#decided to usurp him* and took active steps to make that happen
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Didn't edward iv leave his brother Richard in lots of financial difficulties though?
No, he did not. I really don't know where this myth has originated from other than the persistent need to victimize Richard.
Firstly, Edward IV didn't leave Richard anything. Whatever he left was for his own son and heir, Richard's nephew, who Richard usurped.
Secondly, Edward IV was the first king since Henry II in 1189 to die solvent. He had managed to break the vicious cycle of plummeting debt and inefficiency that had plagued pretty much every single ruler till then. It doesn't really matter how much money the crown actually had left at the time of his death*, because the fact that he died solvent meant that whoever his successor was (in this case, Richard III), they were going to begin their reign with a financial advantage that no English monarch had enjoyed for the past 200 years. I don't know Richard's fans have convinced themselves that he inherited financial difficulties instead.
As stated by David Horspool, Richard's own historian:
"(Richard III) would try to differentiate himself from his brother, whose ‘unlawful invencions and inordinate covetise, ayenst the lawe of this roialme’ he would later denounce in an Act of Parliament. In fact Edward had managed to set royal finances back on an even keel after the disastrous waste and inefficiency of Henry VI (and all former kings post Henry II), Richard was, initially, the beneficiary of the better practise instituted by Edward IV.”
(The contemporary Croyland Chronicle mentions a main reason that Richard was better prepared to defend his kingship was "because of the treasure which he had in hand—since what King Edward had left behind had not yet all been consumed". They may have exaggerated the money Edward left behind, but either way it shows how contemporaries were aware of Richard's comparative advantages. It's highly ironic that what should have been used to uphold Edward's son was now being used to uphold his son's usurper instead).
Thirdly, Edward IV had presided over a highly effective and innovative combination of financial policies. These included the elevation/increase of royal chamber finance, the enlargement of the crown lands (Steven Gunn calls it "the most extensive royal demesne in medieval English History"), and an increase in royal feudal rights towards the end of his reign, among others**. Most importantly of all, he was actually successful, meaning that whoever followed him would have the huge benefit of having his established and well-attested precedent to continue from. Indeed, Charles Ross has noted how "Henry VII had the great advantage of being able to build upon the foundations laid by his father-in-law". Richard III, who seized the throne just a few months later, would have had the same advantages, as Horspool also notes.
Richard III, in fact, seems to have (temporarily) reversed some of his brother's well-established policies which could be used to gain money. Eg: he abolished benevolences; and he repealed Edward IV's newly established wardships and marriages act in the Duchy of Lancaster "notwithstanding that he conceiveth the said act to be to his great profit … having more affection to the common weal of this his realm and of his subjects than to his own singular profit". If you deliberately reverse policies with immense potential for revenue-raising, I don't know how you can then go on to complain that your brother left you nothing.
In conclusion: no, Edward IV did not leave Richard in financial difficulties. If anything, he left Richard with financial advantages that no king had had in over 200 years.
(Also, just to clarify: the Woodvilles did not steal the treasury. We know for a fact that Elizabeth Woodville did not have any money in sanctuary. The story of a theft was only mentioned by Mancini and either originated in gossip or, more likely, from Ricardian propaganda aiming to vilify them in 1483 by positioning them against the crown.)
*We know for a fact that Edward IV died solvent, but from what I understand, the exact money he had is impossible to know because of his missing chamber records. Contemporaries like Croyland did believe he had substantial money and treasure; on the other hand, Rosemary Horrox has analyzed how his cash reserves were probably relatively low due to international conflicts the previous two years. Either way, like I said, the main thing is that he was the first king in over 200 years to die solvent, which was massively advantageous to his successor.
**While his policies were clearly innovative, they weren't all completely original. However, their combination certainly was; they were modified to actually work better; and they were initiated from the beginning of his first/second reign and widespread across the royal lands (rather than in smaller pockets), meaning that they were clear systematic policies. They were also, like I mentioned, actually successful - meaning that they would be the proven precedent that his successors would turn to.
#ask#r*chard iii#edward iv#this is the same logic as people who hail Richard for his 'peaceful' administration and reign#without understanding that he a peaceful country *from Edward IV*#it was already peaceful when he took over - he can't really be given the credit for making it peaceful on his own lol#Or claiming that Edward IV let a rivalry develop between Richard and the Woodvilles which 'forced' Richard to usurp the throne#when there is no evidence of any hostility between them and all indication of cooperation#and *Richard* was the one who provoked fear/hostility by arresting them and forcibly seizing the young king#Or claiming that Edward IV left great naval tensions with France with he died - when he had already begun making efforts to alleviate those#tensions and preserve his truce - something *Richard* chose to ignore to try and instigate France for no reason instead#Or claiming that Edward IV's manipulation of landed estates somehow led to his son's usurpation - conveniently ignoring how they were#successful during his life and would have been successful during his son's as well. Without *Richard* actively inflaming and exploiting#them to gain political support they wouldn't have mattered (Edward was not the first nor the last king to do this)#Or claiming that Edward IV's policies complicated matters for Richard / Richard III was reforming them when in fact we know that#Richard mostly tried to *follow* his brother's policies (with some exceptions that usually backfired)#or when historians (Pollard; Ross) blame Edward IV for failing to pass his crown successfully to his son#Conveniently ignoring how literally everyone expected and wanted Edward V to be crowned soon#And minimizing how the only reason that Edward V was usurped because his own uncle *Richard of Gloucester#decided to usurp him* and took active steps to make that happen#Somehow Richard's agency is always downplayed. Just look at Ross saying: 'Nor should Richard's own forceful character be overlooked'#at the very END of the list of reasons for a potential usurpation#Richard's 'forceful character' is literally the main reason the usurpation happened. If he had supported his nephew instead#none of this would have happened. This is ridiculously simple; HOW is it so difficult to understand?#Horspool says it best: 'Edward IV had not left a factional fault line waiting to be shaken apart. Richard of Gloucester's decision to usurp#was a political earthquake that could not have been forecast on April 9 when Edward IV died'#and#'Without one overriding factor - the actions of Richard Duke of Gloucester after he took the decision to make himself King Richard III -#none of this would have happened'#It's a very consistent pattern I've noticed. Edward IV is somehow held more responsible for Richard's usurpation than Richard himself
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Personal Opinions on FFXIV Villains (in general order of appearance)
As a note, I will not be including any pre-A Realm Reborn villains (as I did not play the original Final Fantasy XIV) nor will I be including any one-off primals, raid bosses, etc. I will be trying to focus on villains as they appear in main or side storylines, in cut scenes, that have some over-arching influence on the story they participate in with something akin to a clear presence - Garleans, Ascians, and so on. Also SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS.
Rhitahtyn sas Arvina
Rhitahtyn gets the shaft out of Gaius’ three main players in A Realm Reborn. A conscript from a Empire-conquered land who rose to power and respect, directly honored by Gaius himself, and possessing an even temper and noble ambition really helped to level out Nero and Livia’s general nonsense. Unfortunately, Rhitahtyn is provided almost no screen-time, development or exploration, and as years have passed, his in-game 8-man trial can now be completed in a regular synced party in mere seconds. He deserved a lot better than what he got, yet remained too sidelined to really leave me feeling invested in wanting to see what sort of story this character could be used to tell.
Livia sas Junius
When first playing through A Realm Reborn my feelings on Livia were...tepid, but optimistic. Of Gaius’ three main players, Livia was easily the most active and ruthless, lacking the shady “long game” and self-serving ambitions of Nero or the more honorable, measured personality of Rhitahtyn. Suffice to say, the dawning (and then confirmed) realization that Livia’s sole motivation seeing the plan of the man she loved through to completion by any means, to the point of tunnel-visioned, murderous intent, was...disappointing. Add to that Livia was raised by Gaius in her backstory, the man being a father figure to her, and the romance motivation becomes even more unhinged (especially since it is largely considered to be a reciprocated romance, at least physically, by Gaius - barf)
Nero tol Scaeva
Nero has become a fan favourite character over the years, thanks to his continued development into Cid’s boyfriend foil rather than outright villain of the main storyline. This development was easy to spot early enough though, as it was clear Nero’s fealty to Gaius was largely self-serving. He didn’t care much about conquering Eorzea or felling primals/eikons - he just wanted to show that he possessed the brilliance to build weapons capable of doing so. His speech/squabble with Cid during the Praetorium sequence paints that picture even more clearly if the players missed the not-so-subtle implications for Nero’s character already. The man lived, breathed and seethed with inferiority when compared to Cid, and in the end he did ultimately prove his engineering mastery, even if the Warrior of Light took it (and him) down. Ultimately though, Nero serves as a much better supporting and “redeemed” character than a villain, so I do have to rank him pretty low.
Gaius van Baelsar
Aside from whatever...weird...thing was going on between him and Livia (again - barf), Gaius in A Realm Reborn was a pretty solid villain, with clear-cut motivations that I actually understood, and begrudgingly agreed with to a small extent. As legatus, Gaius was still the tyrannical arm of the Garlean Empire, but a level-headed one who was more interested with the purging of the primal/eikon threat from Eorzea than subjugating other peoples. Further development of this character into something of an anti-hero and glimpses of how other characters viewed him in flashbacks in later expansions ends up providing his A Realm Reborn rendition with more strength in retrospect. The heads of the three city-states deciding to accept Gaius off to willingly join the Empire is a pretty good sticking point for the validity of his plan as well. Ultima Weapon is...you know, pretty impossible for Ul’dah, Gridania and Limsa Lominsa to face down if they refuse, but more enticing is its ability to, indeed, single-handedly defeat primals/eikons - something the city-states desperately need at their disposal, having been plagued by such threats constantly, for years and years.
Gaius cuts a pretty direct swath to the truth of the Twelve as well - they’re no different than the primals/eikons he seeks to eradicate, and the more stock Eorzeans put into them, the more empowered they become should someone ever try to summon one, making Eorzeans no better than the beastmen and their ‘gods’. Join the Empire and have protection from such powers, and put faith into the leadership of man, versus that of fictional deities that can be given terrifying form...in the world of Final Fantasy XIV, that’s not a terrible proposition. But it would still subject thousands of people to the Empire’s tyranny, so even if Gaius has the oft-coveted ‘Point’ that most villains wish they had, he still must be stopped. Eorzea will simply find other ways to endure the primal/eikon threat rather than bend the knee, and I like that defiant angle the Warrior of Light represents to counter Gaius’ character. Also, Ascian meddling and Hydaelyn shenanigans, sure, but I don’t feel that takes away from the core conflict that Gaius presents. He was a good villain, and I’m happy to see him return and go through the motions of penance for his past deeds and aid the supporting cast now, elevating him even higher into a good character, in general.
Lahabrea
I admit I have a soft spot for Lahabrea, only because he seems to be a universal punching bag for heroes and villains alike in Final Fantasy XIV. He lacks the more subdued, long-term planning of Elidibus or the explored nuance and sympathy of Emet-Selch - he’s sort of the odd one out between the trifecta that make up the unsundered Ascians. Just a blindly-tempered zealot of Zodiark, seemingly more enthused by the ancient primal’s return than the promise of the world being set back to how it was before The Final Days. Even the other Ascians don’t seem to like Lahabrea that much - Elidibus seems keenly aware that Lahabrea has gone off the deep end, constantly needing reminders and wrangling-in to keep the plan in motion. But I will admit, he serves his purpose well enough, and the additional side-story that reveals that Lahabrea was a brilliant scholar unmatched in the Amaurotine field of ‘phantom creation’ was a nice touch to explain why he’s pretty dang good at getting people to try and summon primals and conjuring or corrupting monsters himself. By no effort of Square Enix themselves, I sort of feel bad for the guy. He really was just Doing His Best, and getting no respect for it. His end was also anti-climatic, but by the time it happened, there were far more interesting characters and stories to tell, and he was unnecessary - it was just better this way, Lahabrea.
Nabriales
This one-bit player served one substantial purpose, and it was to see an Ascian get obliterated permanently and thus provide the means and understanding to battle Ascians in the future. Except that the cost to do so was a throw-away villain, a throw-away damsel-in-distress 8-man trial, and turning Moenbrya, a character with a lot of potential to be great, into a throw-away character who has to make an untimely sacrifice because the script says so. Nabriales you’re boring, you’re bad, you’re a waste of time and your mutton chops are dumb as hell.
Ilberd Feare
You know what, I like this villain. I absolutely want to punch his face in, but I figure getting that sort of rise out of me on sight is intended, since, you know: villain. His motivations aren’t bad either, even if his methods are deplorable. The speech he gives at the very end of A Realm Reborn to rile up Raubahn is pretty effective too. Despite both being refugees of Ala Mhigo, Raubahn fought his way to wealth and status, and Ilberd was never afforded that chance, or at least never quite managed. Raubahn pledged himself more to Ul’dah and the Immortal Flames with his new privileges, however, and Ilberd was perhaps right to resent that, with Ala Mhigo still under the yoke of the Empire, and so many refugees left to flounder in The Black Shroud and Thanalan both, Raubahn seemingly unwilling to step in. Ilberd saw the opportunity to change the status quo and took it, and proceeded to rally others to reclaim Ala Mhigo. If the city-states would not help, then they would be forced to help, and for all his dirty tactics, punch-able face and Shinryu-summoning finale, Ilberd’s plan did work: he forced the hand of the city-states to fight against the Empire to reclaim Ala Mhigo, and did indeed remind Raubahn and other passive Ala Mhigans that there was still an important job to do. So, good job Ilberd. Gold star. Now perish.
Teledji Adeledji
I thought the politics at the very end of A Realm Reborn were intriguing, and Teledji’s heel-turn pretty fun, since of all the Monetarists, he seemed to be painted as the most reasonable. Though I found his game plan a bit...suspect. Yes, a poisoned goblet assassination attempt on the Sultana that he could frame on someone else, while usurping control of the Crystal Braves so he could make a bid for full Monetarist control of Ul’dah (with him at the helm) makes sense on paper, but I’m not sure why he sought to frame the Warrior of Light for it, and implicate the Scions either. While it’s true that the Warrior and the Scions would be an obstacle and want to investigate the death, and would prove tenacious foes, if you think about the scenario a bit more, it seems unnecessary. The Warrior and Scion efforts were likely going to start swinging towards Ishgard and the Dragonsong War, to better embellish the northern city-state’s relations with the Eorzean Alliance, nor are the Warrior or Scions people you’d want to make an enemy, especially with the Warrior being one of the only people who can defeat primals (a very active threat in Thanalan).
Framing Lolorito would have been a wiser idea, as he was already disliked and untrustworthy in the eyes of many, powerful and dangerous to compete with though he is. If Lolorito had been framed, Raubahn and the Scions may not have questioned it, and Teledji could have enjoyed planting himself in the eye of the power vacuum that was to come while the Warrior of Light focused their energy up north. Instead, Teledji bet on the wrong chocobo and paid dearly for it - his plan fell apart (and so did he) in more ways than he could anticipate, but on the whole? This was a pretty intriguing and entertaining storyline, I enjoyed it.
Lady Iceheart / Ysayle Dangoulain
I debated putting Ysayle on this list because by the first act of Heavensward, she’s not a villain - but, she certainly was in A Realm Reborn and going into Heavensward, so we might as well just keep representing how good Heavensward is and include her here. Aside from Minfillia, this is one of the only ever characters you meet early(ish) who shares The Echo with the Warrior of Light. Unlike Minfillia or the Warrior, though, Ysayle doesn’t really adhere to the call of Hydaelyn. Instead, her powers allowed her to hear and learn the truth of Ishgard’s history: that it was a lie, and that King Thordan broke the peace in a bid for power for Ishgard, turning Nidhogg to rage and setting the Dragonsong War into motion. Having witnessed Ishgard’s cruelty at a young age when her home was destroyed by snow and ice after the Seventh Umbral Calamity, and knowing what she knew and maintaining close bonds with dragons throughout her life, it’s sort of easy to see why Ysayle would be set upon the path she is. She wishes to end the war much like how Thordan does: ending it, with the dragons as the victors.
Her slap in the face is when she confronts Hraesvelgr though, her bid to sort of not only take the form of Saint Shiva but embody her memory being dismissed as a pale imitation. Saint Shiva wished for true peace, whereas Ysayle demands it through bloodshed - she realizes this, and changes her current course. This is why I debated to list her as a villain, because her gradual change into a supporting character and hero is a logical conclusion as she and Heavensward’s story develops. She starts a villain and dies a hero.
Igeyorhm
Full disclosure: I completely forgot this character existed. And I still don’t actually know why they exist. They’re a second to Lahabrea during the events of Heavensward, and is easily shut down by the Warrior of Light before being annihilated permanently by Thordan. Despite this, I don’t find their existence as offensive as Nabriales’, so...that counts for something.
Archbishop Thordan VII
When I first encountered Thordan (”pope grandpa”, if you will), I thought “oh, he’s evil”, because “church bad” isn’t exactly and uncommon trope and it’s apparent that Ishgard is a broken and unjust society, with this man sitting at the highest seat of power and consorting with Ascians. Yet to my surprise Thordan was...pretty reasonable. At least to start. He makes his audience with the Ascians known and seems unaffected by them and their schemes, is polite and cordial to the Warrior of Light...he doesn’t seem so bad. But the gut feeling remains, and slowly builds as Thordan’s true plan is revealed, becoming a primal-esque deity. And much like Nidhogg, I do get his motivations. Trying to broker peace with the dragons, to him, is just not going to happen - in fact, it’s insulting to ask dragons and Ishgardians both to make a bid for it, when so many people have died and live with the burden of hatred and grief. His solution is more direct: end the war entirely, by winning it for Ishgard.
After assuming his new form and powers, him and his Heavensward have the power to thwart any dragons that oppose them, perhaps even Nidhogg himself if the dreadwrym were to re-appear. Fueled by the generations’-worth of prayers from the Ishgardian population, Thordan was set on ending the war and ousting the dragons from the land, ushering in peace and prosperity. But the Ishgard he sought to protect and defend was built on a history spun of bloodshed and lies, and the dragons were not the true enemy and did not deserve to be put to the sword. Thordan’s plan would have worked in the way he envisioned it, and he made a good argument for it, even if it was ultimately wrong, and that’s a good villain.
Nidhogg
Having come to Final Fantasy XIV from World of Warcraft, a giant, scary black dragon that rants on and on about suffering and misery and pain and vengeance was something of a red flag for a Very Bad Story. Imagine my surprise when Nidhogg was given the screen-time to be properly fleshed out and explored, his motivations and hatred more sympathetically-human than his giant dragon body would have one believe, his presence menacing and well-paced, and his overall being representing the true, dark heart of the Dragonsong War: the cycle of hatred. For dragons, centuries are like days, and the pain Nidhogg feels is no less than what he felt when the Ishgardians brutally broke their pact. Because of this, with each re-emergence of him and his brood, the wheel of suffering turns anew, breathing new hate-filled life into the ongoing Dragonsong War, generation to generation. Time has no effect on his turmoil, and his existence ensures that no other Ishgardians will ever be able to move on from the war either, even as generations continue on.
I find Estinien being consumed by Nidhogg’s rage very thematic as well, Estinien truly embodying the countering hatred the Ishgardians feel towards the dragons, and it makes the final trial with Nidhogg bittersweet. He defeats Hraesvelgr, because as long as Nidhogg exists even the brightest hope for peace will be squashed under the cycle of malice and war. The Warrior of Light must put him down because he cannot be saved - but Estinien still can, and can choose to move on and pursue the peace that Nihogg strived to prevent and Ysayle died to see come to fruition. And he does, and it’s touching, and Heavensward is SO FUCKING GOOD I LOVE THIS EXPANSION.
Quickthinx Allthoughts
I don’t care much for timey-wimey storylines, but I found the Alexander plot easy enough to follow, and the timeloop it creates to be manageable. The truth about the Enigma Codex and the journal Quickthinx has isn’t exactly hard to figure out though once time travel becomes a part of the plot, and beyond beind a fun goblin with a cute kitty cat friend...there’s just not much in the way of compelling character writing here for this gobbo.
Diabolos
Big ancient demon is revived and wants to wreak havoc. Uninspiring, but its also not necessary for Diabolos to be anything more than what he is either. The heart of the Void Ark storyline is the tribulations of Cait Sith, the sky pirates and the history of the Mhachi, Diabolos just being an excuse to explore those characters and lore.
Regula van Hydrus
Regula deserved better damnit. This is the last Garlean villain with nuance and humanity before Stormblood turns everyone who is so much as associated with the Garlean Empire into a cartoonishly-evil, absolutely twisted, reprehensible confusing mess of a person.
Fordola rem Lupis
Stormblood has a lot of story, pacing and character problems. A lot. It has its moments and some people love this expansion, but I do not and its villains are a very large reason why that is. Fordola, for example, had the potential to be quite interesting. She was raised to believe in what her father did: that Gaius and the Empire were not all bad, and then watched her father die trying to protect her from angry, almost barbaric Ala Mhigans who decided that pelting a little girl with rocks because her parents were Empire-sympathizers and supporters was an okay thing to do (as the Garlean soldiers just watched on and let it happen without intervening because they didn’t feel like it - a fact that Fordola knows and remembers). You would think this event would have a sort of polarizing effect on her, feeling betrayed by both her people and the Empire her father believed in, feeling caught in the middle, in need of finding her identity and sense of self. Instead she...basically throws her entire stock in with the Empire, deciding that if she’s a good little soldier for the Empire, then Garleans will have to change their minds about Ala Mhigans and respect them because, see, look: an Ala Mhigan is a respected Garlean asset.
Except this backfires over, and over, her Ala Mhigan team nothing more than vicious dogs that never bite the hand that feeds them, turning their teeth on their own people instead. Fordola is constantly belittled and ridiculed for her heritage and even her gender by the Garleans, and at no point does she ever stop and go “wow maybe the Empire sucks hot ass and I’ve been terribly wrong about my motives this whole time”. And yet, no...Zenos offers her power in some magitek-aether experiment, she kills her own Skulls team, she finished the expansion jailed for her crimes, believing until the very end that the Garleans will win (they did not). She utilizes her anti-primal abilities once, and vanishes from the plot entirely, only to re-appear in a bad side-story where the Immortal Flames have her hooked up to some penalty-of-death submission collar so she doesn’t act out so they can use her synthetic Echo abilities to fight a re-summoned Ifrit.
Bad character, bad writing, and a waste of her new, game-changing anti-primal abilities.
Grynewaht pyr Arvina
This is such...a stupid character. His design, his voice and dialogue...I can’t tell what Grynewaht is supposed to be. Is he comedic relief? Because he’s not funny. Is he a character that you’re supposed to pity or despise? Because I felt nothing towards him. Is he supposed to be a rival? Because...no. I had to look up what his name was. The only thing I can clearly remember about him is that he was the final boss of the Doma Castle 4-man dungeon. That’s it. If you removed him from the plot entirely, nothing of value would be lost.
Yotsuyu goe Brutus
Between the two female villains of Stormblood, Yotsuyu is the more popular. It’s easy to see why: she has a cool design and a lot more screen-time and development, with a big 8-man trial to finish things off. But like Fordola, something is just off about her writing.
I don’t understand her motives or how she even came to feel the way she does about Doma, specificially. And anything bad that could happen to her, has happened to her. She suffered an abusive childhood under her adoptive parents, was sold off to an abusive husband, then sold off again to a brothel after her husband died to repay his debts. She later became a spy for the Garleans, rose in rank and was appointed acting viceroy of Doma, to keep the masses terrified and under her heel. At first, it seems pretty reasonable for her to turn against Doma, and lash out as she does on its people - her Doman upbringing left her used, abused and powerless, and with the Garleans she found power and strength. But this reading falls apart when you quickly realize that Doma was already occupied by the Garleans during the course of her upbringing, her family obedient to the Empire and her suffering just as much the fault of the Garleans. There’s an argument to also be made that not enough time was really spent portraying Doma as the disgusting place Yotsuyu sees it, as from the onset of Stormblood’s story journey into the Far East, Domans are only ever portrayed as a terrified, broken people, scared of the Garleans and Yotsuyu. I also don’t personally care for “character was abused, so now they’re sadistic and crazy” clichés either.
What does work well for Yotsuyu is the theme of power and control. Yotsuyu is a woman who lived a life not her own, weak and frail, until she obtained power. Now that she has it, her drive is to do anything to maintain it and survive - yet for some reason the story is written in such a way as to downplay this much stronger theme of her character, and play up this slightly confusing, all-consuming hatred for Doma instead. Her transformation into Tsukiyomi is also a bit odd (though decently thematic, with her ‘cold, uncaring and distant as the moon’ comparison), with not enough time paid to explore her understanding of Doman deities and why the mirror would trigger this change (and why would she even keep Doman deities in her mind, with her supposed hatred of Doma?)
I also take some issue with her “Tsuyu” arc, where she reverts back to the last time she was ever truly good or innocent, and has the personality of a child while still being an adult woman (and suffering amnesia). I find these infantilizing tropes pretty offensive, especially when Yotsuyu’s arc here is largely just to reinforce and reiterate what cartoonishly terrible people her family were, and provide Gosetsu with some development instead. Aside from killing Asahi and having a cathartic death herself, everything about Yotsuyu just baffles me. Every time I think I like something about her, athe bad writing twists it around.
Zenos yae Galvus
I don’t like Zenos, he’s a bad character, and I hate that Square Enix decided this limp-haired sullen-faced clown was going to be their poster-boy villain for Final Fantasy XIV.
What is the appeal of this character? Yeah, some people find him attractive. I don’t, but I also didn’t find Sephiroth attractive so, okay, whatever - like what you like I guess. But what else does Zenos have going on besides people seeming to think he’s their buff bishonen thicc daddy or whatever the kids are saying these days? His entire character can be summed up in one sentence:
“While the Warrior of Light was practicing empathy, Zenos studied The Blade.”
He’s a Garlean lordling with a bland and cold upbringing who likes katanas and blood sport. That’s it. He’s a sociopath, finding no joy or meaning in life for whatever reason: he just wants to collect Cool Swords and push his bizarre love-hate fight narrative on the Warrior of Light. Because they are opposites, you see: the Warrior of Light is a cardboard cut out of a Good Guy and Zenos is a cardboard cut out of a Bad Guy. He’s not even entertaining about it. He doesn’t want to watch the world burn, he just wants to fight the Warrior because the battle will make him Feel Something. Meanwhile, all I feel whenever I see him in-game, either in a cut-scene or when I’m locked in an unskippable “survive the drawn-out battle!” sequence with him, is a groan coming on. And sometimes villains who are evil just for the sake of it can be fun! But Zenos is not fun - he’s dull, he doesn’t get me hyped up for a fight...I feel nothing.
When he died after using his uber-synthetic Echo to possess Shinryu by taking his own life I thought, “well, at least that’s over” and I felt relieved. And then he came back, bigger and worse than ever! Yippee! I love confusing, unrelatable, boring villains who are recurring. Whatever Square Enix wants to do with Zenos, they need to hurry up and get it done. I care so little about him and just want to explore other stories and characters. I’m assuming he’s going to like, possess Zodiark or something, and then the Warrior will possess Hydaelyn, and there will be some big anime light fight showdown where Zodiark and Hydaelyn both shatter for good and Zenos dies and the Warrior lives another day and uuuugggghhh. How the hell did an expansion like Stormblood follow up Heavensward? Who let this happen?
Asahi sas Brutus
Bowl-cut twink hates his sister because he’s a Zenos fanboy and is angry Yotsuyu got all of Zenos’ attention instead of him. Filled with spite and piss, cartoonishly evil just like everyone associated with Yotsuyu or the Empire in Stormblood. Rest in pieces you little shit.
Varis zos Galvus
I’m lukewarm on Varis. He’s a better villain than Zenos, but that’s like saying a flat three-day-old glass of soda is better than sewage water. The bar is set very, very low. He’s ruthless, but not entirely unfair in his thought processes. Hell, he doesn’t even seem to like his own son (and really, if Zenos was my kid, I wouldn’t like him either). But Varis is a bit too...static, in my opinion. He doesn’t feel like a major player, and his batshit “let’s all just burn so the world resets and we can stick it to the Ascians” is pretty asinine and plays so transparently into the Ascian’s hands. I was originally bummed that Zenos killed him pretty unspectacularly, but...like with Lahabrea, it was probably better this way.
Omega
I don’t have much to say about this villain, really. The heart of the Omegascape storyline hinges on Cid, Nero, Alpha and the abstract concept of free will and accepting imperfection. It’s almost hard to say if Omega really is a villain, simply acting out a series of programs and statistics in a cold, robotic way, not really with malicious intent, so I think where Omega sort of shines is just as a being to build this sort of story off of, and provide a lot of fun boss fights as well.
Ran’jit
I had no strong opinions on Ran’jit for a long time, so I guess he improved for me as I now have An Opinion of him. He’s fine. He’s an okay villain. His Zenos-esque “survive the timer” encounters are annoying, but I find his persistence and presence more inspiring than any time crummy ol’ Zenos showed up. The biggest issue with Ran’jit is the lack of time devoted to developing him. This is a man who lost his home in the Flood of Light (which was the First’s equivalent to the Source’s Far East), and has essentially trained and raised numerous Minfillia reincarnations to battle Sin Eaters, just to watch these poor girls he saw as his own daughters die and die and die again. That cycle of loss would break down anyone, and make Vauthry’s postulations of paradise in Eulmore until the end finally comes appealing. Ran’jit pursues the Scions and Minfillia/Ryne not because he’s resolute in following orders, but because he just wants to bring this one psuedo-daughter back and keep her safe - something he could never do for the others who came and went in his tenure.
Naturally, this protectiveness leads to giving in to Vauthry’s nihilistic promises and stifles Minfillia/Ryne as a person. Thancred eventually learns to let the Minfillia he knew go so that Ryne could floruish into her own person - she was not ‘his’ Minfillia and it was terrible of him to ever impose that upon her. But where Thancred can move on and let Ryne develop into the wonderful person she is, Ran’jit cannot. And I’m disappointed this aspect of his character couldn’t be more at the forefront of his narrative.
Vauthry
If you ask me, this is more in line with how I figured Zenos might be. Vauthry lived a life or privilege and power, a child born of divine providence with no true regard for life, just his own desires. He’s spoiled and unreasonable, but his nihilism isn’t really nonsensical in the world of the First. All but a fraction of the world is destroyed, and Sin Eaters are a constant, devastating threat, so why not just relax in luxury, in the safety of Vauthry’s control over the monsters, and live in peace until the world truly ends? The battle against the Sin Eaters is exhausting and has no hope of victory anyway (until the Warrior of Light/Darkness arrives, that is). Even without the meol subplot, it makes sense why so many would flock to Eulmore once Vauthry takes over. Goofy as he can be, I do think Vauthry’s embodiment of just giving in to nihilism, hedonism and annihilation stands as a good thematic contrast to Shadowbringers strong themes of stubbornly striving for hope in even the darkest, bleakest hour. His trial is also fun and a slight swerve. All the Light Wardens up to that point had been monstrous, and Sin Eater transformations the thing of nightmares (Tesleen), so to see Vauthry take on the form of Innocence (ironically appropriate, as he truly believes he is blameless in all he has done) and become a golden-haired, angelic being of beauty - how he likely has always seen himself - is very entertaining, and defeating him feels great.
Emet-Selch / Solus zos Galvus / Hades
Ah yes. The Big One. Most people like Emet-Selch and his involvement in Shadowbringers. He’s sardonic, he’s entertaining, he’s honest, he’s explored, and he’s even sympathetic. The revelation of how Zodiark (and Hydaelyn) came to be, Amaurot and The Final Days is truly tragic. Emet and the rest of the Convocation were trying to save their world, and the cost was staggering - the lives of so many of their own, their minds, and eventually even their own world in the Amaurotine schism that followed. Being able to see a shadow of what Amaurot and its people were like really helps drive home the sorrow of it all, and Emet himself admits that he did try to learn to appreciate what the fragmented world had become. He’s also one of the most “successful” villains in Final Fantasy XIV - his intertwined association with death and masterful ability to raise up and lead empires like the ancient Allagans and modern Garleans to their self-destructing, Calamity-inducing downfalls (of which he was almost successful did with Varis and the Black Rose in the latter’s case) is pretty impressive as far as villainous plans and activity is concerned. Being forced to work alongside him in Shadowbringers because your goals are aligned while attempting to guard yourself from his inevitable schemes - which he’s pretty blunt about admitting he has - is an interesting way to develop him as a villain too. He spends most of Shadowbringers actually helping you rather than outright antagonizing you.
His conundrum is sympathetic as well, if not entirely relatable. If you had the ability to bring back your world, your friends and loved ones, at the cost of countless lives that are trivial in the grand scheme of the cosmos and start again, anew, in a better world that could repair and rebuild, would you do it? Tempered by Zodiark or not, Emet would, and while I don’t agree with him, I don’t entirely blame him either, for feeling how he does. Similar to Ran’jit and Vauthry too, Emet is nihilistic: he clings to something long-gone and will burn the current world down to get it back. To him, the Rejoining and Zodiark’s return is inevitable, and people like the Warrior of Light/Darkness are futile, frustating obstacles that cannot understand not only his plans, but just how he feels. They don’t remember what they lost. Emet does.
And yet in his final moments, Emet seems at peace. He seems to realize, as he is fading into oblivion, that the Warrior of Light/Darkness isn’t just the reincarnation of Azem, but what Azem believed in that made Azem part from the Convocation. Fractured life is still life, and Azem believed that the world and its beings was worth learning about, loving and protecting, capable of great things even when faced with insurmountable odds. The last act of good will Emet can do after requesting that the Warrior not forget about Amaurot, is to free the Warrior from Elidibus’ binds so that the last unsundered Ascian can be put to rest at last. It’s a very emotional throughline for Emet’s character, rather than a more logical one, but it works very, very well and really helps push Shadowbringers into that amazing high its story can get to.
Elidibus
I never liked Elidibus all that much for the longest time. It’s not that his character was ���bad’, per se - he’s polite, diplomatic, and enigmatic, providing a much more leveled, intriguing villain to counter-act Lahabrea’s more active plays and cackling. But Elidibus’ long game always left me sort of wanting: I was never really sure what he was trying to accomplish expansion to expansion and how it related to the Rejoining that would bring about Zodiark. His plans also seemed to just regularly...fall through. Sending the Warriors of Darkness to antagonize the Warrior of Light in the Source ended up bringing about the halt of the Flood of Light on the First entirely. Picking up Zenos’ body and squashing Garlemald uprisings while nudging Varis to make and use the Black Rose was promptly halted by the true Zenos making an unspectacular return. I don’t know, I just feel like any plan Elidibus sets into motion gets stopped before it really gets started.
My opinion of him did change, however, during the course of the Shadowbringers expansion. Being the heart of Zodiark, manifesting as the First’s...uhh, first, Warrior of Light, summoning them from across the other shards to wreak havoc and empower himself, only to finally be put out of his misery not just be the true Warrior of Light/Darkness, but Emet-Selch’s last act of will and revealing that he had been an over-working, sad youth who just wanted to save the world he knew was...well, sad. And his first (and last) real gameplay with the various hero summonings was a pretty amazing set piece too, though it also tells me how devastating Elidibus could have been earlier on if he’d taken a more pro-active approach, access to the Crystal Tower notwithstanding.
Valens van Varro
Much like how I wanted to punch Ilberd, because Ilberd is a deplorable person but an effective villain with decent motivations, Valens is just...I just want to punch him, in general. He’s just Disgusting On Purpose. And since we still haven’t shaken Stormblood’s insistence that Garleans are Evil So Evil Oh My God Evil You Guys they’re trotted out a demented borderline sex-offender who forces his child wards to brand subjects who are out of line with red-hot irons. Valens is...entertaining, I guess, in that regard. And Valens does serve as an appropriate counter-part to Gaius in this storyline, the themes of which seem to largely deal with fatherhood and penance for past misdeeds. I just...really miss Garlean villains with nuance.
Fandaniel
Oh god damnit Asahi is back. Square Enix stop doing this, stop bringing back bad characters. Though it is unfair to say Fandaniel is anything like Asahi. Oh sure, he’s using Asahi’s body (and therefore the Brutus’ family inheritance to fund his machinations), he fawns over Zenos, and he’s cartoonishly evil, but at least this go around there’s a certain...goofy charm to it. Fandaniel is a sundered Ascian - he doesn’t care about the Rejoining or Zodiark, he’s aware that he’s a broken being and he is, quite frankly, loving it. He lays his intent out pretty plainly to the Warrior of Light/Darkness: he’s evil, he loves destruction, and he’s doing it because that’s just what he feels like doing. Don’t reason with him, don’t try to understand him, just fight back and cry about it. On some basic level I appreciate that brutal honesty, so much so that I’m comfortable writing my thoughts about him now because I don’t think they’re going to change. What you see is what you get with Fandaniel, and he’s just having such a good time. He’s a terribly-written villain but gosh darnit I just can’t bring myself to hate him.
#don't @ me zenos fans or i will always win need rolls on mount drops by one point in your queues#ffxiv
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Name:
Rift Doorman
Title:
“The Layer Breaker” – “Usurper” – “Ever Hunger”
Nicknames:
Rifty / Riff Raff / Tele-Broski (Fresh)
Freak of Nature / Parasite / Anomaly Animus (Error Sans)
Paperworm / Layer Breaker / Clown Vomit (Ink)
Age:
[REDACTED]
Height / Weight:
Varies
Soul Type
“Collective Soul”
// - A Collective Soul shows trades of all known Soul Types and is shielded by a thin membrane of Void. It looks like a blank Soul with a black outline, that has a small pitch dot in its center from which a vibration rolls across the surface of the Soul. Those waves appear in different colors and strokes. To those who are very sensible to Soul Energy, the vibration will sound like an endless army of different voices breathing simultaneously in sync. The rhythm changes with Rift’s state of emotion. It has an aroma/flavour that could be described as “Retro and vibrant”. The feeling it would induces is more reminiscent of Allure and vivid Chaos. Like a puzzle started, but left unsolved. With every piece just raining passed fields of endless colors, trapped within a pool of blackness. - //
STATS:
LV
[REDACTED] // It will show the “ : P “ Emoji //
HP
[REDACTED] // It will show the “ >:] “ Emoji //
ATTACK
[REDACTED] // Just spells out “YOLO” in painfully bright colors //
DEFENSE
[REDACTED] // Just spells out “LMAO” in painfully bright colors//
Doorman-Tier:
Tier A—Strength Level is not readable, due to its current activity behavior.
History:
Rift Doorman was born outside a Universe of the Undertale Multiverse. Its behavior is unusual compared to other Doorman. Rift traverses the Layers of the Timelines in search of something, but without a Universe to akin to, both its Power and Ambition were altered in a dangerous manner. Throughout its travels, this Doorman has eaten itself through various Timelines and Multiverses. However, these places didn’t just disappear, like usually when things are being destroyed through Outcodes or beings from the Anti-Void. They stay mostly intact. Broken like shattered glass, but still existing. Each piece would then connect with another part. A puzzle, that was willingly done wrong, with Timelines and places in Space just overlapping in chaotic patterns. Strings missing, but not forgotten, rules shifted, players removed and entire areas shifted incoherently.
When Rift gained conscious it felt nothing. Devoid of anything, it just drifted. This state changed when it fell into a Genocide Timeline by accident. Within it, Rift faced the Fallen Human in the Judgment Hall together with Sans. As it wasn’t able to feel pain, watching Sans Dust became its first experience with Death. It amused it. Thus it smashed the human child. Seeing as the child’s death was different from Sans’s, curiosity began building up. More so as Sans returned from the dead when the Timeline reset. The battle broke apart, literally, when Rift tried mimicking voices and speech patterns, causing a ear ripping shriek that splintered the very fabric and Layers of the Universe it was visiting. Sans, slain once more begged the creature to stop the child’s madness. Still incapable of understanding why, it understood that this Fallen Human had caused the Skeleton grievance. He understood the visualization of agony and hopelessness, but couldn’t comprehend the feeling itself. Amused by the concept of FIGHT and MERCY, they decided to experiment with it in this broken place. Trapping the Human Child in a never-ending loop of Resets they had no control over. Dying as plaything to the anomalous creature. Rift bored itself over the course of 17.589 Resets, ending the Human Child by eating first their upper body and disintegrating their Soul for absorption. This act loaded the Fallen Human’s Timeline Data Layers into its own being, giving it a broader view on what’s been happening. Still not able to comprehend things, however, Rift left the splintered Timeline and returned to the Layers between.
More travels were its answer. Further down its path, this Doorman entered a Rampage, experiencing many Emotions from interacting with various worlds in different ways. However, it couldn’t feel them at all. It understood. It could see them. Could comprehend what actions would lead to what reaction, but not why it was necessary. Hollow. It was hollow. Like a Black Hole. Just ripping everything apart and consuming it, but nothing could look back or return it. Within it grew a terrible Hunger, which it satisfied by devouring various portions of the visited Timelines and Multiverses. Places, Sections, Memories, People. All fell to its strife to understand. To engage. To be part of something. It began building a sort of pocket dimension in the Layers between the Multiverse, where it gathered things from various Timelines that kept intriguing it. In one already destroyed Universe, Rift recovered a monitor of round shape, still functional. It had the shape of a face, much like all the other creatures it met had. Thus it connected with the screen and used it as a makeshift face-mask, ensuring its actual form wouldn’t freak out too many people.
While striding through the Timelines, absorbing information, energy, magic and various other stimuli into its form, Rift discovered that it was possible to READ these Data and use it. Shaping its attacks in combat into Patterns and Styles unlike anything this Multiverse had ever witnessed. But not only that, it began to hunt and kill other Doorman instinctively, absorbing them into its form as well, leaving their Timelines defenseless. Rift became a true threat to many, just through its curiosity and yearning for understanding. It also began leaving pieces of itself behind in various distorted Worlds, hidden from view. Small Homunculi, holding enough Data and energy to reincarnate it. Rift slowly devolved into a Parasite that endangered the delicate balance of the Multiverse. A thorn in the side of both the protectors of the Multiverse as well as the Vanguards of the Anti-Void. As its shattering of Timelines caused multiple Universes to intertwine with one another. Rift became a target for eradication, even though no one knew about its existence yet.
It was during another stride into another Timeline that it encountered the parasitic entity known as “Fresh”. Their interaction was quite different than what it was used to. And something began to stir within it. Rift felt something. Something that was unfamiliar and strong. It played with Fresh, before that one disappeared to safety, as the creature seemingly grew too attached to them. That escape started it all. A chase that both were not prepared for nor understood. Rift’s conscious was completely fixated on Fresh. It didn’t understand why, but knew it was important. For days, weeks and months it kept chasing them. However, the Parasite didn’t need or wants anyone following them, so they kept fleeing and hiding. Despite their best efforts, though, Rift finds them every single time.
[!!!SPOILERS WARNING!!! - for those who wish to Read the FanFiction or wait till I get around to making the Comic, since the LITERATURE SUBMIT on DA doesn’t allow much creative Freedom, so I have to do a lot of Re-Spacing and Editing on those Parts. This Section will spoil some of the Plot in exchange for Character Build - If you don't want that spoiled, please proceed to the APPEARANCE Section - !!!SPOILER WARNING!!!]
Fresh found himself in a skirmish with Error and Ink, as they both tried tracking him down. They misjudged and thought they were responsible for several Holes within the Multiverse. With no secure escape Route, they were forced into battle, holding their own well. Up until the Anti-Void’s Enforcer, C0D35 Doorman, stepped onto the field. His entire presence alone began to erase the Universe he’s chosen as a battleground. Manipulating Space was practically useless against this foe, as one of C0D35 special abilities was to block all types of magics.
Before the fight could harm Fresh, however, Rift shattered the Universe into several pieces. It took Fresh with it and delved through several Layers of broken Code, Timelines and hid them in a small Space it had created from the leftover scraps of Multiverses long forgotten. A Null Space of sorts. Due to the strenuous battle with Error and Ink, the body Fresh had chosen was slowly failing. They had to let go of the host body and seek out another. Rift, even though unable to talk and acting more like an excited puppy, willingly helped the Parasite. It took them to another Timeline to gain a new host body. Fresh, unable to understand or comprehend the motivation of this anomalous creature, decided to experiment how far its warped sense of loyalty would go. Curiosity getting the better of them. Since they couldn’t escape from it for long anyway. Thus the duo began their journey to try and understand what this drive was, where it was coming from and what it all meant.
But Fresh already has the slight suspicion that something was off with Rift.
Something huge was brewing.
Appearance:
Rift Doorman has no corporeal form. It’s a mass of black noise, free floating energy and magic. The almost cloud-like, dense column attached itself to an egg-shaped monitor. A remnant of a long forgotten Timeline. Due to the vapor form of its body, Rift can change its density and size at will, ranging from grasp-less like fog and air to solid and unmovable like a wall of steel and stone. This Doorman is holding its form together through sound wave. The magic and energy flooding its form gives these waves color and form, embracing its shape and fueling every movement of the mass. This special way of mass control makes it possible for Rift to even split itself into multiple smaller versions of itself. The Energy and Magic coursing through its vapor shape glows in various colors, like a swarm of bugs and fireflies. The ones that are mostly present range from neon-pinkish to eye-stinging green lights. The color of the Emoji faces on its screen are similarly bright and colorful, while the biggest mass of the body is a pitch-black buzzing fog.
Rift uses the screen it found as a makeshift face. By sending energy and magic through it, it channels different words and expressive Emojis, which it uses for communication, since it cannot speak. It developed this form of talking, which is accented with Retro musical tunes and sound effects, due to its own lack of actual vocal cords. Rift can only mimic various words through pitching and dipping sounds and tunes.
Underneath the screen is a distorted black orb-shaped head, with a bright, monstrous white jaw and eyes. The magic, energy and sound waves, which course through the body are accentuated here, pulsing through the big eyes that stare empty into the world. As the delight of murder and fighting was presented with a smile by both his first encountered Sans and Fallen Child, Rift has adopted that same expression into its own. Empty of empathy, reason or guilt. Hollow.
Personality:
Rift is a peculiar Doorman. Even though highly intelligent and fast learning, it prefers to act like an excited puppy or curious child. Devoid of any real emotion to drive its actions, it only acts upon what other people think is the “good thing” to do in a situation. Leaving trails of Chaos and destruction in its wake. Rift’s first real emotion was “a sense of joy” which emerged from killing the Fallen Human in their first ever visited Timeline. After loosing that, it was filled with a Hunger to learn more, experience more and discover why it was unable to understand or hold emotions like other beings do. It likes being lout and giddy, causing confusion and messes all around.
Rift learned from its travels that violence is considered bad, thus it only acts upon it when given a cause or being asked of. Through Fresh’s company, it grew found of their way of speaking, censoring and general demeanor, which they try to imitate. Not always successful. Rift lacks empathy and basic moralities. Doing the right things as much as they can, but never getting appreciation, feelings of guilt or delight out of any of its actions.
It is a slight hoarder, liking to collect various things from visited Timelines and just storing them in their own little Null Space.
Likes:
Fresh
Eating
making music through its distorted Retro Voice (which would probably sound much like the music you can hear in the “Just Shapes & Beats” Video Game – example here )
helping people
playing with Fresh
exploring and learning / education
collecting stuff for its Null Space
cuddling and hugs
dancing
Fighting, when allowed to do so
people laughing and smiling
inducing Fear into ‘evil’ people (it doesn’t understand it, but their expressions give it a sense of ‘delight’, which it can’t comprehend)
Dislikes:
pointless violence
swearing
anyone who tries to harm Fresh
disrespectful and rude behavior
the other Parasites spawned from Fresh
seeing other people go through loss, sadness and hopelessness (it doesn’t understand, but it dislikes their expressions during these moments)
Capabilities:
Rift is a special Doorman. Unlike any other it can and can’t do various things that are unlike its species. Since Doorman are shaped by what their Timeline / Universe needs, their abilities will be manifested into something they can use as an exploit to reach their goal. Rift, however, has neither a goal nor a world for that to work. Being born outside the Multiverse, Void and such, beneath the Layers of the In between, corrupted its whole existence.
Thus it learned an ability so variable, loose and dangerous, that Rift managed to break its own power limitations. That ability is ADAPTATION. Through it, the anomalous entity can learn anything that it finds. This ability is limited only by its corrupted special skill, ARCHIVE, which extents its own Data Volume by absorbing that of other objects, Worlds and people.
Through these two abilities, Rift extended its repertoire of skills by taking those of others into its own. By devouring other Timeline versions of Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton, Napstablook and various other monsters, it learned their magics, attack patterns, strengths and weaknesses, accumulating them into its own form and using them against various aggressors along the way. Taking the Souls of the Fallen Children, it enhanced its own Soul Power, HP and influence over various aspects within the Timeline Layers. Even though unable to cause REWRITE or OVERWRITE, its Determination rivals the power output of such abilities, nullifying their affects on its own self. By devouring various Doormen, Rift added their special abilities into its own arsenal. But not only these are something to worry about, since they also absorbed the (apparently) infamous “COLOR PUZZLE”, which appeared in various Timelines. Through absorption of its information, Rift learned to utilize the principle in its own combat patterns, making for, probably, the worst experience of a FIGHT for any genocidal maniac.
During a FIGHT Rift delights itself by causing its opponent as much headache and frustration as possible. All its patterns are a mix of things it accumulated from various Timelines, objects and people. The difference to its style is that every pattern follows a rhythm it deliberately switches to cause as much distress as it can. Their own original patterns appears as orbs, bars and string lines, which move in a sort of symphonic flow. It likes to abuse the rules of the infamous “COLOR PUZZLE” into each of their attacks. Goal during these fights are to keep itself busy till its bored. It will reset its opponent back into battle till it can’t get enjoyment out of it anymore. Than the most common outcome is for Rift to grab its foe and devour it (or part of it), just to satisfy its hunger for a bit.
// Attack Patterns for this Character would look like a mix between Undertale and “Just Shapes & Beats Style //
Rift’s voice is a powerful instrument of destruction, as its wavelength and pitch can shatter and fragment entire worlds, when threatened. Most of the time, though its a tool for amusement and distraction as they can’t use it to speak, but make totes rad Retro music and sounds with it.
Due to their body being so fluid, Rift tends to shape-shift a lot. Switching sizes being one of the more common transformations, however, it is capable of turning into practically anything it has a rough understanding off. From people to buildings and even entire landscapes. The greater the scope, thought, the higher the risk of its Soul overloading and damaging it. This skill it uses often to entertain Fresh’s curiosity and help them fight their boredom.
The Doorman is capable of using the Data collected to create completely new Multiverses out of them, which it does by filtering the most intriguing information into its “Null Space”. A collective widespread anomalous space in the Layers in between. Much like the Core Universe, it is a hidden pocket dimension that is unreachable unless you’ve been there once or are aware of its existence. As the Null Space grows, so does Rift’s power, which is connected to it. Would this secluded fragment in the Layers in between be destroyed, the damage to Rift itself would be tremendous.
Rift is capable of creating “BACK UP FILES” for itself. So called Homunculi, which it scatters across the various splintered Timelines, hiding them in various objects. Through those Back up Data pieces, killing the Doorman has become nearly impossible. For its adversaries it is even unclear if this anomaly can ever truly be completely killed, since normal, widespread magic and fighting abilities are completely wasted on it.
However, Rift is not completely invulnerable. All of its outstanding skills require huge amounts of magic, which it needs to store by devouring and absorbing Energy, Magic and Entities from other Timelines. Starvation is a realistic issue to it, since their moral compass started to change with the appearance of Fresh. Survival becoming an “optional goal” to its primary instinct fixating on the Parasite and its well-being. Rift can be harmed by beings from the Anti-Void as well as Ink, which is why it tries to stay hundreds of paces away from them. Especially C0D35, as his ability, ANNIHILATION, exceeds its coded protection by a margin.
When Rift’s Soul reaches critical its body becomes fully corporeal and eats at its own mass till burn-out. The energy and magic from its body will slowly dissolve the very fabric of Reality, Time and Space as it goes on, till everything just becomes absolute Chaos. This meltdown can cause any nearby organism to be entrapped in a cascade of pain and maddening delirium, slowly eating at their very existence. It would cause an unseen apocalypse of shier Madness, but also cause the very Death of Rift, if the burn-out isn’t stopped.
Relations:
Rift has no great attachment to anyone besides Fresh. And even that “affection” is a level of understanding it can’t comprehend. For it, its something that it was born for, but doesn’t know why or what it is supposed to do with it. Finding the answer to this riddle is the only ‘purpose’ it got and after wandering aimless for so long, it decided not to let go of it till it knows.
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Trivia:
The first word Rift ever spoke was “YOLO”, when it read the glasses of Fresh at their first meeting.
There is a Momma CQ version of Rift.
Kid!Rift entire backstory is goign to make people wanna stab me to death. I am sure of that.
Rift’s musical Battle Patterns are inspired by the game “Just Shapes and Beats”
Yes, I am aware that I messed up the Color Patterns of both of my Fresh Designs there. They were both drawn separately before placed in the same picture together. It has bugged me to no end!
Yes, there will be a Momma CQ version of this one coming (probably soon, since I don’t want to loose my shin. It’s not worth making Rifty mad)
Fresh Sans belongs to @loverofpiggies
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Eyo! Can I request an Ardyn x S/o where said s/o is always on the go, active and not really sleeping as much. From fighting to taking care of Ardyn, and basically is getting sick but won’t really take it easy as Ardyn suggests and in the end she only ends up running herself down? Sweet fluff, tea and cuddles?
Thank you for the request! I hope this is ok. I think I wrote it when I was way too tired…Enjoy! ❤
Taglist: @idiotflowerex, @laststory1013, @sayaoqueen, @jophinabean, @mysme-already
If you like what you read, please consider supporting me on Patreon or buying me a Ko-fi!
Beside You
Life with Ardyn was never still, perhaps that’s why you worked so well together. The man was in constant trouble; from using the MTs under him as target practice and initiating their self defense program, to picking fights with the ever watchful Glaives. By now, you didn’t even magically store your weapon, as every time you did, Ardyn would end up running past you chased by a new menace, smiling because he knew you’d come to save him. You knew that the next time you didn’t have the weapon at your side, you’d need it.
It didn’t help that the man rarely took care of himself. Both of you knew he was immortal, so not eating or sleeping wouldn’t kill him. To him, that was enough. To you, that was the bare minimum. Even immortals got hangry and when the Chancellor hadn’t eaten in days, he’d become grumpy dead weight to you.
So while Prince Noctis had three other people on emotional, guardian, and household duties, Ardyn had you. You worked your hardest to care for the man you loved. You prepared nearly every meal, fought for him, and were ever at his side.
The Chancellor’s needs rarely left time for you to tend to your own. You made a habit of getting up before him to make breakfast and train. Nights were filled with preparing supper, setting up a makeshift camp, checking the perimeter, and seeing to your love. All this left you perhaps four hours of sleep on a good night.
Your stress did not go unnoticed by Ardyn’s dark eyes. He hated how much he relied on you, but every time he tried to take charge, you would swoop in and do the task better. Fighting? You were a natural. Cooking? A chef of the highest caliber. And when the dreams came to him, you were there to quell them.
But the toll it all took on your body was great. Your love would always insist that you sit and eat with him. When Ardyn skipped meals, he saw that you did, too. And he wished so badly for you to sleep more. He’d beg for you to find slumber, but you’d just smile and say you would after another endless task was completed. Your constant struggle against necessities pained the Usurper’s heart; your precious life was already too short without your constant demands to sacrifice it for his luxuries.
Lately, your inattentiveness to yourself was catching up to you.
You were aboard a Niflheim airship circling some unknown wild region in a monsoon. Ardyn was determined to find a particular behemoth. “Science” was the only reason he would give to search out a great monster in this weather.
Sleep had eluded you for days. There were constant tasks to see to along with various thoughts keeping your mind awake. When you did finally sleep, your love tossed and turned next to you, waking you. You didn’t blame him for any of this, but the situation was dragging on you. You felt a chill that you couldn’t shake and a pain in your throat. A could would slow you down, but it wouldn’t stop you, or so you hoped.
Ardyn noticed the puff to your eyes, the drag to your step, and the fog on your vision. He watched you as you stood next to him at the control panel to the airship.
“You know, darling, you can go and sleep. I promise the airship only requires one person to pilot.” He smiled over at you, hoping to make a joke of the situation.
“No, no. I’m fine,” you replied, attaching a well known smile to your face. Ardyn knew it well. It was meant to hide what you were doing to yourself behind a veneer of duty and love. It had worked, at first. Now, it only worried him more.
As he was about to retort, something caught Ardyn’s eye outside the windshield. There was a movement in the brush before thunder and lighting cracked simultaneously, illuminating a great black beast on the ground below.
“There! Go! Now!” The Chancellor ordered the MTs out of the airship with caging equipment. He put on his hat and strode towards the airship ramp. You were at his side.
“You should stay here…someone has to make sure we have an escape route,” he said, turning towards you. Honestly, he wanted you safe from this great beast.
“Like hell I’m staying anywhere!” You said, starting to sprint towards the door. Ardyn sighed as he followed you. He loved you, but by the six you were as stubborn as a force of nature!
The fight to capture the behemoth went well, all things considered. Many MTs were lost, but the creature was captured, sedated, and caged with only minor injuries. You were sore from taking many hits you should have dodged and soaked to the bone, but no major injuries to report.
Ardyn had been directing the MTs. You had wandered off, likely away from the smell of wet monster, but the Chancellor had made sure to keep a watch on you from the corner of his eye. You were obviously exhausted and your love had plans to whisk you away to his quarters once aboard the airship.
The MTs were getting the beast aboard the airship. You stood back, ankle deep in mud and freezing from the rain. You were staring off into space, into the darkness of the rain, letting it mesmerize you. Your body was so cold, everything felt numb. The sound of the rain seemed to drift further and further and further…
You didn’t hear the panic in Ardyn’s voice as he called your name. Your weak body collapsed into the mud, too exhausted to fight off the sickness that brought you down.
In an instant, Ardyn was on his knees in the mud, holding you in his arms. No! No, it was too soon to lose you! He couldn’t lose you, not yet! He needed you!
He searched your body, fearing he would find wounds that you hadn’t told him about. Finding none, his hands moved to your forehead. You were burning up. Without hesitation, Ardyn scooped you into his arms, making his way to the airship.
“We make for the nearest town,” he commanded.
All the fever dreams you had been putting off came to find you as you lay unconscious. A thousand different pains you felt and a thousand more you saw. Nothing made sense, but everything was true.
Just as you wondered if the torment could end, it did. You faintly heard humming before you dozed off into a dreamless sleep.
Light was streaming onto your face when you finally awoke. It took you a moment to find your bearings on reality. Your body felt warm and heavy but your head felt foggy. You turned the brick on your shoulders to see the love of your life, sitting in a chair next to your bed. His hat was on the nightstand leaving his messy hair exposed. His elbows rested on his knees, having held his head in his hands. He looked up at you, smiling with a tired but warm expression. “Good morning, Beautiful.” His eyes looked at you adoringly.
“Good morning, Handsome,” you replied. You attempted to sit up. “What happened?”
Ardyn fussed over you, trying to get you to lay back down. “You’ve been out for quite some time. You shouldn’t be moving, yet, love. You’re body is going to resist…”
A surge of dizziness hit you, threatening to make you empty your stomach. You released the strength in your arms, willing yourself to crash back into the bed, but strong arms were there to catch you. Gently, you were lowered down.
“Shh, love. Lay still for a moment.” Ardyn got up from beside you. All you could do was shut your eyes, hoping the world around you would stop spinning.
Soon, the great soft hands of the man you loved slipped under your back. “Up, just a little. There…now, drink. This should help you feel better.” You felt a warm drink slip between your lips. The flavor was minty and bitter, you never knew medicine to taste good. As the cup was pulled from your lips, you slipped back into slumber.
Two days you had slept, taken from Ardyn’s grasp by a fever. It wasn’t the wounds he had first feared you had, but the healer had known many people to be taken from this world by less than the fever you fought. He had sent the monster and his MTs back to Gralea, leaving the two of you in a hotel in some run down town. He couldn’t risk you getting worse from traveling in a cold, damp airship for days on end before reaching your destination.
By the time you awoke, again, the sun had set outside. You turned towards where your healer had been sitting, but found him absent. Turning towards the other direction, you saw him standing before a moonlit window. Ardyn had shed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.
“Good to see you’ve decided to come back,” he said, turning to smile at you.
“I always will,” you replied, gazing adoringly at your angel.
“How do you feel?” He set down a cup in his hands before striding over to your side and returning to his former spot.
“Better…” You couldn’t tell if the blush on your cheeks was from the fever or the way Ardyn fussed over you. “You never answered my question: what happened?”
Ardyn sighed before taking your hand. “You fainted from fatigue and a fever. I brought you to this…illustrious establishment.” His eyes wandered the shabby motel room. “A cold, damp, and odiferous airship isn’t the best place to care for the ill.” His eyes rested on your face with a warm smile.
You grew somber. “How long have we been here?”
“Hardly any time, at all…” He tried to play.
“How long have we been here?” You needed to know. How badly had you messed up?
Ardyn looked down, studying your hand. “You’ve been asleep for three days now. It has been three days of which I have done naught but worry for you. Three days of wondering if I would hear your voice, again. Three days of thinking about all I should have done…”
“I’m…I’m sorry, love.” You gripped Ardyn’s hand. “I should have…”
“NO! That’s exactly the problem! You should not have done so much! You should not have worried so much about me that you let your own body whither!” Ardyn slumped into your lap, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Please, [Y/N]. Let me care for you. I need you.” His last three words lay on his lips as all the fear the healer had felt over the past days streamed down his cheeks.
Slowly, you sat up, laying a hand on your love’s back. You hushed him while reassuring him that you were still there. Finally, he looked up at you. Before he could try to hide behind his mask, you laid a finger on his lips. “Come, I have had three days without your cuddles.” Ardyn gave you an exhausted smile before crawling into the bed beside you.
Under your loving healer’s care, you were well in no time.
The Chancellor wouldn’t let you out of bed for days after you were better. He thoroughly enjoyed having you all to himself and desired nothing more than to hold you all day. You smiled and let him keep you pinned in the bed. You spent the day watching daytime soap operas, napping, drinking tea, and lazily kissing.
Perhaps this rest is what you both had truly needed. It took you time to learn to let your darling care for you. You had thoroughly scared him. You allowed yourself to be caught up in your sacrificial, duty driven complex far too much to realize how awful you had been to yourself. Now, he enjoyed getting to fawn over you and care for you, while you learned how to delegate.
Ardyn came to realize how tired he was of not being allowed to care for you. No more would he let you take on every burden alone. He promised to help you in every way he could. Your life may be short, but this man vowed to spend every moment he could making sure it was wonderful.
For days, neither of you contacted Niflheim. The quiet time together were perfect. Every morning was filled with herbal teas to soothe your tired body. Evenings were spent at the local cafe or wandering the wilds. Ardyn insisted that it was to make sure you had adequate time to heal, but you knew how much he was enjoying it all.
Eventually, you did call for an airship to pick you up. Ardyn got an earful regarding dropping a great behemoth off with the Empire and then leaving. He gave the Commander a sheepish smile before dodging them to be with you.
#ffxv#ardyn x reader#ardyn x s/o#ardyn#ardyn izunia#ardyn lucis caelum#fluff#sick#tea#fanfiction#cute#angst#final fantasy#final fantasy xv
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1) I’ve been really enjoying all the anons and your responses on the potential kidnapping of Sansa. I’d like to add something else that may be significant. There is one scene in the dragonpit, when Jon stares for a long, long time at Pod and Bronn that really struck me. Jon seems really suspicious, and on the walk to the dragon pit, he could have been in earshot of Bronn telling Tyrion he was okay with setting up the meeting because he was bringing two traitors heads to Cersei.
2) I’m wondering if this means something for season 8. I don’t know whether Jon will no longer trust Brienne and Pod to guard Sansa because he saw Pod with Bronn or whether Bronn will manage to get important Winterfell intel from Pod during their drink. Kit had joked that Jon doesn’t like Brienne. Could Jon move Sansa somewhere or even fake kidnap her away like Bael the Bard and put her in danger accidentally?
3) Also, I’m not sure how all this plays out with the broken tower scene that I’m sure is coming as Rose of Red Lake and others have speculated. I think the broken tower scene will fulfill the HOTU prophesy “From a smoking tower, a great stone beast took wing, breathing shadow fire.” I also think the description of Sansa turning into a wolf with bat wings (similar to dragon wings) is foreshadowing something going down at the broken tower with a dragon.
4) Finally, I really hope and I see some signs of it in the show that Cersei and Sansa may come to a grudging respect at the end, although I still think Cersei will die. If Cersei loses her baby, Sansa will be the last “child” she semi-raised left to her. The show has given some little indications that Cersei likes or at least hates Sansa less than anyone outside her family. For example, Shae says this at the Blackwater. I would love to know what you think. Thanks for your great posts.
Hey, nonnie!
This kidnapping plot has really taken over my blog. lol Not that I’m complaining, mind you. It seems I have found my niche! :)))))
I have to say I didn’t notice this particular visual cue of Jon looking at Pod and Bronn suspiciously. I always assumed that for one, Jon is trying to figure out how Brienne and Pod got there and whether Sansa is with them. I don’t think he’d like Sansa to be there because he’d be worried for her so he’s looking out to see exactly what Brienne and Pod do. I also think Jon is just generally concerned and for good reason. He’s about to walk into the Lion’s den and have a meeting with the people that are directly responsible for most of the pain and tragedy that has befallen his family. This place is not a happy place for Jon and I doubt he would have ever set foot in it if D*ny hadn’t practically whisked him away without so much as a warning.
My immediate reaction would be that we’re reading too much into it particularly since the whole Bronn/Pod exchange was supposedly done to explain Bronn’s absence from the talks in the Dragonpit, which has to do with the fact that Lena and Jerome can’t be on the set at the same time. However, nor am I willing to just dismiss it off hand because this show operates so much with foreshadowing and seemingly unimportant details making a play later on that there’s always a chance that this could actually amount to more than I thought previously.
Could Jon be suspicious of Brienne? He could and there would be reason for him to be … The thing with Brienne is that she commits the same mistake when judging other people that others might commit in regards to her. She is suspicious and angry that Jon keeps Davos and Mel in his council because of their role in Stannis’ campaign and Renly’s murder. She fails to see that in the conflict of Stannis vs. Renly, Renly was the usurper and Stannis was actually in the right to go to war with him. Of course, Stannis ends up killing Renly in a dishonorable way but Brienne has a very black and white view of the whole conflict and one that is tilted unjustifiably in Renly’s favor because of her own personal feelings for him. What she doesn’t seem to take into account is that other people might have the same sort of reservations about her. She is, after all, buddies with Jaime Lannister, the man that went to war with Robb Stark and she walks around carrying half of Ned Stark’s sword, a sword that was melted and reforged on the orders of Tywin Lannister. We know that Brienne’s intentions are honest and that her relationship with Jaime is based on Jaime’s good traits but people, Jon included, could be excused for doubting that. There’s a reason why, in the books, Brienne is almost executed by Lady Stoneheart and she now has been commissioned to lure Jaime to his death. This is a relationship that has positive effects for both Jaime and Brienne personally but affects Brienne negatively in terms of her relationship with the actual people she wants to protect. So I could see Jon being suspicious of Brienne.
However, could that result in Jon fake kidnapping Sansa a la Bael the Bard? No, I don’t think so. For one, I don’t think the Bael the Bard story will feature in the show. To my recollection, there’s been no mention of it so far and while they could bring it up in season 8, I don’t see any reason why they should. The other important aspect would be that in order to fake kidnap Sansa, Jon would actually have to forcefully take Sansa away (since she would object to it and also point out that Brienne can be trusted). Considering Jon’s character and his knowledge of everything Sansa has been through, do you see Jon Snow putting Sansa through the traumatic experience of an albeit fake kidnapping? Because I don’t. For one, he would never hurt Sansa in that way and for two, he respects her too much to do something against her will. I mean not only does he stop himself from hurting Theon but he also tolerates Littlefinger around Winterfell even though he doesn’t like or trust him. He talks to Sansa about it and then leaves it up to her, to decide what to do with Littlefinger. He never steps over her or robs her of agency. Which is a testament to how much he respects her and her decisions. I don’t see that changing.
However, I agree completely that the Broken Tower will play a big role in season 8. They’ve made sure to bring it back into play time and time again, most recently at the end of season 5 so it will definitely be a place to watch out for in season 8. People, myself included, have speculated that this is where the Jonsa reveal will happen and that in a parallel to Jaime/Cersei in the 1st season, someone will see Jon and Sansa kissing or engaging in other extra-curricular activities. The main suspects so far seem to be Jorah and Tyrion. I think either way, that would play nicely into your HOTU prophesy speculation as well as the foreshadowing of Sansa with bat wings.
As for Sansa and Cersei’s meeting … I have to say I’m not at all comfortable with people attributing this mother/daughter relationship to Cersei and Sansa. I understand that people see the toxicity of it but they also seem to give Cersei far too much credit in relation to her feelings for Sansa. Cersei abused, tormented, bullied and physiologically scarred Sansa. She’s the evil step-mother from hell and her feelings for Sansa are not maternal. She disguises her true intentions under a veneer of motherly love, much in the way that Cinderella’s evil step-mother does, but Cersei’s continued fascination and torment of Sansa stems from her narcissism, as does everything having to do with Cersei, and also from her desire to exert power over people. Her narcissism is triggered by the fact that she probably recognizes something of her younger self in Sansa but that’s not really a good thing because Cersei is also riddled with self-loathing for having been born a girl at the mercy of the patriarchy. Her bulling is explained rather easily because she feels she has no control over her own life, where her son is stepping away from her influence and her father is still treating her as a broodmare, but she can always satisfy her ego by hurting and tormenting Sansa who is powerless to stop her. So grudging respect is not what I want out of the Sansa/Cersei interaction. Cersei is a fascinating character but she’s not worthy of anyone’s respect. She’s bitter, she’s cruel, she always picks on the weakest prey, she’s lonely and isolated and she lashes out in the worst ways possible. I want Sansa to succeed over Cersei by being the exact opposite of Cersei, not gain some sort of misguided respect for the woman that orchestrated Ned’s death, bullied and humiliated her, endorsed the murder of her brother, was involved in the almost killing of her other brother and, not to mention, in this scenario, kidnaps her in order to make her pay for the supposed murder of her psychopathic son.
Thanks for the ask!
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Side Effects
chapter 6: week 14
Uraraka’s stomach was starting to swell, making it more and more obvious that she was pregnant. She had known this for a couple of weeks now but as she stared at herself in the mirror, standing sideways so she could see her progress, it was really prominent now. She thought she would have more time but there was a definite outward curve to her belly. There was the possibility that she could pass it off as a little bit of weight gain but she would be pushing it in the next couple of weeks. She had taken to wearing Bakugou’s shirts lately, as they were the comfiest and the stretchiest. They had long since stopped smelling like him but she enjoyed the comfort they provided.
Delicate fingers touched her stomach and then retracted. She had been actively searching for information online since she couldn’t go back to the clinic. The internet said her baby was about the size of a lemon or a peach now. That seemed quite large to her, for a baby that had only been baking for fourteen weeks now. But Uraraka had never had much experience with pregnancy and didn’t have anybody to guide her so the internet was her only shining light.
Uraraka yearned to tell Bakugou, or Tsuyu, or Midoriya. She wanted to tell somebody , anybody so she wasn’t alone in this. But every time she picked up the phone it didn’t feel right. She knew she should tell Bakugou first (and in person) since he was the one that had put her in this mess in the first place but their conversations always strayed from being ridiculous to something about the heroes in the media and there was never time.
Uraraka vowed that she would tell him in person though, when she was over his house for dinner. She didn’t plan to do it in front of his parents, no, he could do that himself, but he needed to know, and soon. Before it was really too late to hide.
Deciding that was enough of that for the day, he sighed and pulled her shirt over her stomach. She would make a decision at a different time or maybe let the universe screw her over yet again. She would just let things play out the way fate wanted them to.
She yawned as she padded into the dining room of her small apartment. She was alone as usual, her parents having dropped her off that afternoon two weeks ago. They still hadn’t said anything to her about the Yuuei situation, no calls or texts telling her that they were disappointed in her. Just... Silence. It was almost worse than being told directly that they were disappointed in her.
Another sigh escaped her lips as she opened the fridge to find something to eat. The fridge was nearly empty and she knew she should go grocery shopping soon. That was way too much effort right now and she knew she had instant noodles somewhere. She would settle for the sodium induced heart attack waiting to happen.
Uraraka was heating up the water when the doorbell rang. She tensed up and shut the faucet off, walking down the hallway with light steps. She couldn’t hear anybody’s voice on the other side and when she looked through the peep hole and she wanted to flee.
It was her parents, arriving unannounced as they usually did. She knew that she would no longer be able to run from her problems as they now stood in front of her. The only thing she could do was inhale and open the door, forcing an enthusiastic smile onto her face.
“Mom, dad!” She exclaimed cheerily and her parents smiled back. She was the spitting image of her mother, but with the hardness of her father still showing through. Her mother was all curves and long brown hair, rosy cheeks topping off the beauty she exuded. Her father was broad and he was thick with muscle and toughened from years of working. In reality he was a big softy and Uraraka had the overwhelming urge to hug him, which would be sated in mere seconds when her father pulled her into a hug. She made sure that her stomach was in no way touching her father’s side.
Her mother held up a bag that held multiple plastic containers and grinned. “I brought your favorite!” Her mother shook the bag a little.
Uraraka lit up. “Okonomiyaki?”
“You know it!” Her mother pressed a light kiss on her forehead and both of her parents took their shoes off. “I just have to warm it up but otherwise we can eat right away! Is that okay?”
“Of course.” Uraraka nodded eagerly. She was never going to say no to her favorite dish. “Thank you.”
“Sure, sweetie.” It was her father that spoke this time and he smile down at her, ruffling her hair. “Is it okay that we stopped by?”
“I mean, it is your apartment too!” Uraraka laughed a bit nervously and sat on the couch with her father while her mother busied herself in the kitchen. “I just use it more often.”
Her father’s chuckle was hearty and booming, making itself known. His stockiness shown through in his laugh and in some way he reminded her of Endeavor, but only in build. From what she had overheard of Todoroki and Midoriya’s conversations, and from what she saw in the public, Endeavor was an asshole, to put it lightly. He was cocky and almost childish about how he had reached the number one spot. Her father was subdued and he was always polite, always willing to help people. He would never put hard standards on his children (though he only had one: Uraraka) and he loved her very much. Uraraka hoped that Midoriya or Todoroki himself usurped Endeavor from his seat. Bakugou certainly deserved it too.
With Bakugou in mind, she allowed herself to reflect on the fact that she missed him dearly. Whenever she thought of him her heart ached for calloused, sweaty fingers to run through her hair or down her back, pressing against her skin, leaving their mark. He had only burned her once with those fingers and only accidentally. It was during their first time and they had both gotten a little too excited, causing their quirks to activate without meaning to. Very awkward when you’re being thrust into and suddenly you’re floating a foot above the bed.
Uraraka learned to keep only one hand on Bakugou at all times. That was fine. Bakugou couldn’t really say the same; his hands were always all over her.
“Ochako?” Her father pulled her from her thoughts and looked at her quizzically.
“Ah, sorry, what were you saying?” Uraraka fiddled with her fingers in her lap as her father went on to discuss the work they were doing. Uraraka only half listened as her thoughts strayed to Bakugou once more. She wondered what he was doing right now, if he was thinking about her, or if he was doing everything to not think about her. They texted frequently enough for her to be somewhat on his mind. It was hard to read Bakugou when he was mellow and over the phone; it was easier when his lip was curled back in an angry puppy snarl. He still wrote with his colorful language but contrary to popular belief he didn’t like using all caps. He thought it seemed immature.
It made Uraraka smile. Bakugou was anything but mature. But he wasn’t immature either, clearly. He was a good in between, whatever that would entail.
“Alright, let’s eat!” Her mother announced with a proud clap and Uraraka sprung out of her seat to get to the kitchen table. It had been a long time since she had, had a homecooked meal from her mother and she couldn’t wait to devour it. Her mother was an amazing cook and when it came to her favorite dish? Uraraka’s mouth was watering already.
The sound of chopsticks hitting plates was the only sound in the dining room for a while. Uraraka didn’t know just how famished she really was and while one hand held the chopsticks the other rested over her bump under the table. Somewhere inside of her she hoped that her child was happy with the food. It was impossible now to eat some of the foods she normally loved because they made her nauseous. The baby was running the business and Uraraka hated handing over the rights.
“So.” her mother began after patting her lips primly with a napkin. “We got a phone call from your school.”
Uraraka paled and froze halfway with the chopsticks to her mouth. Her appetite was gone with a single phrase and she looked forlornly down at the half-eaten meal in front of her. “Oh.”
“They didn’t tell us why you were getting kicked out.” Her mother added.
“I couldn’t believe it.” Her father shook his head. “Our Ochako, getting kicked out of school? It’s so unlike you!”
“I didn’t…” Uraraka licked her lips and groped for words in her brain. She couldn’t lie; she had to stop lying. Lying was going to just keeping digging her deeper and deeper into a hole that she didn’t want to be in anymore. It was getting too deep, so much so that it was hard to drag herself out.
“Does this have anything to do with the sonogram on the fridge?” Her mother inquired, voice neutral to hide either disappoint or just a valid question.
Uraraka cursed herself. She didn’t have any time to take it down because she hadn’t known her parents were coming. The truth had been taken from her and in the processed she was catapulted from the hole.
“Yes.” Uraraka admitted with an exhale. “I… I’m pregnant.”
Her parents stared at her for a long time.
Uraraka continued, “They told me I couldn’t stay unless I got an abortion. They didn’t want me to ruin their reputation or whatever.”
Her mother reached over and pat her arm. “We’ll make you an appointment for an abortion, okay?”
Uraraka’s mouth fell open in shock and she stared at her parents, her mother smiling at her sympathetically and her father nodding in agreement. That wasn’t what she wanted, not at all. She knew that an abortion was the logical choice; she wanted to continue in her studies and be a hero someday. She had worked so hard to get into Yuuei; she had even been willing to sacrifice some of her points so that Midoriya could get in too. Was she really going to throw it away for a baby, a tiny bundle of cells at this current moment? Se had already sustained a connection with it and the thought of getting an abortion made her stomach lurch.
“I don’t want an abortion, mom.” Uraraka said quietly.
“What?” Her mother blinked wide caramel eyes at her.
“Honey,” her father shifted uncomfortably. He hadn’t said much up until that point but with that first word out of his mouth, Uraraka knew he wasn’t going to be on her side. “this is your dream. You pushed yourself to the limit to get into Yuuei Academy. We’re making ends meet just so you can attend and dorm there too. And you want to throw that all away for a baby?”
Uraraka swallowed and nodded, not trusting herself to argue.
“Ochako, we want you to be happy and we know you’ll be much happier if you get the abortion.” Her mother urged and already was picking up her cell phone to search for clinics.
“Mom, no.” Uraraka stood, heart beating rapidly. Her palms were sweaty and anxiety washed over her in a flurry. She couldn’t do this. “I… I’m going to keep this baby and raise it and I’m still going to be a great hero and help you guys out with the family business! I can do this! You just… have to believe in me.”
“We do believe in you!” Her mother did not raise her voice like Uraraka had. “But you can do so much more without a child, Ochako. I had to stop working for a couple of months after I had you and it took a toll on us. Your father picked up more hours and it was a really stressful time. And you’re only sixteen. You have to focus on your studies.”
“Why can’t I do both, huh?” Uraraka was starting to sound like Bakugou. She thought he would be proud.
“Because you’re a teenager!” Her father roared and slammed his hands on the table. Uraraka twitched. She could count on one hand the amount of times she had seen her father genuinely angry. “Ochako, you know we support and love you but you’re being irrational. Having and supporting a child is not easy. You don’t have a job, how are you going to pay for necessities? You have to be realistic about all of this.”
“I… I was hoping you guys would help me…” She mumbled quietly. Maybe Bakugou’s parents would be willing to help out as well.
“No.” Her father crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re not going to help or support this selfishness.”
“Selfishness?” Uraraka exclaimed.
“Yes, selfishness.” Her father nodded.
Her mother looked between the two of them. “I think what your father means is that you would be bringing this child into the world unfairly. You can’t support it and we… we can’t support you with our funds either. We’re focusing on you. I understand if you want to carry to term and then give it up for adoption but-”
“I’m keeping it.”
Her mother lowered her head with a heavy exhale. “Ochako-”
“No! I’m keeping it! I… I don’t care if you guys help me or not! I’ll… I’ll ask the father and his family.”
“Selfish.” Her father repeated.
Uraraka glared and her mouth pulled into a thin line before she stomped over to the front door, shoving her socked feet into shoes.
“Where are you going?” Her father called.
“To the Bakugou residence!” Uraraka didn’t turn around. “You know that hot-headed blonde kid that won the sports festival last year and got second this year? That’s my boyfriend and the father of my child. I think he should get a say in this just as much as I do.”
“If you leave right now then we won’t be here when you get back.” Her father explained. “We will cut you off, Ochako, if you don’t make the right decision.”
Uraraka’s eyes watered and she bit her lip. Her parents were going to just give up on her? Just like that? All because of a baby that was the size of a peach? She was just trying to do what she thought was right.
Uraraka had never been one to back down from something she believed in. Her father was the one who taught her this. If they didn’t want to keep supporting her then fine. She could do this on her own.
Maybe.
“Fine.” She opened the door and grabbed her keys, running out the door. It swung shut behind her and she jumped over the railing down to float to the ground and then took off in a light jog to the station. It was irrational to walk to Bakugou’s house considering he lived nowhere near her.
Uraraka was anxious the entire way. Her parents had basically just disowned her. She couldn’t go back to apartment because they may or may not still be there. Everything was a mess. Maybe she should just give the baby up for adoption, or get an abortion. It would make her life so much easier.
But could she live with herself after that?
She knew an abortion was the logical decision. Her parents were right: she couldn’t take care of a child and live comfortably. It wouldn’t be fair to her or the child, or Bakugou for that matter. She didn’t really have any experience with children. She was sixteen and her primary focus should be to do well in school. But there was this deep seeded attachment that she felt she couldn’t let go of. Heck, her stomach was already sporting a tiny bump. Uraraka could see that she was pregnant and that was enough for her to hesitate. Was an abortion even probable if she was showing? She would have to do research but there was a slim chance she would go through with it.
Uraraka could see Bakugou’s house in the distance once she started walking after getting off the train. It was a cute modern-styled house and she could definitely see that it was owned by somebody in the upper middle class. She knew that his father was a fashion designer but was unsure of what his mother did. She figured their professions were related. Bakugou rarely ever talked about his parents and when he did it was in disdain. There had to be a reason but Uraraka never wanted to delve deep enough. It was risky getting Bakugou all riled up like that.
Uraraka had since calmed a little since she had gotten on the train, her heart no longer pouring from her eyes. Now, as she stood at the front door, that same heart palpitated so fast she thought she was going to pass out. Or vomit. Right there on the front porch. With a trembling fist she knocked on the door and clasped her hands together behind her back.
The door opened almost immediately to reveal a woman in her late thirties wearing a simple black skirt and pink blouse. She definitely resembled Bakugou, her blonde hair styled in the same manic fashion as her son’s, if only a little longer, and the same crimson eyes. Though, her’s held kindness and a little bit of mischief.
“Hi, um, is Bakugou-kun here?” Uraraka’s voice wavered and she smiled unsurely when Bakugou’s mother grinned wolfishly.
“Are you his girlfriend?” Bakugou’s mother crossed her arms over her chest, the smile still on her face. It was a little scary but considering Bakugou had the same smile, Uraraka knew it held no malice.
“Um, yes.” Uraraka nodded.
“Excellent.” Bakugou’s mother ushered her into the house with a hand clamped on Uraraka’s shoulder and slammed the door behind her. “Oi, Katsuki! Your girlfriend is here! You never told us how cute she was!”
Uraraka blushed and for a moment there was nothing but silence. Then, she heard heavy footsteps stomping against the stairs and coming closer until they rounded the corner. Bakugou was wearing baggy shorts and a normal black tee with a skull on it. Uraraka recognized it from something he wore to bed. Bakugou stared at her dumbfounded.
“The fuck?” Bakugou narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re not supposed to be here for another-”
“I’m pregnant.” Uraraka blurted out right there in front of his parents, his father sitting on the couch. She hadn’t seen him until her wide eyes scanned the room to assess the damage of the situation. His father, an older man with spiked brown hair and a mustache, had paled while his mother’s arms fell to her sides in surprise and she fixed a puzzled gaze on her son, who looked just as wild and confused as her.
“Katsuki-”
“We’re going!” Bakugou rushed over to Uraraka and fastened a hand around her wrist, dragging her up the stairs and into his room. Unsurprisingly, the room was painted dark grey and it resembled Tokoyami’s room back at the dorms. However, what did shock her were the All Might posters slathered all over the room. It reminded her of Midoriya’s room but she couldn’t find it in herself to be giddy about this little fact.
There was a reason she was standing in Bakugou’s room, and it wasn’t for leisure.
Bakugou was standing about three feet away from her, looking at his hands as if he were burned. It was a little irrational, considering that his hands were always sparking with explosions. He probably felt the burn of blisters every day.
“You have to be shitting me.” Bakugou spoke and glared at her. “You come into my house and spout bullshit? Really Ochako? What the actual fuck?”
Uraraka took a deep breath. Of course he wouldn’t believe her. They were safe. They were always so, so safe when it came to these kinds of things.
She fixed brown eyes onto furious red ones. “I’m pregnant, Katsuki. And it’s yours.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Uraraka was surprisingly calm as she told Bakugou that the baby was his, and didn’t flinch at his reaction. It was expected. She felt at ease, a peace within herself that she hadn’t felt for weeks. The burden of many lies was lifted from her shoulders in that moment and though she did feel a little bad that she had blurted it out in front of his parents (that’s definitely not how she wanted it to go), at least Bakugou knew now.
But Bakugou was silent where he would be shouting obscenities.
It was an eerie sort of quiet, the kind where you can hear the wind whistling through the window and the fan overhead whirling around, creating a draft. Uraraka could hear the soft murmurs of his parents below them and could only think that they were talking about them. About her. She hadn’t really made the best first impression.
“Pregnant?” Bakugou finally spoke, quietly. He was sitting on the bed, head in his hands, clearly stressed. His voice was almost like a whisper, the blades of the fan picking it up and airing it through the room. The question was so heavy, one word divided into a million different connotations.
“Yes.”
“How long?” Once again, quiet.
“I’m fourteen weeks along.” Uraraka touched her stomach. “It happened, um… your birthday...”
“My birthday…” Bakugou mumbled to himself, stitching the pieces together in his mind.
Bakugou’s eyebrows knit together and he stared at her. “Are you sure?”
Uraraka rolled her eyes and turned to the side, lifting her shirt. She watched crimson eyes widen as he stared at her slightly protruding stomach. It could be passed off as weight gain again, but then again it was hard to tell. She knew he was trying so hard not to believe her; he didn’t want to believe her, in fact. But Uraraka was going to keep throwing it in his face until he accepted it. She would never, ever blame him though. She just wanted him to accept.
“You’re not gonna keep it, are ya?” Bakugou asked, chewing on his lip. He appeared deep in thought, one of which Uraraka had seen a handful of times. Her stress management was to bite her nails, her low nailbeds currently a representation of that.
Determination set in Uraraka’s chocolate brown eyes. “I am.”
Bakugou stared at her incredulously. “I don’t understand.”
“What is there to not understand? You’re the father and I’m keeping this baby.”
“What about school, huh?” Wow, they really did sound alike.
“What about it?”
“Is that why you were packin’ up so much shit the other day?” Bakugou inquired.
It was Uraraka’s turn to bite her lip. “I got kicked out.”
Bakugou snorted and shifted harshly, the mattress squeaking under his weight. He had an All Might plush doll leaning against his pillows and Uraraka couldn’t help but wonder if he slept with it. Would a time come when Bakugou would have his own plush dolls? Would she? Would a baby ruin her chances of becoming popular enough to have memorabilia made of her?
“And you’re still gonna keep it after that? What the fuck?” Bakugou’s voice finally rose in anger. “You’re gonna throw away your dreams for some shitty little punk?”
If Bakugou could yell then she would yell right back. “So what if I am?”
“That’s bullshit.” Bakugou scoffed and leaned back on his hands. Uraraka tried not to think about the way his muscles bulged from the sleeves of his shirt. It was almost obscene that a seventeen year old could be as buff as Bakugou. Perks of being a hero-in-training, she guessed.
“I just want to…” She paused. What did she want exactly?
“You can’t even come up with a goddamn excuse.” Bakugou clicked his tongue. “You need to get an abortion.”
“I need to?”
“Yeah. You can’t just fucking give up your dreams. It’s all you talk about it!”
Uraraka squared her shoulders. “I’m sorry that it bothers you so much.”
“That’s not what I’m saying!” Bakugou shouted. “You wanna be a hero so you can make money and help out your parents. Did you forget about that? It’s your dream, it’s why you went to this godforsaken hell of a school in the first place! This kid isn’t even born yet and it’s dictating you’re fucking life! You’re sixteen and I.. I’m seventeen! We shouldn’t have to make decisions like this. I don’t want to take care of a fucking kid. I don’t even want a goddamn kid. You should have thought of this before you… did whatever you did.” Bakugou’s voice was raw by the end of his speech and Uraraka’s eyes were only a little tearful but she blinked them away to replace with venom.
“You’re just as much a part of this, Bakugou-kun .” She sneered and she felt a little proud of the way he flinched at the way she said his name. “You stuck your... thing in me and you did it inside of me.”
“We used protection!”
“Clearly we didn’t or this-” Rapid gesturing to her bulging stomach ensued, “wouldn’t be an issue!”
“Well I’m sorry!”
“Yeah, you should be!” Uraraka huffed and turned her head. So much for not placing the blame.
“You won’t even consider an abortion?”
“It’s too late.” Uraraka shook her head. She didn’t know for sure but she guessed it was too late. She was already in her second trimester. It was risky.
“Adoption then.”
“I’m keeping this baby, Katsuki!”
“No you’re not!”
“You don’t get to make decisions for me and what happens to my body. It’s my body for a reason!”
“It’s my kid too, don’t I get a say?”
“No, you don’t. You only admit it’s your’s when you can’t get your way.” Uraraka glared at him and he glared right back.
“I’m looking out for you.” Bakugou’s voice was gruff and any other time Uraraka would have thought it was sexy but she was currently fuming so any thoughts of her attraction were out the window.
“By telling me to get an abortion that I would regret? By telling me to give up this baby and having to live with that decision for the rest of my life? They offered to take me back-”
“But at what cost, huh?” Bakugou interrupted and Uraraka balled her fists. “You get to come back and then what? It’s that easy? You get to breeze by while all of us bust our fucking asses just to make sure we pass Aizawa’s fucking schemes? That’s not fucking fair.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say. Are you going to try and guilt me into giving up this baby?” Uraraka wanted to curl into a ball when Bakugou stood, inching toward her until he crowded her near the door. She gulped but there was nowhere for her to go. She was cornered.
“You can do whatever the fuck you want.” Bakugou had flipped a switch. One moment he was trying to convince her that he cared, that he was just looking out for her and now? He was cold-blooded, nothing but ice in his eyes and veins. “You can raise a baby all you fucking want but don’t you dare count me in.”
Uraraka gasped as Bakugou reached around her and yanked the door open. It hit her back and shoved her out of the way. She had stumbled forward and caught herself, and by the time she was going to say something in response Bakugou was already slipping out. The door slammed behind her with a thud that pulsed in her ears, one mimicking the same way she had slammed her own front door shut only an hour before. She heard Bakugou’s mother call out to him and then the front door was closing too.
Uraraka was completely alone, standing in a sea of All Might’s smiling face, quite possibly the only one looking down at her with positivity in her time of trouble.
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VOLTRON S5 IS AMAZING
Some half-coherent thoughts at 3:30 AM:
Quite a few DotU references this season. Amazed especially to see a strong reference to the white lion episode from DotU in VLD S5 E6. Didn’t think that they’d take the episode of Allura following a white lion she believes to be of her father’s past... and put it into Legendary Defender.
Similarly, I’d commented in the past that VLD seems to share a lot of peculiar similarities to the Devil’s Due Publishing comics. S5 has only reinforced my suspicions. We’ve got further questions about what side Shiro’s on, Shiro working with Lotor, Voltron deciding to work with the least of several evils and support Lotor, too. All that’s paralleled to DDP.
Lotor usurping Zarkon happened so far to the end of DotU that I was astonished to see it happen!
Not an extremely humorous season, but I loved it for it. This was an intense season, full of drama, action, and suspense, and didn’t feel like a short six episodes, to be honest. So intense!
We know the names of Lance’s siblings!!! EEEEEE!!! Also, nice to have a reference to Lance’s homesickness again, and a resolution to the Paladins communicating with their families. <3
Speaking of Lance, Season 5 is WRITTEN for Lance. There is damn good Lance material in this season. DAMN good material. This is like. This season should be named “VLD: The Lance Season” there’s so much bloody good Lance stuff in here.
VLD!Lance’s personality is definitely sliding more and more comfortably into the DotU personality. The combination of goofiness, interest in Allura, but cynicism and suspicion... ahhhh. Yes. I recognize that Lance. It’s cool to see him grow naturally in this direction.
So! Much! Great! Leadership! Lance! SO MUCH LEADERSHIP!
Okay okay okay there is LOTS of stuff with Allura, too.
Not much in way of Keith and Hunk this season, but that’s fine with me, tbh, for this six episode chunk. This season’s focus was Lance, Allura, and Lotor, with a little bit of Holts and Shiro on the side. About time to get some focus on Allura, let’s be real!
The focus on Allura and Lotor was interesting and great development, as we see Allura’s continued character arc. She has had to learn not to automatically judge people who are Altean as good, or people who are Galra as bad. Now we see Allura taking steps toward trusting Lotor.
All the theories about Shiro/Kuron leading Voltron into danger are continuing to be upheld. Just like in the Battle of Naxzela, Shiro’s instructions lead Voltron into great danger. And here again Shiro led Voltron right into capture during E3 “Postmortem.”
I love what they’ve done with Shiro this season. Yeah, this is really far from the tender, protective, team-oriented individual we first met in S1. And that’s exactly why this season’s events are so great. Shiro continues to seem to want the Voltron Coalition’s best interests, but... ohohohohhh. He’s butting increasingly with Allura and the others. He’s demanding people to follow him. He’s not listening to others, and he’s shutting down people like Lance who would have strong leadership potential otherwise. He’s making increasingly questionable moves. I MEAN HE GAVE LOTOR THE BLACK BAYARD AND ACTIVELY WORKED TO PUT LOTOR ON THE GALRA EMPIRE’S THRONE DOES THAT NOT TELL YOU ANYTHING????
Operation Kuron Stage 4 happened alongside Shiro giving Lotor the Black Bayard and being more open about supporting Lotor, being more obviously questionable and divergent in his actions.... hhhmmmm. Wonder what that’s about. XD That, combined with Shiro talking to Lance in the (void???) and Kuron asking Lance what happened, admitting he doesn’t feel like himself and still struggling with headaches.... ahahahaha. Fuck. Clone Theory’s definitely still going strong, yo.
But??? Shiro/Kuron being vulnerable to Lance??? WHOAHHH???
The second I saw Krolia I was like, “She looks like Keith.” Also, her design is bloody amazing, and I really don’t want to say, “Keith’s mom is hot,” but let’s admit it. KEITH’S MOM IS HOT.
So many pieces are going everywhere. This is no longer a straightforward battle, everything’s going every which way. Changing motivations, new alliances, so much being rebuilt.
I fucking love this season I had a BLAST start to finish.
I can’t believe that the theories and questions we had when we started S1 are finally starting to get answers. We’ve gotten to the point of the plot where we’re starting to get answers.
Sendaaaaaaaaaak is baaaaaaaacccckkkkkkk.
Did you notice all the parallels of “You save me, I save you” during E4 Kral Zera? First, Keith dives forward and pushes Lotor out of the way before an explosion hits.... just like Lotor last season saved Keith last second from an explosion. Then, Keith saved Acxa in the belly of the Weblum, and Acxa took the move to save Keith again.
S6 has to be when the Kuron shit really blows up. Keith back on the Voltron team by the end, then?
That was the single most hilarious use of Amazing Grace ever.
I wholly approve of setting up the Galaxy Garrison like this.
I fucking love this season.
I had so much fucking fun.
TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS.
#vld spoilers#non-dragons#vld#Voltron: Legendary Defender#Voltron Legendary Defender#Voltron#Lance#Lance McClain#analysis#my analysis#blabbing Haddock#GO WATCH SEASON FIVE GUYS#only talk to me about positive things thoug#I want to enjoy my fandom shit thank you very much#you rain on my parade I'll slap you down fucker XD#Devil's Due Publishing#DDP#swearing
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Day 2 - Hyuuga Politics
1311 words | NejiHina | Canon Divergence | Read on AO3
When he stood next to her during the brief moments of wait until the council didn’t call for her, each facing the contrary direction, her to the closed doors, him to the courtyard, he never wanted more to break protocol, to touch her, hold her hand, tell her that he would be beside her no matter what happened. But he didn’t. He knew what she needed the most was the protocol, the tradition.
So, when the door opened, his whole arm itched, the back of his hand almost touching hers, but he held himself in place, and when the doors closed he felt like they swallowed her and the hours he stood there, waiting, guarding, was the most tortuous of his life.
She didn’t have the best of the expressions when she left the room, and never he hated more the fringes hiding her forehead. They didn’t talk, she wasn’t allowed to talk to him while he was in council guarding duty, but he received the small scroll of paper she slipped into his hand before leaving.
He opened the scroll first thing after been dismissed that evening, it said, “Meet me in Hikari’s garden”.
Hikari was Hinata’s mother, the person from which she had inherited her indigo hair and her love for flowers, the person who didn’t love her enough to stay. She loved Hizashi Hyuuga, but it was arranged for her to marry his older brother, and she tried, she really wanted to love her husband, but after Hizashi died she started withering like the flowers of her abandoned garden, and, after boring Hiashi a second daughter, she decided enough was enough. It was a mystery if Hiashi ever loved his wife, but he named her favourite garden after her and Hinata made sure it never become unattended again.
There she was, under the stars and among the white tulips.
“What happened?” he was direct, unable to keep his anxiety anymore.
“I’m fine” she answered the question he didn’t dare to voice, “they didn’t seal me.”
Heavens, he wanted to hold her.
“But they said they will seal Hanabi, nii-san, I can’t let this happen, I just can’t.”
He walked a little closer to her, almost invading her personal space.
“We won’t. There will be a way, what did Hiashi-sama said?”
“Oh, he’s not happy. He didn’t like that Hanabi chose to step down, and he’s not exactly jumping with happiness with the prospects of having me as his heiress again.”
He noticed the bitterness in her voice.
“Nevertheless, I do not believe he will let her to be sealed without a fight.”
“That is truth.”
She sighed, then smiled, looking to him through her dark eyelashes.
“It’s so weird, you didn’t say anything I didn’t already know, but I really feel calmer after talking to you.”
He felt warmth spreading over his chest but said nothing.
The ceremony of her reinstating as the heiress and Hiashi’s successor was a small and quick for such an important affair. He was there too, at the door, was a bunke member was allowed to be, guarding and disguising his nervousness.
And when she got out of the room, she spared him a firm smile.
No surprise for Neji, Hanabi wasn’t sealed. And she even got special permission to go on missions and join a team. Both conquests from Hinata’s battles as the new addition to the council, even though they still firmly believed that Hinata’s position was just temporary and Hanabi would usurp her eventually, they would all die before letting Hinata get anything easily.
But if something really astonished Neji, was how Hiashi’s position changed, from the one whom deposed Hinata, now he was her stronger asset. Hinata told Neji that things changed after the clan leader had a heated conversation with both of his daughters. Hanabi was firm on her resolve, she didn’t want to be the next clan leader, it was not her position to take and it was something that was getting in between her and her dreams. In other hand, all Hinata wanted was to change the clan, to make it fair for everyone, and she needed to be the leader do to so.
Neji already knew Hinata’s plans, most of them featured him as her support, for changing the clan was his dream too.
Hiashi was not close to step down, but every year it was becoming clear and clearer that Hinata wasn’t either. And small changes was being made, first her sister, than she started pressing for the children to be sealed when they get older, then for the seal activation to be declared forbidden. Every victory coming from tenacious battle, they said she was like water, insistent, perseverant.
He would come to her room every night and they could discuss their next steps, because they were together in that, even if no one saw his importance, for he placed himself in the shadows believing that from afar was the best place to protect her and the future they so yearned for. They didn’t only talked about work, or the plans of changing the clan, they talked about everything and nothing, and as tiredness would take the toll of them, the conversation would take strange paths to gibberish and silliness. It was in those moments that Hinata was reminded of how young they were and how human Neji could be when tired, she would always try to bring those moments up when he was most like himself and he would deny everything. After all, as she spent those moments finding out things about him, he was using nonsense to hide how the difficult issue in his mind: how could he say what he needed desperately to say? He feared that by doing so he would ruin their relationship or put her in danger, but every day is was harder and harder to keep it disclosed. They went through so much together, side by side, they shared everything, he was even the one whom the shoulder she cried when her childhood love appeared engaged to his best friend, she was the first he saw when he came from the most traumatizing mission he even went. He couldn’t ruin that for selfish reasons.
But, the council started regarding Hinata as dangerous to the maintain of the clan’s old ways and, one night, there was an assassination attempt that could have been successful if Neji wasn’t there.
And, instead of investigating whom tried to kill the clan’s heiress, the council was more preoccupied about Hinata’s virtue as a unmarried young woman that received a man in her bedchamber at late hours.
Hinata was livid, Hiashi almost lost his control and physically assaulted the councilman that brought the issue, Neji felt like reviving his childhood dreams of mass assassination. But, in the end, they didn’t find an entire satisfactory way around the issue, Hinata, like her mother, would have to marry for the clan’s will.
But as she reminded the whole council the next day, she was not her mother, and she would chose whom she was marrying.
“Do you really want to do this?”
“I should be asking this myself. I’ll have to marry if I want to be clan leader, you…” she sighed “you don’t owe me anything.”
So, he finally gave in to the itch to touch her, reaching for her hand. Hinata looked up, eyes wide in surprise.
“But I owe you so much.”
“Neji… Don’t sacrifice yourself for me.”
“I have been keeping this secret for so long, Hinata-sama, marrying you wouldn’t be a sacrifice at all.”
She swallowed.
“Are you sure?” she asked with a weak voice.
He took her hand to his lips, eyes fixed in her.
“Yes.”
After that day, he didn’t need to be in the shadows anymore, but by her side and under the warmth of her sun.
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