a simple mention can be used to add to how the main characters relate to each other and feel more well rounded over the course of the series. But they still had to maintain secrecy about their lives as Sailor Soldiers from their loved ones.

What Ronin Warriors was able to achieve is to suggest the families of the five warriors do have some knowledge about the armors. Or at the very least have some familiarity with the story of a legendary armor that has passed down through their line for the past thousand years.

Such as Cye’s mother saying “At last it has come” when he informed her of finding his armor.

Each of the Ronin also have attributes that mark them as chosen or destined to wear the armors since birth. In most cases these attributes aren’t outwardly visible

Ryo-Encountered Whiteblaze at a young age and holds a companionship with the white tiger and was personally trained by the Ancient One himself.  It’s not emphasized, but it is possible he has a sensitivity to cold temperatures as he has a strong dislike for flavored ice and lukewarm baths.

Cye: Able to swim to vast depths of water without needing an air tank.

He also has an affinity for sea based creatures. He isn’t able to talk to them or anything like that, but there is an orca and a number of other sea creatures that do recognize him as a friend.

Kento: No displayed or attributed traits aside from being strong and hard headed. Possibly has more physical endurance then his companions.

Rowen: He is physically marked by his armor because of his blue hair. And also he has an IQ of 250.

Sage: Physically marked by his armor because he physically represents his armor element of light.

While each of the Ronin are chosen by their armors or from a force associated with the armors. There is still a test they need to undergo to prove they understand the guiding virtue associated with the armor.

With Sailor Moon there were moments where the family members of the Sailor Soldiers or people they know are affected by the evil forces at play. With the Ronin however, having people know about their armor or their identities as Ronin Warriors does lead to tragic results.

It’s generally an unstated rule among the five warriors to not to involve their loved ones or allow any knowledge of their existence as Ronin Warriors. Since that would only cause needless danger or cause their loved ones to become targeted by the evil forces they are facing.

The families of the Ronin themselves aren’t completely required, after all the five Ronin do become a family of brothers themselves. And at its core, the entire story of the Ronin Warriors is a romantic story centered on a brotherhood forged by blood, sweat,and tears in the battle to save humanity. The trueborn families of each of the Ronin, would just be an extension of that bond they share with each other.

I’ve always seen each of the five warriors as wounded in various ways. Some have known personal loss, but there are those among them who have experienced pain, loneliness, isolation, self-doubts, and other things such as that.

In the Message OVA in particular, brings a lot of this into view as the five warriors do have internal monologues about their experiences as Ronin Warriors and how that has affected them personally.

Cye in particular during his monologue talks about how he personally didn’t want to fight, but he still took up arms in the war against Dynasty anyway because he felt there was like there was little choice in the matter. He also questions whether he even deserved the power of his armor to begin with.

“In order to avoid pain, suffering, and fear human bearings aspire to collect all the power that they can, then they cling to it no matter what. I was no different, I felt exactly the same way. I never wanted to fight though, I thought my destiny followed a different course. Could I have resisted this power? Could I have denied it? Even if someone had realized the truth, we still wouldn’t have had any other options. It was fight or die, none of us had any regrets for what we did…in staying alive. But that didn’t change the fact that *I* didn’t want to fight!”

The armors they each possess were forged from evil, but were created to be a force for good. As such the armors themselves are neither good or evil, but both. It was the heart and soul of their bearers that determined what choices they made in using the armors they were given.

While they all have seen the negative side of humanity and what it can do if left unchecked. They are also able to know that there is still enough human goodness to believe it was worth saving. And while they still fought and were motivated by their own own personal desires to protect those nearest and dearest to them. The companionship they forge in the fires of war is what heals the wounds each of them carry. Even then there is resistance and pain in being healed, but it is part of becoming the people they know they are because of it. While other hidden wounds are exposed because of the battles faced.

With Ronin Warriors and their families, Ryo and Rowen are the only children of their respective family and their respective parental figures aren’t around all that often.

Ryo’s father is a photojournalist and is always away on assignment but he does send money to cover Ryo’s living expenses.

Rowen’s parents divorced when he was twelve but even before then both of them were more married to their careers then they were as a family. The times they were home their minds would still be work oriented.

However, having two Ronin with workaholic parents just feels boring. Having Ryo being an orphan could translate into why he is so protective of his companions and why they mean so much to him. Because Ryo regards the other Ronin, Mia, and Yuli as a surrogate family to him, and he would gladly fight and give his life to protect them for that reason. He nearly dies just trying to get Sage and Rowen back after the five of them are seperated. And during the war when all the Ronin with the exception of Ryo are absorbed by Talpa, he is devastated knowing each of them are gone. In the Japanese version he says “You fools, how dare you die for me.” This is later expanded upon when the four of them are able to use their Spirits to take hold of Talpa’s armor and tell him to strike the demon emperor down while they have him restrained. And Ryo refuses to do it because doing so meant killing his friends as well.

Rowen has a detached, mature demeanor that is underscored by the fact he is the youngest member of the Ronin. He’s often viewed and treated like an adult by people around him when he really is just a kid. Since he is so used to living for his own convenience, he has trouble really understanding what actually means to have friends or even what having a present family is like. So that could be something that could be explored with his character in how he relates to the other Ronin.

He generally gets along with all the Ronin, but will at times (often unintentionally) say or do something that might have annoyed or exasperated reactions. For example in the Tenkuden CD Drama, there is a part where Yuli asks Rowen for assistance on a problem in his math homework. Rowen looks at the problem and says “That’s easy, you must have skipped the day they were teaching it.” Yuli then goes and asks Cye for assistance who is able to help him figure out the answer. After Yuli runs off to continue his homework. Cye turns to Rowen and chidingly says “Just because you find something simple, doesn’t mean it’s the same for others.”  

Rowen’s father is someone who wouldn’t really be included as a character. I’ve always had the impression that he generally isn’t really all that present even on the occasions he does return home to the apartment he shares with his son.

Rowen’s mother on the other hand could work as an occasional character. However she comes across as a bit too much to handle. She’s friendly and well-meaning but has boisterous energy that is difficult to really take in all at once. The five Ronin and Mia first meet her in the Tenkuden CD Drama after Rowen receives a voice mail call from her telling him he will be arriving at Narita International on Such and Such date. And every one automatically is like “Great Idea, let’s all go meet Rowen’s mother”.  

As much as he does care about both his parental figures, I did get the impression he is embarrassed by his mother as well.

For example, the first act of Tenkuden actually does involve Rowen waiting with Sage at the airport terminal for Rowen’s mother to arrive. After they encounter her, Rowen’s mother runs off to go make a phone call.  Sage then remarks “Okay, that IS different” to which Rowen sighs and says “You got it.” Funnily enough, every time I had heard that exchange in the past I’ve always visualized Rowen holding up a sign that says “Shoot Me” afterward.

So if Rowen’s mother appears at all it would be a humorous one-shot episode where the armors aren’t really needed. There can be some dramatic moments as well though. Since TenkuDen is also the moment where Rowen learns his armor has the ability to fly. There is also a moment at the end of the CD where Rowen’s mother pulls her son aside and alludes that she saw him in his armor hovering outside of the window of the airplane she was traveling in. But she assumes the whole thing was just a dream.

When it comes to Kento, Sage, and Cye they are the eldest, middle, and youngest siblings of each of their respective families. So the familial dynamic of the Ronin will be something they can easily adapt to, but still, give them a different dynamic that can challenge and affect them.

Cye is the youngest child in his family, but he is the oldest of the five Ronin. So this puts him in a sort of older sibling role in some ways. He doesn’t need to adapt too much, particularly since Mia already plays an older sister role with the five Ronin. And his older sister Sayoko had more or less served a parental role of sorts in his late father’s absence. He’s also the only Ronin who is actually living away from his family, as he has an apartment in Tokyo where he lives alone while he is attending high school. In one of the Cassette Dramas Rowen has a habit of visiting Mia’s grandfather’s mansion so he could read the books there. Unfortunately when he does this he loses all track of time and frequently misses the last train back to Kansai. So he has to end up couch surfing over at Cye’s apartment much to the Torrent Armor bearers irritation.

Cye’s family is more likely to be included as part of a dramatic storyline.  

For instance, Cye’s mother has heart disease and is frequently in ill health, but she still runs her family and her family’s pottery business until her daughter Sayoko can take over.

Sayoko is ten years older then Cye and has also been an influential figure in Cye’s life. She helps look after their mother and their families pottery shop.

Ryuusuke Shizuka is Sayoko’s fiance and works at the Hagi Marine Research Institute. After meeting Cye he chooses to marry into Cye’s family. Sayoko and Ryuusuke are supposedly married by the final OVA of this series..

One of the cassette dramas has Cye returning to Hagi after learning his mother had fallen ill. Kento accompanies him on the trip, however the only reason he’s going is because he mistakenly thought Hagiyaki was a kind of food. It’s this Drama where Cye is introduced to his sister’s finance.  

Kento is the oldest child in his family, and so he is well used to playing the older brother role among his siblings. As the second youngest member of the Ronin he has the freedom to be a younger brother. Still when it comes to his companions, the protective brother instinct will still be a present part of his personality over all.

Kento is also the most inclusive of the Ronin and does consider his friends to be like his family.  

I can see Kento’s family being used in heart warming slice-of-life plots. Kento just feels like one of those people you meet in life who just adopts you into their family. As much as he would make disparaging comments about the number of people in his household, in all honesty he wouldn’t have it any other way.

During the Tsuki CD Drama, following their final battle with Saranbo. Kento realizes they are near Yokohama and starts inviting his friends to his family’s restaurant only to be shot down and scolded for being too carefree. After Kento storms off he has a monologue where he states about how much he loves the town of Yokohama and his family and he the reason he fights is all for them. That’s why he wanted his friends to meet his family, to show his companions they are just like family to him.  

That is something I can certainly see happening in an updated version of this series. With Ryo and Rowen, Kento would want to include them so they can at least know what a loving family was like. Knowing Cye and Sage are away from their respective homes. I can see Kento making an effort to make them feel there is something like a family there for them.

Cye might welcome the idea since he understands Kento is wanting to include them as part of his family.

Sage might not be so open about it. Not because he doesn’t understand Kento’s reasoning for it. He however would firmly point out that their family lives and their lives as Ronin should be two different things. Kento would be upset it’s only later on that he would realize Sage’s reasoning.

During the times when they are not involved with fighting the Dynasty. I can see Kento dropping by Cye’s apartment with take out now and again. This would later extend to Ryo when he starts living in the city.

Of the Ronin, I see him learning his family was affected by the Dynasty because Yokohama is in the Tokyo area. He is the only one of the five who would have had immediate loved ones in the vicinity of the Dynasty’s first attack . Which would make the battle to stop the Dynasty all the more personal for him.

Sage is the middle child of his family, but both of his siblings are his sisters. His older sister Yayoi and his younger sister Satsuki. He cares about both of them and would defend them to his last breath, though Yayoi does have a bit of a contentious past with him as she is the reason he is uncomfortable around women.  

Sage’s family is a family I can see included dramatic storylines, but wholesome ones as well.

When it comes to Sage’s family there is a lot you could work with. I will start with Sage’s sisters since I’ve seen a number of interpretations regarding them. In fanfics Yayoi often ranges between being an entitled sister up to just being an evil abusive witch. I have been guilty of this view myself.

Thinking back on it, I wonder if fans were blowing her relationship with Sage out of proportion.

Yayoi is five years older than Sage. From the basic description of her she is in essence a female version of her younger brother as she does talk in the same formal manner he does, and is also a talented kendo fighter.  She is a medical student and is attending college during the TV series.

The worst thing she’s known to have done to tease her brother is to use him as a dress up doll when they had been younger. She also still possesses a picture of him with ribbons in his hair.

This is largely just kid stuff, still some actions as innocent as they may seem can have a negative affect. In this case, Sage is uncomfortable talking to or being around girls as a result.

Women also tend to hold power in Sage’s family, meaning the female members of his family do hold sway in the decisions and actions of the Date House. Because of this they are highly respected. The only male who is an exception to this would be Sage’s Grandfather who is the current head of the family.  Yayoi was likely able to get away with tormenting her brother the way she has, because she knew if he retaliated in any way he would be the one who would be punished.  

In later years, Yayoi may have realized what she actually was doing, but by then the damage had already been done. So while the picture she still has of him with ribbons could be something she could threaten her brother with. It’s also just as possible that perhaps the reason Yayoi keeps the photo, is to remind herself of what she has done to hurt her younger brother in the past.

She seems to have some moments where she does make an attempt establishing a better relationship with him. Such as when Sage was beginning elementary the light color of his eyes made him appear cold and intimidating, because of this his schoolmates would often cry when they saw him. It was Yayoi who suggested he cover one of them with his hair so schoolmates wouldn’t be so scared of him.

Also In the Yoroi Guiden novel, the day Sage received his armor he had been forced into a match against another Kendo practitioner known as Shingo Kazamatsuri. During the match Shingo attempts to cheat by throwing sand or something into Sage’s eyes. Due to one eye being covered by his hair, only his visible eye had affected. Angered that his opponent would resort to cheating, Sage goes into a blind rage and attacks Shingo, rendering him unconscious. While her brother is being punished for his actions, Yayoi tends to Shingo’s injuries. Which made her one of the first people to learn what had taken place. She then tells Shingo that he was fortunate he didn’t lose a limb after making her brother that mad.

I can see Yayoi gaining friendship with Mia, and through that she and Sage could begin to heal the rift that exists between them.

Satsuki is younger than Sage by two years. She is the only member of Sage’s immediate family who doesn’t have any interest in the family Dojo and the only one who speaks casually. I see Sage in some ways being somewhat envious of his younger sister, because she possesses a freedom he isn’t able to have within their family. But he also values that she is able to have such freedom as well.

I’ve seen her placed with Rowen or Kento as possible romantic interests. Personally, I just see Satsuki just viewing the other Ronin as additional brothers. She knows her brother doesn’t have many friends and wouldn’t want to become a catalyst in causing him to lose his companions. Hints at romantic interest could be there, but at best she would just be a sister figure.

Sage’s family life on the other hand is where things take on a more dramatic turn. As I’ve stated before that each of the Ronin have attributes that mark them as chosen by their armors. Sage and Rowen are the only ones who have physical attributes that mark their connection to their armor.

Anyone who is familiar with anime and manga lore would know hair color has specific meaning. Blond or yellow hair often has a variety of meanings, but the most widespread meaning is a person who is special in some manner. Often in most anime the characters would have a variety of hair color tones that no one bats an eye, despite the fact it might look a little strange aesthetically.

The only time a character’s hair color is brought up as peculiar is if the story itself wants it to be  something that is meant to be seen as questionable.

Sage’s family is one of the Ronin families that is well versed in the legend of the Ronin Armor that is passed through their family. It’s never emphasized in the series, but from the sound of things in supplemental materials such as the novels, Sage is the only one in his family with his hair and eye color. This means that yes Sage was meant to physically represent the element of his armor. That would also lead to problems that Sage would have had to face growing up.

In Japanese Culture, one of the worst scarlet letters you can possess is to stand out. Sage is from a traditional family so being born representing his armors element would have raised a lot of eyebrows. I’ve seen numerous dramatic fanfictions where Sage is picked on because of his implausible hair color. I’ve also seen the word Konketsu applied to him as well in some of these fics. Konketsu means mixed-blood but it can be used as a slur that means half-breed. 

In a more modernized incarnation this traditionalist might not be used quite as often. So you can sum it up as anime logic.

While the legend of the Halo Armor is well known in the Date family, only a small fraction would believe the legend to be more than just a story.  While an even smaller fraction would recognize that Sage was born connected to the Halo Armor.  Namely Sage’s grandparents and possibly his mother.

The circumstances of Sage’s mother being chosen to provide a male heir to the Date Clan are unknown. It’s often speculated that Grandfather Date only had daughters, if there had been a boy born to their family he either died before he could prove himself as an heir. Or he was expelled from the Date Estate for some reason. Which in turn would put the burden of producing an heir on the shoulders of his sister or one of them.

Sage’s mother could be the oldest daughter, or she was deemed the one who was more likely to produce a suitable male heir.

Whatever the case may be, the Ronin are the first real friends that he’s ever had. And it’s likely that his upbringing didn’t really allow for friendships to exist in his life.

With Sage’s character bio for the original series it is stated that his grandfather was largely responsible for Sage’s upbringing. Some bios state that he was given over to his grandfather because his parents had trouble disciplining him.

Personally to me it always felt there was more to this. Grandfather Date likely would have recognized from the moment Sage was born that he was destined to bear the Halo Armor. So he would have naturally taken it upon himself to prepare Sage for when the armor would deem him worthy of it.  As well as to groom Sage for the day he would inherit their families Dojo and become the next head of the Date Clan. While he would have told Sage and also Sage’s sisters of the family legend, he would continue to let Sage believe the rigorous training he is given is all associated with being his grandfather’s successor.

While Kento is actually the wealthiest of the five Ronin, neither Kento nor Sage’s home’s are described. The best that’s given is that his family live on the outskirts of Sendai and that the Dojo is a part of it, or at least an area of the family estate that can be visited without invitation.  

Wanting to ensure his grandson was raised in a way *he* deemed fit, Grandfather Date would insist that Sage come live with him at the main house. I can imagine he was around the ages of 4-6 when this occurred. Sage’s grandfather is described as being unusually strict. Sage was also rather rambunctious at that age, so he may have believed that he must have done something bad so he was being taken away from his family as punishment.

Sage is still able to see his parents and sisters, but he would live under his grandfather’s roof at the Date Estate. Grandfather Date according to the brief description of him is said to be the walking precept of Date House, he was also a soldier in his youth he raises Sage to be the same.

The time Grandfather Date was a soldier is rather unclear, some bios he was a soldier during the Meiji Era which means he was around Sage’s age during the early 1900’s since that era ran from 1868-1912. Since this series is set in the late eighties, it is possible that he may have been in the tail end of that time period. Though I have seen bios that have said he was a soldier during the Edo Period, which would be physically impossible since that time period ended just as the Meiji era started. Logically if he was in a war at all, it would more likely be WWII.

Since Sage’s family is descended from Date Mesamune, a more logical conclusion was that Grandfather Date was trained to be like a soldier from the Edo period and raised Sage to follow those same disapplines. So this would be a bit of a reverse of what Rowen’s life is like. Where Rowen is a child who is seen and treated as an adult, Sage is a child who has his life framed with the expectation that he will act like an adult.

Perhaps Sage viewed his home life under his grandfather’s teaching as a gilded cage. Everything he needs is provided for, however there is always the sense that everything he says and does is watched and has to meet a certain expectation. If he does something that is met with disapproval it can result in a harsh punishment. The same expectations he would be expected to follow at home would also apply to his school life.

With School aside from meeting his Grandfather’s rigorous criteria, which would make it difficult for him to make friends with his schoolmates. All this of course translates into the self doubts and fears he shows at times during the war with the Dynasty.

With the Ronin Warriors, Sage would likely find himself in a bit of a conundrum. As he has actual friends for the first time in his life and not only that people he comes to see as brothers. While being raised by his grandfather and following his directive, he’s always presented himself as the persona his grandfather had expected him to have. The one thing he has never really been permitted to be is himself, and that could lead into the issues he has in events such as the Korinden CD drama.

Mia and Yuli would largely be the same, as they are in the series. Just a pair of civilians who are friends with the Ronin and understand the battles they go through. Mia would continue her grandfather’s research on the armors and assist where she can. Mostly she would be a big sister figure to the Ronin and help them figure out. In the Message OVA she does become a delegate at the United Nations. While the other Delegates are wondering about the strange things that are going on and wondering about how they were dealt with in previous events. Mia stands up and says she believes she may know what they are looking for.

To be honest, this often bugged me. I mean I like the idea of the Ronin being needed in other parts of the world aside from Japan. Still at that point, the Ronin Armors as they were originally had all been destroyed. Mia would have recognized what was going on was connected to the power of the Armors. Still telling a group of bureaucrats, a bunch of suits that believed in facts, science, and other such tangible information that everything that was going on hinged on a group of teenagers with mystical armor. I’m sorry, the only thing they will believe is that the person telling them this is insane.

All this is stuff that was demonstrated in the series and OVA so there isn’t just headcanon.

In the second episode of the series, the Japanese Self-Defence Force is deployed against Talpa’s castle in the first war, and all their efforts prove useless. The first episode also shows electronics, vehicles, and other man-made creations lose power due to the forces of Mystical energy coming from the Dynasty.  

And even if they could be convinced that the Ronin Armors were real. Talpa’s Armor was the corporeal embodiment of all human evil. Figures in places of power and authority would be anything but happy in knowing that five suits of armor are capable of wielding weapons-grade levels of mystical power even exist. And they would be even less then happy knowing these said suits of armor were given to people who are essentially children.

While the Ronin themselves know they are fighting for the good of the Mortal Realm, authority figures would argue they are just children playing with power they couldn’t possibly understand. While other people would fear hate them on the grounds that if they can use their armors for good, what was to stop them from using them for evil.

This is seen during the series where Rowen breaks Anubus’s helmet and is stunned to find that instead of a netherworld demon, Anubus was actually a human. Later on Kento is approached by Dais and told that he would become corrupted by his own armor in time. In the Dub, Kento is told that the five armors in the past had been worn by men who have used their power for their own selfish desires. In the Japanese version, Kento is told the armors were sought by people who wanted their power for themselves.  

During the Guiden OVA, Sage is believed to have become evil and is killing innocent people in New York. In the Japanese Version, Kento makes a comment about how the name of the Samurai Troopers is tarnished because one of them decided to go rogue. Which causes Rowen to look at Kento with a horrified expression.  

Later on when Rowen and Kento are confronting Sage about his actions, they find it’s not their friend but actually his armor. While the Ronin themselves don’t use their ultimate attacks because of all the civilians around them, the Police and National Guard are still brought in to try and arrest the Ronin because of the public disturbance their battle is causing.  

During Legend of the Inferno Armor, Cye is the first of the Ronin to notice the power of their Armors starting to corrupt, Each of the Ronin also eventually notice their armor becoming corrupted.

In the Message OVA Rowen does say that the armors were just as much of a curse as they were a gift. And the Ronin do comment on and fear the eventuality of losing themselves to their armors.

Worse yet, people in places of authority would use any excuse they could think of to imprison the five Ronin. They would have their armors taken to be studied and weaponized if possible.  If they can’t do that, they would force the Ronin to agree to use their armors as a superweapon against the people they want. And if they can’t do that, have them executed.

Again in the Guiden OVA, Sage is abducted and tortured for days by a Scientist working for Shikaisen so his Armor could be studied for his own personal interests. Shikaisen also used Sage’s armor to slaughter hundreds of innocent people

All of this would lead to Talpa reforming himself and starting the cycle of the Ronin armors once again.

In the Guiden OVA, after Shikaisen merges with the Scientists computer, he does become a figure that resembles Talpa.

Message OVA,The Ronin all get this sense that their battles against the Dynasty are repeating itself. Rowen comes across a play written in the Edo Period depicting their fights against the Dynasty and sends it to Ryo.  

Since the Ronin are destined to be Warriors until the day they die, The Ronin are just best off as being guardian figures who watch the humans and protect humans from afar. Mia can open her mansion to allow the Ronin to live there as permanent house guests, or just give them the house so they all can live there at their leisure.

The new armors they recieve at the end of the Message OVA aren’t tainted with Talpa’s evil since Suzunagi’s mother she placed love in the corner of them. So they don’t act as a becon that attracts beings of evil from the Netherworld Given this the Ronin themselves could spread the teachings of the Ancient One by creating a new Legend of the Ronin Armor. 

It could start with Sage talking to his grandfather about expanding their families Dojo. Or at the very least telling his Grandfather he will not inherit the Dojo as it stands, but instead will recreate it. So instead of teaching Kendo alone it will include Archery, Swordfighting, Kungfu, meditation, and other forms of martial and spiritual arts. The other Ronin would be brought in as instructors to lead these various class all the while instilling the Anicent Ones teachings about not giving into the sinister urges of man kind. And when needed the Ronin would don their armors and face the forces from the neather world who seek to destroy the peace they have created. 

Eventually the time will come where they feel they have played their role in protecting the world, and hand the Dojo over to Yuli or at least someone they know would look after things and carry on the legend of the five armors. 

Once they have their affairs in order, they could make the choice to enter the Netherworld. This will be a tragic choice as a year in the Netherworld is a hundred years in the human world. So the Ronin would be making the choice to leave their families and loved ones behind. But they do this knowing that when they are needed they will return, and in time choose worthy successors to bear their armors. 

Yuli in an updated version would be a somewhat tragic case following the first war. During the series Yuli seems to stay with the Ronin and Mia indefinitely and is able to travel to distant countries at a moments notice. He sees all the Ronin as adoptive brothers, though he idolizes Ryo the most out of all of them. A large part of the first war with the Dynasty is that Yuli’s parents were abducted by the Dynasty. However the series never shows him with his parents again.

He should be shown meeting up with his parents again after the first war just so viewers have that closure. Then somewhere in the interim episodes between the first and second war something should happen to his parents so he loses them, it can be left up for interpretation if his parents are permanently lost. Yuli would then start to live with the Ronin and Mia until arrangements can be made for him; he will eventually be taken in by the families of one of the Ronin.  

Of the three Ronin I see Kento’s family being the only one that would work. Kento has siblings roughly around Yuli’s age, and also Yuli himself would want to be near his adoptive big brothers.

In the Message OVA, Yuli is shown as a thirteen year old having won his jr. high’s Kendo tournament. Sage teaches elementary school aged kids at his families Dojo, so I can certainly see Sage privately teaching Yuli at some point.  

[thecagedsong]

Cool, so one of my fandoms is having a really bad day, and since I care about Fablehaven until this monster of a fanfic gets finished, how about some wholesome meta? I don’t really care what the drama was about, so don’t tell me. We’re all a little high strung, and I tend to take disagreements personally in a way that I’m working on, and don’t need to be involved in. 

Now that that disclaimer is out of the way, who wants to talk about the Five crowns? Because I had a 14 hour car ride yesterday, listening to the second half of Evening Star and Shadow Plague, and I am so ready to let you all in on the code I cracked. I found the unifying magic diagram of the Fablehaven verse. The key to ultimate satisfaction, and if there was a magic research journal in universe, I would post this in and win the Top Magic Nerd of this Century award.  My goal is to make this as accepted canon as possible, because I am ridiculously right. No characters involved, so no drama except of the scolastic kind, relying on heavy references to canon. 

Ready? 

SO, I made a pretty big claim. But I’ve been toying with this theory since before Dragonwatch three came out. I need some reviews before I inform Brand Mull that I’ve cracked his secret and won the game. If this symbol isn’t on the spine of the Journal of Secrets, what is even the point. 

A good symbol does three things: identifies the pieces you are dealing with, helps the viewer reach a new understanding about the pieces, and map onto the cultural understandings of the audience. aka a cross with four quadrants of airplane, mitochondria, love, and toe nails is a terrible symbol. See common memes for usually pretty good symbols and graphs. 

So you got five crowns right? That means you have a pentagon and a five pointed star, and the biggest trick was figuring out where each crown went, and how they related to each other. 

Examine five-part belief systems, see where the crowns match, unifying symbol explains everything, move on. Easy.

NO.

You wanna know why?

BECAUSE FIVE POINTED STARS AS SYMBOLS ARE MORE WORTHLESS THAN AAA BATTERIES FOR WATCHING TELEVISION

Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, obviously they are very useful for things like organizing systems within a single body. Who functions as the head, the shield arm, the pivot foot, etc. But the point of that diagram is that they are equally important and dependent to every other part. Which doesn’t work when the different groups keep trying to break each other’s kneecaps (see b5: fairies v demons).

It also falls apart on the five-piece cultural scale. The most well-known 5-piece cultural scale is obviously the chinese elements: Fire Wood Water Metal Earth.

Now, I don’t pretend to be an expert on those at all. But it all broke down on fire, TBH. Were dragons fire? But a large point was that their breath weapons weren’t always fire. Were demons fire? Even the ones covered in sludge. Were demons earth? Was the underking earth? All I got were fairies as water, in the end. If someone wants to give that a go, be my guest. 

I drew so many pentagrams trying to figure it out, and it never worked. No matter the arrangement, it never told me more about the crowns except that there were five of them. I was about to despair. 

But then the muses sang: The Forgotten Crown. 

(That’s the title of my thesis, btw)

Like I said, five pointed stars were trash for this system, but what if I added another crown, one that no one bothers to count, because by their nature, they can’t do anything. That’s right:

The Forgotten Crown of the Fair Folk. 

The symbol slipped into place like sharp pointy things into Warren. And now I can get to the real meta after sharing this image:

Isn’t it beautiful? After I cracked this code, I showed it to my little sister. She smiled contentedly, calling it satisfying. It is so satisfying. It speaks to so many levels of understanding. 

First, I depicted for you, we have the morality and the terrain triangles. 

Morality triangle is the easiest, if you feel uncomfortable labeling drown-happy naiads as good and all demons as evil, congrats, thinking about the nature of good and evil is precisely what Mull was going for. Since I am suddenly one of those people, I’m going to be using the creation/destruction dichotomy, but acknowledge that both of those work. 

Fairies can be most easily understood when Kendra asked the Fairy Queen what she should do with her life. She’s an unlimited fount of the Fairy Queen’s own power, allowed to do whatever she wants, and the Fairy Queen tells her to nurture life. Be fruitful, put good things in the world, help people grow. Their goal is to create, their magic is defensive, beauty is wonderful for its own sake. The better you are at respecting and nurturing life, the stronger your magic is. Dryads are responsible for the whole forest, and throughout the series they are seen as more powerful and serious than fairies, which can make the plants they interact with grow and hamadryads, who are connected only to their tree. Certainly more powerful than the petty, waterbound naiads. 

Ganalus’s speech to Seth about his own nature is where you can understand demons in this world. They like to destroy and torture, they find amusement in things like plague and clipping live beings to their belts and dragging them around. They are driven by the need for more power and control. Their nature is to harm and break apart, and that has its place in this world, but we care about the stuff and people here, so mortals and fairies have got to keep these punks in check.

And of course, the Fair Folk. Here’s where this triangle gets fun. The worst of the worst gets to be Demon King, the best of the best get stronger fairy powers. That means the most neutral of the neutral get to be the leader of the Fair Folk. We’ve heard references to the main city of the Fair Folk: Selona, somewhere in Europe, and a mysterious exert that I’ve seen images of with Lord Dagrel that I’m trying to pin down. I’m posing that their powers come from being neutral. They talk about the terrible consequences of the last time they went to war, what if it the equivalent of their fallen state, when they break their neutrality, and changes them fundamentally. 

This breaks down the most, but they are the Forgotten Crown for a reason. They hold themselves apart from issues of the other crowns. No one even remembers that they have a crown, because as Seth and Celebrant have shown, who cares? They aren’t going to do anything about it. Everyone collectively forgot/don’t care about them. But their abilities are equal in strength to the others, but different in use, and less valued by those who have battles to fight. Their neutrality puts them exactly between good and evil, creation and destruction. They take the choice not to act, and there is power there too. 

Next is the Terrain Creatures. 

Sky giants control the sky, obviously. Thronis and his ability to control the weather, their height, while their feet are on the ground, far as we know, everything important happens in the sky. 

Underking gets under the ground, again, obvious. Different from the other two points of the terrain triangle in that there is a lot of creature classifactions in their domain, but think of how big the surface of the earth is, underneath it, all theirs. 

Dragons, they dwell in the sky and below the surface, putting them in both. Water dragons and Dromadus both primarily function beneath the surface, and their wings let them be in the sky. while not stronger necessarily than the other terrain crowns in their own domains, they are top of the food chain for the creatures living on the ground, and could probably take out the undead that venture near the surface, and I have high hopes for seeing a Sky Giant v Dragon in the next book. 

Cool, we got our organization of information. We learn something about them based on their placements within the triangles. But is that our symbol? No! Symbols are different than graphs, we should be able to squeeze ridiculous amounts of meaning from them, and we aren’t done yet. The two triangles map really, really well together.

What does the placement of the two triangles together tell us about the individual components?

a WHOLE TON. This is what makes this symbol the most satisfying, the triangles create two separate categorizations of their powers and abilities, but they inform each other. The morality of the terrain beings, and the domains of morality beings. 

Dragons run the whole spectrum from creation to destruction. We see a lot more of the destruction dragons, because our kids are in a war, but Raxtus hits really close to the Fairies and can heal and grow with his breath weapon. We also have wizards, who chose mortality for the ability to use magic to create. All the way to effing Navarog, honorary demon. They run every shade of the creation/destruction spectrum. We also see dragons that don’t depend on destruction because we know that there are some that agreed to behave if it meant they weren’t shoved into sanctuaries. 

Sky giants, the group we know the least about, are good enough that their queen was deemed able to be the caretaker of a dragon sanctuary, so no inherent thirst for destruction and chaos. But they run the neutral side of creation, they weren’t going to step in to stop the demons, they like magic and creating from what we know of thronis, but they fit right here. 

Underking - fall between neutral destruction. The underking wasn’t orchestrating the opening of the demon prison. They crave life, its a food source, but more than that, they want to endure. They might fall closer to demons in their taste for extinguishing life, but they need their wanting of life to continue existing. They might have individual prizes and desires for life, but because they depend on wanting life for their own continued existence, they will never organize themselves into taking over the world. Congrats, you’re only half as destructive as demons.

The morality on the terrain is much easier to see blatantly. Fairies have wings, but in no way do they control the sky, and they live on the ground. Demons...I’m sure some of them fly, but they tend to prefer caves like Granulas and pits like Jubaya and Kurisok. Prefer the night, though the light doesn’t harm them. Fittingly, the Fair Folk do not have the ability to fly on their own, and they live on the ground, not under it. 

sO SATISFying how those fit together. Are you weeping yet? This is harmony on the organizational level. 

But I claimed this was the perfect symbol, the ultimate. There is one more layer describing how every piece relates to every other piece, per the best symbols. 

Opposites

This is the least defined level of interaction, and each line is unique, while still being opposite its counterpart. We’ll start with the ones we have the least information about and go from there. 

Demon/sky giant: We know nothing, at the moment. They have never commented on each other, and have never interacted. Why didn’t sky giants show up to the Zzyzx party? Who knows! So I’m going to speculate here, and propose that they just really can’t stand each other’s presence. Demons stay away from sky giants, because giants are way bigger than them, and it is hard to feel powerful when you only come up to their knee, and sky giants don’t like demons because...eww, demons. 

Fair Folk/Dragon: We know that there are Fair Folk at all seven dragon sanctuaries. We know that the Fair Folk were there long before the sanctuaries were created. Fair Folk neutrality let both parties trust the dragons to part of their watch. It also seems that Dragons have a very difficult time staying neutral. We’ve seen a lot of flavors of dragon, but the one flavor we haven’t seen, possibly by its nature, is a neutral dragon. The closest we came was Dromadus, who was an abstaining pacifist for two books, but kept lending help to the innocent and those aligned with the innocent. His neutrality broke literally the week someone asked him to break it.

 Fascinatingly, the talents of the Fair Folk are actually the closest analog to the breath weapons of the dragons. One unique ability, can be augmented by training, can do something unique to the characteristics of the user. This is enough to make their uses of magic foils for each other in ways that they can’t be with the other races. In fact, they take human shape, their wizards act a lot like the talents of the Fair Folk.

Their final opposite string: physical appearance. Fair Folk are attractive (symetrical) humans. Dragons are hulking reptiles of scale and claw meant to let everyone who can see them know who is the top predator around. Fair folk are disarmingly beautiful. 

Fairy/Underking: The dichotomy that we know the most about because it’s the one the protagonists find themselves on opposite side of. I could double the length of this post talking about these opposite foils, but this is already ridiculously long, so I’ll keep it brief. Consult upcoming thesis for full analysis.

Most obvious aspect of this line? They literally cannot co-exist, one must overpower the other. Nova Songs are consumed by darkness, while crown-fueled Kendra literally turns the undead into bones and dust. The darkness and light can’t balance like the demon cursed area + Fairy shrine stone did in Shadow Plague, there is no middle ground.

While fairies and demons make the creation-destruction spectrum, Fairy and Underking make the Life-death line. Unicorns, who have so much life and youth that lectoblixes overdose to death on them, and the undead that give up the joys light and live to continue. Because Death lasts as long as life. 

And finally my favorite line of opposites, their crowns functions in exactly the opposite ways. The under-crown does not share power. It accumulates, you become one of consciousness of the crown. They swallow you up, and you will never take power from them. They will continue. Meanwhile the Fairy crown has had several owners, as identified by Risenmay in dw2. And the Fairy Crown shares magic in a way that the other crowns don’t. The fairy Queen shared her magic with Kendra, yes, but she also shared it with her husband. All the male fairies fell with the Fairy King, turning permanently into imps. Unless the Fairy Queen isn’t being honest about how that happened, that meant that the male half of the kingdom was under the authority of her husband when he fell. Which makes sense for this crown. One person can’t make a new person on their own, they have to have a male and a female genetic coding. For the crown that is all about creating and preserving life, that power isn’t meant to be wielded alone. The Fairy crown can share, can give, while the Undercrown can consume and take. They are complete opposites in this.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading through this preliminary thesis. Counterpoints, additions, and commentary are welcome. I want to flesh this out a little more before sending my transcendent, beautiful, unifying symbol to Mull and have him announce that I have officially cracked the code. Really tho, the fact that I can pull this together into a unifying symbol is pretty cool in terms of Mull’s worldbuilding. 

Well...only works if he acknowledges the forgotten crown. Dragonwatch 5: the Crown of Selona. I can’t wait. 

[goldenkamuyhunting]

To be fair with Asirpa and Sugimoto: Shiraishi actually DOES have money problems. To the point he went crazy betting with Inkarmat on horse races. And in following chapters, they said that he would steal Asirpa's money to use it on bets or prostitutes. So, I don't blame them for not trusting him specifically on the gold.

Hum... let’s go through your points one by one starting with the most relevant one.

1) And in following chapters, they said that he would steal Asirpa's money...

Shiraishi NEVER stole money from Asirpa.

He always asked her for some and she provided it or, more often, she provided with the means to get it, as in she gave him things she has hunt to sell in exchange for money.

And why asking to Asirpa/ borrowing from her?

Because Asirpa, in her role as a hunter, is the money provider and patron of the group, something Sugimoto acknowledged before Shiraishi were to join them (chap 3). 

This means Sugimoto too doesn’t have money and has to rely on her... and how could Sugimoto have money as Sugimoto also doesn’t work beyond helping Asirpa hunting things?

Now in this dynamic there’s something relevant.

While Sugimoto can help Asirpa in her hunts... Shiraishi tries helping but he’s a mess at them. He’s weak, he’s clumsy, he doesn’t know what to do, he gets regularly bitten by animals or falls into traps set for them.

The result is his contribute to the hunt is often minimal.

So why giving him money he hadn’t gained by hunting?

Because Shiraishi’s role is to provide information or to help in situations that require an escape expert.

He does what Sugimoto and Asirpa aren’t capable to do, so he has a precise and important role in the group and therefore he deserves a share of the money gained or they would still be stuck or would have faced bigger troubles.

For example, if Shiraishi hadn’t provided information about Nihei, Nihei would have killed Retar and they wouldn’t have known who did it or that Nihei was a convict. They wouldn’t have found Henmi or Wakayama.

But also, if Shiraishi hadn’t helped Sugimoto to escape, Sugimoto would have had more troubles survive from Nikaidou Youhei, wouldn’t have been able to escape from Nihei, wouldn’t have entered in Abashiri.

And there are more and more instances were Shiraishi helps in things that aren’t hunting yet are important for them.

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2) (he would steal Asirpa's money) to use it on bets or prostitutes.

I’ve split this because they’re actually two different things.

Shiraishi is actually accused of wasting money on three things, booze, bets and prostitutes.

Yes, it’s undoubtedly true Shiraishi likes drinking, one of his first contributes to the group is to bring booze (likely bought with his own money as, at the time, he hadn’t asked money to Asirpa yet) that they all drink together.

Shiraishi isn’t the only one who get drunk that night, Sugimoto and Asirpa did too.. to the point they forget about the gold.

It won’t be the only time they get drunk. They’ll do it also with Ushiyama for example so Shiraishi isn’t the only one who likes drinking... but this is only part of the point. Does Shiraishi invests all the money he borrows in booze and prostitutes?

We actually learn pretty soon that’s not the case, this is merely Sugimoto and Asirpa’s speculation.

Let’s go back to chap 33.

With the money he got from Asirpa Shiraishi considers buying ALSO booze...

...but ultimately he thinks to business.

Shiraishi is the info provider so he goes to search for info and he goes to search for them in a high class brothel.

Now, it’s clear he also hopes to get personal benefits from this, but it’s also true Asirpa herself went to ask prostitutes for info when they were to Otaru as prostitutes were a source of info (Hijikata tracks Ushiyama down thanks to a prostitute betraying him and the lady handling the soba house and the brothel above it sells Sugimoto to the 7th... and even Sekiya will use prostitutes to capture Ushiyama). We are also confirmed Shiraishi visits brothels to ask for info because the pimp of the poor class brothel, seeing him, first thing he does is saying him he has no info.

And now back to the high class hotel. Shiraishi isn’t going there just because it has prettiest girls. This is the right spot to go because we’ll see Ushiyama will come out of it and later we’ll be confirmed in that brothel Shiraishi has set a ‘trap’ for Ushiyama that would allow him to get Ushiyama’s sock.

So yes, Shiraishi went to a brothel and paid a prostitute but it wasn’t to have sex with her but a mean to track Ushiyama, his sock. Then he’ll also buy booze, likely to celebrate the success and because he... well, he had quite an adventure.

At this point though, it can be argued he wasted some of the money on booze... but not that he had been useless. Sugimoto and Asirpa’s statement he has wasted all that time and money solely getting drunk is wrong and misguided by a pre-existant very negative opinion they have of him.

We readers though should know better, as we know Shiraishi actually has done something productive and has a plan even if he doesn’t share his with the group.

Sugimoto and Asirpa had no idea of all this, called him a good-for-nothing and assumed he only use the money to get drunk, so that Sugimoto called him an idiot.

Sure, Shiraishi could have not gotten drunk in the end, even if I get that after such adventure and the success of her plan he felt he needed a reward.

But he was all but an idiot or useless.

However the Shiraishi misjudgement continues.

In fact next thing he does is asking Asirpa to lend him Retar... and he’s immediately accused by Sugimoto to wish to skin him to sell the pelt to buy booze.

We know though he wanted to use him to track Ushiyama down, a thing he’ll do with Ryu later on.

And the brothel?

In Sapporo Sugimoto will claim that he’s sure he went to Susukino (the red district).

Shiraishi doesn’t deny it but claims there he got info on a convict. Actually we don’t know if he was in Susukino or not but we know with who he was. Ushiyama. And the ‘cutie’ from which he got the info was Ienaga.

And again, when he visit a brothel with Takuboku it will be to gather info... not on the convicts this time but on Hijikata’s plan... and probably he too is using the spending money Hijikata gave him since he’ll later will call him his ‘daddy long leg’

Shiraishi will then report this info to Sugimoto, that will use it in his conversation with Wilk.

So, even though Shiraishi clearly enjoys visiting brothels, he’s not just doing it for the sake of it but also because they’re a source of informations... and sometimes he even use them solely for information or purely as a cover for his meetings with Ushiyama.

Now bets.

This is a really interesting part because one of the first things we learn about Shiraishi is that he loves betting, in fact he decides to help Sugimoto and Asirpa because HE DECIDES TO BET ON THEM.

Can Shiraishi control his love for betting or not?

We get the impression he can’t in the Inkarmat arc when Kiro will say in Hokkaido Shiraishi bet and lost all the money he BORROWED from Asirpa.

The problem is... it’s a lie. Asirpa lent him 3 yen.

And it turns out when he went to bet with Inkarmat he actually didn't lost all his money previously but has saved exactly 3 yen, which he could have bet with the system he explained to Inkarmat and instead... he didn't.

So:

- either he lied and never went to bet. He told Kiro he did because maybe the latter figured he wasn’t in a brothel so he told him he went betting instead.

- he went to bet but spent all the money Hijikata gave him and not the one Asirpa gave him. Only he couldn’t say he played with the money Hijikata gave him so he claimed he lost Asirpa’s to explain why he didn’t come back with more money than the 3 yen she originally gave him.

Anyway, Shiraishi knew when to stop. He didn’t entirely waste all his money.

Sugimoto and Asirpa can’t know but we do.

So why doesn’t he stop with Inkarmat?

He clearly starts because they need money but also because he totally buys she can magically predict who’s going to win.

He’s not the only one. All the Ainu village has gone a little crazy and up till the last race she never messed up a prediction once. So, of course, if you think there’s no way you can lose because you’ve magic working for you... well, you’re very naive but you’re not going to stop.

But this is a different problem from having a betting problem you’re unable to control, this is you being manipulated. Shiraishi is being manipulated by Inkarmat, and she pushes him into betting but she could have pushed him into doing other things and he would have done it thinking they would make him rich because... magic.

And there’s another problem here at hands.

Think that betting is wrong? Then what else is the gold hunt if not a giant bet with their lives at stake?

Asirpa gives a pretty speech on how they aren’t lost and know exactly what they need to do...

...but even if in another circumstances this speech might be true in this case it’s completely self serving. It’s Asirpa who NEEDS to go to Abashiri and has no other way to get what she wants if not going to Abashiri.

Shiraishi just wants the money and there are plenty of ways to get it that don’t include risking their life with a group of people that beat you and call you useless at any turn even when they need you to get inside Abashiri or collect info or other stuffs.

Going to Abashiri is a bet, a bet that’s much more risky than just betting on horses and Shiraishi knows.

And later Inkarmat will slam on Asirpa’s face that the truth is she just doesn’t want Shiraishi to win because she’s afraid to lose his support.

Long story short, while Shiraishi isn’t exactly thight-fisted with money and likes booze, bets and brothels, I wouldn’t say he has a money problem and surely he doesn’t steal from Asirpa.

He always asked.

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3) So, I don't blame them for not trusting him specifically on the gold.

Well, they actually are to blame. For start because when Sugimoto made his own special agreement with Tsurumi he didn’t include Shiraishi in it at all. He asked for his 200 yen for himself but he asked nothing for Shiraishi, not even freedom. Tsurumi can just stuck him in a jail as he’s a convict. Or skin him if he prefers.

Do you know exactly how much Shiraishi was promised when he joined them?

Asirpa promises him in exchange HALF OF THE GOLD, as she’s not interested in it and she’s planning to give the other half to Sugimoto.

At the time they believed the gold was much less and for a total value of 80.000 yen, meaning SHIRAISHI HAS BEEN PROMISED 40.000 YEN.

Quite an impressive treasure for the time they are in.

We can argue it’s too much but it’s actually Asirpa who told him he could have half of the gold, he just asked for a part of it.

When it turned out the amount of gold was much bigger than what they think Shiraishi was still in an agreement that promised him half of it however, with Kiro joining the group the share of gold everyone will get is put into discussion. While Asirpa was fine with letting it all to Sugimoto and Shiraishi as she doesn’t believe the Ainu to need it, Kiro points out that although he acknowledge they deserve a share, the gold needs to be returned to the Ainu.

Shiraishi doesn’t discuss this, which I can take as him agreeing to it. We don’t know if they set an amount but I still think that with such a huge amount of gold it was clear he expected a big share, much bigger than the 200 yen Sugimoto asks for himself without bothering to ask the same amount for Shiraishi... or just make sure Shiraishi won’t be sent back in jail.

It’s Sugimoto who in the agreement with Tsurumi covers his own interest, the money he wants to get for Umeko, claiming he knows better than the others and that he’s doing this for Asirpa.

The volume version makes clear this is THE WORST POSSIBLE EVER decision he could take for Asirpa but okay, he made a mistake toward her. Toward Shiraishi he simply didn’t care.

So really, if I were in their group I would be more worried it would be Sugimoto who’ll hand my share away while saving his own than that Shiraishi will steal mine.

But, what’s more, there’s the fact that through the story Shiraishi became much more dependable and trustworthy. He remained with them even when it was risky, he tried to help them even when it was dangerous or it would have been more advantageous for him to switch side.

Shiraishi has grown from a totally unreliable guy who thought only to his own self interest and would use people for his own gain to a good friend who cares for them and tries to protect them and support them the best he knows. And he’s still unapprecciated by them, told he’s an idiot without even listening to his whole idea.

Sugimoto doesn’t know Boutarou, his motivation to join forces with him is purely he feels sympathy for him.

Sugimoto isn’t really good at reading people in fact he has a long list of failures in which he assumed people were good when they actually were not (Gotou, Henmi, the fake Ainu, even Tsurumi to name a few).

Shiraishi is right in warning him to pay attention to what he does. Sugimoto doesn’t know if Boutarou is that sort of guy and I don’t know either but I know Boutarou has an important dream who kept him alive for years, a dream that requires a lot of money to be fulfilled.

He might want more than a small share of the gold.

Asirpa claiming it’s Shiraishi who actually wants to steal it all for himself just hurts. It implies despite all Shiraishi has done they still don’t see him trustworthy to the point they think he would be okay with stealing such a huge sum of gold from them, that he’s basically not their friend but that he’s just using them to get his hands on the gold.

So yes, it’s bad.

I get Asirpa has a crush on Sugi and wants to defend his decision (besides the other option might be to kill Boutarou and she doesn’t want to kill) so she probably didn’t mean it in a serious way but this is painful to hear from her and it’s honestly irritating to see Sugimoto looking at Shiraishi that way when actually he was the one who made a deal with Tsurumi that didn’t include giving Shiraishi a share or protected him in any way but gave some money to him.

Sorry, I guess it’s a long reply but I think Shiraishi deserved an extended discussion, probably one even longer than this one.

As I said at the beginning he started as a selfish person but grew and became a great friend and the fact that his friends still don’t seem to realize how good and supportive to them he is, hurts. Even more, it makes me think they just don’t deserve him.

I love Asirpa and Sugi, I understand Asirpa’s crush brings her not to be objective and that Sugi felt a lot of empathy toward Boutarou so they acted the way they did.... but this doesn’t make their actions toward Shiraishi right.

I doubt Noda will have Shiraishi grow feed up with them but, in real life, many would have. You can’t just act that way with a friend.

Anyway sorry for the long rambling and thank you for your ask. I loved to have the chance to talk about Shiraishi as I get the feeling the fandom don’t discuss about him enough!

[deviant3lover]

Personal Headcanons for the Trio

On a rare spark of inspiration, I’ve decided to compile my list of headcanons for the Trio for you all to look at if you’re interested. :) 

I tried my best to make them rooted in canon so that they may be plausible while still allowing me to indulge. ;)

Putting this under Read More because boy, it is long.

Metal Bat/Badd

- From my asks to @atinychai​, Badd likes traditionally masculine things because it makes him feel empowered and keeps most people away. He shows almost all the traits: being into sports, working out, being fierce and intimidating… all except for being attracted to women. (Came as a real shock to him too: his team often found girls cute but Badd couldn’t help but notice that some guys were pretty hot and nobody pointed it out. Doubly so because he loves the thought of being married one day and none of the ladies appealed to him.)

- Very straightforward thinker, but unlike Genos, he isn’t completely tactless or over the top with it. His thought process focuses on what needs to be done, what is needed to do it, and to do it ASAP. Considerations are taken into account, such as what would happen if he doesn’t do it right or in a certain way. This is especially good for him since he’s a busy guy even by S-Class standards, but it does leave him vulnerable to not thinking through long term plans that well.

- The most empathetic and physically affectionate of the three. He keeps his tough look on him in public and in private, but he’s one of the first people to offer to hug it out if you’re breaking down. 

(Obviously where no one can see it: that’s embarrassing on you and would attract too much unwanted attention to him, so he makes sure there’s no one watching. If there is, he’ll clap you on the shoulder, look you in the eye, and offer some advice and encouragement.) 

Young boys and teenagers look up to him, and they usually feel better about crying into his shirt when Badd tells them how hard it was to stop himself from bursting into tears at his first loss in a match, or when he was trying to keep quiet for Zenko’s sake at her recital.

- Continuing on that note, he keeps a nice relationship with some of his sporty fans. Not anything too intensive, but he’ll keep track of the boys who come to him asking him what he was like on his baseball team, what to do if there’s infighting in their group, which ones are worried about their baseball matches and he gives them a proud congrats if they win, or a consolation + inspiration to do better next time if they lost.

- When he’s not blinded by anger, Badd’s surprisingly pretty adept at being a social expert. His experiences of being on the baseball team + hanging out with problem students like him has given Badd a pretty good perspective on both the popular kids and the hated, loner kids, as well as what they’re going through. As a result, he’s usually well received by them. Feels a little embarrassed and uncomfortable around smart kids though, especially when they explain something that sounds a little complicated to him.

- Back in his younger days prior to all the responsibilities piled on top of him, Badd was a pretty good leader for his baseball team. He checked in regularly with his team mates, their equipment, their training regimens, and their upcoming opponents. He helped some of his team mates with confidence issues, and made sure to keep in check with how they’re doing to prevent in-team fighting. All-star baseball team in their region for sure. :3

- In the future, I imagine that Badd might take up some boxing after taking a hint from all the times monsters knocked his bat out of his hands away from him. Lost his weapon? He’ll use his fists until he can get it back again, and he’ll use them well. Turns out loves the sport, but baseball will always have a special place in his heart.

- He empathizes easily with people experiencing stress; he goes through that daily with everything he has to take care of- but he’s more clueless with issues such as mental illness. Badd’s a little insensitive about it, sometimes suggesting things to take care of it which don’t work, but he’s trying his best to understand what someone is going through and knows enough to know that it isn’t something that can’t be solved by blowing off steam or cutting off some bad things in your life. Gets pissed off if someone dismisses it as ‘something that’s all in their head’ or ‘they’re crazy’ and will confront them. Forcing apologies out of the offender isn’t out of the question. Might want to stop him before he gets too pissed off.

- Like you’d expect, he’s a pretty big fan of sports, but in a more casual way. He likes hearing about his favorite athletes, training regimens, and certain meals/diets that helped stars to build up/maintain their strength and skill, but doesn’t obsessively get himself involved in the subject. On a more sentimental note, Badd finds some solace with famous athletes because they had to work hard to get where they needed to be, and on top of that, have to deal with the pressures that come with their popularity; whether they like it or not.

- Despite not having much time to cultivate attention to honing his skill and interest in cooking, he loves Gordon Ramsay. Seeing him rip entitled, spoiled people apart with words alone and gently encouraging + teaching kids has him placed high on Badd’s list of celebrities that he respects.

- Badd is a Closeted Romantic and a Family Man. Always found it touching where in some old action/thriller films, the male married lead thinks about his wife and kids back home and tells himself that he shouldn’t die, powering through the pain/adversity to get back to them. At some point it shifted to him liking some intense drama/action movie focusing on romance where the couple race against time to get to each other before it’s too late. The idea that someone you love and treat as an equal might actually be gone forever really gets him, and if done right, he’ll cry.

- Cannot, for the love of him, focus well on books. He’s literate, but he always wants to get to the most important stuff, often skimming over details that might be important later on. This is also evident in how he writes, explaining something simply and to the point, which makes him pretty good at teaching kids basic, simplified concepts, but not so good at constructing incredibly thought out and nuanced writing. Books and audio books just aren’t immersive to him. Consequently, English is one of his worst subjects in school, and he often has to rely on online notes and essay examples to help him out.

- Extending on that, I imagine him to be a kinaesthetic/visual learner. He was born with amazing dynamic vision after all. (Under ‘Fighting Style: Keen Perception.’)

- Loves American action movies, but they’ll have to be really well made for him to remember a specific one. If you asked him about his favorite action scenes, he’ll describe it, but more often than not, he won’t remember the movie’s name unless you gave him some clues.

- (Inspired by this fanfic.) His mother died in a monster attack just moments after giving birth to Zenko. Badd used to love and respect his father, but her death lead to him spiraling down to alcohol abuse and neglect due to his grief, leading to his broken pedestal status in his son’s eyes. Badd’s still bitter over it when he thinks about it, saying that his ‘old man nursed his bottle like it was his new kid’ instead of being there for him and Zenko. Caught between poor grades in school, a rough home life, and a baby sister he didn’t know how to take care of, Badd had to convince himself that he needed to be twice the man his father is, and ever was, to get through the worst of what life had to throw at him.

- No matter how hard he tries, he still loves his father, and wants to see him endeavor to become better again. But the combined grief of seeing him crumble and give up on himself, the bitterness over his dad failing to be there for him when he needed it the most, and the anger over how seemingly self-absorbed he was in with his booze and watching the static on the TV when Badd was struggling to cope, makes him force the thought of reconciling out of his mind. Badd forces himself to be outwardly angry over what happened to avoid the conflicted feelings he has over the man he used to see as his hero.

- That being said, if you know what his father used to mean to him, you’ll see subtle signs that while Badd can’t forgive, he had never forgotten him. His father was a big sports fan too, and taught him how to properly hit a baseball. If you knew what he taught and looked closely when Badd fights or does some swings, you’ll see that the tips and tricks that he taught his son has never left him.

- Wanted to get a dog because he thought they were cool, but realized he wouldn’t have enough time for it. Begrudgingly got a cat for him and Zenko after she picked one out. He expected it to be the widespread stereotype for cats: cold, mean, and ruins your stuff… and then he saw how lovable and sweet it was and fell in love. That cat is Tama.

- Hates horror films because some of them remind him of the fact that monsters can manifest for the stupidest reasons, anywhere, anytime. It gets him worked up and restless because anything can happen, and the fact that some monsters in the past had tried to target Zenko to lure him out doesn’t make him feel any better.

- When he’s sick/injured, he sleeps. A lot. A very heavy sleeper; expect snores and heavy eyelids. Seriously, this guy is practically stuck in either Stage 4 NREM or REM sleep until severe injuries heal quite a bit, and germs making him sick are killed off.

- Does not take kindly to anyone calling him weak or stupid. Despite getting angry easily, he’s very resilient (emotionally and mentally.) He knows from experience that if he can’t resolve it quickly, it’s best to put it on the backburner until the opportunity arrives where he can, and does his best to blow off steam in the meantime. He’s not that smart academically and he knows it, but it’s still a berserk button you should stay away from because while he’ll never admit it, it hurts him to know that despite forcing himself to attend school so that he can build a future for himself and Zenko outside of hero work, he’s still failing at getting the grades he needs.

- Expanding on that, he’s smart, but it’s more akin to Saitama’s words of wisdom than eloquent, polished reasoning and beliefs; straightforward and inspiring in a simple way that leaves no room for misinterpretation.

- Don’t let him play video games. Especially rage inducing ones like Cuphead. He will crush the controller and wonder why his character isn’t responding mid-game. The keys on the keyboard are smashed in. There are cracks on the area around the buttons. There’s a Wii remote sticking out of a wall after a frustrating defeat and the wrist strap wasn’t securely fastened.

Garou

- He likes athletic wear better than punk styles. They’re easier to put on and move in, whilst the leather from some punk clothes heats up too much/gets too stiff for his liking.

 - Hates being restrained. Sometimes, on a very, very rare occasion, it can be interpreted as him being scared of the idea since he lashes out pretty angrily at it. Garou had been held down and beaten up by bullies twice, pinned against a tree and choked by Genos before escaping his blast by the skin of his teeth, and then was implied to be chained up and tortured/punished for his insolence against the MA in their torture room. He’s strong enough to escape most bindings, but he will be on edge if he feels like he can’t get out of them. If you play your cards right, his attack patterns will lack their usual cunning and be more animalistic.

- He’ll eat almost any kind of food except for sweets. It’s too sugary for him, leads to a crash later on, isn’t sustainable, and it doesn’t offer much nutritional value to him either, so he steers clear of them if he can help it. The odd exception are energy drinks. The sugary taste isn’t something he exactly likes, but Garou loves the immediate rush that kicks in soon after drinking them; the slight burn on his tongue from carbonated drinks such as coca cola is a plus.

- Loves the thrill of the challenge of almost any sort. The excitement comes from giving it his all and not knowing for sure how things will turn out; if he won, that’s another trophy to him. If he lost, he relishes in a milestone he has to beat and loves the idea that there’s still room for improvement. Winning or losing too much tends to be boring for him, and he’ll abandon it if he sees no way to rectify it.

- When he’s sick or injured, he’s a restless sleeper; it’s hard for him to get the proper hours that he needs. He drifts in and out of sleeping and waking, usually sleeping a few hours at best before waking up for 10 minutes and falling back to sleep. Being attacked while vulnerable, in places with little means of defense or shelter is a pretty good plan for monsters/bigshots who want his head and he knows it. One of the places he can sleep more peacefully at is Bang’s Dojo, but he hasn’t been back there for some time now.

- Tsundere. Not necessarily the blushy ‘I-it’s not like I like you, b-baka!!’ sort of way, but he’s a more subdued tsundere. He’ll come off as mean spirited at times, but the most reliable way of knowing he loves and cares about his loved ones is when they’re being threatened; he’ll rough up the threat so they won’t get any funny ideas in the future.

- Is Russian-French, with some (suspected) Norwegian in there. Is generally a European mutt who takes a keen interest in Asian culture, especially those that developed sick martial arts and/or those who have interesting, complex histories; however, Garou isn’t as interested in wars and political intrigue as he is in weird, clever, and hilarious events and hijinks that sound too surreal to be true… like Zhao Yun's army being outnumbered by the enemy, retreating, and him choosing to make their fortress look empty so that his enemies get suspicious, thinking that it was an ambush and withdrawing... before launching an attack on them, killing off his enemy's army by inciting chaos. (E.g. Some of them got trampled, others fell into a river and drowned.) He won.

- Continuing off of that, he generally regards European history with distaste due to how... unkind, some of them are.

- (God, I love @the-goddessfighter​‘s headcanons for Garou’s parents, so honestly? I’m all for this being 100% canon. Murata or ONE, make it happen. In my eyes, this is as good as you possibly can get with Garou’s backstory.)

Check out her tumblr for her OC’s for Garou’s parents! (Although I do headcanon Toru as a more neglectful father who didn’t care much for Garou, if at all. He didn’t sugarcoat his words to him nor try to comfort his son.)

- Prefers black/white/grey/neutral colors for his clothes, if only to avoid people saying that the colors clash and that he looks like a fashion disaster.

- It’s an unconscious move on his part, and while he usually has impeccable control over his power, sometimes his fingers feel like they’re jabbing you when he’s distracted. Especially when he grabs or hugs you. Sometimes, there are some small bruises where they’ve dug in a little forcefully. When he’s feeling affectionate or sentimental and you’re his lover, he traces over your skin, and it’s a contrasting mix between the calloused, rough textures from the fingers, and smooth, fluid movements that slide like water. It’s a distinct Garou feature, and whether you love it or hate it depends on your tastes.

Genos/Demon Cyborg

- Doesn’t care too much about his popularity, but acknowledges the work that his fans put in when it comes to promoting his work and what little information he shares that others will pick up on. E.g. He doesn’t like to be bothered when he’s busy/with that bald guy, but otherwise is OK with signing a few autographs and shaking hands, he avoids certain obnoxious fangirls, he hates it when there’s a group and they crowd him, etc.

- Despite appreciating this info circulating so that some fans are more mindful about how they interact with him, he’s one of the hardest heroes to connect with due to how cold, closed off, busy, and/or socially awkward he may be. Not that many of his fans mind, as it feeds into the mysterious ‘Cyborg Prince’ fantasy that’s popular in his fan base.

- Thinks that Nice Guys/GirlsTM and people who use ‘I’m an Alpha, those betas/omegas can suck it’ are pathetic. At best. He thinks that they’re compensating for something instead of actually trying to improve themselves: for the latter, the added weight of using a disproved scientific theory makes him lose respect for them even more.

- He has a certain amount of fondness for fauna and flora. Prior to meeting Saitama, he’s had to travel long distances in search of the Mad Cyborg, and more often than not, company is fleeting, leaving him alone most of the time. Flowers by the side of the path, blue skies, the sound of chirping birds, or even some berries with rainwater droplets on them are familiar, nice sights that put him at ease. Some of his notebooks outside of taking notes on Saitama have hand drawn illustrations and notes on some plants he’s encountered, as well as their various uses.

- Conversely, barren cities will put him on high alert. Buildings act as great hiding spots, and Genos isn’t a stranger to being ambushed by monsters and criminals alike. (His eyes can be a great asset in these situations; scanning for threats and movements can give him a heads up on how dangerous the area is.)

- His sense of humor is pretty dark, if not outright sadistic at times; especially towards the people he hates. Otherwise, he likes making (mostly. Key word is mostly) harmless jabs and teases at those he loves because he finds it funny when the other person gets riled up/flustered. His tone and expressions don’t change (most of the time) when he makes them though, making it hard for others to know whether or not he’s joking until he clarifies on the matter.

- Hates those who spread misinformation about medicine, or demonizes scientists. He cares about keeping the public safe, and admires/respects science for everything it’s discovered for the sake of humanity: people such as those are a direct attack on both.

- Though on the outside he takes even the most inconsequential things seriously, to the point where he’s gullible and too honest to lie, he keeps his more solemn thoughts to himself and ingrains them at the back of his mind so that he’ll never forget them. His notebooks don’t hint at them even existing. The only way you’ll ever get to hear them is when you directly attack something he holds very dear to him (beliefs, values, aspirations) so that he may fiercely (and furiously) defend them. He berated Saitama for seemingly making a joke at his expense, but he was somewhat more lenient since he knew that Saitama wielded the power he needed. He won’t be nearly as nice if you’re not someone he likes or respects, so it’s a sure-fire way to get onto his blacklist.

- Is German-Japanese. German father, Japanese mother, though a lot of people mistake him for being fully German thanks to his looks. He understands some parts of the language, but isn’t fluent in speaking it. Japanese he’s fully fluent in, and English is getting to that point as well.

- He doesn’t usually use pet names if he gets a lover, but if he’s fallen in love hard, they get sort of ridiculous and a little cheesy. ‘My beloved’ and ‘darling’ are the most modest ones, but you’ll have to stop him from going after extremely specific and loving nicknames because they blur the line between being hilarious and embarrassing.

- Awesome at stake outs, and often keeps a first aid kit handy in his temporary bases (in the case of civilian injury) alongside a repair kit for himself. Genos is incredibly well prepared just from the equipment he has inside them, but unlike other matters (such as learning how to fold clothes efficiently and going taking it far too seriously), Genos shows pretty good judgment in how he sets them up. He doesn’t take more than what’s needed, and prepares some emergency supplies just in case there’s a new development and he needs to stay a bit longer. He’s learned from experience that taking too many things for them makes it harder for him to clear his tracks, and in return, the enemy (or enemies) that he’s been keeping an eye on might catch onto the fact that they’re being watched, making it harder for him to discover new information.

Shared Traits & Other Bits

- The no-brainer: you will get intimidated into fleeing if you mess with them. Things may get physical if you target their family/loved ones. Injuries vary depending on level of apologetic attitude, how much of a threat you pose, how far you’ve pushed things, etc. Best case scenario is that you flee the scene with no injuries, but scared out of your mind.

- Badd and Genos use the same nickname for their lover: ‘Darling.’ Although Badd will say it as ‘Darlin’’ instead. Other than that, their nicknames are fairly different, with Badd going for things such as ‘sweet cheeks,’ ‘babe,’ and ‘sweetheart.’

- Both Genos and Garou have the tendency to mess with people for their own amusement. Garou comes in the form of taunting and goading, whilst Genos likes to make underhanded comments and jokes that will infuriate you.

- Genos and Garou like books. Genos however, is more introverted and will share his knowledge more thoroughly when prompted by someone who needs it. Garou being Garou, you wouldn’t even know he was into reading until he offhandedly mentions a bit of knowledge from a book he read. Odds are you won’t have time to ask him if he knows how to do x because he would have already gotten up to do it before you can open your mouth. This occurrence is far more common in emergencies.

- Genos doesn’t take any visible joy in fighting. He sees monsters as a threat to society that must be eliminated quickly and effectively. Badd used to enjoy throwing himself into battles and coming out of them victorious, but thanks to time and HA’s obligations, he sees monsters as destructive assholes getting in his way and creating more work for him when he’d rather come home to catch up on other things on the forefront of his mind. Garou loves fighting, the challenge- but it has diminished by a notable amount after his webcomic arc as he’s reflecting on what he needs and wants to do now. Despite this, he usually keeps his eye out for any interesting challenges, if only to distract himself.

- Slightly digressing from the Trio: Zenko shares the burden of taking on responsibilities with Badd, though he doesn’t know they exist. She’s aware of the fact that her brother isn’t living a normal teenage life and is bothered by the fact that he can’t act like his own age most of the time, making her want to be headstrong, capable, and independent soon so he doesn’t have to worry about her. At the same time, she knows that there aren’t many heroes his age that he can get along with, so she tries to fill in that hole by spending time with him while finding heroes she likes, and hopefully her brother will like- the reason being is that hopefully, Badd will make friends with them, and she can meet her idol often! It’s part of the reason why she was so insistent in having him obtain AM’s signature.

- Genos can sing, but sometimes struggles with singing with enough emotion in his lyrics. Garou can sing pretty well, (and sings almost every Disney villain song like a champ) but he’d be resistant to others goading him into it. He’s pretty uncomfortable at the notion that he’d have to sing in front of people. Badd can… sing, but he’s best at singing the lullabies he sung to a baby Zenko- songs that get him into it can have him be really, really into it; to the point where it’s almost embarrassing to watch. He’s pretty good at rap/singing more sentimental pieces such as this:

[aleteia-ff]

A Decade To Find You | Part 4

Also Read On: AO3 | FF.net

Thank you everyone for the support! One more chapter left to go after this one ^^

I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Astrid didn't think much of the guy she bumped into just after midnight on January 1, 2010. It was just a hasty apology, a quip and a lop-sided grin from his side. It wasn't supposed to be special. 

Hiccup felt the same way. That was, until he locked eyes with her again one year later. And the year after that. And the next.

But somehow, their destinies only seemed to intertwine that one night a year... On New Year's Eve.

Hiccstrid, New Year’s Eve Fic. Spanning the entire past decade.

Chapter 4: New Year’s Eve 2017-2019, Part 1

December 31st, 2017

Tonight, Astrid was a woman on a mission. To fix the mistakes she’d made. To retaliate against fate, and return the middle finger it had given her last year. Shove it up its ass.

Because what were the fucking odds of finally getting time alone with the guy she’d been intrigued by for years, making her think her life is finally going somewhere, that there is a light at the end of the seemingly endlessly meandering tunnel? Only for her to break her phone by falling on her ass. And lose his number.

She’d found out too late. Too late to rush after him and give him her contact details instead. Too late to try and figure out where Hiccup’s cousin might be getting his nose fixed so that she might rush into the ER like the pathetic mess he’d turned her into. Because he had, in a way she couldn’t quite explain.

She’d adored every second she’d spent with him. She’d wanted to kiss him, to hold him, ask him to take her home and never let her leave again. Because he’d felt like safety, a sense of security, the direction she’d been looking for that year. And her heart, which had been beating too quickly all night, had completely dropped when she’d pulled her phone out of her back pocket, intending to ask him whether his drama-fuelled cousin had made it out alive, and had found it basically snapped in half.

She’d tried every method Internet-experts suggested to recover the data. She’d taken her phone to a specialised shop, where they’d informed her that there was nothing more they could do for her, and that perhaps she should turn on cloud sync on her next phone. As if she hadn’t reached that conclusion herself.

After that, she’d spent her free time in the first weeks of January digging through every social media website and search engine she could think of. But Hiccup hadn’t lied about his lack of social media. No matter how long she tried, she couldn’t find a guy with the same cute freckles, gap-toothed smile and messed up mop of auburn hair she just wanted to bury her hands in. No “Hiccup”. And it didn’t help that that nickname was the only thing she knew about him. She didn’t know his cousin’s name, she knew what he studied but not where. She hadn’t asked him if he lived in Berk or just celebrated New Year’s here. She hadn’t a clue how old he was, or what his last name might be.

If only she hadn’t tried to be funny by filling in his contact name as Fake Foot Guy. Then maybe he would’ve put in his full name. Then she could have Googled a lot better, or even asked around in Berk itself… After all, if only his friends knew him as ‘Hiccup’, she highly doubted simply that nickname and a physical description would get her anywhere. He couldn’t be the only tall, Berkian guy with auburn hair and green eyes. And she didn’t know how to explain what it was exactly that made him feel so, so special.

Towards the end of January, when she had been starting to seriously consider going to public media channels such as the radio and TV to ask if anyone knew a Berkian Hiccup, she finally sort-of regained her senses. He was just a guy, right? Sure, it had been a month since she’d last seen him, and she still couldn’t get him out of her head, he kept showing up in her dreams every other night. His bright green eyes peering into hers, his long arms wrapped around her as he kissed over and over…

But Hiccup hadn’t contacted her either. He had her full name, could basically look up and contact her anywhere. She’d kept her eye on all of her apps to see if she’d received messages from people she didn’t have added… But he hadn’t. Perhaps he wasn’t that special after all. Maybe it was just her most recent obsession, filling the void that would normally be filled by another Netflix series. Desperately trying to tag along on his journey, since her own life wasn’t heading anywhere else.

She had never been that person. And if she did find Hiccup again, she didn’t want him to get to know that Astrid. She wanted to make his life better, like she felt he could do to hers.

But as the months passed, and December came around, she couldn’t help but start thinking of again. Because she’d actually done it this year. She was getting her life back on track.

Remember that joke you made about me being an undercover cop last year? Well, I signed up for the police academy. I’m currently top of my class. And you helped me get there.

She didn’t know why she hadn’t considered it until Hiccup’s joke had stirred in her mind. But after the first few months of training, she was convinced it had been the right choice. It allowed her to help people, and to protect them. Which was exactly what she’d always wanted.

And, as much as she felt silly for it, she simply wanted to tell Hiccup. Apologise for losing his number, while also admitting that maybe, it wasn’t the right time for them to meet. But she felt better now. And she really wanted to try again.

She wasn’t superstitious. But she just needed fate to work in her favour one more New Year’s Eve, and allow her to find Hiccup once again.

She had never consciously looked for him before. All the previous years, it had simply happened for no apparent reason. But she didn’t want to rely on something so intangible, so unsure. Hoffersons made their own luck, after all.

Hence, she visited every part of the inner city of Berk she’d seen him in before. The stall at which they’d bumped into each other, the cafe she’d wanted to hug him in, the square where they had finally talked. But he wasn’t in any of those places, and she figured it was too early for anyone to be at a club.

So she pulled up her jacket, and made another round, trying to tell herself that she wasn’t crazy and desperate, just hopeful. That even Heather had told her to try, because Astrid would clearly regret it if she didn’t, and to bring Hiccup back with her to the house party she was throwing if she didn’t want to lose him again in the inner city crowd.

And then she saw him.

He was on the ice skating rink, rounding the corner significantly more skilled than seven years ago, a smile on his face that told her he was actually enjoying himself. Regardless of his decreased clumsiness, he still managed to bump into a small, blond woman instead of the banister he’d been aiming for, making Astrid chuckle to herself because it was simply adorable. But Hiccup kept laughing too, his slightly embarrassed but overall delighted smile not fading as the woman wrapped her arms around his neck.

And kissed him.

Time cruelly slowed down at that moment, making sure that Astrid saw exactly how Hiccup buried his hand in the woman’s hair, and returned the kiss.

It shouldn’t hit her as hard as it did. It shouldn’t make her feel like someone had punched her right in her stomach, her legs giving out as she was engulfed by an overwhelming sense of panic. The urge to run, to get as far away as possible. But her feet belonged to someone else, keeping her fixed in place and forcing her to look, for what felt like an eternity.

Until Hiccup broke the kiss and glanced up, the green eyes she doubted she could ever forget meeting hers. Widening in shock, a word that looked an awful lot like her name forming on his lips.  

She fled. She turned around, her back towards him, and she walked away as calmly as she could. Swallowing away the tears she didn’t think she could shed over someone she barely knew.

She’d missed her chance.

--------

January 1st, 2019 

No one at university had told Hiccup that graduating as an engineer did absolutely nothing for someone’s ability to turn themselves into a fool. Because he was definitely still incredibly good at that.

Always a fool for Astrid Hofferson.

Even though they’d only really talked to each other once. Despite her not calling him while she’d said she would.

He knew he hadn’t messed up his number, and he could come up with a thousand other reasons she hadn’t called him back, such as her phone breaking or her being snapped away by Thanos. But it was the reality that he’d forced himself to accept after he’d looked up too many of her social media accounts and had typed out many, many messages, only to delete them again. Whatever connection he had felt, she didn’t feel the same way. He was a tragic kindred spirit of La La Land, thinking he’d won the Oscar while the accountants of fate had simply messed up the cards. The idea, the notion that there was something between them, almost akin to soulmates, which had once seemed like a valuable Banksy painting, had been shredded and reduced to scraps.

Or perhaps it had been more like self-destruction on his end after all. A hope he’d clung to because she was just that damn beautiful.

But he had to move on with his actual life instead of believing in fairy tales. Only British princes got to marry girls who were way out of their league, after all.

Not that 2017 hadn’t been good to him. Part of moving on had been saying yes when Camicazi had told him she’d stop stealing his trash if he allowed her to steal him away to a restaurant instead. They’d connected and had quickly started dating. He had dated before, but she’d become his first long-term girlfriend, and he couldn’t say he regretted it. It was nice to have someone to talk to, someone to share the house with that still felt too big for him alone. Someone to hug, to kiss, to get support from and to return it to. He had fallen in love, Astrid Hofferson forgotten in the same way she’d forgotten about him. Or so he’d thought.

Until he’d seen her again on the New Year’s Eve of 2017.

She’d looked stunned to see him, her face struck by devastation until she’d turned away from him. Exactly the opposite of what he’d expected. Because of course he had anticipated seeing her, had mentally prepared himself for the awkward dance in which she’d pretend to have called him after all, or that they’d never exchanged numbers to begin with. He had planned to tell her that it didn’t matter anymore, because he’d found someone who made him happy.

It never came to that, since she fled the moment their eyes had met. He’d always thought she wasn’t the kind of person to run from any problem. But apparently he didn’t know her as well as he thought he did. Which was logical, they had only spoken once, after all, but he’d had this feeling, and he just… tried not to dwell too much on it.

But then Cami moved away from Berk for a job she absolutely adored. They’d agreed that Hiccup would follow her after his own graduation that summer, that they’d find an apartment together and that Hiccup would sell his house in Berk after all. He still hadn’t found what bound him to the city so much, after all, thought that it had perhaps been Cami.

Instead, they simply forgot about each other. Their calls and texts lessened every week, their conversations becoming more detached and less intimate as the weeks went by. And while neither of them knew why it happened, the only upside was that it was seemingly mutual. Or at least, that was the conclusion they drew when they broke up by the end of summer.

Their split had definitely hurt him, but when he had worked through his first grief and evaluated their relationship, he couldn’t draw another conclusion than that what had happened was incredibly weird. That he had forgotten about Cami that easily, while he’d never been able to truly forget Astrid. Especially when the winter months came around and he was properly exhausted off the back of his first months of full-time work, she invaded his thoughts again, with her beautiful smile and confident attitude. He started to hope, somewhere, that he might see her again on New Year’s Eve. Just one more year. Because he wondered how she was doing, and wanted to at the very least ask her why she hadn’t called. So that he could put a definitive end to the saga that, next to the Star Wars sequels, had been haunting him for the entire decade.

Which is why he felt like a fool, because for all of tonight, he hadn’t been able to stop scanning the crowds in every bar and club he, Snotlout and Fishlegs visited. Actively looking for Astrid was a step further than simply hoping to see her, after all. But if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t enjoy the loud music and the close-quarters dancing all that much. He never had.

It had been in vain of course. Every other year, he hadn’t been looking. They’d simply found each other. So by the end of the night, when he got to his bicycle, he logically hadn’t seen a sign of Astrid Hofferson.

Until he was done tipsily fiddling with his lock and intuitively checked behind him as he swung his leg over the saddle. And he saw her.  

She looked like a vision, her blond hair bound into a ponytail, her face slightly pink from the cold. She was dressed more casually than the last time he’d seen her at a club, but stunning nevertheless. He couldn’t imagine there was a day on which she wasn’t gorgeous, inside or outside.

But she would never burst that particular fantasy bubble. Because she wasn’t interested in him. As she was currently proving by getting on the back of a motorcycle, her arms barely fitting around the waist of a tall, dark-haired man with four times the shoulders he had. Laughing, as if the bodybuilder had made her laugh in a way he’d never gotten the chance to.

Then she flung her ponytail over her shoulder. And her eyes met his eyes, her delight instantly deflating into an expression he was all too familiar with. Which he’d seen enough in the past decade.

Pity.

She started to get off the motorcycle, her eyes set on him. But instead of letting that phase him, he finally found the strength to decide that he didn’t need her apologies, let alone her pity. Not now.

She was free to call him if she had something to say. He wasn’t going to let her string him along. He’d had nearly an entire decade of that, of life, of fate having its twisted way with him. By taking his father away, and by hypnotising him with a prize he could never win.

So he pushed himself off and cycled away, heading straight home.

--------

December 31st, 2019 | Part 1 

Hiccup’s New Year’s Eve resolution stayed with him for the entirety of 2019. He had focused on his work, on building a life for himself that would set him up for the next decade. The hopefully not-so-roaring twenties.

A life independent of his father’s memories, of the weird connection to Astrid he still reminisced about from time to time. But he didn’t act on it. He knew there was no use in it. She still hadn’t called, after all. And he hadn’t looked at any of her social media pages to see if she had ended up with her motorcycle hunk.

It wasn’t as if he needed her profile pictures to remember what she looked like, after all.

But it was fine like this. He didn’t need her in his life, and repeated that to himself every time he caught his mind wandering off to her again. Every time he started wondering what it might be like to see her again.

In those moments he simply reminded himself that he stood above that now. His dreams and creativity were meant for his designs, for his drawings, for stories that happened to people other than himself. If the past year, hell, the past decade, had taught him anything, it was that he should stay practical. By taking one step at a time, towards a clear, definable goal that didn’t depend on coincidences.

He had been happier for it. It had given him a sense of fulfilment, of independence to be standing on his own feet - foot - and call the shots instead of wondering about the what-ifs. What if Dad had still been alive? What if Astrid likes me after all and her not calling me is one big insecurity-fuelled misunderstanding?

So he had asked himself what would actually make him happy on New Year’s Eve, too. And he had made the boring, very adult decision to, for the first time in a decade, stay home. His feet propped up on the couch, a bag of Dutch doughnuts on his coffee table, the entire season of The Mandalorian ready on his TV to help him get through the post-The Rise of Skywalker void. Followed by The Witcher if he felt like staying up. It gave him every opportunity to cradle his new rescue dog, Toothless, to his chest whenever they both got spooked by the fireworks, and to simply be himself.

Comfortable and tucked in in his favourite sleeved blanket, he found himself wondering why he hadn’t done this before. Going clubbing with the New Year’s Eve crowds sucked, and the Berkian weather tonight was even worse than normal, the streets covered in snow and ice. He’d already seen Gobber and Uncle Spitelout that morning, and had agreed to meet with Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins in the next days.

There was really no one else he needed to see on New Year’s Eve.

Not anymore.

And he’d made his peace with that.

He could be perfectly happy in the absence of the most beautiful and interesting woman he’d met in the twenty-six years he’d been alive. 

[volturialice]

So I'm attending my first protest tomorrow and I know you tend to be a frequent flyer of them, Is there anything in particular I need to know before going to my first? Hope you're doing well!

first off, major apologies for not answering this in a more timely fashion! I hope you stayed safe out there, anon.

y’all know I’m terrible with asks but I’m genuinely not sure how I managed to miss this one. I’m gonna answer it even though some time has elapsed because lbr, this stuff isn’t going away anytime soon.

there are a lot of great resources out there with advice about the more dangerous (and topical) aspects of protesting, so instead of getting into that, I’m gonna link some here: 

Protesters’ Rights (ACLU)

Safety During Protests (Amnesty International)

Dealing with Tear Gas (Occupy Wall Street)

Useful Apps for Protesters (Allure)

Protesting During a Pandemic (LiveScience)

with that covered by the experts, I’m gonna focus on some of the more practical, basic stuff I’ve learned over the years.

G’s tips for attending protests

Use the buddy system. I can’t stress this enough. I strongly advise you not to go to any protest alone, especially if it’s on a larger scale or if you know there’s going to be police presence. Whether it’s a friend, a relative, or someone you trust whom you’ve met through activism, make sure there’s someone with you who knows you, including any medical conditions you have—you’re basically each other’s emergency contact for the day. Decide in advance on a rendezvous point in case you get separated from them. I’ve heard of instances where having a “protest buddy” and asking to stay with them was the difference between getting arrested and thrown in a van vs. being issued a citation and then left alone.

^that’s my sister’s hand holding the sign in the foreground. buddy system!

tons more under the cut!

Don’t rely on your phone. Depending on the size and density of your protest, service may be spotty or data may stop working entirely in some areas. Don’t expect to navigate with GPS, or be able to text/call your group if you get separated. Consider leaving your phone at home or in the car. There are reports of phones being tracked by police in some places, and it’s always possible it’ll get confiscated if you’re detained. If you do bring a phone, I suggest turning off location services.

ok so I don’t always take my own advice

Know the rules and goals for your particular protest. These can vary between locations and organizations, so don’t assume you already know. For example, at most DC protests, only clear backpacks are allowed, and signs may not have wooden sticks or anything that could be used as a weapon. Does everyone follow these rules? Nope—and I rarely see them enforced! But it’s a case of “better safe than sorry.” Don’t give the cops any excuse whatsoever to detain you.

this is a great sign, but I would never carry it using a plank like this

Knowing a protest’s goals and purpose is also important. I read an article last week about a DC BLM event where people were dancing in the street, essentially having a party. The article painted it as though these idiot protestors had shown up and then gotten distracted and stopped taking their movement seriously. But I remembered the same event differently (having both read about it in advance and passed by it on the day of.) What was actually happening was that it was one of several concurrent events—protests, marches, vigils—and this one’s specific goal was to create a safe and positive space for black people to celebrate their blackness. It was supposed to be a party, a form of self-care so that people who’d been suffering could decompress and uplift each other. No one there had lost sight of the movement.

Ideally, find the organizers and follow them on social media! Most organizers are great at breaking down the rules and expectations for a particular protest.

Know your limits—and those of the others in your group—and plan accordingly. Have realistic expectations for how far you’re going to be able to push yourself, physically and otherwise. Do you have chronic pain, or a bad foot? Find somewhere to park yourself early on in the day so you don’t end up walking miles and miles. Is someone in your group claustrophobic? Hang back at the edge of things, or find a high wall to sit on so they aren’t engulfed by crowds. It’s easy to think of protesting as some sort of grand sacrifice where you have to push yourself really hard to prove your commitment to the movement, but you’re not gonna help anyone by collapsing from heat exhaustion. Take breaks, and stay safe, fed, and hydrated. Practice self-care.

Pack light—or heavy, depending on your goals. Unless you’re going to be passing out supplies, I suggest packing light. Invest in a water bottle carrier with a strap, or a fanny pack, or a platypus. Wear something with big pockets, so you can avoid bringing a bag or backpack if possible. It’s especially useful to have your hands free if you’re planning to carry a sign!

my usual protest packing list:

phone (highly optional; see above)

cash (enough to buy a meal, take public transportation, etc)

keys (key singular, actually. I take the one I need off my keychain and leave the others behind.)

metro card

ID

water

energy bar

meds (in my case, a sudafed and an ibuprofen)

I can fit all of this into my pockets except a water bottle. I don’t even bring a wallet.

Conversely, you can take the opposite approach and pack heavy, in order to be super prepared or pass out supplies to others. One of my friends brings a backpack with a sign on it that reads “I HAVE: WATER, SNACKS, TYLENOL, TAMPONS, SUNSCREEN...ASK ME FOR WHAT YOU NEED!” At the most recent BLM protest I attended, there were people passing out everything from water bottles to pizza to masks to whiskey. But every protest is different! Don’t count on any supplies to be easily available. If you need it, bring it.

the empty pizza box on the right says “come make a sign here.”

Know your surroundings, and pay attention. This is a big one. I don’t mean that you should never attend a protest somewhere you’ve never been before, but I suggest doing some research if you do. Know where you’re going and when, know the street closures and the path of any marches, know the nearest metro/subway stops and whether they’re going to be open on the day of. Especially know if there’s anywhere you aren’t allowed to be. For example, when protesting at the NRA's headquarters, you can’t step off the sidewalk or you’ll be on their property, and then you can be arrested for trespassing.

Pay attention to signs, traffic patterns, and especially police presence. The other day I noticed that although the police and the National Guard were unarmed as the mayor had promised they would be, the DEA was also present, and they absolutely were armed.

Another part of knowing your surroundings is knowing where relief areas are. If it’s a big enough event, businesses, churches, and even places like theaters will open their doors to protestors to use their bathrooms, charge phones, and rest somewhere with AC. Social media usually has this information if you know where to look for it—check local activist blogs. For my DC folks, check Popville.

On a related note, know which businesses do and don’t support the movement! You don’t wanna wind up buying lunch at a place that gives free meals or discounts to police. Look for places that offer discounts or deals to protesters. For example, in 2018 both Cava and Shake Shack offered discounts for March for Our Lives protesters. Guess where I ate lunch and dinner that weekend? Chains like those ones usually make the news, and local businesses will often put up signs in support of movements to let protesters know they are welcome.

there’s lots more I could say, but the tl;dr version is

keep yourself and others safe.

feel free to chime in if you have something to add/if I missed anything!

[uveghazhatas]

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Employing an auto mishap lawyer is vital in functioning with lawful scenarios that involve a victim of physical or psychological injury. Such lawyers can not simply recommend their customers via the legal process when traveling to justice, yet they will likewise work as ambassadors in acquiring their customers` negotiations, ought to there be any. Commonly these therapists do not obtain lawyer`s fees if they do not recoup the damages inflicted upon their clients, and therefore their purpose to pursue justice and/or monetary vengeance for the individual would not aid the client but likewise them also.

Throughout your consultation with the Savannah GA lawyer or law firm, remove info as the legal representative or attorney responds to the inquiries you have, as well as ask follow-up questions if called for. The much better your concerns as well as notes are, the far better you`ll need to aid you choose in the future. Now, you`ll have a good amount of data you can collaborate with to make an option. Review your notes and evaluate each attorney or legal representative, both for his accreditation in accident law and also exactly how well the attorney matches your approach. You could request each legal representative to offer customer referrals. Getting in touch with past clients may use you the useful perspective of somebody with first-hand understanding about the lawyer. Utilizing the response to the inquiries you have, suggestions as well as your point of view of each, pick the lawyer or legal representative that will fully represent you as well as handle your situation.

There are plenty of files as well as case notifications which have actually to be submitted by specific target dates. A great deal of these may be in just a number of days and just an automobile accident lawyer experienced with his area can establish what cases need to be filed, which papers need to be completed, how to finish the kinds appropriately and also which insurance business to send the claims with. In instance you are associated with an auto mishap, ensure your lawyer will absolutely complete your lorry crash record record for your insurance coverage carrier and the accident report kind for the Division of Motor Autos. The insurance service provider of the private responsible for triggering your crash must be without delay notified by your attorney or lawyer, due to the fact that failing to do this might permit the insurance coverage supplier to decline protection for your mishap.

You can actually benefit in functioning with a car accident attorney by simply eliminating you as well as your family from the problem of filing an automobile mishap case all by yourself. As the claiming goes, leave it to the pros. Vehicle accident attorneys have knowledge checking out insurance claims and also functioning with insurance provider as well as jury decisions. If you`re still dealing with body injuries, you have actually obtained a greater cause to get an auto accident attorney. You have a bigger possibility for recovering far faster with no stress and anxiety as well as trouble of declare the damages cases.

If you`ve been injured in an auto accident, the initial thing you require to do after having your medical requirements seen to is take actions to defend your legal rights and call a car mishap attorney. Whether you realize it or otherwise, in the coming months as well as years your life is most likely to transform drastically. There are going to be costs associated with your accident as well as your recovery that you had no chance of planning for a year earlier, and also those expenses are likely to put a tremendous monetary drainpipe on your budget.

A great Savannah car accident attorney will certainly have the ability to aid alleviate a few of the worry of those expenses by bargaining a settlement for you with the celebrations in charge of the accident to begin with. If you`ve been injured as the result of another`s carelessness, that private now has a responsibility to you to ensure that you are able to get the treatment and also rehabilitative therapy you require to make a complete recovery without putting on your own into the inadequate residence.

Essentially, any type of costs arising from the accident are the responsibility of the individuals who created the mishap. Your automobile mishap lawyer will certainly function to make certain that they accept that responsibility as well as take steps to see that their obligation is satisfied and also you are effectively looked after.

When picking the automobile accident lawyer that will certainly represent your legal rights, you`re most likely to have an extremely big pool where to make your choice. Ideally, any type of lawyer that is proactively practicing personal injury law will have the skills as well as the court savvy to discuss the very best settlement feasible; however, as that is not always the case there are several points to take into consideration before making your choice.

Primarily, any type of excellent injury attorney is going to deal with a contingency basis. Simply put, they aren`t  likely to bill you a dime unless they are able to negotiate a settlement for you. The lower line is that a lot of lawyers are overworked, and also assembling a good legal instance takes some time and initiative. An excellent automobile accident attorney will certainly put in that time and effort to make certain that you obtain the most effective results possible from your claim, as well as they are going to gain the rewards of that initiative. A lawyer that bills you up front is far much more concerned with money than with your well being, as well as they may lead you into a court battle that is going to cost you thousands of bucks in fees with their eyes broad closed, understanding you don`t have a chance of winning or reluctant to place in the moment and initiative needed to strengthen your case yet going to take your loan anyhow.

The second thing you wish to try to find is experience. Really couple of legal representatives (and none with any type of sense) go straight from law school to exclusive method. A great car mishap attorney will collaborate with a large firm for numerous years to obtain their feet wet prior to branching off on their own, which will certainly provide you, the customer, the opportunity to see their medical history.

A Savannah Georgia lawyer who consistently walks right into the courtroom as well as works out a negotiation for their customers is a lot more likely to win you the payment you should have than one who is constantly stomped by the opposition, and also an automobile crash lawyer with more experience will know the composed and also word-of-mouth ins as well as outs of the profession that can make all the difference when it comes to your negotiation.

[badsithnocookie]

Exfiltration

Date: Approximately two months after the first Battle of Odessen.

Location: Geostationary orbit over Corellia.

-

'Hey. Picking up some interesting chatter…'

'I don't care about 'interesting',' Eirn muttered, wishing Theron would shut the hell up, 'I care about useful.'

She kicked a skytrooper leg out of the way as she said that, sending it crashing against the wall. Subtle, she was not, but they were long past the point of stealth. They'd set the alarms off as soon as they'd disembarked - deliberately, this time - and that had been three floors ago.

Eirnhaya Illte-Quinn had a lot of terrible coping methods, and throwing herself headfirst into danger was one of them. It distracted her from her problems - forced her to focus on the moment, caused problems of its own that she could focus on instead of the ones she was there to avoid, distracted others from those same problems and their attendant consequences. For all she hated war, fighting was an art she'd excelled at in her bid to seek out immediate problems in order to avoid ongoing ones.

'Got 'useful', too. Seems they're holding a prisoner aboard the station, here. I know we don't have much time, but-'

'Let me guess,' Eirn replied, sighing. 'You want me to spring them.'

Zakuul's not-an-Empire had installations like this all over the galaxy: Star Fortresses, though Eirn had no idea if that was the Zakuulan name and frankly, didn't care. They were glorified weapons platforms, hanging ominously in the skies over some obscene number of worlds, threatening Zakuul's idea of justice at a moment's notice. The Alliance had taken credit for destroying several, in the time since they'd made themselves publicly known - which hadn't done Zakuul's opinion of Odessen many favours. That, though, was the whole idea.

They were more than just weapons, of course. They housed scientific endeavours, skytrooper deployments, even prisoners - rebels, reactionaries, or even just random civilians with the poor luck to upset an Exarch.

'We can't just leave them. It'd be a death sentence…' Theron, on the other end of the comm, was continuing to be ever the Pub. His impulses and ideals ran counter to everything that Lana would have approved of - which was why, Eirn supposed, she let him run tactical on her operations at all.

'<Teeseven opinion=((prisoner:zakuulan)=possible ally). Teeseven recommendation = rescue.>'

Of course the droid had an opinion, too. Eirn disagreed with both of their assessments; it was equally probable that this was some kind of trap, and all she'd manage was to increase her own risk of being killed or captured. (And wouldn't Zakuul love that? The hated Outlander, brought low-)

'Do you have anything useful to add,' she said, picking her way over the chassis of another skytrooper, 'or can I have my silence back?'

'The detention level seems to be the next one down. Just- be careful, Commander…'

'I'm always careful. And stop calling me that.'

-

Between Eirn's lightsaber and Teeseven's technical wizardry, breaking into the holding area was less of an obstacle than it might have been otherwise. What wasn't made short work of by the Sith could generally be hacked or electrocuted by the Republic astromech; her adventures in kicking over Zakuul's sandcastles had shown Eirn firsthand why Lana had relied on the droid so much during her own rescue.

The captive wasn't hard to find, either; wasn't out for experimentation or interrogation, but left to linger in their cell, collared with one of those Force-suppressant devices that Eirn remembered from her own capture, at Arcann's hands - what felt like half a lifetime ago, now. It didn't take much to work out who they were, either, though Eirn was still guilty of staring in mute surprise for a long moment as she tried to reassure herself she wasn't jumping to a faulty conclusion.

'<Prisoner = Jedi Battlemaster! (Identity: Awenyth Loren, confirmed). Teeseven = Glad to see Jedi! Sith (identity:Wrath, younger) = Ally (Teeseven). Rescue = underway!>'

Which barrelled over anything that Eirn might have wanted to announce herself with, and instantly got the Jedi's attention - for any number of reasons. Awenyth's focus immediately snapped to Teeseven - and to Eirn, who was standing slightly stupidly on the free side of the forcefield, lightsaber in one hand.

'Hello, Awenyth,' Eirn just managed - pulling together the words as she tried to process the sight in front of her.

'Sith,' Awenyth replied, eventually - looking up at Eirn, her expression a mixture of hunted and haunted and very, very wary. She wasn't just thin, but gaunt - her clothing, little more than thin prison scrubs, hung on her in a way that spoke of a long, unpleasant captivity.

'What- happened to you?' Eirn could hear herself making stupid, pointless conversation while T7 interfaced with the computers; the droid could do a better, faster job of lowering forcefields and opening doors than even her lightsaber could, but that just meant she had no reason not to stand and stare.

'Sith,' Awenyth just repeated, though - fixing Eirn with a look that was somewhere between desperate and hostile.

(Listen, Theron was saying, I know you don't have much time, but you can't just leave her there. When this thing-)

(Shut up, Eirn hissed; she knew full well what would happen)

-

Feigning ignorance as to the collar's removal forceps was impossible, not least because the astromech - who apparently knew Eirn far too well - made a point of announcing where they were kept, and suggesting that Eirn fetch them. The hardest part was not kicking the droid as she returned, as thanks for its less than subtle ordering her about. Still, she tried to tell herself, this wasn't unsalvageable; the Jedi Battlemaster owing her was an idea that, in that other life Eirn daydreamed about, might have been cause for celebration instead of annoyance.

Awenyth watched her suspiciously the entire time - not even attempting to stand, though, until Eirn had removed the collar that the Zakuulans had placed on her. The Jedi was weak - sustained only through her stubbornness and hatred, and without the Force to draw on, that hadn't been much at all.

'Sith,' she just muttered, once she was on her feet - crossing her arms (hugging herself) defensively, her gaze flicking between Eirn and the Republic droid.

'I don't know what they did with your weapons,' Eirn said, 'And I don't have time to look for them. Stay, or follow me, it's your decision. Get in my way and I cut you down. Fall behind and I'm not coming back for you. Understand me?'

('<Sith = joking? Teeseven probability calculation lacks (knowledge: variables). Awenyth = Follow Teeseven. Shuttle = waiting for signal! Sith = combat expert. Awenyth = in good hands?>')

Awenyth just scrunched her nose, giving Eirn no more respect than she would a bad smell. 'Sith.'

Eirn took that to mean 'yes'.

-

In the chaos and the adrenaline crash after they jumped to hyperspace, Eirn was happy enough just to collapse - to pull off whatever bulky segments of her armour she could get at easily, before collapsing on the shuttle's uncomfortable passenger seats. A lifetime ago she might have held herself up with only her pride and pain to draw on, but Vitiate's presence only exacerbated the sleeplessness she'd struggled with for years, and left her with a sleep debt that even the Force had trouble meeting.

(He'd kept his threats and promises of silence, made when she'd rejected the helpful advice of his shades in the Odessen woods, but Eirn knew better than to trust that his silence meant his absence. He'd been silent to the Empire, after all, and yet she of all people knew that he'd still been present, still been yanking at the puppet strings of the Sith through his Hands and- well, his Wraths. She couldn't feel him, but that did not mean he was not present; moreover, she knew from personal experience that water brought to boiling around an unaware Sith would still kill them, before they'd even realised something was amiss. That thought was what scared her the most; that she'd acclimatised to his presence, become so used to it that she could no longer imagine herself without it, an idea which promised nothing pleasant about the things he plotted for her future)

When she slept, though, it was dreamlessly; when she woke, some hours into their journey back to Odessen, it was to see that someone had put a blanket over her while she'd slept, an idea which was simultaneously appreciated and nauseating. Awenyth had similarly passed out on one of the shuttle's tiny bunks - was, similarly, underneath one of Miot's emergency blankets, with Teeseven patiently monitoring her. There was a story as to how the two knew each other; Eirn knew that the astromech was of Republic origin, but had never imagined that it might once have been Awenyth's.

'Hey there, sleepyhead. Pleasant dreams?' Theron was awake, of course - working on some report or another. At least, that was Eirn's assumption, and the truth of it was that she didn't care enough to start contemplating otherwise.

Eirn made no reply to that - not verbally, anyway, but she flicked the air in his general direction, before standing up to stretch. What she really wanted was a fresher - and a comfortable bed, and maybe a long, stiff drink, but for now, stretches and paces would have to suffice.

Her relationship with Theron had always been uneasy, and not simply because he'd once been the enemy. Eirn had always been acutely aware of the warrants and bounties that the Republic had out for her - both for acts personally attributable to her, and for the more general quality she had of being Sith. His ultimate loyalties likely still lay with the Republic, but so long as this Alliance acted only against the Republic's enemies, he seemed willing and loyal enough. That, and- well, for all that Lana had been the one to pry Eirn out of carbonite, she disagreed with the other Sith far more than not.

'That'll be a no, then,' he sighed - made a show of sighing, before going back to attending to his datapad. 'Anything you want to add to the report?

'Depends,' Eirn replied - wishing, as she moved, that she'd found somewhere more comfortable to crash. 'Can I swear?'

-

Odessen meant fresh air, the first since they'd left; meant the opportunity for a long, hot shower in the privacy of the Pathcarver, still docked in one of Aygo's bays; meant Lana berating her for taking unnecessary risks, itself as much a ritual as it was genuine concern that Eirn would one day bite off more than she could chew. It meant, more than anything, not having to share that tiny space with someone who'd made repeated attempts to murder her, even if the Jedi hadn't exactly been in a state to do anything that wasn't collapse under the weight of all Zakuul had inflicted on her. Hours passed into days that Eirn spent first recovering from her trip, and then preparing for the next one; training, healing, avoiding interacting with Odessen's newest Jedi resident.

Of course, it couldn't last.

'She wants what.' Eirn, sitting in the cantina with her sister, had been half inclined to ignore the call from Lana, and was strongly considering hanging up.

'Look,' Lana began, 'it's up to you. But she's in no shape to start anything, and if she does, well, we can handle it.'

Eirn looked across at Anya, who was at least aware of some of her past with the Jedi; Anya just shrugged unhelpfully, looking for all the world as though she'd rather not be in this conversation at all.

'Fine,' Eirn sighed, though - she didn't have the energy to argue, and it wasn't as though she'd be doing this in enemy territory. 'But if this goes wrong,' she added, before Lana could interrupt, 'I'm blaming you.'

'Understood,' she replied, before abruptly cutting the call. It was difficult to tell when Lana was annoyed, and when she was simply being Sith; and if, at times, there was even a difference between the two.

'You're going?' Anya started - furrowing her brow a little in concern. (Her jaw tendrils were curling inwards, too; caution, of the kind worn by an animal aware it is being stalked by a predator, and it did nothing to reassure Eirn in the slightest)

'I'll- get it over with,' Eirn replied, shrugging - if the Jedi wanted to spit venom at her, well, she could always just leave.

'You… want some moral support?' Anya added - as much wary as she was anything else. Anya could hold her own in a fight, but for all they were Sith, Eirn had little desire to throw her sister into harm's way. Another of her failings, perhaps. But hers, regardless.

Eirn thought about it, for a long moment; looked at her mug of caf, half drunk and long gone cold. It had always been more of a prop than a drink - something to pay attention to that wasn't the places in her relationship with her little sister that she needed, desperately, to mend - to fill in with something that wasn't a lifetime of being somewhere else.

'I'll- be fine,' she sighed, though - besides, Awenyth was her enemy, not Anya's. Was her rescuee, her- prisoner, would Awenyth view herself that way? Her responsibility, and that was the worst thought of the lot.

-

Eirn had her lightsaber, as she always did; had her nails, her teeth, herself, and waved away any suggestion of an escort. If nothing else, she reasoned, an immediate presence would be more likely to exacerbate problems than deescalate them, and for once in her life, she had no desire to fight the one-time Battlemaster whatsoever.

Awenyth was in a side ward of the medical wing - unrestrained, uncollared, but not, Eirn noted, unguarded. Then again, the Jedi Battlemaster would have made a tempting target, and not just for Zakuul. There were plenty of Sith on Odessen who still followed Korriban's rules; stayed within the ones imposed by Eirn, yes, but were far more interested in their letter than their spirit.

'Sith.' The Jedi was the first to speak, too - had apparently been expecting Eirn, a thought that unsettled her.

Awenyth was sitting, albeit in a medical cot; hooked up to a drip of some kind, bandages in places on her arms that Eirn did not remember her being injured, and not looking any less uncharacteristically frail for wearing a medical gown, or being half-curled up under white sheets. If anything, the bright lighting threw her shadows into sharp relief - something Eirn suspected that the Jedi was unpleasantly aware of.

'Hello, Awenyth,' Eirn replied - repeated, really, and she wondered what, exactly, she'd agreed to.

Awenyth just looked at her for a long, hard moment - studied her, narrowing her gaze until it focused only on the Sith in front of her. It was a feeling Eirn disliked - from anyone, not just this old enemy of hers.

'So it was you,' Awenyth just added, after a long moment - before looking away, back to the blankets wrapped around her, as though they contained the key to some hidden mystery.

'Why wouldn't it be me?' Eirn replied - lost for what else she was supposed to respond with, and almost afraid of what the answer might be.

Awenyth fixed her with that glare, again - sharp and distant and almost contemptuous. 'Because you stink,' she snarled, 'of him.'

It took Eirn a long moment - a long, puzzled, wary moment, before the fear she still nursed of her Emperor's continued presence curled around those words, absorbing them into itself in a way that promised more sleepless nights. What other him would she mean, but-?

'You can… sense him?' Eirn began, cautiously - attempting to ignore the icy dread trying to form in her stomach, as though the Jedi wasn't apparently already well aware of other things she'd rather keep hidden.

'It amazes me,' Awenyth replied, her gaze fixed on something just out of focus, just to Eirn's side, 'That you can't.' She paused, at that - before swivelling her focus back to Eirn. 'Sith,' she began to add, 'If you still serve him…'

Eirn just snorted, to that - both to the notion that Awenyth could threaten her, in this state, and the idea that she might still serve Vitiate. 'My only goal,' she replied, 'Is to find some way to destroy him. Once and for all.' For everyone who ever suffered and died for his 'irrelevant ancient dogma'.

'You were there,' Eirn added, 'On Yavin. You heard what he said.' You are special. 'If you can sense him, it's because he enjoys tormenting me. But I promise you,' she added, 'I do not serve him, or the Empire.'

Awenyth just watched her, as she spoke - didn't lose that steel in her expression, even as it flickered between Eirn and something-just-out-of-focus.

'Be wary of him, Sith,' Awenyth replied, darkly - watching Eirn as though she thought the Sith might be taken by their enemy at any moment. 'He'll rot you from the inside out and wear you as a suit, given even a sliver of a chance.'

Eirn hadn't forgotten Ziost - or Master Surro, the just-as-broken Jedi that Lana had once wanted to study like a frog in a jar. But Awenyth's broken riddles, not to mention her sensitivity to him - something even Senya had missed - spoke of a far more personal history. For a moment - just a moment - Eirn remembered those boasts that had been made of Awenyth's raid on Dromund Kaas, and wondered if there was some awful price the Jedi had paid for what hadn't even truly been a victory.

'I don't intend to give him one,' she just replied, though - her words pointed at Vitiate as much as Awenyth. 'My goal is his destruction. Nothing else.'

'Then our goal is common, Sith,' Awenyth replied - the hostility not leaving her tone or posture, not for a single moment. 'For as long as it remains such, I will not strike you down. But do not think this makes us friends.'

Eirn just laughed humourlessly, at that. 'I would never dream of it, Jedi.'

'I don't want your pity, either, Sith.' Awenyth was suddenly furious- no, it wasn't that. There was a veneer of anger, but underneath it, she was in pain - she'd been humiliated, shattered, broken down to her constituent components and left scattered on the ground. It was still uncannily like looking in a mirror - a twisted fairground mirror, perhaps, but a mirror all the same.

'Pity is the last feeling you inspire in me, Jedi,' Eirn replied, dryly. She wondered if Awenyth saw the same thing she did, or if this introspection was entirely one-sided. 'You're here because if you weren't, Shan wouldn't let me hear the end of it.'

Which was definitely an attempt to save face, and not just to the Jedi. For all that there was no love lost between the two of them, the Jedi's concern on Ziost had been entirely genuine - as had the fleeting alliance they had made. For all the good it had done them, in the end.

Eirn's remark just made Awenyth blink in surprise, though, and her expression melted into something that was almost tinged with hope. 'The Grand Master?'

'The spy,' Eirn replied flatly. The last thing she needed was the Jedi Grandmaster oozing platitudes at her. She'd rather have Baras's ghost stalking her every failure, along with Vitiate; the pair of them criticising her at every turn, perhaps with the ghosts of her self-esteem and dignity egging them on.

Awenyth had no smart reply to that, though - just fell back into her contemptuous default state, snorting and turning her attention elsewhere. Eirn took that as meaning the conversation was over - and, rather grateful for that, left.

-

Meditation in the wilderness wasn't an activity commonly associated with Sith, especially when said wilderness was as green and full of life as Odessen's was - and if that Sith was Eirn. If Sith were not creatures found in nature, then nobody would look in the forests around the Alliance's camps when they wanted to pester her.

'If you're trying to be stealthy, Agent Shan, you might want to work harder on your force signature.'

Almost nobody.

'I wasn't,' the spy replied, sourly - and then, 'Believe it or not, Commander, I don't enjoy the prospect of a surprise lightsaber.'

Eirn opened her eyes, slowly - and smirked at the sight of the mildly irritated spy. 'What do you want, Theron?'

'That little... tiff with the Battlemaster.' he replied - leaning against the nearest tree, crossing his arms defensively, and studying Eirn as she stood. 'There's not going to be any problems with you two?'

Word apparently travelled fast. Then again, Eirn supposed she shouldn't be surprised; both Theron and Lana would be well aware of the animosity that existed between the once-Wrath and the former Battlemaster.

'I have no idea what you're talking about,' Eirn said - dusting herself down as she did so. That was a downside of communing with nature - it had a tendency to stick to your clothing afterwards. 'By Sith standards, that was practically a declaration of love.'

A slight overstatement of things, perhaps, but Eirn had traded far worse barbs with people who'd hated her far less. There were likely hundreds of reasons that Awenyth's efforts had been as half-hearted as they had been, but Eirn wasn't in the habit of speculating on the reasoning of broken Jedi.

What she didn't expect, though, was the stab of concern that the l-word prompted from Theron - and Eirn decided this was not a road she wanted to venture down.

'Believe it or not,' he said, scrambling for a response, 'That's what concerns me. She's not Sith.'

'No,' Eirn replied, 'She's a very broken Jedi, and despite appearances,' she sighed, crossing her arms and fixing him with a glare, 'I am not completely heartless.'

'I didn't-' Shan started to protest - before sighing, in apparent defeat. 'I can never tell when you're being serious. That's not a good thing, by the way.'

Which made it Eirn's turn to sigh again. 'As long as she doesn't start fights, I won't finish them. Is that good enough?'

'That's… going to have to do,' Theron replied - conceding defeat, or at least appearing to.

'Great,' Eirn said - dusting her hands off, at that, and making a show of being at least a little energised. 'So what Star Fortress are we hitting next?'

[tryingtoescapereality007]

Okay so I know this is gonna sound totally weird, but just go with me here. So everybody knows today's Easter, and since my family (not me by any means, just clarifying) is Christian, we all sat down as a family and talked about Jesus and the Atonement and all that shit. Well as we were taking, my stepdad brought up something that made me think. He said that leading up to when they were gonna crucify Jesus and stuff, Satan was really against it, and he tried everything in his power to stop it.

May not seem like anything important, but to my fanfiction shipping ass, it sounded like ship material. And if you think about it, it kinda makes sense. Now I don't claim to be a religious expert by any means, all I have is my years of childhood Mormon conditioning and scripture reading, but I know a thing or two, and by what knowledge I have, this ship makes sense.

Let's start from the beginning when everybody was in heaven and God hadn't created the Earth yet. As some of you may know, God gathered everybody, told them his plan, and then said that he needed a volunteer pretty much to do the whole Atonement thing. Out of everybody there, only two people offered. Jesus and Lucifer. Jesus was the golden boy. He was pretty much like, "God choose me cause I'm a good boy I'll do whatever you say. I love everybody so I'll die for them and shit." But Lucifer was having none of that. He was all like, "No God choose me. I'll take your good plan, and make it better. This way everybody can come back to live here." Now, most people think that Lucifer said this because he was jealous and angry and evil and all that, but he never spoke until after Jesus spoke. Notice that. Maybe that was because Jesus spoke first, maybe it was because he couldn't stand to see his crush go all Katniss on him. Maybe he volunteered himself because he would rather go than have Jesus go. I mean, nobody else but those two stood up. Nobody else volunteered. And despite what it seemed, he cared about those souls in heaven. They were his siblings. He loved them. So, of course, he would see the fact that not everybody would be getting back as a flaw in the plan, a flaw that his plan fixed. And yes it wasn't the best idea but at least his way involved everybody getting back home.

But as you know God picked Jesus because he didn't like Lucifer opposing his plan. And then Lucifer took 1/3of the population and left. Again, most people think that this was because he was evil, but maybe he was just angry. Angry that God had chosen Jesus, his crush, instead of him. Angry that God had rejected his plan so completely, not even considering the idea before rejecting it. Angry that now his crush was going to go die a painful death and repent for sins that weren't his, have to suffer alone, without him. So yeah, he was angry, and he was stupid and reckless. He got some followers and said, "We're leaving this shithole." So they left. He left. And Jesus stayed. Jesus stayed.

Fast forward to when Jesus is on Earth, from a young age Lucifer seemed to tempt him, try to get him to mess up, sin, use his powers for bad, for selfish reasons. But every time Jesus stayed strong and kept on the path. Now some may say that Satan did this because he's Satan, he's evil and just wants to destroy all the good in the world. But maybe that's not the reason.

Maybe he knew that God's plan relied on Jesus' purity, his innocence, his perfection. So he knew that if he broke that perfection if he got him to make just one little mistake, then God's plan would be ruined. He'd have to find someone else, try again or something. Jesus would be free. He wouldn't be bound to that agreement, that promise anymore. All throughout the scriptures, Lucifer never really tempts him to do super awful things like killing someone or anything that extreme, just small things. Like make that rock shine, turn this into food, etc.

Actually, I remember one scripture chapter thing that pretty much was just Satan trying to tempt Jesus into sinning. He tried everything. Mind you, Jesus at this point had been fasting for like 40 something days or more, without food or water, just like praying on a mountain or something. Satan had probably been watching the whole time. And he probably was like, "Okay, enough is enough." And then he pretty much just appeared and was like, "Make this rock into some food, turn this into water, etc. "Just small things. But the food and water thing, why that specifically? Why not a bug, or a plant, or whatever? People say it was because he wanted him to eat/drink it and break his fast, which I think is true. He wanted him to break his fast because he couldn't stand to watch any longer as Jesus just wasted away and refused to take care of himself. I mean, 40 something days seems a little excessive, don't you think?

Also in that scripture, he wanted Jesus to jump off a cliff and see if the angels would catch him. I think he was trying to prove a point. That there was no way out. That this agreement was binding, and even death couldn't stop it. He was trying to make Jesus realize the extent and extremity of what he had naively gotten himself into.

But, unfortunately, Jesus remained pure and got crucified. He went to the garden of Gethsemane and atoned for everybody's sins. He died for all mankind. But then he came back. Three days later he came back and visited the people a little bit before leaving back to heaven. God's plan worked. And now Jesus was his little puppet, his golden boy, his favorite, his "Only-begotten Son". He forgot about Lucifer, no, not forgot, it was worse than that. He hated him.

He hated him. God had made him out to be the enemy, and as far as Jesus knew, his father, God, had never failed him, had never lied to him, so why would he lie about Lucifer?

And God described the place that Lucifer ruled as hell, as a terrible, horrible place where all the bad people went. But that wasn't accurate. Hell wasn't terrible, and it wasn't hot. In fact, it was cold. Very cold. And lonely. And the only people that went there were the misfits, the runaways, the people society deemed "odd" or "weird" or "crazy". The people that didn't conform, didn't follow God's prechosen plan. And since God didn't like that, he sent them down to live with the only other person he knew who didn't follow his plan either, Lucifer, or Satan, as he was so dubbed.

And they say that Lucifer and his followers roam the Earth trying to get us to sin, to do bad things and that everything bad and not good in the world is them, and is because of them, but that's not true.

It's just another lie made up by God.

They do, sometimes, roam the Earth, but they do so in order to warn us, to open our eyes to God's manipulation, so that we don't follow the same path as Jesus.

And Lucifer does roam the Earth occasionally, but only in hopes that he'll catch a glimpse of Jesus, or that he'll be there when the Second Coming happens so that maybe, just maybe, he'll be able to see him one last time, talk to him, and save him.

Author's Note: Okay. So before you, all get all hissy pissy at me, I just want to disclaim a few things. I do not, as stated above, claim in any way shape or form to be a religious expert. I am not. All I have is my very limited knowledge and my imagination. Also, in case you guys are wondering, the references I am using come from the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine of Covenants, the Bible (King James version) and other Mormon-related teachings and lessons. Also, most of this I made up. Like all of this is just me and my thoughts and my ideas and imagination, so don't take any of it as facts. Finally, I do not mean to offend any Christians or Mormons or anybody else who celebrates Easter for religious reasons. I understand the significance of this day to such people and do not mean to offend them in any way shape or form. I'm sorry if what I've said offends you. Happy Easter and goodnight/morning/afternoon depending on what time you read this.