#which must drastically complicate his ability to do his job

[dedecorus]

obsessed with Corvo defeating Delilah and walking past Emily to take the throne, becoming Corvo the Black, because he's so tortured over the fact he was unable to protect his Empress AGAIN, that it's preferable for her to be trapped in stone forever at his feet than risk failing to protect her again

[obeyme-and-you]

MC the Lamb Part 2

A look into the relationship of MC, Diavolo and Lucifer

Spoilers for chapter 37

Gabriel is Italics

Kimimela is Bold

MC’s Disciples

(The information used to explain the disciples was taken from this website https://www.britannica.com/topic/Apostle)

(Some of these Disciples don’t have much information about them or at all in some cases but they will be briefly mentioned for comparison sake still)

Fyi, even though 90% of the disciples are martyrs, and I do make jokes about them dying, I do not believe everyone is just gonna die, and I do believe that any character that may die, will come back.

Andrew and Diavolo

Andrew- The four main things that Andrew is known for are as follows: He was the first named Apostle named, he was the brother of Peter, he was one of the disciples to ask Jesus what the signs of the end of the world would be (Mark 13), and he was crucified on a cross in the shape of an “X”.

Diavolo- Similar to Andrew, Diavolo is the first of the twelve characters to be named within the game. Diavolo is very close to Lucifer, and probably sees him as a brother (which is possibly part of the reason why Diavolo was jealous of Lucifer and his brothers’ relationship to MC and why he doesn’t know if he can trust Lucifer to be on his side in the end). In chapter 37 of Obey Me, Diavolo tells MC how he believes that MC is the reason for all the weird things that are happening between the three realms. The earthquakes, the destruction of temples, a lake in the Celestial Realm drying up…, Diavolo has blamed MC for some “world ending” events. The crucifixion of Andrew on a cross in the shape of an “X” could mean that Diavolo could be killed, or it could mean nothing :). 

Peter and Lucifer

Kill me now

Peter- Peter is the brother of Andrew, one of Jesus’ three “pillars”, he was known as the leader of the twelve disciples, he was wavering and unsure of his relationship with the church of Antioch (the first Gentile church was founded in Antioch, which is were there’s the first recording of people being called Christians) but he was also known at times to be resolute. At times he was depicted as rash and hasty, or irritable and capable of great anger, and also had a forceful personality. Often pictured as gentle but firm, in terms of his relationship to Jesus, he was loyal and loving. Unlearned in terms of Mosaic Law (the 613 testaments of Moses in the first five books of the Hebrew bible, the lists are different depending on the interpretations presented), took to learning slowly and was wrong time and time again about them, but once entrusted with responsibility, he shown he was capable and mature. 

Was constantly the first question Jesus about his parables, was a spokesman, enjoyed his precedence over the other disciples, and when the disciples were discussed, he would always be named first, and at times the only one named. He was the one who faced a moment of weakness and denied Jesus (as in, when asked if he knew who Jesus was, at a time when he could’ve faced punishment, he denied knowing who he was). Before he denied Jesus, he sought to overrule the prophecy Jesus gave about his denial and said, that even if the other disciples abandoned Jesus, he would suffer death rather than disown him. This was rooted in his love of Jesus, and his overestimation in his own abilities. Afterwards he faced great guilt over it.

Lucifer- Lucifer has a very close relationship to Diavolo, now in terms of “brotherly” from his side is debatable. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

In terms of his relationship to MC, it is heavily pushed that he would be one of MC’s “pillars” for many reasons. He is the one who’s constantly trying his best to look out for MC’s wellbeing and helps them throughout their stay in the Devildom. He put Mammon in charge of keeping MC safe (even if not his best move in the beginning let’s be honest) and he saved MC when Leviathan attempted to kill them. Even though there are times where he is VERY bad at showing he cares, he truly does try his best. Also, in terms of his relationship with MC, is his wavering relationship with them and his brothers relationships with MC. On one hand he has shown time and time again, being fiercely protective of them, but on the flip side, in the beginning of the story, he had threatened MC’s life a uh, couple, of times because he didn’t trust MC and their adamancy in trying to gain packs with his brothers and interfering with their relationships. He also didn’t like how close his brothers were getting to MC, but didn’t try and stop them completely. 

Lucifer has been shown to be very resolute when it comes to protecting his brothers, MC, and in his loyalty to Diavolo. When he locked Belphegor in the attic, this was a rash and hasty decision on his part, because he was trying to keep him safe while remaining loyal to Diavolo. Another time he was rash and hasty, and capable of great anger, was when he found Luke in the royal tomb holding the grimoire. In his fury he almost killed Luke, Beelzebub, and MC, and was going to kill them in order to protect the grimoire. I feel like I don’t really have to explain him having a forceful personality, it’s a pretty obvious trait of his. There have been many cases of him being gentle and firm to both his brothers and MC. He does his best in terms of protecting them and taking care of them. He greatly cares for MC, both in terms of loyalty in keeping them safe, and his general love for them, to the point that Diavolo and Barbatos wonder that if the time comes, will he remain loyal to Diavolo. (Thinking about in chapter 20 when MC goes to talk with Lucifer and can give him a hug goodbye instead of a kiss and he thinks you must be in love with someone else ah ha ha ha,,, T-T)

Alright, in terms of him being unlearned in Mosaic law and being slow to learn it and also wrong in its understanding many times, there’s two main ways this could be interpreted. First one being in terms of when he first came to the Devildom it would’ve taken him time to understand the drastically different rules there to the Celestial Realm. The second way would be in terms of dealing with and taking care of MC. It took him, many times, to properly handle MC and their needs, and the fact they seem to be a magnet for trouble and a little too curious for their own good. He was,,, a bit slow in that department. But, just like in both situations, once he figured it out, he was dependable and trustworthy in his job.

He, constantly, questions MC and their antics. He questioned them when they seemed curious about the attic, questioned them and what they think they’re doing making pacts with his brothers, and questions them every time they decide to make a stupid decision (which, quite frankly, is a lot). 

When it came down to talking on behalf of the brothers, Lucifer was typically the one who did it (exception for MC being the spokesperson when protecting the brothers from both Lucifer and Diavolo which caused part of his Problems™ with MC). He was the one who directly talked to Diavolo about any concerns for the brothers or MC. 

Lucifer definitely takes pride (heh) in his role as the oldest. He has brought up the fact that he is the oldest, and therefore the strongest and one in charge against his brothers and he takes a certain amount of pride in having Diavolo rely on him. He is also typically the first one on everyone’s lips when talking about any of the brothers. There are numerous times where he’s the only one talked about and is typically the first one mentioned. Not to mention there are times where it’s “Lucifer’s and his brothers”, him being the only one named.

Peter and Lucifer comparison 

“He was the one who faced a moment of weakness and denied Jesus (as in, when asked if he knew who Jesus was, at a time when he could’ve faced punishment, he denied knowing who he was). Before he denied Jesus, he sought to overrule the prophecy Jesus gave about his denial and said, that even if the other disciples abandoned Jesus, he would suffer death rather than disown him. This was rooted in his love of Jesus, and his overestimation in his own abilities. Afterwards he faced great guilt over it.”

This is where things become a bit complicated. Peter denied Jesus three times, aka betrayed him three times. Lucifer has done two big betrayals to MC. Both of those being almost murder, but he really hasn’t had a third time, at least one that’s big enough in my opinion to account for this. This is why, if you remember in the Mammon essay, I, very briefly, mention how Lucifer choosing between country/Diavolo or MC isn’t as easy to come to a conclusion for. He has an obligation to Diavolo and is not one to back down against his word, especially in terms of protecting his family. (Demons and deals come to mind, possibly making Lucifer literally bound to his word) If it came down to it, he will always choose them over MC. 

Lucifer actually questions MC if they would choose their duty or love in chapter 30-19.“... You remember the play we put on for the school festival, right? My character… the prince… was forced to make a difficult decision. He had to decide whether to fulfill his royal duty by marrying the princess, or to throw everything away in the name of love… MC, if you were in the prince’s shoes, what would you have done? … Actually… …Never mind. I’ve said more than I should.” 

Lucifer, at that point of time, is questioning himself on which he would choose. Will he choose Diavolo? Or will he choose MC? (If he even can) The problem with this lies in the fact that he will overestimate his ability to do both. He has already proven how far he’s willing to go to follow his duty and protect those he loves, and it proved it blow up in his face then. This happened when he locked Belphegor in the attic. He was trying to protect his brother from Diavolo cause he knew Belphegor would’ve been severely punished, but he was trying to remain loyal to Diavolo and it proved to be too much. Even though he deeply cares for MC and truly does believe he can be loyal to both, he won’t be able to. In the Mammon essay, it talks about how you can’t serve two masters, you will always love one more than the other. “Ye cannot serve God and Mammon”, or in this case, Lucifer cannot serve MC and Diavolo. He will have to choose, and in the moment I truly believe he will choose Diavolo, and that will probably be one of his biggest regrets. First he loses Lilith, and now he loses MC, but unlike with Lilith, he could have chosen to protect MC. And by choosing Diavolo, he may lose his brothers too.

PREVIOUS: MC the Lamb Part 1 / NEXT: MC the Lamb Part 3

[johnnut28]

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[flickityfics]

Ch.8 Sokka’s Day With Zuko

Suki that was a lot of scary information to take in but also thanks. It's really tough and terrifying being in a new body, I'll be sure to take care of myself. I'll be going to the library today to see what information I can find. So far being a girl is complicated but I did manage to get a job. My daily life now has been a bit easier to go through but still strange obviously. Sometime I hope to see you in Ba Sing Se maybe even have a weird girl's day out huh? I would like to tell you more about things face to face whenever we get the chance.

                                                                                                                  -Sokka

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Sorry to hear Appa hasn't popped up yet but I'm sure you guys will find him in no time! Aang I know my sister can be a party pooper but it's up to you and Toph to help her not be such a killjoy while I'm not there. Also Katara I'll have you know I'm working hard and pulling my own weight, have more faith in your brother, you brat. My days are full of work, studying blueprints and really there hasn't been much else, I haven't gotten into any messes which has been great. Oh Toph take care of those two will ya? We all know you're the strongest of us all but don't let that get to your head.

                                                                                                                -Sokka

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A  sluggish Sokka came into the Jasmine Dragon dragging himself to the bar stool in front of the kitchens. He sat putting his head down on folded arms while tracking Zuko's every move. Zuko inwardly rolled his eyes seeing Miyuki flopping down in the chair and looking mopey, it's nothing new anymore since she's done this every few weeks now. It's funny and ridiculous in his opinion but he does like listening to her stories and complaints .

"You do know this is the fifth job you've quit?" Zuko mentioned uncaring already use to this routine and habit of hers.

"Okay but look, the damn customer was sexually harassing me and my boss was a jerk not doing anything about it and actually blaming me for being to friendly even though that's the whole part of being a waitress, like excuse me?! Then my boss has the audacity to give me a warning when I slapped the pervert for yelling at me. I couldn't even defend myself so I quit right then and there for good reason!" Sokka really couldn't pinpoint why he felt so comfortable with talking to Zuko about everything that came to his mind, it felt great talking and hanging out with another guy even if he wasn't quite in his own body, it was as if he was seeing Zuko as another great friend to have but he couldn't possibly betray the gaang like that. It was too much to think about when he's seeing different sides of this complex version of Zuko.

"Sorry you had to go through all that, how about we go do some training to get your mind off it?"  Zuko suggested.

Sokka was grateful for Zuko's distractions and willingness to help out a girl, he never takes it easy on him on in their training sessions, always attentive when he gets injuries and never afraid to correct things patiently.

"Yes, perfect! Let's do some ninja style walking on walls that you do." Sokka couldn't help but burst in excitement, one thing he'll say about the fire bender is he's got awesome skills.

The scarred teen scoffed at her, "you mean my scaling abilities to climb buildings with efficiency and speed?" he really couldn't help the incredulous looks he gave her at times.

"Yes that, it's really cool and I want more of that." He put on his big puppy-eyed face that he could to the other boy.

Zuko rolled his eyes but agreed nonetheless, " We can start from the roof and go from there, you're getting better, you're great at scanning structures and knowing which are steady while knowing which footholds and handholds are safe but you still need to work on your grips, speed and getting to know the layout of your surroundings."

With everything planned out the two head to change and to the roof.

"So we'll take an easy straight path to get balanced then we'll quickly change course having to be forced to adapt to different buildings, shifting weight immediately while doing our best without getting hurt along the way."

Sokka bounced and shook himself to get the nerves out, mentally preparing for the challenge. He looked to see Zuko looking determined and ready when he turned to him they nodded to each other and took off.  Jumping a straight path was easy enough for Sokka but he had to anticipate and look ahead to find when he'll have to change course drastically. Zuko tended to leave him behind in speed and taking a different path which left him picking things up on his own but he figured it was a way of Zuko teaching him and seeing how he can do without assistance.  Looking forward he saw the next building was to far a distance to jump so he had to quickly scan so he didn't fall. His eyes caught the side of the building with a canopy then checked the distance to his left seeing the other building having a window ledge up ahead that he can catch if he times it all right. Breathing in a lungful of air did he make the leap sliding down then up in the air and trying to force his weight and angling his body to catch the window in view, he was so grateful for the gloves Zuko handed him earlier, no doubt his hands would have been shredded if he didn't have them on. Taking another breath he swung his leg to the roof and strained his muscles to pull himself up safely.

"That was really good." Zuko nodded his head in approval.

"It totally was, man that felt crazy but exciting." It was scary and great that he could pull that off, it wasn't awesome like Zuko's running on walls and being all fast but he was getting there and he knew he was improving well. " I think I'm okay with that today, I don't want to be sore or get any injuries right now."

"We can end it right here. It's still early out what do you want to do next?"

"How bout we shower, change then head to the poetry session?" Sokka asked.

"Sounds fine, we haven't gone there for a bit between working and training lately." Zuko agreed easily.

"Great, I'll head to the inn while you and uncle get ready and meet me at my place, also tell the old man he needs to get out once in awhile to."

"Ah yes, he'll love that. we'll see you shortly then." Zuko stopped nagging Miyuki teasing his uncle since it seemed his uncle liked it so he just ignored them now.

The three showed up to the poetry session while a young girl of nine was on stage.

'Winter is a great bed

It makes me feel so soft

Winter is cats that make me warm

They make me feel happy inside

Winter is hot cocoa

in bed under covers.

Winter is for your family

They make you feel safe and happy

But most importantly

Winter is holidays.'

The crowd clapped while sharing chuckles.

"That girl was adorable" Iroh commented.

"Haha, I liked how holidays was more important then family in her list." Sokka couldn't stop laughing, enjoying his time.

"Alright whose next up on stage?"

"He is!" Sokka yelled and dragged Zuko to the front and on stage, "good luck." he waved cheerily going back to his seat.

Zuko stood stuck for a bit before puffing out hot air through his nose and speaking.

'Blue is my mask

It's my spirit to fight

My mask helps me hide

It keeps me from wrath

But won't let me forget

When the mask comes off

I must do my rightful duties

Never free

When can I live for me'

The claps startled Sokka and he looked around him, no one even knew the extent of that poem. This confirmed that Zuko was indeed stuck and conflicted but wasn't a lost cause, he needed to put more trust in him. He looked to uncle Iroh and saw the old man in tears, 'he really does care for his nephew, there family must be so complicated,' he thought. He walked up to Zuko grabbing for him and squeezing his arm in comfort.

"That was a good poem, didn't know you had so much stored in ya since you never talk." He tried for a happy lilt, it seemed as if Zuko wasn't really ready for all that to be said.

"I'll leave you young folk alone, I think a nice lady is trying to catch my attention. Nephew take her home safely." Iroh held Zuko's arm tight looking at his nephew with all the sadness and hopefulness in the world before leaving.

Zuko gave a smile down at Miyuki, "Let's get you home."

"You know, you and your uncle have great understanding between each other." He remarked seeing the interaction between the two.

"Sometimes. I've gotten better but there are times when I think what I want is right and uncle tries to stop me but I'm just so stubborn, Well its just complicated anyways." He shrugged.

"We don't have to talk about it but you two seem to be handling things great right now." Sokka felt Zuko's reluctance to open up and didn't bother prying for once, it just doesn't seem right to. Before Sokka could say anything to lighten the mood, he noticed they were at the inn already and not wanting to see Zuko down and not his usually sarcastic grumpy self wasn't doing it for him, he just couldn't leave Zuko like this.

"Would you like to spend the night?" He asked.

[sparklyjojos]

CARNIVAL DAY recaps [8/13]

Today’s recap: Ghostly investigations, the Ultra Evil Really Bad Guys in an awkward Mexican standoff with Slightly Less Bad Guys, and XX’s thoughts on writing.

--

FORTY-FIVE

14 Jun 1997 — 20 Jun 1997

CONTINENTAL DRIFT

--

The writer detective XX wrote a few stories (including the seppuku detective one) that would be put together in one book. The work would be published under the name “Seiryoin Ryusui” and—on Yasha’s request—called 19box in memory of Juku, whose DOLL nickname was Jukebox. [19box or Juke Box is an actual book by Seiryoin that indeed contains the seppuku detective story.]

On June 6th, Yuiga Dokuson fled JDC leaving a confession about being the Billion Killer. It’s now been three weeks since his escape and still no new confirmed Billion Killer cases have happened. The Crime Olympics still continue, but at least everyone knows they will be over in two months.

--

All stories influence people, for better or for worse, and the story with the biggest, sharpest impact is the news. Then again, even entertainment has a major impact on people. The pen is mightier than the sword; the story is the strongest weapon. [Insert a horrible pun about how kakuheiki, “written weapon”, is as strong as kakuheiki, “nuclear weapon”.]

--

(...when Hikimiya Yuuya had been working with the AI Desert Colosseum in February, he found an unbelievable secret file.

Below is Hikimiya Yuuya’s testimony. [Originally in first person.])

Once Hikimiya got out of shock upon seeing the different numbers of daily deaths, he instantly went to the hospital to talk with Frau D (or at least went there as fast as he could in a wheelchair). Frau D only told him to show the file to DOLL’s leader Madame Alpha to get answers.

Madame said she hadn’t seen this particular file before, but she had known all along that the UN numbers were faked. Good thing Hikimiya didn’t tell anyone else about it—if he did, he’d probably be disappeared on his way back to DOLL. He accidentally got mixed into a matter bigger than just the UN; a shadow organization was at play here, and one misspoken sentence could possibly doom the human race.

Madame then told Hikimiya what her Zero Reasoning actually was. The Japanese word for “zero”, rei, happens to sound exactly like the word for “soul”. Madame’s ability was seeing and talking to ghosts. The difficult part of her reasoning was discerning whether or not the ghosts were telling her the truth.

Other people would find it hard to believe, but Madame knew best that the souls who helped her solve cases were certainly real. She purposefully stayed away from other people, as anyone being too close to her for a long time would also start seeing ghosts, including those who had died in less than pretty manners. Several people even landed in the hospital from shock.

The ability wasn’t perfect. Madame would have a problem talking to souls who spoke different languages. The world of ghosts was also pretty complicated and consisted of more than just nice, well-behaved souls (but it’d take too long to explain everything now). Thanks to her powers, Madame knew better than anyone how drastically the known history changed throughout the ages, true events replaced with fake stories so different from what the souls told her about their times. She was also aware that knowing the truth was not always a good thing.

Using her ability as a sort of a soul information network, Madame was able to learn many things about the Crime Olympics.

They say that Christopher Columbus kept two journals out of fear of being deemed insane by his crewmates: a fake one that everyone else could read freely, and a secret one talking about his true goals. The death count data files similarly used two kinds of information. The true one (what Hikimiya found) allowed the UN to grasp the real situation, and the fake one (the official stats) were displayed to the common man.

To explain why that was necessary, Madame told Hikimiya about the Cosmic Bomb—the Moon. The Bomb was set to fall on August 10th, but it wasn’t impossible that the enemy would drop it earlier if they felt threatened. It was in the world’s best interest to not interfere too much in their plans—to make them think four million people really died each day—before a good way to counter the Cosmic Bomb was established.

As for how Frau D got his hands on secret data, Madame thought the reason was very simple: Frau D was one of RISE’s Dogs, probably responsible for leaking info from DOLL.

Right after this conversation, Hikimiya returned to the hospital for more answers. Frau D stated that Madame was smart enough to understand how to stay alive by keeping quiet. He confirmed that he was a Dog. However, the secret file was not meant for RISE at all, but for Hikimiya. That’s why the password was YUYA, and why the report was addressed to “Desert Colosseum”—once Hikimiya inherited the AI, he would become the next “Desert Colosseum”. The signature D meant Frau D and referred to his identity as a Dog (all of them are designated as D-[numbers], for example Frau is D-159837).

Hikimiya felt like there was something strange about Frau D’s demeanor during that conversation, and only realized a few days later—after the Crystal Nightmare—that the S-detective knew he would be killed soon.

But that wasn’t the last Hikimiya heard from Frau D, as Madame passed him a message from his soul. It was strange hearing Frau D so unusually serious (even if the words came from Madame’s mouth).

Frau D wanted to apologize. The whole “I love you” thing was just another one of his jokes, and he chose Hikimiya solely on the basis of his skills and ability to become the next Desert Colosseum. Thanks to Madame, he was never afraid of death. Aside from RISE, he also belonged to the suicidal sect of DICE, who were the ones to kill him in the end. “Desert Colosseum” was still indispensable to RISE—and that meant they would rely on whatever data Hikimiya would send them in the future.

After relaying the message, Madame commented that Frau D was actually a really serious man; you don’t become an S-detective by acting like a clown. She could speak with him easily so soon after his death, but making contact would get progressively harder with time, so Hikimiya should better become “Desert Colosseum” as soon as possible while he could still get ghostly tips.

It was the first time Hikimiya truly felt respect for Frau D. Though now that he thought about it, maybe even earlier he felt a sort of a strange, begrudging affinity.

On the day Frau D died, news came about Juku, Ronely Queen and Ushiwaka Gigolo. Juku’s death was especially hard on Hikimiya, considering they had worked as partners in the past. Then Firannu Meirunesia died a week later.

Hikimiya of course wanted to talk with the dead detectives, but Madame was so busy with all the cases she had no time to spare, and calling specific souls was hard—her work was mostly just waiting until someone with the right information came to her. Asked about Ryuuguu Jounosuke, she said that she’s sorry, but from what she could see he really was dead. At least she was able to assure Hikimiya that Otohime was still alive, held prisoner by RISE together with Amagi Hyouma and Tsukumo Nemu.

The day Frau D was killed, Hikimiya found a new entry in the database that belonged to a fake F-detective, “Flower Design”. [At least I think that’s the right romanization for that]. Frau must have made that fake detective so Hikimiya could hide behind the identity and obtain information safely. It was hard to work a double job as both “Hikimiya Yuuya” and “Flower Design” behind the scenes, but the exhausting training under Frau turned out to have been a blessing in disguise.

Hikimiya analyzed the death count reports (which by this point reached early March) and found that while in the big picture the number of deaths rose steadily, it actually came in waves. Doing some statistical magic, Hikimiya realized that the death rate usually fell a bit during weekdays, but then rose significantly on each Sunday—right after the Billion Killer cases. Step back, two steps forward… It’s like the Billion Killer served as a periodic impulse that kept the Crime Olympics going. The Crystal Nightmare caused an especially high rise in victims, too.

Hikimiya made some calculations. The numbers were at first much lower than the proclaimed “four million deaths a day”, but if the growth continued, it would lead to a bigger overall number of deaths.

Constant four million a day would give 1,4 billion total deaths in an entire year.

But if the numbers continued to rise, the final figure would instead be 3,7 billion, more than half the world’s population—assuming the Cosmic Bomb wouldn’t kill everyone else.

--

FORTY-SIX

21 Jun 1997 — 27 Jun 1997

MOHENJO-DARO

--

(It was once thought that alchemy could produce homunculi in bottles.

Black Rook is a human obtained through cloning, a three years younger identical twin of Ryuuguu Jounosuke, with whom he shared this name. Yearning for an identity of his own, Black called himself Ryuuou.

RISE had the cloning technology long before his birth, but didn’t see a reason to use it, as getting normal imposters was much easier. They say that everyone has at least three perfect look-alikes in the world—RISE had no problem finding those three with their omnipresent reach.

The truth is that the original Jounosuke was supposed to become Black Rook at first, but RISE made a critical mistake while raising him. In the end, the clone achieved what the original couldn’t and became Black Rook.

Below is Black Rook’s testimony. [Originally in first person. As expected, he might be… biased.])

From what Black heard, his older brother had travelled all over the world with their parents as a young child in order to naturally pick up native accents of many languages. He was successful at this goal, but in the process he became so used to the outside world that he couldn’t stand the dim closed spaces of the Sanctuary (which was back then still under construction), even showing signs of serious childhood claustrophobia. He was constantly upset and kept crying no matter how long RISE tried getting him used to his new life. Childhood claustrophobia sometimes vanished with age, but there was no guarantee it would happen.

In the face of this, the Doctor decided to start anew and cloned the boy, and so Black was born. To avoid past mistakes, RISE made sure he got used to the Sanctuary since birth, the fortress transporting him to all those different countries and essentially becoming his home. Staying in the Sanctuary instead of with foreigners led to him not quite reaching the language mastery of his brother, but the difference was marginal and didn’t really matter.

When RS became the leader of RISE in 1987, Black formally inherited the position of the Sanctuary’s Master from his father Kintarou. Similarly, Endou Naoto became the next Doctor / White Rook after his father Naomasa.

RISE continued to fight their long battle. Black didn’t really understand if there was an objective good or wrong, but he knew for sure that the Beasts wanted to destroy the human race, and RISE’s Gods wanted it to continue in whatever shape. A battle between good and evil.

Their greatest enemy was a secret group called Akutou 666 Rengou (lit. “the 666 villains union”), known in short as Akuren. It was much older than RISE and had been threatening humanity for thousands of years.

Akuren was a worldwide information network created by the 666 most evil people of the world, all their names written down on a secret Luck Black List. Aside from the top 666, there were also two lower “replacement groups”, each also counting 666 members, so 1998 in all. Those who died or were arrested would be erased from the list, though one could always get on it again later. Note that the first group members were too skilled to be eliminated from the list unless they died.

All the historical villains one may have heard of—like Nero, Catherine de’ Medici, Ivan the Terrible, Rasputin, Aleister Crowley, even Hitler—all reached no higher than the second group of Akuren. Those in the first group are all untraceable and take care to erase their pasts, only their horrible impact on the world hinting at their existence, their true nature that of pure evil beyond imagination (Black doesn’t even want to think about the stories he heard).

Akuren categorizes all people on Earth into thirteen tiers of evil, starting from 1 (those unwittingly doing everyday evil), going through those who commit crimes as part of a company policy or “usual” criminals (4-5), through famous organized crime (6), through those with political power (7), through country elites with even more influence (8), through secret organizations ruling those elites (9), through the evil that controls the history of humanity (10), the first group of Akuren (11), the few members of Akuren that have transcended the concept of pure evil (12), and the “ultimate organization of extreme pure evil” (13).

Upstanding citizens are classified as tier 1 (it’s impossible to be lower, as every single human eventually hurts another human, if only by existing). Tier 10 would include Akuren’s first group and half of the second group, together 999 people. Tier 11 would apply only to the first group; they’re so strong that an S-detective could maybe manage one or two of them at once, but not several, and certainly not 666. Tier 12 are those from the first group that aim for even more evil and want to throw the world into darkness. Tier 13 is so secret that even RISE can’t get any information about it, more suspecting their presence than knowing for sure.

The members of every group of Akuren are numbered from 001 to 666, with those numbers moving if someone falls off the list. Number 001 is always the person who stayed in a group the longest, while those from lower groups will enter a higher group starting from 666. Groups two and three have to provide information for the network, but those who already rose to group one are privileged and can simply get data without having to give any in exchange.

Akuren attempted to wipe out the human race many times before, their crimes usually showing as wars on the surface. The Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian War, Alexander the Great’s conquest, the Seven Years’ War, the Hundred Years’ War, various Prussia wars, the Russo-Japanese War, both World Wars, the Cold War…

After WWII, the 12th tier of evil first showed itself, possibly with the 13th one right behind them, and the most serious plan to destroy humanity (including themselves) had been in progress ever since. Their twisted reasoning is basically, “everyone has to die one day, and when I die, the world may as well not exist for me, so why not bring everyone else down with me while we’re at it”.

The current Crime Olympics were conceived as yet another of Akuren’s plans to destroy humanity. RISE was created to gain control over this plan in order to prevent the ultimate tragedy and limit the damage as much as possible. Of course on the surface they still had to act like they’re cooperating with Akuren, and so had to put the Crime Olympics into motion like they were supposed to.

Akuren acted like they didn’t notice their true enemy, but considering the quality of their information network, they had to already know about RISE’s goals. However, RISE was too useful to get rid of it so quickly. Fifty years of preparations passed in a pretend cooperation between the two organizations. RISE has three trump cards in their deck: Alive, the Billion Killer, and the Cosmic Bomb.

RISE’s true goal was purging evil at the root for the sake of humanity’s survival. If they left Akuren alive, it would just lead to another attempt at total destruction in the future. RISE had already succeeded at using the Crime Olympics to kill the lesser ranks of evil in droves, even though it cost a lot of other lives and the true malicious elites were still staying safely hidden. If RISE didn’t kill off those elites before August 10th, the Cosmic Bomb would fall.

Those “worst of the worst” were called Pure Ultimate Beasts. The purest evil often wore the masks of saints; they truly were beasts disguised as humans, creatures that would kill with a smile. The first group of Akuren was too careful to be easily led into a trap, so RISE had to start with eliminating the lower groups and make their way up.

All the above was a very rushed explanation, but the gist of it is that humanity is in a horrible spot. If they don’t do anything, the Cosmic Bomb will fall; if they try to fight openly, perhaps the Bomb will just fall faster. The fate of humanity is in the hands of RISE—of Black Rook.

...but Black feels a bit weird those days, like something is very wrong with him. Perhaps it’s just a lingering symptom of Alive... or perhaps he’d been caught into Akuren’s trap? Something feels wrong. With the Sanctuary, with RISE and with himself. Something is strange. He’s supposed to stop the Cosmic Bomb, and has been for sure making preparations, but now he can’t remember how to do it, as if he simply forgot something so important. He can’t remember… What the hell happened to him? What the hell is going on? It’s like he’s not himself.

Has he also been brainwashed…?

[End of testimony.]

--

Writer detective XX continues to write. He feels a strange compulsion to do it, a sense of mission, almost like someone is forcing him to write. Sometimes he wonders if he hasn’t been brainwashed.

--

FORTY-SEVEN

28 Jun 1997 — 04 Jul 1997

HONG KONG

--

Writing as “Seiryoin Ryusui” is weird to XX, like wearing someone else’s clothes. He’s been feeling like he isn’t truly himself. But if it’s so weird to him, why does he simultaneously have the compulsion to not just continue writing, but to write as “Seiryoin Ryusui” specifically? Nothing else changed. It’s just that whenever he works as “Seiryoin”, he ceases to be himself. Almost like someone else is guiding his hands, like he’s only the first reader instead of the writer.

Inugami Yasha wants XX to write a book about the Crime Olympic as soon as possible. Yasha’s plan is to use the power of stories positively, to light up at least some of the darkness surrounding them.

No one is faster to rise to fame in mass media than the worst criminals caught red-handed. “Seiryoin Ryusui” wasn’t that popular, but his name is still spread around because of the Cosmic Jokers case, so releasing a book under the same name will gather the world’s attention. This will possibly allow them to lure out the actual mysterious “Seiryoin Ryusui”. The book will be technically fiction, just like Cosmic and Joker, but will give readers enough clues that maybe someone solves the still unfinished mysteries, or gets to the actual truth behind something that has been considered solved.

To be honest, XX hates the writing style in Cosmic and Joker. It just seems bad and unbalanced to him. Strong J Outa the editor thinks it’s because XX has a similar writing style, so reading “Seiryoin” feels to him like reading his own old works, which is rarely a good experience for a writer. The important thing is keeping that unbalanced style while writing about the Crime Olympics.

Languages, just like anything else created by people, aren’t perfect. No matter how much one tries, a recording of events will never be perfect specifically because of the nature of words. Even non-fiction is fiction in the end. Words on their own aren’t the truth, but the moment someone encounters someone else’s words, they may read out the truth between the lines—which is what Yasha hopes for by releasing the Crime Olympics book.

(By the way, it’s been a month since Dokuson disappeared, and not a single Billion Killer case has happened in the meanwhile. There were giant cases happening at 1 PM local time on Saturdays, true, but no symbolic skull has been found.)

XX still can’t get rid of his strange feelings. It’s almost like there’s someone else within him, “the true writer”, perhaps even “the true culprit”. Strong J Outa dismisses these worries and says that in a sense, the mystery writer is always the real culprit manipulating the characters. A mystery novel is not as much a showdown between a detective and a murderer, as a showdown between the writer and the reader. The challenge is not just solving a mystery, but also solving the writer’s intent put in his work.

The idea of the writer as the culprit is sort of a taboo that everyone knows about, but that isn’t really relevant inside mystery novels by design. All fiction is real as far as the world within that fiction is concerned. There’s no reason to escape into delusions about a writer making all this happen; instead XX should focus on writing and fighting crime this way.

19box is set to be finally released on July 5th.

--

(And in the latest news...)

On June 14th, the entire island of Tasmania suddenly moves towards mainland Australia and smashes into it, resulting in 100,000 dead or injured and several small islands sinking. Right afterwards Tasmania returns to its proper place. How all this happened is a mystery.

On June 21st, about a hundred tourists visiting Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan are found naked and dead. The cause of death is unknown, but the incident is thought to have been influenced by the Carnival Dice cult.

On June 28th, all the power lines of Hong Kong are suddenly cut, leading to a complete power outage. Massive fires start in the aftermath. Giant playing cards are found around the place, so the group F4C is suspected. The situation becomes so bad it leads to political shifts and Hong Kong being completely returned to China.

--

On July 5th, a mysterious continent surfaces from the depths of the Pacific, so unimaginably huge that it takes half the ocean’s area. The continent’s sudden movement causes kilometer-tall tsunamis to rush towards other lands. It’s only a matter of time until the record waves reach the shores and destroy anything in their path.

Japan has twelve hours to prepare for the wave.

--

[>>>NEXT PART>>>]

[chibi-jing]

Somnus makes a better King than Ardyn

Yes. You’ve read me well.

Ok, so now that your heart is broken as much as mine, let me explain…

 As a human being, Ardyn disposes of qualities nobler than his brother: he’s devoted, humble, unselfish, kind-hearted and empathetic. He puts the sake of each individual before his and grants to each life an immeasurable value. He prefers to heal rather than destroy, and to educate rather than condemn.

There are multiple examples illustrating his personality traits in the anime: first, Ardyn’s infection by darkness. He’s perfectly aware of his sickness but he continues his duty nonetheless, even if it has to keep him away from his lover, Aera. Second, when talking to his people, he explains to them that the Starscourge is a disease that can be healed. He believes that the way to defeat darkness is to unite people against it, not ostracizing the ones who are sick. He also proposes a deal to his brother to spare his life rather than having to kill him when they fight. Then, even if his people consider him as a king, Ardyn has no intention whatsoever to rule. Since he have the sense of responsability he’d become king if the others require it but mainly because it would allow him to help more people, not for power in itself. Ardyn keeps this characteristic until the end of FFXV where he sits the throne during 10 years but never uses it to reign.

.

On the other hand, there is Somnus. Compared to Ardyn, he’s certainly not empathetic and unselfish, but these qualities are replaced by other ones: instead of giving to each life an immeasurable value, Somnus thinks more in term of greater good. If you have to kill a dozen to save an entire country, Somnus will be the one doing it. He’s also charismatic, determined, ambitious, skilled in combat and can keep a cool head in any circumstances.

In the anime, he’s in a strong position: it’s him who commands the army, who lives in the castle and people obey to him, whether he’s ordering them to burn their peers or when he's inviting them to the coronation. He can do what he has to do because people are listening to him, and if it’s not the case he uses his soldiers to obtain what he wants. Somnus doesn’t even bat an eye when he fights and kills Ardyn, only focused on the way to succeed, giving more attention to his goal rather than his feelings.

  If you’d ask me to choose between the two brothers, I would have no hesitation at all and definitely jump into Ardyn’s arms. It’s also what Aera should have think: even if Ardyn’s situation is complicated and dangerous, being in company of such a pure soul is priceless. But.

  But the gods aren’t supposed to choose the best human being. They have to choose a king. And as much as I love Ardyn, I have to admit that in this situation Somnus is a better candidate.

.

We commonly imagine that to be a good king (or queen), you have to be a kind person who listens to his citizens and tries his best to take care of all of them. This is what we wish, we expect our rulers to understand us and give us what we want to live an happy life. But it isn’t what a king is supposed to be in reality. A king isn’t supposed to give us what we want, but what we need. A king is a symbol used to unite the people, he has to appear strong and be strong. A king is the leader of a country, someone to rely on and trust when he has to provide security. A king has to maintain order in his kingdom and has to take the right decisions to make it prosper. A king has to be reassuring and able to take difficult decisions for the greater good.

As Regis says himself at the beginning of Episode Ignis: "A king cannot lead by standing still. A king pushes onward always, accepting the consequences and never looking back" and in French: « When you’re a king, you must be able to advance in adversity. And this, whatever the sacrifices. You have to go on without ever stopping ». And in fact you can see in Kingsglaive that Regis is perfectly aware about what’s going to happen in Insomnia, but even if it frustrates him, he took the decision to let Iedolas and Ardyn destroy the city because he knew it was the only way to give a chance to Noctis. And Regis didn’t acted this way only because Noctis is his son, if he saved him it’s primarily because he’s the Chosen King and the only one able to save Eos.

  Regarding the two brothers now it’s obvious that Somnus fits the role, but not Ardyn.

  Somnus completely corresponds to Regis’ description: he’s taking decisions for the greater good regardless of the sacrifices and accepting the consequences of his actions. He’s also a natural-born leader, able to gather people under his banner and inspiring them. He’s winning the people confidence by being self-assured and a good speaker in public. He’s intransigent and always have the final word, but he also does whatever has to be done to succeed like in Kingsglaive when he allows Nyx to use the Ring’s power. The risk with this kind of profile is for the ruler to turn from a king to a dictator, but Somnus isn’t presented as having bad intentions. According to SE Q&A about the anime, Somnus simply wants to eradicate darkness, whatever the cost. That’s why he needs the power: to take action.

 On the opposite if Ardyn’s qualities make him a saint, they definitely are insufficient to be a good king according to the definition FFXV gives us about this role.

Unlike Somnus, Ardyn doesn’t inspire naturally the admiration of his person: during all the anime, he seems tired, sad and dirty. Even with Aera, Ardyn still looks like he’s living his life through someone else’s eye. His devotion to his people is slowly killing him, wether it be his soul or his body. And that’s a major problem: how can someone pretend to rule a kingdom while being sick? From the gods’ point of view, even if they close their eyes on the corruption inside Ardyn’s body, it would be stupid to choose a sick man to embody the strength of a king. As the anime shows us, Ardyn’s disease is a strong disadvantage during his fight against Somnus, giving his brother the upper hand on him.

In addition, Ardyn doesn’t have the will to rule. He would do it if he had to and I’m sure he would do his best to take the right decisions, but it’s simply not in his nature. Even in FFXV, he prefers to remain in the Emperor’s shadow rather than being exposed.

Moreover – and it’s really painful for me to acknowledge it – Ardyn’s method to fight darkness isn’t enough. As the old man tells him: "But even with your curative powers, you can’t save everyone". That’s absolutely true. Eos is big and Ardyn is alone. The darkness spreads faster than he’s healing people. Unless someone else could have the same ability as him or some kind of medicine to stop the Starscourge, Somnus’ drastic solution will unfortunally remain the most efficient of the two.

For what we know, Ardyn works alone. He probably has supporters all around the country, but he’s not surrounded by an escort for his travels while Somnus has been able to surround himself with precious allies such as Gilgamesh. A king can’t rule alone, he needs some trustworthy and competent persons, something Somnus fully understood.

The way Ardyn is helping people is compassionate and altruistic, he’s considering them as human beings and not as pawns on a chessboard, which is his biggest quality and weakness: a king can’t have a case-by-case approach, he has to consider the overview. Also, it is better for a king to be respected rather than be loved. With his policy, Somnus is respected and even if some people disagree, they will follow him. For his part, Ardyn is absolutely loved by his people and they don’t follow him because he’s charismatic or powerful, they’re following him because they know he’s a fair and good man who can rescue them. Ardyn’s supporters have surely a stronger dedication to him compared to Somnus’ ones, but they are fewer, because Ardyn is acting at a human scale while Somnus is thinking at a country level.

  That’s why I believe that for all these reasons, Somnus was indeed a better choice. Ardyn is exceptional and a true hero, but he doesn’t fit the job. And that’s a real tragedy because Ardyn never wanted to be king to begin with! If Somnus didn’t wished to get rid of him, Ardyn could have lived a peaceful life with Aera without facing his brother’s betrayal. But something happened, something that isn’t in the anime and I hope will be in the DLC, something that broke up the brothers and gave them no other choice but to fight each other. Maybe Somnus discovered Ardyn’s infection by darkness? Maybe Ardyn was turning people against Somnus? For now we have no idea about it, and I’m dying to know the bottom of this!

 - - -

I was thinking...in fact, Ardyn would be a perfect Hufflepuff while Somnus would definitely be a Slytherin.

It works also with Assassin’s Creed: Ardyn would be an Assassin and Somnus a Templar…

And yes, I love Hufflepuff ^^

[sjogrenssurvey-blog]

What You Need To Know

Sjogren’s is an autoimmune disease that can cause a wide variety of symptoms and result in a wide spectrum of severity. It has an overwhelming fondness for women, affecting eight times as many women as men. The average age of diagnosis for women is the early 50s; the average age for men is the late ‘50s, but Sjogren’s can occur at any age. The portion of the general population who have Sjogren’s syndrome is not known; studies vary widely in their findings, from a fraction of 1% to 7% of the elderly population. Better research on prevalence is needed, as is a standardized set of diagnostic criteria. It’s important to note that elderly folks have Sjogren’s 7-8 times as often as do people in their twenties. Sjogren’s can leave patients bedridden, but many patients are very active with only bothersome dryness of their eyes and/or mouth that doesn’t affect their lives significantly. 84% of Sjogren’s syndrome patients are women. One-third of us (including me) have small fiber nerve damage that causes complications in their autonomic body functions. Some I’ve spoken to have damage to organ valves, some even die of the resultant heart or kidney disease. The folks whom I’ve met who bother to talk to other patients online are often very ill, and have become desperate to learn more about their complicated conditions. Please don’t visit a support group and assume you’re going to be just as bad off as the folks online. We are home and online because we’re too sick to do much else. Many complain that their family doctors are ill-informed or that they aren’t giving them enough information. The recent influx of studies on Sjogren’s syndrome and our related conditions make keeping up with the current literature a must for the doctors who care for us. All About Moisture and the Lack of It People with the disorder experience Sjogren’s in various ways. Some are barely inconvenienced, some lives are altered drastically by the profound fatigue that is a major hallmark of the disease (we’ll be talking a lot about fatigue later on). Some of us are in constant pain due to small and large fiber nerve damage, others suffer sporadically with gland inflammation. Some Sjogren’s patients are merely bothered by dry eyes and take a prescription that keeps that issue in check. They may always be able to manage their illness with little difficulty. These people may live and die with barely a hitch in the course of their lives. Others must use artificial tears regularly throughout the day and suck on hard candies or chew gum to keep their mouths moist. There are prescription pharmaceutical remedies for both these issues when over-the-counter remedies are no longer enough. Women with Sjogren’s can experience vaginal dryness that makes it too painful to have male/female sexual intercourse. Pain during intercourse is often described. A lack of ability to perspire can interfere with body temperature regulation. Some of us produce so little saliva that we are unable to keep our teeth from rotting out of our heads no matter how diligently we brush, rinse and floss. Many middle-aged folks in my Facebook support groups already have dentures or tooth implants. Some of us lose their voices due to lack of mouth moisture to lubricate their throats. Singers with Sjogren’s syndrome often notice a raspiness due to laryngeal tissue damage from drying out. Some singers have to give up singing altogether. A few SS patients even completely lose their ability to speak due to throat tissue damage. Wide Spectrum of Central Nervous System Complications As of this post, some small studies suggest that about 30% of Sjogren’s patients have small-fiber nerve disease as found by skin punch biopsy. There is some speculation that small-fiber damage can progress to large-fiber nerve damage; a small, but significant percentage of patients show damage to myelinated large-fiber nerves. Small-fiber nerve damage is common in SS; this kind of nerve regulates the function of autonomic systems; damage to these nerves leads to a wide variety of dysfunction to body processes that occur without our conscious effort. This condition is called dysautonomia. We don’t have to think about each breath, or each heartbeat for them to keep going, or about pushing our blood or food through our digestive tracts or accessing oxygen or glucose or the uptake of trace minerals. It’s worth noting that recent studies show that up to 62% of fibromyalgia patients actually have small-fiber neuropathy to blame for their muscle pain and spasms. Dysautonomia is a health problem caused by our central nervous system’s inability to properly carry out our autonomic functions, which is everything our bodies do unconsciously, that is, without our consciously directed effort. Some autonomic functions include: 1.  Breathing 2.  Sleeping 3.  Digestion 4.  Heartbeat 5.  Hormone release 6.  Body temperature regulation 7.  Sweating 8.  Balance 9.  Sensory feedback 10. Storing memories - that memory loss is an autonomic function is speculative on my part. Emerging research has us closer than ever to a solid understanding of the memory storage process and the physical existence of engrams, the place where our long-term memories are thought to be. Many Sjogren’s patients report memory and cognitive issues (often called “brain fog” by patients). Many patients report losing jobs because of not being able to keep a train of thought or get enough done in a timely manner. Indeed, this was my chief complaint. I could have kept on with school, I could have withstood the muscle pain, dizziness and fatigue if only I was able to think like I used to. But, no, all of me was tired straight through, especially my brain. Even now, I try to do all intellectually challenging things in the morning when I am sharpest. Many Sjogren’s patients also have dysautonomia. We can’t always depend on a regular heartbeat, the ability to swallow smoothly, to be able to sleep well, to properly digest our food, or even to regulate our body temperature. Heatstroke is always a possibility in hot weather and can come on suddenly after even a short exposure to hot, humid conditions. Dysautonomia is related to small-fiber neuropathy, but it’s not clear exactly how.   Even taking a shower can be challenging if we try to shower in the warm temperatures we used before we got sick. One woman in my Facebook support group reports that her doctor advised that she not even go outside when the temperature (in Fahrenheit) and humidity together add up to 150 or more. I have heard over and over people say that just the effort of taking a shower tires them out so much that they have to go back to bed. I have been there many times! Talking to Your Doctor If you’re really lucky, you have a GP who is familiar with Sjogren’s syndrome. Unfortunately, there is so much new info coming into medicine, our family doctors may not familiar with recent research on the disease and may still think it’s a rare condition or a condition that only affects salivary and lacrimal glands. For this reason, we may need for our rheumatologists to behave as the doctor who coordinates our various medical specialty needs. Please encourage your rheumatologists and family doctors to become more familiar with this condition as it is still under-diagnosed. Ask whether they would appreciate being updated by you; offer to bring in new research papers. You may not be able to bring in the full studies due to paywalls, but you can bring in the abstract; it will give your doctor enough info to look up the full study if s/he has an account with his university library, Medline or Pub Med, etc. Spreading awareness is important: Early detection can lead to disease-modifying treatment. That is, there are drugs that can prevent further damage in Sjogren’s patients who tolerate it. There is research going on right now that may result in a vaccine for us in just a few years. I encourage everyone to join The Sjogren’s Foundation (www.Sjogrens.org) to receive ongoing updates on the state of our condition. Patients are best-served when they are being looked after by a good rheumatologist. A good rheumy will know that your Sjogren’s can cause widespread pain from nerve damage as well as deep fatigue. Check the rheumatology staff of your local teaching hospital if you’re having a hard time finding a knowledgable doctor. I’ve found good specialists by seeing who, locally, was publishing research on my condition. I realize that not everyone lives near teaching hospitals, but it can be worth the trek to the nearest big city if you’re only seeing your rheumatologist every 6 months or so, as most of us do once all the diagnostic interaction between you and your doctor’s office is done. Unless a physician has a particular interest in Sjogren’s syndrome, they may not even be aware that it is as widespread as it is now known to be. Recently thought to be a rare disease, Sjogren’s is now thought to occur in 3-5% of the population. That makes it one of the most common autoimmune diseases, only lagging after rheumatoid arthritis. Even less-understood is the complication of small-fiber neuropathy (SFN). Approximately 30% of Sjogren’s patients suffer with it. Patients report that even their neurologists aren’t up on the fact that SFN can cause pain and spasms as this is relatively new information that they didn’t get in medical school. Have a detailed conversation with your general physician about the many aspects of Sjogren’s syndrome and make sure that the two of you are a good fit. Small-fiber neuropathy is painful and can be debillitating; it can impede all physical function because of the wide-spread muscle and connective tissue pain it can cause. SFN is a factor in the disruption in autonomic dysfunction that can lead to serious complications. It’s worth knowing that up to 1/3 of us have SS-A and SS-B negative blood tests. Remember, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. You are welcome to tell us about your journey to diagnosis or your dissatisfaction with not getting a prompt one. Was it hard for you to get a diagnosis? Please tell us your experience! Sources - I’ve done a whole lot of reading since my diagnosis in February of 2018, but the studies and articles I consulted for this particular blog, are listed below.   From Engrams to Pathologies of the Brain - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5383718/ Small Fiber Neuropathy: Disease Classification Beyond Pain and Burning - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5912271/ Sex differences in Sjögren’s syndrome - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4630965/ Small-fiber neuropathy: Expanding the clinical pain universe - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30569495 Primary Sjogren’s syndrome with central nervous system involvement: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f2ee/a33c57f84283a4cd882294ad75fcc73e8232.pdf Sjogren’s syndrome disease info - https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/sjogrens-syndrome Sjogren’s Center at Johns Hopkins - https://www.hopkinssjogrens.org/ Varied prevalence reported in large epidemiological survey - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4122257/ The Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation - https://www.sjogrens.org #Sjogren's diagnosis#Sjogren's#Sjogren's symptoms#fatigue#deep fatigue#autoimmune#spoonie#chronic#profound fatigue#fatique#small fiber neuropathy#autonomic disorder#autonomic#dry eyes#dry mouth

[dearcorteo]

A Way to Fixing the Rising Tuition Problem

The fact that college is overly expensive is something that most, if not all, people unanimously agree on. After tuition costs, fees, and the expense of living, students are already looking at some form of debt that will take longer to pay off than the amount of time they spent in school alone. Why can’t college be free? This is a question that has been thrown around a lot as end all be all solution to the rising costs of college. Personally I've often pondered this question too, and as a college student I agree, yeah, let's make college free. However upon further investigation I have come to the realization that college may never be free. In order to completely dismiss the costs of college taxes would have to skyrocket, and that is something that the American people can not get behind. So, what is another way to help out students while also ensuring that taxes don’t reach an all time high? Redistributing funds that are already in circulation. Fully understanding where our taxes go, what colleges do with the money they make off of their students, and by looking at programs that are overly funded by the nation, there may be a way to significantly lower the cost of tuition without any drastic back lash making the cost of college more affordable for students without having to rely heavily on a raise in taxes. 

Let's start small. Where do you think the money that colleges earn from tuition goes? American Economist Ronald Ehrenberg(1) states in his article Tuition Rising: Why college costs so much, “The  objective  of  selective  academic  institutions is to be the best they can in every aspect [, and] they seek out all possible resources… to look better than their competitors”. It is as simple as that. From a College’s perspective in order to be the best, you have to look the best which requires money thus colleges raise their prices to pay for aesthetics. This means that colleges spend their funds on things like newer buildings, landscaping, technology, etc, but what if we were to reallocate that money towards lowering the cost of tuition. Sure having newer stuff is fantastic, but was it ever put into consider that not everything has to be upgraded on some sort of timed schedule? It is hard to say that having updated technology is not convenient especially when it comes to college level education, but it is beneficial to stop and ask ourselves “does this really need to be updated on yearly schedule?”. Essentially every technological update is just a remake of another existing technological invention, therefore constant spending on slightly better versions of the same thing aren’t really necessary as far as technology goes. 

Now let's think a little bit bigger. Where do our tax dollars go? I mean everyone who lives in the U.S. has to pay taxes in some shape or form, and, yet I still gotta ask, where does it all go? Because despite all the taxes that must be paid by each American citizen, there never seems to be enough money still for things that could definitely use the funding.According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget website(2), by 2010 the U.S. spent $80,000 on prison systems alone . Looking at just California the public schooling system only receives about 9% of federal funding, 32% of funding comes from taxes, and 58% comes from the state(3). Yet, literal criminals receive more federal funding, and upgraded facilities, than our actual youth. There is no reason why the budget can’t be cut, and some of the money be moved towards lowering the cost of schooling. One of the reasons why prison systems are overly funded is because of the fact that prisons are over crowded (which is completely understandable if you look at today's social, and political climate), and to accommodate for the over crowding more money is being put into the programs to expand facilities.  By making college more accessible to everyone there is a better chance for an individual to get a good job allowing them to participate in the economy, lowering their chances at committing crimes, and giving them a chance to become proper, functioning members of society. However things are still completely opposite. The prison system receives a good chunk of funding, while college is at it peak of expense, and it’s still continuing to rise. 

Besides talking about individually funded programs let's also talk about the oh so powerful 1%. Of course taxing the rich has been an idea that has been tossed around for quite some time, yet I find it to be a brilliant idea. See, most of the opposition that comes from the 1% disagreeing with a tax specific to them is solely based on the idea that they will be taxed too excessively. However I think it’s fair to say that we don’t want all of their money we only want some of their money. If we are just looking at ten riches people in the world, collectively they are already sitting on about $739.3 billion(4) (if my math is correct). Even if we could get just a measly 25% ($184.83 billion) of their fortunes, and reallocate it to colleges that could help lower tuition costs. Out of that deal, they still get to make off with 75% of their funds. I know someone, somewhere, will claim that it is a violation of one’s rights because we would be taxing a specific demographic of people, however, some people in the top 1% have enough money to last them at least three lifetimes. Why is it that they get to own most of the nation's money, but not use it to help the same nation that they both live, and collect funds from? In a way, from both perspectives, it is not fair, but in the long term funding education can allow more people to become functioning members of society. With more functioning members comes opportunities such as creating new markets, which ultimately creates more jobs thus creating more chances at making money, and helping the economy go around. 

Before going any further it is only fair that I address those who may disagree with me, and that is good. You should disagree with me because just like you I can see where my argument is flawed. Taxing the top one percent is by far the biggest no-no, cutting funding for the prison systems could also be a problem being as they are, in fact, over crowded, and underfunded at the moment, and going on and on about the importance of college without addressing the “why should we care?” question. Well, being as the idea of “free college” has been a huge topic at the table for quite some years now the real question is “why don’t you care enough?”. College is supposed to be a place where students can learn, and work towards getting their dream jobs. I don’t see why it has to cost an arm, and a leg to get there. The amount of debt that one can accumulate just from student loans alone is absolutely ridiculous. No one wants to in so much debt that they can’t even pay it back in their own lifetime, and if they were to pass that debt would be passed on to another family member, all because this individual tried to get a bachelor’s degree in order to better themselves in the working world. So, yes, perhaps my proposal is disagreeable, but forcing people to pay outrageous amounts of money for college while also having to pay the costs of living is something that I find to be completely disagreeable as well. So let’s just agree to disagree on this one. 

College is tough. College can really test students in their ability to actually be good students, and maintain decent grades in order to reach their goals, but above all things, college is expensive. Really expensive. As I’ve said before college may never truly be free, and even if we can make tuition costs go away completely it still won’t make college free. So at the very least we could do our best at trying to lower the cost as much as humanly possible in a way that is most agreeable: collecting, and redistributing funds that are already in circulation. We can’t make new money appear, but with the money that does exist, it doesn’t hurt to try making better choices when it comes to where the money is spent, how it is spent, who gets to spend it, and why it is spent. By understanding, and being able to answer those four questions figuring out ways to redistribute money becomes increasingly easier. Of course you could look at ways of lowering tuition via raising taxes, and cutting out financial aid programs, however that brings up entirely new issues with just as complicated, and unfair solutions as any proposal to solving the tuition problem does. However, I encourage all of you to go out, do some research, and look at ways to lower tuition costs, or maybe even make college free. I can guarantee it won’t be easy, but at the very least it will be informative which at this point being informed, and aware of the issue is a lot better than not understanding the situation at all. 

[imperialsea-a]

ELIZABETH’S IN-DEPTH RP PLOTTING CHEAT-SHEET.

          Want new-and-exciting plots for your character? Long to reach out to more of your followers, but don’t know where to start? Fear not! Fill out this form and give your RP partners both present and future all the of juicy jumping off points they need to help you get your characters acquainted.

          Be sure to tag the players whose characters YOU want more cues to interact with, and repost, don’t reblog! Feel free to add or remove sections as you see fit. Template here.

Mun name: Rem (not that blue-haired anime girl or DN, it’s from my old blog!) OOC Contact: Contact me through the Tumblr IM system or my Discord! My Discord is: imperialsea#1818. Please tell me your URL if you message me there so I know who you are!

Now, onto the heart of the post!

   ♛   Who the heck is my muse, anyway? Elizabeth Eva Alexandria Cross, the only biological daughter of Kaien Cross, her father (a canon vk char), and Eva Liliya Cherie Cross, her mother (an oc muse)! Elizabeth is a vampire hunter by blood like all in her family before her! But, shh! Your character isn't supposed to know that .  .  .  unless they're also a hunter .  .  .  or a perhaps a vampire (since her family from both sides are famous hunters, but even then they don't have to know she's a vamp killer if you don't want them to) .  .  .  or they're some sort of ally to her / the hunters association since she can't just tell anyone her actual work on a whim. Where she's from, the existence of vampires are a secret from most of humanity and it's her job to kill the dangerous people-hurty ones and keep that nice and secret so as to avoid a world war! 'Nothing about her is complicated at all', I say, lying through my teeth like Bethy does to society every day by keeping her job and true lifestyle hidden :'D

Further information below the cut, please take time to read if you’re stuck on what to plot and how Bethy operates!

   ♛   Points of Interest:           - She was born and raised to fight against unruly beasts and composed foes alike. Despite her youth, she's a one-woman powerhouse and is not afraid to take herself down with an opponent if she deems it necessary. She's like the Smash player who hits the fake smash ball to take out an enemy on their last legs, even at the expense of her own life. She'll do it! Except in Smash she'd probably just win the match because she had an extra life and not, you know, not die forever for real in a last grand battle.

          - She's got vamp genes all over the place and is rare among hunters. She's biologically immortal like a Pureblood despite not being a vampire herself and is living testimony of what her predecessors took from Purebloods both by honorable bestowal of blood from the mysterious Hooded Woman, and straight up [insert painting of Jupiter Devouring His Son here]. Her great grandparent is 3k+ years old, her father is 200+ for devouring his own twin-- it's messy as mythology, but anime :'D  She herself is only 18 on default though (19 in K Crossover--), the youngest of her entire bloodline, and she can still be slain in battle even if she is much hardier than a typical human being. She's also sensitive to auras, and capable of sensing vampires.

          - Things characters might notice? She's ghostly pale and kind of looks like she stepped out of The Last Unicorn. She looks cold, sophisticated, and vaguely otherworldly-- she really doesn't radiate the friendliest of vibes unless she's doing something she loves, and the calculated yet seemingly effortless grace of her movements are prominent in and outside of combat. She is descended from an ancient royal line, and those posh, stuffy mannerisms and formal speech pattern live on through her even if the Adrasteian monarchy no longer exists.

          - She truly isn't a trigger-happy person, whatever the title of 'hunter' implies, and keeps a level head in most situations. Sure, Bethy looks as if she could bite someone's head off and can display some seriously threatening flashes of anger, but she's not going to do something rash and will only resort to drawing her weapons in a serious matter. She's here to save lives, maintain peace, and keep order, not disrupt it and set off a war! No pressure on her, right?

         - She is also notably, NOT a high school student, though she may be mistaken for a high school senior or young college student since her age fits the bill. Elizabeth actually graduated from her high school at age sixteen and took to hunting full-time immediately after. She was convinced to slow it down by her grandparents and began preparing for college when her assignment at Cross Academy arrived and, uh, pretty tragically, hasn’t been able to attend any classes due to her work demands. Come to choose between the world and personal fulfillment? Her conscience only let her have one choice; a hunter must hunt.

    ♛   What they’ve been up to recently:           - Work. There's hardly a time when this girl isn't working or planning what to do next, and the workload only grows after the previous president is outed as a dishonorable, self-serving traitor to the hunters. She's seriously injured after trading blows with him and is promptly benched to deal with the fallout and mental agony, but she's back within a year (and in K's crossover? Only six months later!).

          - Having said that, Elizabeth does have days off and will spend them quietly with her friends, or alone with music and a rejuvenating swim.

          - Depending on the time in her life? Her life circumstances vary drastically-- she can go from a young huntress travelling on her own as duty demands, or she can be a mother of five children and trusted right hand of the new hunter president, Zero Kiryuu. She lives for a long time, so she's always up to something! And of course, she's always motivated to fight for a better future. 

   ♛   Where to find them:            - Aside from work, check the beach! Or find her on methods of cross-continental transportation since she travels around the world for her job (she walks whenever possible, so it's rare to see her on a bus, but she’ll begrudgingly take one or a train)! Otherwise, a place like an aquarium, clothing store, or coffee shop, or any place in a city is your best chance.... write w me pls... q-q she is Around Somewhere.

          - If not found in any of those places and your character is someone inside Cross Academy, she can be found there, helping the prefects in some way and is familiar enough with the building to help out new students if they ask.

    ♛   Current Plans:           - Elizabeth is chained to her work as a hunter for as long as she draws breath, or until there is no need for her to end hostile vampires. Her ultimate goal is to keep the world from falling into a repeat, all-out war between vampires and humanity. Her living and family situation might change through the years, but that will always be her primary drive-- she's got an indomitable will.

    ♛   Desired Interactions:           - please ovq

          - In all seriousness, I’m up for pretty much anything. She needs more friends, more enemies, people to protect, people to be protected by, people she looks up to, people who legitimately unnerve her, everything! I just don’t feel comfortable killing her. Elizabeth fought really hard to get her future and deserves to find comfort after her entire childhood-young adult life was spent thinking the only thing of worth she had was her role as a huntress. I do really, really love angst though, so anything else goes, really c:

     ♛   Offered Interactions ( please sit tight for this! it will be divided into multiple sections! ) :           - IF YOUR CHARACTER IS HUMAN:                - She’ll assume your muse is an average civilian until shown otherwise (be it with unusual powers, whacky aura, combat prowess, or prior knowledge from a report or something-- a plot specific thing). Unless they truly know about vampires / work with the Hunters Association, Elizabeth will not be sharing any information about who or what she is without a legitimate reason (such as the human character being bitten by a Pureblood and thus is being turned into a vampire themselves). However, the other party being kept in the dark about vampires can open the door to a more relaxed Elizabeth without her professional, perfectionist mindset. She’s more likely to have a pleasant conversation with humans since they have no part in the hunt-- but in that same vein, she does aim to keep them at a certain distance and not develop a deep emotional bond (but she’s also a lot softer than she looks and acts and tends to care for others quickly, should they get along). It’s a tricky slope .  .  . She’s thawed out and the nicer aspects of her personality are far more prominent, but at the same time, she’s not being entirely genuine. Give her time and she’ll become more open about personal things, just, not her work.

               - Applies to her K Proj. Crossover.  Working with S4, Elizabeth takes some time to adjust, but ultimately loves the organization and the people within it. They’re an exception to her ‘no ties with average humans’ rule because....errr.... they’re not the average human she’s used to protecting and in that verse they’re aware of her occupation and peculiar heritage. She’s not as cold first impressions might suggest and loves Reisi’s weird af team building nights, it’s hard for her to not have a soft spot for them, even as an outsider and unofficial member (as in, she has none of the abilities the Blues have, but she has her natural abilities).

         - IF YOUR CHARACTER IS A HUNTER:                 - Elizabeth is a known figure in hunter society; her great grandfather, grandfather, and aunt were previous heads of the organization and each are still alive at present. So, it probably makes more sense if your hunter character at the very least knows about her-- unless they’re an off-series muse in which case go wild and do what you think is best! I always did like the idea of two vampire hunters chilling together with neither one knowing the other is a fellow hunter until they’re attacked by a vamp and they’re both like ‘Oh!’

               - A simple but always reliable plot idea is two hunters on a joint mission! It’s really important to know that Bethy does not take kindly to poor performance and expects her partner to take whatever assignment they have seriously. If not? Things get tundra-cold really fast-- o-o;; People’s lives are at stake and in her opinion, if a hunter wants to mope or complain about their blood-given obligation, they’re not fit to be hunters in the first place. ‘Can’t do the job? Then finish what you started with me if you have any shred of integrity, and get thee gone’ sort of thing. Otherwise, uh :’D;; she’s highly cooperative and always aims to reach the outcome with the least amount of damage.

               - As a teenager, she attended a hunter-run private academy in Adrasteia for four years. If it’s possible for your muse to attend (as in, they are from a vampire hunter family and can pass the rigorous entrance exams), throw em in for a slightly younger, less stringent Bethy? A national fencing champion at the top of her classes, and great granddaughter to the legendary hellfire headmaster, Elizabeth’s not easily missed! It could be the start to an amicable relationship to carry into future interactions?

        - IF YOUR CHARACTER IS A VAMPIRE:                 - Bluntly put, for vampires, it’s probably better to interact with Elizabeth after Cross Academy has fallen in the large battle that took place there. Her mother is revealed to have been alive and held captive as a vampire, she’s already friends with a hunter/vamp, her two friends turned out to be Purebloods, and ‘oh....my mother and father got together again and now I’ve got a younger vampire brother’ .....and her boyfriend’s half sister is also a vampire who marries the former vamp senate heir..... so...vamps everywhere; she simply accepts them as part of the family. Prior to that, while she isn’t hostile to vampires and certainly has no intention to attack a vamp unjustly, it’s not a place she’s eager to put herself in. Depending on how threatened she feels, she’ll even swallow her pride and keep her head down-- mostly.

               - If your muse is a hunter-turned-vampire, she doesn’t treat them as a vampire, rather, she still sees them as a compatriot, like in the case of Zero Kiryuu. Whether or not your muse received the blood of their keeper is up to you, but in the case that they haven’t-- she’s always there to assist in granting mercy whenever the time comes :’)

       - IF YOUR CHARACTER DOES NOT FIT INTO ANY OF THE ABOVE CATEGORIES / REGARDING OTHER VERSES:                - Please help me find something that works, I’m willing to try! Memes are incredibly helpful! Send one in, the tag is here, and we can go from there!

                  - My currently finished and ready-to-use Crossover Verse is K Proj., which can be read about right here.

      ♛   Current Open Post/s: Linked right here. There's no expiration date to these, and it doesn't matter if another person has replied to one, you are more than welcome to reply to one if it catches your eye at all.

      ♛   Anything else?:  YEAH, wow I am so sorry that got so long. Please note that this post may be updated periodically!

[kusunogatari]

[ ObiRyū October | Day Twenty-Five: Ghosts of the Past ] [ @abyssaldespair ] [ Uchiha Obito, Suigin Ryū, Nohara Rin ] [ Death, child death, blood, suicidal thoughts ] [ Verse: Ghost Among the Ghosts] [ Previous || Next ]

It’s not something she tells just anyone.

Most people just give that typical, “Oh, interesting...but I totally don’t believe you” look that she’s gotten oh so used to. Some call her crazy. Others give her scientific lectures about how it’s just not possible. A few seem to believe her, but...more just because they can, or because they think it’s cool, rather than actually knowing that she’s right.

She’s only ever met one person who was a true believer. And she isn’t even an adult yet. Children, of course, are typically more open to such things. So for now, Ryū doesn’t hold her breath that it will last, but she entertains the girl with lighter stories of her sights.

After all, not every ghost sighting she has is a happy one.

Very rarely, Ryū uses her ability to see and speak to the otherworldly to help others, but it often brings her more trouble than it’s worth. Ghosts are troubled souls, after all...quite literally. And more often than not, there’s something more to their stories than an earthly regret. Only when someone seems truly desperate does she intervene.

It’s almost killed her more than once.

But Ryū takes that with a grain of salt. Her mother’s family has a long history of being able to see spirits. And with it typically comes a rather short lifespan, save for the odd outlier. So in more than one way, she’s mostly relinquished her earthly attachments, deciding to just do what she can, while she can.

Most of the time, those who need her help come to her first, rather than Ryū making any attempts to seek them out, or finding them by accident. Word, despite her best effort, gets around. But this particular case is one of those happy accidents...though it doesn’t start out happy.

Standing at a bus stop, Ryū daydreams a bit, both hands hanging onto the strap of her purse as it sits over her shoulder. She has a day off today from her day job, and has decided to head into town and do a little light shopping. Having recently found a pattern for a cute dress she’d like to try making, she needs to fetch some fabric.

For the first few minutes, she’s completely alone, the street devoid of any other passersby. But then someone approaches from her left, and she gives them a glance.

...and then does a double take.

He’s a man about her age, head bent down to look at the cellphone in his hand, which he idly scrolls through. There’s dark circles under his eyes, an obvious sign of a lack of sleep...and curious scars along the side of his face closer to her. Not wanting to be rude, Ryū does her best not to stare, but...there’s something...else.

A half-manifested spirit is lingering over his back. Only visible from the waist up, a girl of about thirteen is watching his phone with a drawn brow, looking worried. Her hair is cut short, but Ryū can’t tell any colors as she only takes a basic spectral form. A hand rests on his shoulder as if keeping herself propped up to see.

Ryū watches them from the corner of her eye, doing her best not to be caught gawking. Whoever this guy is...his aura is heavy, but she can’t quite tell what from. It’s probably something connected to the girl attached to him…

As she mulls it over, Ryū stiffens as the ghost peers in her direction, catching sight of her. Immediately the girl brightens, eyes going round. “You...you can see me…?”

Oh boy.

Ryū’s eyes flicker to the spirit’s host, trying to communicate that she can’t exactly start having a conversation with a patch of air behind him without this guy thinking she’s gone off the deep end.

“Um...if you can hear me, shrug your shoulders!”

After a small pause, Ryū does so.

“...oh my gosh...no one’s been able to see me yet…! Obito’s never even noticed I’m here...oh, where are my manners? I’m Rin! Rin Nohara. I...guess I can’t really ask your name. But listen! I...really need your help with something! Could you...find some way to start talking to him? So we can stick around?”

Making sure this ‘Obito’ guy isn’t looking, Ryū gives a small nod.

“Oh, thank you…! I -! Shoot, here comes the bus...um...hopefully you can sit nearby!”

Internally groaning, Ryū lets Obito get on first, following him toward the rear of the bus. To her relief, he puts in headphones, looking out his seat’s window as Ryū sits one seat forward.

“Okay, perfect! You can reply out loud, and he can’t hear you, or see you talking! So, um...what was your name?”

“...Ryū. Ryū Suigin.”

“Are you...a medium?”

“In a manner of speaking,” she replies quietly, not wanting anyone else to think she’s crazy. For show, she decides to put her bluetooth in one ear - pretend she’s on the phone. “I’ve worked with your kind before.”

“That’s perfect! Y’see, um...well, it’s a long story, where to start…” Rin seems to mull things over, and Ryū resists the urge to turn and watch. “...so obviously, I’m...dead. I think it was about...twelve years ago? I dunno, time’s sort of fuzzy for me. It was...a car accident. There was me and Obito, and another friend in the back seat...Obito’s grandmother was driving when we were struck from behind by a semi. I was...killed instantly. At least, I don’t remember much beyond that. Obito was very badly injured, and the other boy had some minor injuries, as well as Obito’s grandmother. I think we were...on our way to a movie? It’s been so long…”

Ryū listens silently, empathy making her chest heavy. Those poor kids… “...any idea why you’re still...here?”

“For this long? It’s...sort of complicated. Y’see, Obito, he...well, he liked me a lot. And I in turn liked the other boy, who was in the car. At first, I stayed because I was...confused. I didn’t quite realize I’d died yet. So I stayed with Obito, in the hospital. I was so worried about him...but eventually I noticed how no one seemed to notice me. No one told me to go home, or spoke to me. I was just...there. So eventually I realized that I’d died in the same wreck that hurt Obito. I thought maybe I’d stayed because...I felt sorry for him. His grandmother was there all the time, of course. And our friend Kakashi would show up sometimes. But...Obito wasn’t doing well. He...well, he took my death the hardest…”

Ryū’s eyes fall closed. “...so you stayed to try and make him happy.”

“...yeah. But he never was able to see me. Every so often he’ll catch a glimpse, but...I don’t know why he can’t. Maybe he doesn’t really believe in ghosts, or...maybe I’m too weak for someone who doesn’t have true sight? But then...something started to...change.”

A knowing tenses Ryū’s spine.

“...Obito’s condition was...very bad. His right hip had to be replaced, several fractures in his spine, arm broken in several places, and severe surface wounds from metal and glass. Even some ribs were broken. It took...months for him to begin to fully recover. As you can imagine, it was...very expensive. Dealing with his own new limitations, and my death, and his grandmother’s stress over their bills...he started to change.”

To Ryū’s surprise, Rin actually moves to the seat beside her, hugging herself and looking so small. She has to resist the urge to try and put an arm around her. “...he got really depressed. He tried to take his own life in the hospital a few times. He withdrew from all his other friends, even Kakashi. He barely spoke to his grandmother. He was just so weighed down by guilt, and sorrow...he started to feel...darker.”

Though Rin hasn’t completely explained, Ryū already knows. “...and something started feeding off of him.”

The girl looks up in surprise. “You...you know?”

“It’s easy enough to guess. When humans reach their lowest points...they’re easy prey for beings that feed off of their negative emotions. They keep them depressed, and angry, and sad in order to keep a steady stream of energy.” She glances to Rin, expression tense. “...you’ve been fighting it off, haven’t you?”

“...I’ve been trying. But it’s...it’s getting harder. He barely graduated high school, it took him two extra years after all he missed. He wasn’t able to get into college, and jobs have been hit or miss. His grandmother passed about a year ago now, and...things are just looking so bleak. I’m afraid if nothing changes...that thing is going to do something drastic…!”

“...it won’t kill him unless he’s no longer useful to it. But that doesn’t mean it won’t drive him to do something foolish that might get him killed…”

“Please...you have to help him! He was such a sweet boy...the sweetest you’d ever meet! I know he’s still in there somewhere…I can’t let that get lost. It’s why I’ve been here all this time, trying to hold it back, but...I don’t know how much longer I can do this. I can barely keep myself here anymore, it’s so exhausting…”

Ryū gives her a somber smile. “You’re a very courageous girl, Rin. Your spirit is very strong to have lasted this long...you really must care for him deeply.”

“...I do. Maybe not the way he cared for me, but he was my best friend...I’d do anything…”

“Well...I can’t make any promises, but...I’ll do all I can. Do I have your permission to reveal your presence to him, if it comes to that?”

“Yes, of course - if you think it might help, do whatever you have to!”

“...all right. It won’t be easy, but I’ll try.”

“Oh, this is his stop - can you follow him?” Rin lifts, moving back to hover over Obito’s shoulder.

“Well, this is one way to use a day off,” Ryū mumbles to herself, getting up and leaving the bus first. She has to think of a way to introduce them… Stopping to check her purse and buy time, she notes Obito’s direction and follows, getting fairly close before -

“Ah!”

Faking a fall, Ryū tumbles to the sidewalk, actually grazing her knee with a hiss. Moving to sit, she finds Obito turned around at the noise, headphones around his neck.

“Oh, shit! Are you all right?”

“I...I think so…”

Quickly doubling back, he offers a hand, carefully helping her up.

Making a far greater show of it than it is, Ryū gives a cry, bleeding knee buckling. “I...I’m sorry…”

“No, you’re fine, uh...here, there’s a bench.” Helping her hobble to it, Obito watches her sit and grimace at her wound. “Uh...don’t suppose you’ve got, like...first aid in your bag, do you?”

“N-no…”

“Uh…” Biting his lip and looking around, he perks up. “There’s a pharmacy just across the street! I’ll go get some gauze and stuff, just...hold on, okay?”

“Oh, you don’t have to -!” Before she can protest, he’s jogging across the street, dodging a honking car as Rin follows. Watching him go, Ryū softens. Seems Rin is right - there is still a pretty sweet guy in there. She hasn’t seen whatever’s shadowing him yet, but...they can be awfully good at hiding…

He returns a scant five minutes later, digging through a bag for his new supplies. “I, uh...I dunno much about dressing wounds, but…”

“I can do it.” Accepting the gauze, Ryū offers a warm smile. “You’re so sweet...you really didn’t have to do that.”

“Well I can’t just leave you like that…” he rationalizes, tone a bit mumbled.

“I appreciate it. Um...what was your name…?”

“Oh! It’s Obito. Obito Uchiha.”

“Ryū Suigin,” she replies, still smiling. Mopping up some spare blood, Ryū winds some gauze around her knee before securing it with some offered medical tape. “Well...it’s not quite a doctor’s level, but it should get me home! Thank you so much, Obito - can I do something to repay you?”

That gets him to balk, waving his hands. “Oh, no! That’s fine!”

“At least let me pay you back for the -?”

“No, just keep it. You might need it, and...it wasn’t that much.”

Over his shoulder, Rin shakes her head, pointing to his wallet pocket and grimacing.

Ryū’s eyes flicker to her before moving back to Obito. “...at least let me get you a cup of coffee, or something? It’s pretty chilly, and I’ll feel bad otherwise. Please…?”

Hesitating at her doe eyes, he eventually sighs. “...okay.”

Keeping a bit of a limp in her step, Ryū lets Obito lead her to a nearby Starbucks, where he gets a plain cup of black coffee, Ryū herself getting a caramel mocha. Easing into her chair, she asks, “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, by the way…?”

“Oh, no...not really.” Obito’s tone sobers, and Ryū watches him closely. “I was just, um…” He pauses to itch at his scarred cheek. “...on my way to...visit my grandmother.”

“...oh?” She already knows better, but Ryū asks, “I’m not making you late, am I?”

“...she, uh...she doesn’t really…” Obito sighs. “...she died a year ago today.”

Rin actually jolts, apparently not knowing the day.

In spite of herself, Ryū does the same, and then softens somberly. “Oh...I’m so sorry…”

“It is what it is,” he evades, sipping his coffee.

Ryū holds her own, watching him. Then her eyes move to the right, watching his shadow against the wall beside him. A slight flicker distorts it, and her gaze intensifies.

...I see you…

“Anyway, I...don’t mean to be a bummer,” Obito eventually adds, offering a brief smile.

“Not at all. I always visit my mother’s grave on the anniversary, and on her birthday...so I know what you mean. It...never gets any easier, does it?”

“Your…? Shit, I’m sorry.”

She gives a somber smile of her own. “...it is what it is. But...I’m so sorry I interrupted you with all my silly drama, and you’ve got so much on your mind…”

“Actually, it...was sort of nice to have a distraction,” he admits quietly.

Taking a breath as if to speak, Ryū hesitates, and then begins, “If I’m...being too forward, please tell me. But...would you like some...company? To visit your grandmother? I know it can be very...depressing to do it alone. But I don’t want to intrude, either.”

His eyes widen in surprise. “...you’d…? Uh…” Obito flounders for a moment. “...I’d actually really...appreciate that. Are you sure you can walk that far…?”

“Oh, it’s just a graze,” she insists, waving it off. “Besides, I’ll have to walk home, anyway. Are you sure it’s all right?”

“Yeah...maybe it’d be a bit easier with some company.”

She smiles softly. “...all right.”

They finish their coffee first, and then leave the warmth of the shop behind. It’s a few blocks to the cemetery, and neither of them speak until they reach it.

“Is your, uh...is your mom buried locally?”

“A few towns over,” Ryū replies softly. “I was born further north, but was put into foster care here, since the town was small.”

“Oh...I’ve lived here my whole life. It’s an okay city, I guess.”

“Home’s a lot more...rural. A lot quieter,” Ryū admits with a smile.

“Quiet is nice.”

“Maybe you’ll see it someday.”

Obito glances over. “...yeah, maybe.”

By then, they’ve reached their destination, and Ryū hangs back a bit as Obito approaches the proper headstone: Sachiko Uchiha. Fow now, she observes as he reacts to the grave, watchful for any signs of dark activity. Rin, in turn, remains beside him.

“...hard to believe it’s been a year,” he murmurs. “...one hell of a bad year. Maybe it just seems that way because you’re gone, but...it’s been tough, Gran. It’s been...real tough.”

Rin looks over her shoulder at Ryū, expression pinched with worry.

“Still haven’t found a steady job. Barely scraping by. Got no one to talk to, no one to just...spend time with. Not exactly fun drinking alone. Hip’s been sore lately, too...change in the weather always does that.”

Expression steeled, Ryū keeps steady eyes on Obito and the shadow he casts. Slowly...it seems to be growing. Deforming. Twitching.

“...I dunno how much longer I can keep this up, Gran. I really don’t. Just feels like one of these days...I’m gonna explode.”

“That’s enough...”

Ryū’s voice is gentle, but firmly cuts into his words. He turns to look at her, face oddly...blank.

“That’s right...I’m talking to you. You picked the wrong bus stop...because your ride is over. It’s time you let him go.”

A wind whips through the cemetery, and Rin flinches back from Obito’s shoulder.

That’s when she sees it fully.

Lurking behind him, a one-eyed monstrosity with crooked, pointy teeth and thrashing tails snarls. Soot-black hands rest on Obito’s shoulders, staining them.

“I said let him GO!”

With an ear-splitting shriek, it clambers over Obito and makes a beeline for Ryū. Wherever it steps, the grass shrivels to a sickly brown, the smell of death rising from the scorched earth.

Clutching something under her collar, Ryū lifts a hand, and as if crashing into a wall, the creature comes to a sudden halt. Its skin begins to burn, attempting to recoil with a shriek.

“You have fed from this weary soul long enough...either you move on, or I will burn you to ashes. As pure as your hate and rage may be...I carry something far stronger.” Her hand tightens, feeling the locket beneath the fabric of her dress. “You were born of sorrow and loss...but love overcomes all hardship. Just as she gave hers to me...so will I give it to any who need it. Now make your choice, demon…!”

Still smoking and burning, the creature cries shrilly, struggling to reach out and touch her...but limbs fall away to cinders. Recoiling, it hisses like a geyser, and then...vanishes with a crack.

Arms lifted to shield herself, Rin slowly lowers them, looking out of breath. “...h-holy smokes…”

Doing much the same, Ryū sinks to her knees as a pain lances through her chest. Still her hand clings to her necklace, almost tight enough to draw blood.

“Whoa, hey! Are you okay?” Rin crosses to her, hovering a hand.

“Just...need a minute…”

“...wha…?”

They both look up to see Obito stagger a few steps, looking extremely dazed and confused. “...what happened?”

“...it’s a long story,” Ryū murmurs. “But in short...you were carrying something around with you, Obito. Something very dark, and very dangerous. But...it’s gone now. I saw to that…”

“...you…? I’m sorry...what?”

Ryū glances to Rin. “...if you want...I can give you some time. But you have to go soon. I can lend you a little strength.”

“But you’re -?”

“I’ll be fine...this is more important.”

Looking close to tears, Rin nods...and with a hold on Ryū’s hand with both of her own, suddenly floods with color, legs appearing and kneeling upon the grass.

Obito actually falls over to his backside with a holler of shock. “R...Rin?!”

“...hi Obito,” she offers softly, smiling sadly and taking to her feet. “I don’t have a lot of time...so…”

“Wh-? What are you -?”

“I’ve been with you for a long time. Since the accident. I’ve seen how things were eating at you...trying to consume you. I held them back for as long as I could. But...I needed a little help to get rid of it completely. That’s where miss Ryū comes in. She drove away what was clinging to you…! You’re free now! And now...so am I…”

“Wait, you’re...you’re leaving?”

“I’ll always be with you, Obito! That will never change. But...I’m so tired, Obito...I’ve been awake for such a long time. I need to rest...okay?”

Tears roll freely down his face. “...so you’re just here to...say goodbye?”

Rin nods, eyes shining with unshed tears of her own. “...I’ll always care for you, Obito. You’re a good boy. Someday, we’ll talk again. But for now...you’ve go more to do here, okay? So...be good. Be strong. And I’ll see you soon.” Reaching, she takes one of his hands in her own, bringing it to her chest with a smile before fading into nothing.

Silence rings in her absence.

Lungs shaking, Obito stares where she stood for a long moment before looking to his companion. Still on her knees, her head is bowed, breath light and shallow. “...oh shit...uh…” Scrambling to his feet, he kneels beside her, shaking her shoulders. “Hey...you okay?”

Managing to lift her head, she reveals a pale, shadowed face, but gives a hint of a smile. “...I’m sorry...I know that was...a lot to take in…”

“Is...is what Rin said -? Is it true? You…?”

“Rin was attached to you,” Ryū murmurs. “At first it was out of concern...and then to help protect you from dark beings trying to feed from and grow the darkness in you, born from your struggles. She told me what happened...about the car crash, and your injuries, and your grandmother. And about what was clinging to you. So...I banished it. You’re safe now...so long as you don’t let yourself sink back into that same pit of despair.”

“...so you could see her...you see ghosts?”

“...I do. And things worse than ghosts.” Grunting, she tries to regain her feet, letting Obito pull her up. “...I’m sorry for the confusion, and the grief, but...I wanted you to be able to say goodbye. She gave so much for you...it was the least I could do.”

“I...I don’t know what to say...thank you, of course! But...that’s a lot to, uh...wrap my head around. I need a minute to sit and...and think.”

After a pause, Ryū gives a soft laugh. “...maybe we could talk it over with coffee, huh?”

“I don’t know if coffee is a good idea - I might just jump out of my skin, but...no offence, you look like you could use like ten cups. Are you okay?”

“...just tired,” she evades softly. “Doing what I did is, um...hard work. Sleep, though, is more what I need.”

“Look, Ryū...I…” Obito grips her shoulders. “...I dunno what to do to thank you.”

“Just keep going. That’s all I ask.”

“But -?”

She lifts a hand, gently resting it atop one of his own with a smile. “...pass it forward. Somewhere, there’s someone who needs a little love from you. When the time comes, you give it. And then they can give it to someone else who needs it. We all need a little love...the world is a cold, lonely place.”

“Well...what about you?”

“Hm?”

“...sounds like you do a lot of giving. Who gives to you?”

Ryū blinks, looking as though she’s never considered that question before. “...I…”

Watching her for a moment, Obito seems to mull it over before offering, “Well...maybe you’re the one who needs it.”

After a pause, she gives a wisp of a laugh, head ducking with a tired smile. “...maybe I am.”

“It, uh...it’s kinda cold, and you need to sit and rest, so...how about we just...go back, and get some cocoa, instead? Then I can make sure you get home all right. You look dead on your feet!”

...she tries not to think about that, but instead smiles at him.

“...all right.”

     Ooomg I've wanted to write this for so long, and then it ended up like twice as long as anything else x''D I got a lil carried away, whoops!      Aaanyway...Obito's had a bit of a tagalong for a while! Two, in fact, if you look closely...and yes, the 'demon' is something familiar, heh heh~ I love the idea of Ryū being able to see ghosts, given her appearance and the use of it as a taunting nickname when she's a kid. I've wanted to do this verse for quite some time! RPed it very briefly, so...I'm being rather self indulgent, huehue~      ...then again this whole thing is self indulgent x''D      ANYWAY, that's all for now! Thanks for reading!

[eatin-all-the-worlds]

CAN WE TALK ABOUT PEARL (Spoiler warning!)

Can we please talk about Pearl and how significant it is that she has the most singing lines in the extended theme song, especially after “A Single Pale Rose”?

So, here’s my thing. ASPR implies so much, but what I’m most interested in is the relationship between Rose/PD and Pearl. Yes, as suggested by the gif above, Pearl’s always hinted at Rose being “more” than Rose. Rose’s sheer abilities compared to other Quartz soldiers were a huge tip-off, thinking back on it. Rebecca Sugar did a fab job putting millions of tiny hints that Rose was always a little more than just a Quartz soldier who decided to screw the rules.

But, ignoring all that, let’s talk about Pearl (like we totally haven’t been since this dang episode came out).

So, besides the implications of how healthy Pearl and Rose’s relationship was, because of Rose’s ability to command Pearl to do things--because, despite her many mistakes, I don’t think Rose ever intentionally abused that ability--it really seems to me like Rose and Pearl are in love when they concoct this plan.

Rose as Pink Diamond is multi-faceted (hah, get it??). Steven sees her as a spoiled brat wanting her own colony in Jungle Moon; he sees her make excuses about colonizing earth in Can’t Go Back; and he sees her eventually create the plan that would lead to her new life as Rose, but would also cost the lives of thousands of gem soldiers in A Single Pale Rose. Obviously, looking back, we can figure out that by Can’t Go Back’s timeline, PD had seen the worth of human beings and used her Rose Quartz persona to attempt to dissuade the Diamonds from colonizing earth. 

So, I just wanna refute all these arguments that PD was selfish and was trying to hide everything and escape responsibility. Pink Diamond was a young, spoiled, initially selfish brat who wanted to be as important as the other Diamonds. She went to earth, saw their beauty and their worth, and decided to try to save it. PD attempted to save the earth through subtle means, initially; she figured the Diamonds did not care about her because of the way they treated her (see Jungle Moon), so they wouldn’t care if a colony of hers failed.

Like a lot of teenagers, Pink Diamond was very self-involved and didn’t realize how her actions would affect the people around her. That’s a little bit cowardice or deliberate selfishness; but that’s primarily the folly of youth.

So, when she sees these plans aren’t working, that the Diamonds will insist on PD succeeding in colonizing earth, she figures her death will make the Diamonds lose interest. Again, thinking like the self-involved teen she seems to be, she’s assuming that the only reason the Diamonds care is likely because, as long as PD is alive, they have a stake in the earth colony. A lot of teens think their parents wouldn’t care if they disappear.

Now, for the point of this: Pearl is PD’s pearl. Pearl is PD’s confidant and knows everything that PD has been trying to do to liberate this planet. At one point, Pearl told Connie and Steven that Rose made her feel like she was everything.

Because Pearl wasn’t some renegade pearl who pulled a Kaiba, flipped everyone off, and walked off the job. Pink Diamond, her master, encouraged Pearl to be different than what she was used to; she inspired Pearl to be a renegade, to learn to fight, to think and speak eloquently, to everything. Everything that Pearl is now stems from the freedom Pink Diamond gave to Pearl. Everything Pearl believes in comes from Pink Diamond’s beliefs.

And after Rose’s, er...death?...Pearl has struggled to find herself in a world where no one is around to tell her to be someone. She made this mistake with Connie and Steven, where she defined herself as a loyal knight to Rose Quartz (a title that Rose apparently gave to Pearl). She struggled again when she tricked Garnet to fuse with her, and told Garnet that she’s just a pearl and she needs someone to tell her what to do--which hinted both at a pearl’s function in homeworld and at the fact that, even as a renegade, Pearl needed Rose to tell her to be a renegade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgseUOceeok (Pearl and Garnet make up)

And it’s a fear that follows Pearl, because she feels incomplete without a master telling her what to do. It’s something that’s always been hinted in Pearl’s character, as far as Rose’s Scabbard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dknVBPvQAc (”I think you’re pretty great”)

But since that episode (and possibly before), we see the common motif of Pearl covering her mouth whenever it seems like there’s a secret about Rose that Steven has uncovered. Now, obviously, we know that a Diamond’s command to her Pearl is final, and PD’s last command to Pearl has forced her to remain silent for millennia. The clip above, where Pearl is devastated after finding out she didn’t know all of Rose’s secrets, ends on a really interesting note; while Steven is happy and thinks he’s understanding his mother and Pearl more, Pearl’s face is not content at the end. Even with all her smiling while she told old war stories, and with her maybe feeling some catharsis after talking to Steven, there’s this haunted look on Pearl’s face that always bothered me and didn’t make sense until ASPR.

Because that’s the point that Pearl realizes that as much as she loved and devoted herself to Rose’s cause, Rose didn’t love her back and Rose wasn’t perfect.

Don’t get me wrong; I do not doubt that, at the time, Rose loved Pearl. When they were making plans to rebel and when Rose encouraged Pearl to change and grow the way Rose wanted to (because its heavily implied that Rose is fascinated by and wanted to emulate human growth), I do not doubt that Rose loved Pearl very much. But, Rose/PD at this time was young and foolish. She didn’t realize that her love for Pearl wasn’t healthy, because she didn’t realize how dependent on Rose’s approval Pearl was.

And maybe she did, later on. The gems have proven that although they do not change physically, their characters can change drastically.

In the years between the rebellion--and, we see Pearl’s perspective most, but I don’t doubt that Rose was just as devastated--and Rose falling in love with Greg, Rose probably did a lot of growing up too.

And some might argue that she didn’t grow up enough, because she gave birth to Steven without giving him any way to know the dangers he might encounter because of her actions. But...that’s the point? As much as Rose may have grown, she didn’t really grow emotionally by leaps and bounds until she interacted with Greg. The gems were mostly stagnant and stayed to themselves. Even the other men Rose would occasionally hook up with would leave--which is why Pearl never saw them as a threat.

But really, what kills my heart here is that as eloquent as Rose seemed to be, she always failed to communicate when it mattered most.

She never talked to the Diamonds honestly.

She never talked about Bismuth.

She never talked about her past.

She never talked to Pearl. 

Like I said, I don’t doubt that PD thought she loved Pearl, but when that love became affection, it seems as though she never thought to talk to Pearl about that. Pearl believed herself to be PD’s most prized possession and closest friend/lover. But Pearl never got the memo that PD’s feelings had changed until Greg came along and made it obvious. How much more must that have hurt Pearl, who was there for PD for everything, to lose PD like that? Because she says it wasn’t Greg in “Both of You”; it was the fact that Rose fell in love with Greg that hurt her. She loved Rose enough to let her go, but she didn’t know she wasn’t in the running anymore.

(I’m getting to the point folks, hang in there)

Pearl singing the majority of the extended theme is so interesting to me, particularly after ASPR, because nothing in there is about her and what she wants--and the only person who could possibly understand her is Steven.

Garnet wants to exist in a world where she can be her grand, gay ol’ self (well, lesbian, but the alliteration!).

Amethyst wants to protect earth because it’s her home, and it’s the only place that considers her perfect.

Pearl...she just wants what Rose wants. She wants what her Diamond wants. What else can she want when she’s weighed down with Pink’s secrets and cannot speak for herself when she really, really wants to?

The real triumph of A Single Pale Rose? It’s finally a weight that Pearl can unload from her shoulders, that will finally allow her to follow Garnet’s advice and stop living for Rose. It a weight that she knew Steven would understand, because at one point, Steven thought he needed to live up to everyone else’s expectations based on what they knew of Rose Quartz; now, Steven has realized that he’s amazing all on his own and the only expectations he needs to live up to are his own (oh man, but that’s a whole other hour long post).

Pearl’s made progress since way before ASPR (remember when she punched Peridot??), but Pearl could never get over her feelings for Rose because Pearl based her entire identity on Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond (”It’s Over, Isn’t It?”)

Remember how snobby she’d get around Greg about how much more she knew regarding Rose than Greg? 

Because Rose’s confidence in Pearl was a symbol of love in Pearl’s eyes. But then, Pearl grew up and understood that Rose was complicated and imperfect; Rose may have loved Pearl, but not the way Pearl loved Rose and not in any way that Pearl needed.

And that’s why we see Pearl try so hard to say something to Steven in the episodes leading up to ASPR; that’s why Pearl is so damn clever, cleverer than even her conscious self, that she figured out a way to tell Steven without breaking her Diamond’s command.

Pearl’s figured out that she and Rose were young and made many mistakes; she figured out that Rose made a mistake in keeping Steven in the dark about her real identity; that’s why Pearl had Steven go in her pearl to find the truth.

Steven already figured out what Pearl had been steadily learning, after all, and she knew Steven was mature enough to understand.

Now Pearl’s got to find her own reason to live on earth and A Single Pale Rose was just the culmination of many things--Rose’s real identity, Pearl’s role in the whole debacle, the reason why the gems were all destroyed so viciously, etc.

And what I love most about Pearl is that, even within the confines of forced silence, Pearl found her voice. Pearl decided that the truth needed to come out one way or another, despite her Diamond’s orders.

I don’t know if they’ll create a new, expanded version of the theme song, but if they do, Pearl better up in there singing about how she’s so fucking renegade, she even disobeyed the master that set her free.

Hell yeah, you have.

Now let’s work on that Jasper redemption arc.

[crimsonrevolt]

Congratulations Paige you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Augustus Rookwood.

↳ please refer to our character checklist

Welcome back Paige! To hear from you was such a pleasant surprise and to have you back is even better! We never know what Augustus is going to do and that’s what makes him so great! He’s complex and interesting and we’re ready to have him back on the dash!

application beneath the cut 

OUT OF CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION

Paige, 25, she/her, EST. I’m from Tennessee in the United States!

ACTIVITY

I’m currently having to share a laptop with my mom, and Chronic Fatigue keeps me pretty dead for most of the day, but I plan to get online at least once daily to reply to anything I owe. So 5/10 maybe? I mean, I’m ALWAYS available via chat though, to plot or just talk.

HOW DID YOU FIND US?

Originally, Alexis, your former (original?) Rabastan. Then I was here for months, left, returned for a year, left, and I’m baaaaaaaaack! Lol You know I can’t stay away from my trash son.

WHAT HARRY POTTER CHARACTER DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST?

In the past, I said Hermione without hesitation. I was always the one who felt a bit left out when new to a school, the one who lived to make teachers happy, and was a little too weird to make friends on my own without an intervening force. However, now I would say Minerva. In my friend group, I tend to be “mom”. I use logic and my mediating skills to make sure everyone stays out of too much trouble, work on guiding them through tough situations, and I always offer snacks when someone is upset. Also, cats are my life, and if I could become one, I would. Though even with the benefit of magic, the process would be incredibly complicated and I’m super lazy.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Nope!

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER

Augustus Rookwood.

Middle name: Xavier.

Name’s full meaning: Majestic, splendid, bird/forest

FACE CLAIM

Daniel Sharman

REASON FOR CHOSEN CHARACTER

What I put in my first apps: I’ve always been drawn to the darker characters. Especially the ones who appear very controlled when in the public eye, and then “let loose” when they’re behind closed doors. Then there was mention of his family basically putting him on a pedestal. I’ve always loved (and had a muse for) characters that have a little too much responsibility put on their shoulders by their parents, and then begin to crack under the pressure in highly destructive ways.

Augustus seems like the type of person who originally started out trying to be the best son he could be. Who nodded and smiled at his parents’ plans for his future, worked his hardest in school, and then one day realized there was someone out there (The Dark Lord) to whom he could devote himself, and not have to be so perfect and “good”.

Which is why he will last in this war. No one suspects the “good little quiet boy” who kept his nose in his books, and his potentially deadly spells to himself. Not even the Dark Lord wanted him at first. Not until Augustus showed him exactly what he was capable of, behind a locked door, when everyone else was out trying to make as much noise for their cause as possible.

Now that he has an excuse to use the dark skills he’s kept to himself for years, Augustus kills when asked to and tortures just for the fun of it. However, he draws the line at children, and will convince another member of the group to kill/torture them when sent to “take care of” an entire family. He can’t exactly explain why he’s protective of children, or why that mindset changes as soon as they’ve reached an age when they can defend themselves. Perhaps it’s just too easy, and he likes a challenge.

Now that I’ve actually played him: He evolved over time and his ability to suppress his emotions slipped drastically depending on who he was with. There were far more bad influences than good ones, and soon, a few too many people knew his secrets and he was caught. Since then, he has retreated back into himself as much, if not more than before, and mainly focuses on his job and making the Dark Lord proud. And God, he feels like screaming every minute of every day. As the climax of the war draws nearer, situations become more and more tense. The whispers behind his back make his skin crawl, and although he knows he will be protected if he lashes out, he swallows his curses like acid. He was betrayed once, and won’t let it happen again.

PREFERRED SHIPS // CHARACTER SEXUALITY // GENDER & PRONOUNS

Preferred ships? Augustus/everyone, to be honest. Augustus will have sex with anyone. Long time friends, people he wants to manipulate, strangers, whatever. Sex isn’t tied to emotion for him. It is purely the pursuit of pleasure. Hell, he would probably have sex with the Dark Lord without even being commanded to do so. Because yolo? But romance is an entirely different animal. It requires trust and emotional connection and way too much of oneself. Therefore, Augustus has only felt such a connection once, and he’s not sure he wants to repeat it. However, he could easily be in a relationship or marriage with someone out of convenience or friendship. Though no monogamy or cute stuff unless pretending for the public. He thinks it would be selfish to tie someone down like that if he can’t offer them what they need emotionally.

Overall, Augustus identifies as an aromantic pansexual (though those labels aren’t exactly a thing in the 70s/80s), as a cis male (he/him/his). There has been some gender experimentation with polyjuice potion, but that was purely for fun.

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER:

Patronus: Lynx. (Lore states that the secretive lynx represents controlled power, individualism, and sharp-sightedness. Lynx people are generally exceedingly observant, quiet, intelligent, and curious. Though their independent nature can strike some as aloof, they are often excellent guides and steadfast friends.) Boggart: Someone outing him for what he’s done. Such as, a member of the Wizengamot reading a list of his crimes. Wand: Hazel (Wandlore states that “A sensitive wand, hazel often reflects its owner’s emotional state, and works best for a master who understands and can manage their own feelings.”), 10 inches, Dragon heartstring core, Unyielding.

Blog: http://avgvstvs.tumblr.com

LINK TO VISUAL AESTHETIC

Brief playlist: “Choke” - I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, “Strangers” - Halsey (ft. Lauren Jauregui), “Run” - AWOLNATION, “The Last One” - Black Veil Brides

Aesthetic: On one hand, he’s a smoking gun, hands dripping with blood, wet leather after a surprise storm, teeth on pale skin, the way a bottle of alcohol holds the scent when empty, skin rubbed against a rough brick wall, and sins in hallowed places. But then he’s also the smell of old books, chalk covered hands from solving impossible problems, secrets whispered to empty rooms, lies screamed into crowded places, nails digging into palms, tantrums behind locked doors, cold chains, hot coffee, lightning and hurricanes. But then as an Unspeakable, there’s all this mystery surrounding his job, and the strict rules he must follow.  So order and perfection. But as a Death Eater, there’s all this chaos and mess. Augustus in school was far different. Sweaters with sleeves a little too long, glasses to read that kept slipping off, smudged parchment, top marks hidden from fellow students, praise from teachers sounding too much like the praise from his parents, the death of a sibling and the expectation to immediately get over it, sitting in windows and watching the world move too fast. Everything was perfectly imperfect, and he did everything he could to grasp and absorb the chaos around him, and hold it tight.

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

The following section should be looked at like a survey for your character. Answer them in character and feel free to use gifs. Or, if you’d rather, answer them in third person or OOC without gifs. Answers do not have to be extremely lengthy.

♔ If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it: “I would not invent my own. I would simply rework the pre-existing Obliviate and make it much more permanent and impossible to reverse. The incantation would be obliviscaris in perpetuum (forget forever) and it would be invaluable for those who wish to use it on victims, or for those who have something traumatic or highly sensitive in their past that they’d rather forget..”

♔ You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one other character and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you’d want with you: “I would choose to take the Dark Lord with me, obviously, despite him never being one to follow someone else. His powers surpass anything the forest could throw at us. Also, I would bring a time-turner with me, due to its ability to help me return to any moment before I run into trouble, and allow me to take a different path.”

♔ What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make? “Those that require me to go against my deceitful nature and be completely honest with people. Like, a decision that if I am being truthful, would end my carefully constructed public image.”

♔ What is one thing you would never want said about you? “I would never want someone accusing me of something, whether I did the deed or not. How I spend my time is an entirely private matter, and I would rather not have others prying into my life, no matter what they believe I have done.”

REACTION TO LAST EVENT DROP

While Augustus is glad that the Ministry is fully within the clutches of the Dark Lord’s side, he disagrees with the eradication of non-purebloods. He has never been a blood purest due to his childhood as an outcast and the discovery that those with colorful family trees tend to be the kindest. And after his time spent in America surrounded by Muggles, Augustus doesn’t really give a shit who your parents are. He plans to do almost everything he can to avoid a total genocide. Sure, murder and mayhem are fun, but one must draw a line at the slaughter of friends. Perhaps. While he has no plans to actively work against his fellow Death Eaters, he will not turn down direct orders. And for now, his orders are to stay focused on his work in the Department Of Mysteries. He has a plan for The Dark Lord that only someone who works in the Love Chamber can properly research.

WRITING SAMPLE

Augustus hadn’t been in this to make friends. Since childhood he’d fully accepted that he was born to be a loner. Besides, everyone else just got in his way. But as he sat, with cold metal chains wrapped around his wrists and ankles, clinking every time he tried (and failed) to find a more comfortable position, he felt truly and utterly alone. For the first time in his life, he began wishing there was someone by his side. Anyone, really. Just another warm body to deflect some of the angry, betrayed looks coming from the seats in which sat the Wizengamot and others. At that point, he would have even accepted a few of his least favorite acquaintances.

Unfortunately, everyone he knew was either dead, in Azkaban, or in the audience, watching with bated breath. This trial was one that had brought out spectators from every department of the Ministry. NO ONE had suspected the quiet wizard who went directly to and from the Department Of Mysteries every day, never making enemies or even standing out very much. He’d played his role perfectly. Even now, he kept his true self behind a facade, acting the part of the wrongly accused. Because he truly intended to leave the trial a free man. What good was the word of Karkaroff against his? The headmaster of a foreign school known to breed dark wizards, against a ‘friend’ of many at the Ministry? He’d spent countless hours cultivating false relationships with these people, earning their trust, and then gathering secrets. And until his name was spat by Karkaroff, it hadn’t so much as flashed through people’s minds. Not since he was pardoned all those years ago after his interrogation at the hands of Aversio.

The questions were easily answered with lies, and he even asked some of his own. “Where were you on the night of (…)?” “Where was I? Where were your Aurors? How could you let this happen?” “Who else answers to He Who Must Not Be Named?” “Clearly you’re bringing anyone in these days. If I pointed at any of you, would you put them on trial too?” Until the lies weren’t enough to get him released, and a vial of Veritaserum was brought out.

Rookwood started to sweat in that moment. His breath became ragged and his hands began to violently shake. If he was being honest with himself, he would have realized that it was sheer terror he was experiencing. As the potion was carried across the room and uncorked, he’d half expected someone to burst into the room and save him. The other part of him knew his entire life was about to change for the worse. Even as the liquid was forced into his mouth, possible scenarios of escape danced through his mind. If only the chains were slightly loose. Maybe one of his fellow Death Eaters sat amongst the crowd. Yaxley? Cassius? Dolores? Perhaps someone would have a sudden change of heart and remember how impossible it seemed for him to be a part of this. But alas, the chains were magic, all of his comrades had already been captured or killed, and after the trial of Barty Crouch Jr., no one trusted even the least suspicious person.

And then words were spilling past his lips, almost too fast, with the sting of Veritaserum still on his tongue. When asked about his dealings with the Death Eaters, he held nothing back, despite the deep ache within his very soul that got stronger with each new thing he revealed. Both the Wizengamot and the audience gasped as he told details of the lives he’d destroyed. How he’d stalked several entire families before torturing and killing them. The bodies he’d left in alleyways. The memories he’d stolen from those he’d left bloody and beaten. The way it made him feel when people begged. He told them it was an almost sexual satisfaction, and the Veritaserum-induced smirk that went along with his words must have been the final nail in his coffin, because the trial ended swiftly after that.

Augustus was forced to watch as his beloved wand was snapped in half in front of him, and he was immediately taken to a cold, damp room where an elderly wizard stripped him of his fine, embroidered robes and a pair of striped, dirty ones were shoved into his hands. He would be taking a portkey to Azkaban directly from that room, without a chance to say goodbye to anyone. Not that he cared very much for anyone in his life, especially those not currently residing in the prison he was destined for, but it was all very sudden. Like a flower being plucked from a vast garden and shoved into a dusty old vase, just waiting to die.

And in this little vase of his, he was alone.

[orbemnews]

A Last-Minute Add to Stimulus Bill Could Restrict State Tax Cuts WASHINGTON — A last-minute change in the $1.9 trillion economic relief package that President Biden signed into law this week includes a provision that could temporarily prevent states that receive government aid from turning around and cutting taxes. The restriction, which was added by Senate Democrats, is intended to ensure that states use federal funds to keep their local economies humming and avoid drastic budget cuts and not simply use the money to subsidize tax cuts. But the provision is causing alarm among some local officials, primarily Republicans, who see the move as federal overreach and fear conditions attached to the money will impede upon their ability to manage their budgets as they see fit. Officials are scrambling to understand what strings are attached to the $220 billion that is expected to be parceled out among states, territories and tribes and are already pressing the Treasury Department for guidance about the restrictions they will face if they take federal money. Under the new law, $25 billion will be divided equally among states, while $169 billion will be allocated based on a state’s unemployment rate. States can use the money for pandemic-related costs, offsetting lost revenues to provide essential government services, and for water, sewer and broadband infrastructure projects. But they are prohibited from depositing the money into pension funds — a key worry of Republicans in Congress — and cannot use funds to cut taxes by “legislation, regulation or administration” through 2024. Democrats slipped the new language into the legislation last week after several senators from the party’s moderate wing expressed concern that some states would seize on the opportunity to use emergency relief money to subsidize tax cuts. They worked with Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, on language for the amendment, according to a Democratic Senate aide. Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, explained why he pushed for the language in a briefing this week, arguing that states should not be cutting taxes at a time when they need more money to combat the virus. He urged states to postpone their plans to cut taxes. “How in the world would you cut your revenue during a pandemic and still need dollars?” Mr. Manchin said. Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, said the funds were meant “to keep teachers and firefighters on the job and prevent the gutting of state and local services that we saw during the Great Recession.” “It’s important that there are guardrails to prevent these funds from being used to cut taxes for those at the top,” he added. But some Republican-led states are pointing to the apparent prohibition as violation of their sovereignty and calling for that part of the law to be repealed. They see the requirement that states refrain from cutting taxes as an unusual intervention by the federal government in state tax policy. “It is an intrusion into what would traditionally be a state prerogative of how we balance our budget,” said Ben Watkins, the director of the Florida Division of Bond Finance. “If they want to give us this money to deal with Covid, then they should just give it to us with no strings attached.” Funding for state and local governments was one of the most contentious issues during stimulus talks, with Republicans saying Democrat-led states were being rewarded for mismanaging their finances and labeling the aid as a “blue-state bailout.” Those concerns were amplified in the latest legislation, which allocates money to a state based on a formula that considers its unemployment rate rather than its population. Conservative-leaning states, many of which had less onerous coronavirus restrictions and did not shut down as much business activity, claim they are essentially being penalized for prioritizing their economies during the pandemic. But early analyses of the bill show that both conservative-leaning and liberal-leaning states will receive big chunks of cash. California, Florida, New York and Texas will each get more than $10 billion in aid, according to a Tax Foundation tally. Still, the tax language has angered Republicans — none of whom voted for the rescue package — and on Thursday, Senator Mike Braun, Republican of Indiana, introduced legislation to reverse it. “Democrats are trying to ban states from cutting taxes with a sneaky amendment to the $1.9 trillion so-called Covid relief package,” Mr. Braun said. “Not only did this blue-state bailout bill penalize states for reopening by calculating state funds based on unemployment, now they are trying to use it as a back door to ban states from cutting taxes.” The restrictions have created a conundrum for states because, while many cities are facing budget crunches, state finances have turned out to be relatively healthy. A New York Times analysis this month found that, on balance, state revenues were generally flat or down slightly last year compared with 2019 as expanded unemployment benefits allowed consumer spending and tax revenues to keep flowing. “Idaho would potentially subsidize poorly managed states simply because we are using our record budget surplus to pursue historic tax relief for our citizens,” Gov. Brad Little of Idaho said this week. “We achieved our record budget surplus after years of responsible, conservative governing and quick action during the pandemic, and our surplus should be returned to Idahoans as I proposed.” Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican of West Virginia, criticized Mr. Manchin in an interview this week with CNN. How Has the Pandemic Changed Your Taxes? Will stimulus payments be taxed? Nope. The so-called economic impact payments are not treated as income. In fact, they’re technically an advance on a tax credit, known as the Recovery Rebate Credit. The payments could indirectly affect what you pay in state income taxes in a handful of states, where federal tax is deductible against state taxable income, as our colleague Ann Carrns wrote. Read more. Are my unemployment benefits taxable? Mostly.  Unemployment insurance is generally subject to federal as well as state income tax, though there are exceptions (Nine states don’t impose their own income taxes, and another six exempt unemployment payments from taxation, according to the Tax Foundation). But you won’t owe so-called payroll taxes, which pay for Social Security and Medicare. The new relief bill will make the first $10,200 of benefits tax-free if your income is less than $150,000. This applies to 2020 only. (If you’ve already filed your taxes, watch for I.R.S. guidance.) Unlike paychecks from an employer, taxes for unemployment aren’t automatically withheld. Recipients must opt in — and even when they do, federal taxes are withheld only at a flat rate of 10 percent of benefits. While the new tax break will provide a cushion, some people could still owe the I.R.S. or certain states money. Read more. I worked from home this year. Can I take the home office deduction? Probably not, unless you’re self-employed, an independent contractor or a gig worker. The tax law overhaul of late 2019 eliminated the home office deduction for employees from 2018 through 2025. “Employees who receive a paycheck or a W-2 exclusively from an employer are not eligible for the deduction, even if they are currently working from home,” the I.R.S. said. Read more. How does the family leave credit work? Self-employed people can take paid caregiving leave if their child’s school is closed or their usual child care provider is unavailable because of the outbreak. This works similarly to the smaller sick leave credit — 67 percent of average daily earnings (for either 2020 or 2019), up to $200 a day. But the caregiving leave can be taken for 50 days. Read more. Have rules changed on charitable giving? Yes. This year, you can deduct up to $300 for charitable contributions, even if you use the standard deduction. Previously, only people who itemized could claim these deductions. Donations must be made in cash (for these purposes, this includes check, credit card or debit card), and can’t include securities, household items or other property. For 2021, the deduction limit will double to $600 for joint filers. Rules for itemizers became more generous as well. The limit on charitable donations has been suspended, so individuals can contribute up to 100 percent of their adjusted gross income, up from 60 percent. But these donations must be made to public charities in cash; the old rules apply to contributions made to donor-advised funds, for example. Both provisions are available through 2021. Read more. “He’s hurting his own people in the state of West Virginia,” Mr. Justice said. “I do not condone it.” The provision is also raising questions about what actually constitutes a tax cut and whether the law could prevent states from other types of tax relief. The language of the legislation appears to offer states little wiggle room. Jared Walczak, the vice president for state projects at the Tax Foundation’s Center for State Tax Policy, said that the fine print in the law raised many complicated questions for states that, in some cases, would be awarded money for things that they either do not need or that they already had plans to pay for out of their budgets. It is not clear, for example, if a state could use aid money for an expense related to the coronavirus that it was already planning to pay for and then offer tax credits with the additional surplus. “If the federal government intends to forbid any sort of revenue negative tax policy, no matter what its size, because a state received some funding, that would be a radical federal entanglement in state fiscal policy that may go beyond what was intended,” Mr. Walczak said. Such questions will largely hinge on how Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen interprets the legislation and what guidance the Treasury Department gives to states. A department official noted that the law says that states and territories that receive the aid cannot use the funds to offset a reduction in net tax revenue as a result of tax cuts because the money is intended to be used to support the public health response and avoid layoffs and cuts to public services. More guidance on the matter is coming, the official said. The lack of clarity also raises the risk that states use the money for projects or programs that do not actually qualify under the law and then are forced to repay the federal government. States are required to submit regular reports to the Treasury Department accounting for how the funds are being spent and to show any other changes that they have made to their tax codes. The department will also be setting up a system of monitoring how the funds are being used. Emily Swenson Brock, the director of the Federal Liaison Center at the Government Finance Officers Association, said that the eligible uses of the federal aid appeared to be relatively limited for the states and that some might actually find it challenging to deploy the money in a useful way. “It’s complicated here for the states,” Ms. Brock said, adding that her organization had asked the Treasury Department for an explanation. “Congress is reaching in and telling these states how they can and can’t use that money.” Before they receive federal funds, states will have to submit a certification promising to use the money according to the law. They could also decline funding or, if they are set on tax cuts, they could offset them with other sources of revenue that do not include the federal funds. For many states, the federal money is welcome even if they do not necessarily need it for public health purposes. Melissa Hortman, the speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, said that she was hopeful that the federal government gives states the flexibility to use the money to make up for lost revenue from the virus. She suggested that the state should look to make new investments in education and transportation. Minnesota is expected to have a budget surplus for the next two years and will receive more than $2 billion in aid. “It’s not too much money,” said Ms. Hortman, a Democrat. “Our country has just lived through a once-in-a-hundred-year pandemic.” Source link Orbem News #Add #Bill #cuts #lastminute #restrict #state #Stimulus #Tax

[erabtt]

Tips On How to define the most effective Pediatric Facility in your town

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Your pediatrician could be a wealth of data on lots of subjects, like dental treatment, protection, diet, preventative care, and proper advancement and progress. By adhering to these recommendations, parents can experience at ease generating the educated choice of who their pediatrician will be and if you would like know additional pay a visit to our weblog https://www.modernpediatrics.com/blog/how-to-know-if-pediatric-concierge-medicine-is-right-for-your-family.

[dazais-coat]

Underappreciated Shows

Most of these are shows I’ve watched that really deserve more recognition so this will be slightly opinionated. Without further ado, let’s get into the small rants! I will attempt to keep this spoiler free!

Hamatora The Animation

‘Hamatora’ first debuted back in January of 2014 and its second season wrapped up in September of the same year. In just 24 episodes the watchers were given so much content along with 2 story arcs. This show is comedy, mystery, and superpower based anime. This show is centered around the detective agency that consists of our main characters; Nice, Murasaki, Hajime, Ratio, Birthday, Honey, Three, Koneko, and Master. Most of the characters throughout this story have Minimums. What are minimums? Well if you’re familiar with ‘My Hero Academia’ or ‘Bungou Stray Dogs’ they are similar to the Quirks and Abilities. If you aren’t familiar with those two then one you should watch them and two, Minimums are powers that a person has when they discover what activates them. In Nice’s case, he must put his headphones on his ear to activate the Sound Manipulation Minimum which he possesses.

The main character throughout the story is Nice, yes that’s his name (don’t judge him he’s my favorite). In the first season Nice and Murasaki are the main characters, but in the following season, Nice and Hajime are the main characters. This switch helps the dynamic of the story arc because in season one we get more of how the relationship and teamwork are between Nice and Murasaki since these two guys do different jobs together. Towards the end of season one, we get a taste for what the next season, which follows to center around how Hajime and Nice met and what Hajime’s Minimum is.

This series has a very complex set of characters with odd names, like c’mon who would name their child Birthday! I love this series because I’m a big fan of mystery and powers and when a show blends comedy and mystery well, my utmost respect goes to the writer. The two-story arcs really compliment each other, things from season one are explained in season two that you just sit at your screen like ‘Oh my gosh what the heck?!’ and a series that can put the audience in shock really shows the power of how well it’s done. I watched this with my friend Lils and both of us really enjoyed how well the series was done, along with the drastic animation change the series is really well done.

Akagami No Shirayukihime

‘Akagami No Shirayukihime’ aired in July of 2015 and the second season wrapped up in March of 2016. This series is a drama, romance, fantasy, and shoujo with 24 episodes. The show centers around a group of five main characters, each very different in personality and social standing. Shirayuki, Zen, Obi, Kiki, and Mitsuhide are the main characters of the series and the show follows them around the kingdom Clarines. The shows name translates to ‘Snow White with the Red Hair’, referring to Shirayuki. Shirayuki’s name translates to ‘Snow White’ because of how the shows start and it's small amount of fantasy aspects.

Shirayuki originally wasn’t born in Clarines, she used to live Tanbarun as an herbalist. She then had to flee because of the Prince of Tanbarun, Raj, wanted to make her his mistress. When Shirayuki fled she ran into Zen and his two guards Kiki and Mitsuhide, Zen saved her from Raj and revealed that he was the second prince of Clarines. Later on, we meet Obi in some not so friendly circumstances. Shirayuki decided to stay in Clarines and became a court herbalist for the castle. Obi then joins Zen’s group as a right hand in a sense.

This show never had a stage of hype and goes unrecognized by a lot of people. I’m not too much of a fan of romance animes but this anime truly grabbed my attention and gave me some love for the romance genre. The series goes through multiple small arcs but mainly centers around the relationship between Shirayuki and Zen. The characters all go through a great deal of character development and it shows throughout the story. This show really shows the trial and error that Shirayuki goes through while living in Clarines. She proves her worth even though people put her down because of her social status not being very high. Zen really cares for Shirayuki and continuously protects her from so many people that put her down or try to hurt her.

K

‘K’ debuted in October 2012 and wrapped up its second season in December 2015 with 26 episodes. This series follows Yashiro, Kurou, and Neko along with two kings Suoh and Munakata. The genres of this anime are action, superpower, and supernatural. The story centers around seven kings; Silver, Gold, Red, Blue, Green, Gray, and Colorless. These kings possess supernatural powers that correlate with the color that their clan is. Every king, for the most part, has clansmen that they give a bit of power too. Each clan has a king with a sword that contains the energy of the king. If this energy is depleted or the word is broken by another king, the king of that clan will die.

We’re quickly introduced to our one of our main characters, Yashiro. We then come to find out that he’s being hunted down by Suoh the red king and Munakata the blue king. These two kings accuse Yashiro of the murder of Tatara Totsuka, that Yashiro claims he couldn’t have committed. Kurou at first tries to kill Yashiro but soon begins to let him prove his innocence. These two and Yashiro’s cat Neko, continuously try to find out what happened that night that Tatara was murdered. This though isn’t the only thing that’s unraveling, while Suoh continues his search for Yashiro things start to become cloudy in his memories and he must find out what is the cause of this.

This anime is ranked fairly high but it truly doesn’t get enough credit for the effort that’s put into this series. The series has a very dynamic storyline with so much lore put into it that makes the series so original and one that probably took months or years to perfect. I’m a huge fan of series with complicated storylines and this one really takes the cake. This series is one of my favorites and I wish more people would watch it and give it a bit more recognition.

[knightofbalance-13]

Fucking Eye Colors

http://dudeblade.tumblr.com/post/165656377489/rwby-theory-yangs-eye-colors

Apparently Dudeblade can’t anime.

Because this makes more sense than claiming that it’s because Tai had blue eyes, and Raven had Red eyes!

Maybe in the real world but this shit is incredibly common in anime where kids most likely end up as mixtures of their parents or younger versions. And RWBY is clearly an anime so...are you just so out of touch with anime and animation in general that you forgot people don’t have to follow reality in animation and that a character’s design will always say something abnout them? Because if you weren’t then you’d catch on that Yang’s design makes it clear that outwardly she’s like her dad but really shares more with her mom.

Hello tumblr, and welcome to RWBY Theory! The only place where you’ll find confusion as to why the writers don’t just reveal that Summer is living with Raven’s tribe, and that they keep the others up with their constant horizontal dancing because they’re both bad moms.

Meaning Dudeblade will pull evidence and reasoning out of his ass you justify his “theories” and not take actual evidence into account. IE He’s just like the person he’s ripping off, Game/Film Theory.

Speaking of moms, let’s talk about the team mom of RWBY, Yang Xiao Long.

I’d rather not because each time you talk about Yang it’s either to shift blame about her problems onto her dad or uncle or to glorify her or to make her into a lesbian with Blake, not understanding that bisexuality is a thing. Either way, I end up disliking Yang more and more because of you.

Ah, now weren’t these the good ol’ days? The days when the biggest thing that the rwde tag had to complain about was that the villains were bland, and that we knew nothing about Ren or Nora’s backstories?

You mean the times that never existed and you’re making up to hide the fact you’re all sociopaths?

Good times. Good times.

I guess it would be good if the times ended with everyone in the rwde tag getting their mouths sown shut or having them officially banned from the RWBY fandom but that’s just me.

Instead, them guys in the rwde tag complain about Jaune getting too much screentime, Sun eavesdropping on Blake with a lame excuse, and… a Shipping War? great. It’s like the freaking Zutara vs. Katang war all over again. Only between a heteronormative couple, and an LGBT couple. So I guess it’s more like the Makorra vs Korrasami war, only less civil… And less fun.

A. You mean lying about Jaune having too much screentime due to misandry.

B. Not like SUn is socially awkward and was under pressure and Blake’s dadf hates him and looks like a goddamn Joestar.

C. You misspelled “heterosexual”...oh you meant that: Well, I wouldn’t take that from mr. “heterosexuality is a cliche.”

D. Only got yourselves to blame for the shipping war: if you people didn’t encourage rabid Bumbleby shipeprs to be irrational fucks about gay ships and act like it was either Bumbleby or queerbaiting, none of this would happened.

E. We STILL haven’t gotten to the so-called “theory.”

Back on track here! Let’s get into Yang’s parents.

How about we don’t because you have clear bias against male characters and for female characters, especially Taiyang and Raven respectively. Expecting you to be impartial about either of them, especially BOTH of them, is like expecting Starscream to stay loyal: Complete stupidity.

So between the oversensitive ablest, and the insensitive deadbeat, we somehow ended up with the only character who bothered to learn how to fight even in the event that she lost her weapon. Now, let’s take a look at eye colors of both of them.

By “oversensitive ableist”, he means “guy is a good father but I have a terrible mom so I’m gonna project all my problems with her onto him because he made one joke I personally was not okay with.”

And by “insensitive deadbeat”, he means “Mass murderer who left Yang, came back once, spat in her face and telling her “I don’t love you” through her uncle, ignores her disabled, depressed daughetr and then tried manipulating Qrow using Yang.”

See what i mean? Dudeblade tries putting these two as equal when one is one of the best dads in anime and the other is basically the female equivalent of Gendo fucking Ikari. 

Also: Taiyang was shown sparring with yang in the first scene of episode nine BARE HANDED so even THAT doesn’t work.

Now, genetics says that Tai’s eyes should be dominant, as blue eyes tend to be a more dominant trait? - Well, no.

Some genes can be recessive, but given how unlikely it is that Yang got a mix between her parents’ eye colors (Read: It’s impossible), we have to turn to science to deduce something…

Or, considering RWBY follows physics and logic in character design and fight scenes as much as her dad Gurren Lagann, we can take a look at instead TROPES to figure this out. And there so happens to be a trope like this: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PatchworkKids And look, Yang is an example! Almost like science is flexible in media...

Which gets complicated when we take into account of Yang’s Semblance… Or rather, this makes it less complicated.

A screenshot from the Wiki states:

As we can clearly see, Tai was negligent to the point that he decided to NOT train Yang how to win without her semblance beforehand. 

Of course it’s Taiyang’s fault, not that it doesn’t work with Taiyang’s personality as he is shown to do that thing Yang never does and work around his opponent, constantly harms in that Yang isn’t doing things right and tries helping her out. Or that this is more likely a problem with Yang’s personality of being hot headed, rash, blinded by anger and just plain short sighted like when she fought an opponent with a clear advantage over her in area (Neo and Neon) or weaponry (Adam) but didn’t change a goddamn thing to move around these obstacles. No it has to be the character with a dick right?

This is why Yang has dropped in my favorite characters’ list: Because you people REFUSE to hold her accountable for her actions and blaming everyone-no I’m sorry: every MALE around her for her actions.

Sorry about that. Must be some leftover salt from before. Erhem, As we can see, Yang’s eyes are something is only mentioned offhandedly as being a side-effect - Something that has never been seen by any other semblance.

Except Adam’s semblance which causes him to glow with power and is noted to being similar to Yang’s (http://rwby.wikia.com/wiki/Semblance#Adam_Taurus). Great job with the research there.

No other characters’ eyes change when their semblance gets activated (Aside from Neo, but she’s an illusionist). In fact, outside of Neo’s illusion semblance, and Klein’s… Whatever, no other character has a drastic indicator to their semblance either. Eyes might glow, or colors may shift, but nothing as drastic as a complete change in eye color.

Aside from Adam...and Ruby and her red covered self...and Blake with her clones..and Ren and his grey scale filter. Gee, almost like you DON’T know what you are talking about.

In fact, no other semblance that’s been seen has a side-effect this drastic. Outside of Ruby’s rose petals, or a brief glow in the eyes, no other character has eyes that change completely in color when it’s not their direct semblance.

So wiat, is it unique or not? you go back on your statement in literally the next sentence and yet you continue on like nothing happened.

This leads me to the theory at hand: Yang’s eyes are naturally red.

And as we will soon see, this doesn’t work.

See, I believe that Yang’s semblance is basically on 24/7. And that semblance is basically what the wiki says, but she has it active all the time. It is only when she  is calm, and doesn’t have it active that her eyes are lilac. The lilac coloring of her eyes is a disguise. Much like how Yang disguises her inner self (The hurt little girl who had to grow up fast, and didn’t have much of a childhood) while the red eyes are what she wants to be - A woman powerful enough to dish back what the world throws at her, because it’s crapped on her that much.

Except that ISN’T who Yang is. Yang DID have a childhood, the way she is carefree and generally happy shows that she grew up with a childhood and ISN’T hurt. and Yang certainly ISN’T the type to hide her feelings: When she was angry with Blake, she showed it, When she was sad at Blake not trusting her, she showed. When Yang was conflicted about her mother, she showed it. Yang is the definition of “Heart on their sleeve.”

The person you people keep describing is RUBY. But I think you don’t want to admit it because if you did, then Kuroyuri suddenly makes sense.

Back on the subject of YANG: it is Yang’s ability to get back up and do what ever she sets her mind to as well as her straightforward and honest nature that her Semblance represents with her red eyes showing the similarities between herself and Raven. So whatever you’re talking about makes no sense.

PS: it CAN’T be active all the time: Semblances consume Aura so it just CAN’T be active all the time.

Yang’s semblance doesn’t have the side-effect of turning her eyes red, it has the side effect of turning her eyes lilac when not active.

Why? Ignoring the fact that Semblances run on a limited source: For symbolism, this would mean that on the surface she is more like her mother but her outright aspects reflect TAIYANG, not RAVEN. her eyes only change to red when she is angry, when Yang is the most like her perpetually angry mother. It just makes sense if you just take it as is instead of making all this up so WHY are you doing this?

After all, we never really see young Yang’s eyes until AFTER that traumatic event. That even could very well be what activated her semblance. And then Qrow and Tai decide to convince her that lilac was her natural eye color all this time to sway her from trying to find out about Raven…

And well, we know how that goes.

... Oh, that’s why: An excuse to make the males look worse. Great...

But hey, that’s just a theory!

Thanks for reading!

And just like Matpat, y6ou are ignoring facts and canon to justify your theory, thus DEFEATING the purpose pho a theory.

Of course, MatPat has SOME crediblity, you never had any.