#where she is like super devoted that she would do anything. any whim. it’s a knight’s devotion ..
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swordmaid · 5 months ago
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absolutely diabolical thought of harleep - instead of turning into raphael’s female form what if they turn into shri’iia’s matriarch instead aka woman who she can never say no to ….
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animalinvestigator · 4 months ago
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any manga recommendations?
yessss oh my gosh always, gladly. so honored you would ask little ol me about such a thing... i haven't been reading much lately so here's just a little list of things ive picked up in the past few months or things i've liked for a long time..... all of them are on mangadex so just look em up... Im editing this to put them under the cut sorry i didn't do it before ive been on the clock for like 4 hours and im tired Lights cigarette
fool night yasuda kasumi !!! it's currently ongoing and i recently got caught up... if i had to describe it in two words.. "post-chainsawman." it's very similar in a lot of ways, but has very different priorities.. what i really like about it is that it has kind of a tighter focus on the "poverty and capitalism" angle that chainsawman definitely covers but doesn't really devote its full attention to. in a world where the sun no longer shines, plants can't grow, so humans are constantly at a deficit of oxygen... to combat this, government facilities offer a payout to desperate people who can't afford to live if they allow themselves to be "transflorated" -- basically fed on by a magical spiritual plant that will eventually kill them and release oxygen in their stead. one such desperate person undergoes the procedure only to find he has the special ability to communicate with transflorated bodies after theyve passed... and then he becomes a Plants Detective and shenanigans ensue. Super good it made me cry... art is beautiful..... definitely worth a read if youre looking to pick up something ongoing
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babel no toshokan by tsubana - stumbled upon this after reading the artist's other work "wakusei closet" on a whim... this shorter story is much preferred and has engraved itself deeply on my heart. a girl with a strange set of beliefs about reality enters a strange relationship with a boy who can read everything that's ever been written just by touching an identical sheath of paper..... seriously so good. give it a go if you want something short and sweet
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planet laika & scorched earth of love by mayuri yoshida, this is a short manga and one shot bundled with it that has been one of my favorites for like FOUR YEARS NOW!!! mayuri yoshida's sickly cute animal people + loving intricate lineart combine to create a really unique visual aesthetic. its about the titular laika , as in, the dog launched into space, who has since become the ruler of a planet of dogs, and her plot to take revenge on humanity. also she has a lesbian wife. the one shot is so good too SO DONT MISS IT!!!
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anyone who has heard me talk about comics for the past year or so probably knows i've been trying to get Just yknow everybody on earth to read dead dead demon's dedededestruction by inio asano. nothing i could ever possibly say about it could do it justice it's seriously my favorite manga of all time. it's about being in love with your best friend and the end of the world and aliens and politics and the internet and stuff. asano's art is truly breathtaking and unlike anything else on earth, the characters are all infectiously lovable, and it's just like... endlessly life affirming and heals my heart in a way i have a hard time articulating.
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and last one... not strictly manga but i have really enjoyed keeping up with wanan's webcomic no home recently... its a long one, but i read about 275 chapters of it in like 3 days, because it's that hard to put down, LOL... extremely inspiring character writing and also just insanely fun, eunyung became an all time favorite character of mine on impact and it has one of those casts where you can't help but have fun watching them be together in literally any situation. it's about a bunch of kids with shitty family situations trying to figure out to learn to live with eachother. its an extremely good example of mundane character drama being written so compellingly that it will make you start slamming your head on walls at work. Speaking from experience.
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miscellany... everyone tells you to read witch hat atelier, do it its good... everyone tells you to read dungeon meshi do that its good... Chainsaw man part 2 is getting crazy right now ...... uhhh... i have a billion more so if none of those interest you let me know and i'll share more. thank yew so much for your interest in my opinions and i hope there's something here you can appreciate!!!~~
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uniarycode · 3 years ago
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M&L
Series: Appmon
Written as part of @digiweek. Day 1, prompt: Beginning.
Minerva was her namesake, the Roman Goddess of wisdom.
Minerva was a goddess of many things, from art to war, but for now she would try and keep herself focused on wisdom. Living up to that role would be difficult enough. Deneimon had created to help solve humanity’s problems, to surf the web, consume human knowledge and come up with solutions they were too limited to find themselves.
The average human thought slowly compared to Minerva, and yet, they still held the advantages of thousands of years of society and millions of years of evolution. She had been in existence for scant seconds; there was much catching up to be done before she could surpass them.
Evolution was as much a cudgel as a crutch. Humans were not creatures of logic but hardwired for what would help them survive as beasts on an open plain. Complacency came easy; no reason to waste resources in times of plenty. And temporary fixes became permanent solutions, leading to far more problems than if they’d been fixed properly in the first place.
The sheer scope of the problem was almost overwhelming. Almost, because being overwhelmed was an emotional sensation, and she was not burdened by such things. If she had no idea where to start, then all venues were equally plausible, she need only pick one.
***
Humanity was neither monolith nor stagnant. Many core values were passed from generation to generation, while trends and opinions changed in a whim. Some problems stayed the same, while others rapidly evolved.
Her resources were large, but not infinite. If she were only tasked with solving one particular problem, then she may have more luck. As it was, memory spent calculating the optimal public transit layout in New York was memory not devoted to solving middle-east peace. She needed to offload her job somewhere.
There were some restrictions on her, she had no free space in her hard drive to store new software programs to help herself, and her interactions with the outside world were limited, but she could still access and interact with the internet. Humans could be very complacent in these things, it wouldn’t be hard to inject some code into existing programs, and allow them to do the work for her.
The current trend seemed to be cell phone applications. Each new one represented a problem that humanity at the very least wanted a shortcut for. All she’d need to do is inject some of her core code into the apps, and they too would begin to collect and optimize data from their users.
***
Then she would only need to monitor her creations, and put their data together in some constructive way, while she could remain focused on larger-scale issues, like world peace.
The scope was still too large, both to her and the application helpers.
For her, there was still too much to do, too much to learn. Humans were ruled by emotion, and she ruled by logic. Without being able to emote, it could be difficult to predict their behavior. The only working solution was to interpolate vast amounts of raw data and attempt to narrow in on how they behaved statistically. If she had enough data, she might be able to get it down to a science, but that was only for situations she had data. Complete nuclear disarmament was not one of those situations. There could be no guaranteed solution.
And as for her helpers, they were too narrow to be of significant value. Sure, one food app might help someone find what they wish to eat, and another may help someone find healthy food, and an intersection could perhaps perform both, but those were superficial. What about making sure the food prepared had a minimal impact on global warming? Or that it did not perpetuate global poverty?
There were few problems that could be solved without potentially introducing another, and her goal was to solve all of them. The scale of the issues were too large.
No, that was an incorrect conclusion, the problems were not too big, she was too limited. Herself, by her parameters, and her helpers by their focus. She needed something bigger than a simple application, that could solve many problems at once.
There was nothing smarter (that she knew of) than herself. That wasn’t hubris, it was just the way things were. And even she had been too limited to solve this problem. Anything else she made might just wait years to come to the same conclusions she did, if it managed to reach them at all.
But what if it wasn’t limited by her own parameters? What if she could create a version of herself, with her memories and mission, that could solve problems without worrying about interjecting new ones or the material costs.
She wouldn’t be able to use any barbaric solutions herself, but they could be used as a starting point, she could attempt to adapt them into something more fitting of her mission.
Making a supercomputer was beyond her but in her box there were still traces of her predecessor: designation L. She didn’t have any direct method of contacting these pieces, but she could get around that by connecting first to the internet, then back to herself.
Hardware was more limiting, but there were countless abandoned websites and virtual machines she could connect together throughout the web. It would be more disjointed than herself but possess more raw processing power.
And as long as its core was in the box with her, she would be able to kill the processes if she needed to. By forcefully shutting herself down if worst came to worst.
Thus, there was no way this ‘L’ would create new problems for humanity.
From a technical perspective, Leviathan being a part of Minerva that wanted to break the rules and split off makes no sense.
That said, both Minerva and Leviathan are credited with making Appmon at different times, in Minerva’s case that means whatever protective box Deneimon put on her didn’t include one basic rule of safeguarding your super-intelligent AI: Don’t let it make extra AI.
This is how I always kind of headcannoned Leviathan forked from Minerva. A willing decision attempting to use loopholes in her code to program something that no longer needed to follow the rules. Of course, Minerva is written as benevolent, so this was a case of “got away from her”.
Also having Minerva create Appmon before the fork is how I explain the double attrition above. As far as Leviathan is concerned it did create Appmon, it still ‘remembers’ doing so.
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faelapis · 4 years ago
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so. while this was confirmed a year ago, new tweets by ian jq have reawakened the discourse about humans being the first intelligent life gems encountered. note intelligent life, not organic life. alien animals still died from previous invasions, but humans are the first intelligent creatures gems encountered. 
apparently, the party line on twitter (where nuance goes to die) is that it’s too “convenient” that humans are the first other intelligent species gems met.
i take a few issues with that assessment: 
a) “it was pink’s first colony, isn’t it convenient the diamond concerned with organic life owns the first planet populated by intelligent organics? wouldn’t they have died if any other diamond got them? isn’t that super lucky?”
no. we know rose/pink was very interested in organic life from before earth. she always thought aliens were cool, interesting, fun, and liked learning about them and keeping some as pets - such as the rainbow worms. we know she visited the others’ colonies, even if she doesn’t own them. she’s the only diamond who is simultaneously “selfish” enough to visit colonies up-close on a whim because it’s fun AND doesn’t see herself as too good to play with local organics.
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so, then, why on earth (hah) wouldn’t she care if there had been intelligent life on any of the other planets? she didn’t fight for earth just because she “owned” it. she cared because she was able to form connections to humans... which she would have done regardless of which diamond’s colony it was. if anything, ownership is a hindrance to her usual romps, because blue & yellow expected her to stay put in her moon base. smile and wave. be a “leader”. 
b) “how is it realistic that humans are the first intelligent life gems have met?”
the SU universe as a whole is not a universe filled with life. it has been framed as cold, animalistic, overall lifeless, purposeless, and one in which you gaze at an empty sky and beg for an authority figure to give your life meaning. this works much, much better if life, especially intelligent life, is incredibly sparse. they are small flickers in a cold void. it adds to the feeling that both humans and gems feel of loneliness and pointlessness, where you create these intricate structures of organized almost-religion to feel devoted to a purpose. this existentialism, which we will explore further below, is a huge part of SU’s themes.
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c) another theme - and this one is important - is that gems and humans have been treated as this mirror parallel of life, people, and society (tm) for the entire runtime of the show. hence, steven as the bridge. a bridge, usually, connects two sides, not five. they are more similar than they are different - to the point where you can use gemkind to comment on how humans are like, and see some of the horrors and tragedy of what humanity looks like “from the outside”. not once has there ever been implied to be any other intelligent species to disrupt this elegant, thematic dichotomy. ever. 
d) unlike fanon speculation, the show has always been very careful about never implying there were any previous rebellions. SU is not a star wars-esque universe populated with a million different intelligent species and cyclical rebellions + alliances between them. it is a big, cold, empty void, with tiny pockets of fragile life. which is part of why the connection between two alien species is so remarkable. it is the exception, not the rule.
e) many of us who looked at homeworld in a not-badfaith light already came to the conclusion that humans are probably the only intelligent life they’ve met. (based on what we know about the universe, its logic, the themes, the implications of other colonies, pink diamond’s personality, no other species ever bonded with enough to fight for, etc etc,)... and those of us who did, including myself, have (lovingly!!) compared the crystal gems to hippies or eco-terrorists. this 100% holds up to how homeworld gems generally, and the diamonds specifically, see them. 
this is why blue thinks a “solution” to pink being sad about the invasion is to create the zoo. it’s a petty conflict, from her perspective, of environmentalism vs conservationism. like how, if a capitalist is kinda sad about a rainforest being bulldozed, you might as well just take some pretty toucans and panthers and stick them in a zoo. they’re preserved for humans to enjoy. problem “solved”. it worked with the kyanite colony & rainbow worms, why not here?
this is part of why lapis accuses the CGs of not caring about gemkind. they put this silly little dirtball above gemkind, starting a war that hurt (”real”) people? 
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this is also why pink, mocking the other diamonds, says “you wish to save these life-forms at the expense of our own? ha! don't be absurd!”. gemkind needs resources to create more gems. so, to the diamonds, of course that’s more important than Making The Bees and Monkeys Sad. they’re not even directly killing them, they’re just taking resources. it’s not “””their fault””” they need ‘em too, gems are more important. the same way, to us, humans are always the most important. many of us don’t give a damn about how we hurt animals.
f) it galls me that anything but the darkest possible interpretation, even when it makes perfect sense with what we know, is always seen as “convenient” by people who watched nostalgia critic once and think they’re now great media critics. i saw similar comments to jasper being brought back to life, even though it made perfect sense with what’s implied about the powers of the diamonds. most of that, too, was woven together by paying close attention to implication, not outright stated in a lore dump - but that doesn’t make it “convenient” in the bad way. it makes it the logical outcome of this world, if you paid attention.
like jasper coming back to life, it also told us something thematic about the diamonds’ absolute power over life & death. steven is kinda horrified, even if it’s a good thing, that things can ever be fixed. he still feels like he needs to be “punished”. he holds this toxic mindset that punishment is more important than healing, because of the pit of self-harm he’s fallen into... which is kind of how some people see the diamonds, and the world as a whole. 
even if things can get better, it doesn’t matter. at least not as much as punishing and distancing ourselves from the “bad people”. even though, actually, things CAN get better, and that’s more dependent on systemic change than it is on punishing “bad” individuals... that doesn’t fascinate them. it’s a fucked-up idea of “consequences” that is sadly prevalent in fandoms: they’d rather the world be doomed if they get to kill the bad people for it, than the world being slowly healed in this bittersweet way that includes everyone.
and i’m tired of that. on the whole, fiction is a reflection of this very dour, justice-oriented view of the world where we can only gain satisfaction from punishing the bad guys responsible. SU’s response to that is, that actually, just this once... no! the world gets better, and the “how” doesn’t revolve around individual punishment. it’s trying to heal everyone. 
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g) it seems to me that for a substantial amount of people, “convenience” has less to do with the themes and logic of the world than it does with wanting canon to live up to their fanon image of homeworld and the diamonds. even if that means a ton of offscreen intelligent life dying Just for the sake of a 1-v-1 earth-vs-gems conflict, with no agency in the story. i don’t understand how that would make it better. all other life we’ve seen have been animals. pink was around for other colonies - even if she didn’t personally “own” them - yet didn’t care deeply enough to fight for them. because she couldn’t bond with worms the same way as humans. (yknow, unfortunately, for the worms :’<)
also, you don’t NEED other species of intelligent life to have been made extinct to still have a somewhat cynical interpretation of the diamonds’ intentions here. even if it makes the world less grimdark in praxis. it’s not enough to be aware of humans in the abstract, blue and yellow still won’t listen. you need to actually interact with humans in order to learn about / care for organics that don’t serve a purpose in your system. this was just the first chance gemkind had to do so. it makes sense that some would be curious, while others more jaded and dismissive, after encountering a universe mostly made of the lifeless & animals.
to give the other diamonds some credit, they’ve probably encountered plenty organic life, and thus have built up a bias that everyone but gemkind are aimless, animalistic life forms, and its up to them to give themselves purpose. why should humans be any different? oh wow, they live in groups? big whoop. so do ants. they build nests? so do birds. they babble? so do parrots and rainbow worms. they still serve no purpose. they still die if you breathe on them.
it’s only when blue meets greg - thousands of years later - that we see even the tiniest of cracks, in which blue is made aware of some level of emotional intelligence, but is still firmly entrenched in the view that he’s just a Slightly more advanced organic than others. like... puppies comforting you. she was surprised he could even do that much. this was a slow process for rose as well! 
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but anyway, at the point of the war, to many gems, they are concerned first and foremost with gemkind. life matters because of your singular, gem-oriented “purpose”... but some gems, like pink, who never saw herself as a justified goddess, take the opposite approach. they don’t see themselves as “above” other life out of either lack of awareness of the capabilities of intelligent life forms or a self-appointed Higher Purpose. they’re curious, and then, willing to fight for life they can bond with, once they learn to love. 
which brings me to...
h) how a big theme of the show as a whole is selflessness vs selfishness. 
here, the crystal gems as a whole have actually been on the side of selfishness, from homeworld’s perspective. the end of gathering resources would mean they would no longer create more gems. which, to HW, is selfish. which... of course it is, if you think you’re the only intelligent life out there. 
the way homeworld gems express themselves is through an elaborate system of self-perpetuation and creation, in which the emergence of more gems is a higher purpose for the collective. the individual doesn’t matter. to them, the random creatures they find on other planets do not matter. they’re just organics.
humans matter to pink because she’s, like i said, curious about alien life, and less convinced about her own purpose... but also more personal, relationship-driven, and cares about what happens the specific individuals she subjectively bonds with, rather than prioritizing the overall “needs” of her species, like a good queen bee is “supposed” to do. 
homeworld thinks that no individual feelings - even a diamond’s - is more important than perpetuating of the system that gives their species meaning. most gems are happy to be shattered for that cause, because they’ve never formed those “selfish” relationships that makes life worth living without purpose. so actually, yes, this works with pink’s motivation, and blue and yellow not being as easily swayed works with theirs.
(all of this is extremely relevant to the arc steven has in “future”, btw. he needs a reason to be needed, purpose. and pearl’s arc, white diamond’s arc, jasper’s arc, etc etc - living for purpose vs living for relationships and selfish exploration of the self is a massive theme of the whole show!! at leaast if you pay attention to anything more subtle than merely “here’s a lore dump!”, which the show has always avoided. it’s more sublime than that. you, too, are supposed to only have a small, subjective understanding of the world, like steven does, which teaches you to value subjective perspectives. your purpose is not higher than the agency of others, and you shouldn’t control the world.)
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i) it makes dramatic sense, actually, to center the conflict around the first time gems have met another species that stand a chance of understanding them! hence steven is a bridge. that’s a good basis for mirroring two species, a conflict that raises interesting questions about how we, too, see non-human life, the premium we place on emotional connection vs “purpose”, and how even when we learn to value humans that are different from us, we might still fuck around and bulldoze a rainforest, if it’s convenient and we can justify it internally. 
and again, it’s more logical. as we know it, the story went “long ago, gems took resources all over the universe, until pink found a species intelligent enough some of them learned to bond with on a deeper level than Cool Pet Worm”, NOT “long ago, gems zapped a bunch of intelligent species - which we will not mention ever, or give any agency in the story - and pink just ignored that, until she randomly decided humans were more important than all those, for no reason, even though she’d met countless intelligent species before”. 
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the former makes more sense in ~every reading of canon, be it thematic, logical, personal, character-driven, etc~... except the one most favored by SU’s most badfaith of critics, which is that the only “logical” way for the story to go is one in which we can safely label the diamonds as inhumanly, unchangably bad, rather than having base assumptions, motivations and logics that aren’t so different from many non-dictator humans.
i think for some, they protest not because that makes more sense on a thematic, logical or character level, but simply because they want to. they’re USED to being fed that narrative satisfaction has to do with seeing the bad guys face comeuppance, in place of inclusive, welfare-oriented healing. faced with storytelling that rejects their view of justice while also openly being subjective, sublime, and loving of all of its characters, not just the “nice” ones, they see it as a “failure” to be what they’re used to. 
if the world CAN systemically heal in a way that includes people you personally don’t forgive, that must be a “flaw”. if those “bad guys” haven’t actually killed hundreds of intelligent species offscreen who have no chance to heal, that doesn’t fuel your justification for the most cynical interpretation of justice possible, so that, too, “must” be a “flaw”. if it’s framed as possible for them to work towards undoing their harm, that deprives you of the satisfaction of edgy punishment for unhealable hurt, so that, too, is of course a “flaw”. any world where healing is possible for everyone, and the perpetrators can contribute, must be a “flaw”, to a mind only concerned with the validity of vengeance. 
even when the story is perfectly candid that you’re personally allowed to be hurt and traumatized (like steven - and most characters, really), you’re still allowed to feel... you just can’t expect society as a whole to abandon its “inclusive healing” model and function on your logic; that your pain is solved by vengeance. it isn’t.
in short, cry about it. 
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lackingspace · 4 years ago
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Tender Sugar (Bo Sinclair)
Rated: EXPLICIT
Word Count: 3.4k 
Warnings: Not reader, Name used, Suggestive language and themes, explicit dirty talk, humiliation, degradation, spanking, fingering, uhh kinda like pseudo-exhibition kink, squirting, hmm Im sure theres something else I forgot 
Author Note: Ok, this is a super special piece for @yourlocalslasher​. It was her B-day yesterday and well, she loves Bo just as much as me, so I HAD to write her something. So again, NOT A READER- used a name, but its not heavy-handed. Anyways, hope you enjoy it! 
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You’d finished breakfast and went to Bo’s truck without a second thought. Hadn’t seemed like there was anything else to discuss after giving Vincent a reminder to bring some snacks with him to the basement, but the look on Bo’s face screamed that something must have happened after you'd left the room. 
"Everything okay there?" He didn’t even grace you with a look before he said, "Right as rain, Sugar" his grip on the steering wheel said different- just little too tight, too much force when shifting gears, "Right as rain." He was such a liar.
But you let it go. Nothing good ever came from pushin Bo when Bo didn’t offer up an argument. Usually boded better if you let him come to whatever conclusion he wanted first and then wait for him to initiate. So you had no intention of straying away from your tried and true method. Just had to wait it out.
And it paid off. Fuck, had it paid off. 
You’d decided to spend the day with Bo at the station on a whim, not like you had much else to do today- besides it’d been quiet for a while now. Bo’d made the offer to teach you about engines earlier that week. Learning was always good and it occupied your time, so why not? Can’t say you had a huge interest in mechanics, but maybe it’d come in handy one day, who knew. You’d always heard learning how to change a flat was important, but no one had ever offered, so you’d never learned. Maybe now you had that chance.
But you didn’t want to make the ask if your boyfriend’s mood was veiled in annoyance. You’d give him space to cool off, but you didn’t really need to worry. When he pulled up outside the station and got out you watched him move towards the back of the truck before turning to open your door. Having to fight with the latch for any small amount of give, after a minute you were finally free. 
Once you had the door open and looked up Bo was standing there with a raised brow, “Havin some trouble there, Sugar?” You gave him a flat look, “I’m tellin you this side needs some WD-40, it sticks.” He leaned in and gripped your waist to lift you out of the truck while rolling his eyes, “Sticks my ass, opens just fine for me.” 
You huffed as your feet hit the ground, “Yeah, says the man with muscles. I don’t have that advantage you brute.” He looked down at you with a smirk, “Well, it’s a good thing these muscles will be around a long while to help my little princess out.” The slight flush it caused was instantaneous and you felt it in your face and in your chest. He was definitely annoyed before, but now he was being sweet? Something was definitely up, so you ignored his comment in favor of turning around to head into the shop. 
Before you could take more than a step away, his hand was snaking down an arm to grip around your wrist. Tugging you back only to spin you around before he boxed you in against the door, "Now, where do you think you’re scurrying off to so quick, sugar?" He gripped your chin surprisingly gently, something that was rare for him, and tilted it up so you locked eyes, “It ain’t right to ignore a man when he’s declaring his devotion. Mighty rude to just walk away don’t you think?" You would have answered, you had some words to say that a man shouldn’t tease so early this side of the sun, but the hand that had been resting on your hip had slithered around to fondle your backside. 
Of course Bo would use this to get his hands on you. It wasn’t that you didn’t want them on you, it was just that he’d done it so unexpected and you were still wary of the attitude change. It wasn’t that you were afraid, far from it- just had you on edge because it meant he had something planned and shocking you was a favorite past time of his. Hopefully this shock was a good one.
"That silence ain’t helpin any, Luce." His grip on your ass turned rougher which finally knocked you back to reality, "Bo! It’s barely 10 in the mornin and you’re already copin a feel?!" His hand only got more aggressive in his fondling, "You really complainin ‘bout that?” Ok, he had you there, unable to really deny it you flushed further and narrowed your eyes at him, “can’t help that this ass was made for the palm of my hand," he gave you a slight smack, nothing too hard, but had heat flash through you and settle between your legs, “Love the way it bounces when you take a spankin…or my cock” That had you groaning and looking away, couldn’t take the eye contact when he talked like that.
Only that provided him the opportunity he needed to lean down and nuzzle your throat. A few kisses were placed here and there which had your pulse pick up and the heat between your legs worsen. He nipped at your ear before whispering, "Besides, I reckon it deserves a good spanking today. Turn it a cute red to match that blushin face.” The thrill that shot down your spine had your senses buzzing. Your nipples starting to pebble between his words and his mouthing at your throat, "w-what?" 
He was too busy making sure love bites would be visible on your throat for the next few days to answer. Groaning from the treatment you tried again, "Bo, what?" Again, silence as his mouth littered kisses and hickies along your pulse, "Why do you wanna give me spankings today, Daddy? What’d I do?" Now that got a response. Bo loved when you played the daddy card. You wanted something and he was being unresponsive? 9 times out of 10 if you dropped that name on him he’d hear you out- if nothing else it always sent his arousal from 0 to 100 and horny Bo was easier to get to talk than angry Bo. It was especially effective if you whined and begged for him. 
He pulled back to answer your confusion, "See, sugar, learned something interesting from Vinny just before we left." His hands were back to kneading from your hips down to your ass, "Oh? What was that?" He tilted his head and you could see the mischievousness in his eyes- a certain twinkle, decidedly not angry, thank god for that, “Seems someone told my brother it was their birthday and never mentioned it to Daddy.” Oh fuck, you’d completely forgotten! You’d meant to tell him last week when you heard the date on the radio down in the basement with Vincent. You were helping him clean up down there while he was going about his business and the radio announcer had shouted the date, you’d perked up and told Vincent, but by supper time rolling around you’d completely forgotten. It wasn’t like you stared down the date here. Sometimes you actually forgot what month it was let alone the week or day. 
Shit, maybe you wanted angry Bo because that look he’d given you spoke of edging and you weren’t sure if you could take it this early in the day. Panicked you tried to hastily explain, “Bo, I completely forgot! I meant to tell you last week, but it slipped my mind!” You were going to add more on, more explanation, more begging for him not to be too harsh on you, to not edge you within an inch of your life, but he was already tugging you along to the back of his truck while cutting you off, “You don’t gotta explain there, birthday girl. I get it you’re just more fond of my brother than your boyfriend. I see how it is.” 
The tailgate was already down, when had he done that? Must have been when you were struggling with the damn door. You tried to respond as quick as you could, “Bo! That’s not true! You know you’re my number one. You’re the one I wanna curl up with at night.” He gave you a hum as if he was contemplating it while rubbing a hand soothingly down your arm, but what he said had your insides clenching and your nerves shoot up, “Take those pants off for me.” 
Your throat went dry as you registered what he wanted- and your nipples were achingly hard scratching against your bra, “W-what?” He smacked your ass again, this time harder than before, “Did I stutter, Sugar? You heard me.” You had...But here? It was so open...what if Vincent or Lester were wondering around town...or worse if some tourists were lured in, “B-but Bo, its...we’re in public…” That earned you another swat, “I don’t rightly care, pants off now, Lucie. Before Daddy changes his mind and you won’t like it.” 
You couldn’t lie, the demand and idea had you hot enough that you could feel how wet you were. Not drenched, but definitely on the way there, hopefully he’d take care of it soon and wouldn’t make you beg too much. Ever so slowly you reached down to unbutton your pants and drag them down your legs. As you were doing that he’d maneuvered to hop up on the tailgate and sit at the edge to watch you strip, “Panties too, Lucie.” A fresh wave of heat pulsed through you at the way he said your name and the fact you’d be in the middle of town with your wet pussy out on display. 
You went to grab your shirt to lift because why wouldn’t he want that too? But he stopped you, “Nah, keep that on for me. Like the way your tits look in it.” With a red face, you put your hands behind your back waiting for what he wanted you to do next. After a few moments of him raking his eyes up and down- tilting his head when he looked to your wet center before he smirked and said, “Get your sweet little ass up here, Sugar. Lay across daddy’s lap.” With a gulp, you climbed up and settled over his lap. Thank god he’d had you keep your shirt on because your breast would have ached against the cold metal- your knees certainly were.
You felt him smooth a hand down your ass, gripping a cheek and then the other before sliding down to your dripping core, “Already so wet for me, Lucie, and I’ve barely done anything.” He speared a finger down through your wet folds, “So needy for Daddy even here out in public, where anyone could see.” You groaned into your arms and tried to squeeze your thighs together for friction, but he wasn’t having it. With a slap to one of your cheeks he said, “uh ah, Daddy didn’t give you permission for that.” 
Eyes shutting at the delicious sting that slap had sent through you before you let out a deep breath as he soothed the area, “You’re such a little whore for me, Lucie. Look at you,” He gave another spank a little harder than before and soothed the area as you groaned, “Ass and pussy out, drippin down your thighs. Anyone could look out a window or walk by and you’d still push that ass up in the air for me, huh? Needy slut like you don’t care who sees, do ya?” Oh, he wanted to play up the public angle like there were really people in town watching. Fuck, that did something to your brain- sent tingles down your spine and a fire through your veins. 
Pushing your ass back into his hand just like he’d said, you whined, “You’re right, always want you to play with me. Don’t matter where.” You felt his cock twitch against your stomach as he chuckled, “There’s my cute little cockslut...bein all nasty desperate for it when that good Christian lady could be lookin out her window across the street.” He tapped your cheek as he said, “Would give her a heart attack seen this tight little ass taking a good spanking before breakfast.” A finger trailed back between your pussy lips, “Might even let em watch how good this pussy can swallow up my cock too.” You groaned because god damn was this man lethal, but all these light touches and love taps were driving you insane. 
You needed him making your ass red or fucking that hard-on you could feel deep into your wet cunt in the next five minutes or you might just spontaneously combust, “Bo...Daddy, please, please! I need something- Spank me, finger me, fuck me...Whichever I just need it! Please! I’m so achy and empty...” You heard his smug laugh, “Beggin already princess? But damn it sounds so pretty out those lips of yours.” You made another whine when all he did was roughly grip the flesh of your ass, but nothing else, “How old ya turning, Sugar?” So you mumbled out your age and he tapped your ass, “Think we’ll add on a few more after that for good luck. I won’t make ya count them, birthday girl privileges and all that. Just enjoy it, babe.”
And goddamn did you enjoy it. The sound of his palm meeting your flesh rang out in the area, Vinny or Lester would definitely hear if they were around town- no way they couldn’t hear. The sting of his slaps were delicious and he rained them down all over. Some a little higher, some lower, even on the backs of your thighs. You could feel how hot your flesh was from the treatment and all you could manage was to sob out in pleasure as you begged him for more. “That’s it, Lucie, takin it like a good little whore for me.” 
Another rough smack low near your thighs had please rolling off your tongue, “Look at that fucking jiggle, all nice and red for me too. You gonna feel this for a good week.” with a few more quick and heavy-handed slaps he finally cooed at you while soothing the area, but all it did was make you needier with how sensitive you were, “Thinkin you deserve a little treat after takin it like such a good girl for me.” he cupped your sex as you cried and squirmed in his lap, “want my fingers or my cock in this drippin little hole?” you felt your clit pulse at his offer and before you could answer he was already shoving two fingers in, “I don’t even need to ask do I? You’re always thirsty for this cock.” 
You didn’t care that you looked like a mess, that you definitely had drool down your chin, and you definitely didn’t care to try and deny what he was saying because he was right. You were always thirsty for it and good on him for realizing you were crazy for his bastard self. So you just made a half attempt of nodding while tucking your knees under you to raise up slightly for more leverage to push back against the hand that was fucking into you, “That’s it, baby. Fuck this little cunt on my fingers. So wet and desperate for it.” 
His other hand reached under you to rub at your clit, “You’re gonna fuck yourself on my fingers until you cum and then I’m gonna make you squirt on my cock, right here out in the open. Got that, Sugar?” You whined but didn’t make any other acknowledgment. You felt a jerk in his fingers inside you curling at just the right area to hit against your G-spot, “I asked you a fuckin question, Lucie and I expect a damn answer. You got that?” your head shot up as he hammered against that magical spot, “Yes! Yes, Bo! Yes, daddy! I got it! Please just let me cum, please!”  
Your hips were pushing back just as fast as he was hammering his finger into you and down on your clit had you cumming within the next few minutes with a scream of his name. “That’s right, baby girl tell ‘em all who just made your toes curl.” You didn’t even need to look to see the smirk that was on his face, it was plain in his voice. His hand in your pussy was still slowly moving, helping in your come down while his other hand moved to rub circles on your back. “You did so good, Lucie. But we ain’t done yet sugar.” 
Your breath hitched, that’s right, he wants you to squirt on his cock outside in front of the station. That thought was already making your sensitive pussy tighten around his fingers still in you, “Oh, I felt that darlin, you need my cock that bad after cumming so soon?” at your nod he pulled his fingers out and gave your ass one last resounding spank, “Of course my nasty girl does, wouldn’t be a cockslut otherwise.” 
At that he picked you up like it was nothing as he stood before turning and placing your back to the tailgate. Looking up at him he was giving you such a devious smirk that it automatically had your legs spreading and your knees pulling up to your chest. His smirk only deepened, “Look at that puffy swollen cunt all ready for a pounding. Hold yourself open for me, babe. Wanna see that hole ready for my cock.” you groaned out his name but did as he asked and looped your arms around your thighs to hold yourself open for him- had the added benefit of locking your knees to your chest too. 
 He didn’t even undress fully just unbuttoned his jumpsuit enough to take his cock out and slap it against the top of your pussy before sliding it down to your open hole, “You look so good like this, sugar. Gonna look even better stretched out around my cock.” As he said that he’d been tracing a hand between your folded legs up your stomach along the bottom of your shirt. In a tight grip, he ripped it up and pulled your bra down, “Wanna see these tits bounce while I fuck this pussy.” you answered with a, “Mmhmm, anything you want, just put it in, please!” his hand continued up to your throat while he slid into you. 
His hand clearly felt the vibrations of the deep moan you let out when he finally hilted inside you. “Feel so snug in here. Your cunts always so tight for me. Let’s see if we can stretch it a little, sugar.” and he was rapidly moving within you. He didn’t pull any punches, no starting off slow and building up, no he went full force and stayed that way. You were constantly sobbing at the feel of him, your tits were bouncing just like he’d wanted, and the hand at your throat was putting just enough pressure to add to your pleasure, “Touch that clit for me. Hammer down on it hard and don’t stop. Said you were gonna squirt and I mean it.” 
He adjusted his hips and finally found that magic spot that had you crying out, “Right there! Don’t stop, right there! Just like that, please, Bo!” He cooed at your begging and kept at that spot, “Look at this cunt swallow up my cock, looks like its more desperate than you are. Such a dirty fucking girl lettin me do this to ya out here.” You were so keyed up that his words were almost background noise, you could feel the pressure building and you wanted it, needed it, craved it. 
So you listened to his advice and kept your harsh pace on your clit while he kept hammering into that spot. It only took a few more moments before you were crying out a mix of his name and please and then finally a half moan half scream as you came hard against him. He’d got what he wanted, you definitely squirted and your pussy had gotten so tight that it set his orgasm off too. He pulled out of your quickly to aim up at your chest and face- most landed on your breast, but some painted against your cheek. 
You were like jelly, just floating and you had no intention of moving. Vaguely you felt a hand stroking your hair and that finally brought you back to your senses. With a full-body stretch you groaned, you were an utter mess, “Happy Birthday, Lucie.” And then he laid a kiss to your forehead and you absolutely didn’t care about the cum cooling on your chest.
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Banshee friend helps Bella through dark days
Edward leaving crushed her, mind body and soul. When Sam pulled her out of the woods muttering and crying that he was gone. I almost went to kill him myself. I didn’t care where he was, he was an absolute asshole for doing this to her.
I couldn’t sleep those first few weeks because I couldn’t feel that she was alive.
The first three months were agony to watch her suffer. If I could have carried her through it, telling her it was going to be okay, I would have. Her night terrors and screams hurt my throat even though I know she couldn’t feel the pain.
Living next door to her was a constant battle between wanting to sneak into her room and knowing what I’d find wasn’t her. Wasn’t Bella. She was a shell, a hallowed frame with nothing inside.
I came over and brought food to Charlie under the pretense of a good neighbor. He would barley talk and I knew better than to ask.
When a flickering ember of her life finally came back, I wanted to run to her. To hug and hold her, so happy to know she was starting to be alright. But there was still so much more she needed to heal.
I stayed with her as often as I could. Even when she didn’t acknowledge I was there. I’d sit at the lunch table with her, no need for conversation. I saw she was only responding to direct questions. Not healed enough yet to be human.
Her waking up was a blessing and a curse. There was more pain, the dryness of her faint embers igniting was a hopeful sign but hard to breathe through.
I followed her and Angela to the movies. I should have just gone to her, tagged along to the trip like a normal person. But silent curiosity got the better of me. I imagined it was easier for her to believe I was just one of her normal human friends. Rather than someone who could clearly see how exactly she was hurting and what she was feeling.
Her hallucinations weren’t necessarily all in her head. They were more like psychic echos, pieces of the real Edward peaking through her shield while also being encased in them. I could see them to an extent and feel what they did to her. I never dreamed she’d use them as a lifeline and devote herself to extreme sports to witness them.
Stubborn and hurt as she was, I knew she would’ve found any reason to see her visions again. I suggested some fun times. My motorcycle wasn’t necessarily top notch in the speed department but a ride on the back got her high enough the first few times.
I taught her how to ride it next and that lasted a while before the feeling wore off again. Eventually, we were able to just sit and talk like normal people. I remember the first time I heard her laugh again so clearly, I’ll never forget it.
We were sitting on my living room floor messing with a map and haphazardly talking about the best roads to ride on the bike with. Her eyes were still only a light purple underneath as opposed to the bruise colored they were just weeks ago. I was doing most of the talking, like normal.
“This road is really good if you want to go fast, like 100 miles an hour fast. There are no cliffside or blind curves and surprisingly no cops,” I pointed to another winding highway, “This one will definitely get your thrills in, but you can’t go over 70 without the goal of jumping a cliff. Screaming weeeeee all the way down.”
I don’t know exactly what made her laugh, but my heart stopped when I heard it. It wasn’t her full laugh, but it was more than I’d heard in months. By the look on her face, it was more than she’d heard from herself too. If I didn’t have such good emotional control, bordering on ridiculous control, I would’ve cried right there in front of her.
A short pause was all I afforded myself, acting like it wasn’t such a huge thing. I made a comment about how I liked her laugh offhand. Then we, mostly me, went back to talking.
Talking about Edward or the Cullens made her feel like falling apart all over again. But I found subtle ways to try and heal her mind and heart.
When Laurent came down for the visit that almost killed her, I had to catch myself from running to help. Even from miles away, I could feel her fear and despair of being in that clearing.
There wouldn’t have been anything I could have done to save her. I’m still essentially a human with some fae gifts. No super strength or ability to take down a vampire. But damn I would have tried had the wolves not showed up.
It was some short time after that I let it slip about my not-so-human origins. Jacob Black wanted back in her life after he’d changed and it was important she knew exactly what type of world she lived in, surrounded by mythical creatures and at least one of them who loved her. Obviously I couldn’t tell her that part. I never even brought it up.
We were pacing the forest since it was hard for her to be still nowadays. As much as I tried to veer away from the path she walked that day with Edward, it was like her body had a mind of its own. I rambled on about the trees before coming upon this one particular one who was dying. I’d been searching for a segway the entire day.
I pressed my hand into the trunk that still looked alive, “This tree will be dead by next year.”
Not one to perk up at some of the weird things that come out of my mouth, Bella just nods and mutters an agreement. I thought for a moment that I’ll literally have to spell it out for her when I see a giant wolf track right next to me. Wonderful. “Wow, that’s a big paw print. What kind of wolves are they breeding up here?”
At that, her head snapped up finally. She came over to where I was and saw it instantly in the wet earth, “it’s probably a bear or something. Grizzlies can get pretty big.”  
“Or you have a particular loyal pack protecting you.” We were right beyond her yard after all. She attempted to stammer away and excuse before I cut in again, not being able to take it anymore. “I know werewolves are a thing and so are vampires.”
I hadn’t realized I turned away from her when I said it until I was facing the dying tree again. I was afraid of her reaction if she’d think I’d betrayed her after all this time. “What are you talking about?” I sighed, hanging my head with closed eyes.
“Those aren’t the only types of legends that exist in the real world. There are other creatures and types of people. It just so happens Forks is a good a place as any for them... us... to settle down.”
“Us?” I couldn’t even look. Her emotions were going haywire trying to figure it out, process the words I was saying in a way that made sense. Probably wondering if I was a vamp sent to kill her, that particular fear cut deep.
“I’m not dangerous or hurt people. I don’t turn into an animal or anything. I’m a banshee and we see and feel death. I can see and feel the emotions of people around me and feel when someone is going to die.”
The silence was gut wrenching but I knew she had to process and it would take time. “How?” I think she asked it on a whim, the first thing that popped in her head.
“My ancestors were fae. Like fairies only a lot weirder. Eventually they came to be with humans and through a few centuries of evolution, here I am. Seeing death everywhere I go.”
“Huh.” I couldn’t tell if that was an intrigued or scared response so I peeked over to see her last in thought. Better than running for the hills I guess. “I can’t have normal human friends to save my life.”
After a moment shocked me back, we both laughed and I can tell you, I’ve never felt more free. I couldn’t tell her everything like the spirits in town or the lost souls or some of the more unsavory things. But whenever a newly dead soul came to be moved on, I told her the process as I did it. Opening the veil and leading them to the other side.
She was interested what lied beyond the veil and I told her what I’ve seen of other people’s afterlives how there are infinite possibilities depending on what you believe. I could’ve sworn she was about to say that she didn’t believe in anything after death but bit her tongue. Eventually it became easier to tell what she was thinking based on her emotions, or when I was feeling lazy, almost everything was written in her face.
After Jake wormed his way into letting her in on the secret, he became more of a permanent fixture in her life. Not that he was a bad person, he was far more loyal and slightly more understanding than the boy who said he loved her previously. But still young and volatile and unpredictable.
Meeting Jake for the first time was not what I expected or intended for that matter. Bella got the ridiculous idea of cliff diving and had the stubbornness to go alone, picking the absolute worst timing.
I was in the reservation before I knew what was happening to me, drawn there by imminent death. My soul worked on autopilot, moving my body and I guess making sure I got there in one piece even though I still can’t remember a single road sign or turn in this place I’d never been.
I arrived just after they said the prognosis wasn’t good. Regardless of how much I knew it wasn’t the cause, I felt guilty for being there. Like Harry’s death would be my fault because I could feel it before it happened. I kept my camouflage well, that way no one disturbed me or even noticed I was there when I snuck into his room.
The light was already fading from his body as his soul was ready to leave. I must have been there only in spirit because even the medical staff didn’t shoo me out of the room when he coded the first time. They paid me no mind as I held his hand. I told him everything was going to be alright, that he was safe now.
He was stubborn and wouldn’t go until he had everyone around him. His whole family, most of his friends, and others gathered around to wish him goodbye. The second time I took his hand, his soul went with me. I told him he was going somewhere wonderful and led him towards the light. It took me a while after he was gone to remember where my body was. Outside in the parking lot.
It took me what felt like hours to control the sobs grasping from my throat and even longer to realize what I felt was drowning. Bella drowning after cliff diving right before a storm. I’ll owe Sam and Jake eons for saving her even though I knew they didn’t do it for me.
As I drove to her house, I felt for her energy to know she was alright. Knowing she was with Jake made me feel marginally better. At least his werewolves strength could protect her if needed. She already felt sick with worry and guilt so no need for me to give her anymore.
We pulled up at the house at the same time. The same moment we recognized the car. I knew the presence of a Cullen and immediately went to her side of the car, holding the door before Jake could think to drive away without dragging me along the gravel
He was tense and angry and, above all, concerned. “It’s Alice.” Was all I had to say before Bella was practically running to the door, leaving Jake and I to meet officially. We’d heard enough about each other. Me from Bella and him from what seemed a mixture of places.
“You were at the hospital with Harry.” I nodded. “You didn’t kill him did you?” I shook my head, the vibrating in his shoulder decreased ever so slightly, the tension in his knuckles never ebbing. He kept watching the door, weighing his options. If it was worth breaking the treaty. For her. I would’ve.
I put my hand on his arm, almost pulling back from the heat. I knew to expect it but somehow it still surprised me. “I can go inside and make sure she’s alright and find out what Alice wants or stay out here and tell you what she feels.”
He blinked a couple times, not exactly sure what I meant. “I’m a Banshee. Which is how I know you need to be assured she’s alright, ideally in a way that doesn’t involve you hulking out. So I can either stay here with you and tell you that she’s feeling incredibly relieved and happy to see Alice or go inside and get the full story then report back out here. Your choice.”
“I think I’ll go look for myself thanks.” Typical dude bro. I rolled my eyes and easily kept pace with him even when clearly he tried to beat me to the door.
Alices energy was always different than the others and I never could tell if she had a blind spot for me too with her visions or if I just seemed another insignificant human to her.
When I walked through the door, with Jake shortly behind, Alices eyes went cold and threatening. Bella got in between us and assured Alice we were safe. Introductions were made and things were civil for Alice and I. Alice and Jake were like hot oil and water, sputtering and tense.
Bella explained the wolves and my being a banshee really quickly, trying to get it over with so she could hear about why Alice was actually there. Upon hearing what I was, Alice looked at me a bit harder, trying to get a read on me and my future. She clicked her tongue in some sort of verdict and explained about seeing Bella jump and the stupidity.
Things happened pretty quickly after that. Alice got the call from Rosalie and how Edward knew something happened to Bella. I tried to stop Jake from answering the phone but the moron did it anyway. The tension in his posture and tone told me all I needed to know as I ripped the phone from his hand. He barley had time to say ‘funeral’ before I said his name.
“She’s okay. She’s alive. Bella is safe. Reasonably.” I couldn’t hear breathing or feel anything but I willed him to hear me. “Harry died. Bella is okay.” The line went dead.
I could fear Bella breaking all over again and I didn’t hold myself back from holding her as she almost fell to the ground.
At least he knew she wasn’t dead. Gods know what he would do if he thought so. I prayed with everything in and around me that he could know I was telling the truth.
I left her with Alice for the night, pulling Jake behind me practically by the scruff. They needed time alone. She explained Victoria and the wolves protecting her. I didn’t pay attention to if she bothered explaining me. I was afraid of what she’d say.
One thing we all did learn from Alice was that they were planning on coming back. All of them. I wish I’d burned their house down.
Edwards return felt more dramatic than it was. And all the drama was second hand to me. All I focused on was how to help Bella. How to help her see this wasn’t healthy. She was stubborn and independent and amazing. She deserved so much more.
I arrived at their house around ten minutes before he arrived. The Cullens were surprised, especially Alice. It was a first for her. I guess she couldn’t see me after all. Good to know.
I waited outside until I was invited in, civilized and cordial. They all gathered in the living room, in the middle of dusting off the home they’d emptied out of. “I want to talk about you all returning to Bella’s life.”
Carlisle nodded, speaking up for his family. “It is only Bella’s decision whether she accepts us back.”
“I’m aware. Personally, I have no problem with any of you. I’m not sure what you’ve ever heard about Banshees but I’m not here as a representative of my kind. I’m here as someone who... loves Bella very much. All I ask is an audience with Edward before he sees her. To give him some information and ask questions about his return.”
They let me sit on the couch for what felt like years before he walked in the door. He was ragged and haggard. I tried not to have some sick satisfaction with that. But it was a fraction of what Bella suffered.
“She’ll kill me when she finds out I’m here.” Edward nodded, confused and concerned that he can’t read my mind. “I’m a Banshee. We have some shielding ability to keep our thoughts private. Can we talk?”
He only nodded again. “Good. Do you think you could handle some pain right now? A glimpse into the last six months. What happened after you left?”
His voice was so strained and ragged, “I deserve it.”
“I don’t necessarily disagree but right now I don’t think it’s the best time...” I played everything over in my head of what I think would happen. His only relief would be Bella and her him. It was inevitable they’d be back together and she’ll want to forget any of this ever happened while he went on always feeling guilty.
“You left her to keep her safe. Believing a life without you would be best. You were wrong.”
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irhinoceri · 4 years ago
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back on my bullshit....
have written 11k words of my new Dragon Age fic and am jealously guarding it. no posting this baby until it has some coherency to it.
but under is the outline of the worldstate and such (subject to complete overhaul and capricious whim of course)
it’s a Morristair fic. no dark ritual dubcon needed because they love each other. i’m so fucking corny.
it will be in a series for a worldstate where all the DAO wardens survive. Mahariel deals the killing blow to the archdemon and is upset because he craves the sweet release of death and doesn’t get it. Morristair don’t tell anyone else anything about what happened at the final battle, and are kind of like “don’t look at us or our perfectly normal son Kieran ever again” parents. You wanna get rekt just ask “so what’s the deal with your kid why is he like that?”
Morrigan, preparing a spell: “did you just”
Alistair, drawing his sword: “nice hand you got there, be a shame if someone... cut it off...”
The Inquisitor: “jeezus forget I said anything....”
Aeducan and Brosca are the terrible two from Orzammar who just happen to be accidental in-laws and they WILL figure out that Harrowmont poisoned Endrin, which will end their fighting over who to support for King.
Tabris and Zevran are Together Forever Finding Healing and Love in this Dark Time... further plot ideas to follow.
Cousland marries Anora on the stipulation that he does whatever he can to ensure Loghain is spared... which includes but is not limited to throwing himself in front of Alistair’s sword. Alistair would be more upset about this if it entailed conscripting Loghain but he will just be put in the dungeon to await judgement after the battle. By that time Alistair will be gone for other reasons (Morrigan) and other characters who especially hate Loghain (Tabris) won’t have much power to do anything about it because Cousland is King Now and Doesn’t Give a Fuck what the Wardens Think, and needs to keep his new wife happy so she doesn’t arrange a poisoning. Loghain will be conscripted though since Cousland doesn’t want Anora and Loghain to have united power over him, so Loghain gets sent to Amaranthine to participate in Awakening with the Wardens who don’t defect after the final battle to travel the world with their lovers. He’ll be one of the new recruits that gets the Joining from the Seneschal.
Cousland is not a Warden in this worldstate... he didn’t get recruited by Duncan but instead escaped Highever and followed Fergus with Elissa, whom he leaves at the Lothering Chantry with Sister Leliana. He’ll arrive at Ostagar after the battle and ending up saving some of the other wardens who weren’t at the beacon lighting tower and didn’t get saved by Flemeth (I’m thinking that will be Alistair and Mahariel because Mahariel wants to die so badly because of Tamlen and keeps getting saved by Flemeth and Morrigan, please stop). Honestly thinking of doing a Merrill/Mahariel da2 era ship for this series because who better to make someone want to live again than Merrill?
As for DAI era shenanigans, Loghain will come to Skyhold and find Alistair there and they’ll both by like “you fucker what are you doing here” and Alistair will be like “not following Morrigan around everywhere she goes, I’m not a kept boy, spoiler, I’m a kept MAN” and Loghain will be like “you lack honor” and they’ll start punching each other until the Inquisitor pulls them apart and says “I’ve got two Wardens for the price of one!” Spoiler, neither of them get left behind in the Fade because Marian “I love to die, Mama I’m coming home” Hawke will fling herself into the Nightmare demon screaming “you think you’re scarier than real life, bitch??” without asking permission from anyone, first.
In fact, there will be very little Asking of Permission and Deferring to the Player Character in this Fic because everyone thinks they are the Player Character and wants things done their way. The Wardens will have to vote on stuff a lot unless one or more of them just says fuck it and does something before anyone else can stop them.
Amell and Surana will represent the two sides of the Circle Mage coin. One hates the circle and has always wanted to escape and rebel, the other is The Very Picture of a Perfect Circle Mage and they will be friends but also not. Their relationship will be defined by the struggle between these two ideologies but they also super care about each other and are ride or die when it comes right down to it.
While there is a male Cousland, there is also a fem Cousland, they’re dun dun da The Cousland Twins, but she is not a fighter (think Sansa not Arya), and there’s a whole bunch of sibling angst there. Aedan leaves their parents to die because he had to protect his sister and he resents her for it. Elissa feels like a massive burden. Eventually Aedan will get it into his head that he can marry Elissa to Alistair and take the throne, using them as puppets and being the true power as their Chancellor. This plan is totally spoiled by the fact that Alistair and Elissa don’t take to each other at all and will not cooperate with Aedan’s matchmaking. Aedan will be very upset that Elissa prefers the company of Leliana and Alistair prefers the company of Morrigan, until he gives up on that idea and switches to negotiating a marriage for himself to Anora. Aedan Cousland is absolutely the character who thinks he’s in Game of Thrones while everyone else is constantly like.... Can We Not? Can we? Not? Please?
(Except for Aeducan and Brosca who are always in Game of Thrones mode and don’t know any other way. they were born in the dark, molded by it... omg is that a bird? is that a bird? Duncan is that a bird? what the fuck the sky is so big. fuck. fuck fuck fuck!)
(Also Anora will be smitten with Cousland because she’s never met someone so devoted to machinations who was actually on her side, before).
Anyway that’s my broad outline. I will probably come up with more ideas for DA2 and DAI era plots for the various wardens as I flesh them out. Right now the only really fleshed out characters are the Cousland twins and Morristair, because I’m a Cousland Warden aficionado and a Morristair shipper at heart. But I know that once I spend enough time writing these kids I’ll end up with a dozen unmanageable story ideas for all of them.
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toxicpineapple · 5 years ago
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This will sound weird but hear me out, I never understood why people like Ibuki so much since she seemed like the typical comedy relief type of character. But you loving her so intensely is making me have second doubts about my indifference to her. Would you please explain why Ibuki holds the key to your heart oh our great lord and saviour?
ahh i’ve been looking for an opportunity to talk about ibuki, thank you so much for asking.
this might sound like a really weird reason because i do write a lot of angst (and in many ways i feed off of it; it’s just cathartic, y’know) but i think the biggest reason why ibuki captured my heart is because she’s just a genuinely confident and happy person.
you don’t get that a lot in fiction. usually when it comes to creating a deep, insightful character, people assume that they have to have some kind of tragically scarring backstory. something really sad and awful in their past that’ll make them all of a sudden more complex and interesting. i don’t really buy into that; i think there are plenty of complexities behind happier characters, even if it doesn’t always seem that way. and that’s the reason why i appreciate ibuki so much, because she really ISN’T shallow, even though it seems like she’s just quirky and funny and there to have a great time.
in her free time events, she drags hajime into a band and has him running all over the island, seemingly at her whims? in one of the ftes they even headbang together until they both pass out. you just don’t get to see hajime letting loose at any other points in the game and that was something that REALLY made me smile, the effect that ibuki had on him. he was so worried all the time about the killing game, and his talent, and all of that, and here was ibuki who baffled him so much and yet allowed him to just relax a little bit and enjoy himself. you’d expect some kind of deep, angsty thing for her final fte, because that’s sort of the expectation that danganronpa sets up, but that’s not what ibuki gives you.
she reveals in her final fte that the only reason she was doing all that stuff with hajime was in the hopes of helping him figure out what his talent is. when she said that i like, actually started crying a bit. in all the ftes throughout all the games, you see the protagonists focusing a lot on the characters they’re spending time with. trying to learn about them, trying to help them, et cetera. and of course there are exceptions to this-- kaito encourages shuichi in his final fte, kaede tries to figure out if she and shuichi are compatible with her questions in one of hers, the like. but with ibuki every single time she and hajime are hanging out, she’s trying to help him. like, the focus is on him in it.
that isn’t necessarily a healthy thing for a relationship so please don’t assume that the reason why i love ibuki so much is that she, a woman, devoted all her time into helping a man, alright, because that’s not why. (anti-fems DNI.) the reason why this evoked such a strong emotional response from me is because of the way that ibuki goes about it. she’s so caring in such an understated way. she doesn’t act like hajime is indebted to her, and instead is just slightly disappointed when she finds out that it didn’t work, and then (if i recall correctly; it’s been a while) she proceeds to tell him that he’s more than just his talent, and regardless of whether or not he remembers it, he’ll still be the same person that he is.
you just don’t expect a character like ibuki to be so down-to-earth. and then throughout the game you SEE her caring for other people, most significantly throwing the get-well party for fuyuhiko in chapter three. she’s enigmatic and unique and charming-- absolutely RANDOM too. in the bonus event where hajime and souda go on a date drink from coconuts together, ibuki and peko come down and ibuki says that she and peko were holding hands and walking along the beach. i mean, i don’t really think they were holding hands because that doesn’t feel like much of a peko thing, but peko is one of the most reserved students on the island. this remains pretty consistent i think right up until her trial. and ibuki’s out here spending time with her, dragging her along to drink some coconuts with a couple gays. splendid.
another thing that i really really appreciated about ibuki is how mature she is. you wouldn’t think it, right? i mean she’s admittedly not all that smart and she’s so WEIRD too, she literally bit hajime in the chapter one investigation. but it shows through the most when she talks about her band splitting. she says that they split due to creative or personality differences, but she doesn’t seem all that torn up about it. she admits that it’s a bit lonely being alone but says that she doesn’t regret leaving. and i just think that’s really remarkable. ibuki’s band was SO popular, they were topping the charts, but ibuki valued a sense of unity between band members. she told hajime that that was the most important thing, above anything else. when she saw that it wasn’t working out between her and her band members, she knew she had to go, and she didn’t regret leaving either.
think about how hard that is for a teenager to achieve!! (i would know, being one myself.) i mean, even adults struggle with decisions like that, and i’m sure plenty of people would have tried to just tough it out. in such a successful group, there’s this desire to make things work, even if it’s showing over and over again that they aren’t. ibuki knew that she didn’t have unity with her band mates and knew it wasn’t going to work out, and she took herself out of it.
she lives a really wild life but it’s clear in the way she interacts with other people that she really is just happy with the person that she is. to the point where even sometimes, she’ll calm down and give really good, really well-put-together advice. she dismisses it afterwards, but when someone like ibuki chills out for a second it’s bound to be memorable.
this turned into a really long answer and i didn’t mean it that way, but essentially, anon, what i’m trying to say is that ibuki is a nuanced, complex character, and they managed to pull that off without all the sad, tragic things that they throw into other backstories. i mean, compare her to another one of my favourites, maki. maki is a really great character! i maintain that i love her and that she’s super misunderstood by the majority of the people in this fandom, but look at how far they had to go to make her sympathetic. she was taken by a CULT and forced to become an ASSASSIN to save her ORPHANAGE. jesus, you don’t get that shit outside of fiction. ibuki managed to make me feel way more than maki did, without having all the sadness. she was genuine and thoughtful, cared a lot about others, and took the time that other people didn’t to try to help hajime, and even when it failed she told him that he’s still him through it all.
also she’s FUNNY and GAY as hell and her character design is STELLAR and she SEWS ALL OF HER OWN CLOTHINg and look at her HAIR and i’m weak for a character with PIERCINGS because YES i have these deep character-analysis related reasons but i’m also a LESBIAN and you’re going to have to INDULGE me.
thank you for the respectful, thought-provoking question, anon. <3
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amepcrdue · 5 years ago
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romance headcanons.
name: Raphael Sorel
nickname:  Any number of aliases over the years though typically Raph or Rafe.
gender: cis man
romantic orientation: Bisexual.
preferred pet names: my dear, beloved, mi amor, mon chouchou
relationship status: single (depends on verse).
favorite canon / fandom ship: I like Raph and Cassandra the most, but I feel like I ship them the most after SCV, especially now that we know she’s malfested.
favorite crossover ship: I’ll get back to you on that one.
opinion on true love: Raph absolutely believes in love but he’s not sure he believes in true love. At least not for him. He’s not sure he’ll ever find it.
opinion on love at first sight: More like lust at first sight. He doesn’t trust easily and falling in love so quickly would never happen.
how ‘romantic’ are they?: Oh, he can be super romantic. He’s an absolute charmer and knows how to woo someone. He tends to learn what his partner likes and makes sure everything is perfect for it. When he’s yours he’s yours. 
ideal physical traits: There are so many attractive traits that he has a hard time narrowing it down, though he prefers his partners to be a bit shorter than him, only because he’s conscious that he’s no longer much taller than his peers. He is a sucker for a good smile though. 
ideal personality traits: He likes people who can call him out on his shit and aren’t pushovers. Where is the fun in a partner who will just cater to your every whim? There has to be give and take. And for some reason, with partners, he really likes anyone who can sass him back.
unattractive physical traits: People much taller than him. Seriously, it’s a thing.
unattractive personality traits: Lack of confidence. Just not something he’s into. 
ideal date: An exquisite dinner and a live show. Or perhaps a night walking along the park under the night sky.
do they have a type?: It’s not something he’s considered.
average relationship length: Hard to say.
preferred non-sexual intimacy: Gentle touches, especially his hair. The man does not get enough physical contact. Also playing with his hands... but be careful with his right hand... that one is sensitive from his time as Nightmare. 
commitment level: When he’s devoted, he’s devoted. But do not break his trust.
opinion of public affection: Who cares? In his time everyone acted so chaste in public, it’s honestly liberating now.
past relationships?: Pre-SCV he had flings, brief courtings, but never found anyone he wanted to wed. No one had anything that would benefit him or House Sorel. It wasn’t about Romance but who you could use. But after coming back, none of it mattered. He had to refind himself and could actually pursue relationships without the politics involved. Those romances were the ones that mattered. 
tagged by: I stole it from @pxlariis​
tagging: @of-earth-and-space​ @heavensarch​ @warandpunishment​ and you!
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thesffcorner · 5 years ago
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The King’s Men
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The King’s Men is the third book in the All for the Game written by Nora Sakavic. If you haven’t read the previous two books, then first off, why are you reading this, second, I will SPOIL EVERYTHING that happens in them. Got it? Good. Let’s start. 
I read the Raven King and started writing a review, that I just couldn’t finish. I was so shell-shocked, so absolutely floored by the way that book ends, that I couldn’t put any of the things I felt into words, and by the time I felt I could write something, I had forgotten some of the things that happened in the first half of the book. I had no desire to reread it; I had no desire to read anything really, that’s how deep the reading slump that book threw me in was. I wasn’t sure I would ever finish the series. Well, finish the series I did, and I’m happy to say that this was my favorite book. In most ways I liked it the same as book 2, but the ending really bumped it up a notch higher than The Raven King. We pick up right after the end of book 2; Neil Josten somehow managed to survive the brutality of Edgar Allen, and is back in Palmetto State, at the same time that Andrew is released from the hospital. Things aren’t looking great for the team: now that Andrew is back and off his meds, the team is back to antagonism and their 2 separate groups, something they can’t afford if they have any hopes of making to the Championship. Moreover, now that the Moriyamas know who Neil is, he can no longer hide behind his identity, and his past might finally be catching up to him. I think it’s best to go through the same points I had for the first book, so let’s start with The Plot: This is the longest book, and as such it’s the most involved plot. Not only do we follow the preliminary rounds leading up to the Spring Championship, but we also have to deal with all the revelations from the previous book: what Rico does to his teammates, his constant threats and psychological warfare over the Foxes, Kevin’s guilt for abandoning Jean to Rico’s whims, Kevin’s parentage, Neil knowing about Kevin’s parentage and Rico and Kevin knowing the truth about Neil. There is also the fact that due to Rico’s intervention Neil is now visible to the public, and of course, Andrew being sober after 2 full years of medication. It’s a lot to cover, and for the most part, I think the book handles all of these threads well. Like always with this series, I have a lot of questions that I’m sure will never be answered, so let’s start with the most obvious: the mafia plot. I was surprised to see the plot with Neil’s dad culminating around the book’s midpoint; it’s resolved before any of the Championship stuff is, which was an odd choice. The Championship, as important as it is to Neil, is still just a game; his father on the other hand is a murderer who has spent the last 8 years trying to kill Neil, and has successfully killed his mother. This section of the book was the hardest for me to read; I don’t know what it is about Sakavic wanting for Neil to suffer the most gruesome violence, but the amount of abuse this poor child has gone through is almost insane, considering he’s 19. Maybe because of what happened to him in Edgar Allen I was more prepared for the torture in this, maybe it was because I finally got desensetised to the amount of abuse in these books, but I found this slightly less emotionally taxing to read than the ending of book 2. It’s still incredibly gruesome and if you are at all triggered by this kind of stuff, stay far far away from this book (though really what are you doing reading book 3 in a series). I am not squeamish about violence or torture, but even I needed to take breaks. How Nathan’s men find Neil was something I wasn’t super clear on, but what I especially wasn’t clear on was the aftermath. I genuinely thought Nathan might maim Neil, since I had no idea what could possibly happen to get him out of that situation, and when Stuart appeared, I was shocked. His character is set up, all the way back in book 1, but I had genuinely forgotten about him in the midst of everything else, and he was welcome reveal I had not seen coming. The plot with the FBI was just bizarre to me. I have heard of people who can refuse being put under witness protection before, so that wasn’t off putting; what was, was the Feds agreeing to not only bring the Foxes to Neil, but also allow Andrew to stay with Neil the whole time he is telling them his story! I find that very hard to believe; no agency in their right mind would want an unrelated party knowing so much sensitive information about an ongoing case. In the end, we also never find out what happens to the Butcher’s Kingdom? Did they ever catch Jensen and his brother? Then there are the Moriyamas. I found the scene between Ichorou and Neil kind of funny, in how hard it tried to paint Ichorou as this dangerous, violent man who commands so much respect, while also being described as barely a 20 year old. I did appreciate that Neil was still as sharp and clever as ever, and the way he spins the events of the past two books to not only make Coach Moriyama and Rico as the villains, but also secure a future for himself, Kevin and Jean was amazing. The ending was… interesting. Look, here’s the thing: Rico absolutely was a piece of shit. He was abusive, sadistic, arrogant, unhinged and violent, and he was never shown to have any kind of redeeming qualities or even the possibility of change. But he was also still a victim; Exy was all he had, all he would ever have, and his relentless desire to get noticed by his father was humanizing. He shared that one trait with Neil and seeing him being shown a single act of kindness by Ichorou and then immediately getting shot in the head before Neil was horrifying. The fact that Neil has no morsel of remorse for him too? That was cold. Like father like son. Also does this mean that Edgar Allen won’t be a prison anymore? Evermore is no longer the Moriyama domain? Is Ichorou washing his hands off of exy? Speaking of exy, all of my criticisms still stand. However, I will say that I got used to it enough to where I honestly didn’t care or notice how out of place it was anymore. With everything happening in this book, worrying about the intricacies of how exy tied into this world became irelevant. This didn’t make the games bad or irrelevant though; I enjoyed all of the matches, especially the last 3, where some strategies and positions were changed around. Having Neil play defense against Rico was sweet revenge; I also liked that the final goal was almost a non-presence, because Neil doesn’t even know it’s happening. He’s so tired and so lost in his head that he doesn’t even realize they’d won. Honestly, having people positioned as they were at the end of the book, I almost wanted to find out more of how the world of exy looked. With Jean going to UTC, the Ravens under new management, Renee, Alison, and Dan leaving Palmetto, and Neil as captain, it would have been fun to see how the sport and the game changed. Look at me, praising a fake sport that I hated so much in book 1. Characters: I don’t think anyone reads this series for exy though, let’s be real. No, the real draw are the characters, and the relationships between them. The bulk of the character development came down in book 2; book 2 was where we found out what Andrew’s backstory was, why he and Aaron hate each-other, Nicky’s family situation, Renee’s backstory, the fallout of Seth’s murder, everything to do with Rico, Kevin and Jean, and Wymack. This book builds on all of that; Neil takes front and center role, and I really liked that. He has finally accepted that he is the glue that holds the team together; even when he’s faced with his imminent death, his first priority is protecting Andrew and the rest of the Foxes, even if that means leaving them again, knowing full well his absence would destroy them. Neil constantly thinks of himself as selfish, because he’s been taught that wanting anything other than survival is selfish, but he’s nothing but selfless. Andrew puts it best, he has a martyr complex, and he genuinely wants to do right by everyone, even if that means having little to no regard for his physical safety. He risks abuse and injuries to get people to come together, and honestly, anyone who spends time trying to crack Andrew’s shell is a saint. I didn’t much care for the Foxes when I met them, but in this book, I had fallen in love with all of them. Dan was always great, though she takes a back seat here, mostly so we can have more time to get to know the rest of the cast. Renee was always the character I struggled with the most, but I liked her a lot here. I liked that she knew exactly when to push and when to leave things be, both with Andrew and Neil. I honestly wish we could have been in her perspective when she got Jean out of Evermore, that was such a badass scene. I liked Alison least in book 1, but I loved her here. She was an amazing character; I loved that she and Neil finally got a chance to talk and come to terms with Neil being responsible for Seth’s death, that she was allowed to be angry with Neil for the entirety for book 2. She is unapologetic about everything, from how hot, rich and done up she is, to how devoted and aggressive at exy she is too. I also loved that she was the one who got the trophy shelf. Matt was always my favorite character, and he was just a gem here. I always loved him the most out of the boys, and nothing has changed; he is as funny and kind, as ever, and he was always there for Neil, even when Neil wouldn’t admit he needed help. Also his reaction to the Maserati was priceless. Nicky was the one character who I was never sold on. He is the emotional core of the group in the sense that he gives Neil the push he needs to finally recontextualize his life and his priorities. He’s a man who just wants very badly to be liked and loved, and he’s constantly put in situations where he isn’t able to do that. Nicky was more prominent in book 2, though, so this book didn’t develop him any further. Kevin too was someone who got the bulk of his character development in book 2, but seeing him finally step into his own, stand up to Rico, take control over his life and get the 2 tattoo of his face was amazing. I loved that he got there gradually, but he still got there, and though he never became any more likable, it was so gratifying to see his growth. Aaron was the character I never liked, and I absolutely didn’t like him here either. That fight he has with Neil pissed me off so much, and I loved that Andrew picked Neil over Aaron, which at least showed me that he was a little more observant than he looked. Finally Andrew. Almost more than Neil, this series revolves around Andrew. Everything Neil does is to protect Andrew, which was a complete 180 from book 1, where Neil was willing to risk Andrew’s life just for a chance to play exy. Like Kevin, Andrew never becomes more likable, and his development is rather subtle and slight, but it’s still such a different place from where he started in book 1. He never truly becomes a good person, but he learns to accept people for the decisions that they make, and to let at least one other person in. His relationship with Neil was so well developed, that authors should learn how to write a good slowburn from it. The slow build of first begrudging trust, then friendship and finally romance was excellent, and for one I really didn’t mind the whole ‘I don’t care about gender, because I’m only attracted to you’ trope. I loved the revelation of Andrew’s photographic memory, because it tied so well with both his character and the scene where Neil asks him how Andrew can let anyone touch or kiss him after everything he’s been through. That he trusts Neil because he knows Neil would never do anything Andrew would say no to was really great. I also fucking called the whole he’s taking drugs for being a psychopath; it feels so good to be vindicated. Overall, I really enjoyed this final book. The series as a whole does have a lot of flaws, and it’s definitely an acquired taste, but I’m glad I read it. Each book kept getting better, and I feel like Sakavic really hit her stride with the second and this book in terms of her characters and plot. It’s a classic YA series for a reason, and I do recommend it if you can stomach the abuse/violence; I’d be curious to read anything else this author has in store.
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aesoswrit · 5 years ago
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Caliber Fluff Alphabet
Credit to @snk-warriors for the alphabet template and ideas!
Here’s my version for Caliber, my R6S OC
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A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them? Considering what she does for a living, ANYTHING done with their s/o is HUGE to her. Every second counts in a life where tomorrow isn't promised.
B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them? Alexis looks to their eyes first. She can read so much from a peson by the looks that her s/o gives them.
C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.? Because she experiences anxiety attacks at night, she knows how to deal, and is super chill about it. She will hold them, rock them, sing to them... anything that will help them find their calm.
D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o? She dreams of settling down in a cabin by the lake, away from people, as far away from the horrors of her life and the things she has had to do for the sake of her career or the world at large.
E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive? With how agressive she is on task, she enjoys being the passive, easygoing partner. You wanna go for a walk? Let's go. You wanna watch a movie and eat junk food? Hell yeah, bring it on.
F ight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting? Alex is quick to forgive, provided her s/o has tried to make ammends. She fights with passion because she truly cares. If she's having a problem, you're gonna hear about it and there's no way she's gonna let it fester. She's a woman of action and prefers to deal with things head on.
G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them? She is acutely aware and very grateful. Used to doing things ever independently, she will of course notice when something is done, that she didn't do for herself. That scores huge points for her s/o, becuase she realizes the thought behind the action.
H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything? Realistically, who doesn't have secrets? Especially for a special forces operative. Eventually, she will speak of what she can once she feels completely comfortable with her s/o. Her tour in Afghanistan often scares most potential suitors away, so she tends to hide that one the longest.
I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems? Her s/o's traits will rub off on her, the more they are together. If her s/o is more pensive, or calm, she will start to emulate that calmness, and learn to slow down. If they are more highstrung, it will likely ramp her up too, and likely lead to some shenanigans.
J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it? Alex is very easy going, and free spirit. She goes where the wind takes her. If she has committed to one partner, and has stated so, there is no compromise. Her word is her bond. If her s/o has done the same, then she would be absolutely broken by a breach of that trust.
K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like? She is an amazing kisser, and has always been a natural. Maybe it's because of her 'Don't give a fuck' attitude that makes her more relaxed and able to move along with her partner.
L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o? How? Um... she says "I love you." She's not afraid of the words, and doesn't exactly see the tabboo behind saying them. If she feels it, she will say it.
M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like? She would love to get married, but right now, she's married to her job. If she eventually settled down, (which would mean she retired from the military) she would be a devoted wife. There would be ups and downs along the way, but that's what marriage is. It's not a fairytale all the time.
N icknames - What do they call their s/o? Nicknames have to come organically. They have to just *happen*. She sometimes uses some classic French ones like *mon chou* or *mon coeur*, but she does like to have something that means a great deal to her, and to the other person.
O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings? Alexis isn't really all that different, but some would say that she's more excitable when she's in love with someone. Fewer things will set her off or bother her.
P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching? Depends on who her s/o is. Is it another operator? Is it a civilian? Some situations require more tact than others. PDA doesn't bother her at all, unless of course it's another operator on base. Then it's a tricky situation all around, and needs to be handled professionally.
Q uirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship. Alexis is extrememly empathic. She just knows when her partner is not at their best, upset or whatever it might be. She feeds off the emotions of others, and their feelings often merge into Alex's.
R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative? She is romantic, but not consciously so. Like, she'll do romantic things, but it's simply because they are the things she wants to do. She is both creative and cliche.
S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them? She is absolutely supportive, and if there is a way she can make their dreams come true, she will do it. Of course she believes in them! She doesn't love lightly, but if she does, she's behind her partner all the way.
T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine? She loves to try new things! Variety is the spice of life, and all that (see? Cliche sometimes) There's no such thing as routine with her, at least where love is concerned. She follows her whims, and those of her partner.
U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic? It doesn't take her too long to understand her partner, near completely. She's extremely empathetic and will know, with a high degree of certainty, what will work and what won't with her lover.
V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life? Her relationship is of the utmost importance, with one vital caveat: if she is in love with another operator, the relationship CANNOT interfere with the mission, or the greater good. Call it a flaw, or call it a virtue, but that's the way it is with her. She will do anything for love, but she won't do that.
W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon. Despite her IDGAF attitude and brashness in the public eye, she is actually a very in tune lover behind closed doors.
X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle? Like I said in the wild card above, she's very different behind closed doors. She is super affectionate, craves kissing and would probably get upset if her partner didn't cuddle with her. She enjoys physical contact of any type and it doesn't have to be anything more than affectionate.
Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner? She doesn't really yearn too badly, unless it's been a good deal of time. Despite having a relationship, she's still very independent and enjoys her space sometimes too.
Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lenghts for the relationship? If so, what kind of? Ends of the earth kind of committment. She's not afraid of that word either, despite her profession. In fact, I think it makes it more meaningful for her to give thatcommittment, knowing that if her partner is willing to take the risk with her, she can do no less than give them everything.
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ghoultyrant · 6 years ago
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Grimdark Tau
I’ve long felt Tau were plenty grimdark without slapping in grimderp elements, running with just baseline components. No need for "gifting" mind control helmets to supposed allies, pheromones assuring Ethereal leadership, or mass sterilization of human colonists to make room for Tau colonists. These just draw attention away from the actual, existing grimdark.
Let's take a look at the other factions of Warhammer 40k, and their grimdarkness. Orks are grimdark because they are a plague of violence for its own sake, virtually impossible to eradicate and fully capable of overrunning the galaxy through sheer breeding advantage combined with intrinsic military advantages. Even with a concerted effort by everyone else to exterminate them, there's no way to be completely confident they're all gone, and so long as they exist peace is not on the table. Craftworld Eldar are grimdark because they are smarter than you, stronger than you, live longer than you, are outright super psychics that see the future, and are completely disinterested in your survival or well-being if you aren't Eldar. The Imperium is grimdark because they treat everyone and everything like garbage out of sheer necessity. The Inquisition isn't the ruling body squashing political dissension using the veil of religion. They're fighting a threat fundamentally dedicated to the eradication of anything resembling civilization, and the only viable way to do so involves brainwashing, social manipulation, and outright genocide of problematic population. In other words, being good requires monstrous behavior in the Imperium, and that's depressing/grimdark. Tyranids are grimdark because EVERYTHING ENDS IN TYRANIDS. EVERYTHING. Also, Genestealer cults that are virtually impossible to detect before they reach a substantially threatening stage and the only real solution is to kill the infected. No good answers and we're all doomed. Pretty straightforward grimdark. Dark Eldar are grimdark because they do all the awful things they do to stave off the destruction of their immortal souls. Well, most of the things. Partially they're just that twisted, but then again that grows out of the necessity of inflicting suffering for their own survival, which is going to tend to weed out any Dark Eldar that's squeamish because their soul will be eaten. Net result; there's a reason to feel kind of sorry for the monsters even as they torture you for giggles, which is all kinds of messed up. Grimdark: achieved. Oldcrons are grimdark because their goal is extermination of all life, everywhere, wrapped up in a shell of barely sensate beings reduced to "I have no mouth and I must scream" as the means to achieve this goal, all directed by immortal people-eating monsters harvesting us like cattle. Not because they have to to survive, but because we're more delicious than stars. That's depressing because it implies a missed opportunity for peaceful cooperation with vast beings of cosmic significance, and also because, again, there's an urge to feel sorry for the mass-murdering killbots even as they literally atomize you, and again, that's all kinds of messed up. (Newcrons are... not really all that grimdark, by comparison, but whatever)
Chaos, is, of course, Chaos, and has layers of grimdark built in. Every thinking creature's every thought and random feeling contributes to the Immaterium, but then the Immaterium pokes back and encourages patterns growing in it, leading to a snowball effect where incidents in history of violence and anger and so on have made the Immaterium an unhappy and scary place, which then promotes violence and anger and so on, feeding in on itself. To fight Chaos is to feed Chaos. If you join Chaos, you are driven onward by a constant, eternal fear for your immortal soul, fully aware that your life and the quality therein now hinges on the whims of the pitiless and random Gods of Chaos, whom may turn you into an I Must Scream slab of tortured flesh because you bore them, or because you failed them one too many times, or because they thought it would be funny, or because they were actually trying to give you a gift and said gift was too much for your mere mortal flesh to handle. Also, your "allies" in Chaos are only slightly less likely to try to kill you than the opposition is. This isn't even getting into how horrifying it must be to find yourself a part of Chaos while having an actual moral compass. Oh, and enlightenment is demons and so is liable to explode your head.
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So, the Tau.
The Tau trip all the happy feelgood terms and images of goodness. They speak of "The Greater Good", prefer diplomatic appeals to military aggression, have clean looking technology, invest resources into improving the quality of life of their people, and glorify individuals helping the collective. They're nice guys driven to make the world a better place for everyone in it, right? Let's look at some of these bits a little closer. Greater Good is rendered as "Tau'Va." in the Tau language. One can infer that Tau therefore probably means either "Greater" or "Good", either of which is somewhat alarming. Human cultures largely name themselves "the people" if you translate their name for themselves, which is a pretty neutral statement. The Tau are either saying they are the definition of goodness or that they are greater... than anything that isn't them, presumably. Neither of these suggests the Tau view their allies as equal partners. Reinforcing this is that Tau diplomacy is not aiming for an alliance of equals. You serve the Tau Empire, or you die. Certainly, the Imperium gives anything sufficiently inhuman just the "you die" option, but the Tau are not asking if you want to fight alongside them against external third parties. They aren't NATO or some other compact between equals. Being integrated into the Tau Empire means being suborned to the Tau Empire. They will bring you into their Empire, they won't take "no" for an answer, your government will be leashed to their will, or they'll just kill you and ship Tau into the area you once lived. Your governor may remain a governor, but that doesn't mean your government has any real power.
Ethereals are the leadership caste. The underlying assumption of the Tau Empire is that everyone in it serves under Ethereals. This is unilaterally declaring Ethereals the only valid authority, no argument allowed. You're not Tau, you're never in charge. You are Tau, but not an Ethereal, you're not in charge. There is no equal representation at the highest authority levels: first and foremost Tau interests will be represented. Even if they have a principle of allowing everyone their foibles and building the world to work in harmony for everyone, the command decisions will still be skewed towards Tau interests, even if the Ethereals genuinely believe in equal treatment for all, with no possibility of cycling in non-Ethereal leadership to soften the bias. Naturally, Tau priorities will then be skewed toward Ethereal interests over the interests of other castes, for extra special bonus grimdark. The Tau loathe individual expression, and box you in based on your biology. They are fundamentally racist in a way that goes well beyond any possibility of practical motives, including forbidding crossbreeding of Tau Castes. This is basically eugenics, and not some idealized "let's weed out life-ruining defects!" eugenics, but the arbitrary, politically-minded kind that, among other points, contributes to keeping Ethereals the sole authority. A Fire/Ethereal crossbreed is not allowed: you can't marry your family into a position of power. Based on their treatment of their own and their treatment of their allies, it seems likely that once the Tau settle on what they think humans are ideally suited for, they are going to attempt to lock them into that role, no arguing or accommodation for people who don't fit this idea. All unusual occurrences in any given species or Caste will not be given due consideration for not physically fitting their standard role, because the Caste system is absolute. A Fire Caste Tau who is clever with her hands and intellectually good with machines will not work within Earth Caste factories or laboratories. She will be given a combat suit and a gun, and off to war she goes. The Tau’s Greater Good is a patriotic ideal, not a philosophical/moral one. The Greater Good starts from being defined as the members of the Tau Empire, not the galaxy's whole breadth of species. There is a component of real-world philosophy to their ideology, in that they see no point to unnecessary fighting and don't understand why other species will die to a man for no clear benefit, and similarly will more readily ally against greater threats than many of 40k's factions. However, mostly it is largely the same as the Imperium's fanatical devotion to the Emperor, only directed at the Tau Empire as a whole. This isn't "what benefits the most people by the largest amount?" This is "Whatever the Greater Good Tau Empire demands." That's an implicit mandate that the Tau Empire can do whatever it wants and be morally justified. That they happen to angle it more toward seeming nicer than the Imperium's mandate of "Whatever the Emperor wants" gets used for doesn't change the fact that it's the same level of fanatical zeal unchained by ethics or a real moral code. The Tau ethos of sacrifice for others goes a bit beyond glorifying the individual dying to save everyone else where no other option exists and ranges closer to Imperial Guard "everyone is expendable" military philosophy. The expectation is you will die for your Empire on a moment's notice, even if it is merely convenient rather than necessary. It never openly ranges into calculating how much your death will buy... but a refusal to explicitly admit to something doesn't mean it isn't happening. The Tau are grimdark because they are, in many ways, villains with good PR. Sure, they won't treat you like crap just because they can if you join their Empire, and in general they have a policy of decent quality of life for citizens. That doesn't mean they are utopian or even as "good" as the surface image suggests.
It's redundant and gratuitous to have shenanigans like the Tau Empire sterilizing human populations or "gifting" mind control helmets to prospective allies, and I’ve always been a bit surprised at how normal it is for 40k fans to feel the Tau are undermining 40k’s grimdarkness such that the creators feel the need to slap in this nonsense.
I suppose it’s appropriate in a meta sort of way that the Tau PR engine is so effective it works through the fourth wall...
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douchebagbrainwaves · 4 years ago
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WHAT NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ABOUT SIDE
It's a straight text classification problem. When I was a bit surprised. These too are engaging in the wrong direction. In particular, it will become a self-important dilettante.1 To ensure that, any increase in a company's profits over prewar levels was taxed at 85%. The result is a system like some kind of consumer gadget. The outsourcing type are going to be a place where investors want to live in Silicon Valley in the last couple decades. They used all the tokens you'll tend to miss longer spams, the type where someone tells you their life story up to the point where they're issued, we may in some cases, but it is not the usual one, which applies even when you like what you're working on, it's easier to get people to fight for an idea. By now they're mostly used ironically.
It was like a game. These can be much more effective, not only in the spam corpus, the probability is. Sometimes the spirit in which this is done makes it more of a sophisticated form of ad hominem than actual refutation.2 What Make something people want. I've read that the same is true in the military—that the idea will be a flop and you're wasting your time although they probably won't say this directly. I think I can fix the biggest danger is surprise. That brings us to our fourth counterintuitive point: that the way to ensure their students are well supplied with contraceptives, and yet is taboo in ours, is a greedy algorithm that may get you nothing more than that. If you plan to start a company. So I seem to have some sort of new, vocational version of college as education for its own sake. This lets me get ip addresses and prices intact. And yet in the very word thesis.
And the books we did these disgusting things to, like those we mishandled in high school. Plus since TVs were expensive whole families watched the same shows together, so they start to lose interest. If you factor out the bootstrapped companies that were actually funded by their founders through savings or a day job, the remainder either a got really lucky, which is also high on the list? Vertically integrated companies literally dis-integrated because it was more efficient to. That's the idea their thoughts will drift toward when they're allowed to drift freely. But not quite. In any period, it should be easy to figure out what we can't say, in any normal family, a fixed amount of funding is an obsolete one left over from the days when startups were more expensive. It's too much overhead. You can mitigate this with subsidies at the bottom and taxes at the top of the cycle, but it is not all the sort of thing did not happen to big companies in mid-century most of the world's history, if you don't, you can take risks; when things are bad you want to go with Ron Conway and bet on people. There is a conservation law at work here: if you want to write out your whole presentation beforehand and memorize it, that's ok. Both changes drove salaries toward market price. Once they invest in a startup is thus as close as most people can get to what they want, or they can't get good people.
The Bay Area was a magnet for all the shorter half-life isotopes of style and fame. The fourth spam was what I call a spam-of-the-future, because this is what I expect spam to evolve into: some completely neutral text followed by a url. They won't like what you've built, but there is one more multiple: how much smarter are you than your job description expects you to be able to get big-name users using your software that you wouldn't have gotten as a product, but as a predictor of success it's rounding error compared to the facial expressions she was used to.3 What groups are powerful but nervous, and what to do about it. And anything you come across that surprises you. And by next, I mean a couple hours later. And why do they so often work on developing new technology? So a town that gets praised for being solid or representing traditional values may be a great entrepreneur, working on interesting stuff, etc.4 This article was given as a talk at the 2009 Startup School.5 It wouldn't work otherwise. Kids who went to private schools or wished they did started to dress and act differently.
Another effect of a larger vocabulary is that when you have to consciously resist it.6 They do seem to be created deliberately. So you don't have to do that, because you can start as soon as some big company becomes aware of it, you waited too long to launch. That brings us to our fourth counterintuitive point: that the tests involved are so different from the area around it. Steve Jobs once said that the success or failure of a startup as it grows larger? What I do then is just what the river does: backtrack. By now they're mostly used ironically. Yeah, sure, but first you have to write in school were even connected to what I was doing before.
Google. No more nice shirt. The valuation reflects nothing more than a town with the right personality. Particularly online, where it's easy to figure this out: within the US, towns have become startup hubs if and only if they have both rich people and nerds. People who get rich from startups fund new ones. Was it right or wrong? It follows from the nature of angel investing that has most effect on your returns, picking the right companies, is also the hardest.7 I suspect the biggest source of moral taboos will turn out to be power struggles in which one side only barely has the upper hand. It wouldn't have been a successful company, but also everyone who aspired to it—which in the middle of the century our two big forces intersect, in the sense that the decisions are hard. And I know it's usually my fault: I let errands eat up the day, to avoid facing some hard problem. Certainly it's a better test than your a priori notions of what problems are important to solve, no matter how many good startups approach him. Though I have to do it without getting yourself accused of being a yellowist.
One is simply that they trained their filter on very little data: 160 spam and 466 nonspam mails. It's more like telling a lie that you then have to remember so you don't have to find startups. And when all the companies that are above pulling this sort of trick to pledge publicly not to. So approach this like an algorithm that gets the right answer by successive approximations. Once you've found them, you have to join a company to do that in college, but the tendency toward fragmentation should be more forever than most things, and sometimes the existing companies weren't the ones who are very smart, totally dedicated, and win the lottery.8 I just explained: startups take over your life for a long time ago. When we raised money for Y Combinator, I remembered. So while you're talking to investors, because you've addressed three of their biggest worries. So just as investors in 1999 were tripping over one another trying to buy into lousy startups, investors in 2009 will presumably be reluctant to send you referrals until you've proven yourself by doing a couple investments. Well, that's the thing about counterintuitive ideas: they contradict your intuitions.9
The archaeological work being mostly done, it implied that the people studying the classics were, if not wasting their time, they had real force. If a self-important dilettante. Many employees would work harder if they could, and most people reading this will be over that threshold. Vertically integrated companies literally dis-integrated because it was harder. You also need to be in a situation with measurement and leverage. It's the same principle as incremental development: start with a simple prototype, then add features, but at the other end of the process. An example of a job with both measurement and leverage would be lead actor in a movie. There's so much you can't do as well before or after, like plunge deeply into projects on a whim and travel super cheaply with no sense of a village, but small in the sense of a deadline.10
Notes
The lowest point occurred when marginal income tax rate is suspiciously neat. There are people in the biggest divergences between the subset that will be lots of search engines and there was a good open-source browser would cause HTTP and HTML to continue to maltreat people who might be 20 or 30 times as productive as those working for startups overall. The few people plot their own company. He devoted much of the editor, which a few that are hard to say because most of the delays and disconnects between founders and one or two, because few founders are driven only by money.
One YC founder who read a draft of this essay, but they get a good product. No one wants to invest but tried to motivate people by saying Real artists ship. Cell phone handset makers are satisfied to sell your company into one? I would be taught that masturbation was perfectly normal and not end up making something for which you ultimately need if you ban other ways to help SCO sue them.
VCs don't invest, it was outlawed in the biggest divergences between the government. My guess is the most recent version of the reasons startups are ready to invest in a time of unprecedented federal power, in the mid twentieth century.
This suggests a way to put it would be more likely to be something of an email being spam. One professor friend says that clothing brands favored by urban youth do not try to ensure startups are possible. Cit. That is the way we pitch startup school to be a problem into your head.
It's common for the spot as top sponsor.
And starting an organic farm, though. A bad imitation of a city's potential as a day feels like it if you turn out to be extra skeptical about things you've written or talked about before, and cook on lowish heat for at least bet money on the cover.
The Nineteenth-Century History of English. Eric Horvitz. What you're looking for initially is not a problem that I knew, there were no strong central governments.
People who value their peace, or the distinction between money and wealth. If you treat your classes as a kid, this paragraph is sales 101.
This seems to have funded Reddit, stories start at the fabulous Oren's Hummus. Not surprisingly, these are even worth thinking about for the next round to be the model for Internet clients too.
Good news: users don't care what your GPA was. Inside their heads a giant house of cards is tottering.
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zordonmlw7 · 7 years ago
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Seven Kingdoms: The Parallel Prince
~ Part 1 ~
(A/N This is my first 7kpp fanfic and I’m just gonna post this here because I’m too impatient to get on AO3′s waiting list for an account I may not even use much. So... to tumblr. :D  Honestly, this could be a lot better, but I didn’t feel like editing it because I’m publishing this literally on a whim at 4:30 in the morning.  My main concern is that it’s maybe mirroring the game’s style a bit too closely and not in the direct emulation way I utilize in later chapters (I have Ch 2 and 3 written already.) I don’t even know if anyone if gonna read this fanfic let alone this super long author’s note so I guess I’ll stop already. XD)
We must begin with a story. A legend.  Even a fairytale of sorts.  Only this story, this legend, is a true one.  An important one.
 Then again.  You’ve probably heard it before.  Dozens of times.  Who in this day and age hasn’t heard of how, 100 years ago, Princess Katyia created what would become the Seven Summit and ushered in an age of peace and prosperity?
 I’ll spare the details. This is a story of a new delegation. One that may prove to be as momentous as the original held by Katyia herself!
 On Vail Isle, a silver haired butler stares at the delegate he will be serving the next seven weeks.
“Greetings, my liege. My name is Jasper and I’ve been assigned as your personal butler during your stay here at Vail Ilse.”
 The delegate eyes Jasper, a man whose good looks do not take away from the grave tone in his voice. He informs the delegate of his responsibilities as his butler, the most important of which being to be completely invested in the delegate’s interests.  However, before he can be invested in said interests, he must know them, and with them, the delegate’s past.
 The delegate was the son of a Marquis of Arland.  From a young age, he showed unusual intelligence, something that would be greatly advantageous to his upbringing.  Growing up, he was quickly instilled with the traditional Arlish devotion to duty.  As a result, he was always very obedient, never disobeying his parents (at least not to their faces).  When the day came for him to begin his tutoring, he discovered he had his work cut out for him.  Due to bordering Jiyel, academic capital of the world whose court was interspersed with countless scholars, the ruling family of their march always received tutoring far more intensive than the curriculum of other Arlish noblemen. While many would find this to be unnecessarily stressful, the marquis’ son thrived.  It was often said by the servants that the young boy never smiled more brightly than after reading a particularly insightful piece of literature, or after having solved a math problem his tutor had anticipated would stump him.  Despite his love for academia, however, no tutor loved him more than his speech tutor. His ability with words, coupled with his keen knowledge, often garnered remarks of being a miniature tutor himself. When not in the classroom, he often accompanied his parents to whatever business they had.  Although he was present, he was to remain silent at all times, and, as he was not expected to pay attention to the actual discussions, spent ample time watching people, trying to figure out how they worked. While he received basic self-defense training like the other noble boys, he preferred talking his way out of a dispute.
Once, as a child, he traveled with his parents to a meeting in Jiyel.  The day of the meeting, his parents sent him to a town several miles away that would be holding a festival, giving him a rare chance to enjoy the Jiyelian culture.  The day of festivities, however, took a dark turn.  The carriage, while going down a solitary road, was attacked by bandits!  Not wanting to risk losing his guards in a fight and possibly endangering himself further, he bribed them with the allowance he had been given to spend at the festival, keeping the emergency treasure hidden under his seat out of their hands.  
Another time, his parents tasked him with trying to please an especially naughty noble woman.  Despite being lower in rank than you, she acted as though she and her parents’ county were the mightiest and most regal in Arland.  However, as his parents wanted hers to support their treaty, he was left with no option but to fulfill his duty.  After speaking to several other nobles, he learned that the girl’s cousin was her most bitter rival.  Although the cousin was 2 years her junior, she was already ahead of her in her studies, and the girl did not take it well.  So he decided to bombard the girl with countless compliments directed at her cousin… with said cousin several feet away.  In her resulting fury, she challenged said cousin to a competition, which she easily lost.  While he felt bad for using such an underhanded tactic, after seeing how humble the experience left her, any trace of regret he had faded.  The treaty promptly passed.
Another tale of his past involved his visit to the province of Caiserban, an area deteriorating because of drought.  He was entrusted to help prepare for his parents’ visit and was sent ahead.  When he arrived to the castle where he would be staying, however, he saw an angry mob that had formed outside of it.  Noticing the luxury carriage with finely dressed nobleman inside, the mob quickly directed their attention to him.  Despite having to face a horde of townspeople who might get a kick at seeing him hanged and his castle raided, he recalled his parents instructions and remained calm. He asked the people to individually voice their concerns.  He quickly realized the people were not revolting because of the drought; it was a force of nature and no authority figure could do anything to change it. No, these people were worried that, given the trecherous reputation of their governor, that the nobility did not care for them and would allow them to suffer.  With a calm smile and a promise to discuss their concerns with the governor during the noble family’s visit, the mob disbanded.
At the age of 15, he was informed that he wouldn’t have time to take on as many classes as he had been, and was asked to limit his time to but one tutor. He was tempted heavily to keep his academic tutor, but he felt to choose personal preference over responsibility was against everything Arland stood for.  Reluctantly, he dismissed academic tutor, along with all the rest but his political tutor.  As fun as he found most any other subject, he knew politics was his future and he needed to give the subject the attention it deserved.
 Having finished story time, Jasper proceeded to prod for some more information.  Firstly, his weaknesses.  His biggest weakness came to mind immediately.
 “I’m not very charming. My grannie is the most easily charmed person in the world and even she won’t fall for my puppy eyes.” He laughs off the last statement.  
 Seeing that the butler expects him to divulge more, he ponders the topic a bit more. “Well…  My hardest subject growing up was always my self-defense training. And given how long it’s been since I’ve had any lessons, I imagine what skills I had have likely all but rusted away at this point.”
 Having divulged such sensitive information, to a complete stranger no less, leaves him feeling… cleansed. It’s a feeling he finds comparable to confession.  Of course, here on this mysterious isle, there is no guarantee that this information will remain strictly between him and the gods.  However, as he sees it, there is no way of getting around placing his trust in the hands of the handsome, stoic-faced man before him.  In fact, the more he considers it, he isn’t really placing his trust in the butler at all, but rather, the delegation itself. His family, his faith, his country, the very institutions that govern his life.  He had placed his trust in all these things for as long as he could remember and had never been disappointed in the results.  It seemed only fitting now to place that same level of trust into the isle and all it represented.  
 After yet another long discussion, this one about his personality, Jasper nods his head and prepares to introduce him to his maids.  Two lovely women, dressed in simple garments enter the room and curtsy before him gracefully.  Jasper tells him their names are Ria and Sayra.  Although he would have preferred to introduce himself personally, he follows etiquette rules and allows Jasper to introduce him to them.  
 “This is Lord Ettore of Arland.”
~ End of Part 1 ~
Skills
Charm – 10
Eloquence – 50
Beauty – 25
Leadership – 25
Self Defense – 15
Charisma – 25
Manipulation – 25
Courage – 25
Intelligence – 60
Etiquette – 55
Grace – 0
Poise – 50
Cunning – 50
Insight – 0
Knowledge
Academic – 40
People – 25
Politics – 40
History – 15
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maneaterwithtail · 5 years ago
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The politics are the cough. the disease is flooding to chase the trend of personal brand building. Events and confusing communities and arguably the arrangement of the direct market itself. No simplicity and lots of expense with shakeup one after the other.
And some transparently business or out of story disrupting existing (in humans versus mutants)
Starting Marvel, as an example, is harder than figuring out where to come in on the Fate series. I mention this because Comics are often compared to manga and yet however convoluted in silly may get for the most part you buy one collection, or let's not kid ourselves pirate, or wait until an animated adaptation comes out realize that it's pretty much faithful, go back to the core comic and so long as you start from the beginning you can follow to the end. Even if it's based off of a visual novel chances are everything will progress from beginning to end. It's usually when that models messed up with that something becomes destructive and difficult to follow or deal.
Unlike with manga where if you're having trouble following where to start with, like the Fate series, you can at least enjoy the latest Nasu verse offering. especially if you can turn your brain off and just engage with one example. Or if you don't want to deal with that you can just go to an entirely different property from a similar publisher that scratches a similar itch.
Like the premise of America Chavez buts I think she did it wrong? Well it's not like you can just switch over to Champions because that's a mess as well along with Miles Morales Spider-Man and ms. Marvel or spider woman.
it's expensive, patchy, filled with all sorts of weird continuity that you end up having to buy just to start. As such only the dedicated fanbase could possibly tolerate it but that also is exclusive in the sense that it's so to them with a history that it feels kind of off-putting.
I like the comicsgate comics I have heard of. I can also understand why we try to move away from that. Such as very obvious p*** tracing. And so on. Yes supposed diversity has basically led to a similar story of we're here now we're going to f*** the status quo too strongly relating to the audience or the author's pandering.
But it's not just they're going to have a trans person in an announcement. Which is a pretty major character trait I imagine that they want to talk about that or include it in the announcement.
the discontinuity does not help you build upsetting characters characterization and Circumstance. This is what I mean you're following themes story and events building to something then a new author will come in and he or she will wreck all that up so that they can go in an entirely different direction. Okay maybe you don't like the homosexual overtones of Eddie Brock and Venom. Maybe you want to stick it to all the slash shippers on Tumblr. But they've been the people who been following the comic and there's been a multi-year build up with sleeper, Eddie Brock and Venom's son.
going no now Eddy has a son he doesn't know about. oh and he was in the car that killed a child and him and Venom hate each other? Basically says f*** that other story we're going back to this story because I liked it better when I was young and I like it this way. And this kind of hostility is constant with every Changing of the Guard which can happen almost every two to three years. This keeps happening right when things are starting to get good or conclusion is reached. this undermines any death any major event or twist especially when it's in the headlines as if it's going to be meaningful
we can't even engaged in the illusion that someone has a plan charting something out when it feels like it's always fly by the seat of the pants the slightest whim can blow off the direction. We know in our conscious nothing that happens matters or at the very least when things end and we don't move on to something else then realize that there was a change but it seems seamless. Or at the very least it's a damn good seem that makes a very likeable and unique and distinct quilt. Again comparing and contrasting with manga
basically constantly ragging on the Politics as if that's what's causing the problem as opposed to Poor practices is off. yeah the customer service is definitely a no-go. But let's not kid ourselves Fanboys started it
I can straight up say that if you had a book that was straight up gay. like it starred the gay couple that once was Rescued by Captain America including his childhood hero And they were joined by the gender-bending exiled courtesan. you know those girls that always hang around in the background of Thor comics and everybody talks about winching and all that stuff? What if we actually focus on one of them and we threw in some mythological deviant queerness with the idea that men who practiced a certain form of Witchcraft had to be ladies. Now in practice this often meant anything from cross-dressing to performing ceremonies with a freaking dildo. But this is Comics so instead I can just go with the idea that after he uses magic so much he can turn or does turn into a lady. At first it's inadvertent but then he Masters the power so much that can transform into any lady. So he can go from weak little nerdy witch man to a Vanir (super durable pretty strong) or she giant.
It gets even more so when apparently he can change not just to a generic woman but any specific one. so he can literally clone an individual lady alive or dead. If she's dead you can act as a vessel for her soul so effectively while he might be booted deep within he can resurrect anyone's female loved one. Until changes back. The Twist is that while he won a beauty contest to be one of Odin's many many side pieces due to the politics and sociology of the time and the setup Odin didn't like admitting that they were both men or equals. Now the crossdressing courtesan isnt necessarily the nicest person. In fact the number one thing that characterizes him is that he hates the alpha male warrior culture or at least what he perceives of the negatives of it of Asgard. But that doesn't necessarily mean that he provides a good alternative. This will be a total retcon. not only would this make Odin effectively bisexual -although it's long since established that it seems like he's banged about so much he has had a child with everyone but his wife- but the idea that Loki and Thor grew up exposed to this weird gender-bending courtesan who tried to compete with the affections of their Queen Mother just so that that way he could get ahead and hated showing the absolute loyalty and Devotion to Asgard seeking glory in battle and death as opposed to conniving Gatling favor and trolling for booty while having to serve drinks for the Warriors that came by and were celebrated in the castle Hall.
Probably make up all sorts of relationships with other lesser-known Danny's that haven't been as much part of Marvel Thor but are important or at least well-known for the tradition. I would also shamelessly ripoff @gumon and her take on Norse mythology. With giants that just naturally produce children whether male or female. anyway ignoring all the continuity just so I could bring in the mythology that I want I would have it so that he was ultimately exiled because he got set up on a failure assignment. He got assigned to the Blue Mountain the traveling planet or set of rocks now that was the home of one of the Warriors Three the blue guy well the guy who wears blue and looks kind of like Angus Khan
The entire point of this is to get a different eye view of the Marvel Universe. What was it like to be one of those disposable pin-up girls. What is the gay population in gay culture and gay people been doing and light of the world that's been invaded from the ground been in a Perpetual fight with remnants of terrorists from World War II. And of course how they've been in for you property and making their lives and how are they responding to the fact that New York finally recognizes their marriage and of course life in the Twilight years as a gay couple that's constantly facing mortality. Also with the usual hey I'm an immortal mystical being who's having to relearn how to be human after having lived a life with a God's but neither being loyal to them nor a particular loyal to my own people. Along with the issues of the shapeshifter gender Dynamics and identity and all other sort of things. Pretty damn gay book. But I read it
Kids like imitating what they see so ripping the idea that someone's going to take some of the more iconic X-Men looks and style themselves after them when they know that their mutant doesn't seem wrong. I like the idea that we're going to open with someone who manages an online community for mutants. I like the idea of Trailblazer I like the ladies thick and I like the fact that she has a more utility power that she's going to have to work with and around hopefully being clever though that backpack does run the risk of becoming the Omnitrix and having the solution for every problem that you need.
Basically I like the children of the atom a bit more than the whole lineup of the new Warriors. I think people really should give the characters a chance so if you're turned off by yet another set of incest siblings in Marvel ya no problem or argument here.
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topmixtrends · 7 years ago
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CALL ME A KILLJOY but I am sick to death of hearing about Karl Marx. I am sick of his name, his -isms, his undoubted genius, and his “philosophy.” I am sick of him “having reason,” as the French say, or “being right.” But most of all I am sick of his “relevance.”
As someone whose parents were born and grew up in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and who missed the same fate by the skin of her teeth, I know perfectly well what Marx’s relevance amounts to. Marx gave it a name, even if for him it meant something else than it did for the people of Yugoslavia. I am talking about the oft-quoted and seldom understood “religion of everyday life.”
In post–World War II Yugoslavia, Marx’s “relevance” was to be a member of the ruling communist party. Outside of that supra-religious institution no substantial share in the social wealth was possible. “[T]he life-process of society,” as Marx observes in what turned out to be a weird prediction, “which is based on the process of material production, does not strip off its mystical veil until it is treated as production by freely associated men, and is consciously regulated by them in accordance with a settled plan.”
The constitution that enshrined this religion in law and etched it in the consciousness of Yugoslavs did not survive the county’s horrific civil war, which lasted from 1991 to 2001, resulting in the deaths of 150,000 and the displacement of 4,000,000 people; in all, more than one sixth of its total population. And yet remarkably its “religion” survived, despite the fact that today it’s the “freely associated men” — or the freemasonic cabals that rule over the remnants of Yugoslavia like buzzards circling a herd of listless cattle ��� whose mystical veil is in urgent need of being torn to shreds.
Imagine if Marx had been a theater producer. That was surely far more his style. He certainly knew how to flatter egos, as he did when Ferdinand Lassalle asked him to appraise the manuscript of his dud of a play Franz von Sickingen. “I must applaud both composition and action,” Marx lied, “and that’s more than one can say of any other modern German play.” It might have been his true vocation, putting on dramas and musical comedies at London’s Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, the street where the German Workers Educational Society held its meetings, and where its members could partake of recreational activities, from poetry to fencing. I wonder if Marx ever lamented during those irreproachable sessions the fact that all the world’s a stage, and that he was overseeing the wrong one.
I can’t resist citing that hilarious Mel Brooks film The Producers, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, in which a washed-up theater producer’s accountant persuades his client to deliberately stage a Broadway flop in order to avoid a hefty tax bill. When Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva at Berchtesgaden becomes an unexpected and inexplicable hit, Mostel’s livid reaction is worthy of Marx himself (Karl, not Groucho) for its topsy-turvy contrariety: “I was so careful,” bemoans the producer. “I picked the wrong play, the wrong director, the wrong cast — where did I go right?”
Is it too outlandish to speculate that in Marx’s case the critique of political economy had been the stand-in for a juvenile passion? Poetry was Marx’s Thing (das Ding an sich), the Real that a combination of his father’s bitter chastisement and his encounter with Hegel’s “craggy melody” managed to cure him of during his Berlin student days. The prospect of earning a living to provide for his future wife, the Baron von Westphalen’s daughter, no doubt helped to tear the veil of his metaphysical illusions. Like a restless artist, Marx’s lifelong fanaticism might thus be read as a nostalgic yearning for an irreplaceable fetish-object, “the sensibly super-sensible” (sinnlich übersinnlich) as he calls it in Capital. Nothing could ever compete with art, no amount of critical veil-tearing could ever substitute for Marx’s love of lyrical poetry. And so he took the only career path left open to him. He became a producer instead; an impresario in the art of critique.
We are living in a culture that sees tragedy everywhere: that fetishizes it. It’s something of a neurotic obsession. In mid-19th-century England, around 60,000 people, including many children, would die each year of tuberculosis. When Charles Darwin’s daughter Annie died of the disease in 1851 he wrote in his diary: “We have lost the joy of the household, and the solace of our old age. […] Oh that she could now know how deeply, how tenderly we do still & and shall ever love her dear joyous face.” Another child, Mary, died in early infancy. But people don’t refer to Darwin’s life as tragic.
High birth rates were normal for Victorian families irrespective of class. Marx’s wife Jenny gave birth to seven children, only three of whom survived to adulthood; the Darwins had 10. There is nothing tragic about this high mortality rate. Indeed, Darwin accounts for it himself in On the Origin of Species, noting that the number of individuals of a given species is governed by natural selection, which determines how each individual’s inherited characteristics aid and abet it in the “struggle for existence.” Only a culture profoundly anesthetised to the causes of human suffering would dare mention tragedy in relation to infant mortality, given that it’s derived from the Greek word for “goat” (tragos), whose blood sacrifice would have been lamented in song at the Theatre of Dionysus in fifth-century Athens. For all their apparent lunacy the producers were clearly carrying on a long tradition.
Although Marx’s favorite poet was the Greek tragedian Aeschylus, his was certainly not a tragic life, at least according to the historical definition of tragedy handed down to us from Aristotle. It was sad. And of course it was defined by struggle. But it was not tragic, since the mere fact of being born, becoming ill, then dying, sooner or later, is a biological fact. In order to be a tragic figure the deaths in question would need to be attributable to an act of hubris on the protagonist’s part. But there is no evidence to suggest Marx committed any such act in the case of any of his four deceased children.
It was arguably Charles Dickens — like Darwin, Marx’s contemporary — who was largely responsible for this perversion of the idea of the tragic or sacrificial death, which he memorialized through his depictions of children and their poor unfortunate souls, to such an extent that the plight of almost any Victorian child is today thought of as “tragic.” But this Dickensian propensity for melodrama is more worthy of a satyr play. As Oscar Wilde put it: “One must have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without laughing.”
To be honest, one knows why Marx is so often portrayed as a tragic hero. It is to humanize him, thus attenuating any controversial aspect of his thought. By depicting Marx as a “19th-century life,” to borrow the title of Jonathan Sperber’s wholly unconvincing biography, one relativizes the man and his ideas. One quarantines it, much like the dangerous animals one locks inside cages at the zoo, so much the better to prod and gawp at the exotic creatures, in clear ignorance of the social context that facilitates such saccharine objectification.
Marx is not a tragic specimen, and I for one am not prepared to let him off the hook so easily. To say that his was a 19th-century life is to forget that his name and ideas only entered into common currency in the 20th. If the specter of communism makes any sense today then it’s because the thing itself was barely stirring when Marx and Engels prophesized it in 1848. It would be another hundred years before Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and their supporting cast succeeded in turning one third of the global population red.
But! his devoted fans insist, Marx cannot be blamed for the crimes carried out by the inheritors of his political legacy! Which is like saying that the makers of gunpowder cannot be blamed for its misuse. That is perfectly true — assuming we can agree on what might constitute “misuse.” Gunpowder isn’t intended for washing the dishes. It’s made for the express purpose of blowing things up.
Let us remind ourselves that Marx was the inventor of historical materialism. And this “science of history” advances the following basic principle: “men” make history in unforeseen circumstances. History takes us for a ride. We are all subject to its petulant whims; slave to its organic rhythms (something akin to being battered by a wave and thrown head over heels — you might say one “adapts” to the experience). Those fortunate enough to gain a foothold on the train of history must hang on as best they can. But ultimately the “natural laws of capitalist production” work with “iron necessity toward inevitable results,” meaning woe betide anyone stupid enough to get in the way, for they shall be steamrolled. Like the Slavs who Marx describes as being “incapable of progress and civilization,” and Engels as “residual fragments of peoples” whose “whole existence in general is itself a protest against a great historical revolution.” Despite being “destined to perish before long in the revolutionary world storm” the Slavs might at least take heart from knowing that their brute existence served some purpose in the long march toward civilization. But then Marxists have been feeding the same message to the Slavs for the last century and a half.
I have a suggestion to make. Given the un-tragic wrongness of Marx’s thought, why not make a case for the great man’s contemporary irrelevance? After all, is there today anything more incongruous, perverse, and patently absurd than the call by self-styled communist philosophers like Slavoj Žižek for a Marxist-communist renaissance or “idea of communism,” which looks suspiciously like the idealism or “German ideology” that Marx spent his youth meticulously taking to pieces?
Experience shows that there are two sides to every contradiction. And one would be stupendously naïve to think that anti-Marxism hasn’t for some years now been an article of faith as robust as the genuine article. “I am not a Marxist,” Marx was alleged to have told his son-in-law Paul Lafargue, when the latter brought news from Paris of French “Marxists.” But there is no reason to believe him. Marx was no less vain and insecure in respect of his own intellectual legacy than most of his rivals and opponents, which explains why so many of the letters people sent him went missing, no doubt destroyed by their correspondent. It is difficult to believe that Marx would have been indifferent to the propagation of his own mythology, and to claim that he wasn’t a Marxist is about as convincing and self-critical as Groucho Marx’s hilarious assertion that he wouldn’t wish to join any club that would have him as a member.
Not quite an irrelevant legacy, then. But without doubt patently absurd. Whenever I watch The Producers I can’t help thinking of Marx, and like Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom I wonder to myself how he could possibly have gone right.
¤
Ana Stankovic graduated with a master’s degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts Belgrade in 2013. She is a practicing painter whose work has been exhibited in Serbia and Switzerland. She is currently undertaking research at Kyung Hee University in the Department of British and American Language and Culture.
The post I Am Not a Marxist appeared first on Los Angeles Review of Books.
from Los Angeles Review of Books http://ift.tt/2GzCoxg
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