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thepastisalreadywritten · 1 year

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It is one of the country’s most prestigious public schools, a historic building on the edge of a pretty town that has educated everyone from poets to comedians – and now counts a future queen among its alumni.

Since it was founded in 1843 for the purpose of educating the sons of clergymen, the £42,930-per-year Marlborough College has seen artist William Morris, the poets John Betjeman and Siegfried Sassoon, and Samantha Cameron, wife of the former prime minister David Cameron, as well as funnyman Jack Whitehall pass through its halls and corridors.

And in 1996 – seven years after it became fully co-educational, having previously only admitted girls in the sixth form - it welcomed a princess-in-waiting, even if few might have guessed it at first.

The then 14-year-old Kate Middleton arrived in Marlborough, Wiltshire, as a shy and lanky teen, having moved after enduring alleged bullying at her previous school, Downe House.

It would prove to be an entrée into a world, which would eventually see her rubbing shoulders with a notably privileged group of students and see her secure a place at the ancient St Andrews University – where Prince William happened to be studying.

Such a trajectory seemed unlikely when she first arrived in rural Wiltshire, however.

‘She had very little confidence,’ recalled her dorm mate Gemma Williamson, who described the new arrival who joined in the middle of the year as 'thin and pale.'

Kate’s house tutor Joan Gall said she was suffering from eczema due to stress.

‘When she arrived, she was very quiet. Coming into a big school like Marlborough was difficult, but she settled in quickly.’

Miss Gall previously said: ‘It was like a big, happy family. We would do things like bake cakes and watch videos.’

Certainly, the girl who would go on to become a celebrated royal beauty did not initially catch the eye of male pupils, who would crudely give passing girls a score out of ten as they made their way to supper. Kate was given a mere two.

Yet during her four years at Marlborough, the future Princess of Wales blossomed into a beautiful, sought after young woman as well as an accomplished one who excelled at hockey and who would go on to become co-captain of the tennis team.

In fact, unlike her time at Downe House, Kate felt at home from the start of her time at Marlborough, where she joined the school's cosy all-girls boarding house, Elmhurst.

Contemporaries recall her as the perfect pupil, listening to her Walkman, watching Friends and indulging in Marmite sandwiches.

Meanwhile, housemistress Ann Patching recalled her former pupil's love of lasagne and pasta bakes but said that 'Kate always stayed very slim.’

Naturally kind hearted, she quickly gained a close circle of friends, among them her peers on the hockey team, one of whom accompanied her on a trip to Ibiza to recover from her heartbreak after she briefly broke up with Prince William in 2007.

Unfazed by her popularity however, she remained a responsible role model and was never caught with illicit booze unlike her friends, one of whom once confided:

'A group of us used to sneak off to Reading to go drinking but she would never join us.'

In fact, Kate was only charged with one lapse in good behaviour when she threw up on the train home after an all-night champagne and dance party hosted by a member of her hockey team.

It was after a hockey tour to Argentina, friends recall – followed by a family trip to the Caribbean - that a then 16-year-old Kate returned to the school sixth firm newly transformed.

‘She was an absolute beauty,‘ according to friend Gemma, who says 'boys now fancied her rotten.’

Among them was the comedian Jack Whitehall, who attended Marlborough a few years below Kate and who admitted in an interview that she was his first crush.

He later joked of being jealous of the attention the princess received from the school, venting:

''I went to the same secondary school as Kate Middleton and she's someone they like to talk about.

I've been sending them a letter each year saying maybe now it's time to put me in the school prospectus or on the walls. I feel like I'm their dirty little secret.'

Nonetheless, despite becoming a favoured among the boys, the princess did not have lengthy dalliances with the opposite sex.

'I got the distinct impression that Catherine wanted to save herself for someone special,' said Gemma previously.

Her first kiss is believed to have been with Woody, the elder brother of Alice St John Webster - one of Kate's closest friends.

She also reportedly had a brief romance with Harry Blakelock, captain of the rugby team, which fizzled out after he left school, leaving Kate 'heartbroken.'

There’s no question that Kate made quite an impact on her school, later hailed as 'Person most likely to be loved by everybody' in her yearbook, when she departed on her gap year before heading to University of St Andrews after achieving two As and a B in her A Levels.

By then, she had been followed to Marlborough by her younger sister Pippa who, untainted by earlier experiences of bullying, was seen by contemporaries as the more naturally confident half of the Middleton pair.

She enrolled at the same boarding house as her older sister and joined the hockey team, yet there was little in the way of sibling rivalry according to contemporaries.

In fact, along with friend Alice St John Webster, they are remembered as a tight trio.

'Alice, Pippa and Kate were a very tight group and all best friends from the age of 14 upwards. It could be a bit suffocating. They did everything together,' one friend said.

Riding a wave of success in the sporting and social spheres at prep school, Pippa won an all-rounder scholarship to Marlborough and became captain of the hockey team.

Unlike Kate's meek start at the college, Pippa took every opportunity to make an impression at the school, with one contemporary saying:

'Pippa was slightly tough and, back then, the one with the charisma. No one would ever think of bullying her.'

She was given the unfortunate nickname 'pan face' because of her supposed flat features but was not put off trying to impress her male peers, even when playing sport.

'My focus is on winning and making sure that my hair — fashioned into a slick Sporty Spice “up do” — is just right. Did I mention boys watching?' she wrote in the Spectator.

Seen as the 'alpha' sister in contrast to 'kind hearted, home-loving' Kate, Pippa 'loved being the centre of attention' according to one contemporary.

She was chatty, funny and louder than her sister but, despite her sociable nature, she followed Kate's example of dodging drinking and smoking.

Housemistress Ann Patching later described the relationship between the well-behaved pair saying:

'Pippa was good at everything and sharper academically, but I don’t think Catherine ever resented that.'

Twenty three years after Kate departed for the last time, meanwhile, there is no question that the school - with its serene setting amid two lakes, and boasting a competition swimming pool, cricket pavilion and international-standard athletics track - remains a popular destination for well-heeled parents.

According to the Which school guide, competition for places at the school increased after it became known as the alma mater of the Princess of Wales.

Nor has it stopped it being mired in the occasional scandal.

In 2016, some of the older pupils brought in a stripper to perform on the grounds, an act later branded 'inappropriate' by the school.

The boarding school was also criticised last year for not carrying out necessary safeguarding checks on teachers, after an Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) report revealed that checks including barred lists for prior criminal offences were not completed.

A spokesperson for the school said at the time:

'Since our compliance inspection, the college has upgraded the record-keeping processes highlighted in the ISI report.

'We have been keeping our parents informed and are looking forward to an early re-inspection.'

None of this is likely to deter the wealthy elite, many of whom will doubtless be anxious for their own offspring to attend a school that prepped the Princess of Wales for her royal calling – and if rumour has it, may also be set to educate her offspring.

#Princess of Wales #Catherine Princess of Wales #Catherine Middleton #Kate Middleton #Marlborough College #St Andrews University #Downe House #Elmhurst #British Royal Family #Pippa Middleton

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servants-hall · 9 months

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Vets at war! Nazis, a headbutting boxer dog and a cocky new partner all bring chaos to the Yorkshire vets in All Creatures Great & Small

Mod Note: the source is the Daily Mail, i.e. a tabloid. However the interviews in this article are likely from a press pack given to the the press by Channel 5, which is why we are sharing it.

A surprisingly swift tortoise, a headbutting boxer dog and a terrier who keeps crashing into scenes uninvited... there’s a fresh set of animals for the vets to contend with as Channel 5’s hit reboot of All Creatures Great & Small returns for a fourth series – and they don’t always escape with their dignity intact.

‘Wealthy Mrs Pumphrey is fostering a boxer called Cedric – played by a dog called Millie – and it was boisterous both on and off screen,’ reveals Nicholas Ralph, who plays James Herriot.

‘She kept jumping up at me – and headbutted a particular part of my anatomy every time.’

Millie wasn’t the only problem for the actors during the series, which has now reached 1940 and is based on Alf Wight’s James Herriot books.

If James Anthony-Rose, who plays new trainee vet Richard Carmody, thought examining a tortoise would be an easy introduction to life at Skeldale House surgery he was mistaken.

‘George – or Bernard as he is in the show – was keen to explore the surgery and, for a tortoise, he was quick on his feet,’ explains James.

‘In fact he was faster than a lot of the other animals. He seemed particularly attracted to the studio lights and was forever heading off in their direction.’

In contrast, Abbey and Anna the goats were very well behaved. ‘In the story they run amok at Skeldale, but in reality they did exactly as they were told time and time again,’ says Rachel Shenton, who plays James Herriot’s wife Helen.

‘They even climbed onto the kitchen table as part of their “performance”, right on cue!’

The new series also features Mrs Pumphrey’s Pekingese Tricki Woo – a show favourite – plus a variety of other animals needing help from vet Siegfried Farnon (Sam West) and his team.

Patricia Hodge, who plays Mrs Pumphrey, says, ‘We’re constantly being upstaged by the animals. They’re always going to win, you just can’t worry about it. But we’re aware how much the viewers love them.’

They provide light relief amid the dark days of the war, as does new boy Richard who’s replaced Tristan (Callum Woodhouse) at the surgery.

Tristan’s left Yorkshire to serve with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, leaving his brother Siegfried and housekeeper Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) fretting over his fate.

His replacement is a bit of a buffoon. ‘Richard is an upstart,’ says James. ‘He’s straight up to Yorkshire from training in London and is rather too sure of himself.

‘Siegfried quickly realises he lacks people skills, the ability to get on with the owners of the animals brought to the surgery.’

There’s also something of the clown about Richard, who struggles with his equipment and even fails to put his stethoscope on the right way round.

‘I felt I had to reach a certain level of competence with medical procedures so I could then do things comically badly,’ he says. ‘Like Les Dawson playing the piano or Tommy Cooper performing magic tricks.’

The war casts a significant shadow over the series. Mrs Pumphrey holds a garden party to raise money for the war effort, and although they want to start a family James and Helen aren’t sure it’s the right time when James could be called up and the threat of Nazi invasion is growing.

If Carmody’s errors and the various animals bring laughs on screen, it was the support of the crowds who watched the show filming on location in Yorkshire that boosted the cast’s morale.

‘People seem to know where we’re going to be filming and because the show’s become so popular it attracts a large “live” audience,’ says Rachel. ‘They bring their chairs, sit out of shot and watch us while eating ice creams.’

Nicholas adds, ‘We’ve had families coming over from the US to watch, it’s very popular there. And a woman from Thirsk in Yorkshire, who’s called her sons Tristan and James after the show’s characters, also campe along.’

The public are normally well behaved while the cameras roll – with one exception.

‘There’s a woman in Grassington [the village that doubles for fictional Darrowby in the series] who refuses to stop walking her terrier and carries on regardless across the set, whether we’re shooting or not,’ laughs Nicholas.

‘Fair play to her – it’s her village, not ours!’

#all creatures great and small #acgas 2020 #acgas spoilers #acgas press releases #acgas interviews #acgas s4 #james herriot #helen herriot #nicholas ralph #rachel shenton #james anthony rose #richard carmody #patricia hodge #mrs pumphrey #siegfried farnon #audrey hall

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thirstyforred · 2 years

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my working notes (as in done at work when I should do work instead), unedited, just transcribed

girlies, and i know no one cares because i never wrote that Rissberg fic, but what if Carla Demetia Crest Raven Way was the last living member of the research team by the time of witcher saga and she was totally a GILF? What about that?

And like Salamandra tries to recruit her because she's awesome and authored that only one existing dissertation on witchers and mutagens. But she's like 'no <3', and Azar and Prif are like 'uwu pappy JdA, she doesn't want to work with us :C'. So Jacques sends over Albrecht who's like 'I can hand draw a perfect circle', and Carla is like 'lmao is that supposed to impress me? <3', and then they fuck. YES, Al fucks that grandma. And they bond over their mutual interest in demonology because I never wrote that Rissberg fic, but that's what I actually planned for Carla to be doing at Rissberg, Kiyan idea had to come from somewhere, so it might be from a bunch of guys going 'maybe my experiment will succeed', even tho a woman already told them no, it won't <3

Anyway, Al and Carla work together wasting Salamandra's resources and not making much progress in demon + witchers stuff because of all that sexual tension in the air

and don't tell me that Kiyan and Fail Experiment don't look at least somewhat similar. also don't tell me about Ortolan, I don't care, I'm not read storms or whatever

instead let me tell you how Albrecht dies, because I love making up guys and then killing them silly, it just fucking works, so you know how the Order splits and whoever cares for fire stays with de Lowe and goes to build that totally-not-Malbork in Redania? yeah, so for whatever fucked up reason Order ends up being at war with Redania, and Siegfried ditches this fucking circus before that because clearly no one actually care for good-doing, and Al kinda ends up being in charge, and there's that whole siege of that castle, and now he's acting grandmaster and they're clearly gonna lose, but at this point, he's just so fucking lost, and then he summons something he shouldn't but is all so sure of himself, like 'we're in the chapel stupid demon, you can't do shit to me :D', but the demon is just laughing and goes 'fool, you don't worship the Fire, your faith is in JdA, but Jacques is no more, he was a mortal and now he's dead. Your god is dead and you have no power!' and then Albrecht just gets ripped apart. That would be sick! lowkey vibe of that Castlevania moment with lies? in the house of god? more likely than you think!

anyway one may ask, thirsty, marcin, my bro, what de fuck it has to do with Carla, and i don't know, it's work in progress and i never wrote that fucking Rissberg fic, but trpg has a chapter about demonology in the latest book, i didn't read it like all, because fuck reading and fuck trpg, but there's that mechanic that lets PCs bind the demon to themselves, and when you bind Bes and it gives like dexterity and shit like that, or claws, idc, anyway Greater Binding done by Carla, she's now fresh as ever after 400 years of girlbossing

#albrecht tag #rissberg

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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 9 months

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Rpg Anon: 1. Besides Sayaka, no other Japanese Folklore? 2. I've been getting a bit better emotionally. Not fully but regardless. 3. While I do like Celes of course having a French Persona who similarly died burning on a cross and labeled as a witch (yes I know about the firetruck), Jeanne is a relatively nice person who wanted to help people (who still swore a lot in history), while Celes is honestly an absolute selfish bitch. In FGO, there IS Jeanne Alter (Jalter) who is literally the reverse of normal Jeanne and revels in being a bitch to others (tho she's warmed up to everyone by now and is now just treated as a tsundere waifu by the community).

Side note: this might be irrelevant and kinda disturbing to bring up but if we're talking about Jeanne, should we bring up her friend Gilles de Rais aka Bluebeard aka Mr. I abducted, tortured, raped, and mutilated litte boys for years to prove that god exists and will punish me for my sins, all in the name of Jeanne? This might just be me portraying his Fate version but the point still stands.

4. Yeah I doubt Siegfried is for Leon. Side note: there's Siegfried and then there's Sigurd. Different versions of the same person that are now regarded as two different people. Different romantic partners, different deaths, different choices and experiences. 5. While Yog is also another H.P. Lovecraft Elder God and I understand that you're giving it to Mukuro to represent that she's Junko's sister, I'm still not sure if Mukuro should have it cuz most elder gods are just really fucked up evil people. Maybe I can find someone better fitting.

No, it kind of just worked out that way. I didn't really limit myself to nation because Persona 5 doesn't. 3's Persona's are based on Greco/Roman gods, while 4's are based on Japanese gods, but 5's Persona's have the setting of infamous thieves that can just come from anywhere. In fact, Yusuke is the only one of the team who has an actual Japanese figure as his Persona.

These days, I don't think it's possible to be completely content. The world just keeps getting worse lately, and we just have to take our licks when we can. Don't think about getting help if you need it though, just do it.

Be that as it may, I still think Jeanne d'Arc is one of the best possible choices for Celeste when it comes to the focus on folk heroes/characters. Really, Junko and Mukuro are the only two who break the trend, since their Persona's are kind of the villains of their stories, but they're also the primary villains of Danganronpa. Celeste is undoubtedly a villain in Survivor, but in core Danganronpa, while yes, she's a bit of a savage and is the furthest thing from a nice person, she's not "evil." Any horrible thing she does is out of desperation and a selfish desire to survive, putting her needs above everyone elses. It's egotistical and selfish, but that doesn't make her inherently evil, so it stands to reason she would still have a folk hero. On the other note, in regards to Bluebeard, I actually did make him the Persona of one of the V3 students, since by this point we are undoubtedly going to cover them next. I won't say who, but I think it's pretty obvious.

Honestly, if I just had an alternative, I'd go for it. The problem is that Leon isn't exactly what one would call heroic. He's a better person than Byakuya or Celeste, but he's not really a nice person either.

Going back to what I was saying about Celeste, I'm thinking about it from the core series primarily, not including Survivor. In Survivor, Mukuro gets a second chance, and makes the wise choice to follow through with it and turn over a new leaf; which is entirely possible, as the events of Danganronpa IF (which as a reminder, is what I consider to be semi-canon. It didn't actually happen, but it COULD have). However, people in canon DR seem to forget that Mukuro, at least originally, was equally as horrible a person as Junko was. She is responsible for acts of terrorism, mass genocide of an entire high school, lobotomy and brainwashing, as well as stalking, kidnapping, theft and smuggling. To be honest, I DID come up with something better, but the primary two reasons why I didn't talk about it is because it's not a folk-hero, and I do intend to have it come up at some point in Phantom Thieves of Hope, so I'm going to avoid spoilers.

Fate Grand Order, while yes, is also an intriguing take on demigods and folk stories, has no sway here. Persona's are typically based off the original mythological figures, not incarnations of them from media. And yes, I acknowledge that I did pick both Maximus and Leonidas from their respective roles in Gladiator and 300, but they were historical figures who fought through similar battles, and I try to focus mainly on the legend than other stories told about it.

-Mod

#mod #persona

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asoulofatlantis · 1 year

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Sometimes I feel like one of the reasons for replaying this game is simply being angry at this boy for choosing to use those powers in situations where it might not have even been necessary.

(By the way, I did play Dragon Quest Builder 2 yesterday, but nothing happened that was worth mentioning as I was mostly... well... building and gathering materials ^^’ Just for your Information.)

Valimar being called “a big toy” XD

The fact that she is at least aware of it, even tho it changes nothing about her questionable personality.

Him. Just him being himself is worth replaying this game again and again and again. And who would not have missed the bard Oliver Lenheim? XD

You know... I’ve watched the Northern War Anime yesterday and one thing is for certain when it comes to Rean. He will ALWAYS protect people, no matter who they are. Seeing that here once again, is just one more reason to replay this game.

Hearing people talk about Rean like this, knowing all his good and bad sides, makes replaying this game worth your while too. Never hurts to understand that the character you love, is the way he is.

This scene XD I do not like Musse as you know, but I love how she knows to push peoples buttons.

The fact that this scene is a complete plothole if you go back to the train and actually listen to new class 7 listen to Reans recording. Because no one was standing infront of that door, shortly before the message was over. Not to mention afterwards, I talked with Musse outside of the train. BUT finding things like that can also make it worth replaying that game XD

You might want to tell me that I have a questionable tendency to like characters I shouldn’t but seeing Vita again is also something I am happy about and so once again, its a reason to replay this game. (And like the rollercoaster of emotions that is this chapter.)

That is another plothole. You may have noticed that Crows body and face has matured, which would make sense given its been roughly two years and everyone else has matured as well HOWEVER Crow is dead, he is an immortal and the Steel Maiden has been “alive” as an immortal for a VERY long time and has not aged one bit. Meaning that as an immortal, you should stay in the state you were in when you reawakened, which is basically the state you were in when you died, given that your body won’t age anymore after that. So Azure Siegfried here, should look exactly the same way he did at the end of CS2. If you replay games a few times, just like with Final Fantasy X you have more time to think about stuff like that, which is, once again, a good reason to replay it.

The fact that Towas heart immediately knew that it was Crow, even tho it obviously doesn’t make sense at this point that he is alive.

With Olivert, it took a few people A LOT longer too recognize him, even tho he barely changed anything but his outfit and his hairstyle (not that he never has his hair open in public either) so the only reason to not recognize that Olivier is prince Olivert, is the fact that you would doubt that he would run around with some seemingly random people in Crossbell without any guards around while he should have been leading the inspection-team. When it comes to looks tho, he barely has changed. Crow on the other hand, has matured, his Hairstyle is different, his voice is deeper and he is wearing a Mask that on top of the fact that he died infront of our very eyes, should be enough to make sure no one would believe its Crow, despite the still obvious similarities and the hints thrown in from McBurn and Vita. However, everyone immediately felt that it was him. Makes you wonder if it is simply because the people dealing with Olivert missed the connection class 7 had with Crow. However it is a interesting observation to make in an replay of the game.

Rean putting Alisa first, despite the inner turmoil he must be going through himself right now.

It was funny tho, when you play this game for the first time, you do wonder what hit Alisa so hard, given that her relationship with Crow wasn’t deeper than most peoples. That she had recognized her fathers voice, is something you only get when you play this game again.

#Reasons to play CS3

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talesofsonicasura · 3 years

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Stone Novas

Ch 4: Exposition

Astra's secret is revealed to Team Monkie Kid much to her dismay! A challenge is wagered, plots are formed and soon wills shall be tested. CH3 CH5

Megapolis' Docks, Secret Base

To say Astra was upset would be an understatement. She was thoroughly pissed off for one good reason. Sun Wukong, Monkey King and 'Great Sage Equal To Heaven' didn't know how to keep his mouth shut. And the feeling to flay him grew as Mei poked at the Frontier Brain.

All of them had hustled back to the Secret Base after MK had blurted out her otherworldly origins. Luckily, no one else was there to hear it. When the young man had accidentally sent himself flying out of the Weather Station, not only did Wukong appear to take away his invulnerability but also told him about her Battle Observatory.

He didn't mention Macaque oddly enough or her taking his clothes, no doubt to keep some of his pride. The reactions from Sandy, Pigsy, Tang and Mei were expected once they got back into the base after a silent ride. Dumbfounded disbelief from MK's boss, curiosity from Tang, awe and wonderment from Sandy, as for Mei…

"Are you human or is this a disguise?! Wouldn't that make Bao Chang, Lupe, Mars, and that giant bird Siegfried alien animals?! Are there any dragon Pokemon where you're from?" A thousand questions alongside her wild poking and prodding. Astra didn't mind someone being curious but this was aggravating.

Having enough with the mildly rude treatment, the redhead grabbed Mei's hand tightly. "I would love to talk if you stop scrutinizing me like a Noctowl pellet." Astra let the raven quickly scoot away, slightly embarrassed but still had that same vigor. The Frontier Brain massaged her head, carefully picking her next words before speaking.

"I am human but from an alternate Earth. Instead of demons, we have Pokemon that can be found everywhere whether it be land, sea, sky and even space itself. During my free time, I usually explore various worlds by traveling through Ultra Space but I am actually the Frontier Brain for the Battle Observatory."

Mk had heard about the facility Astra owned from the Monkey King although neither of them knew what it really meant. Picking up on the young man's confusion, the ginger continued her explanation. "Where I'm from we have something called Pokemon Battles."

Mars connected his tail into the base's computer, the screen switching to display a battle between two trainers and their respective Pokemon: a bipedal rhinoceros covered in orange stone plates and a smaller bipedal chinchilla with large white fur that curled like locks of hair.

"Trainers bring out their Pokemon to battle and give them instructions. When all Pokemon on the opponent's team is unable to battle, the Trainer whose team is left standing wins. No Pokemon are forced to battle without their consent and no killing is allowed." The chinchilla-like Pokemon took down the much larger opponent with a strong blow to the head, spirals appearing on the eyes of the knocked out rhinoceros Pokemon.

Mars then changed the screen to display six different buildings, one of them being the Battle Observatory. A picture of Astra stood in front of the observatory as a shadow silhouette stood at the other 5 facilities. "There are tournaments that test the mettle of both Trainers and their Pokemon, the Pokemon League but we'll be discussing my domain, the Battle Frontier."

Battle Frontier, just two words that sent a shiver down the spines of everyone in the room. MK, unlike the rest of his companions, had a look of determination but also hope in his eyes. Something that made the redhead smile brightly.

"Trainers have to face the Frontier Brains, powerful trainers and their Pokemon that can rival the strength of the Champion for each respective region. Those who defeat a Frontier Brain, earn a symbol of their success, a badge for that gym. If someone manages to collect 5 of these badges, then they can become a Frontier Brain for their own facility. This is my badge, the Nova Badge!"

Astra then took something out of her pocket. It was a metal badge that resembled a fiery meteor from the red flame locale surrounding the yellow star shape and the center was a gray X bearing sharpened edges similar to a stake.

"Only those with conviction to face the burning flames of tribulation and strife can earn this badge. One of the reasons many trainers call me the Battle Frontier's Shooting Star." The redhead didn't even flinch when MK and his companions had suddenly gotten into personal space.

"Woah! That is the coolest thing I have ever seen. It looks really well made too! I wish I had my own badge but I really don't like fighting." Sandy stated with mild disappointment. Astra patted the big aquatic demon on the side and gave him a kind grin. "I can make you a custom badge if you want, Sandy. Send me a design and I'll have it ready in a few days."

The redhead chuckled at the sudden bone crushing hug she had gotten from a very happy Sandy. Pigsy was a bit indifferent to the whole otherworld thing. "As long as you come in peace then I don't really care about your origins. Plus you have a good head on your shoulders considering what happened back at the Weather Station."

Every member of the Monkie Kid team knew where the restaurant owner was getting at. All of them would've been captured by Red Son after MK got taken out of the fight. They couldn't forget about the people that might have been hurt or worse without Astra's intervention.

Something that raised a question for a certain bandana wearing young man. "Hey Astra, can I talk with you outside for a moment?" The Frontier Brain gave MK a confused look before nodding. Mars could fill in any questions the rest of the group had anyway. Neither of them said a word until the two adults were back on the boat.

It was here that Astra saw the brunette's carefree attitude dissolve into disappointment and shame. She had a bad feeling about this. "Do you think I'm worthy enough to be the Monkie Kid?" Now the Frontier Brain really hated where this was going.

"Back at the Weather Station, I was practically useless during the whole thing. I hurt Sandy with the staff and nearly got everyone captured because of my invulnerability ego. I even flung myself out of the building with my own weapon! Sometimes I feel like being able to pick up the Monkey King's Staff was a huge fluke. I…"

MK didn't get to finish when Astra gently caressed his cheek, a warm motherly expression on her face. "It's ok to feel like this, MK. You are new to this whole experience but I know for damn sure that your achievements aren't fake! I read about you saving the city from that huge Demon Bull King fiasco some time ago."

She pulled him into a side hug and turned to the open ocean. "When I first started out as a trainer, sometimes I doubted if I could even become a Frontier Brain. There were times that I wanted to give up but my friends and my Pokemon gave me the courage to keep trying. Look at me now, I achieved my goal alongside my faithful partners. Remember that 'the strongest mountain started as a stone.'"

MK then felt something metallic in his hand and stared down in shock to see a colorless Nova Badge sitting on his open palm. "I want you to hold onto this badge, little Kubfu. When you have found and mastered your full potential, face my team to fully complete that badge. If the Monkey King's training isn't sufficient, I won't mind stepping in for some proper training."

Astra's grin sharpened, the sun making her apple green eyes glow like emeralds and her flaming red hair burn like fire. "I might not have magical powers but I definitely can teach you how to wield a staff. A lot of my Pokemon would also love to help you master your newfound magic. What do you say MK? Want to take your training to the next level?"

The young man looked at the Frontier Brain. His uncertainty became hardened determination. "Please teach me how to become stronger!" MK bowed his head in respect, a sign of a student ready to learn under their master. Astra's smile grew from the young man's response. Now she had a few things to do before she started training MK.

Flower Fruit Mountain, Water Curtain Cave

Siegfried let out a mighty caw as he soared through the air. The Frontier Brain was currently seated on the Raven's Pokemon back with her goggles keeping any volcanic ash away from her eyes. All of the monkeys who saw the large Steel/Flying Type quickly scattered or watched Siegfried fly through the curtain of a waterfall.

This particular waterfall was shielding a cavern that held a small wooden shack within its stone walls, Sun Wukong's home. Once Siegfried landed and was recalled to his Pokeball, Astra went over to the house. She had spotted a large ancient mural to the side depicting Wukong alongside three other people.

A pig demon, fish demon, and a human monk riding on the back of a horse as Wukong sat on top of his cloud with a fillet on his head. It was quite eerie but not for the soft golden glow that lined the characters. No, it was the fact that they looked too much like Pigsy, Sandy and Tang that unnerved the redhead.

Astra walked up to the door of the small home and gave it a hard knock. The door opened to show a disgruntled looking Monkey King who was probably asleep earlier from the yellow pjs decorated in peaches. The demon quickly straightened himself upon seeing those apple green eyes glare into his own ambers. "Fancy seeing you here, Astra. Want to come in?" Wukong nervously laughed, he knew he was in hot water.

"You told MK about my origins WITHOUT my permission, jackass! What in the absolute Distortion World were you thinking?!" The redhead harshly poked the monkey's chest, every word burning with rage. The Monkey King raised his hands innocently despite Astra looking ready to skin his hide.

"I can't keep such information from my successor! MK had the right to know and I trust the kid to keep a secret." Wukong took a step back when the Frontier Brain snarled and dragged him down by his pajama shirt so they were at eye level.

"You are an idiot of the highest caliber and a poor teacher! I read the story about MK fighting that giant bull demon and saw him recklessly using your staff back at the Weather Station. Have you even given him proper training at all?!" Astra hissed, glaring daggers into the demon's fiery amber eyes.

Wukong nervously smiled at the accusation which didn't help with what he said next. "The kid did defeat Demon Bull King and came out of both fights completely fine. We've been practicing some hand to hand combat too. MK just needs to believe in himself, even just a tiny smidge." The Monkey King's world turned upside down in seconds as he hit the ground.

Astra sat on top of him, her legs straddled between his so he couldn't move while she held him up to her face with an iron grip. "You are an incompetent fool that clearly doesn't know what he's doing! Did you know MK asked me if he was even worthy of being your successor? That he thought of his achievements as a mere fluke, you insufferable Stunfisk?!"

Wukong's smile dissolved into a shameful frown. Did he really make his student believe that he was a failure? The mere thought made his heart sink. "I'll be taking over MK's training from now on since it's clear you are ill suited for the task." He instantly froze. Did she really just…?

"What do you mean you're taking over?" A look of anger and shock crossed Sun Wukong from the Frontier Brain's words. Astra didn't seem to care about the Monkey King's growing temper. "You heard me. Unless you start taking MK's training seriously, then my Pokemon and I will do it instead. I may not have powers but I can teach him to wield a staff. My team can handle the magic part since you're shit for this job."

Rage boiled underneath the demon's skin. What gave this human the right to say he was an unsuitable teacher? It's his powers and his staff! Who did she think she was to say that to the Monkey King, Great Sage Equal To Heaven, Sun Wukong?!! He'd- The monkey demon immediately stamped that thought before it could continue and instead turned his head away.

This wasn't about him. It was about his student MK. Astra had a point, the young man wasn't ready at all and if a tougher opponent came along… The look of remorse on Wukong's face was enough for the redhead's rage to slowly simmer down.

"How about a compromise? If you are that serious about helping MK, then battle Bao Chang." Sun Wukong immediately looked at the human woman in surprise. "It is said that someone's true intentions can be revealed in the heat of battle. Clash with my darling Monferno at the Battle Observatory on the morning of next week and show me how far you will truly go for your disciple."

The redhead got off the Monkey King so he could get back onto his feet. He could see in those apple green eyes that Astra wasn't fooling around. His only chance. "Alright. I'll accept your challenge. Where do we meet up since we're going back to your world?" Wukong's question only got him a chuckle from the Frontier Brain.

"Ask your apprentice, he'll tell you." With that said, Astra walked away from his home leaving the Monkey King to his thoughts.

Megapolis, Astra's House

The sound of a hammer hitting steel echoed across the small forest. It was from Bao Chang who was fastening a brand new windowsill to the upper floor of the old house, a paintbrush wrapped around his tail too. Astra and some of her Pokemon decided to fix up their brand new home after returning from Flower Fruit Mountain.

Bao Chang worked on replacing the windows, Lupe disposed of any garbage he found, Mars scanned for any issues with the infrastructure and Siegfried helped transport any of the heavy goods such as furniture or any stuff that can be exchanged for extra cash. Aniani kept watch in case of an accident or intruder, as for Astra…

"Sticky Web, Arachne!" A large blob of webbing struck the worn pillar. The substance slipped it into the cracks with the wood, Astra then placed a large metal sheet onto the sticky goo. "El Dorado, melt that metal a bit with Incinerate!" Quickly stepping back as a stream of fire hit the steel plate.

The intense flame caused the alloy to slowly curl around the pillar's surface until it was fully enveloped. Another stream of fire went down where the two ends to the sheet metal converged, sealing it together. With a short inspection of the plating, Astra gave a thumbs up to the two Pokemon responsible.

One Pokemon was a shockingly large black spider around 12'3 in size, six long yellow legs with the bottom half black that had medium sized water bubbles on each joint, a big water bubble that encased their head, two large blue eyes bearing light blue horizontal wave shaped pupils with three smaller triangle blue eyes on the forehead, four large fangs at the bottom of the head, a vertical tannish brown streak with two horizontal ones on the top of the abdomen and a small yellow stinger on their rear.

The other one was a 1'3 dark gold gremlin, eyes were light gold diamonds cut in an hexagon shape, two fin like ears bearing two points on each side of their head, a small emerald on their chest alongside a small jade and light gold crystals on the back, three fingered claws, three fur like spikes on the elbows and three toed bearing sharp claws. On their left arm was a dark violet wristband that held a black, red and violet jewel inside.

"Looks pretty stable. Got a few more support pillars to go, think you can handle it Arachne and El Dorado?" Astra first looked at the large spider then to the small gremlin Pokemon. The large spider Pokemon named Arachne did a small nod while the little gremlin El Dorado gave a thumbs up.

The Frontier Brain shortly paused as a serious expression overtook her face. Her focus was on the corner of the room that was unnaturally darker than the others. "Arachne, Bubblebeam over there!" The large spider took a deep breath before letting loose a rapid stream of dark blue bubbles.

In seconds, a purple outlined shadow cudgel emerges and promptly bursts every single bubble with a single swing. Macaque took a step out of the shadows, clearly impressed from the fang filled grin on his face. Astra only sighed at the sight of the shadow demon.

"I guess you do have some decent senses to detect me. Nice improvement on this dumpster pile by the way." The Frontier Brain rolled her eyes at the intruding monkey, both Pokemon beside her had their guard up. A sight that made Macaque chuckle.

"Usually I am not that defensive unless near a potential threat. I just didn't know that you used to eat humans before we met." Astra spoke, her arms crossed and an offensive edge to her voice. Dismissing the shadow cudgel from his hands, the demon gave the redhead a mischievous look.

"I knew you overheard me and Sun Wukong the other night instead of going to your room. Had me surprised when you still treated my wounds while keeping calm from your steady heartbeat. Pretty brave and bold, Apple." Macaque walked closer until he was standing in front of the Frontier Brain.

The demon could still hear her heart remain steady despite their close proximity, a thought that made his tail wag happily. "What do you want, Macaque? Because I'm pretty sure spying on someone isn't a proper visit." Astra didn't feel like playing around at the moment. One demon had already gotten on her nerves, she didn't need two.

"Straight to the point I see! What I want is to train under your tutelage." Astra looked at the shadow demon like he was crazy. She let Macaque continue with his explanation. "My clash with the Monkey King proved my training methods are ineffective, training dummies can only do so much. What's a better sparring partner other than a Frontier Brain?"

The redhead kept her eyes on the monkey as he circled around her, Arachne and El Dorado stayed silent. Both Pokemon were waiting for any sign of a threat. "So how about a deal? I help around your observatory and you let me battle your Pokemon in exchange. I can even help fix up this rusty junk heap as a bonus." Macaque offered, a calm yet manic grin etched on his face.

Astra mulled over the proposition in her head. She wasn't stupid or naive. Macaque and Wukong had a nasty history paired with a mile wide grudge. There was also the chance of manipulation for the Frontier Brain since the monkey demon might have abandonment issues, inferiority complex and probably low esteem.

Taking his offer could lead to two scenarios. He'll end up taking revenge on Sun Wukong, possibly dragging anyone associated with the Monkey King into it. Or two, she could learn their history and might be able to help both demons before their sour relationship leads to a much bigger problem down the road.

Whatever the case, these two needed help. "Fine but you must listen to what I say and respect any rules that I make. By the way, if you try to use whatever you learn against some innocent soul…" Astra's eyes sharpened, her teeth on full display from the huge snarl and a dark aura came off the redhead in waves.

The sudden malice was enough for Macaque to take a step back in instinctual fright. "I won't hesitate to show you why I'm the most feared amongst my peers in the Battle Frontier. Angels, demons or gods, nothing will save you from my wrath. Got it, little Alolan Rattata?" The shadow demon quickly nodded at the Frontier Brain's threat.

In seconds the frightening aura quickly vanished as Astra clapped her hands happily. "Splendid. For now, you'll be helping El Dorado and Arachne with enforcing the support beams. Arachne is my dear Araquanid while El Dorado is my sweet Sableye." Both Pokemon waved a hand or leg in Arachne's case in greeting to the demon monkey.

Macaque was about to say something when the redhead threw two small cards at him. Quickly catching them, dark amber slightly widened to see they were Pokedex Entries for the two Pokemon before him. Although the one for El Dorado looked different since the Sableye in that picture was violet instead of gold.

"'Araquanid, the Water Bubble Pokemon. Bug/Water Type. The water bubble around Araquanid's head can be used to carry Pokemon they consider as friends to safety or drown potential prey. It has a habit of storing things it likes in its water bubble so their trainers have to be extra careful to not get dragged in. This Pokemon likes to savor its meal and can also launch the bubbles from its legs as another way to capture live prey.'" Macaque looked warily at the giant spider before reading the other card.

"'Sableye, the Darkness Pokemon. A Ghost/Dark Type-'" The demon monkey went silent for a few seconds. 'What in the absolute hell?' Macaque shoved the thought in the back of his head before continuing his low mutters.

"'-It digs up gems with its sharp claws then uses its sharp teeth to devour them in the deep darkness of caverns. This diet caused Sableye's eyes to become gemstones and some of that material to float to the surface of their bodies. It's feared for the misconception that these Pokemon can steal the souls of people when their eyes glow a sinister color in the dark.'"

The shadow demon paused to look at the card then the small Darkness Pokemon. He blinked a few times before pocketing the Pokedex entries into his jeans. Macaque had a feeling this won't be the only time Astra decides to make him feel uneasy. Shrugging his shoulders, the monkey resigned himself to his fate and got to work with the repairs.

Megapolis, Flaming Foundry

Deep underneath Megapolis, there laid a massive factory unknown to others. This facility was the Flaming Foundry, where every mechanical creation was manufactured to assist the Demon Bull Family. A family of three who seeked to rule the world in an age of darkness and fire: Princess Iron Fan, her husband Demon Bull King and their child Red Son.

Standing in front of a large screen was Red Son alongside two others. One was a huge minotaur type bull demon around 15 in size, powerful bulging muscles to red violet fur that seemed to almost synthetic, bottom jaw covered in a heavy steel plate with similar steel under burning yellow eyes, a gold bull nose ring, gear similar to that of a barbarian: steel pauldrons, multiple straps on the chest that held a gold furnace like slot at the center, dark grey pelt around the waist similar to a barbarian's, slightly long tail, sharp clawed fingers, large fangs and strong gray hooved feet.

The other was a woman about a ft taller than Red Son, soft tan complexion, two large black horns on both sides of her head, long raven hair, red lipstick on full lips, thin but buxom form hidden under a beautiful red traditional Chinese dress, and heeled sandals. They were Red Son's parents, Princess Iron Fan and Demon Bull King. Red Son seemed mostly healed from his encounter with Team Monkie Kid minus a few bandages.

All three of them were watching the large monitor, it was on the news which covered the Weather Station. The broadcast was about none other than two of Astra's Pokemon rescuing civilians who were trapped inside. "-No one knows what these strange creatures were but the families of those who were trapped inside are truly grateful for their assistance."

Red Son then changed the feed to camera footage from the Weather Station, most of the audio was fried courtesy of Mars' hacking the mainframe earlier. "I can see why your plan went asunder, my dear son. You said this woman's name was Astra?" PIF questioned, looking at her only child.

The red haired demon did a short nod before answering. "Yes from what Noodle Boy called her during our battle. All those creatures appear to follow her command; unlike Noodle Boy's group, she's very competent in both strategy and execution. The marks of a tactician."

DBK looked inquisitively at the footage. His attention darted from Bao Chang tearing apart their soldiers using various elements, to Lupe destroying his troops with powerful acid then blasting his son away in a giant laser, Mars stealthily hack into the Weather Station's mainframe and finally Astra's conversion of a broom handle into a weapon that melted through titanium steel. He's seen that type of cleverness before, it got him trapped underneath a mountain for 500 years.

"It appears the little thief has made a powerful and dangerous ally. Get as much information on this 'Shooting Star Astra' and 'Battle Frontier'. Even better if you somehow manage to capture her." DBK glared at the Frontier Brain's picture, a dark grimace on his face.

"This human woman could change everything."

And that's it! Sun Wukong has been challenged by Astra while Macaque and MK are accepted for training as things slowly begin to change in the background with some of the LMK villains.

Astra isn't someone who would beat around the bush when seeing a possible problem. Especially considering her status as a Frontier Brain and just how dangerous this new world is proving to be.

She is the type who wants to be prepared for the worst. To her, Sun Wukong and Macaque's 'relationship' is an issue just as bad as MK's current training routine.

Moving onto Astra's Pokemon, her team is the Pokemon she had caught during her journey to become a Frontier Brain, not exclusively just six Pokemon. Her Pokemon has two different movesets which is reserved for either exploration or gym battles. I'm bringing this up now to not only clear up any confusion but especially for upcoming chapters.

And for anyone questioning why Astra didn't do anything to Sandy for hugging her, it's because only touches with any romantic sort of sense are a trigger. Stuff like hugs don't bother Astra.

Next chapter is the battle with Sun Wukong! Before I go, I am currently working on a story for my Broken Toys AU! Someone asked if I was going to release all the information first before writing it.

The answer is actually no. I will be posting some stuff for the au like the monsters MK has and his relationship to them but the really juicy ones will be coming once a few chapters are posted.

Until next time folks, see you back in Megapolis.

New Pokemon added! El Dorado the Sableye and Arachne the Araquanid

Astra's team: Bao Chang (Monferno), Siegfried (Corviknight), Lupe (Garbodor), Aniani (Necrozma), Arachne (Araquanid), Mukasa (Zarude), El Dorado (Shiny!Sableye).

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megashadowdragon · 3 years

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**1.**Punching Gilgamesh the moment you are summoned/enter a fight/enter a room is not reasonable and should not be done at any time -Gudao

1a. Not even when he barges into the Camelot Room and threatens to everyone, especially when he does it to make your female counterpart marry her -Gudao

1b. Apparently PTSD is not a viable excuse to punch someone when you see him harassing someone. Noted.

2. Just because I am a King, does not mean I can give people nicknames. Makes me wonder how Gareth felt about being called Best Boy by Merlin.

3. Eating contests are apparently not allowed, seems food shortages are common with my counterparts.

4. As it turns out, screaming "To Valhalla" is not the best idea when you step onto Iskandar's Chariot. Especially so when you are right in front of the enemy.

5. Frankenstein is not a doll, do not dress her up. No Arthur, not even if she tilts her head and makes cute growls -Gudao 5a. Okay! Only if its a sundress! -Gudao

6. Getting together four of my other counterparts and forming the Saber Rangers is not allowed, especially if we have Excalizords. Seems the other servants aren't fond of needlessly big robots that take too long to combine.

7. Motorbikes are not to be used at any point or time in Chaldea, no, not even when Iskandar decides to hold the "Chaldea Grand Prix" -Da Vinci

7a. THE SAME GOES FOR OTHER VEHICLES YOU MONGRELS, UNLIKE YOU FUCKS, SOME OF US NEED BEAUTY SLEEP AT 3 AM! -Gilgamesh

8. Just because I can use a sword, doesn't mean I am allowed to attack my Cu Chulainn with it. I swear, he walked into it.

9. Apparently I am not allowed to compliment people? Turns out after I left the beach where I hung out with a sweetie named Kiyohime, along with master, Kiyohime attempted to burn someone alive because I said that master looked like a dashing man. I highly doubt she did.

9a. The smell is still stuck to my trunks Arthur -Gudao

10. My liege... My OTHER liege, please don't ever get Red Saber to sing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" again when I am about to utilize Galatine -Gawain

11. We know you are fascinated in other cultures, but please. Stop talking to the Servants of France about Sasaki Kojirou, we don't know if you made up his nickname, but he is not the "Savior of France" - Jeanne D'Arc

12. I would suggest that you stop entering the Camelot Room by screaming "Where is my love! Guinevere!", while it as funny once or twice, I can't stand to see either Lancelots' become depressed anymore -Arturia Altria

13. No offense... But please stop patting my head so much, I know you are basically my Uncle, but people are getting the wrong idea -Mashu

14. While Proto League is an acceptable nickname for the servants of your war, please don't ever enter a fight and scream it out again. We know you enjoy it, but it can get obnoxious after a while - Random Mob 1

15. Proving that I am male by either fighting or pantsing myself is no longer allowed after Heracles decided to do the same thing when a recently summoned Shakespeare made him question his own gender -Da Vinci

15a. Having the entire male team to pants themselves in front of the enemy is not a viable tactic against Archers, no matter what you watched beforehand and despite how fun it is -Robinhood

16. Just because Merlin suggested it, I shouldn't instantly do it. Its odd, almost like no one trusts Merlin, he seems just like my one.

17. "I saw a pest" is not a viable reason to drop a Corrupted Grail into the Babylon Room, we understand your dislike towards the King of Heroes, but Ishtar and Ereshkigal were caught up in the rage.

17a. "I was bored" is not a viable excuse to kiss a female servant while under the effects of Merlin's illusionary spell, Gudao has yet to leave his... specially enduced Coma.

17b. "I saw this scene-" is not a viable reason to go to a prior singularity and ask Muramasa to create a specific weapon, it is time wasting, no matter how strong the weapon is.

18. Suggesting to Rayshift to the point before someone dies is not a good idea, no matter how much fun it is for you to watch the "Crazy Murder Loli" die.

18a. Getting Fou'd is not a good reason to Rayshift back to your fight against Beast VI just so you can "Finish the Fucker Off".

19. Using a voice manipulator made by Merlin is not a good way to get people to be afraid when you shout a noble phantasm.

19a. Shouting "Stella" is not allowed, Arash prematurely shot off his Noble Phantasm while training and now we have to resummon him.

20. Just because we have a Simulation Room, does not mean I can alter the device to allow me to see someone from the past.

20a. We know you miss her, we do too. If you want to speak, you can come talk to us -Proto League

21. Trying to host an "Engry MIYA" talk between Nameless and Alter is not a good idea, just... Don't.

22. While having a Picnic is fun, please don't host them in the middle of a fight.

23. Just because a rabbit killed Gawain in a movie, does not mean you can threaten to cook Fou alive.

24. We know you love kids but come on, you can't just take Nursery Rhyme and Jack out to "Play Fetch" with the Dragons in France every after-noon.

25. Blaming someone that isn't even a servant isn't a viable way to shift blame.

26. I've been banned from the Kitchen, apparently forcing my way in and cooking the meals before Nameless is not a good idea. He looked ready to cry.

26a. Turns out mentioning the fact that Muramasa was far more willing to let me into his kitchen when I visited him was not a good idea. I don't think Nameless likes me much.

26b. "Just because I have the alcohol" is not a good excuse to get a few of the servants including Mashu drunk at dinner.

27. Just because you technically existed before Back to the Future 1 and 2, does not mean you can threaten to sue the creator, even if you can go back in time freely.

28. NO, NEVER DO THAT AGAIN, NOT EVEN IF KIYOHIME ASKS NICELY, WE SHALL NEVER REPEAT THE EVENTS OF YESTERDAY AGAIN.

29. "Look what I found" is a sentence that I am never allowed to speak when I am holding something bigger than my head or smaller than my hands.

30. Turns out that breaking my own arm is not the best way to get Nightingale to calm down. Never thought Merlin would be wrong.

31. "Sure you can touch my Excalibur" is not the best way to differentiate between Arturia's Excalibur and my own when someone asks to hold it.

31a. "But mine is bigger" is not a good response when Arturia talks about how easy her seals are to remove from her Noble Phantasm, nor is it alright to use when talking about when how she made Mordred.

32. Stealing Gilgamesh's potion of youth and putting it in the Soup that EVERYONE ended up eating is the easiest way to have myself barred from missions for a week.

33. Just because people are afraid of it, doesn't mean you should hug it. Not even if Merlin says to.

34. Just because someone stole your food, does not mean you should "Call in a favor" and have Elizabeth sing until someone gives up who stole it

34a. Update: The above applies to Nero as well.

35. Just because I have an innate fear of the Lancer version of my female counterpart, does not mean I can steal her horse and run away because of that fear.

36. Making King Hassan say "Omae wa mou shindeiru" is not allowed, especially if you reply with "I'm already dead" just to mess with him.

37. You are fond of Mordred, we understand. But please stop teasing her. Calling her cute will be her death - KotR

38. We understand that being locked in a single room with Nobunaga can be hard, but saying it was like prison is not fair.

38a. Quoting an abridged anime is not allowed, especially if it has "Sluts" and "Prison" in the same sentence, we still don't know where you got that swim team outfit.

38b. Making a mini Excalibur and saying "Blade of Promised Prison Riots! SHANKCALIBUR" is not allowed at all, Edmond almost had a heart attack.

38c. It is noted that the Arthur and Nobunaga were almost forced to kiss, but utilizing time manipulation to see Romani's death and threaten him with "Spoilers" is not allowed.

39. Just because Merlin asked, does not mean you should dress up as a "Cutesy Idol" and perform a song with a voice changer on in front of a camera for his "Magi*Mari" stream, Romani has yet to heal from that wound.

40. Looking Mordred in the eye and saying "Mordred, I am your father" is not allowed, especially when you have her surrounded by all the versions of her "Father", even the ones that just look like "Him".

41. "I solomly swear I am up to no good" is not what you say while standing behind the Director in the Lost Room, she died once already, we don't need her worrying about what you will do.

41a. "Remember that time you became a Loli" is not to be said around Olga Marie after what happened after she was... Killed.

42. Quoting Kamina from Gurren Lagann is banned, especially after everyone believed you were actually erased from the throne. Only to find you a month later taking off an invisibilty cloak and sneaking into the mens bathrooms to shave.

43. Anime is fun to watch, but please. Stop trying to explain why a certain character would be within the Throne of Heroes.

43a. Stop. Asking. When. I. Will. Summon. ISSEI HYOUDOU! -Gudao

43b. BOOSTED GEAR SCALE MAIL! -Arthur

43c. BOOSTO? -Siegfried

44. Valentines is a wonderful thing, we get it. But making everyone in Chaldea chocolate by going around and hunting in various areas is not needed, we have too much already.

45. Stop Rickrolling, that was so early 2000s, get with the golden times old man -Kintoki

45a. EX-

46. Commenting on the impractical armors of the female knights that walk around is not needed, we have gotten complaints about how they feel harassed -Staff Member

46a. I just wanted to help out... -Arthur

47. I am not to sing anything ever again, the reason isn't because I am bad, no. Everyone agrees I am quite good. But its the genre I sing coupled with my Charisma rank. Seems love songs should not be sung. How sad.

48. Just because I have cat ears, does not mean you should give me Catnip - Atalanta

48a. The same was repeated for Alter.

48b. Along with Tamamo Berserker.

49. "Merlin told me to do it" is no longer an excuse that is accepted, even if he did make you do it.

50. LITERALLY ALL THE THINGS ON THIS LIST ARE BECAUSE OF MERLIN, STOP LISTENING TO HIM.

51. I'm only responsible for a quarter of these, stop blaming me for your troubles, Normies -Merlin

Kiyohime asks Arthur what to do to catch Gudao's attention. Arthur tells her to turn into his most cherished person. She turns into Gudako and tries to force Gudao into sex.

#fgo #fate grand order #fgo fanwork #fate/grand order #arthur pendragon #fate arthur pendragon #proto arthur #prototype arthur pendragon #fate prototype #f/go

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dxfiedfxte-a · 3 years

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Oh boy, now here comes Nemesis wandering around Tartarus.

After that very bizarre experience the other night at Tartarus, Minato was hoping that tonight's exploration would be a little bit more normal. While the first ten floors had been business as usual, and even taking out a floor guardian shadow that had prevented them from advancing to the floor. It had been a long successful infiltration tonight and they had made some decent progress. With those ten floors now behind them, he could tell that the team was getting pretty tired, the floor was strangely quiet, but after checking with Fuuka, and she confirmed with him that the floor was clear, he thought nothing of it. Because of how hard everyone had worked, maybe it was best he'd send them back ahead of him, if there were no Shadows on the floor with him, then he had nothing to worry about, or so he thought.

[{ 🦋 }] - "You guys worked hard today, good work everyone, go ahead and return to the entrance without me. I'm gonna take a look around and see if there's anything we can use."

Once he reassured his friends that he would be fine, they agreed and Fuuka took them back with the power of her Persona since no one had found the access point to leave. Without a worry, the fool began to casually and calmly walk through the halls, his sword still in hand but lowered with his arm while his other hand rested comfortably inside his pants pocket as he took a look around, finding suitcases that either contained an item useful in battles like medicine or chewing soul, sometimes it was even money. It could be anything. Before he could wrap up his search, he heard Fuuka's voice come through, and it was not good news, not at all.

"Minato-Kun, Something very large is coming your way! I don't know what it is, but it isn't a Shadow. Please be careful!"

[{ 🦋 }] - "Something very large?"

He repeats, the navigator's warning cutting through the calm atmosphere that was now no longer here. A deadly silence, where time feels like it stopped and the sound of everything around you fades before tuning out completely, bringing an eerie chill up your spine. What was it?

And then he heard it, the sound of slow heavy stomping, but not the same kind of stomping like before, this kind sounded, robotic. Like it was walking slow, calm and clearly not the steps of anything human., it doesn't take long before he hears it, a deep voice that seems to roll out, sounding more like a guttural growl just barely making out the words

"S T A A A A A A A R R R R R S S S!"

Not long after the voice, a large creature with a disfigured face with only a single eye and teeth, a huge humanoid figure clad in some sort of leather that had yellow wraps of some sort, it also had tubes running through its back, large gloved hands, the right one holding what appeared to be a Bazooka. Minato didn't waste a single second quickly turning his back and once again broke into a full sprint as this large humongous creature cased after him, Minato was about to get some distance, but felt something slimy wrap around his ankle and pull him down. Letting out a gasp, he's tugged down towards the ground, hitting his forehead in the process.

Pained by the bump, he lets out a groan, and before he has time to catch his breath, he's yanked into the hand of this beast, its large fingers beginning to curl around his neck, any second he felt like his neck would snap like a twig if his head wasn't crushed like a watermelon in from the size of his hand first. He had to move fast or this would be it for him.

In a desperate last-ditch effort to escape, before he lets the breath leave his lungs from the pressure, he manages to pull out his evoker and uses the adrenaline to put it to his temple, with a burst of blue energy, Minato summons the Persona: Siegfried who strikes the ground with his sword casting Brave Blade, a move that causes a series of cuts to multiple enemies, but since this thing was large, all the slices were aimed at this creature which managed to wound it causing him to break free as the Persona disappeared back into depths of his psyche.

Minato doesn't stick around near it any longer now that he's free from its grasp and takes off, coughing a bit before recovering and finally getting some distance from it, but it's not long before more stomping is heard, but much quicker this time, this thing was coming, he needed to leave fast. Minato begins to again break into a sprint and quickly connects with Fuuka.

[{ 🦋 }] - "OHGODOHSHITOHNO FUUKA-CHAN! SAVE ME BEFORE THIS HUGE FREAK GRABS ME!" He shouts, his legs not stopping for a single second, this thing would kill him the next time he was in his clutches, he couldn't afford to stop now.

Not even he could keep his cool right now, he hoped and prayed that nothing else like this would wander into Tartarus, but considering how this was the second unexpected creature, who the hell really knew anymore?

#//Okay I was joking the last time in the tags in the Mr x ask #//but this was actually p fun to answer #//ANOTHER crossover no one asked for #//again not complaining at all #//I dont blame u Minato #//If I saw that tyrant chasing me #//I'd shit bricks too lmao #Fᴏʟʟᴏᴡɪɴɢ Mʏ OWN Fᴀᴛᴇ (IC)#ᴠ; Jᴜsᴛ ᴀ ғᴏᴏʟ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ғᴏᴏʟɪsʜ ( Cʀᴀᴄᴋ )#anonymous

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astraltrickster · 3 years

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I really want to like the fact that the Apocrypha anime had Jeanne arrive a few minutes earlier and intervene in the fight over Sieg's escape. Not to say that it's a better version of events, but specifically because it's a different version of events that highlights different aspects of Astolfo and Sieg's characters.

In the novels, Gordes and Siegfried arrive alone to confront Sieg. The whole Thing happens, Gordes is knocked unconscious, Sieg and Astolfo have the conversation where Sieg decides on his name, and Astolfo leaves to carry Gordes back to the castle.

In the anime, the rest of Yggdmillenia arrive after Siegfried transplants his heart into Sieg, and Jeanne intervenes to formally declare that taking Sieg back would be a violation of the rules. Astolfo resigns to going back, and Jeanne takes Sieg the rest of the way out of the forest; in this case she is the one he has the naming conversation with.

In the novels, the point where Astolfo left demonstrated his reliance on instinct - "I'll keep helping him until I stop". He trusted that Sieg would be okay from there - he had a stronger body now, and he just kind of trusted that another enemy wouldn't find him, so that was it; with the need to get Gordes back, that was the separation point. The anime version shows his dedication - in the anime version he did not leave until he had no other real option but WE, the AUDIENCE, had reason to trust that everything would be okay from that point. Also, while Astolfo being present for Sieg naming himself sets the tone for the power of their relationship going forward, the anime version gives us an intensely dramatic look at the extent of mutual irrationality involved between them: the first time Astolfo heard Sieg's name was while Sieg was picking a fight with Mordred - actively trying to sacrifice himself to protect him.

The fact that both of these versions exist makes me really happy!

But it would make me a lot happier if it weren't part of a broad issue the anime had with what they chose to cut for time. Namely, that the first thing to be axed was pretty much anything that established the characters' motives and relationships - especially the relationship between Sieg and Astolfo. Which is, uh, a pretty big deal because the Master-Servant relationship has always been. A very central thing in the Fate series???

We don't have the conversation between them on the way out of the forest, in which Astolfo tells Sieg about the time he got turned into a tree, or when he revealed that he didn't remember his book's name (even though I actually like the fact that they cut that PART of the conversation - that moment is just better when the audience finds out about it at the same time as most of the characters as a massive bombshell, imo). We don't have their conversation after defeating Adam, in which Astolfo calms Sieg down from a very understandable panic by revealing his own experience with such a moment. We don't have the callback to this conversation, in which Sieg returns the favor before the flight to the Hanging Gardens - it's replaced with just a 2-second clip of Astolfo's hand trembling.

Particularly, it stands out in conjunction with the changes to Astolfo's physicality. Whenever he touches Sieg in the anime, it tends to be either to lead or carry him, to shield him, or to show off to someone else that they are a team. In the novel there's a lot more touching that's just for their mutual comfort - whether it's the introduction scene I mentioned in this big post here, or my favorite cut humor scene, or the two scenes I mentioned above of them comforting each other after the Adam fight/before the siege on the Hanging Gardens, they rarely seem to touch each other unless it has some purpose other than comfort in the anime - if it is purely an emotional thing it mostly only happens in the absolute most intense moments, like after Sieg's near-death experiences - but they do in the novel. A lot. Sometimes even if it is part of something bigger it's cut anyway - they were holding hands when they formed their contract in the novels.

So, I can't help but feel that the reason for this change in when Jeanne arrived - which made no likely difference whatsoever in runtime - was just to make her and Sieg look more like a couple. Because, clearly, this relationship is the only one that needs extra development to make up for what was cut for time. If we don't do that, we might give people the idea that our protagonist might not be straight! Can't have that! The saddest thing is that it...didn't really succeed in making them a more believable couple, either - the scenes at Serge's house between them were way more powerful as a relationship-establishing thing than her DOING HER JOB, even though I do feel that her meeting him that way does do something nice to set the tone for her conflict about duty vs. personal attachment with him.

What I'm saying is...I really, really like that there are two different versions of this series of events, but I hate the fact that one of them likely only exists because someone wanted to put a wedge in a central relationship - one of the central relationships that makes this franchise what it is - because having that kind of closeness between two "male" characters, who are roughly the same physical age and one of whom is very gnc, might alienate the dudebros this franchise has historically been aimed at.

#fate #tbh this is part of why i ship the full triad #it's spite #i will extract the good from your bullshittery #and i will make them unapologetically queer anyway #like the one thing we all know about the literary Astolfo is that he did a #uh #very informal but in-depth study #to determine that monogamy was a social construct #not a part of humanity's hardwired instincts #IM JUST SAYING GUYS...

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madmachaca · 4 years

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I love that the only f***king moment Kanon is mention in Soul of Gold is when Saga is like "a brother? Oh yeah...I had one of those..." during his battle with Sigmund, when the latter is like "my brother died cause of y'all" and Saga is like

Mothefaka, you locked you brother up in prision to drown! (Not saying he didn't care, but, still)

And then later best twin makes a little cameo:

(You're doing great, sweetie)

And as much as I appreciate him being at least mentioned, I confess I would have like to actually see him in the series as an actual character.

Bear with me because as you may have notice, I am completely biased (because I love him) and I am going to express why I think Kanon in SoG could have worked or at least could had made things fun

1.- why he isn't there

So the counterpoint to him even getting back to life is that "they only brought back the gold saints" and yeah, that's true, that's a good argument... but wait... he is a gold saint! A spare one, yes, but he is. Athena accepted him as one and that should be enough. I understand he wasn't THE legitimate Gemini saint but, he WAS the Gemini saint...so, where is he? Huh??where??? You think I wasn't going to ask, huh?

2. - But let's pretend he was on the show.

I imagine things could have been interesting, for one we could have seen him interract with Saga other that "you are the spawn of evil" "thanks, you too, asshole" type of interaction they had here and there. Maybe he would have been friends with Milo considering what happened, or maybe he would had been the one who would run back to Hades as soon as he woke up, maybe that actually happen and that's why he is not there (yeah, sure).

And aside from the possible team ups with the other saints, let's no forget who this man is: Kanon,the man who fooled a god. Maybe, just maybe, he could have tricked Loki, and some may argue "but Loki is a very crafty god!" That was in mythology, not in SoG.

...and kanon is a crafty guy whose evil plan almost sent everything down the drains. Kanon could have made a perfect god tricksters duo with Aphrodite.

And speaking of tricking Poseidon. Can you imagine how the fight between Sigmund and Saga would have turned out if my man had appeared in the middle of it?

Maybe Sigmund would be like

"You killed my brother!!"

And Saga would be like

"I understand your pain, sorry for your loss"

And Kanon would

be like

"Well... it was Sorrento, I gues...but considering the bigger picture, yeah, it's on me"

And Saga would be like "what?"

And then Kanon would say something about how he was terrible in the past, and he has change, but that doesn't bring Siegfried back, and even his ghost is like "wtf, man?" That's not all, Kanon is actually responsible for the whole mess Asgard went through with Hilda and the ring since he had Poseidon on the palm of his hand, right? But then again, he wouldn't had found the trident, and wouldn't have awoken Poseidon if Saga hadn't locked him up in cape Sounion....so yeah..

Congratulations, Saga, you killed Sigmund's brother.

(Joke aside, but not really, nobody tell Sigmund that Sorrento is the ONLY marina who is still alive...)

And then we get to the ending.

Not the part where the gold saints dissapeared to the afterlife, but the momemt when the ruler of the oceans himself shows up and he tells them he is gonna help, and all is normal until he turns his head around a little and there he is...

"Sea Dragon" he would say with a nood,and then he would turn around and walk away leaving a sensation awkwardness behind that has nothing to do with the feeling the show would like to have on a scene so close to the end. (You know? Maybe this is the reason why they didn't included Kanon. But I highly doubt it because I don't think they thought it through as much)

Now let's go back to the reason he is not there.

There is the possibility that they didn't brought him back to life, because they couldn't. It wouldn't be the first time they played with the idea of him surviving his fight with Radamanthis, I know there is a game that offers us (me) a little hope.

So, yeah, Maybe he is alive!!

Maybe that's actually what happened and I can be happier (let me dream, guys). It in the end, it doesn't matter.

It isn't canon

#saint seiya #gemini kanon #seadragon kanon #saint seiya soul of gold #gemini saga #my rant that is not meant to be taking seriously #mi post mio de mi

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sustraiii · 3 years

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TEAM ZRCN ARC 3 - CHAPTER 19

I’ve got a bad feeling about this...

Thank you to @neopoliitan for proofreading!

NEELA

The morning after the dance started off pleasantly enough, and for the first time in years, Neela woke up in the comfort of her old bedroom. She didn’t wake up late, she did not hurry to get up, and instead made the most of being able to relax and stretch out in a comfortable bed. When she did eventually get up, she got changed into some casual clothes and slipped on some lounge slippers before heading downstairs.

As it was a sunday, there were cleaners present about the house, seeing to the countless rooms. Most of them went about their business quietly, ignoring Neela as she came downstairs, but she was stopped by a few familiar faces who shook her hands vigorously and commented on how nice it was to see her again before letting her go on her way.

She wasn’t in the mood for anything excessive for breakfast, so she stuck to two slices of toast practically drowning in butter with a small glass of orange juice. She had barely taken a bite when the voice of her brother interrupted her. He looked surprisingly awake in his athletics wear as he strode into the kitchen through the opposite doorway, which was amazing given that he had been one of the last to return home after the previous night’s festivities.

“Have you seen Mira this morning?” He asked.

“Good morning to you too.” Neela responded.

“Oh, sorry,” Caspian said. There was a beat before he quickly added, “Good morning.”

Neela smiled, and dipped her head in appreciation. She took a small sip from her drink before answering his question. “And no, I have not seen Mira this morning - I literally just got out of bed ten minutes ago. Why did you want to know where she is?”

“Apparently she missed a meeting with dad,” Caspian explained, shrugging his shoulders a little as he spoke.

“That’s unlike her,” Neela mused, to which her brother nodded in agreement. She pondered this unlikely behaviour for a moment. “I wouldn’t worry too much though,” Neela added. “She spent most of the night having fun with Sera and Siegfried. If anything she probably spent the night at their apartment rather than walk all the way home.”

“Right because our house is such a long way from the university compared to Sera’s place.”

“Tell that to me again when you have to walk home in stilettos.”

Caspian let out a hearty laugh. “You got me there.” It took a few seconds for him to calm back down. “So, did you have a nice time last night?”

“A part of me wishes Tilly could have been there to enjoy last night, but other than that I had a great time,” Neela responded with a smile. “Trust me, after the rough couple of months my team and I have had to go through, it was nice just to have some time to let our hair down and have some real fun.”

"Well, Cordovan and Zelde certainly had fun," Caspian said with a wink.

Neela rolled her eyes playfully. "You're one to talk! Don't think I didn't see you and your little man squad chatting up all the ladies from the university last night."

"Hey, I had no such part in that!" Caspian protested.

"Okay maybe not the flirting," Neela conceded. "Although, you and Nerio attempting to breakdance when the latter could barely see straight, let alone stand up, is a memory that will stick with me for a long time."

A flush of colour bloomed across Caspian's cheeks. "Don't remind me," He chuckled, scratching his head in a way that showed he was clearly embarrassed at the memory. "I've already seen footage of that moment - Clinton was filming it. Do I always dance like that?”

“Yes.”

“You should have told me I was such a bad dancer.”

“What, and ruin all the fun?”

It was at that moment that Zelde and Cordovan made their appearance. Like the night before, they were still very much lost in each other’s presence, holding each other’s hands, and looking into each other's eyes. They were so caught up with each other that they did not seem to realise anyone else was in the kitchen until Caspian made an audible smirk. Cordovan only offered an embarrassed response, but Zelde seemed a lot more flustered, pulling her hand away and turning a shade of pink.

“So are you two official now or what?” Neela asked jokingly.

Zelde blushed harder. “We haven’t really talked about it yet.”

“Oh yeah, I guess there wasn’t a whole lot of talking going on last night, huh?” Neela winked at them.

“I expected better from you, Neela,” Zelde scolded. Despite her words and the unimpressed expression she had on her face, her tone was surprisingly light. “I expect this sort of behaviour from Ravi, not you.”

“Speaking of Ravi, where is he?” Cordovan asked, steering the conversation from his and Zelde’s relationship for the moment.

“In bed still if I had to guess,” Neela answered, taking time to finish her final slice of toast during the lull in conversation. “He was partying pretty hard last night.”

“Uh, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unless Ravi woke up early - which, knowing him is highly unlikely - I don’t think he came home last night,” Cordovan informed them.

“The curtains were still drawn in his room and his bed didn’t appear to have been slept in,” Zelde added on.

Neela tensed and shared a glance with her brother, who had the same slightly concerned expression dawning on his face. Zelde noticed the shared look between them. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“It’s probably nothing, but our sister appears to have gone missing this morning as well,” Caspian explained.

“You can’t just tell someone that you think a person is missing and not expect them to be concerned,” Cordovan pointed out. “This surely can’t be a coincidence that the two of them can’t be found.”

“I mean Mira is probably just at Sera’s place…” Caspian said in an effort to explain where she might have been, but his lack of confidence didn’t make it sound particularly convincing.

Before anything else could be said of the matter, a small cough from the doorway interrupted them, and Neela turned to see one of the cleaners from earlier poking her head around the doorway.

“Pardon my intrusion,” She said with an apologetic tone, before her glance shifted towards Neela and her brother, “there is a visitor at the front door, should I let them in?”

“Who is it, Mauve?” Caspian asked.

“One of the people from the military base -- the major I believe.”

“My mother is here?” Cordovan said in a questioning tone, moreso to himself than to the rest of the group.

“You’d better let her in, Mauve,” Caspian said. Mauve gave a quick nod and swiftly disappeared, only to be replaced soon after by a flustered looking Wren.

Neela was surprised to see her looking so rattled; in all the time Neela had known her, Wrenhad always seemed so calm and measured.

“Do none of you answer your scrolls?” She scolded, looking at Neela and her teammates.

“In their defense, they all only woke up less than thirty minutes ago,” Caspian answered. When Wren shot him a sharp look, he hastily made a sheepish apology.

“Mum,” Cordovan said, drawing Wren’s attention away from Caspian. “Are you alright?”

Hearing her son speak to her seemed to calm Wren a little, but she still seemed tense and on edge. She let out a long sigh. “There's been a lot going on this morning. First I can't find Rosie and then-"

Cordovan tensed. "What did you say?"

"Rosie's not at the base. We looked everywhere but couldn't find a trace of her. You know how she is, Cor, she likes to wander. I thought perhaps she might have come here, as this is the only other place she's familiar with in Highpoint, but I see that she doesn't appear to be here either." Wren paused and looked around at all the gathered faces. Upon noting their troubled expressions she raised an eyebrow. "Has something else happened?"

"Ravi and Mira's sister appear to be missing too," Cordovan explained.

"Xanthos isn't missing," Wren said, causing Neela to let out a sigh of relief. "Before I realised Rosie was missing as well, I had received a call from Carmen to say he had been found in a broom closet at the university."

"Did she say anything about Mira?" Caspian asked hopefully.

"Sorry, no," Wren answered, her expression softening as she did. "She might have more to say face-to-face, but it seems unlikely. Regardless, I will pass on the news about Mira to her when she brings Xanthos to the base."

"Would you like us to come back with you?" Zelde offered.

"It's not necessary, but it might be beneficial for you to all be there ," Wren admitted, looking at the three members of ZRCN. "I'm not clear on what happened to Xanthos, or why three people have gone missing, but I suspect Xanthos might have some answers for us."

Zelde nodded. "Alright we'll follow you."

Zelde and Cordovan began to move to follow Wren, but Neela hesitated, looking back at her brother. "I'll meet you outside."

Wren nodded and led her teammates away, leaving Neela and her brother in the kitchen. The news Wren had delivered, had clearly rattled her brother, as the easy going smiles he had earlier had now vanished. Caspian looked down at the floor for a long moment before looking up and meeting Neela's eyes.

"What happened last night, Nee?" He asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I wish I knew, Cas," Neela sighed. "All I know is that I'm beginning to get a bad feeling about all of this."

"Me too," Caspian nodded in agreement. "Me too…"

#team zrcn fic #team ZRCN #Zelde Sewick #Cordovan Radcliff #Xanthos Ravindra #Neela Oxford #caspian oxford #wren honeycutt

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therealcalicali · 3 years

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Hiii! How are you? I hope you're good!

so i don't know if you're currently taking requests but i just have an idea with The last Kingdom that's stuck on my head, where reader is a Christian princess around the age of 17 where she got sold to the brothers(Eric and Siegfried) by her parents(that they do not care about her) in order to maintain peace in their lands. The brothers do not really care about her until they hear about Alfred's army that wants to make them leave Beamfleot. They send her back to Winchester as a spy and get to know about their plans. When she goes there she lies to all telling them that she can help them because she knows the brothers plans and King Alfred sends her with Uhtred and his team. As they are in their way to Beamfleot reader grows fond of them and starts to think that it would be better to not misguide them as they said to her to do and tell them the truth and betray the brothers. But before she has the opportunity to do so like something happens in their way there and they know the truth(only Uhtred's team) and they very upset and because they had liked her Uhtred decides to send her away because if she stayed either him or King Alfred's men would kill her. But Uhtred's son intervenes because the brothers would kill her too(because they know about what she was going to do after one of their men told them) and so they agree to not send her away or testify her to Alfred but like now they are all distant from her after that. When the days are near the battle she tries to convince them that they will surely changed their plans and their way to attack but no one believes her so the day of the battle she takes a horse and some men and go to where she believes the will attack and she is right and so with only like 100 men tries to stop them and delay them and kill as many of their army but after some time King Alfred, Uhtred and the Saxons see what she did so they go there to help her and their people but reader gets seriously injured by Siegfried and even tho the Saxons win and so now they do not know if she's going to manage to live and so the team and Uhtred is really devastated because he feels bad because they had grew fond of her(in a friendly way) and cared about her before they learned she was lying. Eventually she survives and we have a happy ending where she follows Uhtred and his team to whatever adventure and stuff

There's no specific date is not in a specific season just imagine the characters as they are in season 4 because i really reay like their appearance in there.

Oof well it's really big but i hope you like the idea... But it's totally fine if you don't and if you can't write something like that.

Also if there are grammar mistakes i apologize, English isn't my first language soo i'm still learning. Anyway i love your writings and your account. Take care <3

Hey hun.💖🍀

Wow, that was pretty epic. You practically wrote an Imagine/Drabble. It seems that you're inwardly a writer in the making, but hesitant to go all the way.

The story arc is great but unfortunely, requests are currently closed due to my courseload. I'll definetly unannounce when it's open again.

#asks answered #ask answered #answered asks #answered

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softschofield · 4 years

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a bit of historical / military context for 1917

because it certainly added to my appreciation of the film to understand a little more of the background of a few of the lines :’) ♡

“the last time i was told the germans had gone, it didn’t end well”:

here, schofield is referring to the opening day of the somme on the 1st of july 1916, and, more specifically, the first day of the first battle of thiepval ridge.

in the week prior to the opening day, the british expeditionary force (BEF) let loose an artillery barrage on the german positions of some 1.7 million shells. the commander of the fourth army, general sir henry rawlinson, told his subordinate commanders: “nothing could exist at the conclusion of the bombardment in the area covered by it.” in short, the germans were supposed to be gone. so sure were the generals of utter success, a misguided feeling of complete calm optimism filtered down through the ranks - so much so that the infantry forces were instructed that there need be no hurry in getting across no man’s land and into the enemy trenches: there would be little to no resistance, as the germans and all their artillery and machine gun outposts would have been obliterated, and they could take it at a leisurely pace across the land that was hundreds of yards wide at some points.

of course, within just a few minutes, the opening day turned into a catastrophic disaster. the artillery barrage had hardly touched the german defences and the majority of their troops had been sheltered safe and sound in deep underground bunkers for the entire week. the barbed wire had not been cut by the shelling as the generals had hoped; the land between the british and german lines was torn up by their own artillery and muddy from days of rain; and the germans were not gone. when the british mine at the hawthorn redoubt was blown at 07:20 rather than at 07:28, when the other mines along the front line were due to be detonated to begin the offensive, the germans were given a full ten minutes warning of the british attack and could set up their defences before the infantry had even gone over the top of their trenches.

at 07:30, 2,000 officers blew their whistles all along the 12-mile stretch of front and the 65,000 soldiers of the first wave climbed out into no man’s land all at the same time and began their simultaneous advance in one, long line. when schofield climbed out of his trench, he would have started on the muddy, uphill climb towards the ruins of thiepval village, with tens upon tens of thousands of soldiers on either side of him and the men that he had gone through training with most likely among them - in relative silence at first, as the echoes of the whistles died away, but soon in roaring chaos, screaming confusion, and white-hot fear as the wire was discovered to be uncut, the germans were discovered to be very much alive, and the orderly advance fell into bewildered and terrified disarray. within seconds, it was slaughter. 65,000 soldiers died on that first day alone and over four million would become casualties in the following four months, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

all because, despite cheerful promises, prideful boasting, and empathetic assurances to the contrary, the germans were not gone.

“lieutenant leslie has command”:

it really does need saying just what a vast degree of difference there is between a major being in command, as had been the case before leslie was forced to take over, and a lieutenant. the section of the yorks that were holding the front line was most likely a company, around 150 soldiers at full strength. a company was commanded by a major, with a captain as second-in-command, while a lieutenant was the second lowest ranking commissioned officer in the BEF, just above a second lieutenant.

to put into perspective what a lieutenant’s role usually comprised, they were in command of one platoon each - around 50 soldiers - with a sergeant as their second-in-command, corporals in command of each of the three or four sections within the platoons, and lance corporals in command of the fire teams. platoons would have a small headquarters, and command of one was usually a newly commissioned officer’s first posting before they moved on to bigger and better things. it is therefore staggering, and truly upsetting in the context, that a lieutenant was put in a position where he was forced to take over in the place of a major, a full two ranks above him - and even more so that he was clearly left as the highest ranking officer in the company.

no wonder he was so overwhelmed - he was a relatively junior officer, already traumatised by war and most likely by losing all the men he may have been close to only two days ago, who had suddenly been handed the lives and wellbeing of a hundred men and told to care for and lead them. the burden of such sudden responsibility, of not being able to do or be enough for them, would have been too much to cope with for most anyone, and it’s little wonder he turned to alcohol to numb the fear and, perhaps, the insecurity.

“the germans are gone” / “i think they wanted to bury us”:

from february through to the 5th of april 1917 - 1 day before the beginning of the film - the german army initiated operation alberich and retreated back to a newly formed defensive position known as the siegfried position, or the hindenburg line to the BEF. it was built to shorten their stretch of held land by 30 miles and replace the former front line, which had been increasingly manned by insufficient numbers of physically and psychologically drained soldiers and which could no longer be held: their fighting force on the western front had been depleted and exhausted by the battle of the somme in 1916, the success of their offensives on the eastern front had forced them to stretch their resources across an even larger stretch of land, and the entrance of romania into the war had added even further strain.

by wasting the land between their old trench systems and their new line, they hoped to delay an expected spring offensive by the british and french forces. to achieve this, they completely desolated the landscape, turning it into a bleak and devastated wasteland that would severely try the logistics and resources of the anglo-french advance, and render it unusable, uninhabitable, and often dangerous to even cross: they systematically destroyed bridges, buildings, roads, forests, and wells; booby-trapped buildings and objects that they thought might tempt a british soldier to pick up, such as trophy helmets, souvenirs, and food; and left the remains of barbed wire entanglements, deep shell holes and old trenches full of water, and unexploded artillery shells in the former battlefields.

“the sap trench was blown to hell weeks ago”:

sap trenches were temporary, shallow tunnels dug under no man’s land and towards enemy lines so close to the surface that when an offensive was launched, the attackers could collapse the tunnel roof, advance troops into a trench that was now far closer to the defenders than the latter were anticipating and way beyond the front line that now lay behind them, and go over the top with a much shorter distance to cover before they reached the enemy trenches.

had they been better and more extensively used during the battle of the somme, they might have made all the difference to the soldiers who had to advance across no man’s land in full view of the germans watching from up above on the high ground.

“at least wear your medal”:

it’s possible schofield was awarded a medal for gallantry at the somme - perhaps for having reached the village of thiepval itself, as a few advancing BEF troops were seen to have done (and which then ultimately resulted in even more carnage, as the no doubt terrified and bewildered soldiers entering the village and finding themselves alone and without the rest of their battalion inadvertently prompted the british artillery to direct fire away from the german defences in the village, thus leaving the troops still trapped down below open to even worse targeted machine gun fire) when most scarcely made it out of the trenches - but it’s perhaps more likely that he was simply awarded a medal for having participated in the battle.

bonus bit, because it breaks my heart:

it’s entirely possible that, with the air of optimism in the BEF prior to the first day of the somme, schofield, perhaps a fairly fresh recruit, was daring to feel hopeful. that he was smiling and laughing and believing that maybe it would actually work - maybe it would all be okay. and that, afterwards, he was left with his spirit destroyed. if schofield was a different person before the war - if he was happier, if he smiled more, if he softly but passionately loved books and poetry and flowers - then thiepval took it all away and turned him into the quiet, hollow-eyed man we know.

(and, to just copy-paste my own tags on an earlier post about the fact that he’s seemingly stagnated at lance corporal after so many months because it somewhat ties in:

have they tried to promote scho and he said no? has he just sunk into his silence and become almost invisible and forgotten? has he done something wrong and they won't promote him because of it? bad behaviour? did he go mad after thiepval and do that thing some soldiers in the trenches did where they just try to go over the top and get themselves killed? and they've been watching him distrustfully ever since in case he has another outburst? did he used to be a higher rank and they demoted him because of shellshock or a lapse in ability because he just went silent after his trauma? did he ask to be demoted? has he really just stagnated at lance corporal? there's so much DEPTH there.

like i feel like someone can only be that... quiet and Given Up and distant if they’ve absolutely lost it at one point and then just accepted that there’s nothing they can do and crumpled into learned helplessness by the time we meet them. that’s my headcanon now: he lost it and was just unhinged and raging and screaming against the injustice of all his friends dying, and he was given an official warning and maybe demoted and eventually just faded into a silent nothing when he realised no one cared and no one would do anything and nothing would change. and now he’s been left with that incredible capacity for leadership, with all those skills, with all that caring, and nowhere for it to go)

#im here im queer im BACK FOR MORE BABEEEY #1917 #mine #honestly that thing about leslie makes me so SAD #leslie does care!!!! he cares so much!!!!! he loves kilgour!!! he's just AFRAID AND DOESN'T BELIEVE IN HIMSELF #DOESN'T THINK HE #'S CAPABLE OF LEADING THEM #I LOVE HIM

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