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kasdeyalilith · 1 year

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Midnight Rain (Part II)

Warning/s: Angst and Fluff

Character/s: Scaramouche x Reader

Synopsis: Scaramouche finds himself traveling with the traveler following his defeat in the Sumeru war. He hopes to meet you along during the journey and earn your trust again.

Note: I didn't follow some canon scenes from the battle between the Balladeer and Traveler from the first part so some things are changed. As requested I sprinkled some fluff in here but there's some angst ofc. I managed to squeeze every sweetness in my bones just to come up with the ending. Hope yall enjoy and forgive me with the angsts.

"Ah you've seen my affection for her. If you were in my position, I think you'd feel the same way"

He frowns as he recalls what he said to you, shaking his head at the emerging memory. What a fool he is to treat you that way, knowing you're the only one who actually cares about him. He becomes so blinded by your constant love for him that he thinks dismissing your feelings will not cause you to leave, because you'll still fall for him and stay, only this time you're already falling before he can even catch you.

Scaramouche, who now calls himself "the Wanderer," journeys Teyvat with the traveler in the hopes of meeting you along the way. He offers to tag along on their adventures after the war in Sumeru, promising to make amends for his past actions even if they are forgotten by most. The traveler was hesitant at first, but Nahida convinces him to do it. He warns him that if he does something bad, he won't hesitate to feed him to Paimon.

The Wanderer spends his days doing meaningless things, like working on different commissions with the Traveler. Even though it's tiring and boring, he's never felt so at peace, which is something he can only feel with you.

He pushed those thoughts away as he cast a glimpse at the rising statue of Barbatos, which was gleaming beneath the sun's blaze. The last thing he needs to find you is for that piercing sting inside him where his heart is supposed to be.

The nation of the Anemo Archon proved to be a safe haven for explorers like him as all are welcome within its walled borders. A foreign feeling churns inside him; a sincere reception from strangers who do not immediately condemn him is an unusual occurrence for the Wanderer. After years of only you accepting and treating him as a normal being, it's a strange emotion to feel when a bard hands him an apple as a welcome gesture.

He imagines every situation and every word he'll say once he finds you, but all preparations are tossed out the window the moment he sees you. You who’s as perfect and beautiful as he remembered, even the grease that stains your skin from repairing a machine can’t lessen your beauty as you laughed at him, him who’s hair white as chalk and posture still as a doll. The Wanderer refuses himself the sudden surge of jealousy, he doesn’t have the right now as he stares at you longingly.

He felt his entire body freeze the minute your eyes locked on him, waiting with bated breath for the storm to strike. Your gaze, however, quickly shifts to the side as if you were unaware that he was standing there.

Did you absolutely despise him? He can't blame you if you do, but it doesn't make the pain that crawls and scratches him back any less painful. He can only blame himself for causing you so much hurt that you decide to ignore him entirely.

He isolates himself from the traveler, preferring to rest under Windrise's great oak tree. His hand wipes any daring tear that dares to fall, and even though he is no longer the frail puppet he once was, he still easily tears up. He is unsure if your rejection or avoidance of him causes him more pain, as both equally rip him apart. It hurts much more that you no longer care about him and he has no way to bring you back into his life, even if he drowns himself in sorrow and endures a thousand stab wounds.

He chases after those memories of you both being content and happy, and for a moment, he allows himself to get lost in them.

He eventually drifts off to sleep under the cooling shade of Vennessa's Tree, lulled by the Archon's breeze and the melody sung by the lyre coming above from one of the branches.

The Wanderer was painfully jolted out of his dreams of you when he felt something tap his shoulder; he frowned as he faced the intruder but stopped when he saw you smiling at him. He pinches and rubs his eyes awake to check if he's dreaming again.

You kneeled in front of him and offered him a bottle of water, which he accepted dumbfoundedly. His violet eyes are watching you intently as if Aranaras were dancing on the top of your head. You smiled awkwardly at him, overwhelmed by his focused attention, and cleared your throat, ready to ask him the question you had thought for hours.

He stills his beating heart, afraid that it’ll drown out your words as he awaits anxiously for you to speak.

“You must be parched, here’s some water I got from Sara awhile ago. Don’t worry it’s freshly taken from a clean spring. Anyway, I uhm saw you earlier while I was at the crafting table and I-”

"Wait before you say anything else" He rushes in front of you, grasping your hand while looking down at the ground and saying, "I'm sorry for everything I've done. Although I had my reasons for causing you pain, it does not make it right. I will do anything to regain your forgiveness. I will persevere even if it takes years or more. I love you. I know I'm a disappointment to you most of the time but you still constantly care for me, even when I act and make hasty decisions. Amidst my past and painful memories and mistakes, you are the first thing that has ever felt right. I'll always love you even if you turn me away"

Even if it is wrong to hope for your forgiveness instantly, he still clings to it while he looks at you. His face painted in sincerity, as he waits for your response.

“I uh- I’m so sorry to say this but I only saw you today? I asked for your whereabouts and followed you because well you seemed familiar to me and when I saw you staring earlier, I’m reminded of the locket I used to have and how you resemble the person in the picture but I can’t remember why I have it and who you are in my life”

“Wha-what do you mean?”

His entire world was put in chaos as he repeats your word over and over. Forgotten? All those memories gone? He want to latch at you and scream and cry but he can only stare, hand at his chest as it beats too hard and painful for him to even breathe.

“I’m really sorry uh traveler? But guessing from your actions and words we must’ve been linked at some point in the past. I don’t know how I’ve forgotten someone important to me but I’m willing to make new ones with you. How does that sound-?”

He fell silent, even if all the memories you both once shared are gone, taken away when the Greater Lord was forgotten and passed away, along with the memories of the Balladeer, he'll take anything as long as he can stay by your side.

“Kuni, call me Kuni”

"Okay Kuni, how about we start over?" You dusted down your skirt as you stood up and offered your hand to him, “I’m Y/n, researcher of the Knights of Favonious at your service”

You cheerfully saluted him, laughing at your own actions.

“I’m Kuni the Wanderer”

Finally, in the midst of the darkness that has surrounded him all of his life, you shone like the brightest star in his sky, as your light pours through the appearing cracks, chasing after the storm as it breaks through the barrier and free him from his cage.

“The Wanderer huh? So you like to just wander off?”

“Shut up”

“Should’ve called you The Grumpiest”

“Archons…. You’re lucky I love you”

#scaramouche angst #genshin scaramouche #scaramouche x you #scaramouche x reader #scaramouche+x+reader #kunikuzushi #genshin impact #genshin #scaramouche fluff

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tobitofunction · 1 year

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Hello may I request an insecure fem reader x Prince Zuko?

- Reader is comparing herself to Mai but Toph is comforting reader.

- Tophs says “I may be blind, but I am not blind” reader is confused but Toph continues “You are beautiful whether or not you believe it, although I don’t know what you look like, you have a strong warm energy and no one can take that away from you”

- Reader and Zuko are the right person, wrong time trope

oooh a request rarely get them but here we gooooo.

Just read the comics so it be based on that. Spoiler if you haven't but you should defiantly read them. Changed it slightly as Toph doesn't appear in this spefic comic and if I go point by point it be to long.

It has been a rough couple of days in the fire nation capital. Children haven been going missing for days, and no one has a clue how and who did it. Well until recently when Mai's little brother Tom - Tom was kidnapped. You did feel bad for her, it's her little brother but you can't help feel jealous on how Zuko is touching her hand while talking to her about she saw while you were waiting for Aang to arrive. You gave a look to the boy opposite to you, he like you was eyeing the situation in front of him. You can't blame Zuko though, Mai was pretty, she had long silky black hair which shimmed in the sunlight, her skin has so no blemishes and her eyes were a beautiful shade of gold. You sighed and began picking at skin of your fingers, an annoying tick you have. You a hand clasped around yours, stopping you from damaging the skin further," We need to find a way to stop you from doing this" Toph smiled,"Toph....what are you doing here?" you asked getting up, "Well Twinkle Toes got Lord Hothead's letter, the others wanted to join as well but they wanted to see their father more....so it's only me now" she smiled, just than you noticed Aang standing beside Zuko who gave you a smile which melted your heart,"Aang you remember Mai right?" Zuko asked as Mai walked over to the young Avatar giving him a rare but stunning smile,"Hello Aang" she said, Aang looked between Zuko and Mai with a big smile,"Wait, does this mean the two of you are back together" your heart clenched, the smile you previously held disappeared from your face, Toph felt the change and looked at Aang, she stomped her foot onto the ground which led to Aang getting trusted into the air and back onto the ground making everyone look at her with wide eyes,"Hey, what was that for" Aang asked rubbing his butt,Toph didn't respond making Aang huff. Zuko gave you a quick look also noticing the shift, he licked his lips before talking again,"And this is Kei Lo...Mai's new boyfriend" he said awkwardly, with a hint of venom in it which he himself didn't even realise, but you did. Aang suddenly became red and tried to salvage the situation but only made it worse for himself, you had enough and just snapped,"Can we get to what we came her for? Mai's and Zuko's relationship wasn't on the agenda" you said folding your arms together and sitting became down. You tried hiding the instant regret over your outburst but luckily Zuko nodded his head in agreement,"Y/N is right, we need to talk about the missing children" he sat down beside you, his warm hand brushed against yours as Mai began filling Aang in on what happened last night.

After the meeting was over you didn't wait for the others but just walked out of the room. The last thing you heard was the the kidnappers, the Kemurikage are legends and that Zuko know's where to go.

You entered your room and flopped onto bed, thoughts of Zuko's and Mai's interactions played in your head. How softly he speaks to her, even his glance was soft,"They're broken up, Mai has a boyfriend. Nothing is happening between them....we aren't together either" you mumble to yourself, you sighed and pinched the bridge of your nose. Just than a knock on the door made you jolt up,"Come in?" you said. "Hey, your okay? You left so quickly" Zuko said entering the room closing the door gently behind him,"....Yeah... everything is fine" you lied," Your lying, something is bothering you" he said sitting down on the edge of your bed. He looked at you with a sweet gaze, something you personally didn't catch but anyone else looking at him right now would," It's to embarrassing to say" you mumbled, picking at your fingers again. Zuko sighed and grabbed your hand gently, his hand's were rough from the fire bending, yet they were soft as well." I won't force you to say anything, I also wanted to tell you we be heading off to the Fire Sages, you're welcome to join" he said.

"Hey everything alright?" Toph asked,"Yeah, everything is fine-","You know I can tell that your lying? What's going on, we're friends you can tell me", you sighed,"It's Zuko and Mai....I like Zuko very much but I don't know where I stand, he looks at Mai like she is is so Importand to him-","Well, they did for a good while", you sighed again,"But his heart beat always pick up when your close" she added before you could say something,"What?" your cheeks heated up at the comment," It beats so fast at times, it sounds like it will explode" Toph continued,"...He likes me?","Seems like it" you smiled but your gaze met Mai again and it dissapeard," I'm such a downgrade to Mai though....she comes from a wealth family, she's beautiful, smart, brave and she can fight-OUCH" you shouted making everyone stop and look at you,"Toph, stop hitting y/n" Zuko scolded making Toph shrug," I'm fine Zuko, let's keep going" you said he looked a bit concernd at you rubbing your arm.

"What was that for" you hissed,"Stop talking bad about yourself, I might not able to comment about your looks but I can speak about your character, you are brave, you are smart, you like Mai are non- bender who kept up with a bunch of benders including me, the best metal bender in the world. You might not be the best fighter but you don't give up easily, you fight until the end when you believe in something. From the moment I met you, I knew you could be trusted, you have a great energy" Toph said making you nearly cry,"Ooh Toph" you were about to go in for a hug but she made a bolder appear in front of you,"Still not a hugger?" you frowned,"Nope" she said.

Thanks to Toph's pep talk you didn't feel extremely jealous and insecure by Zuko's and Mai's interactions within the tombs of old Fire Lords,"Emmmm Zuko, could we talk?" you asked tapping his shoulder, ripping his gaze off Mai and Kei Lo, "Now? Can't this wait for a bit later?" he asked, you looked over at Toph who gave you thumps up,"No...well kinda....yes...I mean-", "Spit it out before you choke on it"Zuko chuckled,"I know it's sudden and probably not the right timing but...I really like you Zuko and I have for a very long time, so once this is over-","Your right it is bad timing, I'm sorry Y/N but..*sigh* let's talk about it later. We need to find the missing children first, I don't have time for anything else" he said giving you an apologetic look, he then turned on his heels walking further into the old tombs," If it made you feel. better-","Toph not right now...Zuko is right, we need to find those children first" Toph sighed and mumbled something under her breath.

Arriving back home Zuko collapsed onto his bed, the interaction between the two of you playing in his head. Your hurt face broke his heart, he hated seeing you like this, and he waited for you to say this, yes he might have some feelings left for Mai but you are occupying his mind most of the time. But now he might have ruined his chances, or did he?. A knock on the door made him shoot up,"Hey Fire Lord Hothead, how dare you just ignore Y/N's feelings like that" Toph said stomping into the room,"I didn't mean to hurt her like that, I just have so much going on. It feels like every other week there is a new problem which is hurting my reign. I barely can sleep without worrying someone is trying to kill me","Oh someone is going to kill you all right, it's going to be ME. So better sleep with one eye open which isn't going to be difficult for you anyway" she said, she was about to stomp away when Zuko stopped her, "I really care about her, I know you can sense by my heartbeat. It's just not the right time, but I do want to be with her" Zuko said, Toph nodded and left the room.

Zuko stepped outside his balcony, his room was close to yours, and from the balcony, he could see you in your room, the curtains where blowing in the wind while you lay on your bed reading a book. Zuko smiled softly when he from the corner of his eyes saw smoke. It came from Kiyi's room, Zuko's half-sister.

Zuko's heart clenched when he saw empty bed when he barged into the room with Suki being him. He looked to his left and saw the the window was open, he poked his head out and saw the supposed Dark Spirits which his sister in their arms.

You heard commotion and closed your book and looked outside the window, your eyes widen seeing Zuko, Aang, Suki and Ty-Lee fighting. You crawled onto the roof and rand towards them when you're suddenly surrounded by smoke. You could barely see anything which meant you didn't see the dip in the roof which made you slip, you gasp loudly when you began to fall but a pair of arms wrapped around you and pulled you closer,"I got you"Zuko said into your ear,"What's going on?" you asked as Aang used air bending to make the smoke go away,"The 'spirits' got Kiyi" he said just than you saw the clocked figures disappearing into the night.

But you couldn't let them just take Kiyi, so you sprinted after them,"Y/N Wait" you heard Zuko shout. The spirits jumped of the building, you quickly followed launching yourself onto the closes one, grabbing them by the long cloak and making them crash into the ground alongside you,"Are you okay?" Aang asked,"Yeah" you said rubbing your shoulder, the figure got up, two fingers appearing from under the long black sleeves, soon lighting wrapped around their fingers making your eyes widen,"Azula" you whispered. The fingers pointed at you but Zuko jumped in front of you trying to redirect but he got sent back works into a wall with a loud thud, which gave the figures enough time to escape," Those aren't spirits but real people" you said,"Yeah I could feel the realness with a kick into my ribcage" Aang said.

"What are we going to do?" you asked, Zuko looked defeated," I failed as Fire Lord," he said, "Don't say that, this is a difficult situation, your doing your best," you said," My best is turning my people against me, "At least we know those aren't actually dark spirits," you said trying to comfort him," Yeah it's Azula, which makes it worse, he said making you frown. "You all were fighting spirits? Why wasn't I told about this? I loved to fight some spirits" Toph said, "Those aren't spirits but real people, one could lighting bend so it must be Azula" you said," Real or not I just wanted to beat someone up, stupid bath" she mumbled, "Call a lockdown, no one can enter or leave this city" Zuko said randomly, "Zuko? Are you sure?"," It's the best thing I could come up at the moment" he looked into your eyes and you saw that he was close to hitting rock bottom, he was cornered which made you sigh, "Fine"

*timeskip Zuko and Gang managed to rescue everyone*

You watched Mai and Zuko embrace their younger siblings with smiles spread on their lips. Mostly Zuko seemed to be relieved, he hugged Kiyi tight,"I knew you come to rescue me," she said happily making Zuko hug even tighter. He then placed her onto the ground and walked over to you, "Thank you for helping, also I'm sorry for what I said in the tombs" he said,"It's fine, your right, it was bad timing on my part, forget about it, maybe Toph was wrong-","She wasn't, I do really really like you. I'm just worried...A lot of people don't want me on the throne, my sister is still at large. I just don't want you to get hurt because of me" you nodded understandingly, sadness begins to fill you again, you again began picking at your fingers but Zuko wrapped his hands around yours"But, I know your not helpless, you can fight if you want to, your brave when it's needed" he said squeezing your hand. gently,"I want to try this if you let me of course" He smiled sweetly at you, making your heart flutter, "What about Mai? She would suit your lifestyle more," you said still unsure about where you stood compared to Mai," She might yes, but she really doesn't like this lifestyle, and I want to share this lifestyle with you, red looks extremely good at you, don't sell yourself short, you adapt quicker than you can imagine, but if you still feel uncomfortable with the idea, I be okay with it.....I promise, even though it will hurt, I be fine with it" he said, you bit your lip before nodding slowly,"Sure, let's give it a try"

#zuko fanfic #zuko x reader #zuko x you #zuko x y/n #atla toph #atla zuko #avatar the last airbender zuko #avatar the last Airbender toph #avatar zuko

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sparrowrye · 1 month

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Demi Demon || Alastor x Reader, A2 part 9

Synopsis: It’s been over a year since we were brought under Alastor’s watchful eye. We’ve unlocked our Demonic powers, discovered our own talents, and began building the Safe Haven with Charlie and co. Alastor seems increasingly interested in the power we hold as one and intends to use it properly.

Previous part

Part 9: a different person

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Spring had arrived and plenty of new faces with it.

Construction began as soon as the snow had melted. Charlie asked Alastor to create a warm oasis so the people could build more homes and buildings sooner. According to Lucifer, she had at least a hundred Demons willing to come to the haven. Many of them were Demons who had lived on the surface or had a family. Hell wasn't exactly much safer than up here.

Pentious, the snake-like Demon from Charlie's group, became head of the guards. He was in charge of making making sure people didn't wander too close to our haven as well as keeping the right people inside. We had a number of children and teens wandering into the forest once the weather became warmer.

I stood on the porch watching from a distance. I could hear the pounding of nails and cutting of wood. Two years ago it was a complete empty field and now it was a true town. Spring would mark three years for me. That made me twenty-four-years old.

I heard kids laughing and couldn't help the smile on my face. Everything was actually getting better this time. Alastor kept his side of the deal and we spent all of winter testing out my Angelic powers. He became much more bearable when he wasn't a total jackass and I found myself actually able to relax around him. His sarcasm still cut like a knife, though.

I let myself scroll through social media on Charlie's phone for ten minutes. She was the only one allowed to have a phone since Vox never seemed to hack it. It kept me in the loop on what was happening outside and it gave Charlie a reason to ask my relationship with Alastor.

Overlords had gained more power during winter, ironically enough since they hated the cold. Their territory grew and it became safer for some Demons to live in certain towns. Humans were trying their best to stay together but any form of retaliation or separation was shut down. At least in this nation. Other nations were still actively hunting them all down.

I noted the time. I usually started a session with Alastor around now but he was off talking to Spencer about something. I took the free afternoon and sprawled myself on the warm grass near the cliff side. The wind was cold but the warm sun soaked into my bones. I could still hear laughter from the haven and the gossip of teens down by the shore.

I fell asleep and woke up just as happy. I opened my wings to stretch and left them wide open, the black scales soaking up the sun even better. For once I was okay with being me. Knowing that I had some Angel in me made me feel better about being part Demon. I knew I wasn't all bad.

I stayed like that for an hour. I was happily content. Things were going in a good direction. I was at peace and I had a feeling I was going to be able to keep it that way for longer. My life wasn't all about fighting and hardships, there was now good in it, too.

I felt Alastor's magic before he appeared. "Peaceful," he commented.

"Very." I kept my eyes closed, still enjoying the sun. I was unbothered by his physical and magical presence. He was quiet for a long time. I opened one eye to check that he was still there and saw his own closed, enjoying the warm sun and salty air. His hair moved in the wind to reveal a small content smile on his face. I mimicked the smile.

One of his eyes caught me looking and I quickly stared up at the sky. The clouds dotted the bright blue landscape, occasionally blocking out the sun but never for too long.

"How have your cravings been?" he broke the silence. His tone wasn't laced with his usual sarcasm this time.

I shrugged, casting a look in his direction. "I always feel it but that's nothing new."

"You may need more with time. Do let me know if more is what you need."

"Sure." I closed my eyes again. I was feeling the craving already but I was trying not give into the feeling every time. I needed to build a resistance to it.

Another few minutes of silence passed. I was drifting into another sleep when he spoke, abruptly pulling me back. "Are you going out tonight?"

"Yeah. Another fighting ring. How did you know?" I turned my head to look at him.

"I have my ways." For once, that saying didn't make my skin crawl. He examined his red claws closely, the other hand on top of his staff.

"What were you talking to Spencer about?" I tried for conversation.

"He's been having some trouble lately. Enemies are seeking him out."

"Oh."

"It's nothing to be concerned about. I took care of them." He licked his lips.

"What about bringing him here?"

His eyebrows lifted. "It would remove him from the outside world."

"We already have a lot of people here," I argued, "And we're mostly trying to get Demons out of Hell so it's not so overrun. They might be more willing to come if they read about what life is like here."

He thought for a moment, bringing a claw up to his chin and eyes drifting to the sea. "That's not a terrible idea."

I scoffed, "Thanks." His eyes went back to me and a smirk pulled at his lips. "What?"

"Oh nothing, darling. Have fun tonight." He turned on his heels and walked towards the house. I noticed the outline of our thread again.

****

I swallowed hard. The fighting ring that had been getting a lot of attention was the same ring as my big fight that Vox had broadcasted.

I let out my shaky breath. You're a different person now.

Some of the teenagers had come with us, eager to prove themselves useful to the community. Reagan was not among them as she deemed herself unable to help without magic or Demonic attributes. I was slightly grateful because I didn't want to risk putting her in danger again.

Giving the signal to move, the group slithered up through the shadows. We had opened just a few hanging cages before I noticed the new cameras.

Shit.

I was on high alert as everyone worked. The guards were all unconscious and every fighter made it safely across the field. It made me even more nervous when no one showed up by the time we got to the top floor. My eyes were constantly scanning the walls and my magic sense stretched as far out as it could. I was worried about a bullet hitting me like last time.

My ears caught electric static. I spun, ready to face Vox, but came face to face with Striker instead. A pure white rope hung in his claws and an ugly snarl plastered on his face.

"You're dead this time," he growled. He jumped in zig zags up to me, tossing the rope for my head. I morphed into my Dragon and caught it between my teeth.

Different person. Different person. Different person.

I pulled hard to drag him across the ring opening but he jumped over it. I reared up to slam my front claws on him. He jumped out of the way as he threw the other end over my head. It snatched one of my horns and he jerked it hard enough to make my neck POP!

I turned in a circle and whipped my tail at him. It whistled loudly and missed him by a hair. Alcine, my shadow, caught his foot when he landed. His attention diverted, giving me the opening to bring the ceiling down on him. I then opened the floor and casted him straight to the earth. I looked down the hole and waited for one of the rocks to move. But none of them did.

I returned to my Demon form and helped the last of the drowsy fighters down the stairs. I tried to look ahead for the rock pile as we came down but I was too late. White rope caught one of the teenager's throats and they were flung to Striker's feet. He wrapped an arm around their throat and held a knife to their chin.

"One of us is dying tonight, Python!" he yelled. He had lost it. His eyes were wild, his hair a mess, his hat gone, and his clothes torn. "And it ain't gonna be me."

"What do you want?" I snarled, eyes watching the knife closely.

"We're doing this the old fashioned way. No magic. Just skill."

I felt my throat run dry. Striker had his own experience in fighting and each time we had fought, he had won. Magic and Alastor were the only reasons I had escaped his past attempts.

The teenager let out a whimper when he drew blood with the knife. "Alright! Fine."

He shoved the kid away and took a fighting stance. I did the same and waited for him to approach. It didn't take long. He came straight at me this time, knife still in hand. I went to all fours and waited, jumping away at the last second. I whipped my tail up and missed his hand. I needed the knife gone.

He sliced at me, each step faster than the other. My eyes were locked on his chest as my peripherals gauged his speed and distance. I could hear the metal cutting the air, twice catching my nose and cheek.

My back hit a wall. I fell to the ground and shoved him away with my feet. He came again, this time coming from above his head. My hand brushed against his arm and my other hand came up to claw his face. I felt the softness of his eyes and his scream rang in my eardrums.

I grabbed his wrist and wrenched the knife from his grip, sending it clattering across the floor. His elbow came in contact with my nose before his fist did. The back of my head hit the floor and white filled my vision. His claws wrapped around my throat and pressed. One hand pulled on his wrist while the other clawed at his face. My feet pounded the floor as I tried to throw him off.

He let out a snarl and rolled off me. I gasped for air and sat up on my elbows. His knife was buried deep in the back of his shoulder. He snapped his head to look at the teenager who backed away. He spun on me, boot connecting with my face.

I cried out and curled inward. I felt his presence moving away from me and towards the kid. I forced myself on my knees but I couldn't look up yet. My head spun and the whole world tilted to the side.

My ear flicked when I heard the boy scream. I rolled on my side and peered through one eye. He had them on their back with a foot pressing down on their throat. He pulled out a second knife from his hip, raising it above his head.

Alcine grabbed at his shadow and held the knife back. I forced myself to my feet and threw my weight into him. He fell into the wall and we wrestled, raking our claws into ours skin and trying pin the other to the ground.

"You were always a pain in the ass," he hissed in my ear, grabbing a fistful of my hair and pulling, "Nothing but a bother, nothing but a burden. You're so weak."

"Not anymore," I said through gritted teeth. We both had a grip or arm lock on the other's arm, desperately trying to shove the other to the ground. Blood dripped down our faces as our eyes locked.

"You always will be." He gave way with his arms so our faces would come closer. "You'll never be enough. Always second best. It's in your nature."

"You don't know me like that anymore." I barely missed the snap of his jaws on my nose.

"How's Reagan?" he asked nonchalantly. I bristled, falling backwards and throwing him over my head with my legs. He landed on his back, sending the knife deeper into his body, and let out a yell. He tried rolling onto his knees but I restricted his airflow.

The corners of my vision were red as I thought back to Reagan. She was terrified to leave her room and guilt gnawed at her every time we spoke, all because of him. I then looked at the teenager cowering against the wall, eyes wide and holding their throat as they watched everything unfold.

"Unfair," he sputtered. My face was blank as I stared down at his struggling figure. Everything about my life was unfair. He had promised me freedom if I won a championship and when I did, he threw me in another cage.

"I'm a Demon, just like you." I casted us in darkness so all he saw was me towering above him. I raised my hand and pointed a black claw at him. "We don't play fair." I flicked my fingers and his head snapped to the side at inhumane speed, killing him instantly.

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Author's Note:

A Demon or an Angel?

#demi demon #alastor the radio demon #alastor x reader #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel #soulmate au #soulmates #helluva striker #reqs open

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vodika-vibes · 7 months

Text

The Snow Queen

Summary: The Seaside nation of Pabu has been locked in an eternal winter for generations, under the thumb of the Snow Queen. And you believe that nothing will ever change. And then Hunter arrives.

Pairing: Knight!Hunter x Reader (pre-relationship)

Word Count: 5069

Warnings: Canon typical violence

A/N: This is my first time writing Hunter, so I hope I did alright. This is based on the Snow Queen myth, but really has more The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe vibes.

Divider by saradika

“It’s snowing again,” You call over your shoulder to your mother from where you’re perched in the alcove, with your arms resting on the windowsill.

“Again?” Your mother walks over to you and presses a warm mug into your hands, “Goodness, her Majesty must be furious today.”

“Isn’t she always furious?” You ask as you set your mug on your tray and carefully adjust so you’re sitting properly, and you smile at your mother as she drapes a thick blanket over your legs.

“I know you don’t believe it, baby, but she used to be a good woman.” Your mother replies, and then she sighs as you shoot her a disbelieving look, “I know it’s hard for you to see. She…she wronged you more than anyone-”

You’re quiet for a moment and then you pick up your mug of tea, and flicker your gaze back out the window, “You should probably activate the house wards, mom.” You finally say after a moment, “It looks like a bad storm.”

Your mother sighs and closes her eyes, “Alright. Do you want stew for dinner tonight?” She asks as she stands and heads towards the stairs.

“Yeah, sounds great.” You say with a smile, that fades when your mother heads up the stairs.

Three years ago, you had been living in an apartment with your fiance, and you had worked with your father at his woodworking company. It had been a cool summer day, and there was no snow falling, so you joined your father on a trip into the woods to gather more wood.

But the weather can turn quickly here, and within an hour of leaving the shop, you and your dad were trying to navigate in white-out conditions. You stumbled blindly for thirty minutes, before your dad found a safe haven. Unfortunately, the safe haven he found was the cave that led to the Queen’s personal garden.

The Queen’s guards struck quickly and without asking questions, they struck your dad down before you even realized what was happening, and they would have done the same to you, had the Queen herself not appeared.

She offered you the mercy of your life, though she reiterated that trespass needed to be punished. The Queen ordered her men to return you to the village and to bring you to the local hospital…and as soon as you were standing in the lobby of the local emergency room, the guards struck…severing your legs from your body just over the knee.

You still remember the screams from the nurses and doctors, as well as the other patients, and you remember hands all over you, trying to stop the bleeding.

The next thing you remember clearly, is your mother holding your hand and weeping, and your fiance apologizing as he takes your engagement ring back because he “didn’t sign up to be a caretaker”. You were forced to move back in with your mother, and it took over a year before you were healed enough for the prosthetics.

And now, here you are, two years after that, still living with your mother. You intended to move back out, as soon as you were mobile again, but it just…it didn’t happen.

At least you still have a job, your uncle took up your father’s woodworking business, and he was more than happy to allow you to work from home, so long as you continued your wood carving.

You look up as your mother comes back downstairs, “There,” She says, “The runes will keep the snow from piling on the house.” She favors you with a loving smile, “Will you help with dinner?”

“Yeah, of course.” You uncover your legs, and swing them off the bench, before standing and heading into the kitchen. You lean against the bar in the center of the kitchen, and watch as your mom rushes around from one side of the kitchen to the other, “Mom?”

“Oh, there you are.” She places a bunch of veggies on the bar, “Cut these.”

You grab a knife and turn towards the bar, “This is a lot of veggies,” You say dryly.

“Yes, well…your uncle is coming for dinner.” Your mom replies, “And you know how he gets about his stews not being filling enough.”

“He could always eat at his own home.” You counter dryly.

“Be nice. I know you and he don’t see eye to eye-”

“Yeah, because he’s in love with the woman who is responsible for this.” You reply as you motion to your legs.

“He’s still family. He’s just lonely, baby.”

You roll your eyes, but drop the topic. Just in time too, as the front door clicks open, and then slams shut, “Hello to the house!” your uncle bellows. You hear the sound of his heavy boots dropping in the mudroom, and then the sound of him walking through the house. “Mm, stew! My favorite,” He jokes as he enters the kitchen.

“How’s the storm?” Your mom asks as she hands your uncle a mug of something hot.

“Awful! Worst storm of the season by far.” He says in a booming voice that makes you cringe, “Her Majesty is irate. Her statue in the town square was destroyed.”

“That’s a ridiculous thing to get upset about,” You say.

“The things you say, little one!” Your uncle jokes, “That statue is proof of her power!”

“...it’s a statue, not a crown.” You mutter, “Mom, I’m done.”

“Alright, thank you!” Your mother takes the bowl of veggies and adds them to the pot, “Can you grab some of the dried herbs from the pantry?”

“Yeah. Which ones?”

“Oh, anything fragrant.” She replies cheerfully, before she turns back to your uncle, “How could anyone destroy that statue, it’s made of solid ice.”

“No idea, but she’s hired some Mercs to look into it. Apparently they’ve already arrived.” He tries to whisper, but it really just comes out as a normal inside voice.

“Oh, how exciting!” Your mom says thoughtfully, “That means the storm will stop over night! Thank goodness.”

You walk over to your mom, and place some bottles on the counter next to her, “Do these work?”

“Perfect! Thank you! Do you want to stay down here and chat?” She asked.

“I think I’m going to go to my room and read a book,” You reply, “Shout when dinner’s done?”

“Of course, I always do.”

You smile at her, and then turn and leave the room, “She doesn’t like me,” You hear your uncle say.

“She just misses her dad. The last three years have been hard on her.” You barely hear your mom reply as you head up the stairs to your room, “Be patient-” You shut the door with a quiet click, cutting your mother’s voice off.

You drop onto the comfy chair set in the corner and you rub your eyes tiredly. You really, really wish you could live literally anywhere else. But that’s not an option, and it’s not like you can just leave.

You sigh and pick up the photo album on the side table, automatically flipping to the center page which is filled with one picture, a picture of you and your parents on your 18th birthday.

Your fingers glide over the image of your dad, “I miss you. Things just…aren’t the same anymore.” You whisper to the picture, and then you close the book with a snap.

You might as well actually read a book while you’re up here. The more your mom thinks you’re busy, the less likely it is that you’ll have to go downstairs and watch her flirt with your uncle.

*************

The following day is a busy day for you. You spend the large portion of the morning working on carvings in your workshop at the back of the house, but you can only do that for so long before you need to stretch your legs a little.

So you bundle up, and leave the house.

You stop at the stationary shop first, you need a new notebook for planning your carvings out, and you also grab several new pens and pencils, before you leave and head for the grocery store.

There are several items you need for yourself, and then your mom left a list of items she needs as well.

The stuff you need is easy to get, right near the front of the store, but your mom needs a very specific item from the back of the store, on the very top shelf.

You glare at the innocent item sitting just out of reach, even with you standing on your toes. You stand on your toes again, trying to stretch just a little more, though your fingers are just barely able to brush the front of the jar.

You’re considering climbing the shelf to grab the item, when someone reaches over your shoulder and grabs the bottle easily, before he offers it to you, “This is what you wanted, right?” He asks.

You gratefully take the bottle, “Yes, thank you.” You reply as you look up at him, you don’t recognize him, but he’s got shoulder length black hair and half of his face is covered by a skull tattoo. “I tried to get the doctors to make me just a little bit taller when they gave me my legs,” You joke, “But they said I have to be proportional.”

He pauses, “Well, you’re definitely…proportional.”

“...thank you?”

“That’s a weird compliment, isn’t it?”

You laugh, “Yeah, just-just a little. But I will take it in the spirit that it was offered.”

“Well that’s a relief,” He replies, “Hunter.” He pauses, “Ah…my name. Hunter is my name.” He sighs, “Stars, you’d think I’ve never spoken to another person before.”

You laugh quietly, “It’s alright,” You reassure, and then you offer him your hand as you introduce yourself, “It’s the cold,” You joke with an easy smile, “It saps the brain and the ability to think properly.”

“You know, I don’t think that’s how the cold works.” Hunter replies as he folds his arms across his chest.

“Really? I’ve lived here my entire life, and you’d be surprised at how many people start stumbling over their words.” You counter.

“Maybe they’re stunned by your beauty.” He offers with a sly smile.

You release a delighted laugh, “I bet you say that to all the girls.” You say once you get your laughter under control.

“You’d be the first,” Hunter says with a smooth shrug.

“Is that right?”

“It is indeed.” His grin grows, “So, do you need anymore help with your shopping? I would hate for you to miss anything on your list because of being short.”

“Oh, you think you’re cute, don’t you?” You ask, though there’s no heat in your voice.

“Well, I wouldn’t jump to cute…” Hunter replies, “Handsome, maybe. Stunning, sexy-”

“I am not calling you any of those.”

“That’s okay, I can be patient.”

You shake your head, “As it happens, I’m actually done with my shopping.”

“Ah, well. Maybe next time then.”

“Oh? You’re planning on sticking around then?” You ask.

“Mm. The Queen hired me and my brothers to look into some insurrectionists.” Hunter says absently.

You pause, “Oh. You’re the mercs that my Uncle mentioned. Hate to break it to you, Hunter, but you’re not going to get much help from people for your investigation.”

“Why’s that?” He follows you to the front of the store, though you don’t feel hounded.

You glance at him and motion for him to step to the side with you. You set your shopping basket and your bag on the ground and quickly tug up your pant legs, revealing the prosthetics underneath. And then you lower the pant legs and tuck them back into your snow boots, “Three years ago,” You start, “I was on a trip with my father, gathering wood for his business, and we got caught in a sudden snowstorm. Dad managed to find shelter, but the place we found was property of the snow queen,”

You grab your basket and bag, and straighten, locking your gaze with Hunter’s.

“The Queen’s guards killed my father before we even realized that we were somewhere we weren’t supposed to be.” You continue, “My punishment for trespassing was to have both of my legs removed.”

Hunter frowns, “That seems…excessive.”

“Yeah. A bit.” You agree wryly. “So, anyway, you’re not going to get much help.”

“Okay, so…follow up question,” Hunter says, “How is the Queen viewed by her people?”

“Hm…some people are loyal to her, but the wide majority aren’t.” You answer honestly, “We’re, honestly, tired of the snow and the ice, and near constant storms.”

“You’re very honest about this.”

“Yeah, well…I’m allowed my opinion.” You set your basket on the counter, and smile at the kid working the counter, who’s eyeing Hunter warily. “I’m all set,”

He smiles at you nervously, “You know…Bram isn’t going to be thrilled about you making friends with-” He gestures to Hunter.

You hum thoughtfully, “He broke our engagement when I was still in the hospital after having my legs cut off. Do you really think I care what he thinks?”

“...no. No, I do not.”

“Smart kid. How much do I owe?”

“25 credits-”

Hunter reaches around you and drops the credits on the counter, and you shoot him a strange look, “I need whatever information you’re willing to share. Will you come with me to the place me and my brothers are staying?”

You watch him for a moment, and then you nod slowly, “Yeah, alright.” You load up your bag, and watch, bemused, as Hunter takes the bag before you can heave it over your shoulder.

“We’re not far. We’re staying in a house not far from here.” He explains as he waits for you to pull your knit hat over your head, and then guides you out of the shop.

True to his word, the home that he’s staying in is only a few streets over, which you’re grateful for as snow starts falling from the sky.

Like all of the houses, the front door leads to a mudroom, allowing you to strip off your wet winter gear, and leaving you in the much more comfortable long sleeve tunic and trousers. Hunter leaves your bag in the mudroom as well, since you have nothing perishable, and he leads you into the house properly.

“My batchmates,” Hunter says as he enters the sitting room, “Crosshair,” He motions to a silver haired man, “Tech,” He motions to a man wearing thick glasses, “And Wrecker.” He motions to the massive man sitting on the floor.

“You brought someone to give us information?” Tech asks without looking up from his book.

“Something like that.” Hunter replies, “Have a seat wherever you like. Do you need anything for your legs?”

“Hm? Oh, no. Nothing that can’t wait until I get home, at least. Thank you though.” You say brightly.

“I have a prosthetic too!” Wrecker says cheerfully as he turns to look at you, and he taps under one of his eyes, “How’d you get yours?”

You tilt your head, “The Queen’s Guards cut them off after they murdered my father in front of me for the crime of trying to escape a blizzard that the Queen created.” You answer honestly.

The room is silent for a moment, “You’re joking.” Crosshair finally says.

“I’m not.” You answer.

“...it appears that we were not told the complete truth of the situation here,” Tech notes as he finally looks up from his book, “She’s a magic user?”

You shrug, “Mom swears that her Great-Grandmother used to tell her that Pabu was tropical once upon a time. And then one day this woman arrived and declared herself Queen and created an eternal winter. Plus the same woman has been Queen since then.”

“Fuck.” Crosshair says bluntly, and empathically.

“Okay, so how has she stayed alive so long?” Wrecker asks.

“Magic, probably.” Hunter replies, “She creates the snowstorms?”

You nod.

“We need to reconsider what we’re doing here,” Tech says quietly, “We need to do an investigation and get all of the details.”

“So I take it I’m being kicked out,” You joke lightly.

“‘Fraid so.” Hunter replies easily, “We need to do our own investigation. If we have any questions-”

“You can always come and find me,” You say with a small smile as you push yourself to your feet.

“Well, I might just do that anyway,” He flirts lightly, resolutely ignoring the looks his brothers are sending him.

Your smile broadens, “I’ll look forward to it then.” You turn and leave the room, a quiet giggle slipping from you when you hear a muffled thump and a hiss of pain.

You pull your winter gear back on and leave the house…and never make it back home.

**************

“This is an exercise in futility,” Tech says with a frown, as he closes a book with a decisive snap, “No one here is willing to talk to us.”

“Maybe you should go and talk to your pretty little cyar’ika, vod.” Crosshair drawls as he flicks his toothpick at Hunter.

Hunter flings a ball of paper at Crosshair’s face, “Maybe I will, she’ll be better company if nothing else.”

Wrecker’s head turns towards his brothers, “Wait, is she your cyare? Does that make her our vod’ika?”

“No.” Hunter says immediately.

“Yes.” Crosshair and Tech say in unison, apparently having woken up that morning and chosen violence.

“Okay, you know what-” Hunter says, his eyes flashing with anger, as he leans across the table, but before he can continue there’s a loud knock on the door.

“We aren’t expecting company, are we?” Tech asks, standing as the knocking continues.

“Not that I know of,” Crosshair replies as he grabs his crossbow.

Wrecker moves to the mudroom and pushes the front door open, “Uh…can we help you?” Hunter hears him ask, and then a woman bursts into the living room.

The woman rips her wool hat off of her head and her wild gaze locks on Hunter, “Where is she!?”

“I beg your-”

“My daughter! Where is my daughter? You were the last person to see her and now she’s missing and what did you do to her-?”

“Ma’am, ma’am, please calm down!” Hunter holds out his hands, trying to calm the frantic woman.

“I already lost my husband, and now my daughter is missing too and, and-” The woman sobs, “You have to have her! Please!”

“I think she’s talking about your cyar’ika.” Crosshair murmurs, his eyes narrowing in thought.

“I think you’re right.” Hunter agrees.

“Here,” Wrecker gently guides her to a chair, “Why don’t you sit down?”

The older woman releases a shuddering soft as she allows Wrecker to guide her to a seat, and then Hunter moves over to her and kneels in front of the woman, “Ma’am,” He says gently, “I swear to you, your daughter isn’t here. She walked out of here on her own power.”

The woman stared at him, her eyes wide, and then her face crumpled, “No…”

Hunter lightly takes her hands, “But we will do everything in our power to find her.” He turns to look at Tech and Crosshair, who both nod and head out of the house, and then he looks back at the woman, “Now, is there anything you can tell us? Have you seen anything strange?”

She sniffles, “Um…” She wipes her eyes with the sleeves of her thick jacket, “I came home from work the other day and saw that her workroom was trashed.”

“Was anything missing?” Wrecker asks.

“I don’t know. It was my husband’s workshop before he died…I didn’t really go in there.” She chokes back another sob, “But her room was also trashed. I didn’t see anything missing…I just assumed that she had a bad day-”

“That’s alright,”

“I’m a terrible mother,” She whispers, “How could I not know if something’s missing…”

“You’re not a terrible mother. A terrible mother wouldn’t be here, demanding answers from the people she thought took her daughter.” Hunter corrects kindly, “Now…Wrecker here is going to escort you home.”

“Oh…you don’t have to-”

“We do.” Hunter interrupts, and then he crosses the room to Wrecker, “Stay with her. They might come back.”

“Got it. Happy hunting, vod.”

Less than ten minutes later, Tech and Crosshair return. Neither of them bother to remove their winter weather gear, “We found something, but you’re not going to like it.” Crosshair says.

“Tell me anyway.”

The twins share a look, and then Tech places something on the table. There’s a prosthetic leg on the table, painted in bright colors, “They took one of her legs,” Tech says, “Likely to keep her from escaping.”

“You might be able to track her,” Crosshair picks up the conversation smoothly, “But it has been three days…and it’s been snowing.”

“Snow isn’t like rain, especially since it’s always cold enough for the snow to never melt,” Hunter says thoughtfully, and his gaze drifts to the painted leg on the table, “Okay. Change of plans.” He says, “Tech, Cross, go and find the people we were supposed to be looking for in the first place. I know that you know who they are. Press them for details.”

“And what do you want us to do after?” Tech asks.

“Act on what you find out.” Hunter replies, he grabs the leg off the table and wraps it in a blanket, “I’m going to go see if I can find her.”

Tech nods, and Crosshair just turns and leaves the room, “Tech, hurry up!” He calls from the front door.

“Don’t rush me!” Tech says as he turns and chases after his twin.

*************

You shiver as you pull your leg up to your chin. It’s cold enough that you can see your breath, and you’d probably be in a lot of trouble if you hadn’t been allowed to keep your cold weather gear on.

But it’s been days, at least you think it has, and the biting cold is starting to seep through your clothes.

You wonder if this is what it’s like to be a political prisoner, though you can’t possibly imagine that you’re politically significant enough to actually be a political prisoner.

You release a trembling breath and wrap your arm around your leg, if it gets much colder, you’re going to have to remove your other leg to keep from getting frostbite.

You jump when the door to your cell opens, and one of the guards lumbers into the room, “Lunch,” He grunts, as he sets a simple bowl on the floor.

“Can I get a blanket?” You ask.

He stares at you blankly, “No.” And then he turns and leaves the room.

At least the meal is something hot. Soup, in a paper bowl, so that you can’t use it to make a weapon or anything. Food is food though, and you couldn’t escape with only one leg if you wanted to.

You hope someone comes to get you, though.

You jump when you hear a loud crash from the hallway, and then jump again when something heavy slams against the cell door and it falls in.

You stare at the door for a moment, and then look up at the doorway, shock crossing your face as Hunter steps in the doorway, “There you are.”

“...Hunter?”

He smiles at you, though there’s something almost feral in his gaze, “That’s me.”

“I…you…how?” You sputter.

“Your mom, she thought that we were holding you and came to demand your release.” He answers as he hops down the steps and kneels in front of you, “Here, this belongs to you.” He unhooks something from around his back, and unwraps it, revealing your leg.

“My mom?” You ask as you numbly take your leg back.

“She’s a tough lady. I have no doubt that if she thought that we actually had you she would have attacked us.” Hunter says with a grin.

You clumsily untie the knot that you were using to keep the cold away from the stub of your leg, and you reattach your leg, “She probably would have,” You admit, grimacing as the nerves reattached to the leg.

“You good?”

“It hurts. It always hurts.” You say quietly. And then you take a deep breath and pull the pant leg down and shove the material into the boot that was still on your foot. “Can we leave?”

“That’s the plan, princess.” Hunter glances towards the door, and then back at you, “Come on, on your feet.” He helps you to your feet and steadies you.

“How’d you find me?” You ask as you allow him to help you up the steps.

“I’m a tracker.” Hunter explains, he glances at you, “I sniffed you out,” He clarifies as he taps his nose, “Literally, as it happens.”

“...oh.”

He smiles reassuringly at you, “Don’t worry, I’m going to get you home.”

“I believe you.” You grimace slightly, “I’m not going to be able to walk quickly though…too much time in the cold.”

“Then we’ll take it slow. As slow as you need to.”

That’s good in theory, but the reality is that Hunter just broke into the Queen’s personal prison, and killed one of her personal guards. Which means that less than fifteen minutes after he gets you out of the prison, Hunter is throwing you into an alcove as Guards descend on him from every direction.

You watch, terrified, as the fight starts. And then the terror fades into something like awe. None of the guards could touch him, as he essentially dances around them, and under their blades.

When the last guard hits the ground, he turns to you, he’s not even winded, “Alright, princess. Time to go.” He holds his hand out to you and you accept the hand as he effortlessly lifts you over the bodies on the ground.

You’re almost outside when you notice something strange, there are puddles of water on the floor of the Queen’s ice palace. “I think the palace is melting, is that your doing?” You ask Hunter.

“Not intentionally,” He replies as he hurries ahead of you and opens the door, “Come on, princess. We’re in the home stretch.”

“Aside from the hour-long walk back to the village.” You remind him.

“Yeah, aside from that.” He helps you down the final staircase and then guides you away from the palace. “I’m surprised we didn’t run into any more guards.” He admits.

“If the palace is melting, it means that the Queen probably has more pressing concerns.” You point out.

“Fair point,” He lightly places his hand on the small of your back, “Come on, let’s get you back to your mom.”

By the time you're halfway home, you had to stop to strip off your winter clothing, as the temperature had shot up to the point where it’s uncomfortable to wear them.

By the time you step foot in the village properly, all of the snow has melted, and everything is muddy and gross. Ironically, the mud is harder for you to walk in than snow, and Hunter ends up having to carry you back to your home.

Your mom lets out a cry when she sees you, and immediately flies to your side. Hunter is barely able to set you on the gravel path in front of your house before your mom is wrapped around you, and sobbing in your hair.

*****

Three days later, you’re sitting on a bench on the outside of the village square with Hunter sitting next to you. Your mom and uncle are in the mass of people standing in front of where the statue of the Queen once stood, and the rest of Hunter’s brothers are milling around the group of people in civilian clothes.

“What do you think this town meeting is about?” You ask Hunter.

“Probably about who’s going to run the village now that the Queen is dead,” He replies as he stretches out, “Once things dry out you’ll be able to take up farming again, and the fishing boats can come out of storage.”

“Hm, true enough. I guess the shop will go back to making fishing boats, rather than anything else.” You say thoughtfully, “Which means I’m going to need a new job.” You add with a sigh.

“You’ll be alright. You’re pretty smart after all.”

“Just pretty smart?” You tease.

“Well, I have to compare you to Tech-”

You laugh, “Point taken.” You find Tech in the crowd, and you lift a hand to hide your smile, he’s surrounded by people and he seems to be giving a lecture, “He looks happy.” You note lightly.

“He has a captive audience. Of course he’s happy,” Hunter replies with a sigh.

“Hm…what are you guys going to do now? Head back to Mandalore?” You ask.

“Haven’t decided. Why?”

“Well,” You say slowly, thoughtfully, “You did kinda…break our entire way of life.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yeah. I mean, we have to relearn how to fish, and relearn how to make boats, and relearn how to grow crops-” You list.

“You know, I could have just left you at the mercy of the Snow Queen.”

“No you couldn’t.”

He sighs, “No, I couldn’t.” Hunter removes his bandana for a moment and pushes his hair out of his eyes, “Alright, what are you suggesting, princess.”

“Well, Tech knows a lot about, well, everything. Having him around would help us get resettled a lot faster.” You say, almost absently.

“Yeah, I bet he would. But what about me and Crosshair?”

“I’m sure we can find something for men with your skill sets to do.”

Hunter leans back and stares at you for a moment, “Alright.”

“Alright?”

“Alright. I’ll talk to my brothers, see if they’re on board. And if they all agree, we’ll stick around.” Hunter ties his bandana back on and stands, “Besides, I still need to get you to call me handsome or sexy.” He adds with a cheeky grin.

“Never gonna happen.” You reply in a sing-song voice.

He leans in, until his face is uncomfortably close to yours, “Fifty credits that I’ll get you to call me on, or both, by the end of the year.”

“Deal.” You say.

“Deal.” He shakes your hand, and then pulls you to your feet, “Come on, let’s go hear what the people have to say.”

11 months later, you lose that bet.

#star wars #tcw #tbb hunter x reader #hunter x reader #star wars au #x reader fanfic #star wars fanfiction

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lucabite · 8 months

Text

Finally finished up some outfits and names for the other half of the New Orphidian Wrestling Federation. They might be the biggest wrestling org in the country, but damn if it's not a small country.

General plotline thoughts and gimmicks under the cut

NOWF (not the best acronym) is the national wrestling federation for New Orphidian, which is a tiny little island nation. A tax-haven of an island nation, mind you, so it does have some stars, but it's nowhere near the biggest league around. It's got a decent budget, but is sufficiently gimmick-heavy.

The current major storyline features relative newcomer, Chromium Mono, styled as The False Idol. He was a massive get, and is effectively playing a fictionalised version of himself. It'd be hard not to, given his prior celebrity.

He came in swinging as a heel, doing a Dr Jekyll-Mr Hyde style bit, where he is a malevolence overtaking the sweet and corporate pop musician he was previously known as. What helps supremely with this, is that his real-life husband, Tabitha Boss has been folded into the story too, being quite literally his old manager-- And, a relative of the skeevy owner of NOWF, Casper Jr.

(Guys who didn't make it onto the picture vvv. Lightning strike is long retired after a... legal scandal.)

Playing the part of an evil corporate overlord, Tabitha mostly just stands there and looks scary. In Kayfabe, Chrome was literally manufactured as part of their schemes, and his lab-grown nature is what has lead to his eeeevil side.

He is presently involved in the 'brainwashing' of several other wrestlers, and must be stopped before the whole establishment loses their free will...

Next up, an even more recent newcomer (who is not long for the business), is Weapon M. Scouted out by Chrome himself, they were quickly snapped up by the establishment after demonstrating honest-to-god super-strength. Kid can bend a steel pipe without breaking a sweat.

They're a bit of a clumsy liability, being rather untrained, but they fit in perfectly with the whole supersolider narrative they're starting to build, so a rather generic costume was quickly altered to fit them and into the ring they were tossed.

Now, as for more established wrestlers...

Baron Prince, a guy who is so averse to breaking Kayfabe, it's honestly unclear if they are even doing it. This might just be the way they act for real.

Speaking and acting like 18th century nobility, Baron is not really a Heel, moreso just the kind of coward who always tries to pick the winning side. Obviously, this means they get their comeuppance for their treacherous nature quite frequently, and is a great guy to love to hate, even if sometimes. they're on the 'good' side.

Now, poor Bunnyhop is just a regular ol' face. They just also happen to be a jobber, given their skittish demeanor and lanky frame. You always feel bad watching them get thrown around-- and quite often, betrayed by Baron-- but they do a really good job selling it.

The Fence was once a heel, being as imposing as they are-- but sometimes a guy is so lovable outside the ring, it bleeds into their image. They, along with Miracle, are the most prolific in terms of charitable acts and appearances.

In the ring, their actual moveset hasn't changed much since their heel days, still acting as an immovable slab of raw muscle and fat. They aren't all too much taller than their opponents-- in fact, being shorter than bunnyhop and several others-- but their presence is overwhelming. Much like their name would imply, they act as a barrier, stopping anyone from getting past.

Miracle Okami, however, is The Big One. He's the face of the company, and if he didn't have such upstanding moral fibre, would've been snapped up by bigger and better circuits long ago.

Beloved by children across the nation, Miracle too never drops kayfabe-- Since he's just that cool in real life too. The only thing that really changes are his soft jelly-plastic shades being swapped out for real ones.

He is practically a superhero, and has obviously won many a major tournament, only ever tapping out to give someone else a well-deserved win. He even has superpowers, often being allowed to "control electricity" and "create sparks from his hands" via use of light pyrotechnics and lights shows.

He's just impossible to hate (unless you're an edgy teenager, of course, but that's more on them than him).

5-tonne and Bug-squasher are, traditionally, a tag team, albeit one with slightly unaligned goals. 5-tonne is a rude little man, who isn't opposed to fighting dirty, where Bugsquasher is a brute with a heart of gold.

She is, however, often allowed to bring the severed plane tail fin into the ring to use as a weapon.

Allegedly, 5-tonne is similarly a pain backstage, too, and is thus not super good friends with the rest of the performers-- a spot that would otherwise be taken by Baron Prince. Even Bug-squasher, who has been partners with him since the local leagues, has started to take umbridge with him, though she's keeping it civil.

Harley "Heartstopper" Sorell is yet another face, though she's very much the scary kind. A bringer of justice, she's probably best described as being a cop. It helps that she hangs out with them in real-life too, which is, uhhhhh. She rides motorcycles okay.

She's obviously a bit of a fan favourite, as people love cops who Take Justice Into Their Own Hands, but backstage she's seen as a major narc, and will be the first one to tattle on you to management if you start badmouthing them. She's a suckup, but unfortunately she's also one of the few in the federation who comes from an MMA background, rather than theatre, making her a force to be reckoned with.

Diamond-eye Jack is presently here on loan from halfway across the world. A bit of a peace offering between corporations, y'know.

He's the butchest woman in a 500 mile radius, and plays a traditional western cowboy. Very exotic for New Orphidian-- They don't have those here. He can even use a lasso! How exciting.

He is however, acting as an excellent foil for Chrome right now. Pop music vs Country is a classic little culture war, and Jack's cool, calm and suave demeanor plays great against Chrome's ruthless posturing.

They've also got a kind of, cowboy-ninja thing going on with Miracle. A beautiful alliance between cultures. Love wins.

Selene Dulcibel is not yet in the ring, but will be soon. One of Chrome's genuine ex-girlfriends from back in his 20s, the two had a viciously public breakup that was the talk of tabloids for months.

They were also, however, both deeply traumatised people. While Chrome has gotten over it by becoming numb to the whole ordeal, Selene is still very, very hurt. She knows, logically, now, that none of it was his fault-- But-- Well--

A good friend of The Fence outside the ring, when she found out Chrome was back in the country and had become her bestie's co-worker, she kind of, maybe, suggested the storyline.

The Fence thought it was a bad idea (it is), since Selene isn't in a great place mentally, but Casper Jr. LOVED the idea. You can't manufacture bitterness this real and true. She'll be making her debut soon, and it's probably not going to go well for anybody.

The Mad Doctor is not really a wrestler, but is allowed to be gently picked up and thrown around by Chrome. It's all in good fun.

They aren't really canon, being, under the mask, Ali Alighieri. A character who only exists in Purrgatorio. In this continuity however, they are basically Chrome and Tabitha's weird adopted teenager that they found, and so they play a supplementary character to their acts-- The Mad Scientist who 'created' Chrome in the first place.

(The Mad Doctor and Weapon M are effectively mutually exclusive, Chrome only has the capacity to mentor one nonbinary teenager per timeline, oops.)

... Mostly though, Casper's writing quality tends to come out a bit like a guy smacking action figures together, so the circuit isn't held in much high regard by international fans. Everybody loves Miracle, though.

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dragimal · 4 months

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Fixing Fontaine

as a continuation of my Fontaine review, I'd like to suggest my personal fixes for the biggest fuck-ups in Fontaine

1) Catacombs and Wrio

at worst, the Fortress should have been treated the same way prison is treated in the other nations-- that is, it exists, but we're not gonna dig into it.

but I get why Hoyo was so interested in prison for the nation of "Justice" so Fontaine's narrative could still involve the prison system. but obviously it should be a critique of the prison system, and the idea of "justice" used as a punitive measure rather than a way to seek fairness and equality in society. and in that case, not much time should be spent in the prison bc it's, y'know, fucking awful, and players would hate it there, once the forcefully-positive veneer is pulled off of it.

so here's my suggestion for an alternate setting for the 4.1 archon quest: Catacombs!

it feels so obvious to me, the catacombs are a rly unique, well-know bit of French culture, why not throw them into Fontaine? it could even be an extension of the steampunk theme going on in other underground areas, like Poisson, but it gets even darker and more morbid the further down you go. hell, this could be the setting related to the Primordial Sea-- instead of exiles creating their own "prison", they create their own networks of tunnels to survive in, and eventually discover a connection to the Primordial Sea. maybe religions and cults have grown around this discovery, idk

and here we could meet a sort of underground/criminal culture, with gangs and factions of various sorts. I could very easily picture meeting Wriothesley as one of the gang leaders-- intimidating and clearly deadly. but then as we learn more abt him, it turns out he really doesn't consider himself the head honcho, and kinda just does his own thing. many ppl in the catacombs have just gathered behind him cus' he's so tough and capable. he kind of hates the attention, but he can't rly do anything abt it, so he might as well use them as he needs.

in either case, Wrio and the ppl who follow him run an underground network of safe havens and services, protecting accused persons from Gardes, smuggling goods/services into/out of the prison, and hoarding prisoner assets until their release. they rarely try to break inmates out of prison due to the high stakes, but have attempted it a few times-- in particular, Wrio and co. try to help Traveler break in to find Childe, only to find he's missing (they don't know he's missing beforehand, in this version).

Wrio also runs an underground fight club for funsies <3

perhaps Wrio and co. even have dealings with the Spina di Rosula? I can picture Spina as one of the more "respectable" gangs, according to above-ground Fontaine-- they work through the courts, after all! Spina straddles the line between the above and underground just enough that they don't find themselves at odds with the Gardes. but if they help with Wrio's services of prison smuggling and inmate protection, then no one needs to know that~ Wrio doesn't mind serving as the scapegoat for the more criminal activities the Spina may find themselves helping with-- above-ground has already painted him as the bad guy, so he'll just play the part

thus, Wrio is no longer a pawn of the state, but a much more respectable leader imo. he sees himself providing the protection and services he was denied in his hour of need as a youth-- if the state won't protect you, Wrio will. I wouldn't even mind him being a smug bastard in this situation, I'd LOVE to see this Wrio giving Gardes lip

2) Furina

instead of bulldozing over her trauma and forcing her to act again, Furina's story quest SHOULD have focused on self-acceptance and self-confidence.

namely, I think Furina should have been re-introduced to the world. all that Furina really knows of the world is acting-- acting for social niceties, acting as an art, and acting for survival. it's a very narrow world view, and it's tragic to think that she knows so little else of the big wide world.

Traveler picks up on this, and being rather worldly, thinks they know exactly what to do. in this version, Traveler is written to be far more understanding of Furina's situation-- no more mocking her house or depression meals. but that doesn't mean Traveler may not approach this situation a bit too... eagerly

I'm picturing Traveler pulling Furina out of the house, insisting that she needs to see more of the world (or at least, more of Fontiane) than she's been able to see from the limited scope of the stage. bundling Furina in disguises so she's not recognized, Traveler takes her to experience more remote areas-- fishing at the beach, painting up in the mountains, etc.

and throughout this journey, as they pass by the city or Palais Mermonia, they keep running into Neuvillette. he and Furina keep acting awkward around one another, though it's unclear to Traveler why.

and Traveler's trying so hard to show Furina the world, that they don't notice that Furina's getting a bit overwhelmed with everything, and she's trying to tell them to slow down. Furina gets fed up, and runs off back home, and Traveler thinks they failed.

Traveler walks the streets of the city for a bit, trying to think of how to approach Furina, when they bump into Neuvillette again. after discussing the situation, Neuvillette makes a suggestion-- one that Traveler readily agrees to, pulling Neuvillette along. he and Traveler grab the supplies they need-- with perhaps a few pointers from Navia, at Traveler's suggestion-- and return to Furina's house.

Furina opens her door to Traveler and Neuvillette holding a precarious stack of cooking/backing items, and Traveler begging for them to be let in. Furina begrudgingly allows it, her "haughty" mask back in place as she demands to know why they're bothering her at her home.

Traveler says they have just one more activity planned, if Furina is willing. having learned their lesson, Traveler merely waves their hand at the baking supplies, waiting for Furina's response. Furina, a little dazed, picks through the supplies and asks, "Just... baking?"

"Just baking," Traveler replies, Neuvillette nodding along.

"Ok... if it's just baking," and Furina's quiet voice shifts to one of confident bravado, "Then I'd be happy to teach you two a thing or two about the fine art of pastries! Hand me a mixing bowl!"

it turns out, eating pastries for 500 years is not quite the same as baking pastries for 500 years. Furina and Neuvillette both end up fumbling several steps, covering themselves in flour and sugar, and Traveler has to come to the rescue with their advanced cooking skills.

it's only once they're all finally enjoying their pastries-- some a little more wonky than others-- that they all begin to really talk.

Traveler apologizes for overwhelming Furina-- they just wanted Furina to know that the world is so much bigger than she's been allowed to see. but as a traveler, they're used to seeing many people and places in a day, and forgot that not everyone is made for that.

Furina playfully turns her nose up at Traveler, "I suppose I can find it in my divine heart to forgive you. After all, I am a kind and just Arc-- or. Person, now. I am a kind and just person."

"That you are," Neuvillette agrees.

Neuvillette apologizes for not checking in on Furina more, and explains his own fears of not understanding her. he's not human, after all, and still doesn't believe he fully understands human emotions. and after all this time, does he even really know Furina? does he deserve to even call her a friend, when he couldn't see the pain she was in, and judged her seemingly "childish" character so harshly?

Furina reaches for Neuvillette's hands as the sky darkens with rain outside the window, gripping them with a strength she hasn't shown in many days, "Neuvillete, you couldn't have known-- I didn't want you to know. That was the whole point, it all would have failed if I had slipped up even once."

"But perhaps, if I had thought to ask--"

"I would have lied. And nothing would have changed."

Neuvillette shakes his head-- he has no response to that.

Furina giggles a little hysterically, "And all this time, I thought you hated me!"

"Hated you?" Neuvillette looks stunned

"All I've ever done is annoy you-- don't deny it, it's true. And now I have the face of the Archon who... who forced you to watch her demise. What have I even done for Fontaine, really? All I did was sit there and cry. Surely, I'm only a reminder of terrible moments--"

Neuvillette stands abruptly, gripping Furina by the shoulders and looking straight into her eyes, "Lady Furina, you are nothing short of a hero. You sacrificed every moment of your time and happiness for a people you barely knew at the start, and have only grown to love them, even in your most painful moments. Your will and courage is beyond comparison, and I only hope to serve as half the Sovereign that you served as Archon to this nation."

Furina's eyes fill with tears as she throws her arms around Neuvillette's shoulders, laughing with relief, "S-stop calling me 'Lady'! I'm just Furina now. Only Furina."

Neuvillette stands stunned for a moment (has he ever hugged anyone before?), before returning the embrace, "As you wish, Furina. Just know that in my heart, you will always be this nation's Lady."

Traveler thinks to themself that perhaps the Furina and Neuvillette understand each other better than they realize.

and it is in this moment, where Furina's wants and needs come first, where her closest friends have provided her a safe place to release her worries, where she has finally made something for herself with her own hands--

that her Vision flashes into existence, twinkling with inner light. Furina reaches for it with wonder, wondering what she's even done to deserve it.

but Neuvillette and Traveler know, and now they have all the time in the world to convince Furina why.

3) Nicer Traveler

I think the above section covers Furina's treatment, but just, make Traveler (+ Paimon) be nicer to Lyney and Lynette? it's not even that hard of a fix, just stop giving Traveler weird double-standards towards different Fatui. Traveler is literally friends with Childe "war crimes" Tartaglia, c'mon

4) Melusines

the Melusines in my head are Actual Slugs and are treated like a genuinely different species who are also people instead of infantilized toddlers. that's it

#sorry parts of this accidentally turned into fix-it fic #shut up ashley #genshin impact #fontaine genshin

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 3 months

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https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/at-least-12-u-n-agency-employees-involved-in-oct-7-attacks-intelligence-reports-say-a7de8f36

By: Carrie Keller-Lynn and David Luhnow

Published: Jan. 29, 2024

TEL AVIV—At least 12 employees of the U.N.’s Palestinian refugee agency had connections to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel and around 10% of all of its Gaza staff have ties to Islamist militant groups, according to intelligence reports reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Six United Nations Relief and Works Agency workers were part of the wave of Palestinian militants who killed 1,200 people in the deadliest assault on Jews since the Holocaust, according to the intelligence dossier. Two helped kidnap Israelis. Two others were tracked to sites where scores of Israeli civilians were shot and killed. Others coordinated logistics for the assault, including procuring weapons.

Of the 12 Unrwa employees with links to the attacks, seven were primary or secondary school teachers, including two math teachers, two Arabic language teachers and one primary school teacher.

The information in the intelligence reports—based on what an official described as very sensitive signals intelligence as well as cellphone tracking data, interrogations of captured Hamas fighters and documents recovered from dead militants, among other things—were part of a briefing given by Israel to U.S. officials that led Washington and others to suspend aid to Unrwa.

Intelligence estimates shared with the U.S. conclude that around 1,200 of Unrwa’s roughly 12,000 employees in Gaza have links to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and about half have close relatives who belong to the Islamist militant groups. Both groups have been designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. and others. Hamas has run Gaza since a 2007 coup.

“Unrwa’s problem is not just ‘a few bad apples’ involved in the October 7 massacre,” said a senior Israeli government official. “The institution as a whole is a haven for Hamas’ radical ideology.”

An Unrwa spokesperson on Monday declined to comment, saying an internal U.N. investigation into the agency was under way.

Two officials familiar with the intelligence said the Unrwa employees considered to have ties with militant groups were deemed to be “operatives,” indicating they took active part in the organization’s military or political framework. The report said 23% of Unrwa’s male employees had ties to Hamas, a higher percentage than the average of 15% for adult males in Gaza, indicating a higher politicization of the agency than the population at large.

Nearly half of all Unrwa employees—an estimated 49%—also had close relatives who also had official ties to the militant groups, especially Hamas, the intelligence reports said.

In the aftermath of Oct. 7, as Israel has waged war against Hamas in Gaza, Unrwa has emerged as one of the loudest voices decrying the impact of the fierce fighting on Palestinians in the enclave, where authorities say more than 26,000 people have been killed. Unrwa says at least 152 of its own staff have been killed in the conflict.

The agency is also the main pillar of operations to move food aid, medicine and other humanitarian supplies into Gaza.

The vast majority of Unrwa’s 30,000 staff across the Middle East are Palestinian, and Israel and some in the U.S. have long accused it of nurturing anti-Israeli sentiment in crowded refugee camps that have been important recruiting grounds for militant groups, including Hamas.

The Trump administration suspended funding for Unrwa in 2018, saying the agency’s mission was fundamentally misguided. The Biden administration renewed funding in 2021.

The Oct. 7 intelligence reports seen by the Journal identified an Unrwa Arabic teacher who the reports said was also a Hamas militant commander and took part in a terrorist attack on Kibbutz Be’eri, where 97 people were killed and about 26 people were kidnapped and taken as hostages to Gaza.

Another Unrwa employee, described in the dossier as an Unrwa social worker, played a role in absconding with the body of a dead Israeli soldier, which was taken to Gaza, the reports said. He also coordinated trucks and munitions distributions for Hamas before being killed.

A person familiar with the dossier said that after U.S. officials were briefed on the intelligence material, they alerted Unrwa, which put out a statement announcing the allegation that some of its employees were linked to the attacks and saying it had fired the employees involved. It provided no details, and didn’t say how many employees were involved.

On Sunday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said he was personally horrified by the allegations.

Unrwa commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini criticized Western nations for pausing aid at a time when Gaza is facing a humanitarian crisis as the war between Hamas and Israel rages. Guterres also implored nations to not suspend humanitarian aid.

It is “immensely irresponsible to sanction an agency and an entire community it serves because of allegations of criminal acts against some individuals,” Lazzarini said.

Unrwa looks after more than 5 million Palestinians in densely-packed refugee neighborhoods across the Middle East, including the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. But its biggest operations are in Gaza, where it looks after an estimated 80% of the local population and runs hundreds of schools and scores of clinics.

Israel says it has documented deepening ties between Unrwa and Hamas since the militant group cemented its hold on Gaza in 2007. Unrwa has admitted to finding Hamas weapons stored in schools and Israel has repeatedly said Hamas tunnels run under and through Unrwa buildings as well as other civilian facilities. The former head of Unrwa’s union in Gaza was fired in 2017 after Israel found out he had been elected to Hamas’ top political leadership.

The dossier is the most detailed look yet at the widespread links between the Unrwa employees and militants. It offers telling details regarding the events of Oct. 7.

A math teacher belonging to Hamas was close enough to a female hostage in Gaza that he took a picture of her. Another teacher was carrying an antitank missile the night before the invasion.

One Unrwa employee set up an operations room for Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Oct. 8, the day after the attack. Three other employees, including another Arabic teacher at an Unrwa school, received a text from Hamas to arm themselves at a staging area close to the border the night before the attack. It was unclear whether they went.

A different elementary school teacher did cross into Israel and went to Reim, a district where a kibbutz, an army base and a music festival were attacked.

One of the intelligence reports seen by the Journal said a 13th Unrwa employee, who didn’t have a discernible affiliation with a terror group, also entered Israel. Hundreds of Gazan civilians flooded across the border as part of the Hamas-led attack, Israel says.

Teachers make up nearly three-quarters of Unrwa’s Gaza-based local staff. Unrwa schools, which use textbooks approved by the Palestinian Authority, have come under fire for using materials that allegedly glorify terrorists and promote hatred of Israel. Unrwa says it has taken steps to address problematic content, but a 2019 U.S. Government Accountability Office report said that measures haven’t always been implemented.

Since Oct. 7, Hamas has stolen more than $1 million worth of Unrwa supplies, including fuel and trucks, according to the intelligence report. The intelligence assessment alleges that Hamas operatives are so deeply enmeshed within the Unrwa aid-delivery enterprise as to coordinate transfers for the organization.

[ Via: https://archive.md/nscsC ]

#Hillel Neuer #United Nations #UNRWA #hamas #hamas supporters #exterminate hamas #palestine #pro palestine #free palestine #islamic violence #islamic terrorism #islam #this is islam #religion #ideological corruption #UNRWA is Hamas #religion is a mental illness

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ask-sebastian · 11 months

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darling- you've been so wondrously sweet to all of us lately.

thankful as we are, should there be a time you'd like to be....less sweet...

I'm sure you'd find someone willing to help you with that near the clock tower, after cross-wands.

#ask-sebastian #sebastian's musical owls #bad things - national haven #mdni

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hypnotisedfireflies · 1 hour

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ooh, I'll ask - what's your headcanon for Australia, New Zealand, and Polynesia??

Thank you for asking! This was a fun exercise to get down in a doc and out of my head.

I think everyone knows that I’m Australian by now. So yeah, it’s particularly entertaining for me to imagine how things might be in the TLOUinverse on my side of the pond for a change.

Many Polynesian nations escaped Cordyceps completely – Tonga, Tokelau, Kiribati and the Cook Islands amongst these. They closed their borders and were essentially remote enough to be able to protect themselves from the first wave. However, that didn’t mean they had an easy time of it. Many of these nations rely on imports and with those grinding to a complete halt, they struggled in other ways to survive. Some of these nations also had unwelcome visitors in the form of refugees from other countries trying to fly or boat in. Most of these brought in sick people. Some of the nations formed methods of screening refugees who made it to their shores, others rejected them completely, and some nations fell apart over the ensuing years, unable to support so many people.

The North Island of New Zealand was completely overrun. The South Island had a bad few years, but pockets of it were able to resist, and within a few years they were able to rally and take the island back. They were mostly in control by 2005 – they were not fucking around – and Cordyceps-free by 2008. The nation officially reverted back to its name in the Maori language, Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu (but most just called it Aotearoa).

It was many years before they conquered the North Island, and then there were several years of warfare to fully secure it. The haka performed before the Battle of Auckland (which was one of their final victories over Cordyceps in 2015) was renowned the world over – the Kiwis documented much of their war on film, and these were distributed to survivors across the globe. These were often credited as inspiring a new generation of survivors not to endure and survive, but to fight.

Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu maintained contact with Australia throughout the war, but the situations in the two nations were very different. The densely populated centres of Australia were decimated. This is essentially all down the east coast from Brisbane, to Sydney, right down to Melbourne in the south. Darwin, right in the top end, was also destroyed, but this was mainly from refugees fleeing other nations. But Australia is a big, varied place, and not all was lost.

Many of the islands and remote towns around the country were able to find ways to survive. And the largest island, Tasmania, proved to be a haven. While its population centres were initially overrun like the rest of the continent, the army concentrated its efforts on eradicating Cordyceps in Tasmania first. There were three major offensives before they got the tactics right and were able to declare the state Cordyceps-free. The Government relocated here, but it was not the only success story.

Perth did okay. This is probably because the Infected, much like everyone else in Australia, thought it was too expensive and far away to bother with. Perth was the site of the first Quarantine Zone in Australia. Australia had a number of these over time but they were very different to the North American QZs. Australia’s tended to be constructed in remote areas, not large cities (with the exception of Perth). They each supported some kind of industry to try and keep civilisation humming along. These were not perfect, but most were successful.

The one in Port Hedlund said “fuck you cunts,” to the rest of the country and declared itself independent. The army didn’t much like that and it was dealt with pretty quickly. Wagga Wagga, with its RAAF and army training bases, was established not long after Perth and continued recruit training at Kapooka and Forest Hill. But some of the most successful survival stories came not from those within Australian Quarantine Zones.

Many Indigenous Australians, especially those in remote areas towards the centre, returned to country. Some of their camps and communities were overrun like everywhere else, but a lot survived. Some communities adapted so well that their lives were almost uninterrupted.

(It's difficult to explain the scale of Australia, and just how remote some Indigenous communities are, and how far they are from anything else. Suffice to say, there are people who know how to live on country in Australia in a way most of us cannot comprehend, and there are families and tribes that really could weather Cordyceps out - especially those towards the centre of Australia, where the conditions are dry and wholly unsuitable for a mushroom-based infection).

But the QZs kept in contact with one another and most importantly, with Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu. Trade recommenced between Tasmania and the South Island once both these zones were fully secure, and over time, links were reforged with other smaller nations in the region. The South Pacific Alliance was formed. By 2023, there was a good deal of cooperation – except for Perth, who also decided the rest of us could get fucked, and declared themselves as the Independent Nation of Perth or some crap. Nobody was really listening, they’re pretty far away and no one wanted to go there anyway so it was like okay good luck bye.

… I don’t really have beef with Perth. I’m sure it’s lovely. Anyway, thanks for the question! I'm not sure how plausible all of my theories are, but it's fun to consider.

#asks #driftersverse #tlou

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alovelyburn · 1 year

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@ayustar I think I’m just allergic to incredibly long posts which is hilarious coming from me, but it is what it is.

Reference to the conversation here:

I’ll be honest, I’m not much of an “I want to see the characters I dislike suffer” type of person anyway so the drive to watch a character be humiliated is kind of beyond me. Sometimes I guess you could call it justice and sometimes it’s narratively interesting but I don’t get a thrill out of it or anything.

I’m also not prone to disliking characters at all - 99% of the time I either don’t care about them or like them to one degree or another.

NOW. As for what Griffith is doing....

Obviously we don’t know for sure, and I could be incredibly wrong about this, but HONESTLY I kind of think he’s doing exactly what he seems to be doing: building a single nation for humanity that functions as a haven and incorporates all types of people, including former humans like the Apostles.

I don’t think there’s going to be a secret trap, or that he’s secretly trying to destroy humanity or that he’s secretly got a sausage machine under Falconia turning humans into food for the Apostles. I just don’t. Unless it’s a punishment for criminals I guess? That would be less surprising.

And I think the core issue with Griffith, the reason that he can be (and usually is) seen as the villain, comes down to as few major things:

1. The paradise he builds is metaphorically constructed atop the graves of the Hawks, whom Guts loved, and Guts neither places any value in peace nor gives a fuck about humanity as a whole, so he doesn’t care how nice Falconia is, nothing will ever justify the cost to him. Since Guts is the main character the reader tends to be inclined to root for his perspective over the opposing perspective, but as Miura himself said that doesn’t mean that Griffith’s perspective is inherently wrong, it’s just a matter of which direction or angle you take on it.

2. The question of the cost. Not just the deaths of the Hawks but the sacrificed innocents around the Tower of Conviction, and the loss of the world outside Falconia - the monsters, the chaos, the death - is it worthwhile? It’s a bit like the question of whether gaining security is worth losing one’s freedom. Falconia may be a lovely place, but building it required massive sacrifices, one of which is ongoing (the relative safety of the world before Griffith merged planes), not to mention that you don’t really have any choice but to live there if you want to survive. Is that worth it?

So like, do the ends justify the means? Is it worth losing the world before to gain the world that he’s created? It’s sort of a question that needs to be answered on an individual level and people are bound to disagree, thus Miura’s statement that the world Griffith creates is more convenient for some people (and implicitly therefore not for others).

It also fits the philosophical difference between Griffith (representative of the collective) and Guts (representative of the individual) - for Griffith losing individuals (even if he loves them) is preferable to betraying the collective (for example by letting their deaths go to waste), and to Guts it’s definitively the other way around.

My general feeling, and this is veering into theory but it is what it is, is that Griffith/Femto was sent to the world to kickstart the next age of humanity, and that the age in question is reached through the tunnel known as the Age of Darkness - a period of monsters and tumult and violence with a high mortality rate that people look back on later and say, “that sure was a dark time.” But i think the idea is that when they look back, they’re no longer in a bad place - they have arrived at the light that lives inside the darkness.

There are a lot of reasons I think this - among them being the actual in canon references to Griffith bringing a new age (and the comment from IoE that his actions will bring humanity salvation or suffering), and the fact that the old Godhand, the ones in the Void Eclipse, are drawn to resemble ancient deities and monsters which implies to me that the age before the last incarnated Godhand was similar to the ancient world.

Miura had also said that the end of Berserk would delve into Taoism and Qi which, look I am not an expert in Taoism by any means but... google it sometime and a lot about the nature of Berserk and characters like the Godhand and Griffith may become clearer.

The biggest and most revelatory thing that I found while looking into it after reading that quote is this site (the site looks janky because it’s old, but it’s a site created by a professor for the use of their students):

While many Western religions emphasize a duality between good and evil, urging devotees to embrace the good and spurn the evil, Taoism saw these moral qualities as two extremes of a single spectrum. Virtue did not lie at one end or the other of this spectrum, but through carefully maintaining a balance between the two.

Then it talks about Yin and Yang, the most common expression of this principle which I’m leaving out because this is long but it’s at the link above if you’re curious. Then...

These traits appear oppositional on first inspection. However, that opposition is only a surface illusion in Taoist belief. In fact, the two states of nature require each other. Just as an art student knows that negative space around an object is what creates the outline of positive space in a drawing, the enlightened Taoist knows that suffering, pain and misery are necessary for traits like contentment, pleasure, and happiness to exist. Sickness and health are the same phenomenon; they are just at far ends of that same phenomenological spectrum. Masculinity and femininity are also the same thing; they are both the phenomenon of gender expressed in opposite ways. Love and hatred are also the same phenomenon, and so on.

Which is kind of how you end up with things like Griffith being both light and dark, or Guts and Griffith’s complicated feelings about one another and the statement from Skull Knight that they are half of one another.

And I just....

...if I’m being totally honest I think these things are already evident in the series so I’m not at all surprised but i am smug as hell because of all the arguments I had about this back in the day.

But I mean one of the big things about Asian media (at least in my own personal experience which is limited, so don’t take it as a universal) is that you get a lot of conceptual stuff that western audiences aren’t used to because our media tends to be more concrete and deal in more definitive concepts. And this is one of the big reasons that the west has a hard time interpreting Berserk and... I think it’s slightly exacerbated by the way Berserk kind of masquerades as a Western-style revenge story.

#ariel talks about berserk

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beyonddeveil · 1 month

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boyd holbrook, homosexual, cis male + he/him/his → isn’t that wolfram wagner? i’ve seen them hanging out with the incubi. i hear they’re 376, but they’ve only been in alexandria for 1 month. they seem to be carefree & flexible, but also greedy & ruthless.

FULL NAME: Wolfram Wilhelm Wagner NICKNAME(S): Wolf (pronounced VAWL-F), Wolfie AGE: 376 DATE OF BIRTH: December 4th, 1647 SPECIES: Incubus NATIONALITY & ETHNICITY: American (German & Irish) OCCUPATION: Musician / Ex-Mercenary RELIGION: Atheist GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cismale & he/him ORIENTATION: Homosexual

"MONSTERS ARE BAD THINGS, BUT MONSTERS THAT DO NOT WALK AND TALK LIKE MONSTERS ARE THE WORST."

Wolfram was born from a family of German puritans that settled in Massachusetts. He grew up doing honest farm work and going to church every Sunday. Wolf hated every second of that tedious life. As he reached teenage, finally, something exciting happened. One of his distant ancestors carried demonic blood, and it skipped a few generations and awakened young Wolf as an incubus. Realizing what he could do, he seduced gullible travelers, bedded them and took their money. When his father found out, however, Wolf was cast out from his home.

Wolf headed west. He became something of a mercenary over the years, taking any job as long as they paid well. His hunt for men also continued which eventually caught up to him as hunters tracked him down. Unfortunately for them, seducing hunters became his new hobby.

During the Great War and then WWII, Wolf participated as a soldier rather than out of patriotism but because he wanted to see the world outside the states. He might have gotten the dishonorable discharge after getting caught having sex with the fellow soldiers. After that, Wolf found a way to travel to Europe and roamed the land, continuing his work as a hired gun.

Wolf had to leave Europe because humans have gotten better at finding him and his crimes. He sneaked back into his home country, and found a safe haven in Alexandria. Wolf now claims that he washed his hands of his past, and poses as an aspiring musician.

#unveilintro #wolfram:bio

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yesireadbooks · 8 months

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Pretend that I've just asked you a question that you've been dying for someone to ask you about your work, and answer it

Oooooh, you put yourself in trouble Madame Diplomat, cuz this would be looonggg...

Imma pretend you asked about the origins of Scalmropia. hahha

Ok, so I did say sometime earlier that this was part of my 12-year-old world domination plan, haha. And this will get carzy so please don't judge me. :)

Well, the thing is, back then, I had an obsession with starting a business. Not a normal one, I wanted a business empire like the Virgin Group which has a company like for anything. And then, while I was think about this, I also read about of taxation, tax havens and local restrictions. That made me realise that if I were to make to big profits, I would be losing a ton to the governement. This is was during my capitalist era so, yeah, haha. And then I also realised that much of my companies would be put under great surveillance because they included things like weapons production, medical testing, etc.

So, my solution was to make my own country. First, I looked onto to buying huge amounts of land and declaring it as my territory under the Montevideo Convention. I planned to buy 25% of Russia, given the low population density and hence the possibility to relocate. But then I scrapped the idea due to the sheer amount of money needed and the possible backlash. Then I decided to plan to make a new land. I read about these land extentions (one was happening In Sri Lanka too) so I planned that.

So I began reading up on sand, soil and gravel prices. Quotas, providers, shipments and stuff. I also read up on microstates, sovereign states, Kingdom of Lovely and Asgardia. Then also maritime boundaries, declarations of independence, etc.

The name is an acronym haha. And I also made a flag, coat of arms, a (bad) national anthem, a (partially made) constitution and a wiki page.

National Anthem

Sunshine and Water We depend on as much With our worthy souls upon you We devote to you as such Freedom and Justice Honesty and Unity Is what makes us greater Upon all worlds Upon this world We choose to live upon you This is a land of wonder In which all Faiths are met This is a land of harmony In which all tongues are spoken Freedom and Justice Honesty and Unity Is what makes us greater Upon all worlds Upon this world We choose to live upon you When all of the world shall meet We shall rise above all We shall help our friends grow And achieve the goals we’ve achieved Freedom and Justice Honesty and Unity Is what makes us greater Upon all worlds Upon this world We choose to live upon you Scalmropia! Scalmropia! We would kneel upon you Scalmropia! Scalmropia! We’re with you till the world ends Scalmropia! Scalmropia! I shall protect you with my own blood

Constitution

0001 – This is the constitution of The Economical and Technological Republic of S.C.A.L.M.R.O.P.I.A. 0001A – This constitution will never be expired, not even in terms of time. 0001B – This constitution may not be replaced, removed or amended at any circumstances. 0002 – The flag of S.C.A.L.M.R.O.P.I.A is the “Earth and Elements flag”. 0002A – This may not be changed under any circumstances. 0003 – The emblem of S.C.A.L.M.R.O.P.I.A is the Emblem in the Fig.1.1 0003A – This will not be changed under any circumstances. 0004 – The national anthem of S.C.A.L.M.R.O.P.I.A is 0004A – This may not be changed under any circumstances. 0005 – All the Physical Employees of [Redacted] will be declared citizens of S.C.A.L.M.R.O.P.I.A. 0005A – Family members of the Physical Employees up to the count of 7 members maximum will be declared citizens. 0006 – People from other countries will not be granted citizenship unless being a Physical Employee of [Redacted]. 0006A – Foreign citizens seeking citizenship in S.C.A.L.M.R.O.P.I.A under all categories such as Migration, Refuge etc. Will be granted a temporary [Redacted] 0007 – The power of controlling S.C.A.L.M.R.O.P.I.A will be in parallel with the [Redacted] 0007A – The ownership of S.C.A.L.M.R.O.P.I.A will be in Parallel with the [Redacted] 0007B – Under no circumstances should the ownership of S.C.A.L.M.R.O.P.I.A will be sold, leased or rented to any party. 0008 – No agreement or document which has the slightest danger for the Republic, or its citizens and their rights will not be signed under any circumstances. 0008A – No agreement or document which has the slightest danger for the constitution of S.C.A.L.M.R.O.P.I.A will be signed. 0008B – Even if such document is signed, the document or agreement shall be cancelled as a whole including its powers against the country, it’s citizens, laws and regulations and the Constitution under the powers of the constitution of S.C.A.L.M.R.O.P.I.A. 0009 – All cases of crime will be taken towards an independent Court with a Judge panel of experienced and educated judges. 0009A – All the members in the jury must not have any relationship with both the defendant and the victim. They must not also be a beneficiary of a certain judgement of the court. 0010 – Every person under the age of 18 will be considered a child according to the International Standards. 0010A – Half of the prices for the acquired basic needs of a child such as food, education will be granted by the government. 0011 – This country is not a [Redacted] 0011A – Every result of the research will be made public. 0012 – No child is to be used for working, warfare, drug trafficking, child trafficking etc. 0013 – When producing goods and services from companies other than those of [Redacted], the sales owners must reserve a business license and must provide respective goods and services within Economic cities. 0014 – During medical emergencies all the citizens must obey The Quarantine Act.

After some time, I let go of the idea and it has been since been in the depths of my drive. I did use the country idea when I played Politics & War but then I later deleted the page and now that I needed a country idea for my wips, I decided to to use the name, but with different meaning and backstories. Much of what I have at the Scalmropia page are things I thought of recently. But this is the OG idea.

Thank you if you read far, much love and appreciations!

#thank you for asking!#ask game #crazy stuff #childhood memories

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kth1 · 1 year

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kth1 Wip Poll (221108)

Here is where tumblr user, kth1, is requesting feedback and interest in their list of active floating wips I have running around in my documents and head. Please, if you have the time and patience, follow through the poll and fill out the necessary areas! Thank you so much in advance and Happy Reading! 🧡

i completely cut down on a handful of wips too... like seriously... a handful! (honestly, like I cut about 9 fics) full descriptions and ideas aren’t labeled due to laziness and other reasons. please don’t take the ideas i have laid out. but if something inspires you, like we could totally work together and make a lil mini collab. bet. hit me up!

Below the cut are the list of fics I am currently ready to elaborate more on! The poll is located at the end of the post!

total wips: 11

Amalgamation [MYG]

⁀➷ Idea: Beautifully based off the Underworld film series. Events are very similar but more in the OC perspective! Like, I can’t express this anymore. Yoongi is basically Selene in this and OC is Michael. ⁀➷ Pairing: Vampire!Yoongi x Fem Human!Reader ⁀➷ Themes: fantasy/supernatural, action, thriller, romance, smut

To Find the Sheep [JJK]

⁀➷ Idea: Based off of Red Riding Hood film (2011) which is adapted from the original Little Red Riding Hood fairy-tale. ⁀➷ Pairing: Jungkook x Fem Reader ⁀➷ Themes: fantasy, angst, mystery, romance, smut

Power Hour [KNJ]

⁀➷ Idea: OC works at the HYBE gym and falls head over heels for the beefy hunk who works out routinely every week. They develop a nice little crush on another (kind of) and then they... well... you know. ⁀➷ Pairing: Namjoon x Fem Reader ⁀➷ Themes: strangers to lovers, smut

Safe Haven [PJM]

⁀➷ Idea: Jimin is a royal guard for your family. Proving his loyalty and dedication to you once your family gets attacked by rebels. This one I do have coming out in a collab in 2023! But please give royal guard jimin a chance to sweep you off your feet and save you from the rebels! He’s got the moon sequence tattooed down his back! ⁀➷ Pairing: Royal Guard Werewolf!Jimin x Fem Princess!Reader ⁀➷ Themes: semi-modern day au, forbidden love au, smut

Game Point [KTH]

⁀➷ Idea: Basically, OC is the new assistant coach for the Korea men’s national volleyball team. She quickly learns that someone on the team was one of her last drunken hook ups, but it unfortunately isn’t the handsome ambidextrous right side hitter by the name of Kim Taehyung. This one is scary for me to write and I come back to it ever so often. I love volleyball and would love nothing more than to see Taehyung in a volleyball setting. I just don’t know if anyone else would care. ⁀➷ Pairing: Volleyballplayer!Taehyung x Fem AssistantCoach!Reader ⁀➷ Themes: strangers to lovers, smut

Haven’t Had Enough [KTH]

⁀➷ Idea: When things begin heading down the rocky path of bad behaviors and habits while on the road to success, the two of you struggle to keep the heartwarming connection you once shared. Where countless reminders of not having another serves you every single second in each others presence. Even though the two of you collectively agreed to the split in the first place, neither one of you are comfortable enough to give up on another. Apart of a future collab! Yes they break up but they get back together. ⁀➷ Pairing: LeadSinger!Taehyung x Fem MerchManager!Reader ⁀➷ Themes: established relationship, angst, smut

Feeling Frisky [PJM]

⁀➷ Idea: Hybrid!!!! Jimin purposely hunts oc for fun, a casual encounter between the two of them. The thrill of the hunt and capturing his prey is always arousing. ;) Snowy mountain caves with secret hot springs are the thoughts here. Just a nice little frisky fun loving. ⁀➷ Pairing: SnowLeopard!Taehyung x Fem BlueSheep!Reader ⁀➷ Themes: fwb, fluffy, smutty

Lessons Learned [KTH]

⁀➷ Idea: Aight, here me out. Pokemon themed. Taehyung runs an Eevee/Pokemon daycare/breeder facility and OC is trying to get her Eevee to evolve! So OC and Taehyung work alongside another to help OC’s Eevee become comfortable to change. Blue hair Taehyung is the need. I won’t ruin the innocence of Pokemon here, I promise! ⁀➷ Pairing: Taehyung x Fem Reader ⁀➷ Themes: pokemon au, strangers to lovers, fluff, smut

Pursuite to Articuno [PJM]

⁀➷ Idea: Surprise, another pokemon themed one! This one is basically Jimin as a trainer, looking to collect himself an Articuno so he travels to the Seafoam Islands in hopes to battle and capture one. However, the one he finds already has a trainer. OC. Purple hair Jimin is the vibe.⁀➷ Pairing: Jimin x Fem Reader ⁀➷ Themes: pokemon au, strangers to lovers, fluff, smut

Velvet Voice [JJK]

⁀➷ Idea: Uprising lead singer Jungkook has never had a problem finding himself a nightly companion to share a bed with. What he doesn’t expect is that he finds himself with a true nightly companion after his set. Yes, oc is a vampire in this one. ⁀➷ Pairing: LeadSinger!Jungkook x Fem Vampire!Reader ⁀➷ Themes: supernatural au, strangers to lovers, smut

No Title* [PJM]

⁀➷ Idea: Jimin is attached to a very rare and exotic flower which OC ends up buying to spice up her apartment decorations. Throughout the days, she begins running more and more into this very seductive, beautiful man which she never had met before. ⁀➷ Pairing: Incubus!Jimin x Fem Reader ⁀➷ Themes: supernatural au, strangers to lovers, smut

I am very willing to chat a little more about each fic, but I will not give the whole run down on what I plan on doing with them. Me asking for your feedback is me looking for reassurance and hope. Interest and excitement. I don’t normally reach out like this, but I am willing to try and see exactly what some of you guys may be looking forward to seeing!

Just shoot me an ask if you have any questions!

Other than that: HERE IS THE POLL FOR THE FICS

#mb #kth1 wip poll #dont steal my ideas either because literally most of these fics all got something towards them and imma throw elbows #i really did cut so many wips because i even couldn't find myself to liking them enough right now hahaha #i will be self reblogging this here and there

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