#and they make skills connected to certain plot lines and jobs and other skills
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I’ve been playing a lot of small indie games and god I wish the rest of the game industry understood that the whole point of farming and grinding is so that in some point of the journey the player can go HAHAHA I PLANNED FOR THIS and pull off crazy crap earlier than they should be able to. Like Teenage Exocolonist letting me just walk past all the checks when I’m outside the colony and go to the boss immediately because I farmed the fuck out of my perception skill should technically be game ruining but it’s not. I planned for this so I could get the ascension ending easily while simultaneously putting the rest of my effort into figuring out as much about engineering as possible at the same time so I can pull off a full shield run. Having advantages in certain contexts should allow me to interact with it in a way that opens an entirely new path for me to take. Poisoning the campfire survivors at the very beginning of my Inscryption run lets me take a route where I focus on building up the cards I already have instead of hunting down new ones. Advantages are good!! Grinding so you’re high enough level to beat one boss only for the rest of the game to balance itself by making everything else many levels higher than you once again is unrewarding. If your player cannot face your game from multiple angles then maybe it’s not that worth exploring. If your player over relies on an ability they spent a long time working up and they’ve made the game too easy make it so that steers them into a new situation where they have to innovate on their strategy to get things going again. Just hand me a game like Inscryption where I farm the whole game with fecundity decks and then get to Kaycee’s Mod and realize I have to relearn the whole game from a completely new perspective now that I can’t rely on that anymore. If it’s just a matter of “the numbers are too high we have to turn all the other numbers up too” then do the numbers really mean anything anymore or are you just keeping me stuck in a role where I’m saying to myself “once I have the advantage I’ll be able to explore so many new things” but then never letting me have any advantage until near the end when the world has lost its charm because everything is just a damn numbers game.
#Crow rants#again#idk what to tag this I’m just saying shit man#uhh#i was a teenage exocolonist#a rare game that understands the value of having skill stats#I can go on a long rant about how I’ve never seen any other game pull skill stats off that well#the system has its flaws but they balanced the whole advantage thing AND time loop replay advantages at the same time#and they make skills connected to certain plot lines and jobs and other skills#it’s amazing#good example of making grinding fun and not soul sucking#not to mention how they manage to make them work with role playing!!#the players ability to make clever choices still has value while also giving the skill levels value simultaneously#that is a HARD thing to pull off believe me
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Val Ocitie
(I’ve already made an information post like this, but said post is pretty long; in fact, it’ll just get longer and more expansive as I develop new characters and stories for [The Future Mob Project]. And I’m worried that the sheer length will make readers lose interest when they click on a link to look for a specific character. So, I’ll be making separate information pages for each character while still maintaining the all-inclusive post. Got it? Good.)
Who They’re Based Off Of: Lio Tipton
Their Method of Work: Tommy guns may be rare nowadays, but that isn’t a problem for Val. Their hidden arsenal is already impressive enough; you could say they have many, many neutral specials. Sure, they can see the appeal of blades and other deadly stuff, but guns are fast, efficient, and most importantly of all, devastating. (Especially if a silencer is involved. Ooh, does that help thicken the plot.) Don’t screw around with them or their family unless you want to cosplay as swiss cheese.
Red Attire: Chainmail bracelet (Vermillion)
Notes:
Val has long since learned to thrive in chaos, to the point of outright craving it (so long as said chaos benefits them). Sometimes they see underground business as a game, though they do have control over their impulses. While their attitude is usually excitable around those they trust, their energy can turn aggressive in a heartbeat. They’re the type to get up in an enemy’s face, wearing a false, icy grin all the while.
Along with the hit-jobs they're assigned, Val is responsible for supplying The Pentas Family's firepower. Similar to how Caliban is an expert in organ-trafficking, Val knows the ins and outs of the illegal weapons trade. They've rearranged their personal gun collection several times now, selling and exchanging certain models to avoid leaving any patterns in their work.
Once upon a time, Val worked for a different mob; one that wasn’t exactly on good terms with The Pentas Family. Well, things ended up falling apart, and Val found themself at the mercy of Murdock and his peers. Of course, things were rocky at first. . .but somehow, Val eventually realized that they felt some kind of kinship with them. It took some time, but they were welcomed in, and are now following Pentas operations with strong loyalty.
They grew up somewhat rural, learning how to handle guns at a pretty young age. Though their family wasn’t poor, hunting game animals for food was still a big tradition that they helped to carry on. They don’t really do that kind of hunting anymore, but they still take monthly trips to shooting ranges to practice with clay pigeons.
They’re the only Pentas member who doesn’t live in/work out of a building connected to the abandoned subway tunnels. Instead, they live in a tidy cabin in Reilpi Woods, a huge forest about a fifteen-minute drive from the Cove Port Inlet’s city limits. Not that Val minds, though; the area gives them nostalgia. While they can appreciate all the conveniences of more urban environments, they’ve always enjoyed being surrounded by trees. Besides, it’s not like they don’t know where all the secret entrances to the underground dens are.
They’re a natural when it comes to evaluating another person’s character. It’s an important skill to have in this line of work, especially considering how the work is question is very much illegal. Despite their uncertain start in The Pentas Family, it hasn’t taken much time at all for Val to learn each of the other members inside and out. . .well, except for The Newcomer. (For now, at least.)
Current Stories: [TBA]
@sammys-magical-au
#my writing#val ocitie#lio tipton#lio tipton egos#my fan egos#fanmade egos#the pentas family#[the future mob project]
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Transitions: The Spackle of Art!
The other day I wrote some transitional passages for Galaxy Federal, connecting two preestablished scenes.
Transitional passages are like the mortar and spackle of artistic construction. They're necessary, but forever peripheral. (Though I suppose there probably are some artists who thrive in it.) For me though, writing transitional matter is an uncommon state. It doesn't come nearly as naturally to me as main scene-writing does, and I spend a lot less time doing it. When I was writing the Prelude, a lot of it also came very late in the process, as a necessity rather than a pleasure in itself. It was quite a challenge, worthy of boasting of my skill as a professional author, for me to elevate this text to make it interesting and compelling. (In my opinion anyway.)
This transcends my writing and reflects my entire personality: In composing music, I always struggle with my transitions between the prominent melodic sections. In listening to music of all genres, I almost always much prefer the main sections over the transitions. Same with reading books, watching movies, etc.
But because of its relative alienness to me, I also have a certain fascination with transitional passages. I tend to notice them, and I appreciate them when they are especially well-done. Some are so subtle and well-integrated that you can scarcely see them. Other transitions are much bigger, but necessarily worse.
Such was the space I found myself working in the other day: This particular transitional passage calls for thousands of words of text, and I obliged two-and-a-half thousand on my first pass, during which time I got to show all sorts of things happening! My highly granular, ground-level, play-by-play scenes—which comprise most of my main scenes as compared to the less common "40,000 foot narrative epic view" type—tend to flow slowly. But in a transitional passage, hours can pass in the space of a single sentence. Whole conversations can be clipped to one or two lines of dialogue. Environmental descriptions can show the progression of time rather than a moment in time. It's quite literally a change of pace for me, most of the time.
I tried to use this quality to flesh out the fact of "Cherry being a starship captain." I am greatly interested in the nitty-gritty of this; I seek to incorporate a lot of verisimilitude into the text. Virtually all editors, and most writers, would single stuff like this out as the poster child for bloated text that needs to be edited down for tightness and pacing. But I firmly reject that. I really just want to write stories about people "at the office," proverbially speaking. I think the criticism that this kind of stuff isn't interesting is true, but only provisionally: It depends upon the underlying activities themselves being boring, and/or the writer not being great at writing them.
In that sense, action and "PLOT" are a crutch that many writers depend upon to cope with limited writing skills. We've all met people in our lives who are so intrinsically interesting and good at telling stories that they could literally describe an hour of washing the dishes and we'd be hanging on their every word. We've all been there! This is a real thing.
I, myself, am not actually all that good as a yarn-spinner, bard, or anecdotist. But what I lack in a talent for gripping storytelling I hope and aspire to make up for with the stories themselves just being intrinsically interesting. I've seen other writers pull this off. If the subject matter is interesting, the writer doesn't have to be a great anecdotist.
So the question in this particular case is: Is being a starship captain...interesting?
And my answer to that is: "Yes and no, in all the ways you would expect, but to some extent it doesn't matter because no one actually writes about starship captains having 'a regular day at the office.'" The normalcy of starship captains' jobs is always being interrupted by PLOT. So it's actually quite rare to get to see a captain walking around doing regular stuff at length. That rarity gives me more room to depict realities that perhaps wouldn't be interesting to read about in every sci-fi book over and over again as a convention of the genre, but definitely would be interesting to read about at least a few times.
I put it to you that you probably don't know what a starship captain actually does in normal circumstances. You could logically deduce some of it, but have you ever really seen it play out (in fiction, obviously)? I think that would be enjoyable to read about, at least every once in a while.
Well, the transitional passage that I started writing this week definitely adds some more spackle to that curious edifice!
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Gladiator 300th chapter event
Thanks to @kigozula for organizing this event, and @seyaryminamoto for making this event possible.
Preface: LONG, this is my first time using tumblr and even participating in any event like this at all, so I'm not sure what the standard conventions are for length. Given that, I just wrote what I truly thought, even if it's rather cumbersome. But given that we've all read Gladiator, and one of us even wrote it, I assume breadth of text isn't too much of a barrier.
I guess I'll stick with the format that @wingsfreedom stuck with for their event, speaking about Gladiator as a whole before answering the event questions.
What makes you stick with the story so far? Well truthfully I haven't stuck with the story very long at all, I only started reading Gladiator in the last week and a half of April, right before my final exams for the semester. I started and was up to date just before chapter 295, and even left a comment under a guest account outlining similar sentiments under chapter 295(on AO3).
As for what Gladiator does to encapsulate me, well Azula is far any away my favourite character in canon, and hate reading tweets on twitter from people who said that Azula didn't deserve redemption had lead someone to mention Gladiator, and here I am. Everything feels so natural, right from the start. Each character introduction feels in line with their canon counter part, and each subsequent character development feels perfectly believable, both emotionally and logically. One of my biggest dislikes about fiction is when the plot is moved forward by people making objectively bad decisions, whether they are illogical or incongruent with their emotional state and needs. It is a further annoyance if everything just accidentally works out. Gladiator in contrast has a very natural plot development, pushed forward by dynamic and grounded characters. The politics of the world are plainly seen, and systemic issues are given the attention they deserve. As much as some people like to divorce politics from fiction, I think that notion is laughable, especially for a story like ATLA. Seyary(? not sure how to address the author) does an excellent job weaving systemic issues into the story. An unlikely point of introspection for me came from reading this story. As Sokka and Azula's love blossomed, the way it is described was so moving, to the point of tears at certain moments of the story. This lead me to realize that most of my romantic relationships were truly meaningless and marred by fear, and as much as I had said I didn't want a true relationship, and was content with a friends with benefits situation, it was my fear of being vulnerable that made me seek those fleeting things. I know this is quite a bit to unload on what is supposed to be a positive event, but I'd imagine these are the kind of feelings and thoughts that good fiction consistently evokes.
OC
There are many excellent OC's in Gladiator, a true testament of Seyary's writing skill to not just flesh out existing characters but give life to new ones. Of these Rui Shi is my personal favourite. I liked seeing his stern outlook, morph into a stern facade over time, as it pertains to Sokka and Azula's relationship. I liked seeing his interpersonal walls come down, allowing him to truly connect with others.
Guard
Well logically this one has to be Rui Shi as well, but that isn't the spirit of the question, so I will choose from the remaining guards. Of these 9(10 including Bao, but he isn't afforded the same opportunities in the story ) they all shine in the moments they're given. I'd have to choose Fei Li, I love the contrast between his demeanor and his role as an Royal guard, and later captain of the third squad. I love his leading role in the speculation about our favourite couple's love life. Some of the chapters that made the finale of part 2 bearable were the little moments between the guards, Sokka and Azula.
Gladiator
Once again forgoing the obvious answer of our main characters, I'd have to say Renzhi, the Millenium Dragon is my favourite. I like the fact that since the leagues inception the second best gladiator was an honourable man. I liked his interactions with Anou, showing he had his friends best intentions and truly cared for him and their bond. I like that he didn't hold anything against Sokka. And this might be a bit greedy, but I look forward to his reappearance in the story.
Sponsor
It doesn't need to be said that this spot truly belongs to Azula, but in her absence Kori takes her place. Her story with Sneers is meant to mirror Azula's story with Sokka, and her devastation at Azula's wedding must have shattered her heart, for two reasons; seeing her friend in terrible pain, and knowing that something similar, although not nearly as bad could await her if the world found out about her relationship with Sneers.
Pair/Couple (besides Sokkla)
Ty lee and Haru have a very beautiful story. Their initially asymmetrical relationship(not by any of their wants but by their lack of communication) was driven by blind lust, but only after truly being vulnerable with each other could their relationship reach new heights. Given my introspective words above, it's no wonder their story is my favourite.
Friendship
Azula, Mai and Ty lee have a sad outcome in canon, but there is one moment of true comradery, the beach. When everyone shares their stories, even Azula has a brief moment of vulnerability before snuffing it out by uttering that line we know all too well "my own mother thought I was a monster". Well thankfully Gladiator is chalk full of this comradery between the three fire nation girls, and I love every second of it.
Villain/Antagonist/Opponent
Ozai, I love what you've done with him. In canon we are shown that Zuko and Azula are morphed by much abuse, and that guides their minds towards some objectively bad actions. Implicitly we are shown that the same abuse must have affected Ozai, Iroh and Azulon and so on. Seyary has fleshed out this abuse that Ozai suffered, but not in a way that absolves him in any capacity from his actions, one that merely tells us what guided him down this dark path. I love the like father like son over emotional way of dealing with things shared between Zuko and Ozai, even if Ozai would never admit it.
Suitor for Azula
Anou has a very interesting arc, what that ends with him becoming an ally to Azula and overcoming his personal demons, with the help of an at the time foe in Azula and his friend Renzhi.
Place (any houses/island/cities…)
I'd say the southern water tribe, even if most the story is devoid of it. It is where our journey starts at a very low point. Sokka spends every waking moment thinking of home, thinking of killing Azula before she returns into his life. Once their relationship blooms he ponders returning, but with Azula at his side. And our story hits a incredibly sad low, with their separation, but narratively I know one day they will return, with the world put forward on a new path towards genuine justice. This is what I'm most looking forward to, and if Whaletail Island is any indication, it will be amazing. This is all without mentioning any of the Southern Water Tribe chapters, and Zuko and Suki's arrival, which are among my favourite chapters.
Event (weddings/festivals…)
My favourite "event" was Jing and Wentai's wedding Firelight Town. Seeing them be able to be themselves in public, with no holding back, seeing the raw emotions emanating off of and onto each other, I'm sure it must've been nearly as fun to write it as it was to read.
Favourite Top 3
Part 2 kisses:
1.) Their wedding kiss when getting married as Jing and Wentai in Firelight Town
2.) Their kisses shared in the morning before Sokka, Azula, Katara, Zuko, Kino and Aang go shopping on Whaletale Island in the cover of darkness.
3.) This kiss when Sokka woke up after being saved by Azula from bleeding out.
Sokkla love making
1.) Consummating their marriage in Firelight Town.
2.) Just after Azula told Sokka that she loves him, sober and directly, at the Northern Air Temple.
3.) Just after Azula proudly declares in front of an audiance of Sokka, Zuko, Katara, Aang and Kino that she loves Sokka in an impassioned speech.
This or That
Part 2, or Part 3 (so far) Part 2 was an incredible read, but it was always marred by the knowledge that eventually, narratively, everything had to come crashing down, that Sokka and Azula would lose everything they had worked for. Part 3 didn't start in the most optimistic of ways, but knowing that things can only get better, that everyone in the gaang, and everyone of Azula's real family in the Fire Nation have boundless hope for what is to come is an equalizer. Given that part 3 is limited to so far, part 2 is my favourite.
Zuki Family or Mai Jian Family
Zuko and Suki's family and general development in the Southern Water Tribe was an incredible development, and nearly took the place my answer to the earlier prompt of favourite couple (besides Sokkla).
Festivals Arc or Anniversary Arc
I'm not sure which festivals arc is being referred to, so I'll put all 3 in order. The first Festivals arc was the best of the 3, the best parts being when Azula accepts that it is love she feels for Sokka, just before bending gold fire for the first time, second only to their first of many sexcapades.
Second place is the next Festivals arc, Sokka's Rui Shi disguise and their dangerous consequences, the homeless people pleading with the firelord for help, sent by the white lotus, the mourning of those important to Sokka and Azula, their indirect bending. So many seemingly little moments and interactions that were a joy to read.
Third place is the Anniversary Arc. It was a fun read, especially when Azula was made aware of Mai and Ty lee's interrogation of her and Sokka's sex life, but I don't think it holds a candle to either of the Fesitval arcs.
Captain Rui Shi or Captain Fei Li
Captain Rui Shi, this should be simple enough to explain. Even when Fei Li was captain, Rui Shi was the de facto leader.
Ozai or Zhao
Ozai. I've already explained my thoughts about Ozai above under the favourite villain prompt. I don't think Zhao can hold a candle to Ozai as a villain, given his courtesy of Sokka and Azula's relationship, and his courtesy of Azula during the early days of their marriage, before the knowledge of her pregnancy infected his mind. I also have a sneaking suspicion that as part 3 progresses, he might not be so much of a villain.
Gladiator Brawl, Sponsor Race, Pairs Tournament or Scavenger Hunt
Sponsor Race was the best. The Brawl was good, either the pairs tournaments were also good, especially the one with Haru and Ty Lee, but the race was amazing. Finally seeing Azula and Sokka fight side by side again, having them triumph against Toph and Iroh, and especially their ventures into the cave of two lovers, their emotional distraught upon reading Oma and Shu's stories. It was amazing, start to finish.
Xin Long or Appa
I think Xin Long has this handily, by the simple fact that there is a literal mind connection between Xin Long and Azula, so they know, quite literally, everything about one another.
Azula’s Squad or Sokka’s Squad
Sokka's squad. While I laughed delightfully upon niece Wen's introduction, and was rather pleased at Azula finally finding a new companion in Rei, Sokka's squad has the Avatar, the twice banished (got to be a record) prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko, Ursa, the only one who had ever been able to somewhat tame Ozai, and of course the Blue Wolf himself. If there was ever a group that Ozai would hate to be together, that was it.
Ty Lee or Mai
Genuinely don't know, I spent a great amount of time considering this. I love Ty lee's story, especially with Haru, but I also love Mai, her family and her uncanny ability to read Azula better than anyone, except for Sokka. This seems a rather diplomatic answer, and I hate seeing such answers, but even my gut says that I don't have an answer, so I guess it's a tie.
Shoji or Kino
Shoji clears, but I suspect that over the course of part 3 Kino will have many, many parts to shine.
Ruon Jian or Haru
Haru, I love his arc where he finds his mother, and truly develops a connection with Ty Lee. Ruon Jian has never been given a chance to shine that brightly.
Other
A Place you would like to visit or live
Fire nation capital Calderra, I quite enjoy city life and its luxuries, and I already live in the imperial core in real life. I wouldn't visit either of the poles, I already deal with a harsh enough winter where I live.
If you could give Part 2 a title it would be
I'm a big sucker for humour so "Coming Together" works quite nicely for me.
Something you look forward to
There's about a hundred little things introduced over the hundreds of chapters that I'm just waiting to be reintroduced during arc 3, the guards, the dragons hidden in the mountain, other gladiators joining Sokka's cause (especially Anou and Renzhi), far too many to list. The thing I'm most looking forward to is Sokka and Azula's reunion, and Azula meeting Katara on far better terms, and Azula discovering who Kuzon truly is.
Best Arc(s) in Part 3 (so far)
They've all been amazing, even if painful at times. The best have been storytelling/wedding, Under Attack/Child of Two Worlds, and Family reunion/Strengthening Bonds. I save my judgement of Taking Omashu as the arc isn't fully out, but if Under Attack is any indication, I have full faith that it will be amazing.
Favorite Sokkla Artwork from Part 2
I only made a tumblr the day of writing this post, the 17th of June and haven't really looked at your tumblr at all beyond to see previews of upcoming chapters. I've never been one for the visual arts, so I don't really have an answer.
Guessing Time
Future Ships you think will happen
I think Katara and Aang is practically a forgone confusion, given their development. I think either one of them will become injured, and Sokka or Azula will tell them to not waste time, because you never know how much you have left with the ones you love. This answer isn't in the spirit of the question, but I don't really have any thoughtful speculation, only guesses, I'm not too fond of.
Azula and Zhao will divorce when/because of …
I don't know if they will divorce, maybe it will be once or if Azula escapes the Fire Nation and she becomes publicly an enemy(?) I don't think it would be particularly wise for Ozai to declare her an enemy, but if Azula escapes with her friends Song and Rei, and keeps Mai and Ty lee's families safe, whether by escaping with them or through other means, it'd hard to not see Ozai react with unrelenting fury that clouds his judgement. If you combine this with the fact that maybe he becomes aware of Sokka's status being alive at the same time, he might truly do something so stupid.
When Hakoda meets Azula and Hotaru for the first time …
Well if he meets Azula, she will probably not want to face him and the rest of the tribe she wronged alone because she feel like she might never be able to atone for her sins, so she'll be with Sokka. I expect a lot of crying, lines similar to the ones said on Whaletail Island about how she might never forgive someone who forcefully took Sokka from her, and Hakoda will break his stoicism upon this declaration, upon seeing Sokka again will be moved to tears. Another scneario is if she escapes to the Southern Water tribe from the Fire Nation without Sokka, which will still be met with the same tears and probably same declarations, just this time without Sokka. She will probably feel really welcome down there.
When Ozai and Ursa see each other …
Ozai will have what humanity he shoves away come back in full force, but Ursa will reject his words and tell him what she really thinks. Ozai will be furious, I think more furious than we've seen yet.
I think Ozai's future looks like... Eventually he will either be killed, or have his bending taken away like in canon. I like to think if he dies that it will be by the space sword, maybe in conjunction with Wolf's Bane. If his bending is taken away, I have faith in Seyary's writing that Aangs gain of this power will be done better than in canon, and a childish part of me wants Ozai to see Azula and Sokka hugging and kissing after becoming powerless.
When Azula finally visits the south pole, I hope/wish/think …
I've already laid my thoughts out when Hakoda meets Azula and Hotaru for the first time. With the rest of the tribe I expect similar greetings, but without the rest of the tribe reciprocating said tears.
First things Azula and Sokka will do after their reunion
If their first spiritual meeting is any indication, it will be to hug and kiss, saying each others name between sobs and tears.
Quiz
Name of the first Gladiator Sokka fought against?
Spawn of the Volcano
How many years are Azula and Sokka a couple now?
I think it's been 6 years since they first met in the south pole, 4 years since they met again in Hui Yi, and if we take them having sex as fully saying no matter what they need each other and to become a couple it's been somewhere between 2 years and 9 months and 3 years.
Which character found out about Azula and Sokka’s secret relationship first? Depends on how you define relationship and found out. Certainly Mai and Ty lee knew that they would fall in love pretty much instantly, Rui Shi thought something happened in the forest, especially when Azula said "Due to something I will not explain to you, I left to face the Rhinos by myself" he must've assumed something happened with Sokka. Toph definitely knew Sokka loved Azula, and knew by the time they were in Ba Sing Se together that Azula loved Sokka. Rui Shi saw them kiss on Shu Jing, song was the first to find out they'd had sex. So this question has many answers.
Which character felt something might be going on/will be going on between Sokka and Azula from the beginning? Mai and Ty lee.
What’s the name of Ozai’s first love? Ursa.(??) This feels too easy, like a gimme so maybe his first love was his father Azulon, maybe the power that Seethus gave him, seeing Azula the prodigious bender at birth? I'm confused but the answer must be Ursa, because those other 3 clearly aren't love, and if what he felt for Ursa wasn't love it was certainly closer.
What was the first Gladiator event Azula and Sokka took part in? Scavenger Hunt.
How often did the Blue Wolf fight in the Slate?
He fought twice, against the Millennium Dragon and the Queen of Pain.
Who would have almost been the potential future prince? I'm not sure what that means, maybe governor Kuon? He was rather close to having his gladiator defeat Sokka due to Sokka's leg cramping. Maybe you mean Anou, Renzhi was also close to defeating Sokka in the brawl, but I doubt Ozai would let Anou marry into the Royal family.
How old was Aang when he was forced to freeze himself and Appa? He was the same age as Azula at the start of the story, so 19.
SOME NICE WORDS TO OUR DEAR AUTHOR SEYARYMINAMOTO:
Seldom am I invested this much in anything in my life, not the gym, my studies, athletics, friends. For the last month and a bit this story has consumed my past time, most of the time I'm rereading my favourite chapters, thinking, theory crafting of what's to come. Truly you've brought every character to life in incredible ways, even minor characters that make one or two appearances like Longshot, members of the Blue den like Pirrin, Yang, people like Mei Xun and Sae. You've no doubt captivated my mind with your writing, and certainly I'm no the only one. I hope that writing this story has been as much of a joy as it has been to read it. Part of me wishes that I could time travel, just for the sake of going two years in the future to finish reading this story as soon as possible, or that you had started writing this story two years prior, and quite frankly I'm not sure which one is more selfish.
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Verse info post for Version 2.0 of a verse that has given me trouble for two fuckin years.
None of this needs to be followed to a T; if you have a plot you want that disregards this, we can work it out together.
TL;DR this verse is flexible
Born in 1998, Naoto is 18 when P5 takes place, making her a third year. However, she doesn’t attend Shujin, Kosei or the school Akechi does. Thanks to the reputation the Shiroganes have as established and respected detectives, she juggles cases alongside assignments and exams. While still known as the Detective Prince in this verse, it quickly becomes a title she shares with another rising high school detective, Akechi Goro.
Thanks to his charisma, good looks and his willingness to hold interviews, he quickly becomes the more famous of the ‘Detective Princes’, leaving Naoto to fall into slight obscurity due to the fact that she prefers to keep out of the spotlight and her general annoyance when greeted with reporters and fans—nothing unusual from her canon counterpart would act.
Akechi lands on the mental shutdown case, while she is handed ‘smaller’ ones—she’s not ungrateful, these are important to someone, and at least she still has a job. Despite not being on the task force herself, the peculiar nature of the shutdowns piques her interest, enough that she conducts her own investigation in her free time, even if most of the confidential information is unavailable to an outsider.
After Kamoshida confesses, the principal hires Naoto to come check the school, mostly to ease the student’s worries—a bit of an empty gesture on his part—and keep the reputation stable. You might be able to talk to her if you’re lucky, but she leaves soon after her investigation.
From there, she appears in various locations: the underground mall, Leblanc, Ikebukuro, she’s always somewhere in Tokyo. You can ask about her findings during her investigation of Shujin, or get to know her if you so desire—she’ll brush you off as politely as she can—but those seeking to pursue her Confidant and/or recruit her into the team will have to wait.
She’s initially skeptical of the Phantom Thieves if you ask, saying that it sounds like a prank and she’s not interested in them. As they rise in fame, Naoto’s thoughts on them change, but it’s not enough to push her into investigating them herself. Her interests still lay with the shutdowns.
That is, until one day after Madarame’s confession, when the media asks for her opinion on them. Akechi has given less than satisfactory answers. Perhaps hers would be different from his?
Knowing what may happen if she says otherwise, Naoto lies, says she’s still in the beginning stages of her own investigation. Somehow satisfied, they leave and in order to quickly turn it into a truth, she begins to look deeper.
She stumbles onto a conspiracy.
She eventually—forced to, really—gives her own thoughts. She doesn’t condemn the Thieves outright, but does not praise them either. They're an interesting sort. For now, they seem to be working for the public’s benefit. However, if there’s a line they cross, she won’t hesitate to facilitate their arrest.
She does not say anything about the conspiracy, or a possible connecting thread between the shutdowns and the change of heart. She’d rather not be erased.
If there’s one thing Naoto’s certain of, it’s that something sinister is occurring behind the scenes.
Confidant
Her Confidant and possible recruitment into the Phantom Thieves themselves starts when you agree to give her information on the Phantom Thieves. She’s curious, wants to know why they’re popular. While not entirely a lie, it is only a small piece of the bigger picture, one she won’t reveal unless she’s certain she can trust you.
Only in the higher ranks will she be willing to divulge.
Benefits
Shows favorable responses for other Confidants: Shamelessly stolen from Chihaya. One of the skills of a detective is knowing how to use your words and when to say it. Observation and understanding who you’re dealing is, without question, important. She won’t share everything, but she’ll give pointers. Attempting to read her won’t work, though.
Additional Mementos quests: A detective keeps an open eye and ear in the city, collecting information is vital. If she hears something interesting, she’ll send it your way. On rare occasions, she might share something she’s overheard at the station. While she prefers to attain ‘justice’ without forcing a change of heart, some criminals are too difficult to catch without it.
Raises gun accuracy by 2%: She has qualms about teaching anyone how to use a firearm, but a crash course in keeping a steady aim, as well as calming your nerves is something she’s willing to do.
Chance to knockdown a random number of enemies after a successful ambush: Only available if Naoto is recruited into the Thieves. Catching an enemy off guard might shock them into falling down, rendering them useless for a brief period of time.
Assorted
Does not disguise herself as male, although she keeps her hair short and wears masculine clothing. There wasn’t really a point in keeping up an act she’d have to discard eventually.
She’ll be on the Phantom Thief case as their popularity rises. She won’t rat the Thieves out to the police. In her eyes, while she disagrees with their methods, they’re still doing more than what the force have accomplished in months.
After learning that she enjoys model kits, they’ll become a giftable item. Perfect for her or someone else on the team. Remember to hide the models in a gift bag. A professional detective can’t be seen with something so childish, after all.
At a high enough Confidant level, she may talk about her phase where she emulated the phantom/gentleman thieves she saw on TV and read manga of. She’ll directly reference Arsene, Lupin III and Kaitou Kid. She even has all of Maurice Leblanc’s Arsene novels.
One of her quests involves a certain fortune teller in Shinjuku. It’s a long one.
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'In his 1987 Nobel lecture, Joseph Brodsky said, anthropologically speaking, a human being is primarily a creature of aesthetics, and only after, an ethical one.
This assertion sounds true in the case of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The scientific leaps in the field of quantum physics fascinated Oppenheimer. He was driven to follow the path of Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg. Returning from Cambridge to expand his research in Berkeley, he fell into the arms of the American state and became part of the Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb.
It is comic irony that Lewis Strauss, who secretly plotted against Oppenheimer, was forced to work as a shoe salesman during the recession, while Oppenheimer achieved the distinction of Edward Teller calling him, “the great salesman of science.” This explains the moral turn in the life of Oppenheimer. Christopher Nolan likened his character to the titan Prometheus, though midway he seemed to metamorphose into Frankenstein. The hamartia of Oppenheimer’s life, Aristotle’s term for the Greek tragic hero’s fatal flaw, turned into a modern horror story.
The poet Joseph Brodsky’s distinction becomes relevant at this point: Oppenheimer abandoned the moral for the aesthetic. My scholar friend (who wishes to remain unnamed) shared the opinion that Oppenheimer, initially lost in the beauty of pure theory, transforms that aesthetic obsession into a monstrous one. She added the sharp insight: “Oppenheimer tells himself a lie. That the bomb has a moral end.” The act of lying to oneself produced a psychic wound within Oppenheimer. He lost sight of the moral aspect within his aesthetic pursuit. The lie made the transformation possible. The sublime beauty of studying quantum physics was ruined the moment Oppenheimer decided to use his expertise for a detrimental cause.
The sale of his scientific skills to the American state for making the bomb had a clear political objective for Oppenheimer: to finish off Hitler. This logic led him to overcome the moral dilemma behind his job. Any force that can destroy evil is legitimate. The destructive power of science was a seductive option to nullify the power of fascism. The Jewish Oppenheimer did not have his revenge over the Nazis (who were already defeated when the bomb was ready). The American state used it against a weakened Japan to declare its omnipotence.
Young Oppenheimer’s interest in T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Wasteland’ and the Gita has a deep connection: Eliot’s poem ends by evoking the Upanishad, “Shantih shantih shantih”, a peace of the grave that fell upon a world torn apart by the end of World War I and the flu epidemic. Oppenheimer’s translation of the line from the Gita, “I am become Death, destroyer of worlds” was what Krishna said about his divinity being time itself that destroys the world at will. It was meant to exhort a weak-kneed Arjuna (who did not want to kill his cousins, seniors and kinsmen), reminding him of his duty as a warrior to prepare him for battle. The figure of divine incarnation and warrior-prince got fused into the scientist who invented a weapon that could kill millions.
Oppenheimer’s interest in the evocative moments in the two texts shows a certain death wish he carried within himself. When you are hell-bent to destroy the enemy, you are also out to kill a part of yourself through the act of retributive justice.
Oppenheimer was not able to distinguish between the ethical difference between annihilating a system of power and annihilating people. This failure, however, is an intimate part of the modern West’s history. It produced ideas of the state – fascism, communism and imperial democracies – where the other within and outside one’s ideological fold was demonised as the absolute enemy and was meant to be exterminated. Making the bomb to be used for war, Oppenheimer not just used science as a tool for destruction, but created an ideology of science as divine power that could kill uncountable numbers of people as much as it could heal the world.
It has been acknowledged that Nolan did not glorify war by not showing the bomb being dropped on the two Japanese cities. Still, as my scholar friend pointed out, Nolan could not prevent himself from indulging in Hollywood’s fetish for spectacle. There was a clear lack of self-restraint. The slow-motion explosion of the bomb that filled the screen numbed the audience, and engulfed it into the terror of its silence.
Contrast it with Abbas Kiarostami, who did not display the earthquakes that rocked Iran in Koker Trilogy in order to portray its psycho-social repercussion on the lives of residents who suffered its impact. Kiarostami’s art of filmmaking is deeply informed by his ethical hesitation.
Nolan had more reasons to hold back from depicting the technological grandeur of an instrument of death. The temptation to recreate the spectacle is not simply an aesthetic flaw.
The euphoria of the scientific feat was viscerally exhibited by bodies of people stomping the floor of the hall celebrating Oppenheimer. It announced the coming of a new crowd in world history that took nationalist pride in mass destruction of other people. Oppenheimer looked conflicted, remorseful and eaten by guilt. But there were no indications to suggest he completely regretted his success. Truman, embodying the masculine pragmatism of the American state, lampooned Oppenheimer as “crybaby”. No one cared about the real babies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Such is the moral indifference of war. It causes deafness of the soul.'
#Abbas Kiarostami#Koker Trilogy#Christopher Nolan#J. Robert Oppenheimer#T.S Eliot#The Waste Land#Bhagavad Gita#Niels Bohr#Lewis Strauss#Werner Heisenberg#The Manhattan Project#Hiroshima#Nagasaki
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Hermitopia AU Masterpost 1 [COMPLETE]
This is a gathering place for the events of the Hermitopia AU, as well as art and writing resulting from it (art and writing listed at the bottom). Please read the AU introduction and rules here before submitting! Feel free to join the discussions on the HCHC discord server!
(Disclaimer/PSA: All points are asks contributed by the community, the mods take no credit for the ideas within them)
If you would like specific credit in the masterpost, please sign within the text of the ask! (A dash and a signature at the end should do.) Asks not signed will be treated as anonymous.
Summary posts:
Not all elements of plot and character will be summarized, but here are a few basic things you may want to be familiar with before submitting an ask! (Unless you are purposely aiming to create an [ALTERNATE] idea for a Hermit)
1 - Starting positions and each Hermit's powers (based on the submissions from Day 1)
Summary post 2 - Interpersonal connections (based on Day 1 and 2 submissions)
Make sure to check out the second masterpost here for more up to date information, including newer art and writing!
Asks:
- (copied ask) [summarized mod comment]
- Hermitopia | Scar was experimented on by Cub. He gained dangerous powers and wings that resemble a dragon’s, but he keeps both hidden. Unless someone makes him angry. He has no idea who gave him his powers. Eventually he and Cub decided that they wanted to control things beyond their corporation, so Scar ran for mayor. (there are things to fill in but im lazy) [Scar assumes he got the powers in an accident during research. He enjoys having them but has no idea that they were intentional.]
- Hermitopia AU team ZIT is a superpowered crime-fighting trio!
- owing to a very particular set of guidelines he put in place, Joe can now copy powers if he sees them in use and can reverse-engineer how those powers are used. needless to say, this is massively overpowered in the right hands.but it got worse. at some point, there was an... incident... on ConCorp grounds, something to do with a mass amount of entities causing time dilation -- and Joe was caught in the thick of it, unable to be rescued for a while.the problem is, he got out by piecing together how the time dilation worked.needless to say, Joe... has a ridiculous powerset. so he chooses largely not to use his powers anymore unless it's absolutely dire or petty enough to shrug off as a random occurrence. nobody needs to know that one of the most powerful Unaffiliated in the city is standing right in front of them... especially not ConCorp.
- doc was a former high ranking employee of concorp before he volunteered for an experiment and it went horribly wrong. since then, the company has tried to erase any evidence of his existence. doc is now seeking revenge for all that the company did to him and is determined to tear it apart
- HI ok follow up asks will be sent later when my thoughts are coherent but concept: cleo has like super messed up healing powers where she can make healing go Too Far. also i pin her as unbound, considering, like, everything - shovel-shuffle
- So, his power was meant to be super-regen, right? except things don't always quite go to plan. Someone volunteered for the powers surgeries and is arguably dead. Etho is a name shared by the many many clones that developed themselves out of the leftovers. They're not quite individuals, not quite a hivemind. Any one of them has no fear of death because the others will continue, but they all act independently around their overarching goal. (which I won't snitch about) - DragonKay
- Bdubs was a hero. Key word? Was. He climbed the ranks through the government, he was a loyal and dutiful member of society, and he used his plant manipulation powers to subdue evil-doers without hurting them. But he’s always been a friendly guy, and he couldn’t help himself—talking to the Unrestrained, especially those in custody, was interesting! ...but it’s a slippery slope to walk, being friendly with the enemy and not sympathizing to their cause. Nobody knows where he is now, but there are rumours of a vigilante with similar abilities, and his three compatriots, two of whom he helped escape from ConCorp... They call themselves the nHo. - slimetek [Bdubs deserted Concorp while helping Doc escape after his experiment went wrong]
- Concorp managed to make a device that allows animals to speak or translate their thoughts into writing. This means that the good old mayor Scar has a certain cat giving some advice on how to run the city.
- Iskall is an assasin/mercenary against their own volition. An accident they'd rather forget almost killed them, and in exchange for their freedom and free will they got to live as a cyborg. Though its hard to forget with the implant that covers their eye and the limb of cool metal hanging at their side - @ghastly-ghostie [Iskall works for Concorp off-books, bound by the debt owed to them for the life saving experimental modifications]
- so I think grians original powers could be like cloning, but something goes wrong and the clones are different people. as a result of the duplication process, some funky magic rocks are made. the clones decide to take most of the funky rocks and run off, leaving grian with one rock that gives him some new abilities and the clones' rocks give him others. also uhh mechanical wings bc yes. so grians plot is him trying to find them while also causing problems on purpose. infinity stones. update to my grian ask from earlier, I had better ideas: the rocks are old like magic things that grian finds before the cloning and ends up collecting, but his clones snatch them - simplyskipper [some of the alternate Grians are aligned with different factions in Hermitopia, while the locations of others are farther or unknown]
- Hermitopia- Impulse has solid-light powers. He has golden crystals implanted in his hands, which he can reflect light through to solidify it into all sorts of shapes. This can be used to make barriers, projectiles, and much more, though more detailed constructs take more time.- @mleemwyvern
- Hermitopia AU Poultry man is a well-known chaotic neutral leaning towards good, as a one of the unrestrained.
- I think Team ZIT should be a little be wild card-y, that's how they act after all! [they are employed by the government for standard crimefighting, but they don't always take Scar's word at its intended meaning and often play a bit on the chaotic side when given instructions]
- [Hermitopia AU] False is an antihero/vigilante type who's specialty is not defined by powers or the such, but just... the absolute skill of being able to dual wield two (more sci-fi era) short swords. Maybe someone upgrades them to be "enchanted" (electrical, fire, etc. something that tech could do well probably). She's willing to be paid-for-hire, but if you go past her moral line she's also willin' to backstab you. -- @cheshire-vex [she's a free agent who sort of drifts between Concorp, the government, and whoever else will pay her on a job-by-job basis]
- Hermitopia impulse has more connections then one may think. He has ties to people pretty much everywhere, for reasons unknown. There is a 100% someone will come and greet him wherever he goes. [the greetings are usually friendly]
- Hermitopia Au! Keralis is a hero who most people wouldn't expect to be too skilled at fighting. His power is similar to hypnosis so he has no need to get very physical. Yeah, that changed when some bastard villain decided to attack his friends shop. [that incident caused his employer Scar to realize his untapped potential for protecting people and assign him to a few more high-stakes jobs]
- Hermittopia!TFC was one of ConCorp’s first experiments and as such his powers are a bit less...refined then the others. He has geokinetic powers, allowing him to psychically control rocks and other earthen materials. He used to be one of the VEX programs top graduates, but has since parted ways with them for unknown reasons and now operates his own plans of keep crime in Hermitopia under control. -lechairpourriedegrianri [he is considered Unaffiliated and both Concorp and the government largely leave him to his own devices, since he is helping to keep the city together]
-Wels doesn't have powers. He does have a super-suit made of fire and heat resistant carbon fibre (like the material used for the space shuttle) and has a built in hologram projector. One time, he used the hologram projector to project an image of himself, which everyone thought was a clone. He didn't have the heart to tell them otherwise. (AKA everyone thinks Wels has powers but he doesn't) -Silverwolf53 [he got the suit in Project VEX]
- To follow up on the Impulse ask- Team ZIT are a space-themed superhero team. Government-aligned, at least for now.Tango has meteor-like powers, he can shoot fire from his hands and feet and often uses this to propel himself at high speeds. Zed has gravity powers! He can increase or decrease the density of any object, to the point of making small black holes. They all have space-themed costumes, and it was probably Zed's idea. - @mleemwyvern
- TFC was the first participant in project VEX
- Grian was an attempted success. It fixed some problems with Etho's unintended cloning, but at the same time created some problems of its own, seeing as the clones appeared to have a life of their own.It's fine, though. It's probably fine
- I would say Grian is unrestrained, a bit like Etho, Chaotic in his own way. Does not activily Try to hurt people, but does mostly what he wants for fun.-Ciara
- Xisuma is a civilian- he has hero friends, but despite all their teasing he’s never wanted to go through VEX training. But in the night, the unrestrained Void walks the streets [Void is a symbiotic creature made of nothingness that uses Xisuma's body as a substitute physical form]
- Bdubs was such a good man... he could be trusted to look after Doc, couldn’t he? Somebody had to oversee him, somebody who was reliable and would never, ever consider betraying the mayor and ConCorp...They let their guard down, and Bdubs got curious. Bdubs made a friend.And then they lost him.- Slimetek
- The hels hermits are considered evil by default. How do you spot these clones, how could you protect yourself? Well in the past it was a lot easier, just look for their red eyesNowadays contacts exist but that doesn't stop people trying to call the police on tango, calling him a hels. Hes netherian, they have unnatural eye colours and their iris fills the entire eye, hes not evil but if people keep doing this hes gonna be!
- Beef woke up from his brain surgery to receive telepathy powers, took one look into the mind of the overseer, and noped put of there as fast as he could go.He's on very public record. After all, the mind control he may be capable of is a very convenient explanation for anyone who turns against concorp... ~DragonKay
- Hypno can’t control minds.They say he does. It’s why he’s named Hypno, after all.In reality, he can’t control people like that... but he can control what they see.Your best friend might look like your greatest enemy. A pit of lava might look like solid ground. A 100-foot drop might look like a step down.It’s a good thing he’s a hero, and a good thing he keeps his true powers hidden beneath a guise of low-level hypnotism. There’s no telling what he could do if they let him go. [he works for Concorp, helping to protect VEX trainees from people trying to harm them before they get a chance to finish the program, as well as keeping other resources safe]
- The 9th Street Incident [referring to an earlier Impulse comment] was a friendly greeting. That particular version of Etho just thought that drawing weapons would be a friendly greeting for Impulse, but Tango and Zed seem to disagree
- They still don’t trust Bdubs. He was with the government for a long time, and things are hard out there on the run. Besides, they don’t know what he got up to there. ConCorp could have any sort of information on him, something that might scare him back.Bdubs understands this. He doesn’t want to go back. He’d hate to go back....but they think he will, and maybe there’s something he’s not telling them. An ace that ConCorp has yet to play.- Slimetek
- Mumbo works for concorp as an engineer specialising in robotics, most recently taking on the task of maintaining Iskall's cybernetics that somehow they just keep damaging. Iskall assures him they're just.. very clumsy. So far Mumbo hasn't caught on.
- Ren's power is that hes a werewolf, but he only found out when he was in his late teens with his childhood friend Iskall. He still feels guilty about it, he did kill his best friend afterall. Or so he thinks.He's lived off grid ever since, too overwhelmed with grief and guilt to rejoin society. Most assume he's dead too - @ghastly-ghostie [Ren dropped Iskall off to Concorp as a last ditch effort, running away before he could see whether they took his friend in or not. They did, starting Iskall's plotline. Iskall told Concorp about Ren's abilities, triggering a panic in the Concorp ranks at the fact that Ren is a superhuman being created by some force other than their own project]
- Where does Void come from? The same place all powers come from.Little did they know, something survived the crash and has taken a human host. Maybe it's not the only one...No, that place is not Concorp. Concorp's original goal was to develop technology by reverse-engineering from a crashed alien spaceship. These aliens did gene-editing the way some people do nose jobs, so they adapted that technology, too.~DragonKay
- i've already said a bit about it in the discord but i have hermitopia cleo brainrot. joe being there was able to save her by giving her the regen powers along with her puppeteering telekinesis power. anyways cleo is presumed dead, sent by concorp into a mission as fodder basically until zit could arrive. but now there's is one (1) bitter undead vigilante against concorp that is presumed dead
- Stress’s name has a few meanings in relation to her. Whenever she gets too angry or /stressed/, she transforms into the StressMonster, a monster that feeds off of other people’s stress to become more powerful. Luckily, the monster is rarely seen, but does terrible things when she is. She’s one of the most feared creatures in Hermitopia. Stress hates her and tries her best to hide her from her friends, but it can backfire sometimes. - @guster-animations
- to follow-up on Joe being presumed dead: remember the time dilation incident he was stuck in? ConCorp figured it was best to cut their losses and not try to send anyone in to rescue him -- it would be a pointless mission. so they abandoned him, quietly announced that he had died in the line of duty, and put the affected area under high security clearance in order to prevent any future accidents. they figured he was already dead. and Joe figures, given that they up and abandoned him, maybe it's for the best that they continue to figure just that. he changed his last name to "Hills" -- a joke about the biome containing the time anomaly -- and otherwise proceeded to stay under the radar. he still uses the time dilation area as a base of operations, sometimes; it's very useful to have a hideout that people physically cannot get into/out of without his direct assistance. is he nursing a grudge, coming up with some convoluted scheme to get back at the paramilitary group for abandoning him? or does he just want to live a relatively normal life off the grid? who knows. that's the Joe [REDACTED] Hills difference. -@betweenlands
- False has some big scary power that is almost Eldritch she just happens to prefer a sword and doesn’t really care for who she works for as long as they’re paying... (they don’t need to know of the power that had harmed the ones she loves the most)
- Keralis once encountered Void sulking around where Xisuma worked. So fearful for his friend’s safety, he used his power on Void and told him to go away. Apparently the charm is still active, because if Void spots Keralis anywhere, he’ll turn tail and run. No, it’s not because he’s scared. Absolutely not.
- Grumbot serves as a sentient supercomputer created by Mumbo for Grian. Grian is using Grumbot for... various activities, all of which harmless, but a certain evil clone [Helsknight] has reverse engineered the technology. Concorp would like for Mumbo to give them the tech, but mumbo stuck some eyes to the computer, got emotionally attached, and refuses to give up his baby boy.
- When Impulse hears his friend/colleague Bdubs has been "taken over" by the mind-controller [Beef], he wants to go on an off-the-books mission to rescue him! Just giving up like they were told to isn't in his nature.Of course the rest of ZIT are with him. Heroes save people! It's what they do!~DragonKay
- Hermitopia is a mixture of sleek futuristic and cyberpunk in terms of style. It really depends on where you live and work (ik this doesnt include any hermits but whatever) - @ghastly-ghostie
- I wonder if Cleo's overactive healing powers affect herself and if any injuries she receives immediately heal over like wolverine or deadpool
- Ren used to be friends with Cleo too, but then she died. Strangely enough, she died on the same day that Ren killed Iskall. Ren’s lost all his friends. It’s hard living in isolation when there’s no one left that even cares about you. (Unless— no, that’s impossible.)
- I was thinking about Biffa, like you do. And Biffa would totally be some robot that was created by Project VEX in its early stages, however they realised fast that it was easier to use humans and give them powers, maybe its not their strong suit with robots. But Biff went sentient and glitched and was scrapped so hes just out there doing his thing. Hes a wildcard and plays for which side he wants at the time, sometimes he'll help or sometimes hes the one causing trouble. He looks pretty similar to a android like in Detroit:Become human but hes a bit uncanny and eerie, maybe its the eyes or the blood red armour. Powerwise, he's got more strength than a human does, mainly because he isn't limited like others are. try not to get punched by him, it'll hurt! [He's convinced Concorp will destroy him if they find out he's alive and Unaffiliated] -lucodak
- Going off of my thing about hermotopia impulse having friends everywhere....this may include the nho. Okay, they beat him to a pulp on one of his solo patrols once, but theey felt bad n patched him up! He has to keep it a secret. He brings them dinner alot. And checks in on them.
- Beef is the perfect cover-up for Bdubs’ desertion. ConCorp doesn’t want any other employees getting bright ideas, now, do they? Nor do they want employees getting nosy and trying to figure out where Bdubs went. They don’t have to tell people what Beef’s powers are. They just release that he developed powers after brain surgery, and a rumour that he was spotted lurking around before Bdubs suddenly betrayed ConCorp... and people draw their own conclusions. -Slimetek
- xB is pretty sure he’s supposed to be evil.I mean, that’s what sentient AIs usually end up being, according to a quick internet search. And yet he’s... not. Or maybe he’s just on the wrong side. - Slimetek
- Yes impulse is friends with the nho....what he doesn't know? He's....easily susceptible to hypnosis. Very easily.......Of course, after impulse is basically a very tired n warm cuddle bug, so, cuddle piles tend to happen after all information is spilled. He must've fallen asleep at their apartment again! Whoops! But it's okay.....they take good care of him if he does! [Beef is using his mind reading ability on Impulse without his knowledge, to make sure that he hasn't spilled their location and to predict the government's next moves. He feels slightly bad about it but feels that it is necessary for the nHo's survival.]
- So far, Grian has only ever encountered two of his clones, NPC Grian and Robot Grian. Technically three, if one were to count Ariana Griande. Grian doesn't really, but some do. [Ariana Griande is a popular musician in Hermitopia who is building a career using the magical stone of voice enhancement she recieved through the cloning process]
- To handle the two Grumbot issue: the one working with Helsknight can be Jrumbot, a legion of robot drones meant to work as Grumbot’s physical form that ended up being hijacked by Helsknight and turned against ConCorp
- There...aren’t a lot of “normal” animals left in Hermittopia. ConCorp took one look at the animals populating the city and decided that, hey, they could make some improvements. Species after species, they modified their behavior, appearance, internal structure, whatever they could fix, tweak, or add. They were just improving their lives and the lives of the citizens of Hermittopia, after all, but the new animals quickly outcompeted the old for resources and habitats. And if it makes it easier for ConCorp to stick a camera in one or two of them, or set up robotic animals to keep a better eye on the city, no harm, no foul, right?(Bonus: there is one (1) singular cat left in Hermittopia, resulting in a spy movie-style heist where two teams of Hermits attempt to “rescue” the cat simultaneously. The cat keeps wandering away from both teams. Shenanigans ensue)- Adonis [the cat is Jellie, who orchestrated the competition between Team ZIT and Cleo and Joe for her own entertainment, getting away from both parties in the end]
- The Leak:Not all mutations are the result of controlled experiments! If some alien tech got away from the crash site, concorp never would have picked it up. It might have got into nature, not as refined as they made it in the labs but causing little changes here and there. Ren may have become a werewolf from being bitten by a mutant wolf~DragonKay
- Impulse is able to use his powers to create illusions or male things appear invisible! Sort of. After all, light dictates what we see. It takes a lot of focus, though, so it's not that practical. -@rayveewrites
- The one thing Hels wasn't able to steal was the cloning technology, hence his hostility with Concorp -- he needs the cloning device, because how else is the void going to get a body of their own? - SilverWolf53
- *glances at the hermitopia werewolf ask* okay but what if the same mystery people who made ren into a werewolf also created jevin, and maybe Etho? idk if either of them have been given any hermitopia headcanons yet lol. but im sure the same people who made a werewolf could make a sentient slime (or perhaps rescue one) or make... whatever etho is. [Since the "second organization" is an incorrect assumption believed by Concorp, Jevin was created when he came in contact with a waterway contaminated by The Leak. Concorp assumes he was created by an opposing organization and not by accident, and therefore would like to bring him in along with Ren.]
- hermitopia - mumbo and grian were friends back when cloning experiments were still happening (or . as friendly as you can be with someone who's treating you like a lab rat), but after everything went wrong and grian escaped, mumbo has his memories wiped nd thats why he's trusted w iskall's stuff? bc he inherently remembers working on high-level things without knowing where he learnt it - muscle memory, yk?anyway massive angst with grian maybe recognising mumbo, but not the other way round, and trying to rekindle their friendship? and that's where grumbot comes in? -gin [Mumbo's memory was wiped so that he would forget the deadly purpose of Iskall's cybernetics, which he was working on at the same time as the Grian project in the background. Mumbo does not remember creating Grian's mechanical wings or Iskall's arm and eye, and he has no memory of either individual previous to "meeting" Iskall as the person assigned to his repair and upkeep.]
- Etho doesn't so much have powers as he is powers. All the powers the ‘original’ had went into creating him; now he just exists, as whatever sort of being he is. Not a human one, that much is obvious. ~DragonKay [Etho has no powers beyond the hivemind and his training, due to the error in the experiment that caused the clones]
- Mumbo started the button as a joke. A nonsense social expirement to see how much people want worthless signs of status. Unfortunately things got out of hand, and violent too. But hey! It's not his fault that the five special anomalous stones were misplaced into the prize dispenser! It was just chance that they fell into the hands of the clone of the worst gremlin in the city! Don't fire him! [He was not fired, but Cub was Decidedly Unhappy with him for a good long while]
- Void mostly trashes ConCorp facilities- trying to figure out if any of his siblings survived the spaceship crash, but occasionally he’ll pilfer from a bakery, because X is a health nut and Void just wants a gods damned cookie [Void very much dislikes unseasoned chicken]
- If the Stress Monster gets too big, too dangerous, Cleo is sworn under oath to Stress to zap her with her healing powers. Cleo doesn’t like to do it, overhealing a stressed Stress makes her so calm she gets knocked out for a couple of days, but Stress can take a small comfort in the fact that at least one person out there can stop her
- Ooh with the self healing Cleo she'd be able to develop a small amount of super strength, with how the mind keeps from going full throttle because it would destroy the body once she gets over it it's hysterical strength whenever she wants [it is quite painful, but a good backup plan]
- Being a hive mind of disposable clones that can spawn new copies at will, it can sometimes be hard for the Etho Entity to remember that it is indeed a big deal for other people when they get hurt. This can make him come off as callous to those around him, placing him firmly in the "villain" category in most citizen's books, but he really doesn't intend any harm!
- Grian used to be tall, but then the cloning happened. With each clone they stole a little bit of his height making him the short man he is today. He needs to capture those clones and get his height back. [Grian isn't entirely sure how to accomplish this, but he's dead set on trying! He misses being tall!]
- While Grian was perfectly fine with Ariana Griande living her own life, he did insist on one thing.Her "older brother" getting backstage access whenever she was on tour. He's very proud and supportive of her and her music career.
- Mumbo is perfectly content working in tech, watching the other hermits get up to crazy shenanigans. Except of course, there was that one time he was out testing some new gear and accidentally saved a crowd from some villains... and there were all those times after too...But hey! It’s not his fault that people like him, and he certainly isn’t going to get caught by Concorp during his after hours activities. [Mumbo considers himself an accidental hobbyist, not thinking he has the nerve or the skill for proper hero work. Time will tell if he's right about that or not...but unfortunately, he probably is. This should be fun.]
- There’s still some people overseeing VEX, even over Cub. They’re the ones that push Cub to do certain experiments or to scrap one. They’re the ones to give Cub the decision for Iskall’s life debt. Scar was under them too for the longest time, but eventually he wanted out. Cub still wanted in. They were still in the right, right? That’s what they tell him. He’s starting to doubt it. [Cub is way too invested in everything he's built to even think about going rogue now, but he does resent and occasionally question the judgement of his superiors increasingly as his project begins to fail more and more often. He also fears that Scar's shift in career will be seen as a betrayal, rather than as a tactical attempt to gain the company influence in the government.]
- Been thinking about the impulse + nho asks and just,,, what would happen if concorp/the government found out? It cant be good with interrogation/hypnosis on both sides (incase you cant tell,, the brainrot got me as well) (apologies if this is a mess im excited) [Hypno is assigned to set up an illusionary conversation to make Impulse reveal nHo location to Concorp and government agents while thinking that he's actually talking to the nHo in a random encounter]
- The one mind Beef can't read is Etho's. Their hivemind is just too weird for him to comprehend. If he ever tries to listen in, it sounds like just a bunch of static from an old TV.
- for hermitopia au!: Out of most of the heros, the most reckless may be team zit. sure they tell themselves they'll plan out missions but it's hard when they share a braincell and tango just runs in. impulse and zed share a look everytime and have to run after him to make sure he doesn't get too hurt or overwhelmed by the enemy. in their defence its hard to plan ahead against an enemy when you dont know what they are thinking.-lucodak ["You might not have known what they were thinking, Tango, but we'd generally like you to know what you're thinking!"]
- i bet ConCorp really wants to make it out like theres some secret shady organization creating all these people with mutations, rather than their own operatives deserting and their own failure to contain dangerous chemicals... whether its malicious coverups or just ignorance to the fact they messed up, wonder what would happen if that sort of thing came to light...? [If they found out that the unintentional superhumans were a result of the poorly-contained crash site? Cub would lose his job...maybe worse. If Cub found out (and he hasn't, yet) he would do everything in his power to keep that information from his superiors.]
- (paraphrased) Impulse accidentally walks in on heroes and agents breaking down the doors of the nHo's hideout and confronting them. Scar claims that they did so on information Impulse himself provided and thanks him for his service. Impulse, feeling confused and betrayed, resists Hypno's attempts to illusion him back to Scar's side and flees the scene with the nHo, knowing very little other than the fact that he doesn't want to be manipulated by the government any more (and still not knowing that Beef has been reading his mind)
- Impulse may have been labeled a traitor. But do you really think that Impulse, secret rebel, starting to learn how dangerous and corrupted Concorp really is, wouldn't let his best friends know about the danger they might be in? I think Team ZIT is more loyal to each other than to the government. - @mleemwyvern [ Impulse's first stop after escaping with the nHo is to find a place to secretly meet Tango and Zedaph and tell them about the way he was tricked. It takes a lot of explaining and a lot of trust, but they eventually decide to believe his claims and are left with a choice: will they openly go rogue and become a target along with Impulse and the rest of the nHo, or are they better off using their established image and reputation to keep an eye on the government heros' movements from the inside?]
- (two asks combined, paraphrased) Ren runs out of supplies and decides to head back into the city, confident in his ability to stay off the grid after so many years of experience and such a long time away. Once there, he runs into Doc, and they hit it off quite quickly. However, the more Ren talks the more Doc realizes - with his ex-Concorp knowledge - that Ren matches the description of Iskall's main target exactly. He warns Ren, who is then faced with the knowledge that Iskall is alive and assigned to kill him...so many questions and so many tears to follow...
- Why did Hermitopia start needing heroes? When the Unrestrained started to appear, if course. Why did the Unrestrained start to appear? A question asked a little less. When did the VEX program start? When did they start taking more risks? When did they stop caring about certainty and safety and shift towards trying to push boundaries they weren't ready to? People can be so enamoured with the concept of superhuman abilities, something bright and glorious and good- and perhaps they could have that too- they don't ask all the right questions. It's all an elaborate game of damage control, don't let the flashy heroics fool you, they've made mistakes, terrible, terrible mistakes, and now there are villains running loose with powers they fooled ConCorp into giving them. Are they villains? Are they victims? Does it matter? They're causing problems. [Project VEX has developed into a solution to its own problems, a self perpetuating cycle...one that Cub, as a businessman, is very familiar with. It's what keeps the wheels of industry turning. It's what keeps innovation creeping forward. It wasn't intentional, not this time...but if it keeps his project alive, he'll take it.]
- One time, Jevin had narrowly dodged being captured by Concorp. He was laying low in the forest out of town, when he had a run-in with some sort of wolf creature. Thankfully, claws and teeth couldn't exactly hurt him anymore, so he just played dead until it gave up.When the moon set, the wolf-thing slowly transformed into a human being. Ren was horrified at the thought he'd lost control and hurt someone- again- but Jevin assured him he was fine. Jevin got the feeling that the werewolf needed a friend, and Jevin himself needed a place to stay for a while... -RayveeWrites [Ren and Jevin are not currently in the same location, but they each have a means of contacting each other for help if needed]
- Worm Man wasn't a well- known super, but plenty of people have noticed that he seemed to vanish at the same time Team ZIT first started active duty. Those people have also noticed that one of the members has a very similar power set to WM.Officially, that's just a coincidence. Officially.-RayveeWrites [Zedaph was trying to get some unofficial practice while still in training in the VEX program]
- A common misconception is that Bdubs conjures up his vines from nowhere. He can't.Like any plant, his vines grow from seeds. They grow unnaturally fast, when Bdubs wills it, but they have to come from seeds. Where do these seeds come from, you may ask?Well, a long time ago, Bdubs ingested some strange fruits. Somehow, in wild defiance of human biology, the seeds contained in those fruits worked their way into his muscles and germinated. Some of the roots worked their way into his brain and fused into it; the rest spread through his muscles, grew beneath his skin, coiled around his bones. Thanks to the way the vines connected to his brain, Bdubs is able to command the vines, and their magic, at will.The vines produce seeds; some stay in his body to replace the old ones when they die, and most work their way into a pair of 'seed pods' in his wrists. Bdubs provides the nutrients, the energy; the vines provide the seeds, the magic. As an extra bonus: if the vines were to be totally removed from Bdubs' body, he would be at best extremely weak, and at worst dead. The vines have grown into his muscles, to the point where they've essentially replaced them in some areas. It's fortunate that they connected with his mind so early on, otherwise he'd be dead. -RayveeWrites [Concorp developed the fruit, and the fact that Bdubs is evidence of the unlikely success of that experiment makes them all the more angry at his betrayal]
- A lot of excellent xB information (it's too long to copy but please read it it's very good)
- Iskall has exactly one (1) failed assignment. That assignment? The kill or capture of Stress. Stress and Iskall have been, or should it be were now, friends for a very long time, since before Iskall even met Ren. So one can imagine the stress this causes Iskall, to be told to kill his one remaining friend that he knows is alive. Of course, this stress is quite enough to to Stress's Stress Monster into one it's strongest yet seen forms, allowing for Stress to then get away. (1/2)(2/2) Of course, Con Corp doesn't- and can never- know the true reason that Iskall cannot kill or capture Stress. If they knew, if they subjected Stress to the same hell he's in- no, that cannot happen. So Iskall hires False to protect Stress, to interfere whenever they send him on a mission for her. Luckily, False is good at keeping secrets when she wants to, and this one she'll keep. But as far as Con Corp knows, Iskall has severe stress and trauma from being a cyborg, and that's why he fails. [This all adds up to a monumental waste of Concorp's time and money, which also results in False getting payed, so all parties involved are happy except for Concorp >:)]
- Impulse would take a bullet for his teammates, and he knows they might be about to take one for him, keeping him updated on what's going on government side of this... slander. Still, Tango and Zed are great actors, and if he didn't know better, he might be a little worried they would *actually* be hunting him down in the name of justice [Tango and Zed are now being sent on missions to retrieve Impulse, which they must pretend to lose believably. They occasionally overestimate their friend's abilities and give him a few more close calls than he'd like, but overall the ruse is holding up.]
Writing:
- Wels, Hels, TFC, and Grumbot
- Bdubs Concorp promotion and desertion
- Joe Hills in his time dilation hideout
- Etho clones, ZIT, and the nHo
- Keralis and Void
- [ALTERNATE] Reveal of Impulse's situation with the nHo
Art:
- Impulse suit design
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Realistic Personalities in Characters: Alice in Borderland
⚠ Spoilers ⚠
Short Summary
Alice in Borderland 今際の国のアリス is a Netflix original series about a young boy called Alice (Arisu) and his two friends who happens to find themselves trapped in an abandoned version of Tokyo in which they must take part in many life threatening games to survive.
I wanted to do a review on this series because I noticed that there were some characters that possessed very accurate and realistic behaviours and others that didn’t convey any emotion the entire show. I found it interesting that the mix of very different levels of well-displayed people was able to add to the already amazing plot of the series.
Characters Present:
Alice, Karube, Chota, Usagi, Kuina, Chishiya, Niragi
Alice - Protagonist
The main protagonist of the series is not always the favourite in most tv shows, but from looking at different reviews and people’s comments about Yamazaki’s character Alice, I’ve noticed that he is actually rather popular in his own fictional world. He is honestly probably one of my favourite characters as well, and that’s based on how realistic his behaviours and emotions are conveyed.
Some aspects and scenes of Alice that makes him a more convincing and realistic personality:
Being a normal young boy with no incredibly amazing skills
Not having god-like survival abilities just from being able to play battle-royal videogames well
Having flaws
Having only two close friends rather than a huge friendship group
Not being incredibly attractive and well-groomed
Not having a close relationship with his brother (not all siblings get along)
Having a bad relationship with his father
Having the very human instinct of survival by becoming willing to kill his friends to save his own life out of panic
Reacting badly to watching someone being killed (vomiting, screaming, trauma etc)
Not being incredibly serious all the time; actually having a sense of humour
Showing respect towards Usagi’s privacy
Having a very average style of clothing
Being awkward around people he doesn’t know
Excelling in one area (puzzles) but being quite disadvantaged at the rest
Making mistakes E.g. during the distance game, he doesn’t realize the trick of the game until it ends
Not being able to defend himself physically due to lack of strength
Not moving on after his friends’ deaths immediately like as if it doesn’t happen (it takes him a few days to even develop the energy to get up off the floor)
I would say I personally believe that Alice’s character has a strong and realistic personality, as Yamazaki’s acting and Alice’s reactions to certain experiences creates a sympathetic response from the audience.
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Karube - Deuteragonist
Let’s be honest, everyone loves a bad boy character. During the short time that Karube was present during the show, I think he conveys both strong and weak personality traits. At some points I think the producers were trying too hard to bring a “tough man” façade to him, when I think he could show more realistic emotions and reactions.
Some aspects and scenes of Karube that makes him a more convincing and realistic personality:
Having a fiery and defensive personality (although it can more than often come across as immature)
Having a sense of humour even in tough times
Having obvious advantage in strength related survival skills
Not being invincible to fear E.g. running from the tagger during the “Tag” game and not even trying to fight back at first
Dealing with work related issues
Actually having a realistic dream life rather than one that sounds almost impossible
Being flawed but not too flawed
Having a love interest that he is forbidden to love (she is with another man)
Conveying fear through anger when Alice tries to kill him to save himself
Not having the nicest of personalities (not everyone is friendly to everyone)
Not having a overly selfless personality
I think Karube should’ve been included in the series more than he is, because his character is very lovable and many fans of this show obviously show sympathy when he dies. His character has a big, extroverted and blunt personality, and I think it is conveyed very well during the time he is present.
____
Chota - Tertiary
Although Chota is one of the main three characters in the beginning of the series, I honestly never felt that sympathetic for him. His character comes across as rather more annoying than weak to me. I understand that the point of his character is to have a weak and smaller personality to match Karube and Alice’s loud energy, but I think this person is kind of just there. He doesn’t do much, considering he almost loses his leg in the first episode and having to use crutches for the rest of the time he is alive.
Some aspects and scenes of Chota that makes him less realistic:
Being friends with people who obviously have dodgy jobs or no jobs at all when he is a successful technician himself
Doesn’t seem to have much of a life outside work and his friends, what are his hobbies?
Not exactly having much of a purpose in the show
Constantly having his guard up and being anxious or worried
Having too many flaws
Following a very different religion to that of his mother
Generally being incredibly different to Alice and Karube (I believe if their personalities were actually friends in real life, they would have too many arguments).
During the short time on the show that Chota had, it was more the point that his personality felt incredibly unneeded. It didn’t exactly serve a huge purpose in the storyline. As well as, he was hard to sympathize for.
____
Usagi - Love Interest / Deuteragonist
Usagi definitely has my most favourite back story of the series. Although, when researching about her I noticed that she is actually one of the characters that get the least recognition by the viewers, despite being in basically every episode and always being beside Alice. I have mixed emotions about the realism in her character, so I made both a positive and negative list to state both sides.
Some aspects and scenes of Usagi that makes her a more convincing and realistic personality:
Having a tragic yet realistic backstory
Using her mountain climbing skills as a huge advantage during physically challenging games
Showing obvious signs of grief for her father, even during the time she was placed in the game
Being insecure of her body
Fighting back against Niragi even when it’s obvious she won’t win
Having good survival instincts from past experiences
Willing to help others out when they need it E.g. during the “Tag” game she went along with Alice’s plan for everyone to work together
Having a obvious more introverted personality
Being too trusting, which ends up getting her hurt
Some aspects and scenes of Usagi that makes her a more unrealistic and poorly convincing personality:
Having too serious of a personality, not seeming to lay back and laugh for even a second
Seeming to have an unrealistic bravery E.g. during the tagger game, she didn’t seemed frightened at all despite that the tagger had a machine gun
Doesn’t react to graphic violent sights that would be traumatizing to humans
Not knowing what “The Beach” was despite being in the game for god knows how long
Overall, I think she is the awesome strong female character that a lot of thriller genres have. Although, I would love if for once a strong yet bad ass character didn’t act so mysterious and quiet all the time. But regardless, she is a good character that shows very human qualities.
____
Kuina - Confidante
Kuina is one of the more popular characters in the show, which I honestly can understand. She has obvious very strong manipulation skills as well as physical strengths like martial arts. Although, I believe her backstory is what truly shapes her as a character and is the reason why the audience develops such an emotional connection with her.
Some aspects and scenes of Kuina that makes her a more convincing a realistic personality:
Having a trusting and good relationship with Chishiya
Having a personality that conveys carelessness
Both social butterfly and keeps to herself
Being a character part of the LGBTQ+ community
Having a realistic backstory
Although having a bad relationship with her Dad, she still respects what he taught her
Having a parent that accepts her rather than just being abandoned, which is what a lot of Transgender characters have been stereotyped as
Being able to defend herself incredibly well
Giving her a human flaw (smoking addiction)
Having a elaborate hairstyle
Showing that she is not mysterious, she just has a lot of walls up
Showing care for people she doesn’t know E.g. warning Alice and Usagi about the militants
I really like Kuina’s character for her strong personality and her ability to build good relationships with the members at the beach paradise. Although she is not featured a lot during season one, the times we have seen her have obviously been enough to make her character very loved by the audience.
____
Chishiya - Confidante
I honestly could not find a more loved character if I tried. This character is such a small part of the show and yet you’d think he was the protagonist. I honestly think anyone would love a sly fox character though, because that’s exactly what he is. Although his personality would probably become annoying if he was a real person, in a genre like this he fits perfectly. So personally, I have mixed emotions about him, because I honestly didn’t get that emotionally attached to him as other audiences may have.
Some aspects and scenes of Chishiya that makes him a more convincing and realistic personality:
Having a cocky attitude at times
Has a underdog appeal to him
Mimics that of a selfish manipulative personality
Showing obvious signs of high intelligence, yet doesn’t blab it around like it’s a trophy
Gives the audience some entertainment
Having a sassy remark, even when his life is on the line
Going out of his way to do things that only benefit him
Having a personality that everyone loves and hates at the same time
Having that personality in which you can’t tell if he’s a good guy or a bad guy
Having a trademark, his white hoodie
Having a caring relationship towards Kuina
Some aspects and scenes of Chishiya that makes him a more unrealistic and less convincing personality:
Attempting to kill Niragi with no hesitation after knowing him personally for so long (that would be difficult to do even if you hated the person)
Not showing human emotions such as fear, worry or anger
Sometimes his personality came across as too selfish to be realistic
Not showing any signs of fear E.g. when Niragi waved a machine gun in his face, he didn’t even flinch
Sometimes his fancy words became a bit annoying
Everyone trusts him, regardless of how manipulative they know he is
Overall, he is a very entertaining character. In my opinion he’s like the personality that throws a match into gasoline then walks away like he didn’t start it. Although his realism in character isn’t exactly good, he is definitely loved for his good looks and sly actions by the audience.
____
Niragi - Antagonist
As much as I dislike this guy as a person in general, when it comes to creating a interesting and great character, he hit the nail on the head. He has one of the most realistic evil character developments probably in the whole series. His personality is so complicated and psychotic, which is what makes him an amazing antagonist and probably the second most popular character among the audience.
Some aspects and scenes of Niragi that makes him a more convincing and realistic personality:
Has a tragic backstory, making the audience believe that’s why he’s so psychotic
Having the delusional mindset that human nature is violence
Makes the audience feel bad for him, despite being a horrible person
Being a hidden antagonist (didn’t expect him to cause all the trouble in the end)
Showing obvious signs of psychological trauma
Conveys positive (yet destructive) emotions and behaviour, which is always a good break when all the characters are serious 24/7
Hits a breaking point in his emotions and goes on a killing spree
Shows loyalty to Aguni
Being awful to everyone, probably due to the fact that everyone was awful to him when he was younger. It’s a way of revenge
Becoming embarrassed when someone challenges him
Scaring people into submission (tactic for some leaders)
Conveys no care for anyone, honestly just uses everyone for either his own entertainment or his own benefit
Has a trademark, his machine gun and checkered shirt
Being self-aware of how evil he is
As evil and bad as he is, he’s one of the most endearing antagonists I’ve seen in a while. He is a very psychotic and emotionally wrecked personality to him, as if you know something traumatizing must have occurred in his life for him to be able to murder anyone without batting an eye.
#characterreview#character#aliceinborderland#alice#aib#writing#netflixoriginals#netflix#tvshows#characterreviews#usagi#karube#chota#kuina#chishiya#niragi
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HI LEAF IVE BEEN HYPERFIXATING ON MC STORY MODE AND ON STAMPYCAT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT STAMPYCAT BEING THE WHITE PUMPKIN IT SOUNDS SO COOL
HELLO HI YES I AM MORE THAN WILLING TO EXPLAIN
Before I start I wanna give a huge shout out to @mephones-declining-mental-health who was actually the first to point a lot of this out. We spent a lot of time putting this all together and she deserves a ton of credit for it. So go check them out.
ok so mcsm is an old game so quick refresher on episode 6: Jesse and his gang end up in another world and are put into a murder-mystery type situation. They’re trapped in the mansion due to zombies and have to survive until the day while the person who invited them all to the mansion (who goes by “The White Pumpkin”) kills them off one-by-one in order to obtain the Enchanted Flint And Steel. Which Jesse is also trying to get. Minus the main cast, everyone in this murder mystery is based off and voiced by famous minecraft YouTubers from the time. This was a pretty genius move on TellTale’s part because it meant the players were already going in with a certain level of attachment to these characters, allowing the game to kill them off in a way that would be emotionally impactful without effecting the plot of the overall story that much.
The people you meet in the mansion are the following youtubers: CaptainSparklez, TorqueDawg, StampyCat, TheDiamondMinecart, LDShadowLady, StacyPlays, and CassieRose
Multiple of these YouTubers are killed off (though some can be either saved or killed depending on your choices) and [spoiler warning] Cassie Rose is revealed to be the white pumpkin at the end. Her motivation being that she’s stuck away from her home world for and desperate to get back.
Now here’s the thing: that doesn’t make Any sense.
Cassie doesn’t have a single line or any piece of evidence that would necessarily point to her being the white pumpkin. The only real evidence that points to her feels so last minute and forced. And just completely disregards any other scene in which you were collecting evidence.
This would be less frustrating if there weren’t multiple other people that had far more evidence against them. But the one who has the most undeniable evidence against them? StampyCat.
Now I don’t know if they changed the story halfway through development or if the writers at TellTale are just bad at their jobs (equally likely but there is some evidence to suggest Cassie was not always the intended White Pumpkin) but Stampy has the most evidence, best motive, and would have just been a very interesting villain entirely.
Let’s go over everything.
So for starters. The first murder.
Spoiler alert! But the first murder is TorqueDawg. He stands under a dispenser that shoots him with a poison tipped arrow and he dies.
Now, tipped arrows were a relatively new thing at the time, and the game makes a point out of this. A lot of the characters in the mansion Don’t Know what a tipped arrow is. But a few do.
After the second murder (which we’ll address in a moment) you have the ability to interrogate three of the characters. LDShadowLady, TheDiamondMinecart, and StampyCat
Lizzie (LDShadowLady) is fully aware of the tipped arrows. Both Dan (TheDiamondMinecart) and Stampy point this out. When you ask her about it, she says she does know how to make them and taught others about it.
One of the people she talked about the tip arrows to is Cassie, aka the white pumpkin. So story-wise it does make sense. But Lizzie also states that Stampy had asked her about the tipped arrows, and specifically how to make them. So we know he has full knowledge of them.
But what does Stampy say when you ask him about the tipped arrows?
“I’ve never seen anything like it before”
This is Never addressed. Not once. Stampy blatantly lies about knowledge of a murder weapon when he seemingly has no reason to do so and he gets away with it.
So Stampy 1. Has the ability to create the weapon used for the murder and 2. Felt the need to hide this ability.
So that’s pretty suspicious right off the bat.
Now these interviews are caused by the second murder. So let’s talk about that.
Second murder: CaptainSparklez is pushed into a sand pit and suffocated by a very elaborate redstone trap. The trap is activated by one of the buttons on the table that they’re all sitting at.
Each of the buttons activates the trap, but only one of them was actually pressed. The connection we’re supposed to make here is that the White Pumpkin set up multiple buttons to keep suspicion off of themself.
The people sitting at the buttons were StampyCat, TheDiamondMinecart, LDShadowLady and Jesse’s friend Lucas.
Now you’ll notice that CassieRose, the actual White Pumpkin, is not on this list.
TheDiamondMinecart (Dan) is the one who presses the button. Dan is supposed to be a Red Herring here as he didn’t know what the button would do and pressed it anyway (though he’s a bad red herring. And we’ll discuss that in a moment). Even with the knowledge that it wasn’t the white pumpkin who pressed it, it doesn’t make any sense for her to have not been sitting at a seat with a button. And this is never really addressed either. Making this scene a complete waste of time, unless of course the original white pumpkin was intended to be one of those 4 people.
The interviews give us a lot of knowledge about the interpersonal relationships of the characters and what their skill levels are. Such as what I discussed earlier about the tipped arrows. But one thing that stays consistent is Jesse’s insistence that whoever the white pumpkin is, they must be good at redstone.
And he’s right. Every trap set by the white pumpkin at this point was redstone activated. Whoever made it must have been very skilled with it. And out of all the suspects there’s only one who has that level of ability. Stampy.
Both Dan and Lizzie make a point of saying that Stampy is a master of redstone and his skill is unmatched. But when Stampy is asked about this, his first instinct is to lie about it. When you catch him in this lie, he immediately back-tracks.
So Stampy
Has knowledge on how to build the first murder weapon (which wasn’t knowledge everyone had at the time)
Completely lies about this knowledge and is never called out for it
Was sitting at one of the buttons that caused the second murder
Is the only one with the redstone knowledge capable of creating the white pumpkins traps.
Lies about his redstone ability
So there you go! That’s a ton of evidence against him! And pretty much no evidence against Cassie other than the fact that she also knew about tipped arrows at the time.
In fact the dinner scene confirms Cassie can’t be a suspect unless we’re supposed to believe she just hoped someone else would do the job for her. Which considering she’s later characterized to be super paranoid and unwilling to leave things to chance, I doubt it.
While looking through secret tunnels you manage to find a secret conversation between Dan and Lizzie where Dan admits that he was the one who pushed the button on accident and that he feels super guilty about it. Jessie spots the white pumpkin looking through a painting at this moment. And considering he’s also seeing Dan and Lizzie, and he knows where Lucas is, out of all the people sitting near buttons, Stampy is the only one left. If the White Pumpkin was someone who was sitting at one of the buttons (which it should have been) it would have had to be Stampy
Now I do think having Dan push the button is realistic and fine. It’s a button. Everyone likes pushing buttons. But the fact that the white pumpkin would Bet On That Happening and not sit near a button at all feels like it couldn’t possibly be right, especially because everything else is so thought through and calculated. It feels out of character for Cassie to do. Cassie being the white pumpkin also means those interview scenes were an entire waste of time. They gave us no real information that could be used in the case and crossed off the real murderer as a possible suspect.
If *Stampy* was the murderer however, this would have made a lot more sense. As the interviews would have given us a lot of info about him and against him. Plus his relationship to the others. Even if Dan turned out to be the one who pressed the button, we still would have gotten that important info on Stampy. Not to mention that Dan just so happening to press the button before the White Pumpkin got a chance is a lot more believable than the White Pumpkin betting on that.
Now the way the story actually goes is that Stampy is revealed to have the enchanted flint and steel (even though before he claimed to not even want it) and as I’ve said, Cassie is revealed to be the white pumpkin.
We learn she’s the white pumpkin because she’s the only one who didn’t have a portrait of herself with a red X over it, which is a sign someone had died. Meaning she was never intended to die at all.
Now because the writing team didn’t put any actual evidence of her being guilty before this, they slip in a Not At All Subtle clue that she’s the white pumpkin.
The white pumpkin’s hide out is Filled with calico cats. The same cats as Winslow (the cat that Cassie had kept with her). And while this is obviously supposed to tell us it’s her, it doesn’t really make much sense as a clue. Considering Winslow is just one cat. A bunch of cats that look like him is sort of out-of-nowhere. She’s had no real evidence against her other than the final connection, meanwhile all signs seem to point to Stampy.
This doesn’t necessarily mean anything but I do think it’s worth mentioning that there is one character who Does have a ton of animals like the ones we see in the white pumpkin’s room. And that’s Stampy. He has a ton of dogs that could have easily taken the place of the cats. But anyway.
This last second Right At The End clue seems to almost indicate that there was some change in writing half way through the process. Before Stampy is revealed to have the flint and steel (which is something that any character could have confessed to and the story would be pretty much the same), the story makes a lot more sense with the idea that Stampy was originally intended to be the white pumpkin. We can also gather that it seems they intended the white pumpkin to be a man, as the protagonists refer to the white pumpkin by he/him pronouns and that assumption is never addressed when they learn the white pumpkin is a girl.
Either that or the writers are just. bad. Which is also very likely.
That’s all the evidence I have. So let’s talk about how story-wise it would have been so much more interesting to make Stampy the white pumpkin.
Cassie is great. But she didn’t get a lot of actual screen time in game until her villain reveal because she really never had any evidence against her. Stampy however got a lot of screen time and was generally the fan favorite when it came to the youtubers that were in episode 6. He was one of the most beloved youtubers at the time and the writers took that into account.
Whenever Stampy was accused of something, he’d play the innocent card. He’d say things like “it’s me! Stampy! I’m everyone’s friend!” In an attempt to get sympathy. Instead of defending himself, he played at the emotions of the people around him. He was played as the sweet innocent character who wouldn’t do anything wrong. I think this would have made him a Great twist villain. It would have made a lot more sense for the end scene as well, as the other youtubers defend Cassie, saying she would “never do something like that”. Which never really made sense considering they all knew one of them must have done it, and none of them had any real connection to her. Defending Stampy or being shocked would have made a lot more sense regarding the relationships of the characters.
His villain reveal would have been so much more surprising as well, as Cassie’s tone quickly shifts to much more malicious once she admits to being the White Pumpkin. And while I do believe shes a very good actor, I do believe the scene would have had an extra punch if the lines were delivered by someone who was previously set up to be the trustworthy friend who wouldn’t hurt a fly
But it’s Cassie’s motive specifically that I think would have fit So Well if Stampy had taken her place.
Cassie wants the flint and steel so that she can return to her home dimension. She’a been stuck here for a very long time and is willing to do anything to get back home. Specifically saying that she needs to get out of this “stupid world”.
Now this will only really make sense for those who are familiar with StampyCat outside of mcsm. But I’ll do my best to explain.
Stampy, as a YouTuber, was known for his “lovely world”. The minecraft world that he loved and cared about a lot. If the plot line was that Stampy specifically was separated from his lovely world, it would have been a great motive that he was desperate to get back it it.
So uh. Yeah! I think that’s all I got. I’m sure me and Worm aren’t the only people who have come to this conclusion but I’m just here to put it all into writing. I’m not sure if this was all a last minute change or sloppy writing but either way I think it’s interesting!
#minecraft story mode#mcsm#minecraft story mode episode 6#a portal to mystery mcsm#Stampy cat#long post#wooo boy I am a Nerd haha#sorry for the rant there was just a lot to go over-#I typically don’t go off on tangents like this on this blog but hey. you asked and I provided.#anyway I’m so sorry to my followers for the long post about the cringe minecraft game lmao
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Gibbous Chapter 9
Chapter Title: The Thought of Fresh Meat Is Making Me Ill
Summary: It was October. A month full of cheer for the macabre. A month where humans gleefully wore the skins of those they saw as monsters. A month that Virgil generally enjoyed. It was the one month out of the year where he felt the most alive. Yet somehow, for this year’s October, he felt dead inside. Like his body had turned into the rotting corpse of a zombie and his soul was somehow still trapped inside.
Pairings: platonic lamp & platonic sleepxiety
Chapter Word-Count: 5503
Warnings: Verbal/Emotional Abuse, Anxiety, Depression, Paranoia, Arguing, Disassociation, Sensory Overload (Yeah this one isn't gonna be a particularly happy one, Virgil Is Spiraling Mentally Big Time)
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Surprise b*tch, bet you thought you saw the last of me! I'm back for my yearly update--this chapter is dedicated to all the lovely comments people have left on previous chapter! Also!! I rewrote a significant amount of Crescent Chapter 3 and added onto Gibbous Chapter 5, the latter you might want to reread as it adds a bit to the opening scene of this chapter.
Chapter title taken from "I know I'm a Wolf" from the Young Heretics!
-
In books, there was always a perfect, logical sense of progression. Stories were generally told in a three-act structure. The setup, the midpoint and the resolution. The beginning of a story established the protagonist to the reader. It gave you details about their personality, their way of living, their wants and desires. Then the protagonist found themselves upended by an inciting incident.
Something that caused their way of living to never again be the same. Tension grew and grew as they sought to come about a way to continue living. Until it reached a climax, one where after which, they either thrived or withered away. In which case, the story ended as the protagonist returned to a new sense of normalcy.
One that would last until the next inciting incident came along to shake up their world once again.
Once one found this pattern, it was hard to ever see stories the same way again. There were certain things to always expect—things you could decipher before the story’s end. Real life, however, wasn’t quite like that.
Or at least this was what Logan had come to find. Sure, in many ways events in life played out like stories. There was an inciting incident, something that arose tension as one sought to solve the dilemma. It just wasn’t as neatly bound together like a story or even a math equation. Life was messy, complicated—it threw in plot twists or details that critics would claim lazy and unbelievable.
Logan was harshly reminded of this in the case of one Virgil Raine. He couldn’t understand—he was doing everything right, remaining patient and giving Virgil a chance to open up to Logan on his own time. Yet the human shied further and further away, all development he made since working at the library immediately erased. Virgil even shut out all notions of spending time outside work without explanation. It’d been weeks at this point with no result despite the attempts of Logan, Patton and even Remy, who was arguably the closet with Virgil.
Perhaps this was something that should be expected. Virgil rarely spoke about his past, but what little he shared, he had to fend mostly for his own from a young age. Whoever hurt Virgil caused him to believe again he couldn't rely on anyone but himself.
Logan was not a particularly violent person. He'd been ignorantly cruel once upon a time, yes, but even back then he wasn't one to have the urge to kill people. The wolfish part of him begged to differ, as always. His instincts howled at him to find that person and tear them limb to limb. Better yet, they demanded he snatch Virgil away and bring him against his will to the pack, to safety. As much as Logan wanted this, logically he knew Virgil might never fully trust Patton or himself ever again despite their good intentions. Illogically, he couldn’t bring himself to do the one thing he swore he’d never do again, even if it was for Virgil's safety.
He pondered this, sitting in front of a mountain of paperwork. It was late, too late for him to still be at the library. He couldn’t bring himself to move from his desk, not until he figured something out. He gnashed sharpened teeth in agitation, gripping his hair with claw-like fingernails. It didn't help that normally this time of the month, his cognitive thinking skills were usually in a different state of being. If he wasn't careful, the cleaning staff might find a wolf rampant in the library the next morning.
His phone rang just then, some meme-related ringtone Roman picked out that he’d found funny. Logan snatched it up and answered it.
“Patton, listen, I will be home soon I am just finishing up—”
“I’m not Patton,” The person on the other line cut in, “It’s me, Remy.”
“Oh,” Logan cleared his throat, thrown off by this revelation, “is something the matter?”
“Yeah, something’s the matter alright,” Remy said, his voice hoarse, “I fucked up big time with Virgil.”
-
It was October. A month full of cheer for the macabre. A month where humans gleefully wore the skins of those they saw as monsters. A month that Virgil generally enjoyed. It was the one month out of the year where he felt the most alive. Yet somehow, for this year’s October, he felt dead inside. Like his body had turned into the rotting corpse of a zombie and his soul was somehow still trapped inside.
He supposed it had something to do with how September slipped from his fingers much in the way that his phone slipped from Jerad’s fingers. Falling all the way down, down, down, breaking upon the asphalt below into a million tiny pieces. Tried as he might, the memory haunted him in the waking world as well as his dreams.
Only, in his dreams, sometimes it was him that fell to the ground. Like a shoddy version of Humpty Dumpty. Remy, Patton and Logan would try to fix him to no avail. They’d always leave, scoffing that it wasn’t worth it. He couldn’t cry or reach out towards them, begging for them to return. He could only lay there, broken and bleeding, watching as they abandoned him. Sometimes Roman showed up to gloat, mocking him for thinking they ever cared for him.
The worst thing about it? He knew it was going to happen in real life. It was only a matter of time. Even Jerad knew this.
“C’mon, you really want to hang out with them and not me, your friend?” Jerad scoffed, “what have they done for you? Have they helped out you when you couldn’t pay rent? Replaced your shitty phone for the best smartphone out there?”
“Well no but—”
“Face it, V-Man, they’re using you. They set you up with a new job, making you beholden to them and it’s sickening! They don’t actually care about you. Once they’ve had their fun jerking you around, they’ll just throw you out with the garbage. And I don’t want you coming to me, bawling like a baby, when it happens!”
As much as Jerad was a jerk, Virgil knew deep down he was right. He’d been so ecstatic at their displays of friendship, he didn’t even stop to consider it was all a façade. Maybe they themselves thought it was real, that they actually cared for him. But eventually they’ll realize the truth. That he’s a loser and nothing more.
Or maybe they already knew the truth and were merely toying with him. Virgil was just a human, mortal through and through. Remy, Patton and Logan were all near-immortal, unkillable save a well-placed piece of silver and a stake of wood in Remy’s case. At least with Jerad, he was honest. He knew Virgil was a loser and made it clear he only hung out with Virgil because it was better than nothing.
Jerad had been nice to Virgil lately—or nice as Jerad could be at least. He’d insisted on occasionally giving Virgil rides to and from work. An offer Virgil couldn’t refuse—no matter how hard his heart thudded against his chest with Jerad’s sharp swerves and his blaring car radio. He taken to asking about Virgil’s day even, asking where he’d been and what he’d been doing. He even took Virgil out to bars and clubs in an attempt to get him to loosen up.
Virgil wanted to tell him he’d rather set himself on fire than willingly enter a noisy nightclub. However every time his lips went to form those words, he found himself saying yes always. So that was how he found himself dissociating in a noisy nightclub, holding onto a pink-colored alcoholic beverage he faked taking a sip from.
A hand knocked jokingly against his forehead. “Yo, Virgin!”
Virgil blinked, his gaze blearily onto Jerad. It was hard to concentrate with all the flashing lights and loud music. He wanted to crawl underneath his beloved purple fleece blanket in his dark, silent bedroom and never leave. But he couldn’t leave just yet. Jerad had been nice to take him along to the club. If he’d asked leave now, he’d get upset. He knew eventually Jerad would get upset at him for something, but he preferred to delay that as long as possible.
“Yeah?” Virgil mumbled, curling his fingers tighter around the alcoholic drink that had been hoisted upon him. Jerad knew he didn’t like alcohol—it was something he ridiculed Virgil about constantly. He always insisted on Virgil drinking, saying he’d stop being a pussy and man up eventually about it.
“Are you high or something? You looked like you were seeing into the third dimension or something.”
Virgil shrugged. Jerad laughed at that, patting him on the back. Virgil tensed from each thud of Jerad’s hand, but he did not flinch or move away. It was a friendly gesture on Jerad’s part. If he wanted to really hurt Virgil, he would’ve put more force behind it.
“Probably not! You’re too much of an anxious wimp,” Jerad said, downing the contents of his drink, “but let me know if you ever get man enough to try it—your good friend Jerad has connections.”
“Okay.” Virgil said, his voice sounding far off in the distance to his own ears.
Jerad laughed again, and then started rambling about something probably among the lines of his most recent hookup, his parents being jerks for not giving him a new sports car or the latest college professor he deemed a complete idiot. Virgil stared at him, nodding all the right moments yet barely processed any of the words being directed his way.
Even with lungs filled with air and a warm beating heart, Virgil felt nothing. He was nothing. A worthless sentient waste of space. Like an ugly mutt nobody wanted that should be euthanized to end its miserable existence.
His phone—the replacement one Jerad gave him—vibrated in his pocket. A text, no doubt from one of the others. The fourth one this night. Virgil’s hand twitched, refraining from looking at it in the presence of Jerad. Virgil didn’t feel like losing a second phone within a month of the first.
“Um, hey,” Virgil interrupted, wincing, “I gotta go use the bathroom, is that alright?”
“’Is that alright?’” Jerad mimicked in a high pitch tone, “Dude, is this elementary school or something? You want a hall pass? Me to hold your hand the whole way there?”
Virgil stared at him.
Jerad rolled his eyes, “Go ahead, whatever. I don’t care if you take a dump, just be quick with it.”
“Thanks.” Virgil bit out, running off before Jerad could change his mind.
He twisted and pivoted around the crowd of sweaty, glistening bodies wearing skimpy clothing. The bright neon lights and loud music warped around him like something out of a nightmare. Eventually he made it to the restrooms and locked himself in the nearest stall. The pulse of his heart roaring in his ears, he drew the phone of his pocket.
Four New Text Notifications from Patton
Patton: [Image of a black cat that looked approximately a year old. It appeared to be nestled close to Patton’s chest, staring up at the camera in wide-eyed stare.]
Patton: Look at what I found on my evening walk! Isn’t she the cutest??
Patton: I’m trying to convince Logan to let me keep her. Maybe you can come visit tomorrow and meet her??
Patton: It’s ok if not! I know you’ve been busy and I want to let you know I’m here for you, you can come to me about anything okay?
Virgil’s vision blurred a bit. He didn’t understand it. Why hadn’t Patton given up already? It’s been weeks since he’s sent Patton a text. He’d been terrified, too, really. And in the few times he ran into Patton at the library, he made excuses and scurried the other way.
Logan was at least kind enough to exchange a few pleasantries and keep their verbal interactions work-oriented. And Remy? They still delved deep into discussions about their taste in music but there was an awkward unspoken agreement not to bring up what happened that one morning. Virgil also shied from hanging outside of work, hoping Remy would eventually forget about him. It seemed to be working; Remy hadn’t offered to hang out in about a week or so.
But Patton? Patton seemed determined to stay in contact with Virgil, sending his dumb silly memes and cute animal videos. He sent good morning and good night texts, while making sure Virgil knew he could respond to them on his own time. On one hand, it made sense—this was the same Patton who saved a complete stranger’s life for literally no reason. On the other hand, he wished Patton would give up. It would made things easier, make it hurt less for everyone.
His phone buzzed with a new text notification.
Jerad: Dude, did you fall in or something?
Virgil swallowed, wiping away any stupid tears running down his face. As he typed a response to Jerad with shaky hands, the bathroom door slammed open, banging against the wall. He almost dropped his phone in the process, silently cursing at how close he’d been to breaking yet another phone.
Several loud booming voices filled the bathroom, peppered with obnoxious laughter every half second. Virgil shut his eyes, resisting the urge to cover his ears also in the process. The noise was too much. It was too much in the club outside, but all those voices echoing off the small crammed walls of the bathroom made Virgil want to scream.
The door creaked open yet again, the voices venturing away from Virgil. Good, they were leaving so Virgil could finally self-destruct in peace. Or so he thought, as a set of footsteps stopped abruptly, wavering. The club music blasted from the doorway, drowning out whatever discussion took place.
Then the door swung shut, the roaring club music muted once more. Virgil waited, breath catching in his throat as the single set of footsteps took a couple strides towards him. Oh god, this was how he was going to die, wasn’t he? This was probably some serial killer with an obsession of killing people in night club restrooms.
This was, of course, the moment his phone started vibrating in his hand. A call. Someone was calling him in the final moments of his life. Virgil looked down at the caller id; Remy. His heartrate spiked, dancing so painfully close to what a heart attack must feel like. Why was Remy calling him? Was he at last going to tell him he was done with Virgil forever?
Virgil almost wanted to ignore the call. But then he glanced at the black boots hovering near his stall and gave it a second thought. If this was going to be how his life ended, it’d probably be best to say goodbye to someone at least. Sucking a breath in, he pressed the green phone icon and held the phone to his ears.
“Hi?” He whispered.
“Hey Virgil,” Remy said, echoing oddly in Virgil’s ears, “what are you up to tonight?”
Virgil glanced down at the black boots menacingly close to his stall, “Umm, I’m just home, chilling.”
“That’s a lie, Hon. I know you’re hiding in a stall of this bathroom.”
“W-what are you talking about?” Virgil couldn’t breathe.
Remy sighed, sounding so similar to the person outside the stall, “Please, let’s talk face to face, alright?”
This was some sort of trick to lure him out of the stall, wasn’t it? Still, with the hand not clutching tightly to his phone, he reached out and unlatched the stall door.
Remy stood there, expression hidden under his black shades. His hair was slicked back with gel, shimmering with a glitter of some sort. He wore his iconic black leather jacket with a black crop top underneath. His whole outfit was black, in fact, down to his ripped jeans and the ankle-length boots. Virgil had seen him wear something similar before to a college event he’d taken Virgil to.
“W-what are you doing here?” Virgil demanded.
“I could ask you the same,” Remy responded, eyebrows raised above his shades, “this isn’t your scene, Virge. What are you doing here?”
“I’m not answering unless you answer.” Virgil said, trying to ignore how much he sounded like a toddler.
“A few of my homies from the art program wanted to celebrate the end of mid-terms. This is the night club most of the college body hangs at.” Remy crossed his arms.
“And how did you know I was in here?”
“A few keen observations,” Remy mustered a thin smile. He tapped his nose for emphasis before drawing his finger close to his lips. Virgil’s eyes widened in understanding. Vampire senses, then. “But mostly, I’d recognize those faded converse of yours anywhere.”
“O-oh.”
“I answered your question, now it’s your turn, Virge.”
“I…” Virgil said, the rest of his words strangled in his throat. His phone buzzed in his hand; another impatient text from Jerad no doubt. He didn’t bother to look at it, choosing to focus on taking a breath in rather than going unconscious from a lack of oxygen.
He could tell Remy the truth. That he’d gone with Jerad—his roommate whom he used to complain to Remy about all the time. But then Remy would ask why he was with Jerad and then—well. Then Virgil would have tell him what happened the time he found him the night his phone broke and well, Virgil wasn’t ready for that. He couldn’t tell Remy about his humiliating mistake.
“I…went here to have a good time completely by myself.” Virgil withheld himself from wincing because wow that didn’t sound weird or suspicious in the slightest, “So you can go catch up with your friends or whatever, I’m good hanging out right here.”
“Right here, in the restroom?”
“Yeah.”
“Honey,” Remy said, his voice washed with some emotion Virgil couldn’t identify, “Let’s ditch this shithole and go somewhere else.”
“W-what—but your friends—” Virgil stammered.
“—will be fine without me. N-G-L they’ll probably too trying to give themselves alcohol poison even realize I’m gone,” Remy shrugged his shoulders, “besides, you don’t seem as gucci as you say you are in here and it’s been a while since we really hung out hung out, y’know?”
Virgil stubbornly directed his gaze away from Remy, jaw tightening. It had to be okay, didn’t it? Jerad was most likely to get too drunk to even coherent colors, let alone that Virgil slipped off without him. Maybe he wouldn’t be mad. Maybe he wouldn’t fly into a rage and come close to hanging him off a balcony. Besides Remy would be even more suspicious if he said no.
Virgil sighed, holding the home button on the phone until it shut off completely. That way he wouldn’t have to deal with Jerad calling him, demanding to know where he’d disappear off to, despite ditching Virgil all the time without warning.
“Alright, fine.”
Remy smiled, his teeth looking a little too sharp for Virgil’s liking. Wordlessly he turned aside and reached for the bathroom door.
Virgil swallowed, shoving the phone in his pocket to be forgotten about. Tried as he might, he still flinched as lively blare of the club’s music and flashing lights greeted him with full force. He froze, cowering before the threshold of the door. A hand landed on his shoulder, soft and gentle.
“Virgil?” Remy asked, his brows furrowing together.
Molten lava settled in the pit of Virgil’s stomach—pity. That was the expression on Remy’s face he couldn’t identify at first. He didn’t want pity; Virgil knew what pity meant. He didn’t want pity of any kind, it reminded him too much of the foster parents that looked at him like he was some feral dog that could be whipped into obedience. And sure, Remy had never hurt him but it didn’t mean Virgil forgotten about that morning spent at Remy’s dorm a month back.
Eyes lit up with a burning, controlled fire. Words hissed through a clenching jaw, “Tell me their name and I’ll beat them up for you.”
If Remy was willing to hurt who he deemed as threats to Virgil, who’s to say he wouldn’t be willing to hurt Virgil? To reprimand Virgil, to let him know how much of an idiot he was being? It sounded absurd, even now, because he’d known Remy for almost a year. Remy had plenty opportunities up to now to do something and hadn’t. Yet he was a vampire; years were nothing to him. He had plenty of time to wait for Virgil to slip up in some way and make his irritation known.
And Virgil knew by now to expect the other shoe to drop in a relationship—it was why he distanced himself, isolated himself to solely to work and his cramped little room at the apartment. He was foolish to believe Remy, Patton and Logan were different. Logan and Patton especially—what was he thinking? Patton saved him, sure, but Logan had been hellbent on locking him in their basement for the eternity of time. Why had ever he allowed himself to accept their apologies, to believe something was going right in his life for once?
“I’m fine.” Virgil snarled, shoving himself forward. It was like marching into a warzone, the music assaulted his ears and rattled uncomfortably against his chest cavity. He grimaced, keeping his eyes towards the floor, away from the flashing lights. He stopped a bit before the ocean of bodies that stood between them and the entrance.
He knew if he looked up, he could make out the back of Jerad’s shirt from his spot at the bar. Stupid, this was so stupid. Why had he allowed himself to get talk into this by Remy? There was no doubt in his mind that Jerad would catch him trying to leave and rightfully demand why he was ditching him for Remy. It was a shit thing to do, after all.
Friends don’t ditch one another without explanation. Jerad left him, sure, but he always had an explanation after the fact. Virgil didn’t think Jerad would like his explanation very much. Especially when it involved Remy, one of the people Jerad had been trying to warn him about.
A hand gracefully looped itself around one of his own, tugging him off to the side rather than through the crowd. Virgil looked to see Remy guiding them towards a set of doors, ones clearly marked for employees only.
“Remy—”
“Shhh, this is a faster way outta here, trust me.” He said, flashing a smile. Perhaps it was meant to be comforting but for Virgil it only caused his stomach to churn.
Right before they made it to the doors, an employee materialized in front of them. “Excuse me, sirs, you’re not allowed back here—”
“Cindy, gurl, remember me, Lansing? Worked here last summer? Do you remember, yeah?” Remy lowered his shades to take a look at her. Virgil peered behind him, unable to view Remy’s face. He could see Cindy’s face, however. Her face pinched up in confusion, frowning, before abruptly smoothening out with a wide grin stretched from ear-to-ear. She looked right at Remy, her gaze shifting entirely off of Virgil as if he no longer existed.
“Lansing, oh! Oh yes, I remember.” Cindy said, with a high-pitched laugh. Virgil shrunk further back into Remy’s shadow, squeezing Remy’s hand tightly. Something was wrong and he didn’t like it. Remy never mentioned working as a bartender—and that wasn’t quite something Remy would be quiet about. Virgil could just picture the outrageous bartending stories he’d have if that was the case.
Remy laughed along with her, light and airy.
“Good, then can ya do a fellow former co-bartender a favor and let us slip through, just this once?”
“Gurl, of course, just if you caught don’t let Gregory know I was the one that let you pass.” She leaned in conspiratorially, face twitching a bit.
“Oh don’t worry, you won’t see us again, in fact forget that you even saw us. I’d love to stay and catch up, but I bet you have things to do.”
She laughed again at that. “Yes, of course. It was nice seeing you, Lansing, but I have to go.”
Cindy hurried off, quickly dissipating through the crowd. Virgil blinked; what the fuck? What the fuck was that—
He didn’t even have time to process the encounter before Remy led them into the dimly lit back hallway of the nightclub. Whether it was a faster way out of the nightclub was debatable. For all his talk about previously working there, Remy seemed just as lost as Virgil in the winding hallway. He led them one direction, only to immediately pivot down the other way.
Remy wasn’t talking. Remy was always talking endlessly, as if speaking was as vital as oxygen to him. He was terrible at whispering too—something Logan would get on him about at the library. That was why he was usually stuck on front desk duty to speak with patrons, helping out at events or doing organizational work in the back office. For Remy to be this silent, like the brooding calm before a storm, well. Virgil’s lungs wanted to seize up right then and there.
Eventually, they made to a door that opened out to an alleyway, right where the night club kept its dumpster. The moon gleamed from her perch in the sky, nearly full but not quite. Like a cookie with a bite taken out of it. Virgil knew there was terms for the different phases of the moon. His mother loved taking him out to see the night sky. She’d point out the constellations and tell him what phase the moon that night was.
He wished he could remember, for her sake, what they were. Considering he knew actual werewolves, you’d think he pay better attention to it. But it was a topic Virgil never felt brave enough to venture and one that neither Patton nor Logan opened up much on their own about.
He stared at the moon, transfixed, that he almost forgotten the reason he was outside in the first place. Not until Remy murmured something before attempting to lead him off somewhere. The gaping dread from moments prior seized hold of him once more.
“No!” Virgil snapped, yanking his hand out of Remy’s grip. He stumbled backwards a few steps, slamming himself into a wall of the building in the process.
“Virgil?” Remy asked, frowning as he took a step forward.
“What the hell was that back there?”
“What do you mean—”
“Don’t act stupid!” Virgil demanded, taking a shaky breath, “That lady—Cindy—you did something, I—I don’t know, she was acting weird! And—and you were acting weird! So I’m asking again; What. The Hell. Was. That?”
Remy stared at him, his breath hitching, “Virgil, I was just trying to get you to a quiet place ASAP before you—”
“You’re still not answering the question.” Virgil cut in, his intestines tightening themselves into knots over it. Because maybe this was just a classic case of Virgil paranoia striking again. Maybe he really was driving himself into a panic attack over nothing. Maybe he was accusing Remy unjustly.
Yet, if that was the case why would Remy flinch if Virgil struck him physically with his words?
“Virgil,” Remy said slowly, “I need you not to panic and hear me out, ok?”
Virgil’s heartrate accelerated. Not panic, not panic?! What did Remy expect but for him to panic at those words?
“Okay.” Virgil said, definitely panicking.
“What have you’ve heard about vamps?”
“That they—you drink blood. And your reflection doesn’t show up in mirrors—and—and if you get bitten by a vampire, you’ll either turn into one or get mind controlled.”
“All technically true, well I mean—there’s a fuck-ton more to the turning process than that—” Remy cut himself off, “That’s beside the point. The point is, what you call mind-control, we call ‘enthralling.’ Enthralling is…”
“Is what?”
“Enthralling is, well. It’s a form of hypnosis. Anyone enthralled by a vampire is mostly aware of it and the least likely they are to follow a vampire’s suggestions, the more likely they are to fight against the hypnosis. And it can be activated through eye-contact which is what I did to Cindy.”
Virgil couldn’t breathe. Suddenly pieces were slotted together in mind, forming a picture Virgil never wanted to envision. That faint but visceral memory of Remy with red eyes, the natural charisma Remy held with anyone he met, how Remy managed to steal confidential information from Virgil’s employee file in the back office of Kirby’s Burgers—all of it. He thought Remy, out of anybody, was safe. Past his sassy, laidback exterior, Remy was honest, willing to speak his mind about anything and everything.
If Remy enthralled a complete stranger without blinking an eye—who’s to say he wasn’t above doing it to Virgil? Who’s to say he hadn’t enthralled Virgil into being his friend? Who’s to say Virgil wasn’t an oblivious mouse in a game of cat and mouse? Oh gods, this had just confirmed all of Virgil’s worst fears and more.
“Virgil—” Remy said, reaching out, his eyes hidden beneath his shades. He continued speaking, a mumble jumbo string of excuses probably. Virgil couldn’t stand to stay around and listen to it.
“Stop—just don’t—” Virgil stuttered, taking one step and then another towards the open sidewalk. What was just a few steps then became a few hundred until he found himself leaning against the door to the apartment, hands shaking to slot the key to unlock it.
A few more steps he was inside, the usual musty smell an unexpected comfort. He sat on the couch, seconds stretching into eternity. He half-expected Remy to have chased after him, demanding Virgil to listen, why couldn’t you just listen, you’re so stupid no wonder you’re pathetic—
Virgil blinked a few times, his eyes burning with some sort of irritation. For some reason, Remy let him go. He couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing. His head ached and so did his ears for some reason.
Jerad entered the apartment a few millennia later. Virgil froze at the rattling doorknob, his hand clutching onto his phone in his pocket.
“There you are, you fucker!” Jerad drawled, stumbling over in a drunken stupor. His hand moved towards Virgil, but not with a closed fist. Instead he patted him on the back like earlier, “I can’t believe you did it! You finally got the balls to go and hook up with somebody! I guess I can’t call you Virgin, now huh?”
“Uh-huh,” Virgil murmured, not correcting him on that assumption. He sat there, a bit of tension draining from him. Jerad wasn’t mad for abandoning him. Jerad was still a jerk, but at least Virgil mostly knew what to expect of him. It wasn’t ideal, but that was life. It was better to deal with the devil you knew, then the devil you didn’t know. Virgil was stupid to have ever thought otherwise.
“My parents are being such dicks at the moment,” Jerad said, precipitously changing topics as per usual of him, “sometimes I wish I didn’t have to wait until they were dead to take my inheritance and do what I want to do, y’know?”
Virgil didn’t really know. Did his parents leave him money? They had to have had some sort of savings stashed away. A life insurance of some sort, right? It wasn’t like they were poor. He never thought about inquiring into that. Jerad accidentally slapped Virgil across the arm with a huge hand gesture, still ranting about something. Maybe it wasn’t an accidental hit.
Virgil didn’t know. His tether on reality felt weak, like a balloon close to floating away into the stratosphere. He almost wished he could float away, but the weight in his chest said otherwise. Jerad passed out not long after his rant, slumped half on the floor and half on the sofa. Virgil took this opportunity to slip into the comfort of his bedroom and turn on his cellphone once more.
Seventeen new text notifications and five missed calls from Jerad greeted him, along with one new text notification from Logan. He clicked on Logan’s and his conversation, staring at Logan’s text at the bottom of it.
Logan: Virgil, Remy wanted me to inform you that he is taking a leave of absence from work. Please let me know if you need to take a leave of absence as well or need to confide in somebody as a friend, Patton or I would be happy to listen.
Virgil stared at it some more. Then he tapped out a short response, set the phone on the stool that was his makeshift nightstand and collapsed headfirst into his mattress.
Virgil: K thanks, I’m fine
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A/N: Hope everyone is doing well, if you enjoyed the chapter please consider leaving a comment--it's completely free and helps me out as a fanfic writer a ton! I'm technically not in the Sanders Sides fandom anymore, but I still have a lotta fondness for this fic and I will finish it, even if takes me ten years to do so :') -Kat
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Beautiful: MV
- The second day, the MV has less than 10 mln views. With a simple dance like this fans should make it viral on tiktok and IG.
- The MV is the kind of “history was made”. Easy to listen to, comfortable to watch, a timeless sound, doesn’t get boring when watching it again and again.
- The MV covers a Uni (studying for the better future), an office job (mandane life), a cafe (simple unpopular jobs), team and individual sports (the aim for the victory, hardships of training). Mark and Xiaojun as the stars, whose life seems perfect. Jaehyun basically played Cha Minho, his character from Dear. M. Some of the reality was woven into the plot. Jungwoo works as a pattern designer. Chenle is a clerk in SM Ent.
- Ten, who was in China during shooting of the MV, was included very accurately. He was in the whistle sequence as well, which was smart, made his part less detached.
- Took me a few times of watching the MV to understand Yuta’s scene. He was cut short, so it didn’t read easily. He picked up a baseball ball that flew over from another court. Connection. He is a solo player and works on his skill in an empty place, but he is not alone. There are other people working towards their dream.
- I don’t have enough knowledge about Korea to understand Jeno’s scene. Is it a place to discard furniture in good enough condition for others to pick it up? I know Japanese llligaly make furniture dumps (it costs money to dispose of large things properly) in forests, but the place in the MV looks clean. If it’s the former, then is it a hint at poor students? Second chance? Or simply a recogniseable landmark for the type of building complex Hendery walks in? (cheap apartments)
- I’d prefer Jaehyun and Doyoung’s lines in the traffic jam scene to be sang by only them (and lower) to have their voices heard well in the middle of the song (Do is more pronounced than Kun, but Jaehyun I can’t distinguish at all, wouldn’t guess it’s him without the MV). Chenle or Xiaojun appear several times and it helps the whole composition. Same with Jaemin as the centre, there is that repetition that balances the video reel. It’s a minor grievance, otherwise the producers did very well. Also notice how Yuta or Hendery own their lines despite their shortness. It’s not about the number of lines, it’s about how memorable they are in the song.
- Taeil as an ancor appearing on the big screen is a masterpiece. His best MV appearence hands down. Why does it feel like NCT is sending Taeil off into the army with giving him the solo role in a chorus song...
- As a rule, I dislike the “cute boys in pastel” concept. Usually it’s done in a rather cringy way. Hormonal teenagers or young adults who should worry about enlistment, finding a job and getting a partner instead play with soft toys and balloons. This cotton candy and bubble gum style is for small 8-10 y.o. kids. It doesn’t look authentical on older idols, so it screams “fake delusion”.
In “Beautiful” pastel and soft sweaters translate as intented: hope, comfort, positivity.
- The colour/lighting filter used in the MV is one of my favourite, and Hendery’s scene with the whistle is 10/10.
- The baseball team had Sungchan and Hendery, who are not a part of “Universe” unit. So it’s “Doyoung and the kids” theme, heh.
- Taeyong has a certain tone to his lower voice that is very reassuring. I think he is the only one in NCT who can deliver lines like that. Even if it is achieved with doubling or filters.
- Renjun said the song is an old one and was a contestant for Tende debut. I can see why. It does sound similar to “Without you”. The positive uplifting tone. The producers did a smart decision though. “Beautiful” sounds more epic with a crowd.
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Like Father, Like Son
Rating: Teen
Warnings: mentions of death, mentions of prostitution, like slightly dark? Gritty maybe is a better descriptor, Naruto world taken seriously.
Length: 1888 words
Pairing: MinaKushi, Minato’s Canonical Dad x Minato’s Canonical Mom
Genre: romance, drama, slight angst (we know how these two ended up), crack taken seriously
Summary: the story of Minato’s parents, and how that influenced Minato’s decisions, and his courtship of Kushina. Inspired by this post about Minato being extra.
Like many children in ninja villages—and truly, just children in general, since the Warring States Era and the formation of the Ninja Villages—Namikaze Minato is an orphan. His father was a self-taught ninja from a small village on the boarder of Kaze no Kuni, while his mother was a kunoichi from Tsuchi.
Though Minato's parents had died when he was young, he was old enough to remember them. He was old enough to understand why his parents were forced to hide away from their home countries, old enough to know when and why he had to hide and lie.
He was old enough to understand why tousan had to escape in the night while he and kaachan had to flee in the cover of tousan's sacrifice distraction.
He was old enough to understand why he and kaachan had to lie about their ninja training when they immigrated into Konoha with forged papers so realistic that not even Konoha's infamous T&I, or their renowned Yamanaka clan could tell the difference.
He was old enough to understand why kaachan was forced to work in the way she did, why strange people would spend an hour or two, or sometimes even the whole night behind the door to his mother's room, why she made him leave when some specific visitors stopped by, why he eventually came home to find her laying in bed, blooms of red and shocks of shiny white against her cold, still skin.
He was old enough to remember it all—to want to change it all, one day—but his mind would always take him back to one specific memory.
His most precious memory of all.
The love in his parents' eyes.
Minato could recite the story word for word, with how much his kaachan told it—how much more she would cling to the words after tousan was gone.
Kaachan was from Iwagakure, having sworn her life to the Tsuchikage and the Tsuchi no Kuni daimyou as a kunoichi of the Rock. Touchan truly had no allegiance—his skills had come from a talent with chakra and a necessity for self-defense.
So when touchan had seen a group of Suna-nin abducting a woman, he did what any good man would do.
He saved her.
Touchan had followed after the Suna-nin in secret, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Touchan was not sure he could defeat the two Suna-nin on his own, but he knew that with the help of the right environment and a few tricks, he could come out victorious.
With his wind chakra aiding him in both speed and his strikes, touchan caught the first nin completely off guard. As the second nin—the one holding kaachan—noticed his partner listing to the right—before the dead body could hit the ground—touchan had just as swiftly eliminated the other, catching kaachan in his arms.
Unwilling to linger at the scene, touchan carried kaachan away, until it was safe for them to stop. When touchan untied kaachan's binds, she couldn't help herself.
Kaachan pulled touchan into a kiss.
It was in that moment that kaachan fell in love with touchan. Both were alone in this cruel ninja world. The shinobi nations were in the midst of the second Great Ninja War. People were dying left and right, hundreds every day.
Who would miss one kunoichi? Who would recognise one self-taught man from the edges of Kaze no Kuni?
Who would give up on the chance of happiness, love, and family, when the world had taken so much from them?
He remembers asking his parents how they knew they were in love after just one meeting.
His mother always answered, “A selfless act of kindness in a cruel world is a rare thing to be treasured. When you find that, especially when you're alone and hopeless, it's easier to leave behind the entirety of your harsh, unfriendly life for even just a single moment with such a person."
When Minato asked his touchan, his father always answered, "There is not much kindness in this world, not much any single person alone can do to fix that. We work hard, we may try to help others, but that's not going to get any one man very far. Kaachan has a fire in her, a toughness, a resilliance which cannot be crushed. She is fierce in her mind, body, and soul. As a man forced to grow and survive on his own, I know just how valuable, and how rare those traits are. I had desperately craved for companionship, for a family, and your mother has the strength and resilliance to ensure our story will be longer than most."
At the time, Minato didn't truly understand what either of his parents meant. But as an orphan, as a boy all alone, who had witnessed the worst of the world and wanted to make it better, who had his world stripped from him in a place that should have been safe, with the weight of his parents sacrifices on his mind and the desperate urge for a family once more...
Minato fell in love.
All he knew about love was what he'd seen from his parents. With no advice, no one to turn to, Minato did the only thing he could:
He emulated the fond, much told memory of how his parents fell in love with the percotions, strong-willed, resilliant Uzumaki Kushina.
And like a blessing from beyond, like a gift from his absent parents, Uzumaki Kushina—who had only ever glared and grumbled at Minato before then—had fallen in love with him.
It hadn't been hard to use the shadow-clone jutsu and then henge them into Kumo-nin. It wasn't hard to find Kushina all alone, after tricking the ANBU who followed her with a genjutsu laid out by Uchiha Fugaku's sharingan.
It wasn't hard for Minato to gently disable (but not disperse!) his own clones, to catch Kushina in his arms, to take her to "safety" (as if she were in any danger at all).
It wasn't hard to attract her heart and capture it—not with his boyish good looks, his patience, and most damning of all—
Kushina's lonliness and desire for connection.
With her home village destroyed and Mito-sama recently deceased, there wasn't a better time for him to put his ploy in motion. Maybe to a civilian that might seem callous, but to a ninja, that was just smart planning.
What did it matter if he was using her grief and loneliness to his advantage? His company would heal that for her anyways.
(Besides, it was his grief and lonliness which drove him to do it).
Minato would grow up to be a lot of things: a hero and a curse, a soldier and a leader, a husband and—just briefly—a father.
Minato would not go on to share the story of how he got Kushina to love him with his son. Minato would instead go on to emulate his father, sacrificing himself in the hopes of giving his child a shot at a better life.
But that was for later. In this moment, in the shoddy comfort of the bachelor apartment allotted to orphaned ninja-in-training, Minato put the pieces of his plan together.
Minato was old enough to retain memories of his life before Konoha, before his parents were taken from him, but only one memory stood out.
And so he remembered.
And so he took the past and made it his present with dreams of the future on his mind.
Fun Facts!
I imagine Minato's mom to be blonde like he, Naruto, and Deidara are, while his dad has red hair similar to Kushina and Gaara. His mother's hair was smooth and straight while his father's was spikes like Minato and Naruto.
The ninja who killed Minato's father were sent after his mother for desertion. Another Iwa-nin had caught sight of her and reported back to the Tsuchikage. The nin were sent to kill Minato's parents but were instructed to bring Minato back alive in case he was useful. I kind of puts Minato's massacre of those thousand Iwa-nin during the Third War into a new light...
Fugaku only agreed to help Minato because when he initially refused, Minato accused Fugaku of not being able to do it. Fugaku, like a certain other Uchiha we know, was desperate to prove himself. Minato didn't tell Fugaku about his plan, he just dared Fugaku to trick the ANBU.
Minato had to practice with his clones for weeks to be able to fight them without them "popping." He ended up having to use a seal on them to make them more resilliant. It was his first time working with fuinjutsu, and what sparked his love for it. Kushina's interest only heightened his own.
Yes, Minato's dad only went along with kaachan's feelings because he was lonely and she was strong. Relationships have been built on less. He was a very pragmatic man. He did genuinely fall in love with her though.
When Minato and his mom immigrated to Konoha, she had to pretend to be a civilian with no ninja training to avoid suspicion, and be offered asylum as a Hi no Kuni refugee. As a foreigner (even one posing as a Fire Country citizen) and with the growing number of refugees, it was hard for her to find a job, so she became a prostitute. She was killed by a nin who was triggered and experienced a panic attack/flashback. He fled the scene after, and ended up letting himself get killed during his next mission. The case of her murder remains unsolved—not that the police did much investigating. There were more pressing issues to deal with at the time.
The harsh life Minato lived—as a fugitive and then a refugee and orphan—is what led him to want to be Hokage. He wanted to save people from the pain he and his parents suffered.
Kushina's spirit (and declaration to be Hokage) is what attracted Minato to her. His father's words of finding someone strong and stubborn enough to survive in this cruel ninja world is what made him decide she was the one for him.
Kushina is dumb. So dumb. Didn't catch on even once. Fell for the plot hook, line, and sinker. Even when, years later, Minato shared the story of how his parents met with her, Kushina did not piece his plan together.
Due to Minato using "Kumo"-nin to carry out the abduction, he made their already poor reputation in Konoha worse. This was further exasterbated when real Kumo-nin actually tried to kidnap Hinata.
Minato sacrafied himself that night when Kurama was unleashed on the village, because all he could think of in that moment was the way his father sacrificed himself to save Minato and his mom. It clouded his judgement from more logical options, like, I don't know, not casting a suicide jutsu to trap half a tailed beast in his minutes old son and his soon to be dead body.
Kushina was delirious from pain meds, having an tailed beast extracted from her, and her own hotheadedness. It was a bad mix.
In the end, Naruto learnt that rescuing a girl is the way to her heart, following the Namikaze family tradition of courtship.
AN: So, uh... This got darker than I thought. The post that inspired this was so cute too. I wrote this a few weeks ago on a night I was too busy for this bs and yet it would not let me rest until it was released. I wrote this after being challenged prompted by @books-n-guns, as crack is my apparent specialty (we been knew, I know. After the LeeKaguya fic I think I solidified my place in this fandom). I hope you enjoyed it!
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AUGUST 2020 | #3
Every month, we ask our reader members to rec us some BTS works they’ve enjoyed. The works can come from any source (AO3, Tumblr, Twitter, Wattpad, etc.), can be either a fanfic or a SM AUs, and don’t have to be from our own writer members. We’ve compiled this month’s recs in this list; Happy browsing!
SFW | Fanfic
Acclimatization by peonyswamp
college au | roommates au | oneshot
Summary: Acclimatization or acclimatisation is the process in which an individual organism adjusts to a change in its environment.In which an individual organism is a sometimes grumpy university student and his environment involves a new roommate, a dog barking all night and other terrifying ordeals.
@taerseok said: Okay,,, this fic was absolutely everything and i love the dynamic between sope. it's so cute (mickey stole my heart in this one) and adorable and i was laughing pretty much every time i read the next dialogue. it was so so sweet at the end and for a second i almost expected an angsty ending which i wasn't ready for but then they confessed and i felt so relieved??? the dialogues are top-notch, the characterization is chefskiss, and the plot is just perfect. it's a great story to read when you want something to cheer you up!
NSFW | Fanfic
Chemical X by jvante
fluff | smut | humor | angst | oneshot
Summary: Jeongguk signs up for cooking classes and meets the love of his life. Seokjin teaches cooking classes and meets his mortal enemy.
@joopiterjoon said: This is a feelgood fic. If you are having a bad day, a sad day, a lonely day, read this fic. The friendships are chaotic, the love is silly. Jungkook has the fattest crush with terrible metaphors and he ruins so much food you won't get hungry reading about cooking. Jin has the sass and the class. Vmin are the best worst friends we've all had. It had me lol'ing the whole time.
forever rain by kimlinebiased
angst with happy ending | fluff | misunderstandings | implied smut | poly | oneshot
Summary: Namjoon made a big mistake six months ago and has been hiding from the confrontation he knew would result. The rain can’t hide him forever.
@httpangelicjimin said: i found this gem when i should've already been asleep. what draw me in where how beautifully the first few lines were written. i got so emerged in the story and with plot that i couldn't contain myself. i would love to see a second part of this~ oh, and i recommend that you read it while listening to forever rain. you will cry a lot like i did but smile in the end. The rain had finally stopped.
how to talk to other humans (and other valuable life skills) by drawingspaces
fluff | smut | angst | single parent au | completed series
Summary: If love is a word, let it be a song. People rarely get a second chance at growing up. Somehow, Jeongguk lucks out.
@hoeuseok said: taekook meet as a student/prof but their relationship doesn’t start until well after that’s over but just in case that makes any one uncomfortable, series. tbh i didn’t know how i’d feel about single dad jungkook but wow did this author pull it off. the characters and their growth in this fic are so beautiful. jungkook trying his absolute best to be a good dad and feeling like he’s falling short and taehyungs endless patience and understanding through it all. just phenomenal writing. this fic wrapped me in a warm blanket and told me it loved me and my flaws.
i like us like this by tendershipping
nsfw | smut | light angst | soulmates | camboy au | BDSM | completed series
Summary: Camboy Jimin’s usual playmate cancels on him for an upcoming livestream. Roommate Taehyung volunteers as tribute.
@joopiterjoon said: Jimin needs a sub (pun intended) for his camboy anniversary filming. Best friend Taehyung jumps in to save the day and so much more. I LOVE this series for so much more than the smut. The author focuses a lot on the bond creation and responsibility of a dom even though this is told from the sub (Taehyung's) perspective. There is such a strong emotional connection between these two that is only amplified by the discussions of safety and trust exercises, and the descriptions of Taehyung enjoying being a sub are written so naturally. This is really soft despite the plot content!
kiss me hard before you go by 77735
childhood friends to lovers | roommates | fluff | oneshot
Summary: yoongi and hoseok are childhood friends who live in a terrible apartment with min holly. they are also in love with each other. and bad at context clues.
@j-sope said: listen. hear me out. i wasn't gonna read a sope fic this month because i wanna explore other pairings more. BUT. this fic. i'm crying first of all the flow of it is insane, repeating certain words here and there is just wow (okay i'm seeing it implemented for the first time now and roy peter clark would probably scold me but it was genius). you sort of just fall in love with their friendship and their shitty apartment from the very beginning and THEN of course the fact that they're in love but are being total dumbasses. okay why am i spoiling the fic lmao, the point is. there's not much more than kissing going on for the most part but it feels like the most intense, wonderful, beautiful thing and i'm here for it okay. i love sope so much (and yoongi you perfect dumbass hobi would never leave you istg) i did feel like crying at one point which just shows that it's a good fic. you feel stuff. and you also smile like a dork the whole time, like i did. 10/10 would recommend (also ot7 moments are hilarious as always) ahhhh i love them!
Shipwreck by Anonymus
angst | fluff | smut | completed series
Summary: Taehyung is a scientist who goes to one of the last remaining forests that have werewolves hoping to study them and understand their morphology to better medicines for humans in the city. Alternatively, Taehyung loves his job but falls in love with Jungkook, the heir of the largest remaining werewolf clan.
@absoluteyoongit said: This fic is tarzan meets werewolves. I love this taekook fic and how two opposites slowly fall in love with each other. Plus I am a sucker for werewolf/mate type stories and this one just makes me so happy
SFW | SM AU
None this month
NSFW | SM AU
Dick Picturesque by pornographicpenguin
smut | angst | multi-chapter
Summary: youre pretty cute tho
also why were u sendin some dude who u never texted before nudes
that’s like
a really bad idea
u shold be smarter
i’m drunk
@megahwn said: I go back to this smau ALL the time, it's so raw and real and reminds me of deep conversations I've had with strangers in my own lifetime. The banter is funny, the smut is sexy and sweet at the same time, and the ending is so satisfying to read. 10/10 would recommend!
#bts fic#bts fanfiction#mxm#sope#yoonseok#jinkook#taekook#vmin#namgi#namseok#bts#official post#readers reading list
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Meet the Author: Jayismz
Hi, J / Jayismz!
Stories can be found here.
Twitter.
Wattpad.
__________
When did you start writing Olitz? I started writing Olitz a year ago around December 2019.
Tell us about yourself! What do you want readers to know about you? I want the readers to know that I’m a pretty humble, easy going guy who loves writing & wants to one day make a career out of it. It’s become a passion of mine. I dislike unnecessary drama & disrespect, & I’m obsessed with fruit snacks. I’m also very easy to talk to, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
What drew you to Olivia and Fitz? It wasn’t the immediate connection for me. It was the drama between them that pushed & pulled them apart. To see them triumph over all the darkness to show each other a love they never experienced was beautiful.
What made you want to write about them? Honestly? I didn’t plan on writing them but my girl Muses pushed me to do so and I don’t regret it. I love being able to bend and shape them how I please. In ways that the show didn’t.
How would you describe your writing? Drama, Romance, Action, Adventure. Angst as well, depending on the storyline. It’s easy to follow, too. Some points are a bit more subtle but if you read for the sake of the story & not just for olitz smut/fluff then you’ll get the fully painted picture.
What inspires you to write / create? Honestly? That’s a difficult question. Sometimes watching certain episodes of the show will give me an idea/inspire me. Other times, it’ll be late night inspiration, when I’m supposed to be asleep or life in general. My mind never stops creating, but every idea that I have doesn’t make the site. Also music. That’s heavy inspiration, too.
Favorite movies, shows, music?
Favorite movies? 1. Dawn of the Dead. 2. The Halloween film series minus one. 3. Jennifer’s Body. 4. The Incredibles film series. 5. The Friday the 13th film series. 6. Insidious 1-2. 7. The Avengers / X-men film series. Even the bad X-men films give me something. 8. Call Me By Your Name. 9. 4th Man Out. 10. Mulligans.
Favorite shows? 1. The 100. 2. The Witcher. 3. American Dad. 4. Scandal. 5. Kingdom.
Music? Alternative, pop, electronic, hip hop and r&b, soundtrack, dance, rap, light rock. A little bit of everything.
How long does it take you to write a chapter? I used to be on a once a week schedule but that doesn’t give people time to miss a story and digest the current chapter(s). So, now I wait until I’m ready. Sometimes it takes a week to write, other times it’ll take longer. Depending on how tired, busy and inspired I am. Time limits stress me out.
Did the show’s themes and plots encourage you or discourage you from writing? The themes I looked for always inspired me.
Writing AU or Canon? AU.
Reading AU or Canon: some canon is really good, but mostly AU.
________
A favorite line, scene, or paragraph you’ve written.
Though there are many moments I love from all of my stories. The speech Ryan gave to Olivia in Herstory is one of my favorites.
Ryan: "Option three, we let them bicker and whine and panic because it's you who calls the shots. You are the leader of the free world. You make the tough decisions that mold and shape the world. You break down the barriers of what it means to be president." He slowly strides around the office.
"You're not like the countless men who came into this office and paraded their power as if they were some Gods here to bless us with great fortune and progress only to leave us with broken promises and lies. No, you are Olivia fucking Pope. You are light and you... have more guts than any man I know." Words unwavering, filled with fire.
"Babying everyone with an opinion is not how I see you running this White House. Your White House. So, what's it going to be?"
Reason being is because he sees her for the woman she is here. There’s no underestimation or denial of her skills. Just pure, unadulterated passion and the will to stand by her side knowing that she’s going to make history.
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Fave Olitz moments? The season 7 conversation when he asked her if he crossed the line. The trail, of course. The lawn kiss in season 6. And also the deleted scene from season 6 where she was leaving the residence and they talked about him having two weeks. OH! And the dug the phone out of the trash moment.
Fave Olitz fanfic moments? I read too much to remember all of them, omg. Don’t hate me y’all 😭. But everyone I follow in the site gives me some of the best moments and they inspire me to write in all honesty.
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Do you like it when readers engage with you via comments / social media? Of course! It helps.
Story Reviews: Love them, hate them? I’m indifferent about them. Sometimes they’re so negative but other times, they’re good— constructive even. I read them once every so often before expressing how grateful I am to have people still enjoying my works. Negative ones get deleted without a thought.
What advice would you give to a new Olitz writer? Just write! Perfection should only matter to you and you only. If it’s perfect to you then I’d say you’ve done a good job. Also, write the story that you want to tell. People tend to scream that something’s not good if the idea they had in their mind doesn’t happen. Stay true to yourself and never let anything dictate the words you write.
Outside of your fics, do you have any fave Olitz stories or authors? Anything by Musesoftheminds, labellebeaucoup, sweetness04fj, anonolitz, glamour02, loveoverpride, annnnd Keke thegoddess.
Do you talk to other Olitz authors? If so, do you like the camaraderie? I talk to a good 4 of them. Muses I talk to almost everyday off Twitter, of course, but the other three I’ll reach out and check in or they will. I do like it— the camaraderie. It makes me feel wanted here which means a lot.
Have you made friends (people you talk to outside of fanfic) because of Olitz / Scandal fanfic? I have, yes.
Before you go, anything else you’d like to share?
Yes. To those that read my stories and newcomers. I’m glad you enjoy my work and I’m happy to continue writing for you all. I know it was a big change with me adding new characters and turning the tides a bit but the reception to them has been so heartwarming.
I’m happy Ryan has been received well in the fics. He’s an extension of me if I were to put myself in those settings. I used to be so afraid to admit that but it’s nothing to be ashamed about. Adding myself or a fraction of myself in some way pushed me to continue with writing these stories. It’s like I become one with the character thing. Plus, it makes for good dynamics.
As far as other characters, I tend to use people I know as blueprints as well as other celebrities. For example, Rose / Viper is based on my girl Musesoftheminds if she were in those settings. In When It All Falls & its sequel, Danny is portrayed by actor Marcus Rosner. In Hunted, Walker is portrayed by Charles Melton & Mike is portrayed by Trevante Rhodes. In Herstory, August is portrayed by Henry Cavill and Rose’s husband is portrayed by Jason Mamoa. She picked him herself, LOL.
And if anyone wants to be in a story of mine, let me know! If it works with the story, we can make it happen now that you know my process.
Lastly, I want to thank the community for being so open and accepting of me and my ideas. I was afraid that me being an openly gay man and incorporating every facet of that from presentation to relationships to sex would’ve pushed people away, but you’re still here and it means the world to me. And to the writers I speak to personally, thank you for always having my back and for encouraging me to continue. You’ve been nothing but kind & I love you.
Thank you to DouxBebeArchive for this writer’s spotlight, for always being kind enough to share my works and for being a kind soul.
xoxo, J
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Thank you, J, for allowing us to feature you!
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August 15: 2x03 The Paradise Syndrome
I have seen this episode once before and I remember it being pretty awful... but tbh, I didn’t think it was so bad this time around. Maybe that’s just because my expectations were, like, Spock’s-Brain low. It definitely had issues but there was stuff I liked too!
Hmmm, that’s not the bridge. It appears to be... California?
Wondering what people might be so “blessed by this environment”--what a manly he-man action/adventure guy thing to say, amirite?
How does Spock know the significant markers of all the Native American tribes at a distance, off the top of his head?
(Answer: he doesn’t; all of this information is wrong and also one of those tribes is completely made up lmao.)
Honestly, who’s to say these people aren’t advanced? How do YOU know?
“Just so peaceful... no command decisions.” Oh no, Jim’s feeling Romantic again.
Honestly, imagine this characterization in AOS: overworked starship captain think he wants a break (but is wrong). Beyond made a vague attempt but missed what it is that Kirk finds stressful about command--it’s not that it’s boring, it’s the weight of the responsibility and the inability to find love.
Although funnily enough, even on his Native American Vacation, he still finds himself in a command position. He just can’t be stopped. Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Oh no, the obelisk ate him.
Maybe these people specifically built the obelisk so that they could return to this idyllic ““primitive”“ state, hmm? Maybe they like their lives this way. Maybe they experienced "progress" and then decided that whatever era of their development looked like indigenous American peoples had it right. (This is not correct but it roughly is the plot of Errand of Mercy so I’m not without precedent.)
Spock’s using simple tools to explain his point to Bones lol. “Here, let me dumb it down for you, lesser man of science.”
“Who am I? What are these?” Cpine morning voice: “This must be a dream!”
Kirk looks so confused. The god from the obelisk.
“The engines are showing signs of stress.” Seems to me like SCOTTY’S showing signs of stress.
And yet the music is so whimsical.
Honestly Kirk’s expression here = Denny Crane’s when in a meeting
White man brings CPR, is hailed as god. (I wish I were making this up.)
Damn, Salish has been demoted. How embarrassing for him.
This is a VERY interesting Spock. He does all his calculations, but the he takes all the risks. He’s very certain and single-minded, almost obsessed, not afraid of anything. I think it’s IC but I also think you can see some Kirk influence, perhaps... You can see how Spock has grown in his command abilities since The Galileo Seven.
The wise ones = the aliens.
“He died before he could tell Salish the secret” to opening the Obelisk and stopping the asteroid. That IS unfortunate.
“How does this shirt open?” Lol.
“Your name is Kirok?” “Yeah, sure, whatever.”
“I’ve never been this happy and peaceful.” Funny how he looks neither happy nor peaceful. Maybe it’s something like “I’ve never been this happy and peaceful...and I don’t like it.” Or “I’ve never been this happy and peaceful... there must be something wrong.”
“Here there is much time. For everything.” No there isn’t, there’s an asteroid coming.
Kirk’s cottage core fantasy.
Poor Scotty, so stressed out. Maybe he needs some time with the indigenous aliens.
The Joining Day? Lol okay.
Kirk has no chill, at all. “Oh, you want to get married? Tomorrow? Okay!!” Is this how Gary was able to successfully distract with him the blonde lab technician?
The “stardrive.”
“Estimated repair time?” “FOREVER.”
“And you lost Jim.” Cool it Bones, there’s no need to be cruel. Spock’s already in his thinking pose so you know he’s taking this seriously.
Love Spock’s chair. That’s not Starfleet regulation.
“I have found paradise.” Is he high??
Requisite highly choreographed fight scene.
“You’ve barely eaten or slept for weeks.” That’s because he’s worried about Jim. And the giant asteroid. This is a great Spock and McCoy scene though.
I can’t believe this. Spock lies down (barely!) and McCoy just leaves like he actually thinks he’s won, and then Spock immediately gets up again to go back to work.This guy is even easier to fool than Sarek.
You know Spock spent his whole adolescence going "Sure, I'll do the thing" and then just not doing it.
“A strange lodge that moves through the sky...” Well okay.
Okay I’m sorry, is he sensing the enterprise or is he sensing SPOCK? Because most of this dialogue might just imply he’s generically remembering his old life... but he also specifically says that the “flying lodge” was farther away and now it’s closer again, and how he could he know that otherwise?
She’s pregnant? That’s not good lol. AWKWARD.
Also the closest that TOS will ever come to acknowledging people have sex.
Omg he made a lamp. He made a lamp on his first day there. Does this imply that Captain Kirk had an arts and crafts phase?? Like CPR I understand him knowing--I’m sure everyone in Starfleet does. But hand-carving a lamp? That’s a whole other skill.
Various cultures including “certain Vulcan offshoots” use music notes as words omgggggg I love this information PLEASE tell me more.
“The Preservers” is a good concept imo. Nifty sci fi innovation: taking aliens from endangered places and giving them a new place, then setting it up nicely for them.
Stop throwing things guys! It’s not helping!
“I need Nurse Chapel.” Damn right you do.
Spock really doesn’t like that “wife.” He sounds like “Wife?? How dare??”
Then he suggests it’s a hallucination even though there’s a woman right there.
"Naturally, since he did not come from there. He's my man, get your paws off him."
Vulcan mind fusion? What the heck is that? How is it season 3 and they still don’t know what to call it?
“He is an extremely dynamic individual.” Spock was really taken for a ride in that brain.
“The landing party is expendable.” There’s the Captain.
“I have an excellent eye for musical notes.” Brag.
“Just press the right button.”
Looks like Spock was the god they wanted all along.
Okay, that was an uncool ending though. I know they basically had to kill Miramanee as soon as she was pregnant but like, there was also no reason for her to be pregnant??? I would have preferred if (1) Miramanee hadn't been pregnant, (2) Jim got over her as soon as he regained his memory and (3) she lived and they just parted awkwardly.
Also I think it would have been nice if they had ended with the Enterprise explaining to Salish how the obelisk works, and then maybe even a hint that he and Miramanee will get back together. Like, maybe not that, since I’m not a fan of women just being used to, like, make men feel better--though I’m also not a fan of them being fridged because of Inconvenient Baby--but he should have at least gotten his position back and, more importantly, the knowledge he was always entitled to. Also, the very existence of an asteroid deflector, along with the people’s extensive knowledge of what weather signifies Oncoming Asteroid, implies this happens to them with some frequency. So in other words, the threat will return.
Plus Salish never got enough credit for being right, which he was! The whole time!
Oh and also I would have liked some acknowledgement that Jim does like being Captain. If you watch the whole show, you know that he occasionally bemoans the stress and his inability to maintain a romantic relationship, despite his love of long walks on the beach, but that he’s also ambitious, he loves exploration and adventure, he gets bored if left in one place too long, and he believes in the necessity of progress and discovery to keep not just individuals but societies from stagnation. But if you just watched this episode, you’d think he’d never been happy in his entire life, and that returning to command makes him miserable.
Aside from the Native American stuff--which was awkward and rather unnecessary and has aged, as you might imagine, very very poorly--I actually didn’t hate the episode. It had some VERY interesting Spock stuff, which I think is within a reasonable Spock characterization, and some great Spock and Bones moments. Kirk’s story line was surprisingly engaging for him being completely separate from the crew, and the general theme that he sometimes needs, or thinks he desires, a break from command, is definitely in keeping with other episodes. I liked the asteroid as the Big Danger, which was surprisingly dynamic--by which I mean, it did a good job of connecting the very disparate story lines on the Enterprise and on the planet. I also liked the Sci Fi Concept of the week in the Protectors. And it was interesting to see an ep take place over a longer period of time.
None of this is to downplay how awkward the Native American elements are--incredibly fetishistic, and also lazy--like, “I want to show something Simple and Idyllic...I know! Indians!” There was no reason they should look like American Indians. In fact, it makes no sense that they do: the Protectors take peoples from planets that are about to be destroyed and (somehow) discreetly move them somewhere else, but Native American peoples still.... very much exist? And so does Earth as a whole. So obviously these aliens weren’t transplanted from Earth. So why should their culture resemble some awkward mishmash of Native American cultures?
So overall I’d say, the ideas of the episode, the structure, the characterizations (mostly), and the overall ideas were good, but it was just very awkward and unfortunate that it chose the... aesthetic that it did--especially because it was very much an aesthetic choice and not a well-thought-out, culturally sensitive one. Gonna be honest and just chalk that up to it being 1968 though.
Next is And the Children Shall Lead, which I actually think was one of the first TOS eps I ever saw... But I don’t remember it at all. So we’ll see!
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Get me out of here - places to go when canon is complicated
It’s Day 3, time to celebrate those stories that I turn to when I can’t deal with canon, or when I don’t have the emotional energy to untangle all the emotions I have for what’s going on in canon. Alternative universes, the safe harbor for us. Below are a mix of rewrites of canon, remixes of canon, or out right not even set in Roswell- to fill every type distance you want from canon- from near to far.
The first story I’m reccing is a long one,- so pardon the very long review below.
my love is a life taker by @jocarthage (267,600) So one day, Jessi popped into discord to share a dream she had about timetravel and being able to save yourself in the past basically, particularly Alex getting to give his baby-self a hug, and we all went, “holy shit that’s a cool fic idea please write it!” and really reality sucks right now with quarantine and whatnot, so what better thing to do than follow a WIP? I can’t tell you how badly I needed to something to look forward to as I was staring down a milestone birthday with all my plans in tatters, and this story filled the void.
Okay- now about the actual story itself, the world building about time travel in this is incredible but easy to absorb. Jessi dumps you straight into the action in chapter 1 with Alex, at 28, assassinating an Iraqi intelligence agent in 2009 that averts a bomb that was planned on US forces. You learn so much about both the story-universe and Alex here- one, that even dressed in mask and killing someone, Alex is kind and uses morphine as an overdose and has arranged for his victim’s family to be compensated, you learn that time agents can only visit places they themselves have visited during that time, and Jesse Manes had dragged his son, who was ‘time aware’ to every place of war and ruin on the planet before he was 18 and that, Alex’s victim, even as he’s dying, recognizes what a shit childhood Alex had but that Alex doesn’t.
The next part is where Alex’s time crystal malfunctions, instead of returning him to 2018, it takes him to 1998 where an 8 year old Michael is getting beaten by his foster dad and Alex, out of his time line mysteriously, visible to only Michael, saves him, but only temporarily. We all know with abusers, until you’re out of the house, it’s just a matter of time before the next beating. However, with one act, Alex at 28 starts putting into action (even though he doesn’t recognize it at the time) the steps to save his own life as he works to save Michael from his childhood. Each mission, each jump through time, Alex meets Michael, always a year apart and only for 1000 seconds, or almost 17 minutes. Jessi takes you through some of the darkest points of US foreign policy, only as Alex takes control of his life, he also starts to change the missions, and change the world. The details of places, people, food, etc are authentic from the author’s experience, if you don’t click on the links at the end of the chapters and disappear down google-rabbit holes about the events in history, well- you’re made of stronger stuff than I am. There are lots of heavy subjects discussed, but there’s always care and honesty behind the intent. The way Michael grows, the way Alex grows, and of course the journey to the present time when they could be together? It’s like pining on steroids but it’s so wonderful. I wish I could pull out one thing that I loved in particular in this story- but it’s impossible, only to say that I love that I could disappear completely within the confines of ‘my love is a life taker’ knowing that I would be kept safe by the author, that goodness prevails.
when I’m oceans away by @neapeaikea (28,000) this is a post-2008 shed canon-divergent AU where Alex Manes, after the best/worst night of his life bolts from Roswell and leaves Michael behind. 10 years later, on the hunt for a child conceived at Caulfield, Michael walks into a youth home in California and finds Alex. A few things, I love that this author writes an Alex who didn’t join the Air Force but still lost a leg, I don’t really enjoy disability erasure in modern AUs (I’m better at looking past that in historical or sci fi aus) . It’s pretty clear after five minutes that the connection between the two men is still there and strong despite anger, secrets and guilt. The teasing and flirting between them is great but so is the acceptance of baring their vulnerabilities. I loved the care they take with each other, and the tie in to an alien child is just so perfect.
Crucibles (series) @ninswhimsy (9,000)- I’m cheating and naming both here, but obviously nin had her finger on the pulse of fandom, by writing crusade-set queer stories before The Old Guard ever boomed into a fandom from the movie. I was lucky enough to trade DMs over the ideas of holiness and the body, and how Alex would have treated himself, certain of his doomed soul, and how Michael would have responded in turn. It’s no secret I love everything Nin writes, but this series stuck in my mind. I will be drifting off to sleep, and think about Alex walking through the ancient city of Aleppo, ready to be done with his burden and Michael there with soft palms and scented oil, and boom! I reach for my kindle to re-read it.
no regrets if we walk this new road by @andrea-lyn (97,000) This author has written so many amazing AUs, some quite far away from canon events like her Mummy AU or her Avengers AU, but I have to say, I have a very soft-spot for this rewrite of season 1 for a lot of reasons. I mean, it’s 2020, so my appetite for Cop!Max is definitely at an all-time low, so the idea of exchanging his job with Kyle’s was extremely appealing. At least Kyle is a POC holding the badge, not a white man like our canon. Anyway, politics aside, this story is special to me for the scorching good Isobel/Kyle relationship that develops, the way Isobel sharpens herself into a lawyer (not an event planner) and how Michael rounds his own edges off in turn by becoming a teacher (and being secretly married). Each deviation from canon made complete sense once you alter the way Rosa’s death affects the pod squad, and how they covered it up ripples out toward Liz, Kyle, etc.
Layer on layer, down on down by @dotsayers (9,440) I love sci-fi tropes, especially time-loops, but they are incredibly hard to write (I know, I abandoned mine a while ago) so this story stands out because of just how well done the execution is and also the angst. Michael in a time loop about Caulfield, like how great/agonizing is that? The plot is so good, how it ties into Caulfield and why it happens in the first place, like wow. The care, and the hurt, and the fatigue that Michael has in this story, oh you just want to wrap him in a blanket. There’s a tiny throwaway line about how one of the first things Michael learned to do in foster care was to make himself heavy and unmovable- and you instantly picture kid!Michael not wanting to be removed from a house - like my heart broke! The structure of the story, with the background of his just how much he loves Alex but how badly it hurts to see him die, really makes this study of 1x12 special. Along with all the angst, there’s tiny gallows humor lines, so am I weird, that I laughed through a couple of these scenes even as Michael kept dying?
Petty pace by @aewriting (11,600) Aewriting has a couple of stellar AUs, so trying to pick just one was difficult, but I rather feel this story is sadly underappreciated it (mind the tags). It was a remix of @iwontbeyourmedicine ‘s fantastic ‘Freaky Friday’, where the humans and aliens swap roles. Alex in the role of Michael basically was something I had never pictured until Ly wrote that story, and now feel utterly changed by it, especially with this backstory- the idea of Jesse Manes bringing a foster child home? Incredibly well done because there’s an off the charts level of menace in this story. The way Jesse watches Alex, who at first mistakes it for how a pedophile might size up a victim, but then catches on quickly that it’s so much worse in a lot of ways. And Alex is such a loner in the beginning, even as he reconnects with his pod siblings Liz and Maria, he’s still planning on keeping his head down and leaving Roswell far behind. Like freedom is literally the only thing he can conceive of for himself, no real dreams outside of that until Michael slips under his defenses. I probably could have saved this story for angst day- because the second half of the story, if you don’t sob while you read it, then I dunno. It’s helpful to read Ly’s story right afterward as a reminder that things do get better for Alex ten years later. In a lot of ways this story is sadder than canon (though there’s no murder of Rosa/4th alien), I’m comforted that at least Alex has Liz in the aftermath, alike in heartache in a way that Michael didn’t have because of the pact he and Max made about Isobel in canon.
Unexpected tidings by @bestillmyslashyheart (24,800) Another rewrite of canon, that explores a couple of very interesting questions, like what would it look like if Michael never made it back to Roswell as a kid but met Alex by chance in 2008? Imagine the cornerstone of the Lost Decade love affair revolving around the mundane questions of a long distance relationship that wasn’t built on the pain of the shed or Rosa’s death? Marlo writes an amazing take on this, that is both real and deep with the normal couple problems, before introducing that spanner in the works of oh yeah, aliens are real. With Michael on the east coast, and Alex finishing off his service in Roswell, Project Shepherd still entangles Alex with Liz bringing him in on the secret in hopes that with his hacker skills he can track down the third alien child that Max and Iz remember so they can warn him. As interesting as the current plot was, I found myself absolutely revitted the slow piecemeal reveals that Marlo doled out about Alex and Michael’s relationship over time. (I also while rereading this recently got very nostaglic for season 1 Alex who didn’t trust Jesse as far as he could toss him.)
Don’t Punish Me For What I Feel by @winged-fool (3,600) Tarsus IV AU - another wonderful author with a catalog of great AUs, both sci-fi and dark, and honestly it was difficult to narrow it down to one. This story, well in 2009 I was a hard core Trek movie fan, so when I saw a trek-fusion story appear, I knew I would love it just on that basis. The thing is, this gave me Michael as the Captain, a surprisingly rare role for these space fusions, even though genius level repeat offender Jim Kirk and genius level repeat offender Michael Guerin seems pretty married in my mind as a connection. As a Tarsus-like story, all the tags are well earned by the story that Alex finally shares with Michael. It hit on so many levels, the hurt/comfort level for sure, but also to have a story where Michael is this stalwart protector of Alex was really nice to find.
this isn’t the ‘holiday best friends championship’ by @usbournejez (6,090) alright to leave this on a lighter note, my final AU rec is this masterpiece by Kieran that was part of Malex Secret Santa gift fics- and what a gift it was to all of us! The way she writes established Malex is first-rate, because she always includes their canon-levels of snark/sharpness but it’s never directed at each other and that’s something I love. Here we have Alex, where we learn in just a few short lines, is a huge control freak but has the extremely big emotional handicap, and that’s his love/fondness/deserve to caretake Michael. Emotional cactus Alex who is soft for Michael? Love it. There are small drops of angsty backstory peppered in this, but really that just fuels just how sweet and wonderful the main theme of the story- which is Alex might hate the whole world at large, he loves, protects and worships Michael (and vice versa). As someone who can bake cookies, but that’s about it, I was still enthralled with the baking details and this story has never failed to encourage me to eat dessert before dinner basically.
#rnmcreate2020#malex fic#roswell new mexico#malex fic rec#malex#MALEX FEELS#michael guerin#alex manes#fandom positivity#worship our great authors in this fandom#can we pretend it's Wednesday?#a day late and a dollar short#working on today's now!
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