#this poor man has 4 kits and he didn't want ANY of them I just gave them to him
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This poor man has 4 kids and he doesn't know how to deal with that LMAO
I made him adopt them so some could be biological siblings (Bigpaw and Bugkit, Pondpaw and Graykit)
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xemobladechromicles · 2 years ago
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Gonna rank them real quick.
1. Riki
I love Riki. He sounds like a chain smoking toddler but then has canonically had more sex than every other character in the series combined. Goes on a quest to save the world to escape debt. Shouts "Riki Sneaky!!" while attacking. Turned himself into a pineapple. Turned himself into a pile of spikes (Riki want hugs!!). Father of Bestest. There to be the emotional support the party (Melia) needs in the most Riki way possible. Wants food. Feed him. Killed God by bludgeoning him to death with a fish. Took Monolith several games to create a Nopon with even a fraction of Riki's success. And that's only because Riku probably could have half as much sex as Riki if he knew what sex is.
2. Reyn
The myth, the legend. Now it's Reyn Time. Alleyoop. Hwah. Can't have a Rainbow without Reyn baby. Only character to manage to annoy Alvis; the supercomputer that is also the very fabric of reality itself. Not, like in a piss him off way, in a "I'm annoyed and will let you know" way. I want to lock Reyn, Riki, and Alvis in a room together for 3.7 hours and then hide in a fallout shelter while observing the consequences. Man rocks that crop top. All of his armor is an eldritch abomination. Never actually learned how to use his kit, but the fact that his weapon is called a Driver is very funny to me after Xenoblade 2's existence happened. And it's even funnier when you consider Xenoblade 3. Man's got a Blade called a Driver. Certainly he is gaming the cosmology of the multiverse. Also I think Alvis made the ocean have salt in it just to spite Reyn.
3. Shulk
I thought his last name was Soss? Xenoblade 3 is out here challenging my most basic assumptions about its story. His run animation looks very funny. I love the part where he wears armor and the artist straight up forgot that Shulk presumably had kneecaps. My man's tastebuds have been slandered nonstop for 13 years. Poor guy was possessed by God and was too damn oblivious to notice the voice in his head telling him to kill everyone and everything. The dichotomy of being too smart and too stupid for this world. Gotta love when God steals his magic laser sword and Shulk goes "fuck you" *makes my own magic laser sword*. Easily the most beginner friendly gameplay out of any Xenoblade protagonist. Simple win conditions. Simple solutions to any wrench the game throws at you. Low customization and thus minimal chance for confusion on what he's supposed to be doing. I give my compliments to the chef. Also gotta give cheers to Adam Howden for shredding his vocal chords for our entertainment.
4. Melia
Toss up between her and Shulk because her character's tragedies are sort of undermined by the story putting so much emphasis on the love triangle. That said, very funny class. I literally didn't know she could use her talent art below full gauge to summon discharge first playthrough (I'm allergic to reading tutorials). Lady can knock over a dinosaur by kicking its shins in and has only recently learned how to not fall on her ass in the process. Definitely the most satisfying character in 1 to learn (I say as tho I have any confidence in my mastery over her kit). I like how she has an ability that reflects enemy damage. Also very funny how her AI sometimes gets caught in a loop of doing literally jack shit *stares at Bunnit intimidatingly.* Which makes her being only AI controlled in 3 a very spicy move from Monolith Soft. Also funny that in both 1 and 3 she has the magical power of breaking the chain attack damage multiplier. I have literally nothing to say about her character writing tho. I neither vibe nor dislike her. I will say that I was very disappointed in "that's not Melia that's a robot" twist in Xenoblade 3 because I was really looking forward to the explanation for why Melia and Nia seemingly betrayed their principals.
5. Fiora
Poor lady's been fucking outclassed by Mio on basically every possible level. As a love interest? Mio's got a better balance between being a love interest and being an actual character. Also Mio's theoretical death being a driving force behind Noah's potential fall to darkness just works a lot better than with Shulk and Fiora. Mio's whole "I'm about to die" thing has way more palpable tension than Fiora's. Mio did the whole "I got possessed by a being with ancient memories and then fused with that being after they died to save me" thing way better than Fiora ever did (I don't think Monolith is emotionally ready to remember Meyneth exists yet). Dual wielding badass, guess what Mio's weapon is. Tho I will say that Fiora was a favorite character initially because I like knives, but that is outclassed by Elma and Mio. Get rekt Fiora lol.
6. Dunban
Man gets tased by the Monado and decides to become left handed because fuck you. The only acceptable naked character (Zeke can have a pass too, but only as a treat, Taion is free to keep trying tho it's mildly amusing). Sadly his gameplay sucks. Not as in he's weak, he's just not fun to play. Which ruins his badassery for me. Also never cared for his wisdom as a mentor figure. Quit agressively shipping Shulk and Fiora, man needs a new hobby.
7. Sharla
Literally useless in both story in gameplay its so sad. Step 0 in Monolith's journey of discovery in "how to make healers fun." We all say "rip Melia" but at least she has a fucking fanbase.
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khaleesiofalicante · 3 years ago
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OK I’M HERE! I READ IT! I’M LATE BUT IT DID IT! SERIOUSLY REGRETTING NOT READING IT EARLIER! FUCK SLEEP WHO NEEDS SLEEP!
I LOVE THE TWINS SO MUCH SHCDUJUHKFDUISVFDHYDEBCSJ
LEXI TELLING EVERYONE THAT SHE CAN TALK TO RAZIEL BESTIE YOU DOING GREAT!!!
“Lying is wrong!” Selena had told her sister.
“Yes, but cookies are delicious,” Lexi had pointed out, munching on them.
“Daddy!” Selena had said. “Tell her it’s wrong.”
“Lying is wrong!” Daddy had said, but she had barely heard a word since his mouth had been stuffed with cookies too.
LYING IS OKAY IF YOU GET COOKIES
She did not care much for jewellery, especially expensive ones. But Magnus had given this to her – and she didn’t want to take it off.
She combed her long hair and tied it into a high ponytail. If she was going shopping with Magnus, she had to look her best.
It was fine. There were worse ways to spend your tenth birthday. She got to spend it with Magnus. She was not going to complain about it.
AWWW SHE’S LITERALLY MAGNUS’ NO.1 FAN UHSDUCSDUYSDCFUYKSVCD
“Oh!” Selena had beamed. “Like Magnus! He always looks so magnificent!”
“Sure,” David had said, his ears pink in the cold. “That’s who I was thinking about.”
I don’t know much but I do know that his ears were not pink because of the cold and he was not thinking about Magnus.
Selena remembered wishing she caught the fever so Magnus could take care of her too.
Same- I MEAN WOULDN’T WE ALL??
ALSO, MAX STAYING WITH DAVID WHEN HE WAS SICK DWHYDYGUFEYUKGFYEUGFEWUYG
Oh, Jocelyn died.
Rip I guess?
OOOO THEY INVITED THE COHORT TO TALK ABOUT THIS STUFF BECAUSE SHADOWHUNTERS ARE DYING OF MUNDANE ILLNESSES
I say we kill them.
Selena had never felt anger like that before. She had wanted to drown that awful man in the lake she floated around in her dreams.
BESTIE SAME
“Lettuce?”
“Yes?”
“No screaming when I show you the gift,” Daddy said. “We have visitors at the institute.”
“Is it a sword?” Lexi asked.
“No,” Daddy replied.
“Then I won’t scream,” her twin shrugged at him.
AHUEDCHGUHFEWUIFUIRUI SHE’S SUCH A HERONDALE I LOVE-
PUPPY OH MY GOD IT’S A PUPPY!!!!!!!!
“IT’S A PUPPY! IT’S A PUPPY! OH MY GOD, IT’S A PUPPY! DAVID GOT US A PUPPY!”
Her twin had jumped – no, leaped – off the counter and dashed towards their father, who was holding a small grey puppy in his arms.
“I AM SO SORRY I TOLD YOU I DON’T WANT YOU, LITTLE FRIEND. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I WILL PROTECT YOU WITH MY TWENTY TOY SWORDS!”
“Lexi, stop screaming!” Mommy said. “You will wake everyone up.”
“EVERYONE WAKE UP AND COME MEET MY PUPPY!” Lexi screamed even louder.
I LOVE HER SO MUCH DHJBSDCHJBFSJSFEDSF
She drew the unlock rune on the door the way her daddy did on his office door and sneaked into the Consul’s office.
I’m not even surprised anymore-
AWW, SELENA GOING THERE TO LOOK AT THE MURAL OF IDRIS. YOU’LL GO THERE ONE DAY BESTIE I PROMISE
ANJALI IS HERE Y’ALL!!!!!!!
Anjali walked over to her father’s desk, sat down on the chair, and put her feet on the table.
The Inquisitor’s table.
Only she could get away with something like that.
THERE’S MY FAVORITE PERSON EVER Y’ALL
EVEN ALEC IS WARY OF HER UHJSDVCUHSVDUUHSVUHSUIVGRVSR
Selena loved Idris with all her heart. But she knew Idris was not a perfect place.
Any place that was mean to Magnus could never be perfect.
EXACTLY
“Well, it turned out well for me,” Anjali winked. “Now when he gives me shit for my ‘bad judgement’ I just throw his dating history in his face. Dated Zara Dearborn? Broke up with Cristina Rosales? Yikes. Could not be me.”
BESTIE YES! HOW CAN DIEGO JUDGE PEOPLE’S JUDGEMENT WHEN HIS DATING HISTORY LOOKS LIKE THAT???
“Just because he looks like a movie star, it doesn’t mean everything should be handed to him,” Anjali answered, rolling her eyes. “Entitled piece of shit.”
You know I kinda ship them-
“Dang, girl. No practice swords for you, huh. You just straight up went for the mortal sword. I like your style.”
“Uncle Kit!” Selena yelled and ran towards him.
KIT KIT KIT KIT KIT KIT KIT KIT HISDUIDEUYKFSFUS7IKKIYGVFSDLY7TKGVFEDYTGFECYGU
ASH OMG ASH IS HERE TOO!!!!
"some man called Anus" BYE-
PARABATAI KIT AND ASH OMG
The whole pre-meeting prep is kinda giving me pre-wedding vibes idk how to explain but the whole rush and organizing that day and making calls and stuff.
“Ash was very beautiful. After Magnus of course” “She liked Aunt Izzy best. After Magnus of course,” GIRL HAS HER PRIORITIES STRAIGHT
"How bad can the cohort be?" well you see-
“Is that the cohort?” Selena asked, her voice a whisper.
“No, that’s a bitch.”
Yup. that’s accurate
“Is he here?”
“Whom?” Daddy asked.
“Alec Lightwood,” the woman asked.
“You mean the Consul?” Daddy asked.
“I meant Alec.”
“The Consul?”
“Alec!”
“Who also happens to be the Consul?”
“Fine, yes, the Consul!” the woman sounded impatient. “Is he here yet?”
It’s Lightwood-Bane bitch
AWWW SELENA DESCRIBING ALEC AS REGAL THAT’S SO CUTE
And accurate-
IT’S THE SAME BLUE AGAIN
Selena noticed her father was looking very emotional. She couldn’t blame him.
“My liege,” Daddy bowed deeply.
“Cut it out,” the Consul smacked him. “What’s the status?”
Yup, that’s them. Also same Jace.Same.
“I always expected the offspring of these two to be like…”
“Like what?” Daddy demanded.
At that moment, Lexi ran past the hall, yelling and screaming as she carried a toy sword in one hand and Dorian Gray in another.
“MAKE WAY FOR ALEXANDRA THE GREAT AND HER LOYAL COMPANION DORIAN GRAY! CHRISTOPHER! BRING ME MY OTHER NINETEEN SWORDS! WE MUST SET FIRE TO THE EVIL EMPEROR AND SAVE THE PRINCESS!”
“Like that,” Magnus chuckled.
Will in the afterlife, wiping tears: A true Herondale.
“I hope so too, Magnus,” Selena said shyly.
The Consul frowned at that. “It’s Uncle Magnus to you.”
Selena ignored that. The Consul was not the boss of her.
Well, technically he was the boss of everyone. But still!
UHNJCSDUHUSDHSVUDVUD SELENA
Do not remind me. I would like to remain blissfully unaware that not all of them are mortal :D
The Consul grumbled and turned to Mommy. “You were right to name her Fairchild. She is going to be a pain in my ass.”
“Hey!” Daddy covered Selena's ears again. “It’s like you guys didn't get my monthly newsletter on language modification!”
“No one here reads your newsletter, Jace,” Aunt Izzy rolled her eyes.
"I do," the Consul put up his hand.
Of course, you do Alec. I can totally see the LBAF gang defying Alec left and right UHKGXUYCSUYGCSYCFSED
“Izzy, how many times!” the Consul grumbled. “No placing bets on the children. Besides, everyone knows it’s going to be Alexandra.”
“Hey!” her parents said at the same time.
“What are y’all doing here?” Lexi came running then, cause her superpower was to magically appear whenever someone was talking about her. “We have shit to do! Come on!”
“Not helping, Lettuce!” Daddy shook his head. “Clary, take the lead.”
Of course, it’s gonna be Lexi.
FHUJCSDUHSDUHJ SELENA NOT UNDERSTANDING THE INNUENDO MAGNUS MADE LMAO NOT IN FRONT OF THE KIDS
“My name is Alexander Lightwood-Bane. I’m the Consul of the Clave. You will talk to me with respect.”
Selena saw Zara flinch at that. It was satisfying to watch.
Zara, I will gladly feed you to sharks stfu
“You sound a little jealous,” Zara grinned. “If you want to come back, we can arrange that. You could leave that good for nothing husband of yours and-”
“Zara, I swear by the angel,” Aunt Izzy said through gritted teeth. “Insult my husband again and see what happens.”
ISABELLE YES! I NEED MORE SIZZY WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH OF THESE TWO
SHE DID NOT JUST INSULT MAX AND RAFE FUCK YOU BITCH
OH, NOW SHE INSULTED THE TWINS. I WILL DROWN YOU DO NOT TEST ME
“They called me a freak too,” her mother spoke. “Insult our children again and I will show you what freaks can do.”
YES CLARY
Max and David were really close. Like Daddy and Uncle Alec.
Maybe even closer. Like Uncle Alec and Magnus - cause one of them was a warlock! And they always gave each other dopey looks.
HJBASYUGJCESDYUTGVCSDUTVSDT6U7VSDC THIS! (I think they get together because of the snippet but if they don’t-)
The moment Magnus left, Max snatched the credit card and whistled. “Y’all, Christmas came early.”
“We can’t just buy anything, Max,” Rafe rolled his eyes. “Dad will be pissed when he finds out.”
“Maybe we should buy little things we can hide,” Max winked. “Little…but expensive things.”
“Oh, like diamond rings?” Lexi gleamed.
“What would you even do with diamond rings?” Selena demanded.
“Sell them in the black market in exchange for cash,” Lexi replied.
“By the angel, Lex,” Rafe chuckled. “I'm gonna keep both my eyes on you.”
LEXI YES OMG YES YES YES YES
“Your demands are unacceptable,” Rafe said, imitating his father. “How about ice-cream?”
“I accept your counter proposal,” Lexi nodded, imitating Daddy. “Let’s unleash hell in Baskin-Robbins.”
BASKIN ROBBINS BOUTA BE RAIDED BY 4 CHAOTIC CHILDREN LET’S GO
Holy fuck she has children. Who’s the poor father?
“These are my sisters Saraquel and Remiel and Michael,” the boy pointed at the girls, completely ignoring Rafe’s comment. “Our parents named us after the archangels.”
“And they called us angel freaks?” Lexi muttered incredulously.
“I know, Lexi. Fancy names indeed,” Max nodded. “But kinda hard to pronounce to be honest.”
A very genuine what the fuck
“My name is Alexandra James Herondale,” Lexi said, her voice steady. “And I am named after the greatest Consul and dopest archer of all time. He is a better man than any of your dumb archangels.”
YES LEXI YOU GO, GIRL
“Idris is lame,” Max snorted now. “You don’t even have internet.”
Lexi shuddered at that.
The reason I would never want to live in Idris
THE WAY SELENA WAS READY TO BEAT THE GUY UP WHEN HE INSULTED MAGNUS AND HOW MAX GOT ANGRY WHEN HE INSULTED DAVID
SELENA’S 10 BITCH FUCK YOU
“Holy shit!” one of the girls said. “That was kinda cool. Is that a twin thing?”
“It’s a common sense thing,” Lexi rolled her eyes. “Duck!”
People are idiots
But Selena tried not to think about the other girl. It didn’t matter whose daughter Michael was – it only mattered whose daughter Selena was.
And she was the daughter of Clary Fairchild and Jace Herondale.
She was not going to run.
GIRL YES
Y’ALL DON'T GET KILLED
AYY MAGNUS IS HERE THEY’RE ALL GONNA BE OK NOW
“It’s warlock magic,” the boy whispered – but not too quietly. “It’s demonic.”
Some of the ichor from the demons fell right on the boy’s head.
“Oops,” Magnus said. “Warlock magic is also a little clumsy.”
HVBCDSHJCSDYCDYJGCD THE BOY DESERVED IT!!!!!
“Manuel has an important meeting,” Zara rolled her eyes. “I’m stuck babysitting them.”
“It’s not babysitting when you do it!” Daddy said incredulously. “You’re their mother. It’s called parenting.”
GODDAMIT WOMAN DON'T HAVE CHILDREN IF YOU CAN’T TAKE CARE OF THEM
“He called David a bastard,” Lexi said.
“He did what?” her mother demanded.
“And he called Max a freak,” Selena said.
“He did what?” the Consul demanded.
“And he flirted with Selena,” Rafe made a face.
“HE DID WHAT?” Daddy looked murderous.
NAH BECAUSE WE’RE ALL DOWNRIGHT READY TO KILL THIS BITCH
ALSO, SELENA WAS SO RIGHT TO BREAK THE BOY’S NOSE.
“Look at them! Cahooting in demonic languages,” Zara sniffed.
“It’s Spanish,” Aunt Izzy said incredulously. “Your husband speaks it too!”
Zara you dumb shit-
That part where Magnus was checking up on all of them and seeing if they’re ok and the kids looked like they had never seen anything like that-
They deserve better. GODDAMN IT JULIAN BLACKTHORN MANAGED TO BE A BETTER PARENT 12
Her father held Selena’s hand in his. “You better raise your son to respect women, Zara – Because I’m raising my daughters to break noses.”
YES YES YES YES
He knelt down next to her and put a strand of hair behind her ear. “Can I tell you a secret, cupcake?”
Selena nodded. She loved secrets.
“People call me a freak too,” Magnus winked.
“You?” Selena gasped.
“Yes,” he nodded. “If people call you a freak, it means you are doing something different. Something bold. Something small minds will never be able to think of. So, it’s not an insult. Don’t forget that.”
YES THIS
AWWW THE LITTLE GIRL GAVE SELENA HER NECKLACE.
“Some people don’t like women in power.”
“Why not?”
“Because women get shit done.”
Selena giggled at that. “You said a bad word.”
“It’s not bad. Say it with me, Selena,” her mother said gently. “Women get shit done.”
YES WE GET SHIT DONE
“Are you saying I shouldn’t be afraid?” Selena asked. “I should be strong?”
“I'm saying you should be anything you want to be,” her mother kissed her head. “You can be brave like Izzy. You can be fearless like Emma. You can be kind like Cristina. You can be cool like Dru. You can be sensible like Maia. You can be confident like Lily. You can be smart like Tessa. You can be fierce like Diana. You can be geeky like me.”
Her mother held her face closely. “You get to decide what kind of woman you want to be. I want you to remember that - because there is no wrong way to be a woman.”
THIS! WE NEED TO HEAR THIS MORE OFTEN!
“The next time someone points fingers at you because you are a woman, go ahead and break them.”
DO IT
This was her mother.
Clary Fairchild. One of the most powerful shadowhunters.
Selena sometimes forgot that. Sometimes you forget your mom is so much more than your mom.
There is a person underneath that – someone full of dreams and hopes and talents you could never imagine.
SHE’S LITERALLY SO POWERFUL AND AMAZING IF I SEE ONE MORE PERSON HATE ON HER I'M GONNA KILL THEM
THE IDRIS VISION EDYUGYFEUGYUKGFEWUYTGFEWUTFEW7FE
Rafe was going to be their leader. He would be Selena’s Consul. She knew it.
Gigi was going to be just like Aunt Izzy. An amazing inventor. A chaos to be reckoned with.
Lexi was going to be the best fighter in the whole world. She would fly above everyone and everything.
And David and Max…Well, they seemed very happy with each other. Selena supposed that was enough. Like Uncle Alec and Magnus. To find something you can be happy with no matter what. Because sometimes there was no greater purpose than love.
And Selena….She knew exactly what she was going to do.
She was going to lead all of them back to Idris.
Explain why I'm crying reading this. I love them all so much. They mean so much to me already. SELENA ONE DAY YOU’RE GONNA LEAD THEM ALL BACK TO IDRIS I KNOW YOU WILL
This chapter was beautiful. I'm gonna be in a corner crying in case someone needs me. See ya on Friday!! (well technically it’ll be Saturday for me since for me the updates come after midnight)
THIS GAVE ME LIFE. LIFE, YA HEAR ME?
Also my favorite comment (which I might print on something) - GODDAMIT WOMAN DON'T HAVE CHILDREN IF YOU CAN’T TAKE CARE OF THEM
Also this made me laugh out loud so hard >> - GODDAMN IT JULIAN BLACKTHORN MANAGED TO BE A BETTER PARENT 12
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solacefruit · 4 years ago
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Hello, I re-read your fic "one of a king, no category" again recently and first of all I absolutely love it and I always tear up no less then 3 times every time I read it. I was curious, if you remember, how you decided on the 9 cats you chose for the 9 lives ceremony, and also were there any other characters you considered using but who didn't end up making the cut?
Hello there! Thank you so much for writing in with such a sweet compliment, it really warms my heart to know that story has hit such a lovely chord with so many people. I think out of all the stories I’ve written for Warriors so far, one of a kind, no category is the one I’m proudest of and the one I’d like to be remembered for the most. 
And thank you for this question, it’s a very good one! I have a feeling it’ll get very long, though, so I’ll put it under the cut. 
I didn’t have to think much at all to know which cats I wanted to write about for this story, because I’ve been thinking about these nine in various ways since I first read the series. In many ways, one of a kind, no category is a love letter to characters I felt were treated cruelly and unfairly in canon and I wanted to give them a brief moment to be something other than what they were--whether that was to complicate or reinterpret the narrative they’re given in canon, or to highlight the qualities they have that often get overlooked or underappreciated by the writers (and sometimes other fans). 
So there’s cats like Silverstream and Rosetail, who are barely there and then killed off as a plot point--to cause drama for Greystripe or show the brutality of clan life, respectively. Then there’s cats like Lizardstripe, Nightcloud, and Foxheart who are basically written as shallow, “bitchy” antagonists--and as a result are often seen that way by the fandom--or cats like Ferncloud, who are seen as “boring” or “useless” because of their time in the nursery and often resented for that by fans. 
And I don’t necessarily blame fans for these readings of the characters, because the canon is so badly written. I think there’s always a tendency for male characters to be given leniency and complicatedness that is often withheld for female characters, but in Warriors, that cultural reading issue is compounded by the fact the writers themselves don’t ever really do female characters justice. Canon Ferncloud is largely there to pop out kittens and then died in battle “as a result of fan complaints” because Erin Hunter’s misguided understanding of the criticism they were receiving--i.e., interpreting “all she does is have kittens” to mean “we want her to fight [and die]” instead of “please give her character depth--no, not death, no, Erin, don’t--”
I wanted to take these characters and humanise (for lack of a better word) their canonical representations in a way that makes you actually care about who they are/were and the life they lived. Silverstream’s death is a tragedy. Rosetail’s life is a triumph. I wanted these experiences to be embodied in a story in a way that could give readers feelings and change how people thought of these (canonically very badly written) characters, not because I think Erin Hunter is a secret genius and deserves it (they don’t, I hate them), but because the characters themselves deserve more recognition and care than they often receive. 
Anyway, I’m sorry, I’ve gone way off track! To actually answer your questions: 
1. Leopardstar: one of the few female leaders--whose story is then basically about what a bigot she is and how she betrayed her whole clan (more or less) for a man because she was secretly in love with Tigerstar. I hate that they made a female leader (one of very few!) just to be like “eh she’s a lackey to an evil man she’s in love with who doesn’t care about her.” 
2. Rosetail: as mentioned before, she is barely in canon at all (in the main series; she returns in Bluestar’s Prophecy as kind of Bluefur’s best friend?). She’s actually the first clan cat to die after Firepaw joins Thunderclan, but it mostly gets swept aside and people are sad for like a minute and then the shock value wears off and she’s forgotten. 
3. Nightcloud: she’s kind of the contentious female character of the main series, because she’s either too clingy or too mean or a bad mother etc., and I’ve seen many people sympathise with Crowfeather over her--even though her side of things genuinely sucks. I wanted to give her space to be a kind of unlikeable person who still deserved better than she got. I think she deserves the same compassion people are willing to the extend to the man who mistreats her. 
4. Brightheart: one of the most famous disabled characters of canon--but she never really gets a decent resolution. Her ending is “happy” but I feel that she’s not really given closure for much of what happened to her, and in many ways the story around her is still very ableist. I feel like there’s a lot of extremely challenging internal growth that she would have had to do that never gets noticed in canon, so I wanted to give her a moment of sharing a fraction of the strength and wisdom she would have taught herself. 
5. Silverstream: as mentioned before, she’s so young and it feels to me like she exists--and dies--for the purposes of man-pain and I hate that. She gets so little personality in canon and then dies in childbirth, and I wanted to first give her a self that is so wonderful and real that it genuinely is devastating that she dies. It’s not a shrug, or a “poor Greystripe”: it’s a heartbreak to see someone so vivacious and excellent and hopeful get their life cut short. I want her story to be centred on who she is, not who she fell in love with and how he feels. 
6. Foxheart: she’s basically a mean, snotty villain in Yellowfang’s Secret (as is Lizardstripe) and an enemy of Yellowfang in a way that to me reeks of internalised misogyny from Erin Hunter, if I’m real with you. I wanted to give another interpretation of the events--especially considering how unbelievable it is that Yellowfang “got away” with that whole secret kit thing. It doesn’t make sense, unless you consider that other cats are in on it. Literally all Foxheart had to say to ruin Yellowfang’s life was “that kitten’s not mine”--and she never said that. I think that gets overlooked a lot and I wanted to explore that detail. And I thought it fitting to reinterpret a character whose name is literally an insult in canon (”fox-heart”) as having so much integrity that she would rather go down in history as a villain than be a snitch and a traitor to a clan-mate.
7. Lizardstripe: similar to above, she’s written as a horrible, bitter lady who resents her own mate and kits and is bullied into fostering Brokenkit and is miserable about that. It’s literally said “[h]er bitterness and resentment towards Brokenstar is what led him down his path of hatred” which is classic “blame a woman for a man’s behaviour” and a very rich statement from Erin Hunter who in the same breath is like “some cats (i.e., Brokentail) are just born evil as a punishment from Starclan on their birth mothers for breaking their vows.” It is so vile how Erin Hunter’s writing revolves as much as possible around blaming and punishing women for everything, including and especially men’s development and behaviour. 
8. Ferncloud: sort of mentioned before, but Ferncloud over the years has gotten a lot of fan disapproval for being passive and frequently pregnant. I think a lot of those criticisms--when levelled at Erin Hunter’s lazy writing--are fair and just but sometimes I feel that, in pursuit of more “strong” female characters in media, some fans forget to appreciate the many ways femininity and female characters can be subversive and/or still good, even when they’re not traditional hero’s narratives. In the real world, domestic labour (i.e., women’s work) is significantly undervalued, and I feel that Ferncloud can be read as an amazing example of someone who works to the bone every day and is largely ignored and underappreciated because the work she does is expected and taken for granted. 
9. Greypool: I love her--or at least my version of her. She doesn’t get a lot of attention in canon, other than a mention of being the foster mother to Bluestar’s kits and the fact she loses her memory as she ages and is murdered by Tigerclaw. It felt fitting for her to be the final life, both as a great and renowned storyteller in her own right and a cat considered to be very wise and kind with her words and thoughts, since ultimately one of a kind, no category is about the way stories can be told to shape the world--i.e., Erin Hunter’s often sexist canon versus the compassionate and intelligent retellings this fandom creates. 
As for cats that weren’t included, I’m happy with the nine I chose and I love them, but there are a lot of other cats who’ve been poorly treated by canon that would deserve a better story too. Snowfur of Thunderclan leaps to mind, as does Feathertail, and Palebird of Windclan, and honestly even Bluestar and Mapleshade. I think to a certain extent it’s hard to really engage with any of these characters’ narratives without also acknowledging the impact of sexist tropes on that narrative--i.e., how much of canon is “the character” (an intentional construct) and how much of their characterisation/story is kind of a side-effect of uncritical sexism perpetuated in the writing of said character? And I don’t really know the answer, because that’s not really a line that can be drawn. But I like to think one of a kind, no category and similar stories help reimagine other versions of these characters as fuller, more real people and that thought makes me happy. 
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bugmomwrites · 4 years ago
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Astragalus Tea & Soft Company (Juzo Honenuki x Reader)
Astragalus flower meaning: You soften my pain
Thank you for 100 followers and counting!
FUN FACT: This was actually for the Bnharem server collab, and the prompt was Flowers. I was hella late for this one due to things that popped up BUT my friend’s awesome stories are linked below, so check them out too!
https://jojosmilktea.tumblr.com/post/618831496637300737/this-is-a-sfw-choose-your-own-collaboration-by-the
I ended up whipping something together like a day before the deadline and almost having it done- and then I forgot my family came up to visit. My state has eased up guidelines a bit, and since I haven't seen them since my grandma’s funeral at the end of last year, I wanted to spend some time with them before they go home. As a result I kind of didn't have the time to polish it and post on schedule. Better late than never? Anyway here's some food for you Honenuki stans cause my boi needs more love. Takes place in their third and final year- their long history of friendship is important and comes up.
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Rating: Teen and up
Words: 7.7k
Warnings: Language, vomit (brief scene), nudity (nothing happens but still)
After sharing classes for God knows how long, Juzo Honenuki could confidently say he knew just about all of your little idiosyncrasies and habits. You were one of his closest friends after all, even having gone to the same middle school. You both got in on recommendation, and the two of you were now in your third year of UA. He knew you liked to watch older memes from years ago, still quoting Vines as far back as 2013. He knew you’d flap your hands a bit whenever you got excited or nervous. Lastly, he knew you well enough to know you didn’t just get sick out of nowhere- it had to be a result of your poor sleeping habits as of late, ultimately catching up to you and taking a toll on your well being.
The other night he could hear you shuffling in your room across the hall until about 4:30 in the morning, and upon seeing your current state he mentally kicked himself for not nipping it in the bud weeks ago.
How you managed to retain the energy to function in class every day was a mystery in and of itself, but you for one thought you were doing an ​awesome​ job at balancing late night productivity with biological needs. Honenuki just so happened to live in the dorm room right across from you, often bearing witness to your bizarre nightly routines first hand. It never bothered him too much; he knew academics were tough and sometimes people needed a bit more time to study or indulge in their hobbies. So for a while, he thought nothing of the shuffling noises, or the light coming from under the crack of your door at some unholy hour. If he held his breath he could even make out some soft curse words uttered by you among other various sounds. 
He knew you were up to ​something,​ but as much as he wanted to check in on you, there was a strictly enforced curfew, and it wouldn’t look too good if someone caught him sneaking in and out of his friend’s room in the middle of the night; nevermind that you were a girl. He resorted to just shooting a quick text, hoping you’d take a hint and maybe get some shut eye. His phone pinged not a minute later, and he shook his head in disappointment at the notification.
Read: 3:36am
By week two he began to notice you lagging behind in sparring, and even stopped to ask you about it- something that took you a bit by surprise considering his normally competitive streak- but you had dodged the question completely, dismissing his concerns and attempting to get back to the match at hand. He didn’t want to press, but if you said you were fine- so be it, he wasn’t one to hold back. He trained with you for about twenty or so more minutes before he noticed your reaction time slowing down exponentially, and even swaying side to side towards the end. You hunched over and rubbed your temples in pain, and in a moment he found himself cradling your head towards him, even softening the gym floor a bit in case you teetered off to the ground. He could see the bags under your eyes, so after scooping you up completely, he went off to Recovery Girl.
Said nurse confirmed that your tiredness was, in fact, a result of the all nighters Honenuki would catch you pulling multiple times per week.
“You should listen to your boyfriend! He only wants you to be healthy,” said Shuzenji.
Of course you only heard bits and pieces, already dozing off on the cot. He cleared his throat, teeth clacking when your head fell onto his shoulder. If he was already tense before, he was a full-blown statue by now, and the poor boy prayed he didn’t look like a tomato. He went to correct the nurse, talking carefully so as not to disturb you.
“We’re actually just friends, ma’am. I just happened to know about it because my dorm is right across from hers, and I can see when the lights are on under the d-” She cut him off, whacking him in the shin with her cane.
You tumbled onto the cot, somehow managing not to wake up from the impact. Honenuki could only sit there slack jawed as the older woman continued her tirade.
“You’re still close to her! Don’t be afraid to nag a little bit. But hopefully this should be a lesson. I’ll write you a pass.” And so, Honenuki took one last glance to where you lay curled up and at peace for the first time in a while, and saved that memory to his brain when Shuzenji offered the scribbly post it note to the blushing boy. He nodded in thanks, and briskly made his way out.
“Please get some rest, I hate seeing you like this.”
~~~
Did you learn your lesson that day? Apparently not. He still told you now and then to go to bed at a reasonable hour, and as much as you appreciated the care from the boy you loved, his warnings fell on deaf ears. This pattern persisted for a while, where you’d wake up exhausted and have him lecture you, only for you to ignore his advice. Rinse and repeat. You knew he meant well, but after one particularly bad day you couldn’t help but snap at him. Honenuki still remembered it vividly, seeing most of it firsthand in your shared class:
Another Monday morning. You were tired, and that was an objective fact. You already knew it was your fault, but you were so far gone that you couldn’t just go to bed early one night and hope it would undo all the self-inflicted psychological damage. You had already formed a habit, and it was something that could only be fixed over a period of time, little by little.
That day was particularly rough- Vlad kicked off the morning by giving the whole class a pop quiz, which you were sure you bombed horribly. Afterwards, you weren’t alert enough during training, which gave Tsuburaba an opening to catch you off guard and knock you to the ground ass first. It was a short fight, and he wouldn’t stop bragging to his friends about his quick victory.
“That’s a victory royale, bitches! Three years of UA and I finally beat (l/n)!”
To add an insult to injury, he was doing Fortnite dances (in mid 2020, no less), while whooping and hollering. You wanted to be happy for him, maybe even congratulate him on a good fight, but he was too damn obnoxious and by that point you just wanted the class to be over. The bastard didn’t even help you up, so you could only glare at him from your place on the floor. On the way back from the USJ, you got stuck on the bus seat between Monoma and Kamakiri, the former screaming from his own seat behind you to pick a fight with the hotheaded boy two rows up.
“Listen man, I’m just saying, if I wanted a teammate with the same abilities and none of the death threats I got from you on a daily basis, I’d tape a couple of knives to a Roomba and let it loose on class A.”
Kamakiri, however, was having none of it, so the next time Monoma leaned over your backrest to yell in his ear he was greeted with a swift punch in the throat. It sent him tumbling backwards and he released your backrest, but not before Kamakiri’s quirk accidentally left a clean gash on your forehead as you tried to duck down from the crossfire.
The howling laughter and “oh shit! Monoma’s fucking dead you guys!” from Setsuna did nothing to ease your headache, and as much as you wanted to give the two boys a piece of your mind, you didn’t particularly have a death wish. So you opted to seethe quietly, applying pressure to the wound until you could patch yourself up at the clinic.
When you arrived, the nurse was on lunch break, so you had to haul ass all the way back to the Class B dorms in the rain, do a walk of shame through the common room where many of your peers congregated at that time, and pray that you could find some sort of first aid kit in the bathroom. As expected you were bombarded with questions, but you dismissed them quickly, making your way over to the ladies room.
One alcohol wipe and a few butterfly sutures later, you tried to sneak back to your room for some sort of respite from what ended up being a trainwreck of a morning. You were almost in the clear when you bumped into someone you really, really didn’t want to deal with. Juzo. Normally, you’d be relieved to see him, possibly even thrilled. Alas, you just wanted to be left alone with your thoughts, at least for the time being. But in a matter of seconds he was all over you, much to your chagrin- especially since you were already on the verge of tears.
“Are you okay? What happened? Maybe you should go get some rest.”
“I’m fine, Juzo, it’s nothing. Just tired.” He frowned, having been here before one too many times with you. You looked like you would break down any second, and when that happened, he didn’t want you to feel alone. He loved you more than life itself, but if he couldn’t even be there to pick you up when you fell, what kind of friend would he be? Certainly not your best one, that was for sure. He figured he should tread carefully, knowing how much you hated crying in front of others. With a sigh he reached out, hesitantly running his thumb along the underside of your cut.
“Have you tried going to bed at a decent hour? I know I sound like a broken record, but-” Having enough, you slapped his hand away out of reflex, your teary (e/c) eyes now burning with rage at his words. Gentle, well-meaning words you’ve grown accustomed to hearing for the past few weeks being the final thing pushing you over the edge.
“I said I’m fine Honenuki! My sleep habits are my business, so why don’t you leave me alone. Don’t you have anything better to do?!” You did a full 180, lashing out and raising your voice loud enough it would traumatize even Present Mic. You were a ticking time bomb from the moment you woke up that day, and Honenuki was the poor soul that just happened to cut the wrong wire.
Honenuki visibly flinched at the use of his surname. Coming from anyone else, it was just a friendly acquaintance giving him a warm greeting, or making small talk. Coming from you, however, it felt...cold. Unfamiliar. You had been calling him Juzo since you both were fifteen, forging a camaraderie after the summer camp incident and growing closer ever since. He could only blink in shock at your outburst, unable to find anything to say as his mouth went dry. You stormed off, slamming the door to your room and shaking the floor beneath him, leaving him standing there with mixed signals and a heavy heart.
Still, he knew it was only a matter of time before you’d be paying the consequence, so he really shouldn’t have been so surprised when he got a message from you less than a week later. The news came to him just before he arrived to his first class of the day, and upon reading your text, he mentally facepalmed at your stupidity. Your bad sleeping choices- coupled with the freezing rain from that fateful day- had finally caught up to you, knocking you out with a nasty bug. It was the first time you had reached out to him since then, and even if he didn’t take anything too personally, it was a little odd for you to ignore him and follow up out of the blue without closure.
(Y/N) 8:30am: Can you please tell Vlad I can’t make it to class today? I feel like utter garbage. You'll never guess why ;-;
Juzo 8:33am: Ugh! I knew it! >HHHH<
(Y/N) 8:35am: In all fairness, maybe it’s just from the rain and not my piss poor bedtime routine...?
Juzo 8:36am: Stay put. I’ll be over after class.
(Y/N) 8:38am: Cool beans. Btw I already took some nasty ass cough medicine so please don’t make me take another dose for a few hours.
Juzo 8:39am: Fine. You better take it without any arguments when it’s time.
-and with that he clicked his phone off, waiting anxiously for the bell to ring. He took an extra set of notes for you, because you had insisted ‘that’s what friends do’, and he needed to keep his mind busy. The next class was English with Present Mic, and he thanked whatever deity out there that he was bilingual. Popping in and letting him know the circumstances wouldn’t cause any harm, and he was sure Mic would be willing to get another copy of the notes.
9:30am couldn’t arrive soon enough, but as soon as Vlad dismissed the class, Honenuki made a beeline for the English classroom. He was making great time, and was sure he’d be the first one there. At least until he found himself barreling into the back of a familiar leather coat. He almost got knocked back from the sheer force and he quickly apologized, bowing his head when a loud voice stopped him in amusement.
“Woah, slow down there speed racer! Just try to be careful next time”, Present Mic laughed, and Honenuki looked up in relief to find his teacher on his way to the same destination.
“Mic-sensei! Perfect timing, I actually wanted to ask a favor. You know (y/n), my best friend? She’s sick in bed right now, so I was wondering if I could get an extra copy of the notes to bring to her? I’d write them myself but my hand is a bit cramped from doing two sets last class.” His teeth clacked nervously, hoping that he didn’t seem too desperate, especially since it could be misconstrued as something more.
Mic raised an eyebrow, and hummed in thought briefly. “Ah, young love. You’re my top student in that class so I’ll do you one better! Next period is lunch, so I’ll give you a copy real quick since the teacher’s lounge is right here. I’ll even let you leave a half hour early IF you promise to help me organize the new textbooks when the order ships on Thursday afternoon.”
Honenuki was thrilled, and nodded his head in agreement. A half hour later a hall pass was placed on the desk along with a photocopied set of notes, and he thanked Mic again, nodding gratefully before hurrying off to the dorms.
Honenuki rushed over to your bedside with a thermometer and a hot cup of tea, and you wanted nothing more than to apologize for giving him grief the last time you saw him when he was only looking out for your well being. You opened your mouth to speak.
“Juzo, I’m s-” You got cut off by a coughing fit, and he found himself rubbing comforting circles on your back before a mug was held out to you, almost like a peace offering. His eyes were soft and caring, and he muttered out encouraging words until you calmed down enough to notice what he had brought over for you.
“Don’t worry about it, we’re good. I brought you some astragalus tea. Yaoyorozu from class A said it was really good for pain relief and sickness. Shiozaki happened to have some fresh herbs growing too for brewing.” You accepted the cup gratefully, shaky hands attempting to take a tentative sip before you sneezed, spilling the hot beverage on your lap and wincing at the pain.
Honenuki panicked, fumbling for the cup and placing it on the nightstand beside you. While you knew Honenuki would never yell at you, you knew there was a pretty high chance he would at least give you a piece of his mind or even an ‘​I told you so’​. He was normally pretty laid back, so to see him so visibly worried was...jarring, to say the least. It probably didn’t help that you got teary eyed from the scalding hot beverage, and as much as you wanted to cry because of how much pain you were in, you didn’t want to deal with another post-sob migraine or stuff your nose up even more.
“I thought I told you not to stay up so late.”
There it is, ​you thought. Honenuki had told you time and time again that pulling all nighters would lower your immune system, making you more susceptible to viral infections that you may have otherwise been able to prevent with some proper rest. It was Friday morning too, and you woefully remembered that you’d have to cancel your plans for a girls’ sleepover in the dorms later that evening.
“What was so important that you had to sacrifice your hours anyway?” He chastised you gently, careful not to raise his voice too much as he put a hand to your forehead.
You sighed at your friend, leaning into his touch. His hand retracted much too quickly for your liking, and you had to take a second to compose yourself and provide a response.
“Video games...?”, you grinned sheepishly. You didn’t want to elaborate any more, hoping he would buy it.
Honenuki almost rolled his eyes at that. He knew you typically played online with a team, more specifically Awase, Tsuburaba, and Tetsutetsu. He also knew Awase had mentioned offhand yesterday that you hadn’t been on the raid team for almost a full week, and ‘​was wondering where the hell you disappeared to’​ . It’s not like you played a million other games either- you only got into it because they needed a full team of four once while Rin was away visiting his family.
“Try again, (y/n). I know you don’t dabble in much else besides Minecraft.” Defeated, you sat up, covered in sweat as your clothes felt like a layer of plastic wrap.
He began to absentmindedly rub your back, a habit which you normally found endearing, now serving as major comfort. His massages were hands down the best, and you often wondered if his quirk had anything to do with it.
“I’ll tell you all about it when I’m better, but everything hurts right now.” Honenuki nodded in understanding, and you both sat in silence for a few.
“I’m going to check your temperature. Is that okay?”, he looked at you with concern.
You hummed in agreement, and the next moment the cold metal was placed against your forehead, rolling down to your temples. You wished it was any other circumstance besides this one where his face would be close to you, because ​holy shit, he was so cute when he was focused​. If you weren’t sick as a dog you may have even had the courage to lean forward and kiss him on the teeth, but that may have just been your fever induced delirium. It beeped after about ten seconds, and he showed you the flashing 38.9°C on the little screen. From your perspective, you wondered how much of that was actually from the sickness, and how much of it was from nerves. He ruffled your hair before speaking again.
“Tell you what- go in and shower okay? You’ll feel leagues better, it’ll loosen your sinuses a little bit, plus you still have tea on your lap.” His teeth clacked as he chuckled good-naturedly.
You grumbled at the realization, and rolled out of bed to clean yourself up a bit. You left a big patch of sweat on your sheets, so Honenuki offered to run them to the laundry room and see if he could find some cough medicine in the meantime. You thanked him, your voice still raspy and gave him an affectionate headbutt before you left.
After you disappeared down the hallway with a towel, he got to work for a few minutes when his phone buzzed. Kurorio’s picture popped up on the caller ID, and Juzo unlocked his phone to accept the call.
“Heard your girlfriend’s not feeling too well?” inquired Kurorio.
“Kuro, hey man! Um, (y/n) and I are still just friends. Would be cool though.” Honenuki slapped a hand over his mouth at his wording, hoping that Kurorio would buy it (he did not).
“I’m just taking care of her for the time being, taking her temp, washing the sheets, you know?”. Kurorio hummed suspiciously, but changed the subject.
Honenuki pulled up the topsheet with both hands while balancing the phone between his shoulder and ear as he bantered back and forth with one of his classmates. Kurorio was cracking jokes about how much dogs in general look like their owners. Especially their homeroom teacher, Vlad King and his English bulldog.
“It's the underbite! I know the former doesn’t have the floppy jowls, but I just can’t get over the underbite!” he had said, as Honenuki was quick to mention the square shoulders probably didn’t help much either. The two of them broke into a fit of laughter as Honenuki bunched up the sheets and pillowcases into the comforter like a knapsack, about to make his way downstairs when something wooden was peeking out from between the top sheet and fitted one.
It was a simple embroidery hoop with some aida cloth stretched over it, and various colors of thread knotted and going every which way. He flipped it over cautiously, ​YOU SOFTEN MY HEART ​was stitched in neatly inside a simple little border of what looked like Astragalus blossoms, and a small tapestry needle dangled below the messier side of the work. 
Honenuki was intrigued- he never knew you could cross stitch! Of course it was nowhere near completion, but the black outline you started with was kind of a dead giveaway. It was like you blocked everything out first and built a foundation before finishing the more complex portions. It had to be planned out, the craftsmanship was too deliberate, too precise to just be done one stitch at a time while still maintaining consistent proportions. It was definitely a bit of an odd phase to copy onto what would likely be a keepsake, and he puzzled over the reasoning behind it when a wrinkled piece of graph paper under the bed caught his eye.
He smoothed out the pattern you had drafted so carefully, and he was thoroughly impressed at the detail in the work. But everything seemed to click in his brain when at the very top of the sketched out pattern were the words ​Birthday Gift: 06/20. That, and the post-it note on the side that said ​It’s for Juzo you lovesick bitch so make sure you practice, practice, practice!
Was that why you were up so much? Were you learning a brand new skill this far in advance to make something for ​him?​ His birthday wasn’t even for another month, but when it came to art projects, you were always planning and organizing to create the best results. He decided to set the pieces on your desk and went back to stripping the last of your bedsheets to take down to the laundry room. It would be a while before they were dry and clean enough to put back, so if you finished up before then, he figured he could just grab a couple blankets from his own bed right across the hallway.
“Huh, that’s really pretty”, he muttered absentmindedly.
Kurorio’s interest was piqued, and before either of them knew it, the conversation went back to (y/n) as Honenuki continued to tidy up for about ten more minutes.
“Yeah, I brought her tea, and sent her in to shower. She should be fine in a couple of da-“ THUD​. Seeing as how you two were the only ones in the dorms, the noise was no doubt from you. Honenuki paled, but tried to stay composed even though his mind was racing.
“You were saying?”, Kurorio was snickering on the other line, not even trying to hide his amusement.
He knew his friend had a growing crush on you, and as much as he wanted to tease him about it he knew Honenuki was stressed enough already.
“I’ll call you back.”
And with that Honenuki found himself clicking the “end call” button and booking it towards the bathroom down the empty halls of the dorms. He tried not to seem too worried, praying you just dropped a bottle or something. Still, when you were in such a state he couldn’t help the looming sense of dread that you had gotten hurt somehow.
“(Y/N)? Everything okay there?”
Silence.
He knocked again, only to be met with a pained groan from the other side. Common sense was thrown out the window as he turned the knob and found you sprawled out on the floor, face down, a little wet, but thankfully still fully clothed with the shower running. He wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or just confused, and if it weren’t for your labored breathing the whole thing would very much look like a crime scene.
He kneeled down to your level. “What are you even doing? I thought you were going to shower”, he asked softly as he tried to flip you on your side.
You blinked slowly, assuming fetal position as you responded.
“Water hot. Floor cold.” Just as you went to press your burning cheek back against the tile, a pair of arms scooped you up.
He didn’t even have time to be embarrassed as he set you on the countertop by the sink and helped you peel off your now soaked top, tossing it to the side. He took the hand towel hanging up next to you, folding it lengthwise and ran it under some cold water before holding it up to your forehead. Your normally healthy (h/c) hair was matted and smelled of sweat, and it looked like a real bitch to comb through. You seemed to realize just how much of a mess you were, and couldn’t help but feel tears of humiliation bubbling up. This didn’t go unnoticed by him though, and his brows pinched together in concern. Before he could ask what was the matter, you sighed ruefully.
“I’m sorry you have to deal with me like this”, you muttered.
God, you couldn’t even look him in the eye. The man you’ve admired since day one was seeing you at rock bottom, and the shame was almost too much to bear. Honenuki, being the saint he was, just rubbed your back soothingly and told you not to worry. Still, there was a growing dread in the pit of your stomach, and you wondered why he was pitying you. Could things get any worse?
Indeed they could. Before you could stop yourself, the little bit of tea, as well as the crackers that you had consumed earlier somehow found its way back ​up ​and all over the front of not just you, but your best friend and longtime crush as well. There wasn’t a whole lot in your stomach, but the amount of it wasn’t what worried you- it was that you did it in the first place.
You started crying all over again, apologies spilling out of your mouth as you hyperventilated. This was it, there was no way he’d want anything to do with you now. He’d probably be too disgusted to keep helping you, and as soon as everyone got back to the dorms, word would get out, and you wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it. His stunned silence only made you more anxious, and you prepared for the worst when he took off his tee shirt and started wiping you off as best as he could. He put the soiled shirt into the corner before grabbing the wet towel and wiping off more of it, cleaning up the mess. Finally, he looked down at you, and squeezed your shoulder affectionately.
“It was an accident, (y/n) it’s fine. I’ll be right back”.
Now it was your turn to be stunned as you sat dumbly on the countertop for a minute until he reappeared with lysol wipes, a new towel, a jar of Eucalyptus mint soap scrub, and a fluffy bathrobe.
He turned on one of the showers, waiting for it to be a good temperature before turning back to you. “Go ahead and get in the shower. I’ll clean up.”
You didn’t have the energy to object as you shuffled over to the stall, peeling all your clothes off and getting in, albeit sitting on the floor- you didn’t want to risk falling over again. After a few minutes, you could feel your sinuses clearing a little bit. Enough for you to talk a sentence or two at least. After the events that transpired, you found some solace knowing that your best friend must ​really ​care about you to stick around and help you during a time like this. You remembered how he’d blush whenever someone asked if you were dating. You had nothing else to lose at this point, so your feverish brain made a bold decision and you stuck your head out to find him still waiting outside.
“I’m not gonna let you sit covered in vomit. And I know you’re too stubborn to leave my side to go wash up somewhere else, so get in here.”
Honenuki was at a loss for words. Was it really fair to you? You were the one inviting him in. But then again, you did have a point- he really did plan to wait it out. He’d do it a hundred times for your sake. Would it be weird? It wasn’t like you were toddlers anymore, whose mothers wanted to get a cute picture in a bubble bath- you guys were in your final year of high school, and if the note he found in your room was any kind of proof, you were just as in love with him as he was you...but there was no one else in the dorms, and the opportunity was practically handed to him on a silver platter. You were just a sick friend in need of help, right? Except you saw him as something more than that, he wasn’t stupid. And while in any other case an invitation to share a shower would be implying some sort of ulterior motive, he knew you well enough to know that you were genuinely looking to help him. Just with the added bonus of seeing a different side of you.
So he took off his shorts, opting to leave his boxers on just in case. He was silently grateful that the water was a colder temperature to ease not just your fever, but his racing thoughts as well. Keeping them on probably wouldn’t do too much to hide his arousal if they were going to get soaking wet anyway and just cling to him as a result, but at least this way he could keep it hidden from plain sight. He opened up the jar and passed it to you, which you gratefully accepted, but not before taking a deep whiff of the soothing scent. He sat behind you criss-cross applesauce, and gently took the plastic comb from you as you kept trying to yank it through your hair.
“Allow me”, he said, squeezing some shampoo out and lathering it on your head. Occasionally, the foam would fall onto your body and you’d have to flick it away with wet hands. These motions only made it that much more difficult for Honenuki to keep his eyes off your supple, soft curves. The slope of your back to your ass looked almost too inviting with the white suds cascading down in rivulets. He groaned inaudibly when you wiped a particularly large cluster of bubbles from off your chest, trying not to stare for too long.
He coughed, grabbing your attention. “Can you lean back more?”.
You tilted your head back, sighing in content as he massaged your scalp, taking great care to not get soap in your eyes. He reached for the shower head when you stopped him. You lathered up some shampoo and repeated the process on him, making sure to spike his hair up as high as you could. Then you did the same for yourself before you both turned to each other, and broke down into a fit of much needed giggles at how ridiculous you both looked. Maybe laughter really was the best medicine.
He rinsed your hair off and proceeded with the conditioner, combing it through one section at a time. It was one thing to absentmindedly play with the ends of it whenever the two of you were hanging out in close proximity, but to go through it so thoroughly and gently was surprisingly intimate, especially given your current scenario. Honenuki and you have been close for years now, maybe not quite since diapers but long enough for you to realize that he had already seen most (if not all) sides of you- and likewise, you of him. The man had somehow managed to stick by you through your awkward middle school years, to the rough days of early highschool and hero training, and even now when you were suffering the consequence of going against his advice.
You thought you were only crushing on him before, but after having him see you so vulnerable and ​still s​ tand by you, you realized the idea of spending the rest of your life with him sounded even more appealing than before, if that was possible. You, (y/n) (l/n), were in love with your best friend Juzo Honenuki, and after the events that transpired this morning, you were okay with that.
“So that’s what you use to get your hair to smell like (f/f)...” his thoughts were accidentally voiced out loud, breaking you out of your reverie. You nodded slowly, and the soft clack of his teeth was heard behind you. “It’s nice. I like it!”, he said more confidently this time before he picked up the bottle to read it.
“Thanks, you want some?”, you questioned hoarsely, but since your voice was still sore it was very difficult to be heard over the running water.
You didn’t get a response, either because you weren’t loud enough, or he was too absorbed in the words printed neatly on the bottle.
“Juzo?” He hummed in response, which you took as a yes.
If he let you use that fancy ass scrub for your illness, you figured the least you could do was share your leave-in treatment. Sharing is caring.
“Here, let me” You attempted to rotate yourself to face him so you could condition his hair too.
He glanced back up from the directions on the back, and you thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head. Dropping the comb he stammered, trying to maintain eye contact and not look down. He gulped, and all the words he had on the top of his tongue vanished when you plucked the comb from the wet shower floor and placed it on your thigh. You tried to reach a bit to get the conditioner bottle from him. This was a leave in conditioner, so your own (h/l) hair was still plastered down until it “set” for seven minutes. The excess dripped from the ends, down your back and shoulders, giving your body a light sheen. Your bare chest slid against his arm, and the bottle fell with a harsh clatter. He averted his eyes to look anywhere but at you, but it was kinda difficult when you were-
A. Naked
B. Feverish and flushed
C. Half straddling him
D. Covered in copious amounts of wet foam.
“Are you sure? I’m the one that’s supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around,” Your breasts were inches from his face, and Hoenuki swore he could feel his soul leaving his body when he finally had enough, frantically shoving the bottle in your hands.
“Juzo, you’ve helped me so much already, and it’s not even eleven am yet.” And with that he promptly shut his mouth and let you get to work on returning the favor. You squeezed out some onto your hands before rubbing them together. “Turn around and tip your head back- you’re taller than me and I can’t see.”
He normally loved massages (especially if they came from you after a long day of training), and how quickly your skillful hands would put him at ease, but he knew you weren’t really feeling your best today. He didn’t want to push you too far, but the sentiment was still appreciated nonetheless. You obviously couldn’t go for as long or apply as much pressure before your arms got tired and you started to ache a little, but you didn’t mind brushing his long, sandy blond locks. He was still grateful for the little bit that you were able to do, and you wondered how the universe could bless you with someone this sweet.
After seven minutes passed, Honenuki stood up and grabbed the shower head above you and rinsed out your hair, being extra careful to make sure each section was covered, and out of your face with a wide tooth comb in the other hand. You were still seated, and this gave him a bird’s eye view of not just your backside, but your front as well. He swore to himself he was only in to help you out, but ​fuck​, if you weren’t contagious he’d seriously consider taking you right then and there. You peered up at him through wet lashes, and to make matters worse you were nearly eye level with his straining erection. He was almost certain you noticed, but knowing you, you were too kind to comment on it. 
Eager to get out before things went south, or- god forbid- he did something impulsive he’d possibly regret, he quickly repeated the process on himself. After you were both rinsed, he switched the lever to “off” and turned to look down at you.
“I’m going to help you stand up, okay?”, his voice was calm, but assertive as he pulled back the curtains and stepped backwards out of the shower. Still seated, you spun around, and moved to push yourself up. You were halfway there when he threw a towel around your back and put his arms under yours. You suddenly felt more self conscious than ever, and as much as you wanted to drool over how toned he had gotten from years in the hero program, you couldn’t help but feel a lingering sense of inadequacy at your own figure. You trembled slightly, fever chills slowly coming back now that the water was off, and your legs shaking like a baby deer.
“Juzo careful, I’m gonna sli-”
Before you could finish your sentence, you slipped on the shower floor and went tumbling forwards. Yet instead of meeting a face full of tile for the second time in the hour, you found yourself leaning into Honenuki’s protective embrace. Your breasts were pressed up against his torso, and you both found yourselves relishing the feeling of fitting together just right.
“You feel more refreshed?” He asked as he wrapped the rest of the thick towel around you.
You nodded, genuinely relieved that you were no longer covered in sweat, vomit, or tears. And you smelled damn good to boot. You still felt sick, but now at least you could heal comfortably.
~ ~ ~
“Your sheets aren’t ready yet, so you can sleep here for a little while.”
You were being carried into his dorm, wearing his fluffy robe that he had lent you after you had freshened up. He was originally just going to lend you some blankets, but he figured you’d be more comfortable in a made bed- that, and he could keep an eye on you. He went to set you down, but instead of letting go, you held onto him tighter. Honenuki glanced down at you, nuzzling into him for comfort and sighing softly. You were still a little bit warm, and your voice was raspy, but you seemed much better than you were just a short while ago. Now that you were showered and medicated (not to mention under the care of someone who’s presence just generally put you at ease no matter what), you felt like you could get better fairly quickly.
You didn’t know what you’d do without Honenuki at your side, and found yourself mumbling “please don’t go yet” when he tried to tuck you in.
Your request caught his attention, and he checked again for confirmation that he heard you correctly.
“You...want me to stay?”, Honenuki asked you curiously, a rosy hue growing on his face. The only response he got was an exhausted hum of approval, and a small nod.
“Am I some sort of alternative medicine? Can’t get enough of me?”, he joked, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at how adorably clingy you were when you were sleepy.
You were too sick to get flustered at his comment, and even if he did call you out on blushing, at least you could use your fever as an excuse.
“Alright, let me get something lighter. I know that robe is comfy, but you’ll bake yourself alive in it.” Reluctantly, you let go so he could go to his dresser drawer and find you some makeshift pajamas.
“I’m a hot snack, sorry. I gotta be wrapped up and baking”, you croaked out, smiling weakly.
It hurt like a bitch, but seeing the amused shake of his head and smiling eyes at your stupid joke was well worth it in your opinion.
He tossed a tee shirt and some boxers in your direction, and you sat up to slip the robe off. Almost immediately he whipped his head away from you so fast, you thought he’d get whiplash. It was rather cute, actually- he had already seen you naked not even ten minutes ago, and had known you for about a third of his life- but the way he cleared his throat and mumbled out a soft apology was one of the sweetest things you’ve seen from him. Your robe hit the ground and you slipped on the shirt first, before you moved to tug up the boxer shorts. Making sure everything was in place, you turned to your best friend. He still had his back to you, but you could see the very tips of his ears flushed scarlet.
Seeing him so flustered was still a relatively new sight to you, but adorable nonetheless. You took a couple seconds after you were dressed to just appreciate the sight before you, committing it to your memory. Honenuki sensed the silence that settled around the room, no longer hearing the shuffling of fabric behind him and cleared his throat before he spoke up.
“You’re all set then?”, for someone who was normally composed you noticed Honenuki’s voice was uncharacteristically shaky, and he still refused to look at you as he had a hand blocking his peripheral line of sight. He was such a gentleman- you almost felt bad for flustering him so much.
“Yeah, thank you Juzo. I don’t have a bra or underwear, but if I’m being honest I think this is more comfortable.” You wanted to slap yourself for oversharing- while this fever was making coherent thoughts and common sense a bit more difficult, you couldn’t help but inwardly cringe at your lack of a filter.
Still, he plopped himself into bed behind you, pulling you into his chest and massaging your back. Your sinuses were still a bit clogged even after the shower, but his hands worked wonders when it came to easing your pain, and it didn’t take long for you to fall into a light slumber. You sighed contentedly, closing your eyes.
He could only hope that after you were fully healed, he’d be able to fully confess his feelings for you, and after how you two interacted that morning, he realized his friends insisting that you felt the same for him might not be so crazy after all. But for now, he just wanted to enjoy this moment, as friends, because your friendship was more than enough for him if it meant he could have moments like these. The day he confessed would come eventually, right? You guys were definitely more than friends, it just wasn’t official yet. ​Someday​, he thought wistfully. ​Someda-
“Thanks for softening my pain, Juzo. I love you.”
‘​...!”​
His eyes shot open at that, and he briefly wondered if he heard you correctly. ​Of course she meant you, idiot. Who else would she be talking to? H​ e wanted to twirl you around the room with a resounding ​I love you too! I always have!,​ he wanted to scream it from the top of the rooftops, and celebrate once and for all, but just as quickly as you had uttered the words, you fell asleep in his arms, and he was certain you could hear his racing heart through his chest. It wasn’t from nervousness however- it was the sheer joy, the anticipation of when he could finally ask you to be not just his best friend but his ​girlf​ riend, from relief of knowing you would say yes.
He now had verbal confirmation that you felt the same. The ball was in his court now, and as soon as you got better, he was going to make up for so much lost time. Even though you couldn’t hear him, he pressed his teeth gently to your forehead and held you closer, drawing heart shapes on your back.
“I love you too, (y/n).”
~ ~ ~
Thank you so much for reading this labor of love! I’d love to hear your feedback, and I’m always open to new ideas <3
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freetheshit-outofyou · 2 years ago
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@airconditioneddungeons,
my source was in the tag but again you missed it. Also I expect people to do some research for themselves, like me, to get answers rather than have them given to them. It forces one to learn. I didn't answer your question because it is irrelevant to the entire conversation. You are going from extreme to extreme, first you want to tie the Las Vegas shooter into full auto firearms. His weapons were fitted with bump fire stocks, they were not full auto and inherently inaccurate because of them. BUT, when you are shooting into a crowd of thousands it’s not super hard to get hits regardless how inaccurate the shooting platform is. Then you say I was lucky the shooter wasn’t wearing full kit and has a full auto AK, you are trying to change scenario to fit you version of it not the actual event. I’m going to assume you don’t follow me or know much about me or what I have been through so I’m give you a short bio before I go any further.
I spent more than 20 years in the Army, served 5 combat tours, and survived situations others did not. I have hunted humans who were trained to hunt and kill me and my small kill team. So when I speak on these things, it’s not from the armchair quarterback perspective. I know what it is like to both pull the trigger and try to stop the bleeding of those who would not survive the trigger being pulled.
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I have been shooting since I 6yo (I’ll be 52 next month), I started competition shooting in the Army where I honed both my pistol and long distance shooting, to this day I still train a few days a week both with kit and without. The night I was forced to use a firearm to defend myself and my family a man climbed the outside of our home and tried to enter through the master bedroom balcony. There was no time to kit up there was no time to grab a rifle or a shogun. I had 2 pistol options and I used the first one my hand hit. So there I am at 0200 in the cold March breeze with a pistol and my SpongeBob boxers. (They were a gift.) In all the years I have been training not once did I go to the range in just my chonies and try to fight off a dude smacked out of his mind on meth. I guess that’s piss poor planning on my part. When he hit the door the first time my Bride retreated to the kids room with her CCW (Kahr PM9) and called 911. I confronted the guy on the balcony and started to get a handle on the situation. I held him at gunpoint for 7 minutes while 911 kept saying the police were on their way. (Did I forget to mention I used to be an LEO? I digress.) at 7 minutes the meth head made his move tried to get in the house and I was forced to shoot, the first police car would not arrive for another 8 minutes, the next one 4 or 5 minutes after that. Several lessons were learned that night. As you can see I am a numbers person, so I crunched some numbers. The 1911 as much as I love it, loses 14.2% of its ammo with every trigger pull, since I did not have a battle belt, no chest rig there was also no more magazines, just 7 rounds. The same goes for my Brides PM9. But as with many folks buying a firearm is a big ticket item and you start where you can afford, that M1991A1 cost me 600.00 at an estate auction NIB. It was only slightly more expensive than my XD9 I had bought 5 years prior but the 1911 is more accurate. We have both moved to Glock 19 Gen 5’s and 19X’s since that night. I tell you that so you understand that if I point a firearm at something the chances are better than average I will hit where I point, regardless of what kit, helmet or weapon the attacker is wearing. I am not Billy bad ass, I am not a Snake eater, or John Wick. I’m just a guy who has spent ALL of my adult life training for one things and I am decent enough at it that I’m not dead. You pointed out that AR-15 are used more and more in school shootings, could that be because they are the most common rifle sold in the US? They are also rarely used they just make the news more. It’s not like school shootings are a new thing, the first one occurred in the US 26 July 1764. Every single school shooting is a tragedy, every kids shot is horrible, there is no and’s, if’s or but’s about it. As a father of 4 I cannot imagine what those families go through.  As a survivor of a home invasion I’m glad I had the means to not know that pain. If you asked most people today to name 2 school shootings most of them can’t because they only care in the moment. The first one I remember reading about was 1 August 1966 when Charles Shitmen, sorry Whitmen killed 16 people and wounded another 31 using a Remington 700, a 30 Carbine a shotgun and 3 pistols and revolvers. There were no AR15 type rifles used in Columbine and that was fucking horrible.
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But, and I hate to use BUT’s, AR15’s have been used in very few school shootings I can only find the Robb Shooting, 3 other instances of AR15’s being used in mass school shootings and only 9 in mass murder beyond schools. The FBI UCR also reflects that rifles of all kinds are used rarely even though they are so common. There use is just not as common as they news makes it sound. You know what is also not covered how many times a firearm is successfully used to stop a crime, deter a crime or hold a criminal until police arrive. But anti-gun folks don’t want those numbers broadcast. The M16 came out in 1959 in its base design, It would not be issued to infantry units until 1965 as the XM16E1. The rifle would not be adopted as the M16A1 until 1967 and did not replace the M14 until 1969. But you know who had been able to buy the Model R6000 Colt AR-15 SP1 Sporter Rifle since 10 December 1963, you guess it, the civilian market of the United States. Civilians could by the SP1 a full 5 years before the M16A1 was officially made the rifle of the US Armed Forces, 5 years. That means the AR-15 was on the market for 49 years before it was ever used in a school shooting. But pistols and shotguns had been used over and over again for more than a hundred years in school shootings. So when people imply that AR-15’s are the weapon of choice for mass school shooting or mass shootings in general is it a fiction they have created and bought into, it is not a fact. I am in no way trying to justify the death caused by these criminals, what I do want, is the focus to be put on the criminal and not their tool. Firearms related crimes are the only area where this dynamic exists. Not knives, not cars, not drugs, not fire, not beating, just firearms. As long as we go after the tool and not the person using it we give the killer an out. They get to claim the “gun made me do it.” and avoid direct responsibility. On the other side of that if someone mashes a persons head in with a bat, the was the wielders fault not the bats.
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(https://www.statista.com/statistics/476409/mass-shootings-in-the-us-by-weapon-types-used/)
Now to your question, because you are trying to trap me, you are not the first one to pull the “why aren’t they used card”. They are not used because they are not common. You can own them, all of us that can legally buy a firearm in the US can buy one. People who do buy them buy an item that is rare and pay a primium for them and their rarity. The attached link (https://autoweapons.com/products/products.html) is to a list of more than 100 full auto weapons, grenade launchers and “Any Other Weapon”’s you could buy right now if you had the urge. What you want me to say is they are not used because they are controlled, that is just not the case. 200.00 tax stamp, the cost of the item, 6 months to a year of BATF red tape, and you have a machinegun, a grenade launcher, SBR, SBS or any other AOW. Most killers are spree or heat of the moment killers, very few are long term thought out killers like the Las Vegas shooter or the Uni-bomber. So there is no trap for me to fall into. They are rare, nothing more. It’s like asking why my 146 year old Springfield, US Army issued, 1873 Trap Door rifle is not used in school shootings, it’s exceedingly rare. My only intention here is facts, and those facts are we are safer now with a population of 340 million that we were in 1994 with a population of 264 million. We are safer today with 393 million guns in the country than we were in 1994 where there were 200 million guns (https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles/165476.pdf). These are quantifiable facts. What has changed is people's ability to control themselves, our gradual decline in this country's mental health programs starting in 1981 when President Ronald Reagan gutted the Mental Health Act of 1980 put in place by President Jimmy Carter. We have only went down hill since then. When people in distress have no place to turn they act out, sometimes violently. People with serious mental and psychological needs slip through the system until they explode and a tragedy occurs. Broken homes, abusive homes, kids left by family, by friends by society are often the people who commit these crimes. Time after time we hear they were projecting these events years months and weeks before they occurred and no one listened. A guy I was in the Army with called me one day out of the blue, he was on fire screaming about VA health care, about how all the niggers there won't treat him because he was white. He said he was going to go shoot up the Columbus VA. I didn't wait, I didn't let him vent I hung up call the Columbus VA and filed a report. I could not live if I had done nothing and and that shitstaine shot up the VA or anyplace. Firearms are the tool, the criminal is the activator. Let's address the criminal, let's address soft target locations. If we protected our schools like out banks, like our political officials, like other countries defenses, mass school shootings would stop. I honestly believe that.
Gun control PSA: From 1994-2004 the US ban rifles that were cosmetically similar to the M16/A1/A2 and so on. (Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, AWB) From 1994-2004 (10 years), the average murder rate with a firearm during the ban was 10,544 per year. (15,463 being the highest in 1994 and 8480 being the lowest in 1999.) From 2005-2019 (15 full years), the average murder rate with a firearm during that time was 9574.46666667 per year. (The highest was 11,014 in 2017 and the lowest was 8312 in 2014.) I'd like to point out that both the highest and lowest numbers are still lower than the highs and lows during the AWB. Not a single "fact" that has been put out in the 2 months or the last 20 years on gun control would have stopped the shootings on; 12 April 2022 a black man gets on a subway in New York and shoots 23 people. 14 May 2022 a white man enters a store in Buffalo New York and shoots 13 people. 16 May 2022 and Asian man enters a church in California and shoots 5 people. 24 May 2022 a Hispanic man enters a school in Texas and shoots 21 people. No new law would have stopped those criminals from doing their horrible acts, none. Anti-gun folks can dilute themselves into believing that more control will make people safe but the facts and the statistics show we are safer now than during the AWB. The difference is the media and corporations beating the propaganda drum loader 24/7 now. Here are some other statistical facts that don't get reported: From 1994-2004 the yearly average for knives/cutting instruments of all kinds used in murders was 2037.5454545455. From 2005-2019 the yearly average for knives/cutting instruments of all kinds used in murders was 1681.8.
From 1994-2004 the yearly average for blunt force impacts of all kinds used in murders was 739.818181818. From 2005-2019 the yearly average for blunt force impacts of all kinds used in murders was 518. From 1994-2004 the yearly average for hands, feet, fists used in murders was 962.636363636. From 2005-2019 the yearly average for hands, feet, fists used in murders was 748.4. From 1994-2004 the yearly average for strangulation in murders was 199.81818181818. From 2005-2019 the yearly average for strangulation in murders was 99.5333333333.
From 1994-2004 the yearly average for rifles (all kinds combined) used in murders was 508. From 2005-2019 the yearly average for rifles (all kinds combined) used in murders was 344.7333333333.
I'm using a 10 year average in one and a 15 year average in the other and one might think that makes the 2005-2019 number smaller but if statistically we are less safe outside of the AWB window the overall average should have been higher. The 10 year average from 2009-2019 are: Knives/cutting instruments.......................1615.636363636364 Blunt force objects......................................481.27272727273 hands, feet, fists..........................................703.27272727273 Strangulation...............................................92.2727272727 Rifles..............................................................314.09090909091 All firearms combined.................................9415.9090909091 Every single category is lower than the average of the same category during the AWB, so please tell me how we can be safer with another ban? The facts are violent crime has been on the drop since 1991, murder using a firearm, knife, hands and feet, and blunt objects is equally going down. 2020 and 2021 will be statistical messes becasue of CoVID and lockdowns but I do hope to get those numbers soon. Gun control is not about facts, it is not about proof points supported by quantifiable data. Gun control is about emotion, it is about fear, it is about controlling the masses to conform to the will of those who hold power. Saying firearms deaths are the leading cause of kids death but also counting 18 and 19 year olds in that data is fluffin' the numbers at best, at worst, it is data added to make a point that did not fit the narrative and had to be adjusted to be even more scary. Never mind that 30% of their numbers counts suicide as a gun related crime, or the fact that those statistics fail to show how many of those were killed in gang related crimes. If 30% of the youth deaths are self inflicted and more than half of all gun related deaths are self inflicted, we have a mental health crisis that everyone is glossing over to attack rifles becasue they look scary. I don't know a single law abiding firearm's owner that want to see kids shot dead. I also don't know a single one who has used their firearms to commit a crime. The facts are that for every individual that commits a crime using a firearm tens of millions of firearms owners did not commit a crime. I don't blame black folks becasue the NYC shooter was black, I blame the individual. I don't blame white folks becasue the Buffalo shooter was white, I blame the individual. I do not blame Asian folks becasue the California shooter was Asian, I blame the individual. I do not blame Hispanic folks becasue the Texas shooter was hispanic, I blame the individual. I say all this as someone who was forced by a criminal to defend myself, my family and my home with a firearm. I'm in that statistical group as well.
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