#but he sticks very strongly to them and enforces them even and what else is that but lawful?
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been thinking about the alignment square recently. have come to the conclusion that red hood is lawful good.
#it's just that his laws are not the governments laws#but he sticks very strongly to them and enforces them even and what else is that but lawful?#it would be very funny if i said that batman was chaotic good in contrast but he's more neutral good i think#and also depending on the comic which i guess is also true for the red hood#jason's robin was probably chaotic good though#jason todd#red hood
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Thanks, for your wonderful answers.....do you mind if I ask again, who are your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from yuwu? And what are your top fav moments from the novel?...Thanks.....
Awwww, I don't mind at all - talking about Yuwu is second in pleasure only to talking about 2ha :) It's not as fresh in my head because my 2ha reread was more recent than my Yuwu read but...
Top Yuwu characters
I am gonna do 4 (though I felt strongly invested in the swordsman and his OTP, it was too brief an appearance so.)
4 Murong Chuyi - he broke my heart. Someone who was warm and good and tried to be kind to people and got punished for it. And he never got compensation for his years of enforced loneliness and profound emotional and physical suffering. The one moment that sticks in my head is when they travel to that island and everyone wonders why he doesn’t want to go on the same boat with JYX and in retrospect the concept of having to be on the same boat as his torturer!
3 Murong Lian - I spent a large portion of the book loathing this cruel useless and snobby twit as @andoqin kept telling me she was a member of Murong Lian defense squad and I was wondering “how?” Well, my name is dangermousie and I am a member of the Murong Lian defense squad now. I still remember the moment things started slating into place - when Gu Mang is taken in for torture/experimentation and Murong Lian is running around frantically trying to stop it and I started going “but, wait a minute...”
I love that the character does not really change as much as gets revealed and I love that he’s no misunderstood saint. What you see in the beginning is not a lie - Murong Lian is messed up, supercilious, arrogant and has a serious vicious streak. He is also brave, smart and frighteningly disciplined and even more ruthless with himself than he is with others (he calmly takes drugs that will ruin his life for years so as not to incur suspicion. He hides his military talent for same. He keeps working to bring down the monster of the emperor steadily and with cold nerve that is something else.) He is not a nice person. But he is a righteous one, if that makes sense. He is also someone who was brought up in a way designed to twist him in the worst way and yet despite being damaged by his upbringing, he manages to climb out of it not just in finding his own path in life but by ultimately trying to protect Gu Mang, the half-brother who his mother convinced him would steal his birthright (it’s not a kind way of protection in the beginning of the novel but he is as hard on himself; and also that brothel was a safer place since they said even an emperor couldn’t get there. In retrospect, it’s clear the moment Mo Xi was back in town, he orchestrated things for him to bring Gu Mang over.) He was a monster of a child but he grew up into someone who becomes Gu Mang and Mo Xi’s ultimate refuge and home and I am so glad at the end he gets to slowly detox, run his school, and horse around with his half brother, his half brother’s starchy boyfriend, and an ugly mutt of a dog.
2 Mo Xi - I love love love love Mo Xi. He is different from Meatbun’s two other gongs but much as I love them, I love Mo Xi’s upper-class icy reserve and self-control that hides so much passion and longing and intensity just as much. I also love how utterly subsumed he is in Gu Mang. He’s imprinted and that’s it. Gu Mang loves Mo Xi, loves him very much, but ultimately, he can put him second to his cause(s) (and at one point he thinks about that fact with guilt) but for Mo Xi, nothing in the world exists except for Gu Mang. He is consumed by him when they are young and have their secret relationship, and is consumed again once Gu Mang is back (mixed with longing and bitterness and so much confusion and hurt), but in between, when Gu Mang seemingly betrays the country and him, after Gu Mang literally stabs him through the heart as Mo Xi begs him to turn back and is willing to be stabbed for that, he becomes a living memorial to Gu Mang. He swears that insane oath and gives away a decade of his life to protect Gu Mang’s army - the people he knew were important to a man who drove a weapon through his heart.
The other thing is unlike two other Meatbun gongs, he never truly wrongs Gu Mang (yes, Mo Ran has an asterix next to his name since flower.) He quite reasonably believes the man betrayed his country, killed a ton of their countrymen and stabbed him through the heart and almost killed him. And yet the worst he does/says are mean words and removing that nobility headband.
Honestly, in his character, Mo Xi has more in common with Chu Wanning and Xie Qingcheng than his fellow Meatbun gongs.
1 Gu Mang - how can anyone not love Gu Mang? I loved him when I thought he was a traitor (that horrifying slave-holding society that treated him and his men like dirt deserved nothing else) but when we found out how he sacrificed his body, his heart and his mind for his country and his men, I went feral. Gu Mang goes through so much constant and utter hell (I mean, he gets reassembled on a basic physical level and that’s just the start of it, and that is if we don’t discuss his horror show of a childhood) and his mind is not his own for most of the novel and yet he is ready to do it again and again.
He is so good. But not a perfect saintly way. He has a ridiculous sense of humor and he is just such a laid back, low drama person. Some of it is a coping mechanism and some innate and I love it. Almost as much as the fact that he nicknamed his tall, terrifying boyfriend “princess” (and in one heartbreaking moment, “silly princess” - when he is worried about dying without planning “his silly princess’ future.”) When he tries to hold on to his slipping memories by writing them down! When he is consistently at his base the same kind of person with or without memories. When Mo Xi reads his memories of school days, which were horrific but all he sees there is Gu Mang writing down good things “as if all he met was kindness” that about ended me.
Top 5 Moments
Yuwu has so many amazing plot twists - the truth about why Gu Mang defected and why he stabbed Mo Xi, how he ended up missing some of his souls, Murong Lian and Murong Mengze characters’ reveals, Mo Xi’s weapon, Murong Chuyi’s story, Po’an, etc but I will go for the emotional moments instead.
5. Happy Ending - I love that Mo Xi and Gu Mang get to live in happy obscurity, and get to teach the new generation (and it includes slaves as per Gu Mang’s dream) and Gu Mang, who’s always longed for home now has one with his lover, his one remaining family (his half-brother) and just peace and Mo Xi has the only thing he ever wanted - Gu Mang.
4. The bed scene on the demon island - not for the sex, I honestly don’t even remember most of those details (and most web novel sex makes me want to clamp my legs shut anyway) but for the sheer longing and angst of it. Gu Mang is affected by the demonic aura and basically must get relief. By that point he got his memories back and he’s pushing Mo Xi away on purpose and Mo Xi still doesn’t know the truth of the defection so things are baaaaad but then Mo Xi finds that out, his reaction is “you hate me so much, you’d rather suffer than let me bring you relief?” and he blindfolds Gu Mang so he won’t have to see Mo Xi bringing him relief and THE SHEER ANGST OF BOTH OF THEM IN THAT MOMENT IS !!!!!
3. Mo Xi finds out the truth - just because the reveal was so epic to me as a reader as so many things fell into place (and also the horror of that system!) but even more so because Mo Xi’s utter devastation and remorse and regret and all-consuming self-loathing were my catnip.
2. Mo Xi decides to take the emperor down - he knows he will die due to his oath and says fuck it and tries anyway. Because that is beyond amazing.
1. Mo Xi rescuing Gu Mang in that torture chamber - if you don’t love that scene, we can’t be friends. The way Mo Xi, who is himself on the brink of physical collapse, forces his way through, imperial diktats be damned, and lurchingly runs to him and holds him in his arms in front of everyone, giving no care in giving away his big secret of how much he is devoted to that “traitor.” How he is so broken and the peace Gu Mang finally finds and Mo Xi takes him away and nobody dares to stop Mo Xi but, because it’s Meatbun, it’s not a true fix because Gu Mang’s memories have already started destructing and JUSTTTT the devotion, the intensity, the pain, the love, the PAIN!
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why is your favorite trope friends to enemies to lovers? Shows up both with Jacob/Duncan and the reincarnation au lol
LOL, is it really my favorite trope? I had no idea! 😂
I think based on the Jacob/Duncan and the modern!Batticus comparisons, you meant “enemies to friends to lovers” -- even though, really, I don’t think I’d say Bat and Grim were ever enemies, exactly, Grim just had a one-sided rivalry with Bat’s BFF Barty...and even in Jacob/Duncan’s case, it was more short-lived smolders of one-sided resentment on Ashe’s side than anything.
But as to why those couples go through an evolution from being on not-so-good-terms to being friends to falling in love, I think what it really comes down to for me is that 1, I like contrasting couples, and 2, I prefer romantic relationships that start as friends first. Even the ships I get passionate about that don’t actively fight and banter usually have some element of contrast, where one side has flaws and strengths that compliment and counteract the other’s. Some examples of couples I really enjoy include:
Ron/Hermione (Harry Potter) ~ Definitely got plenty of bickering here, but yeah, besides that, Ron is the more common-sense- and action-oriented of the two, while Hermione is more methodical and bookish.
Remus/Sirius (Harry Potter) ~ No real bickering in the actual books (fanfiction tends to write them more tempestuously), but Remus is the calming, soothing influence to Sirius’s wild, reckless emotions.
Eliza/Goliath (Gargoyles) ~ Almost never bicker, but Eliza is a sometimes judgmental, but kind police detective working inside the law, while Goliath is an open-minded, but sometimes vengeful vigilante working outside of it.
Elizabeth/Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice) ~ The quintessential example of bantering romance, but still -- Elizabeth is sociable and hot-blooded, while Darcy is quiet and cool.
Fakir/Ahiru (Princess Tutu) ~ Quasi-enemies to start with, but only because they approach wanting to protect their “prince,” Mytho, in completely different ways -- once they come together to achieve that goal, they’re more likely to both bicker like a married couple and support each other when times get hard, which is helped out by Ahiru being this klutzy, awkward ray of sunshine and Fakir being this intelligent, tight-ass anti-hero with a heart of gold.
Mytho/Rue (Princess Tutu) ~ Enemies only because of the roles they play in “the story” written by the magical Storyteller Drosselmeyer -- in truth, neither of them sees each other as an enemy, and the fights they get into are actually very drama-heavy rather than it being just about them having opposite personalities. Though of course Mytho is a Prince Who Loves and is Loved by Everyone and Rue is this slightly arrogant, but sophisticated and devoted prima ballerina who longs for unconditional love.
Tiana/Naveen (The Princess and the Frog) ~ Opposites in every way, and they bicker enough in the beginning to make it obvious, with Tiana being an ambitious, ridiculously driven stick-in-the-mud and Naveen being a spoiled, devil-may-care playboy.
And yeah, even looking at the ships with my MC’s, one can see an “opposite” theme running through them.
Carewyn/Orion ~ Carewyn is an organized planner who takes the burden of the whole world on her shoulders. Orion is a philosophical free spirit who prefers to detach from the world and live free of anyone else’s expectations.
Jacob/Ashe~ Jacob is a hot-tempered, eccentric, book-smart, people-dumb spaceman. Ashe is a cool, ambitious, cynical, emotionally intelligent tsundere.
Erik/Roxy @mira-shard ~ Erik is a foul-mouthed, logical, ill-tempered warrior-type. Roxy is a compassionate, emotional, patient healer-type.
Ana/Charlie @drinkyoursoupbitch ~ Ana is an introverted, mistrustful writer with a talent for History of Magic and wizard dueling. Charlie is an extroverted, trusting dragonologist with a talent for magical creatures and flying.
Jackson/Monty @cursebreakerfarrier ~ Jackson is a melodramatic, flashy showman. Monty is a quiet, intellectual scholar.
Bat/Grim @cursebreakerfarrier ~ Bat is an academic Muggle-born soldier who prefers to screw the rules and has no interest in public approval. Grim is a by-the-books professor and veteran of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement who strongly believes in doing things “the right way” and, when he was younger, was very focused on fulfilling his father’s high expectations for him.
Ru/Estrid @thatravenpuffwitch ~ Ru is a wild, rude, eccentric Kelpie who pretty consistently gives the middle finger to all sorts of propriety or societal expectations. Estrid is a quiet, independent, compassionate witch who initially binds Ru to her just to keep them from hurting people.
Perhaps because I’m on the asexual spectrum, I don’t really find as much joy out of the “enemies to lovers” trope, because for me, love should be built on friendship first. To me, one should like someone solely as an individual and as an equal before nurturing romantic feelings for them, and the word “enemies” insinuates that one can’t really like the person, since the two people would have to be on opposite sides of some sort of moral dilemma. It’s why even a ship like Zuko/Katara from Avatar makes more sense to me than one like Rey/Kylo from the new Star Wars films, even if I personally don’t ship either. (If you like either or both, that’s fine, though! Different strokes!) But yeah, I still find myself really enjoying it when two different people realize that they have a lot more in common than they thought and -- through their interactions with each other -- end up becoming more complete people. :)
#ask me#personal#shipping#reincarnation!au#bartholomew varney#atticus grimsley#duncan ashe#jacob cromwell#opinion#analysis
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Hi 💖💖
@lumosinlove is amazing. Sweater Weather is amazing. This chat and this blog and Olli and me love you all and we’re proud allies and everyone deserves to be happy and be themselves.
Here’s a little, short chat for you all. @frombeauxbatons helped me with a lot of ideas for this one 😍
I know this might not be totally realistic but. Heck, it’s fiction. 💜🖤🤍
Tried something new. So - the last part is a live interview during broadcast. All comments and thoughts and criticism welcome 😇 if you like it, I’ve got another chat for that...
So, sweater weather chat #13
Finn has a vision. And no one understands him. Sergei yells. Dumo and Sunny are pranksters. Kuny wants more lions. Olli is a good boy. The girls are proud of their boys. So much glitter.
—
Saturday 9.22 pm
Prongstar: sooo. Finn just got kicked out from the Arena by Alice. Hahahahah poor baby. He’s almost crying.
Siriusly: what happened?
DumoDad: apparently Finn’s vision was not welcomed by Alice and her team. 😂
CarbO’Hara: THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE DOING. I AM AN ARTIST AND THEY ARE SILENCING MY GENIUS
CarbO’hara: she’s mean. I was just giving some constructive criticism. 😣
Newt-leo: I’ve decorated a room with you. I have to side with Alice on this one.
Ollibear: you made one of the interns cry Finn. 🥺
CarO’Hara: HOW HARD IS IT. Certain colours match. Some don’t. It’s just stupid. I could’ve decorated that arena and the locker room way better.
Nadotheman: You’re not decorating my stall. Alice promised we could each decorate our own. Don’t you try and go pridezilla on us now.
Logantremblayzzz: leave us out. Finn is a nightmare when it comes to aestethics… you’d think he was a goalie…
Blizzard: HEY
Newt-leo: HEY
Sunnysideup: ohhh someone is on the couch tonight 😜😜😜😜
Sergei_81: I decorate my stall. Stay away.
RussianGod: I want more lions. I only got little lion. 😳
Siriusly: I get most lions. I’m captain.
Timmyforrealz: OLLI HAS 8 LIONS?!?!?!?
Ollibear: don’t you dare touch them. I will make you regret it
Nadotheman: how come you get 8???? She said there was only a certain amount
Siriusly: because no one can not crumble when Olli turns on the puppy eyes. Also everyone in the front office loves him. He never causes trouble, rarely fights and he’s just a good boy.
Ollibear: you know I’m older than you right?
DumoDad: you’re still a good boy, Olli!
Ollibear: this is weird. But I’ll take the praise.
—
Sunday 8.22 am
Blizzard: SERGEI IS YELLING AT KUNY IN THE LOCKER ROOM!!!!!
Prongstar: be right there
Siriusly: I don’t understand russian. But it sounds bad @sunnysideup
Talkiewalkie: why is his hair blue?
Blizzard: all I gathered was something something prank something something castrate something something blue
TalkieWalkie: ohhhh. Apparently someone put blue dye in Sergei’s shampoo… Oh this is fucking golden. Who came up with that 😍
Ollibear: why is he yelling at Kuny about it?
Sunnysideup: he thinks Kuny did it, Kuny claims he was framed… OH that was something about mothers. Ouch
Timmyforrealz: russian is so much cooler when cursing people 😉
Nadotheman: the blue suits him though. Makes him look younger
Newt-leo: you’d think Kuny would try to hide behind someone bigger?
Blizzard: No it’s a lot funnier this way. Poor Logan to be caught in the middle of it though 🙈
CarbO’Hara: I like how our resident gigantic enforcer is using Logan as a human shield.
Ollibear: you’re not going to rescue him? Not very chivalrous
Newt-leo: he can handle himself. Also it’s funny to see Kuny trying to hide behind him…
Blizzard: Who did come up with it? @prongstar?
Prongstar: shit I don’t have the balls to prank Sergei… Have you seen his uppercuts?
DumoDad: @sunnysideup?
Sunnysideup: 😇😇😇😇 hehehehe hehehehe ask dumo....
Nadotheman: should I rescue kuny? He’s my ride today after all. Dolores is at the car doctor. And we’re raising a cat together
LeWilliam: maybe someone distract Sergei… I’m scared…
DumoDad: Olli can do it. He loves Olli.
Ollibear: cowards. And of course he loves me. I’m the only sane one on this team.
——
Sunday 9.53 am
NatALLY: OH MY GOD!!! LOOK AT ALL THESE RAINBOWS
GingerLily: I love it! It’s adorable. Also, have you seen Finn, Logan and Leo’s jerseys?
Anyaismyname: that is cute.
Celeste: Anya… Is Sergei’s hair blue?
Linnea: yes it is. Because my idiot husband thought it was funny. And apparently he framed some of the younger boys…….
Celeste: why do I have a feeling Pascal is part of this?
Linnea: because we can’t leave them alone for 5 minutes?
Anyaismyname: they asked me to help. I helped. ;)
NatALLY: I love that! Hahaha
Linnea: what does the color on olli’s stick mean? 😌
NatALLY: hmm black, grey, white and purple. ITS ACE!!! So brave!!! 💜🖤🤍
Celeste: I love how they’re all wearing some sort of flag or colors. Proud of our boys!
GingerLily: so brave - James even bought Harry a little rainbow onesie. 🏳️🌈😍
Anyaismyname: we did good my lovelies 💖
NatALLY: I can’t all the glitter. Ohhh kase is not gonna be happy if that gets in his hair
GingerLily: I’m not going to tell him that James’ put glitter in his hat then.
NatALLY: please don’t 😂😂 Hahahaha
——
Sunday 10.00 am
“We’re live from Hogwarts where the Gryffindor lions are hosting a charity family skate event for lgbt+ mental health organizations. Remember to tweet, text or dm us with your questions during the broadcast and I’ll do my best to get replies from the players.”
“Joining me for a quick interview is fan favorite Thomas Walker”
“Walker, you’re wearing a rainbow jersey and is that glitter?”
“Ha yeah man! Proud ally here!!! And yeah somehow O’Hara and Nado got their hands on a box of body glitter and lemme tell ya, the locker room sparkles”
“That sounds fun. Is that the case for Ivanov’s hair too? Or is that a statement we’ve missed?”
“Ask him. Snitches get stitches eh?”
“Thanks Walker and as he’s skating away, we have Jackson Nadeau joining us. Also sporting the custom lions rainbow jersey and glitter, a lot of glitter”
“What’s wrong with glitter? I’m casual enough with myself to wear glitter”
“I’m sure you are - how’re you both feeling with this event?”
“Supporting our captain and close friends and anyone else who’ve been told they don’t belong. Lions are for all!”
“You feel strongly about this, Jackson, I didn’t mean any harm. Have there been reactions yet?”
“It’s hockey, what do you think? Lots of dicks out there but also a lot of guys who just wants to play and doesn’t care. You guys are making a fuss. Not us”
“I can ensure that the quibbler has no qualms with your captain or anything. We’re proud allies as well - which is why we’re covering this”
“Yeah thanks for that!”
“Seems like you’re having fun out there - is everyone participating today?
“ yeah uhm, I think, i mean, Kane is on IR with his elbow but he’s skating today. Not playing I think. Front office got us some cool stuff. I know I’m rocking this rainbow look. Some guys chose to wear other stuff which is cool too... kuny got glitter in his eye and is wearing a weird hat”
“I’m think you jealous”
“Haha! hello there Evgeni! How’re you enjoying today?”
“I’m have fun. Is good to. Uhm”
“Support?”
“Yeah support”
“Haha he wouldn’t survive a day without me”
“Well I’ve been following your Instagram recently - how’s your cat?”
“Princess is best cat”
“She’s good! Wanted to bring her but she’s at home with the sitter”
.... to be continued....
#lumosinlove#lumosinlove ocs#sweaterweather#sweaterweatherchats#sweater weather#sweaterweatheroc’s#sweaterweatherchatsnr13
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RP meme from "Chapter Four: Aspects and Renown" in The World of Darkness Ratkin Breedbook
"What you can actually do is far more important."
"The experience is little more than a challenging contract to prove one’s mettle."
"Not everyone can stand so much isolation and seclusion."
"Along the way, they work whatever scams and schemes they can to survive."
"After all, mavericks are known just as much for their quick wits as their stealth and subterfuge."
"Some do this to escape lives they cannot stand; others quest for ideals they may never achieve."
"If there’s a great place nearby to find food, adventure, or perils that threaten the young, a wise scout or spy will find them quickly."
"Relationships on the road are temporary and superficial."
" A scout or wanderer who hasn’t seen an old friend or lover in years immediately picks up the relationship exactly where it left off."
"Each year, they move from city to city, use and discard temp jobs like old clothes, and evolve a series of personas for different situations."
"Not all of them are impoverished and homeless; as long as you know where to find crash space, you’re never really helpless."
"They are fascinated by places inhabited by other creatures, especially humans."
"Some are smart enough to emulate the people they live near; others come up with bizarre explanations to explain human activity."
"Instead of a straightforward military report on the strength of predators in the area, the data must be condensed into a format even a small child could understand."
"When problems with the physical world grow too great, it’s tempting to just vanish into the ephemeral realms for a while."
"These alternate identities aren’t very flashy, just the sort of quiet identity that no one questions."
"It can also draw attention from police officers, irate merchants, and hostile humans."
"This isn’t my world. I just hide in it. If you’re looking for a place to run, talk to me."
"This isn’t my world. I just hide in it."
"If you’re looking for a place to run, talk to me."
"Seers are the keepers of ancient secrets."
"A human is still a human, and can never be trusted."
"Just because they’re victims doesn’t mean they’re virtuous; they’ll still rip you off when you least expect it."
"They seek wisdom the human race has discarded or left behind."
"They make their lairs in areas where the police fear to go, where the only law in both physical and spirit worlds is survival."
"Her body remains in the physical world; her spirit watches what transpires around it in the spirit world."
"You worry about fighting what you can see. I’ll worry about fighting what you can’t see."
"If they feel strongly enough, they will enforce their beliefs as they best see fit."
"Unfortunately, when passing judgment on their own kind, they have restraints placed on their activities."
"These harsh practices have millennia of precedent."
"They reason that it’s better to have a few small, secure ratholes to hide your equipment and yourself than to go to the trouble of defending a larger turf."
"Many secretly enjoy “pronouncing sentence” on anyone who offends them thoroughly enough."
" Justice is far more important. . . and unfortunately, far more subjective."
"Most know they can’t change the world by openly practicing violence; if anything, they’ve got to be really secretive about their revenge."
"Epic carnage is best left to less sophisticated creatures."
"The threat of one of the local politicians getting killed is usually enough to dissuade them from disagreeing any further."
"They do not disguise themselves when pursuing an assassination, as they will not apologize for what they do best."
"We had a contract. You broke it. Now I’m going to make your life a living hell."
"When rage flows freely, violence reigns."
"Some have the wisdom to choose their battles carefully; others don’t care who dies when battle lust seizes them."
"Peace is nothing more than a temporary cessation of the ways of war."
"Developing martial skill involves far more than just killing things — sometimes it involves crippling them, weakening them, or demoralizing them.
"These soldiers don’t just slay; they also use their knowledge of chaos to confuse their enemies, striking in the night when madness reigns."
"All of them pride themselves on discipline and composure. . . until rage overwhelms reason."
"Warriors of both sexes are mildly insecure, and feel the need to show off their martial prowess."
"What? Just because you’ve got an army surplus jacket and a pipe bomb, that makes you a man?"
"Any fool can pull a trigger."
"Saving the world requires true warriors."
"Technology isn’t evil, after all. It’s just in the wrong paws."
"Many are convinced that if they don’t watch their actions carefully, someone from a local laboratory will capture them and experiment on them to find out why they’re so smart."
"Wherever technology thrives, these rats will move in to scavenge it."
"Humans have a fetish about continually acquiring more stuff, newer stuff and cutting-edge state-of-the-art tech."
"The struggle begins with fierce discussions about technological innovations, and rapidly breaks down into name calling and slander."
"Two machines enter; one machine leaves."
"Whether they tinker with ancient computers or rusting cars, they have an insatiable need to fix anything that’s considered unsalvageable."
"Sometimes, she’ll spend the whole day collecting knickknacks just to see what she can build out of them that evening."
"Genius has its price."
"Each one has a physiological trait that identifies him as the gene freak he is."
"Dark powers tutor them in forgotten arts of destruction."
"He’ll be deposed by forces he’s summoned up, but can’t put down."
"Turn your head and cough. Oooh! I’ve never seen it that color before."
"Not all of them are swashbuckling heroes, but all of them are delusional about their origins and their heroic prowess."
"The conflict of egos can become so intense that bystanders get hurt from the fallout."
"Dueling etiquette demands satisfaction."
"Anyone who hears this tale will swear that it is true."
"My good sir, adventure is my middle name!"
"What? You don't believe me?"
"Keep her pointed in the right direction, and she’ll masterfully eliminate your enemies."
"If you’re not careful, she’ll blow up right in your face."
"Any place populated by the desperate, frustrated or down-and-out is another good choice — not only does it make for a good place to hide, but it has its share of potential allies seeking vengeance. . . or potential victims at which to vent your anger."
"They’ll need a really powerful common enemy to unite them; otherwise, each will suspect the other of conspiracy."
"Many come from criminal backgrounds, broken homes, abject poverty or the sort of banal borderline existence that breeds cynicism and contempt for just about everyone."
"Each one has a surprising degree of truth to it."
"It controls all forces of order."
"The balance of the world will not be restored until we destroy everything that smells of stasis, stability or the status quo."
"Hey, nobody saw me do anything. Besides, he had it coming. . . he pissed me off. What? You talking to me? You talking to me?"
"Hey, nobody saw me do anything. Besides, he had it coming. . . he pissed me off."
"Hey, nobody saw me do anything."
"Besides, he had it coming. . . he pissed me off."
"What? You talking to me? You talking to me?"
"You want a piece of me?"
"Chant the creed, kid, and learn. . ."
"I shall seek revenge against those who prey upon my kind."
"I will survive so that I may breed."
"I must respect strength and exploit weakness."
"I shall grow stronger through conflict."
"I will learn from the mysteries of the spirit world."
"I will revel in the visions the spirits grant me."
"I shall nurture, instruct and aid the young."
"I will trust my own kind before I trust outsiders."
"When someone is responsible for injustice, I will make sure someone pays."
"Legality is a subjective concept at best."
"Fighting to survive is difficult enough."
"What else could heal the world?"
"They’re doomed to self-destruct."
"The day that the buildings come crashing down, I’ll dance in the streets."
"Survival comes first."
"Mankind’s days are numbered."
"The strong breed. The weak die. Does that sound harsh? That’s evolution."
"Instinct will tell you when to kill, so follow it."
"We need an army to overwhelm our enemies."
"I still do not know if this is wise."
"If only the strong breed, then you must prove your strength before you can reproduce."
"Don’t be some addle-witted wharf rat who breeds with any half-dead body in the sewers. You, soldier, are the paragon of your race."
"Such egotism!"
"That is nature's way."
"That is nature’s way. If the population of creatures in any one area is too high, a few can be killed or a great number will starve."
“Property is relative. If I can take it, it’s mine. If you can’t defend it, you don’t deserve to have it."
"They buy far more than they need, go to great lengths to defend what they have, and insist that they have the right to determine who owns what."
"If you own more than you can carry, you’re wasting what others can use."
"Betray others before you betray your own kind."
"We’re running into the world together, kid, so we’ve got
to stick together. You ready to go? Um. . . you first. . .”
"You ready to go? Um. . . you first. . .”
"We’re running into the world together, kid, so we’ve got
to stick together."
"I just feel this rage in my blood that’s been there since the dawn of time. And I just feel like acting on it."
"Show me your true face, and it’s my call whether I want to slash it off."
#rp memes#rp meme#rp starters#roleplay meme#roleplay memes#roleplay starters#ratkin#world of darkness#werewolf the apocalypse#out of shirt#okay to reblog#will answer in morning
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My Updated End-of-SPN Theory
Featuring brothers, heroes, Chuck, paradise, fratricide, and that Butch-and-Sundance ending Sam and Dean want.
I've posted something to this effect before, but I've fine-tuned some of my thoughts so I’m writing a long-ass post. It’s not the most detailed, but my main thing about the ending is the themes and emotional takeaway.
If 15x11 solidified anything for me it's that the Ultimate Choice at the end of the show (because there has to be one) will be whether Sam and Dean are heroes first or brothers first.
Like we just established so strongly that they ARE heroes, that they are selfless and will give up what they have to help others. But that's when they're in it together. That's when they can push each other into making the right choice. We know how they can spiral into being villains once separated.
Back in season 5, when Sam was able to overcome Lucifer, go to Hell, and save the world, he could do it because a.) Dean gave his blessing and b.) it ended up saving Dean too. In that cemetery, the heroic thing to do was also the thing that saved Dean's life.
But what if saving the world, being a hero, meant a Winchester had to kill his brother? Not just lose him like Dean lost Sam in season 5, actually kill him. Sam almost had to make this choice last season, and he made it clear he would rather risk the entire world being destroyed than give up his brother, but he had hope back then and they did find another way. What if he had to make that choice again but without hope, without faith? What if he was convinced along with Dean that there were only two options and the "right" option was fratricide?
I think that's the big crescendo we're headed for.
And although my heart wants to see Sam and Dean say "fuck the world, we're not killing each other, ever," I suspect that in the end, they will do "the right thing" because they'll choose to be heroes first. If they're together, they'll push each other to the heroic choice. I did say before that it would be a huge defeat for the concept of free will, but they're not going to care about sticking it to the man if 7.5 billion deaths are on their conscience. If they're together at the end, and they will be, they will do what needs to be done for the greater good. For the first time, they will not choose each other, but I think it is a choice they will make together, to give each other up in the name of What’s Right.
And how we’ll reach that point? Well, I suspect that near the end, Chuck is going to come to the conclusion that he cannot make this Sam and Dean kill each other by turning one into a monster or dividing them in any way. He’s going to realize that the only way to get them to end the story the way he wants is by appealing to their sense of what’s right rather than to their sense of what’s wrong.
Now, to be clear, while I love Sam and Dean and want them to get what they want-namely, literally any ending other than what Chuck wants and I mean that both specifically and non-specifically-and I will cheer them on if they doom the world so that they do not have to kill each other, the ending that makes literary sense and is most in-character for them under those circumstances is if they kill each other. But I hate the idea of the show ending on the note of Chuck winning, plus we have Jack now and it’s been indicated that he will play a significant role in the resolution. Before he was born he showed both Kelly and Castiel a paradise that he will bring about, and I think that will happen. So how do all those things come together?
One way or another, the Winchesters and Jack will defeat God. They will be 100% free of fate, destiny, etc. and KNOW that they have the free will they wanted and that the world is not going to be overrun by monsters because Jack will maintain balance or even improve the state of the world. Paradise or the beginnings of it will be established. Our heroes will believe they’ve won. And they do win. Chuck’s machinations to make them kill each other heroically fail.
But then there’s going to be Something, a problem that’s going to ruin all they worked for. Or perhaps part of defeating God, whether it’s by locking him away or actually killing him, will be this Something. Point is, it has to happen AFTER they know they have free will. Ideally it will also be something not caused directly by Chuck. Whatever it is, it means that a Winchester has to kill his brother to save the world.
They’ll hate it. For the most obvious reason of course but also that in defeating Chuck, they end up having to make this choice of their own volition, and they end up making the choice Chuck wants. Chuck won’t be there to see it, so Chuck will have lost, but the dramatic irony, the painful sad-yet-happy ending that Jensen didn’t like at first, will be that the Winchesters will have won their free will and the thing they choose to do with that 100% free will is kill each other in order to save everyone else.
*
*
*
“But wait,” you say, “where’s the Butch and Sundance ending Sam and Dean want so bad?”
See, I wrote that whole post and then I remembered the Butch and Sundance thing so now I have to tack this on clumsily.
A few weeks back when Sam and Dean Vampchester went out “Butch and Sundance” I did a little reading and learned something very interesting about the real Butch and Sundance. See, apparently in the movie the two of them burst out of a cabin into a firing squad. Blaze of glory, right?
What actually happened was that there was a shootout at the cabin, it ended, and when law enforcement went inside, both men were dead. They pieced together that one was mortally wounded, so the other shot him to put him out of his misery and then killed himself.
So, if Sam and Dean go out like the real Butch and Sundance, one will be wounded and be facing a slow, painful death. The other will end his brother’s suffering and then kill himself.
Are these two theories compatible? Yes. I can see a couple ways to combine these ideas. Maybe Sam and Dean will win, but on their first hunt after winning freedom, one gets seriously hurt and they have to go the euthanization-suicide route. Maybe the cost of putting Chuck away or killing him leaves one brother in a not-dead-but-not-exactly-living state and the other doesn’t want him to suffer.
I strongly suspect that Sam and Dean will have to make both of these decisions. One of them, probably Dean because his whole thing has been Take Care of Sammy, will have to decide “do I end my brother’s suffering by killing him?” and one, probably Sam because his whole thing is Save Everyone (But Dean First), will have to decide “do I save everyone by killing my brother?” They may take place at separate times, or they may end up being the same event, but they’ve talked about going out “Butch and Sundance style” for years and we had some potential foreshadowing with Rowena’s death in episode 3.
The big one is going to be the hero question. That’s the theme I want to see in the finale, after the hundreds of hours of my life spent on this fandom, the question of “will Sam and Dean do the right thing even if it means killing each other?” I want to see them making that decision together.
But I’d like to see that Butch and Sundance ending, too.
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Still Alive, Hiatus and Future
So to any who are curious, I am still here and I’m ok! just busy as Covid continues to get in the way of our lives making my schedule scramble all over once more. I will return as soon as possible to a regular poster/RPer.
Annoying enough though, I’ve also hit a recent spot of inspiration that makes me really want to RP a certain scenario, though I would need several people interested to even attempt it. If you wanna know about it, feel free to go to the read more under here.
So the idea for this is a little crazy, focusing on a moral, maybe even possibly an inner conflict for some of the main characters between themselves. I’ll try to explain the gist of it as clearly but quickly as I can. Warning if your triggered by the idea of attempted murder as this is what it is at its core.
The setting is where Dr Eggman has not only been defeated but he’s finally been captured! Locked up in a high security prison and is currently awaiting trail as there is a lot of conflict about what to do with him. The heroes are all mostly content with the idea of keeping Eggman imprisoned and not wanting to go any further than that, not wanting to cross certain lines and believing it would make them no better than the doctor if they did something drastic.
However, despite the law there’s a motion mostly supported by the scared, stressed and vengeful populace pointing towards the idea of executing him for the mass array of crimes, death and destruction he’s committed over the years and that locking such an evil person up isn’t enough to point out justice, not to mention with Eggman’s genius he’d break out soon enough if given the time and chance.
Just as the locals predict, Dr Eggman does indeed already have an escape in motion as he waits in his cell, a loyalist group to the doctor are working from the inside to break him out within a short time frame, supported by several remaining Egg pawns and other bots waiting just outside the borders to help spring him free if the enforcers are compromised. Their plans are accelerated however when there’s a security breach at the front of the complex, giving the doctor ample time to quickly use the distraction to begin his escape.
This distraction is caused by none other than Dan, whom is strongly in favor to the idea of killing the doctor. While he’s no enemy to the freedom fighters, its no secret he holds a slight resentment for their ‘soft’ approach as he sees it. With them seemingly not willing to do what is necessary to provide the safety of the people just so the likes of Sonic can keep ‘playing’ hero. Dan in a typical rash fashion figured he’d just forcibly break into the facility, stamp through security and kill Eggman before anything else could occur, unwittingly allowing for the doctor’s escape by distracting the security forces who had rushed to intercept the demon-hog believing Dan actually was trying to break Eggman out in the first place.
Needless to say, Upon hearing about the scramble going on, the heroes quickly arrive at the scene and learn of what has happened and are certainly more than concerned that Eggman is loose and undoubtedly intending to regroup and go into hiding so he can prepare his next assault against them, but he’s still not secured just yet even with his escorts, furthermore learning that a rogue element is in hot pursuit with deadly intent.
This turns into a three way chase. Eggman fleeing with his machines and enforcers to safety, setting traps and trying to make the other sides battle each other more than pursue him. The heroes who are sticking to their routes and are attempting to recapture Eggman while also trying to prevent the third party reaching the doctor first. And lastly with Dan any who end up agreeing with him, be they the upset locals or characters who aren’t against the idea, chasing after Eggman but also not hesitating to engage the heroes should they not move aside or attempt to stop them with more force.
The reason I feel this could work as a very fun scenario is when you really think about the morals and thoughts of the main cast. Sonic for example I don’t think would be willing to kill Eggman, but I don’t think he’d actually be too keen in wanting to save Eggman either. Either for conflicting points, guilt or his own want to remain free. After all he usually only gets involved when Eggman steps in to ruin his or other’s days. While the likes of Shadow who may be more willing to kill overall, would actually lean more towards the idea of saving Eggman simply because of the doctor being a last living relative of Gerald/Maria or because Shadow himself works with GUN/Government, so he just obeys orders to lawfully bring Eggman in. I feel Amy and Tails would be among those wanting to save Eggman despite hating him because they don’t believe in killing. And who doesn’t like a little drama, right?
So yeah that’s my thought, sorry for length. So if your at all interested about this, please do lemme know!
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It’s Complicated Chapter 1: Don’t Get Me Started
Source: @repls
How does “Hate at first sight” become “Where have you been all my life?”
Rafael Barba did not make a good first impression on Francisca Rojas. At all. In fact, she found him to be an insufferable ass and hoped never to have to work with him. Unfortunately, given her new job, that was not going to happen. Well, she was an adult, and a Forensic Psychiatrist, and realistic enough to have known that she wouldn’t like everyone she met at NYPD. She could deal with Barba. Frankie wondered whether her friend George Huang had ever met him. If he had, it seemed like he should have warned her when she told him she had accepted his former position with NYPD.
Mark Stephens was not their rapist. Barba wanted him to be. Frankie could understand wanting the guy they had in custody to be the doer, but he wasn’t, and Barba was just going to have to deal with that. She wasn’t particularly impressed with a Prosecutor who wanted to take the easy way out. A guy as arrogant as Barba needed to be able to back it up and, so far, Barba was looking like he might be all hat, no cattle.
Francisca Rojas made an even worse impression on Barba. He had been a Prosecutor for over twenty years. A bunch of fancy diplomas and an FBI pedigree didn’t hold a candle to that kind of experience. He knew what the hell he was doing. She clearly didn’t. Yet there she’d been, parading her ignorance before the entire squad, telling them that Stephens wasn’t the rapist because he didn’t fit her profile. In what universe was that evidence?
Olivia Benson was concerned. The Forensic Psychiatrist and the A.D.A. assigned to SVU needed to have a good working relationship. She couldn’t have them disagreeing on something as basic as whether their prime suspect was the one. She sure as hell couldn’t have them at eachother’s throats. Liv kind of had to side with Barba on this one – Stephens was caught on the scene of the latest rape, and he had scratches on his face consistent with the size of the victim’s hands. Even he admitted that the tests were going to show that it was his DNA under her fingernails. A profile was only good to let them know who to look for – it was useless once they’d found the skel who did the crime. Was their new Forensic Psychiatrist so conceited that she couldn’t admit she was wrong in the face of the evidence? This could be bad.
“Hey, Doc,” the tall, gangly, ridiculously pretty detective called to Frankie. What was his name again? Something Italian. He caught up to her at the entrance to the stairs. “Hey, um… I’m interested in your thoughts about Stephens.”
Frankie took a few seconds to breathe. She strongly suspected that the correct translation was, “I’m about to call bullshit on your theory.”
“What is it you want to know, uh… Detective?”
“Carisi. Call me Sonny.”
“Detective Carisi. Sonny.”
“Well, you seem pretty, um, sure that Stephens isn’t our guy. And Barba seems pretty sure he is. I’m an attorney, so I’d like to understand why the evidence we have isn’t doin’ it for ya’. Because I’m thinkin’ if you’re not convinced, a jury might not be, either.”
Frankie blinked. He seemed sincere. “Well, thanks for that. I appreciate you asking, rather than just deciding I’m wrong.”
“Don’t worry about the squad. They’re not closed-minded. They’re just going off of what they see in the evidence. If it goes in another direction, so will they.”
Frankie laughed humorlessly. “And Barba?”
“Barba’s… Barba. You’ll get used to him.”
“Well, he’s wrong. And here’s why. It’s a couple of things, actually. First, Stephens’ story makes sense. A woman who’s just been raped and beaten sees a man bending over her? She could react violently, just as he said. She could misinterpret an attempt to help her as an attack. And she’s not telling us differently, because she doesn’t remember anything. Second, Stephens is talking to us. He won’t shut up. He’s doing everything he can to help. Our guy, he won’t be like that. He does everything he can to humiliate his victims. He taunts law enforcement. He thinks he’s smarter than anyone and can just play with us. So in an interrogation, he won’t be talking. He’ll be mocking. He’ll be disrespectful, angry and superior.” She smiled. “Like Barba.”
Frankie’s shoulders slumped when her assistant told her that A.D.A. Barba was holding on Line One for her. She knew it. She’d known very quickly after meeting him that he was going to be trouble. He was the exact type that always was. She looked up to the ceiling, shook her head, and sighed, “Put him through.”
“Dr. Rojas.”
“Mr. Barba. What can I do for you?”
“You can tell me what the hell that was back there at the station house. How do you justify ignoring the facts in favor of a theory that doesn’t fit them?”
“I’m not ignoring the facts, because the facts do fit the theory. You just don’t like the way they fit. I wish I could agree with you. I wish Stephens was the guy. But I don’t think he is.”
Barba massaged his temples with his hand. “Well, you aren’t afraid to stick to your position, I’ll give you that.”
“Did you call to try to browbeat me into your way of thinking? Because that would be a waste of time.”
Rafael wasn’t quite seeing red yet, but he hadn’t wanted to make this call in the first place, and that comment definitely made him mad. “No. I do not intend to ‘browbeat’ you. I thought I would take an opportunity to try to discuss this case one-on-one, like adults. But I appreciate you letting me know that would be a waste of my time.”
Really? This overbearing troll was calling her a child? For standing by what all of her training and experience told her? Frankie tried hard to hang on to her temper. “Mr. Barba, I did my research. I know who you are. Your resumé is as impressive as your attitude would suggest, and so is your record in court. Your peers talk about you in superlatives, nobody wants to see you on the other side of a case, and the NYPD holds you in especially high regard. I’d be an idiot to take a position counter to yours without damn good reason, and I am not an idiot.”
“I suppose that ‘fountain of praise’ technique usually works fairly well for you?”
Frankie, had she known it, mirrored Barba’s position at her desk, her hand massaging her temples. “There’s always one,” she sighed to herself, before responding. “Look. Stephens’ DNA will either match the rapist’s, or it won’t. If it does, I’m wrong and you’re right. You put Stephens away and you get bragging rights. I can live with that. But if it doesn’t, we still have a rapist out there. And that is honestly all I care about. This isn’t about ego for me. It’s about stopping a rapist.”
“You expect me to believe that.”
“You know what? I actually don’t. Lucky for us, it doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not.”
“Doctor, we are going to have to find a way to work together.”
“Yes, we are. And you may be surprised to learn that I’m sure we will. This is not new territory for me, Mr. Barba.”
“Meaning what? Everyone finds you difficult to work with?”
“Not everyone. Just a certain kind of man.”
Rafael was certain he wasn’t going to like this. “Enlighten me.”
Frankie could hear the sneer through the phone. Self-righteous prick. What a piece of work. At that point, despite her hard-won self knowledge and the many techniques she’d learned to control it, her temper pushed all her higher instincts out the window. Again.
“You did your due diligence on me, same as I did on you. And you’ve decided I’m a dilletante. You know I’m Salomon Rojas’s daughter and you think daddy bought me some degrees so I could dress up and play FBI Barbie.“
Rafael said nothing. She was uncomfortably close to the mark.
“I’m used to it,” she continued. “So go ahead and discount me all you want. And you’re welcome to set up whatever hurdles and challenges you find necessary. They all do.”
“Well, thank you for reducing me to a cliché.”
“Look, let me just save you some time. I’ve been set up to fail by the best. During medical school, during my residencies… It didn’t get me to quit, Mr. Barba. It made me a better doctor. And you don’t want to know what I went through my first few years in the FBI, but suffice it to say that you will not be able to best those guys in either ingenuity or cruelty. So bring it on. The sooner you figure out I’m the real deal, the sooner we can get to work.”
“Thank you for sharing that poignant slice of your life with me, irrelevant though it was.”
“Was it?” Rojas’s voice dripped meaning.
“You are a psychiatrist, aren’t you? Next you’re going to ask me how I feel about my mother.”
“You adore your mother. And she adores you. I’m not getting much of a father figure in your life, though. That may be behind some of the attitude.”
It wasn’t often that Rafael Barba was at a loss for words.
Frankie stepped into the silence. “When the DNA results come back, we’ll know. And we’ll take the next step, whatever it is. If Stephens is the rapist, I’ll be the first to acknowledge that you were right and I was wrong. If he isn’t, I hope you’ll let me do my job and contribute to planning the team’s next move.”
“Well. I thought I just heard you acknowledge the possibility that you might be wrong.”
“See?” Frankie’s voice was all sarcasm. “Your preconceptions are crumbling already. Anything else?”
“Just… Try to disagree with me a little more discreetly in the future.”
They both slammed down the phones at the same time.
Frankie cradled her head in her hands and groaned. She’d done it again. Barba couldn’t help it if he was the exact type of asshole who instantly got under her skin. And she should be far, far above this kind of thing. She was a damn psychiatrist, for fuck’s sake! And she’d just set a land speed record for letting her temper take control of her big mouth. She wondered how hard it would be to get her job in Quantico back.
The groan Barba uttered as he got up from his desk to refill his coffee cup was very similar to the one Frankie had just made. She had an answer for everything, didn’t she? Rafael did not appreciate being pigeonholed or labeled, and he saw right through that tactic. She thought she could dismiss his misgivings about her as part of some macho, “elite of the bourgeoisie” flaw in his character, turning any questioning of her into proof of his own inadequacy. Clever. And annoying as fuck. Rafael understood how she’d ended up in the FBI; he only wondered why she wasn’t in Psy Ops. He couldn’t wait to see what happened when the DNA came back showing Stephens was the rapist.
Only it didn’t.
The DNA under the victim’s fingernails was Stephens’s, as he’d said it would be. But his DNA did not match the rape kits of any of the three victims tied to the Pattern 20 rapist. The squad took it in stride, Lieutenant Benson was intrigued, and Barba was annoyed. He could see absolutely no indication of gloating or superiority in Dr. Rojas as the team settled in around the SVU conference table at the station house. Which was surprising, because he was watching for it. He knew it would come out eventually.
Amanda Rollins had been the one to state the obvious. “Well, you were right. Stephens isn’t our guy.”
“I wish he was,” Rojas had said, sliding a thin laptop out of her leather carryall before stuffing the carryall under her chair. She hoped that was all she would have to say about it.
“Sorry if it seemed like we doubted you,” the sexy black detective with the weird name said.
“Don’t be. We need to be candid with one another. When you think I’m wrong, say so. Trust me, I’ll fuck up,” she responded, lifting a cup of coffee to her lips and making a dismissive gesture with her other hand.
“Fin, you want to start us off?” Lieutenant Benson asked, beginning the briefing.
Fin, that’s right. And his last name was… Tortuga, Tutahkhamen, something like that.
Frankie was intrigued to see what Barba’s attitude would be. As Carisi had predicted, the squad seemed perfectly willing to follow the evidence wherever it led, but they hadn’t seemed to put their own credibility on the line as to whether Stephens was the rapist. He had. She was actually relieved when he said nothing about having been wrong, and gave no indication that there was anything to say. Sometimes egotistical blowhards like him could be even more insulting when they tried to be polite.
The briefing was fairly routine. Having gotten through this first hiccup, Frankie hoped things would run more smoothly with her new team. She couldn’t help feeling like she’d dodged a bullet in being right about Stephens. Barba and the SVU squad all knew each other. They’d worked together for years. They could make all the mistakes they wanted at this point, and it wouldn’t change their baseline impressions of each other. But if she’d been wrong, their first impression and permanent impression of her would be – well, it would be what Barba’s was. That she was a pushy know-it-all who couldn’t stand to be wrong, even when the evidence made it clear.
What she’d said to Barba was mostly true; she didn’t have much of an ego. But she did have a tendency to say what she thought when keeping her peace might be a better choice, and when the team had looked to be concluding that Stephens was their rapist, she had been sure they were wrong, and had said so before she could think better of it. She cursed herself, for the billionth time, for making such a stupid mistake, especially in a new job. As she’d told Barba, she knew what people tended to expect when they first met her. So why couldn’t she have kept her mouth shut? It didn’t matter what she thought – the DNA was going to tell the truth, anyway. She’d never learn. Sometimes she thought her life would be easier if she’d been born mute.
When the briefing was over, the team all had assignments, including her. She re-packed her carryall to return to her office and get to work re-analyzing the victim and witness interviews. Seeing Barba waiting for the elevator, she headed for the stairs.
“Avoiding me now?” He caught her just as she entered the stairway.
Frankie turned around to face him. “Of course not. I just like to take the stairs.”
“Don’t you want to hear me say that you were right and I was wrong?”
“To tell you the truth, not particularly. I actually find that more awkward than the other way around.”
“That’s odd. I don’t.”
It took all Frankie’s self-control not to make a snarky reply. Of course this man didn’t mind hearing he was right. “Well, I’m sure you’ll have that opportunity, Counselor. Will you excuse me? I’d like to get back to work.”
“Not before I apologize and acknowledge that you were correct.”
“Right… um… it’s all good. Apology accepted. I appreciate it. I’m gonna just…” Frankie pointed to the stairs and began to descend, deeply uncomfortable and desperate to get out of this situation.
Barba shook his head as he watched her basically run down the stairs in her pumps. Normally, he would have wondered how someone that amateurish had achieved the things this woman had. But in the case of Francisca Rojas, he had a pretty good idea. She’d said it herself. She was a rich girl whose father had undoubtedly bought her way into Texas A&M, and all the way through medical school. She hadn’t mentioned her looks, but Rafael had no doubt that all she’d had to do was shake that long, black hair and bat those dark eyes to get wherever she wanted to go from there. FBI Barbie. She had no idea how accurate he found that description.
“Hey! Doc!”
Frankie turned around to see Carisi standing in line at the coffee cart outside the station house. He must have made a beeline from the briefing to be there already.
“Detective Carisi.”
“Sonny.”
“Is ‘Sonny’ short for something?”
“It’s Dominick. But my father is Dominick, so…”
“Got it. Sonny. And I’m Frankie.”
“Can I buy you a cup of coffee?”
“I’d love it. Thanks. I’m addicted to the stuff. Double-shot skinny latte.”
“Hey, that’s what Barba drinks.”
“No kidding. You’re clearly a great detective. You may have just found the one thing he and I have in common.”
“You two don’t seem to have gotten off to a very good start. If you don’t mind my saying so.”
“I don’t mind you saying the sky is blue, either. Some things are just true.”
“So what’s the problem? Still the Stephens thing?”
“It’s nothing. We’ll work it out. We’re both professionals.”
Sonny knew a conversation diverter when he heard one. “Rojas. That’s Mexican, right?”
“Right.”
“When I heard your name, and that you were from Texas, I wasn’t sure what kind of accent to expect. But I don’t hear one at all.”
Frankie laughed. “Would you believe me if I told you I speak Spanish with a Texas twang?”
“Is that a thing?” Carisi smiled, which made his blue eyes crinkle in a way Frankie found endearing.
“Actually, yes.”
“Barba speaks Spanish.”
Frankie tried not to show her irritation. She really wanted to get off the subject of Barba. “Great. Then he can hate me in two languages.”
They reached the front of the line and Carisi ordered their coffee. “He’s a good guy, you know. Really. Kind of a sharp tongue, but when you get to know him, you’ll see that’s just the way he talks.”
Frankie didn’t believe him, and she made another attempt to change the subject. “Speaking of accents, would it be rude for me to ask about yours?”
“Staten Island. Born and raised. Where are you from in Texas?”
“Just outside of Austin.”
As the conversation turned to more pleasant subjects, Frankie started to enjoy the opportunity to spend a few minutes outside on this sunny spring afternoon, having a calm, enjoyable conversation with one of her new coworkers. It was even better when Amanda Rollins came out to join them, soda in hand. She suggested they take a short walk to stretch their legs, which Carisi declined, saying he had some calls to make.
“Is Sonny really as nice as he seems?” Frankie asked as she and Amanda set off down the block.
“Unbelievably, yes. He can also toss a perp against a car with the best of them when the situation calls for it.”
“Nice combo.”
“You know, I couldn’t help but notice things aren’t starting out so well with you and Barba.”
“Shit. Sonny was just telling me the same thing. I’m embarrassed. I can actually behave like a professional, believe it or not.”
“But can you toss a perp against a car when the situation calls for it?”
“Probably not,” Frankie laughed. “Although I’d like to try it with Barba.”
“Yeah, what’s up with that?”
“It’s more me than him. I just have a visceral reaction to his type. Arrogant, snide, macho, chauvinistic, you know.”
“You might be surprised to learn that Barba’s none of that,” Rollins noted. “OK, arrogant and snide, maybe. But in a good way.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am totally serious. But in your defense, I thought the same thing about him at first. Except I thought it was hot.”
“Hot? Barba?”
“Of course. Even if you don’t like him, you have to admit he’s got that whole green-eyed latin thing happening. And the way he dresses…”
“Ugh. Sorry. I can’t get past the personality.”
“I’ll make you a bet. In a month, you’ll like him a lot better than you do now. And you’ll agree with me that he’s hot.”
“I’ll take that bet. What are the stakes?”
“Well, I’m a compulsive gambler in recovery, so we better keep it to something in the realm of foods that aren’t good for us.”
“I’m a total sucker for anything with frosting.”
“Oh, well that makes it easy. Patsy’s Cupcakes on Church Street. Loser buys a dozen for the winner.”
“You’re on.”
#law & order svu#law & order: special victims unit#rafael barba#raul esparza#sonny carisi#fin tutuola#olivia benson#amanda rollins#mike dodds
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Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Undertale (Video Game)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Papyrus & Sans, Frisk & Sans, Alphys/Undyne, Papyrus & Undyne, Frisk & Everyone, W. D. Gaster & Papyrus & Sans
Characters: Sans, Frisk, Papyrus, Alphys, Undyne, W. D. Gaster, Gaster Follower(s)
Additional Tags: playing with the FUN mechanic, The Void, Magic, Determination, spacetime shenanigans
Summary:
Shortcuts are an exact science.
Shortcuts are an exact science. They move through the Void—an infinitely-collapsing nothing dimension that takes up no space and time, but at the same time is uniform all across whenever it is accessed. The Void is a constant, while Sans and anyone following him and the starting point and the destination and a couple other environmental considerations are the variables. Most of the magic cost of a shortcut comes of enforcing regular six-dimensional reality onto the Void long enough to use it as a path to a regular six-dimensional destination.
If it’s just Sans taking a shortcut, he can cut out most of the cost—a relative second or two in the void won’t remove him from reality like it would most folks.
Sometimes he remembers why that is, sometimes he doesn’t. But he always remembers that the Void will hesitate to destroy him. The Void is as safe for Sans as…well, a relatively safe space in a dimension of infinite entropic constants. If he’s gonna have trouble with a shortcut, it’s gonna be in the world of variables, in himself or where he pops out or what he did wrong in his calculations.
Sans is very fast and very accurate in his calculations. He hasn’t shortcut himself into a staircase or table since…he can’t remember when. There was one time in particular, he thinks…
He’s pretty sure it’d scared…someone…Papyrus(?) so bad that he’d gotten a strongly-worded lecture about respecting the seriousness of his studies and not using highly advanced, theoretical magic to save ten seconds of walking. And the dangers of the Void, which always makes him snort when he thinks about it.
Come to think of it, he’s pretty sure he remembers Pap also being there for that conversation, saying he’s sure Sans knew what he was doing, and Sans wouldn’t endanger himself carelessly, so it must have just been a mistake, right, Sans?
That had actually made him feel worse than the lecture.
And then Papyrus had taken him quietly aside later, and asking him Could You Have Fallen Down If You Did A Mistake? in the way that meant Tell Me You Care More About Your Life Than This, I Know You Are Better Than This, I Am Already Impressed By Your Accomplishments And Wish You Wouldn’t Show Off If It Could Hurt You. If Sans recalls correctly, he’d said something like…
“nah, paps, i was just—i was just being dumb, wasn’t thinking, forgot we moved that table, didn’t even hurt, right? just felt weird for a bit, it’s, uh, um.” He’d let out a breath and hung his head, unable to look at his brother’s increasing distress. “sorry. i shouldn’t have been showing off. i was just…yeah. that was stupid of me.”
He’d just been having fun with having a part of his studies he could show off to Papyrus and ****** without having to practically write a thesis to explain what it was and why it was kinda cool. Theory is great—Sans loves theory—but it was fun to have a practical application, and a useful one at that. He’d just gotten kinda carried away.
He’d thought he was being all responsible, owning up to what he did wrong (at least to Papyrus; he’d taken his brother’s out in front of ******) and apologizing for it, but Paps had seen right through him.
“That Was Actually Pretty Cool, Though,” Papyrus had said. Sans had perked up entirely, forgoing scuffing his shoes on the floor in favor of basking in his brother’s admiration.
“right? isn’t it? i can teleport!” he’d said. “i mean. maybe i should have…tested it out a bit more. it kind of was an ‘irrational and dangerous misuse of untested theoretical physics,’ and all. lab safety is cool. that was…kinda not that.”
Not to mention how the shortcut that had taken him halfway through a table in the lab hadn’t been his first shortcut—he’d shortcut straight to Papyrus once he had a decent idea of how to balance out his equations for it, and spent most of the afternoon tweaking his technique and teleporting circles around his brother. That had been the opposite of lab safety. Especially when he left the lab to do it.
Somehow, Sans had figured he was just smart enough that nothing would go wrong. “You’re never too good to make mistakes” is a lesson he’d learned later.
“I Was Not Really Encouraging Good Science Habits, Either,” Papyrus had admitted at the time. “It’s Very Cool That You Have Discovered This Neat Way To Use Your Magic! But! In The Future! Maybe We Can Make A Corner Of The Room That We Don’t Put Things In? And Then? You Use Your Cool New Magic To Go There? And Not In A? Table???”
Sans hadn’t said it then, because he’d had some sort of hang-up where he didn’t say it out loud, but that had been one of the many times that Papyrus had been so cool. Even when Sans had been, in hindsight, kind of insufferably proud of his scientific leanings, Papyrus always let him know that he thought what Sans was doing was cool and impressive, and that he was proud of his brother’s accomplishments.
Sans can remember that incident most of the time, even though it doesn’t really make sense with the memories he also has where he never told Paps about his interest in science, and told him he was going to dentistry school instead. The dentistry story is the one he always remembers, though, so that must have…ugh. It always gives him a headache to remember this stuff.
Not worth the effort. He’s never gonna get that past back anyway, so why bother sorting out what really happened? Better to take what he has now: the coolest brother in the world, some pretty good friends, some pretty bad jokes, the sky. The Surface.
He’d never been as impressed by the idea of the Surface as other monsters seemed to be—seemed like it couldn’t be that great when Sans already had everything he needed underground with him. Not worth risking that for some world they’d been cut off from for thousands of years, right?
Stars, he’s never been happier to be wrong.
What he has now is everything he’d ever had underground, plus an ever-widening world of friends and family; sights to see, foods to try, things to avoid doing. He sure is glad he did absolutely nothing while Frisk did all the work of getting the Barrier down.
At least, he assumes he did nothing. Frisk won’t say what happened, and no one else remembers.
There are a lot of things Frisk won’t say. And it’s not just because they don’t talk much.
Doesn’t stop them from being a curious kid, though.
Today, Sans is relaxing, enjoying his escape from Alphys’s “SELF-ESTEEM TRAINING!!!” with Papyrus and Undyne, when Frisk trots up to him and stops, staring down at him insistently.
“‘sup, buddy?” he asks. “you find a cool rock somewhere?”
Frisk sometimes brings artifacts back from their adventures—clothes, tools, toys; almost always human artifacts that they seem to pick up from where no human had any business being in the first place.
Doesn’t look like that’s what’s going on now, though. They just have their stick with them, and the locket they picked up somewhere Underground. They’re clutching their shirt hem.
“…home?” they ask, craning their head to look behind them. They scan the surrounding buildings and trees at the edge of town before they check on Paps and crew.
Sans scans the area, too. Frisk hadn’t gone far—he’d been keeping an eye socket on them, or at least their SOUL; they hadn’t been out of his sight for more than a few minutes.
Then again, they do get nervous when they haven’t seen Toriel or Asgore for a while, even after years have passed and their new parents have failed to abandon them. Maybe they’re just antsy?
Undyne suplexes a dumpster unexpectedly, and Frisk whips around to face the noise, one hand outstretched like they would shield Sans from Undyne’s reign of terror against his fellow piles of garbage.
A tense moment passes. Frisk stares at Undyne, who is attempting to suplex Alphys, who is being carried by Papyrus. It looks like they’re playing some sort of keep-away game.
“pretty jumpy there, buddy,” Sans notes. Frisk glances at him, before going back to scanning their (still perfectly normal) surroundings. “makes a guy wonder. what’s rattling your bones?”
Not even a huff. Frisk just shrugs uncomfortably.
“come on. you can trust me, right? tell your buddy sans what’s wrong.” He winks his right eye.
Frisk squirms. They’ll break in a second, Sans is sure of it. Just a little more pressure…
Frisk’s eyes dart away, focusing intently on nothing, and their body twists to follow their gaze. They trot towards it two paces without even seeming to realize it, before their movement is arrested.
They reach up to clutch at something—hard to say what, from Sans’s vantage point on the ground behind them. Their collar, maybe?
They back up a half pace, making the tiniest conflicted noise. They shake their head.
“uh. frisk?” Sans asks.
Frisk glances at him, turning to keep both him and the point of nothing that’s caught their attention in their field of view.
Sans doesn’t know a lot about human eyesight, but if he doesn’t miss his guess, they’re focusing far away. Are they looking at the end of town or past it?
He can’t see anything there, but Frisk sometimes knows things he doesn’t. He’ll have to come back here later and see if he can rustle anything up.
“Home,” Frisk insists. “We shouldn’t be here.”
They reach down towards Sans, and Sans forgoes jokes for a moment to let them pull him up. Frisk doesn’t seem like they’d take the old whoopee cushion joke too well right now.
Normally that wouldn’t stop him, but he doesn’t want to be the shout that causes the avalanche. Frisk is pretty fearless normally. Whatever’s spooked them could be pretty…spooky.
They don’t let go of Sans once he’s on his feet, choosing instead of grab his sleeve and tug insistently. He lets them propel him along, taking an arcing path towards the others.
If the kid’s keeping an even radius from whatever’s scared them, that puts it past a stand of trees. Nothing he can see right now, and they shouldn’t be able to, either.
Sans stares at the back of Frisk’s head. what’s going on here, kiddo?
Frisk doesn’t seem to notice, focused between Papyrus and the trees, until they glance back at him again.
“Do you…” they start. Then they shake their head, apparently deciding that whatever it is, he doesn’t.
“oh, yeah. all the time,” he says vaguely.
“No, no. Nothing. Nothing,” Frisk says. “It’s—did you ever—work with—nothing. Never mind.”
“i’ve had a few jobs, kiddo, i’ve worked with a lot of people,” Sans comments. “maybe a name would jog my memory?”
It’s not a joke, but Frisk snorts, only a little off-beat.
“No, it wouldn’t. Never mind. You should go home. Bring everyone. Game night.” They tug Sans forward and push him the last few feet, to Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys.
The training crew has politely paused midway through a game of catch with Alphys as the ball. Undyne sets her down by the head as Sans and Frisk approach.
“What’s up? Here to join in our EPIC TRAINING SESH?!?” she shouts.
The force of her passion generates a gust of wind that goes right through Sans. Frisk, on the other hand, has to cling to his hoodie to avoid being pushed back, at least until Papyrus’s blue magic anchors them more firmly to the ground.
“Brother! I Am Glad You Have Finally Chosen To Join Us, Instead Of Sitting Under A Tree And Being Lazy All Day! I Am…Surprised You Have Finally Chosen To Join Us! Shocked, In Fact!” Papyrus says. His eye sockets narrow. “…This Wouldn’t Happen To Be A Jape That You Are Concocting With Frisk, Is It? Human! I Have Told You Not To Succumb To My Brother’s Lazy Trickery! You Should Join Us In Training Just To Block Out His Tomfoolering Influence!”
Sans cuts in before he can get on a tangent—normally he has fun egging his brother on, but Frisk just might try pushing them all home if they dawdle too long, and funny as that would be, Sans doesn’t want to know what lengths Frisk would go to to get them all settled into a relative “safe” area.
“frisk just wanted to head home a bit early. too much fun out here, figured we’d ask who’s up for game night,” Sans says.
Frisk lurches and looks at him strangely, even though he’d pretty much just said what they had. Unless “too much fun” means something different to humans. Sans should remember to look that up some time after he stalks Frisk’s encounter with whatever’s out there.
It’s not stalking if you have parental consent, right? It’s, uh…temporary…guardianship. That promise he made to Tori all those years ago counts for that, right?
Welp. Too late to be quibbling over moralisms, anyway. Sans is in this deep, and it’s not like the kid is gonna let anyone else know what’s going on.
Papyrus hesitates, a bit thrown by the sudden plan change—they have a game night already scheduled for tomorrow, tonight was supposed to be relatively free so he could prepare a Meal of Epic Proportions for it—but Alphys is perceptive as Sans knows her to be.
After being placed on the ground, she’d gotten her bearings and read some part of Frisk’s frantic discomfort off of their posture. Their face has resumed a blank expression, but their free hand is clutching their locket, and they’re standing half-hidden behind Sans closer than usual.
Or, from the perspective to the point they’re avoiding, Sans is half-hidden behind them, with Papyrus and Undyne grouped behind them both.
While Papyrus is talking, Alphys makes a subtle gesture to Sans—??—and he shrugs one shoulder and tilts his head back—dunno, but i’m going along with it.
This is not the first nor the last time Alphys will be frustrated by Sans’s staunch refusal to get overtly involved in a puzzling situation, but she does trust him, and she knows him well enough to know he’ll be doing his own investigation later. She pipes up in support.
“I-I think th-” The weight of everyone’s attention makes her flinch, but not as bad as she was during the worst of the amalgamates mess. She steadies after a moment. “I think that that would be f-fun. We c-could bring over something to…”
Frisk’s grip on Sans’s sweater, still there, tightens a fraction—again on the word ‘fun.’ Their stick shifts against his back. Where they’re holding it it’s sort of like a weird seat belt, or some kind of really ineffective shield.
Frankly, if anything were to get through the human at his back, there’s not a lot that would make an effective shield, except maybe magic. Given that Frisk only has DETERMINATION, a stick is as good as anything else, Sans supposes.
Sans shifts slightly, not even enough to be adjusting his weight, and moves his hand a bit. nope. Hopefully Alphys’ll get his meaning—Frisk said they should go to Sans and Paps’ house, and they seem to want to keep everyone together. Whatever is suggested needs to fill both of those conditions.
Jeez, this is really straining his teamwork muscles. It’s been forever since he and Alphys have had to be this in sync. Last time they worked together on something sensitive was…uh…
“Actually, I think! We left off right before the series finale of Kissy Kissy Mer-mew! And even if it’s not! As good as the original! Th-that’s still at your house! So we can watch that! And try making popcorn again!” Alphys quickly course-corrects, and Frisk relaxes. Sans nods, and Alphys relaxes, too.
Oh, he is really not getting out of this without explaining something to her later. He owes her several favors for this one.
Well, maybe one less, with the popcorn suggestion. She has essentially sacrificed his kitchen.
“Good,” Frisk says, pushing at Sans again.
Undyne and Papyrus, watching this interplay like a particularly subtle ping-pong match, decide it’s not worth questioning. Except…
“Hey, isn’t you guys’ house that way…?” Undyne points back to their house, snowy roof clearly visible, a hundred or so feet from the Dreaded Copse of Evil Trees.
“don’t worry.” Sans winks. “i know a shortcut.”
Frisk jerks his shoulder back, and-
Sans takes a shortcut. Taking four other people with him is a bit more costly, magically speaking, than he usually prefers; but whatever’s intimidating Frisk will probably be disconcerted by the Void, right? Home field advantage.
He makes up the calculations for his shortcut on the fly, like he always does. It’s a short trip spatially, and he has a good grip on everyone’s magical signatures to pull them with him. It should be an easy trip. Something he’s so accustomed to at this point that it’s barely math, more intuition. He knows what the hit to his magical reserves will feel like, he’ll be a little hungry and a little sleepy; he knows where he’s going; he knows he’s going to dump Frisk in a snowbank because they could use a laugh.
It should be totally forgettable.
Instead, the Void bucks and writhes, around him and through him like a living thing, like drowning or being crushed or ripped apart into infinitude, and in that endless instant of travel, he grasps every atom, every scrap of energy that makes himself up, and desperately scrabbles for something to keep it together. What shape is he supposed to fit together in? What is he? He’s—
Magic. Magic, that’s what he’s doing. He’s using magic to travel, and he can use it to hold things, move things, can’t he? A stray photon attempts to escape form him and he grabs everything near him, everything he can feel, with blue magic, drags it to him—
Sans. He’s Sans. He’s Sans the skeleton, whole and in the corrupted void—it acts almost like a physical space, right now, flashing lights that he experiences as numbers and words, FUN on a little graph that spikes up and up. If he looked deeply into it, he’s certain that he would understand what went wrong, what happened, how it all works; the void could show him so many things he doesn’t understand.
Instead, he reaches out with his blue magic. someone, anyone.
Falling apart in the same way he was, he can feel his friends. He grasps for Papyrus first; he’s similarly resilient against the Void normally, but Sans isn’t sure “normally” applies right now.
It’s the work of an hour, the work of an instant to crush Papyrus’s magic back into a workable SOUL, and in that infinite moment he gathers his brother’s flaking dust and forces magic and light into it. Intense blue gravity fuses dissipating particles back into one being, and he reaches for Alphys. She’s the least DETERMINED, therefore, most vulnerable to harm.
His magic falters. It’s been a long time since it’s had this kind of workout. He grits his teeth and pushes harder. Time doesn’t work in the Void, so technically, he hasn’t spent any of that magic yet, right? He can use it simultaneously with himself. He’s only experiencing this in linear time because his mind is trying to make sense of what’s happening to him. As long as he doesn’t die or anything, he can reuse the same magic and the same moment. Right?
Sans is clumsier this time as he reaches blindly, messily towards Alphys’s relative direction. Her own magic should keep her alive as long as she’s not actively disappearing into the Void, right? He pushes her magic and dust into a general shape with a crack! and moves on.
Oh. That crack might have been him, actually. Ouch.
…so, turns out he does still have limited magic in nonlinear time.
Undyne isn’t falling apart so much as getting…gooey. Her DETERMINATION is trying to keep her together. Good, he just needs to get her out of the Void and hope it’s not too little, too late.
With effort, Sans searches for the other end of his shortcut, the inevitable finish to the calculation he’d based their path on, but…the Void is twisting, jerking around him—he can’t find it without looking through the Void, and once he looks, he’ll be lost.
Sans blindly tears a hole with a SOUL-deep tug that tell him he’s reached the end of his energy. Weakly, already falling back into physical reality, he turns back to find Frisk—
--who’s watching him, reaching with wide, wet eyes, as he and the others are saved, just a touch too far away to reach them.
Sans, out of magic entirely, reaches his physical hand back towards them, knowing already how futile it will be. Frisk’s mouth sets as they see something in his expression. He’s able to see an echo of their immediate future, how their hand will drop, how it will be taken up be an off-color afterimage of them, how both humans—human-shaped beings—will hold on to one another as they watch the tear in the Void close without them. Abandoned.
And then that future vanishes like a puff of smoke that someone put a bullet through, as someone else’s blue magic scoops Frisk up, sending them crashing into Sans and then both of them to Papyrus.
Sans’s brother is so cool.
Sans is able to see through his darkening vision that they’re falling through a dizzying expanse of gray and white, or at least that’s how it looks to him, before he passes out cold.
Paps can stick the landing for them.
(read it on ao3)
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Chapter 3: Sleight
Masterlist: The Boss of Brooklyn
A03 Link
Author: @wordywarriorwrites
Summary: When it comes to being The Boss, James Buchanan “JB” Barnes rules with an iron fist. For him, there’s no room for sentiment, and certainly no time for distraction, even if it is in the form of an old flame. Steve Rogers had bowed out of the life a long time ago, but a twist of fate brings him right back into the fold, and face-to-face with a man he once loved. When a game of cat and mouse turns into a matter of life and death, both will be forced to decide whether they’ll be loyal to the business, or faithful to each other.
A/N: Bucky Barnes Mob Boss AU. Stucky.
For: Star’s Multi-Fandom Follower Celebration & Sherry’s Fall Into You Challenge.
Warnings: Language, violence, drug use, alcohol, smoking, explicit sexual content, illegal activities.
After surgery, Natasha was wheeled into a private room at NYP/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and once it had been made clear she would make a full recovery, Bucky called a meeting.
Five plastic chairs situated around the bed; every pair of eyes narrowed; each mind determined. Out of all the potential outcomes, none of them could have anticipated this, and it wasn’t just because Steve had chosen to defend himself.
Natasha was dutiful, cautious, and extremely versatile. She’d carried more than her fair share of the water and had never shirked or shied away from any of the endless lists of tasks and responsibilities they’d given her. Over the years, she’d become the Queen in their metaphorical game of chess, was welcomed and respected in every territory, and was often the envoy, enforcer, and enticer. She was integral to the Families and invaluable to Bucky.
She’d also never been injured this badly before and that put them all on edge.
“How did this happen?” Wanda inquired quietly.
Thor grunted, “We know how it happened.”
“We need to focus more on the why instead of the how,” Tony remarked.
Clint nodded in agreement, “If I’m being honest, I was glad to hear he’d returned, but now…”
As comptroller, Maximoff was most concerned with finances. Odinson, in his capacity as recruiter, was having trouble getting the fresh meat to settle down. Stark made sure law enforcement on their payroll turned a blind eye to Steve’s return, but this had drawn a lot of attention, and as a result, Barton had been forced to place a temporary hold on all incoming and outgoing product.
One thing they could all agree on was that the matter needed to be approached with even more caution. They still didn’t know the whereabouts of the deceased senator’s wife, nor the motivation behind Steve’s aiding in her escape. Bucky had assumed he’d returned for the funeral, but whether or not that was his primary reason for staying in town was unknown. Nevertheless, Bucky admitted he’d made the mess, and told them he would clean it up.
Clint was tactful when he pointed out they’d tried it his way and it hadn’t gone well. When Bucky asked for suggestions, Thor threw out the obvious option of having someone else finish the job. Wanda alternatively asserted that if he intended to let Steve live, he needed to be placated. Tony decreed it was best to keep enemies close and that Bucky should simply seduce him. Clint recommended backing off and giving Steve a wide berth for the time being.
Bucky sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. While everyone continued to discuss how best to resolve the brewing conflict, he averted his attention to Natasha, who had woken up mid-way through the conversation. If anyone had the right to an opinion, it was her, and when he held up his hand for silence, everyone quieted down.
“Natasha?” Bucky prompted.
“Use him,” she rasped. “Make him an ally again.”
He’d never considered bringing Steve back into the fold, but it was the most practical way to resolve things. As the Families had never formally voted him out, he technically still had a seat at the table, and could return to it at any time. If Steve did return, things would change, but adjusting parameters and expectations wasn’t the issue.
Steve was a natural leader and would’ve been Boss had he not left. Loyalty and tribute were given and paid to the Families as a whole, but Steve inspired a level of fanaticism and devotion that Bucky just could not replicate. Though the title alone commanded respect, Bucky knew some considered him a placeholder; there were big players who’d been waiting for Steve to return, and if he was welcomed back, there would be a power shift. Even though Steve had never expressed a desire to run things, it was a mantle Bucky, if pressured, would be forced to let him have.
War and peace, love and hate, progress and tradition – they were often two sides of the same coin, one that had been flipped many times over many generations. As head of the Families, it was left to Bucky whether or not to toss it in the air again, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. It was a gamble, a fifty-fifty chance, and he wasn’t the type of man who enjoyed playing the odds. He tried to look for a clear outcome, but the tide kept shifting, the waters were murky, and he couldn’t yet see in which direction the wind would blow.
“We tried the stick,” Wanda gently reminded him. “Let’s see if the carrot fares better. I’ll reach out.”
Bucky inclined his head, “Very well.”
With the decision made, the others departed, but Bucky remained. He scooted his chair closer to the bed and when Natasha held out her hand, he took it. She’d been hooked up to an intravenous analgesia pump, but had yet to use the medicine, and that meant both her grip and her words were fierce.
“Whatever you do, don’t fuck with him,” she warned. “I don’t know what Steve’s up to, but I can tell he’s changed, and he’s dangerous. You watch your six, you hear me?”
“I’ll be as careful as I can be.”
“Have you said anything to the press?”
Bucky hummed noncommittally, “They believe it was an attempted robbery gone wrong.”
Natasha nodded, let go of his hand, and depressed the button to release the morphine, “Good. Now, go away – you got shit to do and I need rest.”
If anyone else had dismissed and dictated to him like that, Bucky would have broken their jaw, but since it came from Natasha, he just smiled. Even with a foot dangling over the grave, she still busted his balls, and because she was the only real and true friend he had, he didn’t fight her.
The drive back to the penthouse was a slow one because of traffic and when he finally pulled into the private parking garage, he was exhausted, irritated, and starved. The guard at the desk greeted him politely and Bucky waved back. It was a quick, smooth ascent to the top floor, and when the elevator doors parted, he stepped into the foyer, and was greeted by an unexpected albeit not entirely unwelcome visitor.
“In the span of twenty-four hours, you’ve botched a takedown and you let me get the drop on you,” Bruce stated blithely. “Didn’t I tell you to change the security code after I installed the system?”
Bucky rolled his eyes and gestured toward the kitchen, “What do you have for me?”
Bruce tossed a folder onto the island’s marble countertop and gave him a rundown on Steve’s activities. The man was good at keeping a low profile, but he was able to piece together some of what Steve had been up to while he was away, and squeeze a bit of information out the people who’d been helping him stay under the radar since his return.
“Steve is independently wealthy now, but where the money came from is a mystery,” Bruce informed him. “If the olive branch Wanda plans to extend involves cash, it’ll be useless. He’s got holdings and properties both in this country and abroad. I can’t find any red flags and it all appears to be legit.”
Bucky furrowed his brow and opened the fridge, “And the plot thickens.”
“Sam admitted he stopped in, but wouldn’t give details on what was purchased,” Bruce explained as he accepted a beer with a nod of thanks. “But knowing what Wilson keeps in that back room, Rogers is probably armed to the teeth.”
He flipped through the photos and the intel, “I want to know who else he’s visited and where he’s holed up. And find out where he’s hiding that fucking widow.”
“He knows how to avoid being seen, so, it’s not an easy task. It’s going to take time and cash.”
“Money you can have,” Bucky told him as he headed for the living room.
Bruce followed and sipped his beer while Bucky keyed in the combination to the wall safe. Once it was opened, he collected a few stacks, and handed them over.
“Grease palms and keep digging,” Bucky insisted.
“Will do.”
If anyone could find a needle in a haystack, it was Bruce, and Bucky knew he could rely on him to get it done. The man was a genius with a mind that absorbed and retained information like a sponge. Publicly, he put his Ph.D. to good use via publications and giving lectures at various universities; privately, he helped the Families by being a shadow in the world of data collection. Skeletons in closets, economic shifts, voter mindsets, new product on the street, backroom deals, who was getting up to what behind closed doors – Bruce knew it all, and on the off chance he didn’t, he always managed to find out.
Bruce tucked the money away, tossed the bottle into the recycle bin, and as Bucky escorted him out, he strongly urged him to reset the alarm code. As soon as the door was shut, he did just that, and went back to the living room.
Exhausted down to his bones, he plopped down on the couch, loosened his tie, and kicked off his shoes. Cellphone in hand, he mulled over what to order for dinner, and after he decided on Italian, he closed his eyes, and settled back into the cushions. He must’ve nodded off for a moment, because when the doorbell rang, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Alright, alright,” he muttered as he rushed for the door.
Bleary-eyed and absentminded, Bucky didn’t check to see if it was actually his food delivery, and within seconds, he was made to regret it.
He saw the fist that barreled toward his face, but wasn’t fast enough to block it or duck out of the way. Bucky was hit with such force that his head snapped back and he fell right down onto his ass.
Blood gushed from his mouth and nose and the copper-flavored taste rolled over his tongue and slid down his throat. There was only one person in the world who could ring his bell like that, and when he looked up from his prone position on the floor, he cursed.
“Hello, JB,” Steve deadpanned. “Mind if I come in?”
Chapter 4: Erstwhile
Everything:
@jennmurawski13
@nerdy-bookworm-1998
Steve Rogers:
@patzammit
@hearttoearth
The Boss of Brooklyn:
@star-spangled-man-with-a-plan
@jamesbarnesappreciationsociety
@captain-rogers-beard
@lilliannaansalla
#stucky fanfic#stucky drabble#stucky fanfiction#stucky oneshot#stucky imagine#stucky smut#mob boss au james barnes#mob boss au bucky barnes#steve rogers x bucky barnes fanfic#steve rogers x bucky barnes fanfiction#steve x bucky fanfic#steve x bucky fanfiction#bucky barnes fanfic#bucky barnes fanfiction#steve rogers fanfic#steve rogers fanfiction#marvel fanfiction#marvel fanfic#the boss of brooklyn#wordywarriorwrites
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Carnation with Sangyeon
Your friends had always told you that sometimes your independence was slightly intimidating, which you could agree with on occasion.
You had enforced yourself to become independent of others as soon as you could do things for yourself, a promise you had made to yourself and one you had always reminded yourself to keep.
There was no sappy backstory as to the reasoning why; only that you always hated having to depend and rely on others for things you felt you were more than capable of doing.
Countless of occasions of waiting for everyone else to finish doing their own thing to then help you with whatever you needed, taught you that the human race was ultimately selfish; you drew this conclusion from the frustration and impatience you felt well waiting. The flawed but human part of you wanted them to drop everything and help you immediately, your excuses always stupid and ridiculous only to ease the guilt that settled within you after rational thinking.
So when you were of legal age to, you applied for a part time job, got your learner’s license and then eventually your actual license. You saved your money and budgeted for things you felt you had no right to expect from your parents and lived as independently as you could as a high school student.
When the day came to move out and start a life of your own, building your future with only yourself responsible, you were more than prepared.
You somehow always had your ducks in a row, even with a few mental breakdowns and self reprimanding sessions in front of your mirror, you always pulled yourself together to face your daily life and the challenges that came along with it.
It was something you always wanted to say and prove about yourself and having accomplished that and being able to make it more of a lifestyle than a habit, you were proud. You could carry your own weight and that in result allowed for you to have a good head on your shoulders.
Being self reliant had also taught you a lot of confidence and more often than not would you smile at the reflection in the mirror or graciously accept the compliments from your superiors and coworkers, happy to have not only yourself, but the people around you recognize the work you put in.
Of course with everything good came a bit of bad, and this so happened to knock in on your love life.
You would’ve liked to have blamed your work oriented focus and busy lifestyle, being directing producer for one of the biggest live broadcasts to air on date definitely kept you more than busy. But even so, you knew that your career was not exactly the problem.
The problem was that you warded off anyone the minute they tried to step in and make a change in your lifestyle. Which of course, is not wrong, seeing as no one should try to change others. Only this wasn’t exactly the case with you.
Whether the little things potential partners tried to help you with were healthy and sometimes needed changes or not, you would not have it. You had structured your life and its routine so well and had followed it for so long that it disturbed you a lot to have anyone try to disrupt it. You believed strongly that if the person could not fall into routine with you, then they’d simply not do as a partner.
Of course you failed to realize that your possible partner could feel the same way and thus this would never end in a relationship at all.
It was when your independence paired with your stubbornness that it really caused for dry spells in the love department. It was normal to have your mind made up about what you wanted, only you usually tended to take it a step or four too far.
“What about a blind date, hmm? You could use with a bit of excitement and socializing outside of your job.”
Your best friend and co worker mentions as the two of you walk down the corridor after an early board meeting in discussion of the new production manager.
Shaking your head, you hand him the empty cup with a teasing smile and sit down at your desk, pulling up the lineup for the day, “I don’t have time for that, Younghoon.”
“That’s just an excuse and you know it.”
You shrug your shoulders, “Well it’s a nicer way of saying I don’t have any interest, isn’t it?”
The tall male sits himself down on the edge of your desk, grabbing the spread out from your hand to finally have your attention again. “How long are you going to keep pretending that you’re not lonely and finally just step out there?”
With a sigh, you push him off your desk and rush him to his own, having enough of the conversation that you never wanted to delve into to begin with, “Enough about personal matters, get your ass to work.”
With a chuckle and a small salute, the boy waltzes away, flirting with the new PA as he passed by, leaving the poor thing a flustering mess of red cheeks and stuttering sentences.
Younghoon had always been a open flirt, and paired with gorgeous eyes and a tender smile, he was a hit among the office and well, everywhere else. You looked up to him to some regard for being so open to all chances of romance but it was something you’d never really tell him.
With a roll of your shoulders, you dive straight into work, paying no mind to the time until Younghoon knocks on the wood of your desk beside your hand, “It’s lunch and your turn, I’m feeling like an avocado and feta panini.”
You grab your purse from the drawer on your left and stand, stretching out your back and pulling the boy by his sleeve to the elevator, “Okay, but you’re gonna walk with me at least.”
Conversation luckily this time around steers clear about your dating life and rather focuses on the latest office gossip. The two of you are rounding the corner to the elevator, laughing at some or other mishap when you come to an abrupt halt, papers flying around and a shout of apology.
When you finally register that you have bumped into someone, you look down at the man apologizing profusely and gathering all the papers he had dropped on impact. Rather quickly, you begin to help him gather his things, shaking off his apologies, Younghoon handing him the badge by his feet with a smile.
“I really am sorry, this isn’t exactly the impression I wanted to make on my first day.” The man chuckles nervously, shuffling the papers back into order again.
You finally come to realize that you hadn’t seen him around anywhere, and on inspection of his badge, you see that he is the newly appointed production manager.
“Lee Sangyeon? The new production manager?” You ask, smiling at him to ease the nerves you see still jittering in his eyes.
With a firm nod, he sticks his hand out and straightens his back, “That would be me, yes.”
You introduce yourself to him then and tell him that the two of you would be working rather closely to which he smiles and cracks another joke about his first impression.
“At least it was memorable.” You say then, letting the little laugh you had lodged in your throat free and you see the man’s shoulders ease just slightly.
From then on, the two of you become rather good coworkers but there seems to be a barrier as conversations are always very shy and hesitant, and barely ever get broader than work in topics.
You notice that Sangyeon is rather clumsy and never fails to make you giggle with his tiniest of actions, but it never hinders his work and focus. He has a drive that always impresses you and watching him in full force sometimes takes your breath away (something Younghoon never fails to point out). But you also don’t feel to notice the little glances he always seems to send your way when he thinks you aren’t paying attention or too busy to notice.
It never bothers or disturbs you, but you do tend to straighten your back when you walk by him and put a little too much thought to your posture when you slave away at your desk. Your confidence comes in hand but it also falls a bit short on times when his eyes linger a bit longer than usual.
You try your best to not give in to your childish thoughts and fall back into the school girl with a crush on her senior, but he seems to make it especially hard for you.
It doesn’t t help that Younghoon is yapping at you constantly about the so called heart eyes you have when Sangyeon is anywhere near you.
“And what if he doesn’t fit into your polished routine.” Your best friend teases with a slight whisper as the two of you stand outside the screening room, watching him monitor the cameras from not too far ahead, arms crossed and eyebrows pulled together.
“Could you just got once, let me be?” You mumble frustratedly as you march off, getting even more worked up at the obnoxious laugh that the boy lets out.
“Just go talk to him for goodness sake, almost everyone is tired of your longing gazes across our desks.”
“Younghoon, if you don’t-“
You don’t have time to finish your sentence as you forget about the steps in front of you, foot twisting as pair of arms reach out break your fall.
“Are you okay?”
Looking up, you almost let out a scream of anguish, of course luck be that Sangyeon catches you.
With a nod, you try to pull away and stand on your own, but the minute you apply pressure on your right foot, you feel the burning pain singe up your ankle and the throbbing let’s you know that you indeed aren’t all that okay.
Seeing your wince, Sangyeon looks down at the way you lift your right foot, “I don’t think you’re okay. Did you hurt your ankle?”
“Yeah,” you breathe out, “but don’t worry, I got it.”
You bear a smile and try to turn and walk away but you barely get anywhere and Younghoon is quick to catch the crook of your arm, shaking his head at you. “Hate to say it, but this time, you don’t have it.”
Before he can help you any further, one of the lighting engineers call for his attention and his assistance is needed immediately. Your best friend turns to you and then looks at the man still standing two steps below with a concerned expression and something lights up his eyes, “Sangyeon, do you think you could help? I’m sorry I have an emergency to see to.”
The older nods and quickly steps up, respectfully placing a hand on your back and holding you up by your arm. “Go ahead, I’ll make sure y/n is taken care of.”
Your protests fall on deaf ears and eventually you give up, realizing that you don’t have much of a choice. Panic sets in with knowledge that both you and Sangyeon have a duty to fill but he is quick to do away with your concerns.
“Once we get you the medical attention you need, I’ll come back and make sure everything runs smoothly, while you, on the other hand, sit this one out.” It’s not a request, it’s a statement and for some reason, you don’t argue back, feeling a rather violent beating in your chest and stomach.
As much as you want to pull yourself together and get back to work, you know that you will only cause more traffic than fluidity in operations as you try to limp around in a job that requires a bit more of a power walk. But the way Sangyeon tells you to let it go causes a shift in you; had it been anyone else in any other moment but the present, you would’ve fought back, but there isn’t dominance in the way he tells you to sit this one out, instead it’s concern and care and it makes you stumble in your thoughts.
Sangyeon walks the two of you to an empty break room and scavenges for a first aid kit and when he finds one, he settles down on his haunches and removes your shoe, immediately getting to work in your ankle with a frozen water bottle and a bandage.
“And I thought I’m supposed to be the clumsy one in this relationship.” He jokes as he works gently on your injury.
You want to point out his choice of words but instead they silent you and heat your cheeks as you watch him work with tender and careful hands. For no reason at all, you’re speechless and every bit of you blames Sangyeon.
When you don’t say anything, he looks up at you and when his eyes meet yours, his mouth parts with unsaid thoughts and then finally,
“Your eyes are gorgeous and I’m intimidated.”
You blink in shock, feeling the rosy heat on your cheeks and ears and when Sangyeon finally notices this, he chuckles and shakes his head, continuing,
“But that’s no surprise because almost everything about you intimidates me. The way you walk with your head held high and the tone of your voice when your discussing pressing matters and the elegance of your penmanship when you sign off documents. The way you take on any challenge and bear through it on your own. The precision in everything little thing you do and the satisfied smile on your face when things run smoothly. You’re so independent and as much as it intimidates me, it attracts me to you. So being able to just this once do something for you, it makes me feel a little more worthy.”
You remain stunned to silence, only looking at the man with big wide eyes, eyes that he never looks away from until a knock sounds on the door.
Sangyeon doesn’t stand up, just simply turns his head with your foot still cradled in his hands, “Yes?”
“There was a malfunction and we’re camera down, it’s a bit of chaos out there.”
You’re about to speak when Sangyeon lays a hand on your knee to stop you, “I’ll be right there, we’ve had a bit of an accident so I’ll attend to it.”
The jockey only nods and rushes back down the hallway.
Sangyeon turns back to you, “Let’s get you seated properly first. You have my number, so if anything, call me, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I can. Just stay here and rest.”
After making sure your foot is elevated and your back isbproperly supported, Sangyeon walks to the door. He pauses for a second and smiles over his shoulder at you,
“I’ll take my chance to ask you out formally later while I still have the courage.”
With that, he walks away, leaving you so overwhelmed and stunned that it takes you a bit too long to notice the pressure in your cheeks from the smile on your face.
And for once, you don’t mind needing a little help if it scores you a date with the one man you actually wouldn’t mind messing up your little routine to make a new one with him.
#prompt list#requested#I SWEAR IT IS#lee sangyeon#the boyz#tbz sangyeon#the boyz scenarios#tbz scenarios#tbz imagines#im still pressed that i cant find the ask#anyways#the way i wrote this listening to miss independent kdjfjbf
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SINDAY HEADCANONS
just kinda decided to answer those all (from here) after the post being brought to my attention by someone >>
for Illyrio, ofc
lust
👀 - ever had intercourses with more than one partner?
Yes, as long as it was in a casual setting/with strangers. He tends to get possessive when his partners turn to lovers, so it's more difficult for him to get involved romantically and sexually with more than one person; in that sense, he is more of a monogamist, even if it wouldn't be completely impossible. But he happened to go to orgies, even if just from time to time, to get his mind off of things and kinda let go in an environment that befitted him, so, yes, he certainly has had sex with more than one person.
👙 - do they have some particularly weird kink?
Well, I guess one would have to define “weird” to me. >> At its base, I would essentially say power plays, but, his rank being what it is, I would say power plays basically are impossible to avoid anyway. Sith are quite a particular part of society. Otherwise there are some other stuff, I suppose, generally more leaning toward D/s, but I think the “weirdest” stuff comes from messy aus, so doesn't link directly to canon Illy.
💌 - do you enjoy one night stands/having fuckbuddies?
One night stands, yes, having “fuckbuddies” not so much. He isn't one to make friends or trust people easily. He essentially doesn't mingle sex with them expect in rare, rare occasions.
🔌 - do they own any sexual toys?
No, actually. He may/will acquire them if his partner show interest in that, but essentially he doesn't make use of them by his own design. He usually got by using the Force instead.
💵 - would they accept money in exchange of sex/sexual favors?
No. There was a time where he would trade sex with survival, essentially, but the people he would “sell” himself to didn't knew that, and basically all ended up dead, so he wouldn't say it counted. It was.. a long time ago anyway.
gluttony
🥐 - are they able to cook?
No. Let's keep it to that.
🌭 - what’s the biggest meal they had recently?
Probably something Muhn prepared him, if we are accounting canon universe. Otherwise he never really was a big eater, and I suppose at galas and parties and such you are not supposed to stuff yourself with food. I would suppose when he was younger, after a long, depriving mission, he would come back to wherever base was and eat everything in sight.
🍙 - do they enjoy foreign food?
He doesn't really have preferences, but seeing how foreign alien food can get I suppose he would rather stick to flavorless military rations than risk weird contaminations.
🌶️ - can they handle spicy food?
Discreetly, but it depends on the base taste of the spice. Some he isn't fond to.
🍎 - is their diet balanced or tend to skip meals/overeat often?
It's better now that he has Muhn/droids feeding him, when he was still in warzones and stuff he certainly ate more unequally.
envy
🤑 - did they ever steal valuable objects from someone?
At times, I suppose.. not so directly know, even if I guess between war spoils and crushing enemies and whatever possessions pass through his hands not so very honestly depending on who you ask. But it may more efficiently fit to when he was an apprentice and “finding” artifacts for his Master. Tho, if you kill the rightful owner I don't know if it counts as stealing anymore.
🖤 - do they wish to have someone else’s partner?
I guess it happened. Not much as a “I want that specific person” but mostly as a “if I own everything/everybody I'm the more powerful” mixed with a denied loneliness. As a Sith I think dark thoughts are part of .. life. Seeing another Sith, or whoever, with a partner at their arm and going “I will have them, I will and you will choke in the ashes of what you used to have” it's… common enough. He never really went through with any of those thoughts, though. He prefers finesse and discretion when destroying an opponent.
🤷 - did they ever ruin something they couldn’t have out of spite?
Probably, yeah. It's something that risks happening even now. The more Illyrio care, the more he gets closer to be dangerous about it. It wouldn't really be about “spite”, though. He has to care deeply, and those strong emotions don't work well with his Sith education.
greed
🏋️ - do they own a secret place for their most prized possessions?
It depends on what kind of possession it is. His Voss mansion is where most of his things go, and he has his secret rooms and safes, but he has other places too, depending on the nature of the object and on who may be interested in taking them from him.
😍 - what’s the most important material object they own?
His lightsaber..? And even then, he isn't that attached to it. His wedding ring is important to him, but, well, way less than Muhn is, so well, he wouldn't be heartbroken if he lost it, it's replaceable.
He is mostly attached to his possessions in general. The idea that he owns them and that he won't stand to lose them. He feels powerful having possessions, but isn't really attached to any of them in particular.
😮 - do they feel like they own someone? their partner, their friends…
Essentially, yes. His lovers, occasionally his friends. But yes, he gets very possessive of his lovers, even if he does try to control it at his best. It's a weakness, and an open door to lose control over the dark side than runs in his veins.
wrath
💣 - do they get angry easily?
Not that much, or at least they do temper it well in formal/work matters, but the most one thing touches the private sphere the more he loses control over his emotions. He does usually control himself pretty well tho, he runs by cold anger most.
🗡️ - have they fought someone in the past?
They fought plenty. Not really an hobby, but it never stopped him.
💉 - what’s the worst injury they had to deal with?
I have nothing specific in mind, but there must have been some very close cases, I mean, war and stuff.
👊 - did they ever punch someone?
Never his favored method of fighting, but his Master did strongly enforced training without the use of the Force, so if not punching per se (punching training droids hurts as fuck), certainly hand to hand combat was a thing.
💀 - would they ever consider killing someone?
Yes.
🔪 - did they ever risked death?
Yes.
pride
💪 - what’s their ability they brag about the most?
His own loquacity, I suppose.
👑 - what’s the possession they brag about the most?
Maybe his clothing, in general, but more by way of presenting himself than with actual words. Or yunno, his husband.
🌟 - do they enjoy being at the center of attention?
Yes and no. Yes, they do love it, but also they need alone time, cause swimming between sharks and always keeping up appearances is tiring as fuck.
👁️ - what do they think about their appearence?
It gets the job done. And to make it so it must be as perfect as possible. It's a general symbol of what he is and what he does, it's power, and it cannot be seen to decay or weaken one second.
👿 - how do they take criticism?
Ha. No.
sloth
💤 - how much do they usually sleep?
It varies a lot. They are not used to sleep that much, but they do nap pretty frequently. They probably devolve into a more regular sleep pattern once he truly starts to settle down with his husband.
🛏️ - are they likely do to any activity without complain?
As long as it revolves around his job or physical care he doesn't really complains, anything hobby/leisure bound he is very unsure of.
😪 - did they ever convince someone to do the hard work for them?
Hardly even trust anyone to, but he has droids and assistants and staff for the menial tasks. He is not really a lazy person, no.
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Unions on the Free Market
Some opponents of unionism go to the extreme of maintaining that unions can never be free-market phenomena and are always “monopolistic” or coercive institutions. Although this might be true in actual practice, it is not necessarily true. It is very possible that labor unions might arise on the free market and even gain restrictionist wage rates.
How can unions achieve restrictionist wage rates on the free market? The answer can be found by considering the displaced workers. The key problem is: Why do the workers let themselves be displaced by the union's WW minimum? Since they were willing to work for less before, why do they now meekly agree to being fired and looking for a poorer-paying job? Why do some remain content to continue in a quasi-permanent pocket of unemployment in an industry, waiting to be hired at the excessively high rate? The only answer, in the absence of coercion, is that they have adopted on a commandingly high place on their value scales the goal of not undercutting union wage rates. Unions, naturally, are most anxious to persuade workers, both union and nonunion, as well as the general public, to believe strongly in the sinfulness of undercutting union wage rates. This is shown most clearly in those situations where union members refuse to continue working for a firm at a wage rate below a certain minimum (or on other terms of employment). This situation is known as a strike. The most curious thing about a strike is that the unions have been able to spread the belief throughout society that the striking members are still “really” working for the company even when they are deliberately and proudly refusing to do so. The natural answer of the employer, of course, is to turn somewhere else and to hire laborers who are willing to work on the terms offered. Yet unions have been remarkably successful in spreading the idea through society that anyone who accepts such an offer—the “strikebreaker”—is the lowest form of human life.
To the extent, then, that nonunion workers feel ashamed or guilty about “strike-breaking” or other forms of undercutting union-proclaimed wage scales, the displaced or unemployed workers agree to their own fate. These workers, in effect, are being displaced to poorer and less satisfying jobs voluntarily and remain unemployed for long stretches of time voluntarily. It is voluntary because that is the consequence of their voluntary acceptance of the mystique of “not crossing the picket line” or of not being a strikebreaker.
The economist qua economist can have no quarrel with a man who voluntarily comes to the conclusion that it is more important to preserve union solidarity than to have a good job. But there is one thing an economist can do: he can point out to the worker the consequences of his voluntary decision. There are undoubtedly countless numbers of workers who do not realize that their refusal to cross a picket line, their “sticking to the union,” may result in their losing their jobs and remaining unemployed. They do not realize this because to do so requires knowledge of a chain of praxeological reasoning (such as we have been following here). The consumer who purchases directly enjoyable services does not have to be enlightened by economists; he needs no lengthy chain of reasoning to know that his clothing or car or food is enjoyable or serviceable. He can see each perform its service before his eyes. Similarly, the capitalist-entrepreneur does not need the economist to tell him what acts will be profitable or unprofitable. He can see and test them by means of his profits or losses. But for a grasp of the consequences of acts of governmental intervention in the market or of union activity, knowledge of praxeology is requisite.62
Economics cannot itself decide on ethical judgments. But in order for anyone to make ethical judgments rationally, he must know the consequences of his various alternative courses of action. In questions of government intervention or union action, economics supplies the knowledge of these consequences. Knowledge of economics is therefore necessary, though not sufficient, for making a rational ethical judgment in these fields. As for unions, the consequences of their activity, when discovered (e.g., displacement or unemployment for oneself or others), will be considered unfortunate by most people. Therefore, it is certain that when knowledge of these consequences becomes widespread, far fewer people will be “prounion” or hostile to “nonunion” competitors.63
Such conclusions will be reinforced when people learn of another consequence of trade union activity: that a restrictionist wage raises costs of production for the firms in the industry. This means that the marginal firms in the industry—the ones whose entrepreneurs earn only a bare rent—will be driven out of business, for their costs have risen above their most profitable price on the market—the price that had already been attained. Their ejection from the market and the general rise of average costs in the industry signify a general fall in productivity and output, and hence a loss to the consumers.64 Displacement and unemployment, of course, also impair the general standard of living of the consumers.
Unions have had other important economic consequences. Unions are not producing organizations; they do not work for capitalists to improve production.65 Rather they attempt to persuade workers that they can better their lot at the expense of the employer. Consequently, they invariably attempt as much as possible to establish work rules that hinder management's directives. These work rules amount to preventing management from arranging workers and equipment as it sees fit. In other words, instead of agreeing to submit to the work orders of management in exchange for his pay, the worker now sets up not only minimum wages, but also work rules without which he refuses to work. The effect of these rules is to lower the marginal productivity of all union workers. The lowering of marginal value-product schedules has a twofold result: (1) it itself establishes a restrictionist wage scale with its various consequences, for the marginal value product has fallen while the union insists that the wage rate remain the same; (2) consumers lose by a general lowering of productivity and living standards. Restrictive work rules therefore also lower output. All this is perfectly consistent with a society of individual sovereignty, however, provided always that no force is employed by the union.
To advocate coercive abolition of these work rules would imply literal enslavement of the workers to the dictates of catallactic consumers. But, once again, it is certain that knowledge of these various consequences of union activity would greatly weaken the voluntary adherence of many workers and others to the mystique of unionism.66
Unions, therefore, are theoretically compatible with the existence of a purely free market. In actual fact, however, it is evident to any competent observer that unions acquire almost all their power through the wielding of force, specifically force against strikebreakers and against the property of employers. An implicit license to unions to commit violence against strikebreakers is practically universal. Police commonly either remain “neutral” when strikebreakers are molested or else blame the strikebreakers for “provoking” the attacks upon them. Certainly, few pretend that the institution of mass picketing by unions is simply a method of advertising the fact of a strike to anyone passing by. These matters, however, are empirical rather than theoretical questions. Theoretically, we may say that it is possible to have unions on a free market, although empirically we may question how great their scope would be.
Analytically, we can also say that when unions are permitted to resort to violence, the state or other enforcing agency has implicitly delegated this power to the unions. The unions, then, have become “private states.”67
We have, in this section, investigated the consequences of unions’ achieving restrictionist prices. This is not to imply, however, that unions always achieve such prices in collective bargaining. Indeed, because unions do not own workers and therefore do not sell their labor, the collective bargaining of unions is an artificial replacement for the smooth workings of “individual bargaining” on the labor market. Whereas wage rates on the nonunion labor market will always tend toward equilibrium in a smooth and harmonious manner, its replacement by collective bargaining leaves the negotiators with little or no rudder, with little guidance on what the proper wage rates would be. Even with both sides trying to find the market rate, neither of the parties to the bargain could be sure that a given wage agreement is too high, too low, or approximately correct. Almost invariably, furthermore, the union is not trying to discover the market rate, but to impose various arbitrary “principles” of wage determination, such as “keeping up with the cost of living,” a “living wage,” the “going rate” for comparable labor in other firms or industries, an annual average “productivity” increase, “fair differentials,” etc.
— Murray Rothbard, Man Economy & State w/ Power & Market, Chapter 10. Monopoly and Competition, 4. Labor Unions
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Why William took his own life: a fan theory
In Kuroshitsuji, the grim reapers (or shinigami) are former humans who committed suicide. This begs the question of what the current reapers were like as humans, as well as what led them to take their own lives to begin with. I’m going to take a look at William T. Spears and what his reasons for it might have been.
William’s personality
To hypothesise about the circumstances of Will’s death, we first have to consider his personality. To me, his most striking characteristics are extreme distaste for demons and unusual dedication to his work. Almost everything Will ever says or does is related to his job:
The first time he appears in the manga, he introduces himself as “William T. Spears of the Dispatch Management Division”. He emphasizes his identity as a representative of his organization instead of just giving his name (as Grelle and Ronald do).
His most commonly-stated concern is not being able to finish work on time.
He’s very strict about following Dispatch’s rules himself, as well as harshly policing any subordinates who disobey them.
He constantly complains about working overtime, the Dispatch being understaffed, and the incompetence of his co-workers.
He believes a shinigami’s duty should be placed above everything else, including one’s own needs and feelings.
His repulsion towards Sebastian may not be a personal thing so much as a job-driven attitude: after all, demons devour the souls which shinigami are supposed to collect, making the latter group’s job significantly more difficult. It’s no wonder, then, that Will despises Sebastian and his ilk.
As you can see, Will’s whole (after)life is reduced to fulfilling his duties; in contrast to others (Grelle, Ronald, Undertaker), he doesn’t seem to think of himself as an individual as much he does an employee of the Dispatch.
Another of Will’s notable features is the limited range of emotions he expresses. Every time we see Suit, he’s either irritated or expressionless; strong positive emotions (such as excitement, joy, or love) are foreign to him. Other reapers enjoy the company of others (including humans), and are often seen enjoying their duties, but Will isn’t like that at all. All that matters to him is his job, but even fulfilling his duties doesn’t seem to make William happy. Quite the contrary in fact, as his job is the main source of his problems. It’s quite possible he doesn’t like being a shinigami one bit, and yet – unlike the Undertaker – he has never deserted, trying to do his best for the sake of his organization, dealing with its demands and performing tasks way beyond the scope of his assigned duties, never reaching satisfaction. This whole situation must be very stressful; no wonder Will’s so anxious and frustrated all the time...
William’s hypothetical past
The way William the shinigami thinks and acts can’t be too different from how he thought and acted as a human, therefore it’s probable that his current obsession with work and work-related problems started even before he joined the Dispatch, and could even have been a significant factor in his suicide.
This idea occurred to me when I came across a phenomenon called “karojisatsu”, a Japanese term for suicide induced by stress from overwork. Alongside with karoshi (death from overwork), karojisatsu has been a big social issue in Japan ever since the economic crisis in the late 1980s/early 1990s, which forced people to work much harder and longer than before. By the end of the 1990s, the suicide rate among the working-age population had increased dramatically. Researchers have pointed out that the enormous pressure placed on the employees, including extremely long working hours and low social support at work, likely influences these salarymen to commit suicide. According to government figures cited in the Washington Post, Japan had 2,207 work-related suicides in 2007, and 672 of these caused by stress from work. Also, despite a recent decline in suicide rates for Japan’s general population, statistics still show alarmingly high suicide rates among young men that correlate strongly with extreme stress and fatigue from overwork.
William as karojisatsu victim
Toboso-sensei, being Japanese herself, would be familiar with this concept, and it seems she used it as inspiration for Will’s character, seeing how well he fits the image of a Japanese salaryman (although he is more impolite than one would expect of such an individual). One paper examining the characteristics of people who committed karojisatsu lists traits that match William’s character very well:
„Eleven of the victims (50%) wrote suicide notes … [with] a tone of self-reproach for their poor performance at work. Work was so central to these people’s self-esteem that their inability to cope with career-related demands was the biggest cause of their suicide”. William is concerned about his work performance, he wants everything to be done by the book, and he becomes irritated if things go wrong. Although he doesn’t hesitate to blame others for delays, he still feels responsible for his tasks and worries about not completing them on time. He might’ve been in a similar situation before he died – due to his previous employer’s inhumane demands, his physical and mental health decreased over time and eventually led him to suicide.
Another large-scale effect influencing the work-related suicide epidemic in Japan is what could be called a culturally-enforced strong work ethic. “Japanese workers work very hard, even when suffering from poor physical or mental health due to overwork, and many workers will say, ‘If I fail now, I will burden my co-workers. Therefore, I cannot avoid work.” Similarly, William places duty above all else, including his own thoughts and feelings (and demands the same from others). He has completely devoted himself to his role as a shinigami. According to him, being a perfect reaper means completing one’s assignments without fail, at any time, and in any state. Having similarly strict attitudes in his previous life as a human could be another factor in his untimely demise.
Low social support (at work) is another common trait of karojisatsu victims. Although we don’t know what Will was like when he was a human, I doubt he had many friends. He seems to be a loner, limiting his interactions with others to work-related business, and doesn’t appear to enjoy any kind of company. If he was like that back when he was among the living, it’s unlikely that he had any friends or companions to support him emotionally, exacerbating the strain on his mental health.
“Individuals might have indicated that they were tired or exhausted or that they wanted to retire”. Will constantly complains about being too busy and unable to finish work on time, and refers to his side tasks as being bothersome and unpleasant. He isn’t emotionally motivated to do what he does, he’s simply following orders because he’s obliged to do so and has a strong sense of the weight of his responsibilities. So although Will’s never directly stated he wants out, his whole attitude screams “This whole shinigami thing is a pain, I’m doing it only because I have to”. It’s clearly exhausting for him. What’s even worse, it might be the second time he’s been in a situation like this, if we assume his current state even vaguely reflects that of his pre-suicide self, he might have been tired of his “human” job, but was unable to quit (due to a strong work ethic/financial reasons/worsening mental health/etc.) and forced himself to stick with it until the very literal end. This would make working as a shinigami a doubly-cruel punishment for him, as it would be like reliving that ‘work hell’ he (could have) already experienced as a human.
“Overwork might not have been a direct cause of suicide; however, mental health problems, especially depression, may have contributed to the factors that led up to suicide”. William doesn’t seem depressed, you might say, but for men, depression is often masked by non-obvious symptoms, such as physical exhaustion, aggression, irritability and addictions, and thus remain undiagnosed. As the authors of the article themselves note, “Japanese male workers tend to show physical symptoms rather than depressive feelings due to unfavorable cultural attitudes toward depression”. Therefore, the possibility of William suffering from depression (obviously a strong risk factor for suicide), cannot be excluded. This would also explain his behaviour pretty well (constant exhaustion, negativity, being harsh and violent towards others…).
In conclusion: Work-related stress almost undoubtedly caused Will’s suicide, or at least contributed to it significantly. Although I have no direct proof, and indeed there might never be any (unless sensei eventually decides to reveal Suit’s past), I think this theory works well with Will’s personality and adds much more depth to him, making him something more than just “tight-assed guy who’s always angry at Grelle and complains a lot”. After all, there was a time when the Undertaker was a purely comedic character, and later that turned out to be only one piece of his complex personality (and/or a coping mechanism he developed to deal with the loss of his loved ones). So why would William be different...?
***
Proofreading: @baroness-caffeine (Thank you soooo much for taking care of that despite being busy, you did a great job!)
#kuroshitsuji#black butler#william#william t. spears#theory#fan theory#grim reapers#shinigami#death#suicide
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ROTTWEILER;
+ DOMESTIC ABUSE
I've already talked about this subject on several instances (especially regarding his co-dependent relationship with Mark, gender roles, personal boundaries and helping others, and a drabble describing his upbringing), but was recently reminded that I’ve actually never made a concise post about it, which is what I’m going to do now.
I. Rejection and withdrawal of parental affection
One of the most formative experiences of his early childhood is the lesson that seeking out people’s affection is not only unwelcome, but also punishable – be it emotionally (through intentionally hurting him, such as mocking, name-calling, insulting or humiliating him, and the latter especially and purposely in front of other people, or denying his existence altogether) or physically (such as pushing him away or slapping him, usually accompanied by some sort of verbal degradation as well).
Ultimately, this has lead to largely inhibited social behavior: He finds it difficult to form relationships (and especially friendships) and almost never approaches anyone first to do so, and if so, only very hesitantly. It also means that if he’s rejected once, there is little chance that he’s going to try again since it would mean exposing himself to the same kind of humiliation again. This especially applies to instances where the nature of the rejection resembles the examples above, regardless of whether or not it only happened in jest.
II. Susceptibility to further abuse
Now, exactly because he craves affection but at the same time knows that it is unattainable to him, he is not only incredibly sensitive to rejection (which evokes strong feelings of sadness, shame, despair and powerlessness), but also vulnerable to emotional manipulation and blackmail. In the past, this has lead to him being gaslighted repeatedly, most notably by his ex-girlfriend. She, among other things: used to constantly switch between dismissing and demeaning him and demanding affection, only to deny him said affection as soon as the initiative came from him, accused him of cheating while openly flirting with other men herself, “kept tabs” on him and insisted he let her see his phone, arguing that “if he didn’t have anything to hide, he wouldn’t have anything to worry about either”, spread rumors among his friends and acquaintances that he was either physically abusing her or otherwise involved in serious crimes, thus trying to alienate them from him and rally them against him, and lied about trivial things just to make him question his own perception.
After he finally broke up with her, she started harassing him via text and often called him drunk, insulted him on the phone and even showed up at the pub multiple times specifically to wear him down; he never did anything about it except changing his number.
His mother tends to fall into similar patterns, though less consciously so. Most of her aggression toward him started developing after her husband’s death when she found herself in the situation of having to raise a child all by herself that she was overwhelmed with to begin with.* And without his emotional support – and they were extremely close; the way they treated their children is not at all reflective of how they treated each other – and a child that she was, at this point, almost completely estranged from, things fell apart very quickly. In her own helplessness (and a good portion of denial that she and her husband were, in fact, largely responsible for the current situation), she eventually started shifting the blame of how he turned out on him and Mark, one of his few trusted people at that time, which alienated him even further.
After he moved out and contact ceased almost completely, she began clutching to him instead and often tried to enforce that by guilt-tripping him and generally making him feel bad for cutting ties (i.e. “How could you do this? I’m your mother!” or “I don’t have anyone else but you.”). Besides being highly manipulative, those attempts are not genuine either: She doesn’t want him to “come back” because she’s actually interested in making amends and rekindling their relationship, but to keep face. Additionally, she expects financial advantages from staying in touch: There have been several instances where she called him under the pretense of just wanting to chat, but then subsequently asked for money and immediately turned on him once he turned her down or said that he couldn’t spare anything right now (and mind you, he’s still in debt, too).
The outcome of those events is almost always the same: Either he doesn’t defend himself at all or he simply tries to shuffle himself out of the situation, usually by hanging up or leaving the house. There have only been very few instances where the situation actually escalated into a legitimate fight, which raises the question how and why he reacts to certain things in the way that he does.
III. Fight or flight?
Though previous elaborations might indicate otherwise, his passivity in cases like the above (post-breakup and post-moving out) does not stem from the hope that they will change or maybe still like him back if he only behaves compliant enough, but from the conviction that “there is simply nothing to be done about it” as help outside of his own capabilities virtually does not exist. If you cannot help yourself, it cannot be helped at all. This also means that there is no one you can really trust or rely on but yourself, which most significantly shows in the way that he often does not make the distinction between mocking or teasing someone in jest and doing so in earnest. Due to his experiences, he interprets both as “saying one thing but doing the other” and acts according to it. (Though it needs to be said that this primarily applies to people he doesn’t know well; he has a higher tolerance with those he actually considers his friends or feels comfortable around.) Hence his trust, as easily as it can be won through the right measures, can be lost again just as quickly.
Now, apart from either victory or defeat as a last consequence, his reaction to situations as described above (e.g. attempts at manipulating him, taking advantage of him or degrading him) varies strongly: It can range from silent withdrawal to avoid further hurt to open confrontation and aggression. But as a rule of thumb: The more he feels treated unfairly or attacked/provoked out of the blue (particularly by someone he doesn’t know well), the more likely he is to defend his boundaries and/or demand respect by lashing out. However, this usually happens gradually and follows a very specific pattern:
Verbal confrontation: He reacts to the seeming unfairness or provocation either by mirroring it (= retaliation) or by pointing it out (= defense), whereas it may vary how obviously or directly he does that; however, the more something actually gets to him, the louder or more agitated he tends to be. He’s not very subtle in this regard.
Threat and intimidation: Pretty self-explanatory: If you don’t stop, I’ll show you what happens and I guarantee you you won’t like it.
Physical intimidation: He’s a big guy and he knows it, so purposely overstepping people’s boundaries by physically invading their space (and thus giving them “a taste” of how it’d be to get into a physical fight with him) is one of his go-to tools when all else fails. He resorts to this very obviously here by literally leaning over their table and subsequently waving his hand into Ryan’s face, and here after Eggsy has gotten up from his chair and he makes it a point to not draw back.
Physical violence: The severity of usually depends on the other person’s disposition, on how big or strong they are, whether or not they are a skilled fighter and how much he expects them to fight back. Violence for violence’s sake is rare since his main goal is “to make them stop” – now and in the future, which can, in certain cases, lead to excessive violence should he be under the impression that this is the only way to achieve that goal.
This dichotomy between withdrawal (= avoiding conflict) and confrontation (= seeking out further conflict) is actually exemplary for how he tends to deal with conflict in general: it either does not get solved at all or it gets “solved” through violence, be it verbal or physical. And this is a learned behavior. This is how they used to handle conflict at home and this is how he and the people in his surroundings handled conflict later in life, which, unfortunately, also means that he has barely any conflict resolution skills apart from that. It is incredibly difficult for him to just “talk things out” or even explain what bothers him, particularly so since he’s not used to actually being taken seriously in his needs or concerns.
IV. Passing on the abuse
As I’ve already mentioned in II. and this meme, Rottweiler has a very strong mindset of “If you do not help yourself, no one will”, and combined with the experience that you have to fight for everything lest it will be taken from you,** this can result in situations that are difficult to understand from an outside view.
a) Refusing to help
With the exception of his close friends (Gina, Donald, Poodle) and individuals who cannot properly defend themselves (children, animals), he does come to anyone’s aid despite his own experiences. On the one hand, this has to do with the overall attitude that it is better to not stick your nose into other people’s business or it might fall back on you, but also, and more importantly, with the fact that admitting that you not only need help sometimes but are worthy of receiving it, too, would mean acknowledging the actual extent of his own abuse and the injustices he’s faced.
And considering that he’s built his entire reasoning on those two principles – you are alone and responsible for your own misery – he literally cannot do that without a catastrophic loss of meaning in and of his life. Not to mention that it would increase already existing feelings of helplessness and powerlessness, which would make him feel at other people’s mercy even more.
Eventually, this is why his attitude toward Michelle and Eggsy on the one hand and (canon age) Daisy on the other is so vastly different: he considers them “old enough to take care of themselves” and if they fail to do so, then that’s their own fault. Which is the complete opposite of his stance toward Daisy, who he’d help in a heartbeat if she were to face the same abuse as Michelle and Eggsy.
b) Trauma and abuse
Apart from the matters already discussed, there are other things that “trigger” traumatic events (respectively the memory thereof) and that he often tries to fight in a way that may be considered abusive as well but that he fails to recognize as such:
Avoiding him for no apparent reason (applicable only to people he actually sees more or less regularly): Evokes the same negative feelings as rejection and tends to spill over into aggression quickly if he’s already on difficult terms with the person in concern. His solution usually consists of an attempt to force them into acknowledging his presence and/or telling him why he’s being shunned (i.e. confronting them when they’re alone, chatting them up even though it’s clear they do not want to talk to him, generally seeking out their company), which, at least with other men, is prone to escalate into physical violence.
Not looking at him and/or ignoring him when he’s talking to you: (see above).
Talking over him: (see above, though here the factor “disrespect” plays into it more strongly, so he tends to get angry rather than sad).
Touching him against his will: He doesn’t mind being touched even without his permission – he actually enjoys physical contact a lot, platonic or not –, but he gets incredibly angry when people do it after he’s already told them no.
In regards to the first two, this cycle of abuse is best broken not by telling him off, but by telling him off and why you do not wish to associate with him (even if its not actually the truth, he’s not going to question it anyway): It’s the uncertainty about people’s motives and intentions that makes him bounce off the walls, not the fact that somebody doesn’t like him. So if he knows what’s going on, there is no reason for him to insist on his previous behavior, either. In fact, it is best to be very straightforward with him in general as he tends to struggle with picking up certain social clues.
V. Social isolation and picking up clues
Whereas Rottweiler is good at recognizing people’s moods, he’s significantly less skilled at recognizing the cause of said moods. The reason for this has, again, to do with the environment he grew up in, which demanded being able to see what mood people were in in order to avoid conflict, but at the same time made it difficult to grasp why people were in that mood to begin with – there was simply no one who actually talked about those things, so he was left in the dark about why people did what they did. On top of that, he was, for pretty much the entirety of his childhood and teens, extremely isolated from people outside of his own neglecting family, which impacted the development of proper social skills even further. It is still difficult for him up to this day to identify and distinguish the nuances of interpersonal relationships and interactions. Or put differently: If you want him to understand you, tell him clearly instead of dropping hints.
VI. Last but not least: Displaying affection and other random facts
As inhibited as he may be in the beginning, he’s actually very affectionate and open with his feelings once he’s sure that they are being returned; he loves showing people that he likes them and that they are important to him, regardless of whether or not it’s only platonic. On the flipside, I doubt he’d mesh well with someone who doesn’t like that at all.
He doesn’t smile much, though, let alone laugh, and it takes a lot to make him so. It is therefore a bad index of whether or not he’s having fun or enjoying the current situation, so you might need to read between the lines.
He’s actually not jealous and trying to make him so tends to alienate him instead, as it resembles too much known patterns of emotional manipulation.
Similarly, teasing doesn’t really work, sexual or not. It has so be VERY obvious or with someone he actually expects this kind of behavior from for him to “get it” and maybe play along.
He doesn’t hold grudges. His mother and the two guys who got Sheila killed are the only ones he’ll never forgive. Maybe the kids who bullied him in school, too.
Having grown up in a both emotionally and physically violent environment where violence had exclusively negative connotations, he is very averse to any play-pretend of it, too. He may be kinky otherwise, but BDSM is not up his alley at all.
* Though there was personal selfishness playing into this (i.e. putting their own interests and needs above the ones of their child as the rule and not the exception, generally failing to acknowledge that they are not only responsible for this child existing altogether, but also have the duty to take care of it – or at least make sure someone else is –, hence treating it like a nuisance and very much making this known to him as well), they were also both in a state of lethargy and apathy even before they had children (which, by the way, were both unplanned). At least his mother was/is in serious debt pretty much since her early twenties and his father not only had frequent health issues (mostly due to smoking and drinking excessively for the better part of his life), but probably also got into trouble with the law more than once. On top of that, they generally struggled with getting by and everything that comes with living on the breadline, which made it even more difficult and personally taxing to look after someone who isn’t them.
** Especially during his early childhood, he has made the experience that everything can and will possibly be taken from you: They got seized multiple times due to his parents’ horrendous debt and simply not paying their bills and his mother pawned his Christmas presents and other of his belongings more than once. Additionally, the police showing up at their house was not only a frequent occurrence but also an incredibly invasive and terrifying one, even though he probably doesn’t even fully grasp that himself. Them eventually taking his dog and putting her down was just the final straw.
#❛ criminal record. ⤿ headcanons#very long but very important.#domestic abuse tw#abuse tw#violence tw
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Isabela is a better person than anyone (herself included) expects her to turn out to be.
[TW: slavery, misogyny, racism, abuse]
There was an attempt, I see, at her and Aveline’s differences being based on their professions and ideals surrounding the law, and Aveline getting called out on her treatment of Isabela. But then it got lost along the way in favor of typical misogynistic ~cat fight~ bullshit and expecially Aveline shaming Isabela for stuff that’s none of Aveline’s business and it being presented like the player is supposed to laugh along, with some “bonus” subliminal racism.
Isabela is a Chaotic Good pirate and Aveline is... definitely Lawful and in law enforcement, and we could have had the realization that sometimes Isabela does a lot more good than she does and acknowledgement of how she (Aveline) is quick to judge people and claim the moral high ground without looking into the situation enough to see if she actually is right and doing good be part of Aveline’s character arc. And we could have had Isabela’s character arc of finding people she can trust and letting herself believe she deserves good things and doesn’t have to guard herself so carefully that connecting with others as much as she actually wants to would necessarily compromise her safety and independence not have as added difficulty one of her friends(?) being mean to her for years and still calling her slurs when they’ve supposedly started getting along.
And not a lot of people that we know of have believed in and respected Isabela. Zevran stands out as someone who took the time to actually be her friend, and stick up for her when she had few means of doing so herself, and I’m sure they can understand each other very well. Same with Isabela and Fenris in this regard, and I think it makes perfect sense for them to get together.
Isabela doesn’t want to let herself care or show she cares, in order to protect herself like she expects no one else to do for her, but she cares so much, and she feels so strongly about people having the right to freedom. Her own “marriage” was just slavery by another name, so she knows what it’s like to not have it, and losing it is something she fears more than anything. Helping take away someone else’s would go against everything she values even if she did have to do it. So yes, Gaider can fuck off for what he thought was acceptable to do to her character in the comics. Even choosing to run away with the tome at first to save her own skin before changing her mind, while in line with her belief no one and nothing will save her if she herself won’t, is something she hates herself for, and causes her to leave Kirkwall for three years to clear her head before returning to see if maybe she could have a chance at being happy and having people who truly do care about her. She has a strong moral compass, which she listens more than she gives herself credit for, and holds back less and less on listening to the more she has reason to believe it won’t get her killed and that it would make some difference to something that matters even if it did.
Isabela is wonderful and deserves so much love and affection, and deserved better in and out of universe.
#Dragon Age#Isabela#Aveline Vallen#Isabela and Aveline#Hawke#Taisto Hawke#my Hawkes#Fenris and Isabela#Isabela and Zevran#kos plays da2#slavery tw#misogyny#da2 spoilers
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