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pbaintthetb · 2 months

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Invincibl3 s2e6 (spoilers )

spoiler spoiler watchy watchy nom nom

So like I knew Rex was gonna get shot in the head, yes it was a cliff hanger, but this is invincible and we know the stakes. Nobody was going to save him. Rip dude. Just as you were getting more tolerable.

Earth be fucked, wonder what the Lizard League want. Also like comics, so fatal injuries don't mean death, dying doesn't mean death

Immortal and Invincible's beef, but the way Immortal just crumples in acknowledgement when mark goes "I'm stronger and faster than you and you know it." like yeah, glad about this, it's not time for egos

the tension in the sequid scene though oof- and just as I thought it popped, oh no, eve and rudy adn eve's a lot more powerful and- oh there was extra juice, it's all fine

see I was originally anti "there's a duplikate prime somewhere" theory because I assumed she could only split from her original body, but thinking about the fight scene maybe that's not true. Maybe there ish hope, idk

Ummm. Rex? (~ (~ you... good?

"Perhaps you're too stupid to realise this, but you're suppposed to be dead" "SHUT UPPPPPP". lmao, deceased

bro he's punching king lizard with the jagged stump of his hand adkfalkdfjas;dklfja;sldkfjasl;dkfja;. This makes me uncomfy. Is the shard of bone like a knife?

OMG SHRINKING RAE WAS STILL ALIVE IN THERE!!!! I was hoping she'd just shrunk down again, yayayayayay. Maybe Kate prime is somewhere

Lmao, love the play back to the astronauts being executed where Mark is all, "Oh I understand" **jump cut to them runnign away**

hmm interesting, mark: you can't kill shapesmith, that would be bad, as a result I shall kill all of you. (Look I do know it's more complicated, a lot more, it was just when Mark went out and started destroying the ships and consequently dooming the martians within them made me wonder) Oh, they can happily float in space. Ok I take it back

fucking hell the room full of Kate's bodies

look I said it last time but I really like the fact that even if they don't spend a lot of time on it, Eve and Rex's history feels kinda fleshed out by all the spaces and stuff around it. This episode it's all the guardians looking at Shrinking rae's room while Eve is alone staring at Rex. he's a dick, he was a dick to her,they have an understanding of each other they can't get rid of even if they want to. Due to their work he will always be a part of her life even if he's not a friend Idk. I like it

"I loved many others before Kate. All of them died as well." -> immortality is a horror

Amber and Mark :-( the invisible wall of everything Invincible between them and they want to climb it and they can't. They can't.

I did not think Rex would be the person that Mark unloaded to, like at all. Ever. But I can see how unloading to the guy who doens't really like you and doesn't reallyl know you but still knows about you is easier than uh, Eve, his mum, or amber. still

What is it about being a superhero, where we go around saving lives, while ruining them at the same time."

Yeah yee, Debbie's sharp

see I like this other nanny, but I'm also kinda concerned as to how the GDA wants to raise Oliver

I like the cutting in Amber's and Mark's conversatins with Eve and Art respectively about their relationship issues, like how they kinda feel the same, the fact that they are really suited for each other but ultimately it doesn't work

.... the immortal can hold his breth in space? also oof rip allen, he just trying to be friendly- yay mark showed up to intervene!

also qustion how long can mark hold his breath? also also, lmao allen not knowing where mark lives

i love allen's speech patterns

.... viltrumites killing viltrumites don't kill each other much- anymore??? wdym "anymore"

appreciate mark saying he has responsibilites on earth, e.g. amber, oliver

oooooh the books

"Fucking martian, it wasn't enough that you left me to die on mars. You had to trash my place, too?" simultaneous LMAO and OOF and also oh god jeesh, yeah poor guy that's gotta be some adjustment to make on return mentally, poor Rus. Jeesh. Hope he's not gonna become evil though, pls, no one wants that

also the thing is like Shapesmith is hilarous and I love him and then I remember he fully tried to kill Rus and steal his life. That being said he is hilarious and I do love him and Rus is alive (uh, unintentionally) so uh, all's well that ends well?

actual 3rd serious question is, didn't Shapesmith move into the guardians cos he didn't know how to pay rent? How does Rus still have a place.

Oh fuck, as soon as I saw him coughing/spluttering I was like, shit he's gonna throw up a sequid isn't he. Well. Well le fuck.

poor guy :-(((, worrst luck in teh world. Which is also hilarious but jeez, Rus cannot catch a break, back on earth, thrown into a cess pit, and basically dies part way through tidying, poor dude

lmao Angstrom walking through the universes- was one of them the walking dead?. Anyway I haven't forgotten about Angstrom, but htere's been so much shit going on he'd been low on the radar and now it's all, oh god please no not now sir argghh- like i fully get his motivations but PLS NOH

i liekd this epiosde!, probably less than 5 but yeah deffo liked it

#invincible #invincible s2 #invincible season 2 #invincible s2 spoilers

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iturbide · 5 months

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Considering we know plegia isn't a landlocked country, I've always wondered how the sea would factor into their culture and beliefs. Are there sects of costal grimleal who worship Grima as a sea serpent? Maybe something similar to jormungandr seeing as many grimleal view Grima as an 'End-Times' being. Considering you are the plegia headcanon expert in my eyes I'm curious if you had any ideas on how the sea would factor into the plegian culture.

Now, in fairness, I don't think that most Grimleal view Grima as an end-times being. This is very much a personal thing, but I've gotten really attached to this idea that the majority of Grimleal view Grima as a guardian deity, a protector who kept them safe and was killed by a foreign power (after being driven to despair and rage). With that in mind, they don't look to Grima's return as the end of times, but as an end to their long persecution at the hands of those who took Grima's life in the first place. Even Validar, I think, isn't trying to raise Grima to end the world: he's trying to raise Grima because he wants to leash Grima's power and use it to get everything he wants, from the destruction of Ylisse to full control over Plegia (and the world beyond, though he doesn't broadcast that). I've always seen Validar's motivations as entirely selfish; the rest of Plegia, though, just wants the assurance of safety that they've been missing for a thousand years.

As for how the sea factors in, I've always really liked the idea that there's a lot of cultural differences throughout Plegia based on location. There's the desert, which thrives through strong communal bonds; and there's the sea, which thrives thanks to their proximity to the sea and access to maritime trade. They're all bound together by their shared faith, but they stress different aspects, have different rituals, and even different architecture: a lot of desert temples are actually subterranean, hidden in the sand because of their historic conflicts with Ylissean invaders; the coastal temples are not hidden, though, since invaders have never made it across the desert, so there's not that historic need for concealment; however, both are open to the sky at the top as they await Grima's return to the heavens.

Coastal communities don't necessarily worship the ocean, but they definitely treat it with great respect, knowing how dangerous the waters can be. The surf can get particularly violent in the storms, given the prevalence of cliffs along that coastline, so most communities are built well away from the edge of the cliffs; however, there are sheltered areas that form natural harbors, and these support thriving communities established closer to the water's edge. Lighthouses are also common around particularly rocky areas of the coastline, to safeguard lost vessels. There are doubtless prayers common only in the coastal areas invoking Grima to ensure calm seas or to quiet raging storms, and talismans made with shark teeth and seashell are common compared to the bone and feather constructions in the desert.

With all that said, though, the coastal communities definitely have a slightly different view of Grima based on historic accounts. While I still hold that Grima is a magivore, they can and still enjoy eating physical food, though that's hard to come by on land with their inability to land and take off comfortably and the general absence of large enough prey. The sea is another matter entirely, though: there are probably records of Grima flying out over the sea on occasion and skimming that toothy maw through the water before flying back, bringing with them a rain of wriggling fish falling through the gaps in their teeth. Commence impromptu feast day.

#answered #anonymous #fire emblem: awakening #headcanon #grimleal #it's been a while since i've gotten to do a grimleal lore dump #i still love awakening so much #i think about it a lot #someday i yearn to resume writing for it

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plasmometer · 2 years

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ISKA-2's MASTERDOC

so i decided to collect all info i have on iska in one post, prepare yourselves. iska-2 is an exo titan from tangled shore, currently living in sav's throne world. she's neurodivergent and a minor and has some cool survival skills, mostly travels alone. she's cheerful and somewhat naive, but honest, brave and really good at guessing anyone's intentions. not in a good relationships with the vanguad.

20 QUESTIONS

did this on twitter, will copy here

1. her ghost's name is saltpetre, and she's a thousand times more badass than iska herself

2. iska was rezzed on the tangled shore where her body was laying for a long time. saltpetre raised her almost from nothing. she lived there, in underground tunnels, for a long time after resurrection.

3. she was revived right after the red war, lived alone for ages, and then was kidnapped by a guardian and brought to the tower around season of the splicer. left again after season of the lost

4. iska uses arc only, because it's the most natural subclass for her and no one taught her anything else. but she learned some void tricks from lightbearer knights

5. she was very confused after the resurrection because saltpetre has begun to explain things and rules right away, not caring about her state of mind at all, and only thing iska wanted back then is eat sand

6. iska didn't struggle learning light at all, it was easier for her than use traditional weapons. light flows through her like a stream, and she has trouble holding it inside. you can receive electric shock if you touch her when she's sleeping

7. she doesn't remember anything but her name from her past, but saltpetre knows that she was a botanist from golden age colonial ship. she had a neural modulator to correct her mental state, but now it isn't working and no one cares about her that much to implant it again

8. she's too hyperactive and easily distracted to handle, so she's usually alone. iska feels more comfortable around aliens than other guardians and prefers their company, even if she has to establish connections for a long time

9. neither, because iska is afraid of drifter. she also is afraid of zavala, lord shaxx, mara sov, lord saladin, and eris morn (but respects her deeply)

10. she's totally ok with the darkness as power, but the witness and its disciples give her very bad feelings. she doesn't communicate with them nor interact with the pyramid ships

11. she's ok with the traveler and the light too, but she thinks a lot of guardians don't appreciate their gift enough. when she was resurrected, saltpetre gave her the rules that will control their relationships - no stupid things, no gross things, and no dangerous situations for the ghost. iska takes this seriously, she knows that saltpetre will continue her life alone if any rule is broken

12. despite everything, iska and saltpetre are in best relationships possible. saltpetre threatens to kill everyone who wants to harm iska, and iska respects saltpetre's gift. saltpetre tells that she rezzed her as a joke, but in fact she noticed iska's clear mind and honesty.

saltpetre has threatened to make a nice ghost-shaped hole in spider's head and called immaru "guardianless" she's a vile creature

13. iska was forced to be a guardian and she doesn't really want it. after the appearance of hive lightbearers she was really disappointed in the vanguard and left to live in the throne world

14. this is the most interesting thing, her nightmare is shaped like savathun. it is silent most of the time, just laughing at her struggles. that's why she is being questioned by the vanguard right now

15. iska's favourite guardian event is to land on a planet and survive for a month with nothing on hand. she may appear childish, but she is actually a very experienced ranger, she can use anything at her advantage

16. iska has no duty, she does whatever she wants. all the time. she enjoys making cave paintings, usually featuring her and important events in her life, or something she wants to happen. she communicates with aliens, success depends on the situation, but she's happy anyways

17. she doesn't interact with human civilians because she visits the tower rarely, but she has some connections with eliksni and hive lightbearers. she helps eliksni a lot, doing some tasks for them, and hive... it's difficult.

there is a hive technician, melakheth, who doesn't try to kill iska on sight. their relationships are far from friendly and they're still figuring each other out, but both are patient and working together building trust

18. iska could have all glimmer in the world, but she doesn't need any. cool rocks are more important

19. ISKA'S POCKETS

- a spotted rock - some herbs - a lighter - dust from unknown places - eliksni symbol of protection

20. iska's secret just before the exorcism iska visited savathun, and she whispered something to her. iska is silent and doesn't reveal her words to anyone, even her ghost. no one knows what savathun said to her back then.

fact!!! iska speaks eliksni better than human

REFS

painted this myself, sooo most accurate

without helmet

with helmet, front & back

FUN STUFF

you'rev

resurrection

tangled shore

throne world

iska and melakheth

more melakheth (last one is final design i think)

little things

that's all! you can write questions and comments about iska-2 in my ask box or how do you call it, i would be very happy to answer and illustrate

#wow you made it #congrats #destiny 2 #destiny game #destiny art #hive destiny #destiny exo #destiny oc #iska-2 #the hive #destiny ocs

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bg3screenshotdump · 9 days

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Don't know if you have done it on your blog but can you introduce us to your Tavs? Like a Character Profil Template. :)

This has been in my inbox for ages, and if i wait until I have everything perfectly set up like i wanted before answering i believe i'll never answer :'D

so perfection and fear of being cringe and seen be damned i'm doing it it now !

so far the only things i have for my tavs on this blog is their respectives tags you can find in the sidebar of my blog :')

so i'll just list them here and i'll make them more detailed pages later, when i have time and feel confident enough to share more of the backstories i imagined :')

( warning, piss poor writing in coming i suck at writing in my native language and it's even worse in english )

Delsys - My 1rst Full release Tav, half wood elf orphan, beastmaster ranger who ended up serving as a guardian of the druidic order that found and raised her. she's a big introvert and has piss poor social skills, litteraly her only friends are her owl companion, Verbena and Trilli ( even if she feels disconected from her two very extroverted and playful friends ) she's been following the orders and lead of the druids for most of her life so she's really not confident in her new role as the leader of the bg3 party, ( she's not confident about a lot of things actually, tbh the only thing she's not insecure about is her archery skills ) and unfortunately for everyone she tends to hide those insecurities behind a tough and apathetic mask

Trilli Bumbleroot - archfey warlock/bard forest gnome - lover of music, dancing, nature and village festivals, she's just a little gal who loves traveling, i'm still not entierly sure of who i want her archfey patron to be, but she took a contract when she left her village in order to have enough power to protect herself on the road. During her travels she eventually came across Delsys ( who wasn't born yet ) and Verbena's druidic order and she's been bestie with Verbena ever since and unfortunately for the other druids when the both of them put their mind together tomfoolery ensues

Verbena Ferngrass - Wood elf druid - high bimbo of the same druidic order that raised Delsys ( and she kind of sees her as a little sister ) she's a big extrovert, a big flirt, she values her personal freedom and fun above all else, she thinks with her vag and is always pulling Delsys into all kind of situations™ She considers Trilli to be her best friend ( and they kiss sometimes )

Vetra - Githyanki war cleric of Vlaakith - soft and curious soul who's been battered and hardened by her training as both a warrior and a priestess, now that she's in faerun she starting to feel a bit more free to be explore and connect back to the parts of her personality she had to hide behind her now no-nonsense tough persona

Kastyn Firebeard - warrior/maybe paladin ( haven't decided yet) - mercenary coming from a blacksmith family, don't have much of a backstory for her yet :') just that she was disatisfied about her life in the mercenary group she was a part of, mostly because she had no control over the missions they took, and those missions sometimes went agaisnt her moral code

Healstra Ssiwin - lolth drow Sorceress - Bit on the fence about her story and personality :'x i'm not sure why exactly she chose to go to the surface,i initially made the Astromancer robes mod for her, so i had in mind that she wanted to see and study the stars but idk, i'll think i'll need to document myself on drow a bit more to get better ideas :'D

Cyn Clarilieu - my EA tav, basic noble human turned paladin ( is now tall and buff thanks to the full release Bodytype 3 ❤️) good aligned, annoyingly too self-righteous at times

Shani Cotton - Halfling rogue - Street urchin turned criminal in Baldur's gate lower city, magpie brainded if-it-shiny-i-want-it ,quite loose morals so she doesn't care if she has to kill or maim to obtain what she wants

Oriann Aleviir - my co-op tav, half drow - cringefail 8 dex blew-her-own-face-off-with-fire-spell wild magic sorcerer, terrified for her life 24/7 and will make every bad choices out of fear and gullibleness ( highly manipulable, will probably end up a squid as a result )

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darkburning · 1 year

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19. do you have ship bias? 21. what do you think of your muse’s popular fandom ship?

𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐃𝐀𝐘

#19/21

19. as someone who is quite petty with how fanon mana is viewed, i am very tempted to say no. simply because i value plotting above all else and i love thinking about creative build up ---- instead of insta-jumping to a ship. fortunately, i suppose, the fact mana doesn't have much canon interactions gives me the freedom to think about silly what-if scenarios. particularly those with an ancient egyptian life attached to their muse, i am quite a sucker for old souls recognizing one another and the tragedy of separation. i don't think i have a bias ship for mana, but i am very open to the idea of it. i can imagine some with a few handful of character --- one that i am quite interested in, but i won't say simply cause again i want to build something up organically vs insta-shipping. plus shy.

21. let's see i think the top three fanon ships for mana is : atem, mahad, and anzu. the first one is the obvious childhood ship trope and frankly as a child i thought it was an adorable ship. however, atem / mana is something that really needs to be plotted out before i can consider them to be an item. simply because given the power dynamic between the two, as well as atem's status as pharaoh. sure, we can fantasize and say : first love wins and if atem had live perhaps mana can have a chance. but honestly, i don't think so. mana herself even said : they were raised like siblings, so it's likely she did saw him platonically at least at first. in a scenario where atem had live, we gotta consider the fact that pharaohs usually have multiple wives for the sake of alliances and what not, and out of respect for mana i don't think he would subject her to such fate. personally i think they care about each other wayyyyy too much to ever overstep boundaries. they likely would be stuck on friendzone for all eternity, but again, this is something that needs to be plotted out extensively. otherwise i simply will default to the platonic outlook of this ship.

anyway moving on : no i do not ship mahad and mana. he is her family, her caretaker, her guardian, and older brother figure. they both have been through so much, that i simply cannot and will not consider them to be anything romantic. plus i am also very weak to the isis / mahad dynamic lol. in terms of anzu / mana, i can understand the potential of this ship and the bond those two likely share. however, i personally consider their bond to be : platonic / kinship. i feel like if those two were given the chance to get to know each other, they truly would be close enough to be considered best friends / sisters.

TLDR ; yeah let's just say i platonically ship all of mana's top fanon ships LOL.

#i know this is wild lol

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kurottsukii · 1 year

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Before I Close My Eyes

Everyone knows or have experienced sexual harassment, sexual assault or even rape but not many people talk about the outcome, the trauma that the survivors has to experience through out their daily lives; for the rest of their lives.

No one knew that survivors had trauma or that many traumas are completely different depending on the gender or just the person themselves.

Any traumatic situation can ruin a person easily, it can break their will to live or even destroy everything about themselves, either if it's sexual assault or being rape by a stranger or a person you trust. Many people do live differently but that doesn't mean everyone lives good. Any upsetting past is always the motive for a person's character to be change drastically in the later future, such as me...Mariana Reya White. A young black woman raised in a broken, abusive home with people who were supposed to raise me and protect me from the monsters in the outside world but instead I grew up with the monster and lost my innocence, my happiness, my sanity and will to live because of it and no one did anything but watch.

The only person who was there for me, who watched over me like some guardian angel is now dead and, it was because of me.

And I blame myself for it everyday, I want to be with him you know? But I'm stuck in this mental institution with a 24/7 watch so I don't try and kill myself again. Talking to you about my past is the only thing I can really do.

Now shall we start, I'll start if off easy on when I was born. You know having a baby is supposed to be the greatest moment of anyone's lives? So explain to me on when I was born, my father instantly felt the opposite of joy when you see your first born; he felt nothing but absolute disgust like I was a monster or even disfigured.

I don't know, the way my mother describe it; she said she saw the burning hatred in his eyes as he stared back at me. But of course she ignored that first sign, that one warning, that big red flag alarming her that the way he was looking at me was not normal.

You just don't look at your own blood, your child that way, especially if they was just born. But he did, and after that things changed.

Who knew that my father; a highly respected black police officer could be such a power hungry, corrupted, malicious piece of shit that loved beating the hell out of his own daughter and wife till we were nothing and felt like nothing. He enjoyed putting us beneath him, he enjoyed putting the fear in us so we couldn't escape or even turn on him. It was like being in hell and your father, the person that help give you life was the devil.

And before I close my eyes at night, all I saw was the Devil looking back at me.

#fyp #fanfic #dean ambrose #wwe raw #wwe divas #wwe #seth rollins #young dolph #writing #booklover #mature babe #Spotify #aew dark #jon moxley

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 3 years

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How is it even possible to HATE Dumbledore ??? He made mistakes but he was far from a bad person...

Oh dear. My good anon, I respect your point of view completely. But I simply disagree.

Albus Dumbledore is a fantastic character who is multi-layered and three dimensional. He's written in such a way that one could view him as the hero who saved the wizarding world, who dedicated his life to engineering Voldemort's downfall. Who truly cared about Harry and did the best he could to prepare him for a destiny that he would have had to face no matter what. You could interpret Dumbledore that way, for sure. He's trying to do the right thing and his personality makes him extremely likeable. Even I, proud champion of the Dumbledore Antis, cannot help but like him when he's played by Jude Law.

On the other hand, you could also interpret him in a completely different fashion, and I do. Seriously, I don't think he's evil in the way that Voldemort is, but I think he's just as much of a villain. While he's not my most hated Harry Potter character, since that would be Greyback, he comes pretty close. The previous paragraph was the best interpretation of Albus Dumbledore and his motivations that I could offer, and it is the nicest thing anyone will ever hear me say about him. It's really not a point of view that I agree with at all. But Dumbledore is like Snape. He's divisive. This is why the fandom lost it's mind over what Harry named his son, though honestly that doesn't bother me.

How can I hate him? Allow me to explain. (This got long.)

When I look at Dumbledore, I see the man who is responsible for Voldemort's rise to power. He knew what Tom Riddle was. He could see all the red flags from the time that Tom was eleven. And yet he did nothing, warned no one. Sure, I get it, he wanted to give him a second chance. Except he admits that he had no reason to assume that Tom would change, and either way? It is still his responsibility as a teacher to inform his colleagues of that particular students' needs. He never does this, and if he had? Tom might have turned out to be a better person, or at least he wouldn't have been able to inflict the damage that he did.

I have no proof of anything, but I suspect some funny business went down when James and Lily died. That Dumbledore pulled some strings to ensure he would be in charge of Harry's living arrangements. He already sent Hagrid to collect Harry before Sirius was even arrested. Hagrid refused to turn Harry over to his rightful guardian because "I had me orders from Dumbledore." Hagrid, that's...that's kidnapping. Hey, you know what we never see? The Potters' Will. They must have had one because they were living in war time with a target on their backs, and they had a son. Sirius had a Will when he died, and he wasn't that much older than them. I do not believe Lily would ever be okay with Petunia and Vernon raising Harry. We also know that Wizarding Wills are examined by the Ministry, and that Dumbledore is the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. He had the opportunity and the motive to bury that Will.

And what does Dumbledore do once he's in charge of Harry's upbringing? Why not let Remus take him in? Because he's a Werewolf? I doubt it would be difficult for him to find someone to watch Harry for all of one night a month. But okay, if not Remus, why not the Weasleys. Or Augusta Longbottom. Or any family that would be willing to take him in and love him. Instead, Dumbledore leaves Harry with relatives who will neglect and abuse him for his entire childhood. He continues to force Harry to go back to the Dursleys. Who starved him and made him sleep in a cupboard. When Mrs. Weasley flat out offers to adopt Harry permanently at the end of GOF, Dumbledore says no. (Keep in mind that for whatever reason, this is treated as something that requires his permission, when he has no legal standing over Harry at all. We'll be coming back to that.) Dumbledore claims that this is due to the blood wards, that Harry must live at Privet Drive to protect him from Voldemort. But this is bullshit for many reasons.

First of all, no one knows that Voldemort is going to come back. Dumbledore has this gut feeling, and he happens to be right, sure. But we shouldn't treat that guess as wisdom, when the Blood Wards only shield Harry from Voldemort specifically. They did jack squat to protect him against the Dementors in OOTP. Dumbledore stranded him in the muggle world with people who weren't equipped to protect him and didn't care to anyway. I'm sorry, but DH confirms that protective enchantments can be placed over literally any dwelling, including tents. There is no excuse for forcing a child to live in an abusive situation, ever. But this attempt at an excuse doesn't even begin to hold water. It is also a lie. Dumbledore basically admits the real reason for this plan in the first chapter of the series. He doesn't want Harry to grow up knowing that he's famous. That's what it comes down to. He wants Harry to feel grateful to the Wizarding World for saving him from the Dursleys. He forces to go back because he has to remind Harry that the Wizarding World can be taken away. So that when the time comes, Harry will lay down his life to protect the world he loves. It is the first step in Dumbledore's plan to groom Harry into being the Chosen One. Am I a conspiracist? Perhaps. But just wait, because it gets worse.

In PS, Dumbledore openly steals a House Cup victory from Slytherin. Gryffindor was in fourth place. And rather than punish the Golden Trio for putting themselves in terrible danger by doing what McGonagall strictly forbade them to do...Dumbledore rewards Harry's tendency to charge into dangerous situations to try and save the day. This. Is. Grooming. This is positive reinforcement, and it doesn't hurt that it buys Harry's loyalty to Dumbledore at the same time. The only person who earned those points is Neville. Harry arguably made the situation worse by looking into the Mirror and summoning the Stone. Quirrell wouldn't have been able to get it otherwise. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that Harry passed the first test. And Harry even speculates that Dumbledore wanted to give him the chance to solve the puzzle. At age eleven, he's figured Dumbledore out, but thanks to his abnormal childhood, he doesn't recognize how creepy this is.

And Dumbledore just keeps doing this. It's not unlike what he does to Jacob's Sibling in Hogwarts Mystery. He literally rewards Harry's loyalty to him in COS. He sends Harry and Hermione to rescue Buckbeak and Sirius when he could have easily done it himself. That would have posed less risk. He also forces Harry to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. The film spells this out, even. Dumbledore wants to see what will happen, so he uses Harry as bait. The book doesn't make this explicit, but it also doesn't really give a reason beyond there being a vague "magical contract" that they never explain. I see no reason why Dumbledore couldn't have pulled Harry from the Tournament and that is what a responsible adult would do. In OOTP, he decides to ghost Harry all year. For reasons that, despite having read the book and seen the film many times...I still don't really understand. Ah well, "old man's mistake" right? You know what, we need to talk about that scene.

Dumbledore knew about the Prophecy the whole time. He declined to tell Harry until he was nearly sixteen years old. Right after Sirius died, no less. Even though Voldemort has tried to kill Harry multiple times at this point. Even though Harry point blank asked why Voldemort came after him as a baby and Dumbledore had the nerve to go "Alas, I cannot tell you!" Like, no Dumbledore, this is Harry's life, his safety, and his future. He had no right to keep this from Harry and I don't care if he was "too young." I don't care if Dumbledore is basically admitting that he was wrong to not tell Harry. The thing about Albus Dumbledore is that he will gladly own up to his own wrongdoings, but then carry on as though his apology closes the matter. No one else ever, and I mean ever, gets to actually hold him accountable for anything. Have you noticed that?

But this is a long scene and things only get worse. Dumbledore waxes poetics about his brilliant plan and urges Harry to guess the "flaw" in it. And what is the flaw? That he cares too much about Harry. That he cared more about Harry's happiness than the safety of others, that he put Harry's life above the life of innocent people. First of all, no. This man who is currently planning the death of the teenager in front of him, has the nerve to look him in the eye and pretend to care about him. He suggests to Harry, an anguished, depressed child who already feels like he got his Godfather killed...that innocent people will suffer and die because of him. That Harry being happy will lead to the deaths of others. And it's crystal clear why he's doing it, too. He's nurturing Harry's tendency toward self sacrifice, so that he'll choose to die when the time comes. I've never hated Dumbledore more than in this moment.

And you know what? We're still not done! We haven't even talked about Snape! I don't object to Dumbledore giving Snape a second chance. I don't even mind that he manipulated Snape's guilt for losing Lily. If it gets him to turn on Voldemort, fine. But instilling him as the Potions Master when he does not have the skillset to teach, when he is abusive to his students? Unacceptable. I don't care if Dumbledore thinks that kids can learn a lot from a "bad" teacher. That's a cute theory, but as the Headmaster of this school, he simply has to do better than that. Countless moments in the books indicate that Snape can't handle this job, and even if Dumbledore needs to keep him at Hogwarts, Dumbledore should have sacked him ages ago. And don't even get me started on Snape's dynamic with Harry. Dumbledore never disciplines Snape for anything, certainly not for his bullying Harry. No, you know what he does? He guilts Harry for disliking and mistrusting the man who emotionally abuses him on a regular basis. The man who arguably played a hand in the death of Harry's parents. Just because Dumbledore trusts Snape completely doesn't mean that he can expect everyone else to do the same.

Oh wait, yes he can, because Dumbledore is pretty much the Minister of Magic in everything but name. Remember how Hagrid was so willing to kidnap Harry as a baby because of Dumbledore's orders? Remember how Molly just assumed she would need Dumbledore's permission to rescue Harry from the Dursleys, and shrugged it off when he said no, as "Dumbledore has his reasons." Dumbledore is beloved by the people of this world. They idolize him and put him on this pedestal of wisdom and goodness, they adore him. Everyone wants him to be Minister and he's been offered the job three times. Even though he turned it down, he is still the de facto leader of this society, it's clear as day. Especially with how inept the actual Ministry is, and everyone knows it. Other than the Death Eaters and their associates, literally everyone just blindly trust Dumbledore. Remus, Hagrid, The Weasleys, even McGonagall. The only "good" character who doesn't? Sirius. He is the only one we ever see even slightly question Dumbledore. And let's talk about Sirius for a second.

Albus "second chances" Dumbledore, who is the chief warlock of the Wizengamot and thus has authority over the courts, who was Headmaster during the Marauder's time at Hogwarts and saw how inseparable Sirius and James were, who knew that James turned down Dumbledore's offer himself to be Secret Keeper in favor of choosing Sirius...he didn't think anything was fishy? He didn't even use his influence to make sure Sirius at least got a trial? If only so that he could figure out what was going on? Why didn't he do that? Everyone suspects Snape, but all it took was Dumbledore vouching for him to pretty much grant him immunity. I'll tell you why Dumbledore discarded Sirius. He couldn't use him. Remus, Hagrid, Snape, Newt...Dumbledore has a history of collecting underdogs and taking them in, giving them sanctuary when no one else would. It wins their loyalty, and then he can use them. He literally forced Harry into an abusive home just to turn him into one of these "underdogs." Sirius wasn't an underdog though. He was a rebel, who chose his path. He was disowned because he ran away. So he's useless.

#Anti Dumbledore #If you are a fan of his then you are welcome to interact #But this post is going to hurt #Albus Dumbledore #Harry Potter #Harry James Potter #Harry Potter Analysis #Sirius Black #I really don't want to offend or antagonize Dumbledore fans #But I just can't see eye to eye with you #Ya'll are valid and I'm trying but nope. I can't do it.#Anti Snape #Not really the point but this post isn't kind to him either #Severus Snape

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the-music-maniac · 3 years

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You ever notice how similar Xie Wang and Han Ying’s stories and character arcs are?

A warning here that this contains spoilers for all of Word of Honor/Shan He Ling. Stop reading now, I reference a ton of shit.

I was actually discussing a couple fic ideas with a friend a few weeks ago, and I got to wondering after thinking about those parallels I could see -

Does Han Ying x Xie Wang exist as a ship?? Is that a thing?? That exists?? Can it please exist??

It has so much potential. There's so many narrative parallels with these two characters.

They're two people who deserved better than their respective endings, who never got what they wanted, because of the manipulation of men who wanted power and would stop at nothing to get it (Jin Wang and Zhao Jing). The manipulation of those who saw them as less then what they were.

They also have similarities in their relationships with their "mentor figures" - Han Ying and Zhou Zishu, and Xie Wang and Zhao Jing. They have quite a lot of differences too, enough that their lives parallel each other instead of mirror, and I just think that their personal experiences could make for a very compelling storyline if these two were to interact. It would be an interesting road to a development of a potential relationship, and moreover an opportunity for both of them to learn from the other and heal.

And real talk? I just want the both of them to be happy tbh (and of course that obviously doesn't need to involve a romantic relationship - I just have no self control. I'd be just as ecstatic about a really good friendship though).

I also know they never interact in the drama - but then again these two are also literally dead in the drama. Reality is what you make it 🤣🤣. And considering how close the Scorpion was working with Tian Chuang - honestly I'm pretty sure you can't really say they haven't met either.

So anyways, I guess reasons why I think this would be a good ship dynamic:

First of all, their relations with their mentors and how it's similar to each other and also not. The resulting potential for mutual support:

Han Ying's dearest wish is to be a disciple of Zhou Zishu's, as he says plainly in that one episode.

The thing is, there could be quite a lot of subtext taken from that - I've read interpretations that he's in love with Zhou Zishu, or at least has romantic feelings for him - a strong crush possibly - which I can plausibly see (I can also see it just being platonic, which I will talk about later). But yeah, a romantic interpretation just because of how strong his devotion towards Zhou Zishu is. The wistful looks?????

In that kind of situation, IF the romantic feelings are two-sided instead of one-sided - which I would like to go on the record and say that with Han Ying and Zhou Zishu, I don't believe it is - and as a result actually becomes something, that type of relationship would not be the most healthy, because there's a very strong imbalance of power. Even if the mentor figure genuinely cares and actively minds the mentee's feelings - the mentee still undeniably has that level of hero worship - it won't ever be equal. We can see that already in Han Ying's case, Zhou Zishu repeatedly tells him to stop treating him with so much formality because he's not the leader anymore and yet Han Ying still remains deferential.

In that interpretation, if that were the case of it being two sided - Han Ying would have quite a lot of similarity of experience to Xie Wang's relation to Zhao Jing -

And here I can talk about how Xie Wang and Zhao Jing's relationship is uh. Kinda sus tbh. Like. That doesn't look like a healthy or platonic father-son relationship and it gives me the creeps. In Xie Wang and Zhao Jing's relationship, I'm more inclined to believe there's some semi-incestous yifu fucking going on than anything platonic, there's just so many sus moments - and if I'm not mistaken they dubbed over a line in the show where it was basically stated plainly that it's not a platonic relationship. Or at least - Xie Wang doesn't view Zhao Jing platonically (and I don't believe Zhao Jing discourages it at all, if anything he actively encourages and guides it to make Xie Wang dependent on him). So we got another setup where it's potentially one sided romantic feelings/hero worship. Or maybe two sided for them, who knows.

But the thing is, while I talked about unhealthy romantic relationships in my section about Han Ying, a fundamental difference between Xie Wang and Han Ying's relationships with their mentors is that Zhou Zishu's relationship with Han Ying would be a lot healthier. A LOT healthier. So much fucking healthier, I cannot emphasis that enough. And that's mostly because their relationship is not two-sided, and because he sees Han Ying as a person.

He cares about Han Ying a lot but not as anything beyond platonic - he views him as a student and a subordinate and protects him as such. Han Ying on the other hand could have romantic feelings for Zhou Zishu. Not in love per se, it feels to me like it could be a mix of a really strong crush with really strong hero worship. I don't think Han Ying truly knows Zhou Zishu's other aspects of personality (yet?? I guess because if we're gonna hypothetically bring both Han Ying and Xie Wang back to life he probably will eventually get to know Zhou Zishu properly), because I doubt he ever showed anything beyond his stern assassin leader type of persona to his subordinates. He was likely caring yes, but in a way that keeps people at a distance. So, a mentor-mentee type of relationship where Han Ying could be crushing quite hard on Zhou Zishu. But still a healthy one, as Zhou Zishu, one - doesn't intend to pursue a romantic relationship with Han Ying - and moreover, although might know about his feelings, or his devotion at least(tbh you'd have to be blind not to), he treats them, and him, with respect. He doesn't try and manipulate Han Ying, or use his emotions for his own purposes. He sees Han Ying as his own person. His affection and regards towards Han Ying remains unconditional, even if Han Ying messes up or doesn't follow instructions. Instructions that, btw, repeatedly try to keep Han Ying out of the line of fire, and makes it clear that Han Ying is to put himself first.

Everything Zhao Jing does however is solely to cripple Xie Wang and make him wholly dependent on him. He's been grooming Xie Wang from such a young age, and his positive regard and care is ALWAYS conditional. As soon as Xie Wang messes up, he takes it away as punishment, and because of how Zhao Jing's made himself the center of Xie Wang's world, that action is devastating to him. He subtly encourages and toys with Xie Wang's regard for him for his own purposes, he tries to make Xie Wang jealous so he works twice as hard to earn back Zhao Jing's attention. And as we see with his intention to eventually discard Xie Wang as soon as he is no longer useful - he doesn't view Xie Wang as a person. He's merely another tool in his arsenal.

The reason why I wrote such a long ass analysis about the similarities and differences between Xie Wang and Han Ying's relationships is because as I mentioned before, one reason I think this would be a pretty interesting ship and dynamic is how these two could help each other. At first, it might be more Han Ying helping Xie Wang.

Xie Wang hasn't ever experienced what a proper and healthy guardian type relationship is like, or even what it means for someone to choose him first. He's a victim of abuse, and should he manage to survive the avalanche at the end of the show, there is potential for him to start to undo all the damage that Zhao Jing has inflicted on him all those years, especially if the man is truly no longer around. And I think Han Ying would be in a very good position to offer him support in that journey. Moreover, if Han Ying has had an experience similar to that, it could be the reason he would want to offer support to Xie Wang. He's experienced a lot of what Xie Wang has experienced, but he's also seen what it is for someone to genuinely care about him, and as a result likely has a more healthy view on that type of relationship. They're similar enough for Xie Wang to potentially not want to push Han Ying away if he ever offers his help, but also dissimilar enough that Han Ying could offer new avenues of thought.

At the same time, if you just read Han Ying and Zhou Zishu's relationship as a really strong type of hero worship, this dynamic could make sense too. Han Ying clearly looks up to Zhou Zishu quite a lot, and on top of that, Zhou Zishu in a way represents everything Han Ying has wanted and couldn't have - aka a family and a mentor figure and a home to call his own. Regardless of if it's purely platonic or not, it's still an infinitely healthier relationship, a parallel to Xie Wang's experience, so the potential of the offer of support remains the same.

Second of all, similarity in origin and life experiences, which is a small thing tbh but still an important thing:

Han Ying is someone I don't know a lot of background on tbh - I presume he doesn't have a family anymore, and somehow ended up in the Window of Heaven. I've read fics where Zhou Zishu was the one to save him at some point and offer him a position in the assassin group, and I'm inclined to take that as a plausible head canon (unless it's actually canon, idk I haven't read tyk yet).

So, in bare bones, he's an orphan who is taken in by a mentor figure, and becomes a high ranking member of an assassin group.

Xie Wang is also someone who no longer has a family - we don't know that much about his background either, but I presume he was happened upon by Zhao Jing in some way - I'm not sure at what age tbh, is it assumed that he was raised by him?? Or maybe in teenage years??

Whatever it happens to be, Xie Wang was taken in, maybe even "saved" by (although if you ask me, he'd be better off without) Zhao Jing.

So in essence it is the same thing as Han Ying's experiences, an orphan who is taken in by a mentor figure, and becomes a high ranking (or the leader of) an assassin group.

And not only that, as I mentioned from the beginning, these two both realize and know, eventually, that they’re being used by men who are desperate for power (Jin Wang, Zhao Jing).

I mention this actually as just an extension of my first point, because while I mentioned that Han Ying very obviously can support Xie Wang in that particular “past grooming and abuse” aspect, there are probably still many hidden traumas and scars for these two from the lives they’ve both lead. Their similar experiences lead to similar choices which helped shape who they are, and as a result, I think these two could truly understand each other and where they’re coming from.

Their personalities would fit pretty well with each other. I think:

I don’t know if my interpretation on how these two are is accurate tbh, so feel free to let me know if you think it’s out of character.

To me, Han Ying seems like someone who would be pretty calm around the people he cares about; responsible, smart, eager to learn, with a steady sort of presence. He seems like someone who would wear their heart on their sleeve around people he trusts too, but not in any overtly obvious way. I think the reason why I get that impression is that, upon rewatch, I could plainly see his worry about Zhou Zishu in episode one, but when I first started the show, I somehow missed it entirely. Han Ying also didn’t show any qualms about admitting to Chengling that he wants to be Zhou Zishu’s disciple - which can be a very personal piece of info. The way he was around Zhou Zishu, and Wen Kexing also gave off an air of innocent eagerness to do well in his accomplishments and for approval. I’m not saying he’s always like this, because I’m rather certain he has a darker side too - as we see with all the characters, no one is without their traumas and no one is without artifice or without complexity. They’re all grey moral in a very human way, and Han Ying is no different. We’ve seen before too that once he’s got his game face on, the man is pretty competent and also ruthless (his conversation with Gao Chong for example) - I don’t think he could be any less if he’s that high up in the Tianchuang hierarchy. But at the same time I can also see him being a bit of a very subtle disaster (almost?? Slightly dorky??) in certain situations, and we can see that kind of peek through when Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing hijacked his kidnapping attempt and he was kind of like uhh. Okay so, I’m in a choke hold, I think that might be my former commander, so like. Let them go. It’s actually really funny cause while Wen Kexing was telling Gao Chong and Chengling to hurry up and leave, I swear you could see Han Ying contemplating his entire life.

The face of a man confuzzled.

Xie Wang on the other hand, is someone that’s more impulsive, liable to push or be mischievous, less of a steady personality and more like - for lack of better word - an absolute gremlin. A pretty murderous one. It’s a bit hard to tell all aspects of how Xie Wang is tbh, since he has many different mannerisms while talking to different people. With Zhao Jing he has a very subservient, almost dutiful, childlike and innocent air about him, and a sort of. Sa jiao (撒娇) type of demeanor. He craves approval from Zhao Jing, and is just generally very baby around him, and I’m really not sure how much of that is how he actually is and how much of that is him learning that this is the best way to get Zhao Jing’s attention. And tbh I don’t think all of that is grooming, I think Xie Wang probably does have the potential to be as soft or as innocently childlike and happy with others he cares about (just hopefully in a lot healthier way). I think we see his soft side a little with Qianqiao when he gives her the cure. Despite that though, we can still see other aspects of him surface. He makes suggestions and pushes when he thinks Zhao Jing’s refusals are unreasonable, he just goes and does his own thing sometimes (um usually murderous things. Like when he killed Song Huai Ren and told Zhao Jing he’s a traitor). He’s mischievous about some of his actions (after literally stabbing a man, ‘what? he said I should kill him if I have the ability’). He’s a lot more obviously gritty and aggressive and morally grey than Han Ying appears, which I think adds dimension to his character when added in with everything else. He’s also very smart, competent, ruthless - obviously since he runs the Scorpion, but he’s surprisingly fair and almost? Honourable? In certain aspects? And like Han Ying, he does somewhat wear his heart on his sleeve, retains that eagerness to do well and is somehow not as jaded as he could be, as he still finds the capacity to eventually care for a stranger (Liu Qianqiao).

I may be oversimplifying how these two could be, but with their personality types I think they have a lot of potential both in a romantic relationship or as close friends. And in a way that at first glance would probably be puzzling - how in the hell did these two become friends/get together (lmao you’ll see Han Ying in his rather sensible disciple robes and then Xie Wang is just there in his braids, dramatic black outfits, winged eyeliner, etc. 🤣🤣😅😅) but on closer thought, makes sense. Han Ying could be a more steadying presence for Xie Wang, and Xie Wang in turn could help him loosen up a bit more. (That’s kind of oversimplifying it but it’s 5 am where I am rn and I’m too tired to elaborate) I also believe Xie Wang might push Han Ying to be more ambitious, be able to do things for himself more - because Xie Wang went through a process of, everything I do is for someone else, until I realized they were using me, and now I’m going to do it for myself. In that way they could potentially push each other to higher heights in what they do, and they are pretty similar in ideology and morals and previous actions. They both have blood on their hands, and they’re not afraid to be ruthless or do what’s necessary to get the job done. They have their traumas, their complexities and an understanding of what it’s like to put on masks for different people.

The potential for found family. All the found family. Gimme:

This one I feel like is more obvious and changes some things about canon, but the timeline I imagine for if Xie Wang x Han Ying would be a plausible ship is one where Han Ying survives the stealing of the fake glazed armour incident and becomes one of the disciples of Siji (second disciple of the sixth generation????). Everything else would likely proceed in a very similar way (although in this au in my mind Gu Xiang and Cao Weining are alive). And then during the avalanche incident, with WenZhou trapped in the armoury, Xie Wang ends up surviving and they end up finding him somehow.

Whether or not it’d be out of character for WenZhou to save him I think could be explored, but the bottom line is that eventually they would probably take him back to Siji. There, whether him meeting Han Ying goes smoothly or not is up to interpretation - I very much doubt it would be an amiable meeting tbh - in fact I fully imagine it to be antagonistic af at first, considering what opposing groups they used to be a part of and the knowledge of how deadly the other can be - trust would be hard to come by, which makes a slow development all the more interesting. And moreover them becoming friends or dating would likely help Xie Wang into the dynamic at Siji because now there’s a more tangible connection between him and the place, and I can see while he’s getting to know all the people of Siji, eventually thinking of them as family as well. And Han Ying in turn gets another person who cares about him, and for him to care about.

I’ll be honest here and say that I don’t particularly care at this point how realistic or in character it all would be - I need found family in my life I have no self control. Xie Wang and Han Ying my beloveds needs all the good things.

Another possible meeting is just Han Ying being sent to negotiate with the Scorpions instead of Duan Pengju (is that how it went? I’ll admit I’m a little fuzzy on plot points here) and meeting each other that way. There could be moments of understanding while working together, an inevitable kinda separation, and eventually seeing each other again at Siji, after all the shitshow is over. The development could continue from there.

The closer age gap:

I’d like to preface this part with a disclaimer that I’m not trying to bash any other ships that are out there, this is actually just entirely my personal preference.

I don’t really like big age gaps in my ships unless their both established adults - for example in their 30's 40's, even 50's. Even if one of them remains young in body, it’s just not a dynamic I generally like. The most popular ship that comes to mind here is Ye Baiyi x Xie Wang - and all the more power to you if you do ship it tbh, I can see it being really adorable and healing for the both of them, especially since Ye Baiyi never really gets a happy ending either (and he absolutely deserves one 😤😤😤) - but that as a ship dynamic is personally not for me, especially after Xie Wang’s kinda hinted relationship with another man that’s also older than him. Ye Baiyi obviously is ten million times the man Zhao Jing could ever be, and it would be an infinitely healthier relationship anyway, but yeah the age gap thing is just my personal bias.

So I don’t know, I appreciate that Han Ying and Xie Wang are both closer in age to each other. I know there aren’t confirmed ages (I think?) but if I had to take a guess, I’d say I think both of them are probably in their early to mid twenties.

Anyways, it’s literally 5:43 am now where I am, so I think I’m gonna end this way too long post and pass out. Honestly, I’m not even sure if this thing is coherent anymore, I’m half delirious with exhaustion while writing this. I might possibly write a fic or do something about this Xie Wang x Han Ying ship, I might not, but I just wanted to get it out there. It’s a cute idea.

Oh god my eyeballs are burning. Cheers, goodnight.

#word of honor #xie wang x han ying #han ying x xie wang #Han Ying #Xie Wang #Shan he ling #I mentioned WenZhou #so I suppose I should put them in?#CaoXiang #Four Seasons Manor #Zhou Zishu #Wen Kexing #Jin Wang #Zhao Jing #liu qianqiao #word of honor spoilers #spoilers

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squadrablog · 4 years

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ok I've joined the Ghiaccio hype train, could I request a Ghiaccio fic with a reader who doesn't like sudden loud noises and will definitely cry if you yell at them? they're really intimidated by Ghiaccio but they're comfortable with the rest of La Squadra, so he's struggling to be a good team member to someone who's always nervous around him. feel free to make it romantic or platonic, your writing is amazing!! 💕💕

Here you are! With the stuff I ended up focusing on I thought that shoehorning a romance in would feel weird, so I focused more on exploring the beginnings of a platonic friendship with him. Lots of awkward Ghiaccio and miscommunication but it all ends up good. :^)

Ghiaccio & Reader (platonic, gender neutral)

Ao3 Mirror Here.

Word Count: 3921

Warnings: Reader has childhood trauma w/ loud noises, not gone into in depth. Assassination job implied but doesn’t happen in text.

Under cut for length!

The last thing you saw yourself doing with your life was becoming an assassin, but here you were. You were a tough kid, scrappy and resourceful when it came down to it, but only because you had to be to get by. You always thought you’d eventually leave that old life behind. The gunshots echoing into the night from rival mafias squaring off to claim the neighborhood you lived in as their territory. The shouts from the man who took you in when you had nowhere else to go, only to berate you when you failed to pick enough pockets to meet his quotas. The way the older and meaner children would torment you, taunt and deride you, whenever you let your vulnerability show.

And you had, more or less, left those parts of it behind at least. When you joined Passione as a last ditch effort to survive you were given a sense of stability that you had never had before, and after initiation when your stand manifested as something powerful and deadly, it didn’t take too long for you to get placed into La Squadra di Esecuzione, Passione’s team of elite assassins.

As a stand user working with other stand users you rarely relied on guns to get your work done. You were no longer struggling to get by, and although your new Capo held his team to high standards he made sure you had ample training and was patient with you while you were still getting your footing. All your teammates were surprisingly supportive; even if they were wary of outsiders, when it came to their own family they looked out for each other.

It was a dangerous life, not without its own anxieties, but it was a much quieter life. It was a life in the shadows, with a roof over your head, with work that allowed you to use stealth and silence. Even if you couldn’t exactly say you were thrilled about being an assassin you were at least surrounded by people who genuinely cared about you now, watched over by a man who never raised his voice at you for things outside your control, and most comforting of all: you never needed to use a gun.

Not all loud noises set you off, just the ones that reminded you of the violent instability of your childhood and the cruelty of your guardian and peers. Your new teammates could get pretty noisy and spirited, but the boisterous and jovial nature of their laughter, even from their more intense teasing, was a comforting change of pace. You didn’t doubt your value or the fact they respected you.

Well, mostly. There was one teammate who was a bit harder for you to let your guard down around.

His name was Ghiaccio, and to say he was loud would be an understatement. When you first met him he had been a bit standoffish, but so were Risotto and Prosciutto. You knew it would take some time for everyone to accept you as a real part of the squad, and you were ready to be patient. But as you quietly observed everyone for those first few weeks, getting a feel for their individual personalities and their dynamics with each other, you found yourself very intimidated by Ghiaccio. He was able to pal around with the rest of them, even if he was gruff as a default, but when something upset him it was like a switch had been flipped.

He was critical of his squadmates’ performance out in the field, and he never hesitated to offer his critiques regardless of how little anyone wanted to hear them. He was critical of the way people talked, constantly nitpicking everyone’s pronunciations and word choice. He was critical of the way that chores around the house got done, judging everyone’s efforts by timeliness and thoroughness.

Everyone was able to brush him off most of the time without problem. When they actually valued what he had to say they never seemed to take the mean way he said it personally. They’d had plenty of time to get used to him and sift through the bullshit. They knew when something actually mattered to him and when something was just him blowing off steam for the sake of it. They knew when it was fair to ask him to shut up and when it was best to let him get it out of his system.

You steeled yourself as best as you could in those first few weeks, just telling yourself you needed some time to understand his quirks like the rest of your squad did, but your opinion changed immediately after your first mission with him.

“Is Prosciutto teaching you anything?” he barked out at you after you two finally managed to take out your hit. You flinched and looked away from his intense gaze. You were a bit anxious about being alone with him for the first time, and you wanted to give him your best effort to impress him, but being on so on edge caused you to make some big mistakes.

“Well?” he demanded when you said nothing. You had assumed it was a rhetorical question.

“Y-yes?” you stuttered out.

“Then you’re the one accountable for fucking up today. What the hell was that?” he asked, his question ending in something similar to a snarl.

Something that was different about working with Ghiaccio as opposed to working with the others was that he argued out loud to no one in particular about random topics that pissed him off. At first you thought he was expecting you to talk to him about how nonsensical some phrase was that Formaggio used before the two of you left, and you listened attentively, but he never gave you any room to respond. Eventually you realized he wasn’t really conversing, just yelling to yell. It was very distracting and it only made you fidget and lose focus.

“I… well…” you choked out. “It’s usually quieter… on my missions, since my stand is- well, since my stand is made for stealth and-”

“Me talking prevented you from doing your job correctly?” he asked, his eyes narrowing. You just shrunk even deeper within yourself. The last thing you wanted to do was insinuate your mistake had been his fault. There was no way that wouldn’t provoke his ire.

“N-no! You didn’t do anything wrong! It was me, I’m really sorry! It won’t happen again!” you squeaked out.

“Better not,” he grumbled sarcastically with a huff before turning to walk down the street towards his car. You followed, keeping a good distance behind him, not looking forward to the ride back to the base.

---

That had been weeks ago. While you had been doing a decent job at tolerating Ghiaccio before that mission, afterwards was a different story. You actively avoided him, checking if he was in rooms before entering, excusing yourself when he came into a room you were already in, shutting yourself in your room upstairs when you heard him start up on a rant somewhere on the main floor.

Eventually it was shamelessly (or perhaps shamefully) obvious to just about everyone.

“Dude, what happened on your mission with them?” Formaggio asked in a hushed tone one time after your footsteps had disappeared up the stairs. “They’re terrified of you.”

“How the fuck should I know? They haven’t said anything to me about it,” Ghiaccio shot back.

“Uh, yeah, duh. That’s what I’m saying. They won’t even sit in the same room as you,” Formaggio muttered.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” he said, scrunching up his eyebrows. “But it’s not like they talk much to begin with.”

“Are you kidding?” Illuso interjected, inserting himself into his two teammates’ conversation, much to Ghiaccio’s annoyance. “I can get them to prattle on for hours about themself. They’re a real chatterbox once you get to know them.”

“Illuso, dude, have they told you the story about their mission with Pesci down at the wharf?” Formaggio asked with a big grin.

“Fuck, I almost forgot about that,” Illuso replied with a chuckle. “What about the time where-”

“Hey! Shut up for a second,” Ghiaccio snapped. “We’re all talking about the same person, right?”

Upon being interrupted Illuso narrowed his eyes at Ghiaccio before turning to Formaggio. “It’s obviously because of Ghiaccio’s poorly controlled rage. Have you ever seen the poor thing freeze up over a gunshot before?”

“No, but I can imagine. One time I tried scaring them from behind and it took them ten whole minutes to recover,” Formaggio responded.

“I haven’t done shit to them, what possible reason do they have to be scared of me?” Ghiaccio asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well, what happened on that mission?” Formaggio asked again.

“It was pretty standard, I killed the bastard while they assisted. They did fuck up pretty bad, which is typical during training, so I pointed it out for their benefit. Then we left,” Ghiaccio recounted. “Nothing else happened.”

Formaggio raised an eyebrow. “What did you say?”

“I don’t know! I think I asked if Prosciutto was doing his job right since they didn’t seem too confident. I asked if there was anything that might have contributed to their lackluster performance, but after thinking it over they said that it was on them.”

“Sounds pretty level headed and analytical of you,” Illuso said, stroking his chin. “Are you sure that’s how you said it?”

“Probably not in so many words, I was probably more casual about it,” Ghiaccio grumbled. “Why does it matter how I said it? What’s important is what I said.”

“Ghiaccio, your brand of casual is a few decibels above what’s average,” Illuso said.

“Not to mention the casual expletives, or the casual sarcasm,” Formaggio added. “Are you sure you didn’t casually tell them to go fuck themself without realizing it?”

“No! I mean, if I was stern with them it was in the context of training!” Ghiaccio insisted.

“Are we being trained right now? Is that why you’re yelling at us?” Illuso asked with a smirk.

“This is just how I talk!” Ghiaccio said, bringing a hand up to his temple. “Ugh, I don’t fucking know! Maybe I yelled at them? I remember being very straightforward. They seemed kind of on edge, but I just assumed that’s how they always are!” He dropped his hand and turned to look at his two teammates. “Are they really not like that on missions with you?”

“Not anymore,” Illuso said with a shrug. “At first a bit, but they’re pretty reliable now.”

“You’ve got to go slow with them. They’re easily set off, but if they know they can count on you they’re able to push through it,” Formaggio said.

“My stand is invincible and I never even let the guy near them. There’s no one better suited for watching someone’s blind spot than me,” Ghiaccio said with his hand splayed out on his chest.

“I mean, like… emotionally,” Formaggio said, scratching the back of his head. “If I was to put myself in their headspace I’d say they probably think you hate them.”

“I don’t hate them,” Ghiaccio spat loudly.

“Good! Now step two is letting them know that,” Illuso said, clapping a hand on Ghiaccio’s back, causing his glasses to slide down his nose.

Ghiaccio grumbled and pushed his glasses back up. He knew that things were weird between the two of you ever since your mission, but it never even crossed his mind it was because of something he said. Is this what Prosciutto felt like training Pesci? But even Pesci had never been avoidant or scared of Prosciutto for all the tough love that he gave him. Pesci looked up to him like an older brother.

If he was really the only one in all of La Squadra that you were uncomfortable around, then he supposed it was on him now to figure out why.

---

The base was pretty quiet today, with a lot of missions landing on Risotto’s desk this week. While you were quite fond of your new teammates you liked having the common area all to yourself on a quiet evening, especially if you were curled up with a novel. When you first started living at the base it felt like a luxury, but even after you had gotten used to the quiet its novelty hadn’t worn off for you.

The sound of a key jingling at the front door had you peeking over your book. When Ghiaccio appeared framed by the living room entrance you held your breath. Hopefully he’d be going upstairs… no, it looked like he was coming into the common area. That’s okay, you could move, so you started standing up, except… he was looking right at you, heading in your direction.

“Sit down,” he said stiffly, and after a beat he added, “Please?”

“Uhh! Okay!” you said, sitting back down and bringing your book right back up to cover your face.

“Can you also, uh. Please. Put the book down?” Ghiaccio said, his voice strained to maintain a monotone and flatten out any inflection. You did as he asked, although you still couldn’t meet his eyes, and he just stared at you awkwardly.

“Uh-”

“Hello,” he said, and it left his mouth at the exact same time your muttered exclamation had. Another awkward pause.

“Hi?” you said, unsure. This wasn’t what you were expecting from your next conversation with the man, for as long as you had postponed it. You thought he’d be demanding to know why you were ignoring him, or getting on your case about being too sensitive to handle his criticism on your last mission. Maybe that was yet to come?

“You are afraid of me,” Ghiaccio stated flatly. Then perhaps he realized he wanted to ask it as a question. “Yes?”

“Oh, no, I’m…” you muttered.

“Of course you are,” he said quickly, cutting you off before you could mumble out an excuse. You got pretty embarrassed by that, but you swallowed and moved your eyes up to gauge his expression. He didn’t look angry, but he looked hyper focused to the point of distress. His lips were pressed together tightly as if he was trying to hold back from speaking again.

“I’m sorry,” you said.

“For being scared of me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. He was being sarcastic again, wasn’t he?

“No, I… I mean… I’m sorry for,” you started, trying to think of something legitimate to actually be sorry about. “For fucking up on the mission.”

“Did fucking up on the mission really bother you that much?” he said. Not only were you stupid for fucking up the mission, but you were also stupid for letting it bother you for so long! What did he want you to say?

“No, I mean…”

But Ghiaccio cut you off with a long loud exhale. “Look, I’m not great at this kind of thing. I understand that I make you anxious, and I understand that for whatever reason it’s hard for you to talk to me, but I really can’t understand what people say unless they drop all the bullshit.” When you frowned and looked away he tried again. “Not bullshit, fuck, uh. No, not fuck... It’s just that. I need you to say exactly what you mean. I can’t tell what people are thinking unless they make it… easy for me.”

You looked back at him. Whatever he was here to talk about with you, he was trying very hard not to raise his voice. The way he was talking to you was too stilted to be anything but intentional. If he was doing this for your sake, then you would try to meet him halfway. You took a moment to think, to choose what you wanted to say carefully.

“I don’t do well with loud noises. I also… take things very personally. I’ve been worrying that you…” You took another second before committing. “...Hate me.”

He pressed his lips in a thin line again as some noise tried to escape his throat, perhaps an instinctive denial. “What about me makes you think that?”

“Well… you seemed pretty disappointed in me after the mission.”

“I was checking in with you. I wanted to make sure Prosciutto was properly training you.”

You raised an eyebrow. “But… but you sounded really angry and sarcastic.”

Ghiaccio closed his eyes and thought about that for a second. “I probably was angry, but not at you. You just fucked up on something so basic that I had to wonder if Prosciutto was actually teaching you anything useful.”

“That’s… not how you said it though,” you said, feeling defensive. “I… I know I did something dumb… but I’ve never messed up with my stand like that before. It was different on that mission.”

“Me talking to myself?” Ghiaccio asked. He had been fixating over what he said to you at the end of that mission for days now, trying to remember all the details. He recalled how you had started with one explanation, but you quickly retracted it.

“You were… so angry the entire mission,” you complained. “Everyone else is quiet on missions with me because my stand is better suited to it.”

“It wasn’t a stealth mission,” Ghiaccio countered. “We were using your stand for something different. I wasn’t even talking to you.”

“I know!” you groaned. “You weren’t trying to distract me, but when things get too loud I…”

“But you took it back. You said it wasn’t me,” Ghiaccio said, leaning forward. His voice had risen just a little, but when he noticed how you reacted to that he tensed up.

“I took it back because I was afraid of upsetting you!” you said, leaning back into the couch as far as you could. “Because when I brought it up… you were mean about it… so I took it back! I thought you were trying to tell me it was my fault, so I took the blame like I thought you wanted!”

“I was… I was asking for clarification! If I did something that caused you to fuck up then I want to know that I did so we can talk about it!” He was clenching his fists to keep his upward inflections from becoming full-blown yelling.

“None of that came across!” you complained. “Like… maybe you technically said those things, but the way you said made it come across completely different!”

“What about you? Now you’re telling me that you meant something completely different from the things you actually said to me!?”

“I-I… but I was obviously upset! I was obviously just trying to appease you!”

“How was it obvious? I thought you were upset because you fucked up! No one likes fucking up!”

“Yeah, no kidding!” You realized at this point that your own voice was starting to rise, which was making Ghiaccio raise his to match yours, and you took a deep breath before speaking calmly again. “I was upset because I was afraid.”

It was quiet again for a little while until Ghiaccio broke the silence.

“Being mean and angry comes really easy to me,” he said, running his fingers through his curls. “Even when I don’t realize it, I still am. Even if I think I’m being reasonable, people misunderstand. I’ve been so used to the others actually being able to take it that I forgot how bad it was.” He scratched at his head a bit. “I also have a hard time telling how loud I actually am until someone points it out.”

You sat there for a moment, soaking that in, before you gave a small amused huff with a half-smile on your face. “I’m not great with loud noises because of what they mean to me. Gunshots remind me of a time when I wasn’t safe… but I can protect myself now, and I have other people who will protect me too. But yelling reminds me of… how I was never good enough for anyone.” You tapped your fingers on the cover of the book on your lap and shrugged.

“I hear from the others that you’re really skilled and reliable on missions,” Ghiaccio said. “I didn’t see that from you when we worked together, but maybe that’s because I was the one who fucked up.”

“But you didn’t...” you started.

“I fucked up by not meeting you where you were at. You’re new. I don’t know you, I don’t know what you’re like. If we had talked beforehand, if I had worked with you, then you probably wouldn’t have made that mistake. I was taking the lead on that mission, it was my job to train you to use your stand in an unfamiliar circumstance. I use missions to get out all the shit that makes me angry, since I don’t need to stay quiet. You don’t work like that. You had no idea what I was yelling for. I never told you how I do things, I just expected you to brush it off like everyone else does.”

You blinked a few times. You had been pretty quick to blame yourself for your own shortcomings, but hearing him say that really recontextualized that entire mission experience. You might have fucked up, but it was now obvious that he did not hold it against you. “That’s surprisingly self-aware of you.”

He rolled his eyes and set his elbow on the couch’s armrest, plopping his head on his fist. “You don’t know me either. I’m more than a raving heartless bastard. Stuff like this… not understanding why other people think the way they do, or what I’m doing wrong… it really fucks me up. I don’t hate you. You’re a part of my family now and I genuinely want to help you get stronger. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

Ghiaccio was nothing like you thought. He was actually really sensitive and introspective. You could tell it was hard for him to confront you like this, almost as hard as it was for you to be confronted. You appreciated that he wanted to put in the effort to have a relationship with you.

“Thank you Ghiaccio. And I’m sorry I avoided you instead of trying to talk about it like this.” You reached over and placed your hand on his shoulder with a gentle smile. He seemed taken aback by the contact, but he relaxed after a moment.

“Are we… good?” he huffed out.

“I think so!”

He let out one long exhale that seemed to go on forever. “Thank fuck,” he muttered, before turning to look at you. “Goddamn it, sorry.”

“It’s not the swearing that bothers me,” you clarified. “It’s the intention behind it. You’re… uh… fucking good, my dude.”

He let out a snort at the awkward way you said that before bringing his hand up to cover his face, looking away in embarrassment.

“Aw, no, that was cute,” you assured him, which only made it worse.

“Well, if we’re done here then I’m heading to bed,” he said, and you glanced at the clock in the living room. It had gotten pretty late. He stood up and started walking towards the stairs.

“We have a mission together again this weekend, right?” you asked, and he looked at you over his shoulder.

“Yeah,” he confirmed.

“I’m looking forward to it,” you said with as much enthusiasm as you could muster. And you meant it. “Goodnight!”

“...Night,” he said, before he disappeared around the corner.

#ghiaccio #ghiaccio x reader #jojo imagines #jjba scenarios #jjba x reader #jojo's bizarre adventure #jjba #my writing #anon

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thejustmaiden · 4 years

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Jaken = Rin's Dad?

Okay, is this how a daughter treats their so-called father?

Most definitely not.

Rin and Jaken's relationship clearly screams of your typical sibling rivalry punctuated with cute and silly moments of playful bickering.

Yes, Jaken may technically be her main provider, but that doesn't necessarily equate to him being more of a father than Sesshomaru. If anything, he demonstrates more of a brotherly love towards her. As we all know, parents (which Sesshomaru embodies more based on real life patterns and parallels) will leave their older more capable children in charge of looking after their younger brothers and sisters. In this case, that would mean making Jaken responsible for watching over Rin and protecting her if need be. Ah-Un offers protection, too. Think of it as Jaken as the big brother and Ah-Un as the family dog who are babysitting while Sesshomaru as the parent of the household is away at work or taking care of business. I mean, they literally fit that description to a tee and I'm dying at the accuracy of it all! 🤣👌

[Quick! Someone write up a modern au where Sesshomaru finally gets out to have a nice date night but everything goes wrong in the most spectacular way. Like maybe Rin and Jaken catch a ride on Ah-Un to go spy!]

I recently revisited some episodes from The Final Act, and I couldn't believe how many moments like this there were where Rin got after Jaken or when she would "put him in his place" so to speak. Obviously, all of it is mostly harmless. I was only surprised by how often it occurred, not to mention how Jaken would just stand there and take it. Towards a supposed father figure, Rin's behavior is downright unacceptable. There's a certain level of respect a child is expected to show their parents/guardians, and that's just not what I'm witnessing here between them. Like at all.

Rather their dynamic has the nature of some sibling relationships like I mentioned above. So I really wish fans would stop pretending otherwise, because based on what we know of father-daughter relationships- healthy ones at least- they don't appear anything like what Jaken and Rin have. If you could please provide me other examples of where we've seen similar portrayals in fiction or in real life, then perhaps I can get on board.

Look, that doesn't have to mean that because Jaken isn't her father then Sesshomaru must be. They can both be her caretakers without necessarily filling that traditional father role. I'm just saying that if we're going to start assigning titles to characters, let's make sure we are accurate and truthful in our assessments. If you're going to label anyone Rin's dad, then it needs to be Sesshomaru. Jaken doesn't have precedence over him in terms of fatherly attributes, that just wouldn't make sense.

After all, this isn't about what you want to see, this is about what Rin very likely sees. It's safe to assume that she views Sesshomaru more like a father than she does Jaken. She knows she's safe with him (broadly speaking lol) and that he'll come for her no matter what. That sense of security and comfort is what a child seeks and what they should always feel in a parent's presence. She trusts and even idolizes him, just as a young and innocent child tends to do with their parents. At that age, parents are perfect and could do no wrong in their child's eyes. Idk about you, but this describes perfectly how Rin is around Sesshomaru.

Rin adores him and will follow him anywhere- yes, even into danger! That's what the innocence and unconditional love of a child will bring them to do if necessary. Fortunately, at the end of The Final Act we learn Sesshomaru takes Kaede's advice when he realizes that leaving Rin with her in the village is in her best interests. That way she'd be able to lead a more normal and safer life alongside other humans. Remember, Sessrin shippers, that doesn't mean he wasn't still a part of her life and didn't witness her become a young woman over the years right before his very eyes. Therefore, if they eventually do become romantically involved, then most if not all of those gifts had intimate and seductive intentions and it essentially constitutes as child grooming.

I understand from a Sessrin shipper's point of view why it'd be so much easier to claim Jaken as the father. In doing so, they diminish Sesshomaru's role in her upbringing. By refusing to acknowledge the real role he had in helping raise Rin (short periods can be crucial and impressionable too esp. in a child's early years so yes they did assist in raising her not only Kaede), these shippers are better able to justify how their filial-like relationship evolved into a romantic one. So yeah, I get it, if I were a Sessrin shipper I'd probably do the same. It's one of the more plausible arguments available to them, after all. "Let's pin Jaken as the father to fend off antis!" is the best chance they've got, but even so, it's still not good enough. But if you insist Jaken is indeed like a father to Rin, then Sesshomaru is most certainly one too. Who says she can't have two fathers anyway?

The thing is however much you want to deny or downplay what Sesshomaru truly means to Rin and vice versa, nothing will ever change or hide the truth of the matter. Please, stop acting like they're only traveling companions and nothing more. Some of y'all even go so far as to say that they're like strangers. Knowing potentially little about a person is not equal to a lack of love and affection. Making big assumptions such as this to defend your ship is actually doing you more harm than good. Let me elaborate.

According to your reasoning, if that's all Rin ever was to him was a companion and Sesshomaru had no real attachment to her, then what precisely is the basis of your ship? Recall that Adult!Rin doesn't exist yet, thus we have no real idea what she will be like or if she's even alive. So how can you make comments like that but then go on later to say "they have such a unique and unbreakable bond" or "only Rin can be the mother because she's the only human he ever cared for" if all that time spent traveling together didn't amount to much in the first place like you claimed to believe beforehand? Do you see how your rationalizing is confusing?

Contrary to what some of you may think, I'm not just saying all this because I'm an anti and I'm obligated to disagree with you, or whatever other excuse you want to tell yourself. Believe it or not, I'm attempting to give as unbiased and objective of an analysis I can based on widely accepted interpretations of family dynamics, development, and any history we know of.

Of course I respect that at times fans will perceive things differently since that's bound to happen. What's hard for me to wrap my head around however is the unwillingness of some fans- not exclusively Sessrin shippers- to apply basic common sense and sound judgment to their observations and deductions.

Looking at all our facts, then taking the small handful of scenes Sesshomaru and Rin do share together into account, one can logically conclude that their dynamic is akin to one found in a typical parent-child relationship. If you still fail to recognize Sesshomaru as a parent to Rin, then that's fine too. In the end, that won't really change the fact that he'd still take on a role resembling an adult figure overseeing a young child's care and protection. Be it as a vassal, guardian, what have you. Plus, nobody is saying here that Sesshomaru doesn't make mistakes regarding Rin's general well-being, but so do all parents. Overall, I think the majority of us agree that Rin is in good hands. Whether it's in his direct company or in his occasional supervision from his frequent visits to the village.

In other words, it doesn't really matter what exact title you assign him in relation to Rin, as the distribution of power is all inherently the same with any and all adult-child relationships. That bond never changes once you've established it either, seeing as it's a special kind of connection one can only form with a child and a child alone.

I was a teacher for a few years, and speaking from personal experience, you don't need to be a parent, per se, to take on a role of authority in a child's life. I know without a doubt that I could never and will never view any of those kids I taught in a sexual/romantic light later down the road; yes, not even once they become grown-ups who are independent and more than capable of making their own decisions. Those of you who disagree are usually missing the whole point though, because we're not trying to dictate what Adult!Rin can and cannot do like many tend to accuse of us doing. This isn't a question of taking away from her autonomy nor does it fall under "purity culture," which is why people shouldn't continue jumping to these outrageous conclusions and really listen for a change. You're deflecting from the real issue here when you choose to misinterpret what we're saying by ignoring the problem we're actually referring to. You cannot present a valid counter-argument if you persist in twisting our words.

Bottom line: once these kids become old enough to pursue a sexual/romantic relationship, of course they have that right if they're ready. All we're trying to say is you guys ought to stop pushing forward this it's-completely-normal-to-want-to-bang-your-adoptive-dad-since-you're-an-adult-and-can-do-as-you-please agenda and not expect backlash. Ship it if you want, but please stop acting like their romance would be the epitome of a pure and healthy relationship.

Sesshomaru may not wear his heart on his sleeve, but it's foolish to presume he didn't actually care about Rin during their whole time together just because he didn't openly express his feelings until the very end. Surely everybody can comprehend that people handle and process their emotions differently. The way Sesshomaru chooses to is completely valid for the most part, so let's cut him some slack regarding this already.

What I'm trying to get at is that any child whose life you played an influential role in will always be a kid in a lot ways to you even when they're old and wrinkly. Just as they will always picture you as the loved one who guided and protected them when they were most vulnerable and couldn't always fend for themselves. Can't we relate this to children we know personally and apply it accordingly?

Finally, I want to end on this note. Could you kindly take a look at these two images below for a second?

The reason I ask is because of something I recently read that's relevant to the topic. There was this pro-sessrin tweet I saw that stated Rin trying to take care of Sesshomaru when they first met is what a mom would do for a child, which in their opinion, translates to Rin being more like a mother than a daughter if anything.

First off: are you freaking kidding me????

Seriously, so now children aren't allowed to tend to their sick or injured parents?! Parents are apparently superhuman and shouldn't be offered a helping hand from a child, even if they mean well and want to help their parent who's in pain?? Now this Twitter user was mostly being a smartass, but at the same time, it was evident they genuinely thought they offered a valid enough point that warranted no further explanation or clarification.

Secondly, by saying this Sessrin fans don't seem to realize that in actuality they're contradicting themselves and proving the point we've been trying to make all along. Glancing at the first picture and moving down to the second, the role of the one being cared for and the caretaker is reversed. So then by their own logic, Sesshomaru IS in fact like a father to Rin.

What it comes down to is the names you give to the roles these characters play aren't as crucial as the dynamic they share. The specific characteristics of that dynamic are what define the importance of said role, not so much the name in the role itself. So real father or not, Sesshomaru and Rin clearly mean a lot to each other. Close relationships are defined and solidified by the devotion and belonging they have to one another, not solely by the duration of time spent together and their proximity.

Well, that's a wrap! I hope you guys got something outta this blog, and that you enjoyed or found some portions of it interesting. I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject from this fandom, but only engage in conversation if you plan to be respectful. Thank you!

#inuyasha #hanyo no yashahime #sesshomaru #rin #jaken #anti sessrin #child grooming #family dynamics #parent child relationship

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shimurah · 4 years

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shigaraki and himiko, quirks and repression and its hero society representation.

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Himiko's quirk is both a depiction of her inner repression and the drive of it. An ability that grants her power to take the appearance ( & quirk ) of someone who is not her by absorbing their blood. In a society with standards on what is and what isn't a good 'bad' quirk, her quirk made her an abomination. A demon. the irony in what criteria the quirks must uphold; take a look at the praise and respect UA students with violent quirks get. Addressing problems is not the hero society's way, as we've seen multiple times. Instead, they continue cycles and legacies of deliberate ignorance.

Forced to put a mask on and live the life of someone who, by all means, is not Himiko has its similarity with her quirk. That's what makes it so fascinating; the knowledge that even as she was living through the repression, she was still firmly connected with it. at the same time, she's required to conform to her circumstances, making her need specific knowledge to achieve that state.

To transform and perform her character well, Himiko puts on a different mask and adapts her idiosyncrasies according to who she is portraying. She keeps playing and playing the role until her mask slips and becomes pieces.

On the other hand, tomura's quirk is about those hands. Those hands that can help, & at the same time, can destroy the lives with one touch. His childhood, as well as present life, reflects that idea.

In the shimura household, the hands that could have warmed him and ceased his pain are the hands that push tenko towards his destruction. When hands reach out, they become the opposite of what saving should be, shoving him towards misery and violence.

Both of their quirks evolve in the MVA arc. It's incredibly noteworthy that Tomura had been restlessly fighting for about a month and then is met with another deal of hardships. He successfully evolves his quirk as his memory & feelings of repression fade. Very similar to Himiko acquiring knowledge and skills at pair with trained soldiers in more or less two years on the run.

Her abilities grow and keep growing as she isn't repressing her quirk. That is how, in a short period, they were both able to see such results. Repression got them to nowhere—quite a depiction of slowly dying.

Living a normal life where one's repression is the driving force is eventually death. It proves that they don't need a normal life to live. There is no happiness in their repression; the narrative doesn't reward them for it.

Yet, at the same time, there's a shadow of punishment in the depiction. Not repressing and living by the standards makes them villainous. That's what message it sends when the only characters willing to live by their own 'lifestyles' are the ones getting dehumanized and abominated for it. It shouldn't be so. Not when there's a big point that this restrain of themselves leads to breaking, decaying, & death.

The core of himiko's quirk is easily divided into two parts: the blood spill and the performance. The blood spill is something unavoidable; something the play cannot take place without. It is essential. The performance by itself explains pretty much. Described both as the act of portraying a character and an accomplished deed. Looking at Himiko's reasons throughout her life: the first and most notorious show was the act as a "normal person." We know the motives; we know the repression. She played the role of the good, average girl in the hero society. To put on that act, she didn't need to hurt anybody but herself. It results in an eventual breakdown and charge on Saito, which leads to a homeless criminal's life on the run.

Tomura holds destruction. He can effortlessly destroy countless lives. It's not all that is to him, of course. Though he is the very embodiment of destruction itself, he doesn't lack compassion or humanity. He has plenty. The ordeal in one possessing the phenomenality of destruction and salvation in both hands, the must of making the decision.

Tomura chooses to offer his sympathy and companionship to the league, creating an environment like a home. He is perfectly capable of more than destruction, and the occasions where he makes the judgment of it, are always times where his hand is forced. As a child, he lashes back at his abuser. Currently, not much has changed.

The hero society, a performance?

It places its heroes on ranks, creating power-hungry beasts like endeavour. This career is not inherently wrong. The progression from where it originated to where it's sitting now is. One choosing to be a hero for all reasons but being a savior. Of course, that's not the entire hero population but the numbers are concerning. The ranking is also wrong because it guides the citizens to place all of their faith in the top heroes and especially in the top hero. By placing their absolute faith in them, the citizens lose their sense of helping one another. The heroes themselves are just that. People.

It's been admitted that they can't save everyone, that's not something they can be blamed upon. What they can be on, though, is their performance. The show of being the "guardians of the society," the show of everyone having a chance at saving. That's false by all existent means; sometimes they simply can't save everyone. Sometimes they choose not to out of plain prejudice.

"Guardians of the society" brings many questions. What are guardians supposed to be? If a "guardian" is a savior, then who do they save (serve?) ? The society, yes, but who IS the society? Are humans who don't fit said society's criteria even humans in the eyes of the guardians themselves?

Like Tomura's ability, the guardians can do both destroy or save. It all comes down to their decision. We've seen them capable of saving Eri, the representation of what a good victim should do / be. We've also witnessed them time and time again their treatment of the “dark side” of victims.

This arc is centered around this. Hawks & Jin. Ochako & Himiko. Deku & Tomura.

Hawks killing Jin, in spite of him "having given Jin a choice" which Jin "refused to take" leaving Hawks, a privileged cop, no choice but to act. Hawks reason is simple, it's for the well-known greater good. This is what Ochako touches on in the recent chapter; for saving people she won't hesitate to take out what's in her way. Then there's Deku who had a special note on his an intense need to save people, yes, in spite of his common sense.

This, again, raises questions. If Ochako is so driven by her desire to save people, who are those people? Who fits her criteria, who does she see as a human? What is Deku's “common sense” referring to? They want to save everyone they can, is ‘everyone’ truly everyone?

Is this a foreshadowing for what is to come? What will the characters this arc had brought great attention to their respective passion involving saving do in the face of two characters that are quite literally walking representations of the hero society's wrongs?

There is a chance it will go the same way as Hawks - Jin. Even if it doesn't occur now, it could be laying the ground for it to walk. At the best, they realize they are people, too, worthy of salvation and they attempt to give a hand. At worst, the hand is given in hawks style which is not really giving a hand and ends in tragedy.

#bnha meta #shigaraki tomura #toga himiko #bnha 289 #anyw dont listen 2 me mby hrksh will surprise me n do them some justice #many many thoughts #not sure this makes sense #note i wrote this b4 chap 289 #long post

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chronicallylatetotheparty · 4 years

Text

Float Like a Butterfly...

Master Fu couldn't allow this to continue. Adrien needed to understand, needed to trust his judgment and listen to Ladybug.

But Adrien did understand. Gabriel taught him the same lesson every day. If they saw him as worthless then Adrien wanted nothing to do with them.

He couldn't choose his Father.

But he could choose this.

Ch.1 OK Boomer

Master Fu makes another mistake in a long life of making mistakes.

"I'm sure there'll be another Chat Noir to give me cheese... But he won't be you."

Adrien smiled softly at Plagg's words, the fingers around his Miraculous lowering, as his kwami soothed the sharp, spiked pain in his chest. He could be patient just a little while longer. Even if he was itching to do something. To help. Adrien didn't like being benched... But Plagg said they needed him. So he'd wait-

Both boy and kwami started as a green figure landed on the rooftop with them. The short man was covered in turtle inspired armor. Adrien saw a stern gaze look out from under the stranger's conical hat.

"Master- !" Plagg exclaimed, green bubbles coming out of his mouth. "You transformed!"

"Master?" Adrien glanced between his kwami and... "Who are you?"

"I am the Guardian of the Miraculous, Chat Noir."

Adrien's eyes widened at the sound of his hero name.

Steeling himself for what had to be done Master Fu leveled a disappointed look at the boy. "And you, Adrien, have made a serious breach of trust."

"Wh-what?" The unease in Adrien's gut rose at the scolding tone of the Guardian.

"Master," Plagg tried. "He was just-"

"About to give up one of the two most powerful Miraculous. The one I entrusted into his care." Master Fu didn't raise his voice, he spoke evenly, factually, grimly. Trying to get the boy to admit his mistake.

Instinctively, Adrien covered the ring with his hand.

"Maybe I was wrong to trust you with Destruction." Master Fu sighed.

Plagg zipped toward the Guardian. "Master, you can't mean that!"

A cold, sharp jolt arced across Adrien's spine as his eyes widened. Then narrowed, Chat Noir rising with his anger. "Trust? You kept me in the dark! Ladybug-"

"It was not her secret to keep." Brow furrowing, Master Fu looked back at Adrien. "Ladybug vouched for you. And here you are, proving that she was mistaken, that you're not ready. Surely you can understand that?"

"I didn't even know you existed!" Adrien dug his fingernails into his palms, trying to ignore the patronizing attitude of the Guardian. "Why did you choose me if you were just going to keep me at arms length? Why does Ladybug get to choose our teammates? Why did it take all of Paris!" Here Adrien extended his arms to take in the drowned city. "Flooding for you to show your face!"

Plagg tried to interject but he was spoken over.

"It is precisely because Paris is flooded that I am here!" Master Fu took a step toward Adrien and the boy stepped back. "I chose you because I thought you would stand by Ladybug no matter what."

Adrien tensed but forced himself to stand his ground.

"I should have interfered sooner." The Guardian pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I thought you would grow out of this infatuation you have with Ladybug."

Genuine confusion came over Adrien despite his anger and hurt. "Wh- What are you talking about?"

"Just because Ladybug does not love you back is no reason to behave in this manner!"

"What are you talking about!?" Adrien shouted. Does he really think so little of me? "What does that have to do with anything!?"

"Ladybug proved herself to me!" Master Fu shouted back, ignoring Adrien's inquiry. "You haven't!"

It was like the Guardian had struck him, Adrien flinching from the blow. Looking away from the Guardian's gaze, his eyes found Plagg's. For the first time since he met the kwami, Plagg was silent. Ears and tail drooping. Like he felt every cruel jab the Guardian's words dealt the boy.

Master Fu softened his features as he took in the boy's trembling, tense stance. Like a cat ready to pounce... Or run. "Do you understand?" he asked gently. "Ladybug trusts me and you should too. Without trust a team will fail. But if you can't, then I'll find someone who can."

Forcing his eyes back towards the Guardian, Adrien's mind made a sudden, unexpected turn. You sound like Father. Adrien stilled and examined the 'Master' again.

The Guardian wasn't as tall as Gabriel or as... looming as Gabriel. His voice wasn't as cold. But the manner in which this stranger spoke of trust was familiar. Like Adrien had heard it before.

Empty promises, his mind whispered. He goes on and on about trust while offering none in return. Cold dread turned to searing heat in Adrien's chest. Using Ladybug, someone you love, to guilt you into following orders. Fists trembled at his side with the effort of restraining his growing rage. Threatens to replace you for daring to ask questions! Adrien's heartbeat pounded in his ears, insisting, demanding.

"Do you understand?" Master Fu repeated.

"... I understand," Adrien said as he brought his hand up to tear the cursed ring off.

"NO!" Plagg latched himself onto the ring.

Master Fu's eyes blew wide open with shock. "What do you think you're doing!"

Adrien gazed at Plagg with a pained expression. But it quickly hardened into a glare as Adrien lifted his eyes to the Guardian. "What does it look like? I'm quitting."

Panic bloomed in Master Fu's chest as he mentally sought a way to push Adrien in the right direction. Seizing onto the first thought that came to him.

"I'm sorry, Plagg." Adrien didn't look at his friend.

"If you do this you'll prove I was right not to trust you!"

"... Please, Adrien..."

"You'll prove that you're not ready!"

"Goodbye. I'll mi-" Adrien swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'll miss you."

"That you're unworthy of wielding a Miraculous!"

Using the Guardian's desperate words as fuel, Adrien pushed down his upbringing. The side of himself that told him to be respectful of his elders. And let Chat Noir out for the last time. "OK, boomer."

With that, Adrien yanked the Miraculous off and practically threw it at the Guardian. Scrambling to make sure the ring didn't fall into the waters below, Master Fu was distracted just long enough for Adrien to disappear.

Staring at the empty space in disbelief, Master Fu's brow furrowed. He could look for the boy... but Adrien had already made his choice. And there were more pressing matters than a former Chosen's tantrum.

Master Fu hurried to Ladybug's aid.

Adrien didn't move from his hiding place in a corner of the roof. Even as he heard the stranger leave. The rage he felt replaced with heartbreak. Tears pooled in his eyes as his mind caught up.

The person Adrien trusted most in the world trusted that- that- man, more than she trusted him. That is, Ladybug didn't really trust him. Adrien pulled his knees to his chest.

Being Chat Noir was his favorite thing in the world... But just like everything else he wasn't 'good enough'. Not for his Father, not for Ladybug, not even for Plagg! Adrien buried his face into his arms.

Pain bloomed throughout his body, shoulders shaking, as he allowed himself to mourn the loss of Chat Noir. Only one other person would mourn with him. In that moment Adrien doubted anyone else would be sorry to see Chat go... And even he would get a new holder soon enough.

Ladybug would get a partner she could count on, the so-called Guardian would get someone who doesn't question orders and even Father wouldn't have to deal with his disappearances.

Really, the only one who lost anything... was him. And what did that matter if Paris was safer without him? He stayed there, curled into a ball, crying silently into his arms.

Until the Miraculous Cure lifted him off the roof not fifteen minutes later.

#adrien agreste #chat noir #plagg #master fu salt #master fu #wang fu #syren #ml au #what if #canon divergence #canon divergent au #ml angst #adrien angst #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #ml fic #ao3 fanfic #ao3 fic #long post

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jacksgreysays · 4 years

Note

Reverse!Gardens, DOS!Shikamaru & DOS!Kino and Care!Kako and Care!Kamaru: After losing his original universe to Jashin, fourteen-year-old Shikamaru doesn't take Kako's injuries from the Kumo kidnapping attempt all that well. (Bonus points baby!Kino and toddler!Kamaru bonding, or Shikamaru stubbornly holding onto the original Shadow Arm seal with Shikako's calligraphy).

A/N: Hello again, dona! Thank you for this prompt! So… I’m gonna be honest… I don’t know what you mean by the Kumo kidnapping attempt. I mean, I assume there was a Kumo kidnapping attempt during the thenabouts timing of the Hinata attempted kidnapping, except instead of the highly protected Hyuuga heiress the Kumo nin went for the less protected would-have-been Nara heir, aka Kamaru? But, again, I have no idea and I’m not sure which installment/ficlet in particular you’re referring to so instead I’m gonna focus more on the DoS!Shika & Kino go to Care!Kako &Kamaru’s verse.

So… also… I did want to do a variation of your prompt wherein it’s still the adult!Konoha Thirteen go after younger versions of Shikako in various universes, but I also like your version where the ages match up, so I guess what I’m saying is… I’m going to try to do both?

one hope then another (bring me home)

Kako (& Kamaru) & Shikamaru (& Kinokawa)

The boy with a shadow arm and a toddler on his hip is suspicious, of course. His claim is literally incredible, but what is more so impossible is how everything else he says checks out. Weeks of interviews and tests and everything still checks out.

He has mastered all of the clan’s shadow jutsu as well as newer, powerful techniques. He is the oldest son of an alternate universe Shikaku. He is every bit as intelligent, tactical, and skillful as his father was. He was raised since birth as clan heir.

A miracle, Kofuku thinks, a convenient one. Now, someone else can be in charge of the clan, and she can go back to her research.

Speaking of, “The shadow sight and your arm,” Kofuku asks the boy–Shikamaru, one of the blander clan head names, but another convenience that they don’t have to come up with one for him–“Did you create them?”

“No,” Shikamaru shakes his head, eyes never lifting from the pile of backlog paperwork that is the clan’s administration. His month of effort has put a dent in it, but the task ever grows.

The toddler by his side–Kino, not a common Nara name, but harmless enough–quietly mimics his brother, bright crayon scribbles on scratch paper. When a streak of bright red draws a bit too close to official papers, Shikamaru gently guides his brother’s hand away before resuming his own work easily.

Kofuku waits for clarification.

“My father designed shadow sight,” he says, “but my arm…” At this, Shikamaru pauses in his work. Raises his flesh hand to touch the seam between skin and shadow. His mouth tightens, and little Kino silently puts his crayons down to reach out to his brother in comfort. It works a little.

“Our sister made it for me.”

“Your sister,” Kofuku repeats, an inkling of dread making its way through her purely academic curiosity.

Shikamaru said he was the oldest son.

That doesn’t mean oldest child.

—

They weren’t lying, technically. And it’s not as if they were actively hiding the truth either.

It’s just that it’s old news, old scandal, old grudges, and why would they tell their new clan head about matters that have nothing to do with the clan?

Shikamaru clearly doesn’t agree.

He asks where the Kinokawa siblings live–the toddler called Kino on his hip, as if Shikamaru doesn’t trust the clan not to tear the child from his arms. And how could she ever consider the toddler harmless, his name!–and no one answers. Not out of a desire to hide the truth further, but because they honestly don’t know.

Why would they need to know?

Frustrated, Shikamaru walks out, brother at his side, and all Kofuku can think is: not again.

—

The boy with a shadow arm and a toddler on his hip is suspicious, of course. They both wear the Nara mon, clad in the grays and greens of the clan, and the last time Kako had to interact with her relatives in any meaningful manner they were berating her for almost endangering the bloodline and nearly causing a political scandal while she lay in a hospital bed and ignored them.

So it’s not exactly a joy to see these two, never mind their slightly off reflections of each other–her with Kamaru on her hip–would otherwise be an amusing sight.

“Shikako?” the boy with the shadow arm asks. He’s hesitant, perhaps aware of her displeasure, taken aback by her obvious frown or maybe the scars cutting across her face. In contrast, the toddler on his hip smiles brightly at her, silently reaching out.

“It’s Kako. Kako Kinokawa. You should know this, Nara.”

The boy with the shadow arm flinches, while the toddler on his hip seems to smile brighter.

How weird.

“I’m Shikamaru.”

Kako & Kamaru & Shikamaru & Kinokawa (Kinokawa)

Kako Kinokawa is grudgingly released from the hospital a week after the Cloud incident poorer in patience, richer in scars, and, somehow, head of a clan. Thankfully, it’s a newly created minor clan and not the clan that would be the absolute worst (the clan that should be hers by birthright) but frankly being head of any clan is troublesome.

She goes to pick up Kamaru from the Akimichi compound–a little guilty to have imposed on Chouza-san and Setsuko-san for so long, but relieved that her little brother would certainly be well protected and well fed–only to be met with an uncomfortable amount of bowing, overly respectful suffixes, two slyly grinning pseudo-uncles, and a staring man who, for one heart-stopping second, she mistakes for Dad.

Arranged as he is between Chouza-san and Inoichi-san, it’s hard to shake the likeness, but she blinks it and the incoming tears away with teeth-gritting desperation: this man is too young to be Shikaku Kinokawa. Not enough scars, and more delicate facial features besides, one arm somehow a dark shadow from elbow down. But its close, so close. Close enough that he can only be a–

“Nara,” Kako greets coolly, hands deliberately loose at her side. Technically, given the alliance of the Ino-Shika-Cho, she’s the trespasser here, so she’s not going to be the one to start shit.

Chouza-san and Inoichi-san exchange amused glances and she would feel a lance of betrayal except for how the man between them immediately drops to a knee and so all she can feel instead is shock.

“Not quite,” the man says, and that, too, is different enough from Dad’s voice (or what she can remember of it, it’s been so long) that it keeps her grounded in the presence. “I’m not a Nara,” he says, and his stare hasn’t wavered at all since the beginning, “I’ve renounced them. I’ve chosen to be part of the Kinokawa clan.”

Reflexively, Kako denies, “There is no Kinokawa clan.”

“There wasn’t a Kinokawa clan,” Chouza-san corrects, voice ringing with mirth for all that he means to be gentle.

“Establishing a clan requires three active-duty shinobi who share a bloodline and sponsorship from two other clan heads,” Inoichi-san clarifies, practically preening.

She looks at the three of them doubtfully, “Kamaru’s a toddler. Even if I wanted this, where would we get our third?”

Coincidentally (or, perhaps more likely, with deliberately planned timing) a boy her age carrying a slothfully limp Kamaru in one arm and an affably squirming Chouji in the other approaches them, smile brighter than the shiny Konoha headband plate tied around his neck.

He, too, has a very obvious Nara look to him, though it’s tempered with something else, something she vaguely recognizes, but can’t place immediately (something she sees every time she looks in the mirror.)

“Kako-nee!” the boy exclaims with a disconcerting level of familiarity given she’s never met him in her life, he practically skips closer before, after considering the situation, taking a step back, “Oh, uh, are we doing the thing first?” He asks.

The self proclaimed non-Nara man, still on his knees, finally breaks his gaze with her by rolling his eyes. Exasperated but fond, “Yeah, we’re doing ‘the thing’ first.”

Kako is bewildered.

The boy shrugs, the toddlers in his arms giggling at the movement, before lowering to a matching kneeling position. Kamaru and Chouji, close enough to the ground now, get their feet beneath them and waddle towards their respective guardians.

Chouza swings his son up into his arms easily, and Kako, confused but never too distracted to properly care or show affection for her brother, does the same to Kamaru.

Baffled, she can only hold her brother close and witness as her clan officially forms itself in front of her.

“I do swear,” says both of her would-be clan mates, not quite in sync, but practiced enough, “to protect my family, my team mates, the clan, those allied with us, and Konoha, I will become the bark of the tree.”

Kako has never heard the oath that new genin of the Nara clan make (why would she? She’s not a Nara) but this rings of something similar, something familiar. Something Dad used to say with furrowed brows when he couldn’t understand why the Nara were being so antagonistic:

Family is like a tree and life is like a shadow.

The shadow is what we make of it, the tree is the real thing.

Kamaru’s hands clumsily but gently bat at her face. She thinks at first it’s curiosity over her new scars, but no. It’s because she’s crying.

Because family is the real thing. The most important thing. And even if its been years and she should have gotten used to it, it still hurts that her Nara relatives don’t realize it.

But these two do. They want to be her clan. They want to be her family.

Kako closes her eyes and presses her face to Kamaru’s head, hiding her expression and holding him near and dear.

“Okay,” she says, pulling herself together. “Okay,” she repeats, “Yeah, let’s be a clan. Let’s be family.”

Her new clan mates–her new family members–get to their feet and while the boy bounces over to her immediately, the man doesn’t hesitate to draw close either.

Behind them, Chouza-san and Inoichi-san grin, relieved.

For a moment everything is, if not perfect, then as close to it as reality will allow them to get. Until–

“… what are your names?” Kako asks, far too belatedly considering she has just accepted these two into her family and newly created clan.

The boy’s smile grows, somehow, impossibly wide and full of mischief while the man sends him another heavy lidded look of fond exasperation.

In the background, Chouza-san and Inoichi-san can barely stifle their laughter.

—

(“I take it back,” Kako says, once her brain has restarted, “No more clan, I can’t allow this.”

“No take backs,” Shikamaru admonishes childishly, for all that he is the oldest of their family.

“Kinokawa Kinokawa is a great name!” Kinokawa insists, his blinding cheeriness enough to attract Kamaru’s attention. In easy toddler logic, Kamaru smiles and babbles cheerfully in response. “See,” Kinokawa says, “Even the clan heir agrees with me.”

“Kamaru, you traitor,” Kako says without any heat, “How dare you endorse this travesty.”

Kamaru pats her cheek again, “Ki-no-kawa,” he pronounces, syllables parsed out like presents.

Kako sighs, looks at her brothers, looks at the clouds in the sky, then back at her brothers. “Alright, fine. No take backs.”)

A/N: Thanks for being patient with me, dona! Hopefully it’s obvious that these two versions are separate worlds–I’ll probably make these separate chapters when I cross post onto ao3, but I wanted to put them in the same post since they’re both a fill to the same prompt.

So, uh, I can (and would love to) explain my reasoning for why the two ficlets are so different despite having basically the same premise if anyone’s interested.

Also, I went with the more thematically appropriate interpretation of the name Kinokawa = tree bark instead of 紀 + river especially since I still absolutely love Mercy of Baal’s “shamelessly twisted” version of the Abraham Lincoln quote used in Dreaming of Sunshine Switch. Also, also, obviously the oath is just a tweaked version from the DoS Nara oath Shikako swears in chapter 6

#jacksgreyson #donapoetrypassion #ask box advent calendar #prompt response #fanfiction #writing #one hope then another (bring me home)#dreaming of sunshine #naruto #shikako nara #shikamaru nara #kinokawa nara #kofuku nara

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mittensmorgul · 7 years

Note

I'm shook. Dean actually admitted that Chuck doesn't care, that Chuck just left and ignored all of his responsibilities. I thought Dean was pro-Chuck, I mean, he called Chuck a bestie, didn't he? I'm not sure if he really resents Chuck or he was just too depressed to think straight. I'm still shook though. (Oh, and if you're feeling unwell I hope you recover. I wish you luck. May October be kind to you.)

Aahhh, thank you. :P And yeah, I’ve been sick since Walker-Stalker Philly a few weeks ago, stupid con crud that turned into bronchitis because I am a weakling with no immune system. :D

I’ve also been debating whether I should write tonight (fic, which I have a deadline of december 2 on and I’m not even close to finished on), or if I should write a long meta on Fathers, or if I should just go to sleep and try again tomorrow. But this bit about Chuck, and how Dean feels about Chuck as an absent father figure, would factor into that meta.

I mean Dean’s always held a grudge against God since… ever probably, but at least in text as far back as 5.02 when Cas set out in search of God to help stop the apocalypse. Chuck never really grew into anything Dean could really respect any more than that, you know? Even the burden Chuck laid on him at the end of s11 wasn’t what Dean wanted. Dean had his ENTIRE LIFE ruined because of Chuck’s inability to clean up his own mess, and then suddenly Dean fixes it FOR him, and Chuck just sashays off into the sunset with Amara and again lays the entire burden for taking care of EVERYTHING at Dean’s feet… but Dean’s still just a guy doing a job. He doesn’t have Cosmic God Powers to just fix stuff when it goes wrong. How the hell is he meant to take care of the entire world?

He does try, though. Oh, how he tries. Until it crushes and breaks him.

(and whoopsie this is actually shaping up to BE that meta on fathers I’ve been thinking about, so guess how I’m gonna spend the next hour! WHEEE! *tosses fic writing plans out the window*)

I’ll start with the easiest one: Dean referring to Chuck as his bestie. In 12.04:

Gail: Do you know God, gentlemen?Dean: Oh yeah. Yeah, we’re- we’re besties.

Said with about 9 tons of sarcasm. I’d find a gif to demonstrate just how done Dean was in that scene, but he was pretty much done with EVERYTHING in 12.04. I think that nicely sums up his attitude going into that conversation.

But yes, I 100% do feel like Dean resents Chuck– for laying this burden on him and not giving him ANYTHING else. He laid this out to Chuck’s face in 11.21:

Dean: Here’s the thing, um…Chuck… And I mean no disrespect. Um… I’m guessing you came back to help with the Darkness, and that’s great. That’s, you know – It’s fantastic. Um, but you’ve been gone a – a… long, long time. And there’s so much crap that has gone down on the Earth for thousands of years. I mean, plagues and wars, slaughters. And you were, I don’t know, writing books, going to fan conventions. Were you even aware, o-or did you just tune it out?Chuck: I was aware, Dean.Dean: But you did nothing. And, again, I-I’m not trying to piss you off. You know, I don’t want to turn into a pillar of salt.Chuck: I actually… didn’t do that.Dean: Okay. People – People pray to you. People build churches for you. They fight wars in your name, and you did nothing.Chuck: You’re frustrated. I get it. Believe me, I was hands-on – Real hands-on for, wow, ages. I was so sure if I kept stepping in, teaching, punishing, that these beautiful creatures that I created… would grow up. But it only stayed the same. And I saw that I needed to step away and let my baby find its way. Being overinvolved is no longer parenting. [Sighs] It’s enabling.Dean: But it didn’t get better.Chuck: Well, I’ve been mulling it over. And from where I sit, I think it has.Dean: Well, from where I sit, it feels like you left us and you’re trying to justify it.Chuck: I know you had a complicated upbringing, Dean, but don’t confuse me with your dad.

And that’s it, really. The crux of Dean’s feelings toward Chuck. And that never really changed. Dean still had to take the burden of sacrifice on HIMSELF (carrying the Soul Bomb to Amara) because Chuck didn’t or couldn’t or just wouldn’t. It wasn’t Chuck that saved the world there, it was Dean using his words with Amara, dragging Chuck kicking and screaming into the conversation.

Okay, not kicking and screaming, more like whimpering and huddling… whatever… :P

But Chuck told Dean not to confuse him with John, and mistake his own “complicated upbringing” for Chuck’s “parenting” of the entire universe. And yet… as above, so below. And Chuck himself “chose” Dean as his mirror.

Then we have Dean’s own complicated Father Issues, from how John raised him, to how he was forced to raise Sam. As he said in 12.22 to Mary, he was forced to not only be a father to Sam, but a mother as well. And it wasn’t fair to Dean, and he hated Mary for her deal that put him in that position in the first place. What was unsaid there, but plain as day anyway, was that he hated John for it, too.

Lizbob and I were talking earlier about how Jack was describing the fact that he WAS his mother for a while before he was born, and how the very act of his birth sucked the life out of Kelly, and how that was a horrifying metaphor for motherhood, but Dean has said it himself, of Sam. Back in 10.03, when Sam was curing him of being a demon:

DEAN: You notice I tried to get as far away from you as possible? Away from your whining, your complaining. I chose the King of Hell over you! Maybe I was just … tired of babysitting you. Or always having to yank your lame ass out of the fire since … [Dean laughs.] Forever. Or maybe … Maybe it was the fact that my mother would still be alive if it wasn’t for you. That your very existence sucked the life out of my life!SAM: This isn’t my brother talking.DEAN: You never had a brother! Just an excuse for not manning up. But guess what: I quit.SAM: No. No, you don’t. You don’t get to quit. We don’t get to quit in this family! This family is all we have ever had!DEAN: Well, then, we got nothin’.SAM: Would you say that to Dad?DEAN: Dad? Oh, there’s a prize. There’s a man who brainwashed us into wasting our lives fighting his losing battle!

Sam’s “very existence sucked the life” out of Dean’s life, just like Jack literally did to his mother, just TWO EPISODES AFTER Dean broke through to Mary with his confession about the horrors of his life, and his anger over having to be both mother and father to Sam.

And this was about the point I hit my EUREKA! moment over why the idea of Dean being forced to be a parent to Jack just pushed every NOPE NOPE NOPE button in my entire body. Because he’s JUST NOW finally letting go of feeling like his entire life had been one long forced obligation to be a parent to Sam, and now here’s this new pseudo-manbaby with frightening and potentially Dangerous Magical Abilities who needs parenting and looking after that was foisted on him against his will AGAIN.

I mean, it’s like the ultimate in Cosmically Un-Fucking-Fair.

And even the notion that Cas should be responsible for “parenting” the giant nougat-loving nuke in lost-and-found clothes just… sits so wrong with me for the exact same reason. How long has Cas been a guardian to Dean? How big was the whole “You aren’t our babysitter” theme last season? That Cas never really had time to internalize before Jack hijacked Cas’s “babysitter” instincts for his own purposes?

Yes, it’s sweet and I can see that the parallels between Jack and Cas are being written really well so far, but the cutesy Cas-as-Jack’s-Daddy stuff just physically sickens me (which is saying something considering how physically sick I am as a baseline here…). I don’t think it’s “cute.” And I’m saying this as someone who LOVES Jack as a character.

Kelly (who was literally already “dead” at the point she met Cas, and was technically– according to Jack himself– already “Jack” at that point) had sized up Cas and decided that he would make a good guardian for Jack, and that Dagon would make a bad guardian for him, and took matters into her own hands in order to make that happen. Literally took Cas’s hand without his permission, after he’d declined to touch her stomach, and then forced his hand again after literally hijacking Baby and driving Cas to the scene of her “vision.” Then literally taking Cas’s hand again to force events to unfold as they had in the vision, without regard to any of the other horrors that played out as a result– such as Joshua having been killed by Dagon, the Colt being destroyed, Sam and Dean being hurt, Cas nearly getting killed, and then zapping enough power through Cas to kill Dagon, a being of a type we’ve only ever seen harmed by the Colt and the Lance of Michael. It was clear early on that Jack had Serious Power and yet we see he has practically NO CONTROL over it.

I am soooo tempted to apply a little bit of Miriam’s description of Becky to Jack…

He sees something he wants and just takes it without a thought for who it might hurt. He took candy from the vending machine in 13.01, but… he kinda did that to Cas, too. Even before he was born, he saw the sort of devotion Cas had to the people he cared about and even if he didn’t understand WHY, he understood through Kelly that this was something he would need for himself. So he took it, even if it might hurt other people.

Just like he flung his power out at the sheriff when she touched him while he was being assaulted by angel radio. He didn’t intend to hurt her, but he was already in pain and frightened and that’s just how his power works for him right now… as if it’s “him but not him.” Almost like it’s an independent entity that’s in Extreme Self-Protection Mode.

That’s how Miriam described Dean, as someone who takes things and breaks things no matter who it hurts. But really… that’s not Dean, and that’s not Jack either– or at least not what Jack would CHOOSE to be. But from the outside, it kinda looks that way.

So, yeah, I LOVE the idea that Sam is finally getting a turn at forced parenthood from the other side of the equation. It fits beautifully with his own arc toward self-forgiveness and acceptance of his own powers and feelings of whether or not he was inherently evil because of what had been done to him as a baby. I LOVE the idea that Sam will get to experience being a father and mother to someone going through much the same things he did all his life (albeit as an adult, which was not a luxury Dean had when he was forced into a parental role at the age of almost five).

But for Dean? I’m horrified that this has been forced on him again. And for Cas? The fact it’s not something he chose of his own free will, nor gave informed consent to before he was sock-puppeted into becoming Jack’s babysitter… yeah, I find it moderately to seriously disturbing…

And for the sake little baby Jesus, I AM NOT IMPLYING THAT JACK IS EVIL. I AM NOT IMPLYING THAT JACK IS NOT “GOOD.” Good and evil are entirely irrelevant to this conversation.

But Jack’s power did something to Kelly. And it did something to Cas. It wasn’t done with malicious intent, but IT WAS DONE TO THEM. And it’s something that severely limited their free will. We’ve seen how Jack’s power works, without his active CHOICE to make stuff happen. He’s on a fight or flight sort of level with it right now, and it just happens to be set to overkill, you know? I’m sure he’ll get a better handle on it eventually, but I think it’s also going to be a vulnerability that others may try to exploit (enter Asmodeus, or potentially AU Michael, and possibly eventually Lucifer… this isn’t going to be an easy journey for Jack).

Anyway I think I’ve wandered so far off topic of your original question, but congrats, you won the Which Question Will Result In Actual Meta award this week! :P

I think it’s been more than an hour. *checks clock* *what even is time anymore* It’s definitely been more than an hour.

#kajuned #spn s13 spoilers #spn 13.01 #oh DEAN #sam fucking winchester #castiel winchester #jack nougat winchester #if you say 'mysterious ways' so help me i will kick your ass #the ghost of john winchester #winchester family dynamics #that's what free will is #the special agony of brainwashing #i know i should be sticking other tags on here but it's after 1 am and i am officially out of brain now

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