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impulsea · 2 years

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Which Disney Princess do you think would be Ariel's best friend? Jodi says it would be Belle, but mostly because her irl friendship with Paige O'Hara. What do you think?

Hi friend! Thank you so much for the question- I love talking about the princesses. I grew up around the time the Disney Princess line was originally created, so it holds so many dear memories for me. There are moments I wonder if the line's existence is for the worse though, because they try to make the princesses exist side by side in as seamless a way as possible thus (perhaps unintentionally) sometimes homologizing them. If their films were marketing individually themselves as their own universe/franchise, I don't think we'd get have the lazy criticisms that we still get about princesses and I think marketing would do a better job at retaining their individuality. Similarly, I feel like people often try to make all the princesses friends with each other- which is a nice thought- but, like in reality, if there's over ten people, you're not necessarily going to vibe with all of them.

That being said, I don't think Ariel would vibe would Belle. Jodi's primary reason is (she's elaborated a little bit in different interviews but a bulk of them begin and end with the sentiment:) "Paige and I have known each other for over forty years!" There's even been few times where she said Ariel's best friend would be Paige instead of referring to Belle, which shows how interchangeable they are for her. This is where I'm going to try to remove my own personal bias. I, myself, do not like Belle and my favorites are the original four princesses. However, I honestly have to say I don't think Ariel would like Belle very much either? I think she'd view Belle as pretentious and stuffy. Where Ariel is actually alienated from her society and is forced to keep her interests private (and faces so much danger for having those interests), Belle's interest in reading isn't as taboo as it's made out to be. There's a library in town, she seems like she's friend with the shop owner and gets a free book from him, and she's even asked about what she's reading by someone in town. Which, I understand he walks away, but at least he's trying to be friendly. But even how Ariel ventures to the surface and is always actively attempting to break into the human world, Belle's vague wish of adventure never really materializes nor does she do anything to get herself closer to that goal despite having a supportive father and seemingly limitless resources. I think Belle would ultimately come off as egotistical and exclusionary to Ariel. I think Ariel would want to engage Belle about the people in her town and what the different people do (ie the baker and the blacksmith) while Belle couldn't care less and generally wouldn't be engaging with Ariel. Belle would be like the older sister/cousin that's too cool to talk to you and just half listens to anything you say lol also Belle's depicted in her movie as always being right, which clashes with how authentic and flawed Ariel appears at times.

Like I said, I'm really going to try to remove my own bias despite the fact that the original four princesses are my favorites. But I generally think Ariel would get along best with:

Cinderella. Jodi's mentioned Cinderella as her own favorite princess and I actually think it makes so much sense! They both work for a goal that seems unattainable and keep their spirits up despite how alienated they are in their respective lives against abusive parental figures and removed sisters. Likewise, just as Cinderella creates a counterculture with the mice and dresses them and breaks the rules by allowing Bruno to stay in the house, I think Ariel operates under a similar moral compass with saving Eric despite her father's wishes and through her friendship with Scuttle. They're both so fun-loving, and I think they'd both help each other get to the ball, refusing to let the other get left out of important events. But I think they're the underdogs that are on the sidelines of their respective societies and aren't seen in many ways. They have to accomplish many things in secret, too, because of the turmoil going on in their respective households.

Aurora. She's the princess that came right before Ariel, and her "why do they still treat me like a child" and "why? After all, I am sixteen" ran so that Ariel's "I'm sixteen years old- I'm not a child anymore!" would be ready to stand. I think they both have a beautifully romantic side to them and they get swept up in the emotion of life. I also think their relationships to their respective singing voices would be so fascinating to analyze and play off one another. Aurora is literally given the supernatural gift of song and it's how she expresses herself to the outside world- she couldn't picture herself with it. Likewise, Ariel is frequently described as having the most beautiful voice in the sea but it isn't how she expresses herself and she does give it up in her story for a more veritable method of expression. But I think Aurora is in love with the world around her and observes everything and Ariel would be so effervescent with this philosophy and would never tire of engaging with the Sleeping Beauty.

Jasmine. So, I actually think this one is a little tricky because, like with Belle, I think Jasmine is disenchanted with her world and Ariel's so characteristically bubbling over with enthusiasm. But I think they have a similar love of adventure and I can really picture Ariel being close with Aladdin, so I think if anything, she'd be a "couple friend" of theirs. They could go exploring on the magic carpet and have fun getting into trouble and cracking up with the Genie. Also, I think it'd be cute if Ariel would save Aladdin if a situation ever happened again where he'd be thrown into the ocean, like he was in the original.

Pocahontas. Pocahontas doesn't want to marry a man she considers boring and has more in mind for herself than just what her father wants, and Ariel is definitely like this. Also, Pocahontas is always diving off of cliffs or canoeing and I think Ariel would be so filled with excitement to see such an athletic human that seems so dynamic and full of life. She'd love learning about Pocahontas' culture and I think it would parallel the Atlantican's core values of peace and love and reverence for the earth. I think the Grandmother Willow character would remind Ariel so much of Crystalla- she might even encourage the two to speak- and of course, they're both Glen Keane girls!

#- message in a bottle <#thank you so much for this!#i use any opportunity i can to parlay the topic at hand to princesses lol

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lovelyjasmari · 3 years

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KHOC Week 2021 ~ Day 1

@khoc-week

Day 1 ~ Strength

Hello Everyone!

It’s great to be participating again in KHOC Week for the third year in a row! This year, I’ll be focusing on two in particular. Many of you already are familiar with my primary oc Kalai; elegant adventurer, noble warrior, daughter of the Whirlwind Lancer. But this year, I’ll also be showing off more of her grandmother, Anila.

At 88, Anila is my oldest oc and has had a very incredible life. Spending her early years as a keyblade wielder and training beside Eraqus, Xehanort and the other Scala kids before setting off on her own as a young adult to traverse the countless worlds, then settling down in Radiant Garden where she becomes a wife, a mother, eventually a grandmother and even politician!

Of course, Anila has had her share of heartbreaks and tragedies, but her heart has always remained hopeful and even in old age, retains a youthful spirit that inspires those around her. To kick off this week, here’s a snippet highlighting the relationship between Kalai and Anila and how the latter gives inspiration to her granddaughter.

Mindful and Free ~ 2834 Word Count

This was a long shot. She had never visited any place in Radiant Garden outside the capital. But thankfully, those she spoke to seemed to know exactly where she needed to go. Kalai walked along a long dirt road, leading further away from town. The sound of morning doves took her deeper into the woods as the sounds of the bustling village fell away. After a time, she came across a fine stone cottage, mantled in ivy. Wildflowers lined the pathway leading to the door, which was open.

A rustling noise followed Kalai as she came closer to the house. An orange cat sprang towards her from the bushes. It startled Kalai, but she did not call out. She simply looked down at the creature, who, with a few blinks and mews, circled her feet before running back into the house. After collecting herself, Kalai wondered if the cat was guiding her to her destination, and she smiled to herself at the thought.

~~~

Despite the early hour, Lady Anila was awake and ready for whatever the day had in store for her. She opened her windows as well as the front door to let in the daylight, and wasn’t surprised when her cat made a beeline for the door. Outside, she could hear the cat mewing at something, piquing her curiosity.

“Lisi, what are you…oh!”

When Lady Anila stepped outside the doorway, she wasn’t sure what to expect, but she certainly did not expect to see her granddaughter waiting outside for her. Not that such a thing was ever unwelcome. Months had passed since their last meeting. They both immediately rushed towards each other. Each took the other into her arms, and they wholeheartedly embraced each other.

“Does your father know you’ve come here?” Lady Anila asked as she held her granddaughter close.

“He doesn’t,” Kalai replied. “No one in the castle knows I’m here, but...I needed to see you, Grandma. I need your advice.”

The two women pulled apart from each other ever so slightly and their identical eyes locked. Lady Anila replied, “well I’m always glad to help you if I can.” The elder woman smiled. “What has…”

A beam of the morning sunlight found the silver cuff decorating Kalai’s arm, causing it to shimmer more brightly than usual. The brightness immediately caught Lady Anila’s attention and stopped her mid-sentence. It was so similar to a cuff that encircled her own arm for decades, in her previous life, before Radiant Garden. She reached for her dear granddaughter’s wrist, bringing the cuff closer to her face. She gazed upon it with wonder and a tiny hint of concern. Kalai did not resist her grandmother’s inspection of the cuff, as Lady Anila continued running her fingers along the intricate design. A plethora of thoughts swarmed her mind. But she wanted to be certain.

“Kalai, how did you get this?”

Kalai did not respond with words. Gently pulling her arm away from her beloved grandmother, she stepped back and extended her cuffed hand, summoning Graceful Destiny in a beam of light. Lady Anila took one look at the keyblade and became overwhelmed with emotion. A flood of memories revived themselves and danced inside her mind. Yes, it was just as she suspected, and in her heart, she had always hoped something like this would one day happen. But after having a son more interested in lances and never taking on an apprentice, she felt that her hopes would never be. Now before her eyes, she could see her legacy, which would surely continue long after she departed this world. Lady Anila couldn’t be happier and nearly suffocated her granddaughter in another embrace, holding back tears.

The words began spilling out of her. “I gave up my keyblade decades ago. And with it, my hopes that I’d have a successor, someone to carry on my legacy.” Lady Anila gazed at Kalai, eyes shining with affection and pride. “With this, my dear, you’ve revived my hopes. This is so incredible, do you know what this means for you?”

“But...grandma…” Praise from her grandmother, though well-intentioned, only added to Kalai’s anxiety. “I came here because I’m not sure about wielding a keyblade. My Master has faith in me, and of course, Dad has faith in me. But I’m not sure if I have as much faith in myself.”

Lady Anila nodded, remembering all too well her own uncertainty when, as a little girl, she was bequeathed with the power of the keyblade. And she remembered all too well her continued fears as she went through her training and her Mark of Mastery.

“I understand,” she said. “You might be unsure now, but it doesn’t mean you’ll always be that way. Come inside child.”

Placing her arm around her granddaughter, Lady Anila led Kalai inside as her cat followed behind them. Memorabilia from decades of exploits and adventure was on display for Kalai to see. Unique treasures and cases filled with rare multilingual tomes spoke to the very rich life her grandmother had lived. Kalai sat at a table by a window overlooking the sea while Lady Anila poured tea for them. The white cat purred, nuzzling her owner’s leg and was rewarded with a bowl of milk. Lady Anila smiled down at the cat, then back at Kalai.

“Lisi is my companion when I’m not in the capital, named after my old friend from my days in Scala,” she explained as she sat down. “So, tell me about your keyblade. Are you training? Do you have a Master?”

“I do have a Master who’s training me,” Kalai replied. “I live with her now. Her name is Aqua.”

“Aqua!” The elder woman’s eyes lit up. “I know her, she was one of Eraqus and Ilysia's wards. And a boy named Terra.”

“I know Terra!” Kalai smiled. “He lives with us too!”

“I haven’t seen either of them since they were little ones. But Eraqus trained them, so I know you’re in good hands. Which brings me to my next question…” she continued delicately, taking a long, measured sip of her tea. “Why do you not have any faith in yourself?”

Kalai let out a long sigh, turning her cup in her hands as she thought about how to best explain herself. But her grandmother already understood.

“Does this perhaps have anything to do with the...unfortunate events in your past,” Lady Anila gently said. The elder and the younger’s eyes met again, light catching their dark irises in the exact same manner.

“That is part of it,” Kalai replied. “I have another Master, sort of. He’s a former master, but he gives us advice. Yesterday I found out that he secretly doesn’t trust me, because of my past association with Xehanort.”

“Is that so?” Lady Anila chuckled. “If that’s all, then I would also be unworthy of trust since we were once friends.”

“But you knew him before he was a darkness-soaked tyrant. And let’s be honest, grandma.” Kalai lowered her head as a sudden recollection shamed her. “It’s not like I was without my own darkness before he came along. That’s what I’m unsure of. I don’t want to be a keyblade wielder like him. Am I even worthy of a keyblade? Considering everything that’s happened?”

“Hmmm…” Lady Anila placed her cup back on the table, not answering right away. She was thinking of an instance, decades ago, when she sat in her classroom as one of the Masters explained how darkness manifested itself in people’s hearts. She was quiet and thoughtful for so long, Kalai became concerned.

“Grandma?” she called out to her.

Lady Anila breathed deeply, and spoke with great care and intention. “You say you don’t want to be like Xehanort.” said the elder woman. “That would imply you’re afraid that there is still enough darkness in your heart to hold sway over you.”

“Yes. That’s what Master Yen Sid is worried about.”

“Yen Sid?!” Lady Anila laughed. “The sorcerer? That’s your other master?”

“You knew him too?”

“I did, and I should have known. His stance on light and dark has always been very black and white. Eraqus too.”

“Isn’t it though? Black and white?”

“Not exactly. Granted, my stance on light and dark is more nuanced for a Master of our generation. But I wasn’t always that way.” Lady Anila took another sip of her tea, then surveyed her granddaughter’s face with great tenderness. “Have I ever told you why I chose to relinquish my role as Keyblade Master?”

“No,” Kalai shook her head. “I don’t think you have.”

“When Terra and Aqua were still little, I went with Eraqus and Ilysia to the Realm of Darkness. We were searching for Xehanort, whom Yen Sid had given us reason to believe was trapped there. It ended up being the final mission we ever went on.”

“Why? What happened?” Kalai asked, although from the downcast look in her grandmother’s eyes, Kalai felt she could make an educated guess.

“Long story short, we found him, but we were cornered by a large Heartless. Ilysia knew our options were few. So using a special keyblade, she opened a portal to the Realm of Light but placed herself in front of the monster to help us escape.” The elder woman closed her eyes. “For years...she and Eraqus ruled Scala together, yet her sacrifice that day was the noblest action of her entire life…” The horrific final image she had of her friend alive caused her lip to quiver. “...and her last.”

“Grandma...I’m so sorry…”

“Eraqus was never the same. Neither was our relationship with Xehanort. As for me, the grief was too much to bear, especially due to the tragedies darkness had brought upon me. My father was also a Master, struck down like many of my companions. Now darkness had taken my dearest friend. With all the pinned-up sorrow I kept in my heart over the years from what darkness had taken from me, I knew it was only a matter of time before the darkness took me as well. And in that fear, I vowed never to use my keyblade again.”

After this, there was a long silence, cut only by the distant sound of waves outside the window and the occasional mews of Lisi. Looking at her grandmother, Kalai saw immeasurable wisdom. But as a child, her father would often say that the most important life lessons were often bitter ones. And for every inch of wisdom Lady Anila possessed, there was sorrow to accompany it. To be named a Keyblade Master was the greatest honor that could be bestowed upon a warrior of light. To be worthy of such a title, the strength of one’s heart had to be beyond measure, the resolve unwavering.

And yet, her grandmother had felt compelled to doff that mantle out of fear of the darkness growing in her heart. Even in her old age, she could see her grandmother was a strong person, with a kind disposition. So whatever darkness she had, it must have been extremely powerful to make such a decision. Kalai thought about when her mother had died, and the rage she felt when she had been excluded from the funeral. Such turmoil remained with her for a long time after the fact, even now. Would her dark feelings eventually compel her to abandon her keyblade as well?

“In those days, one of the first lessons drilled into a prospective Master was the ways darkness is manifested, the negative emotions that in and of themselves are considered darkness, that become darkness over time.” she continued. “However, the real lesson, that I did not come to learn until decades later, is that those emotions aren’t darkness at all. They’re as much a part of the human experience as happiness and love. It’s not realistic to think you can erase those feelings.”

“Sometimes, I feel like my heart is still ruled by my darker feelings,” Kalai admitted. “Remember how much I hated my sisters? Because just looking at them reminded me of how much my stepfather hurt me.”

“I remember.” Lady Anila smiled a little. “But in time, your heart opened up to them. Having dark feelings is not a problem, it’s holding onto them that’s the problem. That was Xehanort’s folly, but I know for certain it will not be you’s.”

“How can you know that?”

“Because I’ve seen the effect darkness has had on you. I’ve seen you almost on the brink of losing yourself. And yet, you refused to let it destroy you.”

Lady Anila took her granddaughter’s hand with a sigh. “Kalai, whatever dark feelings you have, you are stronger than them. If I had understood that about myself sooner, I might still be wielding my keyblade, even at my age. I might have had more I could offer you beyond advice. Please don’t wait until you’re my age to realize something so simple.”

“So you think Master Yen Sid is wrong about me?”

“Please understand, in our time, we had a lot of reasons to fear darkness. Of the eleven in our original class, only six of us survived our training and became Masters. And of those six, only I, Yen Sid, and another of our friends still lives. However, It doesn’t mean I think he’s right to hold your past over you.”

“So what should I do?” Kalai asked.

“Continue what you’re doing now, my dear.” Lady Anila replied. “Listen to what Aqua tells you and strive to be the best wielder that you can be. As for your darker feelings, acknowledge them, but do not embrace them. And when you do that, you’ll learn to stop worrying and realize what’s most important. In time, I’m certain that Yen Sid will see the good in your heart.”

“I hope so.”

They talked about other things, like Kalai’s training and how it compared to Lady Anila’s. Kalai learned that Kairi’s grandmother had also once been a Master and trained beside her own grandmother when they were young. And nearly eighty years later, they were still friends.

“I guess it makes sense that our granddaughters would also be friends and inherit our gift.”

“Kairi has been having doubts herself. ”Kalai thoughtfully leaned her face into one of her hands. “We try to encourage her and I’m certain her grandma is proud of her.”

“She is, and I am proud of you too, Kalai. With your keyblade, I know you will do amazing things.”

Kalai stayed with Lady Anila a little while longer. Lisi sat purring in her lap as she was told more stories of her grandmother’s life in Scala. Soon enough, she felt her confidence returning but when she was asked if she would try to become a Master herself, she laughed.

“I doubt it,” she replied. “I’ve only had my keyblade for two months and from what you’ve told me, the Mark of Mastery sounds dangerous.”

“I understand. Perhaps you’ll feel differently after a few years of training.” Finally, when Kalai felt that she had stayed long enough, Lady Anila guided her to one of her bookcases. “Before you return, there is one last thing I wish to show you.”

She pulled out a large tome bound in dark leather, taking out something that was marking one of the pages. A purple star-shaped charm dangled in her hand. Kalai recognized it at once, it was very similar to the ones carried by Terra, Ventus, and Aqua.

“It’s a Wayfinder,” she told her. “It was given to me a very long time ago, I was much younger than you when it was given to me.” She stared at the charm somewhat wistfully. “The Wayfinder serves as a good luck charm and for the longest time, it decorated my keyblade as the chain. Even without a keyblade, it still holds a lot of meaning to me.”

But when she handed the Wayfinder to her granddaughter, she would not accept it.

“I couldn’t possibly take something so important.”

“That’s exactly why I want to give it to you. In a way, it represents my life before coming to Radiant Garden, my hopes as a young girl. But these days, I have a new purpose in my life.” She pressed the Wayfinder back into her hand with a little smile. “As do you.”

Kalai took the charm. The lustrous purple seashells reflected softly in the light, casting itself upon her face. A little smile slowly pulled at her lips as her grandmother’s words began to reach her heart. Darkness was never her choice, it wouldn’t be her choice now. With her keyblade, she had even more reason for her heart to remain strong. Even if it was just her stubbornness driving her, it didn’t matter.

In a way, this pretty little charm represented far more than a means for good luck. This Wayfinder symbolized her grandmother’s faith, and more than anything, Kalai wanted to be at least worthy of that.

#khocweek2021 #kingdom hearts oc #kh oc #kingdom hearts #kalai oc #Anila oc #my art #my writings #i literally finished this less than an hour ago

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many-gay-magpies · 3 years

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@honeyseungz @loabivey so that uh. that mini au that you had like a very small rb thread about yesterday (well over a few days ago now that im posting this). well uh. um . actually you know what im just gonna let you read it yourselves

so. heeseung, jay, and sunoo are all brothers. wether its actual brothers or just "brothers" by blood bond or whatever idk. but, regardless, they're brothers. im thinking that like, at first they aren't vampires, theyre just regular dudes yknow? (and just a forewarning, a lot of this isnt gonna be as compliant with the enhaverse theorizing we've done so far, it's just a little brain worm i wanted to play around with, throwing a little bit of enhaverse crumbs in here and there)

but anyway. they're not vampires, im thinking theyre just like... adopted/found family brothers, probably orphans or something. regardless they love each other a lot and its great. personality-wise everything is super different, but just for plot conveniences, heeseung, jay, and sunoo are the yunmeng trio (heeseung as wwx, jay as jc, and sunoo as jyl respectively), and jungwon is lwj.

the three brothers meet jungwon, probably brought together by this Big Fantasy Evil, maybe something involving the vampire queen as a character? idk. there's some big evil shit going down, and the three brothers somehow end up with jungwon and HIS big bro, who im imagining is jake (basically the lan xichen in this situation—very soft, kind, gentle; the vibes are right). both of them are vampires, not that our three orphan bois know that. they get caught up in the danger, and vampire bros jake and jungwon coms to the rescue.

now, a little bit of personality-mapping here: jay is outwardly very loud, fun, temperamental, and sarcastic, generally very much like he is irl; but inside, he's intensely loyal, protective, and loving, with a HUGE soft spot for the people closest to him. sunoo is very sweet, sensitive, and kind—the walking hug of the three brothers, who is certainly not without his bite and wont hesitate to talk back to anyone who hurts them. aggressively and without mercy. also he makes them soup for comfort and is generally best boy. heeseung is very goofy, playful, free-spirited, and bright, but insecure and sensitive underneath it all; generally a loud annoying mess of a boy. pure chaotic neutral and a gremlin if there ever was one. jungwon, on the other hand, is... not. he's nervous, quiet, cautious to a fault and intensely righteous, always standing up for what's right and refusing to waver from his chosen path. very lawful good vibes. he, naturally, is more than a little put off when jay, sunoo, and heeseung's chaotic ass come crashing into he and his brother jake's once-peaceful (ish) lives. and it doesn't help that heeseung is a... huge flirt, and apparently deadset on making jungwon his friend. fuck.

jungwon... doesn't know what to do. and it would all be so much easier if heeseung were dumb or stupid or unattractive or just a total asshole—but he isnt any of those things. he's beautiful, smart, insanely witty with a brain faster than any jungwon's ever seen—he can't help but admire him. but on top of that, he's wreckless as hell, unpredictable, and pushy, and gives jungwon heart attacks way too much for his liking. he doesn't even have a heartbeat. he's fucking dead.

it eventually comes out that jake and jungwon are vampires; the brothers are surprisingly cool with it. not the craziest thing that's happened to them.

the five boys get closer, staying together as they fight their foe (which im becoming increasingly inclined to make the werewolves), and through a series of convoluted events, jungwon learns that heeseung is not only gorgeous, smart, talented, and funny as all get-out, but also sensitive, caring, insecure, and thoughtful... and heeseung, who's only goal had been to break through the nervous and straightforward outer shell of his young dongsaeng, does just that. and jungwon, naturally, starts to fall in love.

somewhere along the line, though, things go wrong—as they were bound to do in an au loosely based off of the untamed. something happens to heeseung; he's fatally wounded after saving jay's life, and disappears, nowhere to be found. his brothers eventually assume the worse; that he's gone forever. but the queen finds him, takes care of him, nurses him back to health. turns him.

when he comes back, nothing's the same. the war is still going, and his brothers thought he was dead—but he isn't. but he's... different. jungwon and jake are quick to realize that he's been turned, how, they dont know—but they talk to him, teach him, try to help him, jungwon especially. of course he does; he's in love. heeseung, of course, is dismissive; doesn't take it seriously. ill be fine, whats so bad about this? or, perhaps, he doesn't let on just how hard he's taking it; fearing vulnerability more than he fears being a vampire.

inevitably, though, heeseung's wrecklessness leads to doom—he lets his bloodlust overtake him, relishes in it, no matter how much jungwon had warned him against it, pleaded with him to take caution. he says it's usefull—says he can help them take out enemies, help them win this war. jungwon warns him that he could end up getting more than he bargained for. heeseung doesn't listen.

heeseung helps them win the war; practically wins it for them. hes happy, bitterly, until he isnt. he's happy, until he sees his brother—sees sunoo. blood-covered, pale-skinned, drained.

no.

heeseung is broken. jay even moreso. jay yells at him; yells and yells and yells and yells. curses him out, tells him he hates him, tells him he's nothing but cruel evil—he doesn't mean it, of course, but no one knows it then, not even him. now he is only angry; so, so angry. heeseung, wrought with guilt and shame and grief, flees—hides himself somewhere secluded, does the closest thing a vampire can possibly do to death, the equivalent of a thousand-year hibernation. none can find him, he's made sure of that. in his guilt and shame and anger he stews, asleep, for hundreds, thousands of years.

after the anger passes, jay is more than anything in mourning—for heeseung as well as for sunoo. he has a realization, that being that, when, inevitably, heeseung comes back, he doesn't want him to be alone: even if he'll have jungwon and jake, it won't be the same as having his brother. so jay pleads, cries, begs for jungwon to turn him—so that they can search for heeseung together, so that when heeseung comes back, he'll have jay waiting for him, too. so, reluctantly, jungwon gives in and turns jay—after which he helps him deal with his newfound immortality and vampiric status—helping him handle his bloodlust and helping him learn how to feed. over the centuries that heeseung is gone, jay, jungwon, and jake grow even closer (j line eyyy), inseparable as they search for heeseung and even outside of that. jungwon and jay are the closest, jay growing a colossal soft spot for the boy and not hesitating to take him under his wing and protect him with all he has (initially, sort of as a replacement for protecting heeseung, but eventually jay's affection for jungwon grows into something all it's own). to be clear, no love triangle bullshit here, only sickening-sweet platonic soulmates jaywon and a jungwon that is still achingly in love with heeseung.

(okay for anyone thats actually watched cql/read mdzs, yes i KNOW lwj and jc did not get along at all and kind of hated each other but. this is my au i do what i want, and if i want to add soft jaywon into the mix then im fucking going to, goddamnit)

OKAY TIME FOR SOME WACKY SIDE-PLOT MADNESS

so. sunghoon. how does he fit into all this? how does he end up being the one to trigger heeseung's "resurrection"? how does heeseung GET resurrected in the first place? well, not to worry, you're about to find out! and i am too because i'm just figuring this out as i go along baybyyyy

sunghoon, im thinking, is a friend of jake's (lets throw some jakehoon in here too bcs why not), either from before everything went to shit and heeseung went and isolated himself, or sometime during the numerous centuries jakewon spent looking for heeseung with jay. either way, sunghoon is this boy who jake is friends with and cares about a lot, and is also maybe kind of in love with. while jaywon spend most of their time looking for heeseung, jake spends his with sunghoon—finding himself often alone, now that his little bother is going off on his own adventures.

in a situation quite similar to heeseung's, sunghoon probably gets fatally injured somehow and is near death, but jake, not wanting him to die, decides to turn him instead. niki is also involved, and it's a sort of package deal, because before meeting jakewon, heeseung, and everyone, they were their own little thing; not unlike jay, heeseung, and sunoo's brother's triad. they were both probably orphans, niki being the much younger one, and as such sunghoon took him under his wing and never looked back. when jake turned sunghoon, niki was basically like "m8 what the fuck" and demanded he be turned too, not wanting his sunghoon-hyung to live on forever while he grew old and died. jake, also having a soft spot for niki, was like "fine alright" and turned him too. so, now their little vampire coven numbered five, and all was (moderately) well.

or not.

the thing was, jake hadn't anticipated how powerful sunghoon would be—there's nothing in life that anyone's found yet that would indicate a person's level of power once turned, so jake had... pretty much no way to see this coming. but, anyway, sunghoon was... really, really powerful. like, insanely powerful. all the abilities vampires were said to have in legends, the likes of which were previously reserved for just legends, he had them; flawless teleportation, mind control, shape-shifting, the whole bit. and on top of that, he was controlled—insanely good at monitoring himself and keeping tabs on his own instincts. one of the most self-sufficient, well-mannered vampires jake had ever seen. it was... frankly insane.

the problem? the queen. this is where she comes in, because she's played a part in all the boys' transformations, albeit indirectly—when jake and jungwon first turned, it was she who turned them. she could sense sunghoon's power, and she wanted it for herself. jake and jungwon had done well at avoiding her, even forgetting about her for a while; but what she wanted, she took, and take she did. it was sunghoon she took: luring him to her in small increments and then all at once, taking control of him, turning him into a mindless puppet. sunghoon had always prided himself in control, and without it, havoc wreaked: bodies dropping left and right, people being killed seemingly at random, their only purpose being to instill fear and paranoia.

now, niki had heard tales, before, from his hyungs but also from regular townspeople to whom the legend had gotten passed down, of heeseung, and how great and terrible he was. heeseung, the townspeoples' folktales said, had been insane, unstoppable: a mad genius far too gone for redemption. niki also knew from his hyungs' fond stories that heeseung, more than evil, was kind and caring; he was loyal, and powerful in his loyalty, and niki thought that if anyone could save his sunghoon-hyung, it was heeseung.

so niki went on a journey. without telling jaywon or anyone else (and thus causing quite the panic), he spent years searching for heeseung, everywhere jaywon had thought to look and everywhere they hadn't, and twice more for good measure. and, by some stroke of luck, either due to his own sheer force of will of something else entirely, niki found him: locked away in an old castle that never quite seemed to stay put, constantly phasing in between realities. it made sense why no one had found him before then—he didn't want to be found. desperately, in fact.

but niki, too, was desperate. he enacted a ritual that was said (by jake, so of course it was to be trusted) to wake any vampire that had gone into hibernation, and, miracles continuing to work for the bitter young boy, it worked. heeseung awoke—startled to find himself staring into the face of a very teary, very angry (visibly) sixteen-year-old.

confusion passed, things and motives were explained, and heeseung (although bitter at having been woken up, and still riddled with enough guilt to last 1500 lifetimes) attempted to patiently tell niki that he had no fucking idea how to help sunghoon whatsoever. niki pretty much said "well you better fucking find a way because you're not going back to sleep now, the world's about to fucking end. also jay and jungwon-hyung have been looking for you for literal centuries, do you know how pissed theyd be if i went out looking for you, found you, then came back empty-handed? really fucking pissed is how much. also sad. did i mention sad?" and heeseung, notoriously weak and also kind of (read: very) in love, is just like "...jungwon? jay?"

so niki brings heeseung back to the others, the return journey taking a long enough time that the two become significantly close to each other, heeseung's long-forgotten big brother instincts (tm) kicking in around the younger vampire. niki has to basically drag heeseung out of the castle by his teeth, because as much as he misses his brother and jungwon, he's still so incredibly guilty, and completely convinced that he isnt worth love or life whatsoever and that jay still hates his guts. and, jungwon... he doesn't even want to think about jungwon. how he failed him. how he let him down. but, niki slowly works through the insecurities, bit by bit: assuring heeseung that, no, even though jay will definitely rip him a new one once he sees him again, he'll also cry and hug him for at least 24 hours because he misses him like hell and heeseungie hyung you have no idea.

they weather a lot together. storms, mental breakdowns, bouts of blood-starvation so severe heeseung thinks he'll lose it again: but they're there for each other. they hunt, talk, keep each other warm, and in it, form an unbreakable bond. niki had heard tales of the legendary lee heeseung, who wiped out entire armies in two seconds flat and comforted his friends when they were sad and annoyed jay to the very ends of the earth: but what he's faced with is a man with more insecurities than niki has hairs on his head—and he has a lot of hairs on his head.

by the time they make it back to the coven's home, heeseung has grown sufficiently attached to the enigma that is niki, and has almost completely but it out of his mind that he's here for his old friends, too. he's only doing this for niki: it's a fact he's comfortable with. so when they reach the front steps he just... freezes.

i have a very clear image of it in my head—jungwon, jay, and jake sense niki's presence, in some weird vampire-y way. it's been around 10, 15 years since he left at this point, so of course they rush out to greet him, ready with scoldings and lashings about how stupid he had been (after, of course, making sure he's unharmed and alright)—but it all dies on their tongues as soon as they see who's with him.

frozen. everything is frozen.

i imagine it's a lot like lulu and artzyy's post. jungwon is the first to move, stepping forward and whimpering out a broken "hyung", and all heeseung's guilt and avoidance is forgotten in favor of cradling jungwon to his chest, holding him close and whispering reassurances into the crown of his head, wonnie, im so sorry, hyung's so sorry; i didn't mean to leave you for so long, i'm here now, its okay. and of course then jay comes in, crying and screaming about how the fuck is it okay, how can it ever be okay, how could you just not mean to leave us alone for 1500 years?! how the fuck do you just expect to waltz back into our lives like nothing ever happened and pretend its all okay?!? and then he hits him, and hurts him, tries to make him feel even an inkling of the hurt he was made to feel for the past fifteen hundred years—but then punching him turns into fisting hands into the back of his shirt and sobbing into his neck and holding him so tight he wouldn't be able to breath if he had the need to and please, please don't leave, why would you leave, you asshole, why did you leave?

so yeah. things happen. reunions are had, tears are shed. some indirect heewon love confessions probably happen later on in the form of very intense devotions of life and self and all that. "walking on the single-log bridge in the dark really isnt so bad" you know the whole shbang. meanwhile jay salty in the background just like "cant you just say you love each other like normal human beings jesus fucking christ"

jayseung's relationship (or the reigniting of it) is, well, rocky. they're both conflicted—jay even more than heeseung. because, the thing is, heeseung killed sunoo. as regretful as he is, that doesn't make it any easier to forget. but he's back, and alive, and in one piece, and he isn't leaving, and jay knows it wasn't really his fault, he wasn't in control—but he killed him. he killed their brother. and it WAS his own stupid fault for losing control in the first place, for not listening to jungwon, so what the hell is jay supposed to think? he flip-flops between being intensely grateful that heeseung is back and okay and finally with them again, and then remembering what he's done, giving him the cold shoulder and not speaking to him for hours on end. and all the while, heeseung is riddled with guilt, and shame, and grief he'd suppressed for far too long; niki's stubbornness combined with jungwon's unwavering support being the only things keeping him from bolting into oblivion all over again. all in all, it's a difficult time—but they get there. eventually.

naturally, they save sunghoon. what else is there to do? they defeat the queen, break her control over their friend—and then jakehoon have their own teary reunion, not unlike heewon's, and sungki have theirs, not unlike jayseung's (although with a... considerable decrease in cursing and conflicted emotions, and a lot more immediate sobbing). they're a mess—sunghoon is traumatized, heeseung is traumatized, jay and niki are traumatized, they're all just fucking traumatized. jayseung will probably take a long time to get back to the way they once were, if it's even possible—there'll always be an empty space there, something gone, something missing, and it's one that can't be filled. jungwon barely lets heeseung out of sight or touch alike, and heeseung isn't much better off. jay's always been the more touchy one out of the three of them; but after years of missing, of longing, there's plenty of time to be made up, and heeseung is just... so, so soft, and warm, and being held by him is the loveliest thing jungwon's ever known.

AND NOW A SUNOO THING, BECAUSE THE IDEA OF ENHA LIVING HAPPILY EVER AFTER AS OT6 WITH SUNOO JUST FUCKING DEAD DOES. NOT WORK FOR ME

so like. sunoo isn't dead, or he doesn't stay dead, or not the soulless-unmoving kind of dead anyway. you know how necromancy and fierce corpses exist in donghua and shit? well they exist here too because fuck you and also i said so. i made myself sad and now im making it happy again goddamnit.

anyway. after he dies, sunoo gets found by the queen, too, and because she's all-powerful and whatnot she fucking necromances him—figures he'll be useful later. as he is, though, he's basically nothing more than a puppet; like wen ning and song lan were when they were being controlled. his soul isn't... gone exactly, just imprisoned, prevented from being able to come forward and command his body.

so. sunoo is still partially alive, and the boys (jay, jake, jungwon, sunghoon, niki, and whatnot)... don't know that. i imagine that for pretty much the entirety of the centuries that heeseung is gone, sunoo's status as a necromanced fierce corpse goes entirely unknown to them, and it's only after heeseung is brought back by niki that he starts to resurface. i imagine they realize it in a sort of tense, action-filled scenario: the boys have gone to investigate another attack, thinking it's sunghoon, but as it turns out the queen has had TWO undead corpses running around doing her dirty work instead of one. and one of them is sunoo.

heeseung and jay, of course, are stunned. they cant believe it's real; it isn't real, it can't be—and yet.

a lot of angsty plot stuff happens—i dont have the energy or enough shits to give to figure out what. the thing is, the queen only kept sunoo this long and brought him out as a tactic to lure heeseung, make him weaker; and it probably worked. in the midst of both fighting against sunghoon and fighting to SAVE sunghoon, heeseung is bent on saving sunoo as well, and there's probably a lot of very angsty talk wherein there are disagreements about who's life, really, is more important in this situation, and if heeseung is just trying to make up for what he did to sunoo. regardless, heeseung ends up saving sunoo and bringing his soul back to the surface. what he doesn't expect is for sunoo to forgive him—fully and wholeheartedly. and it feels wrong, because no, you should be angry with me, you should hate me and want to hurt me like i hurt you; but sunoo is just... happy. happy that he's back, happy that heeseung is back, happy that they're all together again. and its conflicting, to say the least. even moreso because sunoo isnt stupid—he didnt just act like heeseung was an innocent who did no wrong; he knew he had been wreckless, knew he was at fault, and he forgave him still. loved him still. that was something heeseung... hadn't been prepared for.

like i said in the last part, they save sunghoon; how, im not sure, but they save him, probably with a fair bit of sunoo's help, and they're together again. only the tiny difference here is that sunoo is with them too. sunoo is back, and the gang has yet another undead bestie to teach the ropes of being a vampire to. things are awkward, obviously, especially between the original brother's trio of heeseung, sunoo, and jay; because sunoo is his usual sweet and kind self while jay believes that he should be more angry at heeseung for killing him, heeseung agrees, and jay has some very conflicted feelings about how self-depricating his hyung is being (because like... yeah you killed sunoo and im supposed to hate you but you're not supposed to hate yourself, you idiot, what the fuck?)

(also like. if we're gonna take some more crumbs from cql canon here im gonna go ahead and say sunoo's death was at least somewhat self-sacrificial, even if it was heeseung that ended up causing it in the end)

(i kind of love how jiang cheng-y i made enhaverse jay here to be honest)

(okay this has been in my drafts WAY too long because ive been waiting for some miraculous Other Detail i need to add to pop up in my mind, but honestly i can just add anything else i think of in a reblog afterwards, this bitch just needs to see the light of day)

#magpie thoughts #magpie writes #??? kind of ???#enhaverse #enhaverse theories #ALSO kind of???#enhaverse writing #enhaverse aus #the untamed/cql #the untamed spoilers #idk but just to be safe ig .

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aros001 · 3 years

Text

Going in blind: Watching season 2 for the first time. Random thoughts.

Huh. Only 7 episodes. Not complaining necessarily. For series with an ongoing plot I've definitely become more in favor with their seasons only having as many episodes as they need rather than them having to stretch themselves out to full up a certain number of episodes, which can lead to padding and just bad character moments.

Episode 1: Jeez. Catra visiting Shadow Weaver's cell just to rub her success in her face and verbally abuse her back for once. It's like a twisted version of Zuko and Ozai from ATLA. Catra's upbringing under her was abusive but this is far from a healthy way for her to deal with it. She's basically deliberately swimming in her resentment.

Episode 2: It's not that I'm rooting for her but by-golly was it fun to watch Catra act like just the absolute worst she could while she was Glimmer and Bow's captive.

I touched on this in season 1 but part of the drama of the heroes feeling guilt over leaving Entrapta behind is kind of lost on me a bit simply because it was her own fault it happened. She deliberately went back into the purge room because of her machine obsession, which then closed on her and erupted in flames. It was more than reasonable to assume she was dead and no one but her was to blame, so I'm not really able to be invested in their guilt over it.

That said, weirdly enough I do like that her "abandonment" doesn't seem to be even a blip on the radar for Entrapta herself. She hasn't joined the horde because she resents the heroes or felt left behind, she simply is so obsessed with machines and experimentation that she'll be on the side of whoever lets her do the most of that. Like, it's selfish and irresponsible but it's very in-character and I'd far rather have a traitor motivation be based in that over something stupid like a misunderstanding.

Episode 3: I love the mental image of Shadow Weaver thinking up princess-themed ghost stories to tell Adora as a child.

So, if the previous She-Ra Mara separated Eternia from the other realms/planets/whatever she did and that's what cut off the She-Ra line for 1000 years, I'm guessing Hordak may be from the time before that happened, thus his drive to create portals and calling Eternia a backwards world. Either he's naturally long-lived or his technology is extending his life.

Episode 4: You know, you could maybe argue it was vague enough that it could be taken other ways but I'm definitely getting some vibes here that Scorpia is crushing on Catra. She literally refers to the two of them as soulmates at one point. I know she says she's trying to be friends but this feels a level beyond that.

Fun little reference to the original She-Ra cartoon thrown in there (and maybe Cowboy Bebop...? James Bond...? What was Glimmer's art style supposed to be?). I like how it is more like just playful ribbing than anything outright dumping on the original. Again, I've never seen original She-Ra but whenever remakes/adaptations go out of their way to trash to the original I always kind of wonder why they bothered doing an adaptation if the original is just that bad? Also, I was having trouble sleeping so it was about 2am when I watched this episode and the very Eartha Kitt Catwoman Catra made it very difficult for me not to lose my **** and stay quiet. With how much of a contrast that version is from the one in this series, that was hilarious. Bonus note, it's a nice touch that Frosta's version of Catra is a pretty crasher in that sweet suit, since that's the only impression of Catra she's ever had.

Adora being a chosen one is definitely elevated up simply by how much the pressure of what she's supposed to be is getting to her. I'm likely going to keep making Avatar The Last Airbender comparisons throughout the series but that's partly because I went into this series figuring it'd be at least structured similar to ATLA (season 1 being more episodic and a little more kid-friendly as it builds up the world before getting more serious later). Adora and Aang are interesting to compare here. Aang's worries early on were less apparent because he was more in-denial/choosing not to think about his problems that much, which fit with his character as a free-spirited Air Nomad. While Adora is much more military-minded. She can't keep herself from thinking about her problems and trying to prepare for the worst-case scenario. And jeez, that idea of who/how Catra is in her mind. Not only beating her but making her watch as she takes everything she cares about away. Not Shadow Weaver, not Lord Hordak, but Catra. That whole Lion King Mufasa/Scar moment between them in episode 11 and their fight in the S1 finale really did a number on her mental image of her old friend. Not reasonably so.

Minor note: I'm sure I'm the only one who got this impression but by the look of it, the way the robot's eye moved, and the music, after getting the soda spilled on it that little spybot gained sentience for half a second and then immediately died. It was so darkly comedic I had to laugh.

Episode 5: So that red disc is basically She-Ra's Red Kryptonite, having an effect on the mind rather than the body. The drunk Adora joke doesn't really do it for me but it did get some nice interactions going between Scorpia and Sea Hawk, two characters I certainly wasn't expecting to bond. I did really like Catra's panic when berserker She-Ra nearly beheads her. The implication is that is Adora really wanted to kill her Catra would already probably be dead. It's a thing I like about powerhouse characters like Superman or Aang, who could just demolish everything around them and don't simply because they're a good person...which in turn makes them the scariest person on the planet when they're well and truly ticked off. I'm not going to lie, I do kind of want to see a She-Ra version of Aang when Appa was stolen or when Superman fought The Elite.

Also, Catra's line of "I have control over Adora. I'm not giving that up for anything.". There's a lot to read into there.

Episode 6: I guess my prediction was sort of right. Shadow Weaver became basically a magic parasite and while it did increase the power she's capable of the implication seems to be that she needs a constant fix of magic to keep herself going, thus her attachment to the Black Garnet.

Have we seen Micah before? Given how long ago the flashback seems set, the fact that Shadow Weaver didn't kill him and thus he probably becomes someone important later in life, I'm guessing he's Glimmer's dad and the queen's late husband, since I think he's the only important male character whose face we haven't seen yet. Also, he's voice by Ezra from Star Wars Rebels and that cracks me up for some reason. It's the exact same voice and a relatively similar character.

I compared Catra and Shadow Weaver with a kind of twisted version of Zuko and Ozai and that definitely still fits here. Both Catra and Zuko confront their parent and call them out for the inexcusable abuse they put them through but while that moment was the start of Zuko's upwards journey this and SW's betrayal seems like it's going to cause Catra to spiral even further. Makes sense why Adora leaving affected her so much. She's probably the only one Catra's ever had that she could consistently trust and rely on, even if she did somewhat resent her.

Not surprised Hordak is getting along with Entrapta. She's not socially aware enough to be scared or intimidated by him, so she'll speak frankly, and since all she wants to talk about is the machines, experiments, and how they could get them to work Hordak probably doesn't take much issue with that. She's producing results, which is what he cares about, thus also why Shadow Weaver and Catra started losing favor with him. I wonder if Catra is going through imposter syndrome? Shadow Weaver had that line that Entrapta earned her place next to Hordak and, if you think about it, Catra hasn't really "earned" anything. We saw that she didn't really take her training or studies that seriously, showing up late to combat practice and even getting partial credit for what Adora beat. She wasn't promoted to Force Captain because of her own abilities but because Adora had defected when she was supposed to get that title. She's come close to a few victories but never really had any except for Glimmer and Bow's kidnapping...whom she then basically let escape when she returned Adora's sword to her. She doesn't have the slightest clue how the horde's bureaucracy works when trying to get things done, like simply getting troops armor. Given how much better than her Adora always was and how little she herself has to her name, I wonder is subconsciously Catra believes she doesn't deserve her current position and thus why she's fretting so much over trying to prove herself.

Episode 7: Am I mistaken or did Bow's parents say that he's the youngest of TWELVE siblings? I was going to ask whether Bow was adopted or if his dad's used a surrogate or if maybe there's even just simply magic in She-Ra's world that allows two people of the same sex to have a child together but now I'm just focused on the 12 kids thing. I get nervous just imagining myself having more than one. You should see me when I'm with two cats. I have to pet both of them because I'd feel like I'd be making one feel left out and like the other is the favorite. I'm a mess with kids.

The dad with dreadlocks (Lance?), his design looked familiar to me and I finally realized it reminded me a of a fanart design for a human Grim from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Very different voices between those two characters though.

I wonder if there's any significance to the robot protecting the crystal having the same design as those in the artic in episode 5? Obviously both have the connection to the First Ones but the robot in the forest who was also protecting First Ones' tech had a more insect-like design over these more worm/Graboid ones.

I'm kind of curious what Hordak would have done if Catra had told the truth. Given his interactions with her and Shadow Weaver he doesn't seem like the time to tolerate failure but I suppose the implication here is that he at least would respect those who own up to their failures. Or I suppose more simply he was just testing to see if she would lie to him and since she did there's little merit in keeping her in a position of authority anymore where she could lie about important things again.

Season 2 verdict: Still enjoying it. Another person on this reddit recommended I view seasons 2 and 3 as one since they are basically just one season split in two. I was going to do that but this ended up longer than I thought I would, so I'll just do 2 and 3 separate to keep them semi-organized and easier to read.

I think overall Catra is my favorite character since she has the most interesting backstory, interactions, and just general path through the story out of everyone. She's like Pearl from Steven Universe or, well, Zuko. There's just so much baggage there that she's trying and kind of failing to deal with. I'm always invested in whatever's happening when she's onscreen. Hordak so far is a good big boss villain for Adora to face but Catra is a good archenemy for her.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/PrincessesOfPower/comments/o027y3/going_in_blind_watching_season_2_for_the_first/

#she ra #she ra spop #random thoughts #reddit repost

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sleepy-exe · 3 years

Text

Shapeshifter AU - 7

Iwaizumi x f!reader

<< Part 6 | Part 8 >>

Summary: Y/n goes to the park with Iwaizumi and finds a shapeshifter friend. Mizuki wants to know about this guy Y/n has been spending time with.

Word count: 1.8k

Warnings: none

Genre: sfw (18+ regardless), shapeshifter au, strangers to lovers

Part 7: We Could Be Friends

Y/n and Iwaizumi made plans to go to one of the forest parks nearly a week ago. But due to busy schedules, they didn't have any free days line up until now. This was the first time in awhile Y/n had been to a park in the forest in a long time. Which meant she wasn’t exactly the best guide. Luckily the park had marked paths through the area versus her usual running wild anywhere between the trees. Seeing sunshine through the trees may have been even prettier than the moonlight at night, tucked behind the treetops.

Used to the quietness of nocturnal animals and lack of any people, this area felt like another world even though they weren’t too far off from one of her frequented nighttime spots. Walking alongside Iwaizumi, she found herself almost constantly catching the sounds and movements of birds and small critters that she wouldn’t normally get to experience. She tried not to get distracted too much anytime Iwaizumi started talking. But with the new sounds and different scents through the trees, she couldn’t help but get distracted some.

“I thought you said you’ve been out here before,” Iwaizumi questioned, breaking her trance of the world around her.

“Huh? Oh.” She realized she had really slowed down her pace but quickly sped up again. “Yeah, but it's been a minute. It’s so.. alive here.”

“Alive? Isn’t fall kind of the opposite,” he said, crossing his arms. “And I mean, it's nice out here, but the way you keep looking around.. It’s like you’ve never seen such a place before.”

She laughed nervously. “Well, the last time I was out here I didn’t notice so many animals.”

He looked around, trying to spot something in the trees or fallen leaves, but other than a squirrel and a couple of birds he couldn’t find anything that could possibly be so interesting. But he decided not to argue. “Right,” fingers tapping his left bicep.

Soon they came across a stream off to the side of the designated path; likely the same stream that ran through where she sat with Sakusa a couple of weeks ago. Y/n took it upon herself to lead them off the path towards it. As she sat down in the leaves, Iwaizumi stood next to her, eyes narrowing. “Aren’t we supposed to stay on the paths?”

She looked up to him and smirked before bringing her attention to the water. “So? What, we might get yelled at? It’ll be fine.”

He watched her for a moment, then sat beside her. “I really don’t want to get kicked out of a park.”

She snickered. “Do you think this is any worse than showin’ up after dark? It’s fine! Just sit here and listen.”

He followed her command. “..The birds?”

“Hmm. Yes, but not just those. You can hear the water move, the breeze shuffling leaves, and there’s either squirrels or chipmunks running around the trees and ground.. Just sit here and relax, listening and being in nature.” She looked around to where she heard each sound as she spoke.

But he can’t hear every sound that she can. “Yeah, I guess I can do that..”

She took the chance to stubbly take in the new sights and sounds, getting better attuned with her lively-to-her surroundings. They stayed like that for a few minutes, before she looked over to him and realized he had been staring at her. Her eyes widened for a split second. “Come on.” She shoved his shoulder with a playfully grin before standing and dusting off her pants. “We’re like what, half around this trail?” She grabbed his arm and dragged him back towards the path with her.

They walked along the path for a while. Watching squirrels run about and climb trees, listening to everything Y/n had pointed out.

Her phone started buzzing repeatedly, so she slipped it out of her pocket to check what’s going on.

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “r u out on that date yet?”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “u said that’s today right?”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “when am i going to meet him”

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “not a date. i told you that”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “i barely know anything about him n dont even know what he looks like >:(“

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “come onnnnn i wanna see this guy that managed to get ur attention”

She chuckled. “It’s Mizuki.”

“How’s she?”

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “as if you and sakusa didnt get my attention”

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “what’s wrong with me having a new friend?”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “yeah but sakusa was all but forced into our friendship and i forced my way into your heart so whooo forced this lil friendship-thing? Who do i have to thank for helping socialize our Y/n”

She gave an exasperated sigh. “Apparently dying to meet you.”

He raised his eyebrows and slid his hands in his pockets. “You talk about me to your friends?”

“Mmm.. Well, it's hard to keep things from her. It seems like she always finds a way.” She crinkled her nose as they passed a plant that had a strong odor to her, though Iwaizumi didn't seem phased. “That and she saw me texting ya the other day and had to ask questions.” She shook her head. “The ever curious, Mizu’.”

He laughed. “She sounds.. interesting to have around.”

She giggled. “She’s high energy, but she means well. She’s just curious.”

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “wow”

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “i am capable of making friends on my own you know”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “uh huh and i’ll get to see him when?”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “why are you hiding him ;P is he that hot that you want to hide him away lol”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “love u”

“Maybe you should introduce us.” He bumped into her, grinning.

“If I do that she might drag you on last minute adventures. Which could range from running around downtown or staying in. But mostly out.” She gave a half shrug.

“That almost sounds like a complaint,” he said.

She waved a hand defensively. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the city and coming out here, but I prefer staying in more than she does.”

“Maybe we should have stayed in then.” He looked her over, noticing she was no longer looking around constantly. “Though you seem.. Not so overwhelmed now.”

She blushed in embarrassment. “Ah- Hmm, I’d say more like.. Deeply enjoying.. This place.”

He looked unimpressed by her poor explanation. “Uh huh.”

She cleared her throat and their conversation paused as they made their way to the end of the path. Enjoying the sights and sounds around them in the process.

“But really, I do love her and love having her around.” She giggled quietly to herself. “There’s not a dull moment with her. I may have to raise her spirits from time to time, but she can do the same for me.”

He smiled softly. “Sounds like you’re good friends.”

She hummed an agreement. “Maybe I will introduce you sometime.”

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “love you”

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “You became friends in college, right?” He tilted his head towards her.

She shook her head. “Yeah. We were both business majors and had a couple of classes together.. my second year, I think. And well, she has a way of befriending anyone. So next thing ya know, we were friends.”

Approaching the parking lot, they stopped to chat. Not having plans for if their little outing stopped here or not.

“Do you ever do anything other than go for walks or to bars in your free time?”

“I go out to eat,” she said matter-of-factly, then looked around the lot in front of them until she spotted her car. She found Iwaizumi’s green Tacoma several cars down from hers in the process.

He nodded slowly. “Okay.. but if those three things suddenly didn’t exist what would you do?”

She shrugs nonchalantly. “Guess I’d die.” She smirked.

He rolled his eyes and pointed to his truck. “So you don’t want to go to grab a bite then?”

“You have found my one true weakness,” she says dramatically with a hand on her chest and a sarcastic grin.

He shook his head. “Come on, follow me. There’s a little cafe not far from here, if that’s your thing. I can give you the address.”

She happily agrees at the promise of food and they head for her Civic. She drops into the driver’s seat and leaves the door wide open while Iwaizumi gives her the address. Once she has the GPS ready to go, he walks around the car to head for his truck. Kicking one leg outside the car, she texts Mizuki, deciding to entertain her with a selfie of the two from the beginning of their walk.

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “here”

>> To ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “Attachment.jpg”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “ooohh!! owo”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “he is HOT! no wonder you’re keeping him around”

>> From ‘My Best Bitch <3’: “you met at that bar?? damn maybe i should have joined you lmao”

Hopefully that’ll keep her happy for a bit.

“Hmm?” Blur of orange to her right catching her interest. A gorgeous red fox had appeared while she was preoccupied, walking around the open driver’s door. Her eyes widened at the sight. Foxes typically stayed away from her, but she was almost only ever out here as a wolf, so that’s only to be expected. The fox sat on the pavement, giving her a cheerful tail wag. She cooed, “Hey there lil’ fella.”

Immediately the fox’s ears pulled back, and she swears its face scrunched. Not a minute later the fox swiftly hopped into her car and onto her lap, completely catching her off guard.

“Ho?” She squinted. How strange. She would have never imagined such behavior from a wild fox; though there is a shifter that looks oddly similar that probably would crawl in her lap if given the opportunity. He does have the same set of face markings..

The realization of the situation hit her. “Oh! No no, hey! I’m not alone here!” She quietly scolded the shifter in her lap, looking over to where Iwaizumi had parked but she couldn’t spot his truck passed the other cars from here. “Ah shit, do you need a ride home?” She asked the fox shifter just before he hopped into the backseat.

“Okay, uh, hold on.” She quickly dialed Iwaizumi, “Hey, uh, sorry, um.. No, no.. A friend just got a hold of me and needs me to take them home.. Ah, no! He’s fine, just- ..Actually, can we just change locations? ..Yeah, no, he's remotely close to where you live, kinda, so if you want to go anywhere around there, I can meet you when I’m done or something.. Yeah, yeah! I think I know that place..” She peered into the backseat at the fox. Cupping the microphone and sighing, she whispers to the fox, “You’re lucky I love you.”

Back to the phone, “Okay! I’ll see you there! Sorry, again!” Hanging up, she started the car. “Stay down until we hit the highway. Don’t shift yet either.”

Part 8 >>

#shapeshifter!haikyuu #shapeshifter au #iwaizumi haijime x reader #iwaizumi x you #iwaizumi x reader #iwaizumi hajime #iwaizumi fanfic #iwaizumi x y/n #iwaizumi scenarios #haikyuu fanfic #strangers to friends #strangers to lovers

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teamlarl · 4 years

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Su.yin Bei.fong is Cancelled - A Masterpost

A collection of my many, many, rants about Suyin that I’ve gone on in the past.

November 3, 2017

“Suyin motherfucking Beifong I swear to god... Like... Ughhhhh I can't go on a full on rant because you all don't know the context of it, but fuuuuuck. I have never seen a more self-absorbed character, that refuses to take responsibility for their actions, will blame everyone else, and just sticks their head in the sand.

And the kicker? The narrative always portrays Suyin as being in the right. Always. Without fail. Even when Suyin is being a complete bitch about everything.

She is a woman that outright refuses to believe that her precious baby boy could fall in love with someone she doesn't approve of. That Kuvira must be fucking manipulating Baatar Jr., that's clearly the only reason why he would ever love her. Not because, oh I don't know, they grew up together and Kuvira is the only god damn person to treat him like his own person, and not an extension of his father.”

---

April 25, 2018

“Kuvira has a LOT of mommy issues when it comes to Suyin, and frankly I don't blame her. Suyin is one of those characters that the narrative always frames as in the right, but when you really think about it is super fucked up.

They briefly acknowledged one aspect of it, with her whole drama with her sister, Lin, and then they didn't really do anything with it. Suyin never really got better. Hell, Lin is the one that's framed as the bitch for not wanting to get along with her self-admitted shit of a little sister after reuniting. Suyin Beifong is an extremely selfish character. She puts herself and her immediate family first, everyone else be damned. And it has to be HER vision of what she wants for her family. If a single one of them steps a hair out of line she lashes out; she's extremely controlling.”

---

October 5, 2018

“I want it stated for the record that if it wasn't for her being such a MILF then I wouldn't let her get away with as much shit as she does.

The worst part is that the show doesn't even acknowledge how most of the shit she does is super problematic, everyone's expected to acquiesce and apologize to HER for being VERY RIGHTFULLY ANGRY WITH HER. It's not even one time either. It happens TWICE. WITH DIFFERENT CHARACTERS. PEOPLE THAT SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE VERY CLOSE TO.

Oh woops. My dormant Suyin button got tripped.

LIN BEIFONG DOESN'T OWE SUYIN SHIT. But no, I guess because FAMILY and all that, Lin has to apologize. I guess Suyin ruining their mom's career counts for nothing. The thing with Suyin is that for all her claims about how she's grown up since she was a bratty teenager SHE REALLY HASN'T. She's STILL selfish. She's still convinced that she always knows best. She doesn't give a shit about the rules except when they benefit her.

Don't even get me STARTED on the dynamic she has with Kuvira, Because JESUS CHRIST THE IMPLICATIONS.

"She was like a daughter to me."

PROCEEDS TO TRY AND ASSASSINATE HER AN HOUR LATER.

"She was like a daughter to me."

Kuvira isn't in any of the family photos, she's not there to meet Korra and friends when they arrive for the first time, Suyin never introduces her or anything. Kuvira's just a guard. A prominent guard, but just a guard.

So don't give me that fucking bullshit about how she was like a daughter to you, Suyin. Your fucking actions speak VOLUMES otherwise. Suyin would fucking MURDER for the sake of her family. She can't claim that Kuvira is a part of her family and then TRY TO ASSASSINATE KUVIRA HERSELF.

"Baatar sweetie it's not your fault, the evil Kuvira manipulated you." "Kuvira is irredeemable."

LIKE WOW OKAY. BAATAR HAD JUST AS MUCH TO DO WITH THE EARTH EMPIRE AS KUVIRA DID, BUT THERE SUYIN GOES! SWEEPING IT ALL UNDER THE RUG FOR HER BABY BOY WHILE BLAMING IT ALL ON KUVIRA.

"She was like a daughter to me."

---

November 28, 2018

“I mean fuck. You pick this girl up off the street. You give her a home, you train her, you be her mentor, but you hold her at arm's length. You never allow her to be part of your family. Wait, scratch that, you let her be part of your family when it's convenient for you, when you're trying to gain sympathy for yourself. Teasing her with something she never had and you do not intend to give her. Never making her role clear, whether she's an apprentice or a daughter figure, because it's not defined, and it flips flops based on your mood.

And Suyin wonders why Kuvira resents her so much... Ah, but of course, it's the evil Kuvira, what am I saying?

A rotten apple from the start, am I right? She was like family, and she abused that trust, right? Manipulating your precious baby boy and taking him away from you, corrupting him. It's all her fault. But of course, it's never your fault, eh Suyin? It's always someone else to blame.

It's all Lin's problem that she can't move on and forgive you. Forgiving you for ruining your mother's career, for being a shit kid that gave your sister scars that would mar her for the rest of her life, for generally getting off scot-free because you're just such a fucking free spirit. But of course that's not your fault Why would it be? You're Suyin Beifong. You're never at fault for anything.

You know what's fun? I've never made any secret that Ren was heavily based on Kuvira. His entire backstory of being an orphan from nowhere adopted into this prestigious family comes from her. That his resolve and passion and issues comes from the tragedy he suffered as a child, similar to Kuvira.

But the thing is... The person I had fill in the role of Suyin, Ianus... is a far better "parent" than Suyin ever was. Like, ignoring the rest of the Beifong family and focusing purely on the dynamic between Suyin and Kuvira. It's fucking telling when I can say Ianus, fucking IANUS BASILIUS, is a better parental figure than Suyin motherfucking Beifong.

Ianus, who actually fully adopts Renatus as his own son and treats him as such. Ianus, who is wholly responsible for the glorified trauma conga line that is Addie's childhood. Ianus is not a good fucking person by any stretch of the imagination, but at least he has the decency to actually make sure the orphan he takes into his home is loved and cared for. He makes sure they know they're wanted and that they are family.”

---

September 18, 2019

“Suyin Beifong is the dictionary definition of "fuck you, bitch, got mine" and I hate her for it. God damn hypocrite.

"Kuvira is like a daughter to me." FIVE MINUTES LATER, SUYIN IS TRYING TO MURDER KUVIRA IN HER SLEEP.

"You're going to pay for everything you've done!" BITCH YOU JUST IMMEDIATELY FORGAVE YOUR SON FOR EVERYTHING, LIKE, AN HOUR AGO. AND HE IS JUST AS RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING AS KUVIRA IS.

"Kuvira is like a daughter to me." THEN WHERE IS SHE IN THE FUCKING FAMILY PHOTO?

For some godforsaken reason... Suyin is always portrayed as being in the right. Even when she does really fucked up things and isn't sorry about it. I mean, god, I'm still on Lin's side regarding their reunion. Lin had every right to be angry and Suyin is just like, "it doesn't matter, that was in the past, I'm a different person now."

Are you, Suyin? Maybe on a surface level, but when you scrape the surface at all, I don't think you are. Suyin Beifong is someone that never fucking has to deal with the negative consequences of her shitty actions. Everyone else around her has to deal with it instead.

Girl commits a crime, gets caught, and in the process both physically scars her sister and ruins her mother's career. Her "punishment" is being sent to live with her rich as fuck grandparents, which she runs away from anyway and proceeds to have a grand old time, having an adventure of a life. She is never sorry for her actions and how they affected others. And life seems to keep rewarding her for it.

Settles down, has a family, creates her own city and places herself at the head of the totem pole so she never has to answer to anyone. Basically becomes the epitome of a socialite wine mom, except with political power. Takes in this orphan kid because she sees potential in her. Great! Calls her a part of the family, despite never actually acting like it and never telling her this to her face, only to others. A difference which becomes really fucking prominent when Suyin only ever displays unconditional love for her biological children, but as soon as the "adopted kid" (put in quotations because of course Suyin never actually adopted Kuvira despite her being "part of the family") questions Suyin's decisions and strikes out on her own, taking the eldest son with her.

Ohohoho! Obviously she's an evil bitch! Who manipulated her darling baby boy into going with her! Because obviously her eldest son could only ever be happy at home! He wasn't. He always felt like he was in the shadows of his parents. But god forbid you ever tell Suyin that. Suyin and her perfect little family. Until you look under the facade and see how unperfect things actually are. But that's obviously all that Kuvira girl's fault. She's such a bad influence. AND HEY MAYBE SHE'S RIGHT!

After all, Kuvira is the one that takes the most after Suyin.”

#;ooc #;aeneas rants about su.yin #i decided i should give myself a tag #considering how often i do this #oh boy i really hope this doesn't show up anywhere near her tags

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fictionalcharactermbti · 5 years

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Chilling Adventures of Sabrina MBTI

Sabrina Spellman [INFJ] : Sabrina takes all events in first before acting, which often leads her into trouble as she will follow along in bad situations until it is too late. Her curiosity as to how something will unfold often gets the best of her. She uses her deep intuitions in order to help those she cares about. She often can think she knows what is best for others and tries to manipulate behind the scenes. Because her intentions are good she thinks this justifies her unsavory behavior. Sabrina assumes everything is connected in a cohesive narrative in her life, everything has a meaning and a purpose.

Harvey Finkle [ISFP] : Harvey has no need to control others or to be in control. He is a live and let live type of character. His passion of art as an expression is a result of actions speaking louder than words. He won’t always say how he feels, but he shows it in everything he does. Harvey doesn’t need a lot of attention to be happy in a relationship, he just needs to know that you are there for him. He is by no means a traditionalist, but he is loyal to those he have won a place in his heart. You have to have crossed a major line of free will and privacy to lose his trust. Harvey simply wants to live his life uncomplicated and unfettered.

Hilda Spellman [ISFJ] : Hilda is a natural caretaker. She cares for specific people in her life and she will do anything to help them. She is fiercely loyal to those in her circle. Hilda shows her love not in huge gestures, but in the little things, the practical things. She is always aware of the feelings of others in the room and prefers harmony over all. She can’t stand others being in disharmony even if it means she has to sacrifice herself. She can often lose herself trying to help others and this causes disharmony in herself. This can lead to outbursts that surprises other characters when she has finally had enough.

Zelda Spellman [ESFJ] : Zelda defines herself by her role in the family and within the coven. These group roles and titles are important to her. She is always the first to volunteer to contribute to the group at large. Social rules and decorum matter to her as these systems are in place for a reason, they work. Her self- assured-ness leads her to get arrogant at times making her think she always knows what is best for others. She strives to keep others in their roles. She does this out of kindness, this is her way of helping others be their best selves and contribute to the community. Her fixation on others often leaves her afraid of being skeptical of herself and her own life choices.

Mary Wardwell [ENTP] : Mary is extremely opportunistic and works best without a strict plan. She has ideas of different possibilities and their effects. She enjoys playing with these ideas and especially with people if it is advantageous to her end goals. Wardwell always has to verbalize her ideas to feel comfortable with them before implementing her plans. At the end of the day she is a competitive creature striving for the affection of Satan. Acceptance for her intellect and proving she is the best is a major drive for her. Above all she loves seeing chaos in the world and revealing people’s true nature. It is unsurprising that her personality type is nicknamed the “devil’s advocate.”

Ambrose Spellman [ENFP] : Ambrose is bored easily if stuck in a simple situation, especially if stuck there for long. He is an explorer of ideas as demonstrated by his past escapades. At the end of the day he is driven by people. His need to do what he thinks is right is what leads him to attempting to blow the Vatican. He can’t help, but help others on their paths. We see this in his need to keep helping Sabrina, even when she doesn’t deserve his patience. His free living often inspires those around him.

Faustus Blackwood [ESTJ] : Faustus enjoys being able to represent others in an orderly fashion. He is incredibly logical and honorable. If he is convinced through hard logic he doesn’t let his ego get in the way. It isn’t about individually winning at something, but always about the collective. He focuses on what has worked in the past and is hesitant to try new things unless they are proven to work. It isn’t about preserving the past as much as using what is known and proven to work. He puts most of his energy outside of himself; so much so that he doesn’t see the hypocrisy between what he spouts for others to do and how he lives his own life.

Prudence Night [ENTJ] : Prudence is a logical, orderly, and a competitive person. She appreciates the way the witches operate but is not against--and is in fact for--constant improvement forward. She always strives to be the very best. She wears leadership like a glove and has an incredibly commanding presence that others naturally fall in line for. She can be surprisingly impulsive, often shocking those that think they know her. She tries to hide her emotions and inner-self behind her leadership role.

Rosalind Walker [INTP] : Rosalind is by far the most skeptical character of the show. She not only questions those around her, but she often puts her own thoughts and actions under her own scrutiny. She doesn’t care for the typical social desires of teenagers, but is in constant pursuit of knowledge. She, Susie, and Sabrina are always analyzing the films they watch trying to see the deeper meaning and implications. When Rosalind is worried or contemplating she often hides herself away from her friends, playing her feelings and worries close to her chest.

Susie Putman [INFP] : As an INxP, Susie is very similar to Rosalind. They also recede into themselves and enjoys analyzing books and films. Susie is driven not by logic and skepticism like Rosalind, but by their independent moral compass. Susie is all about what feels right and constantly needs to make sure that their life is in alignment with what they think is the right way to live. Susie tries their hardest not to conform themself to the expectations of others, but under pressure succumbs to their inferior function and will play the part others demand of them. But you can’t kill their individual spirit as is seen with the ghost of Dorothea igniting their advocate fire once again.

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idkwhoiamanymorebutwtf · 5 years

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Psycho Analyzing: Eggs Benifits

While the kids' parenting style showed a bit about them, I think it showed more about their families, really.

For example, Nurf was abusive towards Preston. This was likely due to the obvious abuse from his uncle, who was bad enough for Child Protective Services to be involved. However, with the egg, Nurf was so much less explosive. His mother is in jail. She's violent. But with Nurf? She's as good a mother as any. And of course, his dad wad never around, which amplifies his need to be there for his own son.

Then there's preston. He let Nurf abuse him- not that it was his fault, victim blaming isn't condoned here- but he seemed to be a bit meek and immediately went along with Nurf. This is probably caused by one of two things. Either his own parents were in a similar relationship (which could be why he lives with his grandmother. If his mother left or was killed and if his father was arrested or killed-), which would lead to him picking this behavior up from them, or his parents were never around. His grandmother,,though she is incredible, bless her soul, certainly doesn't strike me as a strong role model. If his parents were NEVER around, Preston likely doesn't know what a stable family structure is like, and a lot of people in those situations do follow whatever they're taught is how a family should look. So when Nurf started shoving him around, Preston would have no reason to think that isn't how parents were meant to act. I think the latter is a stronger possibility, as Preston didn't assume the role of an abused housewife until after Nurf showed abusive behaviors, implying that wasn't something he'd been exposed to before, but that he is vulnerable to anything he's exposed to, meaning his parents have likely been gone from the start. I think his love for theatre may even stem from a psychological connection formed with it directly resulting from a lack of any other role models in his life.

Next let's talk about Ered. She has a very stable home life. Her dad's are "cool", they seem to encourage her passion for extreme sports and the only downside I see is that they may be too loose with her. I mean, I'm not saying that makes them bad parents. It's just that every parent has flaws. As stated in the episode, there isn't really a right way to do any of it, and everyone's going to mess up somewhere. And the shortcomings of her dad's come through in Ered's own parenting. They put too much faith in letting her do her own thing. They sent her to Camp Campbell for her extreme sports camp despite the fact that Cameron is literally a dangerous criminal. However I also think Ered and her dad's have different reasons for being so easygoing (to a fault). Ered is into extreme sports. With that as your hobby, you learn that pain is part of the game, so she was unconcerned when her egg broke because that's how you learn. You learn by messing up. Meanwhile her own dad's seem to leave her to her own devices because, well..they let her get away with too much. They seem to view her as perfect. Ered's allowed to do what she wants by them and is always given positive reinforcement. She apparently had awful grades in school but was still sent to extreme sports camp! In the end, this really solidifies the fact that her dad's are too lenient, which is likely the cause of her behavioral issues with manipulating, using, and insulting other's.

Dolph is distinctly, pointedly, not like his own father. Dolph doesn't want to constrain his egg. He wants the egg to be a free spirit and do whatever he wants to do with his life. This is him going against his father, who thinks his passion for art is lame. Dolph is trying so hard NOT to be like his father. However, Dolph also seems to show a want to live through his own child. He paints on the egg and insists he's going to be "an artist/pro skater!" Which does allow bits of how Dolph himself was raised to shine through in a need for father to live through son, weather Dolph means to push his dreams onto the egg or not. And I do doubt he means to. He genuinely seems to think it's what his kid wants for himself, and that's something a lot of parents do when the project onto their kids, because often they're pushing what they want unintentionally.

Next we have Nerris. She's imitating her parents in a few ways. Now, look. She has good parents. A stable life. She was pushing her goals on her age, but only because it's how she and her father bonded, and she wants to bond with her kid too. Her lecturing of Harrison seemed reminiscent of how her mother seems to scold her father when he steps out of line (note the difference is that Nerris was being spiteful while her mother is normally just a bit exhasperated. Nerris and Harrison's arguing was distinctly different from the interactions between Nerris' parents.) Nerris was trying to be like her parents, very good people to aspire to parent like. Nerris just misinterpreted how to do that.

Harrison is interesting. I think people don't give his parents enough credit. Yeah, they're afraid of him. But it's not like he just does tricks. He made his brother disappear! If I did that my parents would leave me in the fucking woods to fend for myself! But Harrison's sent him to a camp to control his power's and them even bothered to show up for parents day. They care about him, and their fear is absolutely justified. Just going by lines such as "my mom says I'll grow into my looks" and "I can't wait to tell my mother!!" From Harrison, his parents were fine before the whole thing! That being said, though, they don't support him enough. For good reason or not, they don't paint his passion for magic in a good light. Hence why he defended his own egg so fiercely and put so much value in him having fun.

Now let's talk Space Kid. He's an enigma. He was very passive, relenting to whatever Neil wanted for their kid. He clearly has both parents in his life to some extent, seeing as in Parents Day he referred to them in plural, as in, both his parents. I am, though, lead to believe that his mother isn't very prominant in his life. Maybe she's neglectful or doesn't have custody rights over him or maybe She's just too busy. She seems to show up to things sometimes or he wouldn't even think to bring both his parents up..ever. But he also clings to Gwen as a mother figure of sorts and asked Muriel in Camp Corp if she was their "new mom." Of course, we can only speculate on his parents. Maybe his mother is a business woman too busy for him and his father is weak willed and does whatever she asks. Maybe she lost custody of him one way or another and his father is meek under his families preassure. One way or another, though, his mother isn't around enough and his father takes on a role much like Space Kid did in Eggs Benifits, submitting to someone else when it comes to his kid.

Neil is an odd case too. His dad did seem rather clingy. But not to the point that would inspire the level of helicopter parenting Neil displayed. But then, I got to thinking about his mother. She and Carl are divorced. She tries to buy Neil's love and is seemingly the sole recipient of his familial affection. I feel she is rather possessive of him. Not to the same level as Neil was, but enough to spur that behavior in him. I wouldn't be shocked if Neil's distaste for Carl also came from his mother's possible manipulation. Neil seems to want to be as far from his dad as possible, hence how he cranks everything up to eleven, being paranoid and posessive to an extreme as opposed to his easy going father.

With Max it's easy to see his parent's influence. They're neglectful. Maybe even physically abusive. At first his behavior just seemed to mirror theirs. But then I got to thinking. Max is a good person, deep down. He wouldn't fuck up something in his care like that. So then I thought Max probably really did just think the whole thing was dumb because it wasn't real. He seems much more mature than the other kids in that sense. But as one of the most recent episodes, where Max goes full on detective, goes to show, he doesn't have that much of an issue playing along unless he's got something else to do. So I thought...he was probably frightened. I mean, neglect and abuse victims usually are when they're given a kid, are you kidding me? He was sure he was going to mess up so he thought it'd be better to let Nikki do things alone. This really leads me to think his parents are abusive and not just neglectful. Because if his parents fucked him up by leaving him to care for himself and nothing else, I doubt he'd choose to avoid the egg like that. But if his parenta actually /hurt/ him, physically or mentally, he'd be afraid of doing the same. And this is only solidified for me by the ending where he DID come around and he DID care about the egg when it hatched, meaning his fear of messing things up is most likely why he did avoid responsibility for the egg. So yeah, he's being abused.

Finally Nikki. She REALLY seems to have a bad father. Every time she mentions him it's him doing something ranging from mmildly awkward to pretty fucked up. Like talking about hookers in front of your young daughter. Nikki's behavior here, though, seemed much like her mother. I'm a STRONG defender of Candy. She signed Nikki up to a camp she knew her daughter would enjoy, and it's not her fault it turned out to be a scam, she turned up to parents day, even if she was a bit distracted, and aparently she had Nikki go bird watching with her, showing that she does spend time with her daughter. And she was apparently responsible enough to get full custody of her kid in the divorce. Sure, Candy's a gold digger, but that has nothing to do with her love for Nikki, and yeah, she dismissed Nikki being chased out by the flower scouts as a "silly little adventure", but Nikki is prone to dramatics. Nikki talks enough about Candy to show that she is around. But it's very, very likely that, like Nikki, she has no idea what the hell she's doing. That she's scared and doesn't know what's right and what's wrong. Being a single mother is hard, and it's clear that Candy isn't the most well off financially. I really think she's really just lost on how to do things like Nikki was in this episode.

Please tell me what y'all think and give me your own interpretations of their families. :)

#camp camp #camp camp analysis #eggs benifits #cc max #cc nikki #cc neil #cc ered #cc dolph #cc space kid #cc nurf #cc nerris #cc harrison #cc preston

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gcvalas-blog · 5 years

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hi babes! i’m syd (or squid, you with the face, you know, whatever, i’m not a picky cephalopod) and i’m hella excited to be here! i’m very new to the whole, structured group rp concept on tumblr thing, so this is all basically a series of new experiences that i’m pumped to have with you all! anywho, if you wanna plot, come slide into my dms, either just in general or to get my discord i’m a paranoid cephalopod so i don’t wanna like, just have that sitting out where just anyone can find it !! without further ado, i give you jack!

[ michael vlamis, cisgender male, he/him, 27 ] FREEDOM by DOROTHY? whenever i hear that song, it reminds me of JACKSON “JACK” GAVALAS. maybe because they’re FREE-SPIRITED but also RECKLESS. they’ve been living at mulberry apartments since OCTOBER of 2018 in APARTMENT 507 and have 1 ROOMMATE**. ( LANDSLIDE, COME OUT AND PLAY) [ syd, they/them, 18+, pst ]

BASICS:

Name: Jackson Bennett Gavalas Nickname(s): Jack, Gavalas Age: 27 Birthday: July 7, 1991

BACKGROUND:

he spent most of his early years an only child, growing up outside of baltimore

his mom was never really in the picture. he doesn't know too much about what went down between her and his dad, but she gave full custody of him to his dad and vanished when he was just a few years old

his dad remarried, and jack found himself with a brand new baby sister (@ftspcncer) he absolutely adores to this day

he wasn't a bad kid, though he could be a little hotheaded, and chasing the next adrenaline rush sometimes had him returning home sporting some new scrape or bruise

he was and is a total nerd, though. he was on the robotics team in high school, and if his family had had the money to send him straight to university, he'd have been a mechanical engineering major

as it stands, he did well enough in school that he got scholarships from the colleges he applied to—they just weren't enough to offset the cost, and he wasn't going to put their family into debt if he could help it

instead, at eighteen, fresh out of high school, he enlisted in the navy—at first a five-year commitment as an engineman, which he then re-upped for another three years—and remained until he felt it was time to do something else with his life, upon which point he moved to baltimore proper

if you asked him why he enlisted, he'd say it was a way to jump-start his life without having to worry so much about the cost of it all, which would be true, but he also did it seeking adventure

he went out of his way to keep in contact with his family, sending emails, letters, postcards, and the occasional trinket from his travels, as well as doing his best to fit in regular skype and phone calls. and if he had more than a few days leave, you bet your butt he was coming home to spend time with his family

he's had some hiccups in adjusting to civilian life, still less than a year out of the navy. he's up at odd hours, sometimes, and the loose structure of day-to-day life (even with him taking community college classes as a full-time student) without specific checklists of duties can get daunting. those especially are the days he'll disappear into the gym or spend all day just driving so he can get out of his own head for a bit

PERSONALITY:

he's a thrill-seeker (always has been) and a fan of just being outside. he was the kind of kid who climbed trees and just kind of laughed it off if he fell out, and shrugged off most injuries. he's also the kind of guy who got his motorcycle license very shortly after his regular driver's license, had worked his ass off saving up for his own bike, and very happily used it as his preferred mode of transportation

he likes having other people around, even if he's not talking to them. jack and quiet spaces don't mix well—he'd rather go to a crowded park or a bar to do work for class than sit in a library

don't get me wrong, though, he's the grumpiest mofo without his coffee, or if he doesn't get at least three or four hours of sleep (or a combination thereof). he's a morning person out of force of habit, not of his own volition, and it's glaringly apparent when his equilibrium is thrown off

he can also get irritable if he's having a particularly bad tinnitus day. he hates having to ask people to repeat themselves, but sometimes he has to, and it puts him in a bad mood

he tries very hard to be an optimist with a positive outlook on life, which is absolutely hilarious when coupled with his foul mouth. he does his best to keep it to a minimum (or, rather, he tries to keep it on the tamer end of things, at least) but sometimes an f-bomb slips out in the middle of a perfectly good sentence in what might be considered 'polite company'

he can be a goof. he loves life and wants to just have fun with it. he is absolutely your best bet if you're trying to find a friend to go on a 2 am trip through the city for ice cream, or if you want to drag someone along to hit up every thrift store in the city (but also like, never play pool against him. he will hustle you, and he might not give you your money back once you realize he's actually really good)

he also has a huge heart. he makes friends easily and tries to make time for anyone who needs him around

that being said though he's kind of a commitmophobe. he draws the line at anything beyond fwb, especially after opening his heart to a guy he thought he really had something with who never called him back (who is one of his connection songs ;3)

on a related note, he has a heavy preference for dating men, though he's equal opportunity when it comes to bedfellows

he's just a huge puppy you guys (a friendly german shepherd puppy who cannot be left unsupervised because he'll get himself into some kind of mischief)

ADDITIONAL (random) FACTS:

for a smart guy, he can be kinda dumb when it comes to technology, especially social media. he only has facebook down because he joined not too long after he enlisted, because it was the best way of keeping in touch with people coming and going with their deployments and stationings (someone pls teach him what twitter and instagram are)

he's still not quite used to cooking for himself. tv dinners and other microwavable goodies all the way, with the occasional boil-able frozen food thrown in (he'll get there eventually, he just doesn't often remember he has to make food until he's too hungry to go through the work of preparing a meal from scratch)

he has both the best and worst fashion sense. he's perfectly at home in steel-toed boots, snug jeans and a leather jacket, but he's also regularly wearing truly gaudy, loud print button-ups. it's kind of a signature look, at this point

he’s a baseball fan. he played club most of the way through school, and still kept up with the world series while he was deployed

he has days where he desperately misses being at sea. he has a hammock hung by the window in his room for the days he really needs to feel something similar to the sway of a ship on the waves, but other times he has to be down in the harbor, feeling the wind on his face and listening to the sounds of a busy port

he’ll answer to gavalas about as fast as if not faster than he will jack, and will answer to either a hell of a lot faster than he’ll answer to jackson

he picked up an infrequent smoking habit while in the navy. if you ask him, he'll say he's “pretty much” kicked it, especially now that he's out, as he was mostly a social smoker, but if you searched his room, you'd probably manage to find either a few loose cigarettes or part of a pack, which he's usually gotten off of someone else

#soundintro #this may have gotten away from me a lil bit #anyway come plot!! i promise i don't bite <3333

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hubbellreviews · 6 years

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USA Today published an article this morning that peaked my interest. An article that I will link at the bottom of this post. It was a poll that inquired amongst a diverse group of Americans of how they felt about America. The poll split the audience into three categories; Liberal, Democrat, and Independent, after asking them two interesting questions.

The USA Today poll results via USA Today

As you can expect to see, the results find that Republicans are more cheery about the state of America while their political counterpart, the Democrats feel the opposite. Independents had a troubling time it seems to conclude either or, and that to me is a sign of healthy thinking.

I occasionally see on social media a comment along the lines of “why does it have to be political?” I figure that this would be one of those cases, and so be it. I thought the poll was interesting but perhaps it was concentrated too particular on politics. There comes a time when, perhaps, the world will become too thwarted by identity politics that no progress will be made. But we are humans, and life is too enigmatic. We utilize metaphors, common vernacular, stereotypes, and assumption to alleviate some of the complexities of life; and specifically, the troubles caused by the communities we live in.

In that regard, the communities we live in might give us a transparent look into the psyche of Americans. We all have our social circles; the social media community, our family, friends and the like. We might not be able to solve everything in one sweep, but I thought it would be interesting to inquire amongst the people I know, and perhaps even the people my colleagues know more than I.

I did not intend to go too in depth on any particular subject but was curious if there was some sort of correlation between our upbringings and our perspectives on the current state of America. I did not direct the answers politically nor towards my particular bias.

It is not often I look towards people to understand a problem. I have the proclivity for reading a book, a movie, a show to find the solutions. I think I am inclined to find it an easier journey because art soothes me. I have a penchant for the artists who can carry a reader on the wheels of deep themes and motifs that chronicle the inarticulate parts of life. If I am curious about love and the tragedies thereof, I can read the works of Fitzgerald. If I want to understand the complexities of social psychology through short stories that are almost prophetic and before their time, I can read Herman Melville’s work. If these don’t work, I typically introspect and I have found this process does not work as effectively as I’ve encountered more mature problems, questions, and achievements.

I began my journey with someone I probably feel most comfortable around. I was intrigued by the possibility that he might oppose some of my views.

Cameron and his mother via Lynn Peters’ Facebook

Cameron Peters, a rather close friend of mine since middle school, although more so in our high school years, finds America to be divided. He adumbrated our political climate as something like a scenario of “you are either with us or against us.” He believes this can be attributed, at least partly, to social media; “a political leader on the left or right can tweet out a certain platform and the ‘rest of us’ usually agree(s) with and run with it no matter the side,” he said.

According to Peters though, America has its silver linings even amidst the divided political atmosphere, extant and very much growing even with our understanding of the situation. He believes there are freedoms in America.

“I describe the best of America being the freedoms that we have to not only live the way that we choose but also to have discussions about things like this that would be taboo in many countries,” he said.

As bad as I believe Trump is I believe our political structures will always be greater than any individual or group- we will bounce back like we always do and I think things will definitely get better starting with these midterms. But that’s what’s great about America in my opinion; if you don’t like something we always have a voice and a vote guaranteed to us,” Peters said.

Peters, when asked of his upbringing, expressed his expectations that I would be surprised by some details. He said he was granted many freedoms growing up, save a few punishments by way of a belt or a paddle.

“I never had bedtimes, curfews, or any of that other stuff because they knew I had the personality that I wouldn’t do anything too crazy anyway,” Peters said.

My friend continued, expressing his “very” liberal upbringing, even though his mother and father were stark in contrast politically. He also added this, in accordance with the political points he was making;

“Also I think it’s worth noting that I never talked politics with my dad or any other family member for the first 17 or 18 years of my life or so,” Peters said.

In regards to religion, his upbringing consisted of Christian values yet never settled in a particular church. His family’s evanescent behavior when it comes to picking a church, has come with some guilt. He hasn’t been to church in some time though, and in regards to that, he has this to say:

“Personally I haven’t been to Church since I left Elevation which I feel bad about but I still read the Bible and pray daily so it’s still very important to me, personally,” Peters concluded.

My friend has always brought to the table interesting points. He has a mind to do so, and if he is not in the gregarious mood, he would always have the attentiveness to care for another person’s views. I think that he, much like myself, thinks the world consists of perspective. We, of course, are vexed by that fact, because we want to focus on an issue at hand and live in the moment. I think we should live in the moment, but the world has perhaps lost a sense of what defines a moment. The political climate is too vitriolic, too black and white to define progress.

I, like my friend, was instructed to live by Christian values as a young boy. I too also had that transient Christian lifestyle; the “church hoppers,” as the community calls us. I think that my Christian values gave me a grounding of right from wrong but my life has gone beyond the religious ties which feel more like indoctrination than a healthy community. I am therefore against organized religion but am in favor of the morals and independence in taking ownership of our responsibilities Christianity and perhaps others, teaches its followers. Please do not take this as a protest against your beliefs, and heed this instead; whatever is satiable, or gives you happiness please continue that course, unless it endangers others.

I think though, our religion has a say in our perspective of politics and specifically the state of America as it is currently. I also think that the free space for youthful adventures, whatever they may be, granted for Cameron as a youth a chance to ground himself. I think this contributes to his vision of the world.

In regards to the dearth of political discussion between his father and himself growing up, I have a similar experience. I think it would be interesting to go back and see what courses my perspective on this current state of America would be if I had to discover and discuss politics earlier. I think a discussion with the ones we love, in any sort, is conducive to a mature view of the world and yourself.

I have just recently begun to discuss politics with my family, and especially my dad. My father and I, are in the same boat as my friend and his father politically. His Republican values were interesting to me, but we all hold our cards to our chest. Those cards might vary by individual but for my friend and me, it was politics. It was a charitable discussion. I disagreed with his points during some moments but denied myself of hasty characterizations.

I figured my father did not find me ignorant and gives me respect for my views, and I should follow suit. So I did, and have in the few discussions that have followed. It seems politics is a touchy subject that is a ticking bomb for many. If we separate this stigma from the truth that political discussion brings a potential for growth, even within the family, we could grow one individual, and perhaps even one family at a time.

Although that was an interesting perspective by my friend, one perspective is never enough. The journey continues.

Vanessa Nodes and my mother during a trip to the mountains this Summer. Image via Marissa Hubbell’s Facebook

Vanessa Nodes, a friend of my mothers whose amiability has been expressed a few times to me. She has always seemed like a charitable person in my mother’s life, and in that regard, it makes sense that they are so close.

Nodes sees America as a place of both diversity and opportunity, something analogous to the “Districts in Hunger Games,” as she goes on to expatiate saying; “So many who have a life of comfort while there is (a) struggle. It can be a chance for others to provide a place of safety for (a) family yet many are being killed because of our own stupidity.”

Nodes thinks that America is troubling itself over things that can be changed. She believes that America has lost a sense of perspective and pride.

“There is a loss of pride about our country and that’s because so many are looking at why their life is unfair. It reminds me of a box sitting on a broken chair. The chair is America. The box is so full it’s about to topple but the chair is going to break anyway. Things have shifted and the largest problem we face is mental illness. It’s the root of every issue,” Nodes said.

Even though Nodes believes our country is spirited with freedoms and opportunity, we aren’t taking advantage of them. The best of America is simply being obfuscated by our own doings; we are not seeing enough of the poor to appreciate the rich lives we could live. “Many can’t see this because they haven’t traveled to poor areas. This breeds entitlement and we as a society feel we are owed. It’s the land of freedom but has also become the land of ” rights” where people believe it is their right to things and beliefs and I don’t think that mindset existed 50 years ago,” Nodes said.

There is a paradox at play, according to Nodes; a place of systems in place to keep us protected from loss is a country that is increasingly more impossible to live out the potential we have.

“The best of America is the America that allows people to live, breathe, have choices, not worry about life because there will always be a system in place to help. The best of America comes from those before us that put things in place to have peace of mind….unemployment, food stamps, even Medicaid. It’s the system that allows us to not worry about our livelihood at 70 but the same system has made it impossible to live realistically,” Nodes said.

I can’t help myself in thinking that this perspective of America is originated or at least enriched by her upbringing. I thought her words were trenchant and therefore felt no reason why I should synthesize any of it, as it would be a shame for an audience to be blind to her whole story.

“My upbringing, (was) a blend of immigrant culture and Born and raised Northeastern American small town culture. I remember being very aware in the 80s my parent’s relationship was taboo. Especially in History classes, learning about protests and understanding my background and culture was root to that and vital to that became something I carried and was almost ashamed. My dad worked so hard to provide us the white picket fence, a good school, a good life but there is always this stigma. People talking and stopping mid-sentence when my parents were together. This made me very aware of how fortunate I was as an American and how lucky my dad was. He told me the story of his coming to America off the Naval ship. He was hosed down by American Soldiers. Like an animal. He being military himself ( he wasn’t part of the Viet Cong/ communist regime but the democratic military in Vietnam) it was a hard thing to process. Understanding he was in a place with so much opportunity but these are his first impressions. Nonetheless, my dad was proud to be here, blessed and always talked about America like it was the land that provided him with so much. Our home listened to the news daily, they were voters and I grew up hearing about all the good that America has to offer. This has a lot to do with the fact that most of my dads family was left behind in a poor Country. I was raised to be proud to be who I was, proud to be American and just like it was a land of opportunity for my dad it should be for others,” Nodes said.

My mother, someone who has exercised her emotional capacities and mental fortitude through the tribulations life has lent her this year, remembers her father who has recently passed. In response to the answers expressed by her friend Vanessa Nodes:

“She makes some amazing points, many I agree with. Her childhood was completely different than mine. Pop worked his ass off as he grew up poor to provide stability, opportunity, and experience for myself and my siblings,” my mother said over text message,” my mother said.

It will take me awhile to wrap my head around these points but it seems the world is a myriad of perspectives that can either choose to avoid or listen to. I think that I can do heaps more from listening than interrupting the progress that we all want to see.

I have had an interesting Summer that began with the death of my grandfather. His dog waned and eventually was put down just a few weeks ago. Even though these were insurmountably tall mountains of inscrutable fear and confusion, the troubles began much earlier for my family when a family member committed suicide and sent shockwaves just a year ago.

My cousin Chris Kellison, who ended his life a year ago is pictured here via his Facebook. I have vague memories of Chris but the best impressions I can gather of Chris’s legacy is from his family who feels his absence. He was and forever will be definitely loved.

My grandmother sits many moments during this Summer on the couch. I am spending the Summer with her but she is accompanied by many more visitors than I. She has been visited by guilt, happiness, depression, heartache. The mercurial fight of emotions continues as the memories cycle within her mind. She has many moments where she remains reticent, entrapped in her own prison of the past. I love her very much and it is terribly troubling to see the world seem so dour to someone. What I have learned from this journey through “the state of America,” and the experience with my grandmother is to listen. During his final years on this planet, my grandfather had settled his world in the unstable grounds of his own head. He listened to the depressed psyche frolicking within. I wish and wish even more every day that I had taken advantage of the time I had on this Earth with him. I did not listen enough to his words and the moments with him.

My grandmother on the far left. Image via Marissa Hubbell’s Facebook

My grandmother and grandfather, “Mimi and Pops.” Image via Marissa Hubbell’s Facebook

Perhaps it is time we all turn our ears and attention to the small to fix the big. I can listen to my grandmother as she deals with her own world of depression. I can deal with my the responsibilities that involve my work, and do it to my best ability. I can listen to my mother and father. I can give an ear to all my brothers. I can keep in contact with the people who care for me. We do not win by avoiding the problems but listening to everyone at the table and doing our part, however small or terrifyingly large.

My grandfather with his cherished dog “Lexi.” Image via Suzanne Johnson’s Facebook

USA Today link: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/07/02/poll-proud-american-july-4th-but-pride-america-less-so/747954002/

Featured image via Vox.com

America is slipping, or is it? A look into what people (whom I know) think and what I can gather from it. USA Today published an article this morning that peaked my interest. An article that I will link at the bottom of this post.

#america #and now #death #fight #here #investigation #listen #love #poll #usa today

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forged-through-trials · 3 years

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By the time the loot was sorted and stowed, we had just enough time to hit the shops before they closed. In “Borba’s Goods And Stores” I found the proprietor, “Borba gra-Uzgash”, and chatted her up while browsing her wares. Borba: “We’ve got everything the adventurer needs. I, myself, used to be an adventurer like you.” Trials: “...and then you took an arrow to the knee?” Borba: “Nope. Got busted for tax-evasion. It’s actually really hard to keep proper records as an adventurer. So I opened this shop, instead. Much easier to keep track of what I earn and what I owe.” Trials: “...oh, darn, I’m supposed to be keep track my earnings?” Borba: “Oh, yes, the Empire always gets theirs, eventually. “Listen, if you need some quick cash and don’t mind risky adventurer business, I got some hot tips on some likely spots to case.” Trials: “Oooohh! Lay it on me, lady.” Borba: “Just let me see your map.” I passed her my map, and she set some markers upon it. “Here we have ‘Rickety Mine’, out east along the Blue Road. ‘Kemen’ is an old Ayleid Ruin in the same direction. Quickwater Cave, to the North, is another option. I cleared it out, but I haven’t been there in years. It might have new tenants.” Trials: “Hey, thanks for the tips. Do I owe ya anything?” Borba: “Nah, just make sure that if you make any coin from those dives, spend it here. Otherwise, stay safe!” Ruin and I didn’t head back out right away. Instead, we retired to the Fighters Guild to get some sleep, and then embarked the following day, early in the morning.

Quickwater Cave wasn’t anything special. Just some animals, a few imps, and an Ogre. Ruin and I took care of them pretty quickly. The spoils were mostly the valuable animal/monster parts, though there were a few chests here and there to loot.

The day was still young, and we’d only just gotten started, so Ruin and I trekked East, looking for Rickety Mine and/or Kemen to fill our loot-quota. On the way, we were waylaid by goblins--which sounds really familiar all of a sudden. The Goblins were, themselves, a test of our skills and might, but we downed them quickly enough. All they’d succeeded in doing was to draw our attention to their lair, “Breakneck Lair.” I thought about what I knew of goblins, and what came to mind was the story of Thalonias, the Breton we met back in Weye. It struck me that the circumstances Ruin and I found ourselves in mirrored Thalonias’ tale of his caravan being ambushed... which made me realized, we must have found the lair of he goblins who’d waylaid him. We entered, and began clearing the place. Perhaps I should be more sympathetic to goblins, given their status of being considered vermin here in Cyrodiil. My own kind were little more than property back in Morrowind, so I know how much it sucks to be seen as beneath ‘civilized’ people. But as far as I’m concerned, these particular goblins are no better than bandits. They prey on the innocent, attacking anyone who nears their lair. As Ruin suggested, like bandits we should show them no quarter.

As we cleared, we spied a cage, with an Argonian in robes within. Wait... didn’t Thalonias mention something about that? The Argonian indeed introduced himself himself as “Elahai.” Amazing! He somehow survived, even as the goblins’ prisoner. Thalonias will surely be happy to hear his old friend made it after all. I pinched the key off of one of the Goblins we’d felled, so we were able to release Elahai. He thanked us, and departed quickly, eager to see his friend again. But ever dutiful, he asked me to find the shipping manifest and get it back to Thalonias, so he could assess what merchandise had survived the goblins.

That, I found in a nearby crate. Great, we have everything we need, so next time we’re in Weye, we can speak to Thalonias and get rewarded for this work.

Ruin and I continued to clear the lair, when at the bottom of the caves, we found... the goblins being commanded be a Daedra! A Dremora, in fine, heavy robes no less, was somehow the chieftain of these goblins. He commanded them fiercely, sending goblin berserkers after Ruin and I. Of course, we just dispatched them as they came at us, and quickly did in the Dremora, felling him with a few arrows. On the Dremora, I found a strange glowing orb, similar to the Sigil Stones I found with the Conjurers in Belda. Further, past the Dremora and his goblin guards, we found a door. It looked not unlike the doors that led into Aylied ruins. It was locked at first, but as I drew closer, the orb I’d plucked off of the Dremora began to glow, and I held it up to the door. The door hummed and strummed in time with the orb, and then clicked, opening before us.

Whoa! What in the heck did I just stumble on? A pond of lava, Ayleid constructions, and tons of Dremora. Ruin and I sniped our way through the Dremora hordes as we explored deeper into these ruins, crossing the small lake of fire, navigating twists and turns, while fighting our way through Daedra hordes one after another. And may I confess a guilty secret? After Mephala played me like a lute, it felt kind of good to lay these Daedra low. At least some Daedra will go screaming back to Oblivion knowing not to mess with Forged-Through-Trials!

Finally, we entered a room, rounded a corner, and found... a strange, translucent person in what looked like Elven Armor, dueling a group of Dremora. I helped, of course, sniping the Dremora from the shadows. Sure, I don’t know this guy from Talos, but he had beef with the Dremora who have been trying to kill me, and as they say, the enemy of my enemy sounds like a pretty cool dude in my book.

He approached me once the Dremora were down, confirming all suspicions that he was, in fact, a ghost, and not just a guy in a costume. Ayleid Ghost: “You... can... can it be? ...Are you the one... the one we have waited for? ...We have waited so long... so long...” Trials: “The one you’ve waited for?” Ruin: “You are... taking a face-to-face meeting with a ghost surprisingly well.” Trials: “Yeah, my old master used to summon his Ancestral Spirit to freak out his slaves and keep us in line. After a while, you get desensitized to the prescience of a ghost... however, expect me to scream like a hatchling with night-terrors the next time I sleep. Plug your ears, tonight.” Ruin: He grumbled. “Oh boy...” Ayleid Ghost: “...Can you save us... all of us... from the evil we have wrought? ...We have waited so long... we grow weak... you must be the one... you must be! “...Who are you? By what deeds can we know you?” Trials: “’Forged-Through-Trials.’ I’ve done many great works! Well, okay, a few, anyway. Some of them blow up in my face, but I have a decent track-record, all things considered.” Ayleid Ghost: “...you must be enough, then.” Trials: I rolled my eyes. “Oh, yes, sure, any port in a storm, is that your attitude? “What’re you even talking about? ‘Enough’ for what?” Ayleid Ghost: “Forgive me, mortal. I... wander. I have been here... so long... ever-guarding. “...I was once king of this place... Kerrach... once the greatest of all Ayleid Cities... but now we are dead... in our ignorance... in our pride... dead, and slaves in death... All but I. “...Does our name live among the Ayleids still? Do any still know of our pride, our folly?” Ruin: “Apologies to bear such ill tidings, but the Ayleids died out long ago.” Alyeid Ghost: “...Alas for their fate... but better than what befell Kerrach... attend me... I shall tell you... tell you of Kerrach...” “...Mighty was our city... and many were our enemies... and ever did they come. Though our armies stood strong... and many of our foes bent the knee... more always came... “...And so we sought for allies... none mortal... none of our kind... but beyond the veil... Oblivion... We’d sought to bind the servants of Dagon to us... mighty magics we’d worked... a great portal opened... and then... in a moment, a twinkling... our great works... utterly undone. “Dead... in our ignorance... in our pride... we’d sought to bind beings greater than us... and in death, it is we who are bound... “Only I am left... and you... save us, champion... you must... give us peace once more...” With that, he gave me my task; to kill the “Valkynaz Sharkalz”--whatever that means. A name? A title? It’s all Nedic to me. But this person will have a gem on them, the “Heart of Kerrach,” which I’ll need to bring back to the Ghost here. In addition, I’ll need to restore their Sacred Well, and restore the statue of “El-Ataran,” both necessary to give the Ghost the juice necessary to undo the curse binding his people. I considered this request... the Ayleids were not nice people, from what I knew. They were, themselves, slavers. And the people of Kerrach seemed the worst of the lot. Even other Ayleids feared and hated them. But now, they were the slaves. And... I just can’t abide that. Isn’t a few thousands years in bondage penance enough for their crimes? I have the chance to free them, and I promise, right here, that I’ll never leave a slave oppressed if I can help it! So, I took the case! After all of that talking, I was admittedly quite nackered. Thankfully, there was a bedroll within the room, so Ruin and I were able to tuck in and get some rest before we continued our dive into the depths of this place. I slept fine, but I imagine all of the screaming from night-terrors about my old master’s Ancestral Ghost probably kept Ruin up.

A toppled pillar gave Ruin and I access to a walkway, which led to this scenic vista. The area was large and wide open, but that just made it all the easier to snipe the Dremora down from a distance. There were a lot of them, however, so sniping them down one by one took quite a while. Thankfully the lava lit this place up like an Evening Star tree, easily letting me spot my foes and clip them down. Once the road ahead of us was clear, we descended into the solid paths between the lava flows. In the center was an Ayleid Well, and I assume it was the Sacred Well the Ghost told me about. There were doors to the left and right, and ever sinestral, I chose the left-hand path. Next time I write, we will learn what lies beyond that door.

#the elder scrolls #oblivion #modded #let's play #roleplay #ask blog

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aion-rsa · 5 years

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Watchmen Episode 6 Easter Eggs Explained

https://ift.tt/37zMTxy

Watchmen episode 6, "This Extraordinary Being" reveals the true origin of Hooded Justice and much more!

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This article contains major Watchmen spoilers.

HBO's Watchmen has been incredibly faithful to the spirit and the letter of the book. For some, that may change with how Watchmen episode 6, "This Extraordinary Being" reveals the real history of Hooded Justice. But despite what some might see as a drastic departure from the book, this episode is still positively packed with references to the original work that make its world all the richer. Here's everything we've found.

The Watchmen title getting replaced by the name “Minutemen” is the first clue of how this episode is going to go, as well as the purple letters that pay homage to the Hooded Justice costume. That being said, if Watchmen season 2 (disclaimer: there has been no word that this is actually a thing that is going to happen) turned out to be nothing but a black and white Minutemen series set in the 1940s, we’d very much be here for it. Oh, and the episode's title "This Extraordinary Being" comes from a line from Hollis Mason's autobiography, Under the Hood, used to describe Hooded Justice. Of course it does.

AMERICAN HERO STORY

The opening of the show, with Hooded Justice’s interrogation, is quickly revealed to be American Hero Story nonsense. “Turn that shit off,” indeed. Although, admit it, you lol-ed at “Captain Bigcockolis.”

It will be interesting to see as American Hero Story progresses what their theory of Hooded Justice’s identity actually is. The man who unmasks here is most certainly not Rolf Muller. Unless American Hero Story just plans to leave this as ambiguous as the Muller/HJ mystery was left in the book...a mystery that is put to rest by the balance of this episode.

However, the villains named by the crooked FBI agents are significant. Both Captain Axis and Moloch are canon Watchmen villains either named or actually seen in the original comic. Another, however, is “King Mob,” who certainly sounds like an appropriately pulpy villain from the 1940s, but is probably a reference to another towering work of comic book genius: Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles, where King Mob was the ultimate psychedelic secret agent.

WILL REEVES and HOODED JUSTICE

- The man who pins a badge on Will Reeves as he graduates from the police academy is apparently Lieutenant Samuel J. Battle, a real life figure who was New York’s first black police officer. So now the show has paid tribute to two important black lawmen in history, with Battle and Bass Reeves.

- To absolutely nobody’s surprise, Will takes inspiration for his full Hooded Justice costume from the Trust in the Law Bass Reeves movie we saw back in episode one.

- Will’s makeup under the Hooded Justice mask is an echo of how Angela Abar sprays a mask onto her face as Sister Night.

- Will is assigned to the 113th Precinct in the southeast part of Queens, New York. This lines up with the chapters of Under the Hood which place the first two Hooded Justice sightings in Queens. The details of the first (the mugging) are consistent with those of the book, with the only exception being that the witnesses felt their savior had “dropped into the alleyway from above” rather than charged in as we see here. It’s a minor detail, and one that can be chalked up to how eyewitness accounts can often lose key details like this, especially during such a traumatic moment.

- The first full costume Hooded Justice appearance that made the news (again, as recounted in Under the Hood) is the supermarket incident, also dramatized in an earlier episode of American Hero Story. This one is drastically different, with HJ leaping OUT through the window rather than in, and the attack having nothing to do with a supermarket stickup gone wrong. This illustrates just how well the Order of the Cyclops is able to cover up events and twist narratives to their advantage. Not relevant to headlines of today in any way, nope. Not chilling at all. Oh, and the romaine lettuce is a nice callback to episode one.

You can read much more about the conflicting histories of Hooded Justice right here.

- Fred’s “what the fuck are you supposed to be?” when he sees Hooded Justice for the first time mirrors something that Hollis Mason noted in Under the Hood, about how the costumed heroes felt more at home when they had someone else larger-than-life to fight. “You see, if you’re the only one who’d bothered to turn up for a free-for-all in costume, you tended to look kind of stupid. If the bad guys joined in as well, it wasn’t so bad, but without them it was always sort of embarrassing.”

Speaking of the Cyclops...

BEWARE THE CYCLOPS

- Back in episode five, when Looking Glass was following members of the 7th Kavalry into an abandoned mall in episode 5, you could spot graffiti on the walls of a large red eye. That appears to be the same logo as the KKK’s Order of the Cyclops is pushing here.

- Incidentally, during the American Hero Story sequence, the “incriminating” evidence of Hooded Justice and Captain Metropolis’ affair was discovered behind a “painting of a white horse,” which sounds suspiciously like the painting found in Judd Crawford’s home back in episode 2, “Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship.”

CAPTAIN METROPOLIS

- Nelson Gardner was very much the founder of the Minutemen, and according to little bits and pieces scattered throughout Watchmen lore, he did indeed approach potential heroes exactly as we see here, by trying to keep his identity secret and acting as a “representative” of Captain Metropolis. He also did indeed have a long standing sexual relationship with Hooded Justice. We wrote more about the history of Captain Metropolis right here.

Gardner’s casual dismissal of Hooded Justice’s concerns about a white supremacist conspiracy is in keeping with the character’s surprisingly conservative views. Gardner tried to form a new superhero group in the mid-1960s called “the Crimebusters” utilizing the second generation of superheroes, such as Laurie Juspeczyk’s Silk Spectre, Dan Dreiberg’s Nite Owl, and Dr. Manhattan. He wanted to combat the progressive unrest of the 1960s. It um...it didn’t work out.

- The “you wear your mask, I’ll wear mine” thing is yet another (kind of tedious and obvious, to be honest) nod to the idea that the wearing of costumes is as much a sexual thing for these characters as it is anything else. As seen previously with Laurie and Dale Petey in episode 3.

THE MINUTEMEN

Also visible (if you squint a little) during Captain Metropolis’ press conference introducing Hooded Justice are Silhouette, Nite Owl, Dollar Bill, and you can BARELY make out the shapes of Comedian and Silk Spectre. Maybe. But in any case, the Minutemen all seem to be present and accounted for here.

- We discussed that Dollar Bill poster, which was also visible in the first episode, in some more detail here.

- Captain Metropolis makes reference to Moloch’s solar weapon, which is also referenced in the book (although never actually seen).

SUPERMAN

- The Superman references that have peppered these episodes pop up in ways that are both obvious and subtle. The most obvious is the arrival of Action Comics #1 on the newsstand in 1938, as it’s the first appearance of Superman, something that clearly resonates with Will Reeves. In Watchmen’s supplemental chapters from Hollis Mason’s autobiography Under the Hood, it’s revealed that Mason took similar notice of Action Comics #1, and it planted the seed that led to him becoming Nite Owl.

Incidentally, there are a number of details wrong with Action Comics #1 as we see it here. While the iconic cover, with Superman hoisting and smashing a car full of toughs, is of course correct, the back cover features another illustration of Superman in flight. That picture is clearly from later in the 1940s, both because Superman still didn’t fly in 1938 and because the character’s costume is much more finalized and slick than it appeared in Action #1. The art style almost makes it look like something drawn by Fred Ray, who didn’t hook up with Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster until the early 1940s.

More simply, though, Action Comics #1 featured a mail order advertisement as its back cover, not another picture of Superman. It was also a bigger, thicker book than what we see the newsvendor handling here. Look, folks...Action Comics #1 is the most important comic book ever published, of course I’m going to notice details like this. We can give Watchmen a pass that perhaps these things simply aren’t remembered to their finest details under the influence of Nostalgia and it’s the symbolic value that matters.

NITE OWL

- Will Reeves graduated from the Police Academy in 1938, the same year that Hollis Mason, the original Nite Owl did. Like Reeves, Mason took notice of the early appearances of Superman, and that, along with the arrival on the scene of Hooded Justice, helped influence his decision to become a costumed adventurer. Is it possible that Reeves and Mason graduated in the same class, or even knew each other independently of their time in the Minutemen?

- More directly, Will turning down his fellow officers’ offer of a beer echoes how Mason frequently turned down offers from co-workers to hang out. Why? Because he was too busy training to become a superhero to socialize. Maybe he was turning down offers from the same racist dipshits we see in this episode.

MISCELLANEOUS STUFF

- “Fred” wants to get home so he can listen to Amos ‘n’ Andy. Amos ‘n’ Andy was a radio show (later a TV series) about two black characters...who were written and voiced by white actors in stereotypical minstrel show fashion.

- Near the end of the episode, when we see the aftermath of the riot at the movie theater, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is visible on the marquee. That film is from 1947, which means the events of this episode span approximately nine years. The film is about an otherwise ordinary man who has various “secret identities” in his rich fantasy life. Kind of appropriate in a show about superheroes.

This episode’s songs include The Ink Spots’ renditions of “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire” and “We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me)”. I can't quite place which version of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” this is.

Mike Cecchini is the Editor in Chief of Den of Geek. You can read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @wayoutstuff.

Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

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Feature

Books

Mike Cecchini

Nov 24, 2019

Watchmen

HBO

from Books https://ift.tt/2pMpUhD

#aion-rsa #Books

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exmpairmid · 5 years

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;; caillteanas

starring the always wonderful @mp-yixing a long time ago in the irish hills & plains

when she’s born, she’s the most beautiful thing airmid’s ever laid eyes on.

it doesn’t matter what the truth is, to airmid the child is hers and yixing’s. to airmid, they have created the perfect little being, the perfect example of all that is good and right in the world. the reason why airmid does what she does is this; the creation of new life, the innocence of a child unschooled, the joy and wonder that can be found in the eyes of those yet untouched by harm. if she could keep it that way forever, she would.

and with xia-he she can. from day one the little girl is given the world, in such a way that she can discover it and roam in it safely. she never once has to worry about the dangers that lurk in the shadows, because in those first few years yixing is like a shadow to the little girl, visiting as often as he can find the time to spare. airmid teaches xia-he all about plants, flowers and nature, yixing teaches her every single skill he owns himself. it’s wonderful, amazing and everything airmid ever hoped to find in her life; someone to love, to have a child with, a family to belong in once more. the love, care and affection of those around her. for the first time in a very long time, she finds peace.

and peace stays with her even as her daughter grows and yixing strays further from their side again. she has never begrudged him the life he leads, after all, has never been upset with him over the way he chose to spend his time. instead she treasures every moment he spends with her - with them - and simply lets him go when go he must. that is one thing she’s never had issues with; letting people go when they have to leave. a free spirit requires freedom, after all, and that is what she loves so much about him as well.

xia-he grows up, becomes a young woman, a fullgrown woman. airmid sees herself in those eyes, in the thick, dark hair, in the smile that graces her daughter’s features more often than not. but she also finds yixing there, in that very same smile, in that athletic built and the defiant streak that occasionally makes itself known. they’re an almost perfect little family, even as years and decades pass, even as xia-he grows up and heads off into the world on a path of discovery.

just like them, xia builds herself a life, finds herself someone to love, makes her own little family. airmid poses as her sister rather than her mother, yixing automatically becomes the sister’s boyfriend when he visits, but visit they do. and their family grows, and airmid watches her daughter grow, learn and prosper. watches the girl find love and happiness and adventure. it is xia-he who teaches her to let go a little too, to not try and make things too easy for her daughter because then what does it mean to live? it is xia-he who teaches her to live for herself as well, to take the time to enjoy things, to go a few days without feeling like she needs to save everyone around her. and so they grow together, they live together, they laugh together, they love together.

but the truth is hard to hide when you don’t age the way a normal human does. eventually xia has to choose whether to tell or to stage her death and leave, and for some inexplicable reason she chooses to leave. they move to a different place, create a new story, have a new start. decades pass like this. centuries. throughout them all, airmid and yixing keep making sure that their daughter can live the best possible life, that no harm can befall her. just like yixing became a constant in her life over the years, so does her daughter, until she can no longer imagine the world without either of them in it.

then one day, xia-he tells them she’s done. they’re willing to do anything and everything to make it better, to try and fix things, but their little girl is adamant. life has been going on long enough, this is where it ends. and that is a final decision, nothing can change her mind about it anymore. she wishes to visit home one final time, run with gŏu one final time, have dinner with them one final time. she wishes to do everything once more, and then she goes. her first child, her beautiful girl, their beloved daughter...

when she goes, the part of airmid’s heart that has been exclusively hers, dies along with her.

at first, they don’t fully realise it yet. at first there is nothing. and then the emotions come. to airmid, the sight of yixing becomes a stark reminder of the child she’s lost. what yixing thinks of it all, she does not know, for they do not speak of it. but he leaves her side soon after and does not return, and she does not look for him. they go their own ways, and whether it’s accidentally or on purpose, they don’t cross paths again.

the love that had been so big and all-encompassing within her, that had brought warmth to every one of her words and movements, now grows into a cold, lifeless mourning. she stops healing people altogether, disappears into the mountains again, deeper than she’s ever gone before. she leaves humanity behind, leaves everything behind and makes a home in the loneliness, accompanied only by her pain.

when eventually she returns to the world, she is different. she no longer heals everyone in her path who is hurt, no longer feels like the world deserves saving. she doesn’t embrace people with open arms anymore, doesn’t love humanity like she used to. but one day she sees a little girl crying over her dying mother and she could never really do anything other than heal the woman. she sees a brother praying for his sister to recover and steps in. but she leaves again instantly after. she shields herself off from the feeling, from emotions, from having to remember how she lost both her brother and her daughter.

she wanders aimlessly, learns the changes in the world slowly, more because she can’t not see them than because she is interested, though. people no longer remember her from the legends, don’t recognise in her the warm and caring goddess of healing. not this woman who is all cold eyes and hard lines, who hardly has a friendly word to spare and who doesn’t stay in one place long enough for anyone to really remember her features.

until one day she lifts her gaze from the road in front of her, and finds herself suddenly face to face with an all too familiar presence. for a good moment she freezes up entirely, the unexpected meeting shaking her to her very core. for a long moment all she can do is stare. and then as if automatically, her arms come up, open themselves for the man opposite her, like an invitation and a question all at once. one, she must add, that he answers in a heartbeat, because she blinks and suddenly he is there. his arms come around her as well, her face gets pressed into his shoulder and the warmth of him surrounds her. the life of him drowns her.

there is a part of her heart, she realises then, that never belonged to her daughter. a part of her heart that belonged to him and him alone. and it is that part that comes alive again when she holds him in her arms once more. that part that beats with a sudden frenzy, that sings a song of relief and of joy at having him back again. that part that, in a rush of emotion, brings the tears to her eyes and lets them run over her cheeks in a way that she never managed to do again after that fateful day.

she sobs into his shoulder without shame, clinging to him as if he is her last hope, and in a way he is. when eventually the sudden wave of sadness dims down enough for her to get words out, they are not words of blame, nor of sadness. they are words of love. because she loves him and having been apart from him for all those years has been the worst thing she could have ever done to herself. so she holds him close and she tells him that if lovers they can no longer be - for their daughter stands like a beacon between them, their similar features a constant reminder to each other of that which they have loved and lost, this she knows - then friends she still wants them to remain. anything he is willing to give her she is willing to take. she does not wish to lose another loved one, a brother, a friend - not when he is still alive to be with.

she holds him for a lot longer still, just breathing in his scent, keeping her eyes closed so she can remember all the good moments without having to be faced with the reality until she feels like she can take it. but when eventually she does look up at him, it feels as if no time has passed at all. it feels like she has wasted a century not seeing him when she could have spent a bigger part of it safely tucked away in his arms. but she knows she has changed, and she figures so has he.

“i’ll learn you again,” she says then - promises, really - as she reaches up a hand to rest it against his cheek. “i’m sorry.” she doesn’t apologise for leaving, they both needed time for themselves, but she simply conveys the sadness she feels for him, because he has lost someone dear as well. he has had to give up an important part of his life as well, no matter the effort both of them made to try and keep it alive. “i’m sorry you lost her. i’m sorry she’s gone.” and that, she knows once the words make it past her lips, is truly the thing that needed saying between them. she’s gone. we’re still here but she is gone.

it’s a start, albeit a small one, and they work from there. she doesn’t entirely recover from it, doesn’t think she ever will, but she regains some of the light that had once shone brightly within her. slowly but surely she learns to stop resenting humanity for its flaws, learns to appreciate its beauty again as well. the walls she built around her heart, however, don’t come back down again, for she doesn’t think she could ever love a mortal thing again. not when all it can bring her is more loss.

even when she eventually bears another child. and another. and another.

even when the ache dulls to a throb and the throb, eventually, dulls to a mere bruise that only hurts when touched upon.

she never embraces her children again.

#flesh to flesh #mpyixing #s: caillteanas #'loss'#dem solos #aka us coming up with entirely new legends #airmid & erh lang have been a millennia long commitment bYe

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man-reading · 7 years

Text

Lost in Ferrari

Written by Chris Campanioni

Learning to drive the 2017 Ferrari GTC4 Lusso

Ferrari GTC4Lusso in white. Photo courtesy Ferrari

I learned to drive the 2017 Ferrari GTC4Lusso by driving my 2011 Kia Forte on the NJ Turnpike, and imagining I was behind the wheel of Ferrari’s front-mid mounted 6.3-litre V12 engine shooting-brake 7-speed dual-clutch hatchback.

I don’t know what any of these numbers mean; I’m just reading from the e-mail Ferrari’s travel agent had sent an hour ago. When I was still moving with my own legs. As a rule, all writers do this, all the time, so it didn’t feel so strange, to drive through Staten Island, toward the Goethals Bridge, the NJ Turnpike, the rust and metal and the hot-trash stink of Elizabeth, and to picture I was rounding the foothills of the Apuan Alps instead, wind curving up my shirt and through my hair, squinting so you can see I really feel it.

The hatchback on my Kia Forte is probably the only similarity, besides the exterior’s cerulean hue. Ferrari’s three-door grand touring goes 0 to 62 in 3.4 seconds. The cost to own one, according to the spec sheet attached to the e-mail, is $300 thousand. The cost to drive one, for an afternoon, over the foothills of the Apuan Alps, and very likely, along the stretch of Marina di Pietrasanta’s gold-sand coast, is free, at least if you’ve been entrusted with the responsibility to write about it for the GTC4Lusso media launch.

But we’re not there yet. I’m still on the NJ Turnpike, somewhere across Elizabeth, revving my 2.0 4-cylinder engine under one, two, three white-silver specks which are embarking on their own journey, Newark Liberty International receding in the rearview. I’ll be on that jet tomorrow.

“You’d need to look up to understand how blurred your line of sight is, in the passenger seat or otherwise, when you’re going 208 miles per hour”

“So how fast does this machine go?” I ask, turning to the man in the passenger side who’d just switched seats, glancing up from the spec sheet which says 208 miles per hour. Spec sheets, like cell phones, are useless. They only give answers. What I want is to only ever ask questions; to know what you could never know; really, I’m not interested in how fast we’re going, or how fast we’re going to go. I want to know how it feels. I want to tell you how it feels.

You can’t ever get that from a spec sheet or a Google search. You’d need to look up to understand how blurred your line of sight is, in the passenger seat or otherwise, when you’re going 208 miles per hour.

Which we’re not.

Chris Campanioni driving the 2017 Ferrari GTC4 Lusso in the Apuan Alps. Photo courtesy Ferrari

The winding roads of the Apuan Alps are nearly one-lane in the Ferrari; Fiats and Lancias pull over at the sound of the approaching growl, except for the rare moments you turn a curving bend and slide by a commercial van or utility truck ambling in the opposite direction. The Aerautodromo di Modena this is not, but the GTC4Lusso is better for it, nimbly handling every literal bump of the road with the type of ease and immediacy I’d only ever witnessed in the movies. The thing about wish fulfillment is, Ferrari makes these aspirations of grandeur possible for the everyday driver, and this, more than anything else, is what sets the GTC4Lusso apart from its predecessors, and its competition, or at least the cars that trail behind, or pull over at the sound of that growl, the sort of operatic treble that distinguishes a Ferrari from any other car, my driving companion tells me, as much a part of the brand as the spirit of artistic innovation and adventure. And today we are having both.

It’s no surprise that Ferrari, which picks a different location for each of its media drives, chose Pietrasanta in Versilia to unveil the GTC4Lusso. Tuscany’s city of art has twenty-eight laboratories of marble and nine foundries of bronze, and its streets flourish with actual art objects, including a massive window without a frame that opens up to a long stretch of stone sidewalk into Piazza del Duomo, where we meet in the morning to pick up our keys and find our Ferraris, a dozen parked alongside a majestic monument of Leopoldo the II and the white-marbled gothic spires of La Collegiata, as the village’s red-bricked bell tower chimes, reminding us that time is money but adventure is always priceless.

The night before, after a media presentation and dinner in the Museum of Sculpture and Architecture, a maestro regaled us under the half moon with a Stradivarius from 1728, a machine that creates a distinct acoustic because of its soundboard, itself a type of engine; the varnish, the wood, even the width producing a tonal accent that is inimitable. In that way, it sounded a lot like Ferrari, a company driven by luxury and sport but also by the desire to create something beautiful.

“Decades ago, Ferrari re-defined adventure. Now the automobile company is re-defining how we have adventures”

In Tuscany, at least on this balmy afternoon, all roads seem to lead to Lucca. Despite Ferrari’s pre-programmed GPS-guided route; 146 kilometers through six strategically-placed waypoints toward our eventual return to the Piazza del Duomo, we are circling Lucca, twisting around those mountain turns and idyllic villages as young boys and old men raise their arms up and cheer us on, hoping we’ll give them another growl in our wake. We’d lost the pack of other journalists sometime after Waypoint 1 and Waypoint 2, spotting the Mayor of Pietrasanta in a café’s parking lot, and pulling in to join him for a macchiato, what he referred to as “the unofficial checkpoint”—the first, it turns out, of many.

Decades ago, Ferrari re-defined adventure. Now the automobile company is re-defining how we have adventures. And it has attracted a new generation of drivers. Today, Ferrari drivers are ten years younger, and they are taking sixty percent of their trips with at least four passengers. So Ferrari responded with improved efficiency for CO2 and fuel consumption, and almost-instant responsiveness even at low revs, thanks to the GTC4Lusso’s new thrust vectoring control and its SSC4 Side Slip Control System, the closest thing to a car having its own sentience, with a brain that receives information from onboard sensors and grip estimation, intervening when necessary and adapting the car’s behavior to suit road surfaces and grip conditions of all types.

“This is the Ferrari you can use daily because customers want an everyday Ferrari,” the GT product manager explained to a room full of writers, the night before at the MuSA. In doing so, Ferrari has designed the GTC4Lusso with more storage space, more luggage space, more rear leg space; more space to create more adventures. Smiling toddlers in infant seats, skis and snow boots secured in the trunk, brown bags filled with apples, and carrots, and organic cream in the back seat.

A photo montage from the presentation flashes in my mind as we speed under another sign indicating LUCCA; the Fortezza delle Verrucole and five other points of interest shown in the 10.25-inch high-def touchscreen, all of these places we are supposed to be. Now we’re waiting for a call from Ferrari, from other journalists, from the Mayor, maybe, to tell us where to go, or how to get there.

“It could be worse,” my co-pilot admitted, navigating our ride in Ferrari’s new dual-cockpit passenger display; click anywhere on the map and it automatically becomes selected as a new point of interest on our ongoing route.

I ask him how much worse and he tells me about the time, in Spain, when a wave of writers were detained by Spanish police for speeding past their unmarked cars over the Pyrenees.

And in fact, in the GTC4Lusso, it only gets better, circling Lucca instead of following the rest of the pack toward Barga and the Verrucole Fortress, replacing a guided tour with our self-made journey, the way I think Ferrari always intended.

“Turn left,” the guidance instructs, in its best lady-like British voice. “Then go straight ahead.”

“You know what they call that in Virginia?” my co-pilot asks, turning to me, not really expecting an answer. “They say, ‘Drive straight on, and then keep on getting it.”

We keep getting it. Then we get some more. “I say, ‘Taste everything,’” I return, glancing back at him, the road a stretch of black-grey blur. “‘Then go back for seconds.’”

Eventually, we make it to lunch, as everyone else is preparing to depart. Rolling green hills, brick-walled ruins, more mountains studded with more enchanting villages. A view of the castle that everyone else has already visited, taking the same photos everyone else has. Espresso arrives at the table. Mounds of golden pillows called pasta fritta in a bowl to my left. Cured meats and cheeses from the region to my right. A hulking slice of beef still forthcoming. Unofficial Checkpoint 2, I think, as I take my first sip, glancing at the Mayor who’s now sitting at another table, speaking in Italian, probably relating the incident about the two American journalists who got lost moments in and joined him for a macchiato.

Ferrari GTC4Lusso in blue. Photo courtesy Ferrari

We pull in to the Piazza del Duomo next to only two other Ferrari. Unsurprisingly, we’ve arrived ahead of schedule. The idea of schedules was thrown out the window, or the panoramic low-e glass roof, several hours earlier.

“Don’t worry,” a Ferrari rep tells us, sitting on the stone steps that lead to the cathedral, hands on her knees, keeping time without a watch. “There’s two more right behind you.”

I stand silent for a moment, scanning for the potent purr that heralds a Ferrari, the V12 engine that customers say is their favorite part of the experience. I bend down, reach for a step, take a seat beside her as I think of titles to this story. All Roads Lead To Lucca, Unofficial Checkpoint, Points Of Interest, Lost In Ferrari.

Ferrari creates adventures. The point is to lose yourself.

#Chris Campanioni #Ferrari #cars #driving

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9r7g5h · 7 years

Text

Facing the Minotaur- P7

Fandom: Xena: Warrior Princess

Rating: T

Genre: Action/Adventure

Summary: When the Queen of Crete goes missing, it’s up to Xena and Gabrielle to save her. But when that means delving into the depths of the Labyrinth, can they even save themselves?

Words: 2,408

AN: Sorry this is being posted a day late. I got drunk last night to forget the fact that a disgusting yam now rules the free world, and crashed without posting anything. So, sorry. Either way, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: i do not own Xena.

P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, P9, P10, P11, P12, P13, P14

The mountain the Minotaur had left them on was not tall. In fact, it was one of the shorter, safer mountains nearby, with clear paths up and down its side. Well known for the easy climb, young and old alike, in less troubled times, often visited it, making it a day trip to escape the boredom of their day-to-day lives. The mountain was routinely climbed in a single morning by the elderly, who were able to make it back down the side of it and make it home in time for supper.

It took Xena and Gabrielle three days, their minds, bodies, and souls protesting every movement with vicious revenge.

They had started out alright at the beginning, leaving the camp they had made with the Minotaur with their heads held high, even if their legs felt a bit wobbly and their bags cut deep into their arms, the normally forgettable weight almost painful. Gabrielle, trying to take her mind off of the aches and pains in her body, had launched into a story, running plot points and details by Xena to see what she thought. Even with the warrior keeping mostly silent, with only a word or two here or there, Gabrielle had continued on, used to her friend’s silence and having to hold the conversation by herself.

Their leaving had started out hopeful and quick.

Xena had known it wouldn’t last, that soon their energy would fade and they would find themselves just as bad off as they had been stumbling out of the labyrinth, but she hadn’t had the heart to tell Gabrielle. She would find out on her own soon enough.

It only took an hour before Xena called for a rest, leading the two of them off into the woods and into a nearby clearing close to a stream- just far enough that, if they didn’t build a fire after dark, they wouldn’t be found by strangers. Without a word, she plopped down the bags she had been carrying and pulled out the sleeping furs, only then declaring loudly that they both needed a nap and some food before they continued on.

Gabrielle, close to tears, her lip bit through to keep them from falling, had barely been able to keep the look of relief off her face as she lowered her own burden, her legs visibly shaking. Climbing into the furs, she had barely had time to rest her head on Xena’s shoulder before she was out, sweet sleep bringing relief.

It was impressive, that she had been able to go that long. Xena had seen many men in similar conditions- her wars had taken her over some of the harshest land imaginable, where food and water were scarce, and only those who had earned it could get their portion from what the supply wagons had carried with them. She had watched men, those who weren’t strong enough of body or mind to keep going, fall from lack, meeting their end trampled under the feet of their comrades, who just kept going so they themselves wouldn’t meet the same fate.

It pained her more than anything else to see Gabrielle in such a state, but at the same time she couldn’t help but be impressed- she had seen men fall under much kinder conditions after just a quarter of an hour’s march, and even though it had pained her greatly to continue, Gabrielle had until Xena called for the stop.

Not that she was in much better condition. Even for the Warrior Princess, such conditions were draining, and she knew her limits. If she pushed herself too hard, if she fought against the healing she could feel taking place within her, she was a fool. So instead she stopped, and they rested.

They didn’t sleep too long- the sun was at its height when they finally reawoke, still sore and tired but a bit more willing to face the day. The Fates were on their side- not much further into the woods from where they had stopped, ripe berries lined the riverbank, sweet and almost bursting with juices, lifting their spirits as they ate and refilled their waterskins, leaving their lips and fingers purple.

But even after their rest, they couldn’t continue on much longer, just another two hours before they had to stop once again, the pain a bit lesser but still there. Once again they scavenged for their meal, finding enough of something suitable to fill their stomachs before once again slipping into sleep.

They followed this pattern down the mountainside, keeping their pace slow, Xena calling for frequent rests, even though most of the pain had left them by the third day, leaving behind only a wearisome stiffness in its place. For the most part they didn’t mind- both knew they couldn’t rush, knew they would just end up dead if they tried, and what help would they be to the Queen or the Minotaur if they did? Though their frustrations were noticeable; instead of her normal chatter, Gabrielle kept silent most of the day, deeper in her own thoughts then she normally let herself get while they were on the road, where danger could be waiting at any moment. Xena herself was antsy, their stops becoming shorter and shorter with each one, just long enough for them to eat and the ache in their feet- the normal ache of a day’s walk, an ache Xena personally relished in, instead of the ache of dying muscles coming back to life- to wane before pushing them forward.

Finally, finally, the sloping ground beneath their feet leveled out into a well walked road, leaving the mountain behind them as they followed its path.

“How are we going to get Zeus to break the curse?”

“I don’t know.” Xena’s reply was honest, with a shrug of her shoulders when Gabrielle glanced over at her. “He cursed the Queen because she refused to sleep with him- and Zeus doesn’t take rejection lightly. We could always see if there was something he wanted more. Not one of us,” she quickly added, seeing a worried light appear in Gabrielle’s gaze, “but perhaps some kind of item, or a quest completed. You know how the gods love their quests.” She laughed a humorless chuckle at the thought, shaking her head as she ran through the list of things the gods had forced mortals to do in one age or another.

It was long and more often than not bloody, something she wasn’t looking forward to.

“How do you think we’ll find him?”

For a single moment Xena paused, her head tilting to the side, before giving it a little shake and coming to a full halt, turning on her toes to face the forest that ran along the side of the road. Glancing over at Gabrielle, who had come to stand next to her, Xena raised her eyebrow before looking back into the trees.

“We won’t have to- he found us.”

“Ares told me about your ability to sense us,” a deep, gravelly voice said as the old man stepped from the trees, his robes swishing gently around him as the wind picked up. Glancing between the two, giving Gabrielle an almost appraising look, he quickly returned his attention back to the warrior, not missing the warning flash in her gaze. He ignored it and smiled. “I hadn’t thought it was actually true, but it seems like I am mistaken. It’s nice to finally meet you, Xena.”

Xena bowed her head but said nothing, waiting for the King of Gods to continue on his own.

“I’ve been listening to your conversation,” he finally said slowly, breaking the silence, “and I know what you want. And my answer is yes.”

“You’ll take the curse off the Queen if we do something for you,” Gabrielle pipped up, stepping forward so she was standing fully by Xena’s side, an excited light in her eyes and voice as she spoke. “You really will?”

“I shall,” he said, nodding his head in agreement. “Though it is not a curse I will be lifting, but a gift.” Watching as the two women looked between each other, he gave a casual shrug- their thoughts or feelings of him meant nothing, and whether or not they believed him mattered even less. His words were his own, and they would take them as they would. “The labyrinth, as you know, is strong. And it holds a grudge, long after it should release it. The labyrinth has been a taint on this land for many long years, biding its time, waiting for one with already a touch of weakness of the mind to appear in the line that wronged it. Which she did.” Zeus shook his head slowly and sighed, beginning to pace. “From what I understand, it should not have developed for many years, not until long after she had gone gray, but the labyrinth touched upon it, far outside its own walls, and turned Pelopia. I came to her, yes,” he admitted, “but as a guide, not to take her to bed. I already have enough trouble with the mortal children I already have running around, I don’t need another.” He actually chuckled at that, shaking his head as he did. “But no- when she ran, I gave her what protection against the labyrinth I could. Which bound her to it, yes, but which kept her alive and well, I promise you that.”

“Why,” Xena asked, her face as neutral as she could make it. She didn’t believe him, not quite- there wasn’t an honest god among them, except for maybe Aletheia, and even then, Xena had her doubts. But his story was interesting enough, so she waited to see what he would say next. “Why did you go to her? Direct intervention isn’t really your style, Zeus.”

“Because the labyrinth is a danger to us all.” Again, his shrug was uncaring, though his words and tone spoke something else. “The labyrinth is old, as old as the golden age of the Titans, and was created with magic much darker and stronger than even I am aware of. And even with its lack of sacrifices, it’s been growing more powerful with every passing year. Strong enough to reach into Pelopia’s mind and turn what she saw- my attempts at gaining her help to defeat this evil into a seduction, the goodness of her brother into a toxic touch, the kindness of her people into a cruel reality. It will one day be strong enough to reach even those of a healthy temperament, and if it should?” He paused, turning to look Xena directly in the eye as he spoke.

“Pelopia, following the call of the labyrinth, ran directly into its depths, prepared to become its first meal in three generations. Should it become stronger? It will devour thousands, and who knows what might happen when it has?”

A chill ran up Xena’s spine at the thought- the slaughter would turn the mountains crimson, the grass slick and sticky, if the labyrinth had its way. Shifting slightly, she pressed her side just that much closer to Gabrielle’s, taking comfort in the soft warmth that rolled from her skin, the sickness the thought of that much cruel death had brought to her stomach calming as she felt Gabrielle shift as well, closing what remained of the small gap between them.

“So we defeat the labyrinth before that happens,” Xena said with a shrug of her own, flashing Zeus a grim smile. “Which we can’t, until after you agree to remove your…’gift.’”

“Which I shall, for a price,” Zeus said. “My solution- binding the Queen to the labyrinth- is doing a fine job of stalling its quest for power, her own strength and clear mind keeping it from feeding. She is cursed, yes, but my job is done. To remove that, to put the world back in danger? I’ll need you to do something for me first.”

“Name it,” Gabrielle said- earning an eye roll from Xena. You never said those words to a god, not one that wanted something, unless you were willing to give whatever they desired. “Xena and I can do anything you need us to.”

“I’m hoping you can, little one,” Zeus said with an actual, real smile. “There is more to this island then the Minotaur and the labyrinth. It is also the lair of the hydra itself. Or,” he said, seeing the question form on Gabrielle’s lips, “one of them. My son might have defeated the largest, but that hydra was centuries old, and had bred many times. Few of its offspring survived, one of which came to rest here. I want one of its heads. If and when you can complete this task, I will release the Queen and allow you to risk destroying the labyrinth…or it destroy you.”

“Why,” Xena quickly asked before he could disappear, her tone firm and demanding. “A hydra is no threat to you. Its poison cannot kill a god. Why risk our lives on something that doesn’t matter when we could be solving the real problem?”

“You speak brazenly, warrior,” Zeus said after a moment, eyeing Xena curiously even as his voice went sharp- a tone that normally had entire cities cowering before him, quivering at his feet as they begged for his forgiveness. Something that was not the case for either of the women standing before him, both just waiting for him to answer. “You’re lucky I do not turn you or your little companion into a pile of ash.”

“You can try,” Xena said with a shrug, though she shifted so she was slightly between him and Gabrielle, her hand reaching to rest on her chakram. “Don’t think you’ll get very far with that if you do.”

And Zeus laughed, his entire body shaking with mirth at the insolence the women before him showed. He was the King of the Gods, the ruler of the world, and to have these two standing before him, like no one had ever before done?

“I can see why Ares favors you, warrior,” Zeus said, wiping away the tears from his eyes. “Kill the hydra and summon me. Then I will release the Queen. But be careful your arrogance doesn’t go too far,” he added, his voice a warning. “You might find it costing you something dear.”

With that he was gone, a lightning flash blinding them as he returned to Mount Olympus.

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