#but there wasn't any. Foundation? if that makes sense. there were no foundation features for the other things to meld into
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Hey, I just had the oddest thought.
Not like an odd-odd sort of thought, but more along the veins of something that ‘hey, neato, a lot of people might actually do that’ but you, as a person, never quite do, and thus forget is a thing that can happen -
But how many of y’all know what your ocs look like?
Just in general, or vague pieces?
I’m not sure if it’s just because it’s 6:18am and I’m not a morning person and have thus fallen into idle and very belated realizations as a direct result, but it’s starting to occur to me that when @ieppiq tagged me in a picrew thing in 2020 that it might’ve been because everyone else lowkey might know.
#also!#ieppiq!#I still don't know what any of my characters really look like?#I did try to make a good go of it. Clearly we can both see I was quite unsuccessful though#I'm really sorry that I never actually ended up positing anything for it#I think I was trying to do Slipping Around characters for the tag since I knew a couple of vague details about the characters#but there wasn't any. Foundation? if that makes sense. there were no foundation features for the other things to meld into#appearance-based tasks are really quite trippy if complete facial blindness is thrown into the mix#like - huang has electrical scarring across her entire body. a bit like a human lightning rod. then it branches out#I know that Giselle Thomas has a perpetual fear of ceiling fans because her hair floats upwards and not down#and that Huang's younger brother has electrical and fire burns due to the hazardous combination of them being in the same house#and how each of their magic just seems to gravitate to sparky-ouchy things#and for stuff like viva - white hair. purple magics. I think Declan's on the tanner side but Jezabel's absolutely spooked people because she#tends to bleed into the background unless she makes a physical effort to do otherwise. but I've never been able to tell if that was physical#or just a side effect of what happens in the wip#i kind of ended up just drawing in little details to an elsewise blank humanoid figure and abandoning it at some point#and did it by hand because I never figured out how piccrew worked lol
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If Leon had lived longer or survived, I believe he would've been one of the main characters in the story.
Usually, promotional materials such as merchandise tend to feature Sayaka alongside the main trio of THH. This is understandable given her early portrayal as the heroine, but let me explain why it makes sense for Leon to be also included in the main group.
Danganronpa often pairs characters with others who complement their themes, forming what I call "narrative partners," whether in duos or trios. This isn't just for main characters—most have these connections, though there are exceptions.
Leon's narrative partner is Sayaka. They are designed as complementary opposites, each embodying the game's central theme of "talent" more than any other characters, a theme that wasn't touched upon after their early deaths in the story. Beyond this, Leon's crush on Sayaka, which is evident throughout the Danganronpa series, further ties their stories together. They were also the first characters created, serving as a foundation for the series.
Moreover, Leon shares characteristics with the "best friend" archetype seen in other Danganronpa games, like Kazuichi and Kaito. I'd argue these characters were inspired by Leon, suggesting that, had he survived, he would likely have been close friends with Makoto, forming a trio with Makoto and Sayaka. This is supported by class photos showing them together, hinting at a potential narrative thread that was never explored. This relationship could have deepened Makoto's character by showing and building his optimism through real friendships, rather than leaving it seemingly baseless.
Having Leon and Sayaka in the story would not only have supported Makoto's 'optimistic' character trait through their friendship but also balanced out the stoicism of Kyoko and Byakuya. Just as Sayaka relies on intuition and Kyoko depends on logic and facts, Byakuya's uptight and overly serious demeanor would clash with Leon's more light-hearted and playful nature. With Kyoko and Byakuya offering logical perspectives and Sayaka and Leon adding emotional depth and sentimentality, the group dynamics would have become more engaging and interesting, in my opinion.
I would have enjoyed seeing Sayaka and Leon embody the themes of talent, alongside Makoto and Junko symbolising hope versus despair, with Kyoko representing mystery, thus tying together Danganronpa's main themes, and Byakuya taking the role as the crucial anti-hero of the story.
These are just my thoughts, but I'd love to hear yours, too.
Oh, and maybe I should note that the official character list for THH goes exactly as follows: Makoto, Sayaka, Leon, Kyoko, and Byakuya. So, here’s an official picture of them together! It calms my soul.
Thank you for reading!
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The Biggest Gold Star A Student Can Earn
lol. Welcome back to "I thought of a thing and now I must write". It's placed under the cut again, for convenience
Getting used to the suitcase was a... long process. Diggers wasn't even sure if he was used to it yet, if he ever would be used to it.
It's a big enough place that you could easily just never run into someone, but it's also small enough that everyone is friends by proxy. Diggers is no exception, forming a close bond with Regulus and Zima, even if the poet didn't speak much, and ending up as a sort of friend with everyone else.
So, when he was told that he would be going on a mission with people he had never met before, he wasn't too surprised. Vertin tends to give a rundown of what the other members are like before they go off on a mission, and none of them sound all that bad.
What he didn't expect, however, was that one of those people would be... Her.
He doesn't have anything against 37, he doesn't know her well enough for that. But as soon as he realizes where he remembers that name from, he hates it with a passion.
Diggers trys to refrain from talking to 37 directly, although he knows it would do them both some good. He hates thinking about his time in Manus Vindictae, and it isn't her fault that she reminds him of that.
The silence doesn't stop 37 from recognizing him, however. She knows his number, and she knows it well, although she feels like something is... different. She shrugs it off, trying to talk with Diggers as if they were old friends. He doesn't respond to anything she says, he just curls into himself a little bit more.
The mission is simple. Go to a place, get whatever macguffin the Foundation wants now, and deliver it back to base. Diggers has done countless of these in the past, even before he joined Vertin's team.
Of course, things are bound to go wrong. And things do, infact, go wrong, because the Manus tend to have their noses poking in the same places as the Foundation.
The Manus Believers prove to be stronger than most. One even takes a swing at Bkornblume's arm that almost chops it clean off. Tooth Fairy is mainly there to just keep them alive at this point.
Diggers ends up with a face full of dirt, the only things in his nose being blood and moss. One of the Manus Believers digs its heal into his back, and he can hear his spine crack into a position it definitely should not be in.
37 is quick to react, but even her help isn't enough to get the foot off his back. He thinks that these must be his last moments, so he treats them as such, and lets his mind give him as many ideas as it can master. He can hardly understand half of them, but 37 is still at the front of his memories right now...
He feels like he's truly losing it, but it won't matter if these are his last moments. He wants to spend these last moments feeling some sort of conclusion, to find some sort of answer to everything. And his mind gives him a circle.
He trys to make sense of it. Is it a circle in the same way his glasses are made of circle shapes? Or maybe it is a circle in the way 37 taught, how it will never be perfect and how it has no corners. Or maybe it's something he doesn't understand, that he will never understand.
37 sends another attack against the Manus Believer, and it takes his foot off of Diggers so it can attack back. Diggers knows that this is just delaying the inevitable. Tooth Fairy is still focused on how Bkornblume's arm is holding on by a thread of muscle, and he doesn't want to burned her with even more. So he takes the extra moments he was granted to try to figure things out.
Circle... What could it even mean? It doesn't have a specific color, or any defining features outside of being a circle. He can feel his vision slowly give up on him, his legs feel too heavy to move, and it probably isn't a good idea to move anyways.
Maybe he should take a creative view on it. Maybe the circle is a stand in for life and death, and this isn't actually his end. The Ouroboros, no clear start and no clear end. Maybe it isn't about him specifically, and life will continue on as if nothing happened. Then, something clicks, and he gets an idea.
Moving isn't a good idea, and he knows that, but he moves anyways. His legs are shaking, and he can hardly even tell if he's standing or laying down. His aim is just as shaky as his legs, but he puts up his bubble gun, and aims anyways.
The gun fires, and he loses feeling completely at that point. The last thing he sees is the bubble floating in the air, not a sphere, but a tetrahedron.
Diggers slowly opens his eyes again. His entire body feels numb, but he is... breathing.
He doesn't quite know where he is, but he knows he's being carried piggyback style. His vision is blurry, but he can make out the vague shape of 37 nearby. She's calm, and if she's calm, it means that they're safe. He looks down at her hands, and sees the macguffin, a black box.
He blinks, and he must have passed out again, because the next thing he knows, he's on the couch in the living room of the suitcase. He slowly sits up, his body begging to just keep laying down. Then he notices 37, sitting on the ground, staring up at him.
"Morning!" Diggers doesn't respond, just giving a nod. 37 takes it as an invitation, and moves up to the couch. "How is your body feeling?"
"Tired, and... heavy."
"I see... Do you feel strong enough to talk right now?"
"I... guess?"
37 smiles slightly wider, and pulls out something from behind her back. "Diggers... As your former teacher, and new friend, I'd like to give you this laurel wreath."
Diggers stares in shock at the bundle of flowers carefully crafted into a wreath. "You'd... what?"
37 doesn't explain, placing the wreath onto Diggers' head. "There we go! I didn't think it would be possible, but I guess you are really odd... How did you change your number?"
"I... what?"
"Your number. It was a negative infinite repeating decimal, but now it's positive. How did you do it?"
"I'm not quite sure. I just... I realized something."
"Hm? What was that?"
"Math isn't the language of the universe, it's people trying to give it a voice. It's all about perspective... Just like art."
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I wasn't planning on talking anymore but I wanted to send you something to hopefully counter all of the doubters that were bumming you out. 😊
People react very emotionally right away when something like this happens, and I think they should at least take time to process everything before getting into any discussions. This isn't even our first round of shenanigans this year. I've been a Taekooker for a long time and the outV/outJK hate campaign has been around at least as long so this is not my first or second rodeo. They almost always follow the same pattern. The Taennope situation is the one outlier and while a lot of people were panicking immediately after the Paris video, most eventually came back around because the weirdness of the whole thing is obvious to the point media play started being the only explanation that makes sense.
Features that are almost always present are a combo of real pics/videos and edited or fake photos/videos that get debunked, a lot get debunked very quickly. What they try to pass of as "proof" usually hides the identities somehow, no recognizable or only partially visible faces, blurring, facing away from the camera, or obstructed view. There's always coordination between multiple accounts that start posting everything together, they often end up contradicting each other or overplay their hand by embellishing too much and adding something that is very obviously untrue.
One of the most interesting things to me about the most recent shenanigans is the similarities in the "proof" to JK's "scandal" in 2019. What we got first was a pictures of CC camera footage that showed JK backhugging a woman. This actually showed visible and identifiable faces. It was definitely him. I engaged a lot more on Twitter at the time and was in a group chat with a few big accounts and that day was a crazy one, because the accounts that started the rumor tagged us personally. I think they thought we'd freak out and spread it, but we all kept it in the chat and didn't make any public posts. Soon enough the rumor was officially denied, and the woman involved posted a letter saying they were just friends and she apologized for upsetting anyone (which she shouldn't have had to do).
Maybe it's because I saw that go down in real time from a front row seat that the recent smear campaign doesn't get to me. I find the whole thing questionable in the same way every incident has been. Except this time Jungkook actually addressed it almost immediately and while talking directly to us. I've seen some imply he said "I don't have a girlfriend" (three times apparently "I don't have any girlfriend") as some sort of half-truth skirting around him having a gf when the video was shot but not now, but I don't think he would say that if he thought there was a risk anything was going to come up that would make it look like he tried to lie to his own fans. If that was a risk I think he would have just stayed quiet about it, and he certainly would have been advised to stay quiet by the company. I also think him expressing relief at having said that is very interesting. How long has he wanted to say something like that.
I trust Jungkook. I put my trust in him over a group of people spreading these things, whether they are all real/some real/all fake, for one purpose: to hurt him by turning his fans against him.
None of this is reason enough for me to doubt everything I've seen in Taekook. Earlier you said "I have a pretty clear idea in my head on how everything fits together", I feel that. I debunk a lot of Taekook for myself, but there's still a lot that is undeniable for me and I have everything lined up with receipts when it comes to them. The foundation of my belief just doesn't shake that easily.
Thank you for posting pictures of them recently, because I think it's very easy for some to forget why they were here in the first place when there is so much confusion.
Hi anon!
Thanks for this ask! I very much agree with you on all points.
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Makoto headcanons
[Above: Uh, yeah, that's probably fine]
Originally I found Makoto to be an extraordinarily bland protagonist, which made him seem a bit two-dimensional. Eventually, though, I got a handle on the character, and saw at least some potential for depth...
We learn very little about Makoto in Trigger Happy Havoc, other than what he learns about himself from the experience. He thought he was just some guy, y'know, and then he turned out to be some sort of...non-giving-up...school guy. He's a blank slate compared to his classmates, even Kyoko, who is supposed to be the officially designated blank slate. His most distinguishing feature is the ability to chin up amid the horrors he's witnessed. I think that's taking an unseen toll on him.
When the Tragedy happened, Makoto reassured his friends the crisis would be over soon. It wasn't. When the Killing Game began, he promised Sayaka he would get her out of there. He didn't. By the end of the game, a third of his classmates have murdered another third, and the remaining third seriously considered letting him die to save themselves. When he came up with a plan to rehabilitate the Remnants of Despair without killing them, the Future Foundation branded him a traitor. Said plan almost backfired and nearly doomed himself and his closest friends. In the Final Killing Game, the Future Foundation largely went knives-out on him, and then a mind-control program nearly brainwashed him to kill himself. He doesn't process this stuff, he just puts it on his tab. He's running up a big bill.
I'm not saying all this is going to break Makoto, or that he's on the verge of succumbing to despair, or anything like that. The idea that this can't happen is what makes him interesting--the story won't let him falter or fail, so he just has to endure. He can't cope with his problems except in terms of helping others cope with theirs. In that sense he reminds me of Hajime Hinata, but Hajime is a surgically enhanced ubermensch, so for better or worse he's built to handle such weighty problems. Makoto is just an ordinary man, so it's kind of scary to realize he carries such an epic burden.
If I'm making Makoto sound like Jesus sweating drops of blood over his duty to the world...well, yeah. Personally, I am extremely tired of writers cramming Christ tropes into American superhero stories, so I'm loathe to look for one in Danganronpa, but it's hard for me to avoid it this time. Not that I want Makoto to be crucified and resurrected (any more than he already has been). But I'm intrigued by the idea of a Christ/martyr figure who can't get off the hook by peacing out to heaven.
Anyway, the point is that Makoto avoids his trauma by helping his friends with their problems. Which is ironic considering he spends a lot of time getting Kyoko comfortable with facing her trauma. Kyoko benefits greatly from having someone she can trust and finally open up to, so it doesn't occur to her that Makoto might need the same sort of help, or that he would hide it as well as she does. Overcoming that takes a lot of work, for both of them.
I haven't decided what sort of relationship Makoto and Kyoko had before their memories were wiped, but I tend to think it wasn't romantic. At most they might have had some basic attraction, but neither of them expected anything to come of it, so they paid it no mind. Even during the Killing Game, I don't think Makoto realizes what he's starting to feel. He's just curious about her because she's mysterious, or worried about her because she's missing, that's all. She's cute, but he'd never have a shot with her, so there's no point going there. Meanwhile Kyoko is gradually facing her feelings about him, and getting a little frustrated that he's not making a move. It's not until after they escape that everything hits Makoto all at once.
As Makoto learns more about Kyoko's family, he isn't afraid to call out the bullshit they've put her through. He's willing to believe her father might have had a reason for walking out on her, but that doesn't excuse the harm he caused. He's also not wild about her grandfather pushing her through the family traditions, and (from what I've gathered) exploiting her abandonment issues to hone her emotional discipline. If Fuhito Kirigiri ever meets Makoto, I think there will be a lot of friction there.
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Movie reviews: Tau (2018) and I am Mother (2019)
It's disappointing when people make beautiful films, hire brilliant actors then write their sentient AI with big logic flaws.
Now in Tau, this works because we know the tech guy over hyped his product, admits it's flawed and built Tau with severe limitations to his ability to self improve. The problem is that Tau's willingness to break with his programming doesn't quite follow a natural flow or consistent arc but unlocks at convenient plot times. It's the type of logical leap you can ignore because we've been told he's temperamental. Not sure why a music fan would want to know the dates and nationalities of composers when history and culture are still alien concepts though. Switching to poetry, now that made sense.
Overall: Fun, kept up the tension, didn't ogle the main character in a way that ever made it slimy despite her using her charms at times. The design is superb.
In I am Mother: (fun, sleek, well played but too big a logic hole for me to ignore) ending spoiled ahead:
"Personality stability" eugenics is still eugenics and a crap foundation to a new humanity. It takes a village and Skynet would know that if she'd studied any anthopology and sociology. Instead she's left a lone 18 year old with some Kant, a trolley problem selecting for self sacrifice and massive trauma to be the new Eve. Oh and she leaves her to raise a newborn with no one to talk to and no backup for the every three hour feeds and diaper changes. yep very logic, very studied, obviously written by a hands-off dad.
I mean I'm not ruling out a dystopia where a tech bro company who thought the humanities were useless slapped the label "sentient" on this biased, uncurious, non self correcting software and thought it was good enough to give it the directive to safeguard humanity - that's the only way this film's internal logic can work.
Still, I love a small cast drama and the three actresses deliver beautifully with what they've got. Worth the watch just to see the talent.
As for Maika Monroe in Tau: on the surface, it looks like she gets typecast but she brings a whole different character to each "final girl", they're brave in different ways and for different reasons.
Hopefully I'll get round to reviewing the fantastic Watcher and Significant Other where she also stars later this week. I found that double feature so elating, I wasn't sure I could be objective, now that i've seen a little more "mid"-ish films, it's a bit clearer what elevates those two (spoilers: it's about that real life perspective).
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The fire starts on the first floor, the flames licking up the cabbage rose wallpaper, unfurling across the plaster ceiling, and spewing black, noxious smoke through the hallways and bedrooms of the house, blinding her, choking the breath out of her. He darts across the dining room, searching for the back stairs, finding them, hurling down the old, rickety wooden risers into the musty darkness of the base ment.
"Diva! Diva! DIVA! DIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVAAAAAA!!?!" Saya lurches across the filthy, watermarked cement floor, frantically scanning the dark cellar for her sister. Up stairs, the home blazes and crackles, the conflagration roaring through the cluttered chambers of the meager bungalow, the heat pressing down on the foundation. She whirls fecklessly in circles, scanning the shadowy reaches of the smoke-bound cellar, batting away cob webs and choking on the acrid smoke and ammonia-rot stench of rancid canned beets, rat turds, and ancient insulation. She can hear the creaking and thud ding of wooden timbers collapsing onto the floor above her as the maelstrom rages out of control-which makes no sense because her little childhood home.
It never burned down in any fire as far she can remember. But here it is, going up in a terrib inferno, and she can't find her fucking sister. How did she get here? And where the fuck is Diva?
"DIVA!" Saya's hysterical cry comes of her like a thin puff of air, a breathless chirp, a fadin signal on a radio tuned to some distant station. All a once she sees a portal in one of the basement walls strange, concave opening like a hatch on a weird greenish glow emanating from within it-and realizes that the opening is new. There was never such an opening in the basement of his childhood home but again, like black magic, here it fuckin is. Saya stumbles toward the dim, radiant, green gashin the darkness. Pushing through the opening, she steps inte an airless cinder-block garage stall. The chamber is empty. The walls bear the marks of torture-streaks of dark, drying blood and the frayed ends of ropes affixed to U-bolts-and the place radiates evil. Pure, unadulter ated, preternatural evil. She wants out. She can't breathe. Her flesh crawls. She can't make a sound other than a faint mewling noise coming from the deepest part of her lungs, an anguished moaning. She hears a noise and spins around and sees another gangrenous-green glowing portal, and she lunges toward it. She goes through the opening, and finds herself underneath a pale moonlight.
With the sharpness of a jump-cut in a motion picture, Saya woke up to the voice of a man, her brown eyes riveting to a pair of golden ones. She quickly held out her arm as though she were going to punch him; only to leap to her feet like a cat and pounce away from him.
"Who the hell are you?" Came the curt reply of the man. Saya, her scowl furrowing, examined his features. Long silver hair, it contrast with his skin. There were also the sharp talons he had on each hand so Saya knew immediately he wasn't just some human male. She visibly relaxed around him, standing up straight with her hand on her katana. Though she wasn't going to make any sudden moves.
"I should be asking you," Saya spoke softly, still not taking her eyes away from him, only for a second to look behind her.
"I'm Saya," she told him.
"Well, Saya, why the hell were you lying out here?"
He sure sounds polite. Though a valid question. She was looking for her sister. It was obvious the younger sibling was nowhere close by. Not even a heart beat, yet Saya knew the girl was alive. At least she hoped.
"I'm looking for someone," Saya confessed, easing her hand off of her sword, stepping an inch forward to meet Whoever This Guy was.
Inuyasha sniffed the air around Saya. Something isn't right about this girl. What is she?
She didn't smell like him, but something completely he couldn't identify. It was an aura not corrupt yet he sensed she wasn't some evil monster. An expert swordsman. She was probably a teen, yet that wasn't going to fool him. Neither one was going to let their guard sway.
"May I ask what your name is."
"Inuyasha. I guess it's nice to meet you."
Oh, how the feeling were mutual.
"Just who are you looking for?" Inuyasha pressed.
"My sister. We got separated...and I don't know where she is. It's going to be difficult locating her. I don't even know this place so its like a blind mice in a maze."
Inuyasha didn't blink. The way she said sister had a meaning she was desperately searching for her blood relation. Inuyasha nearly scoffed. Why did that make him think of his brother?
"You don't have anyone else?"
"No, it's just us...there was a fire...and...to explain how I got here you'd think I were on another planet. I could go into details but I'm sure you're not interested...but please, if you could help..."
Her eyes were pleading, Inuyasha noted her fist was trembling slightly.
"You might as well forget it," Inuyasha stated simply. Saya looked at him, mouth agape. Did he just...?
"Chances are your sister already became demon food. You'd be wasting your time and effort."
"I don't believe that," Saya mumbled, trying not to be crestfallen. She saw her little sister, homesick and crying, unable to stop what was going on. Then again Diva hadn't cried since they were children. She wouldn't allow herself to be killed off so quickly.
"You're just trying to deter me away. It won't work."
"You sure are stubborn Saya."
"So I've been told. I don't want to lose hope...if she is gone, I'd like a body to bury. But you don't know her like I do. So she's alive...and whoever took her, I hope she isn't suffering."
Sister.
She didn't need his help nor his pity. But getting information out on the whereabouts of her twin would be difficult. How long had it been? Probably more than a day. Saya was losing the trail and this Inuyasha character sure was something else.
"You'd risk your life for your sister?" Inuyasha was slightly confused. Regardless of his own familial ties he would do the same for his friends.
"No matter what," Saya responded as though that was the final answer. Without waiting for him to respond, she walked past him, ignoring she may have caught him off balance. Okay, roger that. Be useful or get out of the way.
Inuyasha bounded after Saya almost blindly. This Saya girl was going to be more head on than anyone he knew. Wait, did she even know where she was going? He was following her, so...
"I do, don't worry," Saya said as though reading his mind.
"Okay, that is weird," he spoke into the wind.
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Fic Prompts: Star Wars Friday
(Continuing from yesterday's Part 1 . Also, turns out this will have 3 parts, not 2. Part 3 on Saturday. )
Luke Skywalker was getting very tired of boiled fish.
The old storeroom had been pretty well cleaned out before Luke and the nine children had been imprisoned inside. One of the Twi'lek boys, Milo, had found a tin of emergency rations five days ago, before Luke joined them, but they'd already consumed it. That just left whatever food their captor gave them if he felt that they'd "earned" it. Primarily, boiled fish.
Luke wasn't even sure how he'd gotten into this mess. The Alliance had picked up rumors that there was a Jedi on Jomark, and General Riekaan had agreed that it was probably wise to let Luke investigate. Luke had not expected to walk into a town experiencing a rash of kidnappings allegedly committed by a Jedi.
Nor, for that matter, had he reckoned on being one of the victims.
Luke didn't know what to call Joruus C'baoth, but he was pretty sure Jedi wasn't accurate. Jedi weren't supposed to be so obsessed with power and control, right? C'baoth's "lessons" he'd inflicted on them thus far had not been anything like Old Ben's. And what was a so-called Jedi doing kidnapping little kids, anyway?!
"Luke nerra! Lookie lookie!"
Luke glanced down to where one of the children was tugging on his sleeve insistently. Aki was one of the younger kids; a little red Twi'lek girl with boots that didn't quite fit. She tended to make an enormous racket stomping around in the oversized shoes. It had, unfortunately, compromised at least one escape attempt.
"What is it, Aki?" Luke asked.
The little girl pointed to where the only other prisoner even close to his age had managed to pull apart one of the shelves. The stocky girl was working to reconstruct the pieces into a kind of ladder. She pointed upward.
"There's light coming from up there, through the floor," she announced. "If we get up there, maybe we can pull some stones loose and make a hole."
Luke nodded. "Good idea, Tiya. I'll help."
Mica, Milo's twin brother, interrupted them with a panicked whistle. "The wizard's coming back!"
Tiya threw one of the rough blankets they'd been given over the metal pieces. "Rumina! Kayl! Tyto! Get over here and sit on the blanket!"
Three of the other children scrambled across the room to do as Tiya instructed. At seventeen, Tiya was one of the oldest in the town, and frequently volunteered with the primary school. The children were used to doing as she said.
With an ominous clang, the door slid open, and Joruus C'baoth frowned down at them. He held a small Nikto girl by the arm, and roughly tossed her into the makeshift cell.
"Your stubbornness is getting you nowhere, girl," he warned her. "In time, you will accept me as your master. It is inevitable. You will cease this pointless resistance to your power or your companions will pay the price."
Luke moved forward to lift the child to her feet. "Hey, leave her alone!" he snapped. "She doesn't know how to use the Force, don't you see that? None of them do!"
C'baoth had stolen the children because he claimed that they were all at least a little Force sensitive. That they would be the foundation of his "New Jedi Order". But as far as Luke could tell -- and he was still learning to sense such things -- only a few of his cellmates had any noticeable glimmers in their Force signatures. The others had slightly quicker reflexes than average, and formidable intuition, but little more than that. Maybe C'baoth was just desperate to control anyone who could feel the Force.
"Ah, young Skywalker, my prize student." C'baoth smoothed out his features into an almost grandfatherly smile. "Come! It is now time for your training."
This was far from ideal, but it was better than him taking one of the kids again. Luke stood and clenched his fists.
"The kids haven't eaten yet," he said pointedly.
In the same indulgent voice, C'baoth answered, "Then you had better perform well in your studies today, hadn't you?"
He turned a narrowed eye on the others. "I sense your thoughts," he warned. "There is no escape. Where would you go if you even could leave? You are not like others. You parents do not understand you, nor do they want you. I am all that you have, now. I am your family."
Luke took some comfort in knowing that he was not the only one present who felt a shudder of revulsion at the words. He reluctantly followed C'baoth out of the storeroom and up the winding, filthy stairs to the dilapidated throne room where the old man liked to conduct his "training". If shooting kriffing lightning at kids who couldn't levitate a pebble could really be called training.
Joruus tucked his hands into his wide sleeves and cleared his throat importantly. "Now! You, Skywalker, have even less excuse for laziness than your new brothers and sisters. You shine, boy. I expect nothing less than perfection from you."
His eyes took on a menacing glint as he turned to hold out the black pebbles. "Do it right, this time."
Luke winced at the hidden threat in the man's words and took the pebbles. "It would help if I knew what it was supposed to feel like," he grumbled.
C'baoth scoffed. "You are full of emotions, yet you use none of them. And yet you ask me what the Force is meant to feel like? Your training has been sorely neglected, my young apprentice."
Luke gritted his teeth and did his best to clear his mind. If only C'baoth hadn't confiscated his lightsaber! He could've freed the children and escaped days ago if he'd had his father's blade.
It was hard to focus on levitating the pebbles with C'baoth standing over him. The man was like a pulsating knot in the Force, tangled reds and murky browns like old bloodstains. Just being near him was jarring for Luke. Was he some kind of Sith? He seemed very determined to call himself a Jedi, but there was so much cruelty in him that Luke wondered if he'd ever met a Jedi at all.
A rebellious idea occurred to Luke, and he spread his senses out wide instead of focusing on the pebbles. It was surprisingly easy, compared to the first few times he'd tried it. Practice must have paid off. Or perhaps he was just that desperate to get away from C'baoth. Luke closed his eyes and reached for his fellow prisoners. None of them reacted to his clumsy probe, but he hadn't expected them to. They were tense, and scared, but also determined. Hopefully that meant Tiya was still building the ladder.
The Force seemed to beckon to him, coaxing him to stretch out even further beyond himself. Like a strain of music just at the edge of his hearing, the Force whispered to Luke that something very important was happening. A storm was approaching.
Luke sensed anger. It wasn't from his "teacher", and that was both a surprise and a relief. It was coming from beyond the crumbling castle walls. The precise number of life signs approaching wasn't clear to Luke, but he knew there were at least twelve, all hostile. There was one that seemed familiar somehow. He had met them before, Luke could've sworn he had. But with C'baoth muddying everything around him, it was too difficult to get a clear "view" of the person. Or to notice that the attention was being reciprocated.
A flicker of hope jolted through him. Was it an attack, or a rescue party? Either way, it was an opportunity to distract the old man. Luke would not let this become another Nar Shadda.
"Good! Very good!"
C'baoth's voice broke him out of his thoughts, and Luke opened his eyes to see all three pebbles hovering near the ceiling. With his concentration broken, Luke couldn't hold them up any longer, and they fell to the floor with a sharp cracking sound. C'baoth frowned sharply at him, and began to raise one hand. Luke knew that meant lightning was soon to follow.
"Someone's coming!" he blurted out. "I can sense them outside."
The old man's head whipped up, and in moments a snarl decorated his face. "He is jealous!" he hissed. "My empire shall outlive his!"
"Who is?" Luke backed away slowly.
As if a switch had been thrown, suddenly C'baoth was smiling again. "Come, apprentice! You will stand with your master against these invaders, and we will show that pretender the true power of the Force!"
Without meaning to, Luke slipped back towards the invaders with the Force.
Help us, he silently pleaded, even knowing they couldn't hear him, This guy's kriffin nuts!
The last thing he expected was to receive a reply. A powerful voice, almost too familiar somehow, rang out in his mind.
I am coming for you, Skywalker.
#star wars#luke skywalker#writing prompts#fic prompts#darth vader#star wars au#part two#star wars week#star wars wednesday#star wars friday#joruus c'baoth#star wars ocs#Aki the Twi'lek is the angry human woman from yesterday's daughter#Vader is gonna be ticked when he finds out about C'baoth's 'training'#he's gonna be like 'way to give him a negative association with the Dark Side you jerk now i have more work to do'#yes he fails to see the irony in that statement
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Chasing The Flames
Chapter 7 : Beautiful Accidents
I'm so sorry this took so long. I hope the long hiatus was worth it with this outcome. Love y'all.
" You're going to be assisting in both Jeno and Jaemin's individual photoshoots with Allure Korea and Grazia Korea because they're currently understaffed due to the corona outbreak. "
" Okay? "
" You'll be fine, with the training I've given you, you just need to supervise if needed. "
" Alright. Can I have time and address? "
" Jaemin's having his tomorrow at 2pm. I'll send you the address and details about Jeno's shoot afterwards. "
When you got to Allure's head office, Jaemin was already sitting at the vanities.
As he noticed me coming his way, he took the nearest thing he could find to cover his face.
" Why are you covering your face? "
" You've never seen me barefaced before, don't want to scare you. "
" Bullshit. "
I lowered the magazine held up against his face to reveal Jaemin's face clean of make up.
" Perfect as it always has been. "
Jaemin turned his chair to my direction, and gave his full attention.
" I'm envious of your confidence. "
" Me? I'm not confident. "
" You are. You don't cover your face with foundation. You only use make up purely for its positive intention, that is to enhance one's features. "
" I'm just lazy, is all. "
" You should be thankful to your laziness then, because I am. "
I could feel my cheeks heat up at Jaemin's sweet words.
" Since it hasn't begun, I'm going to Starbucks for take away, you want your usual Americano right? "
" 4 shots please. "
" No. You should be grateful that I'm letting you have any caffeine. "
Jaemin ceased his pouting and smiled brightly at me.
" Can we share a muffin down stairs after we finish? "
" Whatever you say, sweet talker. "
When you finished the shoot you guys head into the deserted coffee shop as per Jaemin's request and shared a muffin.
" I can't believe you're making me eat a blueberry muffin. "
" It's nice. It's my comfort food, especially in the cold winter. "
" Okay, okay. But we're eating chocolate chip next time. "
" Deal. "
The both of you savoured the sweat taste of the muffin in silence, making you recount the things that happened today.
" I'm envious of your confidence. "
" I'm not as confident as you think I am. "
Jaemin tried looking into your shying eyes, wanting to understand the thoughts running through your mind.
" I have a scar above my left eyebrow, I got it when I was young in a water theme park by accident. I've started having bangs at highschool because of it. "
I lifted my hair to let him see what I hid away for most of my life. Jaemin just had that effect on me, willing me to open up to him.
I don't know if it is his caring eyes or sweet smile, but it just gets me every time.
Jaemin took a close look at me, purely observing, no judgement or whatsoever written on his face, he wasn't like the others.
" I could barely see it. And it doesn't matter, whether you have scars or not. Look at Taeyong hyung, he has a scar beside his eye but all seasonies love it. You shouldn't assume the fact that everyone wouldn't like it. It's the imperfections that make us flawless, irreplaceable. So you have nothing to hide Y/N, scar or no scar you're beautiful. "
" T-thank you. "
This is the first time someone has ever reduced me to happy tears about my scar, Na Jaemin is truly one in a million.
That evening, many thoughts were clouding my mind.
Why is Jaemin being so emotionally understanding?
Instead of plain flirting, he's flirting with real emotions. Zero intentions of gaining purely my attention, but also comforting me.
This side of Jaemin is like a puzzle piece that you just don't know how it goes in the bigger picture.
He's in a relationship with Jeno, but he's interested in me?
Or am I just reading into this too seriously?
He's probably only being a good listener.
Right. Nothing to worry about.
I still have to assist in Jeno's shoot two days later.
Time for bed.
Manager hyung said Y/N is going to be sitting in for this Grazia shoot, as she did with Jaemin's.
The biggest problem is that Jeno can't find anything to wear that will impress her but isn't too over the top.
What classifies as good looking to her, but not too over the top for a casual outfit?
" My, my, my Lee Jeno struggling to dress up for our dear Y/N. "
" Jaemin I'll let you have all my attention later, I'm busy right now. "
" Who says I came in to annoy you? I'm here to help. All your jackets are fine, just make sure you wear a white t shirt and black ripped skinny jeans underneath. "
Jeno looked at Jaemin with both his eyebrows raised.
" How are you sure that's what she likes? "
" I heard her complementing Kai sunbaenim's latest airport fashion, and that was it. But if you really want to make a lasting impression, it's time you bring out your black leather jacket. "
Jaemin's advice did work, because when Y/N stepped into the office lobby, both her eyes were on him.
" Hi. "
" Hi, I got you hot chocolate and a donut. "
Y/N's eyes lit up at the sound of food. Oddly, at that moment Y/N reminded Jeno of Jaemin.
" Thank you. "
Jeno noticed that Y/N was constantly shy when she's alone with him.
She can't even look him in the eyes for more than a millisecond.
Did he look too intimidating? He made sure he smiled today.
" Should we go up? "
Y/N nodded while sipping her hot chocolate.
' She's the cutest ', Jeno thinks.
Jeno held the door when they stepped into the elevator.
Jeno was just about to strike a conversation to fill in the emptiness when suddenly the elevator stopped moving.
Jeno grabbed the railings with one hand and held Y/N arm with the other as Jeno noticed that Y/N was wearing heels.
Once everything came to a final halt, Jeno let go of Y/N's arm, not wanting to cross any lines.
Y/N let out a loud sigh.
" I can't believe we're so unlucky. Just when I thought today was going to be okay. "
She teared out a few pages of her newspaper and sat down, tearing more afterwards and patted it, signalling for Jeno to sit down.
When Jeno took a seat, Y/N opened the brown bag, the sweet aroma of the donut covering the stale smell of disinfectant.
She tore half the donut and passed it to Jeno.
Jeno happily took it and quickly put the donut in his mouth to cover up his large smile.
Jeno looked sideways to see Y/N munching away happily like a tiny hamster, her round rosy cheeks stealing all his attention.
" Can I ask? Why are we sitting on newspapers? "
" So that we won't be exposing ourselves to any sort of viruses, and that includes our clothing. "
" You sound like Renjun. "
" No I don't! It's my job as a staff to make sure that idols of the company I'm working in aren't in any sort of harm. "
" Is that the front you're using as being caring? "
" Who says I'm caring for you? "
Y/N stood up to check up on the situation through the telecom to avoid letting Jeno see the blush dusting her cheeks.
" Hi, we're just wondering if someone is going to get us out here soon? "
" Our apologies Ms Y/N and Mr Jeno, the staff of this elevator's company is currently busy with another case and it might take a while for them to finish it up. If they take too long we'll call the fire fighters. "
Y/N slumps back on her make shift cushion with a pout on her face.
" Hey, don't be upset. Let's play dance charades, I'll start first. "
Although, Jeno purposely chose the songs that Y/N knows to let her win, Jeno can't help but mirror Y/N's smile whenever she gets the right song.
Soon enough it was Y/N's turn to dance and Jeno's turn to coo at her dancing.
After a few turns, the both of them for tired and opted to listening to music.
Y/N's head was laid against Jeno's shoulder, slowly being lulled into slumber by the soft music from Jeno's phone and the warmth radiating off him.
Their peaceful moment was however, interrupted by loud banging from the elevator doors.
" Stay away from the doors, we're going to open them! "
The doors were being forced open and the fire fighters told them to climb up as they were stuck between two floors.
Jeno sensing Y/N's discomfort in the situation climbed up first.
After Jeno got up, he beckoned Y/N to lift both her hands, and he lifted her up.
Y/N crashed on top of Jeno, their bodies against each others.
Jeno could feel Y/N's rapid heartbeat beating against his chest.
He could see the blush on her cheeks, the way her arms are wrapped around his shoulders.
Jeno didn't know why was he feeling such heavy emotions, all he knew that he wanted to keep feeling them.
As Y/N regained her senses, she pushed herself up, waking away without another word.
Jeno caught up to her and they walked into the studio that they were assigned to.
But because of the long wait on the elevator, the only photographer available in the company left, citing that she was a senior staff and that she doesn't revolve around things.
The only other empty slot that Grazia could give was taken up by Jeno's other activities.
So Y/N had to take up the job, browsing through Jeno's old shoots for reference.
The shoot went by smoothly, and Y/N it's even getting paid per photo.
" Why do you look at the camera differently at other shoots? "
" Because I was looking at you, not the lens. "
Jeno swear he loved it when your jaw dropped at his flirty remark.
When Y/N was driving home all she could think of was that Jeno was definitely flirting with her and that she does not want to be a home wrecker in his and Jaemin's relationship.
#nct fluff#nct smut#nct drabbles#nct 127#nct angst#nct imagines#nct dream#nct scenarios#nct soft imagines#nct u#nct dream chenle#nct dream mark#nct dream jisung
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Kill That Man
Chapter 63 The Ambush of Wang Yijie
After painting the charm paper she bought, Yu Qing Yao came out and bought more charm paper, then closed the door to paint more charms.
After five days had passed, she has saved more than 600 second-level charms.
As soon as Yu Qing Yao came out, she went straight to the Royal Treasure Pavilion in the city.
She bought a white dress with a lotus pattern and a turquoise dress with an orchid pattern. She can’t wear one all year around, right?
The two magic skirts were both woven from spirit silkworms, and cost a total of seventy second-grade charms, or seven thousand dao dollars.
In fact, Yu Qing Yao herself knows how to refine weaponry, but she just doesn’t have the materials, nor the drawings, nor has she tried it herself.
Then, she bought a superb magic weapon, Purple Cloud Ruyi. This Ruyi is made of purple millennium lightning wood, and it is extremely helpful for casting lightning spells. Three Heavenly Lightning spells are stored at each end of the Purple Cloud Ruyi. The power is comparable to the spells of the Jindan realm.
This magic weapon was much more expensive, and it took Yu Qing Yao three hundred second grade charms to buy it.
She bought the book "The Royal Demon Ban" with 100 second level charms, and 120 second level charms for the "Five Elements of Thunder" book.
The Royal Demon Ban features a spell that can ban a Nascent Soul Demon King, but of course, first you have to capture the Demon King and beat him half to death before you can have a chance to cast this spell.
After learning it, Yu Qing Yao can only ban Foundation realm demons.
The "Five Elements of Thunder", is about the method of practicing the five elements of thunder. This type of thunder method is very powerful, ten times more powerful than ordinary thunder, and the difficulty of practicing is dozens of times greater. The first is that it is difficult to find the materials for practicing it. You have to find treasures with lightning properties in the five elements, and refine them into the five internal organs.
Five elemental treasures are easy to find, but it's one in a million if they have the thunder attribute. To gather the five elemental treasures, it may not be possible to succeed even if you search for hundreds of years.
During the practice, the slightest mistake can cause the internal organs to collapse and die.
Lightning spells are inherently powerful, and difficult to control, introducing them into the fragile five organs is a very dangerous thing to do.
98 of the 100 who practice are going to die, leaving one crippled, and the last one’s fate is in the hands of God. If it wasn't so difficult to cultivate, the Royal Treasure Pavilion wouldn't have taken it out, and sold it so cheaply. This is a treasure that can be cultivated all the way to the Nascent Soul realm.
In this world, the Nascent Soul stage is already the ultimate master.
However, Yu Qing Yao has a system, so once shes learned it, just add points. Finding treasures are unnecessary.
The heart law she majored in became the Five Lightning Heart Sutra.
Yu Qing Yao only has 10 charms left, so she has no choice but to use 5 charms to buy another large stack of charm paper to go back, ready to close the door for another three days to paint more charms.
Three days later, Yu Qing Yao had once again saved up 300 charms, she pushed open the door and came out, surprised to see Zhou Xinyang and Shu Chang Yue arrive.
On the sixth day after the ranking battle ended, Shu Chang Yue brought his senior brother and teamed up with people from Golden Top Sect, to ambush Feiyun Sect’s team in a mountain.
Rushed up, killed 20 or so people, discovered that the person they wanted to kill was not there.
Shu Chang Yue and Zhou Xinyang were dying of depression.
Halfway through the ambush, kill Wang Yijie. Everything can be pushed to Golden Top.
But now, Wang Yijie has fled back to Feiyun Sect, which is not easy to handle.
Its not necessarily possible for these people to kill up Yuntai Mountain alone. Even if you gathered all the Daoists of Golden Top Sect, it would still be a bitter battle. On Mount Yuntai, Feiyun Sect has operated for hundreds of years, and there are countless magic formations on it.
And to assassinate Wang Yijie, I don’t know how long they would have wait in Baishan City before the opportunity came. They can't wait that long.
Although the people of Golden Top regret that Wang Yijie is not in, they still cheerfully chased down the people of Feiyun Sect.
Feiyun suffered heavy losses this time, and only two elders escaped.
Lord Wang spent seven days traveling day and night to get back to Mount Yuntai.
The first thing he did was find his eldest disciple, Qi Kaitai, and ask, "Where is Qing Yao?"
Qi Kaitai smiles, "Master, Junior Sister Yu is out traveling."
Lord Wang is anxious and harshly shouts, "Why did you let her out? When did she leave and who did she go with?"
Bewildered, Qi Kaitai replies, "Half a month ago, my Junior sister succeeded in building her Foundation and said she wanted to go out for a walk, so she went down the mountain by herself."
Sect Master Wang asks in amazement: "She has succeeded in building her Foundation?"
Qi Kaitai said cheerfully: "Yes! Junior Sister is so gifted that she succeeded in building a Foundation in half a month. I had personally protected her, and held a celebratory feast for her afterwards."
After a speechless moment, Lord Wang said, "Did she say where she was going?"
Qi Kaitai said: "Junior Sister said that she would just walk around Baishan. I don't know where she went."
"Has anyone come from Yunhai Sect?"
"No! What are they doing here?"
Lord Wang didn't bother to talk to his eldest apprentice, he burned incense and sent a letter to Yu Qing Yao to ask about it, but there was no response after the incense was burned.
He understands that Yu Qing Yao is not in Baishan and is thousands of miles away.
His heart sank, Qing Yao wouldn't have discovered something and secretly ran away when I wasn't around, would she?
Now Lord Wang is angry, he says "I asked you to watch her, why did you let her run away?"
Qi Kaitai is surprised and says, "Junior Sister has successfully built her Foundation and wants to go out for a walk, how can you say she ran away?"
Without answering, Lord Wang asked with a gloomy face, "Did she say when she would be back?"
Qi Kaitai replies, "Junior Sister promised to hurry back in a year."
Lord Wang turns away depressed, he can only hope that Yu Qing Yao is really out to play, and would remember to make it back for the New Year.
Qi Kaitai sensed that something was wrong with Master’s attitude towards Junior sister.
He can’t help but wonder why.
After a few days, the team that had gone to Hua Mountain did not return. Lord Wang became anxious again, burning incense and sending letters, he received a reply from two elders.
They replied that the team that went to Hua Mountain was ambushed by Golden Top Sect, and was wiped out, they were seriously wounded and hid out to recover.
When Lord Wang knew about it, he was so grief-stricken, and angry that he almost vomited blood.
This group of people died, three years later, what about the challenge?
“Old man Chen, you and I are enemies till death!” Wang Yijie looks at the sky, roaring.
When the news came out, there was mourning on Yuntai Mountain.
Lord Wang didn't expect Lord Chen to do what he wanted to do. He also wanted to kill all the Golden Top people who competed in the challenge, but he didn't get in touch with his ally.
Three of the most capable elders are dead, and nearly 30 of the most elite disciples are dead, this is a huge loss to Feiyun Sect.
The death of the Taishang elder hit Feiyun Sect the hardest.
Without this group, there's no certainty of winning the challenge in three years, and two, there's no longer any advantage against Golden Top Sect.
Lord Wang regretted that he had left alone first. He always felt that if he had been there, he would have been able to spot the ambush beforehand, and they would not have been so badly killed or wounded.
He did not know that the main purpose of the ambush was him.
This kind of hatred can only be quelled by war.
Lord Wang instructed the army of Baishan City to wage war against Wuzhou again.
At that moment, Golden Top’s team returned, and Lord Chen unceremoniously organized a counterattack.
The two sides are fighting again.
Yu Qing Yao didn't know there was a war on that side again, she was playing with Zhou Xinyang in Han City.
Everyday go on a scenic tour, eat, drink and be merry, playing till her heart’s content.
Terms:
Purple Cloud Ruyi- A scepter or a wand. Like this...
太上 - Taishang- Title of respect for Daoist; A great elder; A powerful elder usually in atleast Jindan realm.
Cultivation ranks:
Nourishing Qi
Foundation
Jindan
Nascent Soul (I referred to it as Yuan Ying earlier, its also known as Meta-baby, but I’m gonna go with Nascent Soul)
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Send me a scene that happened in canon and I’ll write in detail how my muse felt in it- hope telling alicia who she was in early s2?? (If you want) // @carnagebled
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Starving to the breaking point and hair that hasn’t been properly brushed in MONTHS but that wasn’t the biggest issue in the damn world. Fighting monsters with Ric again brought a sense of knowledge about who she was, the girl that will risk herself until she ends up six feet underground. Hope has a single burger in a bag thanks to Ric, a good job here have a single thing of food even though you must be starving. She could go and scarf it down in ten seconds flat, be done and not even filled but she doesn’t. Her stomach stopped HURTING for something a while ago. Everything is doesn’t have a timeline anymore and she can’t tell you the date even though she saw it on Ric’s phone. Time passed differently in Malivore and she fully expected two years to have gone by but only months.
Her father’s hybrid, the female copycat of Caroline Forbes was always a comfort in a way that wasn’t like Freya or Rebekah but all the same an amazing source of family. The long walk to the blonde’s place is filled with swaying movements, fingers shaking and a coldness in her hands that is almost human. What if she doesn’t believe ya? What if no one finds you worth the fight? Questions swirl around in the tribrid’s brain and it would make a human fucking dizzy. Emma used to swear that there was more wrong with the tribrid then PTSD but she’s not able to diagnosis and Hope didn’t actually want that answer because what can one do? Give the pills that she can’t really take, coping skills that she won’t use? Yeah, it sounds like a perfect thing to do. Nothing is more clear though as something is wrong when Hope would rather fight sleep and work around a few hours of sleep instead of watching behind her lids the scenes of horror in her life. It’s your fault. Everything bad happens because of you.
What should be bruised, bloody, shredded knuckles hit against the wooden door of the home that Alicia had is when the panic really settles in. The burger bag dropping from her hands the moment that the door swings open to reveal a comfortable blonde who looks shocked, like she has a clue what the fuck is going on but can’t be sure. When Hope said to get rid of everything of hers. I don’t want anyone to miss me. To feel the pain of loss. She had forgotten one small tiny detail, photos of her in phones across the country, of the room in New Orleans that was filled with her purple things or Mr. Binx, her soft worn bunny that right about now she wishes that she could hold.
❝I’m.....Hope...Hope.....❞ Her Mikaelson crest has never left her neck since she got out of a muddy pit of what felt like a weight, pull her under for all she cares. ❝I’m Klaus Mikaelson’s daughter.....the someday soon Alpha of the Crescent wolves...I’m....Hope...❞ Deep breaths, she’s never used the title she has yet to take on but given that her mama died so that she could live running from the title of Alpha just seemed wrong. But she did run from it, tried to die to get out of the pain that was in her heart. Survivors remorse, guilt, or whatever. Is that what drove her to jump into what could have been her death? The blonde isn’t scared, or maybe she is and Hope is just so used to strong emotions and worn down that she doesn’t notice because Alicia yanks her into a hug.
Everything is a blur, how she ends up on the couch staring into a fire and begging herself not to sob like a child. Fresh clothes and a cleaned body and hair that had been freshly braided by a blonde since Hope herself wouldn’t move her hand up to get the knots out herself. Ric’s food was thrown away, it was cold anyway. A mug of warm blood sitting on the coffee table begging for Hope to reach out and take it. Everyone says that turning off your emotions is the worst thing for you. Your humanity holds you to the world. Hope remembers wishing that she could have turned them off in Malivore, to stop feeling so scared and alone. Jump at every little thing and to just not give a fuck.
Ryan Clarke, he was an ass but also damaged by his daddy’s neglectfulness and the fact that there was no love going on there. Landon was the child that Malivore wanted but only for one grand purpose, reproduction, and to be the breeder of a species. It’s cruel and disgusting and the way Landon’s voice had showcased that when he was talking about it in fast-paced words on the second level, minutes before she made the decision to save him from something that he didn’t want, she didn’t want for him either.
How dare a father be like that, to want to use his son in any way. Ryan had been scared of his own father, hurt, and full of anger. He was burned by a tribrid that just wanted to leave hell. No, Hope wouldn’t mind death right now but she knows the way to do it is to do Malivore’s way out. Die once and die again by jumping all over again. Why haven’t you done it yet dumb ass? Landon and I were in love. He’s with Josie now, moved on, and doesn’t remember you. Reaching out, Hope finally grabs onto the mug on the table and brings it to settle into hands, ❝Thank you.❞ For everything. Alicia won’t remember all the good that she has done for Hope but Hope remembers it all. A gulp of warmth fills her and it’s a jolt of energy and as eyes flash golden is when she looks away from the blonde. It’s not like Alicia hasn’t seen golden eyes in the mirror, no just the whole thing is personal and a form of insecurities after Roman, who wanted to kill her and any hybrid or tribrid. Anything that wasn't “pure” was nothing to him. ❝For the blood...and for you know inviting me in your place.❞
Funny how her brain can almost imagine the camera roll in the blonde’s phone with images of Hope. How Hope had hidden a phone under her pillow and would use social media sites / apps that connect to the internet to talk to her family. How Landon had been a feature in her private social media accounts ( as private as social media can be ) and tiny Hope Marshall had gladly sent her family a few photos of them together because for once she was truly happy. Happiness dies and maybe it was wrong to place all her happiness into a person and expect there to be a thing like soulmates, for there to be a higher power that would hold him back from moving on even though she had wanted him to be happy without her. A sucker punch to the gut though that he seems happier with a Saltzman twin over her. But she only saw like two snapshots of Landon with Josie, she doesn’t know everything and her mind is more than happy to fill in the blanks to torment her.
❝I’m Hope Mikaelson...the daughter of Hayley Marshall and Klaus Mikaelson. The only one of my kind.❞ A unicorn. A stupid giggle had come from her mouth when Landon would call her that. ❝I’m a witch, werewolf, vampire. The only parts of me that are in full are the witch and werewolf.❞ I’m to fucking weak to do the last step. Once upon a time, Hope had wanted kids and now she isn’t even sure it’s fair to bring a child into this fucked up world she has. Make a child suffer and if she had ever been with Landon during that time in her life, in the future it would be cruel because the child would be four things and not just three. It doesn’t matter, Hope guesses. Children and life after twenty just doesn't seem to be in the cards for her. ❝I’m eighteen.❞ Her birthday passed, yet another thing this world took from her. Snaps and pops of the fire cut through the long stretches of silence that Hope gives off because each sentence she speaks HURTS her to the foundation of who she is.
#・ ˖ ✦ ⋄ . ❝Writing: Answered❞ 【NATURESLOOPHOLED】#・ ˖ ✦ ⋄ . ❝Verse: Undecided❞ 【NATURESLOOPHOLED】#carnagebled#ptsd tw#nightmares tw#food tw#starvation tw#abuse tw#depression tw#children tw#past trauma tw#blood tw#bruises tw#blood drinking tw#vampire tw#suicide tw#suicidal tw#suicidal idealization tw#suicidal ideation tw#suicidal intent tw
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Packaging CAD work 2
As suggested by the group, I decided to start creating a second packaging example for Self Made. This aims to be of a higher quality as consumers have to pay more for this special feature so, I need to ensure the mock up is different and has the same imagery as the group described. As this was originally another members job, I asked her what she imaged for the gift box. She asked for matching tissue paper, stickers with our logo in the middle. This mock up matched perfectly to what I envisioned for the gift box package. Below is the process of me creating this for Self Made.
I began with some of the smaller elements so I could begin to correlate some ideas as I went along with this process. I think it would've been better if I started with creating the foundations of the box such as the colour, front of box etc; because I then wouldn't have made as many different versions of the box below. Nevertheless this validated the final outcome and ensuring it was the best version of box which communicated our message to the consumer.
The group had mentioned maybe having one of my symbols as the sticker which held the garments in the tissue paper. I thought this was a good idea so I tried experimenting with this. Although it seemed that when I added these different colours onto the template it still left the sticker circle rather than changing it to my desired shape. I didn't expect this however I did quite like the result. I think I should've got rid of the logo on the sticker in order for this to look better. Originally I didn't like this however, I do enjoy this sticker now despite not using it. At the time I thought it was best too keep a small selection of colours presented on the box. There wasn't any purple which may be why I thought it didn't suit the box. It was important that I kept an ongoing theme with the two packaging options despite one being higher priced as they both need to correlate to each other and our brands identity. That being feminine and empowering to our audience.
As I began to move away from the smaller features, I started to come up with some ideas for the main priory of the box; the front facing side. This is was a customer sees first and especially begins to produce prejudgements and opinions of our brand.
At the beginning of this module, when we were introduced to Adobe Illustrator, we had some guidance when creating some branding content. There were grids which we were able to used the Fill paint tool to create some ideas. I had created some patterns from this grid work and wanted to use them for our brand. This is the pink and red combination above, I liked how the design is checkered but still presents a soft aspect to it with the curves. I thought this suited our business well when thinking about this message. I wanted this pattern to fill the box and when add the logo in the middle. This is fairly similar to the tag design which I had mocked up at the start of this project. However when saving these results on Photoshop, it didn't look as I had wished. I am unsure why but I think this would be best on a smaller item and not as blown out of proportion. I also believe the logo clashes with the pattern behind and maybe I should've used out secondary font instead. These reasons validify my previous opinion about having similar packaging ideas as this didn't match our current ideas for Self Made. That being said, I started again with this mock up and began to create something new that could convey our brand better than this work.
Surprisingly, I used the trusty cherry symbols for this second design. I thought it was best as this can be the catalyst for the relation of the two packaging designs. This imagery is used throughout the brand and I thought it would be best to add this feature into this aspect aswell. This time however, I pasted multiple versions of the strip of cherries and merged them into one layer that fitted the size of the box. Again, I kept the white border around the fruit as it looks more realistic this way. I believe adding this sense of child-like imagery and playfulness to the brand helps the younger audience feel comforted and safe when engaging with Self Made. As they start to mature and enter more adult like experiences, having this personality to a clothing brand could remind them of their childhood and wearing our items could be a psychologic aspect of not wanting to let go of being a child. Although I don't want this sort of idea from our brand because we want women to grow, I think having this sort of motherhood demeanor to younger women can help guide them safely into womanhood without as many worries.
This time, I decided to try adding the simple logo design rather than the whole text identity. You can see above the different colours I experimented with. Originally, the red outline of our logos are used solely for packaging however as this box is a different colour to the previous, the white looks much better against it despite using this variant for different reasons. I realised adding the heart logo on the front of the box aswell as the sticker looked repetitive and I wasn't able to really see the brands identity. Adding the named logo is much better for a customer to see our brand and what they are expecting from us. I loved how this design turned out after I added the cherries onto the side of the box. As this was the main feature of the box it was important I designed this well, as the rest is designed around this result.
Our group wanted customers to be able to reuse this box as they are paying more. The box is made from hardback cardboard which is normally associated with books. It was important that this design was pleasing to the eye if a customer was to reuse this. Not only this but as its sturdier, it is most likely harder to recycle as the design would be printed onto the waxed box. I want to make sure we inform our consumers that this feature of packaging isn't ideal for single use and maybe suggest ways a buyer could use the box again.
The Marketing team (2017) by http://dcp-uk.co.uk/ claims that: “90% of product packaging is reused – which means that your brand reach extends far beyond the initial purchase.”
This is should defiantly be our intentions with this packaging design as this will heighten our views on sustainability, proving we care about our brands impact on the planet. If we grew as a brand, more of these will most likely be produced meaning more carbon footprint. Educating our customers before hand can help them be aware of their impact to the planet when they by this special box and how it could actually result in less package waste if they buy and reuse the box.
An article by Nick Mills (2020) at www.digitaldoughnut.com reports that: “Packaging is supposed to protect your product. If you put your product into cheap packaging then consumers will assume that you do not think your product is worth protecting and if you don’t value your own product then why should they? By contrast, if you put your product in high-quality packaging, then you’re sending out a signal that your product is worth the expense of protecting and this is a positive message to send to customers.”
This only encourages us to advertise this special feature even more so as it will aid our brand in looking better and receive better recognition in relation to our core values. To conclude, this is my favourite design from the two I have created as I think it looks like better quality and has the best intentions for the both the planet and our customers. I will also put these designs in our presentation so the panel can understand our vision for Self Made as best as they can with the help of this imagery.
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Item #: SCP-096
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-096 is to be contained in its cell, a 5 m x 5 m x 5 m airtight steel cube, at all times. Weekly checks for any cracks or holes are mandatory. There are to be absolutely no video surveillance or optical tools of any kind inside SCP-096's cell. Security personnel will use pre-installed pressure sensors and laser detectors to ensure SCP-096's presence inside the cell.
Any and all photos, video, or recordings of SCP-096's likeness are strictly forbidden without approval from Dr. ███ and O5-█.
Description: SCP-096 is a humanoid creature measuring approximately 2.38 meters in height. Subject shows very little muscle mass, with preliminary analysis of body mass suggesting mild malnutrition. Arms are grossly out of proportion with the rest of the subject's body, with an approximate length of 1.5 meters each. Skin is mostly devoid of pigmentation, with no sign of any body hair.
SCP-096's jaw can open to four (4) times the norm of an average human. Other facial features remain similar to an average human, with the exception of the eyes, which are also devoid of pigmentation. It is not yet known whether SCP-096 is blind or not. It shows no signs of any higher brain functions, and is not considered to be sapient.
SCP-096 is normally extremely docile, with pressure sensors inside its cell indicating it spends most of the day pacing by the eastern wall. However, when someone views SCP-096's face, whether it be directly, via video recording, or even a photograph, it will enter a stage of considerable emotional distress. SCP-096 will cover its face with its hands and begin screaming, crying, and babbling incoherently. Approximately one (1) to two (2) minutes after the first viewing, SCP-096 will begin running to the person who viewed its face (who will from this point on be referred to as SCP-096-1).
Documented speeds have varied from thirty-five (35) km/h to ███ km/h, and seems to depend on distance from SCP-096-1. At this point, no known material or method can impede SCP-096's progress. The actual position of SCP-096-1 does not seem to affect SCP-096's response; it seems to have an innate sense of SCP-096-1's location. Note: This reaction does not occur when viewing artistic depictions (see Document 096-1).
Upon arriving at SCP-096-1's location, SCP-096 will proceed to kill and [DATA EXPUNGED] SCP-096-1. 100% of cases have left no traces of SCP-096-1. SCP-096 will then sit down for several minutes before regaining its composure and becoming docile once again. It will then attempt to make its way back to its natural habitat, [DATA REDACTED]
Due to the possibility of a mass chain reaction, including breach of Foundation secrecy and large civilian loss of life, retrieval of subject should be considered Alpha priority.
Dr. ███ has also petitioned for immediate termination of SCP-096 (see Interview 096-1). Order is awaiting approval. Termination order has been approved, and is to be carried out by Dr. ███ on [DATA REDACTED]. See Incident-096-1-A.
Audio log from Interview 096-1:
Interviewer: Dr. ███
Interviewed: Captain (Ret.) █████████, former commander of retrieval team Zulu 9-A
Retrieval Incident #096-1-A
<Begin Log>
[████████ ████████ Time, Research Area ██]
Capt. █████████: It always sucks ass to get Initial Retrieval duty. You have no idea what the damn thing is capable of besides what jacked up information the field techies can scrape up, and you're lucky if they even tell you the whole story. They told us to "bag and tag." Didn't tell us jackshit about not looking at the damn thing.
Dr. ███: Could you describe the mission, please?
Capt. █████████: Yeah, sorry. We had two choppers, one with my team and one on backup with Zulu 9-B and Dr. ██████. We spotted the target about two clicks north of our patrol path. I'm guessing he wasn't facing our direction, else he would have taken us out then and there.
Dr. ███: Your report says SCP-096 didn't react to the cold? It was -██o C.
Capt. █████████: Actually, it was -██. And yes, it was butt naked and didn't so much as shiver. Anyway, we landed, approached the target, and Corporal ██ got ready to bag it. That's when Dr. ██████ called. I turned to answer it, and that's what saved me. The target must have turned and my whole squad saw it.
Dr. ███: That's when SCP-096 entered an agitated emotional state?
Capt. █████████: Yep. [Interviewed now pauses for a second before continuing] Sorry. Got the willies for a second.
Dr. ███: That's all right.
Capt. █████████: Yeah. Well, I never saw its face. My squad did, and they paid for it up the ass.
Dr. ███: Could you describe it a little more, please?
Capt. █████████: [Pauses] Yeah, yeah. It started screaming at us, and crying. Not animal roaring though, sounded exactly like a person. Really fucking creepy. [Pauses again] We started firing when it picked up Corporal ██ and ripped off his leg. God, he was screaming for our help… fuckin 'A… anyway, we were blowing chunks out of the target, round after round. Didn't do jackshit. I almost lost it when it started [DATA EXPUNGED] him.
Dr. ███: That's when you ordered the use of an [Papers are heard moving] AT-4 HEDT launcher?
Capt. █████████: An anti-tank gun. Started carrying it ever since SCP-███ got loose. I've seen those tear through tanks like tissue paper. Did the same thing to the target.
Dr. ███: There was significant damage to SCP-096?
Capt. █████████: It didn't even fucking flinch. It kept tearing apart my squad, but with half of its torso gone. [He draws a large half-circle across his torso]
Dr. ███: But it was taking damage?
Capt. █████████: If it was, it wasn't showing it. It must have lost all its organs, all its blood, but it didn't acknowledge any of it. Its bone structure wasn't hurt at all, though. It kept tearing my squad apart.
Dr. ███: So no actual structural damage. How many rounds would you say were fired at SCP-096?
Capt. █████████: At the least? A thousand. Our door gunner kept his GAU-19 on it for at least twenty seconds. Twenty fucking seconds. That's six hundred .50 caliber rounds pumped into the thing. Might as well been spitting at it.
Dr. ███: This is when Zulu 9-B arrived?
Capt. █████████: Yeah, and my squad was gone. Zulu 9-B managed to get the bag over its head, and it just sat down. We got it into the chopper and got it here. I don't know how I never saw its face. Maybe God or Buddha or whoever thought I should live. The jackass.
Dr. ███: We have obtained an artist's depiction of SCP-096's face. Would you like to view it?
Capt. █████████: [Pauses] You know, after hearing that thing's screams, and the screams of my men, I don't think I want to put a face to what I heard. No. Just… no.
Dr. ███: All right, I believe we are done here. Thank you, Captain.
[Chairs are heard moving, and footsteps leave the room. Captain (Ret.) █████████ is confirmed to have left Interview Room 22.]
Dr. ███: Let this be on record that I am formally requesting SCP-096 be terminated as soon as possible.
<End log>
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The Artist In Me - Track 6: Gifted Alien
Here in the album lies a palpable tone change. We're 5 tracks in, and I wanted the first five tracks of TAIM to be sort of a mirror to the 5 tracks that make up Identity, as they are transcendent projects: TAIM explores the ideas that Identity lays the foundation for. This was a happy coincidence, but those five tracks almost mirror Identity in length, too! Just 2 or 3 minutes difference, Identity being longer. They ALSO mirror each other in the sense that they are kind of an exposition of me, my beliefs, my core and my values. 1) Inspiration is your friend. Love it. 2) "I can hang out with my friends, the next day, I'll be fine with reading books at my house!" Ha ha ha! 3) I'm multi-talented, and I do what I want. "And you can, too!" 4) I have big dreams, and I want to achieve them all. And 5) Imma stay original, Imma stay authentic, I tell my story, and you can come along for the ride! (I kinda set you up for what comes next in that last one ha ha ha!)
I also put a tone change here to signal a switch in the narrative at this point in the album. I go from telling you about myself and things about me, to telling you stories about my life as a preteen after I got all those values and what I experienced that defined that era of my life... while also telling you one more thing about me. I'm on the Autism spectrum.
In this, the very heart of the album, I tell you about my developmental make-up. I tell you that I am autistic. High-functioning autism is what they call mine now. If you personally know me, or have seen any of my content online, this may surprise you because you're probably thinking, "Evan never seemed autistic to me." I'll get to that in a second. Anyways, I got diagnosed when I was in 4th grade, but my mom didn't tell me until I was 11 (it was called Asperger's Syndrome at the time, but the people who diagnose it have put all of the different types of autism under the umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder, or autism for short since then, so I'll call it that since it's not 2009 anymore. Technicalities). Michael Jackson had died that same year she told me and that really affected me deeply. It had never happened to someone I cared that much about. Amidst that loss, I was... "gifted" with this new information as well.
My perception of autism has changed over the years, and I see it differently than I did then. But at the time, I was really confused about what that means to and for me. I didn't know how to make sense of it, how to perceive it. I was led to believe that I was like everyone else mentally, and then my mom tells me that I'm not, but in fact, markedly atypical from other kids, other people. I could write a book on autism and how to notice it in minorities, but the most prevalent "symptoms" (I hate that word) you can find in me are that I struggle to make and especially maintain eye contact. It's scary and really just... overstimulating to observe all the features of the human face. Even the moon is terrifying to look at sometimes because it looks like a giant abstraction of a human face floating in the sky! Doesn't that sound scary?! I also was born without a "social chip" in my brain if you will. "How is he able to be so nice and mannerable and perceptive without a social chip?" You can't really tell on the surface because I learned how to socialize early on, but I had to learn it like I learned math and science and reading. I'm an incredibly fast learner, so I've gotten really good at it, but socializing will never be second nature to me. Always a weird art that every other human likes to do, and I learned how to do it because I want to connect with said humans. For nearly 40% of my life, I was overtly enthralled by the Titanic. Everything about her (you can tell my enthusiasm as I address the ship as a she. This ship is my everything). The circumstances behind her sinking, the arithmetic of the dead and the survivors, the morals of the passengers, how the disaster affected human history, random facts, and most of all, her technical specifications and visual appearance. And the (in)accuracy of the many movies made about her. She's the reason I'm a designer. How's that for defining a kid's life?! For most of my childhood, I spoke mostly about Titanic and it annoyed a lot of people to hear me talk back then. The thing is, I didn't pick up on the fact that they felt that way. That's Autism. Right there. Many people "on the autism spectrum" as were categorized, are also very smart and typically skilled and blessed with some sort of talent, or multiple talents in my case. I know I'm not the only one like that, either. Michelangelo and Sir Isaac Newton were autistic as well.
So after mom told me about that, I had connected all the dots between my behaviors. So the big question became, "What am I?!"
In postmodern society, kids and honestly everybody are led to perceive diagnosable developmental differences or so-called "disabilities" as just that - disabilities. So I slowly began to believe that something was wrong with me. It became weird to have great gifts, to have a vast collection of knowledge in your head about this one thing that you're interested in. To have trouble socializing and blending in, all because God made your mind to function differently than everyone else. I wasn't mad at God, I just confused about the whole situation... and that's what this song is about. Whew!
The musical ideas explored in Gifted Alien stem mostly from hip hop of the early to mid 1990s. Boom-bap and G-funk stuff mostly. A lot of 2Pac and Biggie influences, also some gospel sauce in that mix, too. Donnie McKlurkin, Kirk Franklin/God's Property, all that. Cool stuff.
I think that Gifted Alien is the most important song on this album because of its message and the fact that it sheds light on something that isn't really discussed to the point of people having a significant understanding of it. Autism. Also minority autism. Black autism. You don't see very many musical artists talking about this stuff in pop songs or songs made for the mainstream. So if you want to share only one song from this here album, let it be this one if you like it. I want so desperately for other autistic people, regardless of age or ethnicity, diagnosed or undiagnosed, that they are not alone. I hear them, and I'm speaking for our shared community.
Hi. I'm Evan, and I am a gifted alien. And I love you personally. ❤
You can listen to Gifted Alien here if you want. This link will take you to wherever you listen to music. YouTube included. ❤
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