#they are learning the the rules of childhood is bullshit but when they complain they arent listened to

[howlingwolf23]

Got approached by a baby punk\emo today in the store

Could tell they were young and just starting to figure themselves out by their dress and makeup and I wanted to compliment them and encourage them but wasn't sure how cause they were obviously a minor with their parents and I am an old old man lol

But before I could figure out a way to approach them that didn't seem creepy, they came up to me and complimented my newly dyed hair.

I complimented them back on their makeup and they started talking to me about how they just bleached their hair blond (they did such a bad job lol I am nearly 100% sure it was self done as there was so much black left but I know bleaching is very hard to do well) and was waiting on to dye it a color. And that their mom was ok with it but their dad was pissed.

I commiserated that when I first dyed my hair black, I did it in secret and came home in the middle of the night. But my dad happened to wake up when I got home and was walking around in darkness, didn't turn on any of the lights. And my dad kept talking and staring at me weird in the dark before finally flipping on a light and cursed me out.

Before leaving, they had me guess their age, said everyone gets it wrong lol I guessed 16 as they were slightly taller than me and their voice was deepen. They proudly said no, they were 13. I told them I was 35 and still dying my hair so keep on doing what your doing.

[baggebythesea]

* Slams mug in table *

No, you know what, you're completely right. Calvin spend his entire childhood learning that authorothy figures and the rules they try to enforce are bullshit, and he's not stopping anytime soon.

Social Anarchist Furry Trans-Girl Calvin (who may or may not decide to keep her name because 'society rules about gendered names are bullshit, and Space-Woman Spiff just saved the galaxy and she has zero time for that kind of stupidity), president of G.R.O.S.S (Girls aRe Obviously Secretly aweSome) and First Tiger Hobbes are busy organizing riots and getting into petty fight with the local alternative art scene to conform to what society expectations. Especially since the local school district just enforced harsher rules that unfairly targets 'unruly' kids. Tracer Bullet is on the case, and if the trace leads to the city hall, like it seems... Stupendous Woman might have to do something about that.

And I LOVE the role you gave Susie, @friendlytroll, as so often trying to follow the same rules and expectations that Calvin rejects, but knowing - when those rules sell her short - that there is someone she can always go to who will always offer an alternative viewpoint.

Just picture, Susi dejectedly closes her laptop, her latest paper rejected. She knows the professor goes harder on the female students than the men, but... what can you do? It knocks on her door and Calvin stands outside, covered in mud and completely furious, as always carrying the by now severely worn Hobbes. Susie lets her in and Calvin flops down on her sofa and starts a long tirade that starts with a treasure hunt and gets more unhinged by the minute and somehow includes Hobbes getting them lost while hitchiking back to town.

She wolves down the food Susie puts in front of her and listen with half an ear as Susie complains about the professor - because she has known Calvin since they were kids and she knows that however outlandish, she's someone she can always talk to. And Calvin suddenly looks her in the eyes and goes 'that fucking guy is about to have a velociraptor accident', and before she can stop her, Calvin is out through the door, and Susie supposes she SHOULD have done more to stop her, but it feels SO GOOD to have someone in her corner, and she must be tired because she could have sworn that Hobbes blinked at her as they left.

Social Anarchist Furry Trans-Girl Calvin. I'm in!

My good buddy @friendlytroll went off on Twitter and, speaking as someone who deeply adored Calvin and Hobbes and considers it a major part of his childhood, this speaks to me deeply…

[moo-nstone]

ASTRO OBSERVATIONS PT. 7

gemini and pisces placements are similar in the sense that geminis are able to see things from all perspectives, while pisces are able to empathise with people who have all sorts of different perspectives. pisces placements... be careful with over-empathising with the people who hurt you to the point where you’re understanding why they did it and you start excusing their actions. gemini placements... be careful with seeking the multi-layers and million different perspectives in everything and everyone to the point where you’re driving your own mind insane and you don’t know what your opinion is anymore because you hyper-analyse so much. too much of a good ability becomes a curse.

people with venus-mars aspects have a talent for making people who hate them fall in love with them 💋

moon in the 11th house natives tend to attract friends who get into scandals. moon in the 10th house natives tend to be the ones who get into said scandals. it’s a PERFECT FRIENDSHIP

capricorn placements have a talent for knowing how to make things last. they want to prolong the enjoyment they get out of something for as long as possible, which is why their hobbies, friendships and relationships tend to last a lifetime... hedonistic sluts

since both the 7th house and the 11th house rule fandoms, celebrities with a 7th house or 11th house neptune can attract fans who view them as angels who can’t do nothing wrong — because of this, those celebrities rarely take accountability for their mistakes, since people keep pushing the “but they’re perfect :(“ light on them

pluto conjunct ascendant natives always come off as very serious during first impressions, no matter how approachable and inviting they strive to appear.

sun and moon in the 10th house people may feel as if they’re always exposed to the public eye, they can’t get away with keeping things secretive. others always notice whatever they want kept on the low. this can be especially frustrating if they notice that others aren’t exposed to the same kind of scrutiny that they are for simply existing

lilith in pisces bitches have a natural talent for appearing like angels even in situations where they are 100% guilty. it’s very easy for them to put on their vulnerable, lost puppy act lmfao, which triggers others’ protective instincts. they may be able to cry on cue when people call them out on their bullshit, making them feel like THEY’re the shitty ones for confronting the lilith native... it’s insane

lilith in the 12th house natives may feel as though the themes of lilith are trapped in their psyche, at the core of who they are and those themes become unavoidable for them — they’re always there, lurking in the shadows, becoming the center of their nightmares

people with mercury in the 1st house can feel veryyy threatened and defensive when someone possesses knowledge in an area that they don’t, it’s like it hits them right on their biggest fears. they often either try to “one-up” the other person in an attempt to heal their broken ego or shut down altogether in insecurity. it’s imperative that they work on developing a strong sense of self-worth because they can be extremely prone to comparing their mental skills to those of other people.

people with personal planets in the 12th house may feel as though a lot of their artistic drive is stifled by their lack of energy. like... in the mental realm there’s a lot going on and it’s incredible, but then you pick up a pen to actualize your visions and you feel exhaustion immediately overtaking you. it can feel like there’s a lot to your psyche that feels inaccessible to you not because you don’t want to explore it, but because you have yet to restore the energy to dive deep into it. this can be especially noticeable if there’s absolutely no 5th house energy in the chart

people with jupiter in an earth sign love being surrounded by greeneries in their home; they may take a lot of enjoyment out of taking care of plants, gardening, cooking and stuff of the sort. it makes them feel more grounded, independent, and even healed. they also LOVE scents that connect them to nature like the scent of grass and the ocean.

air mercuries can be very beware of strangers, they can feel offended when their friends make them socialize with someone they don’t know and it can take a hot while before they trust the person enough to lower their defences a bit. they need to know it’s safe before expressing their usual sexy eccentric selves in front of someone new. on the other hand, aries placements can also hate being introduced to new people through their friends but it’s mostly because they’re very territorial over them, and can’t stand the thought that this new person can hurt their friendship in any possible way

meanwhile, it’s probably an earth or leo/sagittarius mercury introducing new friends to the group. they’re so fucking good with people and it shows in how they make people feel welcomed so easily, it’s like they “take” the person in and adopt them into the group. they can’t stand seeing someone being treated like an outcast because they know how it sucks to feel rejected, so they’ll try their best to make you feel included

while on the subject of people who hate seeing others be treated like an outcast because they know how it feels like to be rejected: SCORPIO RISINGS. bro. people underestimate how chill they can actually be. if they see you being left out, they’ll approach you with no fucks given and do anything in their power to make you feel comfortable. they do so well in group settings.

and while on the subject of scorpio risings... i have a scorpio rising friend and he goes thru it on the daily. he often complains that people are always suspicious of him and that they seem repulsed by him, strangers on the street will stay tf away from him. and it’s so heartbreaking because his personality is so friendly and welcoming and it doesn’t at all match his intimidating appearance. scorpio risings have this energy that not many people can handle, others feel either really drawn to them or downright scared of them because of the “danger” element they seem to carry in them

i know two people who are both scorpio suns and libra moons and they look the exact same, even though they have different risings. brown, deep-set eyes, coarse dark hair, naturally tanner skin tone — and they have the same style as well, using lots of band t-shirts and dark clothing. scorpio energy is always so noticeable wherever it is i swear, it’s like it takes over the rest of the chart

gemini moons are what yall claim gemini venuses to be. like, seriously... have you ever met someone with a gemini venus? they don’t need constant stimulation or else they’ll get bored and cheat. not in the slightest; actually, they’re often incredibly loyal and crave longterm, committed relationships. if anything, they need stimulation outside of their relationship in the form of a good, exciting career and hobbies so that they don’t get too addicted to their partner and to constantly analysing every aspect of their relationship. gemini moons however, tend to have multiple partners throughout life and they often feat deep commitment. they can be huge players imo, IT’S THEM YOU SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT!

sagittarius placements are so... tactile? like, they love to touch things. when they go to stores and stuff, they’ll start holding everything that catches their attention— it’s like they can only decide if they want to buy something after thouroughly exploring how it feels, the texture and the energy that the object gives them through touch. and they talk so much with their hands. it makes me so anxious like bitch you aren’t selena gomez, i promise you that you CAN keep your hands to yourself

taurus placements are so weird to me, i can’t understand them. it’s like they’re afraid of exploring their own depths, which in turn makes me unable to explore them. okay, how do i put this... it’s like they have this preset idea of who they are and after deciding so, they’re unwilling to let go of it. “i’m the stable friend who’s here for everyone even when i can barely take care of my own self” and then that’s who they are: the people who are a steady rock in the lives of others, taking care of everyone. and then they refuse to change even after getting hurt. and then, it’s like... well, you can’t just be that. you are a human who contains multitudes, but i don’t think you give yourself enough credit on how layered you are. that fear of changeability, that need to be the one stable thing in a world full of unpredictability will only damage you in the end, because you won’t get to fully experience life’s greatest pleasure: knowing yourself. becoming your own best friend, exploring every layer that there is to your being. i think you deny yourself of that experience because you fear that, with self-learning comes self-growth which leads to transformation. and you fear transformation because you don’t want to change for the worst. but like... transformation is necessary and with that comes adaptability + flexibility, which are things you could greatly benefit from.

scorpio venuses can be so pessimistic— and when they’re in a dark mindset, it’s so difficult to pull them out of it. it’s so difficult to get them to see the good in difficult situations, and to help them believe that it gets better. but even if you don’t believe me, i’ll keep telling you; it does get better. you’ll get through this.

jupiter in the 4th house is an indicator of food having been an amazing part of your childhood; there might’ve been a lot of feasts and you could’ve had a parent who loved to cook. being well fed might be a huge concern for you now; you might get sick easily when you’re eating fast food and non-traditional plates.

mercury square uranus is an extremely difficult aspect to have because, in your earlier years, you might’ve felt dumb or like there was something wrong with your intelligence because you might’ve found school difficult due to it’s structured nature that didn’t fit with the way you like to learn things— you need to learn in an interactive way that piques your interest. your anxiety and any traumatic experienced that you faced could’ve heavily impacted your school performance. you might’ve had an ease with learning but then, when it came to doing the written tests, you couldn’t perform to the best of your abilities. either way, school might’ve been a source of a lot of stress and difficulty.

mercury square pluto can have some weird manifestation where, like... you suspect things but you always suspect the wrong things. i’ve met a few people with this aspect and all of them were extremely suspicious of the most random things who were literally normal and innocent. this aspect can cause a lot of chaos to one’s interpersonal relationships because you might find yourself suspecting your loved ones in the weirdest circumstances due to your trust issues, which in return causes them to lose trust in you + the want to confide in you because you keep questioning everything they’re up to WHEN THEY’RE NOT UP TO ANYTHING IN THE FIRST PLACE. probably the most frustrating thing that can happen with this aspect is when you always suspect what you shouldn’t, but then, when sketchy things are actually happening that should be questioned, you don’t bat an eye to it. omfg it drives me insane

moon conjunct the ascendant can make someone have a very delicate appearance that gives others the impression that they need to handle you like fine china or else you might break. my mother has this at a very tight orb and whenever i bring people over, their first impression of her is always “she looks so frail”. the native might be extremely sensitive to every minor inconvenience which brings a lot of frustration to them, a feeling that they can’t control their reactions and inner turmoil. it can also suck when you don’t want to be depicted as the victim but then that’s the way everyone perceives you. the native might have very expressive and shiny eyes, and they can cry easily. it’s very difficult for them to hide their emotions.

your jupiter sign can signify where you feel an overflow of energy. jupiter in cancer may feel like you have an overflow of nurturing and protective energy towards your loved ones, with a lot of intuition and need for introspection. jupiter in leo can make you feel like you a talent for self-expression and dealing with others, being overly dramatic and prideful at times, and with a huge drive to have fun. jupiter in virgo can feel an overflow of perceptive qualities, with a huge amount of self-awareness and also awareness of your surroundings, ability to constantly analyse and a constant strive for perfection (which btw is impossible since perfection is unattainable and you’re a human being who makes mistakes and that’s completely fine. stop finding flaws where there aren’t none).

[fireemblems24]

Dimitri's Supports

I have waited FOREVER for this. Let's go. And I decided to put my patience to the test, saving Dedue for last.

Since it's Dimitri and I love him, and like Dedue who I also love, he's the only one unlocking all his A-Supports, I'm going to blog all my reactions to them like I did with Dedue. Part of me wishes I thought of this for the other characters, but honestly it would've taken forever lol. Plus Dimitri and Dedue get special treatment because I said so.

Raphael

Starting off with something light hearted, I hope. I do wonder if I'm going to regret not saving this one for the inevitably heavy-handed stuff coming later.

I'm seriously betting this is a support you're supposed to get in part 1 lol. Dimitri sounds young (or maybe I'm just haven't heard non-growl part 2 Dimitri enough yet?)

Dimitri's training made Raphael think he was dying lol. Dimitri's strength is really meme tier.

I need fanart of Dimitri and Chrom co-miserating their mishandled strength breaking something. And Lucina.

Lamo, Raphael has never felt a cramp before. Lucky bastard.

Raphael is a sweetie, going to apologize to his muscles. I really wish they gave him something else to talk about other than muscles and food. Not everyone needs Dimitri tier development, but I think I'd like Raphael a lot more if he just got a smidge more depth.

Got to say, it's a bit jarring to go from "moments away from a suicide charge in the rain" to "lol, Raphael, it's muscle pain." As glad as I am that I got this support, I do think some should've been locked to part 1.

And this isn't just for Dimitri's development. I also saw Marianne and Raphael's B before this support and she reverted back to her part 1 self too.

Catherine

Maybe it's just me, but he does sound a bit older.

OMG - Dimitri's back. 😭😭😭

Sorry, it didn't really hit in that first one since that seemed like a part 1 support.

Oh, cool! I was wondering if anyone would bring up Catherine returning to Faerghus. My bets is she's too loyal to Rhea. (I guessed right)

Catherine be simpin. That's ok, I get it.

So it's not because Catherine dislikes Dimitri, or that she's absolutely needed to rule House Charon, so I think Dimitri just likes her. She's cool though. I get it.

Lamo, she told him he'd better get his sleep like he's a kid.

Curious how the A+ support will play out.

Mercedes

Team Mom's support!

Oh, no, this one's taking a serious turn isn't it? But their initial supports were so light and cute.

Mercedes just told Dimitri that he's kind to a fault. Somehow I know he's going to deny that.

Annnnnd I'm right 😭😭😭He's still calling himself a killer and disgusting monster 😭😭😭

OK - so THIS seems perfectly in tone with his recent character development. But it's so sad hearing him still talk about himself that way.

Mercedes is such a therapist. I can't. She's too pure. But savage. I saw that Lorenz support.

"I am scared . . . so scared that I will forget their faces." 😭😭😭😭😭😭 Dimitri why????

Mercedes telling Dimitri to live in the present. Her supports are always so good. I legit think she's easily a top 10 favorite in this game.

Wow, Dimitri saying if someone told him that 5 years ago, he'd be different. DID NO ONE EVER GIVE HIM ANY HELP AT ALL???

I love how she's talking to him as a classmate, and equal, and not talking up to him. He's always wanted that.

Dimitri's never given his own dreams any thought 😭😭😭He really was just 100% living for other people most of the time. 😭😭😭

Awww MERCEDES, I can't. She says she just wants to keep being his friend. This is so damn sweet. And heavy. But still sweet.

It just hits super hard knowing how badly Dimitri just wanted friends in part 1. And looking back, Mercedes and Sylvain were really the only two who were pretty casual with him.

Aww, yeah, Mercedes not putting up with the bullshit, Dimitri. Telling him to quit the self-deprecation! God, I love her.

Oh, God, they both said the old FE code for "we're married" i.e. I want to "stay by your side."

Ok, @garlandgerard, I totally get why you ship this. Mercedes loves to nurture people, and Dimitri's emotionally needy, so they match pretty well. She also didn't put up with the constant self-put-downs, but stayed gentle about it. And they talked like equals too, like friends, which is what Dimitri always wanted. It's all very sweet.

Annette

Yeah, see, this one starts off with "your highness," but Mercedes it was just Dimitri. No hate for Annette. She's my girl.

These two always give me sibling vibes.

Haha, Annette "I thought I already knew you, but I'm not sure I really do." Hmmmm wonder what Dimitri did that made her think that maybe there's parts of him she didn't know. No. idea.

Hey, Annette, no one blames you for not knowing what to say to Dimitri when they reunited lol.

Annette too pure too, wanting to cheer Dimitri up with his favorite food.

Her not knowing what he likes to eat is 100% that moment when you realize you don't know someone's favorite color.

HOW can Dimitri have no strong feelings about food. I'm having pizza right now. Let me tell you, I have strong feelings about some food.

I love how easily Dimitri deflected from talking about himself lol.

Awwww, Annette wants to live with her family again. I'll make that happen, Annette. Don't worry.

Haha, they're conspiring together behind Gilbert's back.

They still have an A+ support, which is weird, because that seemed pretty well ended? Like I see why Catherine's needed more, but not this one. Still, not going to say no. I like their dynamic.

Ingrid

OCF they're training. God I love all the Faerghus childhood group though.

Oh, fuck, here comes Glenn again. My heart's not ready for this with Rodrigue dead. Poor Felix.

Ingrid being Dimitri's knight 😊😊😊 as it should be.

Haha, Dimitri asks her for an interpretation. Just make her your knight.

Glad he hasn't started saying "I'm not worthy!" Because right now it's about Ingrid's feelings.

Wow, there, Ingrid. "However you please, Your Highness." That . . . that sounds like an invitation. To "staying by your side."

Dimitri laughed. 😊😊😊

Oh, God, this is so cute. His pause asking her to support and defend him as his knight. 😊😊😊 OMG. I'm not sure that's all she had in mind though, good Sir, have you LOOKED in the mirror?

Seriously though, Ingrid's just surrounded by studs, isn't she?

Oh, God, I'm right. She didn't just mean knight. But Dimitri's too dense in that area to notice. She crushing hard. Girl, I get you.

She blushing, saying "for the Kingdom," naw, she just like him. Me too, Ingrid. Me too.

Dimitri always makes people promise not to die on him. It's so sad considering . . .

Flayn

With Flayn it's always a toss up. Sometimes things are super light hearted, and other times it's way heavy.

On a random note, does no one wonder why Flayn hasn't aged a day in 5 years?

Flayn having nightmares. Not allowed. I bet it's fucking Jeritza's fault. I'm glad you get to rip him a new one so many times in this game.

Why is Flayn apologizing?? She's never done a thing wrong in her life.

Right, Flayn's other support with Dimitri was pretty heavy. And it started so funny with him stomaching her food.

Oh, good grief, what's he apologizing for? Ok - so Dimitri did do some things wrong. But not to Flayn.

He lied. Let me guess. Her food actually sucks.

Aw, got it. He went right to the meal. Is he really going to come out and say, well it actually sucked 😂

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE MEALS???? AND THE TEA an embarrassing amount of tea.

Wait. He can't taste ANYTHING??? Like. How? Did he hide that????

Ok - I need to look at his team and dining dialogue.

OMG. He really never says a word about how anything tastes? He always just talks about smells????

OMG. How did I NOT NOTICE. I've taken Dimitri to dinner a million times. And tea timed him too many times to admit too.

AND I NEVER NOTICED HE NEVER ONCE SAID HOW ANYTHING TASTED. HOW.

OMG that support with Annette hits different now 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

OMG and Dedue's support with Flayn hits different now. Since he wanted to badly to find food Dimitri loves 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Does Dedue know? Is that why he's so dedicated to cooking??

Can I headcannon that?

OMG, I feel so awful about that jab about pizza. Dimitri CAN'T TASTE pizza or anything 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Please someone tell me there isn't any more "this awful thing also happened to Dimitri and he's failed to tell you" like learning he almost fucking died at Duscur. And now this. Dimitri needs to learn how to fucking complain.

The writers are so fucking mean to Dimitri. OMG. OMG, how am I supposed to take him to dinner and tea now, knowing this?

Why does everything hit so differently now? And so many Blue Lions supports are about food - but Dimitri can't relate

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

This game needs to stop bullying Dimitri.

But like, God, can you imagine? Not tasting anything? I'd starve. I'd actually starve. I never really get hungry. I really would starve.

On the flip side, he's good for Flayn then, since someone can eat her cooking I guess.

"I was just saying what I thought you would want to hear . . ." Dimitri - a summary.

Naw, that's a kind lie. That kind of lie doesn't really hurt anyone.

Oh - dear God. Flayn. Stop. No sampling pungent food.

Oh, she blushing. Dimitri got her blushing

Please tell me in their paired ending Dimitri gets his taste back.

Oh, there's an A+, does he taste something. Please tell me he tastes something.

This support though. It wasn't really one on my radar but

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Gilbert

Oh, man, this one right after Flayn's. God, I'm going to need the Alois one after this. Gilbert and Dimitri are two of the most somber characters in the franchise.

And I haven't forgotten that heartbreaking B support.

Haha Lambert sucked at lying too. Dimitri too pure. Weirdly, despite everything, it's still pretty true.

Oh, shit, oh shit, we're back to Dimitri's demand that Gilbert kill him. I'm betting you usually get that in part 2.

God, imagine seeing Dimitri recover only to see him beg for death again 😭😭😭😭😭😭

I need alcohol.

I need the Alois support.

OMG, shit, Dimitri. No. Don't. Stop.

Like, I know Gilbert won't really kill him, but damn. This support is heavy.

No, Dimitri, no Gilbert is not cruel for not killing you. God.

Oh, not sure about this. I get what Gilbert's going at here, but telling Dimitri that he's not allowed to die because he's got a duty is . . . I think Rodrigue's and Mercedes' live for what you want/the present is a LOT healthier.

At the same time, this is a pretty effective way to make sure Dimitri won't go and try this again, because he really takes duty seriously.

Dimitri doesn't wish to die? 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Oh, thank God.

"Many times I have felt that I cannot afford to die . . . But this was the first time I truly feared the prospect." 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

"Is it really right for me to live?" Oh, dear God. I'm so soft for Dimitri. I can't.

Gilbert answered that one right. 100%.

Damn, these supports.

Alois

OK. I need this one. I really need this one.

I really hope Alois' inspiration is bad puns. I need bad puns right now.

Pretty sure this is a part 1 support though. I love how Alois, not Dimitri, is leading this. And that the person the Kingdom NEEDS is running around and getting attacked by monsters lol

Ok, bad puns. Bring them.

There we go. Thank you, thank you, Alois.

OMG no one's laughing 😂😂😂

Dimitri's laughing 😭😭😭😭😭😭

That's it. This is always getting saved for part 2. I need to hear part 2 Dimitri laugh.

I'm also so glad someone finds Alois funny. Dimitri and Petra need to start a club.

OMG I love the two other confused soldiers. I needed this 😂😂😂

Marianne

These two were so sweet in their C and B supports.

I swear I'm going to end up shipping Dimitri with everyone. Except maybe Annette, no hate, they just seem so much like brother and sister to me.

And Felix x Annette 100%

Survivor's Guilt - the pairing. Both wondering why they survived 😭😭😭

"There are so many others who are much more deserving of life . . ." - who said it? Marianne or Dimitri?

These two just understand how each other feels so well. It hits so different compared to Marianne's other romantic possible supports where they just try to make her smile.

Instead these two take comfort in finding someone who understands how they feel so well and feel relieved they can share that with someone.

Haha - "I must go on living. I cannot give in to death so readily." This coming right after his support with Gilbert. Good job, Gilbert.

They've both had it so rough 😭😭😭😭😭😭

"There is no need to force yourself to smile as your soul bleeds." Dimitri always gives such good advice that he never follows.

Aww, now at least it's getting cute instead of just heavy. Marianne laughed too 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Yesss, Girl, preach. I got a little sick of her other supports all being "cheer up!" Like I know it's all in good faith, but I'm so glad this chain exists. It just hits different.

Dimitri doesn't think he's strong enough to live his life. 😭😭😭 this game. I swear.

ohhhh - ohhh, Dimitri blushing now. And all she needed to say was they've been brought closer together. Congrats Marianne!

OHHHH tables have been turned. Now someone's making Dimitri promise he needs to live!

"I don't know what I'd do with myself if we lost you . . ."

"I promise to the goddess of Fodlan that I will never give you cause for despair."

OMG these two are being so sweet, I can't. 😭😭😭😊😊😊

Felix

Oh, boy, here we go. This should be . . . interesting.

Oh, we're starting off good I see. Felix telling Dimitri he needs to answer quickly or get cut in half 😔Felix. No.

Dimitri sounds so somber 😭

Dimitri admitting both are him - the vengeful "boar" and the friendly good person. And this is why I love him.

Dimitri feels the need to shoulder all the regret the dead feel, please don't. They wouldn't want that 😭😭😭😭😭

"The dead won't acknowledge your loyalty, they don't care." - Felix not wrong there.

I partly agree with the idea Dimitri is "serving his own ego" by claiming he's acting for the dead. I think it's a bit more complicated than that, but I think that's part of it.

Felix saying some good stuff here about the dead being dead and the living being living.

"If you keep stringing gravestones around your neck, you'll snap." - Felix, I don't know if you noticed but . . . uh . . . he sort of did.

Felix telling Dimitri to become a grave keeper is a bit funny. Not going to lie.

"I'm not immune to emotion you know." - just tsunderes things

Aw, Felix is upset his father died 😭😭 after all that shit-talking about Rodrigue 😭😭

Wish Felix didn't cut Dimitri off when he said "more than anyone you-" (care about other people, unless he joins CF and just kills everyone)

Oh, God, Felix is such a tsundere. "I couldn't stand the pathetic look on your face. That's all." Sure, Felix.

Kinda wish these two had an A+ though. Seems like there's more to do than the A+ with Annette and Flayn.

Really curious to see what their paired ending is like after that. Seems they're still learning to learn about each other. Well, Felix is. Dimitri didn't seem too upset lol.

Dedue

Ok guys. Here we go. I can't believe I managed to wait for this for last. Everyone hyped this one, so let's hope.

Really? We open with Dimitri having scars on his back? 😭

From 9 years ago? So scars from Duscur then?

Images of shirtless Dimitri now. though Not bad images.

He got scars protecting Dedue?

"It makes me think that is was worthwhile that someone like me survived." 😭😭😭 he's talking about protecting Dedue? 😭😭😭

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

"But I saved someone - saved you. That and that alone has been my crutch." 😭😭😭😭😭

I always knew these two were co-dependent.

Dimitri really out here saying that saving Dedue helped him "justify" surviving. 😭😭😭😊😊😊

OMG THAT'S THEIR STORY

OMG, poor Dedue. And Dimitri 😭😭😭did he literally "take a bullet" to save Dedue 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 and still has scars? No wonder Dedue's so loyal. Some kid he didn't know did that. That's one hell of an introduction.

And picturing little Dedue just resigned and angry and waiting to die and just 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Oh, Dedue, you've repaid that debt ten-fold I'm sure.

Ahaha, Dimitri's doing the "you'd better accept your worth!" discussion this time lol.

Dear God these two. Now Dimitri's bringing up that Dedue busted him out of the jail.

I swear, these two have more of a plot off screen than some routes do on screen.

And now picturing Dimitri resigned and just ready to die. And then Dedue busts in. 😭😭😭

"That was nothing more than my duty as your vassal." Stop that Dedue. Dimitri doesn't want you to be his vassal. He wants more.

Holy shit.

"You are irreplaceable. Cherished." 😭😭😭😊😊😊😭😭😭😊😊😊😭😭😭😊😊😊😭😭😭😊😊😊

Not to be that person - but I tell all my "friends" that.

Yes, Dedue, stop saying insisting you're just a "vassal" - that's a worse joke than Alois' puns from earlier.

"Please . . . do not look at me that way." What way, like you're about to make Dimitri cry, or like . . .

"You promised me you would build a Kingdom that is proud to boast of Duscur blood." - shit, man, these two. I just . . .

OMG so much emotion from Dedue. The only time I ever heard that before was in VW when he learned Dimitri died. But let's not remember that right now 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Oh shit. He called him "Dimitri." 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

And it made him blush.

OMG.

Guys, these two.

Aww, Dimitri looks so surprised. 😊😊😊😊😊😊

Oh, these two are so soft for each other. I can't. I just can't.

"To be your friend . . . is what I have always wanted." You're going to get it.

Man, I feel almost guilty S-Supporting Dimitri. He needs to pair up with Dedue pronto.

Dimitri sounds chocked up. OMG.

"So please call upon me when you walk alone at night." Ok. Dedue. Ok. Yes. Guys. This is all very straight.

I'm not saying it's - you know - cannon, but there's some big feels here.

Oh, Dimitri, stop it. You like Dedue's overprotectiveness. Don't lie.

Man, you guys were so right. Dimitri really just came out and said Dedue was "cherished" and "irreplaceable." Like, I'm not making this stuff up. And Dedue blushing hardcore just saying Dimitri's name.

They're both just so soft. I can't. I literally cannot. This support was gold. It was worth all they hype.

And learning more about how they meant. Dimitri really taking a bullet for Dedue there. I just . . .

I just want all the happiness for both of them. They're really something special towards each other. Like I legitimately think this is one of the most two-way loyal relationships in the whole franchise, and definitely the tightest bond in this game.

Like in past games you had Seth for Ephraim and Erikia and Soren for Ike and it's not like Ike, Ephraim and Erikia and etc don't care, but it wasn't the same level, you know? But this is such a two way street.

And I'm so weak for bodyguard with a crush. Like Seth/Eirika? Yes. Geoffrey/Elincia? 100%. Riza/Roy (Fullmetal Alchemist) there again. I'm sure there's more, but those are my top ones. Even Merlin/Arthur sort of counts even if Arthur doesn't know Merlin's his bodyguard lol.

I need to read fanfic for these two. I really don't want to spoil anything, but I'm dying. They're both just so sweet, and I just really love their dynamic. I really want to do a write up on it once I get to the end of the game.

[kob131]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1q5Hk7u9aw

Ah FMF, even when you’re not Genwunning RT writing, you’re still not good. So Why am I covering his video on a ‘bad review’ of Netflix’s Death Note? Well this was used in the video of a Youtuber I once respected and I’m pretty sure he started adopting FMF’s bullshit so I’ve decided dissect the video to showcase that he’s bad at this no matter what the subject and why he shouldn’t be listen to.

Before we even begin, FMF begins his video with saying ‘this is just my opinion’ even though his video is titled ‘A response to a bad Death Note review’ and he has a visual counter system for what the original video gets wrong called ‘Wrong/Illogical’ which aren’t opinions. Honestly, it comes off as FMF using this as a shield to prevent criticism.

So his first point against Cosmonaut Variety Hour is that he complains about the pacing, talking about how Netflix Light gets the Death Note 2 minutes in, meets Ryuk 8 minutes in and kills his first victim a little later. FMF says that the anime had Light following a similar path. Which is true...only because FMF cuts off Cosmonaut’s final part: where he states a short while later Light gets a girl friend (Misa/Mia). This completely changes things, as how many minutes into the anime does Light get a girlfriend?

Well, each episode is about 22 minutes long with episode 1 being 23. Light and Misa part ways about 3 minutes 15 seconds into Episode 14. However, about 2 minutes 40 seconds of each episode is opening and ending. So let’s do the math.

22 * 13 + 4.25 = 290.25

2.66 * 13 + 1.5 (the opening is about 1 minute 30 seconds) = 36.08

290.25 - 36.08 = 254.17

Each .01 is .6 seconds. so 17 X .6 is 10.2

the time to getting Misa is 290 minutes and 10.2 seconds. In the movie? Let’s just say 30 minutes for simplicity’s sake (it’s more like 27 minutes and 11 seconds). That’s a net difference of 260 minutes and 10.2 seconds. WELL over double the length of the movie. So Cosmonaut’s point makes sense, if a bit ill explained.

Also in this point, he says it doesn’t make sense because Cosmonaut said ‘I like it wasn’t two hours’ ... when anyone with awareness could tell that wasn’t an actual like, it was a potshot at the movie’s poor quality that it was short. 

The next point is that Cosmonaut complains about the movie not fleshing out  Light, Mia and Ryuk. FMF says the exposition before finding the Death Note is about explaining Light’s life situation. ... This is a really dishonest response because he cuts off Cosmonaut explaining himself, up to and including how he would have found the few scenes with Light, Ryuk and Mia interesting if they were all more fleshed out. Not only is this stuff not helping because only one third of his point is addressed- Light’s life situation is mostly technical and meant to build up his motivation whereas Cosmonaut is talking about Light and the others as people. It’s reliant on FMF either missing or misinterpreting the point, neither of which is acceptable.

Also, in the bit he doesn’t show, Cosmonaut says ‘I’m not saying make this two hours. For the love of God, don’t make this two hours long’ with an image of a man having a heart attack, which should have informed FMF than part of his previous point was based on taking a blatant joke seriously. ... Yeah.

Next point is...Nothing. No seriously, Cosmonaut says ‘spend some time making your main character likeable or relatable in any way’ and FMF just says ‘You can’t just say there’s nothing to like.’ He doesn’t even give an example whereas Cosmonaut does, showcasing that infamous scream of Light’s (given, FMF cut that part off.) He also considers this wrong by the way. Not in my words, his ‘Wrong’ counter goes up.

His next point is about when Cosmonaut says the logic of the movie is being dumb because Light chose the name Kira. FMF claims that the logic is sound because Light makes a dumb decision and he gets immediately figured out. Issue is that A. He cut Cosmonaut mentioning that Light in the anime never actually choosing the name (setting up how the name choosing is dumb) B. That it doesn’t get immediately figured out until L figures it out (a character meant to be smart) and C. The movie itself never treats the name as being a dumb decision, in fact the police are stated to have fallen for it. Nothing here functions.

The following point is ... another dishonest one. Cosmonaut says that L finding out that Kira’s name is a misdirection doesn’t make him look smart, it makes him look dumber than Light. And FMF responds by saying ‘that doesn’t make sense because L used the death of the first victim to find out where Light was, like the anime version did!’. Thing is, Cosmonaut is saying it makes him look dumb, not that he is. You normally don’t notice this because both involve discussing L’s intelligence, never realizing that FMF is talking about something different. This is a fallacy called ‘pivoting’: you see politicians doing this a lot. He’s being dishonest again.

Before we move onto the next point, I wanna point out that he skips Cosmonaut bitching about the movie giving L a reason to eat candy and how it doesn’t make sense. Thing is, Cosmonaut says that the movie is stating candies can keep you awake for 48 hours but the clip he shows doesn’t say that. It was 41 hours and the topic was keeping his mind focused. You’d think FMF would jump on this since he IS wrong here...but no, he doesn’t. Trust me when I say this becomes important later.

fMF;s next point is another case of cut context. He shows a clip of Cosmonaut saying some scenes were likely cut with an example of Ryuk saying he’s disappointed and that he said Light should give up the Death Note  while FMF responds by saying Ryuk already informed him. Thing is, Cosmonaut is talking about Ryuk SAYING Light should give it up instead of INFORMING Light he can give it up like FMF says, playing a clip where Ryuk says as much (’I asked politely but you didn’t hear me: let the note go!’) and Cosmonaut even rebutes FMF’s point, saying what Ryuk did before was inform him of an option but not insisted on it (in fact egging Light on). Again, relying on cutting off his argument.

His point afterward is short but correct: Cosmonaut says L should be surprised Light knows his name and FMF shows that they revealed it earlier. I think it’s also the only point so far that he hasn’t cut off.

The next is one that FMF doesn’t cut off but is still rather sneaky. Cosmonaut says the movie is making the case for Light Turner being smart and FMF says the movie is making the case that Light is poor, has iffy morals ect. This is the scene that most people point to saying the movie says Light is smart here. FMF is trying to disprove that by giving an alternate interpretation. Thing is, why would anyone pay to have their homework partially done by a dumb person? That...doesn’t make sense. And Light has 15 customers at least, since he was found with at least 15 people’s homework on him when he was found after being punched (something FMF tries to use to say ‘see? He was punched for trying to be clever! The movie’s not saying he’s smart!’) so he should know this.

Afterward, he tackles Cosmonaut’s point about Light cracking under pressure by saying the pressure is mounting on him. I could understand this (ignoring how I’ve made this same point to him about RWBY...) except that in the anime even more pressure was on Light and he never cracked like this. Is Light Turner a different character? Yes...but no one mentions this. 

“‘Lust for power’ is one of the most basic human motivations in the world.” is his next counter argument against Cosmonaut, who says ‘we never learn why Mia wants to kill everybody.” I’m afraid I can’t let the RWBY thing directly slid anymore because this standard could really affect his work: Cinder has the EXACT SAME motivation and no one buys that shit. We don’t buy it because there has to be a reason BEHIND the lust for power. Even Dio had this (he wanted power because of his fucked up childhood.) So he really should be calling this out himself. ESPECIALLY if he’s called out Cinder before.

Next up is FMF going on and on about how the movie shows Light isn’t smart (Err, no. Getting punched was suppose to show how crooked the system was) and how L is making this a game for his ego (he...never prove this beyond showing L refer to this as a game. Nothing for ego) in response to Light being called dumb... And why wouldn’t he be considered smart? He outright says L refers to him as smart and while he says it’s for his ego, not only is the homework thing logically about him being smart but the character Turner is adapted from is notoriously smart so that’s just...logical.

Next one is fucking weird. Cosmonaut says the rule about the Death Note’s burning page makes no sense and FMF says that while he agrees with it, he tries to insert a counter by saying that ‘taking Ryuk at face value, it might not work at all.’ ... The rule wasn’t said by Ryuk, it’s said in the Death Note. Ryuk was saying that he can only do it once. He fucked up a point he says he mostly agree with.

Next part is Cosmonaut saying it’s stupid that Watari only has one name and is using his real name and FMF says that it makes sense as Watari needs to be contacted to get to L...ignoring that you could just have a private number. And before someone complains at me since he says its an opinion: that ‘Wrong’ counter goes up and that ain’t an opinion so I’m not buying it.

The next part brings up that Light got Watari’s name from his dad, something Cosmonaut says L should have known better because L wasn’t a suspect yet while FMF points out that Light wasn’t a suspect yet. ... This is still calls L’s intelligence into question as he was giving out his partner’s name out so it can be researched...and he has the man undisguised with him in the open (which is how Light gets his face). 

Next part I’ll give: This version of L is emotional so FMF is right...if he had taken the time to establish this is suppose to be a video looking at the movie on it’s own. FMF, you need to give context.

Next two are basically the same: Cosmonaut bitches about Light not giving a reason for not wanting to killing Watari and FMF cities ‘we don’t kill people’ and ‘survival instinct’ for why he would want to kill L as reasons...which brings up: wouldn’t killing Watari also fall under ‘survival instinct’?  Kill L’s ally/possible avenger?

The next point is really stupid. It’s bitching about the moment where Watari dies, Cosmonaut saying that it doesn’t make sense that Watari doesn’t reveal L’s name while FMF says that Ryuk could have interpreted his ‘dealer’s choice’ to kill him without revealing the name to fuck with Light...Ryuk’s never acted to fuck with Light like that before (could have interpreted the names being written to mean [Reveal Light’s name to the world] too) and ‘dealer’s choice’ refers to the type of death, not what everything in it means.

He then mocks Cosmonaut for saying a scene of Ryuk saying ‘dealer’s choice!’ disproved what Cosmonaut said before. Ignoring that I have personally seen him pull this on RWBY- He does this same thing here NUMEROUS TIMES with Cosmonaut. It still doesn’t make sense because Ryuk, when Watari’s circumstances are written down, mentioned the cause of death SPECIFICALLY. That’s why there’s an issue.

Afterward Cosmonaut bitches that Mia can’t get the Death Note because he needs to live it alone for seven days while FMF corrects him as he shows Light can just give it up. Nothing really bad here (in a vacuum). Same with the ‘finding Light’ thing that comes after (in a vacuum).

Next is FMF being suspicious again. He cuts up Cosmonaut’s argument about why there is so many police at the pier and why the are there that he cuts out a part of Cosmonaut’s point (that they found L so there’s no reason for so much force there). And his ‘within reason’ thing pops up again even as he doesn’t afford Cosmonaut that. Same with the ‘L said Light is Kira and he took my gun’ counter to Cosmonaut even though in any other circumstance he would have ignored that.

Next is...confusing AND bullshit. Cosmonaut says that, with Light writing that if Mia takes the Death Note she dies, the Death Note is never shown to have these kinds of deaths. And FMF says that...it wasn’t the Death Note. ... Even though the end, Light did write that down. FMF tries to justify this by saying Mia was forced to do it by the Death Note by referencing her saying ‘I love you so much’ and looking shocked when getting the Death note...what he DOESN’T show you is Light saying ‘If you love me, you gotta trust me. Don’t take the book’ before her line, Light getting distracted by his dad afterward, panicking when she takes it THEN her looking shocked as she said ‘What?’. FMF is pretty much LYING at that point.

Cosmonaut has this really big point about Light’s plan from the movie’s climax where FMF attacks some of the aspects. One is him saying Light needed to discredit L to get off the hook (even though he never shows the part about the criminal being brainwashed into doing Light’s dirty work to clear his name.) He brings up Watari not knowing where L’s orphanage is...even though he could have learned about it off screen.

And we end with him making a technical error: he says that the page L has also has the rules/instructions on it...and I can’t tell what it says. So it’s as good as worthless.

Cosmonaut did make a few mistakes and FMF could have made an actual good video by addressing how he doesn’t explain the points he makes against the movie...but that isn’t what he did. Instead of going for smaller but truthful criticisms, he goes for big, flashy and ultimately fault at the VERY best and disgustingly manipulative at worst. All of this without mentioning his hypocrisy with RWBY (example: he ignores anything that doesn’t happen on screen and gives no logical concessions to the show while demanding Cosmonaut do that.) Even when giving him some credit, the man makes it so his targets always look better out of it because he’s so dishonest and manipulative.

Honestly, no one should look to him for inspiration or good points. Because even with a video as bare bones and basic as Cosmonaut, he makes it look like a work of Robert Ebert.

[hamliet]

GOT 8.03 I Know Death

Well... I can’t lie. If the WW threat is really over, that was a wee bit of a letdown, but seriously WHAT A WAY TO GO. That was honestly one of the most brutal hours of television I’ve ever watched. I’m not surprised the true enemy is Cersei but. Sigh. Supposedly episodes 3-5 are like... one cohesive story according to the director with a beginning middle and end soooo I have questions? 

Whatever. Let’s talk characters. 

First of all, IS GHOST OKAY???? 

A moment of silence for Edd, Beric, LYANNA, and the nameless characters we still cared for. Double moments for Jorah and Theon, Amen. Lyanna did not deserve to die, but at least she took out a giant? 

JORAH and THEON

The big deaths imo. If it wasn’t clear, they were always parallel characters. Their arcs both follow the same structure:

trust (Theon is like family, Jorah Dany’s most trusted/House Mormont)–>

betrayal (of the Starks for Theon for the sake of his blood family, of Dany for the sake of returning to his blood family for Jorah)–>

suffering (Reek and exile to Essos/for the Dany betrayal, greyscale)–>

redemption (saving Dany from the Dothraki, saving Sansa)–>

near-death experience (greyscale and losing Yara to Euron)–>

forgiveness (Dany welcoming Jorah, Lyanna Mormont wishing him luck; Sansa embracing Theon)–>

death saving someone they once betrayed. Jorah, saving Dany. Theon, saving Bran, the boy he lied about killing.

Not to mention they both have love stories that alas, are not to be, with Sansa for Theon (you can interpret the love however you wish) and with Dany for Jorah, though that one was unrequited romantically, it was still love.

Not to mention both of them completed “redemption(esque)” arcs, along with...

MELISANDRE

I’m not getting into this Azor Ahai stuff because the writing on that looks skeptical at best to me. Still, she was able to fulfill her desires--to save the world basically--and die in relative peace. I liked her moment of doubt in her faith before the trenches lit as well. 

ARYA and BRAN

Arya is the person who, after all, has been bragging about knowing death and its many faces, who trained to become an agent of death. Her killing the NK is a way of her asserting herself as a part of the living, as a Stark, not as a faceless (wo)man. The fact that she did it protecting Bran further cements this. She is a Stark of Winterfell. She is not nor has she ever been no one.

TYRION and SANSA and MISSANDEI and GILLY

Missandei and Gilly may not have major roles, but they are parallels and if one is okay the other should be as well. Missandei’s line to Sansa was great, and I say that as a massive Sansa stan (she’s my favorite character). Dany sacrificed so much to save them all, and none of them would be alive without her. 

I liked Sansa’s scenes with Tyrion as well. It was a good way to give closure to that relationship. 

The scene in the crypts, though, was agonizing, but for me the true horror was long before the dead broke in, the scene when people outside were begging to be let in, and they couldn’t save them. They truly could not, and that was agonizing, but it was the right thing to do, and Sophie Turner did a great job showing the anguish on Sansa’s face. You can’t save everyone. 

BRIENNE and JAIME

They saved each other, amen. And Pod is alive. 

DANY and JON (and CERSEI )

Well, now the focus will likely shift back to politicking. Again, I’m not here for Mad Queen bullshit--or, er, well, there is indeed a Mad Queen: Cersei. Who didn’t appear for two whole episodes so I’m absolutely terrified. 

Dany has lost Jorah, the one who has been with her since season 1, the closest thing she has to family since her husband and her baby died which is pretty traumatizing. Let’s break down how this season is challenging Dany: its methodically picking apart what she thinks she knows about herself and her family and her value. She assumed it was all on her to continue the honor and legacy of her family (the Iron Throne). Now, she has a relative still alive and will probably have another family member soon (more later). The Iron Throne isn’t hers according to the rules of succession. Everything Dany has believed about herself has been flipped now. She also just lost Viserion, who was like her child, her dragons are injured, and the Dothraki, her tie to her first husband and her dead child, the people who follow her like the free folk follow Jon, were massacred. Dany has lost a lot. I am expecting Dany to be in the lowest place we’ve ever seen her next episode. I’ve said before the Iron Throne is a coping mechanism; she’ll probably cling to it even more because she has nothing else... except Jon.

Theory time: I’m honestly guessing that Dany is pregnant, or will be in the next couple episodes to further extend the foiling with Cersei (it’s dumb AF writing if she isn’t, since that was simply foreshadowed too strongly not to happen), and I do think she’ll lose the other two dragons eventually to parallel losing her three “dragon children” with Cersei losing her three children. Does she want the Iron Throne, the childhood coping mechanism, the story Viserys used to feed her as a child to keep her going while assassins were trailing them, or does she want a family? (She wants the latter I think.) The choice will be to become Cersei or become like Sansa, to remain a child clinging to stories or to be an adult and choose her fate. 

Which... again there’s inherent misogyny in that because a woman CAN have power and a family and that both Cersei and Dany are portrayed as “oh noes the danger!” is irritating, but w/e. They’re probably going to drag this “will she won’t she” out until the last couple episodes, but there’s no point to her ending up like Cersei. That being said, one thing I will say is that I reallllllly do appreciate that the women are getting the arcs. 

One more thing on the deaths: I just knooow there will be people complaining about the lack of major-major deaths, but really, it’s fairly predictable that most of the MCs with arcs still need to finish said arcs. I am still betting that we���re going to have MC character deaths in the next three episodes. I do not, however, expect Bran, Sansa, Arya, Jon, or Dany to be among them. Really, I get annoyed when ppl complain about the lack of major deaths–anyone with a narrative background could have told you Catelyn, Robb, and Ned dying was inevitable because the story is about the children and specifically the cripples, the bastards, the broken things, rising up and creating a better world than the ones their fathers left for them (oh hey, Dany said that to Yara–whom I also think will survive thanks to Theon’s death). I also think Davos, Brienne, Grey Worm and Missandei, and Sam and Gilly (and Little Sam) should survive. All of these characters are characterized by loyalty and justness, just like Ned Stark was. However, unlike Ned? They’ve all been able to grow and learn to be wise with their loyalty. Game of Thrones isn’t as unpredictable as you might think; stories follow narrative structures, GOT just happens to excel at red herrings. 

[littlefangirlfantasy]

This kind of fear Ch.2

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 2

Chang-kyun [Helen's ex-boyfriend] (Monsta X) 

Kim Yug-yeom [Yuggy] (Got7) 

🍋

Jackson hadn't visited me anymore and Jeong-guk hadn't shown up in English lecture for the rest of the week. Every single day went on without me communicating with anyone other than my family who I called on every Thursday, asking them about their well-being and their day.

I had a younger sister, an older sister, and an older brother, so I could have never called myself lonely in all the 17 years I had lived with them back home in a small town in Korea. There hadn't been a day going by without somehow interacting with people I cared about. I had always enjoyed annoying my older siblings with my younger one for example. Planning pranks and surprising them when they least expected it, I had always had a weird way of showing my affection towards others.

My loving father had often told me crazy and funny stories about his childhood and him doing the same thing, only that he had stood as the oldest sibling. He always supported my liveliness. Not that my mother didn't. There was a reason after all why she was still married to her husband. Still, she was more on the calmer side; polite, friendly, and very ladylike in all kinds of situations. It must have been hard on her raising such a bold brat like me. And still, she had never complained about it, ever.

Since my mother was such an honest human being, she had educated all her children on how telling the truth was a number one rule under her roof. To this day, I worshipped Mom's principle everywhere I went. It was a piece of her I carried around with me all the time. Partly to make up for all the trouble I had given her by bothering my older sister and brother throughout my childhood. Thankfully both of them took after our mom and never failed to forgive me for all the weird phases I had gone through. Especially when I had hit puberty. Though Theodor, my brother, who was six years older than me, didn't need to deal with it after he had gone to college when I was twelve years old.

Unlike my older sister, Helen, with whom I was only three years apart. I still remember that one particular moment I had embarrassed her in front of her first steady boyfriend. Chang-kyun had been such a nice guy though and cared very little about all the cringy stories I had revealed about Helen. I must have been sadder than my sister when both of them agreed to break up after one year. Chang-kyun had graduated earlier at high school—being one year older than my sister—and decided to go abroad after. His departure had been the end of their romantic relationship.

And then there was my little sister, Evelyn, who had to put up with my bullshit just like Helen. I'm pretty sure she had learned a lot from my mistakes: She never got in trouble, generally socialized, and behaved around her superiors. With her 15 years, she sometimes acted more like an adult than I would have ever been capable of. But that was okay. As my lovely mother's saying went, 'Every human being is different. There's plenty of time to figure yourself out and take everything at your own pace.'

I truly missed my family on days like these, when I was trying to cook a proper meal while listening to emotional movie soundtracks. Yes, indeed, I was a true nerd at heart, appreciating good music.

Becoming roommates with Lisa was pretty much the same as living alone. The first few weeks she had been at home, we had cooked a lot together and went out sometimes to watch a movie or to even attend house parties. That girl knew every street corner and additionally a lot of people since she had grown up in SM Town. She had been my biggest help in settling in a completely new home and had never failed to make me feel welcomed. That was what I called an actual blooming friendship, unlike that thing that had gone on between me and Jeong-guk for a whole month.

Then Lalisa started disappearing to God knows where. Sure, I didn't ask her, so she wasn't coming up with many explanations, but it was obvious that she was involved in shady matters.

That guy Jackson was enough evidence for that theory. Everything about him screamed danger. And yes, even in dangerous situations I still let my big mouth get the best of me. And yes, now rather than one thug, I had two thugs plotting my death. But then again, they probably didn't give a shit about an irrelevant first-year student like me.

I sighed, measuring the rice and water before putting it in a small pot and positioning it on the burner. Soon the boiling vegetables would be ready to be served and it seemed that the salmon which baked in the oven was also almost fully cooked. I leaned against the kitchen counter for a moment, sliding my phone out of the right front pocket of my sweats. I had already opened social media when all of a sudden a loud thud sounded at the entrance door. My phone had almost fallen out of my hands as I winced at the loud noise.

What the hell was that? I immediately stopped the music on the small electrical device and waited.

It had sounded as if someone had run against the white doorframe, trying to break in. I gulped as that possibility crossed my mind. Someone suddenly started fidgeting with the lock, which made me freeze until I heard a feminine voice curse behind the door. It must have been Lisa who thought I hadn't locked up at first which explained the loud thud that had followed. Now she tried to open the door without any success. Did she forget her key by chance?

I cautiously strode to the door and turned the lock. I grabbed the handle and was about to pull the doorframe when it was torn from my grip by a fast and sudden movement and could only be hindered from banging against the next wall by the convenient doorstopper.

A young woman with shoulder-length rosé colored hair and blue eyes stood before me. She pushed me without warning and quickly shut the door behind her. Then the young woman looked at me, breathing heavily as if she'd been running a marathon. Her face looked very similar. If she hadn't changed and cut off her blonde hair and put blue lenses over her originally brown eyes, I would have realized from the start that it was my roommate, Lalisa. Without waiting for me to adjust to the new situation, she suddenly grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me.

"You need to leave!" she panicked. "Hurry! Grab your backpack and some spare clothes!"

"What?" I could only bring through my lips, totally shocked about her strange behavior.

The thin girl rushed past me and headed towards my bedroom.

"Wait!" I automatically reacted and followed her. "What is going on? Lisa?"

She rushed to my closet, opened it, and rapidly went over all my clothes, pulling pieces out of the secured place and throwing them randomly on my bed. I stared at her from the doorframe, not daring to interfere and raise the possibility to make her break out in complete madness. I didn't know how Lalisa reacted to small provocations when she was in a panic mode after all.

"Hurry! Grab your schoolbag and a toothbrush!"

Although I was very much confused and shocked by everything at that moment, I still obeyed. I went over to the bathroom, grabbed my pink toothbrush, my hairbrush, and all the facial products I used for my bad skin. Well, my face wasn't that bad anymore but I still used the creams so I wouldn't have drastic breakouts. Thankfully these beauty products worked just perfectly, so I brought them with me wherever I went.

Back in the bedroom I stuffed them into my backpack and grabbed my phone charger from my desk. Lisa put all the clothes she randomly picked out for me in a paper bag and then threw them at me, so I had to catch them.

She then practically pushed me out of the apartment and then quickly handed me over a piece of paper while I rushed to get my comfortable sports shoes on my feet.

Everything happened too fast. I wasn't able to keep up at all.

"What's this?" I asked her, my eyes trained on the piece of paper, even though there were a lot other more important questions I needed to know the answers to at this point.

"You can use Google Maps or whatever useful App you have on your phone to find this address. Just say that I'm the one sending you and that you desperately need a roof over your head for one night at least," she explained and gave me my jacket next.

"Why? What happened?" I asked her since I was very confused about her plan. I put down the paper bag, so I could put my forest green jacket on and zip it.

"I'm going to call you and explain everything later! Just write to me when you're there and reassure me that you're taken in for the night. Then everything's fine and I can forgive myself for putting you through this right now," she told me.

Now that I had the opportunity to look at Lisa's face, I immediately took notice of the dark circles under her eyes and her tired and worried gaze. There was no smile, no jokes, no over-dragged 'gurl'. Nothing seemed to remain of the once happy and funny person that she had been.

"Okay," I agreed. In my head it was a different story, of course, crazy thoughts crossing each other and creating even more insane theories about the current situation I was in.

"Okay," she repeated, relaxing a little bit at my approval. Lisa put a hand over her right cheek while slowly inhaling and exhaling. My roommate had lost some weight based upon her more defined face and the way her bomber jacket looked bigger on her compared to the last time I had seen it on her. Her hopeless and pained facial expression was also quite alarming since I had gotten used to her smiling face and sparkling eyes. It hurt me more than I wanted to admit. Sure, I hadn't known her for that long but I didn't need to. There had been an ultimate connection between us from the start. Although I had been skeptical about anyone approaching me I wasn't like that with her. I trusted her.

"I'm so, so sorry, Odi. Believe me, I've never wanted to involve you with any of this. I'll do everything in my power to make it up for you one day." Her apology made my heart clench.

"That's what friends are for. You can rely on me," I reassured her as I grabbed after her shockingly cold hand and squeezed it softly. Sometimes she acted like a loner as if there was nobody to turn to when she felt lost and sad.

"I don't deserve such a good friend like you" she had said before she pulled me into a desperate and hesitant hug. "Thank you for not giving up on me."

With the piece of paper clutched tightly in my hands, I wrapped my arm around her tiny body and lay my head on her shoulder. She was a little bit taller than me. However, her slim figure often made her look smaller and fragile. Lisa wasn't weak though. She had been the strongest and bravest girl I had ever come across. Wrapped in each other's arms, we had stayed in that position for some time since both of us didn't want to let go. Although I tried very hard to blank out all the negative thoughts, I couldn't help but feel as if this was the last time I would ever get the chance to embrace this person.

"Please be careful," Lisa said as we managed to part. "The streets are even more dangerous at night," she added thoughtfully while wiping her eyes with both of her palms. Seeing her upset like this truly pained me.

"You don't need to worry. I can take care of myself," I reassured her. There was nothing else I could say or do.

She acknowledged my words, however, they didn't hold the power to calm her down. Whatever it was that had forced her to send me away, it was stressing her out a lot.

"I can't thank you enough for putting up with such an annoying and selfish human like me. I've made far too many demands from the start and expected you to always follow my wishes. This will be the last time I ask you to do something for me."

The last time. Why did it sound like a goodbye?

"No matter what happens, don't come back here until I give you the okay sign. Promise me, Odi."

It didn't feel right at all, leaving her behind in such a critical situation. My heart told me not to follow her wishes and stay since it clenched at the mere thought of fulfilling her wish. It wasn't my place to make decisions though. If she wanted me to leave I needed to respect her plea. How I felt and what I wanted didn't matter in this situation. It wasn't my place to go against her ideas and plans. Lisa was the one to deal with her problem after all, not me.

"I promise."

If leaving would make her feel better then there was nothing holding me back.

A hopeful smile spread over her face at my answer. She finally smiled. I did too although my heart still ached and my eyes stung. It hadn't been the right answer for me but it was certainly for her, and that was enough for me.

Without saying another word, I flung my backpack over my back and grabbed the paper bag. Lisa looked like she wanted to say something else, opening her mouth but then decided against it and closed it again in the end. She just stood there with glazing fake blue eyes and her right hand gripping her left upper arm.

With the crumpled piece of paper in my hands, I turned around and stepped out of the doorway into the cold night. Feeling like I betrayed her, nausea spread in my stomach, making me almost throw up as I strode away from her and went down the stairs.

"Gurl!" the voice of Lisa echoed around the small apartment complex, making me stop in my track and look up to the terrace where the thin girl stood. She gripped the railing as she looked at me from above. I could merely see the outline of her silhouette since the light was coming from behind her, so her facial expression stayed hidden. "We won't ever let us be oppressed by the king of shit!"

I was surprised by her words at first. After all, I said the same to Jeong-guk in that café one week ago.

Find the one who caused this mess and put him behind bars...I had thought I was the only one romanticizing that naïve idea.

"Damn right! Let us kick him from his shitty throne!" I shouted back after some time. Suddenly the guilt and pain weren't nagging at my nerves anymore. Moreover, I didn't feel as if I would leave her behind. Her hearty laugh filled the silence, making the hairs on my arms stand up. My heartbeat quickened as the sweet sound filled my ears, blocking out all my worries and pain. All the memories of us laughing and joking took over my thoughts, creating a false feeling of security and ease.

For a moment I stood there zoned out and still under the illusion of the world revolving in peace around me. The silhouette didn't move as well, maybe because she was under the same circumstances. Lisa was a girl who shone brighter than the sun when she smiled and her eyes sparkled like the sea when she talked. And as I imagined her looking at me like that, I turned away and set off.

I used my phone flashlight to be able to read the address on the piece of paper while walking. The street name was unknown to me, but then again, I hadn't been that familiar with SM Town yet. While going down the stairs I unlocked my smartphone and opened Google Maps, typing in the address. The place was 30 minutes away by foot from our apartment. I sighed yet again, Lisa still on my mind.

There were still many questions I needed answers to. I grabbed tightly onto the paper bag and held it firmly to my upper body while I held my phone up, so it could lead me the way. While walking faster I prayed that nothing dangerous lingered in the dark that would jump at me and kill me.

I flinched as suddenly a bush rattled near the silent road. Immediately, I directed my flashlight at the groomed plant and watched out for anything weird. It was only a black cat that quickly ran away when it had been hit by the bright light of my phone. I had muttered a quick apology before continuing to walk down the narrow street the map had colored out for me.

Maybe I was being too paranoid or had just simply watched too many Horror Movies, but I truly felt as if someone was watching me. Now, I didn't believe in ghosts or any kind of creepy monsters that lingered in the dark. My fear was a little bit more logical and rational than that—or so I had liked to think. There was something that made my skin crawl and created an uncomfortable feeling in my guts. I tried very hard not to point my flashlight in all the shady-looking directions and make me additionally look like a madwoman who had big problems with her sanity.

I didn't care about what others thought about me,  though I never had. Sure, my big mouth had led me to minor conflicts with former teachers, students, and even strangers—that had always made me reflect on my behavior—but all in all, I had never been afraid to show my true self. It was more about what I thought about myself as weird as it probably sounded. I didn't want to let my scaredy-cat side show. And maybe it was stubborn of me to always try to hide all my insecurities but I hated to feel scared and vulnerable. I always forced myself to be brave, so I could train myself to be fearless.

It didn't work although I often told myself the opposite. To manipulate oneself wasn't as easy as to manipulate others.

A group of men caught my attention as I was walking past them. They sat on the sidewalk with lit cigarettes between their fingers and smoked. I immediately held my breath and growled internally. I hated the smoke. The guys were all quiet which I thought was strange at first but my brain was soon filled with other inspections. Loud bass boosted music flooded through the dim-lit street and I immediately noticed on my phone that the address I was trying to get to was only a few blocks away. It didn't surprise me that Lisa had sent me to someone who lent their home out for parties and big get-togethers.

Why wouldn't there be parties? It was Saturday night. The only time students could have fun carelessly was on the weekends since they had to concentrate on learning on the other days. Well, if they took college seriously that is.

I sighed as I came to a halt in front of the building that held the address. A lot of dancing young people could be seen through the big windows. I had never been here before. Not that I went to parties alone. I only stayed at home in my free time and studied. And if I didn't learn for college, I listened to music, watched movies and TV shows or read books as well as online stoes, and researched about current political issues. That was the moment I realized how unsocial I truly was—an outsider if you will.

People scared me nowadays to be completely honest. Back in my hometown, I had been able to peacefully talk to anyone. There hadn't been any unwritten rules and there had certainly been no danger that involved you getting beaten up by people you called your friends only because you said something about the growing issue with criminals. Rapidly growing violence must have been the start of everything.

When I had turned 15 the only thing we, the civilians, had been able to see on the News and hear on the radio was the uprise of gangsters around Korea and also the massive increase of illegality. My poor mother still to this day couldn't believe what the world had come to. My father, on the other hand, seemed to slowly accept our county's fate and had simply told me and my siblings to stay away from trouble, so we could lead a calm and peaceful life while letting the trouble unfold itself around us. That had probably been the main reason why I didn't socialize and didn't let myself fall into the unpredictable world of parties and the bad influence of strangers.

I shook my head to clear it from all my wild thoughts and rang the doorbell. It had made a sharp sound though I almost didn't hear it through the buzzing of the loud music. Then finally, the door opened and revealed a tall young man with light brown hair. The lamp on the wall made his hair look golden.

"Come in, come in," he had immediately said before his dark eyes roamed over my shorter frame. "I hope you know that this party is not meant to be a sleepover though," he added, a humorous smile on his pretty face. I felt very awkward at that instant. He probably made that joke because of my sweats and my oversized pullover under my jacket. And of course because of the big paper bag and my backpack.

"I'm not here to attend the party," I told him, slowly taking my steps towards him but stopping just before going up the stair to the front terrace. His expression became puzzled and urged me to explain further.

"Can I maybe talk to the host?" I asked the guy, gripping the paper bag tighter to my chest.

"Yes, that would be me," he answered. Then suddenly realization seemed to hit him and his dark eyes widened. Since I had focused on his chocolate-colored orbs, I noticed a small mole sideways under his under-eye.

"Oh, I understand now! We're sorry for being so loud. We'll try to tone it down a little bit," he assured me although that hadn't been my intention at all.

"Oh no! I'm not here to complain! I don't even live in this neighborhood. Lisa has sent me here," I quickly corrected him.

His eyebrows raised, and mouth slightly open he made a surprised face.

"Lisa?" he asked.

"What's up, Yuggy?" another male voice interrupted him which sounded very familiar to my ears.

"Kookie," the young man greeted the other one who then also appeared in the doorway. It was Jeong-guk. I wanted to facepalm myself. Of course, he would be here. He was more of an outgoing person than me for sure.

My fellow student's relaxed stance immediately vanished as he had also noticed me. His dark eyes narrowed at me for a moment but then he just shook his head and pulled at the door, so it was wide open.

"Come in," he said. Well, it sounded more like an order anyway.

"But—," I began but got immediately interrupted.

"I know," he simply said. "You can stay the night."

Yuggy or whatever his name was looked a little bit taken aback and gave his friend—calling him Kookie was enough to sign—a confused look. Jeong-Guk ignored him and kept his gaze on me. I only nodded, feeling even more uncomfortable. Sleeping under a tree on a clear night didn't seem like a bad idea suddenly.

But rather than running away and doing exactly that, I followed the Korean man into the house. All the areas were packed full of people dancing, drinking, and talking. It was a bit hard to move between them as Jeong-guk led me up to the staircase. I felt less awkward when we were up on the first floor, leaving all the people behind. The guests seemed to respect the bedroom area since there had been no one on the floor.

"You can use this room for the night," Jeong-guk instructed, as he opened one wooden door and switched on the lights. A small and messy came into my view.

"It's our third roommate's. He won't be back until the day after tomorrow, so you can take over his couch," my fellow studebt instructed. He nodded to me, a sign that I should enter the room. How kind, letting me pass through. I immediately noticed the piece of furniture in the corner of the room with a lot of different stuff laying on it. From diverse clothing pieces to random computer games and even porn magazines. How...comfortable.

"Well, then, goodnight."

He was about to close the door when I stopped him midways.

"Why?" I asked.

"Why what?"

"Why are you helping me?"

After all the awful things I've said, I wanted to add but then couldn't bring it through my lips.

"I'm not helping you," he disagreed after a while. "Everything I've done until now hasn't been for you. I was in debt and now I've paid enough to compensate for it." He seemed to want to close the door for sure this time but then halted again. This time it had just been him.

"She could've asked me for anything," he stated. "And yet she used all her wishes on you. You're not even worth it."

And then I was left alone with all my thoughts and worries and also a sudden ache in my heart. Sure, there had been people in my life before who had tried to hurt me through mocking words but no one had been this harsh with me before.

Chapter 3

[bigtiddycommity]

Clé: Miroh (3)

Clé: Miroh (3)

Pairing: Bang Chan x reader ft. Stray kids & Got7

Warnings: Slight profanity

Summary: An up and coming singer is introduced to the rough and unfair world of the music industry when she is tricked into a fake relationship with a popular idol. Her entire world has been turned upside down and now not only is she hated by millions of fans around the world but she is now despised by her...boyfriend?

———————-

Auriella, though seen as a bubbly and happy person, did not live a simple life. When she was born, her birth parents abandoned her at an orphanage with nothing but a raggedy baby blanket and her name written on a note. That's it.

Her life in the orphanage was hell, to say the least. Young Auriella was bullied, mistreated and lonely. The other orphans at the home she was in always felt the need to push her around and belittle her in everything she did. Auriella tried hard to fit in and did all sorts of favors in hopes of being accepted, but to no avail. The mistreatment didn't stop until Auriella was taken out of the orphanage by her record label.

Auriella has been through hell and back yet still woke every morning with a smile on her face. She had her group, who she had worked skin and bone for, be taken away from her, been forced to uproot her entire life and move across the world for a group of people she had never met. Nevermind all of the bullshit she had to endure in her childhood. She was far from selfish and this ignorant stranger, Bang Chan, had no right to sit and assume he knew anything about her.

She tried to be nice and civil but enough was enough. Auriella would not sit back and be treated unfairly by someone she sacrificed so much for. Yes, both Auriella and Chan were forced into this situation but Chan had nothing, absolutely nothing, taken away from him. Okay, he moved from a tiny dorm and into a gigantic mansion, free of charge. So what? No. He didn't get to complain. He didn't get to complain because he still had his group and he still had his parents. From Auriella’s point of view, she picked the short stick of the situation. Yet, he had the right to complain? Hell no.

“I was tricked into signing that contract. I was in a pretty successful group back in the states, but you wouldn't know that, would you?” She looks deep into Bang Chan’s eyes. “We just released an album, that I spent a year writing and perfecting by the way, and the next thing I know I get called into a meeting expecting a conversation about the songs I wrote for the album but you wanna know what I got instead?” Auriella was standing now. He wanted answers? He was about to get them. Loud and clear.

“Pray tell, your majesty, what did little baby Auriella get?” Chan continued to tease her despite the tears of anger and frustration he saw rolling down her face.

“A plane ticket and a letter of termination from my group.” Everyone in the room was shocked to hear the young girl’s blunt response.

“What are you-” Chan began to ask but Auirella wasn't done.

“That's right. I was pulled out of the group that I started and shoved on a plane. Why? Because your company wanted you to have more publicity to promote your group.” She made sure to maintain eye contact with the leader while she emphasized to ensure he was getting the point.

“You hear anything odd about what I just said, Chan? Because I did.” Auriella made sure to single him out. He was the only one of the members to treat her unfairly. “All of this was done for you, therefore you are the only one to benefit in any way. I lost my group, so you could keep yours. I had to halt my career, so you could get more attention for yours. I had to move to the other side of the fucking world for you! So no, Chan, this isn't my fault, it's yours.” She pointed an accusing finger at the now silent idol, who continued to stare at the spot in front of him.

“I tried to make the best of the situation because at least one of us would benefit somehow. Even if I lost everything, at least you and your group would be better off. Hell, I even bought this house so you could all be more comfortable. I chose not to fight and throw a fit over this situation because I don't want to be selfish and only think of myself. What do you know about that? Being selfless?” She had lowered her voice now, drained and frustrated from the treatment she had received as well as the unnecessary argument.

Some of the members who were still learning english turned to Felix and Jisung for a better translation of what had just occurred. By the time the two boys had finished explaining, Auriella had vanished. The entire dining room fell silent as the shock set in with the new information that was revealed.

“Like I was saying, hyung, she was forced into the situation too, but what do I know, right?” Changbin said looking at his leader in irritation. He had tried to say this earlier but Chan was quick to cut off his words and deem his input as irreverent.

“Changbin-ah-” Chan sighed, disappointed in himself.

“Don't bother.” Changbin pushed out his chair and walked off towards the staircase leading to his room.

Chan messed up. He knew that now. Not only had he misjudged an innocent girl but he also unfairly lost his temper on one of his members and he knew he had to make things better.

Since dinner was clearly over, the remaining members cleared the table and soon excused themselves to their respective rooms. Bang chan stayed behind though and went out to the balcony to get some fresh air. On days when he felt overwhelmed or stressed, he liked to go out alone to think and reevaluate things that were on his mind.

Chan wished he had given Aurilla a chance. All of the things Chan fought for, Auriella had taken from her and it was her fault. He cursed at her, teased and made fun of her while she had been nothing but nice and welcoming to him and his group. She cooked for them and even bought a large house so that they could more comfortable. How did he repay her? By calling her names and blaming her for something he knew nothing about.

“I am such a dick.” Chan muttered to the dark sky, as he looked to the stars.

“Yes, you are.” A soft voice startles him out of his thoughts. “Glad to know that you’re aware.”

“Auriella..” He stands to find the new voice in the darkness.

Coming into the light and closing the sliding door, Auriella signed and sat on one of the many chairs out on the deck. “I get it, Chan. You fight tooth and nail for your group and to make your family proud and you didn't want to risk a stranger messing up any of that for you. I get it.”

“If I knew..I am so sorry, Auriella. I swear, I had no idea that they did all of that to you and your group. You did so much for us and I just..” The disappointment and shame was clear in the boy’s voice.

Auriella stared at him for a moment. He wasn't a bad person, he was afraid and fragile. Auriella knew the music industry all too well and she was aware of the harsh conditions and rules of it as well. Though Korea was an entirely different place, she had heard enough horror stories of the industry on this part of the world to stay away and be cautious. He was just trying to protect himself and his group from the harsh world that was K-pop.

Thought she understood, that didn't give him the right to treat her the way. She had lost too much and sacrificed too much for him and all he could do was judge and assume. He didn't have to like her and she didn't have to like him but they were stuck. Al they had to do was pretend until their companies took pity on them and let them out of their contract.

“How about this,” She suggested with a smile, a faint outline of her dimple making itself clear. “You stay out of my way, and I stay out of yours. We do what JYP wants until this whole thing is over and we leave it at that.” She said, keeping firm eye contact.

Chan was startled to hear that. “I-i dont-.”

“You don't have to like me. You don't have to be my friend. But you don't get to judge me or assume anything about my life because you don't know me.” Without giving the boy a second glance, the small girl walked off back into the house, her footsteps fading into the darkness.

__________________________________

The next morning, sounds of laughter and squeals filled the large kitchen. After Auriella had gone back into the house the night before, Jisung bumped to Auriella and saw she was upset. After staying up most of the night venting and getting to know one another, Jisung and Auriella had gotten close.

“You're gonna burn the bacon, Han!” Auriella giggled as he bumped his hips into hers, pushing her away from her mixing bowl of pancake batter.

“Me? I have no idea what you mean.” Jisung laughed, his Malaysian accent stronger than ever.

The two were oblivious to the nine pairs of eyes watching them from the entrance to the kitchen. The ruckus of pots, pans and laughter had awoken the group of sleeping boys from their slumber. Meeting each other in the hallway and sharing looks of confusion, they followed the sounds down the stairs and soon found their member and the young girl cooking. Together.

After a few moments of watching and whispering to one another, Minho cleared his throat to break apart the giggling pair.

“Uh..good morning?” Hyunjin greeted in english.

“Good morning! How’d you all seep?” Auriella beamed.

“Umm pretty good. I see you two are friendly this morning.” Felix said, eyeing the two cautiously.

Jisung shared a kind smile with the smaller girl and turned back to the stove.

“Jeongin, honey?” Auriella called out sweetly to the young boy. She was going to need some help setting the table for breakfast.

“Noona?” He replied almost instantly, seemingly out of habit.

The room grew quiet. They hadn't gotten a chance to talk about honorifics yet, seeing as Auriella wasn't a korean but would be living in korea from now on.

“I’m sorry?” Auriella looked shocked. Had he just cursed at her in korean?

Jisung laughed at the girls offended expression. “We need to teach you korean as soon as possible.”

As the group sat down eating breakfast, Chan’s phone rang and his tone changed from calm to serious and down to business. Once he hung up, he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

“That was JYP, he wants us to meet him at the company.” He announced.

“Us as in..?” Felix asked.

Chan turned to Auriella, looking in her general direction but still not directly at her, “All of us.”

In the car on the way to the company, the boys told Auriella about basic korean expectations when it came to elders. They told her about bowing and taught her a few polite words to use in vase they ran into any other artists that were older than them. They were taken through a back alley way and into a secret door to avoid being seen and photographed. They didn't need to explain a ‘mystery girl’ to their fans just yet, not until the company was ready for them to.

After getting into an elevator and going up a few floors, the group walked into the room they were told to go to and walked in to find JYP sitting behind his desk.

“Welcome come in, come in.” Auriella was surprised to hear english coming from the man.

“Hi! What’s-” The bubbly girl began to say just as the boys behind her bowed and greeted in korean. Whoops.

“Auriella, remember what I said about-” Felix started.

“No, no it's okay. So you must be the famous Auriella. You're very cute.” JYP said smiling down at the small girl.

“Oh, thank you, sir.” The girl blushed and began fiddling with her fingers.

“Aigoo.” The man cooed. “You'll fit right in here. Everyone is going to love you. How are you all getting along? I hope these boys haven't given you any trouble. “He looked back up to the members behind her, raising an eyebrow.

Auriella didn't hesitate. “They've been great! I think we’ll be good friends.” she smiled big.

Chan let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Even though him and Auriella had talked, barley, he didn't expect her to be so quick to cover his unfair actions towards her.

“I’m glad to hear that!” He exclaimed. “Well, the reason I called you all down her is because I thought you might be a bit more comfortable if you met some more people. Since you're going to be around from now on, I thought it would be nice to introduce you to some other artists here at the company.” He explained.

“Oh, yes! That would be nice. I’m always open to making new friends.” She was excited. If she was going to be stuck in a foreign country, at least she could make new friends and memories.

“Great! A lot of our artists are busy with tours and comebacks at the moment but one of our other groups happen to have a free schedule today and are very excited to meet you.” He said.

“They know me?” She asked shyly.

“Yes, they do and one of the members is your biggest fan, so he's been waiting to meet you.” He confessed with a wink and kind smile.

“Now I cant wait. I love meeting my fans.” She said, feeling giddy.

“Well, come on, they are in one of the practice rooms.”

The group followed JYP down the hall and into a room that had loud music and laughter coming from it. Walking in, there were 7 boys total spread all throughout the room. Some were lying across the floor while some stood against the mirrored wall or in a chair. They all turned their heads towards the door when they walked in.

Jyp said something in Korean to the new group of boys after one of the men turned off the stereo. They all got into a line and bowed to their CEO and the members of Stray Kids did the same to their superior group as well. The tallest member of the group locked eyes with Auriella but quickly looked away when she sent a smile his way.

Auriella, I would like you to meet Got7. They-” The CEO didn't get a chance to finish before an excited male voice squealed.

“Ella!?”

The girl was confused. The only person who called her that was-

“Jack-jack?” The boy in question opened his arms wide towards the small girl as she ran to him and jumped onto him with a loud giggle.

The remaining people in the room were confused at the sudden interaction of the two hugging people.

Felix turned to his leader. “How does she know Jackson sunbaenim?” he whispered.

“I have no clue, mate, but they seem..” Chan paused as they all watched Jackson kisses her forehead and spin her in a circle. “Close?”

Chan didn't know why but he felt his face reddened slightly in envy as Auriella looked up to his sunbae with such a bright smile. She tried to be kind to him and he ruined it. Now she hated him, and it was his fault. She didn't smile at him like that. So bright and happy. How did they know each other? And how were they so close?

Chan had a lot of time to re-think and regret his actions towards Auriella. He tried many times to approach her but each time, she brushed him off coldly. He just wanted to start over. He had unknowingly ruined her life and he wanted to at least try to make that better, but he couldn't do that if she avoided him like the plague.

He wanted to be her friend too. In the short time she was around, he couldn't help but notice is members becoming more and more infatuated with her. Her tiny squeaks when someone would pop up in front of her unexpectedly, how she would turn red in the face when one of the members would keep eye contact a little too long. She was sweet and kind and innocent and she had been handed an unfair battle that she couldn't win; a contract. Bang Chan just wanted to fix the mess he caused. That would be though, considering she wanted nothing to do with him.

“I heard an Auriella was coming but I had no idea it was my little baby! How have you been? Last I heard you were trying to get signed to a record label.” Jackson Wang said as he looked down at the small girl.

“I got signed to one! Ugh so much has happened, you wouldn't believe.” She said with a look. “ Hows mama? And papa? Are doing well?” She started up at Jackson.

“Wait, how do you guys know each other?” JYP asked, his voice full of confusion.

“We met a national tournament. I was on the national fencing team and little Ella here,” He rubbed her head affectionately. “was chosen to sing the national anthem. My family and I were assigned to take care of her while she was in China and she stayed with us and traveled with the team while we competed.” He explained.

“Ah, I see.” The CEO said. “Well, it's nice to see that she already has a friend here. You guys seem close.” He observed.

“You have to meet everyone!” Jacson exclaimed, jumping about. He pulled the small girl by her waist towards his eager group mates and began introducing them to each other.

“Oh, and this is our youngest member, Yugyeom. He’s your biggest fan.” Jackson wiggled his eyebrows as he introduced his two friends.

“I heard you were a fan. I’m so excited to meet you!” Auriella smiled brightly as she held her hand to the taller boy.

“I-it is nice to meet you.” He stuttered, discreetly wiping his right hand on his shirt before shaking the girls petite hand. Yugyeom’s heart sped up the moment their hands touched. The boy had been a fan of her and her group for years, constantly talking about her to his members which led to teasing but he never thought he would ever get the chance to meet her, let alone be signed to the same company.

Jackson saw how flustered his bandmate had become and laughed and put his arm around Auriella once more.

“You can stare at her later, maknae.” He teased before turning to look at the young girl at his side. “You and I have some catching up to do.”

Across the room, the members of Stray kids stared in awe at the unexpected reunion.

“Wow, that's so amazing. It's a small world, huh?” Felix said, amazed.

“Yeah, crazy.” Chan replied, sounding distracted, staring at the group before him but his eyes were distant.

[queenmina37]

Outmatched

TW: self-harm, cutting

In a world like ours, seeing a person with scarred wrists was an odd sight. A sight that most weren’t used to seeing. Self-inflicted wounds were no less common, but wrists were the last place to inflict them. Scarred wrists spoke of unimaginable pain, of betrayals, to most people. More than just a few had never even seen scarred wrists in their whole life.

 In a world like ours, where everyone had soulmates, where soulmates dictated nearly everything, having scarred wrists meant sympathetic looks from strangers who couldn’t understand. In a world where the names of your soulmates, both romantic and platonic, were etched upon your skin the moment you were born, to have those names covered in scars… It was nearly unheard of.

 No one could understand it. No one who hadn’t gone through it could understand it. Even those few people, who had one of theirs wrists scarred beyond belief, could not understand the pain of those who had cut both of their wrists at the same time, crying in hysterics.

 There was a general rule, to soulmates. There was no saying which of your wrists held the name of your romantic soulmate and which the platonic soulmate. But what was a guarantee, was that if your wrist held the name of a person, that person’s wrist would hold your name. A general rule that everyone believed in, which had never been disproven. Everyone had a match, after all. It was just about finding those people, of finding your match. Once you did… you could live your happily ever after.

 As a child, even as a teenager, I used to dream of that happily ever after. Of the time I would be able to spend with my romantic and platonic soulmates. My boyfriend and best friend. I used to dream of it, believed all those things I heard being said. That everyone had a match. That if you had someone’s name on your wrist, they had your name on theirs.

 I was young, and naïve. Even after I had sat in the hospital room, terrified that a close childhood friend had slit both of his wrists, as a teenager… I was naïve. Even after he had told me that I couldn’t understand, that there were only one type of people who did what he did, I was naïve. I didn’t realize, didn’t understand him…

 I didn’t understand, until what happened to him happened to me.

 Everyone had a match. What complete, utter bullshit.

 Not everyone had a match. There were people out there who had people’s names on their wrists, and the people who had those names… they didn’t have their names on theirs.

 I learned the hard way that some people… they just didn’t have matches. They just didn’t have those happily ever afters. They just didn’t have soulmates.

 What made it so hard was that the world led you to believe that you did. Just like everyone else, you had the names of two individuals on your wrists. They just didn’t have yours.

 My childhood friend, when he had slit his own wrists, scarring the names on them beyond recognition, making them unreadable, had told me. He had told me, as he laid on the hospital bed, with me sitting beside him, that there were only one type of people who did what he did.

 But I didn’t understand him. Not before I met the man whose name was etched upon my skin. Not before I met the woman whose name was etched upon my skin. Not before they introduced their friends to me.

 I had no place in their happily ever after. Because the world had led me astray. The man who was meant to be my boyfriend, the woman who was meant to be my best friend, they were each other’s romantic soulmates. They had their own platonic soulmates. They were my soulmates, but I wasn’t theirs. There was no match between us.

 I tried to bear it. I really did. I wanted to be a part of their lives. I had never been able to tell them that their names were on my skin, but I wanted to be friends with them, regardless. I really did.

 But it became too unbearable.

 Funnily enough, we had become pretty good friends. I, them, their platonic soulmates, their romantic soulmates. I had become pretty close with all of them, despite none of them ever seeing my wrists. I didn’t realize that until I woke up at the hospital, laid on a hospital bed, with all of them around me, tears still falling down their cheeks.

 I should have been happy. Happy to have such friends, to have my soulmates so worried for me. And yet… Their presence there had done nothing. It hadn’t made me happy. I had just… I had just felt empty.

 My soulmates, the two I had grown closest to, were still there when he came inside. He, who had gone through the same, by whose bedside I had sat, just as worried as the two beside me were. He had walked in, taken one look at me and smirked that damn smirk he always did when he knew he was right. He had spoken, and suddenly, everything had made sense to me.

 “A little birdie told me that you’ve become one of us.”

 I still don’t know who the little birdie was. Maybe the hospital had informed my parents who had informed some of my friends who had told him. We hadn’t been in contact since he had slit his own wrists, after all. Not until I slit my own wrists.

 I had felt empty, up until then. But the moment he was there, talking, the dam had broken. I clung to him and cried like a baby, and he held me. There was understanding between us, where there hadn’t been before, where there wasn’t between me and anyone else. No one else understood what I was going through, no one but him.

 They hadn’t understood. My soulmates, their friends. They hadn’t understood why I suddenly became distant, why I was hanging out with him. I had told them that we were old friends, and at first, that had been enough. But then they began wondering if we were romantic soulmates, or platonic, and if we were, why I was hanging out with him. They didn’t understand why I had slit my wrists, but they could only suppose that my soulmates had hurt me. They didn’t really understand… but the thought that I had been hurt hadn’t sat well with them.

 But the thing was… I and he… we weren’t soulmates. We were just two poor people who had been cursed to not have soulmates. What little luck we both had had in life, was that we knew each other – I wasn’t sure I could have survived if he hadn’t made an appearance. How he had survived, without any help, I had no idea.

 Together, we cried and complained. We cursed life and the gods. We had fun, in a way we never could with anyone else.

 But he didn’t live in the country. He had moved abroad a long ago, even before he had become an adult. He had studied overseas and just never come back home to his family and friends. Even then, he had just been on a holiday, visiting his parents after years and years of avoiding them. My timing to cut my wrists just when he was in the country had been a miracle, just perfect timing. Maybe it had been the gods’ attempt to beg for forgiveness from us, to give us one reprieve, one solace.

 Too soon for my liking, he had to leave. He had to return back to where he now lived, where he had a work, a life. He had to leave me.

 Except… he didn’t.

 He asked me to come with him. Away, overseas, to come and live with him and start everything anew. With him.

 I didn’t even hesitate to follow him.

 At the time, I didn’t understand. I didn’t know what made me leave everything I ever knew for him. To stay by his side. But now… now, I knew what it was.

 Love. During that holiday… I had fallen in love with him.

 From what I had gathered, it wasn’t what romantic soulmates had. Not that kind of love. Because that love was… not stale, nothing like that, but it just… it just wasn’t as strong, as breathtaking. I remember talking to a woman whose soulmate had hurt her, who had slit her wrist where his name, in particular, was. She told me, that the love was fantastic in the beginning, but as time went on… you got used to it. You got so used to it, to the forced feeling of love, that it became a hindrance. I have heard of so many older couples, who just fought and fought but always came back together, not because they wanted to, but because they loved each other. It didn’t matter how many times they hurt each other, how many times they ignored each other’s limits, how many times they acknowledged that they’d be better off without each other, they still got back together, because they couldn’t stop loving each other. I know of men and women who have never tried to pursue the career they wanted, simply because they wanted to keep their soulmates happy. The love romantic soulmates had for each other, it wasn’t perfect – too often, it was nothing but a hindrance. A hindrance that made you unhappy but ensured you had company, whether you wanted it or not.

 Our love… I am not going to lie and claim it has never been a hindrance. Sometimes, it has. I remember, once, how I got a good job offer, but we would have had to move away for me to get it. We had talked about it… and I didn’t take it. Because I just simply couldn’t leave him. We fight, too. We have our own tough times. Each time, we come back. Like soulmate, we can’t leave each other.

 But somehow… it felt freer. Like it’s our own choice, not something forced upon us.

 Before slitting me wrists, I never saw soulmates as people being forced into relationships with strangers. But afterwards… especially after starting to work as a therapist… My views changed.

 Saying that the love between soulmates is forced is wrong. It isn’t, not always. But for some… to me, an outsider, it definitely looked like they just couldn’t fit together, like the only reason they were ever together was because the other’s name happened to be on their wrist.

 I look at those people… and then I look at us.

 We love each other. Strongly, even stronger than most soulmates do. Something about the fact that we weren’t meant for each other, that we weren’t a match and still fell in love… Something about it makes us love each other even more.

 To our neighbors, we’re just normal. To our coworkers, friends, everyone. We were just normal people. A couple who both had scarred wrists. No one ever asked anything about it. They all assume that we’re each other’s soulmates, that something happened when we were younger, between us and our platonic soulmates, to make us harm ourselves like that. None of them cared, though, because we’re just us. We’re normal, a couple in love with each other, and nothing could ever change that, in their minds.

 Now, looking at the scars on my wrists… the last thing I felt was regret.

 “But, mom?”

 I hummed, looking at my daughter, sitting on my lap. “What is it?”

 “What if I do have a soulmate?” she looked up at me with wide, curious eyes, before glancing at her wrists. Her wrists, which held the names of her soulmates. Just like mine, and his, had once held. “Will you… Will you and daddy be mad?”

 “Of course not.” I leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. “We will love you, no matter what. Having a soulmate is something magical, you know. Me and daddy could never be mad at you for being happy, and magical.”

 She giggled. I smiled down at her, brushing my hand through her hair. “But… me and daddy just want you to know that it’s okay if you don’t have a soulmate. That we understand. So many people out there are magical… but not everyone is, you know?”

 She looked up at me and nodded. Her expression was serious, so serious she was actually pouting. It was the cutest thing ever, and I found myself giggling, just a little. That is, until she spoke. “I get it. And it doesn’t matter. I think mom and daddy are more magical than those who have soulmates.”

 I could feel my eyes getting wet. Chuckling, I hugged her close. “Thank you, little princess. That means a lot to both of us, you know?”

 (Later, when she got to her teens, our daughter would make it very clear to us why she thought the way she did. Her whole reason being that since soulmates were described as two halves of the same soul, that meant everyone with a soulmate was broken, somehow. We, though? Because we didn’t have soulmates, we were actually one of the few people in the world who were whole.)

[mcgnuficentia]

A LONG ASS ANALYSIS ON THE MIDFORD FAMILY.

PART 1. FRANCIS MIDFORD.

i’m going to use the kuroshitsuji wikia as start-point. i’ll also use some key concepts applied in the systems theory in psychology, heavily used for families and couples. system is referred to the family itself, the group and their environment. rigid is not exactly a positive quality, because the balance lays in the flexibility of the system. and finally, an united family doesn’t equal a loving family. 

so let’s get started!

francis is the matriarch of the midford family, she seems to be actually the head of the family as she is heavily respected because of her strong character. francis respects the laws and justice, she is blunt and clean, she is beauty and she is grace. now let’s see how the wiki describes her to analyse it part by part:

“Francis is a proud and strict individual who is renowned for her tremendous ambition and prowess. She is a candid critic, and often directly voices her opinions of others. She abides by the rules, abstains from desire and temptation, and never hides her actions; for these reasons, she is highly respected. Prompt and committed, she has a tendency to arrive at destinations earlier than expected or planned. Moreover, she is extraordinarily dedicated, for she continues to cultivate her strength with rigorous training even after her marriage with Alexis Leon Midford.

Francis regards people she deems lazy and indecorous with disdain, having insulted Ciel Phantomhive's bed head and called Sebastian Michaelis "indecent." Nevertheless, she does eventually gain considerable respect for both of them, and she holds Tanaka in great esteem, as indicated when she told Ciel and Sebastian to learn from him in terms of appearances. Additionally, she believes that unruliness in the home environment will ultimately lead to the moral decadence of a person, and is very attentive to detail and concerned about maintaining cleanliness. Francis deeply cares about her family, and it is extremely important to her that Elizabeth marries a man who can adequately take care of her.”

“Francis is a proud and strict individual who is renowned for her tremendous ambition and prowess. She is a candid critic, and often directly voices her opinions of others. She abides by the rules, abstains from desire and temptation, and never hides her actions; for these reasons, she is highly respected.”

francis is a rigid woman. we certainly don’t have information by the way she was raised by claudia and cedric, but i can say that vincent got away with everything he did, which makes me think that obviously vincent was the favorite. francis decided to become so rigid, abiding the rules to show her parents she was way more correct than her brother, probably to get their attention. 

this caused francis to be rude to others, she thinks she is blunt, but she just voices out her thoughts when something is not correct for her. this only makes her to feel superior in some way, thinking that people are not as correct or even as clean as she is. who is francis to say what’s proper and what’s not though? she shows a high ego and narcissism that lead her to believe she is perfect, and this is sign of possible negligence in her childhood coming from thoughts like “i am so perfect, i abide by the rules, and my brother, despite being a mess, is the gem of the family.” it also says that she abstains from desire and temptation. unlike who? vincent of course.

now we’re starting to get the parts connected, she doesn’t want to be like vincent at all, and she cares about her brother but maybe there’s some jealousy there considering he was the loved one despite being a moron. he didn’t go to class, he was lazy, he was a mess, and he wasn’t exactly a man of justice. those are all the things francis despite and it honestly can’t be a coincidence. she grew up seeing how someone like him got all the attention and love, and it didn’t matter how much she tried to be correct and perfect, she would never be her brother. so what’s left? despising those qualities on others. vincent probably called her boring, because she doesn’t enjoy life, she doesn’t like to yield to her desires and temptations are from the devil. she never hides her actions, but she is unconsciously hiding all her grudges.

highly respected, don’t you mean feared? remember that respect and fear are often confused. and yes, people fear francis, they wouldn’t dare to mess with her, not even vincent and that’s for a reason. let’s be real, francis is not very friendly. i headcanon she was shy in her teenage years, but that shyness made her defensive, that shyness made her rude. she was afraid to open up to people because she was not like her brother. she wasn’t an extrovert and she wasn’t fun. she was boring because she stick to the rules, so opening up to others would be a waste of time right? 

“Prompt and committed, she has a tendency to arrive at destinations earlier than expected or planned. Moreover, she is extraordinarily dedicated, for she continues to cultivate her strength with rigorous training even after her marriage with Alexis Leon Midford.”

she goes by her own rules. she doesn’t consider others, her time is HER time and whoever dared to mess with it was the problem. not her. she arrives earlier than expected or planned, that means she doesn’t ask because everything has to be done whenever she wants. 

extraordinarily dedicated more like she needs a way to let out her anger. in psychoanalysis is said that when an individual don’t let their desires out, they become symptoms. some symptoms are seem in the daily life, like washing your hands too often. in francis case, she lets everything out by fencing, by practicing with her sword. her strength is the only way she can vent. because a lady doesn’t complain, and she hates when people complaint because she can’t do it. so yeah, practicing and getting more strength is the only way to keep her mind sane, especially after marrying alexis, because she is not going to act at the feet of a man. she has to be stronger than him to get power. 

“Francis regards people she deems lazy and indecorous with disdain”

again, this is probably because of her brother. like i mentioned before, vincent was lazy and he did whatever he want whenever he wanted. of course francis wouldn’t like that, but she couldn’t say anything to him, and even if he did he wasn’t going to listen. so she is going to unload that on other people, because it’s a reflection of those negative traits she disliked about vincent.

“Additionally, she believes that unruliness in the home environment will ultimately lead to the moral decadence of a person, and is very attentive to detail and concerned about maintaining cleanliness.”

this one is very interesting. according to freud’s psycho-sexual stages, this is because of an anal fixation. this meant that she wasn’t in good care when she was learning to use her sphincter. i know, sounds weird but when a kid has problems when they are learning to go the bathroom, they develop some kind of obsession with order and cleanliness. at the same time, this is a typical trait of controlling people, which we just confirmed that is normal in francis. she is the controlling type, at the point of saying that a dirty home is a moral decadence. which is a lie, some people find order in the mess!

“Francis deeply cares about her family, and it is extremely important to her that Elizabeth marries a man who can adequately take care of her.”

does she? this was called my attention the most, because it says that francis deeply cares about her family, but she treats alexis like some kind of dog. edward is traumatized and lizzie barely sees her. i dare to say paula is more a motherly figure to lizzie than francis herself. 

this might sounds harsh, but francis is not a good a mother and i wonder if she is even a good wife. we don’t know mucha bout alexis but i can say she does whatever she wants with him, and he allows her. about her parenting method, she didn’t do a great job with edward. edward is awkward, edward is scared of breaking the rules because he knows his mother is going to be the first one complaining and dishonoring him. in the blue cult arc when edward is obviously trying to save lizzie, what she does is taking him away from the stage and scolds him for looking like that, she didn’t even give edward time to explain why he was doing that. now lizzie, in the same blue cult arc when edward comes home and asks where lizzie is, she seems relaxed like “nah she is not here”. c’mon woman, your daughter is missing and you act as if it’s normal, as the only one alarmed and worried is edward, francis doesn’t even seems to care. now, she only cares about lizzie marrying a man that take care of her? she... she really is going to act like that now? after wanting to be stronger than alexis and treating her man like a pet, she wants lizzie to be just an accessory for a man? i’m sorry but, francis should realize lizzie is way too strong and she can take care of herself alone. lizzie doesn’t need a man, and that “ohhh she needs to marry someone that take care of her” sounds like i’m selling my daughter to a rich man”. she doesn’t even see lizzie unless it’s a sword practice, and edward is basically invisible in the household. does she really care about her children? bullshit. such a loving mother, of course.

[the-erudite-library]

Random Headcanons

- In addition to members of one’s own faction not being allowed to administer their aptitude test, teachers are also not allowed to. the theory is that a personal relationship could compromise the integrity of the tests and stems from a teacher sabotaging tests to protect her divergent students

- Peter is unexpectedly good with kids. He probably has younger siblings, right? Wrong, he’s an only child. His parents are both prosecutors and he personally has never worked with children. He doesn’t even especially care for kids as a concept, but still they flock to him and trust him implicitly. Animals too.

- Tori knew Evelyn, Jeanine, and Andrew growing up. She thought that Andrew and Jeanine were smarmy assholes, but was pretty cool with Evelyn

- The chicago experiment has been been running for about 500 years

- The notion of faction before blood was something that was popularized in the third century after the founders were dead and gone. They would have thought it was complete bullshit because they knew that the damage really truly dividing people could do

- Susan has a massive crush on Tris and has since they were like 13 and is just constantly dropping very obvious hints and internally screaming when Tris fails to pick up on them

- The Bureau that we encounter in Allegiant is just the Chicago branch. There’s a national bureau and international bureau, and experiments both successful (sort of) and failed all over the world. The international bureau is oversight that isn’t really doing its job and takes a very hands off approach as their more out there branches commit egregious human rights violations against the GD residents of the headquarters and those living within the experiments

- Many GD employees of the bureau that live and work within much larger branches find themselves (no matter how well educated they are) slamming into a glass ceiling way too quickly for their liking and many find the solution to be to transfer to more remote branches with less oversight that will give them a little more wiggle room. Many of Nita’s supporters within the bureau were transfers who came out to Chicago in search of that freedom and found themselves sorely disappointed

- Eric has a sister who is 11 years older than him and lives in Erudite. She’s stern, and sharp tongued, and meaner than hell, and she and Eric bicker constantly. He loves her utterly and she just adores him.

- Faction before blood is less of a hard rule and more like a cultural norm. Like, some people definitely think it’s utter bullshit and do as they please and no one can really stop them because what they’re doing isn’t wrong it just seems weird. There are lots of families who meet up outside of visiting day and cross faction lines to stick close to each other. Even some friends do that.

- It’s a taboo to sleep with people in other factions and depending on the faction you can be expelled for it (Abnegation & Dauntless; while Candor and Erudite judge on a case by case basis). But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen and many divergent are the result of inter-faction affairs

- Jeanine’s parents had a crazy dysfunctional marriage and really weren’t great to her either. Her mother was a workaholic who had never wanted kids in the first place but much of the reason that she was so unhappy had nothing to do with Jeanine at all. She was very gay and very in denial of it; part of the reason she worked so much was to dodge her very physically affectionate husband. Her father was a bit pushy and overbearing, though he cared very little for what Jeanine was actually interested in and who she was as a person and was far more invested in her achievements that he could brag about. He also quietly resented his wife both for her frigidity and her refusal to have more kids with him. Despite all of this, Jeanine didn’t have an awful childhood. She knew her parents were a mess and simply learned to tune out their fighting, they were hardly home enough for it to bother her much anyways. 

- Neither Andrew nor Natalie had an aptitude for Abnegation. Andrew was Erudite and Natalie was 100% GP, they loved the family they had together and tried to love their faction but they didn’t like it very much. Andrew grew up on the ritzier side of Erudite and some of the quirks that came with that lingered for quite some time and he never quite shook the urge to be nosy. He doesn’t do mindless routine and throws himself into his work constantly because he needs that kind of stimulation in the mundanity of the rest of his life. Natalie handles it a little better but she too gets a restless itch under her skin that just yearns to do something, anything. Tris saw them as the perfect Abnegation but that was because over sixteen years she managed to miss every single one of her parents’ off the wall conversations as they curled up in each other’s arms because the other thing that made the restless energy better was touch as they spoke of everything under the star; and never knew the way that Andrew’s days were an exercise in patience, in listening, in not screaming because he isn’t wired to enjoy mundanity; and the way that Natalie would pace in the living room because she couldn’t run laps until she was ready to pass out like she wanted to.

- Andrew is a stupidly tactile person; he prefers affection through touch and when he was younger this was not in any way restricted to his romantic relationships. Half the reason people thought he and Jeanine were dating was just because he was so all over her all the time and she seemed to enjoy it plenty, or at least she never complained. Suffice it to say, he does not like Abnegation’s aversion to touch at all and it took him a hilariously long time to get into the habit of not just wrapping his arms around Natalie and pulling her close to him for no other reason than he liked her and would like her even more if she were a couple inches closer.

- Jeanine was awful, that’s definitely true, but the guy she learned it from was worse. Norton was a terror, no getting around it; he was actually a pretty nice guy on the surface and got along with most people pretty easily. That was what made the things he did so unbelievable. As a scientist, Norton relished intellectual debate as he felt that it spurred progress; as a politician, he absolutely didn’t tolerate dissent in any form. He went after the Divergent yes, with a vengeance, but he had his detractors eliminated in equal measure indiscriminately. For him there were no other options, every point was a breaking one and he considered every slight intolerable. He was still better than the Dauntless leader he worked with, Max’s predecessor. To say her methods were horrifying to behold would be an understatement. People laughed as the sub-leadership positions seemed to change hands once every couple of years but how no one figured out that Norton and the Dauntless leader were killing people who had doubts about them was one sickening miracle.

- Jeanine, on the other hand, preferred to deal with her problems - the Divergent excluded - in other ways. She didn’t relish senseless violence and after learning who Norton truly was beneath his affable surface, frankly found the man and his methods to be harsh and over the top. If there were ways to find compromises that worked in her favor, she would find them. She believed it was of much greater benefit to her to have an army of puppets than a mass grave. Usually the way she dealt with people who made things complicated was first to offer them a peaceful out, one of those exact compromise that worked in her favor and basically ripped any power they’d thought they had out from under them. If that failed, she would - almost always with a near insulting degree of nonchalantness - blackmail them. Everyone has secrets they would kill to keep and Jeanine made it her business to know every single one of them. If that failed then she disgraced them; dragged the secrets she’d threatened to share and more out before the world and let the press have a field day ripping that poor soul to shreds. If somehow that still didn’t shut them up, then yeah she killed them and was so annoyed that it got to that point that she didn’t even feel bad about it. They’d practically brought it on themselves.

- Dauntless and Erudite don’t have a whole lot in common, but one commonality they do have is that they both believe that absolutely anyone can do absolutely anything if they work hard enough at it. To put it more simply, “It is not a question of if something is possible, but /how/ something is possible”

- Erudite is the culture full of people making memes about their deteriorating mental health. The biggest culture shock for Caleb had nothing to do with the work, or the talking, or the constant questions but the Erudite-born talking about how much they want to die at every inconvenience no matter how slight

- Tori is actually short for Astoria, meaning ‘hawk’

[lonelydiggin]

Life is unfair.

It’s the hardest lesson I had to learn. Surprisingly, it didn’t take a lot for me to get it. But it took a lot from me.

It took my youth. It took my curiosity. It took my contentment. It took my optimism.

It’s inevitable. Everyone will learn it one way or another. Early in life, or on their deathbed.

Life is unfair. The thing about this lesson is; it keeps repeating itself. Over, and over, and over again.

It beats you down and slaps you hard. And just as you start to complain, you remember, life is not fair. And it’ll never be.

Every-time you think you’ve learned, life tests you in some way. It makes you question why life is the way it is. Why isn’t it fair? There’s no answer. No answer to such stupid questions. It just how it is. And how it always will be. We don’t live in a utopia. This is planet earth, and only one rule applies, You will suffer. And whether you use that suffering to achieve greatness or not is none of life’s business. All life cares about is make you cry. Make you question yourself. Make you regret. Make you wish you were dead.

I hate the overused mantra about using pain and suffering and torture to become a divine creature. It’s bullshit. Don’t get me wrong, you absolutely can and should use your pain to become great. But, there is such thing as too much. Too much pain. Too much suffering. And, I don’t have to go through hell to become a good person. I don’t have to go through all this to have the right to live…

Not everything goes the way you want. Life won’t pat you on the back. Life won’t kindly show you the right way. Life won’t congratulate you for being a good person.

However, what life does is that it’ll chew you and cut you to pieces. Life gives no warnings. Life will backstab you when you least expect it. Life will make you say “why me?”

…why me? Why do that to me? Why make me learn that way? Why do you have to be so cruel and sadistic? Why make me weak? Why push me down? Why put me in this place? Why suck the life and joy out of me?

Why make me hate my life? Why won’t anyone understand? Why did they turn out this way? Why am i this way? Why didn’t i have a normal childhood? Why does everyone leave? Why do i always get back to square one? Why do I relapse again? Why do they relapse? Why won’t everything be okay?

Why won’t everything be okay?

why?… why?

Because, life is unfair.

Kill yourself or get over it.

And the sooner you learn that, the sooner you start living life.

[sin-like-me]

Equal Measure

Pairing: John Seed x (tried for a Gender Neutral Deputy)

Word Count: 4,223

Warnings: I swear, I enjoy it, and I am unapologetic. Heads up.

Summary: Associations can be dangerous, determination concerning, and a small bit of plastic incredibly weighty. 

Quick Note: This is the first time I have ever shared something I have written. Be advised there is no beta reader. The idea sprang from owning the very quilt mentioned... Also, I deeply appreciate Ubisoft and their writers for creating this entire universe. I seek only to borrow the Seeds from time to time to do with them as I will.

<~~~~~~~~>~~~~~~~~~~<~~~~~~~~~~~>~~~~~~~~~~~~~<~~~~~~~~~~~~> 

‘What in the hell am I doing?!’

This is the thought that has been echoing in your head for the last twenty minutes; its insistence so loud it nearly drowns out the surrounding cacophony of frogs. Incredulity seeps from every pore as your heavily booted feet unerringly find purchase on the forest floor. It is your sure and steady tread through the darkness that impedes the wake-up call you so desperately need. You marvel with a slightly disconnected humor as your body takes over, blazing a trail to your possible destruction. Apparently, common sense was thrown violently from a window in lieu of a surety of heart.

‘I’m going to get myself killed over a damned ill conceived notion. Sorry Resistance members, your “hero” has perished due to their own asininity. Why, you good folk thought that if the Deputy ever fell it would be at the hands of a Peggie? Maybe a Judge? More the fool you.’

A fallen tree lies across the trail and without a second thought you nimbly vault over, landing with a surprisingly mute thump. These past weeks have improved your physical prowess and given you a new appreciation for stealth. Hell, once upon a time that little feat would have taken several tries before it was landed successfully. Who knew that fighting for survival would carry such excellent side benefits? Well, ya know, other than staying alive to see another day.

‘I am a damned fool, or maybe just damned.’

Above, a sliver of moon barely illuminates the neatly tied package hooked to your belt. The item in question was a bit bulky, though light weight and useful; loot you happened upon while clearing shelter for the night. That something so simple, ridiculous even, could quite possibly bring about your death was mind boggling. Logically you knew that what you carried would not only be welcomed but deeply appreciated by the Rye family. Alas, the moment you realized what you had chanced upon HIS face swam into view; vaguely alarming you with just how quickly you drew the association. Hell, if you had an ounce of self preservation you would turn on your heel and head towards Nick’s place.

‘It’s juvenile for fucks sake!’

Trying to push aside the feeling of panic clawing its way up your sides, you mentally recall every single detail leading you to this point.

‘Maybe I’m blissed out of my mind. I HAVE to be. Were there any of those damned Bliss flowers around?’

A few hours earlier you caught sight of the small white home, its silence deafening on the edge of the surrounding chaos. Blood was smeared across the front walk, the windows shattered and no vehicles, nor Bliss bouquets, present. It appeared abandoned, a potential place of rest. Crouching you held your gun at ready, muscles tensed as you methodically peeked through windows, watching, waiting, aware and patient.

Moving silently and swiftly you covered the entire perimeter neither observing nor hearing the slightest of sounds or movements from inside. Tossing a rock into several of the windows from behind cover of the truck, you held your breath half hoping for a confrontation and half dreading one. A minute become five. Nothing. It had to be clear. The Peggies weren’t known to be particularly patient. You stood, stretched your back. The weight from your survival pack taking a small toll after a solid 8 hour hike. Only a few more feet… deep, steadying breath and you leveled your shotgun at the door. Haste made your steps a bit louder than you would have liked, but as you threw open the door and swept the room, you had to smirk. Out of the corner of your eye you managed a glimpse of your face plastered on a wanted poster.

‘Wanted? Yeah, well, good luck you fanatics. I will not go gentle into that good night.’

Lowering your weapon once you established an all clear, you viciously ripped down their pitiful attempt at intimidation. Scoffing you made damn sure to leave a heavy boot print on its face, unrepentant sinner that you were and all. Inside boxes were stacked high enough to obscure any view outside, but they also enabled some cover. A short walk-through and you mentally noted all entry and exit points, only stopping to complain once.

“Shit.”

The back door had been completely removed.

Thinking on your feet, you pushed and stacked boxes in front of the opening. It wouldn’t stop much of anything, but it would serve as a noisy warning. Truthfully, it gave you what you were craving: the illusion of safety. As satisfied as you were going to be with the makeshift barrier, you returned to the living room. The now cleared couch seemed inviting but a sudden breeze through the window frames invoked an involuntary shiver. Maybe you could find a blanket in one of the many boxes? Hell, it was worth a shot. Heading over to a solitary box sitting atop an old armchair you pulled your treasured Ka-Bar knife from the top of your boot.  Making quick work of the tape, a surprised laugh escaped your lips when you immediately hit pay dirt. Luck seemed to shadow your every move… or perhaps divine intervention?

A quick thought was spared for the Seeds as you pulled a stack of cloth out of the box. Saviors of the modern world, yet death stalked their every move. Did they not see the blatant hypocrisy? Killing or force converting the masses in order to save them from “the Great Collapse”?! It was either utter bullshit or at the very least counterintuitive.

Ahha! Your hand skims smooth, thin blue cotton. While sheets were nice, something heavier would be better...annnnddddd BINGO! A quilt. You pulled it free and shook it out, letting the ends drop to the floor. The orange glow from the dying sun gave the back of the cream colored quilt an odd glow. Eyes scanning the windows, you made your way to the couch and sat down, sheets and quilt clutched in a fist.

Rule one of survival?  Rest before resistance. Maybe the Resistance should make their own posters and hang ‘em right next to those ever so cheery YES! signs.

The light of the day dipped beyond the horizon. Night began to settle in, snuffing out the remnants of illumination and cradling you in its embrace of anonymity and obscurity. In the dark you seem safe and hidden.

The perfect silence is interrupted by a low growl from your stomach. Ah, well perhaps you need more than rest. You debate eating the cans of tuna spotted on the kitchen counter, but forgo it in favor of a protein bar from your pack. Quite frankly jimmying the can open with your knife was a little more effort than you wanted to expend at that moment. Besides the chalky texture wasn’t too terrible if you ate it quickly.

Hunger abated you set your pack and shotgun on the floor beside the couch within easy reach, and pulled the sidearm from your hip. No one was comfortable trying to sleep with a gun digging into their side. Hmmm, maybe a bit more light for the moment while you arranged yourself on the couch. Leaning up from your semi-prone position and grabbing a glow stick from the side of your hiking pack, you snap it in half, shake and are engulfed in a faint, eerie, green glow. Ah, to sleep in combat boots or not was the question. Sleeping without shoes was a luxury you had not indulged in recent memory. You had to always be ready, prepared to defend, run, or kill at a moments notice. You learned quickly that having your fight or flight response consistently heightened was not sustainable. There were moments of breaking, of utter mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion so acute you didn’t give a damn about anything at all.

This was one of those times.

Fuck the shoes.

You sat up again to unlace the well worn, well loved boots when you froze in place. Horrified amusement broke your arms out in goosebumps as its chill trickled down your spine. Oh, but God had a sense of humor. Draped across your lap the quilt you had quickly dismissed as non-descript was anything but. Large squares repeated a pattern in red, blue and cream and you couldn’t help where you mind raced. Vivid flashes assaulted your senses:  blue eyes boring into yours, his cold, barely controlled fury lapping at your soul in ravenous waves.  

You hated that you read their file before leaving the station on that fated night. For weeks you did not let yourself stop to think and consider. To empathize. You knew their documented history, knew the hell the Seed brothers had endured throughout what should have been a normal childhood. Fingers reflexively clutching the fabric in your fist, your eyes lost focus, thoughts turning further inward.

Each Seed brother had been and were being shaped by their experiences, each twisted in a different way, all needing balance.. And maybe even kindness. You offered them no excuses, could not forget nor understand their actions, but suddenly you knew you could empathize with their pasts. You could glean some form of perspective, and that scared you. Were the lines not black and white in this struggle? Were there actual shades of grey?

‘Damn it!’

You shook your head trying to physically dislodged these uncomfortable realizations. We are all a constantly evolving product of our experiences, the Seeds included. Maybe.. Maybe it was not too late?

Following that hope was a dash of reality. Too late for what? To save everyone? To be the hero to all? For peace? That is for children’s fairy tales. This was real life.. And real life was messy.

You focus on the quilt in our hand, a wild idea solidifying into a determined decision.

It is said that hope can be a dangerous thing, well, apparently you are now on a mission to prove it.  

Before you could rethink your plan, you folded the quilt into a neat square, grabbed some of the brown packing paper forgotten on the kitchen floor, and deftly wrapped the package. No luck finding any tape, so improvise and adapt. You had some gauze strips and with a little ripping it would tie it closed in a pinch. Properly secured, you examined the finished product.. It was missing a calling card, something to let him know you had delivered it, knew where he was and that you could have easy access if you so chose… but what? Then it hit you. A slow smirk tugged at the corners of your lips as you leaned back into the couch, hand going for your jeans pocket. You didn’t know why you hadn’t sewn it back on yet, probably saving it as a perverse reminder of your escape. It would be the perfect nod to and  perhaps even a small dig at the man who considered himself just that “fresh” as Sharky would say.

Without a second thought you snaked a piece of gauze thread through the holes and neatly secure the small, innocuous object front and center.

Presently that tiny piece of blue plastic glinted up at you in the moonlight reminding you that yes, you were in fact enroute to one of the Seed’s compounds. Even knowing the danger you kept your pace, ducking under low hanging branches and freezing into a crouch as a twig snapped less than a klick to the west. Soundlessly your silenced P226 Amendment 2 was drawn and aimed towards the sound when you spotted a small pack of wolves stalking the vicinity. As long as lady luck kept your scent downwind you would be elusive, time to pick up the pace.

Keeping the river to your left you knew that the ranch was about an hour hike from your shelter, but that was assuming one could just waltz down the long drive and right up to the front door. You had no such luxury, so you kept to the riverbank and trees, skirting along the property line under the cover of night. You made decent time all things considered and when you found the dock you knew you had to scale the cliffs behind his home. Hmph. Good thing you took the time to wolf down that protein bar. Grappling on an empty stomach was difficult at the best of times, and grappling at night while surrounded by Peggies in various states of alert was NOT the best of times.

The cliff edge was approximately 30 feet from a side door leading into some portion of the vast building which John Seed called home. Cult members were stationed at lookout points along the four corners of the property with a small group at the front and to the sides. Right now the back was clear of patrols so you narrowed in on your destination: a patch of tall flowering plants. Pulling yourself up and over the final ridge with a soft grunt, you quickly crouched behind a nearby tree, scoping the surroundings before dashing into the midst of cover. The door was so damned close.. You unclipped the package from your waist and hefted its weight in your palm. You could throw it, but where was the personal touch in that? No, you did not come all this way pushing past exhaustion to just throw it and run. Sure the area was well lit, sure this was the home of one of the Heralds of the Collapse, but in this very moment you were foolishly unafraid. Unafraid or perhaps in some form of delirium from exhaustion.

Your suspicions spike when nary a soul comes to patrol the back door. It made no sense. The Seeds were many things, but unprepared and stupid were not one of them. Then a  certainty flitted through your subconscious:

John knows I am here.

Alright, let’s say he does. So, what do you do? Do you sit here and debate the reason why, do you leave, or do you oblige the curiosities of a man who for reasons unknown obviously has no immediate intention of capturing you? Why Sharky’s voice rang in your thoughts at that moment were unclear but damn he was right.

“Ride or Die.” you whisper.

Standing tall, equal parts foolhardy and confident, you make your way to the backdoor, eyes always forward in defiance of any possible threats. With a studied casualness you ascend the two steps to the cedar stoop, package in hand. Well, so far, so good. Glancing up you spot a red light. Mhm, of course John liked to watch.

‘Well Mr. John Seed, enjoy the show.’

Dropping to one knee, you make sure to mockingly exaggerate every movement.

“An offering to the god Maximon.” you mutter sarcastically staring at the camera stationed in the corner of the overhang. “Google it John.”

You wink, a delicious trill of excitement tugging your lips into a smirk.  Standing then, you flip him the nationwide symbol for get fucked, and waltz right back to the cliffs. Your shoulders feeling lighter, your burden moved. You would not be hunted this night.

He knew….and the ball was in his court.

As Fate would have it, John just happened to be on the ranch that night. He saw the Deputy the  moment a delicate hand grasped the cliff's edge. Little known fact, the first thing he had done when he bought this ranch was to make sure security cameras were installed to cover every single angle of his ranch. At the time it was expensive, but he knew he would not regret it and as he sat back in his chair, the black leather creaking slightly with his shifting weight, he basked in his foresight. On the screen the slender fingers flexed as a head of dark hair came into view. John did not consciously acknowledge how his breath hitched in anticipation nor did he stop to consider how he recognized Rook from something as small as that hand.

Cerulean eyes narrowed under dark brows absorbing every single muscle flex, every minute facial tick.

“Oh what do we have here Dep-ut-yyyy.. Tsk, tsk.. You can do so much better than this pitiful attempt at assassination.”  He leaned forward slowly, tapping the figure on the screen with a long, well manicured finger. “Frankly my dear, I am offended.”

Rook was crouching now, and John watched in amusement as the quick progression to the edge of the trees came to an abrupt halt. Time to debate that next move.

“Well, you certainly have my attention and curiosity…” eyes never leaving the screen, his hand closes around his radio. Switching to his personal security channel, his next order was very deliberate, “Call off all patrols for the next hour.”

A brief crackle of static, “Yes sir John sir.”

He smirked, they knew better than to question him and damned if they would defy him. He may lack Jacob’s military training, but he could command a flock through fear and charm.

“What are you up to my sinful Wrath?”

It was then he spotted a thick, square package being untied from the black leather belt slung snugly across the deputy’s hips.

“Explosives? How utterly mundane.” disappointment dripped from his words.

He watched as there was a sudden shift in the Deputy’s posture. From a crouching and tensely coiled machine arose a self-confident silhouette. No longer were the steps hurried, quiet, and cautious. In place was an arrogant stride, each step measured and calculated, and the demeanor focused on the goal ahead. Never once did eyes dart to look to the sides or behind. It was then he knew…

His... no, no, no…  THE Deputy knew he was watching.

A shiver danced up the base of his spine, eyes narrowing. A devilish smile curved his lips bringing a sudden softness to his usually intense face.

“My, my aren’t we the brave one? All alone with no sign of Nick or Sharky? An unapproved outing perhaps? Ahhh, secrets upon lies upon secrets. Your sins seem to know no bounds.”

Rook had reached the door after a quick climb up the two back steps. John braced his forearm along the desk and leaned in so close that the screen almost grazed his nose. He should have been focusing on the package, but his eyes would not leave Rook’s face.

“Show me your sin… show  me your wrath,” he whispers, almost begging.

In a surprising move, the Deputy falls to one knee and looks directly at the camera, eyes amused even through the technological barrier. Lips are pursed in a small smile, mocking and almost taunting him. The mic kicked on and he heard every single word that pretty little throat uttered.

“An offering to the god Maximon.” a soft intake of breath and … was that a fucking laugh?! “Google it John.”

The use of his name scattered any logical thought processes he may have had. Never before had Rook uttered it, not when tied to his chair, not when baptised.. The sound of it from those lips and in that voice was alarming. Equal parts dreadful and pleasing.

The package, which he had forgotten in his astonishment, was placed gently upon the deck and with a small pause, the Deputy looked back up at the camera and winked. His internal confusion mounted until, standing, he got the one finger salute. John barely caught the guffaw that was trying to escape his throat so what ended up coming out was a strained grunt.

“Ahhhh, and there it is mixed with a bit of arrogance.”

Did the Deputy think him a complete simpleton? He was an educated man. He damn well knew the legend behind the Mayan God Maximon. Obviously Rook was trying to draw some rather dramatic comparisons. John chuckled. Oh dear… Was it the sunglasses? My, how he enjoyed that little reference.

Watching the retreating form closely, John sat on the edge of his chair  until the deputy’s head disappeared down the cliff. Once gone from the screen and his property, John finally stood to his full height of 5’10”. Running an unsteady hand through his hair, he made a quick grab for the radio before turning to descend to the back door.

Who was he to shun any offerings left by his admirers?

Cracking the door he peeked down at the package. Nothing was blinking or ticking.. He reached to his side, grabbed a conveniently placed broom and poked it. Surprisingly the package gave way with the brown paper ripping slightly.

Cloth?!

“What do you have up your sleeve?”

Pushing the broom back behind him, John stepped out onto the stoop and picked up the parcel. From what he could see inside the hole it looked like some clothing perhaps? Was the Deputy affronted by his fashion sense? Pft. He was damn meticulous about his choice of clothes, he was the face of Eden’s Gate after all. This look went over well for the most part.

He began to pluck at the gauze tying the parcel closed when a small blue button caught his eye. It was securely fastened to the middle of the package demanding to be noticed and there was absolutely no need for an explanation. John immediately knew what it was. Memories of the moment that he had Rook tied to his chair, the room encased in harsh red light.... He had leaned down, his mouth saying how he wished he had more to say yes to...ripping open that blue button down shirt… buttons scattered, flesh visible to his feasting eyes, sponge cleaning the fevered skin, his eyes demanding of those before him, commanding obedience yet hoping for rebellion.. Oh he knew this little button well.

His fingers closed into a fist around the small bit of plastic, tightening his grip until its form bit into the soft flesh of his palm. He shook his head to bring him back to the present before pocketing the button. Ripping the remaining paper away, John flicked out the cloth within and studied it briefly before throwing his head back and laughing.

It was a quilt… a quilt with blue planes and clouds in squares around the outskirts, and a red and blue plane circling each other in the center. It was obviously made with a child in mind, but John was oddly pleased. Sure the quilt was juvenile, but it told him quite a lot. The Deputy had somehow noted his admiration for planes in the only way possible: by the pattern on the coat he had only worn once when they first laid eyes on one another. It seemed a lifetime ago, that moment where it all began. The fact that those observant eyes had paid special attention to him, that Rook felt the need to gift this to him… spoke of something more than wrath.

He smirked, picking up the trash and tossing the quilt over his forearm to carry inside. This quilt was sure to be an interesting piece, and hell he might even display it in a mocking way amongst his Eden’s Gate symbols and books. For the moment he tossed the quilt over the dining room table, ignoring the blinking message light on his answering machine.

Was the Deputy coming around? Doubtful, but possible.

He made a quick detour through his kitchen and into his garage where there was a toolbox with exactly what he needed. On autopilot he rummaged through the necessary drawers, pushing aside bits of metal until he located the needle nose pliers and jump rings.

Striding back into the dining room John pulled a chair out in a quick gesture. Sitting thoughtfully, eyes glazed in contemplation, he was unaware as his hand toyed with the leather thong around his neck. A quick blink and he pulled up, ducking absently as it slipped from around his neck. What he was doing, he would not fully comprehend in the moment, but it was something he desperately needed. That tiny piece of plastic burned his thigh where it rested, heavy with meaning. Tugging it from where it lay hidden, deft fingers attached the weighty piece of blue behind his bunker key.

This was.. His? John brought the leather up to his neck, and after a brief debate slipped it back over his head. The weight from the key caused the leather to fall silently back into place, its familiar shape coming to a rest against his bare chest. Where there should have been the cool bite of metal, instead burned the heat of a secret contained in the form of a small blue button. Yes, this was his. His to carry or expose as he saw fit.

The Deputy… HIS deputy, was a weight he would shoulder, a sin he would either condone, commit, or eventually excise and cleanse. The path was not clear to him yet, but he would save Wrath even if it meant dragging them bodily into salvation: bloody, kicking, and screaming.

John chuckled as his hand closed over the handheld, the soft crackle of open airwaves loud in the silence of revelation, “Patrols will resume in an hour.”

Immediately he received his enthusiastic response: “Yes sir!”

Tonight? Well, tonight he would grant reprieve.

[thenugking]

Would you ever be interested in talking about your Marquises of Serault?

Of course, I love my de Seraults!! I am sorry it took me so long to get round to posting this, I suck at the writing thing. Technically only Arnauld, my scholar is Marquis, and my huntress, Roselle, is his sister but I’ve done a playthrough of Last Court with her as Marquis too.

Arnauld and Roselle are twins and both developed magic when they were ten, within a week of each other. Their mother looked at her options, sighed, and hired an apostate to teach them magic secretly because welp, at least Serault is full of apostates. The tutor is the Plainspoken Seneschal, because of course Arnauld wants to keep the person who advised him most as a child on as his adviser. Other than their parents and the tutor, the only person who knows is the Cheery Baron, because their mother told him almost immediately. He dislikes magic a lot and would never acknowledge to either of them that he knows, but he’s never going to betray his best friend’s children over this. I just really like the idea that Serault is full of mages though, since we already know it’s full of magic.

Anyway, Arnauld, being the Scholar, is a nerd. He grows up spending his time inside as much as he can and searches out his great grandfather’s books on magic and studies them excitedly. He’s the Responsible Sibling, and it’s clear growing up that he’s the one their mother will choose to be Marquis after her. Which doesn’t stop him being a sarcastic little shit a lot of the time. Roselle meanwhile, spends her childhood begging their mother and the Cheery Baron to let her go hunting with them, and when not watched closely, regularly attempts to run off to play in the Applewoods. They both enjoy learning magic. Roselle will wait until Arnauld has found and perfected a new spell and then copy what he’s doing, finding it easier and a lot less time consuming than reading about herself. Arnauld is incredibly bitter that she can become as good as he is really quickly, when it’s him who put all the work in. They squabble constantly, but they’re best friends who forever have each other’s backs.

Their mother dies when they’re 20, leaving Arnauld as her heir. She arranges for Roselle to be married to His Dour Lordship, the Marquis of Alyons, so her son has a new alliance to start him off. Roselle, who is very much the Rebellious Princess trope at this point is Not Thrilled. But she goes through with her arranged marriage and she grudgingly helps her husband to govern, and she discovers that in a marquisate that isn’t ignored and avoided by the rest of Orlais, there’s a lot more playing of the Game. And the Game is fun. Hunting remains her real passion, but the Game isn’t too different. You hunt your prey carefully and subtly, and if you’re doing it well they won’t notice until it’s too late, and then you strike and destroy them. Roselle becomes an expert and ruthless player and settles in happily to ruling Alyons with His Dour Lordship, sometimes helping him in the Game and sometimes working against him for her own benefit.

Arnauld, meanwhile, has Serault to rule, and he loves his marquisate but it is kind of the most disastrous place in all Thedas, and ruling Serault, you can never get a fucking break. He becomes more and more of a snarky little shit as time goes on and gives up on acting like a Proper orlesian noble. It’s not like that’ll get him anywhere anyway when Serault’s as despised as it is, and he’d rather help his people. In game, he tends to have high freedom and low dignity. Which he’s happy with, because his people are happy. Even if he’d like them to stop being such ungrateful bastards most of the time.

Roselle visits Serault with His Dour Lordship mid-game, by which point Arnauld and Roselle don’t see each other often, and have almost given up writing to each other. Roselle’s changed a lot since she lived in Serault, and Arnauld feels like he doesn’t know her anymore. He would never have expected his rebellious sister to be lecturing him on how to better play the Game. She helps him take down the wyvern to cure the Acerbic Dowager, and mocks him for his failure at hunting and it’s almost like the old days again, but the rest of the time, their relationship is a little strained. After locking His Dour Lordship in his dungeons, Arnauld asks Roselle how much she knew about her husband’s plot. She just smiles at him and tells him she’s glad at how he’s improving at the Game.

In the game, Arnauld has the Smiling Guildmistress as his adviser, the Wayward Bard as his lover, the Dashing Outlaw as his accomplice and the Silent Hunter as his bodyguard. Storywise, I’m not sure about the Silent Hunter, I just can’t find anything to do with him, and Arnauld doesn’t seem to connect with him at all? Possibly the Dashing Outlaw does some bodyguarding stuff too, and then I guess the Wayward Bard likes jumping in front of knives for Arnauld. Like I really enjoy the “someone tries to assassinate you and the Bard jumps in front of you, and then complains that he doesn’t want to be healed because scars make him look rakish” card. And it comes up so often that I feel like the Bard just employs people to pretend to stab Arnauld, so he can save him and look dashing and heroic. And then Arnauld patrons like five scholars who got thrown out of the University of Orlais to make him jealous. They flirt in fun ways.

The Dashing Outlaw is a close friend of both Arnauld and Roselle. Her outlaw-ing sometimes takes her all the way to Alyons, and during the start of Roselle’s time there, when she often runs away to the woods, she confides in the Outlaw a lot. Neither of the twins are entirely sure how the Outlaw first discovered they’re apostates, but she knows and she’s cool with it, and that means she’s one of the very few people they can actually talk to about it. Arnauld also tells the Bard, after they start dating, which looking back when not slightly tipsy he realises was not the Best idea, but the Bard thinks it’s sexy, so it all worked out.

The Outlaw was Arnauld’s accomplice a while before the start of the game and he started sleeping with the Bard either shortly before or after the start. Until finding out about the Divine though, Arnauld was happy with the Plainspoken Seneschal as his adviser. He only went looking for a “better” one during the stress of trying to get Serault sorted out ready for the Divine’s visit, but never wanted to actually get rid of his Seneschal. It does create a rift between the two of them for a while though. (When I played Roselle as Marquis, she took the Acerbic Dowager as her adviser, the Elegant Abbess as her lover, the Purveyor of Teas as her accomplice and the Dashing Outlaw as her bodyguard.)

Anyway, apart from replacing his seneschal as his adviser, Arnauld starts becoming more willing to play the Game. When the Divine arrives, he happily puts on the ridiculously impractical and uncomfortable glass mask that he wants to roll his eyes at, and he overlooks his morals about blackmail being unacceptable to play every secret he’s gathered for everything it’s worth. After the ceremony is over and Serault’s reputation is restored again, Arnauld sits by himself and takes off his mask and cries because he hates what he’s become. And it doesn’t help that he’s incredibly lonely after dumping and exiling his boyfriend.

Arnauld was Not Happy about the Wayward Bard cheating on him with the serving girl. Their relationship was Definitely Just Casual, Haha, No Feelings Here, but as time went on, it started getting more serious and it got harder for them both to ignore the feelings that Totally weren’t there. I see the Bard’s cheating as him getting scared, and not feeling good enough, and wanting to show that he wasn’t good enough. Which Arnauld kind of got, but he was mad and hurt. He dropped everything to go riding into the forest to rescue the Bard and cut his way through the maze to him, injuries be damned, but afterwards he yelled that he never cared anyway, it was just a bit of fun, but he’s angry at the Bard for risking his reputation like this, and the Bard yells back asking when Arnauld’s ever cared about his reputation and things escalate, and Arnauld ends up exiling the Bard from Serault. Later, the Dashing Outlaw turns up to see if Arnauld’s okay and he insists, with his make up ruined by tears and half way through his sixth glass of wine that he’s fine. She doesn’t exactly buy it.

I have a continuing plot after the end of the game, which I don’t want to get too into detail with because with, but might maybe one day write a fic about. Maybe. Anyway, the main plot points of it are:

Arnauld spends a bunch of time angsting about What Has He Become, and missing the Bard a lot, and getting close to giving up everything he’s got for Serault.

The Anchoress, who Arnauld of course invited back to live with him, gets caught doing magic, and Arnauld magics to protect her, in front of a massive audience, so, welp, there’s everything lost, but a part of him feels free now.

The Dashing Outlaw helps him escape the wrath of a whole bunch of nobles and disguises him as just an Ordinary Citizen who no one will notice.

While no one’s really ruling Serault and everything is a disaster, His Dour Lordship is freed from the dungeons. He is later killed by an apostate. Roselle, of course, had absolutely nothing to do with it, and is totally cut up about inheriting her husband’s marquisate and getting to rule it.

Meanwhile, the Chantry is in a shambles after the Breach opened up and the templar order really aren’t sure what to do with their lives. When they hear about the massive amount of apostacy and bullshit going on in Serault, a group of templars upset about not being able to slaughter mages as often anymore perk up and declare an exalted march on serault. (It’s not a Proper exalted march, since there’s no divine and their authorisation is “well this one grand cleric Somewhere said it was okay”, but they’re able to stir up a lot of people against Serault so it’s definitely a big Threat.)

The Bard spies on their plans and then comes back to Serault to warn Arnauld about what’s happening

Arnauld convinces his people to let him lead a fight against the exalted march and makes a speech about magic being good and serault being perfect however much the world is always against them and all that good shit

The Horned Knight and his people turn up to help fight because he and Arnauld can put all differences aside for the good of Serault

Except they’re still really outnumbered and even if they win, so many people will die oh no

Arnauld and the Bard talk stuff out and kiss since welp, they’re facing almost certain death now.

And then Alyons’ army turns up to help because fuck the Game, as if Roselle is going to let her home be destroyed or her brother be murdered.

Arnauld and Roselle talk, and Roselle apologises for how distant she’s been in the past few years. She’s glad of how she changed, but her heart will always lie here. And then the twins do magic. Half of Serault does magic. A very small number of the Alyons army do magic too. They win.

Arnauld announces that the rest of the world can fuck off, Serault is staying here, and it’s staying full of apostates, and if you’re going to ignore and hate us all again, so what? Serault’s not selling out to you.

(There’s a maybe-plot where Arnauld gives up being Marquis, because the Elusive Iconoclast wasn’t wrong, there is no reason being noble-born means he should get to rule, and Arnauld’s desperation to hang onto being In Charge because he Knows Best is a definite character flaw, but idk quite where to go with that, so we will See.)

Also, I have a Thing where Roselle and Arnauld always take off their masks when doing magic. They spend their whole lives pretending to be people they’re not, and they’re only their real selves when maskless.

[lahallucinations]

hot and cold

A.N: the tater/aunt judy fic nobody asked for. except maybe @garden-of-succulents

based on this ask: x

“Come on, Mama you have to know of something that’ll help.” Bitty was well near whining now.“Darling you know as much as I call my recipes magic, they can’t magically heal a broken leg. Can’t even heal a broken heart.” “But Ma, he’s been here two weeks already and I know he’s in pain but I want some space. He’s hanging all over Jack like those puck bunnies do.”“Bitty, you should trust Jack and darling,  oh, I can’t believe I’m saying this because Judy is usually about as helpful  as a horse in a hospital but Judy might have a recipe for recovery.”Bitty almost gasped. This was never a thing that he expected out of his mother’s mouth. The rivalry between Judy and Suzanne had existed for as far back as Bitty could remember but he did love his aunt. When he was a kid, his aunt would watch musicals with him on a crappy old VCR while his mom was usually too busy for that. She bought him DVD’s of shows that had become part of the way he saw the world.He wondered if his mom ever blamed her for Bitty turning out gay. She’d never say that, the Bittles weren’t like that but there were subtle looks and innocent comments that said more.Bitty rung Judy after that and caught her up on the situation.She laughed. “Doll, do you think sugar can cure medical problems?”

“If not cure, it can make them heal faster. Aunt Judy, you and I both know that food is powerful and I really want my boyfriend to myself.”

“Huh, well, there is an apricot jam my grandmother used to make. Let me find the recipe, but I’m telling you now, I’m not sure this’ll work.”“Anything is better than that lug of an man all over Jack without letting me have a minute alone.”“I mean, honey, it’s not a bad problem to have. I certainly wouldn’t complain if I had a hunk of an NHL star on my couch.”“So it didn’t work with Daniel?”“Handling a real woman ain’t for everyone Bits.” Bitty hummed in response. They then said goodbye and he hung up. Apricot. He sure hoped the recipe worked.It was a few days later when Bitty brought the jam to Tater who was lying on the couch. “Here try it with some shortbread cookies I whipped up.”Tater ate almost an entire plate.“I’ve gotta say B. You’ve outdone yourself. This is delicious.”Bitty smiled. He might be annoyed at Tater but he was still his friend. “Hey get some sleep okay.”“And it doesn’t hurt?” Jack asked.“Nope. I don’t know what happened.”“What’s going on?” Bitty said.“I don’t know what miracle happened but Tater can walk, eh?”“What?”“Yeah. Watch,” Tater said as he moved his leg around.“Ohmygoditworked.”“What?”“I asked my aunt if she knew of any recipes to help you heal faster cause you know I couldn’t see you in pain,” Bitty was lying through his teeth but white lies made the world go around, “She gave me the recipe for that jam you had yesterday. I didn’t think it would actually work.” “I have to thank her, oh my god. I kept dreaming my hockey career was over. Can you give me her number, I want to thank her.”“Uh... I’m sure it’s fine. I’m just glad you’re back on your feet.”“B. My mother would kill me if I didn’t properly thank her. What does she like? Should I buy her something? But that’s not personal. Should I bring her some flowers? What does she like?”“Tater! She lives in Georgia. I’ll just pass on your thanks.”“I don’t want to be rude, I think I should visit. This is a big deal for me B.”“I mean it is the off-season and we could go with you?” Jack asked.“No, it’s fine. You two are busy, I’ll go myself.”Bitty wasn’t sure what was going on then but Tater was packing, booking plane tickets and that afternoon he took an Uber to the airport. Bitty had called his mother to tell her but he still was unsure about telling Judy, Tater had wanted to surprise her but he still thought it was better if she knew.He ended up doing and after an excited chat with Aunt Judy, Bitty went and collapsed into Jack’s arms. .....

истощениеExhaustion. That’s all Tater’s body had felt like for the past week. The pain seemed to rest deep in each bone of his body. He had almost yelled at the doctor, if only one was broken why did he feel like he had been run over everywhere, multiple times.The doctor had some bullshit about his body adapting that Tater half listened to but currently he felt invigorated.His grandmother used to make him Solyanka, to warm him up during the winter and she always said that warm food made with love, could fix everything. Judy had proven that to be true. A few hours later standing at her doorstep, he wondered whether he should be nervous. Most people would be, but Tater was always ready for anything. He knocked.A woman who had the same light hair as Bitty opened the door. She looked warm and Tater noticed the way her brown eyes twinkled.“Hello, I’m Alexi. Bitty’s friend. This is going to sound crazy but-”“Oh, I know who you are. I have to say Bitty getting me into hockey was amazing. You’re a wonderful player to watch, Mr. Mashkov.” “You knew I was coming?”“Yeah, Bitty didn’t want me to be caught off-guard.” Tater entered the house which smelled like sugar with a hint of lemon. “Oh no please call me Alexi, I came here to thank you, honestly I owe you a lot.” “Darling you owe me nothing, have a cup of tea with me if you really want to thank me.”“I have a gift for you, Keemun tea, it reminds me of home. Though I’ve seen the way Bitty eats, you might need a kilo of sugar to get it down.” Tater grinned at Judy. “Yes, that boy does have a sweet tooth. Let me get you some jam to go with that.” “I thought that was a Russian thing.” “Well, the Russians do know how to appreciate the finer things in life. You want some sponge cake with your tea? Or a biscuit?”“I’m okay with just the tea.”Ten minutes later, tea hot and piping and biscuits waiting to be devoured, Judy said, “So Alexi, tell me is it true you had to run away to play hockey?”“I don’t want to bore you with that.”“I doubt that is a boring story Mr. Mashkov and I promise I will interrupt you if I start falling asleep. Now go.” And so Tater did. He told her stories of his childhood, playing hockey with his dad and uncle and how much that shaped him. She surprised him then and asked, “Is he who put the drive in you?”“What?” Tater didn’t really understand what she meant.“Darling every time a parent discovers that their kid has talent, they turn into goddamn Simon Cowell, trying to make their kid into a star. My parents thought my sister was pretty and boy did they have a field day with that one. They put her in pageants, competitions you name it.”The realization dawns over Alexi. “Bitty’s mom was a beauty queen?”“Oh yes, she was Miss Georgia too. But that’s what I mean by drive, did your father do that for you?”“No. My father he liked rules. Stable. You know. My mother had dreams for me, she was a singer. She taught me how to dream big to take things, because nothing in life will ever be handed to you.”Alexi felt strange, sharing so much. He had only said two things but it felt more open than he had been to anyone in a long time. Sometimes he felt himself become the hockey robot. Giving the same short responses to journalists, fans and recently even friends. Judy poured him another cup. And they talked, their lives were as far apart as they could be. From the cold that could settle in so deep, you wondered whether blood was even able to run through veins anymore, to the heat that cooked you as if you were a rare steak on a barbecue. Their conversation hit deep points but also had its levity. Sometime during their third hour, Alexi brought up learning English through daytime TV.They spent the next hour watching Dr. Phil and then another Judge Judy.Towards the end of the afternoon Tater gets ready to say goodbye and promises to visit soon.“Oh, but you don’t have to spend time with an old lady like me out of obligation, go and live your life. I’m sure you have more exciting things to do.”“I like spending time with you. You’re a genuine person in a world where there aren’t many.”“You too sugar, you too.”“So it’s settled, I’ll be right here tomorrow?”“Actually tomorrow is the farmer’s market. Do you want to experience it? Because it is an experience.” Judy smiled through the sentence.“It’s a date.” Tater said as he left and Judy smiled wider than she had in many years.A part of her felt like a giggling schoolgirl again as she called her sister, partly to tell her that Bitty had wonderful friends and partly to squeal about the NHL star who she had plans with. She felt a rush of excitement, Alexi was a star, but he was also an anchor in way most people could never be. She wasn’t sure whether the had a future but she was eager to find out.

[andyteacupcultist]

This is both a pretty neat look into something oft overlooked (or brushed off, including partially be me) but also kind of funny? Because everyone who ever met a non-American on a cooking (or science) video will know that “This isn’t practical to use in the real world for so many reasons” (Along with “Please give us the fucking measurements I do NOT want to run to twenty websites to find out what a cup of chopped whatever weights!”) is a common complaint leveled at the US customary system.

If you grew up with a measurement system it’ll intuitively make sense unless you have specific difficulties with it because, that’s just kinda how you learn the world works? Arguably base 10 is the easiest system to figure out, but beyond that, clocks seem intuitive when they’re actually kinda bullshit because we Know how they work and have used them our entire lives.

If you encounter a measurement used organically enough, especially in childhood, it’s generally something you’ll learn to understand and use intuitively even if it seems like it really shouldn’t be (looking at you, US customary units).

FYI, fever is actually extremely easy to figure out/remember even without being raised with an awareness of these numbers in the metric system, start worrying at 40 and if it hits 41 you panic. 37 and slight variation is generally taken as the rule-of-thumb for “not fever”.

And that’s the difference between “That’s what the internet says” and “this is how it’s actually used”...maybe another interesting thing to explore? How people treat translations of systems vs. how those that use it all the time interact with it and the possible confusion/added difficulty arising from that?

Or potentially certain interpretations of measurement systems adding to that perception. I’ve seen at least one person literally complain about making accessible recipes because “How is anyone gonna get 337 grams of beef?? Or 454 grams? Oh the horror I would rather people do the work themselves and also look like an idiot!” but I’m not sure how widespread that issue is. (Most metric recipe only go in steps of ten or twenty at their most precise and the vast majority of recipes developed in metric will usually use things like 375 or completely round to 100s).

Worldbuilding: Taking Measures

What measurements does your fantastic world use, and why?

Yes, this applies to modern urban fantasies and near-future SF as well. We have the English and metric systems floating around in most of the English-speaking world, plus older measurements

still lingering in various places, and what you use reflects your characters, their heritage, and their environment. Someone who grew up with a hands-on cook has a different meaning for “a glug” than someone who’s only heard water go down the drain. In the U.S. in particular most of everyday life relies on the English system, and if you hear someone talking in metrics they’re usually either a foreigner or measuring something for a scientific paper.

(And yes, cops have heard the whole, “I thought the speedometer measured in KPH!” story before. They didn’t believe it the first time they caught someone speeding, they won’t believe it this time either.)

What measurements you use gives your readers subtle (or not-so-subtle) clues as to where and when they are. Metric as a general measurement system didn’t even exist before the French Revolution, and it has certain Problems that make it obvious it was put together by people with not quite enough real-world experience. Ask anyone trying to measure the temperature of someone with a dangerous fever. 100 F and 102 F, very different. 37.8 to 38.8 C, not so much.

Now the tricky part: does your world have its own, invented measurements? If so, what are they based on? And how do you get across to your reader what they actually mean?

To use an example from Mercedes Lackey’s Exile’s Honor, we know that Karse measures time in “marks”, while Valdemar does in “candlemarks”. And we can guess those are... about an hour long. Just as a thumb-length is about an inch. (Which, IRL, is where some definitions of an inch came from - the length of the first joint of the thumb.) But when it comes to Karse, we don’t know marks of what. Falling sand? Water-clocks? Something else?

That could be important, in the world of the book. R.A. Salvatore’s Menzoberranzan measured a day by a mage smiting a stalagmite, Narbondel, with a fireball, so everyone with infravision could see the heat climb and fall. Their equivalent of midnight was “the black death of Narbondel”. Which gives both evocative imagery and the flavor of the drow society, with its emphasis on magic, murder, and cruelty. Salvatore doesn’t get into the whole measurement system of the society, but he does give us a marker that shows drow culture has measurements. That may be all you need. If not - you might look up archaic measurements like an ell, a peck, a firkin, or a chain, and see how they’re defined in today’s modern terms. That might give you some ideas.

And now I’m wondering if minotaurs measure in oxgangs....