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dustandthought · 2 months ago

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Abigail from RDR2

She gives me such mixed feelings. Judgment. Respect. Hatred. Admiration.

Probably the most controversial and complex character for me.

Let’s start with the cons:

A terrible mother.

2. A completely unremarkable person.

1. ⚘️ Mother.🤱

Let’s start with this: when you bring a person into this world, give them life — you carry responsibility. (Many might judge me for criticizing a beloved character, but I speak as a mother .)

I won’t criticize Abigail for her early “job,” where she serviced men. That’s her business. But the fact that she willingly slept with anyone — knowing it could lead to pregnancy — and still got pregnant and gave birth… There’s no excuse for that. Not her age. Not life circumstances. It was completely her responsibility, her choice. (I’m not talking about John here — this post isn’t about him. But yes, I have no fewer complaints about him either — and no excuses.)

It’s terrifying to think that with the number of men she was with, literally anyone could’ve been the father.

And then, when she realizes she’s pregnant, she’s already in the gang, and she tells the potential father — and he refuses to take responsibility.

Okay. So what does Abigail do next? She stays in a gang full of criminals and killers with a child. She raises her son in that environment.

The first thing that surprised me when I played Chapter 1 and got to camp was: “What’s a kid doing here?” I thought maybe he was an orphan they took in or something like that. Because he stayed on the sidelines, didn’t hang around anyone, was always on his own through so many chapters…

And then I realized — this child has a mother. And a father. A father who doesn’t even acknowledge him.

And in my head, I immediately thought: What are you even doing here, woman???

Why would you drag a 4-year-old, dressed in rags and light clothing (while you’re dressed warmly), into the mountains, into snow and a blizzard, where all of you could’ve starved to death if not for Arthur and Charles?

Are you a wanted criminal? No. Do you need to hide? No. Is your child a wanted criminal? No!

Then why the hell are you dragging him into this?

Because of a man who’s ignored you and your child for four years? Because of some fake sense of family with people you used to partially service?

So what’s more important… Your own child, who didn’t ask to be born and was your decision? Or a group of murderers you hang around with, who put your child at risk?

HE DIDN’T ASK TO BE BORN!!! HE DIDN’T ASK TO BE PART OF THIS LIFE!!! HE DIDN’T ASK TO SEE DEATH, STARVATION, THREATS, CRIME, SHOOTOUTS, OR THE ITALIAN MOB!!! HE JUST WANTED TO BE A CHILD — WITH A MOM, A HOME, AND BOOKS!!! 🤬🤬🤬

GIVE HIM A LIFE, NOT JUST SURVIVAL!!!

I was furious at the moment when Abigail told Jack he was wearing rags — then asked Arthur for $5 to buy him clothes…

But then she talks with Grimshaw. Susan says they need money, hints that Abigail should go back to her old job.

And what does Abigail say?

“I don’t do that anymore.”

She refuses. Wants to be better.

Okay… WHAT??? 🤨

Woman, your personal values — that’s admirable. But you have little Jack. He’s hungry. He needs clothes. Not torn boots. BOOKS!

You used to sell yourself when you were hungry — But when your child says, “Mommy, I’m hungry,” you suddenly become moral and above all that?!

Any mother should be willing to do anything for her child — You should go above and beyond, but he shouldn’t have to cry from hunger!!!

And then this moment…

When Jack says he’ll grow up to be a gunslinger — and she tells him he’ll be a lawyer…

…Oh sure, growing up in a gang hideout, of course he’ll be a lawyer…

The only truly selfless, right decision she could’ve made then — Was to leave the gang. Cut ties. Escape. Try — at any cost — to give Jack a better life.

No matter what people say about how hard life was for women back then, about how “there were no jobs” — There WERE jobs. !!! Yes, they were few. Yes, hard. But they existed.

Take Tilly as an example — she got a job as a governess with rich people. You could work in the fields, on a farm, or even still be a prostitute, for all I care — But it would be safer than handing your child over to a mob boss like Angelo Bronte, And after getting him back — doing NOTHING. Not even saying, “That’s it! We’re done here!” No, you go on — keeping him in that nightmare.

2. ⚘️ Wife and Person. 🧘‍♀️

Let’s skip to the epilogue. Abigail, John, and Jack. No more gang. Years have passed.

If in the first half of this post I was completely judging her — Here I’m just… confused.

Why doesn’t she grow as a person? Why doesn’t she learn to read? Why doesn’t she learn to cook? Why is she still making Pearson’s stew eight years later, and still doing it badly?

She knew Pearson way less time than she’s been cooking his damn stew after the gang fell apart!

I never saw any ambition in her. No drive to grow in any area. To become better, to be a role model for her son… Even when she had the chance.

But now — the Pros. Admiration.

Yes, despite everything, Abigail has strong qualities, and I want to highlight them:

1. Even if it took eight years — she goes out and gets a job.

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And she works! It makes her happy, and it makes me, as a player, happy. Because I am proud of her choice. She starts small, but she earns an honest living, she tries to leave the past behind. She grew up. It’s like watching a messed-up kid finally decide to get their act together. And you think: “Now you’re doing it right. Now — good job.”

2. She chose her child over a man.

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That was the moment I truly respected her. She leaves. She doesn’t want Jack to see death. She doesn’t want that fate for him. Yes, it’s late, but she realized it. She left John, clearly stating what she wants. She didn’t choose herself, or John — she chose Jack. And finally — she acted like a mother.

3. The Ranch.

...........................................

She set a goal. She realized she deserved more than to be a whore or a camp maid. She wanted stability. And she was ready to fight for it. She’s strong. She can do it.

100% respect.

4. She loved John.

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Madly loved him. This woman was ready to do anything for him. And she did everything she could. Loyalty. Courage. Patience. And the ability to look past flaws for the sake of love. It’s crazy. It’s foolish. But in our cruel world — it’s also precious.

5. The dialogue before “American Venom.”

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I wanted to punch John. Seriously. When he ignored his woman, when she was begging him through tears, and he still walked away to do his thing.

Revenge? Settling scores? The past? I understand John — the need for justice, closure to old pain…

BUT I UNDERSTAND HER TOO.

Anyone who judges Abigail for “throwing a fit” in that moment — Are you serious?! That was a tiny meltdown!

WOMAN, YOU SHOULD’VE KICKED HIM IN THE BALLS.

What kind of man hears his wife cry and still walks off for revenge, risking EVERYTHING? EVERYTHING they built together. Risking making her a widow, and Jack — an orphan.

MIKA COULD’VE WON!!!

Conclusion.

If you compare Abigail Roberts and Abigail Marston — they are two completely different people.

Yes, at the start she fills me with rage and horror. But by the end — I see growth. I see a woman who — late, but still — tried to give Jack the best she could.

She’s not perfect. She’s — just like the rest of us.

And that’s exactly why her character is — beautiful.

I love her. 🩷🩷🩷

(This analysis is only about RDR2, without considering RDR1 events.)

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thexsilentxwordsmith · 3 months ago

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Simon "Ghost" Riley x Fem!Criminal!Reader (alias Siren)

Fandom: Call of Duty

Character(s): Simon Riley, Reader

Summary: You've just gotten your hands on some important documents and that means payday. At least it will if you don't get caught. Too bad you're about to have a reunion and it might just be with someone that knows you well. What happens when you see that old face again, especially now that you find yourselves alone again? What lines will be crossed?

Word Count: 3.7 k

Warnings:

You’ve been found, you just don’t know it yet. Fuck. All those careful steps, all that planning, it wasn’t enough to save you this time and now you’re caught unaware. That’s the risk with the type of job you do, though you shouldn’t have stayed another night in your hideout. Of course there was nothing you could do; you were supposed to meet a potential buyer for something you had recently procured in the morning. Now, that chance is long gone.

There’s a strange sound that whizzes past your head and suddenly there’s a knife lodged in the sheetrock of the wall right behind you. You hesitate as you realize what it is and what it means, unsure of which way to head now that you are certain there is someone in the dark of the room with you and that single moment of delay is your downfall. Before you can recover and take off, heavy steps close in and a large hand wraps around your bicep to keep you in place while another joins its twin on the opposite side of your body.

You’re pushed back fast and harshly pinned to that same wall, several inches from the knife buried in it. The rough, unfinished texture tears at the leather of your jacket as you try to break free from whoever it is that has you, but no matter how hard you struggle you can’t get away. You can taste copper on your tongue now, a fresh cut on your lip from where you have bit it as you are jerked around, though the damage is hidden as your mask still holds in place across the bottom half of your face.

Blindly you try to reach for the weapon embedded somewhere to your side, a last ditch effort to help you escape, but the movement doesn’t go unnoticed and it is immediately punished. This isn’t good.

“No ya fuckin’ don’t,” a gruff, male, thickly accented voice spits into your face as your wrists are quickly gathered in only one of those hands before your arms are wrenched above your head and secured to the wall as he retrieves his knife back.

Your breath catches in your throat at the sound of the man’s voice and as you settle from the skirmish you immediately lock eyes with a tall soldier, his face completely covered under his headset by a black balaclava with a hard skull mask sewn onto it so that only his dark eyes are visible through the tiny opening.

“I suggest ya stop fuckin’ movin’,” your captor says plainly and with authority, but you aren’t going to listen.

You twist your body trying to throw him off one last time. “Or what?”

Sharp, cold metal presses into your neck right against the vein that could easily end it all and you stop dead in your tracks. “I said stop movin’. Now.”

“Easy, soldier,” you say to smooth things over while you struggle to catch your breath. “You get a little too heavy with your touch there and you could make a mistake you’ll regret.”

“Worry ‘bout yourself, Siren,” he shoots back, speaking your alias like a curse that he can’t wait to get the taste of off his tongue. “Now, let’s make this quick, shall we? Ya know why I’m fuckin’ here.”

You shake your head, feigning dumb; you need to know how much information he actually has before saying anything. “Do I? Why don’t you enlighten me.”

He pauses, but then continues. Why not? He has the upper hand anyway and this isn’t anything you don’t already know. “Word came through that ya got your hands on some very important documents. Documents that if given to the wrong people could cause some problems. So why don’t we make this quick? I’ll only ask ya once, Siren: where are they?”

You shake your head with a slight shrug of your shoulders. “No clue.”

His strong grip on your wrists tightens. “Ya expect me ta believe that? Cut the shit or this is gonna get a lot worse for ya.”

You gasp, faking that the pain is a lot worse than it is. “C’mon now, you’re hurting me,” you say, your acting convincing to anyone, but him.

“Oh come off it,” he is quick to call out your bullshit, “we both know you can handle yourself better than that. Tell me what I wanna know. How tha fuck did ya get your hands on those documents?”

You chuckle at your failure. Oh well, it was worth a shot. “Well…you see…I had quite the substantial incentive to come up with a plan, but that wasn’t necessary. With the right assets, anything is possible, especially where men are involved.” You puff up your chest so it pushes against his. “What do you think about my assets, hmm? It’s been a while, but you can’t have forgotten them already.”

Your eyes lock to his, those dark eyes that you are no stranger to looking into. This isn’t the first time you two have had a run-in with one another and, if by some miracle you can get away, this won’t be the last. Even within the depths of his mask, with the low light of the room, you can still see a shimmer of something flash through them as you make that first contact.

“Shut up,” he demands harshly, diverting his gaze.

“Really? Is this how it’s gonna be now?” you ask coyly. “I thought we were building a connection, you know, after all the encounters we’ve had, Simon.”

The blade is pushed harder against your neck so that you have to swallow that last word. “Don’t ya fuckin’ say my name like that out ‘ere,” he threatens pointedly. “Or are ya tha one forgettin’ now? Don’t make me fuckin’ tell ya again.”

He’s trying to be the tough soldier you know him to be to secure the information he needs to take back with him, keeping up the tough facade with an iron will so he doesn’t lose his head because he’s put himself in a dangerous position. If he doesn’t watch himself it could be all over. He recovers quickly from your first bit of connection and everything continues on according to plan until your hip bumps up against his and this time he falters just for a second.

That second is all it takes for you to catch it. A smile spreads across your mouth that Simon can’t see beneath the fabric covering it. Good, you think to yourself as your heart skips a beat. So, he hasn’t forgotten me. Maybe you’re not out of luck just yet… There’s still one thing that can help you get away, all you have to do is get him to break the rest of the distance that’s still between you.

You just need to stall a little longer; he can never last in your presence. And yet…why isn’t your heart slowing?

“It’s nothing personal, you know,” you say as if trying to get back to the task at hand, “just business. You understand. Highest bidder gets the prize.”

The ghost-masked man huffs. “Why do ya always ‘ave to get yourself into fuckin’ trouble?”

“Why do you care?” you ask, his subtle change in tone throwing you off for a moment before you regain composure and try to play it off as a condescending bit of flirting. “Come to try and clean up my mess for me? Trying to save little ‘ol me?”

“Who said ya need savin’?” he scoffs.

Now that you’ve made the point, it’s got you thinking. No one else has come to join this reunion of yours. Did he really come here all by himself? Oh curiosity has you in its grip now. If your suspicion is true, he’s done for.

You tilt your head to the side. “Then why are you here and not one of your other pals, hmm? Matter of fact, where’s your team? Don’t you usually come with a few more friends anyway?” You drop your voice. “…or did you come alone on purpose?”

He doesn’t answer, just stares, and that in itself feels like an answer.

“Oh, that’s not smart. Remember, we can’t be left alone. Every time we do something…happens.”

“Nothin’s gonna happen,” he returns, each word being punctuated as if he is trying to convince himself rather than you.

You make a calculated risk knowing that one wrong move puts your life in danger, but still you stand up taller on the balls of your feet to lean your face closer into his. “You sure about that? Cause you don’t sound so confident.”

You lock your pretty eyes onto his once more, your one saving grace still available at this moment, and he is struggling to contain a shuddered breath under your silent gaze because this time he can’t look away. Adrenaline is high and his body is betraying him now that he has lingered near you too long.

Fucking hell, he thought he could control himself just long enough to get through this, but the more time this takes, the less confident he feels. Why can’t he ever seem to break this spell you have over him? He thought he was stronger than this, that the time he had purposefully avoided anything to do with you and your antics, taking different assignments while he hardened his will would make him more capable at handling this, but now that he’s here with you again it’s like all that meant nothing.

Your faces are nearly together, so close you have to wonder if he can feel the heat from your breath as you speak. “How many times are we gonna keep doing this song and dance, Simon?” you ask in a whisper, eyes drawn to where his mouth is right in front of you. This time he doesn’t reprimand you for the use of his name, but you don’t even notice. “Cause you know how this is going to end, right? It’s the same every time. We’ll fight this for as long as possible, but why when we both want it?”

The masked lieutenant doesn’t answer, he can’t. It’s obvious that no matter how much time you are apart or at what odds you both find yourselves at now, he can’t quit you and you won’t let him go. Something draws you two together, some invisible thread that keeps you tethered. It’s toxic and eruptive and maybe there’s something more lying beneath the surface, but you both can’t deny that whatever this is, it’s electrifying and you can’t help the way it makes you come alive.

“Don’t you want me…it? Don’t you want it?” you ask, biting your tongue at your blunder; why would you say it like that? “You remember how good it feels, how hard I can make you cum. It’s been a while since we’ve fucked, don’t you miss it?”

This is just to get away, you keep repeating in your head as if it’s going to drown out the other thought lingering at the back of your mind now that your body is against his. Just so I can escape, you swallow down the words like they’ll somehow slow the rapid pounding of your heart as your body burns to feel his again. It’s nothing more than survival, you add, but this isn’t like the other times.

If this is only survival, why is every fiber of your being screaming for him to break this distance? Why can’t you think of anything else?

You hadn’t expected him, that has to be it. It took you by surprise to see him standing there before you after all this time. Your last encounter was intense and maybe a bit of that is resurfacing now. Something about it was different even from the beginning; your soldier wasn’t as rough and you almost lost yourself in the haze of it all. Afterward you both lingered for far longer than you should have, his touch still feeling like heaven against your curves even after you came back down from the high.

In those moments after, even though he was no longer your lover, just simply the soldier that stood between you and your paycheck, you didn’t pull away so easily. You had trained yourself to suppress all that, but in that moment you were floundering. All this time apart should have fixed it, right?

…right?

Every capillary across Simon’s heated skin is screaming for more stimulation: from the tips of his fingers desperately gripped into your wrists to the skin on his chest under his clothes tingling from the heat of your bodies being nearly pressed together. He knows he should end this now, radio for backup and let the others take over, yet the longer he stares he knows he’s caught like prey in your trap and though he’s fully aware, he can’t stop. You are like air and he is suffocating.

He’s fought this as long as he could, but finally the dam breaks along with his composure and all that desperation comes flooding out all at once.

“God dammit. Why do ya always ‘ave ta do this ta me?”

His face moves in quick and snares your mouth through the fabric covering both of your lips and you feel like you are primed to explode from the euphoria of all the tension breaking. The passion is so intense that you can taste it through the barrier and it takes your breath away. Pressure from the blade on your throat lessens as he immediately pushes one of his thick thighs up against your own till he’s parted through them and is pressed against your pussy through your clothes and immediately you start to grind on it.

He desperately needs to get his hands on those documents in your possession, but they are completely an afterthought as he needs something else more now, something he’s needed since the last time you two found yourselves brought together by circumstance. And if he’s honest with himself, this was the real reason he took this mission in the first place.

The knife is off your skin and slicing up the side of your thin mask, rendering it useless as it slips from your face and falls towards the ground. Simon releases your wrists from his tight grasp and draws you back into him by a strong hand around your throat. You rip his own mask up just enough to reveal his mouth so that you both can collide once again into a suffocating kiss so rough you know the metallic taste from the cut on your lip is dancing on his tongue now too.

Fuck, his mouth feels so familiar it hurts your heart to experience it again and before you can stop yourself you are sinking further into him, getting lost in the feel, the taste, the potency. By the way he kisses you back, as if he’s trying to devour you, you know that he is doing the same.

And fuck do you both need more.

Your hand finds its way through the layers to get inside his clothes, your delicate palm gliding over heated skin to get a feel of remembered flesh that you don’t realize till you touch it how much you’ve yearned to feel it again. Your fingertips travel over his muscles and through the hair covering them until they brush over the outline of an old scar, a mark you gave him now healed over, but as Simon shudders under your touch and moans into you, you realize that maybe it wasn’t just your knife that got under his skin that day all that time ago.

“Take off your fuckin’ pants,” he groans his demand against your mouth.

You nip at his bottom lip and he inhales sharply. “Take them off yourself,” you challenge.

Simon releases your throat and it’s at that moment you have your chance, you could very easily break free from him and run, but you don’t even try. You can’t. As those strong, rough hands harshly pry off your pants and his touch burns across your flesh you feel marked. Your skin is hot under the brush of his hand and instead of shoving him away you lean your hips into his greedy movements until he finally rips the clasp open and shoves the clothing down off your legs.

There isn’t time to remove anything else as your pulses race in sync, yours matching the throbbing growing between your thighs, his complimenting the stiff peak tenting the crotch of his pants that jabs into your leg. Quickly you search by touch alone to undo his belt, the clasp, & rip down the zipper just to push his clothing down enough to pull out his cock.

You need him inside you. Now.

No words need be said, not that any could with his mouth clasped tight to yours, Simon still knows what to do. Wrapping his strong hands around your waist he lifts you up and you encircle his hips with your legs, squeezing him between your thighs to keep you secure to him as he braces you against the wall.

Your back hits the surface with a harsh thud that makes you gasp and you throw your arms around his neck to hold on as the tip of his thick cock presses up against your pussy through your panties. Shit. In the rush you both forgot the last shred of fabric keeping you apart, but it only poses a minor setback as with a grunt Simon sharply hooks his fingers into the crotch and wrenches it to the side out of his way, aligns himself, and with a swift, hard thrust is inside you.

You cry out as your fingernails dig into his shoulders as he keeps going till he is sunk in down to the base of his shaft, that familiar stretch divine after so fucking long, but the sound gets caught in his mouth and he is forced to swallow it down. This is it, this was what had been missing from your life, the thing that left you feeling empty that you just couldn’t seem to fill no matter what you did. Not, not just the sex, it’s him. It is Simon.

Simon struggles to keep himself steady as the walls of your pussy flutter around him; it’s been far too long since he’s had you and all that pent up desire is ready to explode at any second if he isn’t careful. Taking a moment to calm, he is able to recover and once he starts thrusting there is no holding back and with each pass the slick grows until he’s struggling to find his rhythm with how wet and tight you are.

He pushes himself in as far as he can, as if he cannot get deep enough, like he cannot fill your cunt full enough. Each thrust harder than the last slams into you faster & faster until there is only a haze left in your mind, until you are consumed by him and every sensation assaulting your senses: his mouth on yours, his fingertips piercing your hips, the wall roughing up your back, his cock filling you. You know your desperate plan has backfired as you moan onto his lip and the slick from your cunt starts to cling to your thighs, yet you don’t care. You need to cum.

Your mouth is burning and swollen from the friction, yet you press in harder as you match his thrusts with your own the closer you get until you feel his hand slip down between your bodies to find your clit so that he can stroke it.

“Youre gonna fuckin’ cum for me,” he growls the words onto your lips as he presses the pad of his finger up against your clit. “C’mon sweetheart, need ta feel how your body still remembers me.”

Your release is gaining on you fast now, your body readying itself to shoot that electricity through your limbs. The pressure is overwhelming, hot and ready to blow, and with his thrusts working inside that is finally enough to make you spill. Your orgasm rockets through you with such force you nearly black out, causing you to clamp down on his cock as your entire body convulses.

The sensation from your core is enough to cause that deep ache in him to finally find its remedy and in a roar he lets go, filling you with every ounce of cum he has to give until he too is shuddering from the strength of his release.

Seconds, minutes, timeless? You aren’t sure how long you stay like that, connected and breathing as one being. All you can do is enjoy the sensation of him still pulsing inside you as you both come back down from the high. And yet now that the haze of lust has settled another thought is creeping in: you’re already wondering when he’s going to ask that question, the same one he asks you each time this happens.

Not the one that comes out, the one that is really asked in between the spaces in the words.

One last kiss amongst his heavy breathing and there it is, the question rests against your lips as his forehead rests against yours. “Are ya really gonna make me ask ya again?” he questions quietly with eyes still closed. “Cause we could use someone with your skillset. And I could keep…”

The words are plain, but there’s an almost imperceptible hint of hope in his gritty voice, something that anyone else would miss, but you aren’t just anyone. He lets the sentence die out like he always does because he can’t admit even to himself that his reasons are selfish. If you were near him, you’d be safer.

Usually your answer comes quickly, a simple no and things go back to how they always are…but this time you can’t quite seem to get it out. You pause, unsure if it’s your orgasm-fried brain or something else that’s making you falter, counting the beats of his heart through the pulsing of his cock still inside you as a way to keep the time.

He doesn’t say anything more, just waits, but as the seconds pass you still haven’t rejected his proposition like normal. He pulls back to look into your eyes, catching that glint of something curious shimmering in the depths. Finally, you take a breath, clear your throat, and as he watches you open your mouth to speak the air around your entwined bodies seems to shift.

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please-read-the-manga · 6 months ago

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Head's up: this post is me looking way too deeply into this random card game they introduced in Boruto (it's been forever since I've caught up with it and I'm starting from the beginning, RIP my sanity) and in general there's a bit of serious and a lot of silly going on in the analysis here... I find this concept so strange lmao so this is a little forewarning that's all.

Sorry, just been busy thinking about how dystopian it is that by the Boruto timeline there is a popular ninja trading card game all the kids are obsessed with that treats shinobi (many of whom were abused, traumatized child soldiers who have experienced incomprehensible trauma) as fun little collectibles.

For our world that's one thing (referring to the merchandizing we see of the manga/show itself); Naruto is obviously a story, it's a highly marketable IP, etc... but the implications of this being acceptable and even celebrated in their world is just so wild to me.

Also, it raises so many questions.

Do ninja get paid for the use of their likeness? How are they compensated?

Like did Hinata pose for this 'unique' card that obviously falls outside of the norm for collectability purposes? Or are the likenesses/names of the shinobi in the 'Extreme Ninja Scrolls' (ENS) TCG being used without permission? Who profits from this? The Daimyo? Jiraiya and Minato are also shown having cards... so who approved those since they're both deceased? Is there a Namikaze estate (for example) that had to legally allow Minato's image to be profited off of?

They even have cards of the OGs as 12-year-old genin. So is the Konoha government approving these since everyone pictured here was as an employee of the state and these appear to be regulation photos?

And you know what? We KNOW they didn't have this shit in the OG era because, back in the day, the whole team was impressed as hell at Kabuto's legendary ninja info cards! Who could forget these bad boys?

youtube

Now I guess we have to ask, though, is this not a massive security risk?

To have your nation's shinobi and their backgrounds, techniques, etc. shared so freely on cards you can pick up at any ninja 7/Eleven?

Anyone can purchase one of these card packs. We know it's not exclusive to Konoha too - while most of the cards have the Leaf Village symbol stamped in the corner, Orochimaru's represents the Sound Village.

Actually, hol' up. Orochimaru's inclusion is WILD.

"The legendary three ninja" (ie. a nod to him being one of the Legendary Sannin), but this man killed hundreds of thousands (we don't even know the totals) in untold unethical science experiments. He enslaved and tortured children, ruined countless lives and imprisoned them in hideouts that seemingly existed everywhere, and he packed up the Third Hokage (ngl that was a hero move).

And you're going to tell me that guy gets his own 'super rare' trading card? There are survivors of Orochimaru's cruelty still walking around in this timeline and they have to look at his face plastered and advertised everywhere as a rare card pull in a children's game?

So, if we can safely assume that (with Orochimaru's inclusion) internationally wanted criminals are not off the table for this game, does that mean the Akatsuki have their own cards as well? Like little kids are really out there trying to see which terrorist they can add to their collection? By Boruto-era, the truth of the Uchiha Clan Massacre is still swept under the rug by state leaders like Kakashi and Naruto (+the Elders), so Itachi's card could be in circulation under his Akatsuki identity. How does this shift/color the views of generations of children who come across all these cards potentially bearing the 'Uchiha' last name, especially since they're only ever taught a white-washed, sanitized, state-approved history?

This is pure speculation, but I wonder who gets left out of this game too. Is there an Obito card? A Madara one? They were the enemy faces of the 'last' great war, but one was also a founder of the Leaf Village (and it's implied all the Hokage all have cards - so historical figures are fair game), the other was a student of Minato's (which could, theoretically be included on the background summary of the card, we don't really know what's included there).

The kids in Boruto joke about Shino's card being viewed as a 'trash' pull (and tbf to the manga I did laugh when I saw the comic they made of that concept)... but really, how disrespectful is that? Imagine devoting your life to practicing shinobi techniques so you can serve/protect the state (as many of them tell themselves) only for little kids to joke about how undervalued and lame your card is? Imagine seeing the card of a beloved comrade you lost in a desperate battle, now being sold for pennies online as 'useless' since no one cares or remembers their name like you do.

Also, Sasuke apparently has a card and I can't for the life of me see him granting approval for his likeness to be used so callously, which lends further credence to my idea that these are either utilized by the state without the permission of their soldiers to add more prestige to the shinobi lifestyle (and potentially net more revenue for the state from children who will grow up to revere these figures/hope to cultivate new ones that will aid their financial interests/goals) or serve as a complete corporate cash-grab designed by some trashy company not even involved in the real business of shinobi but smelling a profit-to-be-made.

Yeah, idk, I really, really dislike Boruto as a concept and story... but I cannot deny it is giving me so much to think about lol.

How would it feel to suffer both physically and emotionally your entire life as you serve as a weapon of the state, just for kids to now argue over your card's value (or lack thereof)? How would it feel to see a shinobi who slew your partner or child in battle during one of the ninja wars (Minato, Jiraiya, Kakashi - they've all got blood from different villages on their hands) now lauded as these ultimate, pure heroes that kids everywhere can and should idolize?

Imagine Madara being handed a holographic card of Izuna and learning that it is valued low for whatever arbitrary reason? Or Kurenai seeing kids trade Asuma's card away for a better one? Does the game gloss over figures like Fugaku, a victim of state-sanctioned genocide, or Rin, a child soldier who died a child? Like these are real people (in-universe), with real and painful stories.

Side note: That's why I think the Zabuza arc is so critical to Naruto because it disrupts the initial 'fun' of this world (one that from the outside boasts cool magic powers and talking animals) and reminds the reader that these are children who are taught and expected to kill or be killed.

The shinobi included in this game have been indoctrinated to build their prestige off of being 'good' little contract killers, violent war-machines, and empty vessels that can line the pockets of feudal investors... and now they're being commodified again and sold to children as aspirational figures.

Something, something... late-stage capitalism Konoha and the further commodification of child soldiers/truly using and viewing shinobi as monetized tools in not just the previously understood sense of arbiters of state violence, but as literal objects of entertainment for children in a way that promotes the status quo of glorifying war-mongering and violent espionage all to support the business interests of corrupt feudal lords?

I have nothing to add here, this panel was just from the same chapters and the absurdity of it made me laugh so I wanted to include it lol. WTF is this?

#I listened to the ninja info cards remix on repeat the entire time i wrote this so i think it may get more unhinged as the post goes on?#anti konoha #anti shinobi system #anti boruto #naruto #not serious #but lowkey serious at parts lol #i'll come back later to fix the typos my b #if i'm missing a tag please ping #Youtube

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thegildedbee · 4 months ago

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:: February 20 :: Selection for Week 8 of 2025 :: 🐝 "the adventure of black peter" (1904) from sherlock holmes: a year of quotes* 🖊️

Holmes was working somewhere under one of the numerous disguises and names with which he concealed his own formidable identity. He had at least five small refuges in different parts of London, in which he was able to change his personality.

O, the legendary disguises of the world's only consulting detective!!! As points of departure, they offer so much to tease out regarding cases of identity and personality! Especially because -- at least so I've heard -- no matter how hard you try, disguises are always self-portraits :-)

Although . . . I'm setting aside the disguises for now, because what I'm most curious about from the quote are the circumstances surrounding the "five small refuges": the existence of multiple pied-a-terre (feet on the ground) that Holmes has concocted throughout the city. It's not a common detective hack historically; the only one that pops into my head straight-away is the thrilling shared storage unit hideout of Benjamin Ferel's that we see in Series 2 of Lupin :-) I love the creative potential of the refuges for Holmes's sleuthing and for story-making about the crafty detective. [I think referring to these sites as "bolt-holes" is from BBC Sherlock, but I'm not well-versed enough in the original ACD lingo to know for sure.] (To digress slightly, the first quotation in the OED under "bolting-hole" is from 1851's Dialect & Folk-lore of Northamptonshire:

Bolt-hole, the hole from which the rabbit makes its escape; or, in the phraseology of the craft, ‘bolts’.

Which then makes the 19thc/21stc mash-up for the term in Sherlock a "bolting-into (?) :-)

221B may be home base for where Holmes' private life and consulting life intersect, but the criminals he pursues are spread throughout the city -- and, thus, with his refuges, so is Holmes, which I find an interesting dimension of all of this. With his contingency planning, the existence of the refuges also speaks to Holmes's being several steps ahead of his potential adversaries, an articulation of his investigative methods.

These private spots likely serve not only as dressing-rooms for disguised performances, but also as listening posts for intelligence gathering, giving a sense of Holmes as a rather dashing spy figure. They also are emblematic of Holmes's idiosyncratic Victorian presence, one that can easily cross boundaries, such as class. I think I like best picturing the refuges as places where Holmes places pieces on London's chess-board, or as extensions of the spaces in his mind palace :-) If I may be so bold, below, I've invented five secret Victorian/Edwardian hiding places for Holmes :-)

:: What better place to have a secret refuge than a grand hotel, especially one with a perpetually renewing international clientele, such as the Langham? After all, Holmes surely needed disguises that allowed him to mingle amongst the great and the good without recognition, so it could serve as an apt locale for stashing appropriate supplies. Perhaps he managed to clear up a sensitive criminal matter involving one of the guests, and subsequently the general manager (interestingly he was an American, and a former Union Army officer!), who then secured for him the use of an inconspicuous storage room in the basement for which only Holmes possessed the key. And if spending the night as a guest under an assumed name now and again was the occasional treat for closing a case, well why not? Of course, the Langham has some impressive Sherlockian bona fides. Arthur Conan Doyle often stayed there, and it's referenced in several stories (The Sign of the Four, A Scandal in Bohemia and The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax). Most importantly, it was where Doyle was invited for dinner in 1889 by J.M. Stoddart, the American publisher of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine (Oscar Wilde was also invited, and persuaded by Stoddart to write what would become The Picture of Dorian Gray). Stoddart made it worth ACD's while to write a second Holmes novel. A second outing for Holmes wasn't necessarily in the cards -- A Study in Scarlet hadn't made much of an impression, and, in any case, Doyle placed much more stock in the historical fiction he wanted to write: the second Holmes novel that appeared through the intervention of the American publisher in 1890 was The Sign of the Four; the medieval epic that Doyle rated much more highly, The White Company, in 1891. (Once ACD began publishing the Holmes adventures as stand-alone stories, rather than in the form they came in as novels for the first two times -- the sky was then the limit for Holmes and Watson, much to Doyle's ambivalence).

:: Holmes would also need a bolt-hole in a working-class area, and perhaps a public house similar to the one pictured above might have had a friendly proprietor who would have allowed him a space in the store-room amidst the barrels of ale to stash some supplies and to bunk in a corner; or perhaps he was able to secure a room in a near-by run-down location. An example given in an article on dancing in Victorian London reports: "The Morning Post describes a blind fiddler working the taproom at the Salmon and Compasses in Brooke’s Market, Holborn, a miserably poor district. Money is collected, tables dragged to one side. Then, to quote a customer, ‘when the fiddler is paid he strikes up and we jump up and dances’." Can't you just picture Holmes in disguise as a blind fiddler in this scenario, having a grand time amidst the dancing pub-goers?

:: Another possible site for a good hideaway would be the Covent Garden area, bursting as it was with activity of all kinds, and attracting people from across different walks of life -- with the market trade (manual workers, porters, and vendors) and the wealthy taking their leisure at places such as the Royal Opera House, as well as there being a variety of shops and businesses in the neighborhood.

Tucked away off of Covent Garden is Cecil Court, populated by all kinds of commercial ventures that also had flats above the shops. Bookshops were popular, which would be properly Doylean (William and Gilbert Foyles opened their first West End bookstore in Cecil Court in 1904; it joined there the oldest esoteric bookshop in London “devoted to theosophy, philosophy, spiritualism and kindred subjects” -- making Cecil Court especially Doylean! Odds on that ACD made a purchase or two there:-) Or perhaps Holmes was befriended by one of the quirky second-hand booksellers in residence, all the better for discreet hiding away.

I'd also nominate Cecil Court for its connection to science, as indicated by the picture above from 1895 of one of the inhabitants: "A Practical Demonstration of the Latest Improvements in Photography. An Evening at the Camera Club." I think Holmes would enjoy the occasional night out at a scientific society that was also a club, especially one where he could chat about chemistry and new technologies (fodder, perhaps, for one of his noteworthy monographs?) The individual seen presenting the lecture is the President, William Abney, a distinguished photographic scientist (for example, in 1880 he discovered that hydroquinone reduces exposed silver halide crystals on photographic film into visible black silver.)

[I also couldn't resist Cecil Court because it was the first London address for Wolfgang Mozart and his family, when they came in 1764 for he and his sister to play for King George III and Queen Charlotte!]

:: If I'm going to be imagining goings-on in Victorian London, then Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins' dinosaur sculptures are always going to figure in there somehow! (These were the first full-scale reproductions anywhere of the fragmentary remains of species discovered to that date.) So, hear me out: one of Holmes's hiding places is inside the belly of the largest Iguanodon! (Perhaps there are openings on the inside of one of the legs that allow one to climb up to where there's a trap door that can be pulled open :-) This is an idea inspired by the famous event in the top image, when a celebratory dinner was hosted at the completion of the models, with the guests set up to dine inside the beast on New Year's Eve in 1853. The sculptures were placed across a lake at the Crystal Palace Park, which is the site where the 1851 Great Exhibition moved to, after it closed; the dinosaurs appeared when it opened in 1854. I can even rustle up an ACD connection to partly justify my self-indulgence: the park is in south London, in Sydenham -- and when ACD moved to London in the 1890s he lived in South Norwood, which would have been about 3/4 of an hour's walk between the two locations. I like to think he went to visit!

:: My fifth candidate for a secret refuge is one that I recalled from a recent event from 2020: the discovery of a closed-up passage in the House of Commons (there was an itty-bitty keyhole in one of the wooden panels in a hallway that had gone unnoticed until just recently. When a key was fashioned and turned in the lock, a door opened and the hidden corridor appeared!) Inside are hinges for a door that would have been 11-feet high, opening into Westminster Hall -- the set-up looks to have been designed as a passage to usher in the invitees for the coronation banquet of Charles II (and dating revealed that the ceiling timbers in the passage were harvested in 1659); the passage was also used for visitors going to and fro until it was blocked up in the 19th century (and then promptly forgotten!).

So, in my mind's eye, I have an image of Holmes discovering the existence of the hidden passage in a study of old architectural documents of Parliament, and finding a snug little spot for himself in an alcove, concealed, right under the nose of Mycroft and the government without their knowledge :-)

*Levi Stahl and Stacey Shintani, eds., U of Chicago Pr, 2019

& bespoke notifications as requested :-) [thanks for reading!]: @totallysilvergirl and @winterdaphne2 and @keirgreeneyes and @calaisreno

#re-considering BBC Sherlock by dipping into ACD canon #quotations #reading between the lines #john watson #sherlock holmes #sherlock fic #weekly sherlockian epigraphs 2025 #by me :-)#thegildedbee #february

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scary-grace · 10 months ago

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Enough to Go by (Chapter 14) - a Shigaraki x f!Reader fic

Your best friend vanished on the same night his family was murdered, and even though the world forgot about him, you never did. When a chance encounter brings you back into contact with Shimura Tenko, you'll do anything to make sure you don't lose him again. Keep his secrets? Sure. Aid the League of Villains? Of course. Sacrifice everything? You would - but as the battle between the League of Villains and hero society unfolds, it becomes clear that everything is far more than you or anyone else imagined it would be. (cross-posted to Ao3)

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Chapter 14

When you agreed to be Tenko’s sidekick, playing for keeps this time, you made a promise to yourself that you wouldn’t involve anyone else. You broke that promise almost immediately, but Kazuo made you break it, so you decided it doesn’t count. Your friends who were killed in the Kamino incident weren’t dragged into it by you specifically, but you’re still part of the reason they died, so you have to count them, too. Mitsuru’s stayed out of it by having a girlfriend and being too busy to notice whatever the hell you’re up to, and Yoshimi’s got enough to worry about with her illness. You never wanted your friends to get caught up in this. You thought you’d hidden it well enough to keep Mitsuko and Ryuhei safe, too.

Except now Ryuhei and Mitsuko have met Tenko, and they’ve become the League’s first ever sleeper agents. Every time the two of them show up at your apartment, for any reason, League-related or otherwise, you can’t help feeling like you’ve failed them. You feel like you’ve failed Tenko, too.

Tenko’s not here today. He’s been spending at least some time at the new hideout Overhaul provided in order to keep up appearances, and with Kurogiri on another mission, it’s harder to move people back and forth safely. Toga and Twice are embedded with the yakuza full-time, which means you haven’t heard from them other than a request from Toga to go thrifting and find her a new coat. It’s cold in the Hassaikai base. Compress is usually at the new hideout, too – now that he’s got his prosthetic, your services are no longer needed. The people who spend the most time at your apartment now are Dabi and Spinner. And your friends from before.

Dabi and Spinner aren’t here today, but your friends are supposed to be here at any moment, and as soon as the thought crosses your mind, you hear the secret knock on the door – followed by an order to “let us in, you criminal”, which sort of defeats the purpose of a secret knock. You unlock the door and open it. They both push past you eagerly, only to pause, disappointed, when they realize your apartment is empty. “Come on,” Ryuhei complains. “I wanted to meet the rest of them.”

“Not even your weird boyfriend’s here? Lame,” Mitsuko agrees. “I wanted to give him this.”

She’s holding your high school yearbook. “Why?”

“So he can see all the bad haircuts he missed out on. This –” Mitsuko gestures at you “ – is the result of five years of my influence on your fashion sense. He owes me.”

“Yeah. I’ll be sure to let him know.” You’ll show Tenko the yearbook when hell freezes over. You shut the door. “Do you guys have questions about any of the stuff we talked about last time?”

“No. I don’t care that I’m not fighting,” Mitsuko says. “My quirk sucks for it.”

“Not if you fine-tuned it enough. If you could sense people’s intentions towards you really closely, you’d be able to tell their moves ahead of time,” Ryuhei says. “My quirk could be good for fighting, though. Is he sure he doesn’t want me fighting?”

“Yes,” you say. Tenko was impressed by Ryuhei’s quirk, but if Ryuhei gets captured, he’ll be a potential link to you, and Tenko’s still trying to keep you out of any suspicion. “For right now, anyway.”

“Fine,” Ryuhei says. He sits down on your couch with a thud, and Mitsuko grabs the armchair. You take the other end of the couch. “We got some stuff going. Inada’s been looking into the Hassaikai a little more –”

“We’ll get to that,” Mitsuko says. “Tell her our real idea.”

“Supply caches,” Ryuhei says. You blink. “Storage units aren’t that expensive. We could rent a bunch of different ones all around the country and fill them with stuff you guys need – like medical shit, food, supplies –”

“New information, if we’ve got any,” Mitsuko adds. “Phones aren’t safe. If they’re tracking where your signal is coming from, they’ll find it bouncing all over the place, and that’ll be suspicious from somebody who’s supposed to be in Yokohama.”

“Why wouldn’t I be in Yokohama?” you ask. Then it clicks. “Wait, you think I’m going to be with them?”

“Uh, yes.” Mitsuko and Ryuhei trade a glance. “At some point you have to, right? If you’re their medic, they need you to be with them wherever they are.”

“Kurogiri just comes to get me.”

“What if they need you and he’s not with them?” Ryuhei is giving you a weird look. “What happened with the one guy’s arm – it could have been bad if you weren’t there, right?”

It would have been. Nobody else in the League carries medical supplies, and without you to smooth the way at your clinic, Compress could have easily been reported to the police and arrested. “And it would make more sense for you to be with them,” Mitsuko continues. “Your boyfriend’s a lot more hinged when you’re around. If that’s what hinged looks like for him, I don’t even want to think about what he’s like on his own.”

Tenko’s more grounded when you’re around, or so you’ve heard from Spinner. He and Dabi don’t argue as much, and he’s apparently a lot less apathetic about things. But you’re still taken aback by what your friends are saying. The role they’re envisioning for themselves when it comes to helping the League is the role you’re playing right now, because they don’t expect you to play it for much longer. You hadn’t even thought of that. Are they right?

You’re not going to think about that right now. “I think supply caches are a great idea,” you say. “How many were you thinking?”

“That depends. How much money are we working with?”

Money’s not the only thing it depends on. It also depends on where the League is likely to be, and how easily they’ll be able to travel, and whether they’re more likely to be spotted in big cities with tons of surveillance or small towns where everyone knows everyone, and a whole lot of other questions. Mitsuko points out another benefit of you traveling with the League full-time; the cops still don’t know your face, which means you can move around freely even when the rest of the League can’t. The longer the three of you talk about it, the more it makes sense. You’re starting to wonder why Tenko hasn’t brought you with the League full-time already.

You’re in the middle of looking up storage units when the doorbell rings. The sound scares the hell out of you, like most unexpected sounds do these days, and you rocket to your feet. “Where are you going?” Ryuhei asks. “It’s probably just a delivery. Did you order something?”

You shake your head. “The others might have. They’ve done stuff like that before.”

Ryuhei accepts the explanation, but Mitsuko doesn’t. She follows you to the door. “I’m getting a weird feeling.”

“Like a feeling that the delivery guy is going to kill me?” you ask. Mitsuko shakes her head. “Then it’s fine. It’s easier if I just grab it now.”

You unlock the door and find yourself looking at a man holding a manila envelope. You can see your name written on it, along with your address, in neat but spidery handwriting. You hold out your hand for it. “Do I need to sign for this or something?”

“Nope. Just confirm your name and address.” The delivery guy holds the envelope just out of reach until you confirm both pieces of information. “Perfect. Here –”

He places the envelope in your hand, but once you’ve got it, his other hand comes up, and both enfold yours. The delivery guy is holding your hand, and in the split second before your mind registers just how weird this is, you find yourself feeling sick. Really sick. Dizzy. Nauseous. Another split second later, just as you’re thinking you should pull away, pain knifes through your skull. It’s not just weird. It’s a quirk.

A status effect quirk? You try to pull your hand away, but your arms feel like lead. Your voice comes out strange and slurred. “What –”

“Overhaul requires your presence,” the man says, and your stomach twists. “Come with me.”

“Fuck you.” A pair of arms wrap around your waist and yank you backwards into your apartment. Mitsuko pulls you away from the door and keeps pulling, even when your legs give out and she has to drag you. “Sasegawa, get your shit together!”

The man steps across the threshold into your apartment, dropping the envelope on the floor. “Thought you’d be alone in here. This is going to get messy.”

He reaches for you, but before he can make contact, Ryuhei hops the couch and gets between the two of you. The would-be kidnapper’s hand collides with Ryuhei’s face instead, and Ryuhei’s quirk activates. You’ve seen Ryuhei’s quirk at work before, but it always amazes you just how fast the rebound happens. The kidnapper’s got next to no resistance to his own quirk. Most people don’t. He throws up all over himself and the floor. He’s throwing up blood.

“Okay, what the fuck?” Ryuhei snaps. “What kind of quirk was that? Who is this guy?”

“Hassaikai,” you and Mitsuko both say at once. Mitsuko keeps talking. You’re too busy trying not to retch. “See how his eyes glow green? His quirk’s called Irradiate. It can paralyze people if he wants it to. Or it can kill.”

“So how the fuck did you miss it? You’re supposed to read intentions!”

“His intention was to kidnap her, not to hurt her or kill her! Hurting her is just a byproduct! My quirk doesn’t do what you think it does!” Mitsuko sounds as pissed as you’ve ever heard her. She shakes you. “If you’d just listened to me –”

“We have to do something about him.” You cut her off and gesture at the delivery guy, who’s now having a seizure just inside your doorway. “Emergency services. I have to call them.”

“You want to get him medical help? He just tried to kidnap you!”

“I need him to leave. And I don’t need the cops here.” You know the Hassaikai are under investigation. You’ve already come into contact with them once that the heroes know about. If you’re documented making contact with them again – “This guy is just a delivery guy. We don’t know what happened. When I opened the door and took the package, he started convulsing. That’s it.”

“And what about you? You look like hell,” Ryuhei shoots back. “You’re a nurse. Isn’t helping with shit like this your job?”

Shit. It is your job. If the cops come here, they’re going to ask why you’re not tending to the guy who tried to kidnap you. “One of you needs to call,” you say. You pull away from Mitsuko, fighting the urge to throw up, and head to the delivery guy, tilting him onto his side so he won’t aspirate if he starts vomiting again. “Now.”

While Mitsuko places the call, you try to remember what you know about radiation sickness. Not a lot. You seem to remember that the symptoms correspond to the dose, and that instant vomiting isn’t a good sign. Vomiting blood is never a good sign. But you got nauseous right away, even though you didn’t throw up. If this guy actually irradiated you, you’re in trouble, too. Did Mitsuko say his quirk was radiation, or just that it mimics the effects? You need to ask her, but she’s still on the phone, acting really panicked and hysterical to ensure that the EMTs get here fast. You’ll ask once she hangs up. In the meantime, you’ve got one hell of a headache and a guy having a seizure on your floor. You’re busy.

The EMTs don’t question your story when they arrive. They get the gang member off your floor and onto a stretcher, give you a bodily fluids cleanup kit to deal with the vomit, and book it. Ryuhei’s too squeamish to help you clean, but Mitsuko isn’t. The two of you work on taking the stain out of the carpet while Ryuhei opens the envelope the Hassaikai member brought with him. “I should be the one to open it,” he says when you protest. “If there’s a quirk in here it’ll bounce off of me.”

“Why would there be a quirk in an envelope?”

“Why would the Hassaikai send a delivery guy to kidnap you? These people are insane.” Ryuhei rips open the envelope. “No quirk. Just a letter. It’s – well, fuck. This is bad.”

“Don’t just say ‘this is bad’. Read it,” you say. It’s quiet for a few seconds. “Well?”

“It’s not addressed to you. It’s for Shigaraki,” Ryuhei says. Your stomach lurches. “I guess the guy was supposed to leave it here for Shigaraki to find after he kidnapped you. Overhaul’s saying he doesn’t trust Shigaraki to behave himself just for Toga’s and Twice’s sake – wait, are they hostages? – so he’s going to hang onto you, too. And – fuck, this guy is a freak.”

“Wait, let me see.” Mitsuko strips off her gloves and goes to investigate. You come over, too, but she shoos you back. A moment later, she swears. “We can’t let him see this.”

“See what?” You’re not done with the bodily fluids cleanup, but you peel off your gloves and step around Mitsuko. “He was going to kidnap me. I should get to –”

“You don’t want to,” Mitsuko snaps at you. You’ve never heard her take that tone before, and you’ve heard her get really harsh. Then, to Ryuhei: “We can’t let him see this. If he sees this – look, I’ve been around the yakuza before. I’ve seen some shit. This is fucked up even for them.”

“What is it?” you say, exasperated. You’ve met Overhaul. He creeped you out plenty in person. You doubt a letter could do the same thing.

“I think we should show him,” Ryuhei mumbles. “Let him see what he’s up against.”

Your phone starts buzzing in your pocket, and you pull it out to find a text from Tenko. We got him. We’re on our way over.

They got who? And why are they coming here? How are they coming here without Kurogiri? Are they really traveling through Yokohama on foot? They’re going to get caught. You can’t think straight. Your head hurts. “Mitsu, is that guy’s quirk actual radiation or just the symptoms?”

“Actual radiation.”

You might be screwed. The thought that your would-be kidnapper is even more screwed than you are isn’t much of a source of comfort. You put on a fresh set of gloves and go back to cleaning up the mess of guess-it’s-radioactive bloody vomit on the floor.

Tenko and the others don’t arrive until half an hour after you’re done cleaning, when you’ve switched clothes and showered off and you’re sprawled on the couch, reading the Wikipedia page on acute radiation sickness and trying to decide whether the continued urge to vomit is the result of anxiety or whatever dose of radiation you caught from the kidnapper. You hear the secret knock, but Ryuhei’s at the door before you can even get up from the couch. The door opens, and a moment later you hear Compress’s voice. “Who are you?”

“New ally. Who are you?”

“We don’t have time for this,” Tomura says impatiently. “Let us in.”

Ryuhei lets him in, and the rest of the League piles into the apartment after him. The entire rest of the League �� Twice and Toga are back, looking extremely pleased with themselves, and everybody else looks like they’ve had a great day, too. “Overhaul’s fucked,” Tomura announces. “Turn on the TV. I bet they’re covering it.”

You switch on the TV, and everyone comes to settle around it. Twice plops down on the couch next to you, only to scramble up a moment later when Tomura comes over. Tomura’s not shy about being affectionate with you in front of the League. He pulls you against his side, not quite into his lap, and you lean against him, squeezing your eyes shut. You didn’t want to tell him about the attempted kidnapping, and now you don’t have to. It’s a relief.

It turns out that the League’s revenge against Overhaul is just the final piece of Overhaul’s worst day ever. The heroes moved against him at last, destroying his headquarters and capturing his lieutenants, effectively destroying the Shie Hassaikai for good – and on top of that, Tomura, Dabi, Spinner, and Compress attacked the convoy that was transporting Overhaul to a villain-specific hospital. A hero’s dead. Two cops are badly injured. And Overhaul himself is now short both his arms, and his quirk.

“I was thinking,” Tomura says, “somebody who hates quirks shouldn’t have one of his own. We got revenge for Compress –”

“I took his arm myself,” Compress says proudly. Twice high-fives him. “And in revenge for Magne, we took everything else that mattered to him.”

“Those quirk-destroying bullets he had? Those are ours now,” Dabi says. “Smug bastard. He had it coming.”

“You have no idea,” Mitsuko mumbles. Dabi gives her a weird look.

“We messed with them during the heroes’ raid,” Toga sings out, grinning her sharp-toothed grin. “And I got to see Izuku! He’s so cute when he’s covered in blood. Ochako and Tsu were there, too! I wish I’d gotten to talk to them more – they’re so pretty –”

At least Toga likes the idea of having age-appropriate friends. She’s got a few screws loose already, but only hanging around with you and a bunch of older guys probably isn’t helping. On the TV, there’s another alert – something about a girl the heroes were trying to rescue from Overhaul, who’s since gone missing. “And on that note, Saintess,” Compress says over Twice’s crowing about just how badly they pissed off one of Overhaul’s lieutenants, “we have a present for you.”

He extracts one of his spheres from his pocket and uncompresses it on your coffee table to reveal a messily severed arm. Mitsuko yelps and recoils. “Wrong one,” Compress says hastily, and compresses it again. “This is for you.”

You have a bad feeling about it, and once he uncompresses the second sphere, you’re proven right. In place of the arm, there’s a tiny girl sprawled out on the table. She’s wearing a hospital gown, her arms and legs heavily bandaged. She has greyish-white hair, just like the girl in the picture on TV, and just like the girl in the picture, there’s a horn on the right side of her forehead. She’s also asleep, or maybe unconscious. There’s a hectic, fevered flush in her cheeks, and her breathing is rattling and uneven in a way that raises a whole host of red flags.

“This is Eri,” Twice says as you stare in horror. “Isn’t she cute?”

“She was the key to Overhaul’s plans,” Tomura says. “Her quirk’s Rewind. It activates when she touches someone, and it turns back the clock on their body, or parts of their body. Overhaul was using it in the deleter rounds to turn back quirk factors until they no longer exist.”

“He was being so gross with her,” Toga says. Her mirth from before is gone. “He kept cutting her and using his quirk to put her back together again. We could hear her crying if we went down to that level.”

“The heroes were trying to rescue her, but we nabbed her when their backs were turned,” Twice adds. “And we brought her back here! She should be with us, don’t you think?”

You can barely think. “Can she control it?” Mitsuko asks. “Like, is it active right now?”

“Maybe. Why?”

Mitsuko doesn’t answer. She grabs your hand away from your side, yanks it towards the coffee table, and slaps it down on top of the little girl’s hand. Your entire body jolts, and you struggle to pull free, but Mitsuko leaves your hand there for a second, two seconds, three. When Tomura grabs you and pulls you back, she lets you go. “What the hell was that?” Tomura demands.

Mitsuko doesn’t answer him. “I can Google shit just as well as you can,” she says to you. “Feel better?”

You do. Your headache’s completely gone, along with the nausea, and it’s easier to think – and now you get why she did it. The exposure to the little girl’s quirk Rewound you, past the point where you were exposed to the radiation quirk. You’re not irradiated any longer, which means that by bringing Eri back here, Compress and the others have saved you a lot of trouble. But they’ve also caused a problem. A really big problem. “We can’t keep her.”

The League stares at you. “Why not?” Spinner asks.

You’d expect that question from Tomura or Dabi. Not from Spinner, who lived at least adjacent to the real world until four months ago. “She’s a little kid,” you say. “Kids need stability. They need a roof over their heads and to know they’ll have food and a safe place to sleep every night. And if one of you is about to say that you didn’t have that and you turned out fine – no, you didn’t.”

Dabi snorts. “But she’s so cute,” Toga complains. “Look at her little cheeks. I just want to bite them!”

“No biting the kid. If you’re going to bite the kid we’re definitely not keeping her,” Tomura says. You can’t believe he’s still thinking it’s a good idea to keep her, and when he turns to look at you, you can see that nothing you’ve said has sunk in. “She could stay with you. It’s safe here.”

“No, it isn’t,” Ryuhei says, and you glare daggers at him. “Don’t. I’m not going to act like there wasn’t –”

Whatever he was going to say, it’s cut off when the girl on your coffee table startles awake. She pushes herself to seated with shaking arms, glancing left, then right. Her eyes are bright red, like Tomura’s, and as you watch, they begin to fill with tears. Her mouth is trembling, and so is her voice when she speaks. “Where’s Deku?”

“Oh, come on,” Tomura complains, and the girl cringes. “You want Midoriya? Really? I – hey!”

You’ve elbowed him into shutting up. The girl is curling in on herself, arms wrapping tight around her knees. “He was going to save me,” she whimpers. “Him and Lemillion and the man with the glasses –”

“They did save you. From Overhaul. Then we saved you from them!” Twice chirps. “It was no trouble. Say thank you!”

“Hey,” you warn. They brought Eri to you. It’s your job to help her. You turn to her and soften your voice. “Hey. It’s okay. You’re safe here. Nobody here is going to hurt you. I promise.”

She shakes her head. “Nobody here will hurt you,” you say again. You don’t even want to think about what it must have been like for this girl to live under Overhaul’s thumb, being tortured by him to manufacture the quirk-canceling bullets. “You aren’t in trouble. You’re not going to be in trouble, and even if you were, there’s nothing you could do that would make one of us hurt you. That’s not what we do.”

“Overhaul –”

“He’s gone,” Tomura says. Eri looks at him. “We got rid of him. I took his quirk away and left him for the heroes. He’s not coming back.”

“We’re not him,” Spinner adds. “He sucked.”

Eri’s shoulders relax slightly at that. Then her face crumples. “I want Deku.”

You preemptively elbow Tomura, then start strategizing. If you touch her, you might get rewound further than you want to be, so you need to find a different way to comfort her. You hand her a box of tissues first, pluck a few out to show her that it’s okay to take them, and get to your feet. “The rest of you, stay where you are,” you order. “I’ll be right back.”

Your apartment doesn’t exactly have kid stuff in it. You find a spare blanket in your hall closet and come back, unfolding it and settling it carefully around Eri’s shoulders. She’s picked up the tissue box, but instead of using it, she’s hugging it. At work, you keep a box of cheap stuffed animals to give to scared kids, for them to hold during their appointments and take with them when they leave. You don’t have any stuffed animals here, so maybe you can give her a pillow. Or –

You head to your room on autopilot, dig into the box of things you brought from your parents’ house, and come back. Tomura’s eyes go straight to the object you’re holding. You know he recognizes it. He wouldn’t be staring like that if he didn’t. “Is that –”

You nod and crouch back down next to the coffee table. “Eri,” you say, and she looks at you. You hold up the plush corgi Tenko gave you for your sixth birthday. “I’ll trade you for the tissue box. This is way more fun to hug than that is.”

Eri’s red eyes brighten ever so slightly, but she’s hesitant to reach for it. Maybe she thinks you’re going to take it away. You set it down on the table and push it towards her, making sure to pull your hand away so she knows you aren’t planning to snatch it back. You feel the smallest sense of relief when she drops the tissue box and grabs the plushie with both hands, hugging it tight against her chest. It’s really cute. Or it would be, if you didn’t know why this is happening to her. If you didn’t know why she’s in your apartment in the first place.

She peers at you from between the plushie’s ears. “Who are you?”

“I’m Saintess,” you say. You’ve never called yourself by your code name before. You feel twenty kinds of dumb. “It’s really nice to meet you. But I know it’s probably not comfortable to sit on the coffee table. How about you go sit in that chair –”

Dabi’s in it. Tomura glares at him until he moves, and Eri stumbles over to it, trailing the blanket and clutching the toy. “And get comfortable,” you tell her. She burrows into the blanket, watching all of you with enormous eyes. “Do you feel okay?”

“Cold,” she says. Chills, then. Probably a fever, too. “It hurts.”

All those bandages. You don’t want to know what’s underneath them. “Okay. I’m going to put on some gloves so it’ll be safe for me to touch you, and then I’ll take your temperature and check to make sure you’re okay. Is that all right with you? It’s okay if it’s not.”

Eri hesitates. “Will I feel better?”

“You won’t feel worse,” you say. She nods, and you go back to the hall closet for your first-aid kit.

You try to tune the others out as you tend to Eri, but you can’t quite make it stick. Dabi is asking Toga and Twice about which heroes they dealt with during the operation against the Hassaikai, Compress is raiding your kitchen, and Spinner is way into your personal space, wanting to know what’s going on with Eri. Tomura is, too, at first. You catch him watching you more than once, a weird look on his face. You know him well enough to know most of his expressions, and that one’s new. You wonder what it means.

Then, while you’re waiting for the thermometer you just put in Eri’s mouth to beep, you glance back to check on Tomura, and he’s gone. He’s over by the kitchen table instead. There’s an envelope in his hands.

No. No, no, no. You grab Ryuhei, order him to take the thermometer out when it beeps and memorize what it says, then race towards Tomura – but you’re way too late. The envelope and the letter inside it crumble to dust as you reach him, and when he looks up at you, his jaw is clenched so tightly that the tendons in his neck are standing out. “What happened?” he snarls.

“Lower your voice,” you beg. You don’t want him to scare Eri. “It’s not a big deal. Nothing bad happened. It’s just –”

“Don’t fucking lie,” Mitsuko says, coming up beside you. You don’t have to warn her to keep her voice down. “That yakuza bastard sent a hitman here to kidnap your girlfriend. It would have worked if Ryuhei hadn’t been here to give him a taste of his own quirk.”

“It’s fine,” you say. “The Hassaikai’s been dismantled, right? It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“They knew where you were,” Tomura says flatly. “When I find out who told them –”

“Nobody had to tell them.” The pieces are coming together in your head, slow and ugly. Overhaul saw the bandage on your hand at the warehouse. He’d have known that the League would need to seek help for Compress, and the free clinics are the only place where an injury like that won’t result in immediate police involvement. “A Hassaikai member showed up at my clinic. He asked about my hand.”

“Overhaul brought it up, too.” Tomura’s right hand lifts, clawing at his neck – lightly at first, then harder. “You – Inada – why did you use the kid’s quirk on her?”

“She got radiation poisoning. That’s the fucking hitman’s quirk.” Mitsuko ignores you when you tell her to shut up. “My guess is, Over-fuck knew he could fix whatever his hitman did when he got ahold of her. Him fixing it wasn’t an option. So I used the kid.”

“I owe you.” Tomura is still scratching, and now he’s focused on you. “They knew where you were. They’ve known since we made the alliance. It – fuck!”

“Hey, keep it down,” Spinner calls anxiously. “You’re scaring the kid.”

“Her temperature is 40 degrees,” Ryuhei adds.

Shit. “We need to table this,” you say to Tomura. His eyes flash. “That girl is really sick. It’s not safe for her to stay here, and I can’t help her the way she needs. She has to go to people who can help her.”

“The heroes? Fuck that.”

“She has to,” you say again. “They can help her. We can’t.”

“What makes you think they’ll do anything?” Tomura’s expression twists. One of his nails digs deep into the side of his neck and pulls up blood, and just like you did before, you cover his neck with your hand. “They won’t give a shit. They didn’t when it was – when –”

He breaks off. You wait, and he looks away. “Forget it.”

“They’re running her name and picture on the news,” Mitsuko says. “They care about what happens to her, and you all are in enough trouble without another kidnapping on your record. They’ll look for you twice as hard.”

Tomura’s fingernails scrape lightly across the back of your hand before his hand comes to rest over yours, index finger raised. “I’m not just dumping her on the street.”

“You won’t be,” you promise. “I’ll take her to the police station. I can say I found her wandering around –”

“So they’ll think we just dumped her on the street.”

“Or that she got away somehow. I don’t know.” You don’t have time for this. “Her fever’s high enough that she might not remember anything. If she does, she’ll remember we didn’t hurt her. That we took care of her while she was with us. She’ll know we aren’t him.”

Tomura’s shoulders relax slightly. It matters to him to be better than Overhaul. It matters to you, too. “Hang on,” Dabi says from where he’s leaning against the wall. “Maybe we shouldn’t send Saintess to drop the kid off. She’s had one run-in with the Hassaikai already, and the police already know about it. Her turning up with the kid is too big of a coincidence. Inada should be the one.”

“Two run-ins. Overhaul sent somebody here for her.” Tomura’s hand tightens around yours. “Her identity’s compromised. When we leave this time, she’s coming with us.”

Your stomach drops. “The kid trusts her,” Tomura continues. “And she’s a nurse. It’ll look like we left the kid by the clinic or something.”

“Why does it matter where we drop the kid off?”

“So we don’t end up looking worse than they do,” Tomura snaps. “What’s the point of revealing their hypocrisy if we just throw someone away?”

It’s quiet for a second. “Wait until nightfall, then,” Dabi says shortly. “So we can at least keep a lid on the number of people who see Saintess wandering around carrying a missing kid.”

“She’s sick,” Spinner says. “Doesn’t she need help as soon as possible?”

“Not if it gets us caught!”

You’re on Spinner’s team here. “What if Compress uses his quirk on me and Eri both? Then he can bring us near the police station, so we won’t have to walk as far and risk getting spotted. We won’t even show up on camera until we’re right there.”

“What kind of distance can you release your quirk from?” Tomura asks Compress, who shrugs. “If it’s far enough, you can give the sphere to Inada or Sasegawa to carry.”

That’s the plan they settle on, eventually. Compress will use his quirk on you and Eri, Mitsuko will carry you both to the police station and text when she’s there, and Compress will deactivate his quirk from a distance. Eri’s breathing is raspy. You need to hurry. You roll her up carefully in the blanket, making sure she doesn’t touch you. “The puppy,” she mumbles. “Can I keep him?”

“Of course,” you say. You were too old for it, and you don’t need a keepsake of Tenko when you have the real thing. “He’ll take good care of you as long as you take good care of him. Are you ready to go?”

She nods. You pick her up. Rolled in the blanket like this, she’s unwieldy but light. You turn to face Compress. “Okay, let’s do this. We –”

You get compressed mid-sentence, and the next thing you know, you’re standing in an alleyway a block and a half from the police station, face to face with Mitsuko. “Be careful,” she says. She looks pissed, and you’re not sure why. “Look, me and Ryuhei are activating the sleeper thing right after this, and you’re going with them. We’re not going to see each other for a while.”

Oh. “I’m going to miss you,” you tell her. Mitsuko laughs. “They still don’t know my face. We’ll see each other.”

“We’d better.”

“Keep an eye on Yoshimi for me,” you continue. “And Kazuo. I worry about them.”

“We all do,” Mitsuko says. “And now we have to worry about you, too.”

You feel a surge of guilt, one that melts into bemusement when Mitsuko leans in and plants a kiss on your lips. “Go on. I’ll see you around, Saintess.”

Saintess. That’s your name now, isn’t it? It’s the one everyone’s going to use. Mitsuko leaves the alley first, heading in one direction. You stand still and watch her go, watching a piece of the life you had before disappear around the corner. Then you adjust your grip on Eri and aim for the police station.

#shigaraki tomura x reader #tomura shigaraki x reader #shimura tenko x reader #tenko shimura x reader #shigaraki x reader #shigaraki x you #x reader #reader insert #please hold #man door hand hook car door

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misstictart · 4 months ago

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Tight spot

Been working on a bigger post, so in the meanwhile have something I forgot to post earlier, based on the way I imagine Bob sneaking into Claryce's flat (with her consent, of course).

Details and context under the cut:

Claryce lives right above the Mob's secret hideout ( The Legitimate Businessman's Social Club). While Claryce uses the door at the back of the building to directly reach the stairs that lead to her flat, I figured Bob would sometimes need to find another way than just ring at her door.

And the Simpsons' Hit & Run game gave me the answer:

Fire exit stairs!

And funny enough, this side window (that I imagine to lead to Claryce's bathroom) can't be locked - which is convenient for Bob to sneak in (or out, if the cops show up at Claryce's doorstep) when Claryce would be away or asleep.

Important note: Claryce is fully aware of this - she'd tell you it's always a nice surprise to wake up with breakfast at bed.

Don't worry about potential thieves. No criminal would be crazy enough to go near the Mob's hideout, so her mafia family gives her some form of immunity in that sense. Once again, convenient!

...Except when the window acts up and gets stuck. And Bob with it, in that case. Nothing that can't be fixed, a little push should be enough for Bob to be free as a bird - or at least, free to hide in Claryce's flat for a little while. She likes the company!

#miss tic tac drawing #the simpsons #claryce whitman #murder mittens #simpsons ocs #simpsons oc #sideshow bob #robert terwilliger

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sourpatchys · 1 year ago

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Hi, I wanted to ask if it would be okay if you could do Dabi, Spinner and Shigaraki (separately) Helping their girlfriend’s Recovery after her surgery?😊 I love those boys they always bring me comfort🥹

(last year, I got both of my fallopian tubes removed because I didn’t want kids and wasn’t planning on having any at all whatsoever! and honestly best decision I ever made, because. I’m already dealing with stress and anxiety bad enough as it is!!!😱)

Hi!! Yes, of course I will! I’m happy to hear you got to make that decision, I definitely understand the want to do so haha

Notes: no real setting, I wanted reader to have a warm bed to sleep on, so this could be before the summer training arc or afterwards in a nice hideout! (potentially PLF era?)

A/n: just so that everyone can read, regardless of whether they want kids or not, I made the surgery in question a little vague! It can be whatever your heart desires

Guidelines Masterlist

—

Tomura wasn’t really sure what to do with you.

He knew you were hurting and had to take it easy, and, honestly, he had no real issue with that— but everything else had him a little lost.

You slept more often than not, waking only to take your pain medication or to ask for a cool or hot compress— which of course he’d always get for you— even if he complained first.

And that’s really all it was. He took over as your caretaker, not even thinking twice about the decision. And why should he? You were someone he cared deeply about, and even if it showed a side of him to others that he didn’t necessarily want them to see— he was nothing if not adaptable.

He never went off on his own to get what he thought you needed, choosing instead to wait for your airy voice to mumble out a request. Though, he sat by your bedside, waiting for the next one to stumble out of your lips.

Getting food and water in you was difficult, the pain had made your hunger subside, and your sleepiness didn’t create many openings to help with potential dehydration, so he did bitch at you a few times to make you drink and nibble on a granola bar or some blended up soup.

Other than that it was quiet, tame and comfortable. At night he’d sleep beside you, making sure to put your medication and water bottle on your nightstand, allowing you to take the reins of your own fate while he slumbered— though— if he woke up every time he felt you shift— that was no one else’s concern.

Dabi was not the best caretaker. And by that I mean he basically took all free will away from you and completely took over, refusing to let your requests or opinions sway his decisions.

He’s well aquatinted with surgery and recovery, one doesn’t get to look the way he does and not understand the basics of both.

He made you drink when he felt it was appropriate, he would shove easily digestible food at you with such ease— as if it would be criminal for you not to take it.

He bitched at you the entire time,

“don’t do that”, “shut up”, “lay down.”

There was really no room for what you wanted. But really, all of your needs were met, and you felt better much quicker than you ever thought possible.

He made sure you took all of your medication, down to the last pill, regardless of how well you felt. He was both patient and not patient with you at all.

He stayed by your side the entire time— dressing you in silk pajamas as to not irritate your skin, fluffing your pillows when you weren’t looking, calling you names when you’d hurt yourself by moving around too much.

But the recovery was a success, and though it was agonizing, it really could’ve have gone any better.

Spinner was clueless.

He was at your every beck and call, fluffing your pillows, running around with every medical device he could get his hands on.

He was frantic, concerned and worried, with utterly no idea how to help you. He did try— oh boy did he try.

From the beginning of your bed rest until the end, he couldn’t keep still. Every groan that left your lips, every sigh, he was up and he was moving.

Your medicine was always distributed on time, sometimes even a little earlier than was necessary. You were stocked up with snacks, water and juices, and you were sure you had every pillow and blanket ever created.

He would cook for you, run his clawed hands up and down your scalp to sooty your aches and pains, he even got compress to put on a silly little magic show for you.

Anything to distract you— anything to make you laugh.

And while it was definitely overkill, and you were definitely more stressed about his well being than you were with your own— it made for a wonderful recovery.

You found yourself not worrying about weather or not you’d have to be out under again— because you knew that, above all else, you could laugh all the while.

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toffee-hammer · 8 months ago

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Big Arcane spoilers belowww.

I feel like people are assuming Arcane is going to have a terrible, devastatingly sad ending but I'm not so sure. Maybe it's the copium talking but I feel like it'll be more bittersweet/optimistic/hopeful instead.

I'm specifically thinking about this one line from Vi said (presumably) to Jinx in the preview for Act 3.

"If you come, use all of that explosive potential of yours for good. Maybe we could rewrite your story."

Vi tried to pull Jinx back from the edge at the end of Season 1 and it didn't work. Jinx wasn't interested and she killed Cait's mother to punctuate that.

But Jinx has had a new little sister since then. One that sacrificed their life to save hers.

Isha's death could send Jinx completely off the rails and return her to a similar mental state to that final scene in Season 1 but I'm not getting that kind of vibe from Act 3's preview and the trailers at all. Jinx mentioned that Isha's presence in her life had caused her to see things differently in Act 2 so perhaps Vi's offer will be more positively received this time? Maybe she'll want to honor Isha's memory somehow or, at the very least, she'll want to get back at Ambessa/Singed for her death. Maybe a mix of those two things.

Either way, when the final battle against Noxus or the Arcane or whatever that Vi is asking Jinx to come and help with happens I think Jinx actually will make an appearance. This shot from the trailer shows her holding something that looks like a steering wheel.

I'm willing to bet she'll fly in on some kind of airship to help, fire a bunch of missiles and it'll give Fortiche (who I know love referencing past stuff) a chance to do a callback to their old "Get Jinxed" cinematic where she rides one of them straight down into Piltover.

Also, I'm not gonna lie, that kind of looks like the middle column of her underground hideout behind her in the first picture there. That would make a for a heck of a scene, right? Vi asks for Jinx's help, Jinx doesn't give her an answer but it turns out she's been building this ramshackle airship in Silco's basement this whole time and she flies the thing into Piltover when all hope seems lost to airstrike the Noxians and save the day.

Once the battle is won and the dust is settling I'm thinking Vi and Jinx will probably get a little scene all to themselves where Jinx assumes Vi will want to hand her over to Piltover but is surprised when Vi does what she couldn't at the end of Season 1 and, despite her feelings for Cait, offers to flee Piltover with Jinx instead. Jinx will be happy that her sister finally took her side but she saved Cait from Rictus despite having every reason to let her die because she knew Vi loved her. She'll turn Vi down and we'll basically get a similar scene to the end of Season 1 where they recognize that they're different people now and have their own separate paths to follow but this will be a far more amicable situation. Vi will let Jinx go and they'll say their goodbyes and it'll lead into something similar to their situation in the game.

Vi and Cait will get together again, Jinx will go off to cause chaos and maybe become some kind of legendary Batman character in Zaun where she helps its people in her own criminal sort of way and that'll be that.

#probably wrong theories time #arcane #arcane spoilers #caitvi

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wanderingmind867 · 3 months ago

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Joker's hideouts are nicknamed his Ha-Haciendas. I'd like to assume all of Penguin's hideouts can be called the Iceberg Lounge. But this only gives out looks into two rogues and their hideouts. I'd love to imagine there's unique nicknames for every villains lair, even the ones not from gotham. From Two-Face to Catwoman to Captain Cold to The Riddler, I'd love to imagine all their hideouts have unique nicknames befitting their gimmicks and themes.

I'd also kill for some cool portraits of all the various villains different hideouts. Maybe we can create an original character and have the photos come from their design book. I mean...come on. There are interior decorators for the stars. Why not an interior decorator specializing in criminal hideouts? Nothing illegal about merely designing weird themed hideouts. I'd love to see an oddly realistic story about this tired decorator trying to meet the needs of these overly particular criminals. I think that'd be fun. Like having to meet two-face's demand that everything be symmetrical, equal yet opposite. Or dealing with catwoman when your allergic to cats (to throw something real about myself in there). I feel like there's real potential for comedy here.

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ladybugbirdie42 · 6 months ago

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First Mission Part 1 Random Thoughts/Speculation

Under the read more for anyone who doesn't want spoilers.

Here are my very disorganized thoughts on part one of the new Julius side story before I get the next part.

Main takeaway: Julius is very cute.

He's 16 in this story and has been in the knights for a grand total of one month, and he is just so excited to be there.

Info dumps about famous knights multiple times throughout the story.

Captain Marcos is like "I'm a little bit scared of how much this newbie knows about the knights" lol

Julius gets sent on a mission to infiltrate a criminal group.

In a shocking plot twist, his fake name is not Juli this time. Instead it's every translator's nightmare--it's just his name with a slightly different pronunciation (Julius with a hard j, which is how I always say his name anyway lol).

Like five seconds into infiltrating the group Julius accidentally gets one of the members of the group in trouble, and the boss orders Julius to kill the guy. Whoops.

Julius actually considers just immediately giving up on his secret identity and trying to take everyone there down in a fight but then realizes there's no way he'd actually be able to pull that off so he needs to come up with another way to get out of the situation.

What he ends up doing is pretty cool, I think.

He fake kills the guy by stabbing him in the chest and then secretly uses his fire spirit Ia to freeze the wound and his water spirit Kua to heal it. The boss orders him to dispose of the body, so he's able to hide the fact that he didn't actually kill the guy.

While Julius is hiding the not-so-dead body, he gets approached by a girl he saw earlier at the group's hideout.

The girl goes by Adelheid and is totally not Reinhard in disguise.

She saw through the whole thing and Julius thinks that the jig is up and she's going to report him to the boss, but she reassures him that she won't and asks him if he'll listen to her story.

After talking to her for a bit, Julius comes to the conclusion that she's infiltrating the group just like him and that they should work together.

Part one ends with Julius thinking that Adelheid is probably a fake name, and he decides that his goal is to find out her real name once they complete their mission.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how things go with Julius and definitely-not-Reinhard. Really excited about the potential Reinhard identity reveal.

Also just generally curious about what's going on with Reinhard. Why's he here? Has he already joined the knights at this point? Since Julius is 16, Reinhard should be 14, which I think I heard was when he joined the knights. I kind of feel like he might not be in the knights at the time of this story, though.

I think it'd be funny if Reinhard joins the knights after this mission just so he can hang out with Julius.

It'd be even funnier if Julius never finds out Reinhard is Adelheid lol

#julius juukulius #reinhard van astrea #re zero

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looptroupe · 1 year ago

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HI GORGEOUS!!!!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR WIPS AND AUS IM REALLY INTERESTED 🙏🙏🙏

Foams at the mouth

I’m in the middle of writing up a whole HC post for someone asking about a highschool AU but I’m gonna take this opportunity to sidetrack the conversation towards something I’d love to genuinely see from the series… a HEAVY (film) noir lean. Think: Bogart, Framed, Gilda, Vertigo… probably pushing the era back 40’s, 50’s way (Maybe even some 30’s lean in there, if I could get away with it) instead of the general 60’s vibe Lupin has going for it.

I think there’s a TON of potential there. I mean, I’m aware something like this was pitched (and never picked up, sigh…) so there IS sentiment there, and the idea has been thought about, but instead of TWCFM’s ‘serious Lupin’ I’d love to see a true noir ‘serious Lupin’. I think you can put these characters into a serious setting without making them straight up evil, and I’ll be honest, I think it would be way more appealing than the stuff they’ve been releasing lately (besides Zero. I have to admit that I loved Zero).

I’d want the gang to actually feel like criminals, though. Cutting shady deals in illegal bars, Lupin running his mouth to big players about whatever new heist he has up his sleeve. I’d take them back to being Miyazaki-esque ‘living paycheck-to-paycheck’ rather than ‘insta-rich Lupin funding his hedonistic spirit’ because I think that would work better in this universe: Lupin is constantly getting them in hot shit with the big leagues because he can’t keep his mouth shut. Jigen has shot ten guys this week who have come knocking at their hideout’s door looking for trouble. Goemon’s sick of digging graves and is antsy to finally be who he dreams of being. Fujiko’s got her eyes on a bigger prize, like always.

Zenigata’s an underpaid beat-cop-turned-inspector who has been trying to climb the ranks for a long while. He’s ambitious, but a little too soft for his own good: he’s hopeful in a way that most of the guys in his squad aren’t, and that makes him the perfect candidate for when the commissioner has to shill a shitty 9-5 case on an unsuspecting worker. A file lands on his desk, and he flips through it with this eager fire, like he’s just been asked to take on the world, and Lupin and his gang smile up at him from the pages.

Lupin is a crook, he learns. Part-time petty thief, full-time smooth-talker: a man with a legacy to live up to and not a whole lot to show for it besides a reputation as a lady-killer and a particularly long unpaid tab at the seediest bar in town. His sticky fingers have landed him in more trouble than they’ve gotten him out of, and recent reports say that he’s managed to get under the skin of the most notorious once-criminal-now-film-director in town… the very criminal that underhandedly paid Zenigata’s boss to start an official investigation in the first place.

Jigen is a gun-for-hire. Babysitter, bodyguard, hitman… whatever you need, he’ll do, however begrudgingly. He’s not a guy you mess with: and his reputation is actually pretty good in criminal circles. He’s well-respected and well-liked. Or, he was, until the monkey-faced man at the bar implicated him in a crime he didn’t commit. Now, he’s babysitting without pay, and he’s starting to get a little sick of having to put bullets into the faces of old friends who decide his bounty is worth more than his loyalty. Figures.

Goemon’s a man slightly-less-out-of-time. A famous Japanese-American film star, he’s known world-over for starring in Samurai flicks alongside his leading lady, Fujiko Mine. The thing is, Goemon is classically trained in swordslinging, and when Lupin offers him an opportunity to be the very person he’s been portraying on screen, he’s more than happy to throw his reputation away. He never cared much for fame, anyway. There’s just this one little hitch: he’s enamoured with the sword he last used on set, and he won’t take no for an answer when he asks Lupin to retrieve it for him.

Fujiko has her eyes on a prize a little more exciting than Zantetsuken: the film empire she’s helped build herself. The tabloids can’t get enough of her, and she knows that a marriage to the most famous director the world has ever seen might just secure her a place in history. The thing is, the man she’s trying her best to seduce has stopped paying her attention since his beloved priceless-antique-turned-prop-sword went missing, and she’s determined to get it back for him. Because what would make him fall quicker? Ah, there’s just one catch: Lupin is kind of charming, and the life he’s living is… exciting. Tempting. Fujiko likes playing with fire, but she’s starting to get a little too close to this one particular flame. The heat has her cheeks burning… Or maybe that’s Goemon’s doing.

They’re a strange little bunch, the Lupin Gang. But man, do people have a habit of underestimating them. Zenigata included. Because what he thinks to be a simple case of theft soon turns into something more sinister as the layers of movie-magic veneer begin to peel away. Maybe Lupin was onto something, targeting this guy, and maybe this hotshot director isn’t quite as reformed as he says he is.

He went to court recently, after all. Say, how much did he pay the judge to overturn that guilty verdict? Zenigata would like that sum as a pay rise once this has all blown over. That, and some fresh smokes.

((Mmm someone should hop on board and help me develop this I think. Could be a fun little exercise on the side… if it’s up anyone’s alley >:) ))

#lupin iii #lupin the third #lupin the 3rd #arsene lupin iii #looptroupe rambles #ask box

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kanerallels · 1 year ago

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five fun facts in a kanera western au?

Oooh fun one! Okay let's see what we've got here. There are so many potential options for a Kanera western au, so let's go with this one:

Kanan Jarrus is a part-time gun for hire, part time bartender, all time criminal who's avoiding the corrupt law. His current hideout of choice is Gorse, a mining town in the middle of nowhere that has nothing going on for it

Hera Syndulla is the daughter of a rich rancher who took off on her own, and is currently working with a group of free grazers going through Gorse. She also fights corruption in her free time. Lucky for her, there's plenty of that in Gorse, including Vidian, who wants to take over the mine here and take away the jobs of hundreds of miners

She and Kanan meet when she hires some crooks to do a job for her, things go south, and Kanan helps her out of the situation. They meet again at the bar where he works, and she convinces him to help her take down Vidian

Unfortunately, this only makes the price on both of their heads get bigger, so they take off after Vidian's been handled, travelling with Hera's free grazer team-- made up of Rex (a retired soldier), Zeb (a brawler who may have escaped from the Australia penal colony) and Sabine (teenage runaway who refuses to talk about her past)

While Hera originally only views Kanan as an ally and friend, more than a few late nights watching the cattle and the stars and talking start to convince her otherwise. And seeing his empathy in action when they help others doesn't hurt either

#thanks for the ask!!#kanera #star wars rebels #swr #kanan jarrus #hera syndulla #send me an au and i'll give you 5 fun facts about it!

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idonotenjoyourcompany · 5 months ago

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✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦. 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦. 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ Part II: Information ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ Summary: It was nothing more than a regular hunt for the Mandalorian, but the strange merchant was very eager to help him, for... some reason. [Events take place between 1st and the 2nd season of The Mandalorian TV series]

Notes: It will get more exciting just bare with me please

Tags or something: Oc x Canon, Mandalorian's POV, developing frienship, description of violonce but pretty much on point with the canon (nothing gore-y)

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ Word count: 1.2k Read on AO3 Part I <- Back to masterlist -> Part III

A whole day. This is how much time has already passed, without any significant progress for the Mandalorian. Mos Eisley seems to be filled with streets that lead to dead ends, but in reality, these are packed with underground clubs and various hideouts that someone outside Tatooine’s criminal underworld would have no knowledge of. Every corner could potentially lead to a secret refuge of a murderer, and ordinary people would remain oblivious, simply passing by these spots daily without a second thought.

The Mandalorian is an excellent hunter who knows how to stalk his target, so he understood that he would eventually catch his quarry, but he didn’t expect to make no progress at all, effectively losing an entire day just wandering around the city. The tracking fob is one of the most crucial tools in this line of work, but it’s not without its flaws, and the short range of the device is one of them. The quarry might be aware of the bounty on their head; that’s why they ensured they kept moving, never staying in one place for too long to avoid capture. This is also why the device proved to be of little help this time. No matter. It was just the first day on this planet, the first day of stalking the prey; there was still more than enough time to capture the target.

Making his way back to the ship, the Mandalorian had to cross the Kener plaza again, as the quickest route to the ship led through the marketplace. Suddenly, the cheerful coos of the little foundling in his care reminded him of the person he had met yesterday. The ginger merchant, who had said that if he needed anything, he could contact her for useful insider information about many happenings in the area. He wouldn’t give it a second thought right now if it weren’t for the coos insisting on visiting the woman. The Mandalorian looked at the child, who was enthusiastically stretching his arms toward the stall that had greeted him with free snacks yesterday.

“…no.” The Mandalorian murmured to his green friend, but the coos and cheerful sounds persisted. The child was determined to visit his newly found friend at that very moment, before going back to the Razer Crest.“No.” He said again, this time a bit more firmly, but the subtle change in tone didn't seem to impress the child, and the green alien didn’t change his mind. He was still insisting on going, no matter what his caretaker had to say about it. The Mandalorian sighed in resignation, not really in the mood to endure his kid’s upset noises for the rest of the day, especially since this day already wasn’t particularly thrilling for him. “Fine. But this time we have to pay her for the food.” He informed the child and he made his way to the familiar stall, the floating crib with a happy green alien right behind him. The ginger woman had her back to the two travelers as she rummaged through something at the back of the stall, seemingly searching for something. When the Mandalorian and the child stopped behind her separated from her by the kiosk table, she sensed their presence and quickly turned around. A brief flash of concern crossed her eyes before she smiled, recognizing her new friends from yesterday.

“Ah! It’s you two! Nice to see you again!” The woman greeted them with the same warm smile as yesterday. “How’s the job going? Did you find your target?” she asked, attempting to start a conversation. Although she didn’t know much about the bounty hunters' work, she still tried not to sound ignorant about his job.

“No.” Mandslorian replied, scanning the various fruits on the stall, looking for something the child might like. He settled on the same red, round fruit that the kid had taken a liking to yesterday. “How much are these?” Mandalorian inquired, shifting his helmet from the fruits to the woman.

“Just take them. It's alright—” she began, but the Mandalorian interrupted, “I appreciate the gesture, but no. I can't just take things for free from your stall, especially since, as far as I am aware, it doesn't belong to you. Don't get yourself into unnecessary trouble.” The woman stared at the Mandalorian, likely astonished that he was capable of forming sentences longer than three words, but more so, surprised that he cared enough to remember the details she mentioned yesterday. The firm tone of his voice made it clear that any further insistence on accepting the free gift would be pointless.

“It's, uh… 5 credits each,” the woman replied in a soft voice, accepting the credits the Mandalorian handed her. It was actually more than the amount she had requested, but she chose not to mention it, simply appreciating the gesture. “If you don't want free food for your kid, perhaps I can offer you some information. Who are you looking for? Is it some kind of criminal or…?”

Mandalorian paused for a moment, contemplating how much information he should reveal. However, having already wasted an entire day on this planet and not eager to waste any more time, he opted to show the woman the bounty puck. The device flashed and displayed a holographic image of a Katoonnian male, along with his name and a bounty of 15,000 credits for his head.

“Ah! Yeah, I've seen this guy around. He's some kind of criminal-family-boss-wanna-be. I've heard that some shady people aren't exactly happy about the idea of someone new trying to establish themselves in the criminal underworld,” woman explained, leaning to the side on the stall and supporting her body weight on one of her elbows “I can take you to the place where scums like him often reside.” she offered, looking into his visor with a small sparkle of excitement lurking in her green gaze.

Mandalorian listened to her offer before speaking. “Your knowledge of Tatooine's underworld is concerning, so it doesn’t make you exactly trustworthy, I hope you know it.” he stated, but he didn't outright refuse her offer just yet.

The woman seemed taken aback by the Mandalorian’s distrust, perhaps even slightly offended. Her friendly smile vanished for a moment before reappearing as she gathered her thoughts. “Well, as I mentioned yesterday, I’ve worked at many stalls around this market, met numerous people, and seen a lot of things. I grew up here, so I'm quite familiar with both the good and the bad on this planet… well, mostly bad, but besides the point.,” she finally explained. “If I were some kind of crime lord, I wouldn’t be working at a fruit stall, would I now?” she added, attempting to clear her name in the eyes of the Mandalorian.

He considered her words and glanced at the kid, who had been happily eating the fruits the Mandalorian bought for him this whole time. The kid had taken a liking to the woman, and for some reason the Mandalorian couldn't explain, he was usually right about these things. If the kid was friendly and not afraid of someone, it usually meant they were trustworthy. The Mandalorian sighed. “Fine.”

“Excellent!” she exclaimed, clearly excited. “Then meet me again tomorrow morning at the Methane Fix Cantina. If I'm late, grab yourself a drink or something. Oh, and when you do, tell the bartender to add it to Nova’s tab. He knows me.”

#star wars #star wars oc #oc x canon #the mandalorian #fanfic #din grogu #din djarin fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #fanfiction #ao3 writer #ao3 fanfic #fanfic writing #god im trying

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the3newtoons · 3 hours ago

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Now for some lore on Hoodie/The Green Hood

Since I told you about Sir Valiant's lore, now I should tell you all about Hoodie's lore.

AU by @aydentew3102

Hoodie's power emerged when he was only 4 years old.

He could move as fast as 100mph when his powers manifested. But he couldn't react fast enough, and he crashed into things, which led him to train his reaction speed. He can now easily process his surroundings as he goes at Mach 15, but refuses to go faster for the sake of others' safety.

During his school years, he never utilized his power to its fullest potential. He felt like he would be a show off like the other superpowered kids, and he hates belittling others.

At the age of 20, he joined and destroyed a criminal gang. He mostly stole things from them and returned them to their rightful owners. This is how he learned his skills as a thief.

He starts working for Teagan as her informant after the gang was all arrested.

He lives, works, and uses an unassuming camper van as his home and hideout. He can't run everywhere.

He is on the grey line between hero and villain, since Guardianview has a lot of contradictory information about him, such as fighting Berry fast in one incident and helping Team Hibiscus (By @enauwutss) in a different one.

#dandys world: guardianview #hoodie the hunter #dandys world #dandy's world au #dandys world oc

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spectralpixelsredone · 11 days ago

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The Crown is a criminal organization in the RWBY universe, primarily featured in the novels RWBY: After the Fall and RWBY: Before the Dawn. Based in Vacuo, it seeks to restore the defunct Vacuan monarchy under the leadership of twins Jax and Gillian Asturias, who believe they are rightful heirs to the throne. The group operates through covert operations, including kidnapping individuals with powerful Semblances to build an army, and uses two key bases: The Mirage, a secret fight club, and the Crown Bunker, a hidden underground facility. The Crown’s activities culminate in a failed attack on Shade Academy, leading to the arrest of most members, though Jax and Gillian are later recruited by Salem’s Inner Circle, as revealed in the Volume 9 Bonus Ending Animatic. Below is a detailed analysis of The Crown and its key members, focusing on their roles, motivations, and potential connection to Salem in Volume 9 Beyond and possibly Volume 10.

The Crown: Overview and Objectives

Type: Criminal Group

Base of Operations: The Mirage (a former Dust refinery turned nightclub/fight club) and the Crown Bunker (an underground hideout in Vacuo’s Wastelands, destroyed by a fire Dust explosion).

Creed: "Fight for your Kingdom and Crown."

Enemies: Shade Academy, Beacon Brigade, Edward Caspian, August Caspian.

Status: Defunct after the Battle of Shade, though Jax and Gillian’s recruitment into Salem’s Inner Circle suggests potential resurgence or influence.

Objectives:

Restore the Vacuan monarchy with Jax and Gillian as king and queen, believing they descend from Malik the Sunderer and the Queen of Vacuo (a claim with untraceable lineage).

Build an army of powerful Semblance wielders by kidnapping individuals scouted at The Mirage, using Gillian’s Aura Siphon to enhance their forces.

Topple Shade Academy as Vacuo’s ruling authority to establish monarchical control, with ambitions potentially extending beyond Vacuo.

Reject Dust usage, viewing it as a cause of Vacuo’s resource depletion by other Kingdoms.

Key Members of The Crown

The Crown comprises former Huntsmen, rogue operatives, and mind-controlled individuals (Crownsmen, identified by silver armbands). Below is an analysis of the named members and their roles, motivations, and abilities.

1. Jax Asturias

Role: Co-leader and main antagonist of RWBY: Before the Dawn, driving The Crown’s vision.

Characteristics:

Race: Human

Weapon: Ancient sword (lacks skill in its use).

Semblance: Mind Control, allowing telepathic influence over multiple people for extended periods, making their Auras resemble his own.

Appearance: Black hair in a top knot, silver diadem, blue linen duster with swirling spirals.

Affiliations: Shade Academy (deserted), The Crown, Salem’s Inner Circle (post-escape).

Personality:

Arrogant, manipulative, and delusional, believing himself a descendant of Malik the Sunderer.

Ruthless, prioritizing his ego and conquest over loyalty, even to his sister Gillian.

Fearless to the point of suicidal insanity, refusing surrender during the Battle of Shade.

History:

Expelled from Shade Academy, leading to the formation of The Crown with Gillian, Rosa Schwein, and Argento Pocoron.

Orchestrated the attack on Shade Academy, using mind-controlled Crownsmen, but was defeated and lobotomized by Yatsuhashi Daichi’s Memory Wiping, enhanced by Gillian’s Aura Siphon.

Broken out of prison by Tyrian Callows and Mercury Black, joining Salem’s Inner Circle (Volume 9 Bonus Ending Animatic).

Motivation:

Driven by delusions of grandeur and a desire to restore Vacuo’s violent, lawless past under his rule.

Seeks to dominate others through his Semblance, viewing himself as destined to conquer.

Connection to Salem:

His recruitment into Salem’s Inner Circle suggests alignment with her goal of global chaos, leveraging his Mind Control Semblance to manipulate others for her cause.

The message “No Place For Royalty” left in prison may indicate a shift from monarchical ambitions to serving Salem’s broader agenda, though a resurgence of The Crown remains possible.

2. Gillian Asturias

Role: Co-leader, strategic and operational backbone of The Crown.

Characteristics:

Race: Human

Weapon: Bow and arrow (avoids Dust and technology).

Semblance: Aura Siphon, enabling her to drain, store, and transfer Aura, enhancing allies or weakening enemies.

Appearance: Black hair in a crown braid, multi-layered dress (blue, white, green, purple), silver diadem, crown-shaped brand on wrist.

Affiliations: Shade Academy (deserted), The Crown, Salem’s Inner Circle (post-escape).

Personality:

Cunning, ambitious, and obsessed with Vacuo’s history, believing herself a royal descendant.

Royal demeanor, demanding yet composed, with a deep loyalty to Jax, though willing to betray him to survive.

Influenced by Jax’s “corruption,” suggesting her extremism developed under his sway.

History:

Top student at Shade Academy, deserted with Jax to form The Crown.

Used her Semblance to build an army by draining Aura from captives, storing it to empower Jax and others.

Attempted to stop Jax’s suicidal plan during the Battle of Shade, aiding Yatsuhashi to defeat him, but was arrested.

Escaped prison with Jax, joining Salem’s Inner Circle.

Motivation:

Driven by a belief in her royal lineage and a desire to restore Vacuo’s monarchy, though less fanatical than Jax.

Loyalty to Jax conflicts with her fear of death, leading to her eventual betrayal of his plan.

Connection to Salem:

Her Aura Siphon makes her a valuable asset to Salem, potentially enhancing Salem’s forces or weakening enemies.

Her recruitment suggests she may abandon monarchical goals for Salem’s cause, though her historical obsession could influence future Crown-related activities.

3. Carmine Esclados

Role: Rogue Huntress, enforcer, and key operative for The Crown.

Characteristics:

Race: Human

Weapon: Sais (electrically charged with Lightning Dust, one turned to gold, one claimed by Bertilak), hidden blades in boots.

Semblance: Telekinesis, used to manipulate objects, create sandstorms, and bury enemies.

Appearance: Auburn hair with silver streak, golden eyes, navy-crimson outfit, goggles, tattoos.

Affiliations: Shade Academy (graduated), The Crown.

Personality:

Stylish, cunning, and ruthless, engaging in human trafficking and murder without remorse.

Cordial and loyal to Gillian (nicknamed “Queenie”), believing in The Crown’s vision for a unified Vacuo.

Shows hints of concern for Vacuo’s future and prioritizes Gillian’s safety over her own.

History:

Originally from Atlas, joined Shade Academy to avoid Atlas Academy’s military pressure.

Graduated as a Huntress, partnered with Bertilak for trafficking missions, targeting Edward and August Caspian.

Defeated and arrested in After the Fall, escaped to rejoin The Crown, defeated Xanthe Rumpole, and attacked Yatsuhashi.

Fate unknown after a fire Dust explosion in the Crown Bunker, though Bertilak believes she survived.

Motivation:

Driven by payment and a belief in The Crown’s goal of a monarchical Vacuo.

Values individual freedom, rejecting Atlas’s control, and shows loyalty to Gillian.

Connection to Salem:

No direct mention of Carmine joining Salem’s Inner Circle, as her fate is ambiguous post-explosion.

If alive, her Telekinesis and combat prowess could make her a candidate for Salem’s recruitment, especially if she reconnects with The Crown’s remnants.

4. Bertilak Celadon

Role: Rogue Huntsman, enforcer, and reluctant Crown member.

Characteristics:

Race: Human

Weapon: Chained mace (broken, also fires explosive rounds), later claims Carmine’s sai.

Semblance: Heat Generation, radiating heat to exhaust enemies and form glass from sand.

Appearance: 6’6”, green mohawk and goatee, brown cloak, green chest plate, scar on forearm.

Affiliations: Shade Academy (graduated), The Crown (former).

Personality:

Bully-like, confrontational, and racist toward Faunus, but not entirely evil.

Resents Huntsman Academies, viewing them as manipulative, and lacks loyalty to The Crown, driven by money.

Shows reasonableness, aiding Sun and Velvet post-Crown and seeking revenge on Carmine for betrayal.

History:

Graduated from Shade Academy, partnered with Carmine for trafficking missions.

Defeated and arrested in After the Fall, escaped, punished by Gillian with Aura drainage.

Abandoned The Crown during the bunker evacuation, vowing to hunt Carmine.

Motivation:

Primarily motivated by financial gain, with no deep allegiance to The Crown’s monarchy.

Resentment toward authority and desire for revenge against Carmine drive his post-Crown actions.

Connection to Salem:

No indication of Bertilak joining Salem’s Inner Circle, as he leaves to pursue Carmine.

His mercenary nature could make him a potential recruit if Salem offers payment, but his current focus is personal vendetta.

5. Umber Gorgoneion

Role: Secret agent, infiltrator posing as a Shade Academy student.

Characteristics:

Race: Human

Weapon: Whips, used to restrain enemies.

Semblance: Stone Glance, a paralysis stare requiring eye contact, controlled by mirrored glasses.

Appearance: Dreads, dark mirrored glasses.

Affiliations: Shade Academy (former student), The Crown.

Personality:

Cool, nonchalant, and challenge-seeking, with an attraction to Theodore.

Ruthless, willingly joining The Crown for personal gain, showing no guilt for leading victims to their deaths.

History:

Enrolled at Shade Academy, joined Team FNDU, secretly aligned with The Crown.

Used her Semblance at The Mirage to scout targets, revealed her true allegiance, and aided in mind-controlling Velvet, Sun, and Yatsuhashi.

Participated in the Battle of Shade, arrested after The Crown’s defeat.

Motivation:

Driven by personal gain, aligning with The Crown for self-interest rather than ideological loyalty.

Connection to Salem:

No mention of Umber being freed with Jax and Gillian, suggesting she remains incarcerated.

Her Stone Glance could be valuable to Salem, but her current status limits her involvement unless freed.

6. Argento Pocoron

Role: Enforcer, former teammate of Gillian and Jax.

Characteristics:

Race: Pig Faunus

Weapon: Unspecified, relies on agility and martial arts.

Semblance: Lag, slowing targets’ perception to enhance his dodging and attacks.

Appearance: Brown jumpsuit, bandana, gas mask, silver armband.

Affiliations: Shade Academy (deserted), The Crown.

Personality:

Loyal to The Crown’s goal of restoring the monarchy, supportive of the Asturias twins.

Willing to engage in kidnapping and criminal acts without hesitation.

History:

Part of Gillian’s Team at Shade Academy, deserted to join The Crown.

Engaged in criminal activities, including attempted kidnappings, fought Sun and Team CFVY.

Arrested after the Battle of Shade, status post-Jax and Gillian’s escape unknown.

Motivation:

Committed to The Crown’s monarchical vision, serving the Asturias twins loyally.

Connection to Salem:

No evidence of Argento being freed, likely still incarcerated.

His Lag Semblance could be useful to Salem, but his minor role and imprisonment reduce his immediate relevance.

7. Rosa Schwein

Role: Enforcer, former teammate of Gillian and Jax (limited details provided).

Characteristics:

Race: Likely Human or Faunus (not specified).

Semblance: Unspecified.

Affiliations: Shade Academy (deserted), The Crown.

Personality:

Supportive of The Crown’s goals, willing to engage in criminal activities.

History:

Part of Gillian’s Team, deserted to join The Crown.

Involved in bunker operations, warned Finn Asturias to flee Vacuo.

Likely arrested after the Battle of Shade, status post-escape unclear.

Motivation:

Aligned with the Asturias twins’ monarchical ambitions.

Connection to Salem:

No mention of Rosa being freed, likely incarcerated.

Limited information makes her potential role in Salem’s plans speculative.

8. Green

Role: Enforcer, minor operative.

Characteristics:

Semblance: Possibly stench-related (alluded to in trivia).

Affiliations: The Crown.

History:

Engaged in criminal activities, including stalking and kidnapping attempts with Argento.

Escaped after encounters with Team CFVY, status post-Battle of Shade unclear.

Motivation:

Serves The Crown’s goals, likely for personal gain or loyalty to the Asturias twins.

Connection to Salem:

No specific mention of Green’s fate or involvement with Salem, suggesting a minor role.

Crownsmen (Mind-Controlled Members)

Notable Members: Xanthe Rumpole, Sun Wukong, Velvet Scarlatina, Yatsuhashi Daichi.

Characteristics:

Identified by silver armbands, under Jax’s Mind Control Semblance.

Used as soldiers in The Crown’s army, unaware of their actions.

History:

Rumpole was mind-controlled after losing to Carmine, tasked with delaying Shade Academy.

Sun, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi were temporarily controlled but freed by Yatsuhashi’s Semblance.

Post-defeat, brainwashed Crownsmen were released to resume normal lives.

Connection to Salem:

No direct link, as their involvement was involuntary and ended with The Crown’s defeat.

The Crown’s Connection to Salem (Volume 9 Beyond and Potential Volume 10)

Current Status:

The Crown is defunct following the Battle of Shade, with most members arrested or scattered (Bertilak deserted, Carmine’s fate unknown).

Jax and Gillian’s escape and recruitment into Salem’s Inner Circle (Volume 9 Bonus Ending Animatic) indicate a shift in their allegiance.

The message “No Place For Royalty” and vandalism in Vacuo protesting Atlas refugees suggest lingering influence or a potential resurgence, possibly under Salem’s direction.

Salem’s Interest:

Jax’s Mind Control and Gillian’s Aura Siphon are powerful Semblances, aligning with Salem’s strategy of manipulating and empowering her forces to sow chaos.

The Crown’s prior goal of building an army of Semblance wielders mirrors Salem’s interest in controlling powerful individuals (e.g., Cinder Fall, Tyrian Callows).

Their recruitment by Tyrian and Mercury suggests Salem sees value in their abilities and anti-establishment ideology, particularly against Huntsman Academies.

Potential Role in Volume 10:

Jax and Gillian may operate as Salem’s agents in Vacuo, leveraging their knowledge of the region and past connections to destabilize Shade Academy or incite unrest among refugees.

A revived Crown could serve as a local proxy for Salem, targeting Vacuo’s Relic of Choice or weakening the Kingdom’s defenses against Grimm.

Other members like Carmine (if alive) or Umber (if freed) could rejoin, but Bertilak’s vendetta and Argento’s incarceration make their involvement less likely.

Speculative Implications:

The Crown’s anti-Dust stance and historical obsession could conflict with Salem’s pragmatic use of resources, potentially creating tension.

Vandalism in Vacuo suggests public discontent, which Jax and Gillian could exploit to rally support or sow division, aligning with Salem’s divide-and-conquer tactics.

Trivia and Allusions

Nursery Rhyme Allusion: The Crown’s name and Jax’s defeat reference “Jack and Jill,” with Jax’s lobotomization echoing “Jack fell down and broke his crown.”

Mythological and Literary Ties:

Umber Gorgoneion alludes to Medusa, with her Stone Glance and whip/snake imagery.

Carmine Esclados references the Red Knight from Arthurian legend.

Bertilak Celadon alludes to the Green Knight, with his green color scheme and mace.

Argento, Rosa, and Green may allusion The Three Little Pigs.

Color Naming Rule: Members’ names reflect colors (e.g., Carmine = red, Umber = brown, Celadon = green, Argento = silver), adhering to RWBY’s naming convention.

Conclusion

The Crown, led by Jax and Gillian Asturias, was a formidable criminal group driven by delusional royal ambitions and powered by rogue Huntsmen and mind-controlled operatives. Its defeat marked a significant victory for Shade Academy, but the escape of Jax and Gillian into Salem’s Inner Circle opens new possibilities for their influence in Volume 9 Beyond and potentially Volume 10. Their Semblances make them valuable to Salem, who could use them to destabilize Vacuo or pursue the Relic of Choice. While Carmine’s fate remains uncertain and Bertilak pursues his own path, other members like Umber and Argento are likely sidelined unless freed. The Crown’s legacy may persist through Salem’s manipulation, transforming its monarchical zeal into a tool for her global chaos.

2 notes · View notes