#wait should i go the national animal route
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eviltext · 2 years ago
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like for a fursona i’m tempted to default to a cat. which is understandable. but the options are limitless!! i could make them a reflection of myself but i also could make them more of an oc, so it’s not necessary to tie them to who i am as a person. but like. man i don’t have a favorite animal and that’s what makes it hard
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faejilly · 5 months ago
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Lisle Route Overview in Seven Kingdoms: The Princess Problem
Per a request on the discord, because my brain is only 7kpp now 😍
Character Creator/Personality Notes
You cannot be a Tomboy Countess
Personality MUST be noble as opposed to selfish.
(You can get away with starting out indifferent & immoral if you're manipulative enough to hide it.)
Generally speaking, choose eloquent options. Make jokes! He does have a good sense of humor, since that's pretty much the only break from duty that he allows himself.
Acknowledge and respect the responsibilities of rank.
Welcome Feast
First impression is likeability (beauty, charm, charisma, etiquette). I'm not sure if it's been re-balanced for Early Access, but for the demo the guide broke it down that you got +5 friendship at 60 likeability, +10 @ 100, and +15 @ 120, so as long as you don't tank all four stats, you should be fine.
+5 friendship for "friendly" greeting. (A polite greeting won't bring anything down if you want the etiquette boost.)
Insight check & +5 friendship choice is "compliment his sister"
The best 'tell him about yourself' option is "engaging" which requires 30 eloquence. (Possible with the "introduce yourself politely" option at the end of the CC, if you didn't take a full eloquence boost to get you to 50.) Either the charming or becoming (charisma) options will also get you friendship, but only +5 instead of +10.
You must also successfully greet and get along with Penelope!
Her first impression is also likeability.
Her ideal first dialogue choice is "make her laugh" which requires 30 charm; next is "reassure her" which requires the same 30 eloquence as Lisle's best answer. I think 'inspire' requires leadership.
The default "smile" for the greeting choice is still fine though, just not as many friendship points.
Be "glad she's there" for the insight check.
Rescuing her from Jarrod maybe helps? But I may be making that up because it feels like it should narratively but it's not in any of my guides.
Hosting
Lisle will attend all three of the potential hosted events for week one (tea / musicale / history) if you make a decent impression at the welcome feast. I think you can still unlock his route if you just invite Penelope however, and she will attend both the tea and the musicale but not the lecture. You do get a higher +Wellin Approval boost for the musicale as long as you invite either of them, so that's usually the one I do when I'm planning on playing Lisle's route.
For week 3, Lisle can't attend the ladies' night, while Penelope won't attend the Onvu Tournament, but you can get both of them to the midnight picnic. I think they both give better boosts for the picnic too, but I didn't write it down, so I'm not sure.
Week 1 Invite
Don't be insulted that you're kept waiting for the ride with Lisle.
Either greeting is fine once he gets there, (if you have enough etiquette to see the "polite" one), but he laughs if you rant about last night's sleep which is great.
"Adore" that he brought Penelope
As long as you don't complain about the horse your relationship won't go down, but animal knowledge or persuasive will get you a higher respect bonus than either defensive or quick thinking.
IF you have at least 20 politics, 50 insight, and are ethical, you can ask Lisle about his goals for the summit.
Otherwise, as long as you're not all greedy/overt and asking about getting to be queen, the other two options (holding up/something about yourself) are both fine.
Formal Introductions
Don't have your ambition be "my best future"
Between nations/best serve my nation won't *hurt* but only give bonuses to your BG nation's approval
"Katyia" gives approval & respect bonuses
Don't lie about your ambition unless you're at least at 300 persuasion/50 manip.
Weeks 2 & 3
Request Penelope join your team for the ship race. (She's ideal for the morale check so it's a good pick regardless.)
For Penelope's breakfast, I don't think it matters? (I mean, don't be mean to her, obviously, but I don't think it effects any Lisle stats there.)
The best gift for him is the Pirate book.
For the MM date, start with either "Penelope" or "spent some time"
"Of course" is the best answer to 'bother you?' but 'rather be here' will also work.
Pick trust or communication for the 'most important' question
"Far worse fates" is the best answer to his confession, but "thank you" will also work.
Talk to the matchmaker about him and make it clear you know what you're doing
BE TACKLE-HUGGED BY PENELOPE AT THE FEAST, 🎉
TL;DR Be a responsible adult, be nice to his sister, have a sense of humor, and you should be fine!
I don't have as much of a breakdown for how to *continue* his route (and also I don't remember where the demo cuts off vs the Early Access which isn't quite public yet) but basically you can get more respect & friendship by being eloquent and dutiful and encouraging Penelope when you get the chance.
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mirceakitsune · 1 year ago
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⚠️ My Patreon may be shutting down in the coming months
Wanted to post about this earlier but frankly I didn't have the energy or will to bother. This is an important announcement so if you're a Patreon supporter please read the first half.
Since the beginning of the year, Patreon has been harassing NSFW creators with a new policy requiring them to hand over sensitive documents to the platform. They've been doing this to target creators for age discrimination… sorry, I meant to say age verification. Hiding behind the excuse that Mastercard is making them do it, those who went through the process describe being asked to install a special app on their phone and film themselves holding sensitive identity documents in front of their webcam… yes, literally like ISIS hostages when they're filmed by their captors and the video sent to authorities for ransom. Needless to say no common sense observations, like the fact I've been on this internet for nearly 20 years and would have had to register on many websites when I was some -3 years old, are enough to make it clear I'm well in my 30's for those so desperate to kiss my ass about my personal and private life and identity. How does a child open their own bank account anyway… like you just walk into a bank and say "my name is Nina, I'm 10 years old, and mommy sent me to open an account and get my own credit card" in the minds of those people?
It goes without saying that I will not be subjecting myself to such abuse. Both due to the ridiculous and disgusting motive behind it, as well as it being blatant identity theft that should be illegal in any normal country. At the moment my Patreon is still functional and there are no restrictions only periodic popups, however they threatened that our ability to pay out may eventually be suspended. As such my Patreon is now on borrowed time: I'm using those potential last months to get as much as possible out of it before it all goes down. Unless some miracle happens and they get their heads screwed on straight, my plan is to shut down my page the second they introduce limitations that makes it unusable. For this reason I'd like all supporters to be on standby as I don't want you losing your money: I'll immediately make a new announcement the moment these bastards place restrictions so you know to pull out! If given the option I'll remove every supporter myself or revert to a non-creator page which should do the trick.
I've thought about requesting they revert my page back to SFW creator but don't think I'll go that route: First of all I'd need to find and delete countless posts I made over the years… those fools will surely look through all my stuff anyway, I don't want them seeing and judging it with their broken little primate minds that may perceive god knows what atrocity. My main problem is even if I made the request, they likely still label SFW content as NSFW even when it's not explicit; There are rumors of staff members being intoxicated about themes like furry / macro / vore into thinking it's undercover sexual content or some shit… something similar happened on Youtube, it's why independent animation has been impossible or at best risky to post there in recent years. I don't want to live with the feeling that I stand to be attacked for anything I post when I least expect it… platforms like Furaffinity and some governments are causing that enough as it is.
If I do shut down I'll likely keep creating content and posting it for free in the other galleries, as I always had before Patreon came into existence. For as long as even that remains legal and won't require logging in with the United Nations to be allowed to share or view art, seems that's what some psychopaths would like if they had their way. My goal is to move to decentralized platforms like Mastodon, though I'm still waiting for something better suited for media that uses mirroring / seeding for proper censorship resistance. In this way I plan on living off the money I have left and simply creating what I like how I still can, till I either die or am arrested for it under Western Sharia Law.
Not worth going into any more of a rant beyond that. Just never forget that in the year 2023 during the age of logic science and technology, it became impossible or a danger to make a living off creating art, reasons including religious superstition left over from the industrial revolution about porn being harmful to children up to merely seeing or creating fictional art on the fucking internet. I'm just baffled to remember all the nice dreams I had about the future more than 10 years ago, when in my stupidity I thought we'd have a real civilization and America in particular would be heaven on Earth; Took quite the hard lessons to realize the human species will never evolve past the status of tribal savages, you could throw holograms flying cars and warp drives at this world and it will remain but a medieval society with some technology sprinkled on top. I'm past hating anyone for better or worse… at least people, I will die hating the concept of human morality and notion of "empathy" used in their attempts to control and destroy me: When my time comes, maybe even a not so distant future seeing this planet made it clear I'm not supposed or allowed to be alive and exist here, it will at least be without any real regrets.
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sunflowericescribbles · 2 years ago
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Sorry I´ve got to add to this, I´m just so excited someone else stumbled into this idea^^
I have the book "League of Legends - Realms of Runeterra" lying around for some months now, because I wanted to know more about the structures of the different nations and then I my mind also jumped around the idea "what if Silco (and Vander) were born somewhere else. Or as I imagined it: Your soul (if it doesn´t get eaten by demons or held up somewhere else or whatever stops the soul from moving on to the next life )gets reincarnated in other parts of the world.
Freljord was one of my first mindplays, too^^ Since the tribes are mostly led by women and they can have multiple partner, Silco would probably mostly be delegated to babysitting and raising them. He´s also not the typical fighter and he would be better utilized in strategy, but other than giving some advice (that won´t be followed), he wouln´t have much say in any of the important decisions. Vander on the other hand probably fits (almost) perfectly into the system. He´s a natural brutal fighter, "a charming devil", so getting together with a high ranking woman wouldn´t be much of a hassle and then raising a bunch of kids is just what he always wanted.
Ionia: Vander: Wolf Vastaya - Silco: human. Both end up on different side on how to resolve the conflict. Former brothers in arms splitting up again - but may this time with Vander almost loosing an eye (just for the irony of it xD)
Agreeing with Bilgewater being quite similar to Zaun, BUT with pirates! Pirate Captain Silco, yes! I would actually want to add Jinx and Vi into this, just because. I mean Jinx needs to fire some cannons, it´s her privilege xD (maybe this was the life before being reborn in Zaun and she held onto her love for explosives from that time.)
Noxus.. I get the feeling it could either make or break Silco. On the one hand, playing the (political) game could greatly work out for him, but like you mentioned, if he gets suspicious, he might go into an antagonistic stance. I could see Vander going into military and having a similar path like Darius?
Demacia seems SO unfitting for both of them xD The easy way out would be to make Silco a mage and then he´s got a reason to fight again xD Sylas would gladly join forces with him - or not. Maybe they would have a fallout, Silco gets the shorter end of the stick, again - sleep and repeat, but for once it would not be Vander who got stabbed in the back as retaliation xD Make a happy alliance with Vander for once, because Vander is the loyal dog he´s supposed to be this time :D
Haven´t thought about Targon, but you could make a heartfelt (tragic) lovestory between lunarian Silco and solari Vander.
Shurima: tough one. For once he shouldn´t be stuck with political stuff, maybe he should build a safer trading route and play merchant.
Ixtal: let them be beasts in their former lives. Every soul should start out as an animal first. Vander the lone wolf befriending a panther Silco which will determine their "basic relationship" in their future lives - if they get to meet again at the same time.
Shadow Isles: let´s put them before the whole Viego-Fiasko, so their souls could escape before the shadows took over there. This is probably one of their earlier lives and maybe they even died young. It might have been a short (tragic) life, but it spared them the fate of their souls getting trapped there.
WAIT: Yordle Silco should exist, too!
Out of all the dumb fic attempts I'm never going to finish is one AU where Vander and Silco are actually Freljordians from some Winter's Claw tribe.
Because I went through all kinds of options of "what if they were born in X instead" and I actually think Winter's Claw Freljord would be the place where Silco would do the least clashing with the establishes structures. Mostly because there aren't a ton of structures.
Granted, in my head canon/fic he still clashes a little bit with it, but he's a lot more understanding for why those structures exist even if they don't work for him. (in my head canon Silco and Vander run off together eventually and move to Bilgewater to be pirates where they adopt the gang of kids but there isn't a ton of hard feeling on Silco's side vis a vis their tribe)
Anyway, here is my list of head canons on how well Silco would fit into the other regions (again presuming his basical personality is still maintained and it's not a case of "if he grew up pampered and rich maybe he wouldn't have a care in the world and would just be a sweet guy without a chip on his shoulder").
Ionia: On the plus side, there is a struggle going on that is generally societally accepted. On the other hand, I feel like maybe Silco wouldn't vibe 100% with the whole magic/nature stuff to the extent "you can't even build a house, you need to rely on a tree to willingly glrow you one". It's still fun to think what order they would go into (though I guess they could just duplicate the Zed/Shen conflict). Now the other interesting bit would be what if Silco and Vander were vastaya but there is the bit where vastaya are basically old by default so Silco's youthful anger wouldn't really fit. [I do love the idea of what Ionian!Silco would think of Riven. ]
Bilgewater: Bilgewater seems the most similar to Zaun, so one would think it would be the best fit with its anarchistic spirit. And yes, I agree, that's why in my head canon they eventually end up moving there. But I feel Bilgewater would probably be a pretty unpleasant place to grow up in and work your way up to the ships. Plus they have a pirate king/queen Silco could clash wish.
Noxus: I feel like he would be comparatively happy if he was a born Noxian and would gel with the Noxian meritocracy approach. However, I feel he would eventually get suspicious if Noxus really is as meritocratic as they claim to be or if in the end aristocratic families still do a lot of string pulling. I could picture him becoming zealous anti Black Rose, though Black Rose member Silco has its own appeal.
Demacia: LOL, I feel like he would hate them more than he hates Piltover, even if wasn't a mage (but of course doubly so if he was).
Targon: I think he would slot it pretty naturally with either the Lunari or with Pantheon's quest. I guess I just find Targon a bit boring as a region, hence why it isn't as prominent with me.
Shurima: Shurima is interesting to me. Aristocracy and lots of magic bullshittery and Noxian oppression going on. I feel like he would be borderline stumped which bit to rebel against first.
Ixtal is barely a region/we now too little about it and Void and Shadow Isles don't really have people in the conventional way (though I guess he could still be Buhru or a Shadow Isles treasure hunter).
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similargist · 2 years ago
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AMAZING GUIDELINES FOR FLYING A DRONE, EVEN IF YOU'RE JUST A BEGINNING
Drones are being used more regularly in a variety of fields, including photography, construction, and so on... They can be utilized for a variety of purposes, including job monitoring and survey mapping. Learning how to operate a drone takes time. The first step is to learn how to operate it and to take safety measures.
youtube
Here are a few additional safety drone guidelines to help you become a skilled drone operator.
This is the drone I use: https://bit.ly/3NMcjvG (affiliate link)
Pay close attention to the instructions in your drone's manual. Because every drone is different, reading the manual is the best way to get to know it.
The most crucial thing is to learn how to monitor battery usage. When the drone returns to its home autonomously due to a low battery, it can be alarming for a beginner. The drone is very challenging to manually control in RTH mode, which can be stressful if there are trees or other obstructions.
Understand the controls. The secret to early drone piloting success is mastering the controls.
Work on your technique constantly. It takes practice to become proficient with a drone. Learn the functions of each button and feature on your drone, then try using them all at once and in different ways.
Before you fly, inspect your drone. Just like a pilot, go through a pre-flight checklist.
Avoid taking off close to tall trees, telephone wires, or other significant obstacles.
Don't lose sight of your drone. Keeping your drone in sight is the cardinal rule of drone flight. Maintaining visual contact can help you detect potential hazards and obstacles better and make it more difficult for you to unintentionally fly out of range.
When you're flying, pay close attention. People crash their drones most frequently when they become preoccupied during flying.
Become familiar with flying without a GPS (GPS). Drone pilots who are just starting out should get some practice without GPS.
Learn about local drone regulations in your area. Although the FAA has the final say in drone matters, it is a good idea to check your state's laws.
Avoid flying your drone in populated places. National parks and monuments are off-limits to drone use since the National Park Service has a restriction in place. Large-scale public events also forbid the use of drones.
Avoid having your drone collide with any birds. Animals have different hearing abilities than humans do. Birds use sonar to communicate, therefore other territorial birds may view your drone's optical positioning system as an intrusion into their area.
Confirm the civil twilight hours if you happen to be flying at dusk or dawn. This is when the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon, either after sunset or just before sunrise, and it feels light enough to fly.
When flying into the wind, take very good care. The most challenging flying conditions include windy days because they make it even more difficult to fly steadily and precisely. Additionally, confirm that the wind speed is under 20 mph.
Verify that there is a 10% or lower likelihood of rain. Drone flying in the rain is a disaster waiting to happen.
Plan your shots before taking off if you're filming. Before you take to the sky, make sure to prepare your route and shots. On foot, scout the location you'll be filming in and devise a sequence that takes the surroundings, your skills, and equipment into consideration.
Have extras on hand. So that you can make repairs on the go and carry out your planned activities, keep extra parts available.
Don't switch to manual mode too quickly. Flyers with advanced skills should use manual mode. The features designed to make flying simpler won't provide you the extra stability you need when in manual mode.
With the FAA, register your new drone. The FAA's Unmanned Aircraft Registration system requires all new owners of drones weighing more than.55 grams and less than.55 pounds to register.
Even when used for business, drone piloting may be enjoyable. But flying a drone incorrectly can result in expensive harm to the drone, other objects, or even humans.
This is the drone I use: https://bit.ly/3NMcjvG (affiliate link)
While there are numerous courses and programs geared at enhancing pilots' skills, the proverb "practice makes perfect" is sometimes the best advice for getting better. Practice, practice, and then some more if you want to get better at flying drones.
Looking for a new drone? Check out our picks for the best camera drones: See more
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my2phetaliaheadcanons · 3 years ago
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Feel free to ignore this. But I love your writing and was wondering if you could do the stalking headcanons you done but with the 2p allies?
How could I ignore such a request? After all, yandere is a fun aspect of horror to write, stalking is just one step in the process. Also thank you for the compliment and the ask. I love seeing them.
Sorry, I put it as an original post, but it was an ask. I fixed it!!
The buzzing sound of old electrical wires was the only sound on the empty street. It gave the young woman some comfort while she stood underneath the old streetlamp. Though that small bit of comfort was not enough to stop the paranoia that came from the feeling of being watched.
France – François’ chéri would be watched constantly in some shape or form. He would prefer to use cameras. Things like street cameras, security cameras, and the like would all be hacked by one of his men. From there François would have them all connected to his phone via a special app called Darling Watch. If there were spots along his chéri’s route that didn’t have a camera, then François will have his men install some.
This does extend to the home of his little chéri. As much as François doesn’t like to work, he would do the cameras himself. He knows her best and would know the proper places to put the cameras. Places she wouldn’t expect or think to look. From there he would install them in every room. Each one is well-hidden and yet gives a full view of her home.
François would occasionally view her in person. Unlike Denmark with his few times a month, François would find a place in her routine where he could watch her fully once a week. If she had a customer service-like job, then he would be the customer asking for her. A college student, then he would watch her as she studied in the library. So on and so forth.
Overall, his chéri would pick up on the fact she was being watched. That action is not the easiest to hide and may drive her to the point of tearing her apartment apart. Throughout all the madness, she would never guess François. The man that appeared in her life once a week. The man that occasionally stared at her or gave her a couple of words at work. The truth could be enough to send her into shock.
America – Allen is a pushy and possessive person, and it shows in his stalking. He stays close to his doll and watches for as long as he can. He spends his time out of sight but close enough to take photos and intervene on her behalf.
Until he feels that it is the right time to talk to her that is. At that moment Allen will saunter into her life. His overall timing and attitude would remind anyone of a villain from a greaser movie. The tough attitude but that rough charm that could make anyone weak in the knees is how he cements his place in her life. From there, his stalking becomes a lot easier and more fruitful.
He gets pictures and some of her most personal information straight from her mouth. Things like why her favorites are favorites. All the items with sentimental values and what extra things will be needed in their new home. The list could go on and Allen will catalog it all with a smile. Though at the same time, Allen will still watch her from a distance. Following her home after hanging out, making sure no creeps are around her house. He sometimes even watches his doll through her bedroom window. He just leans against his motorcycle and lets his thoughts wander.
Doll is gonna end up right where Allen wants her. She will assume he chases the monsters away, but in the end, she invited the worst monster into her home. Once reality sets in though, her feelings of betrayal would be intense. His doll may try to cast him out, but it won’t be for long. He will still watch and wait for the right time to bring her home.
Canada – Matt’s methods remind one of a zoologist. Continual observations, detailed notes, all while remaining in the corner of her eye. It's terrifying and somehow Matt is able to find out all he needs to know.
Matt is a true lurker. He is hiding just out of her periphery; the shadows help hide his massive form. His high-end camera letting off small clicks as he takes plenty of photos. Each one worthy of being on the front cover of a National Geographic magazine. The photos are printed on high-end glossy paper and then placed into an album.
Each picture is labeled and contains notes about his maple. The range from things about her likes, dislikes, medical needs, and more. He even has a book dedicated to her enemies, each one taken down is crossed out in red.
Through the process, Matt's zoologist behavior continues by entering her home, like an animal's den. Though he is helpful while looking through. he does this by helping them get a promotion at work via intimidation, getting any medications, buying her groceries, and placing them in their proper place, improving/fixing things in her home. He also takes out anyone that so much as bumps into her.
The improvements and groceries at first would be brushed off. But as time goes on and the incessant clicking of a camera will start to drive her into madness. Each click is enough to make her panic and all the improvements cause an uncomfortable itch under her skin. It will all end when Matt finally brings her home.
England – Oliver is very subtle when it comes to his dearie. Mostly because he has her come and interact with him. Then during the in-between times watches her.
This all starts simple enough, he makes sure that she has to visit him. It could be that her job has her deliver some paperwork to him and it must be in person. Maybe, a college student looking for a part-time job and suddenly finds a new cupcake shop looking for workers. Either way, Oliver will find some way to get her to him. From there he builds up the relationship.
It feels creepy at first. Oliver asks some deep questions, things that one would expect from a date rather than a boss or work partner. It gets uncomfortable, but Oliver is able to change the atmosphere with a simple sentence. It causes his dearie to think that she was overacting. It eventually gets to the point it makes her want to quit, but as she searches for something new, roadblocks pop up.
Things like businesses going under, people dying, and other horrible misfortunes. All the while not realizing Oliver’s sweet little flying bunnies had a hand in causing it. They are his eyes and ears, telling them the information that he could not pry from her lips. Sometimes they are his little thieves and take things from her home for him to alter.
All these elements lead to self-isolating behavior. As much as it pains Oliver to have her distant, it helps in the end. Though he was suspected in the beginning, she never had proof or some kind of connection. So, when he reveals himself, she is pissed. Screams and accusations are thrown and he just giggles.
China – Jin uses others to stalk his Qin. It's simple to him because he knows that unless love is involved, anyone will sell out another.
There are many people that buy from Jin. The types range from all walks and this gives him an advantage. Jin makes it simple, watch his Qin and report back to him. As long as his new employee doesn’t cross any lines, then a huge discount is applied to whichever of his products that they desire.
From there, information and pictures are gathered quickly. Eventually, these aren’t enough for Jin, so he goes and sees her in person. During these times, Jin will sit right in her line of sight. Maybe even a quick bump to interact with her. He lives for these times, though throughout it all Jin is still hiring people to find more information about her.
His darling is less likely to feel paranoid overall because it isn’t a single person just staring. It's people from all walks of life and sometimes attached to her life that the information is coming from. This creates a bubble of safety that he can exploit.
Once the bubble is popped, Qin will cry and panic. She will have realized that she should have been more cautious, but it’s too late now.
Russia – Viktor will operate in a very ordered way. His stalking is always connected to his preparations for their new life together.
When he starts Viktor takes watching his родная seriously, he uses his men at first to make her more comfortable. They are to watch from a distance and report her daily schedule back to him. Once the schedule is set, then Viktor comes to do things in person.
He walks into her home, like it's his, and looks for the most personal things. Diaries are read, medications are written down, preferences of food and clothing are noted. Viktor will analyze the deeper behaviors of his родная. This will help him understand her relationships, and what he needs to fulfill her emotional needs.
Throughout it all, Viktor will visit her occasionally. His visits are usually in a professional setting. It creates a sense of expectation for both and helps take the suspicion off him. This also helps Viktor to understand which situations his родная is most comfortable in. This will help when it comes to kidnapping later on.
Overall the moment Viktor has all the information he needs from the stalking, he strikes. It's shocking, because she was taken at a moment when no one would have guessed. This man that родная has had few encounters with is now standing across from her. He is claiming his love, and she is doing her best to hold it all together.
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tarithenurse · 3 years ago
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In the eyes
Fandom: Naruto Pairing: Uchiha Itachi x fem!reader Content: Feels. Angst. Loss. Love. Reference to killing (war and murder). Captivity. Sorrow. Hope. Anger. You name it, it’s there. A/N: I just want to say in my defence that this story isn’t my fault. Blame @maladaptive-ninja-returns​...it’s her birthday present (yes, I’m late)!
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In the eyes
The steam is long gone together with your interest in the drink when you drain the cup of tea as the black-haired man gets up to leave. The cape hides what he’s missing – if only it was his leg instead – that way you wouldn’t have to keep the distance to the bare minimum, constantly risking him discovering that you’re following him. It doesn’t help to complain, though: he’s alive and mobile...and you have to watch your every move.
Volunteering for the assignment has probably been one of the more masochistic choices you’ve made, but you just couldn’t let the last Uchiha go yet.
For years, watching the kid grow older had kept a wound alive that no one knew about. It festered, saturating you with a sickening, rotten, sadness that never washed off but wasn’t detected by your peers. You should have let it heal. Should have moved on. But there had always been something keeping you from accepting what everyone else had decided must be true.
You weren’t the only one dealing with grief, of course. The life of a Leaf ninja was to say goodbye too soon and then to live with the numbing ache, renewed each time memories stirred.
Before the fourth war, the newfangled gossip of the dead returning was treated as ghost stories by most people until the climax of it all, when too many stood face to face with loved ones. Lost ones. And you were too weak to prevent the hope from being rekindled, so once peace was a reality and all the shinobis prepared to celebrate in the chaotic haze of the aftermath, you made a decision.
That is why, three seconds after the door closes behind Uchiha Sasuke, you get up...
...and sit right down again to avoid pressing against the sharp blade of the person suddenly appearing beside you.
The newcomer’s face is hidden partially under the wide-rimmed hat and the rest behind a dark and tattered cloak. Glancing down, a hand with purple-painted nails slips the kunai into the darkness of the cloak, leaving you with the knowledge that it’s there.
There’s no doubt in your mind that this is a shinobi. Where did you come from? Admittedly, there are others frequenting the little tea house because it’s a popular stop at a major crossroads...even if it mainly services those without national affiliations. None of the rest of the clientele reacts to the scene unfolding discreetly and you have no wish to catch their attention before you know what and who you’re dealing with.
“What do you want?”
It takes a second before you realize the question isn’t asked by you. Another one to recover from the smooth dusk that is the stranger’s voice. A voice with a hint of familiarity in the timbre which you decide must be your mind playing games.
“Nothing. I’m no enemy of yours,” you try to placate them, silently counting the seconds worth of head start separating you from Sasuke, “and I hold nothing of value...you should let me go.”
The tickle of a laugh surprises you. “If I’d wanted your possessions, they’d already be mine. I want answers, Konoha-girl.”
The headband you carry is hidden under your clothes, well out of sight from any prying eyes. Finally giving up on stalking your initial target, you turn your undivided attention to the person who has seated them-self before you.
The little skin you can see is pale, and a few black strands have escaped the slack ponytail and fallen in front of the face where only chin and jawline is visible. As if knowing your annoyance, the head is tipped slightly, allowing you to glimpse soft, gently smiling lips. Kissable. The thought jars you.
“I recommend you give up that wish.” No one should be able to hear the nervousness in your voice...but the stranger smirks. “My business is my own.”
“Not when it involves him,” they says, inclining the hat towards the door where Uchiha left.
You’re out to get him? You almost feel sorry for this fool who clearly doesn’t have a clue about the one-armed ninja’s identity.
“Don’t be mistaken,” the person smiles as if reading your thoughts, “I know who he is and what he’s capable of, after all...he’s my brother.”
Calmly meeting your gaze, the eyes meeting you flash red.
...
“Don’t look an Uchiha in the eyes”. It was the warning that was whispered into your ears as soon as you were big enough to run errands on your own. Naturally, you had to do it, and what met you was not as demonic as the warning stories had made you think – rather, they were kind, and wiser than the smooth face hinted at – although you never looked another Uchiha in the eyes just to be on the safe side.
It was impossible to discern the colour. Some days, they seemed leaden as if the rain clouds were gathered inside the boy too. A few times, in the morning when he watched where his fists struck the wood, the sparks from the cozy fire of the evening before still lingered in the warmest of black. What you loved the most, though, was when the gaze was locked onto infinity and they were soft like liquid.
...
Everything is different: the stuffy tea room with its noisy patrons has been replaced by somewhere deserted that seems to be carved out of grey stone.
How did I get here? Careful to move as little as possible, you take in the new surroundings only to find the place empty and with only one way in and out. A dull cold has already seeped into your feet as you stand there, lost as your bearings have nothing to latch on to – the only light is a torch in a wall sconce to your left.
Feet. They are bare, and a quick pat-down reveals that all of your weapons, your belt, and your headband have been stripped from you too. The sensation is uncanny, akin to nakedness. The logic behind it is obvious as it reduces the chances of a successful escape even if you were to make it out and establish a route.
On the other hand: you’re unharmed and unbound.
Turning, you have no doubt that the wooden door is locked but of course you go over to try, heart frozen near your throat when you push against it with your shoulder. Surprisingly, it does open and the screaming hinges sets the tiniest hairs on your body on end.
“Not wasting any time, Konoha-girl.”
You recognize the voice and the decorated nails on the hand that appears to pull open the door completely, and not just from the rest stop but from years of aching recollections that have been warped by watching Sasuke grow up with this man’s shadow lingering over his life. Over your life.
No. There’s no way. He died. Now your heart jackhammers a frenzied rhythm.
It’s a fool’s hope that powers the jab towards his neck. An idiot’s dream urging you to sprint past him. At least I tried, a bitter thought comments the moment both attempts are thwarted as a rib-crushing kick sends your tumbling backwards and you land sprawled in the middle of the room.
The ceiling is still spinning, it seems, when you sense the man’s presence loom over you. The fingers are cool (and surprisingly gentle) as the curl around the back of your skull, fingers digging into your hair to grant a tight grip to pull you closer by. Very close. A hand’s length separates the tips of your noses and you want to be oblivious to the way his mouth curves softly.
“You’re not leaving,” he whispers, “until I say so.”
Feeling and strength are beginning to return to your arms, including a sharp ache in your chest that grows with every shallow breath which you try to ignore. Should have restrained me, fool...and the thought dies there as everything shifts and the ground swallows your limbs.
“N-no...how...? No!”
He watches your struggles lazily before releasing his grip and sitting down next to you on the hard floor. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
But you did. Wait...no! You haven’t...it wasn’t you...it can’t have been...
“You lie about your identity,” you scoff, regretting the outburst immediately as pain stabs coldly into your side, “so excuse me for not trusting you on this either.” There is a little smile there on his lips, full of sadness and regret that makes your insides cringe momentarily until you have the breath to explain to him (or yourself) why it can’t be true: “Uchiha Itachi has been killed!”
“Yes...and then I was brought back.” He’s impossibly calm as though he’s simply discussing the weather. “Twice.”
Double reanimated? As if! The war had been a horror to live through and would have been without people facing their deceased comrades and family members on the battlefield. However, once destroyed or sealed, none of the animated dead had walked again and all of them had been dealt with properly in the end.
Looking at the ninja, none of the signs of reanimation are prominent. On the other hand...even if they had been, you might not even notice it now that you meet the man’s gaze and the liquid infinity there.
“I could show you...but I’m afraid your mind can’t take the strain in your current state,” the so-called Itachi explains.
Mind, your aching heart still reels from fear of being broken once more, this is all in my mind.
Zoning out everything else, you focus on the flow of chakra within. Calming it, soothing it, until abruptly forcing the flow to revert. It feels as if your very soul drops for a second but the moment it returns to its place, the world is no longer made up of lies and imaginary sensations...and you’re still lying on the ground in a room made of stone, your ribs feeling as if they’re speared by frost. The only improvement is that at least your limbs are free.
And Itachi? Yes, you have to call him that because deep within you can’t deny it any longer.
The official reports hadn’t been released by the time you left Konoha and you’re not high enough up in the ranks as a shinobi to get the juicy information unless it’s necessary for a mission – and since your missions tend to be B or simpler A rank...well, I guess my current mission’s a bust but this is an important discovery!
A silky chuckle refocuses your attention. “Very good...I suppose I must strengthen my genjutsu against you.”
He’s so close, you could touch him. Shifting to lean against the wall, he rests his arms casually on the knees and begins to pick at the chapping nail polish.
“No need to,” you bite back a groan as you roll over to sit up, “I take it that’s how you got me here?” Pretty eyes are watching your every move as he nods in agreement. “Hm. It’ll probably be useless to ask where we are, so...why? Why show yourself now?”
Sitting cross legged, you find the pain lessens if you pull your clothes and arms tightly around your torso, restricting the depth of your breathing. Broken or bent ribs? Not that it really matters. First of all, he would be able to beat you in a fight anyways; secondly, even if you got out of here you wouldn’t know where “here” is; and third (but not least), you don’t really want to run from him.
Rather than answer, Itachi stands up and holds out his left hand for you. Puzzled, you take it. Soft fingers curl around yours and he pulls you to your feet, studying your movements and the twisting facial expressions.
He doesn’t let go.
Not when he guides you out the door and into a hallway shaped of the same kind of stone as the room was made of. Carved from.
Not when he slows down at the sound of the squeaky breathing the pace forces from you.
There doesn’t seem to be many rooms along the winding path. Here and there a door bars the way or you catch a glimpse of a dead-end that looks as though the excavation was abandoned or even disrupted by cave-ins.
You do your best to memorize the path, but frankly, your mind is getting fuzzy from pain and exhaustion. You have no sense of time, just hunger and tiredness weighing you down to indicate the loss of many hours.
“Just a bit longer, [Y/N],” Itachi soothes.
When did I tell him my name? You want to ask or at least protest, but it would be a choice between talking or getting to wherever he’s leading you...and you doubt he’ll let you pause.
A few dozen steps later and a short flight of stairs up, he ushers you through a door into a room that looks like a mix between a kitchen and work station. A fire is the only light and heat source (the smoke venting up through a chimney too narrow to be an escape route), casting a warm glow over the solid wooden table and chairs. Everything else is hewn from whatever mountain you’re inside.
“Sit,” your captor finally releases the grip and points at a chair near the fire and you obediently do as you’re told.
There are shelves and niches almost hidden in the dancing shadows at first holding with boxes, bundles, and various utensils. He knows where everything is, grabbing a few items before returning and laying it out in the light. Bandages. His movements are fluid and elegant, just like you remembered.
He motions towards your upper body, then turns to tend to the fire. “Strip.”
“That’s really not -”
“Some of your ribs are broken. Restraining them will minimize the pain.”
He’s right. Of course he is.
With clipped movements, you pull off the layers until you hesitate at the poor excuse of a bra. Despite the now roaring fire, the cold from the stone still seeps into your body and raises waves of goosebumps and tightens your nipples. It would be easier to apply the bandages correctly without the last bit of clothing in the way, but right now it feels like the only shield left at your disposal as Itachi turns back to you.
“We’ll work around that,” the man offers softly.
He works quietly at first. Hands winding the linen bandages around you adeptly, pausing each time the ministration intensifies the pain and causes the discomfort to escape as stubborn hisses. The purple nail polish is mesmerizing – simultaneously a contrast to the horrific stories of a killer and perfectly fitting the pretty, nearly feminine, traits you see. Especially the eyes. Sure, they’re filled with a bottomless sadness that you don’t feel comfortable acknowledging, but they’re beautiful. Haunting.
“You’re staring,” he hums without looking up.
Shit. “No. I just -...let’s say you’re who you claim to be,” you try to recover, “why’re you back?”
“To be his watcher.”
“Says who?”
This time, he stops and looks you dead in the eyes. “Otsutsuki Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths.” There are very few proper comebacks to that, so your captor continues without giving you a chance to think of something, “Otsutsuki told me about the bonds of families and that it can transcend blood. He knows hatred can cause – and has caused – too much harm...but something rekindled his hope that it can be overcome.“
I don’t have an eye on Uchiha constantly, but... “Does Sasuke know?” Returning to his work, Itachi avoids your gaze. “He doesn’t...”
“He’s finally found peace and is on the right path...I can’t risk undoing it.”
Bullshit! “Or you’re a coward who doesn’t have the guts to fa-” the rest is cut off as soft fingers tighten around your throat.
Blood-red eyes pierce your mind, numbing you for an eternity or a millisecond.
...
They were a means to reach the goal but their words still hurt as you followed meekly in their footsteps. Snobbery. Disdain. Considering how proud your two team members clearly felt, they had very little to show for their reputation as Uchihas and frankly, it was your skills rather than theirs that ensured successful missions and still, you never once looked them in their face. Instead, you kept an eye out for two other of the clan.
Where one was, so would the other be. Thick as thieves, the boys had found a companionship that complemented their differences in the same manner as the sun and the moon. But as opposed to your teammates who swooned at the brightness of the sun, you were drawn to the night and the calmness it brought whenever that boy was near – each time he met your eyes, time became meaningless.
...
The two of you sit in silence as the steam from the soup caresses your face. Your mind is blank, slowly starting to pick up on the absence of stone walls – wood has replaced the cold surfaces, making it almost unbearably warm with the bandages underneath your layers of clothes – and a plethora of questions begin to press against your conscious only to be held back as most of your thoughts get derailed whenever you look at the man before you.
Without the hat and cloak to conceal him, it’s impossible to ignore all the details you’ve nurtured in your memory for ages, such as the slight pull of his lips as he thinks or the elegance of his movements now that he gets up and refills his bowl from the pot hanging over the fire.
“Why are you following Sasuke?”
You should be diplomatic. “I could ask you the same.” You’re not.
“I already told you,” Itachi shrugs.
“Well I...I don’t believe you.”
But you do. There’s no denying anymore that this man is who he claims to be and so, why would he lie about his purpose? The sad smile. The quiet mannerisms. The idea that Itachi would somehow transcend death to watch over his little brother? That’s a mysterious intricacy that fits with your memories of him from before that night.
“You do...but something else is bothering you.” It’s a statement, not a question. “Am I not what you expected?”
No, you’re not. However, he’s what you remember with a layer of sorrow added on top. He doesn’t get to be sad. The little spark of anger is what you need. You nurse it, feed it until it flares up hot and bright and consumes your regrets and self-pity.
“Expected? I don’t know what I expected from someone like you!” Your voice is rising, shaking with years of frustration. “Clan killer. Murderer. I never told anyone but I was in love with an Uchiha! That night, I’d gone to bed, finally sure that I was gonna tell him but when I woke up...” Something inside you had broken that day and it still hurts now. “They told me how you’d left Sasuke alive...but the boy I loved was gone and no one knew I was mourning. Each time I saw him -” you can’t hold back a strangled sound and you realize, you’re crying -”I saw the ghost of...” The bowl of floating vegetables looks blurry until you blink angrily. “Ugh! But what does a teenager know of love, right? They’ll grow up. Get over it. Except I knew you were out there still and that you had all the answers. Why? The Itachi I remember wasn’t a mindless monster! I was told a story, but it doesn’t make any sense. If all the monster wanted was power then why spare Sasuke? Why did everyone else have to die?”
The inhalations are shallow and rapid, making you dizzy as you cling to the table and the spoon. It burns in your lungs and cheeks.
“I am sorry for the pain, I’ve caused you.”
Your gaze snaps to his face and you know he’s speaking the truth but it doesn’t matter right now.
“Sorry? Sorry?! You don’t get to be sorry! I missed y-...the boy, I loved was gone and it took ages before I could let go and stop mourning, finally accepting the truth had died with you and now...now you’re here? And it’s all back and I don’t understand! How could you?” Itachi doesn’t flinch as you launch the bowl towards him – he doesn’t have to because your aim is off and it clatters to the floor in a shower of shards and wasted food after hitting the wall behind him. “How? The boy I loved was not a monster! He wouldn’t do what they s-”
The echoes of your wheezing shouts ring through the room after the abrupt stop. Holding your breath, you wait for the ground to swallow you whole or for the man at the other end of the table to react and the fear is colder than the burning in your chest.
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” Itachi eventually whispers, “they were just people who had been wronged and misguided until their arrogance made them blind.”
What? That’s not exactly what you had expected. Without explaining further, your captor gets up, handing you his bowl of food before beginning to clean the mess you’ve made.
“Don’t...I’ll get tha-” you begin.
He only has to look at you.
...
The dew had soaked your toes, cooling and soothing them after each kick that you landed on the wood stump. Pine. The new splinters refreshed the scent as they fell to the ground and you knew that birds would rummage through them in the hope of finding a morning snack once the training grounds were free of people again – they were already gathering at the edge of the clearing except for where Itachi stood.
The realization made you stop mid-kick, gaze locked with his and heart fluttering in your chest. How long had he stood there?
“They’re wrong.” You could barely believe he was talking to you. “Your teammates...don’t listen to what they say.”
Before you could ask what he meant, Itachi was gone and maybe it had all been your imagination running free.
...
Sitting up abruptly, it takes a few seconds for your eyes to get used to the low light of the dying embers. Where am I?
Salt and drying seaweed is heavy in the air, somehow worming its way into what appears to be yet another room of stone. No...it’s a cave. You’re sitting on a bedroll splayed out onto the sand filling the place and you have no memory of arriving.
The dark form on the other side of the fire pit makes no move as you slip a hand underneath your shirt to confirm what you already know: the bandages are gone and there’s only a muted tenderness as you prod at the ribs. How long has it been?
“You’re safe,” Itachi’s gentle voice assures, and you feel your pulse slow despite the ominous situation, “go back to sleep.”
Yes. Sleep...hang on! Shaking your head, you fight the urge to succumb to the fuzziness that weighs your thoughts. “Why’re you doing this?” you mumble.
It doesn’t make sense why the man wouldn’t simply get the answers he want and then dispose of you or at the very least leave you locked up somewhere while he keeps following Sasuke from the shadows. Instead, your captor has put an effort into keeping you comfortable. Feeding you.
“I remember you.” His eyes reflect the red coals as they burn into your soul all over again. “Memories don’t do your justice, though.”
...
There is no world beyond the walls of the garden but a red sheet of sky dotted with storm clouds. The sliding doors have been pushed aside, opening the hallway to the view, and you know the wood beneath your bare feet should be silky from decades of use. You can’t feel it. There are no scents either, no breeze to toy with the soft fabric of your yukata, nor insects clicking from the rhododendron.
“This isn’t real.”
“No,” Itachi confirms from behind you, “but here I can create what you need. Who you need.”
Turning at last, there’s no reason to shy away from meeting his gaze even if it matches the fake sky. He looks real – as opposed to the familiarity of the home of your childhood that surrounds the two of you – and the ghost of a smile kindly tries to hide the sadness.
“...need. For what?”
The black strands falling into his face are strangely dull in the nightmarish light. “Closure.”
“That’s not possible.”
Wanting to leave, to run away and avoid what Itachi intends, you find yourself rooted in place by an invisible force. Even turning your face away is impossible and you pray that he doesn’t understand the well of emotions he must be able to see in your eyes.
“This is a chance for you to say goodbye to the one I killed. The one you...love,” he pauses to scrutinize your expression and you try to remain neutral, “because you do. You still love him.”
“You have no right...” swallowing hard, you fight to keep the words back, “no right t-to claim to know what I need!” Finally, you manage to close your eyes but they snap open again at the touch of his fingertips on your forehead. “This isn’t something you get to fix like -”
...
The world has shifted again and you’re back in the ocean side cave. You can feel how uneven the sand is under your knees and shins even with the bedroll to soften the press and some some the grains have found their way in between your toes...but none of that matters because Itachi is still right before you, his fingers gently resting on your brow.
A pop-and-crackle from the fire pit is the only sound other than your shallow breathing. You know, he knows. Eyes widened in nigh-comedic understanding, it’s as if he sees you for the first time.
“I’m sorry, [Y/N].”
You barely manage to whisper, “for what?”
His fingertips send shivers along your spine as they trace a path, allowing him to cradle the back of your neck in his palm.
“Everything” Itachi’s lips brush your cheek, “for breaking your heart in so many ways and for making you think your love was unrequited.”
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penguinwithitsarseonfire · 4 years ago
Text
Where We Stood Was Holy Ground
Pairing: 9th Doctor x Reader
Warnings: None
Word Count: 3,485
Summary: The Doctor takes you, Rose, and Jack to a heritage garden on some distant planet. One of the (apparent) perks is that the pathways constantly change, and after repairing them, you have to test them out.
Request: Hey there, do you write for nine? Cause I'd really love a fluffy nine fic, maybe using fluff prompts 4, 26, and 38 from your first prompt list? Thank you so much 😊😊😊 
Prompts: “Kiss me." | You’re really warm.” | “You owe me.” “Fine, whatever you like.”
A/N: Yes, I know, I created a bunch of elaborate plot points with no follow through (shout out to the giant scorpion crabs of yesteryear), but please enjoy the pretty national park and an alien dust I only realised halfway through writing this was eerily similar to a certain medical nanite tech
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The water was black, all inky as if it were truly oil. You leaned over the railing and ran your fingers through it, it was cool under your touch, and the water shone, sparkling like it had turned into golden and silver glitter, as if creating its own night sky.
Rose was standing by your side, resting her head in her palm, and watching the pink fish swim in circles near the bridge you were both standing on. They looked like catfish, which you supposed was pretty alien. “D’you think you can drink it?” She asked. “The water, that is.”
“I don’t know,” you said. The water felt like any other water, there was a bit of a give and take, but it was light and smooth. “You probably can, it’s water, after all.”
Rose hummed, and then gave you a cheeky grin, locking eyes with you as you pulled yourself back up. “Maybe we should get Jack to try it.”
You laughed brightly; Jack would most totally try it.
You turned around to ask him, but he wasn’t there. Neither was the Doctor. You frowned slightly, and you grabbed at the bannister behind you, holding it so you stayed upright as you leaned forward. You swivelled your head up and down the pathway, but you couldn’t see either of them.
You turned to Rose, raising an eyebrow. “Where’ve they gone?”
She skipped off the lower railing she had been standing on, and came to your side, looking either side of the path, just as you had done. She turned back to you, shrugging. “I dunno. Maybe they were taken a different route? D’you have a map?”
Oh – right. The map.
You pulled it out of the back pocket of your jeans, opening it up. At first you had thought it was an average paper map, but you found that, as the paths changed, so did the map. That’s what this place was, it was a national park on some random planet (you’d already forgotten the name of it), which had pathways that spontaneously moved and changed directions. Apparently, once you decided you wanted to leave, the paths would take you to the exit, but, until then, it was a free for all.
It hadn’t caused any issues, and, as you had wandered under trees with glowing blue leaves, and plants that shone silver in the light, you had even liked it. It was nice to just walk, with no idea where you were going.
Now though, spilt from Jack and the Doctor, the path wasn’t what you would call convenient.
You pathways shifted on the map, and it showed four green dots. Two of the dots – you and Rose, were on the bridge, the other two were only a few pathways away, slowly blinking further along the path, as though they were walking. Those two had to be Jack and the Doctor.
Rose pulled out her own map and you compared the two. They lined up with one another, and you watched as the path Jack and the Doctor were walking on shifted, making it closer to you too.
You were thankful you had all done maintenance on the paths earlier, which was the whole reason you had stuck around. You were testing it, making sure the giant scorpion crabs of yesteryear weren’t still manipulating the paths anymore, luring helpless tourists toward them as their prey.  
An hour in, and it was working out.
“Should we go find them?” Rose suggested. “Meet them halfway.”
You pocketed your map. “Might as well,” you said, and you gestured down the bridge. “That way?”
Rose nodded, and the two of you took off.
You were both using Rose’s map to guide you, keeping you on track towards the other two. You wondered if Jack and the Doctor were doing the same, using a map to find you two. Knowing the Doctor, he was just probably wandering around, Jack in tow. Maybe he’d found a plant he adored, one he hadn’t seen in several centuries.
You could picture his face, pulled into a small frown as he studied it quizzically. Perhaps the plant was pink or a bright orange, and glowed like the trees did, sparkling against his blue eyes.
Rose nudged you and tripped for a moment, stumbling over a stone on the pathway. You turned to Rose in shock but she was grinning at you. “Thinking of the Doctor?”
You flushed, and could feel the way your face went hot, from your cheeks, across your nose, and up to your ears. “It was that obvious?”
Rose’s grin, which you hadn’t realised was possible, grew. She began to tease you lightly, her voice lilting up and down like a teenager during a sleepover. “You get this sort of dreamy look on your face,” she said. “And then every time you do, you get this sort of lovesick smile.”
You felt your face grow even more hot, and the flush went down your neck. You nudged her side, and said, only half petulantly. “Shut up.”
Rose laughed, but her face grew more sincere. “Aw no, it’s really sweet,” she squeezed your arm, and then mouth reformed into a familiar wry smirk. “Especially when he gives you the same look.”
You stopped in your tracks, looking at Rose in shock. “What?”
Rose laughed in delight, and began to jog away, she turned, so she was running backwards, and shot you the cheekiest grin you had ever seen. “You heard me!”
You stumbled after her, your brain trying to process what Rose had said.
Especially when he gives you the same look.
Did the Doctor hold those same feelings for you? The ones that you kept bottled up inside, so afraid they would burst.
Rose went around a bend and you chased after her. When you arrived to the bend though, she was gone. You sagged on the pathway, glaring at the new, empty path, which went a complete different direction from where Rose had went.
These pathways loved messing with you.
You hoped Rose was okay.
You pulled your map out of your pocket. There was one dot further down this new path, and two dots a few paths away. You ran your free hand through your hair and watched as the single dot came closer. You weren’t sure who it was, it could have been any of your friends, but you resolved to move forward.
As soon as you started walking, the dot stopped, frozen in place. You narrowed your eyes at the dot, trying to place why – whoever it was, would do that.
Then it hit you, they were waiting for you.
So you kept walking.
The park felt magical. The tree’s glittered with deep blue light in the leaves, and when they swayed in the quiet breeze, the parts that touched the wind shone a bright blue. It reminded you of a stadium concert where people wore those light up wristbands, and the stadium would be awash of bright, pulsing colour. The lights in the leaves almost seemed to dance, as if in tandem with the wind.
Under the blue light, the various shrubbery that made home for the various alien animals that lived here, shone silver. They were eerily metallic, as if they had been painted that colour. It was surreal, and utterly beautiful in a haunted sort of way that you couldn’t quite describe.
The purple sky which hung above you created a soft backdrop, as if some higher being had painted the area on a planet sized canvas, and had spun the colour wheel to find the perfect sky. It was a dark maroon, so even though you knew that logically, it was the middle of the day, it still felt like it was dusk, with the last sun-rays shining in the distance.
It didn’t take you long before you saw him – and you knew it was a him. He had a tuft of dark hair, which Rose certainly didn’t have, and he had a much broader build than she did.
He was crouched down, as if inspecting one of the plants, but you weren’t close enough to tell. You took a wild stab in the dark, it was probably the Doctor.
“Doctor,” you called out, and you jogged towards him.
He looked up, and sure enough, it was the Doctor. He gave you a surprised grin. “Oh Y/N! Fancy seeing you here.”
 You came up beside him. “What, in a park where the paths keep changing?” You said. “Who would’ve guessed,” you crouched down beside him, letting your knees bump against his. Small indulgences. “What’re you looking at?”
He nodded to the small plant, and you almost laughed out loud. This was what you had been picturing, the Doctor eyeing a bunch of plants.
It was one of the shrubs you had seen littered around the place. It had brown leaves which looked silver under the blue light from the trees, and held bright orange bulbs, as if they were storing something.
It made you want to touch it.
“Asclepios Tubrosa,” the Doctor said. “That’s the scientific name. Your lot would call it Orange Fluxroot.”
You considered it for a moment. “What’s it do?”
The Doctor gave you a look. “What’s it do?” He repeated. “Y/N, it’s a plant.”
“Yeah,” you said. “And loads of plants do stuff,” you countered. “They produce flowers or food, or just sit there and look pretty. Plus, you’re looking at it like it can bend the laws of physics or something.”
The Doctor gave you a considering look, and you knew he was taking what you said on board. You’d been travelling with him long enough now to recognise his little looks. “That’s what I was trying to work out,” he turned back to the plant. “I recognise it, but I can’t remember from where.”
You still wanted to poke it. “Can I touch it?”
“Dunno,” he said. “Could be dangerous.”
“Everything with you is dangerous,” you replied, and the plant thrummed. You desperately wanted to poke it. “I’m going to touch it,” you decided.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow at you. “Alright,” he said, and he gestured to the plant.
You reached out your hand and poked it, right in one of the orange bulbs.
Nothing happened.
You deflated slightly, you’d thought something would happen. The plants here were so different, so alien, that you were sure that this would be too.
“Huh,” the Doctor said. “I guess it’s not the plant I was thinking then. It might be a Pleuresie Har-”
You tuned the Doctor out. The plant was swaying slightly, except, it was swaying the opposite way from the wind. On instinct, you threw yourself over the Doctor, shielding him from the plant as it exploded.
And covering you in orange pollen.
You leaned your head into the Doctor’s chest, coughing slightly as the dust settled, twirling into the air. You rubbed your free hand on the back of your neck, and, when you inspected it, you saw that it was the same bright orange that the bulbs had been.
You let out a startled, yet delighted laugh. “Okay,” you said. “That wasn’t what I was expecting.”
You turned down to the Doctor, your laughter subsiding as you looked at him – truly looked at him. His eyes were so bright here, and they sparkled under the complimentary blue lights from the tress above. You loved this face, with its big ears and soft lines, and imagined all the stories that had been marked on this skin, every laugh, every frown.
The Doctor watched you, as if he was looking at you for the first time. You felt his pulse underneath you, wild and erratic, faster than any other pulse you had ever felt – which made sense, he did have two hearts.
But even for the Doctor, his pulse was fast.
He spoke softly. “You’re really warm.”
You swallowed nervously, and in a jumpy burst of energy, scrambled off of him. “Sorry about that, I didn’t mean-”
“No,” he said, and he held his hand out, pausing you in your tracks. “It’s not a bad thing,” he ran a finger through his hair, which didn’t fully work since it was cut so short, and let out a small, irritated groan. “Sorry, I’m not good at this stuff.”
“This stuff?”
He jumped up. “You humans,” he said, but he wasn’t looking at you. “You’re so… complicated, with all those needs packed up in tiny, squishy little bodies.”
You pulled your mouth into a small, annoyed frown. The Doctor was notorious was deflecting, but it didn’t make it any less irksome. “I don’t know why you’re calling us tiny, you’re about the same size as the average of any other human bloke.”
He looked at you aghast. “I’m not like any other human bloke.”
“You’re not,” you agreed. “You look it though.”
He grumbled at you slightly, but whatever he said was lost to you. He straightened, and suddenly the mood was dropped. “Where’d Rose and Jack get off too? Any idea?”
“I lost Rose just before I found you,” you stood up, wiping your hands on the side of your jeans. It left bright orange streaks, reminding you of paint. “And I’m assuming you’ve lost Jack.”
The Doctor pulled out his own map. “Ah, right,” he said. “Well, there’s two dots near the exit, they must be together.”
You nodded. That made sense, you guessed. Split you all up only to throw you into different pairs. That seemed like the sort of thing recently fixed half sentient pathways would do.
Anything was possible.
The Doctor eyed you for a moment, then broke out into a wide grin.
You looked down at your person, and then back to him. “What is it?”
“You’re orange,” he said.
“Yes,” you replied, not really understanding where the comment came from. “I jumped in front of the weird orange pollen explosion. It’s sort of the natural consequence.”
“It’s just…” he paused, trying to find the word. Then, he brightened. “Unexpected.”
You raised a confused eyebrow. “Pardon?”
He made little grabby hands toward you. “C’mere, would you.”
You stepped towards him until you were almost nose to nose. He was so close, you could see the way tiny specks of gold were flecked in the blue irises of his eyes, could feel the heat radiate from his body. His hands hovered over your frame, momentarily unsure. “May I?”
You swallowed nervously. “Yeah, sure.”
He took your hand and raised it, then spun you outwards. You twirled, stumbling slightly as you gauged the movement. You watched as the orange fell off of your body, falling into the air. The Doctor pulled you back in and you stood still, watching as the orange dust hung in the air.
Then suddenly, it glowed.
It was brilliant. The dust shone like individual pinpricks of bright golden light. It danced around you, as if holding a mind of its own, and it swung in between the two of you.
You watched in wonder as the dust seemed to shift, pulling the rest of the bright orange off of your clothes. It felt like you were standing among fireflies, and the area felt all warm and cosy.
The Doctor let out a delighted laugh. “Orange Fluxroot,” he said triumphantly. “The dust glows when you do something unexpected.”
“Like dancing,” you suggested.
“Exactly,” he grinned at you.
You watched the golden dust, and marvelled in the way it seemed to move with the breeze, swaying to and fro. “How does it work?”
“No one really knows,” the Doctor said, and he was still so close. His arms were resting over yours, and his head was so close you could feel him speak. He began to sway you both side by side, and you realised for a moment that you were dancing. You twisted your arms around his neck, and held yourself against him
The Doctor continued. “We don’t know if it’s sentient or not, could be murderous for all we know,” there was a cheeky glint in his eyes as he said the last part, and he knew it wasn’t true.”
The golden dust spun around you, lifting away the gravity. They twinkled above you, and it cast you both in such beautiful light. The Doctor smiled at you warmly, but also shyly, like he wasn’t quite sure what he was doing.
“Ah,” you said, going along with what he had said. “So I saved you,” then you added, like an afterthought. “That’s a nice change.”
The Doctor gave you a quizzical look. “How d’you mean?”
“Well,” you said. “I got you away from the murderous orange pollen.”
His grin grew, becoming more sure, less shy, and you loved it. You loved that smile, he deserved to smile – he certainly didn’t do it enough.
“You’re amazing,” he said, so suddenly that you stumbled over your feet, stepping on the Doctors toes.
“Sorry?”
“Just…” he thought about it for a moment, how to describe it to you. “A place like this, for me it’s old hack. I know half this universe like the back of my hand, but for you, it’s all new. I love seeing the universe through your eyes,” he said. “It’s like rediscovering joy. You remind me why I love this.”
Oh.
That was, well. You weren’t sure where to begin there, but his words made you feel all warm and fuzzy. It curled into your toes and to the tips of your fingers.
You smiled softly and absentmindedly chewed on your lower lip, trying to think of what to say. You noticed the Doctor’s gaze flicker down to your mouth, and you cocked your head to the side with all the subtly of a bull in a china cupboard. He blushed, his face going a fascinating rosy colour. You weren’t sure you had ever seen the Doctor blush before, and you wondered why he currently was.
It took you a moment.
Then another.
And you realised, quite starkly, why he was blushing, and what he was thinking.
Then, you decided to be entirely bold.
“So,” you said. “Because I saved you and all, I think you owe me.”
The Doctor gave you a small frown. His face was still delightfully pink. “I do?”
You nodded sincerely, and the Doctor twirled you around the dirt path.
The Doctor gave you such an earnest look, that, for a moment, you found it jarring. "Fine,” he said. “Whatever you like.”
You poked your tongue against the back of your teeth, trying to will your nerves into letting you say what you wanted to say. You studied his face for a moment, he really was so close, all it would take would be a slight turn of your head and then…"Kiss me."
His eyes widened, and then flittered around your face, as if trying to gauge if you were serious. You felt your heart thunder away in your chest, like at any notice it was about to hammer its way out.
The longer he took to respond, the more you noticed. Your palms felt sweaty, your head felt a little dizzy, as if it were going all fuzzy and cloudy. You stumbled over your feet again, but, mercilessly, missed his.
Then, very slowly, the Doctor gave you a delighted grin. “Yeah?”
You nodded. “Please.”
And he pressed his lips against yours.
The golden dust was gone, so was those trees with the bright blue leaves, and those infuriating paths that changed direction. It all left your mind. The only thought you had was him, was your Doctor, and the way it felt to be kissing him.
It was like… fire. Your brain lit up, and your body went warm all over. You were hyperaware of him, where his arms were, where your body was against his, and what you were doing with your hands. The Doctor’s hands were wrapped around your waist, and you ran your fingers into his hair pulling yourself flush against him.
You were the one to pull away, your human lungs weren’t as capable as his, and the Doctor chased for your lips. You breathed heavily, and gave him a delighted smile that probably came off as slightly insane.
The Doctor grinned, brighter and harder than you had ever seen him before.
You rested your head against his chest, and the Doctor began to sway again. It wasn’t really like a dance anymore, the way he held you, it was like a hug, like he was protecting you from the rest of the universe, holding you safe.
After a moment, you spoke, your voice soft. “We should find Jack and Rose, shouldn’t we,” but the suggestion was hollow. You weren’t really ready to leave yet.
“Let’s stay here for a little while longer, yeah?”
So you stayed, for just another five minutes.
And you danced.
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sa-tou · 4 years ago
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Chapter 139 + ending opinion
Okay..where do I begin, I already wrote something yesterday but now having read the English typeset I have come to this conclusion regarding the ending of SNK. (It’s a long post, may have some typo’s, which I will try to fix while editing the post)
Disclaimer: Isayama has my respect, even if I may not agree on all points I want to thank him for years of hard work and bringing us a beautiful story, that being said his story is not immune to criticism and so I will write this with my fullest and honest opinion. (Do not send Isayama or any of the voice actors and anime production staff any hate, if you didn’t like the ending that’s fine! But do not harass anyone else because of it)
Here goes:
Chapter 139, what can I say, even after reading it in English I cannot seem to like it.
Why? First of all, Ymir’s love…oh god I dreaded writing this but, her love it’s not comparable to Mikasa’s, that’s why I am unable to link the two, but at the same time I don’t see them as very different characters either. Let me elaborate, Ymir was a slave who had her whole family killed by king Fritz, had her tongue cut out and was impregnated at a very young age because she has the power of the titans, Ymir falling in love with him is nothing short of Stockholm Sydrome. Sure Mikasa being able to kill Eren and end it, was something Ymir couldn’t do but WHY and WHEN was Ymir ever in love with King Fritz…back to Mikasa, she let go of Eren, but in the end she really didn’t (Eren wishing she’d never move on came true). Yes you can mourn your loved ones for how long you want but, why did Isayama have to put her in a position where she is always tied to Eren, she never had her own character growth, because when we thought she finally let go of Eren, she returns with the scarf and ends up crying at his grave for the last 3 years (kind sounds like how Ymir started off wandering alone in Paths no?) regardless the EreMika built up came out of nowhere and it was to sudden for me to actually believe any of it. Opinions may differ but, it’s lackluster and well, to me SNK was never about romance, so this whole romance subplot was meaningless and shat on every character who died in this manga.
What also irked me is, Reiner’s character. SUCH A GREAT character, so much build up, so much amazing storytelling and he ends up not dying, nor sacrificing himself, no instead he ends up sniffing Historia’s letter… I still like Reiner but, this development went straight down the trash bin.
Also Historia having a baby, but why? We’ll never know. She supported Eren’s rumbling plan, but why? We’ll never know. Paradis turned into a dictatorship with fascist leaders, but why? Fuck it I don’t give a fuck.
But what I do wonder is, is Armin this naive? Does he think nations will just sign a peace treaty? No way, geopolitical relationships don’t work like that, look at the real world, we are constant war because people can’t set aside difference, now people want to tell me that after Eren stomped on 80% of the world’s population, they want to just be at peace? I don’t think so, especially now that Eldians no longer have titan powers, have zero advanced technology in weapons..Makes no sense.
The worm…wtf was it, why was it there, who stopped it and where did it go? It had a mind of it’s own and even after Zeke and Eren dying it still kept going so my question is, what was the purpose of introducing this shit and then not to further elaborate on it? Why did everyone have to turn into titans for them to turn back into humans in no time? Why not just take the sad route and have every shifter die and have Ymir reborn as a free girl, because I thought Ymir was shackled to paths because she couldn’t be a free human, that’s why the rebirth theory sounded so plausible, but now all Ymir is, is a Stockholm syndrome patient who was waiting to…..what the hell even happened to Ymir? Where’d she go, why did she leave, what was her fucking purpose in the end. You want to tell me that she put so many people and teenagers under stress because King Fritz wanted more women than just Ymir? Jfc.
Now to Eren, so we know Eren was always a crybaby and never fully mature to do what he did, but what the fuck was this chapter? Sure he loves his friends and wants them to be save but, how did you go from “I know what I need to do and this is why I must start the rumbling” to, “I don’t man, just felt like it, I love Mikasa and you all so I don’t want to die but I don’t know Ymir wanted this and I don’t know what Ymir wants”, like did Yams stop remembering his own story here?
Regardless, Eren dying is a good thing, he could not and should not be redeemed for mass genocide, I think we can all agree on this. But my whole issue is, why put the warriors, especially Reiner, through so much shit, when you started the whole massacre on your own. One chapter was all it took to butcher Eren’s persona, then again he was never my favorite so I couldn’t care less about him.
Another point, he says he will give everyone their memories back once he dies, they will learn about his plan. Sure, but why do Mikasa and Levi experience this? Is this the cause of their headaches? I don’t get it, wasn’t the whole plot that Ackermanns under no circumstance could be mind manipulated…so how the fuck did Eren pull this off? It just took that subplot and flushed it down the toilet.
ZEKE, the only man with an actual plan and he died for no reason, just like Porco, Marcel, Ymir, Marco, Erwin, Hanji, Shadis, Colt, Magath and every other character that died for no reason.
The ending to me feels like a bad EreMikaMin fanfic, it just left so many plot holes untouched and now we are left wondering wtf all the other 137 chapters were for.
To end this post, up until chapter 132 I really really really liked the story, after that I feel like Isayama just wanted to finish the story and just did what the shippers wanted and finished the story in a wholesome way without really tying up any loose ends. It’s a shame but, it is what it is.
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hellonoblesky · 3 years ago
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School got me worn out so here's my team dynamic HCs
It's Kaeya, Xingqiu, Diluc, and Ayaka atm hngjfhgdjfg
Kaeya
This man is so tired, Archons please let him rest
Has to pick up his week's paperwork from Jean every Monday when we go to Mondstadt to buy food supplies and stuff before fighting Andrius, gets to work on it while Diluc and the Andrius team go at it
Actually is the person who keeps the whole party safe, has pulled Xingqiu away from ledges while he's reading more times than he can count, makes sure everyone has food at all times, and keeps the schedule in line
Has a flask of Death After Noon that he keeps on him, has to actively keep it away from Xingqiu because the kid's curious
He is so tired he is the reason the party only gets up to leave at like noon because he sleeps in
Thinks he's good enough at hiding his anxiety that no one else has noticed
He is not, they've all noticed him shaking visibly at high speeds in 90-degree weather and the kids will do their best to avoid fraying his nerves on a bad day
Very kind to Xingqiu and Ayaka, kinda like a cool uncle? Buys them things even though they can afford it
Kinda lets the kids do what they want and chat while he keeps them safe and the whole party on their way
Absolute tank, balances his skillset out so he can manage most threats alone, no one has to get hurt, they can just travel, it's fine it's fine
Pretends to casually bring up stuff the kids want to do (after meticulously making sure the party would be in the right place at the right time)
"Xingqiu, we have time to kill, care to show us to the Wanwen Bookhouse? We can see if they have the next issue in that book series you're always reading! :)"
"Ayaka, you wanted to try some Liyuen cuisine, didn't you? We have a dear friend who just so happens to be a chef at Wanmin Restaurant! And since we're in Liyue anyway, we should swing by, shouldn't we?"
He tries his best to find something Diluc wouldn't mind doing too! Usually, Diluc turns him down but Kaeya has scored on occasion!
"C'mon Diluc, you can't have lost all your taste for reading, right? I hear Inazuma has some interesting books nowadays, what with all the isolation..."
Basically, he just tries his best and is so tired please let him rest
Diluc
This man is angry all the time but he doesn't mean to be. He's just unnerved because he's basically back to hunting Fatui in other nations. He just isn't alone this time and the Fatui aren't the focus
He's so annoyed that they don't leave until Kaeya wakes up, actively in denial about the fact that he himself wakes up only an hour earlier and everyone else is waiting for much longer
Runs right into danger all the time please someone tell this man to calm down he is the reason they need so much food
Does and takes a whole lot of damage at the same time and it stresses Kaeya out so much
Was not Pleased to find out he'd be stuck traveling with Kaeya, puts up with it because he can't bring himself to turn down the Traveler's request. Because in his eyes they're just a kid trying to find their family and he really can't turn down their plea for help in
Gets along surprisingly well with Xingqiu, they both enjoy reading, and often recommend books to each other! Diluc has no idea Xingqiu wrote Legend of a Sword, but the only reason for that is that he literally forgot the book name
"Hmm... in Mondstadt we have this book, The Fox and the Dandelion Sea? For a traditional Mondstadt fairytale, it does remind me of Inazuma, funnily enough. There are versions of the book that are watered down for younger children, but if you have the time I'd recommend the full novelization."
"Tales From the Waves? No, I haven't read that. Is it good?" ... "A novelization of an old ship captain's life? That does sound interesting... I'll pick up a copy when I can"
Gets along well with Ayaka as well, they both appreciate the arts and such so they talk about that
"In Mondstadt we don't have nearly as many festivals as they do in Inazuma... but when we do they're quite the occasion, and very dear to people's hearts. There would be rioting in the streets if the Windblume Festival was postponed..."
"Oh Mond has its fair share of dance traditions, but they fell to be a staple of the Lawrence rule, so not many traditional dances remain... although if you wish to learn more about them you could ask Kaeya to introduce you to the Knight's Recconacance Captain. She doesn't like me very much"
Is the one person who actually doesn't realize that Kaeya is anxious All The Time, literally could watch him shake uncontrollably as Venti walks by and think it was his Vision acting up, he has all the pieces to put the puzzle together but has lost interest in it
Xingqiu
Top ten reasons the party gets sidetracked, number one: Xingqiu finding a book and getting so into it that he doesn't notice people
Actually besties with Ayaka he thinks she's really cool!
Top ten reasons why Kaeya actually gets to sleep as long as he does, number one: Xingqiu jumping up and yanking Diluc's hair when he tries to wake him up
"You're 22 you can go get breakfast by yourself, my leige"
Infodumps about his books to the whole party while they're eating dinner regardless of if they're listening or not (they are, they always are)
Pulls out relevant trivia out of nowhere?? Like they'll be stuck in some ruins and Xingqiu just
"Hey, you know this specific style of ruins are known to be built with metal hatches that always lead to escape routes :)"
Or like
"Oh yeah, the coloration in the animals is different here because the plants in Inazuma so often have purple and blue pigmentation, and Inazuma is so naturally isolated, that the animals adapted to get their pigments partially from the foliage!"
And no one knows how or why he knows this much but he Does??
Also, knows everyone's favorite bird for some reason and talks about them, why? Idk I think he'd like birds!!
"A peacock? Oh, I've never even seen one of those! I hear they're lovely, but a little noisy. Sometimes we get feathers imported for design reference at the Feyun Commerce Guild though!"
"Umbertail Falcon, right? Ohh I hear they can be very loyal, right? Ahh, so that's why yours flys down to check in on you? That's lovely! Owls? Oh yeah, those are cool birds, you know their feathers are fanned out just right so they're entirely silent while flying!"
"Herons? Oh yeah, that's what your title is, right? Graceful... I think they're more stealthy, very good at waiting to strike. That's how they hunt, you know? Just being patient and stealthy, then striking. That's also why they're so graceful standing there all the time!"
Bummed that he's the only person in the party without a bird as his constellation tbh, but he's alright with it because he's got books!!
Mentioned Albedo and Kaeya almost choked on his food, Xingqiu thought this was hilarious
Routinely plays pranks on Diluc and occasionally manages to pull a deez joke on Kaeya, leaves Ayaka alone with the pranks though because he knows she's new to all of this
Ayaka
Oh this poor girl, Lumine just dropped her off with Mondstadt's most dysfunctional siblings and a kid who reads at the speed of light and said have fun
Really gets along well with Xingqiu!! Having someone with a somewhat similar background is definitely a relief, especially because Kaeya and Diluc intimidate her, what with them arguing most of the time they interact
She recognizes the anxiety in Kaeya (because she also has it) so she's a little more comfortable approaching him because of that
She's happy to talk about Inazuma's ruins and is fascinated by Kaeya bringing up similar ruins in Mondstadt and Liyue
She really appreciates him remembering what she's interested in and making time in the day for it!
Diluc on the other hand?? She has... some idea how to talk to him? But?? He is either aggressive or glaring off into the distance at all times, and she's been around long enough to know that he doesn't mean to be like that but it's still unnerving to her
However, she Can talk to him! She is still a little confused because he constantly sounds so grumpy, but she's realized that he's actually really good at listening, and is absolutely willing to talk about Mondstadt traditions! Because she does really like to learn about other nations
Plus, she can go to Xingqiu to answer most of her questions!
"Xingqiu, I- I hope this isn't an odd question, but ah... how exactly do you get used to Kaeya and Diluc? I don't think I've quite figured it out yet..?"
"So in Liyue... the Merchant stalls are on the docks? Like Ritou but it's all on the docks? Interesting..."
"You're the second born of the Feyun Commerce Guild? Oh! Forgive me, I thought you were the eldest, my brother handles most international relations..."
It was really hard for her to adjust to the team, just because of how ragtag it is most of the time, but she's got it by now!
She actually kind of likes the scrappy chaos! She hasn't completely gotten used to it all but she finds it like kind of a break from having to uphold her image at all times
Top five Ayaka quotes and who she said them to:
"They fight a wolf ghost every week...?? Are they ok??" (To Kaeya, about the Andrius team)
"So this is Morax's old... dragon friend...??" (To Xingqiu)
"Wait, you do this every week?" (To Diluc, about the domains)
"Oh!! Oh it is spicy!!!" (To Xingqiu, about Xiangling's cooking)
"Ah... OH! Yes um I uh- *gay hand flip* ?? Is that right??" (Xingqiu was talking about Chongyun)
Also the party went to Dragonspine and Ayaka was actually really interested in Durin because she didn't know that other nations also had odd giant dragon skeletons
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oneshotnewbie · 4 years ago
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Could I request a oneshot where b!d goes hiking and finds a dog which is tied up to a thick tree. B!D tries the whole day to get his trust with food and pets and so on? And maybe she takes him home and it's her dog now? It's her Superdog?
With a backpack full of various utensils such as food and drinks up to sunscreen and a cap if the sun was too blatant on your head, you said goodbye to your oldest sister who took you in a bonecrushing hug and gave you a kiss on the forehead before you flew with Kara off.
It was the first time that you went hiking alone. Usually you were with Kara and Alex or with Maggie but today nobody had time for you. Even if it was Saturday, a Metahuman was up to mischief in National City and you couldn’t help but go to the mountains alone in Midvale.
Supergirl had flown you over so you could save more time and spend more time in the mountains, even if she found it worrying to leave you somewhere you didn’t know well. You made it clear to her that she could always reach you. Your cell phone was set on loud and had full battery. You had taken some chargers with you in case it should fail.
At the entrance to the forepark, you put your headphones in your ears and let the music play at full volume. You readjusted your backpack again and took  a deep breath of the fresh air that was not available in National City before you started walking.
During the ascent of the route you stopped every now and then to take photos of beautigul landscapes and then send them to the Superfriends group so that they knew that you were fine and that they were a part o it, even if only through photos.
The sun started to show over some mountains that were further above you. You had been walking for a few hours and deserved a break. You landed on a small stone slope next to a little waterfall and decided to enjoy your breakfast there.
You sat on one of the stones and got your cell phone out to post a picture of it in the Superfriends Whatsapp group with the caption that you wished somebody would be here with you and enjoy the sight.
Once you did than, you put your cell phone away again and enjoyed the warm sun, your sandwiches Kara prepared for you this morning and the view.
You let your mind wander and enjoyed the silence and trandquility. You didn't have much of it in your life, let alone any free time. You spent all of your time in your job as an agent helping to protect humanity. But for now, you took a weekend off to do what you really missed, nature.
After a while you were on your way again. In the meantime the suns started to shine brighter and you took out the cap. You smiled at the sight of her as you held her in your hands. You got it from your siblings last Christmas, and since then you have wore it whenever you could. The inscription '#DanversClan' was engraved on it in your favourite color.
With this cap on your head you jumped on different stones over a small river to a lookout point that showed over the whole valley. Again you took out your cell phone and took a selfie, your face covered with your favourite accessories.
A quiet whimper and howl drew your attention to itself and without hesitation, you followed these noises through a small forest and what you discovered made your heart tense.
A dog, apparently still quite young, completely abandoned and emaciated, tied to a thick tree with a short leash. There was nowhere to move except a few inches from the tree.
Slowly, knowing that it was a completely fearful dog which saw you as a stranger, you walked in it's direction. The closer you got, the more you saw the beauty of this animal.
It was an husky mix, his color was a normal color for this type of dog but he had a few hints of brown, red and grey in his fur. His pale blue eyes looked lost and his soul seemed broken. He couldn't be older than 8 months, he still had his baby fur.
His tail was drawn in, his ears were back and he flinched at every move you made.
You unpacked the loaves of bread you still had and tore them into a few small pieces. At a distance, you threw them in the direction of the dog. He sniffed it a few times before he realized what it was. He must have been here for quite a while, his appetite was massive.
Again and again you went a little closer to him and you noticed that he slowly thawed and put the shyness to the side. Your patience was gradually paying off.
Now you were almost in front of him. His tail was now relaxed, his posture was calm and his ears pointed to the sky. You could almost think that he was wagging his magnificent tail slightly.
You raised your hand slightly and brought it near his chest. He jumped back but you still left your hand there, didn't moved a milimeter and didn't forced yourself on him. He looked at you before he approached you with small steps, slowly moving his nose to your hand, sniffing and licking it.
You let him do it and waited to see what he would do next.
You spent a few hours near him, you didn't care about your trip now. You sat cross-legged in front of him and gave him water and the remains of your food. After sitting there with him for a while, you won his trust.
You switched position and leaned against the tree as he was lying calmly next to you on his side, his head on your thigh and his paw on your hand which rested on your tigh as well, almost as if he would not let you go anymore.
You kept talking to him and stroking him. Every since you found him, you knew it should be your dog. You immediately grew fond of him and although you knew that a dog was a huge job that had to do with training and responsibility, you decided to take him with you.
You couldn't let him here, starving to death, alone and neither wanted to take him to an animal shelter where he had no one as well.
You got up slowly so as not to startle him. Immediately he was on all fours as well, his tail tucked under his hind legs again and whimpered like crazy when you turned away from him.
"Hey, everything is fine. I am not leaving you here, I will take you home with me. You stay with me and I will protect you forever little guy."
You had the feeling that he understood you, his head tilted to the side and his tail began to swing wildly. He jumped against the leash, turned back and forth, patiently waiting for you to ake him off that tree.
Together you walked the path down to your old house were you lived as a child. While you called Kara and told her the news that you had adopted a dog, Silver, as you named him, was busy at a bowl of water.
You ended the call and knelt on the floow. You called your new best friend, but he was too busy clapping his paws in the water bowl.
"Silver, hey. Come here." you spoke softly and whistled once before you had his attention. Immediately he jumped in your face and licked your face. You laughed while you let yourself fall on your back, Silver standing over you.
"Welcome to the DanversClan, buddy."
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glitterytidalwavedragon · 4 years ago
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Expanding into my other Fandoms (I’m gonna have to take a stance) Read the whole thing please.
One of my oldest and most beloved anime is Inuyasha. As of late I have been binged watching the hell out of it as I am getting my BFF into different anime shows. We are really close to entering the Yashahime part of the series, and she asked if I planned to write fanfiction involving the one character which made me even watch the show as a 10-year-old.
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Sesshomaru
The first episode I ever watched involved this aloof, entitled dog fighting his brother over the sword in their father’s grave. Specifically, it was part 3 of that whole episode series were Kagome pulled out the sword. I at the time had 3 dogs of German Sheppard/wolf hybrid, they were MASSIVE dogs, fell in love with the big white fluff that was Sesshomaru’s demon form. I use to sneak staying up and watch the show faithfully to see the goodest boy as it was only on at 11pm EST on adult swim. Which meant it was bad and I was breaking the rules, I felt like a rebel.
Now I hesitated answering that question. She has no idea of what is in Yashahime, she is being careful not to spoil it so I told her I didn’t know. Recently, to find out what the feel is for Sesshomaru content, I looked into the tag on tumblr…
OH MY GOD.
Sesshomaru’s tag is FLOODED with hate. Like every four post, there is hate, distain, and attacking happening. As someone who watches Yashahime, I quickly knew why.
Sessrin.
Even now I sigh. And I sigh HARD. I am not for, nor am I against the Sessrin train. Same for the Sesskagu train. I think both sides need to look at things on a logical prospective. I plan to do just that. I know I will get hate from the either side and maybe some support as well. But if I am going to do anything in this fandom (as I like doing ships and reader inserts) it will come up.
So, like my Kaiba post, and my Sebastian Heel post, I will use my research skills as well as my COLLEGE DEGREE WHICH HAS BOTH ART AND MEDIEVAL HISTORY labelled on it to explain why this progression in the story is normal to anti-Sessrin fans and why this isn’t a crime by story standards nor should we look at it as a crime.
AS WELL
Explain to Sessrin fans why it is so weird for non-shippers to see it play out and why so much hate formed.
As I let out another sigh, we shall begin. Let’s start at an historical prospective. (Links at the bottom).
PLEASE READ THE WHOLE THING! I’LL BE ABLE TO TELL!
~~
I will start with the information I can access right away.
While finding charts on the life-span of common folk in 1590’s Feudal Japan is rather difficult, Ancient.edu states that the average lifespan was about 50. To put this in perspective, the average lifespan of Europeans at the time was somewhere between 40-45 with the latter being rare. Since most of us reading are not from Japanese descent, I will through Europe in this first.
If we look at the same time frame of 1590, we are looking at most of Western Europe had now entered the age of Renaissance. According to sources from Learning Resources in association with the National Gallery of Art, marriage was not what TV drama’s from HBO or Hulu depicted. By today standards they would be a crime, as the average age for marriage of an adult female was age 14…
The reasoning behind the young marriage age had multiple factors. First being, females were considered an adult once they were menstruating. Birthing also proved to be fatal, and since the lifespan was at best 40 and 45 if they were lucky, there was really no room to wait. Also Europe at the time had became hugely focused on making sure blood lines were legitimate, meaning to ensure the girl was a virgin, the moment she was able to reproduced she was married off. Those they married were not young teenagers either. Most marriages, a man would be in their thirties, and had probably multiple wives as women died more than men when not counting the battle field.
To make matters worse for the Renaissance Lady, these marriages would leave many young males unable to marry and if their husband died in battle, well, unfortunately they were not seen as desirable. This was due to the idea of a ‘free woman’. Should the girl not have a father, brother or uncle to return to as they too died, a widow had her freedom. But that freedom came at a cost. She would be assumed to have slept around, and in many writings, such as the Canterbury Tales, where Geoffrey Chaucer writes about a Window on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land survived her five husbands and the men in her family. In short, she was made to be a slut and to be looked down upon as no man controlled her.
The point of talking about Europe is because that is something most of us Non-Asian or Japanese people consume and like to paint in large romantic brush strokes of knights and magic. Honestly, reading G.R.R.Martin Song of Ice and Fire, he uses this model as we see the Queen of Dragons, Danny start off at age thirteen shortly after she had her first menstruation.  
Now let’s look at Feudal Japan.
As stated before, the lifespan was around 50 years. In some populations, this was even shorter. Nagaoka, Hirata, Yokota and Matsu’ura’s on demographic data at the Yuigahama-minami area in Kamakura, Japan and found both male and female remains that suggested life expectancy to have ended around age 24-25. This was largely due to living conditions and public health. In areas like these, it would make the most sense to marry and repopulate quickly as the expectancy of life was half the national average at the time.
To my frustration, I could not find a clear marriage age for Japanese women at the time of the edo period. HOWEVER, where there is a will there is a way. I took a look at famous Lords or Daimyo’s of the time. The average age of marriage of their wives was between 12-14. Much younger than I expected, but it made sense considering this is a time where war ran the show and marriage was strictly about political gain. One of these Daimyo’s was Masamune Date, who was also 13, but then as he got older took concubines who became considerably younger than him as he became older. The goal was to have as many children as possible for hires and for political marriages to gain power.
Now lets look at Inuyasha the MANGA
Lets get the manga timeline proper here. The whole adventure took place in 11 months, a month shy of Kagome’s 16th birthday. Doing a few estimations, Rin would have travelled with Sesshomaru about 8-9 of those months. But before we get into the relationship, lets look at something the ANIME made a huge mistake with in the beginning and tried to fix as the story went on.
For some reason I could only fine gifs for the Early appearances of Sesshomaru so bear with me.
Early appearances in the manga
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 ^ He was so fickle and a trickster then...
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Now early apperances in the anime.
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Later appearance in the manga
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Laster appearance in the anime
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Notice the issue here? 
Sesshomaru was CONSIDERABLY younger looking in the start of the manga. In the anime, he started off looking like an fully adult male. But as the anime went on, they tried to make Sesshomaru look younger with subtle changes to his jaw line, eye size, and his height. Yeah, his height had changed. They made him shorter.
While in the manga, we see this young-teen looking demon, slowly mature over 11 months to look like he is in his later teens and by series end, closer to being in his late teens or twenty. Yes, art changes over time, but the anime went a reverse route. I can only guess they spoke to the author of Inuyasha about her ships, as they did Drama CDs, and realized the mistake that was made in making him more mature than he was.
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You can’t tell me he doesn’t look closer to his manga self in the final act, because he does.
Since we are on the topic of the anime, lets be clear. The anime timeline and manga timeline are very different. The story in the anime (in the English) suggests that OVER a year has past since Kagome started her journey. They try to fix this in the final act, but it was still so muddled as previous seasons are to be taken as cannon. This could have been due to an translation error in the early production when the anime no longer had anymore manga material to reference. But whatever the case, for English viewers the time the group spent together felt much longer.
So now we come to the heart of the issue.
Because of the mistakes of the anime, a lot of anti-sessrin see the relationship as father daughter. I’ll be honest, watching the anime and solely the anime as a teenager and as an adult (as the manga was on hold for a very long time due to author’s health. I was in college when it finished.), I too thought it was just a father-daughter relationship and Jaken the nanny who got punched all the time. In fact, the English took hard liberties with Kagura, as the English dubs often do with characters, and made it very clear her feelings for the demon lord and Sesshomaru very much recognized them (though he never responded). Even in her death scene, it felt as if he was saying good bye to a friend more than love interest. But who really knows, as there are things that point otherwise.  When another demon mock’s Kagura’s death, Sesshomaru gets super pissy.
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The manga did also play with this fact when it came out in English, idk if the wording or message is different in the Japanese. Translation errors happen a lot even in todays releases, look at Kuroshitsuji.  So of course most anti-sessrin’s did not see this coming in Yashahime when Rin was named mother. In fact it felt like a betrayal as we were sure Sesshomaru had no romantic feelings.
Then there was the Kohaku/Rin mashup that was hinted left and right. The English anime, with its overly dramatic and blunt emotions made it appear one way. That in the end the two kids would probably be married. Then the anime as a whole made Sesshomaru older than intended. I can see why and understand how this became a problem.
On the other side of that coin.
If you followed the dub, seen ‘Swords of an Honorable Ruler’ and read the manga… Sesshomaru was not fatherly to Rin at all. In fact, Jaken picked up all of that leg work. Rin worried for Kohaku, but clearly loved Lord Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru cared about Kagura but he almost CRIED when he lost Rin.
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We have to remember that Sesshomaru and Rin’s relationship must have been very hard for the demon. While we never see his mental process expect for a few rare times, we have to remember he hated humans. In the movie, he blamed a human for the early death of his father, Sesshomaru killed without mercy. It made sense that he wouldn’t be fatherly to Rin as her just being there should have caused countless inner conflicts. Hell, he even says his father’s weakness was humans, and look who picked up that trait.
Sesshomaru was designed to, someday, walk in his father’s footsteps. So sess/rin, not a surprise. Also when you see it in a historical perspective, Rin having kids around age 15-16, makes sense. In fact you could argue he waited too long for the time period.
We also need to look more at the manga when concerned with Yashahime. 8-9 months is all Rin travelled with him and he was like hold up, and left her at the village because he KNEW she needed to come to her own conclusion. That no matter what she picked he would live with and protect her. Unconditional love on his end. She cannon wise spent YEARS living with humans and MONTHS with Sesshomaru. Again, by manga standards of cannon.
Now I can already hear the screaming about age and what not. Some sources say Sesshomaru is over 900, by the rule of thumb, if we look at anime and movie releases, we have Sesshomaru being over 500 with no define age and Inuyasha around 270 years old being more pinpointed due to the movie. Just by going by ANIME CANNON. Kagome and Inuyasha, you have a 15 year old with a 270 year old man. If you say being pinned to the tree doesn’t count, then you have 220.
Also, here is something very interesting. In the episode where Inuyasha meets the unmother, he tells her, thinking it was his mom, she died when he was very small and we have flash backs later in the series of him being small running from demons. Demons clearly age much slower than humans, even half-demons. Inuyasha can be 270 but mentally and physically be 15, the same logic works for Sesshomaru, who in the manga is not much older than Inuyasha.
In the manga, there wasn’t any grooming, in the anime, there was a ton of mess-ups but no grooming.
Would this fly in todays world? HELL NO! NO, its gross, she’s a kid. Stop.
I know any fanfic I write will lean heavily on the side of father/daughter because that is what I grew up seeing on the screen. I can’t think of Rin as an adult because years of seeing her as a cheerful little girl. It’s like seeing G.O.T Arya about to have sex for the first time in season 8… I remember when she was a kid on the show. It was way to weird and I had to look away until it ended. But that’s my 2021 mentality.
But Inuyasha is not taking place in 2021. Feudal Japan is a whole other era with its own beliefs, morals and way of life. Those who understand this have nothing wrong with them. They just understand history.
Also, just to bang some nails in…
Anyone remember Bleach? Remember the MOST accepted couple was Ichigo and Rukia…. Rukia who was hundreds of years old and Ichigo who was 15… or Ichigo’s mom who was a teenager and his dad also hundreds of years old.
Most of this also boils down to Sesshomaru being a dude. As in reverse roles in animes its accepted and they don’t have the same historical context. Inuyasha is based off of historical context of Feudal Japan.
We need to stop spreading hate. We can’t accept some forms of literature because its European fantasy but bash other fantasy based literature for doing the same thing.
Sure, its weird for those who were use to seeing the father/daughter dynamic. Yes, there are extreme sessrin fans who post really questionable illegal content when they decide to leave Rin as an 8-year-old…
But this wasn’t ever meant to be perverted. The story was meant to make sense on a logical and historical base.
I hope everyone takes the time to read this. I love Inuyasha, I love Sesshomaru. I am just sick of seeing so many people fighting over what should be the revival of a beloved series. While yes, there is still room for sess/rin not being a thing, until it is stated otherwise, why hate each other? This fandom will only lose people by doing this. Calling people names or accusing them of illegal endorsement can hurt someone these days over social media.
Tumblr allows you to block tags. You don’t have to read anything or watch anything you don’t like. We gain nothing from attacking each other but can lose so much by doing so. Fanart, really good fan fiction, friends, ideas, sharing fond memories. Both sides have the right to feel as they feel, but no right in hurting each other.
A fandom is meant to bring people together. Not start a war…
Thank you.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajpa.20402
http://www.italianrenaissanceresources.com/units/unit-2/essays/husbands-and-wives/#:~:text=Marriage%20not%20only%20reflected%20order,to%20ensure%20the%20bride's%20virginity.
https://www.ancient.eu/Canterbury_Tales/
https://www.ancient.eu/article/1424/daily-life-in-medieval-japan/#:~:text=Just%20as%20Japanese%20people%20today,in%20Western%20Europe%2C%20for%20example.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_Masamune
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megohime
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lifblogs · 3 years ago
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Get Lost More Often
1915 words, read on ao3
Anakin decided he was an idiot. He wished he had come to that conclusion before taking a hike around Lake Louise in Banff National Park and getting lost. Obi-Wan had warned him against it, but he’d wanted to go anyway. And here he was, freezing his ass off on his way up a peak. Why did he need to climb his way up instead of returning to Fairmont Château where there’d be a nice cozy bed, and hot chocolate, and one of those electric fireplaces? The wind had had the audacity to snatch his map out of his hands, so now he had to get up high to make sense of his surroundings. Hopefully if he made it to the top he’d be able to see the hotel and plan a route back in his head.
It wasn’t that Anakin wasn’t smart. He just did reckless things from time to time. Okay, all the time.
Anakin stopped his hike upwards, and tried to find the best path to continue onward. Right now the ground was becoming more rocky than ever, giant boulders clustering together. He realized it was the perfect shelter for a predator like a lynx or a cougar, and unfortunately there were quite a few of those. But he figured he’d smell one before he was in danger. Maybe. A very tentative maybe. And then there was the off chance that some other large animal would bother him.
He cursed himself as he grabbed hold of a rock and started to climb, his durable hiking boots thankfully helping him scrabble upward. Through the lush greens of the conifers he was able to see a gap, and past them, down, down, down was the lake: all a brilliant aqua that would surely kill him within fifteen minutes of submersion.
Despite being lost and bitterly cold the trip was still worth it just to get a look at that extraordinary glacier melt.
A twig cracked, and Anakin scrambled up and over the rock. He turned, but nothing caught his eye.
Probably a squirrel. Hopefully a squirrel.
Rather than staying in one spot he had his eyes roam all around for at least a minute. He spotted movement in a tree, and was surprised that it was a lot of movement, a branch making a loud thwack as it snapped back into place. Right above that branch was a black furry mass clambering up the trunk.
Closer inspection showed it to be a black bear.
If you let a black bear know you were there and proved that you were big it was relatively harmless. So Anakin stood to his full height, waved his arms, and shouted a greeting at it.
The bear startled, and nearly fell out of the tree, which set Anakin laughing. And then it was on its way.
Anakin had to be on his way now too, taking note of the lengthening shadows. He did not look forward to the idea of being stuck out here at night.
“Just keep climbing,” Anakin told himself as he took to a rocky path through the thinning trees. “Find the hotel.”
~~~
“He should’ve been back by now,” Obi-Wan told the small young woman in front of him.
He had gone to one of the lodges near the hotel that had local rescue and rangers. The woman he was speaking to was short and slim, and had her brown hair up in a bun. A few curls had come loose. She seemed all business in her brown ranger’s uniform, yet she had come out from behind her desk to comfort him.
Obi-Wan was stroking at his beard, anxious from Anakin’s absence. The woman whose name tag read Padmé Naberrie had a reassuring hand on his arm as he gave her all the information he could about his friend.
“I’ll find him,” she assured him, and then she set to work, gathering gear, relaying information, getting someone to cover the desk.
Obi-Wan sat in one of the beat-up handmade wooden chairs.
Oh, Anakin. Why are you always like this?
This vacation had been Anakin’s idea. Obi-Wan would’ve preferred somewhere warmer, and had thought that’s what Anakin had in mind when he used the word exotic. Heading north to try and see all of Canada’s lakes had, however, been how Anakin defined the term. So instead of relaxing at a beach or even just inviting his friend Cody over for drinks, he was here, waiting for Padmé to head out so Anakin could be found.
When she seemed about ready, a heavy backpack hoisted on her shoulders, Obi-Wan grabbed his own pack.
“I’ll go with you,” he offered.
“No offense, but you’ll only slow me down.”
“But I’m strong,” Obi-Wan argued. “And I can move quickly if need be. Please, I just want to find my friend. He’s like a brother to me.”
She eyed him, probably trying to figure out just how muscular he was under his jeans, flannel, and fleece-lined jacket.
“Fine,” she relented. “But there are two rules and two rules only: do exactly as I say, down to the letter, and follow my footsteps about four to five feet back.” Obi-Wan frowned in confusion at that last one, and despite the seriousness of the situation, her brown eyes seemed to glimmer with amusement. She started leading him out, as she offered further explanation: “You don’t want to get hit with the branches that snap back after I pass.”
“Right.”
Padmé led him over to a large all-terrain truck, and once they got in, they headed out.
“So tell me about Anakin,” Padmé inquired.
Obi-Wan did, even as the road became dirt and then their path took them off of it, the vehicle bumping along and jostling them inside.
~~~
Anakin reached the summit of the peak, but there was a slight problem: it was sundown. Sure, he could see the hotel, but traveling there in the dark? Maybe he could stay here. He had a flashlight, he had plenty of back-up batteries. And there was a bigger problem than the dark and cold if he decided to travel. From what he could tell with where the hotel was positioned, he’d have to hike across grizzly territory, or risk taking a much longer route and getting lost yet again.
~~~
I wonder how Obi-Wan’s doing with looking for me.
There was no doubt his friend was looking for him, or had gotten someone to help. He was just like that: always caring, always ready to save Anakin’s ass despite his feigned reluctance.
Then he had a better idea than traveling in the dark and lower temperatures. He could make a signal fire. So Anakin set to work, and in fifteen minutes he had a decent fire going. Now all he could do was sit and wait, he supposed.
Anakin settled down onto the ground, and then started in on the water and energy bars he had in his pack.
“There, did you see that?” Obi-Wan asked, pointing at a flicker of orange light that was up high in the darkness.
He and Padmé had been traveling on foot for some time now, Obi-Wan following her lead because he had no idea how she was able to figure out where Anakin had been, though he noticed she’d often travel back and forth in straight lines, doing that for many yard sometimes, until she’d hurried them on. Despite his worries for Anakin he liked being in her presence. He trusted her, and he wasn’t totally sure why. Maybe it was her sure and steady demeanor, and the calm, reassuring way she spoke to him.
“Yep,” she told him. “Come on.”
Anakin wasn’t sure how long he sat there, working on deep breathing to calm his nerves every time he heard something moving, which was near-constant. The night was loud with all kinds of night-time creatures, and it left him uneasy. He huddled closer to the blazing heat of the fire, pulling his jacket tight around him, and shoved his hands into his armpits. Eventually, he heard steps clumping against the ground, branches and undergrowth rustling, rocks clattering.
Eventually it grew so close that he was on his feet.
Stupidly, he asked, “Who’s there?”
Turned out it wasn’t so stupid after all because next thing he knew there was a petite woman in a ranger’s uniform stepping into the light of his fire.
Anakin let out a breath of relief, which was cut off in an excited shout as Obi-Wan stepped out from behind her.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt?” the ranger asked.
He grinned at her, beyond relieved by her presence. “I’m fine. Mostly just cold and hungry.”
Obi-Wan put an arm around him. “Come on, let’s get you back.”
The ranger said, “You know, you really shouldn’t travel out here alone.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“And you should’ve had a map.”
“The wind took it.”
“Better to stick to a trail.”
“I got that… now.”
But Anakin was too happy at being found to be annoyed. He was actually glad that she clearly cared.
All conversation that didn’t have to do with getting back to civilization died down.
A few hours later—hours of pain-stakingly making their way down the peak and around the lake with only the  light of their flashlights—they came to an open area where there was a large truck parked on the dirt.
“Nice ride,” Anakin commented, as he climbed in, Obi-Wan relinquishing the passenger’s seat for him.
Anakin had expected something a bit clipped from the ranger, but to his surprise she grinned at him.
“Want to see how fast it can go?”
Anakin soon had a look to mirror hers. “Hell yeah.”
They set off, the night racing past them.
“Not to be a downer, Padmé,” Obi-Wan cried, “but hitting something and overturning this isn’t really what I had in mind!”
“Relax,” Anakin told him.
“Relax? You were missing all day.”
“Yeah, and I’m here now.” He turned to his savior. “So, Padmé, is it?”
“Yep.”
“Pretty name.”
“I could say the same for you.”
He laughed. “But at least you have the prettier face.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say that.”
“No?”
“Well… maybe. But hey, maybe I should get lost more often.”
“Do you two mind flirting later?” Obi-Wan asked.
Padmé flashed Anakin a secretive smile that left a giddy feeling soaring through his stomach.
~~~
When they made it back to the lodge, Padmé gave Anakin her number.
“What are you doing up here anyway?” she asked him as she handed him the slip of paper.
“Exotic vacation. Wanted to see all of Canada’s lakes.”
“That’s ambitious.”
Looking her up and down and liking what he saw he responded, “I’m an ambitious kind of guy.”
“Great, then take me out with you next time. Or we could do something else. Are you staying at the Fairmont?”
“You bet!”
“How about I see you there tomorrow night for dinner?”
“Can we do dessert too?”
“Only if you’re thinking about the same dessert I am.”
“Hell yeah, I am.”
She gave him a quick embrace and kissed his cheek before saying, “Great, it’s a date.”
“It’s a date!” Anakin called as he left, getting into Obi-Wan’s car.
“You got her number, didn’t you?” Obi-Wan asked.
“Sure did.”
“I’m getting exiled tomorrow night, aren’t I?”
“Yes, you are.”
Obi-Wan sighed, and rolled his eyes, and then pulled out onto the road. “I swear, you’re going to be the death of me, my young friend.”
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jazminebrightxx · 4 years ago
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LIKE MAGIC
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SHOW: Teen wolf
CHAPTER THREE: “works like magic”
EPISODE: 3x02 “chaos rising”
(part two)
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The sudden fact and shock of Erica's death hung in the air, tension rising between Derek and Isaac. After Kaitlin had passed out Stiles grew worried for his childhood best friend. But the thought of the bombshell she had dropped on the two of them not even an hour ago still loomed in his mind.k
He looked at the brunette who sat on a table, her uncle looked here over, double checking she was okay, Stiles was confused, he didn't know how to feel about the fact that the girl he'd known his whole life was a supernatural. In one instance, he still just saw Kaitlin, the girl he had grew up with, the girl who's mom was best friends with his mom before she died. He saw the way her nose crinkled up when she laughed and the dimples when she smiled. Or how she played with her collarbone when she was nervous. Then on the other hand, he saw her in a whole new light, she was a witch, he'd seen her do it, she held Isaac down so effortlessly and was willing to hurt herself to help.
Kaitlin caught Stiles gaze, sighing, she says a few words to her uncle, jumping from the table and made her way over to the two friends, awkwardly standing in front of them.
"We should talk" she stated, her arms crossed over her chest, the boys look to each other, silently agreeing "okay" They make their way outside, standing near the redheads car, she leans against the hood as she crosses her arms.
"Why would you lie to us?" Scott questions, a scowl grows on Kaitlin's face, shaking her head slightly "I didn't lie to you, I'd never lie to you. I just..." she sighs, looking at her feet.
"My mom tried to hide it from me for the first few years of my life" she looks up at the two, slight hurt in her eyes
"When it finally happened she explained everything to me, but made me swear to keep it a secret" her voice was horse, her head still slightly sore.
"How'd it happen" Stiles questions from his place, standing against the wall across from the redhead
"Eight years ago" she starts "I came home from school after a really bad day" she takes a quick glance at Stiles, the boy listening intently. "Every little thing annoyed and agitated me, then I got really upset with my mom, which ended in me shattering my kitchen windows without trying" she chuckles lightly at the memory.  "she knew she had to tell me after that, I was young, but I wasn't dumb"
"She explained everything to me, but even if I was allowed I couldn't tell you guys" her voice wavers, emotion building up slightly, she looks to Stiles "you had just lost your mom" then to Scott "and your dad...you were just kids"
"Katie you were a kid too"
Kaitlin goes quiet, looking down at her feet, she sighs "it was so hard, when I moved away, it killed me. I hated it, the thought that I might never see you guys again, I thought that I would never get the chance to tell you guys the truth" she shakes her head, looking back at her friends.
"The reality of it set in when Lydia told me she knew" the two boys look at each other dumbfounded, Kaitlin laughs
"Yeah that's how I felt, she said something about a feeling"
"Psychic" Stiles mumbles
Scott steps forward, his arms slightly crossed "Katie, I think I speak for us both when I say, we don't blame you and we're okay with it" he smiles "but how did you know about... you know, me" Kaitlin smiles
"About two weeks before I moved back, deaton came to Boston for the weekend. He sat me down and explained everything, Peter, Derek, the kanima and what's currently happening, the alpha pack" Scott smiles with her "have to admit, I was speechless"
Stiles stands straight from his position, clapping his hands together. He walks forwards standing beside Kaitlin and wrapping an arm around her shoulder
"Well, I for one am very excited for all of the 'Sabrina the teenage witch' jokes I'm about to make" he jokes, Kaitlin laughs at him, wrapping her arm around stiles lower back, he pulls her closer, squeezing her comfortably
"Looking forward to it."
******
"She's not dead" Derek Hale yelled at his beta, Isaac flinched at the loudness of his voice, the two had been arguing over the status of Erica.
"Derek, he said, 'there's a dead body. It's Erica.' Doesn't exactly leave us much room for interpretation" Stiles explains, Kaitlin sat beside Isaac on a counter, rubbing her temple in irritation
"Then who was in the vault with Boyd?" Kaitlin rolls her eyes, growing tired of the same conversation "someone else obviously"
"Maybe it was the girl on the motorcycle." He looks to Isaac "the one who saved you?"
"No, she wasn't like us, and whoever was in the vault with Boyd was." Stiles crosses his arms, a sigh escaping his lips.
"What if that's how Erica died? They pit them against the each other during the full moons and see which one survives, it's like werewolf thunder dome" Stiles rambles, Kaitlin lets out a breathy chuckle, Stiles' humor always slipped through at the worst times.
"Then we get them out tonight" Derek pushes even further
"Be smart about this, Derek. You can't just go storming in" Deaton buts in. But Derek won't give up "if Isaac got in, then so can we"
"But he didn't get through the vault door, did he?" Kaitlin finally says, the alpha turning his gaze to her "we need a plan"
"How are we going to come up with a plan to break into a bank vault in less than 24 hours?" He questions the witch, a smug look on his face, challenging her. She gives him an exasperated look.
"Oh I don't know you tell me, your the one that plans on getting them out tonight?" She sits up from her position, Derek glares at the witch
"Uh I think someone already did" Stiles looks at his phone "beacon hills first national bank closes its doors three months after vault robbery" he reads from his phone, handing it to Kaitlin who skim reads over the article
"It doesn't say how it was robbed but it probably won't take long to find out" the girl hands the phone back.
"How long?"
"It's the internet, Derek. Okay? Minutes"
*****
Scott and Stiles went to stiles' house after leaving the animal clinic last night to try find out more about the bank. Kaitlin had told them she would stop by in the morning before school and see how they had progressed, what she didn't expect to see was the two boys Sprawled across the room, papers scattered everywhere, some coming from the printer, both passed out.
"Guys" she attempts to wake her friends, the two teens not moving "guys!" Still even at her raised voice, they slept soundly.
She crosses her arms, smirking, she kicks the chair Scott sat on, he falls from the chair, waking himself and Stiles up as he does.
The two boys smile sheepishly at the witch when they notice her, she stands tall smirking at the boys, wearing a light purple spaghetti string top over a long sleeve white T-shirt paired with denim high waist jeans and her converse.
Stilinski walks into the room, two cups of coffee in his hand, he hands Kaitlin one, the brunette smiles at him, saying a quick thank you
"I see you woke them for me" he laughs "time for school" he states, turning to walk out of the room "Wait, dad!" Stiles calls, his father turning back to look at him
"Heather?" Kaitlin's ears perk up at the familiar name, Stilinski frowns, shaking his head "no. Nothing yet" Stiles' face falls after his father walks out
The room is silent for a few moments, before Stiles speaks up "ten hours and nothing."  He states in frustration
"We're gonna find something" Scott reassures him, glancing at Kaitlin
"Finding something doesn't make Erica any less dead" Stiles argues, moving to clean his room "or Boyd any less about-to-be dead
"We still have time" Scott reassures further, Stiles glances at Kaitlin who shrugs
"Is this whole 'remain optimistic in the face of complete and utter disaster' thing apart of the 'be a better Scott McCall' program?" Classic sarcasm from the king of sarcasm, Kaitlin chuckles, trying to hide her amusement
"Not if it doesn't work"
Stiles sighs in frustration, crumpling a piece of paper in his hand "no, it works"
Kaitlin looks at the papers around the room "Uh guys, maybe your work isn't a total failure" she calls when she notices a newspaper article with Stilinski arresting a man outside beacon hills first national bank
She moves to show Stiles the article, the boys eyes widening and pushing the article to Scott, moving to run out of the room
"Dad! Dad! Wait! Dad!" He runs out of the room, Scott looks to Kaitlin who smiles
*****
Kaitlin jumps out of her car, parked next to stiles' Jeep. The boy groans when he jumps out of the Roscoe, waiting for Kaitlin to catch up to the two, when she does, Scott pulls out his phone and they start walking
"Alright, so we meet at Derek's at 5:00 to go over the plan, and then we don't get started until dark" he swings his bag over his shoulders, Kaitlin sighs
"Do I have to come, Derek's a bit of an ass" she states, Derek's attitude towards the whole situation yesterday make Kaitlin look at the man differently
"Derek's not all that bad, Katie. He's just sour about everything with Erica and Boyd" Stiles explains, reassuring the girl who nods "Yeah I guess, what do we do till then?"
"Well right now, we've got English."
*****
The school day had gone by like any other, boring classes and boring teachers.
After school, Kaitlin, Scott and Stiles met at Derek's like planned
"Okay, you see this?" Stiles pulls out blueprints and a red marker, marking a few places on the sheet
"This is how they got in, it's a rooftop air conditioning vent" he explains the route of the vault that the robbers had took
"It leads down inside into the wall of the vault, which is here. Okay?" He circles the section where the vent is.
"One of the robbers was lowered into this shaft, now that space is so small it took him about 12 hour to drill into that wall, which is stone by the way." He continues, glancing back and forth
"Then throughout the rest of the night, they siphoned the cash up to the guys in the roof, through that one little shaft in the wall. Boom!" He hits the table, putting the cap on the marker
"Can we fit in there?" Scott questions, leaning over the table and observing the sheet
"Yes, we can, but very, very barely." Stiles continues to hit the paper lightly as he talks "and they also patched the wall, obviously,so we're gonna need a drill of some kind"
Kaitlin watches the three men from a counter near by, her legs crisscrossed under her
"I'm thinking maybe a diamond bit.." Stiles starts to ramble again but is cut off by Derek
"Look, forget the drill." He states, Stiles freezes in his place, moving his fist slightly up and down "sorry?"
"If I go in first, how much space do I have?" He looks down at the prints, his mind set in stone
Stiles questionably eyes him, glancing at Scott and then back. "What do you think you're gonna do Derek?"
"Are you gonna punch through the wall?" They straighten up, Derek crossing his arms
"Yes, stiles, I'm gonna punch through the wall." Derek smugly smiles at the teenager
"Okay, big guy let's see it. Let's see that fist." Stiles challenges the taller man, Kaitlin straightens up to watch the scene unfold
"Big old fist. Make it, come on." He pushes further, growing cocky
Derek clenches his hand into a fist, his arms still semi crossed.
"Get it out there. Don't be scared. Big, bad wolf. Yeah, look at that" Kaitlin snickers, earning a glance from Peter Hale who sat on the stairs
Stiles grabs Derek's wrist, putting his hand a few inches away from Derek's fist "Okay, see this?"
"That's maybe three inches of room to gather enough force to punch through solid..." Stiles doesn't get to finish his sentence as Derek punches his hand, Sending him backwards in pain, he hits his hand against the metal table. Kaitlin winces.
Stiles whines like a dying cat, falling around the room, holding his newly injured hand "he could do it"
"I'll get through the wall" Derek ignores Stiles as he quietly whimpers
"Who's following me down?" He rests his hands back down in the metal table, looking at Peter
"Don't look at me." Derek's uncle states "I'm not up to fighting speed yet. And honestly with Isaac out of commission, your not looking at very good odds for yourself"
"So I'm supposed to just let them die?" Derek questions his uncle
"Well one of them is already dead" Peter states, a sarcastic grin on his face
"We don't know that" Derek insists, Kaitlin rolls her eyes, sighing and jumping off the table
"Give it up Derek" she starts, all eyes turn to her "you do know what we're up against, right?"
"A pack of freaking alphas. All of them killers, ruthless killers at that. We don't even know all of them" the redhead crosses her arms, standing beside the table
"And if that doesn't scare your testicles back into your stomach, try to remember that two of them form together to make one giant alpha" she finishes, Derek looks to her curiously.
"She's right you know" Peter speaks up "I'm sure Erica and Boyd were great kids, they're gonna be missed" he finishes, stiles glares
"Can someone kill him again please?"
Peter looks back at Stiles, a stern look on his face. "Derek, seriously"
"Not worth the risk" he finishes, referring to the plan to rescue Boyd and the person in the vault
"What about you?" He looks to Scott, Stiles shrugs
"Yeah, if you want me to come..."
"Not you" Derek sternly denies, looking back to Scott
"Scott?" Stiles turns to look at his friend, pointing his thumb in the werewolf's direction.
"I don't know about Erica,but if Boyd's still alive, we have to do something" Scott states, Derek clenches his jaw but nods. Scott looks at Peter, he rolls his eyes and sighs.
"We have to try" Scott pauses, Derek raises his eyebrows "but?"
"Who's the other girl" he turns to look at Stiles and Derek "the one locked in there with Boyd?"
You should know, I am slow with updates. IM SORRY. but anyway have this crappy update :( I promise it gets better and Kaitlin is my favorite oc I’ve ever made so get ready to get to know her more.
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ghostmartyr · 4 years ago
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Are you still watching RWBY? What did you think of Volume 8 overall
VOLUME 9 NEVERLAND SAGA WHERE NO ONE CAN HIDE FROM THEIR TRAUMA OR THEIR FRIENDS BY TRYING TO STOP IRONWOOD FROM BLOWING UP HALF THE KINGDOM HE’S SUPPOSEDLY PROTECTING WHILE ALL THEIR OTHER FRIENDS AND ALLIES THINK THEY’RE DEAD.
POGCHAMP.
I enjoyed Volume 8, but I think it stumbles at the end enough to look back at its time management and feel not totally great about it.
Cinder’s development is solid. I’m still not very attached to her, but she has attained my interest at long last. Good for you, Cinder. Solve your emotional problems with murder. Kill Watts. Give Neo a reason to go back to trying to kill you. Make yet another mortal enemy. I support these actions.
Emerald’s flip means she won’t have sad eyes over all the atrocities she’s playing witness to while the timer goes down on her defection anymore, and that’s cool.
Ironwood’s everything is... well. Yeah. Great. Nothing like watch someone destroy themself. Oh, and everything else around them in the process. Once he got started, it was pretty clear where he was going, and that’s just sad. He goes from hugging Qrow and finding relief in his allies to shooting all of them. Shooting Jacques along the way does not even that out.
The Ace-Ops felt too cluttered for the final parts. They’re the cautionary tales, obviously, but I don’t think we get enough time detailing them for them to be on the same stage as Winter coming into her own and RWBY falling into oblivion. Qrow and Robyn get the slow burn and then the panicked call to immediate action, but for the Ace-Ops, Marrow and Harriet are the only ones who the narrative actively does something with. Marrow’s problems are obvious from the start, and Harriet’s emotional heat hints, and then reveals, a depth of trauma that this system has been crap at handling. But Vine and Elm, the critical pieces in talking her down, and centerpieces of keeping Mantle from blowing up, aren’t prominent enough in the narrative for their place in its resolution to feel quite earned. I think if we’d gotten an extra episode it would have worked a little better. As it was, I was left wanting more focus on the central cast.
Which is kind of why I’m so thrilled that RWBY+J are maybe stuck spending some quality time together. The macro plot matters, obviously, but they’ve been moving so fast. Atlas feels like a speedrun of a kingdom falling, and a little more interplay between my faves would be very welcome.
Then there’s the obvious.
Oh, Penny.
I can’t feel good about Penny’s handling in the end.
The Winter Maiden, as soon as we’re introduced, is waiting to die and offer her power to the next one in line. Winter was intended for that, but Penny interrupts.
Two days later, Winter has the power, and Penny’s dead.
This is necessary so that Winter has time to center what she actually believes before she’s upgraded to demigodhood. Winter as the Winter Maiden leading into Volume 8 would have kept her on Ironwood’s script. The disruption of expectations that leaves her vulnerable forces her to respond to what is going on, not what her side believes should be going on.
It makes sense to delay Winter’s ascension, because it gives Winter perspective that she can’t access as long as she’s in her chain of established command.
Making Penny’s value tie entirely back to supporting someone else’s story. She’s allowed to be a real girl, she’s allowed to fight for what she believes in, she’s allowed to have friends, but becoming the Winter Maiden serves Winter’s storyline more than it serves Penny’s.
Which isn’t to say they do nothing with her. Obviously, the virus making the vault look good creates a variety of opportunities. Sure, they could have filled in another domino without Penny specifically, but she’s an instrumental part of getting them inside that vault in how the story goes.
Creating a new body for her is a complicated thing. Penny’s a real girl no matter what her form is, but if you say that while cutting out the nuts and bolts -- it’s a little mixed. In the most benign way I can put my preferences, I like Penny being a robot. I’m thrilled she knows how warm a hug can feel (Pietro, patch notes, get on it), but...
Before Watts causes problems on purpose, Penny shows a little hesitance about not being your standard model of girl, but unless I’ve been worse about my watching comprehension than I thought, she doesn’t have any burning need for flesh. Changing her body is the best solution they can up with in response to her agency being violated.
It’s not my favorite thing in the world. I don’t think it’s entirely good faith to pin all of the possible unfortunate implications on it, but they exist, and they are there. And on the flip side, being granted a body that is created through nothing but who you are is a sentiment that I’m sure resonates with a lot of people. I think there’s a lot to observe in what Penny’s going through, and it’s worth discussion more than angry words.
Except before there’s a chance to collect opinion polls on that, we once again have her asking for death before she hurts her friends.
I believe there’s a post on LotR somewhere that explains why people are okay with it being a mood shift from The Hobbit. People aren’t huge fans of media they consume invalidating media they previously invested in.
Penny dies, then she comes back. Then she dies.
Penny interrupts the inevitability of Winter becoming the Winter Maiden. Then Winter becomes the Winter Maiden.
It feels like a zero sum game, but a zero sum game where our emotions were torqued around for the sake of it, and the object of said torquing is being utilized as a plot object prior to being a character.
Penny obviously has a lot of personality, and a lot of established emotional ties. She’s not just a lamp standing in a corner.
But to use the apt metaphor, you can see the strings. Penny’s trajectory seems to be moving under its own velocity -- but then that ending hits. Despite going through all of the steps to make sure that Penny doesn’t have to sacrifice herself to keep the people she loves safe, despite actually being really creative and clever about doing everything possible to keep her alive --
The plot demands her death.
It isn’t good enough to fix the pressing issue that made sacrifice look good. Sacrifice is still the ultimate answer.
Thematically, that doesn’t jive with the story we’ve been getting.
Emotionally, what the fuck, could we not.
(What’s better than the cute robot girl begging for death? Doing it twice!)
People who are in a more optimistic state about fiction at the moment have noted that Pinocchio does do a lot of dying, and I do like the read of Penny as Jiminy Cricket. Considering the full context of the world, there’s more to justify a return than a lot of characters get. It wouldn’t be the most shocking thing ever.
It’s still kind of fucked up. Penny doesn’t kill herself, but she asks others to kill her, and that’s her being a good girl.
The National Suicide Hotline gets its number placed in the summary of the episode.
Obviously there’s more to it than that, but the implications are there, and a very painful thorn when looking over the rest of her. Creating an environment where it makes sense for this character to kill themself, it’s noble, even --
I don’t think that’s a route of story that the available material handles gracefully.
It’s the “twice” that really hammers the point down into the coffin. It creates a pattern of behavior in Penny. Once, and okay. Heroic sacrifice plays are always a major source of drama, exemplifying how Good the person making the sacrifice is, and how Tragic it is that we’re losing such a good person, all because they have principles and just love these other people so much.
Only if you have a character asking someone to kill them twice in relatively quick succession, the callback isn’t to feats of heroics. It’s suicidal tendencies.
If you’re not prepared to deal with implications of that magnitude, you’ve got to make the link a lot less suggestive. Otherwise you’re telling a new story whether you like it or not, and it’s not one you’re ready for, drastically upping the odds that it’s not going to be the most polished thing ever.
What the issue becomes then, in my personal opinion, is pacing (’hey self why is the answer always pacing’ ‘because shut up’). Penny’s joy of life is a blip in between her asking for death. The heroic nature of her desire for death mixed with the awful despair of her actual death makes this endpoint of her story saturated with a darkness that sours the entire experience.
Complicating it further is the issue of trust.
The writers killed her and brought her back just to kill her again. If they do bring her back again, the faith is kind of broken. Once you show that you’re willing to move a character around like a piece on a chessboard, your audience isn’t going to trust the story enough to invest. They’re going to be looking for the strings. For a complicated special effect that takes a lot of strings, that’s a pain, because the agreement with stories is supposed to be that yes, there are strings, that’s our medium.
If you don’t trust the writers, you are not going to believe in the story.
For my personal taste, if the writers are doing something more with Penny, their presentation has made it difficult for me to see value in the journey, even if the destination happens to be something I ultimately approve of.
Anyway Robyn needs to officially adopt Qrow. He has been a bad guy bandit, now he can be a good guy bandit.
He can be the Happy Huntresses’ cute animal mascot.
That is all that matters.
That is my one, solitary thought on the entire volume.
Thanks for the ask!
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comebeonetwothree · 3 years ago
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Blog #8: Country Roads
07/13/2021
Currently driving through roads where pro-life billboards are placed in front of graveyards… we are officially on the road back home.
Traveling fast but seeing the most we have while covering 1,500 miles and two time zones in the last week. 900 miles to go. We jumped from Portland to northern and southern Montana then all the way through to Chicago… our last stop ;(
We met some really nice people out here- the kind of people that want to take time out of their day to interact with you. People actually smile at you and mean it when they say “have a good day.”
There were a lot of experiences this week that were indescribable. All senses were at full throttle from sleeping in the heart of Portland to camping in National Parks.
Being our last stretch of the trip, it has been hard to not feel sad when we are closing such a big chapter of our life. It’s a weird feeling of being sad but also still being so excited for the next stop. I hope the excitement doesn’t end.
Who
Who is ready to rumble…
In Portland we got to meet up with Maya’s cousin, Michael and his daughter Thea. He moved out there 13 years ago and never looked back.
He was telling us he did a similar trip with his college buddies back in the day and fell in love with the city, so moved there shortly after the trip.
Sounds fun, might fuck around and move…
Batman was ready to rumble, and fumble and everything in between. While whitewater rafting in Glacier National Park, we had the pleasure of riding with Batman The Guide. Batman, because you can’t change who you are but if you can always choose Batman.
He had been living in Montana for 17 years after moving from Oregon. He had previously worked in the park as a shuttle bus driver and recently switched over to a whitewater rafting instructor.
He was a funny fucking dude; the whole crew was super hyped but he had a comedic sense that made it an entertaining day.
While on the water, we were joking around and splashing the neighboring rafts, an independent rafter said they will bomb us with beers if we splash them. One of the other people on the boat yelled back, “Are they full beers?” and they responded by launching three full miller lite beers at our raft.
At the end of our tour, Batman gave us the three beers then we dedicated those three beers to him with a funnel.
More Friends!!! Its wild how many people we got to see throughout this trip. Hitting Yellowstone National Park, we met up with Mayas friends from home: Cole, Jamie and Declan.
They were just starting their cross-country trip from Nyack, NY, hitting the Northern route to the southern, vs our trip ending in the North. Funny coincident.
We camped out with them for two nights… it was too beautiful to just stay one night, so we pushed back our trip to badlands and stayed the extra night.
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We were all out at this joint called Buffalo Bar, it had a great outdoor area with corn hole, ring toss and puppiesss. There is something so fulfilling in petting random dogs with a beer in your hand.
This one dog I was petting had an exceptional owner who was traveling him across states to bring him home. I spoke with the owner for quite a while, she was so friendly about letting me pet her dog. She really was doing it all, back at home she has three kids and two other dogs.
When people hear about our travels, their reactions usually make us realize how cool it is to have the opportunity to do a trip like this.
Many times they wish they did the same when they were our age, *cough, cough, go travel right now, cough, cough.*
This woman explained how she jumped right into working out of school and has always regretted it. Her children were already teenagers so I told her she should get out there and do it. Traveling her new dog home was a great start to the on-the-go lifestyle, she seemed to be enjoying it.
I later found out she picked up our tables tab… thank you Jennifer, you have a heart of gold and a generous soul. She explained her hopes that her kids will one day get out there and see the world like she always wished, and we were accomplishing. It was a pass it forward request, when I am able to cover the bill of a lovely traveling stranger. I hope I cross paths with this family eventually and pay it forward for her children that may travel.
What
What a reality…
The National Park pass is something you buy and are given access to all the national parks in the US. We got one in the beginning of the trip knowing we would be reaching quite a few parks. Unfortunately, we lost it after just seeing the Grand canyon.
It fell in a black hole… the area where your dashboard and windshield meet. Remember this when you put shit on the dashboard. It can slide right down to its death, the only way to get the shit out is by taking off the windshield.
Those passes are irreplaceable, of course.
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In badlands, we posted up around 10 p.m. in our hammocks. It was a new experience for us, we thought hey its our last time camping, lets try it a new way. 
We set our hammocks up underneath this podium and slept there. It was perfect for a quick and easy set up/clean up. There was a solid amount of people around us, so we weren't too worried about getting attacked by coyotes again. 
Where
When driving to Portland we drove through the Redwood National Forest. This made me realize how long this Earth has been around.
Trees take a while to grow, and these trees were as thick as three full grown pine trees and as tall as two stacked on top of each other.
Neck breaking tall.
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After crossing through, we hit the upper west coast and traveled on route 101 until we hit Portland. It was filled with jaw dropping views, so much so I woke Mary and Maya up every 5 minutes to show them the views. Most times it was the same view as before, just with a new massive rock to look at.
It was a relatively foggy day, so we couldn’t see certain lookout points, but there was something so majestic about the fog within the forests and hanging on the coast.
There were points where you cross over a bridge and there was nothing around you, just white. It appeared as being stuck in a dream or driving my bitchass to heaven.
Arriving in Portland, we stayed at a place in ChinaTown. It was so cute and located on top of a great deli, Charlie’s Deli.
We checked out a bunch of shops and stores while in Portland. While we were walking around, this coffee shop had the sweetest workers. They enjoyed interacting with their customers and weren’t just looking to take your money.
Portland is filled with mockingly friendly people, they weren’t mocking anyone though, they were just that fucking friendly. They actually want to converse with people... what a concept.
For dinner we went to this food truck pod place, which is about 15 different food trucks serving food, with a communal sitting area to eat the food.
We met up with Maya’s cousin there for a drink and to catch up.
Hitting Glacier National Park, we started our camping excursion. We started off sleeping in our car since we arrived late to our campground after driving 10 hours to get there. It was pretty comfortable and with the knowledge of bear attacks in the area, it was a secure place to sleep.
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While in Glacier, we decided to go whitewater rafting, a whole new way of seeing the parks. It was so dope, the rapids were on the weak side since the heat waves.
After rafting, we found a great lake front public access point where we hung our hammocks up and took a nice long nap.
There are lakes EVERYWHERE here in Montana and great fishing! Let’s travel and fish all over Montana, okay? Cool.
We waited until 5 p.m. when the park lets you in without a pass, to do a sunset hike in the park. We took Going-to-the-sun road to the highline hike, where we got to see some wild animals!
In the parking lot we got to see a horned sheep (looks like a ram) and more mountain goats!! We saw three full grown goats and one baby goat.
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This horned sheep actually stormed at us and we had to jump into our car. The people that parked in the spot before us left their cheetos on the ground. This guy was hungry as fuck I guess. Relentless to say the least. 
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This National Park is my new favorite spot-on Earth. Spread my ashes here. Moseying through the park was a full body experience.
All your senses are involved, the smells of the forest are beyond refreshing. The touch of the crisp air brings goosebumps to your skin, and the taste of wind in your face emphasizes the overload of oxygen in that area.
There are no commercialized areas for hours outside the park. Just a fuck ton of trees.
The sounds of different birds chirping harmonizes in your ears with the wind blowing and the rocks falling below you. Your sight is spiked the highest out of the senses. These views seemed so unreal they appeared fake. When you finally touch the grounds around you, you realize how really unreal this land is.
Heading to Yellowstone the following day brought a similar element of nostalgia. We camped right outside the park, on the state border lines of Wyoming and Idaho.
Our friends we stayed with luckily still had their national park pass, so we all took our car and got into the park early that next morning. We got to see some bison! Fun Fact: Bison and Buffalos are actually the same thing.
There were so many beautiful trees and hot springs throughout the park. So many cool colors to see. We also watched Old Faithful blow her hole!!
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Getting to Badlands eventually, we got a campground directly in the park. Since we got there later than five it was free. We posted up our hammocks for our last night camping on the trip ;( when we woke up, the views were so cool.
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Badlands is a shit ton of clay forming giant sandcastle hills all over. But there is so much green for a desert it was an interesting combination.
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When
When can we shower…
We have completed so much of the drive home its wild. We stayed in an apartment for the first two nights in Portland and then spent the rest of the week camping.
We hit our record of days without a shower… 5 full ass days. I’m so proud of Mary and Maya, they really can’t stand being dirty.
When driving long ass 10 hour plus drives for a week you find yourself enjoying nothingness. Head empty is such a vibe after jamming to music and listening to murder mystery podcasts for hours on end.
Our music ranges widely, depending on crashing periods. Whenever Mary is driving, she is either blasting screamo edm music or 2000s pop music.
Maya plays some bomb bops; I really don’t know any of the songs, but it has opened my mind to all these new artists!!
I personally love the murder mystery podcasts, there were a few times I had to change it though because it got too spooky. In the case of this week, we were driving to camp in Montana and a murder mystery came on about the Montana Child Killer… dope.
Why
I have ruled out ever living in a city. From the driving on busy ass streets to the dirty smells everywhere, I will happily reside somewhere in the country. Where? Still have no idea… Why? Because there are so many pros and cons to all these places we saw.
I guess i'll just have to come back out here!
I’m really thinking somewhere up north on the west coast. The west coast will forever hold my heart, but I really don’t have the money or the ability to live in a city out there. Maybe one day with a bombass money making job.
Coming back to the East has made me realize how much nicer people are out west and how much slower of a pace it is.
How
How are we coming up on our last spot…
We are hitting our last stop… Chicago. Shoutout to my cousin for going to school here and letting us use and abuse his apartment! Hehe just kidding we will take care of it for ya, Owen!
It feels so strange to be this close to New York. Our license plates being from New York is no longer that cool.
I’m going to miss people peeping our plates and asking us about our travels and/or wishing us luck!
Thanks everyone throughout, we are almost accomplished with this chapter!
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